Skip to Main Content

Frank E. Thompson Middle School Library: Home

RIMSBA 2025 Nominees

Rhode Island Middle School Book Award Logo

Buzzing

Isaac Itkin can't get away from his thoughts.   As a lonely twelve-year-old kid with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), everything from studying to looking in the mirror becomes a battle between him and a swarm of unhelpful thoughts.   The strict therapy his mother insists on doesn't seem to be working, but when a group of friends invites him to join their after-school role-playing game, the thoughts feel a little less loud, and the world feels a little brighter.   But Isaac's therapist says that exposure to games can have negative effects on kids with OCD, and when his grades slip, his helicopter mother won't let him play anymore. Now Isaac needs to find a way to prove to himself, to his mother, and to the world that the way to quiet the noise in his head may have been inside him all along.

The Clackity

Evie Von Rathe lives in Blight Harbor--the seventh-most haunted town in America--with her Aunt Desdemona, the local paranormal expert. Des doesn't have many rules except one: Stay out of the abandoned slaughterhouse at the edge of town. But when her aunt disappears into the building, Evie goes searching for her. There she meets The Clackity, a creature who lives in the shadows and seams of the slaughterhouse. The Clackity makes a deal with Evie to help get Des back in exchange for the ghost of John Jeffrey Pope, a serial killer who stalked Blight Harbor a hundred years earlier. Evie reluctantly embarks on a journey into a strange otherworld filled with hungry witches, penny-eyed ghosts, and a memory-thief, all while being pursued by a dead man whose only goal is to add Evie to his collection of lost souls. Will she ever find Des, or is The Clackity planning something far more sinister?

Crash from Outer Space: Unraveling the Mystery of Flying Saucers, Alien Beings, and Roswell

Award-winning author Candace Fleming sets her gaze on the mystery at Roswell, New Mexico, and the "crash from outer space" that set the United States on edge for decades. Scholastic Focus is the premier home of thoroughly researched, beautifully written, and thoughtfully designed works of narrative nonfiction aimed at middle-grade and young adult readers. These books help readers learn about the world in which they live and develop their critical thinking skills so that they may become dynamic citizens who are able to analyze and understand our past, participate in essential discussions about our present, and work to grow and build our future. In 1947, during the early years of the Cold War, a field in Roswell, New Mexico was disturbed by a strange crash and smattering of debris. Some say the bodies of extraterrestrial beings were strewn across the ground, that a UFO had crashed there, and that the government was covering up the evidence in a massive conspiracy. But what really happened at Roswell? The infamous "crash from outer space" has become a fixture in our culture, inspiring a surge of UFO sightings and conspiracy theories. But at its heart is the story of military scientists, a city on the brink of the Cold War, and a debris field scattered with mystery. What was it that actually crashed at Roswell? Were alien bodies found? Was it Russian spies? Secret military technology? And did the government try to hide what they found? An electrifying exploration of one of the most thrilling mysteries in recent history, by Sibert Award winning author Candace Fleming.

Ellie Engle Saves Herself

Ellie Engle doesn't stand out. Not at home, where she's alone with her pet fish since her dad moved away and her mom has to work around the clock . Not at the bakery, where she helps out old Mr. Walker on the weekends. And definitely not at school, where her best friend Abby--the coolest, boldest, most talented girl in the world--drags Ellie along on her never-ending quest to "make her mark." To someone else, a life in the shadows might seem boring, or lonely. But not to Ellie. As long as she has Abby by her side and a comic book in her hand, she's quite content. Too bad life didn't bother checking in with Ellie. Because when a freak earthquake hits her small town, Ellie wakes up with fantastical powers that allow her to bring anything back to life with just her touch. And when a video of her using her powers suddenly goes viral, Ellie's life goes somewhere she never imagined--or wanted: straight into the spotlight.  Surviving middle school is hard enough. Surviving middle school when paparazzi are camped out on your front lawn and an international pop singer wants you to use your powers on live tv and you might be in love with your best friend but she doesn't know it? Absolutely impossible.

Other Libraries

About the Library

School Year Library Hours: Mon.-Fri., 8:00 a.m. - 2:30p.m. (during school).

Staff: Mrs. Perry, Library Media Specialist (janeperry@npsri.net)

Visit us!   To visit the library during school, get a pass from your teacher

Checkout policies: You may check out 2 books at a time, for 3 weeks at a time. Renew books by request--just bring the book with you and ask at the circulation desk. You may borrow books from 190 schools, or other types of libraries, through RICAT! Log in to your account or ask for help at the circulation desk.

Selection Policy: Newport Public Schools-- Policy 6381 Instructional Resources & Materials -  Selection of Instructional Materials

Internet Use Policy: Newport Public Schools-- Policy 5335 Students - Administrative Policies - Internet Use Policy

Interlibrary Loan Policy: As a member of the RILINK consortium, Thompson Middle School follows RILINK policy.

 

Juneteenth

National Library Month

Poetry Month

Black History Month

Hour of Code

Annual HOUR OF CODE

Featuring AI

 

 

And the winner is...

The 2024 Rhode Island Middle School Book Award (RIMSBA) winner is

   Frizzy by

    Claribel Ortega

 

 

 

 

  Second place goes to:

Weird Kid by Greg Van Eekhout

 

 

 

and third place goes to: 

Invisible by Greg Diaz Gonzales and Gabriela Epstein

 

 

 

The TMS student vote was:

1.   The Tryout

2.   Invisible

3.   The Golden Hour

 

 

Thompson Middle School Teacher-Librarian