Codell, Esme Raji. 2003. Sahara special. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

Readers meet Sahara as she sits in the hall with the special needs teacher for her school. When Sahara’s dad left when she was in the third grade, Sahara began writing letters to him instead of completing school work. The letters found their way into her permanent record, and Sahara found her way into Special Education. With no noticeable improvement, Sahara’s mother refuses special education for her daughter and Sahara has to repeat fifth grade—a turning point in both her academic career and her life. When Sahara begins her second year in fifth grade, she has no idea that the new teacher, Madame Poitier (Miss Pointy) will force her to confront her past, her future and her present. Miss Pointy’s disregard for conventional bureaucracy and classroom behavior shakes her students out of their comfort zones and impacts their school life and their lives outside of the schoolroom. With humor, warmth, and wisdom, Codell confronts the world of a troubled fifth grader and presents a story that readers will find themselves unable to resist.

Yee, Lisa. 2003. Millicent Min, girl genius. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books.

For Millicent Min, an 11-year old genius, the summer is shaping up to be a disaster. Not only have her parents signed her up for team sports, but she has been volunteered to tutor Stanford Wong, a below-average boy who has been a thorn in her side her entire life. If that is not enough, her grandmother and best friend, Maddy has announced that she is going to London for an extended period of time and Millicent begins to think that her mother is seriously ill. Millicent is depressed and feeling more left out than ever, however, things start looking up when she meets Emily, but when Emily discovers Millicent and Stanford studying at the library, Stanford’s insistence that he is tutoring Millicent drives a wedge between the two friends. Throughout the book, Yee uses typical middle-school problems to tell a story that is both funny and touching as readers learn along with Millicent that even though you may be smarter than everyone around you, sometimes, it takes more than a high IQ to live with always being the odd one out and that true friends are always friends no matter how clueless you may be.

Gantos, Jack. 2000. Joey Pigza loses control. New York: Scholastic, Inc. 

Joey and his mom are on their way to drop Joey off for a six-week visit with his Dad, whom Joey hasn’t ever met. Joey already has one thing in common with his dad—they both have trouble with control. Joey is on medication for ADHD and his dad is using a nicotine patch to help his quit smoking and claims to have stopped drinking, but this sets the stage for an interesting visit that includes his dad’s new girlfriend, playing baseball, and learning to accept himself for who he is. Joey is understandably nervous as he embarks on building a relationship with his father, and he goes through the seemingly normal emotions of fear, anxiety, and hope—that his mother and father will reunite creating a whole family. Gantos gives Joey a vibrant personality as he struggles with his quest for love from the most important man in his life and normalcy in other areas. When his dad decides that they should be men and stop using their medications, Joey tries hard to do what his dad wants. However, his struggle with the ups and downs of severe ADHD soon render him out of control and on a path to self-awareness that all children must find eventually. Although frequently depressing, this clear picture of a child dealing with ADHD will find a home with children of all ages, both those who struggle with the condition and those that come into contact with them every day.

Pennypacker, Sara. Illustrated by Marla Frazee. 2006. Clementine. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Clementine is not having a good week. It began when she found her friend Margaret in the restroom crying because she tried to cut glue out of her hair. Clementine tried to help by cutting the other side so that Margaret’s hair would match. Margaret’s mother is not happy with Clementine and her parents are upset with her, too. So upset in fact, that Clementine thinks that her parents are trying to get rid of her forever. Clementine spends much of her time explaining to the adults around her that she is paying attention—maybe not to what they want her to pay attention to, but to the world around her. Her mishaps and adventures are humorous, touching, and just realistic enough to engage readers from the first page when Clementine begins to explain that “I have had not so good of a week.” The pen and ink illustrations by Frazee depict Clementine in all her myriad of emotions from happy to mischievous to sad. The expressions in the pictures show Clementine and her amazing zest for life. Frequently humorous and occasionally touching, this first installment gives readers an insight into the life of a precocious and charming third grader—an insight that leaves readers eagerly awaiting the next saga.

Creech, Sharon. 2005. Replay. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books. 

Leo is an average boy, if you discount the fact that his entire family doesn’t call him Leo, but Sardine, reminding him daily of an incident that happened when he was much younger. Leo portrays his family as being a bit dysfunctional, but overall loving and supportive of each other. When Leo is exploring the attic one day, he comes across a box containing a journal that his father wrote when he was 13 along with a pair of tap shoes that also belonged to his father. After Leo is cast as the Old Crone in his school’s play, the journal and shoes, along with an assignment by the drama teacher give Leo an insight into the man his father was as a child and a glimpse into the future that he wants for himself. Throughout the book, the scene shifts from Leo’s reality to Leo’s imagination in short, choppy chapters that may make focusing on the story difficult for readers. The issues that are faced by middle-school aged children are addressed in a humorous tone that allows readers to see themselves in the menagerie of characters created by Creech. As the story progresses along with Leo’s reading of his father’s journal, Leo embraces the character that he will play in the school performance and learns more about his family and friends. Although a bit off-putting initially, Creech has created a cast of characters and a plot that readers who identify with Leo will want to “Replay” many times.

Sachar, Louis. Illustrated by Amy Wummer. 1999. Marvin Redpost: class president.

Marvin’s school is celebrating “hole day” and everyone, including the teacher and the principal is wearing clothing with holes. When Marvin’s teacher is called to the office, she returns with a surprise announcement. The class will be visited by the President—of the United States. When the President finally arrives, Marvin is at the board working a multi-digit math problem that catches the attention of the President, but causes Marvin to lose his focus. The events that follow help Marvin and his classmates learn about citizenship and responsibility and everything is recorded for the evening news cast—something that saves Martin’s skin when he forgets an appointment with his mom. The book is funny, easy to read, and completely enjoyable for anyone who enjoys vicariously living life on the edge. The pen and ink illustrations by Wummer capture the mischievous gleam in Marvin’s eye along with his enjoyment of life. This is a great installment in a wonderful series of beginning chapter books by a well-known and well-loved children’s author.

McDonald, Megan. Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. 2007. Judy Moody & Stink: The holly joliday. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.  

Stink, his sister Judy and their family are getting ready for Christmas. While Judy makes her list, Stink goes out to greet the postman who turns out to be someone different than he was expecting—someone who has an uncanny resemblance to Santa Claus and calls himself Jack Frost. While Jack tells Stink that snow is not out of the question, the rest of Stink’s family continues their preparations, which include making Christmas lists and getting ready for the school’s Christmas extravaganza, the Holly Joliday. Judy has been adding to her list for more than three hundred, sixty days, but all Stink wants for Christmas is snow. The full color pen and ink drawings by Reynolds convey Stink’s anticipation, Judy’s frustration with her brother, and the entire family’s joy in the season. Each chapter begins with a color panel announcing the title and the illustrations are carried throughout the chapter with snowflakes bracketing the page numbers and appearing between paragraphs throughout the book. Although this book qualifies as a transitional chapter book, the colorful illustrations incorporate the magical appeal of the holiday and make this a visual treat for readers of all ages.

Ryan, Pam Muñoz. 2004. Becoming Naomi León. New York: Scholastic Press. 

Naomi Outlaw is a shy, but talented child who, along with her younger brother Owen, has lived most of her life with her great-grandmother. When her alcoholic mother comes back and tries to take Naomi to live with her in hopes of getting government assistance, Naomi and her family go to Mexico in an attempt to find Naomi’s father, who, at one time, wanted them to live with him. Throughout the family’s trip to Mexico, Naomi is fearful that her mother and Clive, her mother’s scary boyfriend will take her away from the only family that she has ever known. Upon arriving in Mexico, Naomi discovers more about her past, her heritage, and the talent for carving that she inherited from her father. The events in the story are portrayed in a realistic yet poignant way that has readers cheering for Naomi and Owen while hoping against hope that Naomi’s father will finally be found and will be able to save the day. Though Naomi begins her story as a quiet, shy girl, who is afraid of her own shadow, she uses her life experiences to grow into a confident, secure Lion-hearted character that will encourage readers to use their own experiences to discover themselves.

Yolen, Jane. Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. Musical arrangements by Adam Stemple. 2005. This little piggy and other rhymes to sing and play. Cambridge, MS: Candlewick Press.

More than 60 lap rhymes, clapping rhymes, finger and foot rhymes, and songs are included in this oversized compilation by Jane Yolen. Each presentation includes a simple musical arrangement for guitar and piano, explanations and simple instructions so that even inexperienced parents can successfully play with their babies and toddlers. The accompanying CD contains 13 arrangements from the text that will get babies bouncing and toddlers dancing. The collection of familiar and less-well-known selections is paired with Hillebrand’s pastel illustrations portraying piggy families acting out the rhymes. The rhymes are arranged in sections from “Upsie, Downsie” to “Take a Bow” and the inclusion of an index of first lines makes finding and choosing a rhyme easy for readers. From “Catch Him, Crow” to “Down by the Station”, the rhymes and mixed-media images in this anthology will enchant even the youngest readers as they begin their journey to literacy with the help of parents, grandparents and siblings.

Sidman, Joyce. Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. 2007. This is just to say: poems of apology and forgiveness. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Joyce Sidman cleverly employs the use of many voices from a fictional sixth-grade class at Florence Scribner School. The collection is introduced by one of the book’s characters, who explains the arrangement and significance of the poems. The poems of apology presented to readers are written to a diverse assortment of recipients, from dead pets to disinterested siblings and are written for different reasons, from missing a word in the spelling bee to stealing the jelly donuts in the teachers’ lounge. The range of poem voice makes the collection feel genuine and will give readers a glimpse into the life of sixth-grade students and even teachers and other school staff members. The collection includes a variety of poetry styles including haiku, pantoums, two-part poems, snippets, and rhymes and the inclusion of responses to the apologies makes this collection of poems even more meaningful. The apologies and responses are each published in a separate section of the book, which makes reading the pairs together awkward, and may discourage the pairing of poems for readers. The whimsical pen and ink illustrations by Pamela Zagarenski complement the poems and several display a creative use of the classroom items—from a dictionary definition of apology as part of a student’s clothing to white hole reinforcements used to portray a plate of donuts. Each poem is cleverly and winningly written and invokes emotions in readers from laughter to sorrow, depending on the verse. This Is Just to Say is a book that will delight older readers and will present a clear picture of the life of middle-school aged children.