New middle grade fiction

I'm really excited that I get to be on the CYBILs judging panel again this year!  Last year I did middle grade speculative (fantasy) fiction and this year I'm doing realistic fiction.  It's such an awesome opportunity to get to read A LOT of books in a short amount of time!  So, not to gloat, but

                               
Aaaand, that would be me doing the happy dance!

The first book I read was already terrific!  It's called "Once Upon a Princess" by Christine Marciniak. I'm going to tell you the truth, I was totally ready to hate this one.  I have very little patience with things that are just pink and sparkly and after the first chapter, I was ready to kick it to the curb, but I persisted and man, was it worth it!  It's about a princess (yes, pink and sparkly and silk gowns to start with but be patient!) who is ready to attend her first ball.  She's only 12 and typically princesses don't get to start attending balls until they're older but this is a special ball commemorating the 800th anniversary of Fritzi's family's ruling the small country of Colsteinburg.  The ball is amazing, full of lovely food, beautiful people, best friends, dancing and all the things you would hope for from a ball. Fritzi goes to bed dreaming of what a wonderful night it was.  And then she's abruptly awoken by her big sister, telling her to pack a bag and come quickly.  Fritzi can hear breaking glass and shouting but is unprepared for her swift departure from the life she's always known.  There's been a coup and her father is missing and Fritzi, her mom, and her sister have to hide in order to be safe.  The story that follows is exciting and filled with danger and surprises.  There are themes of adaptability, bullying, who people make judgements about you and standing up for yourself.  There is also a very interesting piece about the use of social media that I think could be an excellent teaching opportunity.  Fritzi is a terrific character and this was a very fun read.

This second one had me checking the author's information in the back of the book, because it was clear from the story setting in this one, that the author, Meg Medina has spent time in South Florida (where I live!)  It was just hilarious to be reading along and she would mention a very familiar place.  It gave me such a charge!  It's called "Merci Suarez Changes Gears".  It's about a girl named Merci (that's short for Mercedes) who lives in Palm Beach County with her extended family.  She attends a private school on a scholarship, which she likes and doesn't like.  She likes the school but some of the kids are really mean, particularly about Merci's amblyopia and the fact that her dad is a laborer - he's a painter.  In fact, the school bully, Edna, uses her words like swords ("No offense, but...").  Merci seeks solace in her family, especially her grandfather, whom she adores, but has seemed a little off lately.  It turns out his issues are pretty serious, but that comes pretty late in the book.  What's great about this story (aside from the setting) is Merci.  She is such a wonderful character-she works HARD, she loves sports, she adores her family, she's really creative and she's a really nice person too.  The people around her are interesting too and the family crises that come up over the course of the book will ring true with lots of kids.  I think my students are going to love this one.  

Here's a video about Meg Medina and what she's doing until the book comes out.