More new speculative middle grade fiction 2021
It's so lovely to have time to read. I talked to a lovely woman today at the doctor's office who was telling me she loved to read to and there are so many good ones to recommend! Here are some of my newest favorites! The first one is called The Verdigris Pawn by Alysa Wishingrad. It's Wishingrad's debut novel, so I hope there are more to come! It's a fairy tale (squee!!!) about Beau, who is the son of the ruler, called Himself. Beau's mom died when he was very young and his dad has set him up with a series of tutors. Himself sets some very high standards for academic performance and behavior that Beau finds hard to meet. Beau has been playing a strategy game called Fist that involves trying to unseat the king. Himself seems to be worried that Beau (or maybe someone else) is trying to unseat him through magic and charms. The Fist set belonged to his mother, so Beau feels connected to it in surprising ways. When Himself tu...