No matter what was going on in Molly’s life at home, she always had book club at school. Whether she’s dealing with a death in the family or her parent’s breaking the news they want to move she is able to read a new book and escape life…even if it is just for a little bit.

But when someone anonymously notifies school boards about a controversial book in the classroom, her favorite teacher Ms. Lewsiton is suspended…and book club is a banned for the immediate future.

With weeks until graduation, Molly has never felt more lost. She knows she needs to do something–anything–to prove to everyone that the books they read with Ms. Lewsiton are more important than the adults may realize.

With her group of friends, Molly will fight to save her book club by writing their favorite author and protesting on the football field. Molly will discover that standing up for what you believe in is only half the battle…but will she be fully ready to make a change for readers just like her?

Into Thin Air meets The Sun is Also a Star in this tale of two teens who trained their whole lives to summit Mount Everest. High school seniors and best friends Rose and Tate have always climbed together, and it’s finally time for the grand prize, Everest. But amid the stunning vistas and high peaks of the Himalayas they find their relationship changing, and they must discover what they owe each other, themselves, and the mountain they pledged to climb. The drama of high-stakes climbing and the emotions of first love intersect in this gripping dual point-of-view novel, which touches on issues from family dynamics to PTSD, the ethics of tourism to our changing climate. Rose and Tate confront their feelings about each other, the life and death risks on the mountain, and the question of who—or what—they value above all else.

The Breakfast Club meets middle school in this story of six 12-year-old students — five potential perpetrators and Theo, one seriously annoyed victim — forced to spend vacation week together in school after a vandalism incident. Told mostly in Theo’s first person narrative, the story evolves into a compelling whodunit, even as it asks the question: what lies behind the labels we wear? Readers will get caught up in the humorous antics while educators will appreciate ties to restorative justice practices and important conversations about the roles of victims, perpetrators, bystanders and upstanders.

Fans of Dan Santat’s Are We There Yet and Geoff Rodkey’s The Tapper Twins will enjoy this cross-country train trip of a middle grade novel. Twelve-year-old Sara loves her family, but she’s less than thrilled when her summer plans are upended for a family train trip across the country with her two moms, her wild younger sister Ladybug, her older sister Laurel, and Laurel’s activist boyfriend. New friends aboard the train cause Sara to re-examine her goals as she gets ready to enter middle school. At turns slapstick and heart-wrenching, this story deals with the way we change our thinking when we change the landscape around us. Told through journal entries, postcards, notes, and emails, it offers great tie-in opportunities for US geography lessons.

Fans of The Penderwicks and other summer tales will enjoy this stand-alone companion novel to the acclaimed Misadventures of the Family Fletcher. Set on a fictional New England island, the boys, ages 7-13, are unhappy to find that much has changed on the island “where time stands still.” New kids next door, the chance to be in a play, and the pending destruction of their beloved lighthouse conspire to make it a summer unlike any other. Touching on issues as far ranging as Shakespeare’s plays to sea life and gender assumptions to racial stereotyping, this funny and touching middle grade novel offers laughs and life lessons.

Modern Family meets modern classics like Beverly Cleary’s Quimbys and Judy Blume’s Hatchers in this heartwarming and hilarious middle grade novel. Four adopted brothers, two dads, and an ever-changing number of pets face the start of a school year full of excitement and challenges. This gentle and entertaining story works as a read-aloud or is a great introduction to independent reading.