by Mary E. PearsonConditional Recommendation: Senior Kaitlin Malone is Juliet to Bram Crutchfield’s Romeo in this contemporary retelling of a hateful family legacy and one girl’s journey to love and understanding.
Genre: Romance
by Sharon M. DraperUnconditional Recommendation: 11-year-old Melody overcomes the limitations of her cerebral palsy to communicate with others and finally share the thoughts and smarts that have been locked away inside her mind.
Genre: Contemporary
by Jessica Day GeorgeConditional Recommendation: 11-year-old Princess Celie and her siblings strive together within their magical castle to protect themselves and their kingdom.
Awards: Utah Book Award for Children’s (2011), Pennsylvania Young Readers’ Choice Award for Grades 3-6 (2013), California Young Readers Medal for Intermediate (2015), Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award (2015)
by Kenneth OppelConditional Recommendation: Matt Cruse’s adventures continue as he, Kate and a gypsy race to recover the ghost ship Hyperion and its treasures before falling prey to deadly high-altitude life forms and other sailors who seek its riches.
Awards: Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award for Adult Middle Reader (2006), OLA Forest of Reading Red Maple Award for Fiction (2006)
by Caitlin Alifirenka, Martin Ganda, with Liz WelchConditional Recommendation: A young American girl and a young Zimbabwean boy become pen pals and build a friendship through letters that changes both of their lives for the better.
Awards: The Magnolia Award for 9-12 (2017), Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award (2018)