Suzy and Franny have been best friends for a long time. Then they get in a fight just before Franny goes on vacation for the summer. Suzy is sure they’ll make up in the fall, but something terrible happens. When she hears that Franny has drowned, at first she doesn’t believe it. It just doesn't make any sense--Franny was an excellent swimmer. How could something like this happen? Franny becomes obsessed with finding out how Suzy really died. That’s how she learns about jellyfish so small they're practically invisible and so venomous they could kill an adult. Sure they're usually found near Australia, but with climate change and sea temperatures rising, maybe their territory is expanding. Everyone keeps telling Suzy to move on, but she can’t until she gets to the bottom of the mystery.

“There are so many things to be scared of in this world: blooms of jellies. A sixth extinction. A middle school dance. But maybe we can stop feeling so afraid. Maybe instead of feeling like a mote of dust, we can remember that all the creatures on this Earth are made from stardust. And we are the only ones who get to know it. That's the thing about jellyfish: They'll never understand that. All they can do is drift along, unaware. Humans may be newcomers to this planet. We may be plenty fragile. But we're also the only ones who can decide to change.”

The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

Erica's Picks
4th - 6th
Tags: character driven, contemporary fiction, school stories, tear jerker

Jordan Sun is beginning her junior year at the Kensington-Blaine Boarding School for the Performing arts and once again she does not get cast for the fall musical.  Her low alto 2 voice is jeopardizing her whole life!  A cappella is a real thing at this school; there is more than one group and they have elite status.  Think Glee. Then she gets a mass email. The Sharpshooters have an opening in their group.  Unfortunately it is an all-male group. Is this going to stop Jordan whose voice range is a perfect fit? No. She becomes Julian Zhang. The hair gets cut, baggy clothes bought, tips on how to walk and move from trans kids on-line and voila. Jordan-Julian gets the spot.  The book focuses on Julian and how moving through the world as a male is a revelation to Jordan.
Enter the Sharps.  All seven of them become real people who you are invested in. They are such a diverse group.  Jordan is bisexual and Chinese, and also represented are Japanese, queer, Sikh, Indian, learning disabled, and underrepresented body type. Jordan’s ethnicity and economic status have made her feel like an outsider on campus.  Friendships are formed and Jordan feels part of a group for the first time.  If the Sharps win the Holiday competition, they will be opening for an internationally known group and tour Europe over break.
Family economic trouble looms and all may come crashing down.  Jordan is an engaging character as she struggles to find out who she is and where she is going.   You leave this book wanting to follow all the characters’ stories into the future.
 

​Tessa's Picks, 8th Summer 2018, Character driven, Contemporary fiction, Friendship, People of color, School stories

​Malu's parents are divorced, and she wonders how they were ever together. Her dad owns a record store that hosts punk rock concerts while her mother is always telling her to act like a proper 'senorita.' When Malu's mother drags her away from her home and her father to move halfway across the country to Chicago, it's Malu's worst nightmare. She hates her new school and the popular girls who make fun of her punk style. But when she sees a flyer for the school's talent show she knows one sure-fire way to make it all better: form her own band!

Malu's love of punk is infectious and her zines interspersed throughout the book made my fingers twitch for scissors and and glue sticks. 

The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Perez

Erica's Picks
3rd - 6th
Tags: ​character driven, contemporary fiction, family life, humor, people of color, school stories

When Chase wakes up in a hospital room, he doesn't even recognize his own mother. As the weeks pass, his body recovers, but his past is still a complete blank. His dad tells Chase that he was the star of the football and lacrosse teams and his mom points out his best friends to him. But when school starts, he notices that kids shrink away from him in the hallways and his 'best friends' are jerks. He has a lot of questions about his past, but people are reluctant to answer him. As his memories come back and he learns who he was, the main question on everyone's mind is who will he be? Will the old Chase return, or is this a fresh start?

I loved this book! There's sports, humor, viral YouTube videos, and a lot more to enjoy. I particularly like that it shifts perspective so I got a sense of how the other students responded to Chase and how he affected their lives.

​Restart by Gordon Korman

Erica's Picks
4th - 7th Grade
Tags: ​contemporary fiction, friendship, humor, issues fiction, school stories, sports

Simon has a major crush, the only problem is he doesn't know who he's crushing on. After a pseudonymous post about not being openly gay in his high school, he met Blue. Blue and Simon have been messaging ever since, and Simon can't get enough of him. When another student discovers their e-mail conversations, everything is put in jeopardy. Simon is blackmailed with the threat of having not only his secrets revealed, but Blue's as well. How will he keep their secrets safe while staying true to himself? How far will the blackmail go? And most importantly, who is Blue?

All the characters are fleshed out from the kid blackmailing Simon to his embarrassing but loving parents. The play brought me back to my own high school theatre days and the ending was simply perfect. 

Erica's Picks
8th Grade
Tags: character driven, contemporary fiction, LGBTQ, romance, school stories

Playing sports always brought Trent joy. Everyone in town knew him as the golden kid who could excel at any type of game, and he took pride in his reputation. Until the day a pick-up hockey game changed his life forever. One slapshot to the chest combined with an un-diagnosed heart condition made Trent a killer. Now it's a new school year and a new baseball season. It should be a fresh start, but Trent can't leave the past behind. He's changed into someone his friends and family don't recognize and he's not sure if he can ever go back, or if he even wants to. Will he ever play sports again? Who will he be without them?

The characters in this story are simply fantastic. It would take a very cold heart not to sympathize with Trent as he recovers from the grief and guilt of accidentally killing another kid. Those who enjoy sports will be especially impacted by the loss Trent feels at his inability to play the way he did before. Misfits and sports neophytes, on the other hand, will relate to the other main character Fallon, who helps Trent adjust to his new life. A little something for everyone.

Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff

Erica's Picks
4th - 7th Grade
Tags: character driven, contemporary fiction, friendship, issues fiction, school stories, sports

Hardwicke Academy: the school of choice for the children of the DC elite. It's exclusive, it's secure, and it's about to be completely rocked by its newest student. Tess Kendrick is the younger sister of infamous political fixer Ivy Kendrick. Caught in a messy affair? Need to make a story disappear? If you're lucky, and you can afford it, you'll hire Ivy to take care of all your needs and keep your secrets. Tess grew up on a farm with her grandfather, about as far away from political intrigue as you can get. But her sister's reputation has preceded her and it isn't long before Tess is fixing problems for students on campus. Their parents are power players, and their problems go beyond school drama. Soon, Tess has uncovered a major scandal that even her sister might not be able to fix. With her life on the line and her world turned upside, she needs to decide where her loyalties lie and what she's willing to risk.

The plot is relentless and full of betrayals, twists, and high stakes. Tess is a very sympathetic character as she's thrust into a world she's completely unprepared for and tries to do her best. A fantastic political thriller.

The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Erica's Pick
8th grade
Tags: Contemporary Fiction, Family Life, Fast-Paced, Romance, School Stories

"My name is Liv (Not Olivia)... I'm not technically a girl.I'm Transgender. Which is a bit like being a transformer. Only not quite as cool because I probably won't get to save the world one day." Liv knows he was always meant to be a boy and his new school's dress code won't even let him wear pants. He puts on the skirt of his new uniform and tears blur his vision.  Angry tears at how unfair it is and how wrong he feels. Supported by his two moms, Liv tries various methods of protest (wearing pants under the skirt, organizing a petition) but nothing can budge the powers that be until he meets some new friends who embrace his cause. This is a book about identity, acceptance and celebrating who you are.
Funny and empowering, this book will have you cheering for the pants project.


Tessa's Picks, 4th grade, 5th grade, Character driven, Issues Fiction, Friendship, School Stories, LGBTQ

Saba never imagined as her apartment went up in flames that it would be the beginning of a grand mystery that would change her life for the better. Her school community rallies around her, led by two new kids who seem eager to make their mark. Saba's family moves into a luxurious apartment and an auction is organized to raise money for them. When the donation of a weird piece of art found in an alley turns out to be a valuable work by a famous artist, tensions rise. Who should keep the money: Saba's family? The kids who found the art? The school? And just who set the fire in the first place? Read a series of notes, articles, and testimonies, put together the clues, and find out for yourself!

I loved the format of this book! I find it especially effective in mystery narratives where not all the characters can be trusted and you have to be on a sharp lookout for red herrings. A major subplot of the book involves outsider art, an area that I found fascinating. The final conclusion was perfect and a completely satisfying ending to a compelling mystery.

The Art of Secrets by James Klise

Erica's Picks
6th - 8th
Tags: Art, Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, People of Color, School Stories