Sylvia here! I am so excited to be revealing the cover of BJ Pierson’s middle grade action-adventure, SUPERDREW AND THE BETRAYAL OF DONHIL CORP. The cover features artwork by Oh Lenic with layout and typography by Qamber Designs & Media.
#book 22: Book 22: MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES by Adam Gidwitz -- This middle-grade story set during WWII softens tough topics through the use of humor. Read in print or audio: the #audiobook is fantastic.
Five stars: Haunted Holiday by Kiersten White (2024) is the conclusion to the Sinister Summer series. Twins Theo and Alexander are back at their aunt's house while their older sister and Edgar go to save their parents. Neither twin wants to sit still and let things happen, so they too find a way to do their part.
Five stars: Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu (2024) is a modern day middle grade retelling of "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892). It's set in the post-COVID years and looks at how autoimmune problems are often undiagnosed or even ignored, especially in children.
#Book 14: Averil Offline by Amy Noelle Parks -- a well-thought-out story about two tweens longing for some independence in an app-happy, helicopter-parent world. THanks to the publisher for the review copy.
Click, Camp, Act, Clash, Crunch, and Break by Kayla Miller- a graphic novel series for middle grade readers. The most recent addition, Break, finds Olivia spending Spring Break with her dad who recently moved back from New Zealand. Spending so much time without her father around makes Olivia mad that he suddenly is there. We dive into Olivia's world and figure this new life out together.
After returning to the real world, Luca couldn't wait to go back to his home. Little does he know that his special bunny friend snuck a ride in his backpack.
Moonlight Blade will continue later this Spring. Hope you're all enjoying the series so far :3
Five stars: My Aunt Is a Monster by Reimena Yee (2022) is a middle grade graphic novel about a family of adventurers, a curse, and a lifelong rivalry. Safia was born blind but had a good, enriching early childhood with her parents who filled her world with nightly bedtime stories and audiobook when they couldn't read to her. When she's the only survivor from a house fire, she's sent to live with her aunt and companion. The house she's sent to has a reputation for being the home of a monster!
#Book 6: Amil and the After by Verra Hiranandani -- A moving story of life in India after the Partition as told by a 12-year-old boy. Emotionally strong, the novel addresses several important & relevant issues.
Five stars: The Secret Starling by Judith Eagle and Kim Geyer (Illustrator) (2019) is a historical novel set in 1974 in England. Clara has lived a solitary life with her uncle, a rotating set of governesses, and an every dwindling staff. The last to go is Cook. And then Clara finds herself dumped in the nearby village with £200.
Five stars: Lo and Behold by Wendy Mass and Gabi Mendez (Illustrator) (2023) is about friendships made through augmented and virtual reality. Addie and her father have moved temporarily to a college town so he can help some computer science students with their grants.
A mermaid, a firebird, and a witch become entangled with the mysterious and powerful Witch Queen, who may hold the key to each of their past in this epic middle grade fantasy by debut author Vivian Zhou.
From We Need Diverse Books cofounder Lamar Giles comes an out-of-this-world adventure starring the Epic Ellison twins! Join them as they race to solve the mystery of Cosmos Camp for young geniuses in this stand-alone companion to the Legendary Alston Boys series.
Making new friends can be difficult. It can seem even more insurmountable when you are on the autistic spectrum. 11-year-old Alex knows one or two things about it. He really doesn’t like change. Change can be terrifying. Alex thinks that having a friend will greatly help him, but how will he meet someone before school begins ?
Huda F Cares? by Huda Fahmy: 4* for this this #MiddleGrade#GraphicNovel that explores what it's like to be a practicing Muslim in the United States from a young teenage girl's perspective.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes the third and final book in the cheerful and charming trilogy about friendship, adventure, and celebrating your true self.
With its friendly monsters, The Monsters of Marymount Mansion is the perfect middle grade book for #spookyseason ! Toby is a sweet monster, but with a scary apparence : he has skin like a fish, fur like a dog, and smells like cotton candy when he gets excited ! Courageous and curious, the young monster has a lot of adventures on Halloween !
The Witch Boy trilogy by Molly Knox Ostertag is a fun graphic novel series about a boy witch in a family where only girls can be witches. It follows the MC as he navigates friendships, family dynamics, mysteries, and witchcraft. The three books are: The Witch Boy, The Hidden Witch, and The Midwinter Witch. Perfect for ages 8-13 or any fan of graphic novels.
Affective Worldmaking: Narrative Counterpublics of Gender and Sexuality edited by S. Schultermandl, J. Aresin, S. Pages Whybrew, and D. Simic (nonfiction)
I am reading the cutest middle grade novel right now. It's called The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass and it's about a boy, a little free library, a couple ghosts, and Mortimer, the library cat. Highly recommend for readers age 8-12.
Four stars: The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton and Khadijah Khatib (Illustrator) (2022) is the start of The Conjureverse middle grade fantasy series set in an alternate Earth where magic is real and segregated. Ella Durand is the first conjurer to attend the Arcanum Training Institute. Although she's been welcomed to join, she faces prejudice from nearly everyone at the school. She also finds herself in the middle of a mystery that threatens the school.