A PAULSEN PAIR

Two companion stories by Gary Paulsen, Liar, Liar: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Deception and Flat Broke: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Greed, tell the story of Kevin who tell a pile of lies in order to win the heart of a girl. He lies to everyone: his family, his best friends, his acquaintances. He couldn't lie to a little boy though and that's when the pile of lies came tumbling down. If you like Liar Liar, then you must read Flat Broke.

Two very short novels for readers in 6th-8th grade about the questionable act of lying and making amends in order to win back everyone's trusts and friendships.

GRIFFIN BING, IS A MAN WITHOUT A PLAN

Griffin's new start in middle school is not going well. The principal is all about football and seems to have it in for Griffin and his friends from the beginning. Being framed for stealing a valuable and significant Super Bowl ring from the glass display case of the school, he and his "team" have to prove his innocence, and figure out who really stole the ring but every single plan lands Griffin in even more of a mess - until he's under house arrest - with an electronic device around his ankle .

Framed by Gordon Korman is next in the Griffin Bing series and perfect read for 4th -6th graders.

CHASING VERMEER!

Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay are the heroes in this book which has many similarities to the DaVinci Code. The story is about these two kids who are in the same class but not close to one another and don’t know much about each other. However, on a museum field trip they realize that they do share something that each person values: these are the love for the arts, their teachers and blue candy:) However, they become much closer when a very famous and expansive painting by Vermeer gets stolen with some trails of its whereabouts left by the thief. However, it is not an easy task to recover something as precious as a Vermeer painting. They do not give up and through their curiosity and analytical minds, try to find solve the mystery of the stolen Vermeer painting. CHASING VERMEER by BLUE BALLIETT and illustrations are by BRETT HELQUIST.

For grades 5th and up.

NO REST FOR THE FAMOUS DETECTIVE DUO

Alex just wants to lay low and avoid the fame from the last two mysteries but unfortunately, Yasmeen, his friend and partner, just can't let go of a new mystery that has literally been mailed to them. Someone has just tried to kidnap Alex's baseball coach while he was in a Porta-Potty! In order to capture the criminal though, they have to sort through old bags of trash for clues ...from the Fourth of July picnic.... a month ago! Who Stole Uncle Sam? by Martha Freeman is the third case for Alex and Yasmeen. Great for 5th & older.

THEODOSIA ONCE AGAIN

Theodosia, our young heroine, is back in Victorian England with her family in this second mystery adventure. After mummies from museums all over London appear repeatedly at the doorstep of her father's museum, Theodosia realizes she must use her magical skills and knowledge of ancient Egypt to outmanuever a sinister secret society from turning London into a city of Chaos, keep her father from being imprisoned and as if these weren't enough, free herself from the tutors that her grandmother insists that a proper young ladies need. Phew, this is one busy girl!

For those looking for some armchair excitement. Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris by R.L. La Fevers is for 5th & older.

HOLY MYSTERY, GIRLS!

In New York, The Red Blazer Girls are enlisted by an alumni's mother to decipher clues to a valuable birthday gift hidden 20 years earlier. As the intrepid seventh graders of St. Veronica's, an elite all girls Catholic school, begin to search the church and school, they realize that others are also interested in The Ring of Rocamadour.

This new mystery by Michael D. Beil is a page turner with a little romance, academics, religion and a bit of teen angst thrown in for good measure. For readers in 5th & older wanting something beyond Nancy Drew series.

THE MONEY BUSH

What's a girl to do when she finds a huge wad of cash in the bushes? After an internal ethical struggle, she spends it of course. A little for Grandma, a little on herself, something for a few friends. Before Sammy gets to spend it all, suspicious things start to happen.

Another great mystery where Sammy learns a lesson- money doesn't grown in bushes. Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash by Wendelin Van Draanen is perfect for readers in 6th & up.

MIDDLE SCHOOL IS WORSE THAN ...?

More a collage of everyday items than a straight novel, we follow Ginny's hopeful first year in middle school. She wants to have the perfect hair but it doens't go quite as plan. She'd like to get the role of the sugar plum fairy but she is part of the "ensemble" instead. A really fun peek at one girl's daily life. Nothing goes as plan and everything in her life seems to be falling apart.

Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf by Jennifer Holm, is a perfect book for someone looking to read something quirky and different.

For middle schoolers.

STEPMOTHERS HAVE FEELINGS TOO YOU KNOW

Three girls are sent off to a boarding school in New England after their fathers marry for the second time. They find their lives and relationships with their fathers changed drastically from the pre-stepmother period. Slowly the girls realize the situation they have in common and form a club to empower themselves and seek revenge on their stepmothers. The plan was simple, destroy what is most important to the stepmothers. But the plan doesn't quite work out as the girls had hoped and they begin to see their stepmothers in a different light.

Poison Apples by Lily Archer is for middle school readers and older.

SAMMY OUT IN THE WILD

Sammy is back, but this time with some new classmates who invite her on a hiking and camping trip to help save some endangered condors. When the condors go missing and the ranger's look out tower is trashed, her friend is determined to find them. Sammy and the rest of the group must go search for her before she gets lost in the mountains or worse, suffer some unknown fate like the condors.

A little mystery, a little camping, a little romance, and a lot of detecting are involved in Sammy Keyes and the Wild Things by Wendelin Van Draanen. Perfect for middle school readers.

A SMALL TOWN MYSTERY

Behind the Curtain: An Echo Falls Mystery by Peter Abrahams.

Everyone sure is acting weird. Her brother is even weirder than usual. Her dad is testy. Her former best friend invites her over for a swim. What gives? Once again, something is amiss in this small town and Ingrid is at the center of it all. In this second Echo Falls Mystery, Ingrid is the target of a kidnapping that no one believes happened but she is determined to find evidence that it did happen and untangle all the strands in the complex web. Her father's job, her grandfather's farm, an old friend, and her soccer coach are all somehow tied in with Ingrid's kidnapping. But how?

A twisted and compelling mystery for middle school readers.

IF YOU LIKE THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS...

... then you will like this book.

The neighbor just passed away and left Anna a cat and a set of tarot cards. She and her two best friends decide to do a reading to see if she will get together with her crush - Declan, geek turned hottie. The cards predict love in her future. But will it be with Declan?

In the Cards: Love by Mariah Fredericks is the first in a new trilogy of stories about the complexity and reality of middle school friendships and loves. For readers in 6th - 8th grade.

MINERVA CLARK, GIRL DETECTIVE

An unusually fun mystery involving a thieving pet ferret, murder and mayhem. Minerva, a seventh grader, is electrocuted while strapped to her brother's latest art exhibit. Interestingly, she becomes bolder and sharper as she delves into solving the mystery behind her cousin Jordan's arrest.

Minerva Clark Gets a Clue by Karen Karbo is the first in a mystery series of a gutsy girl detective .

For 6th-8th graders who also enjoy the Sammy Keyes series.

THE TRUTH BEHIND JUNIOR HIGH

It's not all fun and games. Junior high, middle school - whatever you call it - is about survival. STUCK IN THE MIDDLE, compiled by illustrator Ariel Schrag, is a collection of junior high experiences from different animators and illustrators. There's close to twenty stories, and I'd be willing to bet everyone can relate to at least two, if not more. It doesn't paint the prettiest picture of the "tween" years, but it shows a glimmer of hope in each that despite what happens, you make it out alive. For 6th grade and up ONLY.

HOW TO BECOME A CATHOLIC

Abby thought there must be a list somewhere telling her what to believe in order to be Catholic. At first she just wanted to piss off her parents, and going to catechism classes and mass on Sundays seemed the easiest way to anger them. She knew she didn't really believe. She couldn't wholly believe. She didn't understand how to believe. What's there to believe in? God? Sure. But believe in Jesus? Well, that would take a leap of faith.

Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is a thoughful story of a young girl searching for a place to belong and someone to believe in her. For middle schoolers and up.

SEARCHING FOR A BIRTH MOTHER

You're adopted? Your family is Italian? You don't look Italian.

When a new Korean family moves into the neighborhood it gets Joseph thinking about his Korean birth mother. At thirteen he's starting to question his identity and chafing at his father's idea of traditions - somehow they don't feel like his traditions. Joseph begins a search for his birth mother so he won't feel like a "fake Korean" or any other kind of fake.

Kimchi and Calamari by Rose Kent is a coming of age story about an adopted boy's search for his identity.

For 6th-8th graders.

GYM RAT NO MORE

Life sure isn't the same for Toby anymore. This time last year, everything was great. Toby and his best friend JJ were always hanging out and playing basketball at the rec center. Now JJ is a star varsity basketball player. He's in a band, has new friends, a new girlfriend, and is just too cool for Toby. So when the new coach encourages Toby to join the 8th grade basketball team, he decides to go for it. He didn't realize that the coach had asked him to join just so he could have him sit on the bench ALL THE TIME. How is Toby supposed to help his team win the league championship if he never gets to play? It gets worse though. Toby does finally get to play and when he does he finds out that playing on a team is a much different ball game. You'll have to read Toby Wheeler: Eighth Grade Benchwarmer to find out if Toby is stuck being a benchwarmer forever!

For grades 5 and older.

21st CENTURY LITTLE WOMEN

When you're in middle school, friendships come and go like the passing of day to night. What's even worse is parents all of a sudden decide to become VERY embarrassing! Put the two together and you get THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB by Heather Vogel Frederick. Emma and Jess are best friends. They used to be friends with Megan until she joined up with the "popular" girls. And Cassidy has just moved into town with the force of a tornado. When the moms decide to start a monthly book club, the girls aren't thrilled at the prospect of being forced to spend time with one another. But as they read through Little Women together, they begin to notice themselves in the characters of the book they are reading, and they begin to see each other in new ways as well. A surprisingly enjoyable book that strays from the typical pre-teen girl theme in many ways. Great for 5th graders and older.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO FOR LOVE?

THE BALLAD OF BELLE DORCAS by William Hooks is a dark and mystical old folk tale from the time of slaves in the Deep South. Belle Dorcas, the daughter of a white man and a black woman, is free-born, meaning that she is not born into slavery. She falls in love with a slave named Joshua and marries him, and together they work on the same plantation with a kind master. When a new owner takes over the plantation where Joshua is enslaved and threatens to sell him, Belle Dorcas seeks the help of a local conjure woman, that some might call a witch, who turns Joshua into a tree so that they may be together without the threat of slavery tearing them apart. Great for a little bit of black history, a greater bit of magic and a mysterious twist that makes Joshua more than a tree every night. Ages 9 and up.

FALLING IN LOVE WITH DEATH

I was sixteen years old the day I was lost in the forest, sixteen the day I met my death.

So starts this story of magic and love, and of daring and death.

Will Lord Death find love?

Will Keturah escape Lord Death?

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt. An unusual tale of love and death for readers in 7th grade through high school.