The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

 

The year is 2061 and Petra Peña boards a spacecraft as part of an effort to save humanity. A comet is about to hit the earth and a small group of humans is going to a distant planet. Petra says a tearful goodbye to her grandmother, a storyteller, and prepares to be put into a suspended state for hundreds of years. Her parents are scientists, but Petra longs to be a cuentista (storyteller), like her grandmother. During the voyage, a cult-like group called The Collective destroys the memories of the voyagers in an attempt to solve the problems of humanity. When Petra wakes up she is the only one who remembers earth and stories and all that has been lost. This is the story of how one young person tries to take on a powerful establishment and bring the power of storytelling to a new generation. Highly recommended for middle school readers. 

What About Will by Ellen Hopkins

 

This novel in verse is told from the point of view of Trace, a 12-year-old whose life is being torn apart by his older brother, Will, who suffered a head injury and has subsequently become addicted to pain killers. Trace and Will's single father works long hours and puts his energy into his new girlfriend, leaving Trace to witness Will's slow descent. Trace doesn't realize what is behind his brother's erratic behavior. What he sees is the big brother who formerly was fun-loving and patient with him is now skipping school, stealing, and ignoring him. Their mother, a touring musician, has left the family, and rarely communicates with either of her sons. The other side of the story is Trace's love of baseball, and the new girl on his Little League team who happens to be the daughter of a Major League Baseball player. Fortunately, Trace has the support of a couple of good friends and an older neighbor. There are middle schoolers who love books in verse, and the poetry of this story flows easily and makes the pages fly by. I found the plot to be predictable, but it is ultimately a hopeful story that will likely have great meaning to many kids who deal with some of the same issues.