by Gillian McDunn

Meg has been best friends with Beatrix forever.  Everyone at school wants to be like confident decisive Beatrix, and Meg has always felt the same.  But this year, Meg wants to take a science course instead of dance class.  She’d rather do what makes her happy–not what Beatrix wants.

When a quirky girl named Hazel moves to town, Meg is partnered with her on a science project about bees.  Meg learns a lot about being Queen Bee–in a hive and in middle school.  As Beatrix is less than welcoming to Hazel, Meg feels her loyalty fraying.  Choosing Hazel could mean ending her oldest friendship–a choice more difficult than Meg ever expected. 

by Marthe Jocelyn

Aggie Morton lives in a small town on the coast of England in 1902.  Adventurous and imaginative but deeply shy, Aggie hasn’t got much to do since the death of her beloved father…until the fateful day when she crosses paths with twelve-year-old Belgian immigrant Hector Perot and discovers a dead body on the floor of the Mermaid Dance Room!

As the number of suspects grows and the murder threatens to tear the town apart, Aggie and her new friend will need every tool at their disposal–to solve the case. 

by Liz Climo

When a carefree bunny is approached by a voracious bear in the woods, Bunny has just one request:  “Please don’t eat me.  But the bear has a never-ending list of requests, and Bunny realizes maybe Bear isn’t as hungry as he’d let on…Maybe he just wants his new friend’s company for a while. 

by Gary D. Schmidt

Eager for maple syrup, Ethan can’t wait till sugaring time rolls around.  And he can’t wait till his loose tooth falls out.  But his father keeps telling him it’s not time yet, and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t make time pass more quickly.  

by Jamie Michalak

Frank likes peace and quiet.  He likes his tent, his pencil, and writing in his secret notebook. Bean likes noise.  He likes his bus, his trumpet–toot, toot!–and making music.  Loud music.  But Bean is missing something: he does not have words.  What will happen if Frank shares his words with Bean?

by Annie Barrows

Meet Iggy Frangi.  He’s not a bad kid, he’s really not.  Okay, so he’s done a few bad things and no one got hurt, so there’s no problem.  No one got hurt except for that one time,  that one time when the Best Idea Ever turned into the Worst Idea of All Time.  

Iggy is sorry he did it.  He is really, really, really sorry.  

“For what?” you might ask. “what did he do?”

Well, you’ll have to read the book to find out.

by Tae Keller

Some stories refuse to stay bottled up..

When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni’s Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history.  With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice…and the courage to face a tiger.

by Susan Goldman Rubin

For over 200 years, people have marched, gone to jail, risked their lives, and even died trying to get the right to vote in the U.S.  

Perfect for students who want to know more about voting rights, this nonfiction book contains an extensive view of suffrage from the Founding Fathers to the 19th Amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to today’s voter controversies. 

by Kate Milford

Marzana and her best friend are bored.  Even though they live in a notorious city where normal rules do not apply, nothing interesting ever happens to them.  Nothing, that is, until Marzana’s parents are recruited to help solve an odd crime, and she realizes that this could be the excitement she’s been waiting for. 

by Grace Lin

When it was quiet, Little Snow grinned and then jumped, jumped, jumped!  Little Snow loves the new big, soft bed Mommy made for him for the long, cold winter nights.  But Mommy says this bed is for sleeping, not jumping!  What happens when he can’t resist jump, jump, jumping on his new fluffy, bouncy bed?