Tag: contemporary middle grade

Girl standing on a hill with arms held out. She's facing fields and mountains. Her shadow looks like a bird. A dog stands next to her.
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Kestrel Takes Flight

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Kestrel Takes Flight* (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2026) by Joy McCullough is such a good read. This novel is written in verse and can be read very quickly, but contains important truths.

It’s the middle of the night and Kestrel’s mom sneaks them out of the house where they live with Grandpa. The two fly from San Diego to Montana for the summer. Kestrel is puzzled over the secrecy and doesn’t understand why they didn’t say good-bye to Grandpa. Or why Mom didn’t tell her about the trip ahead of time. On the plane Mom explains she is going to work at a bear institute. Well, really a dog institute. And Kestrel hates dogs. If Karelian dogs hunt bears, what will they do to a girl?

Intersperses with the poems are letters Kestrel writers in her journal to her grandfather. She plans to show them to him when they get back. In them we see how she changes. (I did feel some of the initial changes happened too quickly.) I love how the first and last poems bookend the story, and how she shows Kestrel’s life experiences expanding. I want to say more, but don’t want to give anything away.

The book is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.

Read about Joy and see some of her books here. On this site you can check out her young adult books. Somehow I’ve only read one, Blood Water Paint, and it was fantastic.

*I received a copy for review from the publisher. Thoughts are my own.

Cover of The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman features a falling boy with papers, pencils, a backpack, a skateboard, and a pug all falling against a blue background
Posted in Award Winners, MG Novels, So Many Good Books

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2024) by Gennifer Choldenko is a heart-wrenching story. Of course, her middle grade novels often are.

Hank, almost 12, and his sister Boo, 3, haven’t seen their mom in a week. The food has run out, so have the scrounged coins. The landlord is threatening eviction through the closed door. With Grandma Mae gone, what can they do? A name and address written on an unsigned permission slip is their only hope.

You’ll love both kids–such sympathetic characters.

The book has too many awards to list, but you can see them here. Read fun facts about Newbery honor author Gennifer here. I love her Alcatraz books, but I think Notes from a Liar and Her Dog is still my favorite. Check out all her books here.

Bright yellow cover with red words POPCORN, half of a face of a boy in glasses and a collared shirt
Posted in Award Winners, MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Popcorn

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Popcorn (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2024) by Rob Harrell is such a good book–full of humor and heart! And it only covers one day in the of the main character. Well worth a read.

Seventh-grader Andrew has problems. His grandmother, G, is living with them and has Alzheimer’s, he has to hide his odd behaviors at school, there’s always the threat of Mean Gene, and it’s school picture day. If that’s not enough to provoke anxiety in anyone, it’s worse for Andrew who struggles with anxiety. His biggest fear is to explode into a panic attack at school.

Andrew was inspired by the author’s own experiences with anxiety, so comes across as very real. I had such sympathy for Andrew and for others in the book. I loved his relationship with his best friend, Jonesy. I enjoyed all the mishaps during his day.

Popcorn received a Schneider Family Book Award for Middle Grades (2025) and has been nominated for others this year. Inside are sketches “by” Andrew of what his life is like.

Read about Rob here and see his other books here.

cover of How to Tell a True Story
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

How to Tell a True Story

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

How to Tell a True Story (Margaret Ferguson Books, Holiday House, 2025) by Tricia Springstubb is a fascinating story of dealing with trauma–a family home burning down.

Seventh grader Amber Price divides her world into Before and After. Before, hardly anyone noticed her. After, she’s the fire girl. And not only do students know her name, but they want to do a fundraiser for her family. However, she knows Dad would say, “the Prices don’t take charity.” Somehow the fundraiser goes ahead, and she’ll have to confess to Dad. Worse, though, her brother, the hero who saved Amber from the fire, is keeping secrets.

This book is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection.

Previously, I recommended her book Moonpenny Island. I need to find more of Tricia’s books. You can check them out here and read about the author here.

cover of Restart
Posted in Award Winners, MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Restart

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Restart (Scholastic Press, 2017) by Gordon Korman is a great read!

Eighth grader Chase Ambrose fell off the roof, woke up in the hospital 4 days later, and doesn’t remember ANYTHING from before. Not his name, family, or friends. And definitely not school and who he was. As Chase says, “It’s like I’ve been parachuted into the middle of someone else’s life–someone who looks exactly like me, yet isn’t me.” Finding out who he was before the retrograde amnesia is different depending on who Chase talks to–he’s either a hero or someone to fear. Snippets of his old life return to his memory in bits and pieces. Will he return to who he was before or be someone new?

I missed this when it came out, but am very happy to discover it now. The book is on 49 state lists!

Gordon Korman is an award-winning author. Read the 10 ten questions kids ask and check out his 80 books.