Well, our amazing Battle of the Books team fought hard but didn't advance out of the regional competition level yesterday. And, while this makes me sad because these kiddos worked hard and gave up so much of their free time to read and learn all 20 books on the list, part of me is happy because we get to read and talk about new books!!! I love the 2025-2026 NCSLMA middle school BOB book list for next year and can't wait to dive in to it. To get started, I've summarized and shared some thoughts on the first five books on the list below. Which one are you most excited to read? How many of these have you already read? Grab a book or update your TBR (to-be-read) list and let's get going. Next year, STATES OR BUST!
Across So Many Seas by Ruth Behar
Currently sitting in my TBR stack on my desk, I am excited to read this novel that tells the story of four girls from four very different generations of the same family. The story first focuses on the family's persecution in the Spanish Inquisition, a historical time about which I don't know much, but am eager to learn.
Are Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi is the first novel in a five-book series featuring Aru Shah as she awakes an ancient demon. Woops! Aru must dive into Hindu mythology and poetry to save her Mother, her friends, and. herself! There is a dusty old museum, a magic (or cursed) lamp, lies, and a funny and furious journey through the "Kingdom of Death." If you liked the Percy Jackson series, you are going to love Aru Shah.
You may never see or each chocolate in the same way again after reading The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan. The book tells the story of two brothers, kidnapped and forced to work in brutal and horrific conditions on a cocoa plantation in Ivory Coast. Sometimes hard to read, I ended up loving this book -- cheering for the boys and crying at the (no spoilers) end.
Black Brother, Black Brother is such an awesome book, and one I recommend from my classroom library all the time! And, I cannot say enough about Jewel Parker Rhodes -- she writes with such truth and captures real-life moments that are so relatable. Plus, she's an amazing lady that I got to meet this fall at NCTE. She said she'd come and visit our school, and I'm going to work on that!
This is the story of bi-racial twin boy fencers. Yeah, I know that sounds like a lot, but the way that they navigate race, racism, family, and friendship is wonderful. 10 out of 10 recommend.
As individual writers, Steve Sheinkin and Ruth Sepetys are two of my favorites. Put them together and WOW! I loved this book. It tells the story of Lizzie, a puzzle-loving girl who is being sent to America to live with relatives during WWII. Well, they can try, but Lizzie has other plans. Her brother Jakob is away at school, so it is up to her to figure out what happened to cause their mother to disappear. But, Lizzie soon finds that Jakob is NOT at school. He's at Bletchley Park where cryptologists and mathematicians from all over have gathered to crack Germany's Enigma code.
We soon find out that Lizzie has a part to play in this part-mystery, part-spy novel, all historical fiction gem of a book. Read The Bletchley Riddle and tell me what do YOU think Willa is up to?!
Ready to read? Come back again for details on the next five books on the 2025-26 North Carolina Middle School Battle of the Books list.
No comments:
Post a Comment