Summers SHOULD be full of magic! Here are two of my new favorite magical middle grade books.
The first one is called "Song of the Yellow Dragon" by Ying Ping Low. It's about two kids, Kai and Mengyao. Kai is the 12 year old emperor but he's controlled by his uncle and one of uncle's friends. It turns out the two have orchestrated the deaths of Kai's dad and his siblings and Kai is next on the list. Kai decides his best bet is run away and he ends up in a small village that has no name because it's so isolated. A girl named Mengyao finds him and he swears her to secrecy, which totally doesn't work because it's such a small village and everyone knows everything. Once he's healed up, the two decide to go on a quest for the Dragon Pulse, which should give him the power to be the Emperor he wants to be. Mengyao is also hoping to get some magic, she wants to be a healer. Their quest is filled with danger and surprises and eventually a satisfying resolution. There are themes of trust, and family, fulfilling your destiny, making choices, and finding magic in the world, even if you're a grown up. This is a wonderful fairy tale kind of a fantasy and I think kids are going to love it.
The second one is called "the Unchosen One". It's written by Amy Sparkes and it's also a fairy tale story and it's one of the funniest books I've read in quite some time. It's about Tassie, an orphan who has been raised in a small village with a gift for making things go terribly wrong. She often skirts complete disaster but also ends up creating terrible messes and destruction without killing or maiming anyone but coming quite close. The Wisest of the Wise Witches comes to town to tell her and her guardian, The Chief Steward, that Tassie is the chosen one, the one to fulfill a prophecy and save her people. Tassie is deliriously excited to go and convinces her best friend, Spin, a griffin, to come along. On their way, they meet Darley, an elf of questionable intentions and integrity, who seems to be either trying to sabotage their way or help them. As they travel, it becomes more apparent that Tassie isn't actually the Chosen One and that there is another but Tassie needs to find him too. The evil characters are hilarious and the persistence and resilience of Tassie is impressive. It's a fun read with lots of adventure and (sort of) danger. There are themes of persistence and friendship and doing the right thing, even if it's hard, and finding your purpose. I thought this one was terrific and I hope lots of kids will love it too.
Usually this time of year, I'm knee deep in middle grade speculative fiction as part of the CYBILS award list, which is super fun. But this year, they are taking a break (sad face emoji) but I'm still finding some fun things to read, it's just not the overwhelming glut I'm accustomed to, with stacks of books on hold for me at my local library and the stacks of books on my coffee table giving me the stink eye every time I sit down. Luckily, here are two amazing ones that just came out. The first one is in a category I like to call "not exactly speculative fiction". There are no ghosts or magical creatures in these books, but the kids face obstacles that I hope are not realistic. This one is called "The Free State of Jax". It's written by Jennifer Nielsen, an author whose work I admire greatly. Jax is a kid who has lived with his grandmother since he was a little boy. But his grandmother developed Alzheimer's disease and he was sent to ...
Sooooo many new middle grade fiction titles are coming out this fall. Check out these two new ones. The first one actually came out in May but Netgalley was kind enough to keep it on the shelf until a few weeks ago. It's called "The Curiosities" by W. H. Eatons, which is actually three people- Mark Wheaton and his two kids, Rowan and Wyatt. It's about two kids, Marlow and Zack, who just moved to a new small town with their mom, an exogeologist (a scientist who studies rocks from other planets) who works at the Rocket Propulsion Lab. It's also about the cats who live in the neighborhood, who are talkative, friendly, and capable of a great many things. The problem begins with a hum that a creature notices. The creature is unidentified until quite late in the book but is referred to occasionally. The hum seems to be disrupting insects and birds and eventually the people of the town. When the middle school science teacher, Ms. Layla, dis...
I'm sorry that we're not going to get to do the CYBILS award this year. The CYBILS award was created by people who blog and write about children's literature and has consistently been one of my favorite things to do each year. Imagine getting a list of 100+ middle grade fiction books, having to source them, read them and rate them and discuss them with a group of other people who love books as much as you do. It wasn't always easy but I always found a couple of titles that I would have otherwise missed that I totally fell in love with. But [sigh], this year, the organizers wanted to take a break. Or needed to take a break. I hope it's a short one and we can go back next year! Here are two of my new speculative fiction favorites this year. The first one is called Outside by Jennifer Holm. I adore Jennifer Holm's work and it was such an honor to get to meet her at the Nerdy Book Camp when that was still a thing. This new one is terrifi...
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