Category: Middle Grade Fiction

Adult Fiction, Events, LGBTQ+, Middle Grade Fiction, Mystery, Nonfiction, Romance, Thriller, YA Fiction

I’m Baaaaack!!!

Michelle

Hello all of you lovely people! I am SO sorry I haven’t been able to post and took a huge hiatus. It was something that couldn’t be avoided and I was dealing with a lot of personal stuff over the last 7-ish months but I’m back now, and wanted to pop in and give you an update on my reading life!

Of course I’ve been religiously listening to the Currently Reading Podcast and Sarah’s Bookshelves Live, as I have been for years.

And, as you can see, my last blog post before this was when I went to Hayley Kiyoko’s book signing at the Strand. I saw her movie Girls Like Girls last weekend and LOVED it! I highly recommend!

I would be remiss to not include my book collages from the last few months, although you can see that my reading has been somewhat sporadic. It’s coming back now, though, and in full force!

Another thing that happened while I was away is that my bookstagram turned 10! I cannot believe I’ve had a bookstagram account for 10 years. I am so glad it’s still up and running, though.

Children, Middle Grade Fiction, Netgalley Reviews

Not Nothing by Gayle Forman

Michelle

Grades 4-7

Alex is almost sent to juvie when he isn’t, and ends up assigned to spend his summer as a volunteer in a senior living facility. There, he meets Josey, a 107-year-old Holocaust survivor who hasn’t spoken in years, and Maya-Jade, a girl about Alex’s age whose sense of self-importance is entirely blown out of proportion. Alex gets Josey to open up to him, however, and he begins to tell the young boy his story. It is then that Alex realizes he can make a good difference in the world.

Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.

Middle Grade Fiction, Netgalley Reviews

Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake

Michelle

Grades 4 – 6

Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea

Hazel has a pretty perfect life with a loving family, but when a kayaking trip goes horribly wrong and her Mum ends up dead, she, her little sister Peach and her other mother, Mama, are looking for something new. They move around a lot and don’t stay in one place for long. They then end up in Rose Harbor, Maine for the summer and Mama runs into an old childhood friend named Claire. Hazel and Peach are forced to make friends with Claire’s daughter and the two older girls go to summer camp together, the last thing Hazel wants to do. Can she make it work or will this be the worst summer yet? 

Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.

Children, Middle Grade Fiction, Netgalley Reviews

The Best Worst Summer by Elizabeth Eulberg

Michelle

Grades 4 – 6

The Best Worst Summer

Told in alternating timelines in 1989 and 2021, this adorable book about two sets of best friends hit the mark for me. It is the best summer for Jessica and Melissa who are BFFs in 1989, and the worst summer for Peyton, who has just moved four hours away (which might as well be 100 hours away) from her own best friend. She is very bummed out until she finds a time capsule that Melissa and Jessica buried when they were kids in the 80s, and explores it, and history, with her new friend Lucas. Eulberg takes readers on an adventure they won’t soon forget.

Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.

Middle Grade Fiction, Netgalley Reviews, Series

Amina’s Song by Hena Khan

Michelle

Grades 4 – 6

The second book in the Amina’s Voice series begins as Amina is finishing her trip to Pakistan, and she’s excited to share her experiences with her friends once she returns back home. They don’t seem interested, however, and when she does a school project on Malala Yousafzai, her classmates focus on the negative parts of the story instead of seeing Pakistan for the beauty of it that is in Amina’s eyes. 

Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.

Adventure, Children, Middle Grade Fiction, Series

Mr. Lemoncello’s All-Star Breakout Game by Chris Grabenstein

Michelle

Grades 3 – 6

Mr. Lemoncello's All-Star Breakout Game (Mr. Lemoncello's Library, #4)This is the fourth book in the Mr. Lemoncello series and Grabenstein doesn’t disappoint! In this installment, Mr. Lemoncello goes live, nationwide, on the Kidzapalooza Television Network so that everyone can play along. To be on the show, however, kids have to audition and be accepted to play the game, using their own bodies as playing pieces. Would you have what it takes?

Graphic, Middle Grade Fiction, Netgalley Reviews

American As Paneer Pie by Supriya Kelkar

Michelle

Grades 4 – 6

American as Paneer PieLekha Divekar is the only Indian American in her town and feels like there are two of her: The Lekha who can be herself at home, and the one at school who has to deal with classmates who bully her for being who she is. Then she meets Avantika, an Indian girl her age who moves across the street. The two become fast friends and Lekha learns a lot from Avantika, who stands up for herself against the bullies.

Thanks to SLJ for a review copy of this book.

Children, Fantasy, Middle Grade Fiction, Netgalley Reviews

The Elephant’s Girl by Celesta Rimington

Michelle

Grades 3 – 5 

The Elephant's Girl

Lexington Willow can’t remember her past. She has a made up name, a made up birthday, and as far as she’s concerned, a made up life. She has no family except Roger, her foster father, who found her, and the animals at the zoo, especially the elephants. She is twelve years old and finally old enough to help with the elephants. She soon receives a telepathic message from one of the elephants, and embarks on an adventure full of ghosts, lost treasure and maybe even the key to finally finding her family.

Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.

Children, Fantasy, Middle Grade Fiction, Netgalley Reviews

Rebel in the Library of Ever by Zeno Alexander

Michelle

Grades 3 – 6

Rebel in the Library of Ever (The Library of Ever #2)

A year has passed since Lenora worked in the Library which houses every book ever known. The Library is now under new management, and Lenora is skeptical. She quickly learns her new mission to help a secret resistance free knowledge. In this adventure, she discovers an ancient city and mathematical beings as she tries to free the Library from the Board that is pulling the Library in the wrong direction.

Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.