When I was growing up, I loved reading biographies. That has not changed. What has changed is the number of amazing biographies and memoirs available to middle grade readers.
I've read three recently that will be added to my middle school library collection, a variety of life stories that kids will be interested to learn about.
1. Proud: Living My American Dream by Olympic Medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad- I certainly didn't know anything about fencing before I reading this book and appreciated that I learned about this sport as well as about Ibtihaj's personal story. Her message is one of hard work and of knowing what it feels like to not fit in. As a Muslim American (she was the first American Muslim woman to win an Olympic medal), Muhammad knows what it feels like to stand apart from the crowd. Her message is an important one.
2. Endurance: My Year in Space And How I Got There: Young Readers Edition by Scott Kelly - In 2017 my mom and oldest daughter stood in line at BEA to get a signed first chapter of Scott Kelly's book. For that reason alone, my interest about Kelly and his memoir has been piqued. I was happy to see the young reader's edition coming out, which proved to be interesting for adult readers as well. I also noted that his life story -which includes a lack of effort and ambition at school may resonate with some readers.
3. Path to the Stars: My Journey From Girl Scout To Rocket Scientist by Sylvia Acevedo - Acevedo's story tells of a girl who set goals and then went about finding a way to achieve them. Her father is Hispanic, although born in the United States, while her mother is Mexican and did not speak English, set her apart from many of her white peers. Acevedo works to find a way to embrace her Hispanic heritage, while still assimilating to white culture. I have a large Latino population in my school and am always looking for biographies that represent people from that culture. Well written, interesting, with a message of hard work and perseverance, this should be on every library shelf.
I'm always looking for more middle grade biographies and memoirs to grow my collection. If you have a recommendation, please share.
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