Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done ~ Brian Stevenson. The above quote stuck with me through this entire of William 'Scoob" Lamar and his G'ma. As they travel the southern States, we learn of some of their "worst things" and their search for forgiveness. A powerful story about family love, dying and forgiveness.

Looking for a great book for your pre-teen/teen? Looking for great read-aloud for your Middle Grades classroom? Looking for a book to add to your classroom/school library?This is it! A beautiful story about loss and discovering who you are. This page-turner, with just the right amount of humour and heart-warming moments, was one I couldn't put down. Author Dan Gemeinhart is quickly becoming a favourite among students at our school and his latest release does not disappoint. This book joins the list of best books I have ever read.

A really great graphic novel for younger readers. Princess Diana wishes she had friends her age and one day decides to create her own out of clay. No one is happier when her creation comes to life and she finally has a best friend. Until she starts to discover things may not be as she thinks. Friendship and knowing a true friend are important lessons in this graphic novel.

A powerful novel-in-verse about childhood trauma and PTSD, and learning to trust again. Cal has lost his mother to Leukemia and his dad is in prison. He has recently moved in with his mom’s twin sister and her family, but is finding the adjustment to a new home and school very difficult. This is mostly because others think him strange or weird because of his reactions to stressful situations (he screams, has tantrums, runs away) and his difficulty in telling the truth. A fabulous novel for middle grades.

Read these two AMAZING novels in one day, written by the fabulous Kwame Alexander. These verse novels are great for any Middle Grades reader. They would also be perfect for the reluctant readers in your life. Love, love, love these!

Not being someone who follows or really understands the game of basketball, I found this book fascinating. The history of Basketball and of the Bishop O'Dowd team and players is intriguing and the author putting himself in the book to show how he was inspired by this team to write this book was a bonus. Highly recommend this graphic novel!

I am continually so impressed with Alan Gratz's storytelling abilities. His book Refugee still tops of my list of all time favourite books. This book is also amazing- intriguing, full of suspense, thrilling and a total nail-biter. The story of Cameron and Darius Smith is captivating and impossible to put down from the first page. What continues to impress me with Gratz's ability to intertwine characters and intricate details into such spellbinding stories.

A wonderful story about family, friendship, and figuring out who you are. Darius and his family live in the USA but when his grandfather becomes ill, they all travel to Iran to be with family. Darius has never been there before and learns a lot about his heritage and who he is. Darius suffers from depression and while the fact that he and his father take meds to help them with it is open conversation at home, he learns that his Iranian family see this mental illness differently. A powerful story about understanding yourself and your heritage and being ok with who you are.

This books shares the important story of a Mexican family where the parents are undocumented in the US. Efren comes home from school one day to discover his mom has been deported back to Mexico. He then has to become the primary caregiver of his younger siblings as his dad takes on extra jobs to make money to try bring his wife back. The sad part is that this story is common all over the states and families are fighting to be reunited. Efren is a character you instantly connect to and root for throughout the story.