IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS

Florian, a 7th grader, is once again at another new school in a new city, despairing about his predicament when the neighbor across the street forces herself into his house and befriends him after demanding to be   shown how TOAST works. TOAST is Florian's methodology of Schedule
observation which helps him adjust to new situations in his life.  While testing out his observational method, the two inadvertently stumble onto the mystery of stolen paintings at the National Gallery where both of Florian's parents work.  

Framed!  A T.O.A.S.T. Mystery by James Ponti is for those who love a good mystery, Sherlock Holmes and a dash of international spy thriller--you will love this book. 

For readers in 6th - 8th grades. 

LEVELS OF STRANGE

IS IT NEWBERY WORTHY? 

Willow Chance feels like she's running out of chances.  Her favorite number is 7, but she doesn't want to use 7 chances on life and she's already starting number 3.  Given up as a baby, her wonderful parents adopted her and loved her for all her character and uniqueness (which her classmates call weirdness) - like her obsession with medical diseases and her favorite outfit which includes gardening pants and an obsession with the number seven.  Her uniqueness has left Willow with very few friends, up until a few weeks ago when she learned vietnamese, gained 2 friends, and was sent to mandatory counseling by her school.  Now, though, as her counselor pulls up to her driveway and she sees the police but not her parents, Willow wonders if the third time is the charm or if she'll have to keep trying to find stability over and over again.

Join Willow on the path through social acceptance, grief, and the path towards a new life in Holly Goldberg Sloan's novel, Counting by 7s for students in grades 6 and up.

HAMLET, YOU ARE SPECIAL

Hamlet's parents are Shakespearean professors. Not only do they teach about Shakespeare, they wear the clothes, speak in the style and eat the food of Shakespeare's time. You get the idea. Shakespeare fanatics. And that's how Hamlet came to be called Hamlet and her sister Desdemona. But, it doesn't end there.


Hamlet thought eighth grade was going to be her year to be at the top of the heap and everything would go smoothly, but no. Her genius seven year old sister, Dezzie, who needs to fulfill her arts requirement before going off to college will be going to be going to school AND attend classes with her. What's worse, in English and Social Studies, they will be studying all things Shakespeare. And just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, it does.


Read all about The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne. A tragic comedy for readers in 6th - 8th grade.

THE SUMMER OF MILLICENT, STANFORD AND EMILY

This trilogy is set in the summer right before the start of middle school. Three kids come together in friendship, well for two of them a mutual understanding. Millicent, Girl Genius, is enlisted to tutor Stanford Wong, (who) Flunks Big Time, in English for the summer. Along comes So Totally, Emily Ebers, who just moved into the area and befriends Millicent.

Millicent is socially challenged and has never had a close friend before. Because everyone thinks she's a freak, she will do almost anything to keep Emily from finding out that she's so brilliant that she is homeschooled. Stanford can't stand Millicent but needs her to pass the class so he can play basketball next season. But, he can't let Emily, whom he thinks is absolutely adorable, know that he's being tutored! Or any of his friends for that matter. Emily on the other hand substitutes her father's absence in the wake of her parents' divorce by charging everything on the emergency credit card and buying friendships. She seriously has a crush on Stanford and doesn't get why Millicent is so hard on him.

Everyone has a secret that they want to hide, but not for long. Each have to deal with their perceived failures and shortcomings in their own way. A fantastic trio of companion books from each person's point of view. Start with Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee.

For mature readers in 6th - 8th grades.