Category Archives: Middle Grade

Every Bird a Prince by Jenn Reese

The shifting landscape of seventh grade combines with the unseen magical battles in the nearby woods.   Continue reading

Posted in Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

#MGReadathon Finish Line

Here’s my wrap-up, with reviews of It’s the End of the World and I’m in My Bathing Suit and Valentina Salazar is NOT a Monster Hunter. Continue reading

Posted in Audiobook, Books, Challenges, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print, Realistic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat

Here’s another lovely Thai-inspired historical fiction/fantasy book from Christina Soontornvat, whose earlier books A Wish in the Dark and All Thirteen won Newbery Honors the same year. Continue reading

Posted in Audiobook, Fantasy, Historical, Middle Grade | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton

Here’s a fantastic new magical school story from best-selling author Dhonielle Clayton. Continue reading

Posted in Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

5 Stories of Adventure & Change

Here’s a mix of books from the past couple of years, all sharing an element of change and adventure. Continue reading

Posted in Lists, Middle Grade, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Witchlings by Claribel Ortega

Claribel Ortega’s newest middle grade fantasy, Witchlings, is an appealing mix of friendship, danger, and magic set in a contemporary fantasy world filled with whimsical details. Continue reading

Posted in Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

BLOG TOUR: Drifters by Kevin Emerson

Here’s a creepy, relevant contemporary science fiction book by the author of Last Day on Mars. Continue reading

Posted in Books, Middle Grade, Print, Sci-Fi | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Generational Trauma and Healing: Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa and A Comb of Wishes

Here are two new middle grade fantasies that look at generational trauma through a fantasy lens, while being entertaining stories in their own right.  Continue reading

Posted in Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

2+2 Cybils Graphic Novel Finalists

Here are reviews of four more outstanding 2021 Cybils Graphic Novel finalists – Cranky Chicken by Katherine Battersby, The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor, Cheer Up!: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Fraiser, and Nubia: Real One by L.L. McKinney and Robyn Smyth. Continue reading

Posted in Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Middle Grade, Realistic, Reviews, Romance, Teen/Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Unicorn Island: Secret Beneath the Sand by Donna Galanti

Thanks so much to Donna Galanti for sending me the second book in this appealing not-quite-middle-grade series.  Unicorn Island: Secret Beneath the Sand by Donna Galanti. Illustrated by Bethany Stancliffe. Epic!, 2022. Review copy kindly sent by the author.  Unicorn … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Early Chapter Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print, Reviews | Tagged , , | 3 Comments