Celebrate Earth Day with 5 Great Middle Grade Books

Island Sting, by Bonnie J. Doerr
Kenzie Ryan has just moved from New York to the Florida Keys with her mother when she finds herself in the midst of an eco-mystery. As the book opens, Kenzie is attempting to save a drowning Key deer, an endangered subspecies of tiny white-tailed deer, which she thinks is actually a dog at first. Soon, she learns that someone is poaching the Key deer, and is even going after the doe Kenzie rescued! With the help of her new friend Angelo (who happens to be super-cute), can she track down the culprit? Also, pick up Stakeout for even more of Kenzie’s eco-adventures—this time helping sea turtles.

Sammy Keyes and the Wild Things, by Wendelin Van Draanen
Another mystery with an environmental bent, Sammy Keyes and the Wild Things—the 11th in the Sammy series—follows its titular character on a camping trip, which is not at all peaceful and idyllic like she imagined. Instead it’s rife with ticks, scorpions, rattlesnakes, and poison oak. Plus, trying to catch a glimpse of an endangered condor—the goal of Sammy’s fellow campers—doesn’t exactly sound like Sammy’s idea of a good time. But when her group comes across an injured condor and a poaching plot just begging for Sammy’s sleuthing skills, she suddenly has more to worry about than keeping the flies at bay.

My Life in Pink and Green, by Lisa Greenwald
The first book in Lisa Greenwald’s Pink and Green series introduces 12-year-old Lucy Desberg, whose family is in danger of losing their business, the Old Mill Pharmacy. Using her problem-solving skills, makeup know-how, and desire to make a difference, Lucy tries to drum up some business for the pharmacy by offering makeovers and beauty tips to customers. But joining her school’s Earth Club kicks her entrepreneurial spirit up a notch by inspiring a new idea—expanding the pharmacy into an eco-spa with the help of a generous grant helping local businesses to go green. This spunky, first-person narrative tackles some serious topics in a super-approachable way for tweens.

Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen
“This is a work of fiction,” reads the copyright page in Carl Hiaasen’s Hoot. “The owls, however, are quite real.” So are Roy Eberhardt’s struggles as the new kid at school—yet again. The middle schooler recently moved from Montana to south Florida, and thanks to his new school’s biggest bully mashing his face up against the bus window one day, Roy notices a barefoot boy running down the sidewalk. Roy soon discovers that the boy, nicknamed Mullet Fingers, is the mystery vandal attempting to derail construction of a pancake restaurant set to be built over the burrows of some endangered miniature owls. Can Roy help save the owls, fend off the bullies, and adapt to life at a new school? A quick, clever read with a great message. Also, be sure to read Hiaasen’s Flush and Scat for similar adventures.

Seedfolks, by Paul Fleischman 
An inspiring tale told from 13 very different perspectives via short vignettes, Seedfolks tells the story of a community transformed by a 9 year old Vietnamese-American girl who wanted to plant a few bean seeds in a vacant lot, which, over the course of the book’s 70 pages, turns into a vibrant community garden. The characters vary in age, culture, ethnicity, and background, but their voices weave together quite seamlessly. The engaging book carries a message of hope, optimism, and the power of simple gestures.
What’s your favorite environmentally themed read?