Spring break is just a few days away, which means lots of time for reading. Here are some good books for middle-schoolers.
• The Swap by Meghan Shull: Ellie and Jack are both having a terrible first day of school and it’s about to get worse. Seventh-grader Ellie has just been ditched by her best friend. When she overhears girls making fun of her in the gym change room, she can’t take it anymore. The principal finds her crying in the halls and takes her to calm down in the nurse’s office. Eighth-grader Jack has a fresh black eye from a cheap shot his brother took at him. A kid has been chirping at him all day when Jack snaps. Jack and the kid get into a huge fight. Jack is worried about his nose (is it broken?) and the punishment he’s bound to get when his super-strict dad finds out he’s been fighting.
Jack looks at Ellie and thinks, “It must be so easy to be a girl.” Ellie looks at Jack and thinks, “It must be so easy to be a boy.” Suddenly, the two wake up and find they are in each other’s bodies. Ellie has to figure out how to get through hockey practice and act normal around Jack’s brothers. Jack has to survive an all-girls sleepover and avoid getting “the talk” from Ellie’s mom. Both have to find a way to get back into their real bodies. This is a hilarious take on the body switch premise.
• The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell: The night before the queen is going to get married, she learns of a curse on the kingdom in the next valley. The princess there is asleep and her subjects are catching her illness. Everyone is falling permanently asleep and the curse is moving closer and closer to the queen’s kingdom. She decides she must stop the curse before it gets to her kingdom. With seven dwarfs by her side, she sets off on her quest. Subtly merging the tales of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, Neil Gaiman, supported by the intricate drawings of Chris Riddell, takes these two fairy tales into unchartered territory.
• The Nest by Kenneth Oppel: This book is for readers who like being creeped out. Stephen’s new baby brother is sick. He was born with something wrong with him and no one can figure out what it is. Stephen’s parents spend a lot of time taking the baby to different doctors, leaving Stephen and his sister with a babysitter. Stephen is worried. Then he has a dream where a queen wasp offers to fix the baby and Stephen says yes. Maybe this wasn’t the right answer. What exactly did he agree to? The wasps outside of the baby’s room keep visiting Stephen’s dreams. The dreams are getting more and more sinister. Can Stephen protect his brother before something bad happens? Or is all of this strangeness coming from his anxious mind?
• No Such Person by Caroline B. Cooney: Miranda can’t wait for her relaxing summer at the cabin. Miranda loves sleeping in, lazing around on the dock and playing on her iPad. Miranda’s sister is the opposite. Lander plans to start medical school in the fall and she’s going to spend her summer waking up early and pouring over her text books. Miranda is shocked when Lander starts dating a mysterious boy she meets boating on the river. Suddenly, Lander is arrested for murder. Miranda knows her sister would never do that but how can she prove it?
• The Dumbest Idea Ever by Jimmy Gownley: Jimmy is popular and athletic but when pneumonia benches him, he turns his focus to drawing. He creates an epic comic book that features Star Lord, a superhero who can shoot fire bolts out of his wrists. Jimmy thinks his comic is amazing but when he shares it with his best friend Tony, Tony tells him it sucks. Tony tells him to “write about us.” Jimmy declares this to be the dumbest idea ever. Or is it the best idea ever?
For these and other recommendations for middle-schoolers and readers of any age, visit your local public library.
--A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Dana Ionson works at Port Coquitlam’s Terry Fox Library.
