Tag: MMGM

seal of the State of Washington
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Middle Grade Books Set in States Where I’ve Lived

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Inspired by this list “50 States Reading Road Trip (Middle Grade Books Set in the USA)” posted on May 21st, I decided to share some middle grade books I’ve recommended (or read) set in my different states as well. Some may be on the above list–others are not. Some are more recent and others are older, but still good!

These states are in order of when I lived there:

OREGON (born and raised)

The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry

Roller Girl (a graphic novel) by Victoria Jamieson

A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry

WASHINGTON (I’ve moved here three times! It’s the state I’ve lived in the longest.)

The Fences Between Us by Kirby Larson

I Can Make this Promise by Christine Day

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm

A Whale of the Wild by Rosanne Parry

COLORADO (lived here less than 3 years)

Alone by Megan E. Freeman

Away by Megan E. Freeman

Linked by Gordon Korman

NEW JERSEY (lived here less than one year!)

The Hike to Home by Jess Rinker

WASHINGTON (again)

KANSAS (lived here just over 8 years)

Airball, My Life in Briefs by L.D. Harkrader

Crossing the Tracks by Barb Stuber

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose

Moon Over Manifest by Claire Vanderpool

out of patience by Brian Meehl

Savvy by Ingrid Law

WASHINGTON (again)

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

Wonderland

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Mnday

Wonderland (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018) by Barbara O’Connor is a sweet story I’m glad I found. It’s told in three viewpoints, including a dog’s!

It’s the summer between fourth and fifth grade and Mavis Jeeter’s mother is moving them again. Mavis wants to have a best friend. How can she do that if they don’t stay anywhere long enough? She wants this new home in Alabama to be permanent. She’s decided that Mom’s employer’s daughter will be her new best friend and tells her so.

Ten-year-old Rose Tully doesn’t fit in with the others in Magnolia Estates. But then this strange new girl, Mavis, arrives makes her believe she can have a friend, besides Mr. Duffy, the gateguard.

Then there’s Henry, a dog on the run.

See the awards for this book here.

Last year I recommended Barbara’s book Wish. Here’s a link to this bestselling author’s FAQ.

cover of Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood (Disney/Hyperion, 2024) by Robert Beatty is a mysterious story.

Thirteen-year-old Sylvia Doe tries to stay with her foster families. But the only place she feels she belongs is Highland Home for Children, with it’s caretaker, and the horses. Sylvia always finds her way back. “Caught in a nook here, and a cranny there, she was the one little pebble that the river could never seem to push downstream.” Once “home” a powerful storm causes the river to flood and Sylvia finds strange things that don’t belong, and even rescues an odd boy, who doesn’t seem to be from her time.

Watch the book trailer on this page.

Read about the bestselling author here and check out his Serafina and Willow series here.

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

Nightingale

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Nightingale (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2022) by Deva Fagan was a fun fantasy–there’s a magic sword, flying, an evil factory owner, workers literally ghosting, princes, a giant robot, a possibly war on the horizon, and a hero or two.

12-year-old Lark is an orphan just trying to earn enough money to get her mother’s locket back from mean Mrs. Starvenger. During an attempted theft she accidentally touches a magicked sword and becomes the fabled hero Nightingale expected to save Gallant from an ancient evil. 13-year-old Prince Jasper was the one who awakened the sword, but unfortunately the sword has a mind of it’s own and won’t go back. But Lark can’t be a hero, can’t she?

The book is a 2022 Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year and has been put on a several state lists. Read more here.

Read about the author here and check out her other books on her site.

cover of Stay, Girl, shows a beagle running to a girl
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Stay, Girl

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Stay, Girl (Crow & Pitcher Press, 2024) by Angelica R. Jackson was a compelling read.

It’s 1953 in Sacramento, CA and 13-year-old Bet’s dying mother makes her promise to go to her Uncle Earl. The moment Mom dies, Bet packs up a few things and steals hidden money from her crooked stepfather, and is on the run. She plans to only stay a few days with her uncle and then go on to Oregon, but a small injured dog needs some care, so Bet decides to stick around a bit longer.

I enjoyed the details of small town life in this story and was rooting for Bet to have a real home in Amberfields, CA. And, of course, the dogs were fun.

Besides being a writer, Angelica has also rescued some dogs, which you can read about here. Read about the author here and see her other novels here.