Breakfast and Booktalks 2015 Recommendations
Every year book buyers from Wellesley Books (a local independent bookshop) booktalk the latest and greatest new titles for 6th, 7th, and 8th grader.
Books for Sixth Graders
Historical Fiction
The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley war, disabilities, siblings, WWII, England Stella by Starlight by Sharon Draper African American, civil rights, KKK, prejudice The Bamboo Sword by Margi Preus Japanese culture, samurais, friendship, seafaring Chasing Secrets by Gennifer Choldenko diseases, fathers & daughters, mystery, friendship The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall African American, street art, community service Fantasy Fiction Nightfall by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski ghosts, thriller, action & adventure, survival Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley circus, friendship, orphans, diseases Arctic Code by Matthew Kirby mothers & daughters, scifi, action & adventure, aliens The Entirely True Story of the Unbelievable Fib by Adam Shaughnessy magic, norse mythology The Marvels by Brian Selznick action & adventure, England, actors, theater Graphic Novels Sunny Side Up by Jennifer Holm family, Florida, secrets Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula by Andi Watson cooks, supernatural, princess Drowned City by Don Brown New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina Space Dumplins by Craig Thompson fathers & daughters, rescues, scifi |
Realistic Fiction
A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord Maine, Hispanic Americans, dogs, prejudice, courage George by Alex Gino transgender, bullying, middle school Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff brothers, disabilities, guilt, grief Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead bullying, friendship, middle school, New York The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin friendship, grief, friendship The Edge by Roland Smith action & adventure, survival, rock climbing, terrorism Nonfiction Big Top Burning by Laura A. Woollett disaster, arson, circus Eureka! by Dr. Mike Goldsmith discoveries in science history Boys in the Boat (young reader's adaptation) by Daniel James Brown Olympics, rowing, Great Depression, adversity Guts & Glory: the Vikings by Ben Thompson Vikings, history |
Books for Seventh and Eighth Graders
Historical Fiction
Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein race relations, pilots, Ethiopia, brothers & sisters The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz diaries, teen girls, Judaism, adversity Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman action & adventure, wild west, gender roles, bandits X: a Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kelka Magoon Malcom X, black Muslims, race Fantasy Fiction Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow dystopian, artificial intelligence, survival, battles Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo magic, outlaws, law & crime Accident Season* by Moira Fowley-Doyle family, paranormal, accidents Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin WWII, government, motorcycle racing, reimagined history The Rest of Us Just Live Here* by Patrick Ness humor, dystopia, magic, muggles Graphic Novels Macbeth by Gareth Hinds Shakespeare, Scotland Honor GIrl* by Maggie Thrash camp, GLBTQ Baba Yaga's Assistant by Marika McCoola witches, Russian folklore, fantasy Nimona by Noelle Stevenson fantasy, scifi, shapeshifting, good & evil |
Realistic Fiction
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary Schmidt foster care, orphans, teens Step Toward Falling* by Cammie McGovern high school, community service, disabilities Trouble is a Friend of Mine* by Stephanie Tromly detective, divorce, mystery, moving Blue Voyage by Diana Renn smuggling, travel, mystery, Turkey Code of Honor by Alan Gratz action & adventure, war, terrorism Nonfiction I Will Always Write Back by Martin Ganda friendship, penpals, Zimbabwe, teenagers Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the siege of Leningrad by M.T. Anderson performing arts, WWII, Russia Most Dangerous by Steven Sheinkin Pentagon papers, whistle blowers, Vietnam war Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Philip Hoose Denmark, WWII, resistance |