Edith Smith's Reading Blog

  This book is awesome. Lucy is a girl who family relocates after her little brother's death. What Lucy is not expecting is to end up in a school in a class with students who experienced a school shooting a few years ago, apparently they might have something loosely in common. But Lucy decides to keep her brother's death a secret until she befriends Avery who turns out to be the sister of the shooter. Can Lucy adapt to the school and this new challenging environment where everyone still seems to be healing? Might Lucy be just this school needs?  This book does a great job of mixing emotion and a bit of humor. I loved it. Also, one last note, the teacher in the book is absolutely fantastic-love him. More teachers need to be like him! -TK

  Gabi couldn't know that on the day her mom moves her from home after a divorce he former classmates experience, dan die in a school shooting in the American History class she should have been sitting in. But that happens and she's left with the grief and the survivor's guilt. She should have been there, she might have been able to help, she could have stopped it. But life goes on and it's a life she's not exactly thrilled with. Her mom's new boyfriend is a bore. Living in Maine-boring. But Gabi needs to find an escape from her thoughts and she just might have found it in a new classmate, Lennon. Can they escape the past together?  Told in verse, this is a super quick read. Set for release in October, I highly recommend this one. Gritty read about survival and recovery! -TK 

  This book is beyond phenomenal. I have read every book Kathleen Glasgow has written and they are all gritty, real books which involve struggles with addiction but also offer hope for a better future.  In You'd Be Home Now,  we meet Emory who is a forgotten child-ignored by her parents in favor of her seemingly perfect older sister and her drug addicted older brother. All of Emory's parent's energy is spent on them. After a car accident involving both Emory and her brother leaves Emory in the hospital and Joe is treatment for drugs and alcohol, Emory has even bigger problems than being ignored. When her older brother, Joey, comes home from rehab, everyone's focus is on keeping his safe and sober. While it goes well for a while, the pressure is clearly too much for Joey and he disappears. Can Emory get her detached parents to help find and save her brother or is she on her own in that search? Is it simply too late for Joey?  Set for publication in late September, this i

  I have to start by saying I loved this book! It kept me on the edge of my seat and turning every page (or scrolling on my phone, as it was). The Deadly Games starts with Crystal getting a text on her phone of her picture of her little sister tied to a chair, bound and gagged, and telling her she needed to play a game or else her sister dies. She can't tell anyone, can't call the police, nothing. Play the game or her sister dies. What comes next is a series of riddles, clues, random tasks meant to put Crystal through misery and also to put her friends in danger. Will Crystal be able to keep all of this a secret and save her sister? How much collateral damage might there be? And, most importantly, who is behind this?!?!?! I hate to post about a book I loved so much when it doesn't come out until February of next year. It's like a mean tease. So- kids who are reading this- put this on your wish list and I promise when it comes out I will have it on my classroom shelf nex

Jenna is on the beach on morning when she hears a call for help from Adam who is coming out of the water with a girl in his arms. When the girl is pronounced dead and police suspect it was not an accident, Jenna becomes involved in this murder mystery. Both Jenna and Adam have secrets they hold from people and as those secrets begin to reveal themselves, both of their world's are rocked (and possibly ruined?). Friends are questioned, doubts are raised, and hearts will break. Is anyone safe in this story? I loved this book. Set for publication in late September, it's another one we have to wait for. But, put it on your "to-read" pile. You won't be disappointed. Since this is a middle school blog, I will caution that there is some mature content, but nothing too extreme. 7th and 8th graders can definitely enjoy this one! -TK

  This is a PHENOMENAL book! Set for a publication date of August 31st, two of my favorite authors have collaborated on an awesome story about family, heartbreak, hope, and new beginnings. Told in a series of email communications, Ezra finds out his older sister, Bea, has left the family, disappeared with no notice, but she reaches out to him shortly after. Through these emails the reader gets a glimpse of the horrors both Ezra and Bea had to live with, the reason why Bea left, and the lives they might get to live moving forward. There is an amazingly unsuspected twist in the reason why Bea left and what happens next will floor you! I can't express how much I loved this book! Kudos to authors David Levithan and Jennifer Niven. If you haven't read any of their books yet-go find them! -TK

  Alright, this book is a quick read with a chilling story. I have to say I was bothered by some of the plot holes and the way it was written. It has a great premise- a teenage girl is kidnapped by a group that is stealing the blood of kids for rich people who believe it will bring them longer lives. She needs to try to escape an inescapable mansion where she's being held before the kidnappers either take all of her blood or decide to kill her. BUT- I was honestly not a fan of this. It might catch the attention of struggling readers, but more advanced readers should stay away. I usually try to stay positive with my blogs, but this one just doesn't cut it. -TK

  In Final Season, Tim Green basically recounts his final year of coaching his own son through a heavily influenced fictional story. Living with ALS, Tim Green is an inspiration to millions. This book is special because it is so real.  Benjamin Redd is the next in line to be a star quarterback after his two older brothers who are now serving as assistant coaches under their head coach father. Everything seems set for a huge season, but the family and team's world is rocked when Ben's dad is diagnosed with ALS. While Ben's dad feels he needs to hide the real reason he shakes and his speech has become consistently slurred, it becomes increasingly obvious to everyone that something is seriously wrong. Ben's dad is determined to fight through ALS for his family and his team, wanting to teach them some final lessons as they try for the season championship. The only question left is: Will Ben's dad live long enough to see the end of the season? Because this book is based