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Ungifted by Gordon Kormon
Interest Level 5-8
Due to an administrative mix-up, troublemaker Donovan Curtis is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students, after pulling a major prank at middle school.But as the students and teachers of ASD grow to realize that Donovan may not be good at math or science (or just about anything), he shows that his gifts may be exactly what the ASD students never knew they needed.
Kormon, G. (2012). Ungifted. Balzer & Bray. -
I funny: a Middle School Story by James Patterson
Interest Level 5-8
Jamie Grimm is a middle schooler on a mission: he wants to become the world's greatest standup comedian--even if he doesn't have a lot to laugh about these days. He's new in town and stuck living with his aunt, uncle, and their evil son Stevie, Jamie stands up to this bully even if it means getting knocked out of his wheelchair. A book about bullying, disabilities, resilience and confronting your situation through comedy.
Patterson, J. (2012). I Funny. Little Brown and Co. -
Wonder by R.J. Polacio
Interest Level Grades 5-7
August is not just an ordinary 5th grader. He was born with a facial deformity that makes him different than the other kids. His parents decide to take him from homeschool to public school. But August has to deal with so much more than just being new. Will he make friends? And can the people around him learn to see past his appearance?
Polacio, R.J. (2012). Wonder. NY: Alfred A. Knopf. -
The One and Only Ivan
Interest Level Grades 3-5
When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life. He goes to great lengths to get them out of the mall and into a zoo.
Applegate, K, (2012). The One and Only Ivan. NY. Harper Collins. -
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Interest Level YA
Sixteen-year-old Hazel, a stage IV thyroid cancer patient, has accepted her terminal diagnosis until a chance meeting with a boy, Augustus Waters, at a cancer support group forces her to reexamine her perspective on love, loss, and life. Her first love and the theme of life and death in this heartbreaking story is a very real look into what it is like to live with terminal cancer.
Green, J. (2012). The Fault in Our Stars. Dutton Books. -
Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great by Bob Shea
Interest Level K-3
Ever since Unicorn moved into the neighborhood, Goat has been feeling out of sorts. Unicorn is such a show-off, how can Goat compete? When Goat and Unicorn share a piece of pizza, Goat learns that being a unicorn might not be all it's cracked up to be. And when Unicorn shows his admiration for Goat, it looks like the beginning of a great friendship.
Shea, B. (2013). Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great. Disney-Hyperion Books. -
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
Interest Level K-3
Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: His crayons have had enough! They quit! What can Duncan possibly do to appease all of the crayons and get them back to what they do best?
Daywalt, D. (2013). The Day the Crayons Quit. Philomel Books. -
Spirit Animals Wild Born Book 1 by Brandon Mull
Interest Level 3-6
As a dark force engulfs the land, the fate of Erdas has fallen on the shoulders of four young strangers who each have forged a rare bond with their spirit beasts -- a bond that gives great powers to all of them. Through this fantasy series written by multiple authors, the four children must stand up to evil using the strength of their spirit animals.
Mull, B. (2013). Spirit Animals: Wild Born. Scholastic. -
The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes
Interest Level 2-6
Seven-year-old Billy Miller starts second grade with a bump on his head and a lot of worries, but by the end of the year he has developed good relationships with his teacher, his little sister, and his parents and learned many important lessons.
Henkes, K. (2013). The Year of Billy Miller. Greenwillow Books. -
Take Away the A by Michael Escoffier
Interest Level K-3
The idea behind the book is that within every language there are words that change and become a different word through the simple subtraction of a single letter. In other words, without the "A," the Beast is Best. Or, without the "M," a chomp becomes a chop--though it could be that this particular play on words didn't even make it into the book, there are so many!
Escoffier, M. (2014). Take Away the A. Enchangted Lion Books.
