In a world of screens, there's something special about a good old-fashioned hardcover book. Getting your child into the habit of reading physical books can boost their focus, improve comprehension, and create a deeper connection with the stories they read. Plus, there's no need for batteries or Wi-Fi!
Looking for a fun way to start? Click on the pictures to check out what Goodreads has in store—there might be something your young reader will love. Or even better, take a trip to Boskruin Library and see if they have any of these titles. It’s fun, it’s free, and best of all, it supports our local library!
The Dragon's Apprentice : James Riley
In this hilarious fantasy adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of the Story Thieves series, a girl strikes a deal with the ancient, cranky dragon she accidentally summoned to teach her the forbidden magic she needs to save her mother.
STOP. Don’t read any further. There are magic spells in this book, and the Emperor has forbidden anyone from learning magic, because it’s way too dangerous! If you try one of the spells, any number of terrible things might happen (or so the Emperor says).
Don’t be like Ciara, a twelve-year-old girl living in the tiny village of Skael. When she used a spell from within this book, she ended up summoning a dragon. A DRAGON! Those things breathe fire! From their mouths! She’s obviously doomed.
And don’t listen if Ciara tells you that dragons won’t hurt humans, and that they even once taught us magic, a thousand years ago. Definitely don’t pay any attention to the fact that the dragon she summoned, Scorch, might be willing to help rescue Ciara’s mother and free her village from the Emperor and his Warden, because it’s all obviously a big lie. So put this book down, and forget about it. Magic is just way too dangerous. After all, you wouldn’t want to summon your own dragon, would you?
Band Nerd: A Graphic Novel: Sarah Clawson Willis
Perfect for fans of Roller Girl and New Kid comes a heartfelt coming-of-age story about music, family, and friendship wherein twelve-year-old Lucy Carver must navigate life as band nerd in a new school, all while competing for a top flute soloist spot in band. But for Lucy, facing the music means dealing with the problems at home.
Middle school is tough—thank goodness there’s band.
For twelve-year-old Lucy Carver, music isn’t just a way of life; it’s an escape from homework and an off-key homelife with her alcoholic father. When Lucy starts seventh grade at Windley School of the Arts, with its high academic standards and even higher artistic expectations, it becomes much harder to keep life in tune.
Determined to be the conductor of her own life, Lucy focuses all her energy on beating snobby Tolli Claybourne for first chair flute. As things spiral out of control with her parents and her schoolwork, Lucy grows desperate for a win. Just when she thinks she's hitting all the right notes, an accident leaves her unable to play and her mother threatens to withdraw her for poor grades. Now Lucy must sabotage Tolli or give up on her dream.
The Beat I Drum: Dusti Bowling
Connor, best friend of Aven Green, tells his own story in this tale about overcoming the challenges of life with Tourette’s.
Connor Bradley is dreading the first day of high school. Not just because he is new, or because he misses his best friends, but because he knows the other kids won’t understand his barking and tics. Connor has Tourette Syndrome, and every day has been a challenge—from the mimicking to the laughing, the questions, and the stares. It turns out school isn’t quite as bad as he expected. Connor forms a fast friendship with a girl who also has Tourette’s and is welcomed into her accepting circle of friends. He also meets a special music teacher who encourages him to take up the drums to manage his stress, and maybe get a break from his tics.
But Connor’s world is turned upside down when his absent father reappears and a bully starts to escalate at school. All these problems—with family, with friends, and even with himself—build and build until Connor feels ready to explode. Will a surprising revelation save him and help him find his beat again?
A Day at the Beach: Gary D. Schmidt
Look Both Ways meets Seedfolks in this masterful novel from two titans of kid lit that follows a diverse cast of young people whose lives intersect in surprising and hilarious ways over the course of a summer day.
Here’s what’s so cool about the beach. Kids are everywhere! Kids you know, kids you want to know. Wandering from one blanket to another, from one family to another. Somebody’s mom reads a fat summer novel. Somebody’s dad snores with an iPad on his chest. Babies cry. Girls laugh. Frisbee players whoop! Kites in the perfect blue sky.
Some kids bodysurf. Some don’t even like the water. They build sand cities for their friends and sand jails for the grown-ups, and when the tide comes in everything gets washed away.
There’s the other world, where all kids hear is tomorrow, next week, next year. And then there’s the beach, where everything is right now!
Why can’t every day be a day at the beach?
From two-time Newbery honoree Gary D. Schmidt and two-time PEN Award winner Ron Koertge comes a moving and often laugh-out-loud funny middle grade novel about family, friendship, and belonging, told by a group of kids spending a day at the beach. Thoughtful vignettes brilliantly weave together an irresistible tale of tween conflict and connections.
Afia in the Land of Wonders: Mia Araujo
In her stunning literary debut, Mia Araujo presents a gorgeous reimagining of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, spinning a new story that is accompanied by arresting, ethereal illustrations about twin sisters and how one must venture outside the safety of their home, into the wilderness, in order to find herself and true happiness.
Afia has always felt like half of a whole. Her twin sister, Aya, is perfectly happy with fulfilling their family's expectations of them. But Afia dreams of exploring the world beyond her secluded cliffside home of Dafra. She dreams of adventure.
When she meets a charming shape-shifter named Bakame, who dazzles her with promises of a magical land called Ijabu, Afia decides to take her destiny into her own hands. Although it will mean leaving everything she has ever known behind, including her beloved sister, Afia follows Bakame into the forbidden forests surrounding Dafra, from which no one has ever returned.
Filled with magical sights, a charismatic Queen and her intriguing court, Ijabu is everything that Afia has ever dreamed of. But she soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and this fantasy world demands a terrible price. With the help of a mysterious trickster, Afia must evade the Queen's hunters and the lost dreamers of Ijabu, who wish to pull her deeper into their web.
Now, Afia must find the courage to survive while standing on her own--or risking losing herself completely to the wonders of Ijabu.
How to Talk to Your Succulent: Zoe Persico
After the loss of her mother, Adara struggles to communicate with her family about her grief. When a sympathetic ear arises in an unlikely place, Adara can finally find her words — but can she find the time to listen? A stunning graphic novel for middle-grade readers about family, friendship and magic in unlikely places, for fans of The Witches of Brooklyn and Raina Telgemeier.
Eleven-year-old Adara and her dad are moving from California to the cold and flat lands of Michigan . . . and it sucks. After Mom's recent passing, it seems way too soon. Talking to Dad has always been harder than with Mom, but now it's like walking on eggshells. And why did Dad bring so many of Mom's houseplants across the country? Her mother might have been called the Plant Whisperer back home, but Adara is beginning to wonder if there is something more to it. But when she meets a little succulent named Perle, she unlocks the same magical ability her mother had: talking to plants!
But taking care of Perle isn't as easy as it seems — the environment isn't suited for her, and Adara doesn't know how to meet her needs. Kind of like the situation Adara herself is in. If only Perle could ask Adara for help . . . and Adara could ask her dad.
With a touch of magic, this debut middle-grade graphic novel explores loneliness, mental health and empathy, and shows how communication, openness and a willingness to listen can help young people — and older people — and plants! — navigate their mental well-being and heal from loss, individually and together.
Beetle & the Chimera Carnival: Aliza Layne
Beetle and her friends attend a carnival full of dragons and magic, only to discover something sinister at play behind the scenes, in this delightful sequel to the Stonewall Honor-winning Beetle & the Hollowbones middle grade graphic novel.
Hidden behind the clouds, giant dragons guard the most powerful magic in the world from prying eyes. On one magical night, once every ten years, these leviathans reveal themselves to a fanfare of costumes, music, and parades in the Chimera Carnival.
But this time, something's wrong.
When Beetle, Penny, and Kat decide to check out the empty carnival site one night, they discover an injured dragon screaming for help. And the more Beetle uncovers about the Chimera Carnival, the more sinister it gets. Dragons who arrive for the early festivities disappear without a trace. Beetle's magic begins to go haywire. And Kat's parents come back to town, worrying both girls about whether they have a future together.
In the catacombs beneath the demolished 'Allowstown mall, something hungers for dragon magic. And Beetle and her friends are already more entwined with it than they could possibly imagine.
