When I created the teen reading list, I knew I’d have to create a middle school list as well. I work in a 7-12 community high school where teachers in both middle and high school scramble to find resources to excite students to read, yet the teachers themselves have little time to search to find new materials. Creating this list will help the teachers and students to find new authors. I created it much quicker than the teen list, with pretty much only my own situation in mind (we’re 96% African American). Someone out there may find these selections interesting, again it may serve as a starting point from which you could add other selections.Other than that, I’m about to start reading Life is funny. I’m observing as schools continue to cut school media specialists, although these positions are critical in building reading and technology skills and I’m looking for short, free online sessions to improve my own tech skills. I’ve just finished creating a Crazy Quilts wiki, as if wikis are ever finished!! I look forward to it being a gathering place for all things necessary to promote literacy for YAs of color. It’s wiki, so go at it my people!! Make it what we, what our teens, need it to be! There are several hours left of sunlight before the darkness preceeding the work week. Enjoy them!

MIDDLE SCHOOL

12 Rounds to Glory The Story of Muhammad Ali/Charles R. Smith Jr. and Bryan Collier

Chess Rumble/G. Neri

Astro Boy vol 1 and 2/Osamu Tezuka

First Daughter: White House Rules /Mitali Perkins

A La Carte/Tanita S. Davis

The Marvelous Effect/Troy Cle

Chanda’s War/Allan Stratton

Any Small Goodness: A novel of the barrio/Tony Johnson

Peace Locomotion/Jacqueline Woodson

Becoming Billie Holiday/Floyd Cooper