For any adult readers out there who would like to read and discuss books with the kids in their lives, we humbly offer these three middle grade novels. The narratives are centered on young people, and their unique experiences, while they emerge into life beyond childhood. If you're teetering on that cusp too, or remember how it felt, you may find something to love (and talk about!) in these stories.
These protagonists are vulnerable, courageous, resilient, curious, and often funny. That makes them excellent companions to have around for the summer!
In this debut novel, 12 year old Lucy studies the unfinished research that her mother left behind when she died five years ago. Sharks are the subject of her mother's work, and with an uptick of shark sightings nearby, Lucy and her friend Fred become immersed in the research while also navigating their feelings for each other. Then Lucy suffers another great loss, and the way she responds to it is the real story of this tender and beautiful book.
From the publisher: Harriet M. Welsch is a spy. In her notebook, she writes down everything she knows about everyone, even her classmates and her best friends. Then Harriet loses track of her notebook, and it ends up in the wrong hands. Before she can stop them, her friends have read the always truthful, sometimes awful things she’s written about each of them. Will Harriet find a way to put her life and her friendships back together?
"What the novel showed me as a child is that words have the power to hurt, but they can also heal, and that it’s much better in the long run to use this power for good than for evil."—New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
The summer he turns 13, Jeremy receives a mysterious box with the engraved words "the meaning of life: for Jeremy Fink on his thirteenth birthday." The box was left by his father, who has been dead for five years. It has four locks, but Jeremy finds no keys to open them. As Jeremy and his best friend, Lizzy, embark on a quest to find the keys, they travel across Manhattan from flea markets to fancy office buildings and museums, searching, as it turns out, not only for keys but also insights into science, religion, art, friendship, and family.
- Booklist Reviews
This one is also great for an in-class or around-the-table read aloud!
