After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school’s rival football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her.

Liz says:

“D.J. is a lovable character. She’s funny, honest and resilient. This is an easy, enjoyable read with important life lessons.”

After fifteen-year-old Liz Hall is hit by a taxi and killed, she finds herself in a place that is both like and unlike Earth, where she must adjust to her new status and figure out how to “live.”

Liz says:

“This is a very unique look at the afterlife. It is almost a coming of age story in hindsight. 6th and 7th grade girls LOVE this book.”

In 1793 Philadelphia, sixteen-year-old Matilda Cook, separated from her sick mother, learns about perseverance and self-reliance when she is forced to cope with the horrors of a yellow fever epidemic.

Liz says:

“As much as this is great historical fiction it is also a harrowing story of survival. Mattie is incredible; she faces hardship after hardship with unceasing heroism. There are very entertaining side stories, as well, including a romance. I’ve never met someone who didn’t like this book. (Don’t miss the author’s note at the back where she tells about her years of research. You’ll be amazed at all of the factual detail.)”

Twelve-year-old Annie ponders the many rhythms of life the year that her mother becomes pregnant, her grandfather begins faltering, and her best friend (and running partner) becomes distant.

Liz says:

“This is an extremely well crafted story told in free verse. The story and poems beat together to create a life of its own; it is at once realistic and symbolic.”

When thirteen-year-old Koly enters into an ill-fated arranged marriage, she must either suffer a destiny dictated by India’s tradition or find the courage to oppose it.

Liz says:

“Kids might think this story takes place a long time ago but it actually takes place in modern day India. The author had read an article about a city in India where widows are abandoned by their husbands’ families. The story of Koly is a fictionalized account of a very poor girl who is married off to a boy who is dying. Just after the marriage, he dies and Koly becomes the responsibility of her mother-in-law who turns out to be very much like the evil step-mother in Cinderella. (There’s even an evil step-sister.) Koly will triumph in the end but this is no fairy tale. This book is extremely well-written. This is a must read for girls!”

On a summer visit to her grandmother’s cottage by the ocean, twelve-year-old Martha gains perspective on the death of a classmate, her relationship with her grandmother, her feelings for an older boy, and her plans to be a writer.

Liz says:

“Martha, the main character has such a real voice it is almost impossible to believe that the author is a man. (The same man who wrote Chrysanthemum and Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse.) Martha learns that if you have a strong sense of self, you can weather any storm. This is not to be missed by middle school girls.”

A twelve-year-old girl learns about friendship, first loves, and self-worth in a small town in the South.

Liz says:

“Starting middle school can be tough enough without your best friend ditching you but this is unfortunately what happens to Shug (short for her nickname, Sugar). She is an amazingly lovable, resilient character. I’m hoping for a sequel and the ending leads me to believe there just might be one. 6th and 7th grade girls will love this.” (Similar reads: Sixth-Grade Glommers, Norks and Me and Being Bindy.)

Allie Kimball discovers that middle school is a very different place than fifth grade and struggles to learn ways to fit in.

Liz says:

“Follow Allie’s journey as she navigates middle school on her own. Her lifelong friend abandons her but not to worry Allie is going to be more than just okay in the end!” (Similar reads: Shug and Being Bindy.)

Fourteen-year-old Clara Luna spends the sumnmer with her grandparents in the tiny, remote village of Yucuyoo, Mexico, learning about her grandmother’s life as a healer, her father’s decision to leave home for the United States, and her own place in the world.

Liz says:

“This is a thoughtful story. It is written beautifully and is full of tender moments as Clara Luna discovers herself and her extended family.”

In 1687 in Connecticut, Kit Tyler, feeling out of place in the Puritan household of her aunt, befriends an old woman considered a witch by the community and suddenly finds herself standing trial for witchcraft.

Liz says:

“If the reader can stick with and get past the first 50 pages, she will be justly rewarded. This is a great example of historical fiction and gives great insight into Puritan Massachusetts. Kit is an awesome character living in a place and time that would be difficult for anyone who dares to be different.”