Chirp by Kate Messner, published in 2020, tells the tale of Mia, a twelve year old former gymnast who’s just moved from Boston to Vermont. Her family moved there to support her grandmother, whose unpredictability makes everyone wonder what’s going to happen next. Gram’s business, raising crickets for people food, is languishing.
Chirp by Kate Messner, a review Read Post »
Kate Messner’s Ranger in Time series features a rescue dog, Ranger, who who magically is called to other times and places to help save people. In this tale, Soldiers and Spies, Ranger helps a young black soldier in the Continental Army of George Washington. It’s winter, and battle is coming.
Ranger in Time: Night of Soldiers and Spies, by Kate Messner Read Post »
Authors Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan team up to tell a middle-grade tale with two points of view: one a Muslim Pakistani-American girl who just wants to fit in at her big new school, and the other a Jewish girl whose best friend has dumped her.
A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan, a review Read Post »
Georges, that’s with a silent s, moves into a Brooklyn apartment building and meets Safer, another twelve-year-old who starts a
Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead, a review Read Post »
Bryan Davis, author of thirty successful young adult books, wrote this middle-grade tale and published it last year. It’s a
Wanted: A Superhero to Save the World by Bryan Davis, a review Read Post »
Jason Reynolds’ award-winning middle-grade novel Ghost tells the story of a boy who joins a track team. But he’s not just any boy; he’s one ran with his mother for their lives from his father, who was shooting at them.
Ghost by Jason Reynolds, a Review Read Post »
Sometimes I stray from my core mission of reviewing middle grade novels. This novel is almost a middle-grade novel. After
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt, a review Read Post »
Kia struggles to find a place socially on the track team, leaning heavily on her boyfriend. It’s not easy. And then her abuser–her grandfather–shows up and actually moves in with Kia and her mother. It’s a recipe for disaster, especially for the little six-year-old girl that her grandfather is getting to know as a volunteer at a day care.
Freerunner by Kathy Cassel, a review Read Post »
Here’s a truly notable book about Sojourner Truth, set apart by its amazing illustrations and its jewel-toned prose.
In this book, J.J. Johnson gives just the right funny touch to the voice of twelve-year-old Iggy, and occasionally to
Iggy and Oz: the Plastic Dinos of Doom by J.J. Johnson, a review Read Post »
Rob Currie’s debut middle grade novel, Hunger Winter, tells a suspenseful tale of brave kids in World-War-II Holland.
Hunger Winter: A World War II Novel by Rob Currie, a review Read Post »
I know I said I’d be reviewing middle grade books on this blog, but this picture book is just too
ROAR like a Dandelion by Ruth Krauss and Sergio Ruzzier, a review Read Post »
