Reviewing middle grade books
Dreamtreaders by Wayne Thomas Batson, a reviewPublished 2014 by Thomas Nelson, 289 pagesGenre: Middle grade fantasy fiction In Dreamtreaders, a middle-grade story by Wayne Thomas Batson (2014), Archer Keaton, age 14, serves humanity as a … [Continue reading]
Failstate: Legends by John Otte, Book 2 of Failstate seriesPublished 2013 by Marcher Lord Press, 455 pagesGenre: Young adult superhero tale, suitable for middle grade and up Failstate: Legends by John Ottte (2013) looks like a graphic novel, … [Continue reading]
Robert Treskillard concludes his terrific YA Merlin trilogy with this book, Merlin's Nightmare (2014), leaving some threads open for starting a new work focused on Arthur. I’m really enjoying Treskillard’s re-imagining of Merlin as a … [Continue reading]
I reviewed the first book in the series, Merlin’s Blade. This second book, Merlin's Shadow (2013), like any middle book in a three-book series, leads us through some majors trials for the main characters. Merlin finds himself fleeing the traitor … [Continue reading]
In Merlin's Blade (2013), the opening book in Robert Treskillard’s Arthurian saga, Merlin begins as a bashful, gawky teenager, son of a blacksmith, nearly blind. Some unknown druids come to his tiny town in post-Roman Britain, bringing with them a … [Continue reading]
I’d heard this anime-style 2016 feature film praised by some in the industry, so I decided to watch it. My takeaway: religious families will want to discuss various elements of the story together. An example: identifying ancestor worship as a … [Continue reading]
The Rock of Ivanore by Laurisa White Reyes, Book One of the Celestine ChroniclesPublished 2012 by Tanglewood Press, 347 pagesGenre: Middle grade fantasy, not specifically Christian In The Rock of Ivanore by Laurisa White Reyes (2012), Marcus … [Continue reading]
In the book Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson (2006), Silver is a plucky 11-year-old whose parents and sister vanished four years ago. She’s being cared for by a selfish mean woman in the family mansion, Tanglewreck, one of those old English manor … [Continue reading]
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (2007) is a hot book where middle-schoolers are concerned. It's a #1 New York Times bestseller, and its many sequels are too. Many parents, though, aren't so thrilled about this tale of a manipulative cheat. So … [Continue reading]
In One Realm Beyond (2014), a YA series opener from Donita K. Paul, Cantor D'Ahma has grown into a young man. He leaves his elderly mentors and sets off to learn how to become a Realm Walker, using the gifts he was born with. His mentors don't tell … [Continue reading]
Reviewer, editor and writer for young people--with a background as an engineer and in the news business. As a homeschooling veteran, I review middle-grade stories to help parents, librarians, and teachers choose good books .
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