The Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. Baptist

 

Xavier lives with his Aunt Kat and his sister.  As he turns 12,  his Uncle Frankie Bell gives him a pair of crazy looking socks with some challenge to get out there and do things.  Xavier wants to be part of a service organization at school that his dad was in and Frankie Bell were in.  However, when he applies, because he is pretty quiet and keeps to himself, he doesn't get in.  He decides to work to getting in in the spring and with a little help from Frankie Bell's socks and advice challenges, Xavier starts to break out of his shell.

Love, love, love this book so much!  Xavier's parents are incarcerated, his aunt is raising he and his sister on a low income, but there is so much heart in this book and Xavier works hard and it pays off. Great for grades 4 and up. 

This Might Get Awkward by Kara McDowell

Gemma's best friend is gone to camp for the summer and Gemma is hanging out at the beach when a ton of kids from school show up blocking her in.  She tries to leave, but gets roped back in by her long time crush Beau Booker, who tells her just to pretend they are together.  As she and Beau head back to the beach he ends up knocking himself out in the water and she is the only one to see it.  She saves him, but he is put into a medically induced coma for his brain swelling to go down.  Everyone now assumes she is his girlfriend and due to her social anxiety she just can't correct anyone.  

Fun book.  Reminded me of the movie While You Were Sleeping, but for teenagers. Clean romance with some plot twists.  Gemma is raised by her dad, Beau's brother has some "issues" and Gemma learns to deal with her anxiety and make some friends. 

 

 

In the Key of Us by Mariama J. Lockington

 

Andi Byrd is dealing with the loss of her mother and having to move in with her aunt and uncle.  Her aunt is expecting a baby, so Andi wonders how she will fit in to their family.  Andi is sent off to music camp for the summer.  She plays trumpet, mostly by sound, she is not as skilled at reading music.  

Zora Lee Johnson has been to music camp many years and she is skilled enough to keep her first chair flute every week. Zora's parents have super high expectations for her and she feels like she has so much pressure to achieve(which she deals with by cutting),  but her dreams may include something different, like dancing.  

Both girls end up in the same cabin and are put together for Zora to help Andi in reading and learning the music.  As they begin working together, each one helps the other in ways they never expected. 

The book is told in two voices, Andi and Zora.  However, there is actually a third voice, the camp.  It is told in verse in-between the main two voices.   Lockington also wrote For Black Girls Like Me.

I like the fact that this book deals with loss (death of a parent),  pressure from parents, and again that you never know what people are going through and we should all be kind.  

Pity Party by Kathleen Lane

Told in different stories and perspectives, this book gives us glimpses into what we all go through and that is hard times, not fitting in, struggling with anxiety or depression, wishing things were different than they are, finding your place in the world, or just generally growing pains.  

At first I didn't like the book at all, but the more I've thought about it I can see that it will have it's place, especially in middle school where everyone feels like they are the only one who has ever felt this way.  I think it would be great for a book club as long as people are willing to talk. 

The Deepest Breath by MEg Grehan

 Stevie is 11 and gets very interested in whales, dolphins, and all kinds of sea creatures.  She lives alone with her mother and sits with two boys, one of whom she has known since she was little, and a girl, Chloe.  She really thinks Chloe is nice and she doesn't like Andrew, who she's known forever, "like that".  When she talks to or looks at Chloe she feels a "fizz" in her chest.  What does that mean?  She's not sure and she doesn't know how to tell her mom, so she goes to the library to find a book about it.  

Written in verse this book explores a girl struggling with her crush on a girl.  It doesn't go very deep and is pretty surface just dealing with her feelings and trying to understand herself.  Mom and others are very accepting.  

A Thousand Minutes to Sunlight by Jen White

 

It seems there is a plethora of anxiety/ depression books for middle schoolers and I’m glad. I think mental illness needs to be addressed for this age and the fact that it looks different for everyone. As Cora’s best friend moves all the way across the country, she is worried about school, she has no other friends, she had a panic attack and feels like she is a weirdo no one likes and everyone makes fun of. After running away from school she is put with a “friend” Patrick, who Cora thinks is a weirdo. She feels he is a forced friend. Her brain, Brain, tells her a lot of negative things and as Cora and her therapist work through things, she begins to realize that she can do things and can be in charge of Brain. I liked the story and will recommend this to students not only for anxiety, but for making friends.

Flying Over Water by Shannon Hitchcock and N. H. Senzai

 

Noura Alwan and her family are granted asylum in the United States as they are refugee's from Syria during Syria's civil war.  They land in Tampa, Florida in 2017 when there are restrictions placed on muslims entering the country.  She is befriended by Jordyn, who chose to be Noura's school ambassador and help her get acclimated.  As Noura tries to navigate a new country, school, and life, she realizes she is being judged unfairly by her appearance.  Jordyn tries to help Noura acclimate, but she is dealing with her own anxiety after her mom had a miscarriage.  The two together help each other.

Great book for understanding refugee's and helping with acceptance and being non-judging.  I really enjoyed the story and am so glad the two author's worked together to give such authentic voices to Noura and Jordyn.  

One Way or Another by Kara McDowell

 Paige's best friend is Fritz, with her next best friend being Clover.  Paige has kinda a crush on Fitz, but watches him go out with all other girls, and it's hard, so she writes him a letter telling him she loves him, but hates him and can't be friends anymore.  The problem she faces is should she give it to him or not???  In a turn of events, he grabs the letter, but promises he won't read it because she tells him it is part of his Christmas gift. Fritz then invites her to his cabin to spend the holidays with his family, which she wants to do.  Her mom comes home from work and says she won a trip to New York over Christmas, now Paige has to make a decision, cabin in the woods or NY city???  Paige has a horrible time making decisions and plays the what if game, but about what all could go wrong.  HEr friend Clover has her download the Magic 8 ball app to help her make a decision about what to do and as they are leaving the store Paige slips and hits her head.  

This leads to the book splitting into two realities.  In one she goes to New York with her mom, meets Harrison, and experiences the city life.  In two she goes to the cabin with Fritz and Molly (Fritz's ex) shows up.  The back and forth from one reality to another intertwine some, but in the end both realities come together, and Paige learns about herself and why she is the way she is.

Recommended for anyone in the mood for a clean romance and anyone who struggles with anxiety.