Category: MG Novels

middle grade novels (for 8-12 yo)

Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Code Name Kingfisher

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Code Name Kingfisher (Aladdin, 2023) by Liz Kessler is a remarkable duel timeline novel of present day and 1942. You definitely don’t want to miss this story.

Thirteen-year-old Liv doesn’t understand her ninety-two-year-old grandmother and why all she says about her childhood is that it was hard. How is Liv to do a school assignment of a family tree when she knows nothing and Bubbe won’t answer questions. But while helping clean out Bubbe’s house, Liv finds a box of old letters in Dutch and begins to unravel the past.

Twelve-year-old Mila and her older sister Hannie have to leave their Jewish family behind and go live with strangers during the Nazi occupation of Holland. Will they ever see their parents again? Mila makes new friends in her new home, but her sister is becoming more and more distant.

The contrast of the three girls’ lives and the growth of affection and understanding between Liv and her grandmother is so good. I also love how Liv changes because she was inspired by knowing the truth about her family.

The author writers for children and young adults. Read more about her here and check out all her books here.

cover of The Girl Who Kept the Castle
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

The Girl Who Kept the Castle

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

The Girl Who Kept the Castle (Quill Tree Books, 2024) by Ryan Graudin was a fun fantasy with humor and heart. It also has a main character who has to fight against what is expected. Plus, there’s a dragon.

Look at the first line, “Wizard West was dead for nearly an entire day before he noticed.” And actually he doesn’t notice. It’s up to Faye, the daughter of the West’s groundskeeper, to tell him he’s dead. (The servants cast lots.) “Sugarcoat the situation,” Puck, the cat says. But the wizard is angry to hear the news and casts a spell to turn Faye into a . . .

Read about the author here and check out her many books here. I love finding a new author.

cover of Half Moon Summer
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Half Moon Summer

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Half Moon Summer (Peachtree Publishing, 2023) by Elaine Vickers is such a great book! And I love that not only is it in two points of view, but that one is in verse–really makes it easy to keep the characters apart in my head.

Could a half-marathon help two 12-year-old kids with both of their problems?

On September 23 in Half Moon Bay, California, two babies were born. Baby Drew only quit crying when placed in baby Mia’s bassinet.

Now it’s the summer before both turn thirteen and for the first time the two are reunited and start running together to train for a half-marathon. Drew is running because of his father’s diagnosis. Mia hopes running will solve her family’s housing problem.

The author made me sympathetic toward both characters.

Elaine Vickers is an award-winning author of picture books, middle grade, and young adult novels. Read more about her here and see her other books here.

Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Wink

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Wink (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2020) by Rob Harrell is a serious yet funny read enhanced by comic panels of Batpig and other drawings. It’s hard to put down this touching book.

Look at the first line, “I’m lying on a steel table, all too aware of the giant ray gun pointed in my direction.” How could you not read on?

Seventh grader Ross Maloy just wants to fit in but his diagnosis of a rare eye cancer makes him standout. He feels like if he gives this thing as little energy as he can, it’ll just fade away. Best friend Abby reminds him he has the “Ultimate Excuse” for not having homework done. But things “go from bad to catastrophic.” Not only does he have a permanent winking eye, but now he has to wear a wide-brimmed hat everywhere–including inside–to keep the sun off his face. And now someone is sharing supposedly funny Instagram drawings of him via text to his classmates.

I love how unexpected people become Ross’ friends and how he finds a new interest. I wish the story had been written more chronologically as I sometimes got confused. But still a good read.

The story is based on Rob’s own experiences. Read about the author/illustrator here and check out his other books here. His newest book, Popcorn, comes out in September.

cover of Continental Drifter
Posted in Graphic Novels, MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Continental Drifter

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Continental Drifter (First Second, 2024) by Kathy MacLeod is a graphic novel that pulls on the heartstrings. It’s a very good read.

Eleven-year-old Kathy is torn between two worlds–Bangkok, Thailand where she and her family live, and Maine where the family is going for the summer. (Kathy’s been there three times.) In Thailand, she’s luk khrueng–half child, because her father is American and her mother is Thai. In rural Maine, no one looks like Kathy. She likes American pizza and southeast Asian rambutans, a spiky sweet fruit. Why is her family so different from others. Why is life so confusing? How can she fit in anywhere?

This is Kathy’s first graphic novel. You can read about her here. Make sure you read the Afterward in the book.