New realistic middle grade fiction April 2025

 My husband and I were traveling last week and lucky me!  I had lots of books on my Netgalley app and lots of time to read!  Here are two of my new favorites.

The first one is called Octopus Moon.  It's written by Bobbie Pryon. I hadn't read anything by her before, so this one was a great surprise.  It's written in free verse and it's about Pearl, a girl who lives in a small town on the Florida Gulf Coast.  Pearl is part of a loving family that includes her big sister, her mom and dad, and her grandparents, who live close by.  Pearl feels especially connected to her grandfather.  Pearl also has some really great friends, including her bestie-Rosie.  But lately, Pearl has been struggling.  She feels sad a lot for no particular reason.  She's tired a lot.  She doesn't want to get out of bed or go to school or hang with her friends.  She doesn't even want to run with her dog Tuck, even though she loves running.  It turns out that Pearl has depression and she's lucky enough to have a family that recognizes the problem and finds a way to help her through it.  This is not without problems and setbacks but Pearl eventually does find her way to a happier place.  What makes this book so great is not just the descriptions of what it feels like to be depressed, but also the way that the people around Pearl deal with her depression.  Some of Pearl's closest allies act like she doesn't have a right to be depressed.  Or that she should just snap out of it.  Or that depression isn't really that big of a deal.  All of these are ways that people try to cope with depression and not all of it is a helpful.  This is going to be a terrific tool for guidance counselors and other people who work with kids to use to help them understand depression and how to help someone who is depressed.  Not to mention the fact that Pearl is a super cool character to read about and I was sorry when the book was over.  Look for this one!   Check out this gorgeous cover!  

The second one is historical fiction and it's by Laurie Halse Anderson, who is one of my favorite authors, so I was really looking forward to this one.  It's about Elspeth, who has moved from Philadelphia to Boston with her dad after the death of her mother and her three siblings from smallpox.  Elspeth's dad has been mourning their deaths and found work but he and Elspeth now live separately.  Thirteen year old Elspeth has been working as a servant for a wealthy, abusive Tory judge and her dad has been working as a sailmaker when the Patriots lay siege to Boston.  When the judge is forced to leave his home, along with all the other Tories, Elspeth is meant to go back to Scotland, with her mother's family, but her dad disappears and a new family moves into the judge's house, so Elspeth stays and continues to work.  The new family has 5 children and come with another maid who wants to make Elspeth's life miserable.  Elspeth's father has also disappeared leaving Elspeth frantic with worry.  The story is full of vivid details about what life was like during the Revolutionary War period, and most especially what it was like living with small pox.   Some of Anderson's characters from other books get a passing reference, connecting the books Chains, Forge, and Ashes to this new one.  Anderson's wonderful dialogue and brilliant character development are on full display in this book.  I think the kids are going to love this one.