I got to read the ARC of Joni Sensel‘s The Timekeeper’s Moon which came out this month from Bloomsbury. It continues the story of Ariel the first Farwalker in countless generations. Is she going crazy or is the moon really talking to her? Should she follow the itch in the soles of her feet? Or is death coming for all no matter what she does?
This novel is the sequel to The Farwalker’s Quest (see my blog entry here)
Check out Joni’s FAQ on her website where she says she gets her ideas “from her sock drawer!”
Category: MG Novels
middle grade novels (for 8-12 yo)
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
In The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (Henry Holt and Company, 2009) 11-year-old Callie Vee is the middle child between 3 older brothers and 3 younger brothers. She’s also caught in the middle of wanting to learn about nature with her grandfather and her mother’s desire for her to learn womanly pursuits.
This historical novel by Jacqueline Kelly is funny, interesting, touching. I love the relationship between Callie and her grandfather, her struggles in the kitchen, the music she likes to play, her conversations with Viola their cook, her misunderstandings of what the future might be, the excitement and interests as new things like the phone and automobiles begin to affect their lives.
I believe the Newbery honor award for this book was well deserved.
And it’s Jacqueline’s first book! Read about Jackie at her publisher’s site or on her own website. There’s also a fan page on Facebook.
Boys without Names
Boys without Names (Balzer & Bray, 2010) by Kashmira Sheth is a very powerful book which demonstrates the power of story in the book itself.
11-year-old Gopal and his family have to move away from their village to Mombai in order to survive. But things don’t go well there either. His father lost, Gopal decides he must earn money for the family and trusts someone he shouldn’t. Gopal ends up as a slave in a sweatshop with other boys, who can’t even share their names. It’s Gopal who makes a difference to all their lives. First by giving them names, next by telling stories.
Don’t miss it! I know I’ll be rereading it.
Thanks to Ruta Rimas for introducing me to this book.
Read about the author here: http://kashmirasheth.typepad.com/my_weblog/
The Middle of Somewhere
Great opening scene…
Because the squirrel got in the house and Mama had to have surgery on her knee, Ronnie has to take care of her younger brother, Gee, who is ADHD. When their only living relative, her grandfather who lives and travels in an RV, shows up. He agrees to take the kids on a trip. But she knows Gee will ruin the trip, which he does. But if you want to know how, you’ll have to read J.B. Cheaney‘s The Middle of Somewhere (Knopf, 2007), which she herself describes as a “road trip from hell.”
The Middle of Somewhere was named a 2008 Kansas Notable Book by the Kansas State Library. Ms. Cheaney’s book has recently been nominated for the 2010-2011 Young Hoosier List. She also writes good historical fiction. Read more at her website.
I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I want to be your Class President
How can you resist this title?
I am a GENIUS of UNSPEAKABLE EVIL and I want to be your CLASS PRESIDENT (Razorbill, 2009) by Josh Lieb is as funny as the title. It’s also a story of revenge, manipulation, and sadness, although the main character, 7th grader Oliver Watson, would never admit to the last. The former two, yes. Winning, yes. Oliver is rich and as the title says–a genius, although he works very hard to keep both facts under wraps.
I kept reading snippets of this story aloud to my husband as they HAD to be shared. The text is embellished with pictures Oliver wants you to see, but only those as he is in control!
Read about author Josh Lieb, his day job, and the writing of this book at: http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-10-21-josh-lieb_N.htm?csp=books.