Our Great Library Giveaway is now in full swing.  Nominations are still flooding in, and people living inside one school boundary in particular have really caught the nomination spirit, with at least 50 different people nominating their school library!  Keep spreading the word, and your favorite library could be the one chosen as the recipient of (so far) 57 great middle-grade titles!  Please go here to nominate a worthy library.

Speaking of titles, we are still accepting donations for this giveaway.  If you have written a middle-grade book, know someone who has, or have read a middle-grade book you don’t see on our list, please think about donating the title.   You’ll be helping out a library and making middle-grade kids happy.  We’ve also added a handy dandy widget to our left sidebar so you can watch the number of titles grow.

Today we’re spotlighting ten titles that have already been donated to this giveaway.  They are:

Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder

Description from Indiebound:

Four kids, a mysterious wall, and a good helping of common magic!

If you had a magic wall that could take you to any place and any time, where would you go? Would you want to visit castles and desert islands? Would you want to meet famous wizards, terrible pirates, beautiful queens, and dastardly outlaws? If so, then you are just like Henry and Emma, and Roy and Susan—and you will probably like this story a lot. In fact, you might even wish something similar would happen to you!

In Any Which Wall, author Laurel Snyder proves that you don’t have to be an orphan, know a dragon, or even be a child to get a taste of magic. You just have to keep your mind open and willing to let it happen. And when you do find magic (like Henry, Emma, Roy, and Susan), you might be surprised that along with all the fun, you also find out new things about your friends, your family, and maybe even a little bit about who you really want to be.

The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. by Kate Messner

Description from Indiebound:

Gianna Z has less than one week to collect, identify, and creatively display 25 leaves for her science project—or else she won’t be able to compete in the upcoming cross-country race. As the deadline for her leaf project draws near, life keeps getting in the way. Some things are within Gee’s control, like her own procrastination, but others aren’t, like Biana Rinaldi’s attempts at sabotage and Nonna’s declining health. If it weren’t for her best friend Zig, Gee wouldn’t have a chance at finishing. His knowledge of trees and leaves in their rural Vermont town comes in very handy, as does his loyalty to Gee. But when Nonna disappears one afternoon, things like leaves and cross-country meets suddenly seem less important.

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

Description from Indiebound:

Its 1860, and 11-year-old Elijah is a first-generation freeborn child. His Canadian town of Buxton serves as a haven for runaway slaves. When the towns corrupt preacher steals money from a citizen whos been saving to buy his familys freedom, Elijah sets off for America in pursuit, in this powerful new novel by a Newbery Medalist.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Description by Meghan Dietsche Goel, Book People, Austin, TX (as quoted at Indiebound):

“Intrigued by the different grasshoppers in her backyard, 11-year-old Calpurnia Virginia Tate finds herself suddenly enthralled by the natural world — a fascination that unexpectedly leads to a new bond with her famously reclusive grandfather. Voracious in her newfound love of science, Callie launches herself on a summer of exploration, which leads to many new discoveries, not least of which is what it means to be a girl in love with science in Texas in 1899.”

Football Hero: A Football Genius Novel by Tim Green

Description from Indiebound:

Ty Lewis can’t believe it when Coach V recruits him for the football team. This is Ty’s big chance to prove how fast he is on the field, get a fresh start in a new school, and be like his older brother, Thane “Tiger” Lewis, who’s about to graduate from college—and is being courted by the NFL.

But Ty’s guardian, Uncle Gus, won’t let him play. Uncle Gus needs Ty to scrub floors and toilets for his cleaning business while he cooks up gambling schemes with the local mob boss, a man called “Lucy.”

When Lucy hears just how famous Ty’s older brother is, he becomes suddenly friendly. Are the questions Lucy is asking Ty really about fantasy football . . . or is the Mafia using Ty to get valuable insider info from his superstar brother? Desperately worried, Ty must come up with a plan to save Thane’s football career—and, ultimately, his life.

Author of the New York Times bestselling Football Genius, former NFL player Tim Green will have you on the edge of your seat rooting for Ty—and enjoying an up-close look at what it’s like to be inside the NFL.

How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life (and a Dog) by Art Corriveau

Description from Indiebound:

Nicky Flynn’s life just got a whole lot harder. His parents are going through a messy divorce, and as a result he’s starting a new life, in a new city, in a new school. Now his mom has brought home Reggie, an eighty-pound German shepherd fresh from the animal shelter, who used to be a seeing-eye dog. At first Nick isn’t sure about this canine intrusion—it’s just another in a series of difficult changes. Soon, however, Nick is on the path to finding out why a seeing-eye dog would be left at an animal shelter, and along the way discovers that Reggie is a true friend that Nick can rely on. But when he tries to reconnect with his dad, Nick puts everything on the line, including the life of his new best friend.
Art Corriveau is a brilliant new voice for middle-grade fiction. How I, Nicky Flynn, Got a Life (and a Dog) is a heartfelt and honest look at the effects of divorce and the wonders of friendship.

Hot Issues, Cool Choices: Facing Bullies, Peer Pressure, Popularity, and Put-Downs by Sandra McLeod Humphrey

Description from Indiebound:

Emerson Elementary isnt a real school, but it could be any elementary school. The students at Emerson arent real kids, but the problems they face are real, and so are the choices they make. This book teaches kids how to follow the Golden Rule, and become someone who treats others the way they want to be treated.

Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt

Description from Indiebound:

When an immaculately dressed woman steps out of an iridescent bubble and asks you if you’d like to become a substitute princess, do you a) runb) faintc) say Yes! For Desi Bascomb, who’s been longing for a bit of glamour in her Idaho life, the choice is a definite C–that is, once she can stop pinching herself.  As her new agent Meredith explains, Desi has a rare magical ability: when she applies the ancient Egyptian formula “Royal Rouge,” she can transform temporarily into the exact lookalike of any princess who needs her subbing services. Dream come true, right?
Well, Desi soon discovers that subbing involves a lot more than wearing a tiara and waving at cameras. Like, what do you do when a bullying older sister puts you on a heinous crash diet? Or when the tribal villagers gather to watch you perform a ceremonial dance you don’t know? Or when a princess’s conflicted sweetheart shows up to break things off–and you know she would want you to change his mind?  In this hilarious, winning debut, one girl’s dream of glamour transforms into something bigger: the desire to make a positive impact. And an impact Desi makes, one royal fiasco at a time.

Soar, Elinor! by Tami Lewis Brown

Description from Indiebound:

Elinor Smith was six when she first went for a ride in a rickety “flying machine,” and she was just sixteen when she earned her aviation license in 1928. But not everyone thought that girls should fly. When male pilots and newspapermen mocked her, Elinor decided to perform an aerial maneuver they thought was impossible: flying under all four bridges that span New York City’s East River. Gorgeous sweeping illustrations by François Roca show how Elinor pulled off this risky feat skillfully and with style.

Under the Green Hill by Laura L. Sullivan

Description from Indiebound:

Meg and her siblings have been sent to the English countryside for the summer to stay with elderly relatives. The children are looking forward to exploring the ancient mansion and perhaps discovering a musty old attic or two filled with treasure, but never in their wildest dreams did they expect to find themselves in the middle of a fairy war.

When Rowan pledges to fight for the beautiful fairy queen, Meg is desperate to save her brother. But the Midsummer War is far more than a battle between mythic creatures: Everything that lives depends on it. How can Meg choose between family and the fate of the very land itself?

NOTE: PLEASE REMEMBER TO CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE A LIBRARY.  Any comments here will not count as a nomination.  Thanks!