Great Summer Reads for Middle Grades

I am really excited to recommend these book! I loved them. Here are some great summer reads for any age - but particularly for those middle school age kids who are always looking for new reads. 

It Ain't Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas

I discovered this one from a review in Time magazine and found it in the children's fiction section of the Squirrel Hill Carnegie Library.  The story is about Zomorod Yousefzadeh who has moved to a new town and school for the fourth time. Her family is from Iran and she chooses the American name Cindy to help fit in.  The book is set in the late 1970s and Cindy is trying to fit in as her home country is in the news. With her family, she experiences the revolution and protests and the taking of American hostages through the television.  This book is wonderful and a really great way to learn about this time in history through a young girl's eyes.  


I loved this book series so much I read them twice! 

Jasper FForde, who has written some of my favorite adult fiction books, dives into the magical world with humor and adventure. The stories are set in a time and place where dragons and magic are slowly becoming extinct.  There is one dragon left and the wizards, despite diminishing powers, are hiring themselves out to make a living.  The story centers around a spunky 15-year-old orphan named Jennifer Strange who is an indentured servant managing an employment agency for wizards. The fun begins when a prophecy reveals that she will kill the last dragon - a job that she is absolutely not fond of. 

I have copies of these if you would like to borrow. They are also available at the Carnegie Library (probably through inter library loan.)

Happy Reading!