Category Archives: Middle Grade

Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca

Posted on June 21, 2019 by Katy K.

Here’s a magical midsummer book for the summer solstice!  I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book at KidLitCon, and waited to read it until closer to its release date. Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca. Yellow Jacket, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

4 Kids’ Fantasies from Outside the US

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Katy K.

Here are four middle grade fantasy books from the English-speaking world outside of the US – South Africa, Australia, Ireland, and the UK.  (Shorter reviews as part of my trying to catch up with my reading.) The Turnaway Girls by … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print, Reviews | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

Posted on May 8, 2019 by Katy K.

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez. Rick Riordan Presents/Disney Hyperion, 2019. The story starts with the raw chicken in the locker.  Sal put it there, to get bully Yasmany off his case in hopes of making it … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments

New Kid by Jerry Craft

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Katy K.

I first saw Jerry Craft’s work illustrating the massively underappreciated Zero Degree Zombie Zone. Now he’s come out with his own graphic novel, which is receiving a lot of very deserved attention.   New Kid by Jerry Craft. HarperCollins Childrens, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Graphic Novel, Middle Grade, Realistic | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

3 Fantastic Graphic Novels for Kids

Posted on April 26, 2019 by Katy K.

Here are three recent fantasy and science fiction graphic novels for kids Aquicorn Cove by Katie O’Neill. Oni Press, 2018. I’m really fond of Katie O’Neill’s beautiful art style paired with woman- and queer-power storylines and couldn’t resist getting this … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Graphic Novel, Middle Grade | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Katy K.

Thank you so much to Versify for sending me an ARC of this book to review! The book was officially published April 2. The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles, illustrated by Dapo Adeola. Versify/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019. It’s the last … Continue reading →

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Where the Heart Is and Still a Work in Progress by Jo Knowles

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Katy K.

Kidlitcon happened!  Providence was beautiful!  I plan to pull together my notes from that soon, but for now, a couple of books by the wonderful Jo Knowles, who was on my panel called “You Can’t Say That in Middle Grade”, … Continue reading →

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The Benefits of Being an Octopus

Posted on March 21, 2019 by Katy K.

Here’s another author from my Kidlitcon panel, which I’m posting from the airport on my way to Providence! The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden. Sky Pony Press, 2018. Seventh grader Zoey mostly keeps her head down on … Continue reading →

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

So Done by Paula Chase.

Posted on March 18, 2019 by Katy K.

Kidlitcon is coming up!  I’ll be moderating a panel called “You Can’t Say That in Middle Grade!” with four wonderful authors who are willing to tackle issues that have in the past been reserved for teen audiences, if they’re discussed … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Middle Grade, Print, Realistic | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

The Girl with the Dragon Heart by Stephanie Burgis

Posted on March 15, 2019 by Katy K.

This is the sequel to The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart, which won the 2017 Cybils award for Middle Grade Speculative Fiction.  It came out in the middle of my 2018 Cybils reading, and was one of the first books … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments