Category: Middle Grade

Title: Running Through Sprinklers
Author: Michelle Kim
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher
Release Date: April 17, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Two life-long best friends grow up and begin to grow apart in this honest, deeply felt middle grade debut.

Sara and Nadine.
Nadine and Sara.

It’s only ever been the two of them. Two halves of the same person. Best friends forever—until they aren’t.

Everything has changed this year. Nadine has suddenly skipped a grade and gone to high school without Sara. No matter how hard she fights to save their friendship, Sara can feel it slipping away.

But change can happen from the inside, too. The forever-friend days of running through sprinklers and slurping up ice cream cones may be over. Yet in their place, Sara just might discover something new and wonderful: herself.

Review:

This is a great middle grade novel about real life.

Sara tells this story through her memories and things that are happening to her right now. The story takes place throughout one year, her last year of elementary school. She experiences many things, such as losing friends, making friends, puberty, and even a friend going missing.

Some of the things that Sara goes through are sad, but it reflects real life. Her friendship with her best friend, Nadine, breaks apart when Nadine is moved ahead a grade and into high school. Also, Sara’s brother’s friend goes missing, and they are the last ones who saw him, so they feel like they have to help find him. Though these experiences are tough to read about, they are things that kids may experience in real life, so it is important that their books reflect that.

I enjoyed this book, and I recommend it for middle grade readers!

Title: Tournament Trouble
Author: Sylv Chiang
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Annick Press
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: March 13, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

An exciting new middle reader series from a debut author.

All twelve-year-old Jaden wants to do is be the best at Cross Ups, the video game he and his friends can’t stop playing. He knows he could be―if only he didn’t have to hide his gaming from his mom, who’s convinced it will make him violent. After an epic match leads to an invitation to play in a top tournament, Jaden and his friends Devesh and Hugh hatch a plan to get him there. But Jaden’s strict parents and annoying siblings, not to mention a couple of bullies and his confusing feelings for his next-door neighbor Cali, keep getting in the way!

Tournament Trouble marks the first book in a planned series by Sylv Chiang, a captivating new voice in middle reader fiction. With sharp dialogue and relatable characters, it chronicles the ups and downs of middle school with a relevant, contemporary twist. Accompanied by Connie Choi’s lively illustrations, Tournament Trouble invites readers into Jaden’s world, and will leave them eagerly awaiting his next adventure.

Review:

This is a great middle grade story about video games.

I really liked Jaden. He matured through the story. He went from being a gamer at home to competing in a tournament. He was even able to convince his strict parents that video games aren’t all bad. I’ve played video games my whole life, and they can be very educational. Even if the game doesn’t seem to be obviously teaching something, you can still learn strategies and problem solving skills.

Another great part of this story is the diversity of the characters. Jaden and his friend Cali are Chinese. One of his friends was Indian and I believe his sister’s boyfriend was black. This is great, because young kids can see themselves represented in this book. This diversity was also demonstrated in the illustrations, where you can clearly see how different they all look.

This is a great book. I’m excited to see what happens in the next book in the series.

Title: A Possibility of Whales
Author: Karen Rivers
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Source: Publisher
Release Date: March 13, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The story of a girl who—thanks to her friends, her famous dad, and a chance encounter with a whale—learns the true meaning of family.

Twelve-year-old Natalia Rose Baleine Gallagher loves possibilities: the possibility that she’ll see whales on the beach near her new home, that the boy she just met will be her new best friend, that the photographers chasing her actor father won’t force Nat and her dad to move again. Most of all, Nat dreams of the possibility that her faraway mother misses and loves Nat—and is waiting for Nat to find her.

The thing is, Nat doesn’t even know who her mother is. She left Nat as a baby, and Nat’s dad refuses to talk about it. Nat knows she shouldn’t need a mom, but she still feels like something is missing.

In this heartfelt story about family, friendship, and growing up, Nat’s questions lead her on a journey of self-discovery that will change her life forever.

Review:

This book was just amazing!

The characters were so real and moving. Nat has a famous father, but life hasn’t been easy for them. She has never known who her mother is, and her father tries to keep them out of the spotlight and away from the paparazzi. I also loved the character of Harry! He is a transgender boy, which is not common in middle grade stories. Harry struggles with being his true self, because his father insists that he remain a girl.

The pacing of the story was great. There were a couple of reveals at the end. Though they weren’t big mysteries, such as why Nat didn’t like Solly anymore, the suspense kept me guessing.

The kids in this story faced real, adult problems. Kids grow up very fast these days, so it makes sense that the children they read about would have to as well. I absolutely loved this story for both young readers and adults!

Guest Post from Karen Rivers:

How real life inspires fiction, what events from the book were “real” and how my own journey as a single parent informs a lot of my books.

I often tell my students to write what they’ve felt, as opposed to what they’ve known, but all fiction is probably really a combination of both.   I wrote A POSSIBILITY OF WHALES remembering how I felt when I was twelve:  I was often an outsider, not sure how to fit in.  I was betrayed by my best friend more than once.  I was scared of how puberty might mean I was no longer a child, and that once I went through it, I would have to be a different version of myself.   I carried these things in my heart and into A POSSIBILITY OF WHALES.  I knitted Nat up from an idealized version of myself, with a sprinkling of my daughter, a splash of imagination, and a large dollop of her own unique spirit.

Now that I am an adult, I also find myself a single parent.  It isn’t what I set out to do, yet here I am.   I’m often exploring single-parenting on the page, trying to look at it from all the different perspectives.   I know that one of the things my kids experience is a yearning for what they don’t have, what they might have had if things were different, not in terms of material goods, but in terms of family.   In many ways, being a single parent is easier; but in other ways, it’s so much harder.   I can never be a father to my son.  I can only be his mother, and so his journey from boy-to-man is harder than it maybe otherwise would be.  I can’t know, because we can’t know what isn’t, only what is.  In a way, I am Xan Gallagher, but Xan Gallagher is also very much himself.   We both parent with a big dose of humour, we try to be present, we hope we are hearing what our kids are saying.   But he has what I don’t have:  Vast wealth, which buys him so much time, so he can be with Nat when she needs him, and even when she doesn’t.

Plus, he can play the ukulele.

One of my clearest childhood memories has to do with interacting with whales – in my case, orcas – and seeing their bodies vanishing into the bottle green water beside the boat as they swam under us and all around, their fins rising from the water.   The scenes haunt my dreams, still.   There is something ethereal about whales, about seeing them in the wild – it’s like making contact with pure magic.

This book, like all books, is of course autobiographical, biographical, and pure fiction.  All stirred together, then baked until done.  I hope you like it.  I loved writing every single word of it.

About the Author:

The winner will receive:

1 signed hardcover copy of A Possibility of Whales by Karen Rivers
Details:
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Title: Harry Moon: First Light
Author: Mark Andrew Poe
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Rabbit Publishers
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: March 6, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

When Declan goes on vacation, Harry Moon takes over Declan’s paper route. For the first time, Harry is on his bicycle in Sleepy Hollow in early morning. Before the sun actually rises, Harry learns of a world he never knew existed. This is the special time known as “first light.” It is the light that peeks out from the sun before the sun truly rises. There, Harry finds the secret land where his magic teacher, Samson, is doing his most important and surprising work against the nefarious We Drive By Night Company.

Review:

I’ve read many Harry Moon stories in the past couple of months, but I think this one is my favourite.

This story had a very creepy theme. Strange creatures, who are controlled by the mayor, ran the newspaper office in their town. They looked like something out of Doctor Who! It was creepy, but I liked the mystery of the creatures.

As in the other Harry Moon stories, there are teaching moments throughout the adventure. Harry learned discipline by taking over his friend’s paper route. And he ended up seeing what a beautiful town he lives in when first light happens in the morning.

This was a great middle grade story.

Title: Leatherback Blues
Author: Karen Hood-Caddy
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Dundurn
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: February 20, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Robin is kidnapped by dangerous poachers while trying to save leatherback turtles in Central America.

Robin Green is carrying on her work rescuing vulnerable animals at The Wild Place Animal Shelter when she and Zo-Zo get an amazing chance to help protect sea turtles in Central America. Worried about the bugs, the heat, and the threat of poachers, Robin faces her fears and travels there with Zo-Zo, her brother, Squirm, and her eccentric grandmother, Griff.

It only takes one scorpion sting before Robin wants to go home, but the unbelievable sight of a leatherback turtle laying eggs on the beach changes her mind. Just when the group starts making progress, the poachers strike back. Suddenly, the turtles aren’t the only ones who need rescuing! Can Robin and Zo-Zo find a way out?

Review:

This is a great story to teach kids about wildlife!

Robin is a great character. She’s brave because she’s willing to travel around the world to save animals. She convinces her family to travel to Costa Rica to help a turtle sanctuary. She’s realistic because she is also flawed. She doesn’t listen to her grandmother when she tells Robin not to go on the beach by herself. Robin ends up paying the price for that when she is kidnapped, so she learns to follow her grandmother’s rules.

The setting of Costa Rica was very realistic too. My friend just came back from vacation there, and it was depicted just the way she described it to me. It was very hot but rainy when she got there, just like when Robin arrived . Carlos even says “pura vida,” which is what all the locals say. Though I have never been to Costa Rica, I felt like I was there in this story.

The climax of the story, when Robin is kidnapped, happens close to the end. Since it was mentioned in the description, I thought it would happen earlier. But this was an important turning point in the story. Robin learned what the animals at their rescue shelter feel like when they are kept in cages. She ended up learning from the scary experience.

This is a great story for young readers who are interested in wildlife!

Title: The Nest
Author: Kenneth Oppel
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Purchased
Release Date: October 6, 2015
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

For some kids summer is a sun-soaked season of fun. But for Steve, it’s just another season of worries. Worries about his sick newborn baby brother who is fighting to survive, worries about his parents who are struggling to cope, even worries about the wasp’s nest looming ominously from the eaves. So when a mysterious wasp queen invades his dreams, offering to “fix” the baby, Steve thinks his prayers have been answered.

All he has to do is say “Yes.” But “yes” is a powerful word. It is also a dangerous one. And once it is uttered, can it be taken back?

Review:

This is a great middle grade book!

The story was quite creepy at times. It reminded me of Coraline and Skelig. The children in those stories also encountered supernatural things in their backyards.

Steve had very realistic dreams that haunted him during the day. I’ve had dreams that seem like they’re really happening and it can be very scary. But the wasps in his nightmares also appeared to him outside. I kept wondering if Steve was really going crazy!

This story is a great learning experience for children. Steve has to learn to cope with his ill baby brother. Though he doesn’t want him to be sick, he also wouldn’t want to replace him with a perfect baby. Many children have to deal with a sick relative at some point, and though it is difficult, we have to learn to deal with illness. Steve also has anxiety, which is not often depicted in children’s stories, but children can get anxious too.

This is a great story for middle grade and adult readers.

Title: The Strange and Deadly Portraits of Bryony Gray
Author: E. Latimer
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: February 13, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A Tim Burtonesque retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray aimed at Middle Graders.The most peculiar things always happen to Bryony Gray. As if it isn’t bad enough that her uncle keeps her locked in the attic, forcing her to paint for his
rich clients, she’s becoming rather well known in the art world… since all her customers seem to go missing.

When her newest painting escapes the canvas and rampages through the streets of London, Bryony digs into her family history, discovering some rather scandalous secrets her uncle has been keeping, including a deadly curse she’s inherited from her missing father. It turns out, Bryony has accidentally unleashed the Gray family curse, and it’s spreading fast.

With a little help from the strange-but-beautiful girl next door and her paranoid brother, Bryony sets out to break the curse, dodging bloodthirsty paintings, angry mobs and her wicked uncle along the way.

Review:

The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of my favourite Victorian novels. This is a great sequel to the story.

This story had great pacing. Bryony’s paintings began to come to life right at the beginning. It was so creepy! It kept me hooked through the whole story. I really couldn’t predict what was going to happen next, so I was always surprised.

I think this story is actually creepier than The Picture of Dorian Gray. Though it is a sequel, it follows Gray’s daughter, so it is for a younger audience. I loved this story and I got a lot out of it, even though it is aimed toward middle grade readers. It is a great choice for both young readers and older fans of Dorian Gray and Oscar Wilde.

After reading this book, I’ll never look at paintings the same way again!

Title: Redworld
Author: A.L. Collins
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: February 1, 2018
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Belle Song and her family are aliens on a new world. The Songs came to Mars to seek a new life, but living on the red planet isn’t easy. The land is rough. The people are strange. The weather is unpredictable, and water is always in short supply. However, adventure is never far away. Belle adapts to her new life on Mars, faces dangerous Water Raiders, explores wondrous ancient sites, and has other amazing adventures on Redworld. From the rich imagination of author A.L. Collins comes a fantastic sci-fi western story of growing up on the Martian plains.

Review:

This was a unique middle grade story about life on Mars.

While I was reading this story, I was reminded of the book The Martian. That’s the only book I’ve read that is set on another planet. However, in this story, Mars has already been colonized and humans have lived there for many years.

It was interesting to see the different alien races that also lived on Mars. The segregation between the aliens was a lot like race segregation in the real world. Belle’s friend, Ta’al is of the Nubian race. She has to go through separate entrances, and she is completely ignored by everyone else at school. Belle questions why this is, which demonstrates that she is an intelligent girl.

This book is separated into four parts. Each of these parts was originally published as a separate book. This is a little confusing at first, because the characters are reintroduced at the beginning of each part. My least favourite part was the first one. It was an introduction to the characters and setting, but I found it anticlimactic. The following parts had more solid storylines with lots of tension, so I enjoyed them more.

This book is great for kids who are interested in life in space.