Gus is rescued from the area bully by tough-girl Rossi. The only negotiation she has to stop the bully for tormenting Gus is her prized motorbike. Gus feels terrible and goes back to the bully to try make a deal to get her bike back. The bully says he wants a piece of gold from the nearby caves, caves people stay away from because of people being hurt and dying in them. Gus accepts the challenge and heads off to do this. Will he manage to find the gold and survive the caves.

A superb adventure story by one of my favourite middle grade authors, Dusti Bowling. Jolene is a 12 year old girl who spends a lot of time on her own- she doesn't have any friends and her mom isn't available to her often, due to addiction. One of the joys in her life is watching live streams of a young pilot, named Addie Earhart, as she flies her ultralight. During a live stream one afternoon, Addie crashes. Jolene tries to report it but since she isn't too sure of the details, no one believes her. She then sets out to save her only friend, despite the risks of doing such a thing.

Months ago I heard about this book and pre-ordered it. Wow! Masterfully written, this story, which I only knew the headline version of, is unbelievably intense, scary, and so full of hope. This is a must for school libraries and for kids gr. 5-6+. I had no idea of the dangers people from all around the world put themselves in to save these boys, nor the scope of this rescue.

Joy has had a lot of change in her life recently- her dad lost his job, the family has moved to an apartment and she has had to move away from all that she knows. In her new home, she meets a girl, Nora and they become fast friends. Nora introduces her to other kids in the building, and their secret hideout in the basement of the building. Joy and Norah also start a dog-walking business and Joy starts to feel like things may be ok. Then she makes a series a mistakes, all unintentional, but they cause her life to change drastically. These mistakes impact her family, her friends and her business and Joy once again feels sad and alone. Can she make amends with all of these people in her life? A delightful story about finding a place to call home, family and friendship.

I have seen this mentioned many places and finally checked it out. A really great graphic novel about doing what's right and taking action when you see a need for change. The dedication, "For all the troublemakers and Problem Solvers" says it all for who this book is for.

A great middle-school graphic novel about friendship, first crushes, and following your dreams.

This stunning fantastical retelling of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables caught my attention right away and I loved this story. While the main themes of Les Miserables are respected, the characters, setting, and storyline are developed in a very original way.

I have had this on my shelf for quite a while and I’m so glad I have finally read it. There is so much to unpack in this story and I could see this creating a lot of discussion in a classroom. Set during WWll, this novel-in-verse is about a family who has to deal with an “unteachable” child. When Henry is 4 he gets a terrible ear infection and loses his hearing. His family work hard to help him, and try to find a school that will be able to teach him. They are told that having such a child at home would be too much for them. His parents would like him to go to the school the deaf but after a misguided test by an intolerant adult, Henry is deemed “feebleminded” and his parents are coerced to send him to the state school. Reluctantly they take him there. At this “school” Henry is abused and is is not cared for well. There is no attempt to try to teach him to communicate. A few years into his stay a new staff member arrives because many of the previous ones have enlisted in the war. This young man is a conscious objector to the war and this is his duty in lieu of him refusing to enlist. He is a kind and gentle man who sees the true potential in Henry and works to change Henry’s future, because he is in no way “feebleminded”. This is such a powerful story about kindness and a interesting lesson in history.

Alan Gratz is an incredible storyteller and once again takes the reader on a journey through history. His earlier novel Refugee still tops my list of best books I have ever read. This one doesn't disappoint either as he takes the reader to D-Day and we learn the stories of that day through the perspectives of multiple different characters. I certainly learned a ton about D-Day that I didn't know and I know others will too