Follow the Clues to These Superb Books!

• Opportunity Knocks by SARA FARIZAN. Just when Lila thinks she might have found her special thing in her school’s new band program, she finds out that the program may have its funding cut! Lila visits her local bank in an attempt to secure a loan for the band program, and while she’s there, a passing stranger accidentally drops a strange box at her feet. Inside rests an old magical key, that opens the magical door for a magical girl, luck personified! Her name is Felise, and she'll stay with Lila for seven days, during which Lila will be the luckiest person in the world! But the man who lost the key has not forgotten about it — or Lila. Having spent a fortune procuring the Key to Opportunity, he’ll do everything in his power to get it back.
• The House That Whispers by LIN THOMPSON. Eleven-year-old Simon and his siblings are staying the week at Nanaleen's century-old house. This time, though, everything’s different. It’s fall, not summer. Mom and Dad are staying behind to have a “talk.” Nanaleen’s house smells weird, she keeps forgetting things, Simon keeps hearing a scratching in the walls, and shadows are beginning to build in the corners. These aren’t the only things getting under Simon’s skin: He’s the only one who knows that his name is Simon, and that he and him pronouns are starting to feel right. But he’s not ready to add to the changes that are already in motion in his family. To make matters worse, he can’t shake the feeling that something is deeply wrong…and he’s determined to get to the bottom of it—which means launching a ghost hunt, with or without his sisters’ help. Will Simon’s search for ghosts turn up more secrets than he ever expected?
• Turtles of the Midnight Moon by MARÍA JOSÉ FITZGERALD. When poachers threaten the island they love, Honduras, two girls team up to save the turtles—and each other. Someone has been poaching turtle eggs, and Barana is determined to catch them! Before long, Abby and Barana are both consumed by the mystery, chasing down suspects, gathering clues, and staking out the beach in the dead of night... Will they find a way to stop the poachers before it’s too late? A heart-pounding eco-mystery with an unforgettable friendship story with a hint of magic at its heart from a fresh new voice in middle grade.
• Morning Sun in Wuhan by YING CHANG COMPESTINE. What was the pandemic of the century like at the start? This swift, gripping novel captures not only the uncertainty and panic when COVID first emerged in Wuhan, but also how a community banded together. Weaving in the tastes and sounds of the historic city, Wuhan’s comforting and distinctive cuisine comes to life as the reader follows 13-year-old Mei who, through her love for cooking, makes a difference in her community. Written by an award-winning author originally from Wuhan. Grieving the death of her mother and an outcast at school, thirteen-year-old Mei finds solace in cooking and computer games. When her good friend’s grandmother falls ill, Mei seeks out her father, a doctor, for help, and discovers the hospital is overcrowded. As the virus spreads, Mei finds herself alone in a locked-down city trying to find a way to help.