Tag: Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Song for a Whale

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Song for a Whale (Delacorte Press, 2019) by Lynne Kelly is an incredible story. I loved it so much.

Iris is a tech genius who restores old electronic equipment such as antique radios. She’s also only twelve. Being the only deaf person at her school is very difficult. When she learns about Blue 55, a whale who can’t speak to other whales because he sings at the wrong frequency, Iris gets an idea. She wants to communicate with Blue 55 to show him he’s not alone. However, there are lots of obstacles in her way–like being 3000 miles away.

My grandparents and father repaired electronic equipment so loved reading about a character interested in the subject. The uniqueness of a deaf person wanting to help someone else hear is so cool, too.

I recommended Lynne’s book Chained here. Read about Lynne on her author site.

Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

The Bridge Home

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

The Bridge Home (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2019) by Padma Venkatraman was marvelous. Such a touching story that made my heart ache for the characters.

11-year-old Viji and her sister Rukka run away from an abusive home to the big city of Chennai. There they find shelter on an abandoned bridge and make a new family with two boys. Still, life is not easy. Viji hates being a ragpicker in the city rubbish heaps, but the children can sell what they find to the waste mart man, which lets them buy food and other necessities. And then . . .

You’ll have to read it to see what happens next.

Go here for bonus material for the book. And here to learn more about Padma.

Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

The Storm Keeper’s Island

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

I loved The Storm Keeper’s Island (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2018) by Catherine Doyle!

Although Fionn Boyle comes from a long line of seafarers, he fears the ocean will gulp him down. When he and his sister, Tara, go to Arranmore Island to visit their grandfather for the summer, it’s like the island itself welcomes him. Fionn hates Malachy Boyle’s house on sight and just wants to be back in their Dublin apartment with his mother. But surprisingly he likes his grandfather. Then he finds out about the magic of the Island. It will be choosing a new Storm Keeper to replace his aging grandfather. Could it be Fionn?

This is the author’s debut novel. Wow! There’s a sequel coming in July–The Lost Tide Warriors. Woo hoo!

Catherine’s own grandparents grew up on Arranmoore Island. Read more about the author here. And interestingly enough, just this week I came across this article about the Island.

Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Over the Moon

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Over the Moon (Scholastic Press, 2019) by Natalie Lloyd is a delightful fantasy. That doesn’t mean there isn’t trouble.

Twelve-year-old Mallie Ramble’s family depends on her wages, since her father can no longer go Down Under and work in the mine. But she’s sick of leaving Coal Top and going down to the valley to work as a servant for the rich. When an opportunity comes up for adventure and riches–even if it is for boys only, especially orphans–Mallie applies. However, her new job is more risky than she could imagine.

Meet Starbirds (flying horses), villains, monsters, and more in this world of dust where once people wove starlight.

I’ve recommended Natalie Lloyd’s first book here. See her other books here. And read about her here.

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

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and her Monster

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

SweepSweep: The Story of a Girl and her Monster (Amulet Books, 2018) by Jonathan Auxier is a book to love and hate. I love the story; I love the main character. I hate the villains and the callous treatment of chimney sweeps in Victorian London.
Eleven-year-old Nan Sparrow is employed by the cruel Wilkie Crudd as a chimney sweep. So far she’s managed to survive, but one day she gets stuck in a chimney, and a fire is lit beneath her to get her out. Somehow she wakes up in an attic. She and her new friend need a place to stay, away from Wilkie Crudd. Eventually they try to help all children who work as chimney sweeps, too.
This is a fantastic tale. I wish all would read this story about friendships and survival. The book won the 2019 Sydney Taylor Book Award for Older Readers.
Read about the author’s other books here. Read about him here and watch his changing author picture. 😉 Check out the monster faces here.