Gifts for Middle Grade Kids
You Don’t Know Very Well
Continuing my series about books you can recommend, and give with confidence, below are some sure-fire titles published this year for middle-grade kids.
Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson, (Penguin/Nancy Paulsen)
For the smart kid who wants to get into the head of another, there is Woodson’s National Book Award winner, Brown Girl Dreaming, a book that sings and shouts and, with the help of the NBA judges, sends its song to an even wider universe. Also consider her backlist, now available in paperback, including Feathers and After Tupac & D Foster.
El Deafo, Cece Bell, (Abrams)
This has been on the top of my lists since I read an advance copy half a year ago. It stands with the best in the repertoire of middle grade school stories. Don’t be fooled by reviewer shorthand that says this is a book about hearing loss and disability. It is about that, but even more, it is about growing and friendship, misunderstanding and secret thoughts. Bell has bravely shared her own story so that children will know they are not alone as they negotiate the mysterious trials of elementary school society.
Rain Reign, Ann M. Martin, (Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends; Brilliance Audio)
I am a sucker for a good story about a girl and her dog. If you have readers who want a very real story that can be a bit of a weeper, this it.
Good spoiler alert: Don’t worry, the dog doesn’t die.
Guys Read: True Stories, John Scieska illus, by BrianFloca (Walden Pond Press)
I didn’t forget about the boys. This title should have been on the informational books list, but rules are meant to be broken especially by John Scieska. He asks our favorite informational book authors — Candace Fleming, Elizabeth Partridge, Jim Murphy, Steve Sheinkin, and Nathan Hale — to present high interest narrative non- fiction in short format.