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The Dogs by Allan Stratton (2015)

Quick, creepy, and twisty, this is a solid choice for hungry horror fans.

Recommended grade level: 7 and up

Pages:  272 (for ISBN 9781492609384)

Genre(s) and keywords: thriller, horror, mystery, reluctant readers

Tone/Style: dark, unreliable

Pace: moderate to fast

Topics: ghosts, stalking, rural setting, parents dating

Themes: family, trust, absent parents, secrets

Summary: Cameron and his mom are being hunted by his dad. In their isolated farmhouse, Cameron sees and hears things that aren’t possible. Soon he’s questioning everything – including his sanity. What’s hiding in the night? Buried in the past? Cameron must uncover the secrets before they tear him apart. (Source)

2018 Favorite Books for Middle Schoolers

And now, I present to you… my favorite books for middle school readers published in 2018!

(…that I’ve read so far.  I’ll get back to you on the rest.)

 

Click a book cover to see its Goodreads page.

 

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor

This is showing up on all the award prediction lists, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s an honest, vulnerable piece of realistic fiction with an engaging voice. I want to give Mason a huge hug. Recommended for grades 4 and up.

 

 

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

This funny, inventive adventure is full of powerful young women, growing friendship, and best of all, fascinating Hindu mythology. It’s sparked a big interest in the subject for me. I love that Rick Riordan is supporting Own Voices authors telling stories based in their own mythology to complement his Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Norse ones. Recommended for grades 4 and up.

 

Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald

This title has a ton of potential for reluctant readers.  It’s a loving examination of football that also takes a serious look at some serious problems with the sport and its culture.  And since it’s written in verse, it flies by. Recommended for grades 6 and up. (There is some mention of underage drinking, though it doesn’t occur “onscreen” and isn’t condoned.)

Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell (2016)

Atmospheric horror with a wide age-range appeal and creepy dolls.

Recommended grade level: 6 and up

Pages:   298 (for ISBN 9780545941082)

Genre(s) and keywords: horror

Tone/Style: bleak, scary

Pace: moderate to fast

Topics: curses, ghosts, dolls, possession, death

Themes: aftermath of tragedy, grief, family

Summary: Dunvegan School for Girls has been losed for many years. Converted into a family home, the teachers and the students are long gone. But they left something behind…

Unstoppable: True Stories of Amazing Bionic Animals by Nancy Furstinger (2017)

Cute, inspiring, and photo-heavy, this feel-good title is great for browsing.

Recommended grade level: 4 and up

Pages:  128 (for ISBN 9780544879669)

Genre(s) and keywords: nonfiction, science, reluctant readers

Tone/Style: positive, encouraging

Pace: fast

Topics: medical technology, prosthetics

Themes: different abilities, innovation, helping others, overcoming challenges

Summary: In Unstoppable, animals are both benefiting from and helping out the world of prosthetic science – including all species, situations, and science backgrounds. From the high-tech science of 3D printing, to inflatables, to toy wheels, this title has it all. Unstoppable is a perfect fit for science enthusiasts and animal lovers alike. (Source)

Program – Build to Battle

What is it?

Using office supplies and instructions from the Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction book series by John Austin, create tiny catapults, bows and arrows, and other “weapons” then compete in challenges with them.

 

Price

You may be able to find what you need among you existing office supplies, or solicit donations of materials.  In this case, you could potentially run the program without buying anything.  I had a healthy budget to work with and ended up spending about $50 on building materials.

 

Why do it?

There’s a little bit of every STEAM element—science, technology, engineering, art, and math—in this program.  Not many activities hit on all that, particularly not ones with this high appeal for pre-teens and teens.  It’s a great program for disguising educational elements behind a ton of fun elements.

Program – Color Tag

What is It?

Participants throw color powder (also called powder paint or Holi powder) at each other, trying to cover everyone with as much of their team’s color as possible.

 

Price

About $500 for 60 kids.

 

Number of participants

As many as you can afford to supply with powder!

Program – Extreme Library

What is it?

After the library is closed, middle schoolers can come play active games throughout the library building.  I like to really play up the fact that they will have the library to themselves, and be allowed to do things we wouldn’t normally allow.  Hence the “extreme”…though of course, it’s all perfectly safe and legal. 😉  This is the program description I use: “Zombie tag in the Library? An extreme scavenger hunt in the stacks? That can’t be allowed…but we’re going to try it anyway! We won’t tell if you don’t.”

 

Price

Anywhere from free, to however much you want to spend.  If your budget it low, plan activities that use materials you already own.

 

Why Do It?

When you’re doing something unconventional like this, it’s a good idea to prepare for the possibility that your reasoning will be challenged. 

Program – Laser Tag at the Library

What is it?

After the library is closed, invite middle schoolers to play laser tag in the building.

 

Price

$300-$700, depending on the equipment you use.

 

Number of participants

This can vary a lot.  If you rent equipment, most rental companies will offer 10 to 20 laser taggers at a time.  It’s often cost-effective to have the equipment for a block of time.  I like to get the equipment for three hours, and break it into three time slots; participants can sign up for one slot.  Each one-hour slot has 20 players (10 on each team), so I get 60 total in one night.  After all the instructions and suiting up, I’m usually able to give the participants 40 minutes of play during their timeslot, which seems a good amount of time to me.