Tag: Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

cover of
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Operation: Happy

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Operation: Happy (Zonderkidz, 2024) by Jenni L. Walsh is one you won’t want to miss! (It’s coming out next April.*) Told in two points of view, it almost had me tearing up on the first page. It’s such a compelling and tense-making read, I hope it wins awards.

Jody wants a dog more than anything. Something to help going to bed feel the same no matter where she is. (Her dad’s a Marine and the family moves around a lot.)

Happy, a mixed German shepherd/collie/husky, is losing his eyesight and his handler is retiring, so he has a new job. Instead of being a military guard job, he’ll just need to make a girl happy.

But now it’s 1940 and the family has been ordered to Hawaii and Mom doesn’t want to go. She’s had a dream about “The Island.” And then they can see the battleships from their new house on Ford Island. Mom won’t even look at them, which makes Jody really nervous.

The story is inspired by a real Pearl Harbor survivor.

Jenni L. Walsh writes historical for children and adults. Read about her here and check out all her books here. I’m definitely reading more of her writing!

*I was privileged to read an advanced reader copy from the Publisher.

cover of
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

The Elephant in the Room

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

The Elephant in the Room (Rocky Pond Books, 2021) by Holly Goldberg Sloan is much more than an immigrant story or a story about autism or even a story about winning the lottery. Plus a real elephant. Told in multiple points of view, this story is a compelling read.

Sila was born in Oregon but her parents are Turkish citizens and something was wrong with her mother’s paperwork so after 15 years in America, her mother has to go back to Turkey. And it’s Sila’s fault. Living without her mother for the last eight months is the hardest thing Sila has ever known. Then she and her dad meet Gio, who won the lottery. And the three of them meet Veda, a circus elephant, whom Gio buys because of Sila. When Sila is assigned to be a partner to Mateo, she surprises herself by inviting him to meet Veda. Who knew this series of events would give hope to everyone involved.

Read about Holly here and check out her other books here.

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

Coyote Queen

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Coyote Queen (Greenwillow Books, 2023) by Jessica Vitalis is a fascinating story of one girl’s experience with poverty, domestic violence, and magic.

Twelve-year-old Fud, Felicity Ulyssa Dahlers, and her mom have always been on their own. Until Larry. Who makes the rules. And has an uneven temper and is super easy to anger. When the new neighbor girl tells her about a beauty pageant where the prize money is enough to get them away from Larry, Fud knows she has to apply and win.

Read the compelling first line: “Before the coyote stuff happened, I would have told you that magic didn’t exist.”

The story is set in Wyoming where Fud sees, and experiences, coyotes in a very unique way. The book just came out, but already it is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.

Inspired by some experiences when Jessica was a child, this is her third book. Read about her other books here. And check out her fun facts on Jessica’s about page here.

cover of Moongarden
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Moongarden

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

I enjoyed Plotting the Stars 1: Moongarden (Pixel+Ink, 2022) by Michelle A. Barry very much. A girl who doesn’t fit in, a hidden room, unexpected friends including an old robot, shortsighted adults, and magic. All on the moon. (And isn’t the cover gorgeous?)

Myra Hodger is attending The Scientific Lunar Academy of Magic, but is not the Number Whisperer her parents expect. The tattoos aren’t developing, so she hides her forearms with long sleeves. Then she stumbles across a hidden lab with a secret garden. As she learns about the plants, Myra wonders if her newfound magical gift could help solve the food shortage problem the government is trying to hide. But will anyone let her?

Just out this month is the sequel, Seagarden. I’m looking forward to it, too.

This book was the author’s debut and has been called an update to the book The Secret Garden. Read about Michelle here.

cover of Finally Seen
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Finally Seen

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Finally Seen (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023) by Kelly Yang is so so goood!! It’s hard to tell you how much I like it. 😉

Ten-year-old Lina Gao has been living in China with her grandmother, Lao Lao, and finally gets to go live in America with her parents and younger sister who left five years ago. But all is not well in Los Angeles. Things are definitely not what she expected. Like her English being good enough. And her sister in all the family pictures, but none of her. Have her parents even missed her? Plus, Lina feels guilty about leaving Lao Lao behind.

This character and her situation felt so real. I loved seeing how Lina grew and changed and how she changed things around her.

Kelly Yang is an award winning and bestselling author. On her Finally Seen page, she asks kids what books make them feel seen. Check out her books here and scroll to the bottom to read the FAQs.

(Previously I recommended her book Front Desk here.)