Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
Sweet Home Alaska (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2016) by Carole Estby Dagg is a fun and interesting historical read. I never realized there were pioneers as recent as 1935 until I read this book!
Here’s a brief summary of the story:
Terpsichore’s father is out of work like so many men during the Depression. He’s determined not to go on relief, so when he finds out about a chance to resettle in Alaska, he’s willing to take it. Unfortunately, since he isn’t on relief, the family’s not eligible. Terpsichore’s best friend and family are going, however, so she secretly fills out the paperwork. Yes, they end up in Alaska, but nothing goes according to plan. And what’s Terpsichore to do when her mother doesn’t want to stay?
This book is a Junior Library Guild selection. It is reminiscent of the main character’s favorite books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
I love that the author included how she came to write the story on her website.
Category: MG Novels
middle grade novels (for 8-12 yo)
Mouseheart
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
Fans of Runt the Brave series by Dan Schwabauer and the Redwall books by Brian Jaques will like Mouseheart (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2014) by Lisa Fiedler.
Hopper is a mouse in a pet store. He wishes he was braver. But his bravery is about to be tested. Can he save his siblings? Can he survive when he gets washed from the uplands? And how can he tell who is telling the truth in this new world where he finds himself?
I was satisfied with the ending of this first book in the trilogy, but want to know more about Hopper and his the world. Fortunately the other books are already out. 
Book two is Hopper’s Destiny and book three is The Return of the Forgotten.
The author has a lovely website that even has games.
Beautiful illustrations are done by Vivienne To–see more of her work here.
How to Capture an Invisible Cat
Looking for a hilarious read? Try How to Capture an Invisible Cat (Bloomsbury, 2016) by Paul Tobin and illustrated by Thierry Lafontaine. The hilarity starts on page one with:
Let’s just say the cat was bigger than a horse.
To be honest, the cat was nearly the size of an elephant, but that sounds too scary, so . . . let’s just say the cat was bigger than a horse.
Our narrator, sixth-grader Delphine Cooper, has been sentenced to stay after school. While sweeping, she witnesses Very Serious People “testing” genius and classmate Nate Bannister. She’s never really paid attention to him before. Then she sees Nate and his dog Bosper at the park and some amazing things happen. Are the two going to become friends? He thinks so. And friends help each other right? So that’s how Delphine gets involved helping Nate capture his invisible supersized cat.
Author Paul Tobin is an Eisner-award winning, New York Times-bestselling author of comic books and graphic novels. How to Capture an Invisible Cat is the first of five books in this Genious Factor series. Learn more about the series, his others books and about Paul himself at his website. Currently, Paul is on a Book Blog Tour that started today. Details here.
Read about illustrator Thierry Lafontaine here.
The Year We Sailed the Sun
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
I loved this historical middle grade novel, The Year We Sailed the Sun (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015) by Theresa Nelson. It’s set in the year 1912 and took me into a unfamiliar world of Catholic orphanages and Irish street gangs in St. Louis.
Eleven-year-old Julia Delaney and her almost fourteen-year-old sister are being sent to The House of Mercy. Their older brother Bill, only fifteen himself, promises it will just be for a short time. Mary’s the good sister, so living with nuns won’t be hard on her. But Julia, that’s quite a different story. And you can tell so from the first sentence of Chapter One: “I suppose I will go to hell for biting the nun.”
That made me laugh. Yet I found Julia a sympathetic character as well. The author was a Winner of the PEN/Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Working Writer Fellowship for this book. It’s also a Junior Library Guild Selection.
The novel is a fascinating blend of fiction mixed with actual history. (Of course, I had to read the Author’s Note at the end to know that.) On the book’s page on Theresa Nelson’s website there are great pictures of the time period, including one of the real Julia who inspired the story.
The author has a number of other books to put on my “to be read” list.
The Wrinkled Crown
This is the second time for me to read a book by Anne Nesbet. I liked the first book. I like the fantasy The Wrinkled Crown (Harper, 2015) even more. And this coming Monday in Portland, Oregon, the author will be speaking at a bookstore called Green Bean Books!
But back to the book…
Almost twelve-year-old Linnet (Linny) lives in Lourka where the rule is that no girl must even accidentally touch a lourka, the musical instrument with the same name as the village. If she touches one, on her twelfth birthday she’ll be taken by the voices to Away. Because Linny is so musically inclined even as a baby, her father gives her a tethered twin, Sayra, to keep her safe. Sayra, Linny’s best friend, is too kind and lets Linny off of the tether where no one can see. Of course, Linny more than breaks the rule about lourkas. But on their birthday, it’s not Linny who is taken!
The opening line is intriguing: “It was maybe Linny’s last day of all–a pretty horrible thought–but the air in the meadow was humming with sunlight, as if nothing were the slightest bit wrong.” But better yet are the struggles that follow, because Linny has to do everything she can to save Sayra.
“I write books for young people-well, to be honest, I write stories I would want to read myself, and I am younger than the average dragon, but older than most poodles.” – Anne Nesbet