One month of planning, lots of team meetings, and about a zillion plan drafts later, it was finally time.

Anne’s-Belfield School librarian Karen Gray. I sent an e-vite to parents filling them in on our plans and reached out to our special guest, former St. A total of 60 students signed up to join our discussion. I placed lists in the library and in the middle school commons where students could sign up to participate and watched as the numbers went up… and up… and up. Once our book was chosen, the planning could begin! I announced our book choice to 5th and 6th graders last month using this fun Animoto video. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. VERDICT Another winning goal for Alexander and middle school readers alike.-Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools, OHα(c) Copyright 2011.

Authentic characters and amusing situations abound, making this story one that will be welcomed by readers of all levels. Peppered throughout are useful and amusing vocabulary words as well as wise-cracking yet sage life lessons from a beloved librarian. Newbery-winning poet Alexander once again brings to life a novel in verse that equally captures the rapid-fire excitement of a soccer match and the palpable pain of a young boy whose family is falling apart. And then there’s April, Nick’s current crush. But school is also where “the Mac” can be found, Langston’s resident rapping, dragonfly-loving, red mohawk-wearing librarian and Nick’s favorite adult. Throw in the twin eighth-grade tyrants who relentlessly want to pound him and weekly lessons at Miss Quattlebaum’s School of Ballroom Dance & Etiquette, and his life at Langston Hughes Magnet School of the Arts is pretty hectic. For one thing, his mother wants to move away to pursue her dream of training race horses, and his linguistics professor father is pressuring him to improve his vocabulary by reading the dictionary. Besides the big game, Nick has a lot of other things on his mind. Pepper Dallas Cup, the renowned world youth soccer tournament, even though they will be playing on opposing teams. Twelve-year-old Nick loves soccer, and he and his best friend Coby have big plans for winning the Dr.

Mission impossible? Not with an author like Kwame Alexander. Alexander’s sizzling second free-verse book, Booked, was the perfect fit. It needed to be fast-paced and action packed enough to interest middle-grade male readers, with the character-driven and three-dimensional characters that middle-grade female readers crave. The book needed to be short enough not to frustrate readers working on their skills, but challenging enough for even our best readers to push themselves. Finding a book exciting and interesting enough to captivate both 5th and 6th graders, boys and girls, with a wide variety of interests and reading levels, is no easy feat.

Booked by Kwame Alexander