Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
Fans of Runt the Brave series by Dan Schwabauer and the Redwall books by Brian Jaques will like Mouseheart (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2014) by Lisa Fiedler.
Hopper is a mouse in a pet store. He wishes he was braver. But his bravery is about to be tested. Can he save his siblings? Can he survive when he gets washed from the uplands? And how can he tell who is telling the truth in this new world where he finds himself?
I was satisfied with the ending of this first book in the trilogy, but want to know more about Hopper and his the world. Fortunately the other books are already out. 
Book two is Hopper’s Destiny and book three is The Return of the Forgotten.
The author has a lovely website that even has games.
Beautiful illustrations are done by Vivienne To–see more of her work here.
Tag: mg fantasy
The Wrinkled Crown
This is the second time for me to read a book by Anne Nesbet. I liked the first book. I like the fantasy The Wrinkled Crown (Harper, 2015) even more. And this coming Monday in Portland, Oregon, the author will be speaking at a bookstore called Green Bean Books!
But back to the book…
Almost twelve-year-old Linnet (Linny) lives in Lourka where the rule is that no girl must even accidentally touch a lourka, the musical instrument with the same name as the village. If she touches one, on her twelfth birthday she’ll be taken by the voices to Away. Because Linny is so musically inclined even as a baby, her father gives her a tethered twin, Sayra, to keep her safe. Sayra, Linny’s best friend, is too kind and lets Linny off of the tether where no one can see. Of course, Linny more than breaks the rule about lourkas. But on their birthday, it’s not Linny who is taken!
The opening line is intriguing: “It was maybe Linny’s last day of all–a pretty horrible thought–but the air in the meadow was humming with sunlight, as if nothing were the slightest bit wrong.” But better yet are the struggles that follow, because Linny has to do everything she can to save Sayra.
“I write books for young people-well, to be honest, I write stories I would want to read myself, and I am younger than the average dragon, but older than most poodles.” – Anne Nesbet
Circus Mirandus
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
Circus Mirandus (Dial Books, 2015) by Cassie Beasley is a wonderful story of a grandson’s love for his grandfather and their stories, separately and together, in search for magic. It’s also a story of friendship.
Micah Tuttle’s Grandpa Ephraim, who has raised him, is dying. Great-Aunt Gertrudis is keeping Micah away from her brother. She talks about the “silliness” that Micah doesn’t need “stuffed between his ears,” which references Circus Mirandus. It’s just stories. But Grandpa has told Micah the stories are all true and that the Lightbender owes him a miracle. Micah is sure the miracle will save his grandfather’s life.
This amazing story is the author’s first book. Read more here.
The book has also been published in England. About that version, Cassie Beasley says she’s been “Anglicized.”
Dragon Slippers
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
I love finding new-to-me authors who have multiple book series. Recently I recommended another of Jessica Day George books–this time it is Dragon Slippers (Bloomsbury, 2007). I love the humor in this story, which you’ll see right away in the opening paragraph:
“It was my aunt who decided to give me to the dragon. Not that she was evil, or didn’t care for me. It’s just that we were very poor, and she was, as we said in those parts, dumber than two turnips in a rain barrel.”
Meet Creelisel Carlbrun whom even a dragon doesn’t want, even if she is a virgin. Read how with embroidery thread Creel seeks her fortune in the king’s city. There are plenty of surprises along the way and a satisfying ending.
My husband enjoyed the book, too.
Remember I said series? The author didn’t intend to write a sequel to this book, but . . . Read here to see why she did. Dragon Flight is the next book. And Dragon Spear is the final book in the trilogy.
Tuesdays at the Castle
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
Tuesdays at the Castle (Bloomsbury, 2011) by Jessica Day George is the first book in a series about a castle that changes on it’s own. Unwelcome visitors end up in bare rooms that move far away from the throne room and welcome visitors in luxurious rooms that move into desirable locations. Rooms change size, too. And when the King and Queen disappear, the castle helps the Prince and Princesses defend themselves against those who want to take over.
The opening lines (and the cover) show the sense of fun in this book: “Whenever Castle Glower became bored, it would grow a new room or two.” Here’s what the author has to say about how she came to write the book: http://www.jessicadaygeorge.com/#/tuesdays-at-the-castle/. It has been published in the UK and in French in Canada.
The sequel, Wednesdays in the Tower, came out in 2013. It also has been published in the UK, in French Canada and in Spain.
In 2014, Thursdays with the Crown came out and finished up where book two left off.
Coming in February 2016 is book four: Fridays with the Wizards! (Cover reveal here.) I need to catch up my reading before then.
All four books were illustrated by David Hohn. See more of his work here.
But, wait! Jessica has more books! See them all on her site.