Told in dual perspectives, A Duet for Home shares the stories of June and Tyrell, two biracial tweens currently living at the Huey House homeless shelter whose stories are intertwined by a prank gone wrong. A Duet for Home – Karina Yan GlasserĪn important, eye-opening look at homelessness but filled with gentleness and hope. A powerful coming of age story that explores sports, the meaning of friendship, family struggles, bullying, and the stereotype of Black people not swimming. Bree knows nothing about swimming, but thanks to an older lady in her building who was once a swim champ, and a little tenacity, Bree ends up competing in the state swim meet. Bree is a math whiz but ends up having to take swimming class because all the other electives are full. Swim Team is a middle grade graphic novel that follows Bree, a girl who moves with her dad to a new state and has to begin at a new school. Anne of Green Gables fans will see many parallels, others will enjoy the light romance and COVID connections. That new friendship, coupled with another tragedy, spurs him to wonder if there are other survivors out there and he sets out to search for them. During Gabe’s turn to look for survivors, he finds Relle Douglas and brings her home. (sounds weird, but it works!) Set two years after a global pandemic, twenty survivors, most of them children, have moved from their coastal town to a smaller island where they all live in a mansion. Themes of grief, loss, community, hope, friendship, and first crush run through this post-apocalyptic story inspired by Anne of Green Gables. As with ANY book you bring into the classroom, PLEASE READ FIRST to ensure it is an appropriate fit for your students.

This week, I am featuring books I would recommend for UPPER middle grades (mature grade 6 to grade 8) and next week, I will share my favorites for LOWER middle grades (grades 4-early 6). If you teach those middle graders or are a teacher librarian – here are my favorite new novels (so far) of 2022:

There are also many “coming of age” stories with tweens navigating emotional and physical changes as they mature. Trends this year? I’m noticing authors tackling tough topics such as homelessness, poverty, activism, and bullying. Giving book talks and sharing “book trailers” or choosing that perfect “read-aloud” book to launch the new year can be just the thing to inspire your students to dive into books this year! Many of these books are also excellent choices for reading aloud, whole class novel study, or to add to your Lit Circle choices. In my experience, one of the best way to inspire your students to read is to get them excited about books! I love having a few new “hot picks” to share those first weeks of school. I don’t post about novels very often because it takes me so long to read enough books to make a post! But a new school year is always a great time to highlight some of my favorites of the year so far.

Wink by rob harrell summary