Cadence Sinclair comes from the seemingly perfect Sinclair family, who visit their private island, Beechwood Island, each summer. Together with her cousins Johnny and Mirren, plus family friend Gat, the four teens form a group self-proclaimed as “the liars”. The reader learns that the Sinclairs aren’t quite as perfect as they seem, with Cady’s mother and aunts obsessed with money and a grandfather obsessed with power, leading to multigenerational family drama that keeps the novel engaging and relatable to many readers.
Bilbo Baggins is a Hobbit who doesn’t like surprises. He enjoys his comfortable, carefree life in The Shire (his home). Suddenly, a great wizard named Gandalf shows up at his door, urging him to go on an adventure. Along with him come 13 dwarves: Bombur, Thorin, Dwalin, Balin, Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Dori, Nori, Bifur, Ori, and Bofur. They plan to plunder the riches guarded by the powerful dragon, Smaug the Magnificent. Bilbo unwillingly agrees to be a part of the quest.
Jonas lives in a society without colors, choice, memories, and the concept of death. He is different from everyone else in his society because of his unnatural eyes, empathy, and ability to see color. Everyone has a vital role to play depending on their stage in life. At the Ceremony of Twelve, where all the 12-year-olds get assigned jobs, Jonas gets assigned Receiver of Memories. The Receiver of Memories is the most respected and painful job, for Jonas will experience all the memories of previous generations.
Ground Zero by Alan Gratz is a gripping and emotional novel that tells the stories of two children caught in significant historical events. The book follows Brandon, a 9-year-old boy trapped in the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks, and his father, a firefighter trying to rescue the survivors of the crash. It also introduces us to a young girl named Resa in Iraq, whose life is affected by the fallout from the attacks.
Summary: Howards End by E.M. Forster is a novel that explores the intertwining lives of three families in early 20th-century England: the intellectual and idealistic Schlegels, the wealthy and materialistic Wilcoxes, and the lower-middle-class Basts. The story centers on the relationships between the Schlegel sisters, Margaret and Helen, and the Wilcox family, particularly Henry Wilcox.
Dogman Unleased is a graphic novel by Dav Pilkey, the second book of the Dogman series. In this book, it is Chief’s birthday so the cops have a birthday party and gift him “memory dots” and a pet fish. At his house, Chief accidentally causes the drops to fall on the fish, making it super intelligent and allowing it to do things like telekinesis. Later, there is a robbery at the pet store, and everyone thinks that it is Petey.
The Girl in the White Van by April Henry is a mystery book following Savannah Taylor, Jenny Dowd, and others. Savannah is a young teen who loves kung fu. She and her mom live with her moms boyfriend. Savannah and her moms boyfriend do not get along and they fight alot. One day when Savannah gets in a bad fight with her moms boyfriend she runs away to her kung fu class but after her class she gets kidnapped. When she finds herself in a RV she meets Jenny who also got kidnapped and they try together to escape.
Finny has always loved Autumn. He thinks she knows of his adoration, but she does not. When the boundaries holding them back finally break, they only have one night together before tragedy strikes. After a car accident that leaves Finny dead, Autumn is left to grieve her lover and navigate pregnancy without the one person that got her through anything. As Finny’s baby continues to grow, Autumn learns to reach out and surround herself with people that carry pieces of Finny within their stories.
Wonder is a realistic fiction novel by R.J. Palacio. August, or Auggie, is a young boy who was born with facial abnormalities. Auggie has been homeschooled entire life but is going to school as he starts a new chapter of life that is middle school. He struggles with bullying but also forms strong friendships, and readers follow the lives of August and those around him.
Dog Man by Dav Piley is a graphic novel featuring George and Harold(main characters in the well-known Captain Underpants) and a comic they wrote when they were “younger”. This book starts out with a policeman who wasn’t intelligent but was strong, and his dog who wasn’t strong but was very intelligent. An explosion occured, and conveniently the police’s body survived and the dog’s head survived. They got sewn together, and Dog Man was created.
