Tag: friendships

cover of Shouting at the Rain
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Shouting at the Rain

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

I loved Shouting at the Rain (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2019) by Lynda Mullaly Hunt so much! It had such good lines that I want to savor, such as, “The sun is always in the sky–it just gets hidden sometimes.”

Delsie never really thought of herself as an orphan until her friend wants to use her as inspiration. Then when Delsie’s summertime friend shows up, she’s not really interested in Delsie and what they used to do anymore. It’s not comfortable being on the outside looking in at friendships nor whole families.

The book is a Junior Library Guild Selection and a NY Times bestseller. Don’t miss this good story!

Read about Lynda here and check out her other two books here.

Posted in MG Novels

33 Minutes

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
33minutes.jpg33 Minutes (Aladdin, 2013) by Todd Hasak-Lowy is a fast and funny read. I love the descriptions of people and the food fight and the main character’s snarkiness. But the book has a serious side, too.
Seventh-grader Sam Lewis is going to get his butt kicked in 33 minutes by former friend Morgan Sturtz. And all the kids at school know it! But how did we get here? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
On his FAQ, the author explains how the book is not biographical, but it is emotionally biographical as we all go through losing friends. It also talks about the unusual format of the book. I love how in chapter one, Sam is always stating Fact and Opinion since that’s what his social studies teacher emphasizes.
This was Todd Hasak-Lowy’s first book for children, but he has written for adults and has a YA book coming out in 2015. Follow him on twitter @toddhasaklowy.