Mascot is a lively set of conversations around the topic of racism/discrimination which spreads middle school-wide from an eighth-grade Honors English class outward and into the entire community.

Abraham Lincoln made a statement that can apply to the having of indigenous mascots for sports teams- ” You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” Or DeShanne Stoke’s statement- “Discrimination is discrimination even when people claim it’s ‘tradition’.”

So who is correct about allowing sports/school teams to continue to use (often derogatory) Indigenous-themed mascots – the team who has been using the mascot for generations or the Indigenous group who claims the mascot is disrespectful and hurtful to their people? Mascot gives a well-rounded set of views, both pro and con, to this very question. Six students, in pairs, are assigned this topic to debate in their Eighth Grade Honors English Class. They are not necessarily assigned the side of this question they favor. Will they be able to sympathize with the other side, at all? Will any of the students change their current position on the topic once their research is completed? Can middle schoolers make a change in their community? The school mascot in question won’t even be their mascot until next year when they graduate from the local high school. HIGH FIVE to authors Charles Waters and Traci Sorell for a job well done! Submitted by Mary Pong for Washington Middle School

Hiding her love for Nora was hard enough in her conservative, small town. After graduating high school, Stevie and Nora had big dreams of moving to a more accepting world. But Stevie’s accident has left her with amnesia — she can’t remember anything from the last two years and she barely feels connected with her own family anymore.

Confusion, frustration, and loneliness are part of the struggles both Nora and Stevie face as they learn about each other again, all while wondering if their love will be rekindled. Alyson Derrick gave enough backstory so one could feel how deep their passion for each other. This reader was cheering them on as Stevie and Nora fell back in love. The only flaw– how easily her parents accepted her sexuality given the community they lived in — is concerning in that not all students reading this would be so lucky. But a theme of the book has to be hope in true love and where one sees a flaw another can argue that it is evidence of the theme. What could have been a tragic love loss story is instead one where each page had a purpose in explaining the intimate details of their connection. A highly recommended love story for high school students.

Ghost by Jason Reynolds is a very impressive piece of writing with an excellent plot Castle Cranshaw lives a life with many hardships but finds his passion in running. The descriptive language and mood of the book were what made it engaging. The amazing literary devices in this book make it a captivating novel. A reader who likes to be motivated would love to read this novel, it could also interest people of diverse backgrounds. This book reviewed was the version translated into Spanish. Reviewed by a Washington Middle School student. 

Marvin Monster writes in his diary about his life and living with ADHD and how that can affect his self-esteem.  Through Marvin’s daily life of going to school, he runs into lots of great things but then he becomes overwhelmed with the details of how to follow through with his commitments. Marvin spends time with his Grandmomster (Grammasaurus) and from her learns that she has some of the same troubles he has. Grammasaurus helps Marvin learn strategies for how to cope and manage his life.

The author, Dr. Melmed has included a section in the back of this book for parents and teachers. This resource is full of strategies so children can learn how to use them to help manage their feelings. Dr. Melmed explains what self-esteem is and how that can take a toll on young children.

This book would be great as a read-aloud for a child who is dealing with ADHD and/or self-esteem issues. This would help adults working with their own children, or students, to focus on strategies to help manage ADHA and self-esteem.

Adina Walker is intelligent, driven, pretty, and sociable but because she is Black and middle-class, life at her exclusive, private high school has not been easy. When Adina loses her acceptance to Yale, she has the opportunity to regain it by winning “The Finish;” however, this elite competition is not all that it seems to be. In fact, something is clearly sinister about the game. 

Joelle Wellington’s Their Vicious Games is an entertaining read. The story is fast-paced, and populated with developed characters that are recognizable, not always likable, yet very interesting.  Events are unpredictable and the plot is twisty while descriptions are brutal and gory.   It is an anxiety-inducing, horrifying thrill-ride and the reader will not want to disembark until it is done.  This novel effortlessly allows readers of all ages to engulf themselves in this YA high-action, thriller and is highly recommended!

WOW! What a fantastic introduction to geology! What a conversation starter! BIG watercolor pictures of volcanoes, dinosaurs, coastlines, mountains and valleys, flora and fauna, past and present life all having a connection to rock is some way or other.

This book is simple and yet profound! Rocks are all around us, perhaps we should start to think more about them.

Submitted by Mary Pong

Things in the Basement by Ben Hatke will be a sure winner with early intermediate readers. Milo is sent on a mission to find his little sister’s sock and is taken into his basement to try and find it. Despite the multiple basement layers, Milo is determined to help his mom and find his sister’s sock.I loved how the book’s illustration details and the vivid and interesting text complement one another. The can’t Take Your Eyes Away plot makes this graphic novel a page-turner. 4-5th graders will love the illustrations that cover each page while middle school readers will how this story makes them want to never put it down. All readers will love how Ben Hatke compliments the text with illustrations. Reviewed by a Washington Middle School student.