Middle Grade Books - The Teacher Bees Blog (Page 2)

Middle Grade Books

Books with social justice messages geared towards middle grades

The Derby Daredevils

The Derby Daredevils

I love when I can read a middle grade book and learn something entirely new. This is particulary true when it involves female protagonists who rise to a challenge. The Derby Daredevils: Kenzie Kickstarts a Team [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50158278-kenzie-kickstarts-a-team?from_search=true&from_srp=true&

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You

Middle Grade Books

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You [https://teacherbees.ca/this-place-150-years-retold/] is a remix of Ibram X. Kendi's book Stamped from the Beginning. Jason Reynolds, an acclaimed author for young people, remixes the content to create a vital text for teaching students about racism. Most of the book focuses on

The Ghost Collector

Middle Grade Books

The Ghost Collector

The Ghost Collector [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43783388-the-ghost-collector?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=zP5rdzoFHI&rank=1] , by Allison Mills, is a middle grade book about loss, grief, and letting go. The main character Shelly and her grandmother have the power to collect ghosts

Maybe He Just Likes You

Maybe He Just Likes You

Maybe He Just Likes You [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43197524-maybe-he-just-likes-you?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=wZ8vgAofZW&rank=1] , by Barbara Dee, is an important middle grade book that all students should read. It tells the story of Mila, a girl who deals with harassment

The Failings of Climate Change Fiction

The Failings of Climate Change Fiction

Young adult and middle grade fiction are useful tools for teaching about tough issues. Problems like the refugee crisis [https://teacherbees.ca/refugee-books-for-middle-years/] or poverty are difficult and stories are important to help us better understand these issues and to give them a human face. Unfortunately, there has been scant

Crush

I am not a big fan of romantic comedies. I find the characters in these types of books or films often engage in manipulative behaviour. The resulting relationships rarely strike me as particularly healthy and leave a lot to be desired. When it comes to my classroom library, I don&

No Fixed Address

No Fixed Address

Maybe you have seen the signs before. A child in your class does not bring a lunch to school. They rarely seem to wear clean clothes. They often seem tired and have difficulty completing work outside of the classroom. They cannot attend field trips and are not able to bring

Two Novellas on Reconciliation

Two Novellas on Reconciliation

A number of children's books [https://teacherbees.ca/residentialschoolpicturebooks/] examine what happened at residential schools and their immediate impact. Rarer are books that focus more specifically on the journey towards reconciliation. For this reason, I was pleased to come across two novellas that do just that: When We

Other Words for Home

Other Words for Home

Stories are important tools for promoting empathy and understanding of others. It is harder to divide the world into "Them" versus "Us," to dehumanize the other, when we understand another group's struggles. For this reason, books like Other Words for Home [https://www.goodreads.

Surviving the City

Surviving the City

Surviving the City [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41215879-surviving-the-city?ac=1&from_search=true] , written by Tasha Spillett and illustrated by Natasha Donovan, tells the story of two girls dealing with the dangers of growing up Indigenous in Winnipeg. When main character Dez's grandmother becomes sick,

Teaching with the World on Fire

Teaching with the World on Fire

Warnings about climate change have been around for years, but increasingly it feels like a problem no longer in the remote future. Living in Manitoba, climate change has been a problem we see distantly on the news. Hurricanes increase in frequency and severity, glaciers shrink, and coral reefs slowly turn

Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World

Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World

As a middle school teacher, I have tried to fill my classroom library with books that are representative of LGBTQ students' experiences. I have collected a variety of books [https://teacherbees.ca/lgbtq-books-in-middle-school/] relating to trans youth, kids with gay and lesbian parents, and LGBTQ teens facing discrimination, but

Books about Poverty and Abuse

Books about Poverty and Abuse

Recently I read two books that have striking similarities: The Benefits of Being an Octopus [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35890044-the-benefits-of-being-an-octopus?from_search=true] , by Ann Braden, and Eleanor and Park [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15745753-eleanor-park?ac=1&from_search=true] , by Rainbow Rowell. Both books

10+ Books about Refugees for Middle Years

10+ Books about Refugees for Middle Years

When I read the news or see stories on social media about refugees, I am distressed by negative representations, stereotypes, and misinformation that surface, particularly when people question their motives. It puts me in mind of the poem "Home [https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thesundayedition/let-them-in-where-s-the-poetry-in-politics-what-is-the-middle-class-trump-and-the-know-nothings-1.3223214/no-one-puts-their-children-in-a-boat-unless-1.3224831]

Daniel's Story

I began reading Daniel's Story [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40959645-daniel-s-story], by Carol Matas, in preparation for the Manitoba Adolescent Literacy Summit in April. Carol Matas will be offering a session about teaching the Holocaust, and I wanted to become more familiar with her books before the

A Girl Called Echo

A Girl Called Echo

When I pick up a book set in my own province, it feels like I have found something special. Seeing my home in print on the page gives me a feeling of connection to a text that I don't often get with other books. Even rarer is finding

Prisoner B-3087

Prisoner B-3087

Prisoner B-3087 [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15756277-prisoner-b-3087?ac=1&from_search=true] , by Alan Gratz, is based on the true story of Yanek Gruener, a Holocaust survivor. Starting in the Jewish ghetto in Kraków, Poland, the novel recounts his experiences in ten concentration camps over the course

Grenade

Grenade [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37825453-grenade?from_search=true], by Alan Gratz, tells the story of the invasion of Okinawa during World War II. The book features two characters' perspectives: Ray, a young American soldier, and Hideki, an Okinawan boy who has been drafted by the Japanese

Hello, Universe

Hello, Universe

Hello, Universe [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30653713-hello-universe] is a Newbery Award winning book by Erin Entrada Kelly. It tells the story of four middle schoolers whose lives collide on the first day of summer vacation. Ultimately it is a story about the beginnings of friendship. The author focuses

World Without Fish

World Without Fish

The past few weeks, I have been reviewing books that help promote environmental awareness for middle school students. World Without Fish [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9423723-world-without-fish?from_search=true] , by Mark Kurlansky, is another excellent addition to a classroom library. The book describes the dangers facing Earth'

Environmental Action in Middle School

Environmental Action in Middle School

In my last blog entry, I discussed various texts that can be used to teach middle school students about climate change. However, often climate change education can be overwhelming for students and adults alike. If messages become too dire, it is all too easy for people to tune out the

Climate Change in Middle Years

Climate Change in Middle Years

Want to find some resources for teaching climate change in middle years? Check out this blog post!

OCD in Middle Years Books

OCD in Middle Years Books

A pet peeve of mine is when people call themselves a little OCD. Typically they mean they like things to be tidy or organized a certain way. However, obsessive compulsive disorder can often be a debilitating disorder for those affected. For many, especially our students, the disorder is not particularly

Amal Unbound

Chances are you have heard of Malala Yousafzai [https://teacherbees.ca/malalas-magic-pencil/], the Pakistani activist who stands up bravely for the right of girls to have an education. I know my classroom has several books devoted to telling Malala's inspiring story. However, if I asked my students to

2SLGBTQ+ Books in Middle School

2SLGBTQ+ Books in Middle School

I recently got a request for recommendations of 2SLGBTQ+ books for middle school. Below I have compiled a list of books in my classroom library that prominently feature 2SLGBTQ+ characters or themes. Younger - The following books are geared towards younger students, but have some appeal for middle school students.