Half a World Away by Cynthia Kadohata

Jaden was adopted from Romania at the age of 8. He is now 12 years old and he still remember how it felt to be abandoned by his birth mother. His parents in the United States have loved him and cared for him, but he has trouble connecting with them or anyone else. In this book, Jaden and his parents travel to Kazakhstan to adopt a new baby. Jaden doesn't expect to care about a new sibling, and he certainly doesn't expect to feel attached to a special-needs toddler at the orphanage. Jaden has deep-seated problems for which there are no easy solutions, but this is a story about the power of love and the ability of people to change and grow. I enjoyed this book as an adult reader and I think students will also empathize with Jaden's complicated emotions.

SYLO by D.J. MacHale

If you like action, mystery, and kids fighting against evil, SYLO may be the perfect book for you. Tucker is a 14-year-old boy who lives on Pemberwick Island off the coast of Maine. The first sign of trouble is when one of Tucker's teammates drops dead during a football game. Next a stranger encourages Tucker to taste something called the ruby, which temporarily gives him almost super-human abilities. When another islander dies mysteriously, the United States Navy swoops in, quarantines the island, and tells residents it is all for their own safety. But Tucker and his friend Quinn see a strange flying aircraft explode in the night and begin to wonder if the government takeover (by a group called SYLO) may just be a cover for something much worse than a deadly disease. Tucker, Quinn, and a tough friend named Tori make an unsuccessful attempt to leave the island, then are taken prisoner. The teenagers are constantly risking their lives to uncover the truth and get help from the outside world—and the author keeps you guessing up through the end. You're going to want to pick up the sequel immediately because the questions just get bigger and bigger. Great for middle schoolers who love action and dystopia.