Our May titles are finally here and available to order! We are thrilled to be expanding our offerings for middle schools participating in a One School, One Book program. Check out our new additions below:
Karina and Chris are 7th graders who bond unexpectedly over basketball and math, but when Karina’s grandfather is attacked and injured randomly on the street, they bond over something much grander. Karina embarks on an expansive social media project called #CountMeIn to explore, document, and share the diverse faces of everyday Americans.
Karina’s personal photography, with the support of Chris and her friends, provides a testament to the powerful advice of her teacher in this inspiring tale of can-do middle schoolers. As G.K. Chesterton says, “We are all in the same boat upon a stormy sea, and we owe each other a terrible loyalty.”
12-year-old Maddie Harrison awakes to a world where she’s been unintentionally left behind in a mysterious mass-evacuation from her Colorado town. She has no one to rely on—no power, no internet, no phone. Over the course of three years, she faces natural disasters, looters, and wild animals alongside a faithful Rottweiler named George. Maddie gathers resources, adapts to harsh conditions, and makes use of the town library for both practical knowledge and human connection via fiction and poetry.
Megan E. Freeman gives Maddie her voice by writing Alone in accessible free verse, creating a beautiful window into the inner workings of Maddie’s heart and mind. As Maddie navigates this new world, she battles the biggest challenge of all: loneliness. And she is able to triumphantly answer Mary Oliver’s famous poetic challenge: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do/with your one wild and precious life?”
Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh
Ahmed, a Syrian refugee, has just lost his family and finds himself struggling to get by on his own. An unexpected collision follows: Max, the homesick son of an American diplomat, finds Ahmed hiding in his family’s basement in Brussels, Belgium. Max befriends Ahmed and, inspired by the story of Anne Frank, discovers a new sense of purpose in hiding, protecting, and helping Ahmed… even when it means deceiving his parents, his teachers, and a bloodhound of an inspector.
Nowhere Boy presents a series of ethical questions and discoveries for Max and the reader. You’ll even find yourself swept into a rousing adventure as Max helps Ahmed evade the authorities in hopes of reuniting with his father at a Hungarian refugee camp.
Which of these titles would make the best fit for your One School, One Book program? Let us know in the comments. Happy reading!
