Category: Middle Grade

Title: The Great Bear (The Misewa Saga #2)
Author: David A. Robertson
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Puffin Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 28, 2021
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Eli and Morgan journey once more to Misewa, travelling back in time.

Back at home after their first adventure in the Barren Grounds, Eli and Morgan each struggle with personal issues: Eli is being bullied at school, and tries to hide it from Morgan, while Morgan has to make an important decision about her birth mother. They turn to the place where they know they can learn the most, and make the journey to Misewa to visit their animal friends. This time they travel back in time and meet a young fisher that might just be their lost friend. But they discover that the village is once again in peril, and they must dig deep within themselves to find the strength to protect their beloved friends. Can they carry this strength back home to face their own challenges?

Review:

Eli and Morgan have returned home from their first trip to the Misewa, a world that they can only enter through a picture in their attic. They both have to face some tough situations in their real world lives. Eli is being bullied by kids at school for having long hair. Morgan has to decide if she wants to contact her birth mother. To get some help with their problems, they want to return to Misewa and see their friend, Ochek. However, since he died at the end of their last journey, they go back in time to see him again. They find that the world is facing a new threat, so they have to work together to protect their friends.

This was a really good sequel to The Barren Grounds. Since one of Eli’s and Morgan’s friend died at the end of the previous book, they had to travel back in time to see him again. Things weren’t the same in the world as what they remembered, so they had to be careful not to change the future.

Eli and Morgan are both Indigenous foster children. They have to deal with the trauma of their past and figure out how to still honor their heritage while fitting in at school. Eli wore his hair in a braid, but the other children called him a girl. They didn’t understand that it was important to Eli to honor his culture by braiding his hair. Morgan had to make the tough decision of whether to contact her birth mother or not. She has some memories of her from when she was a toddler, but she still feels abandoned. These aspects of the plot will introduce young readers to some of the real problems that Indigenous youth may face today.

The Great Bear was a great sequel! It ended on a cliffhanger that left me with so many questions. I can’t wait to see where the story goes next.

Thank you Puffin Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Other books in the series:

• The Barren Grounds

Have you read The Great Bear? What did you think of it?

Title: The Hiddenseek
Author: Nate Cernosek
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: August 24, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this spine-chilling middle grade debut–perfect for fans of Small Spaces and the Goosebumps series–a brother and sister are transported to a cursed world based on the game hide-and-seek, where they are pursued by a shape-shifting witch, the game never ends, and the only way to get home is to win. 

“You hid. But you were not found. You thought you were playing a harmless game. You were wrong.” 

After Holly and Hector Thorn are left behind during a simple game of hide-and-seek, they find themselves transported to a gloomy, magical world seemingly trapped in time–the Hiddenseek. There, It, a witch with the ability to transform into a raven and a wolf, stalks children day and night, turning any she can lay hands on into statues, frozen forever in their final moments of terror. 

Together with the other lost children they encounter, Holly and Hector will have to unravel the mysterious origins of the Hiddenseek and find a way to put a stop to the curse once and for all, before they get stuck there forever . . . Because in this twisted game of hide-and-seek, they are playing for their lives.

Review:

The only thing worse than being found while playing hide and seek is not being found at all. When Holly was playing hide and seek with her brother, Hector, and his friends, she wasn’t found. She came out of her hiding spot and saw a man, named Oliver, who told her he must take her to a place called The Hiddenseek since she lost the game. Hector also wasn’t found, so he was sent to The Hiddenseek with Holly. Now, they’re in an even more dangerous game, being chased by It, a witch who can turn them to stone if she catches them. Holly and Hector have to win the game to save their lives.

Most kids play hide and seek, but usually the stakes are not as high as they are in The Hiddenseek. It’s not fun to not be found, because, though it could mean that you found a great hiding place, it could also mean that the other players forgot about you. Holly and Hector, along with the other kids they meet, were all tricked while playing hide and seek and not found. This was the ultimate worst ending to a game of hide and seek.

This was a spooky story. The kids were transported to a forest with a deep history. They had to figure out why they had been brought there before they could find their way home. I would have loved this spooky horror story when I was a kid!

The Hiddenseek is a creepy middle grade story!

Thank you Penguin Teen for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Have you read The Hiddenseek? What did you think of it?

Title: Paola Santiago and the River of Tears
Author: Tehlor Kay Mejia
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Release Date: August 4, 2020
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Space-obsessed 12-year-old Paola Santiago and her two best friends, Emma and Dante, know the rule: Stay away from the river. It’s all they’ve heard since a schoolmate of theirs drowned a year ago. Pao is embarrassed to admit that she has been told to stay away for even longer than that, because her mother is constantly warning her about La Llorona, the wailing ghost woman who wanders the banks of the Gila at night, looking for young people to drag into its murky depths.

Hating her mother’s humiliating superstitions and knowing that she and her friends would never venture into the water, Pao organizes a meet-up to test out her new telescope near the Gila, since it’s the best stargazing spot. But when Emma never arrives and Pao sees a shadowy figure in the reeds, it seems like maybe her mom was right. . . .

Pao has always relied on hard science to make sense of the world, but to find her friend she will have to enter the world of her nightmares, which includes unnatural mist, mind-bending monsters, and relentless spirits controlled by a terrifying force that defies both logic and legend.

Review:

Twelve-year-old Paola Santiago and her friends Dante and Emma have been told to stay away from the river after a classmate drowned a year ago. Pao’s mother is superstitious and has also told her to stay away from the river so that she doesn’t meet La Llorona, a ghost woman who roams the river searching for young people to drag into the water. Naturally, they make the river their regular meeting spot. After they make plans to meet there one evening, Emma doesn’t show up. Paola has always believed strictly in science and not her mother’s superstitions, but her search for Emma makes her realize that her mother’s stories may be closer to the truth than she ever guessed.

This story was rooted in Latinx folklore. Paola’s mother was superstitious and told Paola stories about terrifying legends. However, Paola was disconnected from her culture. She didn’t speak Spanish, and she was opposed to anything her mother liked. When Paola went on her search for her best friend, she found that the folktales that her mom would tell her were actually true.

There were many dream-like scenes in this story. Paola was called the Dreamer, and she would have vivid dreams about people she knew. It was ironic that she was a dreamer, because she was very logical and scientific. Paola had to embrace this dreamer side of her personality to find Emma.

Paola Santiago and the River of Tears is a fun start to this series!

What to read next:

Other books in the series:

• Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares

Have you read Paola Santiago and the River of Tears? What did you think of it?