Tag: contemporary

cover of Adventures in the City of Stories shows three kids in front of one of the lions at the NY Public Library
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Adventure in the City of Stories

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Adventure in the City of Stories (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2026) by Emma Otheguy and illustrated by Poly Bernatene is a fun novel of time travel that just came out in July.

Seventh grader and honor roll student Camilla is crying because she got in trouble with the school principal for bringing inappropriate books* to her Miami school, and now a letter has been sent to all the parents talking about how they were confiscated. Cami thinks she can’t ever go back to school. To cheer her up, Jorge shows her their aunt’s old folktale book and puppets. But when an eighth grade bully threatens to throw the book in the dumpster, the two jump into a magic tinajón (large pot) to escape and get transported in time and place. Back to 1930s New York. Where more trouble awaits.

I loved the mix of contemporary and historical in this story. It was a pleasure to “meet” some people from the past, including Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. I learned some Spanish as well as history. And who doesn’t love magic?

The book is a companion to Cousins in the Time of Magic, which I hadn’t read, but now want to. This story definitely stands alone. (I was given a copy of the book from the publisher for review.)

Read about the author here and see Emma’s other books here.

Read about the illustrator here–there are spot illustrations throughout the book. See Poly’s books here (he’s an author as well) and check out his his kid friendly illustrations here.

*The books were in Spanish about Latino students.

cover of Olivetti shows a typewriter with flowers coming out of the basket area
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Olivetti

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Olivetti (Feiwel and Friends, 2024) by Allie Millington is told in two points of view–a twelve-year-old boy named Ernest and a typewritter named Olivetti. In fact, the opening lines are from Olivetti.

“It’s quite possible you’ve never spoken to a typewriter before. This is not your fault.”

How could one not read on?

Olivetti lives with the Brindle family and has been replaced with a laptop. But when Mrs. Brindle leaves the family, only Olivetti has clues and he breaks the typewriter code by typing back to Ernest. With a newfound friend, the two work together to find Beatrice Brindle, until disaster strikes.

This debut book is unusual and compelling. It’s been on the following lists: School Library Journal Best Books of 2024, Booklist Best Books of 2024, Boston Globe Best Books of 2024, Bookshop Best Books of 2024, and more.

Read about the author here. She now has two other books which you can read about here.

Although I like the cover, I don’t think it would appeal to middle grade boys.

Posted in Award Winners, MG Novels, So Many Good Books, YA Novels

Blessing’s Bead

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

BlessingsbeadIsn’t this a beautiful cover?
Blessing’s Bead (Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009) by Debby Dahl Edwardson is an interesting mix of historical and contemporary. I’ll be honest I felt the historical section was a bit slow at first–maybe because there were so many characters–but once I got going it was good. The contemporary section pulled me in right away. I loved how the cultural information was done. It was great how the two stories meet up.
Here’s a brief look at each section:
It’s 1917 and Nutaaq watches her sister Aaluk and the young Siberian wearing the string of cobalt beads. Nutaaq does well in a race and gets one bead. Her sister goes off to marry the Siberian, then illness strikes the village and very few are left.
70 years later, Blessing and her little brother are sent away from their mother to live with their grandmother. Blessing feels like an outsider with the Inupiaq, but then begins to learn about her family’s history. She finds a blue bead, which she treasures without quite knowing why.
Debby writes with authenticity about her adopted culture in Barrow, Alaska. Read more here and the kudos for Blessing’s Bead. Debby’s site has many extras, so you may want to spend some time there. I did and now I’m putting her other novel and her picture book on my TBR pile!