Category: Middle Grade Fiction Review

REVIEW: Friday Night Stage Lights by Rachele Alpine

REVIEW: Friday Night Stage Lights by Rachele Alpine

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Brooklyn had a life she loved in Oregon with her mom. They had their surprise pancake breakfasts and their two-person routines. And Brooklyn had her dance studio and her friends.

But when her mom married Stephen, they had to move to Texas because Stephen’s son, Tanner, was a high school football star. And in Texas, football is everything.

Brooklyn is getting sick of the all-football-all-the-time life in Texas. She hates the games. She hates that she’s lost a lot of her special connection with her mom because her mom has thrown herself into football-mom mode for Tanner. And now, her one sanctuary, her new dance studio, has been invaded – by football players.

The middle school team is doing conditioning at her studio, and Brooklyn has to help them as part of her application to the Texas School of the Arts. But the boys always goof around, and they are infuriating. But when Brooklyn’s dance partner for her TSOTA audition breaks his leg, one of those football players may be her only chance to salvage her audition.

Review

This was so fun! I’m not sure I’ve ever read an Aladdin MIX book that I haven’t enjoyed. When I see the multicolored strip at the edge of the book, I know I’m going to enjoy it. And this is a great example of the fun stories in the line.

Brooklyn is relate-able from the start – her frustration with her family and the football players who mock her passion for dance, her hurt feelings when everyone seems to put Tanner and football first, her connections with Tanner and Logan. I loved all of it. She also has some real dance issues to sort out – getting past a bad performance where she was injured, figuring out who she is dancing for, and deciding if TSOTA is really what she wants for her future.

As a football fan, I loved watching her soften towards the players and the game as she learned more about it. It’s a great reminder to try to understand new things before deciding they are awful just because they are unfamiliar.

I can’t wait to pass this one on to some students I know. I think they will enjoy Brooklyn, Logan and the rest of the folks in this story as much as I did. Highly recommend!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: The Orphan Band of Springdale by Anne Nesbet

REVIEW: The Orphan Band of Springdale by Anne Nesbet

Posted on by Jaymie

[I mentioned this book in my post a couple weeks ago about the 2018 Cybils Awards. Here is my full review of The Orphan Band of Springdale.]

Summary

In 1941, Gusta is put on a bus to Springdale, Maine to live with her maternal grandmother for awhile while her parents sort out their life in New York. Grandma Hoopes runs a boarding house for orphans and “state kids.” And Gusta finds a second home in the hustle and bustle of a house full of kids.

Aside from her clothes, Gusta arrives only with a head full of her mother’s stories about her grandfather’s days as a sea captain in Maine and her father’s French horn. While Gusta’s mom said the horn could be sold for room and board expenses, Gusta can’t imagine parting with it.

Gusta’s resolve to keep the horn strengthens when she has the chance to play with the high school orchestra even though she is only eleven. And she forms a little band with her cousin and the “First Girl” at the boarding house. But realities of life start crowding in for Gusta. Her uncle Charlie was hurt at the Mill and lost his job. There’s no money for the surgery he needs, and he’s sinking into depression. She tries to take what she knows about labor laws and unions to help but ends up making things worse. Maybe selling her horn and using the money for her family is worth the heartache she would feel over the horn. Or maybe that will be the final piece that causes everything Gusta loves to fall apart completely.

Review

I have mentioned before that I don’t generally read historic fiction. It’s not a genre I seek out. In fact, I often actively avoid it. But I had to read this for an award committee. I planned to endure it. I pushed it off to last.

And I loved it!

I was captivated by Gusta right from the start. I loved her voice and her observations and thoughts and questions. And then the other characters started pulling me in even more.

This stirred up a lot of emotions for me, too. There’s terrific heart in the story, and there were many moments I loved. There were others, though, that left me sad, surprised and even ranting-and-raving-mad. A good story can crawl up inside you and pull all those different strings. And this one does.

I learned a lot from reading this, too, especially about 1941 America – the swell of patriotism and the moments it twisted into paranoia. I also learned about the beginning of the labor movement, which is something we take for granted today. It was fascinating. And it was all woven seamlessly into the story so I never felt like someone was trying to make a point. It was just a facet of this intricate story.

In some ways, I was hoping for a more satisfying ending, especially with regard to a few of the infuriating parts of the story. But the ending for this is satisfying and pretty realistic. I can’t wait to tell kids about this one. I’m afraid it could be a hard sell because this is a long book. It’s so hard to summarize all the things that go on here – I didn’t even include them all in my summary.

But Gusta….

For me if you just come to this book to meet Gusta, you’ll enjoy all the stories that follow her.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: 2018 Cybils Awards

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: 2018 Cybils Awards

Posted on by Jaymie

Once again I had the privilege of serving on a committee for the 2018 Cybils Awards. This year I served with the group choosing the winner in the Middle Grade Fiction category. You can see my post about the 2017 Cybils here. Now that our committee work is done, I am able to talk about the finalists we read this year. These are my personal thoughts on each of these books and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the full committee who presided over this category. Books here are listed in alphabetical order.

The Doughnut Fix –  A boy trying to adjust to a new town decides to open a doughnut stand and make the town’s secret doughnut recipe once again. This was so fun! I adored Tristan and his family. There’s lots here for kids to relate to – family stuff, friend stuff, a move, etc. So many funny moments, but also lots of great information about starting a business and about cooking. This was delightful! I’m looking forward to reading the sequel this spring. Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

 

 

Front Desk – A girl holding a lot of secrets, including the dream of being a writer, hopes to make it through the year keeping the biggest secrets from the owner of the motel where her family lives and works. I was temped to DNF (“did not finish”) this book when I was about 50 pages in. It was stressful – instead of the sort of suspense that keeps you moving forward, I was filled with dread as I read. What other horrible thing was going to happen to these poor characters? I’m glad I stuck with the book because there were hopeful things to balance out the painful. My favorite part was the way Mia learned to use words and writing to change circumstances for herself and her friends. I’m not sure the ultimate solution in the end is 100% believable, but I was so desperate for this family to get a win, I didn’t care. Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Harbor Me –  Six kids meet together in a space where for the first time they can be completely honest about the things they are facing.  I wasn’t convinced any school would let 6 teens meet unsupervised in the school, but I did enjoy watching the connections unfold. The “be a harbor” and “harbor others” sentiments were great. Rating:  ♥♥♥♥

 

 

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl – When a lightning strike gives a girl genius level math skills, her grandmother challenges her to complete one year of middle school and a series of tasks before she can leave for college. You can read my full review here. This was one of my favorite books from 2018, so my love for this one is clear. Rating:  ♥♥♥♥♥

 

 

The Orphan Band of Springdale – The two historical fiction books on the list were brand new to me. I didn’t even have them in my Book News lists for last year. This one is about a girl who is sent to live with her grandmother who runs a home for orphaned and displaced children.  This is a hard book to summarize because there is SO MUCH going on. I’m going to do a full review in a couple weeks so I can cover it in more detail. I will say I was set to dislike this one on principle because I don’t generally enjoy historic fiction, but this was an absolute delight! I loved Gusta’s voice and her spunk. I learned a lot about 1941 in America, and the various threads of the story really pulled at my emotions. This one was fantastic! Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

The Parker Inheritance –  From the author of the fabulous Great Greene Heist comes this story of a forgotten letter, an old injustice and a possible fortune. A girl finds an old letter addressed to her grandmother who left town in disgrace. The letter promised a fortune for the town if a puzzle could be solved. The girl and a friend try to solve the puzzle on their own to help their community and restore her grandmother’s name. This is a terrific puzzle story/mystery with strong social commentary on not only racial issues but also sexual orientation. I enjoyed the references to The Westing Game and the flips from past to present throughout the book. Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

 

Skylark and Wallcreeper – The second historical fiction book in this set is about a girl caring for her grandmother during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 who discovers her grandmother’s secret history in the French Resistance. This has a nice merging of the 2012 hurricane/family story with the 1944 World War II/French Resistance pieces told from the grandmother’s perspective. Solid for fans of historic fiction, books with split story lines/time lines, and fans of WWII fiction. Rating: ♥♥♥½

 

 

You can see all of the 2018 Cybils Award winners here.

REVIEW: The Lost Continent by Tui T. Sutherland

REVIEW: The Lost Continent by Tui T. Sutherland

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The Land of Pantala has been at peace since the end of the Tree Wars. The HiveWings destroyed the LeafWings and the trees, and now they rule the SilkWings.

Blue and Luna are both SilkWings – siblings with the same father. Both are days away from their Metamorphosis which is when SilkWing dragonets get their wings.

But when it’s time for Luna to begin her Metamorphosis, something unexpected happens, and the HiveWings become VERY interested in Luna. And since Blue is her brother, the HiveWings want him, too.

Before long, Blue has teamed up with an unexpected ally, and they are on the run from Queen Wasp. All of Blue’s expectations for his life – and his understanding of the world – are turned upside down. Another dragon prophecy is at play, and Blue is smack in the middle of the action.

Review

I have been a Wings of Fire fan since the first book released in 2013. The second five-book series was even better than the first. And now a third series has started. I was engrossed from the first page.

The author hints at this story at the end of Darkness of Dragons, and the end of this book ties that teaser into this new series. And now I can’t wait until the whole series is out so I can see how all the pieces work together. I’m already attached to Blue and his surprise ally. And I have so many questions about this new world and its history, not to mention questions about what happens next in the story.

The author has done an incredible job of creating a new world while keeping some familiar features from the previous 10 books. I think she gets better and better with each story! These are automatic purchases for me. I can’t wait to see how the two dragon lands Pantala and Pyrrhia will connect as this series develops!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

Book 2 in this series (Book 12 overall) is The Hive Queen. It was good, but felt like a transitional story to move the reader from book 11 to book 13. Book 3 (13) is called The Poison Jungle and it will release this summer.

REVIEW: The Perfect Secret by Rob Buyea

REVIEW: The Perfect Secret by Rob Buyea

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Secrets abound when the kids from The Perfect Score return as seventh graders.

  • Gaven is ready to play some football, but being on the team isn’t what he expected.
  • Randi is in a great place with her mom, but a special gymnastics camp opens an unexpected door to their past.
  • Natalie is determined to lead the team in their effort to reunite Mrs. Woods and Mrs. Magenta (estranged mother and daughter), but she ends up leading a lot of other vital projects as well.
  • Scott learns that he has the perfect skills to be the stat guy for the football team, if only they’d give him a chance.
  • Trevor is safe from his brother and his friends, but the whole mess last year could be tearing his family apart.

Review

Rob Buyea’s books are my favorite example of multiple points of view done well. Each of the kids has a great voice, and they can tell so many stories because each gets a moment on the “stage.” I think I love this group of kids even more than the group in the Mr. Terupt series. They are smart, caring kids. They are so good at looking outside of themselves and helping others.

The first book in the series looked at standardized testing. This one looks at immigration – among other things. It’s a pretty simple discussion of a very complex issue, but it’s handled really well. Middle school dating is introduced in this one, too – hand holding only. There are also pieces in this about racism, bullying and the trouble secrets can cause. My only complaint is that it felt like there is a lot of “we would learn later…” sorts of foreshadowing. I would have preferred the story to just happen, or maybe to just use that technique once or twice when it really mattered.

This is a series I highly recommend. I look forward to each new book. Book three – The Perfect Star  – will release in the fall.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Blended by Sharon Draper

REVIEW: Blended by Sharon Draper

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Izzy was caught off guard by her parents’ divorce. When her dad moved across the country, she missed him like crazy. But when he moved back to Ohio, the new shared custody plan had its own flaws. Izzy spends one week with her mom and then the next week with her dad. Different homes, different beds, different expectations – different Izzy?

And if the different expectations and rules weren’t jarring enough, the two houses make Izzy even more aware of being biracial. With her dad and his Black girlfriend, Izzy seems to visually “fit.” When she’s with her White mom and her boyfriend, she notices how people look at her as though trying to figure out how she goes with them.

Then, as Izzy is trying to figure out what she thinks about all these differences in her life, she and her friends are also getting older. They’re more aware of the history of race relations in America – and they learn that some people want to hang onto the prejudices of the past.

Review

I knew this book was going to deal with Izzy’s blended family as well as her blended racial identity. But I didn’t expect some of the other race-related pieces of the story. They were very well written and totally appropriate for a middle grade audience.  I was just surprised. I loved Izzy and her insightfulness and observations about life and people and her own situation.

There’s a LOT here that would make for excellent discussion for families, classrooms and book groups. The racial pieces are an obvious discussion point, but I thought the divorce pieces in the story were also strong.

I wanted more at the end, but it’s pretty brilliant that the author ended things where she did. I was caught completely off guard by the ending. And I’m itching to talk with someone about it. I think kids will feel the same way. This would be perfect for getting kids talking about what happened in the book and what they think might happen next. Highly recommend.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Wedgie and Gizmo vs. the Great Outdoors by Suzanne Selfors

REVIEW: Wedgie and Gizmo vs. the Great Outdoors by Suzanne Selfors

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The family is on their way to a week-long camping vacation! A fun adventure, but not really a great trip for a corgi and a guinea pig. So they take Wedgie and Gizmo to a “pet hotel.” Gizmo is not impressed by the amenities and Wedgie just wants his “pack” back. Between the two of then, they manage to get kicked out of the pet hotel!

So Wedgie and Gizmo are off with the family to the great outdoors. Wedgie is convinced this is their new yard and he must defend their home from the “tiny squirrels” (chipmunks). Gizmo is hoping to convince all the forest creatures to pledge their loyalty to him and his evil schemes.

Meanwhile, the family is enjoying campfires, fishing, and hiking. Well, almost everyone is enjoying the trip. Jackson, the youngest kid, is feeling left out as his siblings won’t play with him and his parents think he’s too little to do anything. But Jackson may surprise everyone in the family on this vacation!

Review

I fell in love with Wedgie and Gizmo in their first adventure, and they are still some of my favorite characters in children’s literature. These stories are so fun! And this one especially was a hoot. I love Wedgie’s energy and enthusiasm for EVERYTHING. Gizmo is clever, and I loved how his story turned out in this book. (It was so great, I don’t want to give anything away.)

One of the things I love about this series – besides the characters and the humor – is the layered storytelling. The “front” story is the Wedgie and Gizmo activity. They tell their own part of the story (a great example of voice for young writers). But woven throughout their stories are conversations between the human members of the family. And there’s always a full story going on there, too, in the “background.” I’m so impressed by the writing in this series and how the author works the two stories together.

I think this is a series that works for both chapter book readers (and kids whose parents read them chapter books) as well as younger middle grade readers. I highly recommend the whole series!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Misfits by Jen Calonita

REVIEW: Misfits by Jen Calonita

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

In the world of the Fairy Tale Reform School there is another school for fairy tale-related characters – the Royal Academy. And Devinaria Nile of Cobblestone Creek has been invited to attend. The headmistress is the famous fairy godmother, Olivina. Devin has less than no interest in princess training. She has a special gift for communicating with animals and feels her calling is creature care. But the Royal Academy, Olivina, and Devin’s mother won’t take no for an answer.

Devin is in way over her head! She hasn’t done any of the required reading, so she doesn’t know the rules and expectations for the Royal Academy. She doesn’t have the right clothes for all the balls and princess-y activities. And her gift for talking to animals and her drive to take charge and care for her friends have put her at risk for expulsion. But something about the Royal Academy is just not right. The question is whether Devin will fall in line with Olivina’s rules or if she’ll keep digging until she finds the truth.

Review

This was excellent! This has strong characters like the ones I loved at the start of the Fairy Tale Reform School series. I love the princess-saves-herself attitude from Devin. And Olivina’s efforts to squash it were infuriating. But there’s so much more going on that we still don’t understand even after the first book wraps up. I can’t wait to get to book 2! It’s been awhile since I wanted a middle grade sequel so badly.

Devin and her friends are characters you want to cheer for. Even when tensions arise as Devin’s choices lead to trouble for her friends, and they push her away, you know they will stand together when it truly matters.

This book does a terrific job of establishing the characters and the setting while teasing at the mysteries of the series. I am thrilled with how the author balanced those pieces. I never felt like the character pieces were drawn out or filler to drag out the mystery/questions of the plot. And there’s a ton of action and plot in this but only hints at what’s really going on. This is delightful and redeems all of my frustration at the last couple Fairy Tale Reform School books. Highly Recommend!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: The Unteachables by Gordon Korman

REVIEW: The Unteachables by Gordon Korman

Posted on by Jaymie

[I won an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in an online contest. Thanks to the publisher, Balzer + Bray, for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Mr. Zachary Kermit is counting down the days until he is eligible for early retirement. He used to be an exceptional teacher. But in 1992, a student – Jake Terranova – sold answers to a national standardized test to his peers. When the students scored well, the principal, Dr. Thaddeus, soaked in the accolades. When the cheating was discovered, Jack was suspended and Thaddeus blamed Mr. Kermit for the scandal. Mr. Kermit was the scapegoat. He kept his job, but he lost his fiancée and the fire he had for teaching.

Dr. Thaddeus, now the superintendent, is determined to push Mr. Kermit out before he can qualify for his retirement. So Mr. Kermit is assigned to the self-contained 8th grade class known as The Unteachables. This misfit group of kids is notorious. They’ve been shuffled to a corner of the building with hope that the kids won’t cause any trouble for the rest of the school. Kermit knows part of the problem is the school’s – they’ve failed to intervene on behalf of these kids for two years already. But he’s content to babysit them, drinking coffee and doing crosswords, until the school year comes to an end. But an unexpected student sees things in Mr. Kermit that he might have forgotten. And maybe those qualities can make all the difference for The Unteachables.

Review

This is such a great school story!! I love changing perspective stories like this one. This includes adult perspectives, not just the kids, which sets this apart from other books like this. And the adult perspectives are great and really essential to the story.

Mr. Kermit is the character who changes the most throughout the course of the book. And that sets this story apart, too. The reader can see Mr. Kermit fight for his students from the beginning. He’s burned out and beaten down. He’s just biding his time. Yet he still knows that dumping The Unteachables in a dark corner for a year until they can be the high school’s problem is wrong. And he says so. That spark of justice – of being a voice for the voiceless – is what starts to draw his students to him. When the kids recognize this quality in Mr. Kermit, they respond to it and start to change, too. And that’s where the story gets magical.

This was a delight from start to finish. I loved the characters and found the story inspirational. Another treat from Gordon Korman. Highly recommend.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

REVIEW: The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Henry Holt and Co. in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Coyote and her dad live in an old school bus that they’ve turned into something of a mobile home. They come and go as they please, living life on the road. They have a few rules for their nomadic life. Before they pick up any passengers, they ask them about their favorite book, place and sandwich. Also, Coyote calls her dad “Rodeo,” never “Dad.” And they never talk about the life they had before – before Coyote’s mom and two sisters died in an accident.

After five years on the road together, Coyote’s gotten really good at managing Rodeo. She knows what to say or how or when to say it to convince him to do almost anything. She used these skills to get her kitten, Ivan, for example.

So when Coyote finds out from her grandmother that the park near their old house is about to be dug up, she knows it will take some epic finessing to get her father to leave Florida and get to Washington before the park is destroyed. And she can’t come right out and tell him why they need to go, because it would break the rule of never talking about their loss. But Coyote and her mom and sisters buried a time capsule in that park just days before the accident. Now, Coyote absolutely has to get back to that park and save those last memories before they are destroyed forever.

Review

Oh, this was lovely! Dan Gemeinhart is an amazing writer! I have enjoyed several of his other books. He develops these fantastic characters. And he really knows how to get to the heart and soul of a story. This book is a perfect example of that skill. Coyote and Rodeo are amazing. They have developed an extreme coping strategy for their loss. But as Coyote gets older, and when the park situation comes up, it’s no longer enough for her. But Rodeo won’t give up his coping mechanisms easily. Watching the two of them walk through this challenge was fantastic.

They pick up some awesome passengers along the way. I loved the whole ensemble. Each one was on his or her own journey of identity or self-discovery or a scary new start – and they became something of a family on the journey.

Bring your tissues for this one. I absolutely loved the heart of this. This is an emotionally rich and complex story, which is awesome for middle grade readers. There’s lots to think about and talk about with this one. I could see this being great for a book club or discussion group.

I would steer this one to older middle grade readers. That’s my gut for this one, first because of the emotional intricacies. Some younger readers won’t have the life experience and empathy yet to really “get” Coyote and her story.  There’s also some language which might catch younger readers – or Christian readers – off guard (g-damn, “lord,” etc.). For the older crowd – upper elementary, middle school – this is a story and a character that is not to be missed!! (Language, LGBTQ)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½