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  Recommended Reads Grade 6-8  
Fuzzy

Tom Angleberger - Amulet Books
Format: Hardcover

When Max (Maxine Zealster) befriends her new robot classmate Fuzzy, she helps him navigate Vanguard Middle School and together they reveal the truth behind the Robot Integration Program.
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Far from Fair

Elana K Arnold - HMH Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

Odette Zyskowski has a list: Things That Aren't Fair. At the top of the list is her parents' decision to take the family on the road in an ugly RV they've nicknamed the Coach. There's nothing fair about leaving California and living in the cramped Coach with her parents and exasperating...
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Far from Fair

Elana K Arnold - HMH Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

Odette Zyskowski has a list: Things That Aren't Fair. At the top of the list is her parents' decision to take the family on the road in an ugly RV they've nicknamed the Coach. There's nothing fair about leaving California and living in the cramped Coach with her parents and exasperating...
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Passenger

Alexandra Bracken - ‎Disney-Hyperion
Format: Hardcover

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles, but years from home. And shes inherited a legacy she knows...
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Moo

Sharon Creech - HarperCollins
Format: Hardcover

This uplifting New York Times bestseller reminds us that if we're open to new experiences, life is full of surprises.Fans of Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech's Love That Dog and Hate That Cat will love her newest tween novel, Moo. Following one family's momentous move from the city to rural...
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Last Day on Mars

Kevin Emerson - Walden Pond Press
Format: Hardcover

"Last Day on Mars is thrillingly ambitious and imaginative. Like a lovechild of Gravity and The Martian, it's a rousing space opera for any age, meticulously researched and relentlessly paced, that balances action, science, humor, and most importantly, two compelling main characters...
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The Outcasts: Brotherband Chronicles, Book 1

John A. Flanagan - Philomel Books
Format: Hardcover

From the author of the global phenomenon Rangers Apprentice!They are outcasts. Hal, Stig, and the others - they are the boys the others want no part of. Skandians, as any reader of Rangers Apprentice could tell you, are known for their size and strength. Not these boys. Yet that doesnt...
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Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

Karen Foxlee - Random House Children's Books
Format: Hardcover

"Magic is "messy and dangerous and filled with longing," we learn in this brave tale of grief, villainy and redemption that borrows from the story of the Snow Queen. Set in a vast, chilly museum, the tale brings together a valiant girl, a charmed boy, a magical sword and a clock...
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The Inquisitor's Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog

Adam Gidwitz - Dutton Children's Books
Format: Print book

An exciting and hilarious medieval adventure from the bestselling author of A Tale Dark and Grimm. Beautifully illustrated throughout! Winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award The Inquisitor's Tale is one of the most celebrated children's books of 2016! New York Times Bestseller...
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Refugee

ALAN GRATZ - Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover

JOSEF is a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world . . .ISABEL is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft,...
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Light Years: A Novel

EMILY ZIFF GRIFFIN - Simon Pulse
Format: Hardcover

As a mysterious virus infects the world's population, a girl embarks on a quest to find a cure in this thrilling debut from Emily Ziff Griffin.Luisa is ready for her life to start. Five minutes ago. And she could be on her way, as her extraordinary coding skills have landed her a finalist...
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Under Their Skin

Margaret Peterson Haddix - Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

From New York Times bestselling author Margaret Peterson Haddix comes the first book in a brand-new thrilling series about twins who are on a quest to discover the secrets being kept by their new family.Nick and Eryn's mom is getting remarried, and the twelve-year-old twins are skeptical...
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Slider

PETE HAUTMAN - Candlewick
Format: Hardcover

Competitive eating vies with family expectations in a funny, heartfelt novel for middle-grade readers by National Book Award winner Pete Hautman.David can eat an entire sixteen-inch pepperoni pizza in four minutes and thirty-six seconds. Not bad. But he knows he can do better. In fact,...
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The Girl from Everywhere

Heidi Heilig - Greenwillow Books
Format: Hardcover

The Girl from Everywhere, the first of two books, blends fantasy, history, and a modern sensibility. Its sparkling wit, breathless adventure, multicultural cast, and enchanting romance will dazzle readers of Sabaa Tahir and Leigh Bardugo. As the daughter of a time traveler, Nix has spent...
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The Librarian of Auschwitz

Antonio Iturbe - Henry Holt and Co.
Format: Hardcover

Based on the experience of real-life Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus, this is the incredible story of a girl who risked her life to keep the magic of books alive during the Holocaust.Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Taken, along with her mother...
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Masterminds

Gordon Korman - Balzer + Bray
Format: Hardcover

The first book in the action-packed series from New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman is perfect for young fans of James Patterson and John Grisham. Eli Frieden lives in the most perfect town in the world: Serenity, New Mexico. Honesty and integrity are valued above all else....
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A Handful of Stars

Cynthia Lord - Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover

This powerful middle-grade novel from the Newbery Honor author of RULES explores a friendship between a small-town girl and the daughter of migrant workers.When Lily's blind dog, Lucky, slips his collar and runs away across the wide-open blueberry barrens of eastern Maine, it's Salma Santiago...
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Warcross

Marie Lu - G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu - when a game called Warcross takes the world by storm, one girl hacks her way into its dangerous depths. For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn't just a game - it's a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base...
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SYLO

D J MacHale - ‎Razorbill; 1st edition
Format: Hardcover

The ultimate action-fueled end-of-the-world conspiracy trilogy from #1 New York Times bestselling author D.J. MacHaleTHEY CAME FROM THE SKYparachuting...
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Greenglass House

Kate Milford - Clarion Books
Format: Book

National Book Award Nominee Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery Nebula/Andre Norton Award NomineeNew York Times Bestseller It's wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smuggler's inn is always quiet during this season, and twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers'...
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Going Where It's Dark

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor - Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

From the Newbery Award-winning author of Shiloh comes a middle-grade novel that combines adrenaline-fueled adventure with a poignant coming-of-age story.Buck Anderson's life seems to be changing completely. His best friend, David, has moved away; his anxious parents are hounding...
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Mark of the Thief

Jennifer A. Nielsen - Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover

When Nic, a slave in the mines outside of Rome, is forced to enter a sealed cavern containing the lost treasures of Julius Caesar, he finds much more than gold and gemstones: He discovers an ancient bulla, an amulet that belonged to the great Caesar and is filled with a magic once reserved...
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I Funny: A Middle School Story

James Patterson - Little Brown and Company
Format: Print book

Jamie Grimm is a middle schooler on a mission: he wants to become the world's greatest standup comedian--even if he doesn't have a lot to laugh about these days. He's new in town and stuck living with his aunt, uncle, and their evil son Stevie, a bully who doesn't let Jamie's wheelchair...
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Road Trip

Jim Paulsen - Yearling Books
Format: Hardcover

Dad and Ben haven't been getting along recently and Dad hopes a road trip to rescue a border collie will help them reconnect. But Ben is on to Dad's plan and invites Ben's thuggish buddy, Theo. The family dog, Atticus, comes along too and the story is told by Ben and Atticus....
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Pax

Sara Pennypacker - Balzer + Bray
Format: Hardcover

National Book Award Longlist * New York Times Bestseller * An Amazon Best Book of the YearFrom bestselling and award-winning author Sara Pennypacker comes a beautifully wrought, utterly compelling novel about the powerful relationship between a boy and his fox. Pax is destined to become...
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Stranded

Jeff Probst

A New York Times Bestseller!As seen on The Today Show, Rachael Ray, and Kelly and Michael.From the Emmy-Award winning host of Survivor, Jeff Probst, with Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life co-author, Chris Tebbetts, comes a brand n
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Ghost

Jason Reynolds - Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Format: Hardcover

A National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature. Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read. Ghost wants to be the fastest sprinter on his elite middle school track team, but his past is slowing him down in this first electrifying...
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Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, Book 1: The Sword of Summer

Rick Riordan - Disney-Hyperion
Format: Print book

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother's mysterious death, he's lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.One day, he's tracked down by an uncle he barely knows-a man his mother claimed...
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York: The Shadow Cipher

LAURA RUBY - Walden Pond Press
Format: Hardcover

"The pleasures of the novel go far beyond the crackling, breathless plot and the satisfaction of watching the puzzle fall into place. The book is shot through with humor, both laugh-out-loud and subtle." - New York Times Book ReviewFrom National Book Award finalist and Printz...
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Echo

Pam MunÌ?oz Ryan - Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover

Winner of a 2016 Newbery Honor, ECHO pushes the boundaries of genre, form, and storytelling innovation. Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica. Decades...
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Fuzzy Mud

Louis Sachar - Delacorte Press
Format: Hardcover

From the author of the acclaimed bestseller Holes, winner of the Newbery Award and the National Book Award, comes Fuzzy Mud, a New York Times bestseller. "Sachar blends elements of mystery, suspense, and school-day life into a taut environmental cautionary tale. "--Publishers...
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Salt to the Sea

Ruta Sepetys - Philomel Books
Format: Hardcover

New York Times Bestseller and winner of the Carnegie Medal! "Masterfully crafted" - The Wall Street JournalFor readers of Between Shades of Gray and All the Light We Cannot See, Ruta Sepetys returns to WWII in this epic novel that shines a light on one of the war's...
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Falling Over Sideways

Jordan Sonnenblick - Scholastic (Us)
Format: Print book

It's not easy being Claire. (Really.) Claire's life is a joke . . . but she's not laughing. While her friends seem to be leaping forward, she's dancing in the same place. The mean girls at school are living up to their mean name, and there's a boy, Ryder, who's just as bad, if not worse....
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Goodbye Stranger

Rebecca Stead - Wendy Lamb Books
Format: Hardcover

This brilliant, New York Times bestselling novel from the author of the Newbery Medal winner When You Reach Me explores multiple perspectives on the bonds and limits of friendship. Long ago, best friends Bridge, Emily, and Tab made a pact: no fighting. But it's the start of seventh...
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The Secret Keepers

Trenton Lee Stewart - Little
Format: Print book

A New York Times Bestseller This heart-pounding mystery adventure, by the author of the New York Times bestselling series The Mysterious Benedict Society, is laced with magic and humor A magical watch A string of secretsA race against timeWhen Reuben discovers an extraordinary antique watch,...
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The Screaming Staircase

Jonathan Stroud - Disney-Hyperion Books
Format: Print book

A sinister Problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts, spirits, and specters are appearing throughout the city, and they aren't exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see-and eradicate-these supernatural foes. Many different Psychic...
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The Night Parade

Kathryn Tanquary - Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Format: Print book

"I thought you might sleep through it." The creature smiled. Saki's voice was little more than a whisper. "Sleep through what?" It leaned over. She stared into its will-o'-the-wisp eyes."The Night Parade, of course."The last thing Saki Yamamoto wants to do for her summer...
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Frazzled: Everyday Disasters and Impending Doom

Booki Vivat - Harper
Format: Print book

"Hilarious." (NPR's All Things Considered) "Honest, sweet, and laugh-out-loud funny. Fans of Smile and Diary of a Wimpy Kid will appreciate this debut." (Brightly.com) Meet Abbie Wu. Abbie is in crisis - and not just because she's starting middle school or because...
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H.I.V.E.: Higher Institute of Villainous Education

Mark Walden - Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Format: Print book

HIGHER INSTITUTE OF VILLAINOUS EDUCATION Otto Malpense may only be thirteen years old, but so far he has managed to run the orphanage where he lives, and he has come up with a plan clever enough to trick the most powerful man in the country. He is the perfect candidate to become the world's...
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Wolf Hollow

Lauren Wolk - Dutton Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

A 2017 Newbery Honor BookNew York Times BestsellerA young girl's kindness, compassion, and honesty overcome bullying. * An NPR Best Book of the Year* A BOOKLIST Best Book of the Year* An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of the Year* A Kirkus Reviews...
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The Way to Bea

Kat Yeh - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

With a charming voice, winning characters, and a perfectly-woven plot, Kat Yeh delivers a powerful story of friendship and finding a path towards embracing yourself.Everything in Bea's world has changed. She's starting seventh grade newly friendless and facing big changes at home, where...
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So, You Want to Be a Coder?: The Ultimate Guide to a Career in Programming, Video Game Creation, Robotics, and More!

J M Bedell - Aladdin
Format: Print book

Love coding? Make your passion your profession with this comprehensive guide that reveals a whole host of careers working with code.Behind the screen of your phone, tablet, computer, or game console lies a secret language that allows it all to work. Computer code has become as integral...
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Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek

Maya van Wagenen - ‎Dutton Books for Young Readers; First Edition
Format: Hardcover

2015 YALSA Award for Excellence in NonfictionNew York Times Bestseller A breakout teen author explores...
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Shaken: Young Reader's Edition: Fighting to Stand Strong No Matter What Comes Your Way

TIM TEBOW - WaterBrook
Format: Hardcover

Your identity is defined--not by changing circumstances-- but an unchanging God!Whether you're celebrating an incredible victory or facing life's biggest disappointment, your response will reveal who you really are.In this powerful book designed specifically for young Christians, Heisman...
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In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives

Kenneth C Davis - Henry Holt and Company
Format: Print book

Did you know that many of America's Founding Fathers -- who fought for liberty and justice for all -- were slave owners? Through the powerful stories of five enslaved people who were "owned" by four of our greatest presidents, this book helps set the record straight about...
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March: Book One

John Lewis - Top Shelf Productions
Format: Paperback

Congressman John Lewis (GA-5) is an American icon, one of the key figures of the civil rights movement. His commitment to justice and nonviolence has taken him from an Alabama sharecropper's farm to the halls of Congress, from a segregated schoolroom to the 1963 March on Washington, and from...
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Eyes Wide Open: Going Behind the Environmental Headlines

Paul Fleischman - Candlewick
Format: Hardcover

Paul Fleischman offers teens an environmental wake-up call and a tool kit for decoding the barrage of conflicting information confronting themWere living in an Ah-Ha moment Take years of human ingenuity Add abundant fossil fuels The result a population and lifestyle never before seen The downsides...
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The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives

DASHKA SLATER - Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Format: Hardcover

One teenager in a skirt. One teenager with a lighter.One moment that changes both of their lives forever. If it weren't for the 57 bus, Sasha and Richard never would have met. Both were high school students from Oakland, California, one of the most diverse cities in the country, but they...
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The Singing Bones

Shaun Tan - Arthur A. Levine Books
Format: Hardcover

Wicked stepmothers, traitorous brothers, cunning foxes, lonely princesses: There is no mistaking the world of the Brothers Grimm and the beloved fairy tales that have captured generations of readers. Now internationally acclaimed artist Shaun Tan shows us the beautiful, terrifying, amusing,...
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Robot Building for Teens

Behnam Salemi - Cengage Learning PTR; 1 edition
Format: Paperback

Robotics--the design and creation of robots--is one of the most exciting and fast-growing areas of technology today. Robots are essentially computers with physical bodies; they can sense their environment, make decisions, and perform actions. They come in all shapes and sizes and are being...
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Lost in the Pacific, 1942: Not a Drop to Drink

Tod Olson - Scholastic Nonfiction
Format: Hardcover

World War II, October 21, 1942. A B-17 bomber drones high over the Pacific Ocean, sending a desperate SOS into the air. The crew is carrying America's greatest living war hero on a secret mission deep into the battle zone. But the plane is lost, burning through its final gallons of fuel.At...
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We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler

Russell Freedman - Clarion Books
Format: Hardcover

In his signature eloquent prose, backed up by thorough research, Russell Freedman tells the story of Austrian-born Hans Scholl and his sister Sophie. They belonged to Hitler Youth as young children, but began to doubt the Nazi regime. As older students, the Scholls and a few friends formed...
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I Got This: To Gold and Beyond

NOT AVAILABLE. - HarperCollins
Format: Hardcover

New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestseller!Gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast and Dancing with the Stars champion Laurie Hernandez shares her story in her own words in this debut book for fans of all ages - with never-before-seen photos!At sixteen years old, Laurie Hernandez...
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Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything

ALY RAISMAN - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

Discover Aly Raisman's inspiring story of dedication, perseverance, and learning to think positive even in the toughest times on her path to gold medal success in two Olympic Games--and beyond. Aly Raisman first stepped onto a gymnastics mat as a toddler in a "mommy & me"...
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