Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice 2011-2012Grades 6-8

11 Birthdaysby: Wendy Mass

After having a falling out on their tenth birthday and not speaking to each other for the last year, Amanda and Leo prepare to celebrate their eleventh birthday separately, but peculiar things begin to happen.

Brand-New Emilyby: Ginger Rue

Tired of being picked on by the popular girls, 14-year-old poet Emily hires a public relations firm to change her image and soon finds herself "re-branded" as Em, one of the most important teens not only in her middle school but in magazines as well.

The Haunting of Derek Stone, #1By: Tony Abbott

Fourteen-year-old Derek Stone's simple life with his father and older brother in New Orleans is thrown into a tailspin when the dead come back to life and, for unknown reasons, begin to haunt Derek.

Closed for the SeasonBy: Mary Downing Hahn

When thirteen-year-old Logan and his family move into a run-down old house in rural Virginia, he discovers that a woman was murdered there and becomes involved with his neighbor Arthur in a dangerous investigation to try to uncover the killer.

DormiaBy: Jake Halpern & Peter Kujawinski

After learning of his ties to Dormia, a kingdom in the Ural Mountains whose inhabitants possess the ancient power of "wakeful sleeping," twelve-year-old Alfonso sets out on a mission to save the kingdom

from destruction.

Dying to Meet YouBy: Kate Klise

In this story told mostly through letters, children's book author I.B. Grumply gets more than he bargained for when he rents a quiet place to write for the summer.

Invisible IBy: Melissa Kantor

When new, unconventional high-school student Amada Valentino disappears, her three closest friends, who are all from vastly different circles, band together and, using enigmatic clues that seem to come from Amanda herself, try to find her.

Jolted: Newton Starker’s Rules for Survival

By: Arthur Slade

Many of Newton's ancestors, including his mom, have been killed by lightning strikes, so when he enrolls at the eccentric Jerry Potts Academy of Higher Learning and Survival in Moose Jaw, he tries to be a model student so he can avoid the same fate.

MaliceBy: Chris Wooding

Everyone has heard the rumors that if you gather the right things and say the right words, you'll be taken to Malice, a world that exists inside a horrifying comic book. Seth and Kady think it's all a silly myth until one of their friend disappears.

A Truth Worth TellingBy: Toni Teepell

Twelve-year-old Maggie Wall learns

what unconditional love truly means

as she struggles to come to terms

with her mother’s schizophrenia.

WingsBy: Aprilynne Pike

When a plant blooms out of fifteen-year-old Laurel's back, it leads her to discover the fact that she is a faerie and has a crucial role to play in keeping the world safe from the encroaching enemy trolls.

Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior

By: Chris Bradford

Orphaned by a ninja pirate attack off the coast of Japan in 1611, 12-year-old Jack is determined to prove himself, despite the bullying of fellow students, when the legendary sword master who rescued him begins training him as a samurai warrior.