Prisoner of Ice and Snow (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2017) by Ruth Lauren is a compelling fantasy that I found difficult to put down.
Thirteen-year-old Valor wants to go to prison. It’s the only way she can save her twin sister, Sasha. So Valor does the only thing she can think of–shoots at the royal prince during a parade. She misses, but is sentenced to life in prison for threatening a royal’s life. Once in prison, however, she can’t find her sister. How can Valor and her sister escape if she can’t even find Sasha?
The book is a Junior Library Guild selection.
This is Ruth Lauren’s debut book. You can read about her on her website and see the UK cover, which I actually like better than the US cover. Her next book, Seeker of the Crown, comes out in 2018.
Category: MG Novels
middle grade novels (for 8-12 yo)
Monster, Human, Other
You definitely have to pick up Monster, Human, Other (Random House Children’s Books, September 2017) by Laurel Gale when it comes out. I was fortunate enough to get to read an ARC and loved this book.
It starts out with Isaac Read, whose family has moved once again, because he’s changing from his winter look to his summer look. Yep, Isaac isn’t human–he’s a clepsit–in the ambassador exchange program living with human parents. He has to tape down his tail when he goes out among humans and is always having to make new friends because of the moves.
Mr. and Mrs. Read’s child Wren lives with a clepsit family in their burrow. Her clepsit parents love her, but the extended family, not so much. Wren doesn’t have the sense of smell that the rest of the family does and often has trouble finding her way back to the burrow. She’s picked on by her cousins; distrusted by her aunt and uncle, the head clepsits. Thank goodness her brother Coney tries to protect her.
Add the voracans who want to take over the world. With relations between the human and clepsit cultures growing more tense, how can two kids help? But Isaac and Wren don’t have any choice but to get involved when the voracans show up in their world.
This book is fun and with enough scare to keep it interesting. The new world is believable and relatable. I’m sure kids will also love this book.
This is author Laurel Gale’s second book. Read more about what she’s up to on her website. I also recommended her first book Dead Boy here.
Carrying Mason
Carrying Mason (ZonderKidz, 2011) by Joyce Magnin was a touching story with a strong female lead. It’s also a historical novel set in the late 1950s.
Thirteen-year-old Luna has lost her best friend Mason. She really wants to help carry his casket, despite her daddy saying only men are pall bearers. After the funeral, Luna realizes more needs carrying–Mason’s mother. Luna is brave, caring, and fortunately, stubborn enough to resist Aunt Sapphire.
I love what Joyce says about this book on her website: “I wrote Carrying Mason because I wanted to deal with a child who needed and wanted to be challenged and to go against conventional wisdom in order to discover just how strong she really was. Carrying Mason deals with death and loss but that is not the focal point of the story. Luna’s journey to adulthood is the point.”
Booklist said about this book, “Delivers a positive message about standing up for those who cannot advocate for themselves.” Don’t miss it.
I recommended another of Joyce’s books here.
The Tragically True Adventures of Kit Donovan
I really enjoyed The Tragically True Adventures of Kit Donovan (Albert Whitman & Company, 2017) by Patricia Bailey.
It’s 1905 in a Nevada mining town and just turned thirteen-year-old Kit has lost her mother, who made her promise to be a proper lady. It’s tough being one when she’s worried about Papa and the dangers in the mine, when the kids and teacher at school don’t like her, and because she’s responsible for her mother’s death. Well, indirectly, she’ll admit.
Kit is a character to love.
Here are the opening lines of the book: “I killed my mother. Twice, if I am to be completely honest–though she only died the one time.” How could you not read on? And when you do, you’ll find adventure, danger, friendships, and more.
This is Patricia Bailey’s debut novel–I hope she writes many more. However, meanwhile you can read some of her short stories and articles on her website here.
Jelly Bean Summer
Jelly Bean Summer (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2017) by Joyce Magnin is one of those pull-you-through reads. Once I got started with this historical middle grade novel, I didn’t want to put it down.
It’s 1968 and Joyce Anne and her sister Elaine are not getting along. In fact, Joyce is so desperate to get out of their shared bedroom, and out of the house where everyone shares the grief over brother Bud being missing in Vietnam, she moves up to the roof. From the roof she meets an older boy and finds something to occupy her summer away from crazy UFO-believer Elaine and her squealing guinea pig.
The book has humor, pathos, and a satisfying ending.
Author Joyce has two other middle grade novels out and also writes for adults. You can read all about her here.