Tag: new school

cover of The Labors of Hercules Beal
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

The Labors of Hercules Beal

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

The Labors of Hercules Beal (HarperCollins, 2023) by Gary D. Schmidt is another winning story.

The smallest kid in his class, Herc Beal is named after Hercules. Yep, the mythical hero. His homeroom teacher at Cape Cod Academy for Environmental Sciences assigns him the task of completing the hero’s twelve feats. Like that’s possible. But his new teacher, Lieutenant Colonel Hupner, doesn’t care. On top of that Herc’s parents are dead, his brother Achilles is dating a vampire, and Achilles gets him a rabbit named Honey Bunny instead of the Dog Herc wants. Can life get any worse?

This award-winning author has other great books. I’ve previously recommended Orbiting Jupiter; Pay Attention, Carter Jones; and Okay for Now. Read about all his books here, where you can order signed copies.

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.