Schneider Family Middle School Award
2024
The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn
by
Sally J Pla
Follows thirteen-year-old neurodivergent Maudie during an eventful summer in California with her father, where she struggles with whether to share a terrible secret about life with her mom and stepdad.
2024
Simon Sort of Says
by
Erin Bow
Two years after a tragedy saddles him with viral fame, twelve-year-old Simon O'Keeffe and his family move to Grin And Bear It, Nebraska, where the internet and cell phones are banned so astrophysicists can scan the sky for signs of alien life, and where, with the help of two new friends, a puppy, and a giant radio telescope, Simon plans to restart the narrative of his life.
2023
Wildoak
by
C. C Harrington
Illustrated by
Diana Sudyka
Twelve-year-old Maggie's stutter causes her much heartache, and only her menagerie of pets, with whom she can speak fluidly, can provide her comfort. When she finds Rumpus, an abandoned snow leopard, in a forest in Cornwall, their chance encounter will change their lives forever.
2023
Honestly Elliott
by
Gillian McDunn
Struggling with ADHD, loneliness, and connecting with his divorced father, who would rather see him embrace sports instead of cooking, sixth-grader Elliott finds an unlikely friend in popular, perfect Maribel when the two pair up in a school-wide contest.
2023
Hummingbird
by
Natalie Lloyd
A heartwarming story infused with a dash of magic, Natalie Lloyd's tale of a girl searching for her best friend and a place to belong is sure to resonate with readers. When twelve-year-old homeschooler Olive, who suffers from brittle bone disease, finally attends in-person school, she soon discovers fitting in is not that easy. If she can find the magical wish-granting hummingbird that supposedly lives nearby and prove herself worthy, maybe it will grant her deepest wish.
2021
Show Me a Sign
by
Ann Clare LeZotte
It is 1805 and Mary Lambert has always felt safe among the deaf community of Chilmark on Martha's Vineyard where practically everyone communicates in a shared sign language, but recent events have shattered her life; her brother George has died, land disputes between English settlers and the Wampanoag people are becoming increasingly bitter, and a scientist determined to discover the origins of the islands' widespread deafness has decided she makes the perfect live specimen--and kidnapped her.
2021
Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen
by
Sarah Kapit
Eleven-year-old knuckleball pitcher Vivy Cohen, who has autism, becomes pen pals with her favorite Major League baseball player after writing a letter to him as an assignment for her social skills class.
2021
When Stars Are Scattered
by
Victoria Jamieson
Omar and his younger brother Hassan live in a refugee camp, and when an opportunity for Omar to get an education comes along, he must decide between going to school every day or caring for his nonverbal brother in this intimate and touching portrayal of family and daily life in a refugee camp.
2020
Song for a Whale
by
Lynne Kelly
Twelve-year-old Iris and her grandmother, both deaf, drive from Texas to Alaska armed with Iris's plan to help Blue-55, a whale unable to communicate with other whales.
2020
Each Tiny Spark
by
Pablo Cartaya
Sixth-grader Emilia Torres struggles with ADHD, her controlling abuela, her mother's work commitments, her father's distance after returning from deployment, evolving friendships, and a conflict over school redistricting.
2019
The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle
by
Leslie Connor
As he grieves his best friend Benny's death, Mason and his friend Calvin, who are targeted by the neighborhood bullies, create an underground haven for themselves, but when Calvin goes missing Mason finds himself in trouble.
2018
Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess
by
Shari Green
"Deaf sixth-grader Macy expects disaster when she is sent to help her elderly neighbor Iris, who doesn't know sign language, pack for a move to an assisted-living home. To her surprise, Iris soon becomes a firm friend who helps Macy face her own upcoming move, into the home of her mother's soon-to-be husband and two young stepsisters." - Publisher.
2017
As Brave as You
by
Jason Reynolds
Two born and bred Brooklynites are to spend a month with their grandparents in rural Virginia while their parents take a long overdue vacation and work out their marital problems. It is only after the boys are left in their grandfather's care that they realize that he is blind.
2016
Fish in a Tree
by
Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Ally's greatest fear is that everyone will find out she is as dumb as they think she is because she still doesn't know how to read.
2015
Rain Reign
by
Ann M. Martin
Struggling with Asperger's, Rose shares a bond with her beloved dog, but when the dog goes missing during a storm, Rose is forced to confront the limits of her comfort levels, even if it means leaving her routines in order to search for her pet.
2014
Handbook for Dragon Slayers
by
Merrie Haskell
Yearning for life in a cloistered scriptorium, thirteen-year-old Princess Matilda, whose lame foot brings fear of the evil eye, escapes her scheming cousin Ivo and joins her servant Judith and an old friend, Parz, in hunting dragons and writing about them.
2013
A Dog Called Homeless
by
Sarah Lean
When Cally Fisher says she sees her dead mother, no one believes her. The only other living soul who sees Cally's mom is a mysterious wolfhound who always seems to be there when her mom appears.
2012
Close to Famous
by
Joan Bauer
Twelve-year-old Foster McFee and her mother escape from her mother's abusive boyfriend and end up in the small town of Culpepper, West Virginia, where they use their strengths and challenge themselves to build a new life, with the help of the friends they make there.
2012
Wonderstruck : a novel in words and pictures
by
Brian Selznick
Having lost his mother and his hearing in a short time, twelve-year-old Ben leaves his Minnesota home in 1977 to seek the father he never knew in New York City, and meets there Rose, who is also longing for something missing from her life. Ben's story is told in words; Rose's in pictures.
2011
After Ever After
by
Jordan Sonnenblick
Although Jeff and Tad, encouraged by a new friend, Lindsey, make a deal to help one another overcome aftereffects of their cancer treatments in preparation for eighth-grade graduation, Jeff still craves advice from his older brother Stephen, who is studying drums in Africa.
2009
Waiting for Normal
by
Leslie Connor
Twelve-year-old Addie tries to cope with her mother's erratic behavior and being separated from her beloved stepfather and half-sisters when she and her mother go to live in a small trailer by the railroad tracks on the outskirts of Schenectady, New York.
2008
Reaching for Sun
by
Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Josie, who lives with her mother and grandmother and has cerebral palsy, befriends a boy who moves into one of the rich houses behind her old farmhouse.
2007
Rules
by
Cynthia Lord
Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is further complicated by a friendship with an young paraplegic. Lexile Level: 780
2006
Tending to Grace
by
Kimberly Newton Fusco
When Cornelia's mother runs off with a boyfriend, leaving her with an eccentric aunt, Cornelia must finally confront the truth about herself and her mother.
2005
Becoming Naomi Leon
by
Pam Munoz Ryan
When Naomi's absent mother resurfaces to claim her, Naomi runs away to Mexico with her great-grandmother and younger brother in search of her father.
2004
A Mango Shaped Space
by
Wendy Mass
Afraid that she is crazy, thirteen-year-old Mia, who sees a special color with every letter, number, and sound, keeps this a secret until she becomes overwhelmed by school, changing relationships, and the loss of something important to her.