ZIS LS Library: New books for older readers

Winner of the 2019 Costa Children's Book Award!

A young outcast is swept up into a thrilling and perilous medieval treasure hunt in this award-winning literary page-turner by acclaimed bestselling author Catherine Gilbert Murdock. The Book of Boy was awarded a Newbery Honor. "A treat from start to finish."--Wall Street Journal

A new middle-grade fantasy series packed with action and adventure
Three books in this series.

5 books in the series
After her troublemaking twin, Scarlet, vanishes from Rookwood boarding school, shy Ivy tries to track her down, using pieces of Scarlet's journal carefully hidden all over the school for Ivy to find.

8 books in series.
Twelve-year-old Sophie discovers that the abilities that have always caused her to stand out are because she is actually an elf. After she is brought to Eternalia where she can hone her skills, Sophie learns she harbors certain secrets that others would kill to learn.

In this highly anticipated contemporary fantasy, twelve-year-old Mayas search for her missing father puts her at the center of a battle between our world, the Orishas, and the mysterious and sinister Dark world. Perfect for fans of Aru Shah and the End of Time and The Serpents Secret.
West African connection.

Also look for Hello Universe by this author.
A fantasy debut by the author of the Newbery Medal-winning Hello, Universe finds a young girl embarking on a quest normally reserved for boys in the hope of saving her village from life-threatening hazards, including a deadly plague affecting her mother

Winner of the 2020 Pura Belpre Award
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents a brilliant sci-fi romp with Cuban influence that poses this question: What would you do if you had the power to reach through time and space and retrieve anything you want, including your mother, who is no longer living (in this universe, anyway)?

Also read Found and Among the Hidden by the same author.
Everything changes when reports of three kidnapped children—who share the same first and middle names, ages, and exact birth dates as the Greystone kids—reach the Greystone family.

Chockfull of heart and humor, as well as Jamie Littler's irresistable illustrations, the journey of the Frostheart will win over readers and gatekeepers looking for a rich, gateway fantasy read.

Historical fiction. Also look for Wolf Hollow by the same author.

Also look for Fighting Words by the same author. It is a tough topic but great story.

Meet thirteen-year-old Agatha Oddly a bold, determined heroine, and the star of a stylish new detective series.

3 book series for puzzle solvers.

Twelve-year-old Abigail is shocked to discover her elite boarding school is really a cover for a huge spy ring, and must undergo Spy Training 101 in order to save her mother, who happens to be the spy ring's top agent.

Readers will be enamored by this blend of history, mystery, and superpowered action.

Also look for Project 1065 and others by the same author.

Literary and historically insightful, this is one of the great untold stories of WWII.

Set in the 1890s, this compelling and thoughtful novel examines pre-Soviet Russia's occupation of Lithuania.

From a Swedish author.
Grandpa hates being in hospital. He thinks only of the place he was happiest—the island where he used to live. He wants to go back, but they won't let him out of the hospital.

Twelve-year-old Iris and her grandmother, both deaf, drive from Texas to Alaska armed with Iris's plan to help Blue-55, a whale unable to communicate with other whales.

Unhappy about being sent to the same summer camp after their fathers start dating, Bett and Avery, eleven, eventually begin scheming to get the couple back together after a break-up. Told entirely through emails. LGBTQIA

Crow has lived her entire life on a tiny piece of the starkly beautiful Elizabeth Islands off the coast of Massachusetts. Her only companions are Osh, the man who rescued her from a tiny skiff as an infant and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their neighbor across the sandbar. But it isn't until the night when a mysterious fire appears across the water that an unspoken question of her own history forms in her heart and an unstoppable chain of events is triggered...

Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and brilliantly weaves them into one wickedly funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life.

"'The Unteachables' never thought they'd find a teacher who had a worse attitude than they did. And Mr. Kermit never thought he would actually care about teaching again. Over the course of a school year, though, room 117 will experience mayhem, destruction--and maybe even a shot at redemption"-

A book about kindness and it will appeal to science fans.

Eleven-year-old Tilly Pages, who has found comfort in her grandparents' bookshop since her mother's disappearance, now learns that she can bookwander into any stories, and decides to seek her mother.

Middle School reading list

Series Lost and Found. (4 books )

When Bert discovers a tiny boy angel in his pocket, he takes the angel home to his wife and they happily raise him as their own son

Scary Stories for Young Foxes has the chills of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and the heart of Pax.

They've got their eyes on you: a quirky, creepy and unforgettable adventure, perfect for fans of Roald Dahl, Neil Gaiman and Tim Burton

Sophie is resigned to her fate as a hat shop apprentice until a witch turns her into an old woman and she finds herself in the castle of the greatly feared wizard Howl.

Meet Anders, Eden and their new friend, Bernie. It's the school holidays, and there are comics to be made, games to be played, ice-cream to be eaten, and rhinos to impress at Wekiwa water park.

Life in Sunrise Valley is tranquil, but beyond its borders lies certain death. A dangerous black fog looms outside the village, but its inhabitants are kept safe by an ingenious machine known as the dam.

A true story from Raina Telgemeier, the #1 New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award-winning author of Smile, Sisters, Drama, and Ghosts!

"Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.

A poignant, laugh-out-loud illustrated middle-grade novel about an eleven-year-old boy's immigration experience, his annoying little brother, and their cake-baking hijinks! Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Gene Luen Yang!

2019 Parents Magazine Best Children's Books of the Year

Comic book favorite author Jamieson teams up with Mohamed, a Somalian refugee, to tell a heartbreaking story inspired by Mohamed's life.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Roller Girl in this hilarious, one-of-a-kind graphic novel about a half-witch who has just discovered the truth about herself, her family, and her town and is doing her best to survive middle school now that she knows everything!

Modern retelling of the classic Little Women.

Think Star Wars meets Avatar: The Last Airbender!

From comics rising star Sarah Graley, a fresh and funny middle-grade graphic novel featuring a girl who must save a virtual world... and her own!

3 book graphic novel series
From the illustrator of the web comic Strong Female Protagonist comes a debut middle-grade graphic novel about family, identity, courage -- and magic.

Growing up in the same Chinese-American suburb, perfectionist Christine and artistic, confident, impulsive Moon become unlikely best friends, whose friendship is tested by jealousy, social expectations, and illness

3 book series
What happens when you combine the gladiatorial combat of ancient Rome with a fast-talking creature who is definitely not a stripey horse?...you get a middle-grade series that cleverly mixes history with hilarity!

Book series
For fans of Diary of a wimpy Kid

Latest in a series. Look also for My life as a book.
Derek Fallon and his friends are back for more adventure, this time featuring memes.

5 book series

Giant locusts, aliens, robots, savage unicorns, and a wormhole-producing lunchbox lead to rapid-fire chaos in this series starter about kids saving the universe

For fans of Captain Underpants or Diary of wimpy Kid.