A suspenseful, fast-paced page-turner. I have read this to numerous groups of kids and the common reaction is "don't stop!". Toxic mud, government secrets, and plenty of unexpected twists makes this book a favourite for middle-grade kids.

Oh, my heart! Another amazing book by @alan.gratz. I have read all of his books over the past few years and this one is another homerun. Devastatingly sad, this is an incredible story about two lives impacted significantly by 9/11 years apart. Storytelling at its finest. Certainly one of my best reads of the year and a favourite with my students.

A sweet early middle-grade story about always keeping hope and believing that anything is possible. Olive, a spunky middle grader, who is starting to go to school for the first time because she has osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bones) and has spent most of her life in a wheelchair. As she joins the school she faces challenges as the people around her question what she is capable of. Full of heart and happiness, this is a great book for middle-grade readers.

I'm not sure that I can properly explain the power of this book. Jerome is a black 12yr old boy who is shot by a police officer in Chicago. And there begins the story of forgiveness and awareness. I just finished this as a read aloud with my grade 6s today and I think we all walk away from this with changed hearts and minds.

This autobiographical graphic novel is what so many teens need to read. Jarrett has a loving family, however, not the typical cookie cutter family. His mom is an addict in and out of jail and his father is not in the picture. His grandparents take him in and become his parents, giving him everything he needs in his life, and most importantly, love. With a mom who is facing her own demons, and an unknown father, Jarrett struggles to figure out who he is. A beautifully written graphic novel full of heart and some tough life question.

Such an important and powerful story!This is the story of an Umpqua Indigenous family in the USA in the 1950s and their treatment by the government. Even though this is the story of an American tribe and their experience when the government terminated their tribe, Canadians can learn a lot from this too as our history with Indigenous people here is Canada is full of similar stories. **This could easily be read by someone grades 4-5+ because of the reading level, however, some of the content and racist language would require some historical background to understand the context of some of the events and language.

A wonderful novel about the magic of wishes and the power of believing. This grade 3+ novel has everything a kid could want- adventure, friendship, talking animals (my particular favourite was the French-accented Canadian Goose who was full of attitude), and wishes being granted. So much love for this wonderful story.

An excellent book filled with adventure, mystery, and secrets. Sam has been beaten up by bullies at school and is trying to escape his shame and his father, who he doesn't want to know what happened. He heads out on his boat on the bayou near his home in hopes of redeeming himself by finding a body that the police have been searching for. On his search, he finds a boy living at an old fishing camp along the bayou. They become friends, however, they both have secrets they refuse to share with each other. This friendship forces them to face danger head one, and their secrets, as they come to terms with their own lives.

This book has been on my list of must read for a while now and what a beautiful story it is. Another opportunity for me to learn more about some world history I didn't know a lot about: the journey of a Vietnamese family to America during the Vietnam war. This novel in verse not only has a gripping story but intricate language as well.