Tag: MMGM

cover of Gut Reaction
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Gut Reaction

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Gut Reaction (Scholastic Press, 2024) by Kirby Larson and Quinn Wyatt was an inspirational read.

After the loss of her father, 8th grader Tess Medina is starting a new school and when she gets her new schedule, it shows a SEL class. What’s that? The counselor explains it is “Social Emotional Learning. Talking about feelings and stuff.” No way is she going to share feelings with strangers! Especially how baking is what still ties her to her dad. Or that she’s got this pain in her stomach that makes her rush for the bathroom. She has a goal of winning the Jubilee Flour Junior Baker West Coast competition, but how is she going to raise the money for the entry fees?

This is Quinn’s debut book, written with her mom, Kirby, and inspired by her own experience with Crohn’s disease. Read this interview about how the book nearly didn’t happen. This is Kirby’s first contemporary middle grade book. Read about the award winning author here and check out all her other books here.

This is the book’s website.

cover of Painting the Game
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Painting the Game

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Painting the Game (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2024) by Patricia MacLachlan is a tender and wonderful book.

It’s baseball time and 11-year-old Lucy thinks the pitcher’s mound is scary. But her father is a great pitcher for a minor league team and she wants to “paint the game” just like he does. She starts practicing in secret. However, she’s not the only one who has a secret.

The characters in this book are so great.

Patricia MacLahlan was the Newbery Medal winner for Sarah, Plain and Tall, which has also been made into a movie. (If you missed these, you really should check them out!) This was her last book. Read about her and all her books here.

Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Code Name Kingfisher

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Code Name Kingfisher (Aladdin, 2023) by Liz Kessler is a remarkable duel timeline novel of present day and 1942. You definitely don’t want to miss this story.

Thirteen-year-old Liv doesn’t understand her ninety-two-year-old grandmother and why all she says about her childhood is that it was hard. How is Liv to do a school assignment of a family tree when she knows nothing and Bubbe won’t answer questions. But while helping clean out Bubbe’s house, Liv finds a box of old letters in Dutch and begins to unravel the past.

Twelve-year-old Mila and her older sister Hannie have to leave their Jewish family behind and go live with strangers during the Nazi occupation of Holland. Will they ever see their parents again? Mila makes new friends in her new home, but her sister is becoming more and more distant.

The contrast of the three girls’ lives and the growth of affection and understanding between Liv and her grandmother is so good. I also love how Liv changes because she was inspired by knowing the truth about her family.

The author writers for children and young adults. Read more about her here and check out all her books here.

cover of The Girl Who Kept the Castle
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

The Girl Who Kept the Castle

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

The Girl Who Kept the Castle (Quill Tree Books, 2024) by Ryan Graudin was a fun fantasy with humor and heart. It also has a main character who has to fight against what is expected. Plus, there’s a dragon.

Look at the first line, “Wizard West was dead for nearly an entire day before he noticed.” And actually he doesn’t notice. It’s up to Faye, the daughter of the West’s groundskeeper, to tell him he’s dead. (The servants cast lots.) “Sugarcoat the situation,” Puck, the cat says. But the wizard is angry to hear the news and casts a spell to turn Faye into a . . .

Read about the author here and check out her many books here. I love finding a new author.

cover of Half Moon Summer
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Half Moon Summer

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Half Moon Summer (Peachtree Publishing, 2023) by Elaine Vickers is such a great book! And I love that not only is it in two points of view, but that one is in verse–really makes it easy to keep the characters apart in my head.

Could a half-marathon help two 12-year-old kids with both of their problems?

On September 23 in Half Moon Bay, California, two babies were born. Baby Drew only quit crying when placed in baby Mia’s bassinet.

Now it’s the summer before both turn thirteen and for the first time the two are reunited and start running together to train for a half-marathon. Drew is running because of his father’s diagnosis. Mia hopes running will solve her family’s housing problem.

The author made me sympathetic toward both characters.

Elaine Vickers is an award-winning author of picture books, middle grade, and young adult novels. Read more about her here and see her other books here.