Rory is not excited to start middle school. For one, he still can't say his 'r's, which makes even saying his name an opportunity for ridicule. Secondly, his best friend Brent has betrayed him and started hanging out with the same jerks who make fun of his speech. Lastly he found out that at the end of the year he needs to give a big oral presentation in front of the whole school.

Then, after making fun of Rory and ditching him yet again, Brent gets in an accident. Suddenly the whole school is obsessed with Brent and full of sympathy for him. But Rory still doesn't know if he can forgive Brent for how he acted. When Brent ends up changed and becomes the brunt of ridicule himself, will Rory stand up for him, or enjoy the poetic justice?

I loved this story of friendship, resilience, and doing the right thing even when it's hard. As someone who went to speech therapy for her 'r's for years, I could definitely relate to Rory. The complexity of Brent and Rory's relationship and how it changes is really compelling. Sports fans will appreciate the parallels Rory draws between his story and Muhammad Ali and music fans will appreciate Rory's love of classic rock and electric guitar. A moving story without simple answers that deserves a wide audience.

The Way I Say It by Nancy Tandon

Erica's Picks 
3rd - 5th grade
tags: character driven, contemporary fiction, disability, friendship, issues fiction, school stories, SEL

​Jordan loves her basketball teammates and playing with them at practice, but after she became paralyzed from the waist down she hasn't been allowed to play in official games. Jordan is having difficulty adjusting to life in a wheelchair, but things change when she comes across a wounded baby elephant on her way home from school. She takes the elephant home to her mother, a veterinarian, and quickly forms a strong bond with the animal. Soon Jordan is back to competing, this time in water polo, and what starts as a hard year turns out to be the most magical of her life.

I love Marshmallow! This sweet, intelligent creature is sure to win over animal lovers. Jordan's profound sense of loss when she can't play basketball with her team and her commitment to learning a new sport will resonate with sports fans as well. The drawings have a beautiful, dreamlike quality while remaining rooted in real-life, which is perfect for the magical realism of the story. I love that the author includes the occasional word in Indonesian and all the details of the setting. A great comic book with wide appeal.

Marshmallow & Jordan by Alina Chau

Erica's Picks
3rd - 6th
​tags: animals, character driven, comics, magical realism, disability, friendship, global perspectives, People of Color, school stories, sports

Elfie has never fit in at Cottonwood Elementary and never made any friends, despite her cousin being in the same grade. The students there are too chaotic, break the rules, and don't care enough about their grades in group projects. Which is why she's so excited to start at the local private school where everyone wears tidy uniforms and the curriculum is challenging and everything will be perfect. Then Elfie gets kicked out on her very first day. While she's waiting for the school's honor code review board to sort out the misunderstanding, she has to go back to Cottonwood. Slowly Elfie's perfect life unravels until she's left with a bigger mess than ever. But if she can learn to accept the imperfections, she might just be able to turn the year around.

This book had me laughing from the first page as I recognized my own younger self. Luckily for Elfie she progresses far faster than I did and reading about her emotional journey is at turns heartwarming and hilarious. A warm and wise novel for children especially recommended for over achievers and perfectionists who will empathize with Elfie and learn some important lessons as they read and laugh their way through her story.

Elfie Unperfect by Kristin Mahoney

Erica's Picks
3rd - 5th
​tags: character driven, contemporary fiction, family life, People of Color, school stories, SEL

Some kids crave popularity, but Ross just wants to be ignored. He hates the spotlight and would rather just doodle comics quietly while his peers look past him. This is hard when he becomes "cancer kid." At first the whispers around him at least contain fake sympathy, but when his treatment leaves him with a permanent squint, dripping eye goo, and a ridiculous protective hat, the whispers turn to outright disgust and cruel memes about him start circulating. Luckily he has one friend who has stuck by him and a new-found love for music. Will Ross's performance at the talent show be epic? Or will it be another mortifying moment he'd rather forget?

This book, based on the author's own experiences, has a lot of heart and a surprising amount of humor. An excellent choice for anyone looking for a realistic fiction book. Highly recommended.

Wink by Rob Harrell

Erica's Picks
4th - 7th
​tags: character driven, contemporary fiction, friendship, humor, school stories, SEL

Ellie loves her grandparents, so when her grandfather starts getting dementia and her mother decides to move in with them, she is thrilled. Maybe she can even win the local baking contest her grandmother always talks about. The only downside is starting at a new school. Ellie's mother worries that the small school will not have the same supports for a student with cerebral palsy as her old one. Ellie just wants to be left alone without having an awkward aide follow her around all day. At first her new school seems impossible to survive. But as Ellie makes new friends and new recipes she learns how to roll with all the unexpected changes.

This is a funny and sweet story about family and friendship. Bakers will appreciate Ellie's culinary efforts and letters to her favorite chefs. There's some serious issues touched upon, but it never feels heavy as Ellie's sense of humor shines through. Recommended for child bakers and fans of heart-warming tales.

Roll with It by Jamie Sumner ​
Erica's Picks
4-6th grade
​tags: 

Robin loves her life in Seoul. She loves going to the cafes with her friends and talking about their favorite comics. So when a vacation to America suddenly turns into a permanent relocation after her mother gets married with no warning, she is devastated. English has never been her strongest subject so getting along in her new school is difficult. Trying to find friends she can trust is harder when even her step-cousins shun her. But things start to turn around when she finds a comic club. As Robin learns more about her mother and why she decided to move, she begins to adjust to her new life.

This comic memoir is full of heart and I enjoyed reading about Robin's experience as an immigrant and her life in both Korea and Alabama. I love how she describes her mom in the afterward as "a much more interesting character than I am" and her empathy for her mother's difficult decision shines through, even as it caused her a lot of pain at the time. An insightful and moving comic.

Almost American Girl by Robin Ha
Erica's Picks
6th - 8th
​tags: art, character driven, comics, family life, global perspectives, people of color, school stories

Henri is a charming, popular student, star debater, and dog walker extraordinaire. He's passionate about taking care of his neighbor's dogs, but he knows they'll trust a corporation more than some kid, so he makes a fake dog walking company complete with its own website. No one suspects he's the only employee, except for his neighbor Corinne. She has problems of her own. She knows recommendation letters can make or break a college application and hers keep saying that she's too intense and doesn't fit in socially. She promises Henri she'll keep his secret as long as he uses his popularity to reform her image. At first it's a grudging arrangement, but as they get to know each other better Henri's feelings change. Which is why it's so devastating when he has to decide between his dreams for his future and betraying Corinne.

Ben Philippe is just as charming as his protagonist, judging from this and his other book. Reading a book of his is always a pleasure. This book is a classic rom-com premise but with thought-provoking messages of society's expectations for its main characters and academic integrity. 

Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe
Erica's Picks
7th & 8th
​tags: character driven, contemporary fiction, friendship, people of color, romance, school stories

Pepper may seem like she has it all, but her life is falling apart. Her parents' divorce created huge cracks in her family and now her older sister isn't talking to her mother. Her parents' fast food chain has gone national and she lives in a swanky apartment with her mother in New York City and secretly runs the company's twitter account while trying to keep up with school, college applications, and being the new captain of the swim team. Her only bright spot is the anonymous chat app where she's slowly falling in love, the problem is she has no idea who the person she's chatting to is. Jack has problems of his own. His family's small deli is struggling to get by and his more popular twin brother leaves him with all the work but none of the credit. When their signature sandwich is stolen by a big chain restaurant, he calls them out on twitter. What ensues is a messy conflict that has people all over the country picking sides and egging them on. Who will win the twitter war, and what will happen when the anonymous chat app reveals their secret identities?

This is a rom-com at its best. It's light and funny but still has a heart. The trope of enemies falling in love anonymously is well-trod from movies like You've Got Mail and The Shop Around the Corner to the musical She Loves Me (a favorite of mine). But there's a reason why this story keeps getting retold and that's because it's so satisfying. This update captures the current world of social media and is sure to capture plenty of fans as well. 

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
Erica's Picks
6th - 8th grade
Tags: character driven, contemporary fiction, family life, humor, romance, school stories

Muiriel was left at the John Muir Medical Center as a baby. She has taken her namesake as a role model and has spent her life bouncing from one foster home to another, only feeling truly at home when she can go for a walk outside. She is prepared to age out of the foster system without any attachments, until she moves to a small island in Washington for her Senior year. There she meets people who seem to truly understand her and she starts to break her rules and open her heart to them. But her eighteenth birthday is fast approaching and she knows that soon she'll be on her own. What will happen when she has to leave the island, and everyone on it, behind?

This book was inspired by the author's daughter who lived in three different foster homes before being adopted. It works hard to portray a balanced picture even as it points out the inequities inherit in the system. Seeing how foster care as affected Muir is heartbreaking but watching her slowly come out of her shell and bloom warms your heart back up and puts it together again.

What I Carry by Jennifer Longo
7th & 8th grades
​tags: character driven, contemporary fiction, friendship, issues fiction, romance, school stories, SEL, social justice, tear jerker

Things just haven't been the same since Iris's grandfather died. After spending all day at a school where she's the only deaf student, Iris loved visiting her grandparents and talking with them in sign language. Now Iris feels more alone than ever. Then she learns about Blue 55. Blue 55 is a whale that sings at a different frequency than the others. Instead of traveling in a pod, he wanders the ocean by himself, unable to communicate with anyone else. Iris's heart goes out to him, and thanks to her skills at radio repair, she thinks she can come up with the perfect plan to help. With a little help from her grandmother and a lot of luck, Iris sets off to meet Blue 55 and play him a new song.

This is such a moving novel. Of course I loved reading about the sign language poems Iris writes and the aspects of Deaf culture the book explores. Her grandmother is a spitfire and the scene where she takes the stage during karaoke is one of my favorites. Learning about whale biology was fascinating as well, especially knowing that Blue 55 is based on a real whale. Strongly recommended!

Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
Erica's Picks
4th - 6th grade
​Tags: animals, character driven, contemporary fiction, disability, family life, school stories, SEL