2014-2015 Truman Nominees The Top 12 Titles in Middle School Reading Goodreads: 4.10 Lexile: 800 Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee. Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her warravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GFt5WLSk_c Goodreads: 3.60 Lexile: 680 The Raft by S. A. Bodeen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_evgvvKOmVo Robie is an experienced traveler. She has taken the flight from Honolulu to the Midway Atoll, a group of Pacific islands where her parents live, many times. When she has to get to Midway in a hurry after a visit with her aunt in Hawaii, she gets on the next cargo flight at the last minute. She knows the pilot, but on this flight, there is a new co-pilot named Max. All systems are go until a storm hits during the flight. The only passenger, Robie doesn't panic until the engine suddenly cuts out and Max shouts at her to put on a life jacket. They are over miles of Pacific Ocean. She sees Max struggle with a raft. And then...she’s in the water, fighting for her life. Max pulls her onto the raft, and that’s when the real terror begins. They have no water. Their only food is a bag of Skittles. There are sharks. There is an island. But there's no sign of help on the way. Goodreads: 4.19 Lexile: 730 Unstoppable by Tim Green If anyone understands the phrase “tough luck,” it’s Harrison. As a foster kid in a cruel home, he knows his dream of one day playing for the NFL is a long shot. Then Harrison’s luck seems to change. He is brought into a new home with kind, loving parents— his new dad is even a football coach. Harrison’s big build and his incredible determination quickly make him a star running back on the junior-high-school team. In no time, he’s practically unstoppable. But Harrison’s good luck can’t last forever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjMPBFkTiBc Goodreads: 4.28 Lexile: 520 One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBFUPBw7KLI In the wake of heart-breaking betrayal, Carley Connors is thrust into foster care and left on the steps of the Murphys, a happy, bustling family. Carley has thick walls and isn’t rattled easily, but this is a world she just doesn’t understand. A world that frightens her. So, she resists this side of life she’d believed did not exist with dinners around a table and a “zip your jacket, here’s your lunch” kind of mom. Goodreads: 3.66 Lexile: 580 Elemental by Anthony John Thomas has always been an outsider. The first child born without the power of an element—earth, water, wind, or fire—he has little to offer his tiny, remote Outer Banks colony. Or so the Guardians would have him believe. Goodreads: 4.16 Lexile: 750 Insignia by S. J. Kincaid More than anything, Tom Raines wants to be important, though his shadowy life is anything but that. For years, Tom’s drifted from casino to casino with his unlucky gambler of a dad, gaming for their survival. Keeping a roof over their heads depends on a careful combination of skill, luck, con artistry, and staying invisible. Then one day, Tom stops being invisible. Someone’s been watching his virtual-reality prowess, and he’s offered the incredible–a place at the Pentagonal Spire, an elite military academy. There, Tom’s instincts for combat will be put to the test and if he passes, he’ll become a member of the Intrasolar Forces, helping to lead his country to victory in World War III. Finally, he’ll be someone important: a superhuman war machine with the tech skills that every virtual-reality warrior dreams of. Life at the Spire holds everything that Tom’s always wanted–friends, the possibility of a girlfriend, and a life where his every action matters–but what will it cost him? Gripping and provocative, S. J. Kincaid’s futuristic thrill ride of a debut crackles with memorable characters, tremendous wit, and a vision of the future that asks startling, timely questions about the melding of humanity and technology. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVQ3bcYKpp0 Goodreads: 4.06 Lexile: 600 See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible. She’s starting middle school, and with it come all the usual challenges. Her dad is always busy planning how to increase traffic to the family business. Her Mom is constantly going off to meditate. Her sister, Sarah, who's taking a "gap year" after high school, is too busy finding ways not to work. Her brother, Holden, is too focused on his new "friend" to pay attention to her. And then there's Charlie: three years old, a "surprise" baby, and the center of everyone's world. If it wasn't for Ran, Fern's best and oldest friend, there would be nowhere to turn. Ran is always calm, always positive. His mantra "All will be well" is soothing in a way that nothing else seems to be. And when Ran says it, Fern can almost believe. But when their lives are unexpectedly turned upside down, Fern feels more alone than ever and responsible for the event that wrenches the family apart. All will not be well. Or at least, all will never be the same. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-NX38Ay3iA Goodreads: 3.94 Lexile: 730 Ungifted by Gordon Korman The word “gifted” has never been applied to Donovan Curtis. It’s usually more like “don’t try this at home.” So when the troublemaker pulls a major prank at his middle school, he thinks he’s finally gone too far. But thanks to a mix-up, instead of getting in trouble, Donovan is sent to the Academy for Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students. It isn’t exactly what Donovan had intended, but there couldn’t be a more perfect hideout. That is, if he can fool his family, the teachers, the superintendent, and a school full of fellow students with IQs well above genius level. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v1dFNJEQwE Goodreads Average Rating: 4.11 Lexile: 790 Cinder by Marissa Meyer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXrMAFGWyuE Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless Lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. Goodreads: 4.20 Lexile: 710 The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh6wEmn0FP8 In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king’s long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner’s motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword’s point — he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage’s rivals have their own agendas as well. As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner’s sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together. Goodreads: 4.19 Lexile: 720 Dead City by James Ponti Most kids have enough to deal with between school, homework, extracurricular activities, and friends, but Molly Bigelow isn’t your typical tween. By day, Molly attends MIST—the Metropolitan Institute of Science and Technology—but it’s what she’s learning outside of school that sets her apart from her classmates. Molly is a zombie hunter, just like her mother. This, however, is news to Molly. Now she must come to terms with not only the idea that zombies exist, but also that they’re everywhere, and it’s her job to help police them and keep the peace. Sure, she’d like to be a regular kid, but “regular” just isn’t possible when it turns out the most revered (or feared, depending on your perspective) zombie hunter in the history of New York City is your mother. It seems Molly’s got some legendary footsteps to follow… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuGUC9r21Yw Goodreads: 4.03 Lexile: 800 Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oXxdnuY_hc Sometimes, the greatest comebacks take place far away from the ball field. Meet Peter Friedman, high school freshman. Talented photographer. Former baseball star. When a freakish injury ends his pitching career, Peter has some major things to figure out. Is there life after sports? Why has his grandfather suddenly given him thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment? And is it his imagination, or is the super-hot star of the girls' swim team flirting with him, right in front of the amazing new girl in his photography class?