I am late to the party with this book but oh what a book it is! Addressing intolerance, police brutality, racism and bias, this book knocks it out of the park. Powerful and thought-provoking, and 6 years after being published, this book is even more pertinent now. A definite must read!

One thing I love so much about Middle Grades books is the opportunity to talk about hard topics with kids in a way they they understand. This book is one of those books. Indebted servitude is not an easy topic to understand but this book handles it beautifully and leaves kids stunned, cheering for the Amal and they walk away with an understanding of an issue that is still prevalent in parts of the world. Last year this book was deservedly chosen as the Middle Grades book for the Global Read Aloud.

Just finished this beautiful novel tonight. What a beauty this book is! Set in the months post-9/11 middle-grade student Shirli is set to star in her school's musical, Fidler on the Roof. She remembers that her Zayde might have some set pieces for the play and in her search of this attic discovers an old violin. Shirli's learning and becoming her character in the musical is seamlessly interweaved with her discoveries of the story of her grand-father's past.

Bina and her friend Austin have a tradition of hanging out together all summer. This summer Bina faces a summer without him as he heads off to camp. She learns quickly how much she depended on Austin for a fun in the summer. Even when she texts him he seems different. Bina makes new friendships and new connections with her family, but misses her friend a lot. A fun graphic novel about summer, friendship, and figuring out who you are.

Another fabulous book by Alan Gratz about why censoring/banning books isn’t good for kids and how kids can make a difference and affect change when they really believe something is wrong. I love how a group of grade 4s come together to fight a parent group bent on banning books from their school library because of “inappropriate content”.

Aside from the title (fun fact about me- I hate caterpillars) this is a beautiful story. Two children are left with with grandparents, who they barely know, for the summer and they start to rebuild their relationship and get to know one another better. A true feel good story about family.

Mary is an alleged child killer. She was a child when she, allegedly, killed a baby. Mary has spent the last 6 years in “baby jail” and in a group home. She finds herself pregnant, living with other violent girls in a home where no one is safe, rarely sees her toxic mother, and is in desperate need for her truth to be told. This book is both disturbing and captivating, and one I won’t soon forget. 

A favourite of mine and hugely popular with kids. Told through the various perspectives of the students, the reader learns about their incredible teacher, Mr. Terupt. There is an accident and all of the kids' worlds are turned upside down as they try to unravel what happened and their feelings about it.

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.