Category Archives: Middle Grade

The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Katy K.

The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin. Candlewick, 2018. M.T. Anderson is always coming up with new ideas – as in, his books are so very different from each other, from the dark, futuristic teen sci-fi … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print, Reviews, Teen/Young Adult | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

R is for Rebel by J. Anderson Coats

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Katy K.

A determined Native girl fights back against a repressive system in this non-magical fantasy book. R is for Rebel by J. Anderson Coats. Simon & Schuster, 2018. Malley was named for the martyred Melian.  Nearly all children of native Milean … Continue reading →

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Atmospheric Fantasy: The Turning and Strange Star

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Katy K.

Here are two Cybils nominees with misty settings and strong characters. The Turning by Emily Whitman. Greenwillow Books, 2018. Aran (whose skin color is not mentioned) has lived all his life with the selkies.  Even though he’s stuck in ”longlimbs” … Continue reading →

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

3 Ghost Stories: City of Ghosts; When a Ghost Talks, Listen; Festival of Ghosts

Posted on November 27, 2018 by Katy K.

Did you think we were done with ghost stories just because October ended?  Here are three more, all Cybils nominated., including City of Ghosts; When a Ghost Talks, Listen; and a Festival of Ghosts. Continue reading →

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Magisterium 4 and 5: the Silver Mask and the Golden Tower

Posted on November 23, 2018 by Katy K.

It’s the finale to a series that my son and I have been following since it started in 2014 with The Iron Trial. Reader be warned – spoilers are unavoidable. The Silver Mask. Magisterium Book 4 by Holly Black and … Continue reading →

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Magical Transportation: The Train of Lost Things and the Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Katy K.

Here are some more of my Cybils reading – two transportation-based fantasies (for a middle grade audience, of course.) The Train of Lost Things by Ammi-Joan Paquette. Philomel Books, 2018. Here’s a new book by the author of the Princess Juniper … Continue reading →

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Maggie & Abby’s Neverending Pillow Fort and the 11:11 Wish

Posted on November 20, 2018 by Katy K.

Here are two about adjusting to middle school and the friend shifting that happens. Maggie & Abby’s Neverending Pillow Fort by Will Taylor. HarperCollins, 2018. Introverted, imaginative Maggie, who is white, is a one-friend kind of girl.  She’s spent most … Continue reading →

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Unicorn Quest by Kamila Benko

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Katy K.

Unicorn Quest by Kamila Benko. Bloomsbury, 2018. 11-year-old Claire and her older sister Sophie have just moved to their recently deceased great-aunt’s enormous country house.  Claire has spent most of her life following very cautiously behind Sophie’s search for Experiences … Continue reading →

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Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

Posted on November 9, 2018 by Katy K.

We’re having our first snow of the season today – a perfect time to review a wintery book. Winterhouse by Ben Guterson. Illustrated by Chloe Bristol. Henry Holt, 2018. Orphaned book-lover Elizabeth Somers lives with her horrible Aunt Purdy and … Continue reading →

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

Snared: Escape to the Above by Adam Jay Epstein

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Katy K.

So all those fantasy dungeons filled with treasure, traps, and treacherous creatures… who put them together? Snared: Escape to the Above by Adam Jay Epstein. Read by Nick Mondelli. Dreamscape Media, 2018.  12-year-old Wily Snare is a trap smith in … Continue reading →

Posted in Audiobook, Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Reviews | Tagged , | 6 Comments