Edward R. Martin Middle School Library: Home

A heartfelt and relatable novel from Phil Bildner, weaving the real history of Los Angeles Dodger and Oakland Athletic Glenn Burke--the first professional baseball player to come out as gay--into the story of a middle-school kid learning to be himself. When sixth grader Silas Walker does a school presentation on former Major League Baseball player Glenn Burke, it's more than just a report on the inventor of the high five. Burke was a black gay baseball player in the 1970s--and for Silas, the presentation is his own first baby step toward coming out as gay. Soon he tells his best friend Zoey, but the longer he keeps his secret from his baseball teammates, the more he suspects they know something's up. Kids get pulled from the team, fingers point at Silas, and he stages one big cover-up with terrible consequences. Was it a mistake to share his truth? A High Five for Glenn Burke is Phil Bildner's most personal novel yet, and drives home the message that there's no one way to come out--and there's a place in the field for everyone.

Coretta Scott King Honor author Varian Johnson teams up with rising cartoonist Shannon Wright for a delightful middle-grade graphic novel!Maureen and Francine Carter are twins and best friends. They participate in the same clubs, enjoy the same foods, and are partners on all their school projects. But just before the girls start sixth grade, Francine becomes Fran -- a girl who wants to join the chorus, run for class president, and dress in fashionable outfits that set her apart from Maureen. A girl who seems happy to share only two classes with her sister!Maureen and Francine are growing apart and there's nothing Maureen can do to stop it. Are sisters really forever? Or will middle school change things for good?

Featured in the upcoming National Geographic documentary, Expedition Amelia! This is a critically acclaimed look at the life, disappearance, and search for the legendary aviatrix, Amelia Earhart. On May 21, 1937, the most famous female pilot of all time, Amelia Earhart, set out to do the impossible: circumnavigate the globe at its widest point--27,000 miles in all. Just six weeks later, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. Eighty years have passed since that fateful flight; and still, Amelia's plane has never been found. Discover the thrilling life and tragic end of America's most famous trailblazing flier with this impeccably researched and masterfully crafted book from acclaimed author Candace Fleming. A New York Times Notable Book of the Year Named a Best Book of the Year by: The Washington Post School Library Journal Kirkus Reviews

"Wolf's dynamic, multifaceted characters come vividly alive through their distinct speaking voices, and their struggle to come to terms with not only their guilt but the senselessness of the universe is deeply affecting." -- Booklist (starred review) Everybody in the small town of Goldsburg, Virginia, likes Chris Goodman, which makes it especially shocking when he's murdered. Here, in a stunning multi-voiced narrative -- including the perspective of the fifteen-year-old killer -- and based on a true and terrible crime that occurred when the author was in high school, Allan Wolf sets out to answer the first question that comes to mind in moments of unthinkable tragedy: How could a thing like this happen?