Middle School and Beyond:

These page-turners, recommended by Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, will keep older kids reading for hours.

Reviewed by Amanda Allen, Felicia Barman and Sherry Crawley.

Ages 8-13

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (Penguin Group, $16.99). One reviewer describes Woodson’s book as “a memoir-in-verse so immediate that readers will feel they are experiencing the author’s childhood right along with her.”

Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Brian Biggs (Harry N. Abrams, $13.95). A lightning strike brings two robots created by Frank Einstein to life in this funny science fiction adventure.

The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm (Random House Books for Young Readers, $15). A humorous look at what’s possible with science.

Greenglass House by Kate Milford (Clarion Books, $17.99). Secretive guests show up on an icy night with tales related to the old house.

The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove (Viking Juvenile, $17.99). Science and magic combine in this tale of the Great Disruption of 1799.

Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle by George Hagen (Schwartz & Wade, $16.99). Booklist describes this book as “a first-rate fantasy for middle-grade readers. Like Harry Potter, … Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, … and Trenton Lee Stewart’s Mysterious Benedict Society books.”

Leroy Ninker Saddles Up by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick, $12.99). Leroy Ninker works at a movie theater concession stand but longs for the cowboy life.

Ages 14- 15

100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $17.99). This offbeat and funny novel follows Finn Easton as he and a friend embark on a road trip and find their own destiny.

Noggin by John Corey Whaley (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, $17.99). Travis Coates believes his head was chopped off and placed on another guy’s body in this funny coming-of-age story.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $17.99). When love letters that Laura Jean thought no one else would ever see get mailed, she must deal with the consequences.