Recommendations based on Ms. Bixby's Last Dayby John David Anderson

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Echo

    by Pam Muñoz Ryan
    A magical story of courage, hope and friendship, connecting three different generations.

    The framing story is set in Germany circa 1889; , while playing hide-and-seek with his friends, Otto becomes absorbed in a book he had purchased from a Gypsy entitled The Thirteenth Harmonica of Otto ... (Wikipedia)

  2. Counting by 7s

    by Holly Goldberg Sloan
    A story of resilience and hope, as an outsider learns to find her place in the world.

    Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other ... (Goodreads)

  3. Fish in a Tree

    by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
    A young girl discovers her own unique talents with the help of a supportive teacher.

    "Fans of R.J. Palacio’s, Wonder, will appreciate this feel-good story of friendship and unconventional smarts.” —,Kirkus Reviews, Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time ... (Barnes & Noble)

  4. Rain Reign

    by Ann M. Martin
    A young girl with Asperger's navigates her world through her love of homonyms while dealing with family issues.

    From Newbery Honor author Ann M. Martin, who wrote the Baby-sitters Club series, comes a, New York Times,-bestselling middle grade novel about a girl, her dog, and the trials of growing up in a ... (Barnes & Noble)

  5. Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures

    by Kate DiCamillo
    A squirrel with superpowers and a young girl team up to save the world. Heartwarming and humorous, with charming illustrations.

    Flora Belle Buckman, a self-proclaimed cynic, spends her time reading comic books and struggling to understand her parents’ recent divorce . She is jolted into action when the neighbor runs over a ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Salt to the Sea

    by Ruta Sepetys
    Vivid tale of a group of refugees struggling to survive in WWII Europe.

    New York Times, Bestseller and winner of the Carnegie Medal! ,"Masterfully crafted",—,The Wall Street Journal,For readers of, Between Shades of Gray, and, All the Light We Cannot See, Ruta Sepetys, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  7. The Crossover

    by Kwame Alexander
    Two brothers explore the joys and struggles of adolescence through the power of basketball.

    New York Times, bestseller ∙ Newbery Medal Winner ∙, Coretta Scott King Honor Award ∙,2015 YALSA 2015 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults,∙, 2015 YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers ... (Barnes & Noble)

  8. The Boy Who Dared

    by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
    A young German boy joins the resistance against Hitler's regime, risking his life to fight for what he believes in.

    The majority of the story is told through flashbacks, as Helmuth Hübener , charged with treason , waits in a Berlin prison for his execution . Starting with his memories as a young boy, Helmuth ... (Wikipedia)

  9. Long Way Down

    by Jason Reynolds
    A young boy's journey of grief and redemption, as he seeks retribution for his brother's death.

    William Holloman is ready to exact vengeance on the person who murdered his older brother, Shawn. As Will rides the elevator down from his 8th-floor apartment at each floor a new person, who is dead, ... (Wikipedia)

  10. We Are All Made of Molecules

    by Susin Nielsen
    Two very different middle schoolers become step-siblings and must navigate their new family dynamic.

    Thirteen-year-old Stewart is academically brilliant but socially clueless. Fourteen-year-old Ashley is the undisputed “It” girl in her class, but her grades stink. Their worlds are about to collide ... (Goodreads)

  11. Becoming Naomi León

    by Pam Muñoz Ryan
    Naomi León's journey to find her true identity and reunite with her family. A heartwarming story of love, courage, and self-discovery.

    Naomi Outlaw is a Hispanic girl who lives a carefree (if not lonely) life with her great-grandmother, Mary Outlaw, and deformed younger brother, Owen, in the fictional town of Lemon Tree, California. ... (Wikipedia)

  12. Booked

    by Kwame Alexander
    A young boy navigates life, love, and soccer while dealing with his parents' separation. Written in verse.

    New York Times, Bestseller ∙ National Book Award Longlist ∙ ILA-CBC Children's Choice List ∙ ALA Notable Children’s Book ∙ Book Links’ Lasting Connections ∙ Kirkus Best Book ∙ San Francisco Chronicle ... (Barnes & Noble)

  13. Save Me a Seat

    by Sarah Weeks
    Two boys from different backgrounds navigate the first week of fifth grade, dealing with bullies and finding friendship.

    Joe and Ravi might be from very different places, but they're both stuck in the same place: SCHOOL.,Joe's lived in the same town all his life, and was doing just fine until his best friends moved ... (Barnes & Noble)

  14. The Thing About Jellyfish

    by Ali Benjamin
    A young girl's quest to reconcile the death of her best friend, and the power of human connection.

    The book follows Suzy Swanson, the protagonist and narrator, who theorizes the death of her friend, Franny Jackson, was caused by a jellyfish sting. Suzy has started the seventh grade, which is the ... (Wikipedia)

  15. Because of Winn-Dixie

    by Kate DiCamillo
    A girl's journey of self-discovery and healing, as she finds friendship in an unlikely companion.

    Kate DiCamillo's beloved, best-selling debut novel is now available in a paperback digest edition. Kate DiCamillo's first published novel, like Winn-Dixie himself, immediately proved to be a keeper—a ... (Goodreads)

  16. Dread Nation

    by Justina Ireland
    In an alternate America, the Civil War ends with the dead rising from battlefields. Jane, a black girl trained in combat, fights for survival and freedom.

    Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, ... (Goodreads)

  17. Refugee

    by Alan Gratz
    Three children, three different times, all with a common goal of finding refuge.

    A tour de force from acclaimed author Alan Gratz (,Prisoner B-3087,), this timely — and timeless — novel tells the powerful story of three different children seeking refuge. A, New York Times, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  18. The Wild Robot

    by Peter Brown
    A robot's journey of self-discovery and its transformation from a machine to a living creature.

    Wall-E, meets, Hatchet, in this, New York Times, bestselling illustrated middle grade novel from Caldecott Honor winner Peter Brown Can a robot survive in the wilderness? When robot Roz opens her ... (Barnes & Noble)

  19. River Secrets

    by Shannon Hale
    A young girl's quest to uncover secrets of the magical river that runs through her town.

    The story begins as the main character, Razo, watches a meeting. The king and queen of Bayern speak with a Tiran ambassador and agree they should exchange ambassadors to promote peace between the two ... (Wikipedia)

  20. Ghost

    by Jason Reynolds
    A teenage boy must confront his past and overcome adversities to find his own path.

    Running. That's all that Ghost (real name Castle Cranshaw) has ever known. But never for a track team. Nope, his game has always been ball. But when Ghost impulsively challenges an elite sprinter to ... (Goodreads)

  21. The Young Elites

    by Marie Lu
    A girl with extraordinary powers joins a group of other gifted individuals to overthrow a corrupt government. But power comes with a price.

    It follows the story of Adelina Amouteru. A decade after the blood fever swept through the nation, most survivors—all of whom were children—gained strange markings during their time of illness. Those ... (Wikipedia)

  22. Pax

    by Sara Pennypacker
    A fox and a boy form an unlikely bond as they embark on a journey of survival and friendship.

    New York Times Bestseller * An Amazon Best Book of the Year * National Book Award Longlist Finally in paperback! This handsome edition features French flaps. From bestselling and award-winning author ... (Barnes & Noble)

  23. Journey

    by Aaron Becker
    A wordless picture book about a girl who uses a magical red crayon to embark on a journey through a wondrous and imaginative world.

    Follow a girl on an elaborate flight of fancy in a wondrously illustrated, wordless picture book about self-determination — and unexpected friendship. A lonely girl draws a magic door on her bedroom ... (Goodreads)

  24. The Girl Who Drank the Moon

    by Kelly Barnhill
    A young girl accidentally drinks moonlight and gains magical powers. She must use them to save her people from a corrupt ruler.

    Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the ... (Goodreads)

  25. Life As We Knew It

    by Susan Beth Pfeffer
    A teenage girl's struggle to survive an apocalyptic disaster, relying on her resilience and resourcefulness.

    Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, ... (Goodreads)

  26. Hoot

    by Carl Hiaasen
    A boy's mission to save burrowing owls, uncovering a dark plot along the way.

    The main character Roy Eberhardt moves from Montana to Florida and into the fictional town of Coconut Cove, where a 7th grader, Dana Matherson, starts to bully him. On the bus to school, Roy sees a ... (Wikipedia)

  27. A Monster Calls

    by Patrick Ness
    A young boy's journey of self-discovery, coming to terms with his mother's terminal illness.

    Thirteen-year-old Conor O'Malley awakens from the same nightmare he has been experiencing for the past few months, "the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming". At seven minutes after ... (Wikipedia)

  28. Defending Jacob

    by William Landay
    A father must defend his son who is accused of murder, unraveling the truth of a complex crime.

    Andy Barber is an assistant district attorney in Newton , Massachusetts. He is investigating the murder of a 14-year-old boy, Ben Rifkin, who was a classmate of his son Jacob and was found stabbed to ... (Wikipedia)

  29. Heretics Anonymous

    by Katie Henry
    Michael joins a secret club of religious misfits at his new school, but struggles to keep his own beliefs hidden.

    * Amazon Best Book of the Month August 2018 * New York Public Library Best Books 2018 * Put an atheist in a strict Catholic school? Expect comedy, chaos, and an Inquisition., The Breakfast Club, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  30. Lodestar

    by Shannon Messenger
    Sophie Foster navigates a dangerous world of politics and betrayal as she tries to uncover the truth about her past and save her loved ones.

    A, New York Times, bestselling series A, USA TODAY, bestselling series A California Young Reader Medal–winning series Dark schemes unfold and Sophie’s loyalty is pushed to the limit in this thrilling ... (Barnes & Noble)