Monday, October 19, 2026
Sisters Alone by Shifa Saltagi Safadi - ADVISABLE
Sunday, September 27, 2026
The Silenced by Diana Rodriguez Wallach - ADVISABLE
The Silenced by Diana Rodriguez Wallach, 384 pages. Diana Rodriguez Wallach, 2025. $20
Language: PG (40 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG (ghosts, supernatural beings); Violence: PG-13 (fantasy of murdering someone, slapping, choking, beat someone with a rock, death)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: MANY
On her visit to the site of The Oakwell Farms School for Girls, 17yo Hazel brings home more than expected. Where is this desire for revenge and the violent urges she is feeling coming from? It turns out that Hazel has a familial link to the old school for "disturbed" girls. As her investigation develops, more secrets begin to surface, and what initially seems like a straightforward case becomes much more complicated. Friendships are tested, family relationships are strengthened and the suspense of the events keeps you quickly turning pages for more! The story moves between Hazel’s present and the disquieting past.
The ghosts weren’t simply there to make the book scary—they represented the trauma and injustice that had never been properly acknowledged. That gave the horror a purpose and made the story more emotional. The subject matter was also difficult at times. The abuse is important to the story, but there were scenes that were genuinely upsetting. I wouldn’t recommend this book to someone who is uncomfortable reading about abuse of children or institutional mistreatment.
Hazel is of Puerto Rican and Polish descent, and her identity is part of who she is without becoming the only thing that defines her.
S. Lewis
Saturday, August 29, 2026
Room to Breathe by Kasie West - ADVISABLE
Lisa Librarian
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Friend Group by Lisa Greenwald - ADVISABLE
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
All That Chandni Knows by Khushboo Patel - OPTIONAL
Friday, July 31, 2026
Invisible: The (sort of) True Story of Me & My Hidden Disease by David Soren - ADVISABLE
Invisible: The (sort of) True Story of Me & My Hidden Disease by David Soren, 256 pages. Penguin, 2025. $18.
Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SOME
When 9yo JJ was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, a "monster" that only he could see, named Norm, became his companion. The more his disease was affecting him, the larger Norm would grow. Norm's purpose seemed to be to make JJ feel bad about himself. Norm would eat foods JJ couldn't and was loud and boisterous. Good thing he was invisible to everyone else. JJ was also an artist. From a young age, he would delight his friends with his skills, making trading cards of the principals and teachers. So JJ worries that his disease and Norm will keep him from becoming an animator.
Soren is an animator, so Invisible is also illustrated. It was a fun read, which surprised me, because even though JJ is in and out of the hospital and has to be careful about what he eats and can't do a lot of things other kids his age do, it's not a "poor me" book. JJ is resilient, his family grows through this as well, and Norm is extremely entertaining. JJ ages from 9-13 during the course of the story, so it's perfect for middle school. Might be a tough sell though, due to the subject matter, but what a great mirror. JJ is white.
Lisa Librarian
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Nothing to See Here by Barbara Dee - ADVISABLE
Nothing to See Here by Barbara Dee, 304 pages. Scholastic, October 2026. $19.
Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG (kiss) Violence: PG (Boy fight, online bullying, mean kids)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Everyone seems to be really into these two new social media apps that all the kids are using at Gossett Middle School. Unfortunately, no one uses their real names and a lot of the things gaining the most interest are mean or embarrassing. 8th graders Winnie, Gia, Levi and Mateo have noticed that a lot of what is being said is gossip, and they also notice that kids seem to not care who they hurt because they are anonymous. So, the friends decide to teach everyone a lesson by starting a rumor of their own.
I love Barbara Dee’s books about teen problems. The characters each have their own issues and Dee tells their story with multiple voices - Winnie has lost her phone (to her parents), Gia's life has been documented on social media by her mother, Mateo is cool and popular but doesn't really care about the popular crowd - he likes Gia, and Levi, who is really hurt when he finds himself on the who's NOT hot list, and whose only real friend is Mateo. I worried about these kids making poor decisions throughout and wondered how Dee was going to resolve all the issues. A great study on the problems with social media. The kids default white.
Lisa Librarian
Sunday, June 28, 2026
No Purchase Necessary by Maria Marianayagam - ESSENTIAL
Saturday, June 27, 2026
The Girl Who Couldn't Lie by Radhika Sanghani - ADVISABLE
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
The Romance Rewind by Sarah Everett - OPTIONAL
The Romance Rewind by Sarah Everett, 304 pages. G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books (Penguin Random House), 2026. $13.
Language: R (120 swears, 24 “f”); Mature Content: PG13 (alcohol use including underage drinking, kissing, innuendo, and mentions of drugs and sex); Violence: PG (assault and mentions of murder)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
When Jason (18yo) takes Zadie (18yo) out to dinner for their one-year anniversary, she is expecting a promise—not a break up. To make matters worse, they get into a car accident on the drive home that leaves Jason in a coma before he can explain what she did wrong! Now Zadie has more questions than ever and little idea how to find the answers in her past.
Struggling under the weight of the expectations of those around her, Zadie has a difficult time knowing herself, her wants, her loves. It takes a drastic change for her to step back and gain a new perspective—admitting that she was right about some things and wrong about others. Goals and working hard to become your best self are good things to do in life, but making sure that you love fully—familially, platonically, and/or romantically—are great things. Zadie is Black, and Jason is White.
Reviewer: Carolina Johnson
Thursday, June 11, 2026
Sometimes the Girl by Jennifer Mason-Black, - OPTIONAL
Sometimes the Girl by Jennifer Mason-Black, 294 pages. Carolrhoda Lab (Lerner), 2025. $20
Language: R (41 swears, 43 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (drug use, kissing, sex mentioned); Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
18yo Holi is struggling to find her footing after the death of a friend, her brother’s suicide attempt, and a painful breakup with her girlfriend, Maya. Hoping to earn enough money for one last trip with Maya, Holi takes a job organizing the attic of Elsie McAllister, a reclusive author in her nineties who published only a single celebrated novel. As Holi sorts through decades of letters and forgotten artifacts, she discovers there was far more to Elsie than her carefully crafted public image. When one of Elsie’s children offers Holi $10,000 to find the missing original manuscript of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Holi becomes caught between money, loyalty, and larger questions about art, legacy, and ownership. In uncovering Elsie’s hidden history, Holi begins to understand herself differently, finding solace in nature, music, and the possibility of moving forward after loss.
A thoughtful and emotionally insightful novel about grief, creativity, and self-discovery. While I appreciated the writing and themes, the overuse of strong language detracted from the overall experience for me.
Holi is white
A. Snow, Librarian
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Where Ella Went by Laurie Morrison - ADVISABLE
Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G (kiss mentioned); Violence: G (soccer aggression)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
One day Ella was there and the next day she wasn’t. The adults are telling the 8th graders that Ella is fine and she just wants privacy. But Pug, her soccer teammate, and Sadie, the new soccer girl that Ella befriended, can’t just let it go. The girls are determined to find out where Ella is and why she left so abruptly. Even if along the way they stir some other things that people just wanted to forget.
I have to agree with Pug and Sadie - the adults should know better than to tell them just to drop it. I would have done the same thing in middle school. I liked their determination - I did not like one odd coincidence in the story. I’ll say that I did not like how things ended up for Ella in her new school; Sadie deserved better.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Lily Tripp: Diary of an Accidental Time Traveler by Amelia Tait - OPTIONAL
Lily Tripp: Diary of an Accidental Time Traveler by Amelia Tait, 368 pages. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Macmillian), 2026. $19.
Language: PG13 (18 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG (mentions of alcohol and of nudity in art); Violence: PG (mild assault and mentions of animal sacrifices and biological warfare)
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
New Year’s is a stressful time for Lily (12yo) because she never knows if the new year will actually be the next one. Lily was born in 2013, but she has also lived in 1922 and 122 CE—and while all of her family and friends (and enemies) have time traveled on New Year’s with her, Lily seems to be the only one who remembers. This time, all Lily wants to do is stay away from Georgia and tell her crush how she feels.
Lily’s childhood through the ages is fascinating and funny. Tait did a lot of research to accurately describe the different eras she sends her characters to, and it is a very enjoyable way to learn about history. Middle school is difficult, and it’s easy to fantasize that things would be better if circumstances were different. I love that Lily’s story shows readers that changing what year you live in doesn’t change who you are—only you get to make the choice to change or not. Lily is English.
Reviewer: Carolina Johnson
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
The House No One Sees by Adina King - OPTIONAL
Monday, February 16, 2026
Dead Girls Don't Say Sorry by Alex Ritany - OPTIONAL
Dead Girls Don't Say Sorry by Alex Ritany, 400 pages. Knopf Books for Young Readers (Random), 2024. $20
Language: G (3 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG (death, toxic relationships); Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
High school senior, Nora, is struggling after the sudden death of her lifelong best friend Julia. Everyone expects her to be devastated, but their relationship was not what it seemed. As Nora deals with grief, guilt and the pressures of senior year, she starts uncovering secrets, lies and the toxic side of a friendship she thought would last forever. With the help of Dillan by her side, Nora discovers the twisted truth behind her lost friendship.
This book bounces from before and after the accident. At first it was a bit hard to keep track but once into the story it worked. It was hard to read about the toxic relationship between Nora and Julia with Nora so oblivious. It was frustrating to read about Julia continually manipulating Nora in so many different ways but then saying a few nice comments and they were best friends again. Students will be able to connect with Nora if they have ever been involved in a toxic relationship like this.
Nora and Julia are Caucasian.
Jessica Nelson CTHS Librarian
Thursday, February 12, 2026
The Same Backward as Forward by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - OPTIONAL
The Same Backward as Forward by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, 280 pages. Little Brown, 2026. $21
Language: R (100+ swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13 (sex implied); Violence: murders and deaths mentioned, man thrown to dogs mentioned
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: MANY
20yo Hannah is waiting for the day that her sister Kaylie turns 18 and the two of them can leave their hometown forever. Before that day, however, Tobias Hawthorne and his entourage sweep into town and now Kaylie and the entourage are dead from the fire that also destroyed the Hawthorne island mansion. Hannah is summoned by her friend Jackson, a hermit fisherman. Jackson has rescued Tobias and Hannah is determined to nurse him back to health if only to make him live with his guilt the rest of his life. Tobias wakes up with amnesia and only knows what Hannah tells him - which includes a new name. As “Henry” and Hannah spend more time together, they are drawn closer. But what will happen to their intimacy when “Henry” regains his memories?
Barnes gives as part of the story from Hannah’s point of view and then the reader flips the book over to get the same story, plus more, from Tobias’s point of view. You should definitely read them in that order. While I am an un-fan of enemies to lovers, I did like the backstory about Henry and about Avery’s mother - and the events leading up to Avery inheriting the Hawthorne fortune.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
Saturday, January 31, 2026
The Winter of the Dollhouse by Laura Amy Schlitz - ADVISABLE
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
A Scar Like a River by Lisa Graff - ESSENTIAL
A Scar Like a River by Lisa Graff, 386 pages. Little Brown, FEB 2026. $18
Language: G (10 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13 (see Violence); Violence: PG-13 (sexual assault vaguely described, “night games” and unwanted touching mentioned)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Back when she was 5yo, Fallon was attacked by a knife-wielding assailant and left with many surgeries and a prominent scar across her face. No one else knows, but it was her own uncle who did it. That is not the only secret about her uncle that Fallon is hiding, either. And why Fallon hates her aunt, her mother’s beloved sister, so much. When Fallon, now 13yo, learns that her uncle has died, going to the funeral stirs everything up. Then her aunt moves in and Fallon is headed on a crash course with revelations.
Graff includes a sub-plot about the school musical and Fallon is helped when she comes to understand a girl who Fallon thought was her enemy. The sexual assault is mentioned, but as vaguely described as Hester Prynne’s encounter with Arthur Dimmesdale in A Scarlet Letter (none of us in my high school senior English class caught it - our teacher had to point it out to us). Fallon also starts attending Survivors of Sexual Assault meetings. Graff includes some other complicated subplots, but handles all of them deftly, and gives Fallon loving people around her and a big heart.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
Friday, January 9, 2026
The Truth about Maura by Melinda Di Lorenzo, - ADVISABLE
Tuesday, December 9, 2025
I Know You Started It by Daphne Benedis-Grab - ESSENTIAL
I Know You Started It by Daphne Benedis-Grab, 240 pages. Scholastic, APRIL 2026. $9 (paperback)
Content: PG (blackmail and blackmailable offenses mentioned)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL
APPEALS TO: MANY
7th graders Dani, Kate, Liam, and Gabe are in trouble. Someone set a locker on fire and they were the first students called down to the office afterwards. Even if they didn’t do it, the rumor mill will peg them as the culprits. Dani and Kate used to be best friends, but they haven’t spoken to each other since school started. Liam is the new kid at school and he can’t figure out why no one wants to be his friend. Gabe is the 7th grade hot head and he would really like to be seen as innocent for once. Together the four decide that they are going to have to solve the mystery of the fire, because only they care about proving their innocence.
Benedis-Grab does such a great job of building suspense and allowing tidbits of clues through at a time. Even with four main characters, the story flows well and I felt I knew each student and what was going on with them. All four of Benedis-Grab’s books are worth having.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS



















