Middle Grade – Page 20 – Jill's Book Blog

Blog Tour Review: Secrets of a Fangirl

Title: Secrets of a Fangirl
Author: Erin M. Dionne
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Publisher: Scholastic
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Format: Ebook
Release Date: May 28, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sarah Anne loves lacrosse, and the MK Nightshade series that everyone was obsessed over in grade school. The problem is that she’s still obsessed, which is way too nerdy for a popular kid like her. So she hides her geekiness with a set of rules meant to keep her geek and jock selves separate.

Except when she’s offered a spot in a Nightshade fandom contest, where the winner gets to see the new movie premiere in LA. No one seems to think Sarah Anne can win, since she’s up against a pair of guys in high school–but the more she’s called a fake fan, the more determined she is to wipe the floor with her competition. As long as none of her friends or anyone at school knows what she’s doing.

Can she keep her geek identity a secret, win the contest, and manage to keep her friends even though she’s been living a lie? Sarah Anne is going to have to make some choices about what’s truly important to her and which rules she’s going to break to stay true to herself.

Review:

I loved this book!

I could really relate to Sarah Anne, the main character. She was a huge fan of a series called Nightshade, but she had to hide it from her friends. Her friends no longer thought it was “cool” to belong to a fandom, so Sarah Anne had to pretend that she didn’t like it anymore either. When she enters a contest online and wins, entering her into a fandom challenge, her secret “geeky” identity is put on display. I could relate to this because I remember in middle school and high school when liking geeky things, like fantasy book series or video games, was uncool. I didn’t even realize it at the time, but I chose to ignore the fandoms that I loved, so that I could fit in with the rest of my classmates and friends. Now that I’m older, I wear tons of fandom gear, and I’m not afraid for anyone to know what geeky things I love.

I kept cringing at Sarah Anne’s popular friends. They were mean to so many kids, just because they liked certain movies and fandoms. One boy even expected Sarah Anne to keep up her position on the lacrosse team, because he couldn’t be seen with her if she wasn’t the best. This was so sad to read about, but it is definitely a real part of school. There are always the mean kids who think they can control what everyone else does in the school. The important thing is to continue to stand up for what you believe in.

This was a great book!

Thank you to Scholastic for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author:

Erin Dionne’s latest book for tweens is Lights, Camera, Disaster (Scholastic 2018). Her other novels are Models Don’t Eat Chocolate Cookies, The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet, and Notes from an Accidental Band Geek.

Her novel Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking: A 14 Day Mystery, is based on the real-life Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art heist and was a 2014 Edgar Award finalist. The series continues with Ollie and the Science of Treasure Hunting. Her first picture book, Captain’s Log: Snowbound, illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler, was released in 2018 and received a starred review from Kirkus.

A graduate of Boston College (BA English & Communications) and Emerson College (MFA), she teaches at Montserrat College of Art and lives outside of Boston with her husband, two children, and a very indignant dog.

Blog Tour Schedule:

May 20th

Dazzled by Books– Promo + Bookstagram
Struck by Stories– Review
The Book Dutchesses– Review

May 21st

Kayla Reads and Reviews– Review
Musings of a (Book) Girl– Interview + Bookstagram
The Reading Corner for All– Review + Bookstagram

May 22nd

onemused– Bookstagram + Review
Kait Plus Books– Guest Post + Bookstagram
Rhythmicbooktrovert– Review + Favorite Quotes

May 23rd

The Clever Reader– Interview
Jill’s Book Blog– Review
Moonlight Rendezvous– Review + Favorite Quotes

May 24th

L.M. Durand– Promo & Bookstagram
Vicarious Bookworm– Review + Playlist
Bookwyrming Thoughts– Review

Thank you The Fantastic Flying Book Club and Scholastic for letting me participate in this blog tour.

Have you read Secrets of a Fangirl? What did you think of it?

Review: Beauty Queen (Whatever After #7)

Title: Beauty Queen (Whatever After #7)
Author: Sarah Mlynowski
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The magical seventh installment in this NEW YORK TIMES bestselling series!

This time, the magic mirror sucks Abby and Jonah into the story of Beauty and the Beast. When Jonah angers the Beast by picking flowers from his garden, he becomes the Beast’s prisoner! Abby has to save her brother by finding Beauty, whom the Beast will surely fall in love with, right? NOPE. The Beast doesn’t like Beauty, so it’s up to Abby and her brother to match-make this reluctant pair and fix this fractured fairy tale before things get pretty ugly!

Review:

This is another fun fairytale retelling!

In this story, Abby and Jonah have to fix the Beauty and the Beast fairytale. Abby also has to find a way to get Jonah’s memories back. His memories were wiped at the end of the previous novel so he didn’t remember any of their other fairytale adventures. There were many twists throughout the story, including Abby being turned into a beast!

As the series progresses, the characters are becoming more developed. Abby and Jonah’s lives outside of the fairytale adventures was shown at the beginning of the story. Abby has trouble with her friends at school. She becomes jealous when her friend makes a new friend. However, she learns how to fix the situation while in the Beauty and the Beast story.

The Whatever After series is great! I highly recommend it!

Review: Girl of the Southern Sea

Title: Girl of the Southern Sea
Author: Michelle Kadarusman
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Pajama Press
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 23, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the time she was a little girl, Nia has dreamed up adventures about the Javanese mythical princess, Dewi Kadita. Now fourteen, Nia would love nothing more than to continue her education and become a writer. But high school costs money her family doesn’t have; everything her father earns selling banana fritters at the train station goes to their meager existence in the Jakarta slums―assuming he doesn’t drink it all away first.

But Nia―forced to grow up too soon to take care of her baby brother following their mother’s death during childbirth―is determined to find a way to earn her school fees. After she survives a minibus accident unharmed and the locals say she is blessed with ‘good luck magic,’ Nia exploits the notion for all its worth by charging double for her fried bananas. Selling superstitions can be dangerous, and when the tide turns and she discovers her father’s secret plan to marry her off to a much older admirer, It becomes clear that Nia’s future is being mapped without her consent.

If Nia is to write a new story for herself, she must overcome more obstacles than she could ever have conceived of for her mythical princess, and summon courage she isn’t sure she has.

Review:

This was a fantastic story! It was exciting and suspenseful.

This was a fast paced story. I almost read all of it in one sitting. There were many impactful scenes, such as a bus crash and a fight at the market. Even though these were scenes where bad things happened, they would make an impact on the reader because of how sudden and life changing they were for the characters. It made for a thrilling story.

This book deals with some serious issues such as child marriage and the lack of available education for young girls in certain parts of the world. I’m sure some kids in Western countries couldn’t even imagine these kinds of things happening to girls like them. It was chilling to read about, because there is nothing the girls can do in these situations to save themselves. Nia was lucky in this story, but most girls aren’t as lucky.

I really enjoyed this novel! I highly recommend it for middle grade readers!

Review: Mya’s Strategy to Save The World

Title: Mya’s Strategy to Save the World
Author: Tanya Lloyd Kyi
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 30, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Twelve-year-old Mya Parsons could save the world and organize her family, if only she had her own cell phone. A Dork Diaries for today’s socially conscious young readers.

Mya Parsons runs her school’s social justice club with her best friend, Cleo. Her lifelong desire is to work for the United Nations and change the world, and then bask in all the ensuing adulation. Her more immediate desire is to get a phone, preferably one like Cleo’s, with a leopard-print case to match. When her distracted dad and her long-distance mom (temporarily in Myanmar taking care of Mya’s grandmother) both say no, no way, and possibly never, Mya launches a campaign to prove herself reliable and deserving. She advertises her babysitting services, takes on more responsibility around the house, and attempts to supervise her sister’s skateboarding lessons. Her efforts leave her ego bruised and the kitchen slightly scorched. She’s no closer to touch-screen victory, let alone the Nobel Peace Prize she deserves. But all that changes after an accident leaves Mya to take charge–an experience which helps her realize how much she’s grown, with or without access to proper communications.

Review:

I really enjoyed this book! Mya has an easygoing, simple way of narrating, which made the story a quick read.

Mya is a great character. She has a good heart, but she also has flaws. Her dream is to work in the United Nations, so she spends a lot of her time researching social justice issues throughout the world. Her mother is in Myanmar during the story, so she has a close relation to things that are happening there. At the same time, Mya doesn’t always treat everyone fairly. She could be selfish at times, such as when she didn’t want to help her dad with chores when he was swamped with work. This balance of good qualities and flaws made her a realistic character.

I loved the way that Mya was very tuned into what was happening in the world. It is important for kids to know what problems people in different parts of the world are facing in their daily lives, and how it can affect themselves. For example, she found out that children have to mine cobalt in Africa, which is then used to make cell phones. That made her rethink her priorities.

I think Mya is a relatable character. This story was a lot of fun to read!

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

Review: Order of the Majestic

This was a fun, original story! The magic in this story was in the form of magical illusions, rather than fantasy. There was more than just card tricks, including magical portals to other worlds, but it seemed a little more realistic than other stories.

Title: Order of the Majestic
Author: Matt Myklusch
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Aladdin
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: May 7, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Fans of Brandon Mull and James Riley will love this action-packed, accessible fantasy story about one kid’s journey to discover magic as he’s caught up in an epic battle between two powerful ancient orders.

Twelve-year-old daydreamer Joey Kopecky’s life has been turned upside down. After acing a series of tests, he’s declared a genius and awarded a full scholarship at a special (year-round!) school. He’s understandably devastated, until he takes one last test, and the room around him disappears, replaced by the interior of an old theater.

There, Joey meets the washed-up magician, Redondo the Magnificent, and makes a shocking discovery…magic is real, but sadly, there isn’t much left in the world. It may be too late to save what little remains, but for the first time in his life Joey wants to try—really try—to do something big. Soon he’s swept up into a centuries-old conflict between two rival societies of magicians—the Order of the Majestic, who fights to keep magic alive and free for all, and the dark magicians of the Invisible Hand, who hoard magic for their own evil ends.

The endless battle for control of magic itself has reached a tipping point. For Redondo and the Order to survive, Joey must inherit the lost legacy of Harry Houdini. Will he prove himself worthy, or will the Invisible Hand strike him down? The answer will depend on Joey’s ability to believe, not just in magic, but in himself.

Review:

This was a fun, original story!

The magic in this story was in the form of magical illusions, rather than fantasy. There was more than just card tricks, including magical portals to other worlds, but it seemed a little more realistic than other stories. I loved that this was a world built on magic tricks, because it is more accessible to kids. I had a set of magic tricks that I loved playing with as a kid. I think this setting makes the story much more relatable for young readers.

I loved the comparison of magic and science. A few times the characters say “Magic is just science that people don’t understand yet.” I love this description of magic. Some things that people used to think of as magic centuries ago are now classified as science, such as medical advancements. I loved the way this brought the magic into the real world.

I also appreciated that Joey has both of his parents in this story. Often in children’s stories, the main character is either an orphan or from a single parent household. That is supposed to put the characters at a disadvantage right from the beginning, but it doesn’t always have to be like that. I liked that this was a different way to start a middle grade fantasy novel.

I really enjoyed this book! It’s a great magical story!

Review: Furthermore

I love Tahereh Mafi’s books, so I wanted to try her middle grade stories. This book was a lot of fun.

Title: Furthermore (Furthermore #1)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Puffin Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: August 30, 2016
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Alice Alexis Queensmeadow 12 rates three things most important: Mother, who wouldn’t miss her; magic and color, which seem to elude her; and Father, who always loved her. Father disappeared from Ferenwood with only a ruler, almost three years ago. But she will have to travel through the mythical, dangerous land of Furthermore, where down can be up, paper is alive, and left can be both right and very, very wrong. Her only companion is Oliver whose own magic is based in lies and deceit. Alice must first find herself—and hold fast to the magic of love in the face of loss.

Review:

I love Tahereh Mafi’s books, so I wanted to try her middle grade stories. This book was a lot of fun.

This fantasy story reminded me of A Wrinkle in Time and Alice in Wonderland. Alice lives in a magical world called Ferenwood. She is unique because her hair and skin lack colour, when the rest of the world has tons of colourful magic. In this story, she embarks on a quest with Oliver to travel through the magical world of Furthermore to find her missing father.

This story was fast paced. Alice and Oliver traveled through many different towns in the world of Furthermore. They met different kinds of people, including tiny women in suits and people who live in tall trees. There were also a lot of funny magical parts, such as a ruler that measures the time you can spend in Furthermore.

This story was a fun read. I think kids and adults would love it!

Review: Megabat and Fancy Cat (Megabat #2)

Title: Megabat and Fancy Cat
Author: Anna Humphrey, Kass Reich (illustrator)
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Tundra Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 2, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A sweet and hilarious chapter book about a boy and a bat, two unlikely friends who bond over loneliness, jellyrolls and Darth Vader.

Daniel Misumi has just moved to a new house. It’s big and old and far away from his friends and his life before. AND it’s haunted . . . or is it?

Megabat was just napping on a papaya one day when he was stuffed in a box and shipped halfway across the world. Now he’s living in an old house far from home, feeling sorry for himself and accidentally scaring the people who live there.

Daniel realizes it’s not a ghost in his new house. It’s a bat. And he can talk. And he’s actually kind of cute.

Megabat realizes that not every human wants to whack him with a broom. This one shares his smooshfruit.

Add some buttermelon, juice boxes, a lightsaber and a common enemy and you’ve got a new friendship in the making!

This charming, funny story is brought to life by Kass Reich’s warm and adorable illustrations. There’s never been a bat this cute — readers will be rooting for Megabat and Daniel from page one!

Review:

This is the first book I’ve read with a bat as the main character! I don’t like bats, because we had one in our house years ago and it was very creepy. However, this Megabat is adorable!

I loved the way Megabat speaks. He sounded like a child. He uses the wrong verbs and pronouns, which was cute and innocent. He is dating a pigeon, called Birdgirl. The bird only coos, and doesn’t speak English. Megabat has a continuous feud going on with the squirrels in the yard, which he calls “puffer rats.” I loved the way he saw the world.

In this story, Megabat doesn’t like that Daniel has a new pet cat. He doesn’t like the attention that the cat receives, so he does a series of things to get the cat in trouble, but he only ends up getting himself or Daniel in trouble instead. Though he is a bat, this story could be relatable to kids if they get a new sibling or classmate who threatens their position. They would have to learn how to accept this new person rather than get rid of them, since we all have to deal with new people at some point in our lives.

This was a fun story! It would be great for kids or adults.

Review: Cold as Ice (Whatever After #6)

Title: Cold as Ice (Whatever After #6)
Author: Sarah Mlynowski
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: Borrowed from a friend
Format: Paperback
Release Date: November 25, 2014
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Brrrrrrrr. This fairy tale is FREEZING!

Even though my brother and I had decided to stay away from the magic mirror, our puppy had other plans — he bounded right in. What choice did we have but to go in after him?

When we land in a winter wonderland, we realize we must be in the story of The Snow Queen. And this fairy tale is nothing like the movie. This Snow Queen is super-mean, and she turns our dog into an ice sculpture!

To get home we’ll have to:
– Defrost our furry friend
– Ride a very chatty reindeer
– Learn to ice-skate
– Escape from a band of robbers

And if we’re not careful . . . we could end up frozen ourselves!

Review:

I really love this series! This chilly story was a great book.

I’ve never read the tale of the Snow Queen, so this story was new to me. I’ve watched Frozen, but the fairytales that Abby and Jonah enter are the original tales, not the Disney versions. This story is a dark tale, so Abby and Jonah had to try to turn it into a happy ending.

There were some big surprises at the end of this story. Abby and Jonah’s secret of the mirror was almost discovered by their parents, but at the last minute their minds were wiped. Another important memory was altered as well, so I have no idea how it will play out in the rest of the series!

As always, I can’t wait to continue the rest of this series. It is a great collection of fairytale retellings.

Review: The Becket List: A Blackberry Farm Story

Title: The Becket List: A Blackberry Farm Story
Author: Adele Griffin, LeUyen Pham (pictures)
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 2, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Adventure and discover with the bold and intrepid Becket Branch when her family’s move from city to a country farm means big changes!

Everything is changing for Becket Branch. From subways to sidewalks to safety rules, Becket is a city kid born and raised. Now the Branch family is trading urban bustle for big green fields and moving to Gran’s farm, where Becket has to make sense of new routines from feeding animals to baling hay. And as much as Becket loves to yell “Beautiful Alert!” there’s a lot about the countryside that is just plain odd.

But Becket is ready to put her own spin on country life. Whether selling her mouth-puckering lemonade, feeding hostile hens, or trying to make a best friend of her new neighbor Frieda Franca, Becket is determined to use her city smarts to get a grip on farm living. Laugh and learn with Becket as she mucks through the messy, exuberant human experience of change she didn’t ask for, in a story that sparkles with quirky characters and lasting connections.

Review:

This is a great story about growing up and life changes.

Becket goes through many changes in this book. At the beginning, her family moves to her grandmother’s farm. She has to adjust from city life in an apartment to country life on a farm. She also goes to a camp, but it is very different from the camp she used to go to in the city. She doesn’t make friends as easily as she did before. I loved that Becket had to deal with all of these changes in this book, because often kids books just focus on one kind of life change rather than many different ones.

I loved the pictures in the book. There were some at the beginning, but they tapered off towards the end. I had an ARC so this may have changed in the final edition, but I would have loved to have even more pictures because they were so great!

The one thing I didn’t like about this book was the ending. I won’t spoil it, but something happens to one of the animals. It was upsetting to me, because I could relate to it, which made it difficult to read. Things happen to animals as part of life on a farm, so I understand why it was in the story. However, I don’t like reading about things that happen to animals, so it is a personal preference.

I really liked this story. It’s great for middle grade readers.

Review: All Summer Long

Title: All Summer Long
Author: Hope Larson
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Release Date: May 1, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A coming-of-age middle-grade graphic novel about summer and friendships, written and illustrated by the Eisner Award–winning and New York Times–bestselling Hope Larson.
Thirteen-year-old Bina has a long summer ahead of her. She and her best friend, Austin, usually do everything together, but he’s off to soccer camp for a month, and he’s been acting kind of weird lately anyway. So it’s up to Bina to see how much fun she can have on her own. At first it’s a lot of guitar playing, boredom, and bad TV, but things look up when she finds an unlikely companion in Austin’s older sister, who enjoys music just as much as Bina. But then Austin comes home from camp, and he’s acting even weirder than when he left. How Bina and Austin rise above their growing pains and reestablish their friendship and respect for their differences makes for a touching and funny coming-of-age story.

Review:

There are a lot of middle grade graphic novels set in the summer. The summer is a funny time in childhood because you’re in between grades at school, and you don’t get to see your friends. I can see why this is a setting in so many kids books.

The main character, Bina, is going through a difficult time. She is often pushed to the side at home because her older brother is adopting a baby with his husband. Her best friend, Austin, has gone away to soccer camp. She hangs out with Austin’s sister, but she only spends time with Bina when it’s convenient for her. These are difficult things to deal with, but they go along with growing up.

There was also some diverse representation in the story. Bina is mixed race. Her brother has a male partner. Austin’s sister dates an Asian boy. It’s nice to see some subtle representation in this story, where it is just a natural part of life.

I really enjoyed this middle grade novel.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Tournament Trouble by Sylv Chiang

The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne

About the Author:

Blog Tour Schedule:

May 20th

May 21st

May 22nd

May 23rd

May 24th

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Once Upon a Frog (Whatever After #8) by Sarah Mlynowski

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

The Theory of Hummingbirds by Michelle Kadarusman

Swallow’s Dance by Wendy Orr

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

The Becket List: A Blackberry Farm Story by Adele Griffin, LeUyen Pham

Best Babysitters Ever by Caroline Cala

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

The Lost Prince (Seaborne #1) by Matt Myklusch

The Revenge of Magic by James Riley

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Whichwood (Furthermore #2) by Tahereh Mafi

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Megabat (Megabat #1) by Anna Humphrey, Kass Reich (illustrator)

Clara Humble and the Kitten Caboodle by Anna Humphrey, Lisa Cinar (illustrator)

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Beauty Queen (Whatever After #7) by Sarah Mlynowski

Flunked (Fairy Tale Reform School #1) by Jen Calonita

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden

Clara Voyant by Rachelle Delaney

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

Goldie Vance Vol. 1 by Hope Larson, Brittney Williams, and Sarah Stern

Sunny Side
Up by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm