Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King by Harry Travaldwyn

 

If you like witty banter or musical theatre or or a sweet, awkward rom com, this is the book for you. Patrick is a 16-year-old British boy whose goal is to get people to call him "Patch" and to find a boyfriend in time for prom. In this charming and very funny coming of age story Patch navigates crushes on the new boys in school, broken friendships, and the everyday struggles of being a teenage theatre kid. Although it's billed as a romance, friendships play a major role in the story. It's lighthearted and fun and very chaste (no problems having this in a middle school library). Kids who love Heartstopper will be a natural audience, but readers wanting humor and realistic stories about friendship will also find much to love here. Highly recommended for 7th-10th grade readers. A delightful story!

A Scar Like a River by Lisa Graff

 

Fallon has a long scar on her face and a deep secret that she has kept since she was very young. She's now 13 years old and enjoying her first lead role in a school musical, but nothing is going smoothly for Fallon in 7th grade. The death of her uncle sets her off on a journey of facing the trauma that she has lived with since she was five years old. As she gathers the courage to speaks up about the negative messages in the school musical, she also gathers the courage to go to therapy and to speak up about a much bigger issue involving family secrets, her uncle, and sexual abuse. This carefully crafted book has a gentle tone, but deals with sensitive topics. Students should know going in that they will encounter difficult issues and a story about resilience and healing in a solidly middle grade package. Recommended for middle school students, especially those who like reading realistic books about tough topics. 

This Could All Go Bad by Spencer Hall

 

This is a rare find--a book with 14-year-old boy protagonists that is FUNNY. Jensen and his best friends Maleek and Cooper are graduating from 8th grade in the morning, but they are going to have a wild adventure the night before. Jensen is not a rule breaker and he's got some anxiety, but when his friends knock on his window and invite him to sneak out for a night of dares (from a group of girls), Jensen climbs out his window and joins in on the fun. Most of the book takes place in one night as the boys attempt to keep up with the girls' dares. There are funny scenes involving skate boards, an internet-famous ferret, and sneaking into their deserted middle school. It's also a story about crushes, friendship and fear of the unknown. Recommended for middle school collections, especially for 8th graders contemplating high school. 

Thanks A Lot, Universe by Chad Lucas

 

Brian has a lot of family problems, including his father abandoning him and his younger brother at the same time his mother attempts suicide. Brian also is an awkward 7th grade boy without a lot of friendships to help sustain him. Life is clearly going to be rough for Brian and there are going to be no easy answers. Enter Ezra, a classmate with friends and sporting ability and a slowly emerging crush on Brian. This is the story of what these boys do in the face of many hurdles and awkward moves toward friendship. It's a slow and gentle book with a very middle grade vibe, and I'm sure there are readers who will love to find this book as it might help them through tough times of their own. Recommend this book to young readers who like to read about family dynamics, mental health, and kids exploring their identities. I think this book's sweet spot is 5th-7th grade readers. 

Candace, the Universe, and Everything by Sherri L. Smith

 

I love that this book is about an 8th grade girl as it is hard to find books about 14 year olds in today's publishing environment. I also love the premise of this book--a girl's locker is a portal and birds can fly in and out delivering items from the past to the future. Eighth grade girls from years ago have also experienced the incredible time warp of this mysterious locker, and our current 14 year old, Candace, finds women of two older generations who team up to solve the mystery of the locker. Unfortunately, the book is slow paced and the big time warp reveal at the end is barely explored. It also has a great cover, and Sherri Smith is a wonderful author, so I wish this book well, I just wish it packed more of a punch and that it had fully explored the magical world it introduced.