A friend of mine was recently looking for suggestions of books to gift her daughters. Her youngest, in particular, hankered for a “thick” book. You know, something with impressive heft, a tome with sufficient girth to signal a Capable Reader …
Tag: middle grade novels
1 wacky sci-fi + 1 fizzing fantasy
Looking for something slightly off-kilter and crammed with action?! Here are a couple series-starters that’ll work for ages 9 and up. How to Save the Universe Without Really Trying, by John Cusick published in 2020 by Harper 322 pages Meet …
six picks for tween readers
Today I’ve got some great reads for the long hot days of summer. From the extremely quirky, to sci fi and fantasy, to stories of the real, challenging lives of tweens, middle grade literature has got you covered. The Time …
summer-set novels and chapter books
Hi all! I meant to get this post out earlier this summer… …and then it slipped right off my plate. However, summer solstice was just yesterday so there’s lots of warm days ahead for these summer-set novels. I’ve got a …
curl up with a good read!…fiction for all ages
It’s time for some transportive, stay-at-home reading!! Little by little my librarians are valiantly making their way through the process of prepping and distributing the tremendous backlog of 2020 titles that made their debut in the middle of a global …
super middle grade reads + a chapter-book *giveaway*
Today I’ve got a batch of middle grade titles I’ve recently enjoyed. Plus, courtesy of the great people at Kane Miller, I’m giving away a series of four chapter books perfect for kids reading on their own or for reading …
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a batch of fiction gems
Over the last few months I’ve read a few new or new-ish pieces of children’s fiction that I’ve mightily enjoyed. I’m passing them along to you today in the hopes that if you’re in need of something fresh book-wise, you …
just right for July!
How’s the summer treating you? Taking a mostly-break from my blog has definitely been revitalizing for me. For one thing, it’s freed me for a bit of gardening. I am entirely a novice gardener. So, small things feel monumental: tomatoes …
butlers, betrayals, and the gentlemanly game of cricket
Gary Schmidt wrote a couple of my favorite ever middle-grade novels, The Wednesday Wars and Okay for Now, both richly human, honest, painful, and redemptive stories that get my highest recommendation for ages 13 and up — which is not …
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an elephant race in Scotland
Adventure, subterfuge, arson, exotic creatures! All on tap today… Elephant Thief, by Jane Kerr first published in the UK in 2017; first US edition 2018 by Scholastic 308 pages With elements ranging from a Fagin-esque band of child thieves to …
orange marmalade 