Garden of My Imaan, by Farhana Zia

Summary:  Aliya already struggles with trying to fit in, feeling confident enough to talk to the cute boy or stand up to mean kids-the fact that she’s Muslim is just another thing to deal with. When Marwa, a Moroccan girl who shares her faith if not her culture, comes to Aliya’s school, Aliya wonders even more about who she is, what she believes, and where she fits in. Should she fast for Ramadan? Should she wear the hijab? She’s old enough for both, but does she really want to call attention to herself?

Peachtree

Find  it at WCPL

Genie Wishes, by Elisabeth Dahl

Summary:  From the first day of school, Genie knows there will be good, bad, and in-between. Genie is excited to be elected to write her class blog, where she is tasked with tracking the wishes and dreams of her class. But expressing her opinion in public can be scary–especially when her opinion might make the rest of her class upset.

Amulet

Find it at WCPL

Malcolm at Midnight, by W.H. Beck

Summary:  When Malcolm the rat arrives as the pet at McKenna School, he revels in the attention. He also meets the Midnight Academy, a secret society of classroom pets that keeps the nutters (kids) safe. There’s just one problem: Rats have a terrible reputation! So when the Academy’s iguana leader is kidnapped, Malcolm must prove his innocence and show that even rats can be good guys.

Houghton Mifflin

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Prairie Evers, by Ellen Airgood

Summary:  Prairie Evers has been homeschooled by her granny and has learned the most from traipsing through nature. But now she has to attend public school, and feels just like her chickens–cooped up and subject to the pecking order. School is a jolt for Prairie until she meets Ivy, her first true friend. When Prairie finds out that Ivy’s home may not be the best place for Ivy, Prairie must corral all her optimism and determination to hatch a plan to help.

Penguin

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Third Grade Angels, by Jerry Spinelli

Summary:  George (“Suds”) has a third grade teacher who will hold a competition every month to see which student deserves to be awarded “the halo”-which student is best-behaved, kindest to others, and, in short, perfect. Suds is determined to be the first to earn the halo, but he’s finding the challenge of always being good to be more stressful than he had anticipated. Does he have to be good even outside of school? (Does he have to be nice to his annoying little sister?) And if Mrs. Simms doesn’t actually see him doing a good deed, does it even count?

Arthur A. Levine

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The Cruisers: Checkmate, by Walter Dean Myers

Summary:  Four middle-schoolers who publish an alternative newspaper at their Harlem academy for gifted students investigate why a classmate–one of the best chess players in New York City–was caught trying to buy drugs.

Scholastic

It’s the First Day of School Forever, by R. L. Stine

Summary:  Everything goes wrong for eleven-year-old Artie on his first day at Ardmore Middle School, from the moment his alarm goes off until the next morning, when everything is repeated exactly the same way.

Feiwel and Friends