by Martha Hubbard

As a fully functioning, banking adult, I must admit I learned something  from this book! It was fascinating to see some of the banking options that are available now that, admittedly, I do not use. Checks, I get. ATMs, no problem. On-line, digital payments, yes. I’ve even learned to Venmo. I’d never heard of neobanks, and cryptocurrency is the one I have not quite figured out. I found it interesting to read about all the pros and cons of various banking methods. And while cybersecurity often makes me nervous, this book had some good suggestions for ways to keep yourself and your money safer with strong passwords or even payment tokenization. Even two-factor authentication, which I sometimes get irritated with having to use, does make it harder for thieves to steal what is on line. For young readers in my library today, so much of what seems futuristic will feel like it’s just what is natural to do. Understanding how we got to the digital age may put some of their options in perspective. The book was well-organized in 5 clear chapters and included a table of contents, glossary, index and additional resources.

by Julianna Helt

Having enough sports books to satisfy my middle school readers can be a challenge! This book on the Washington Mystics is sure to pull in basketball players and fans. I love that it is on one of the women’s teams in basketball. The book is well organized with clear, readable text with only 1-2 paragraphs per page. The four chapters highlight their championship winning season, the team’s history, their winning coaches and some of the famous players. The book includes a table of contents, a glossary, an index, fun trivia facts, and resources to dig further into the topic. I also liked that the more challenging vocabulary was highlighted & those words corresponded to the words in the glossary. Photos are included throughout the book, with identifying captions. Also included are “Fun Facts” scattered throughout the pages adding extra information to the main text. 

by Aimee Popalis

A well-organized non-fiction book about and for students navigating medical conditions of their own or others. Various sections of the book cover topics like the kinds of health issues students might encounter, how to care for oneself or others, and strategies for taking control when medical needs might make one feel out of control. Each section has clear, easy to read text suitable for a middle school student. I appreciated the notes at the beginning of the book with tips for reading non-fiction. The book includes a glossary of terms, an index, and additional resources students can use. Most pictures did not have captions, but rather many had “Did you know” text nearby that enhanced the main text on the page. I found the text approachable and factual with the illustrations being very inclusive of many races and genders.

by Rey Terciero and Claudia Aguirre

This graphic novel retelling of Anne of Green Gables features a male “Anne” living in rural Tennessee with strangers after being abandoned by his mother. He struggles with the very conservative religious beliefs of his grandparents, particularly the Grandpa. Dan is gay and that goes against the r. I really liked that it was easy to read and I wanted to keep reading. I don’t usually read graphic novels, but this one was compelling and made me want to read more. The art is colorful and Dan keeps the signature red hair of the inspirational “Anne”.  I also appreciated that there was a warning about possible triggers in the book for readers at the very beginning regarding bullying, physical assault and homophobia. All of these topics are handled gently in the book, but do represent real experiences that some individuals experience. That being said, I didn’t like the way some characters treated Dan, but I realize this was part of the plot. His grandfather had some positive realizations about Dan and accepted him more for who he was by the end. Dan even chose to stay with his grandparents even though his mother came back to get him. Overall, I’d give it 4-5 stars.

Reviewed by Rosalee B, 7th grader at Komachin Middle School

by Naseem Jamnia

This book is about a girl and her friends who find a mysterious glade in their dreams while at a camp where someone went missing in the past. Their friendships are tested as they protect each other from the force in the glade that wants to come back to the real world. I think this book was interesting because it had so many surprises like dreams that led characters to a mystical world.  It was also very fun to read because the conflict tested the friends in a very suspenseful way.  It took a while to get into the book – about 50 pages or so before it really got moving. Once you got into it, the author did a great job  making the book interesting to read and fun to spend time finishing. The plot  was very good with twists and turns. If readers can stick with it, they won’t regret it!

Reviewed by Rosalee B, 7th grader at Komachin Middle School

by G. F. Miller

Sofia Santini and Holden Thomas meet in the eighth grade year of middle school,. Sofia is desperate to catch the attention of her school crush Mark Chen, a popular guy within the school. Holden agrees to help out but only  in return for letting him add the transformation to his YouTube channel. Somewhere along the way both Sofia and Holden catch feelings for each other rather than making Mark Chen have feelings for Sofia. This wonderful romance novel captures the sweet love and romance of middle school teenagers. This book will capture the mind of true romance novel readers, or even those who are looking for love. The well-developed writing between the constant waiting for love and the anticipation of it happening really kept me on my toes and wanting to turn to the next page.What I thoroughly enjoyed throughout the book was the drawn out mystery of the true feelings between the two main characters Sofia and Holden. Honestly? It’s hard to find something that I disliked about the book!  If I’m being honest I wasn’t the biggest fan of how long it took for the two main characters to finally fall for each other! But that’s just a patience problem.

Reviewed by Bailey M., 8th grader at Komachin Middle School