They say good things come in threes, the third time is the charm, etc, etc. Basically three is the luckiest, most magical of numbers. I hope this is the case for these three series, all near and dear to my heart, which happen to have third installments out this fall. These three series walk to… Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Charmed Thirds
Tag: middle grade monday
Middle Grade Monday: Ghosts
Cat is not at all excited to be moving to foggy, seaside Bahia de la Luna, particularly when she learns that it is a sort of capital for ghosts. But doctors have agreed that it is a better place for her sister Maya, who has Cystic Fibrosis. Cat is torn between wanting to make new… Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Ghosts
Middle Grade Monday: Summer Reading Picks 2016
Whether you're lakeside, poolside, or inside, summer is the best time to read. Silly, spooky, thought-provoking and engrossing; here are some new(ish) books guaranteed to keep you or the middle grade reader in your life occupied this summer. Wolf Hollow We all have those keystone books in our lives, the ones so deeply affecting that… Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Summer Reading Picks 2016
Middle Grade Monday: Flickers
Middle grade horror is difficult to pull off. Some authors go for camp, with lots of gore and over-the-top scenarios that are almost humorous, therefore defusing any terror the reader might experience. Governor-General award-winning author Arthur Slade is the other kind of author-genuine thrills created by uncanny situations, eerie coincidences, and a slow-burning sense of… Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Flickers
Middle Grade Monday: Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard
Sophie Quire lives with her father, a bookmender, in Bustleburgh. Her mother died mysteriously years before. Bustleburgh is becoming a dangerous place for Sophie and her father. All nonsense, particularly that found in books, is outlawed. So when a blindfolded boy and a cat with hooves show up with one of four magical books promising… Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard
Middle Grade Monday: Raymie Nightingale
There is a whole generation who will look back at two-time Newbery medalist and National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Kate DiCamillo the way my generation looks back at Gordon Korman, Judy Blume, Kit Pearson or Beverly Cleary. In fact, in an EW article DiCamillo names Cleary as a major influence for her latest novel, the superlative… Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Raymie Nightingale
Middle Grade Monday: The Wild Robot
You may know Peter Brown as the author-illustrator of the very funny Children Make Terrible Pets, My Teacher is a Monster! (No, I Am Not) or the earnest and lovely The Curious Garden. In his first middle grade book The Wild Robot Brown asserts himself as a deft novelist, with a fresh twist on the classic… Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: The Wild Robot
Middle Grade Monday: The Story of Diva and Flea Review
I picked up the charming The Story of Diva and Flea from Book Culture while acting out my Kathleen Kelly fantasies in New York. It had been on my list for awhile (because Mo Willems) but with Paris so front-of-mind it felt particularly poignant. At its heart, this story is about making new friends, and how those… Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: The Story of Diva and Flea Review
Middle Grade Monday: Goodbye Stranger
A Rebecca Stead book is always unexpected and always a delight. I very much enjoyed her Northern fantasy First Light and remember hand-selling the heck out of it to die-hard City of Ember fans in my bookseller days. Then I read When You Reach Me and was struck by how timeless it felt, despite being… Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Goodbye Stranger
Middle Grade Monday: The Fourteenth Goldfish
This is one of those deceiving middle grade novels that seems straight forward and charming but is so deeply layered that the minute you try to examine it you are left with the conclusion that Jenni Holm is a genius and mere mortals should not try to dissect her work. Ellie does not know what… Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: The Fourteenth Goldfish
Vikki VanSickle 