Lunar Jones was born on Mars. But life outside of planet Earth is no picnic. Mars, which was cursed by its own dying dragon, is running out of resources, and Martian-born children scavenge for anything they can sell for food or sustenance. In one harrowing scavenging expedition, Lunar discovers a life-changing secret. An underground bunker hides an unbelievable treasure--a dragon that could be the key to reviving the dead planet. And that dragon seems to have chosen Lunar to be its rider. If the thought of young teens on a life-or-death mission riding dragons through space sounds exciting, it is. Scott Reintgen knows how to write compelling action books with great characters (if you haven't read the Nyxia series, read it now!). The Last Dragon on Mars belongs in every middle school library and is a great example of #youngteenlit
I've been a middle school librarian for over 27 years and I believe that middle school kids deserve great books! Learn more at youngteenlit.com
Friday, July 25, 2025
The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II by Candace Fleming
Candace Fleming has taken this huge topic involving thousands of people, and focused in on 10 teenage girls who left their homes and families to help break the Enigma's codes. The result is this brilliant book, full of flesh and blood young girls away from home, doing important work, while at the same time growing up during wartime. These amazing women went on to live ordinary lives, unable to talk about the work they did for many years (they signed wartime secrecy papers and they all kept their silence). When their stories got out, the world was shocked to discover the brilliant work they did and the lives they saved thanks to their incredible sacrifices. As is frequently the case with Candace Fleming's work, there is much here for teenagers as well as adults. I highly recommend this award-winning book for readers ages 13-up with an interest in World War II, math, secret codes, and women's history.
Thursday, July 24, 2025
The Scott Fenwick Diaries by Kristin Nilsen
Anyone who has ever had a crush on a real live person will see themselves in Millie, a 13-year-old girl who has only experienced love through her celebrity crush, Rory Calhoun (see Worldwide Crush by Kristin Nelson). This book picks up exactly where the first book left off, with a note passed in social studies class. Could Scott Fenwick with the swoopy hair and beautiful lashes actually have a crush on Millie? She starts a new diary to record all of her fears and feelings and insecurities, as well as her most heartfelt acrostic poems spelling out SCOTT FENWICK. You have to trust me that this book is absolutely hilarious, yet perfectly true to the feelings of a 7th grade girl who thinks everyone else knows all about French kissing. Millie's bulldog Pringle is a big part of this book, as are Millie's friends Shauna, a Filipina girl who feels left behind by Millie's new obsession, and Tibbs, who strategizes to get Millie invited to Hebrew school just to ride in a car with Scott Fenwick. Millie's Sound of Music loving parents and her forthright, funny grandma also play key roles. There is humor on every page, including in Millie's numerous attempts to swear without actually using swear words, but there is also a lot of awkwardness, sweetness, and one tearful moment. Gen X readers, you should absolutely pick up this book. You will find references to Pa Ingalls, Barry Gibb, and Magic 8 Balls, and it will bring you back to a time of life you may have chosen to forget. I cannot recommend this book more for 5th-7th grade readers (and their moms). Don't miss this one!
Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson
Boy 2.0 by Tracey Baptiste
This Book Kills by Ravena Guron
Jess Choudhary is a scholarship student at an elite British boarding school. She's one of very few Indian students, and she only has one friend. She and a classmate write a short story about a murder for a class assignment, and within days, a popular, wealthy student named Hugh is murdered on school grounds exactly how they wrote it in their story. Shortly after the murder, Jess receives a message saying, "Thank you for the inspiration." Jess fears that if she doesn't solve the mystery that she will either be expelled or the next to be killed. The police, a private investigator, and the school staff are failing badly at protecting the students (there are more murders and threats!), so Jess gets to work analyzing all her classmates, sneaking around, and generally doing things that the reader knows she shouldn't do. There are lots of characters and possible motivations and a powerful secret society made up of students who come from old money. Good readers will love following all the threads and trying to predict the surprise ending. This twisty boarding school mystery is ideal for fans of Holly Jackson and Karen McManus. Young teens are clamoring for murder mysteries and finding quality stories that are appropriate for middle school libraries is tough. This one fits the bill, and I can't wait to recommend it to my 7th and 8th graders.
We Are Big Time by Hana Khan
This graphic novel opens with a family moving from Florida to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Moving is always hard on kids, and Aliya is not happy to be leaving behind the basketball team she loves and starting high school in a new city. She attends Peace Academy, a Muslim high school with a historically terrible basketball team. We Are Big Time follows Aliya's basketball team through their losing season, which is full of disappointments, improvements, and surprises. This book checks a lot of boxes in the world of what middle schoolers want to read. It's a graphic novel, it deals with sports, and has ninth grade characters, and it has great cultural representation, which is essential for Muslim and non-Muslim students alike. Recommended for all middle school libraries.
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang
Imagine going on a vacation across the world, and then finding out you are never going home again. That's what happens to Feng-Li and her two older siblings. Their dream trip to America turns into a permanent situation, and the siblings are expected to learn English, attend school, and learn to navigate a new culture. But there's more--Feng-Li and her siblings are "parachute kids" who are dropped in the United States without their parents (mom and dad return to Taiwan, leaving their kids on their own in a rental house). Lots of hard things happen in this graphic novel, but also good things as the siblings navigate a new culture and try to escape the notice of the authorities. Middle schoolers are loving this book--there's lots to talk about and learn about and the highly engaging story keeps their attention. This is a must-buy for middle school libraries, and great news--the sequel, Outsider Kids, came out in April of 2025.
Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi
Parvin is going into ninth grade and a boyfriend situation has developed over the summer. She is looking forward to entering high school with an improved social status, but everything changes when she is dumped before school even starts. Parvin decides she needs to find a new homecoming date, mostly to prove her worth to her ex. She sets her sights on Matty Fumero, who is probably out of her league, but she has a plan. She will act like a rom com heroine, not like her usual loud, frizzy-haired, band-nerd self. This coming of age story follows Parvin through her freshman year, including Farsi classes with other Iranian Americans and conversations with her relatives in Iran who are affected by the U.S. muslim ban. This gem is genuinely funny and a great #youngteenlit romance. Recommended for grades 7-10.
Monday, July 21, 2025
The Right Call by Tommy Greenwood
Cal is a 15-year-old pitcher who already has college scouts looking at him play. He's a great ball player, but the tension and stress put on him at such a young age is making baseball a lot less fun than it used to be. In addition to coaches and scouts putting pressure on him, Cal's dad has gotten invested in the game to the point of arguing and even yelling at the umpires. It all comes to a head in a heated game when an older umpire makes a call that Cal's dad doesn't like. There is an argument in the parking lot and the umpire is badly injured. Cal's dad is accused of a crime, leaving Cal to wrestle with his feelings about the game, his dad's behavior, and his future plans. The format of this book is unique--it is entirely told in transcripts of conversations, news articles, text messages, and even poems that Cal writes. It's part of the Game Changer series, and all of these books are great picks for middle schoolers who love sports. Thank you to author Tommy Greenwald for writing books for and about young teens! #youngteenlit
Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald
Teddy is in the hospital in a coma with a brain injury after a football training incident. While Teddy fights for his life, we get to read the texts and messages sent by his classmates, hear the conversations happening in the hospital, and read the newspaper articles about the incident. All these elements (and more!) start to paint a picture of a not-so-typical football injury. Teddy's friends and classmates suspect that something nefarious was happening on the football field, but members of the high school football team and even the coaches are desperately trying to cover up the truth about his injury. This is a perfect book for middle school sports fans--and there are 3 more "companion books" in the Game Changers world (Dinged, Rivals, and Right Call). While this book is 304 pages long, the entire text is made up of conversations, messages, newspaper articles, and dialogue, so it's a quick read and one that will lead to a lot of conversation about sports and how we treat athletes. Highly recommended for middle school libraries.
Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel
Dear Scholastic Editors,
One of the popular areas of my middle school library right now is adventure and survival, and kids are always drawn to sci fi/dystopia, so I was over the moon to hear Kenneth Oppel talk about his new book, Best of All Worlds. I could see that it checked many of the boxes for Young Teen Lit–it deals with complex topics, it’s a survival story, the main character goes from 13-16 years old, it has diverse characters, the cover is dynamite, and it’s got a great page count (not too long!). I was ready to declare this the new poster child for Young Teen Lit, but after reading it and mulling it over, I feel compelled to write to you about this book and how, regretfully, I am not going to be able to purchase or recommend it to the 7th and 8th graders for whom I think should be it’s target audience. To be completely blunt, the very small plot issue of the main characters’ sexual encounter (described by the main character as a “hand job”) makes this a book a non-starter in middle school libraries and book fairs. If I thought this were an upper YA book I would not give it another thought–I would just accept that it’s not for my students. However, this book has all the hallmarks of a great book for young teens, and I don’t think it is quite right for older YA readers, so I’m afraid this book isn’t going to find its audience due to a couple of paragraphs.
Although I’m a Georgia librarian, I work in a progressive school district that has not been targeted by recent book bans. I purchase books that reflect all my students, including LGBTQ+ books and books about race and identity. My collection includes Heartstopper, Dear Martin, They Both Die at the End and many other books that can be controversial in middle schools. All that to say that I think I am more courageous in my purchasing than many middle school librarians so my feedback isn’t rooted in fear of censorship.
I know it’s probably too late to give this book the small edit it would need to be considered Young Teen Lit, but I was hoping you could pass this feedback onto others at Scholastic who might be interested in publishing more Young Teen Lit books in the future. Middle librarians and students are clamoring for books like Best of All Worlds–just dialed down one notch.
XOXO by Axie Oh
This sweet romance features Jenny, a Korean American cellist, and Jaewoo, a South Korean K-pop star. Jenny meets Jaewoo at her uncle's karaoke bar, not knowing that he is a celebrity in his home country. When family issues cause Jenny to move to South Korea for a semester of music school (she is an intensely serious cello player), she is shocked to find Jaewoo going to her new school, and also to learn that he is part of the band XOXO and that as a K-pop star he is not allowed to have a girlfriend. Readers get a taste of life in Seoul, the world of K-pop music, and a swoony romance all in one. Recommended for romance readers grades 8-up. The audiobook was excellent.
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
All the Blues in the Sky by Renee Watson
This is a book about grief. On the day Sage turns 13 years old her best friend is killed in a car accident and Sage has a long road to walk to come to terms with her loss. This beautifully written novel in verse takes the reader through the year after this tragedy, a year in which Sage attends a grief counseling group, has her first fledgling romance, and learns some new things about her best friend. It's a short book (This is a rare find--kids do not want to read long books), it's in verse, and it's satisfying on many levels. Adults will appreciate the poetry and the nuance of language. Middle schoolers will lean into the sadness and the hope of overcoming trauma. This is a must-buy book for middle school libraries and is recommended for 6th-7th graders.
Two Degrees by Alan Gratz
A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff
Monday, July 14, 2025
Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown by Candace Fleming
This is an intense, disturbing, well-researched and well-told nonfiction book about a topic about which young people likely know almost nothing. Candace Fleming traces Jim Jones' People's Temple movement from its earliest days to its tragic end when 910 people were killed on one day in 1978. This thorough and thoroughly engaging book expertly engages readers in understanding why people followed Jim Jones initially, how he maintained control, and how the narrative that this was a mass suicide may not be accurate at all. It's a complex and difficult story, and Fleming expertly weaves the stories of participants and survivors together. It's challenging and not for every reader, but curious students will likely find this to be a very compelling read. I know I was hanging onto every word and have been talking about it ever since I read it. Recommended for readers grades 8 all the way up through adults.
Sunday, July 06, 2025
Stay Dead by April Henry
Sixteen-year-old Milan has been though a lot. Her father, a U.S. senator, was killed in a car accident (with Milan in the car). Her mother then took over his senate seat and sent Milan to boarding schools, where she has been acting up and getting into trouble. After starting a fire she is expelled from her third boarding school and her mom flies a private plane to pick her up and take her home to Portland, Oregon. Somewhere over the Pacific Northwest, a bomb detonates in the wing of the plane, causing it to crash in the snowy mountains. Milan survives, but her mother isn't so lucky. Her mom's last words to her are to "stay dead" and she hands her a key chain with instructions to acquire information that will prove that both Milan's parents were actually murdered. Milan sets off on a dangerous mission, fighting to survive the mountain and to make the world believe that she died in the plane crash. But powerful people want her dead and she has no idea who she can trust...and turning on your cell phone is a sure way to let people know you are alive. This action-packed story, like so many other April Henry books, is a great suspense novel for middle schoolers.
After Life by Gayle Forman
The premise of this book is amazing—Amber rides her bike home from school just like any other day, but it is not any other day. Amber has been dead for seven years but she doesn't know it. Her family is in shock; they try to hide her existence from the world. But Amber wants to confront her boyfriend and her former best friend, and she wants her life back. Her baby sister, now seven years older, is her rock. Together they try to figure out what is going on and what it means that Amber is back. This is a compelling YA book solidly in the high school category. (Not recommended for middle school)