Totally Middle School: Tales of Friends, Family, and Fitting In

Gr 5–8—Groban brings together literary powerhouses including Lois Lowry, Katherine Paterson, Linda Sue Park, Karen Cushman, Gary D. Schmidt, Gregory Maguire, and more, with tales of friends, family, and fitting in while dealing with the universal middle school angsts. This anthology features a mix of formats: stories in verse, first-person narratives (including one by a dog), email and texts, and even a short graphic novel by Caldecott-winner David Wiesner. Many of the stories involve timeless middle school worries revolving around friends, homework, and family issues, while others grapple with thorny topics such as cultural bias and soldiers returning from the Vietnam War with PTSD. Each selection is followed by a short biography about the author, with interesting tidbits about their lives. Stories swing from heartrending to heartwarming.