Fort Worth ISD News

If your middle school student wants their current read to match the season, Texas authors have great options.  

Leonard Middle School Librarian Denise Martinez spends a lot of time curating books to match the interests of her students.

“I want the library to be a place where students feel welcomed and excited to read,” she said. 

Thrillers, horror, fantasy, you name it, Ms. Martinez has it. 

Check out her top three spooky season recommendations from Texas authors!

1. “The Vanquishers” by Kalynn Bayron is about a girl named Malika “Boog” Wilson and her best friends, who grew up enamored with The Vanquishers, a group of vampire hunters who wiped out vampires decades ago. Then, one of Boog’s friends goes missing, and their parents start acting strange. Boog suspects the vampires could be back, and she and her friends know who to call to protect their city.
    
2. “Felice and the Wailing Woman” by Diana López is based on the Mexican folklore La Llorona — with a new twist. The 12-year-old daughter of La Llorona tries to free her mother and reverse the curse on her and their town. Ms. Martinez said she covers folklore during time with her students in the library as part of their genre explorations.
    
3. “The Cursed Moon” by Angela Cervantes is about a boy named Rafael who loves telling ghost stories. His incarcerated mother will be released from jail soon, and he’s scared. To distract himself, he tells his friends his greatest ghost story yet — then it starts to come true. 

With mixed elements of horror, fantasy, and folklore, Fort Worth ISD librarians have all kinds of options to get your middle grade read in the October mood.