Author: Alan Gratz
Published: 2022 Gratz moves away from historical fiction to look at the near future. Owen and George live in Canada. Owen's family make money as tour guides, showing off the polar bears and telling people information about them. The polar bears have been getting closer and closer to people now that the sea ice is melting. Owen and George find themselves in serious danger when one attacks them. Akira and her dad live in California. Her dad firmly denies that climate change is occurring, and Akira is frustrated with him for it. When a wildfire starts and gets out of control, Akira and her family are in danger. Natalie lives in Miami. When a hurricane hits, she gets separated from her family and has to figure out a way to survive. All of these stories deal with the effects of climate change on our world. Like with Gratz's other works, somehow these three stories connect. Two Degrees is a frightening story about a possible future for our planet. This is great for readers who like survival stories.
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Author: Kat Zhang
Published: 2017 Mia is not very excited to spend a good chunk of her summer vacation in China with her family. The only bright side is she gets to spend a lot of time with Aunt Lin. The two always get along really well. When Aunt Lin disappears and leaves just a mysterious letter explaining that she is visiting friends, Mia knows that something is up. Her aunt would not abandon her like this without talking to her first. Mia discovers that Aunt Lin had discovered some riddles and a map. Could this map lead to the lost treasure of the emperor Zhu Yunwen? It is up to Mia to find out. Can she convince her brother that Aunt Lin is probably in danger somewhere or will she have to solve the riddle and figure out where the map leads all by herself? The Emperor's Riddle is a great middle grade adventure that will have readers hooked until the end! Author: Christina Dia Gonzalez
Published: 2021 Katrina and her family are in the Witness Protection Program. Something happened three years ago, and Katrina lost her memory of everything that happened before. Her parents don't really talk about the details of why they are in hiding, but they end up having to move around a lot and change names all the time. When they move into an RV, Katrina hopes that they will be able to be here longer. She made friends with her neighbor Parker. After overhearing a private conversation between her parents, Katrina knows that they are keeping secrets from her. Then her dad mysteriously leaves and her mom gets kidnapped. Katrina and Parker team up to try to rescue her parents and figure out the dark secrets that her family is keeping from her. Who is after them and why? Why would her parents lie to her? What really happened three years ago when she lost her memory. Concealed is a fantastic story for mystery and adventure lovers. There are twists and surprises at every turn! Author: Marie Lu
Published: 2014 Adelina was four years old when the blood fever hit everywhere. She and her sister and mother got the fever. Fortunately, Adelina and her sister survived; no adult survived the blood fever. There was something weird about some of the children who had the blood fever. Many recovered and went back to normal, others became marked somehow. Those who were marked were viewed as outcasts, called malfettos and seen as bad luck. Adelina was marked; her sister was not. The even stranger thing was that most of the children who were marked were not really that different than they were before they got sick. A select few, however, got strange powers and were viewed as demons, too dark and dangerous for this world. They are referred to as the Young Elites. At the beginning of the book, Adelina is in jail about to be put to death for murdering someone. She is rescued by the Young Elites at the last minute and discovers that she also has powers within her that she never new existed. But there is also a lot of darkness within her. She spent her childhood being abused and ignored by her father for being marked. She has no idea how to use her powers or control them. The Young Elites let her in and begin her training, and she learns that they are planning to take down the king and put the rightful heir on the throne who will keep those who are marked safe. But when Adelina discovers that her sister is in danger, she must do something even if that means risking everything. The Young Elites is a really great dark fantasy story that will keep you hooked until the very end. I absolutely want to read the second one to see what happens next. Author: Patrick Ness
Published: 2020 Sarah and her father live in Washington in the 1950s. Her father is a farmer who is really struggling and as a last resort has to hire a dragon to come help him on the farm. Sarah's mother, who passed away years ago, was Black and Sarah's father is white. It is not easy being biracial in a small town during this time period. She and her father are already viewed as outcasts because of this, and now they hired a dragon that supposedly came from Russia, which doesn't help matters. During this time period, Russia and the United States did not have a good relationship. It was the Cold War, where both countries were worried the other would send nuclear bombs to destroy them. When Sarah gets into some trouble, the dragon named Kazimir is there to help and she soon discovers that there is a reason he decided to go to their farm at this exact time. There is a prophecy that Sarah is responsible for saving the world and Kazimir knows that there is someone after her who will do anything to make sure that she does not survive to fulfill that prophecy. Suddenly Sarah finds herself in a lot of danger. Burn is a really great mixture of historical fiction and fantasy that looks at what the world might be like if there were dragons among us. It has adventure and mystery and even romance. This was a very enjoyable read, and I definitely was not able to guess where the story was going at all! Author: David A. Robertson
Published: 2020 Morgan has been moved around from foster family to foster family. Right now she is currently living with a nice couple who just don't really understand what it means to be an Indigenous child. Her foster parents also took in another Indigenous boy younger than Morgan named Eli. One day, Morgan and Eli discover a secret room in the attic. While in this secret room, they hang up a drawing Eli did of a fisher (an animal similar to a weasel) in the snow. After they hang up the picture, they feel wind and suddenly snow comes pouring into the attic through the picture. The fisher is running toward them. Eli rips the paper off the wall and see that his drawing has changed. The fisher is much closer and it looks like he is running. Morgan and Eli don't understand what just happened, but when Morgan discovers later that Eli has gone into this mysterious snowy world, she knows that she has to enter the portal the picture opened in order to save him. They learn they have entered another world and found a community of animals who can stand upright and speak to one another. Morgan and Eli also discover that this community is starving, stuck in eternal winter. They set out with a couple of others to try to find food but have no idea what the journey will bring. The Barren Grounds is a fantastic adventure story that has strong Narnia and Frozen vibes. Absolutely beautiful story. Author: Ryan Calejo
Published: 2018 Charlie Hernandez is living with a temporary caregiver ever since his parents went missing a couple weeks ago when a fire destroyed his home. On the night his parents disappeared, something really weird also happened when he was talking to the police--he grew small horns on his head. Growing up, Charlie's abuela had told him all the Latino and Hispanic folk tales. When his feathers appear, Charlie wonders if he is the Morphling, a creature from one of abuela's myths. But Charlie always thought that the stories his abuela told him were made up. When Charlie discovers a mysterious map in his mom's things, he starts a dangerous journey with the help of a very curious and determined classmate, Violet. It turns out that the Morphling, whoever they are, is destined to destroy some serious evil, but there's no way that can be Charlie, right? Charlie Hernandez and the League of Shadows is a fantastic adventure story with Latino and Hispanic mythology. Fans of Percy Jackson will love the start to this series. Author: Christina Soontornvat
Published: 2020 After the Great Fire, the city of Chattana was in darkness. The Governor, who is able to create light, showed up and saved Chattana by bringing light back to the city. But not everything is as perfect as it seems. Pong has just escaped from Namwon Prison; he was there because his mom was imprisoned for a crime. He left behind his best friend Somkit at Namwon. Pong soon realizes that the world is only good for the wealthy. They are the ones who are able to afford to buy light and to live good lives. There are people who are homeless, and ex-prisoners are not given chances by others due to their bad reputations. As an escaped prisoner, he really doesn't have many options. Nok is the daughter of the prison warden. When Pong escaped, her father was blamed. Nok vows to find Pong and return him to where he belongs, but she doesn't realize that there are secrets out there that can change everything. A Wish in the Dark is a retelling of the classic book Les Miserables. I absolutely loved this story. It will make readers think about what is right, what is wrong, and all the gray areas in between. Author: Zoraida Cordova
Published: 2020 Danny and his older sister Pili have been bounced around from foster home to foster home. The one thing that remains the same is that they always have each other. For the first time, however, they are being put in different places. Danny is going to go stay with a family, and Pili is in a group home. A few days after they are separated, Pili disappears. The police think that she is a runaway, but Danny knows that she would never leave him behind. The one thing that Danny has is a book called The Way to Rio Luna, Pili's absolute favorite book. She found it at a yard sale and it became her most prized possession quickly. She would read the stories out loud to Danny all the time. It was a way for them to escape some of the difficult parts of their lives. Danny believes in magic. He believes that Pili is actually in Rio Luna. He doesn't think that she would have ever left him if she didn't have to. When Danny starts to see strange symbols, he believes they are leading him to find Rio Luna and his sister. Suddenly Danny finds himself on a great adventure. The Way to Rio Luna is a great fantasy novel perfect for fans of The Land of Stories series. Author: Remy Lai
Published: 2020 Henry Khoo's family is very overprotective of him. He is twelve-years-old, but they treat him like he is a baby. When he is hanging out with friends, his mom, older sister, and grandma will show up to check on him and embarrass him. Every summer Henry and his sister go to visit their father in Singapore. This summer for the first time, they aren't going, and Henry is very upset. He doesn't want to just sit at home, especially since his best friend Phoebe is no longer his best friend and he doesn't really have any other friends. Henry makes a plan. He is going to lie to his family so they think he is spending the day with Phoebe when really he is going to go to the airport and get on a plane to Singapore to visit his dad all by himself. He brings his journal along with him to document the experience. But not everything goes to plan, especially when he sees a classmate at the airport. Suddenly secrets start to come out about Henry and his friendships and his school. Fly on the Wall is a good story for those who like reading about funny adventures! |
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