Category: Middle Grade

Title: Anyone’s Game (Cross Ups #2)
Author: Sylv Chiang
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Annick Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: September 11, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

What’s up with Cali? Why does she keep changing her gamer tag?

It’s summertime, and even though his good friend Cali moved to another city, Jaden can connect with her online almost every day to play their favorite game, Cross Ups. His mom has loosened her rules on how often he can play, and he has an amazing new controller that will make him even better at tournaments. But then he gets roped into a dorky summer camp with his buddy Hugh, and Cali starts acting really weird . . . So when a last-minute tournament spot opens up in Cali’s city, Jaden jumps at the chance to go.

But things go badly from the start. Jaden loses his controller on the train, and his reunion with Cali is awkward. She’s unhappy, and Jaden can’t figure out why, especially when she’s getting better and better at Cross Ups—and may even win the tournament.

With its sharp dialogue and relatable characters, Anyone’s Game, the second book in the Cross Ups series, chronicles the ups and downs of middle school with a relevant, contemporary twist.

Review:

This is another great story in the Cross Ups series.

I really liked the focus on female gamers in this story. Cali is able to beat Jaden in the game Cross Ups, much to his surprise. He is teased for losing to a girl, though she is just as good at the game as him. Even though girls are not the stereotypical players of video games, that doesn’t mean that they can’t be good at them.

This story also dealt with the problem of cyber bullying. Cali has to deal with a player who sends her creepy, sexist messages. The boys think it is just another part of gaming, but there is a difference between someone saying that you don’t play well and someone  making comments about your gender. This is an important issue that is a very real  danger when kids are playing online.

I loved this story! I can’t wait for this series to continue.

What to read next:

• Secret Coders (Secret Coders #1) by Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes

  

• Gameworld by Christopher John Farley

  

Have you read Anyone’s Game? What did you think of it?

Title: Swallow’s Dance
Author: Wendy Orr
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Pajama Press
Source: Publisher
Release Date: October 1, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

I wonder if the first day of Learning is always like this – do the girls on the hill always feel the ground tremble under their feet? Leira is about to start her initiation as a priestess when her world is turned upside down. A violent earthquake leaves her home – and her family – in pieces. And the goddess hasn’t finished with the island yet.

With her family, Leira flees across the sea to Crete, expecting sanctuary. But a volcanic eruption throws the entire world into darkness. After the resulting tsunami, society descends into chaos; the status and privilege of being noble-born reduced to nothing. With her injured mother and elderly nurse, Leira has only the strength and resourcefulness within herself to find safety.

Review:

This is a great tale about Ancient Greece.

Leira loses almost everything when an earthquake hits her home. Her home is destroyed and her mother bangs her head, losing consciousness. She eventually wakes up but she can no longer speak. Leira and her nurse Nunu, along with her mother, are sent to Crete, where more tragedy strikes. Though Leira suffers devastating losses, she stays strong to help her nurse and her mother.

This is a very powerful story. It was quite emotional at times. I had tears in my eyes by the end, but I was pleased with the ending. This story has a traditional Greek form because it is written partly in verse. The sections in verse are particularly descriptive and lyrical. This reinforces the Greek atmosphere of the story.

This is a beautiful and powerful story. I loved it!

What to read next:

• Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr

  

• Nim’s Island (Nim #1) by Wendy Orr

  

Have you read Swallow’s Dance? What did you think of it?

Title: Pickled Watermelon
Author: Esty Schachter
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Kar-Ben Publishing
Source: Thomas Allen & Son (book distributor)
Release Date: August 1, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

It’s the summer of 1986, and eleven-year-old Molly just wants to spend the summer with her friends at camp. Instead, she reluctantly heads to Israel to visit family she barely knows! With a less-than-basic knowledge of Hebrew that she picked up in Hebrew school, Molly wonders how she will be able to communicate and have fun in a country that is new and foreign to her. Luckily, surprises are in store.

Review:

I enjoyed this story about a girl who travels to Israel with her family.

I learned a lot about Israeli culture from this book. I have never read a book set in Israel before, so it was new to me. Molly was also discovering new aspects of her culture, because her mother’s family lived differently from her father’s family in the United States.

I’m curious as to why the story was set in 1986, rather than today. Perhaps this reflects a real trip that the author took. This setting put the characters in a unique position in time. Molly’s parents lived through the after effects of World War II, and her grandparents lived through it. That close relationship to WWII wouldn’t have been apparent if the young girl was living in today’s world.

This is a great story for middle grade readers.

What to read next:

• Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol

  

• Anya’s Echoes by Esty Schachter

  

Have you read Pickled Watermelon? What did you think of it?

Title: No Fixed Address
Author: Susin Nielsen
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: September 11, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

From beloved Governor General Literary Award–winning author Susin Nielsen comes a touching and funny middle-grade story about family, friendship and growing up when you’re one step away from homelessness.

Felix Knuttson, twelve, is an endearing kid with an incredible brain for trivia. His mom Astrid is loving but unreliable; she can’t hold onto a job, or a home. When they lose their apartment in Vancouver, they move into a camper van, just for August, till Astrid finds a job. September comes, they’re still in the van; Felix must keep “home” a secret and give a fake address in order to enroll in school. Luckily, he finds true friends. As the weeks pass and life becomes grim, he struggles not to let anyone know how precarious his situation is. When he gets to compete on a national quiz show, Felix is determined to win — the cash prize will bring them a home. Their luck is about to change! But what happens is not at all what Felix expected.

Review:

This is a great story, with tons of emotions.

Felix is homeless, though he tries to hide it. He and his mother live in a van. He tries to keep that a secret from his friends, but it keeps coming back to haunt him that he has no address. His biggest fear was that he would be taken from his mother, so he had to keep it a secret.

Felix has a modern, complicated family. His parents were never together. His “father” was his mom’s gay friend who was a sperm donor. His grandparents have passed away, and his mom’s brother died of an overdose when she was a teenager. This all makes for a unique situation for Felix. Though he has had many hardships in his young life, Felix works hard toward his goal of being on a trivia game show.

I liked his narration style. Felix did a great job of explaining things about his family in an entertaining way. For example, he listed the different kinds of lies his mother tells, and he made acronyms for different things.

This is a great middle grade story!

What to read next:

• Clara Voyant

• 

• Quid Pro Quo

• 

Have you read No Fixed Address? What did you think of it?

Title: Judy Moody and the Right Royal Tea Party
Author: Megan McDonald
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: September 11, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Jolly smashing! Could the Moodys really have royal blood? Judy brings her new look to a comical episode about the ups and downs of exploring a family tree.

Judy Moody is in a royal purple-mountain-majesties mood. Make that Majesty with a capital M! With Grandma Lou’s help, Judy has dug up proof that some old-timey Moodys (aka the brave Mudeyes) lived in merry olde England. In fact, if her grandpa’s notes are right, Judy might even be related to — royal fanfare, please — the Queen herself! Should Judy start packing her purple robe for a sleepover at Buckingham Palace? But then Judy’s family tree gets a few more shakes — thanks to her nemesis, Jessica “Fink” Finch — and some more surprises come tumbling out. Crikey! These new gems are not nearly as shiny or sparkly as the crown jewels. Now Judy has some right royal family secrets she’d like to keep hidden away in a dungeon somewhere — and especially away from Jessica, the princess in pink herself!

Review:

Judy Moody becomes a Queen in this new story.

I had never read a Judy Moody book before this one, and I enjoyed it. Judy is a quirky, funny girl. She reminded me of Junie B. Jones, who was one of my favourite characters when I was a kid.

I liked the plot of this story. Judy has to do a family tree project for school, which I remember doing too. It was surprising that Judy’s grandmother could trace their family back to Queen Elizabeth I! It encouraged Judy to explore her royal roots and become a queen herself.

I really enjoyed this story. It would be great for middle grade readers!

What to read next:

• Nancy Clancy Seeks a Fortune by Jane O’Connor

• 

• Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentime by Barbara Park

• 

Have you read Judy Moody and the Right Royal Tea Party? What did you think of it?

Title: Hilda and the Hidden People
Author: Luke Pearson, Stephen Davies
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: September 4, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Introducing the novel based on the Netflix animated series, Hilda, coming to screens in fall 2018.

Meet Hilda: explorer, adventurer, avid sketchbook-keeper and friend to almost every creature in the valley! Join our beloved heroine as she encounters her very first troll, negotiates peace with some very persnickety elves, and reunites two lovelorn ancient giants. Fantastic creatures and daring adventures are all just part of another average day for Hilda, but what will she do if she is forced to move to Trolberg city, far away from her beloved valley home? Dive into the adventure with this illustrated chapter book, based on the first two episodes of the show.

Review:

This is a cute middle grade story.

Hilda and her mom are going to be kicked out of their house by the invisible elves that live in front of it. The elves can become visible if you sign a form to see them (the elves love forms). Hilda must travel to see the elf Prime Minister and elf king to save her home.

Hilda learns a lot about her homeland throughout the story. It is a land with elves and giants shaped like mountains. There are also trolls that can be scared off by bells. But Hilda realizes that the land doesn’t belong to her and her mom, since they built on top of someone else’s home.

This series is becoming a Netflix show, and I’m curious to watch it. This is the start of a book series that will be continuing next year. I look forward to following Hilda’s story.

What to read next:

• Lumberjanes: Unicorn Power! (Lumberjanes #1) by Mariko Tamaki

  

• Hildafolk (Hilda #1) by Luke Pearson

  

Have you read Hilda and the Hidden People? What did you think of it?