Sweep The Story Of A Girl And Her Monster

The book, Sweep The Story Of A Girl And Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier is about an eleven year old girl named Nan. 

Nan Sparrow has been a climbing boy ever since she was six and by the age of 11 she was one of the best climbers that has ever lived.  A climbing boy is an orphan owned by a chimney sweep and the climbing boy has to clean flues and protect homes from fires. Even though Nan is a girl she still cleaned flues and protected homes. Her master, Master Wilkie Crudd says he's going to start to pay Nan soon. When Nan gets stuck in a chimney fire she loses all hope and knows for sure that she won't make it. But then a miracle happens, she is saved by a golem, a mystical creature that she names Charlie. Charlie and Nan start to feel more and more love toward each other. Together they start living in a house hiding from Crudd because if they get caught Nan might never see Charlie ever again. They story is about child labor, poverty, sickness, and death. I recommend this book to 5th graders and up. 

Mustaches For Maddie

Mustaches for Maddie by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown is a true story based on a twelve year old girl. 
Twelve year old Maddie loves making people laugh and slapping on mustaches whenever she has the chance. When she gets noticed by the class queen, Cassie, they both become friends quickly. Maddie meets more friends but can't help feeling bad for Lexi, a new girl who eats lunch alone and plays at recess with no one. Maddie wants to play with Lexi but Cassie doesn't. Maddie gets the lead role as Juliet in the school play and Cassie isn't happy because she wanted the part. When Maddie starts tripping and can't move her arm and leg her mother takes Maddie to a doctor were she is diagnosed with a brain tumor. Maddie doesn't want anyone to know, especially Cassie who has started bullying her. As Maddie's brain tumor surgery approaches she starts to get more and more nervous. Will Maddie be back in time for the school play? What if the doctor can't remove her brain tumor? Will Maddie go over to Lexi and make friends with her? I recommend this book to 4th graders and up. 

Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus

The sequel to Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling is a chapter book about a fourteen year old named Aven.
Aven likes middle school but as soon as she adjusts to it she's off to high school. There's two thousand and three hundred more people to stare at her. Connor is going to a different school so Aven and Zion are by themselves. As Aven and Zion start high school Aven develops a crush on a boy named Joshua. This book is full of humiliation, loss, fear and love. I recommend this book to 4th graders and up.

Fallout

Fallout by Todd Strasser is a page-turning book about a boy named Scott Porter.
Eleven year old Scott is living through a war in 1992. One night he is startled awake by his dad telling him they're getting attacked. Scott, his younger brother Sparky, his mom, his dad, and their cleaner/babysitter Janet rush down to their bomb shelter. Some of their neighbors get in and that includes Ronnie (Scott's best friend) and his parent along with Scott's classmate named Paula and her dad. After they get down they realize that Scott's mom was shot! Are they going to be able to nurse her back to health? Now they are sharing food meant for four, water meant for four, and air meant for four. There's only board games and soon enough that gets boring. There aren't any electronics, no watches, no clocks and nothing to do. With barley any food and nothing to do everyone wants to go up but they have to stay in the shelter. Scott starts to wonder if anyone actually survived and it's only them. Will they get out? Are there other people who found a bomb shelter in time?

I recommend this book to 5th graders and up. 

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

The book Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling is a heartfelt story about a thirteen-year-old girl named Aven Green. 
Aven lives in Kansas with her parents. Aven Green loves to tell people about how she lost her arms like losing them from fighting an alligator or losing them in a wildfire but actually she was born without them.  Her parents get a job in Arizona at Stagecoach Pass, an old theme park, so they end up moving there. Aven finds two friends, one named Connor who has Tourette's syndrome and the other named Zion who is teased for being overweight. Together the three friends find a shed that holds secrets. Aven faces her fears, helps a friend and solves a mystery that changes her life forever. I recommend this book to 4th graders and up.  

The Thing About Jellyfish

A book about adventure, The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin, is a page-turner. A New York Times Bestseller, The Thing About Jellyfish is about 12 year old Suzy Swanson and her best friend Franny. 
During the summer Franny and her family were on vacation in Maryland. While Franny was playing in the ocean she drowned.
Everyone thinks she drowned but Suzy isn't convinced because she knows that Franny was an amazing swimmer. While she is on a field trip to an aquarium Suzy sees an exhibits of many types of jellyfish including the Irukandji jelly. Once she does more and more research she is convinced that the Irukandji stung Franny. She wants to prove that Franny got stung by a jellyfish and didn't drown. So she starts planning to travel across the globe to meet someone who she hopes will give her answers. Suzy is planning this adventure on her own. Will Suzy succeed? Will Suzy get caught? I recommend this book to 5th graders and up. If you like this book make sure to look at The Next Great Paulie Fink by Ali Benjamin.

A Night Divided

A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen is a breathtaking book about a 12 year old girl named Gerta.
Gerta lives on the East coast of Berlin with her two older brothers, her mother and her father. When her brother, Dominic and father leave to go to the West to find jobs, the Berlin Wall comes up one night and Gerta and her family find themselves divided. Gerta, her oldest brother, Fritz, and her mom live in the East controlled by the Soviets while Dominic and Gerta's father live in the West. One day when Gerta is walking to school she spots her father and brother, Dominic, on top of a building. Her father spots her in return and sends her signals and eventually a picture leading Gerta to a tunnel. With the help of Fritz they dig. Time is running out, at any time they can get caught and if they get caught it can lead to death. Will Gerta and Fritz finish in time? Will they finish the tunnel and reunite with their father and brother? I recommend this book to 5th graders and up.