Middle Grade Books my eight weeks of reading

Over the last eight weeks I have been travelling and reading books on my Kindle. I have made my way through lots of titles from my wish list and I have given nearly all of them four or five stars. Here are a few of the over twenty I read.

Over the coming days and weeks, I will explore each of these in detail.

Publisher blurb: Marcus has one brother in a youth offender centre and the other is working with their dad on plans for their next theft. Everyone assumes Marcus will follow in their footsteps, but he has other ideas, different hopes. When a mysterious accident lands a man in hospital, it confirms what everyone in their community expects and Marcus gets the blame. He feels trapped. Only new girl Emma - with her peace protest banners and political badges - questions this story. Can they work together to clear his name – and help Marcus become the person he really wants to be."

Part of the bookseller blurb: Being a typewriter is not as easy as it looks. Surrounded by books (notorious attention hogs) and recently replaced by a computer, Olivetti has been forgotten by the Brindle family--the humans he's lived with for years. The Brindles are busy: Dad (Felix) and Mom (Beatrice) work constantly, three of their children put the extra in extra-curriculars, and Ernest, their shy, guarded twelve-year-old, goes off alone to read his collection of Oxford English Dictionaries. The least they could do was remember Olivetti once in a while, since he remembers every word they've typed on him. It's a thankless job, keeping memories alive.

Publisher blurb: Flora and her brother, Julian, don’t believe they were born. They’ve lived in so many foster homes, they can’t remember where they came from. And even now that they’ve been adopted, Flora still struggles to believe that they’ve found their forever home. Though Flora is trying her best to trust two new people, when she finds out that there will be a new baby, she’s worried that there won’t be enough love for everyone. So along with their new mother, Flora and Julian begin a journey to go back and discover their past—for only then can they really begin to build their future.

This is a class Young Adult title from the US published in 1943 and it is a long book with 528 pages.

Bookseller blurb: Twelve-year-old Clara lives on an island that visitors call exotic - but there's nothing exotic about it to Clara. he loves eating ripe mangoes off the ground running outside in the rainy season and going to her secret hideout with Gaynah even though lately Gaynah hasn't been acting like a best friend. The only thing in Clara's life that's out of the ordinary is her memory: a hurricane hit last summer and now she can't remember anything that happened that season. Sometimes things come back to her in drips like a tap that hasn't been turned off properly. Other times her mother fills in the blanks. When Clara meets Rudy newly arrived from England her memories slowly start to return and the pair embark upon a summer neither will ever forget.

Publisher blurb: When you’re an identical twin, your story always starts with someone else. For Iris, that means her story starts with Lark. Iris has always been the grounded, capable, and rational one; Lark has been inventive, dreamy, and brilliant—and from their first moments in the world together, they’ve never left each other’s side. Everyone around them realized early on what the two sisters already knew: they had better outcomes when they were together. When fifth grade arrives, however, it's decided that Iris and Lark should be split into different classrooms, and something breaks in them both.

Iris is no longer so confident; Lark retreats into herself as she deals with challenges at school. And at the same time, something strange is happening in the city around them, things both great and small going missing without a trace. As Iris begins to understand that anything can be lost in the blink of an eye, she decides it’s up to her to find a way to keep her sister safe.

Here are the other books I will talk about from my holiday reading. I also have a plan to talk about the IBBY Congress in Trieste, the Festival of Words (Jersey UK), Seven Stories in Newcastle-on-Tyne, and the Brian Wildsmith exhibition I visited in Barnsley. 

My May reading pile

While I wait for the first batch of CBCA Picture Books from 2022 to judge for the 2023 book awards my pile of Middle Grade books has exploded.

Advance Reader Copies (thanks to Beachside Bookshop)

The Lost Ryu by Emi Watanabe Cohen (Allen and Unwin) due for release 15 June, 2022

Blurb: Kohei Fujiwara has never seen a giant dragon in real life. The big ryu all disappeared from Japan after World War II, and twenty years later, they've become the stuff of legend. Their smaller cousins, who can fit in your palm, are all that remain. And Kohei loves his ryu, Yuharu, but he has a memory of the big ryu. He knows that's impossible. In his mind, he can see his grandpa - Ojiisan - gazing up at the big ryu with what looks like total and absolute wonder. When Kohei was little, he dreamed he'd go on a grand quest to bring the big ryu back, to get Ojiisan to smile again. But now, Ojiisan is really, really sick. And Kohei is running out of time. Kohei needs to find the big ryu now, before it's too late. With the help of Isolde, his new half-Jewish, half-Japanese neighbour, and Isolde's Yiddish-speaking dragon, Cheshire, he thinks he can do it. Maybe.

I have read about fifty pages of this one and so far it is good but I think the suggested age of 8+ is way too low.  I'm suggesting at least 10+.

Solomon Macaroni and the Cousin Catastrophe by Ashleigh Barton (UQP) due 5th July, 2022

Blurb: You’ve never met a vampire like Solomon Macaroni before – he’s friendly, polite and makes a mean tofu Bolognese. Understandably, when his parents go on a one-hundred-year cruise without him, Solomon is not impressed. Especially because it means having to stay in creepy Transylvania with his six cousins, who are the rudest and naughtiest vampires in existence. (Well, apart from Lucy. He likes her.) Not even his uncle, Count Dracula, the oldest vampire in the world, can stop their pranks. Solomon wishes he could spend the next hundred years alone at his own house with his spider friend, Fred, instead. But when his cousins venture into the spooky Wildwood on a dangerous mission, Solomon – against his better judgement – agrees to help Lucy rescue them. At least, that's what he thinks he's doing. In the forest, Solomon must draw on all he knows – about old magic, wet wipes and the importance of a well-timed entrance – to save his catastrophic cousins and possibly the world.

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tola Okogwu (Simon and Schuster) due June 2022

Burb: Onyeka has a lot of hair – the kind that makes strangers stop in the street. She’s always felt insecure about her vibrant curls, until she makes an important discovery: she can control her hair with her mind! Her mother quickly whisks her off to the Academy of the Sun, a school in Nigeria where Solari – children with superpowers – are trained. But Onyeka and her new friends at the Academy soon have to put their powers to the test as they find themselves caught up in an epic battle . . . one that puts the future of all Solari at risk.

The Detectives Guide to New York City by Nicki Greenberg (Affirm Press) due July 2022

I loved The Detectives Guide to Ocean Travel and I was thrilled to see it listed as a CBCA 2022 short listed book. 

Blurb (Booktopia): Pepper Stark could not be more thrilled to return to New York City with her father, the Captain. Not only will she be back in the place where her late mother once lived but also she'll reunite with her friends Norah and Sol. But Pepper's excitement for her trip fades when the Captain invites along his new friend Emmaline and her son, Elliott. Still, Pepper is determined to make the most of her time with her friends in the Big Apple, revelling in the energy of the city that never sleeps.

But when dinner at the swanky restaurant where Sol is working ends in the suspicious illness of notorious food critic Anthony 'the Shark' Sharkey, Pepper finds herself entangled in yet another crime.

With only a week before she has to return home, Pepper, Sol, Norah and a reluctantly recruited Elliott are facing an even bigger challenge than the Saffron Diamond mystery, and the stakes have never been so high. If they don't find the culprit, Sol's chef career could be over ... or worse. And New York City might become the place where all of their dreams turn to dust. From the bright lights of Broadway to back-alley speakeasies, Nicki Greenberg has brought 1920s New York City to life in this delightfully thrilling mystery set in the same world as The Detective's Guide to Ocean Travel.

I'm excited to read this new instalment - I do like the cover!

Books I picked up at the Lifeline Book fair:

Danni's Desperate Journey by Ann Grocott first published in 1987 (and of course out of print)

Ann Grocott is the author of one of my top five best Middle Grade books of all time - Duck for Danger. I read Danni's Desperate Journey in 1987 but I am excited to revisit this book.

Blurb: Nobody in her right mind would touch a Mold Flizzard's egg. Unfortunately, Danni doesn't know this when she kicks and breaks the large, smelly object near the duckpond. She soon finds out, though. Slime from the egg touches her foot. A greeny-grey mould grows from the spot, spreading fast and there's nothing she can do to stop it! ... With the help of a couple of extraordinary aliens she meets along the way, she flees through the universe to escape the loving, scaly clutches of the Mold Flizzard and to find a cure for the mould before it is too late.

Heroes of the Secret Underground by Susanne Gervay (published in 2020 so not out of print)

Publisher blurb: Louie lives with her brothers, Bert and Teddy, in a hotel run by their grandparents. It is one of Sydney's grand old buildings, rich in history ... and in secrets. When a rose-gold locket, once thought lost, is uncovered, it sends Louie and her brothers spinning back in time. Back to a world at war: Budapest in the winter of 1944, where their grandparents are hiding secrets of their own ...

Sky Song by Abi Elphinstone published in 2018

Publisher blurb: In the snowy kingdom of Erkenwald, whales glide between icebergs, wolves hunt on the tundra and polar bears roam the glaciers. But the people of this land aren’t so easy to find - because Erkenwald is ruled by an evil Ice Queen and the tribes must stay hidden or risk becoming her prisoners at Winterfang Palace. Join Eska, a girl who breaks free from a cursed music box, and Flint, a boy whose inventions could change the fate of Erkenwald forever, as they journey to the Never Cliffs and beyond in search of an ancient, almost forgotten, song with the power to force the Ice Queen back. This is a story about an eagle huntress, an inventor and an organ made of icicles. But it is also a story about belonging, even at the very edges of our world . . .

Here is the Book Bag review.

Books I purchased recently:

One Half from the East by Nadia Hashimi 

Publisher blurb: Nadia Hashimi’s first novel for young readers is a coming-of-age journey set in modern-day Afghanistan that explores life as a bacha posh—a preteen girl dressed as a boy. Obayda’s family is in need of some good fortune, and her aunt has an idea to bring the family luck—dress Obayda, the youngest of four sisters, as a boy, a bacha posh. Life in this in-between place is confusing, but once Obayda meets another bacha posh, everything changes. Their transformation won’t last forever, though—unless the two best friends can figure out a way to make it stick and make their newfound freedoms endure.

Kirkus Review

When the Sky Falls by Phil Earle 

Publisher blurb: 1941. War is raging. And one angry boy has been sent to the city, where bombers rule the skies. There, Joseph will live with Mrs F, a gruff woman with no fondness for children. Her only loves are the rundown zoo she owns and its mighty silverback gorilla, Adonis. As the weeks pass, bonds deepen and secrets are revealed, but if the bombers set Adonis rampaging free, will either of them be able to end the life of the one thing they truly love?

The blurb from this reminded me of  An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo. 

The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill

Publisher blurb: Stone-in-the-Glen, once a lovely town, has fallen on hard times. Fires, floods, and other calamities have caused the townsfolk to lose their library, their school, their park, and all sense of what it means to be generous, and kind. The people put their faith in the Mayor, a dazzling fellow who promises he alone can help. After all, he is a famous dragon slayer. (At least, no one has seen a dragon in his presence.) Only the clever orphans of the Orphan House and the kindly Ogress at the edge of town can see how dire the town's problems are. When one of the orphans goes missing from the Orphan House, all eyes turn to the Ogress. The orphans, though, know this can't be: the Ogress, along with a flock of excellent crows, secretly delivers gifts to the people of Stone-in-the-Glen. But how can the orphans tell the story of the Ogress's goodness to people who refuse to listen? And how can they make their deluded neighbours see the real villain in their midst? The orphans have heard a whisper that they will 'save the day', but just how, they will have to find out ...

I am a huge fan of Kelly Barnhill. I loved these:

The Girl who Drank the Moon

The Witch's Boy

My April and May reading pile

Children "need the freedom of a library where they can experiment with different books. Once they find the ones they really love, they'll never stop reading."  Ursula Dubosarsky Sydney Morning Herald

As a passionate reader and retired Teacher-Librarian I hope my reading can inform other Teacher-Librarians about splendid books they might add to their shelves. These are the books I have on my 'to read' pile.  My blog is called Momo Time to Read. The power word here is TIME. I hope during this time of COVID-19 children, parents, teachers and teacher-librarians can find time to read and explore new books.  As Ursula says in the Sydney Morning Herald article I quoted from previously "to become a good, fluent, happy reader, you actually have to read. There's no other way."

A house without Walls by Elizabeth Laird
Publisher blurb: Pan Macmillan

"Thirteen-year-old Safiya and her family have been driven out of Syria by civil war. Safiya knows how lucky she is – lucky not to be living in a refugee camp, lucky to be alive. But it's hard to feel grateful when she's forced to look after her father and brother rather than go back to school, and now that she's lost her home, she's lonelier than ever.

As they struggle to rebuild their lives, Safiya realizes that her family has always been incomplete and with her own future in the balance, it's time to uncover the secrets that war has kept buried." 

why did I choose this book - because I have read and enjoyed other books by Elizabeth Laird especially Secret Friends and Oranges in no man's land.

The boy at the back of the class by Onjali Q Rauf

Publisher blurb: Hachette

"There used to be an empty chair at the back of my class, but now a new boy called Ahmet is sitting in it. He's nine years old (just like me), but he's very strange. He never talks and never smiles and doesn't like sweets - not even lemon sherbets, which are my favourite!

But then I learned the truth: Ahmet really isn't very strange at all. He's a refugee who's run away from a War. A real one. With bombs and fires and bullies that hurt people. And the more I find out about him, the more I want to help. That's where my best friends Josie, Michael and Tom come in. Because you see, together we've come up with a plan."

Why did I choose this book?  The burb reminded me of the Nicola Davies book The day the war came and the subsequent campaign where illustrators produced pictures of chairs to raise awareness about the plight of refugees.

Small Mercies by Bridget Krone

Publisher blurb: Walker Books

"Eleven-year-old Mercy lives with her eccentric foster aunts – two elderly sisters so poor they can afford only one light bulb. A nasty housing developer is eyeing their house, which suddenly starts falling apart – just as Aunt Flora does too. She’s forgetting words, names and even how to behave in public. Mercy tries to keep her head down at school but when a classmate frames her for stealing the school’s raffle money, Mercy’s teachers decide to take a closer look at her home life. With the help of a neighbour, Mr Singh, who teaches Mercy about Gandhi and his principles of passive resistance, Mercy finds a tool that can help solve her problems. But first, like Gandhi, she needs to stand up for herself. She also needs a miracle. And to summon it she has to find her voice and tell the truth – and that truth is neither pure nor simple."

Posted by John David Anderson
Blurb: Harper Collins

"In middle school, words aren’t just words. They can be weapons. They can be gifts. The right words can win you friends or make you enemies. They can come back to haunt you. Sometimes they can change things forever.

When cell phones are banned at Branton Middle School, Frost and his friends Deedee, Wolf, and Bench come up with a new way to communicate: leaving sticky notes for each other all around the school. It catches on, and soon all the kids in school are leaving notes—though for every kind and friendly one, there is a cutting and cruel one as well.

In the middle of this, a new girl named Rose arrives at school and sits at Frost’s lunch table. Rose is not like anyone else at Branton Middle School, and it’s clear that the close circle of friends Frost has made for himself won’t easily hold another. As the sticky-note war escalates, and the pressure to choose sides mounts, Frost soon realizes that after this year, nothing will ever be the same."

Why did I choose this book?  I have read Mrs Bixby's last day by John David Anderson and it affected me profoundly. I also really like the cover.

Runaway Robot by Frank Cottrell-Boyce
Publisher blurb: Pan Macmillan

"Alfie is off school after an accident in which he lost both his hand and his confidence. He's lonely all day on his own. So when he comes across Eric, a one-legged robot in need of a friend, he brings him home with him. But a ban on humanoid robots has just been passed, which means Alfie is breaking the law by sheltering Eric. Can he keep his new friend safe - and himself out of trouble?"

Why did I choose this book?  I am a little bit crazy about robots and I have read Millions and Framed by Frank Cottrell-Boyce both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Running on the roof of the world by Jess Butterworth
Publisher blurb: Hachette

"There are two words that are banned in Tibet. Two words that can get you locked in prison without a second thought. I watch the soldiers tramping away and call the words after them. 'Dalai Lama.'

Tash has to follow many rules to survive in Tibet, a country occupied by Chinese soldiers. But when a man sets himself on fire in protest and soldiers seize Tash's parents, she and her best friend Sam must break the rules. They are determined to escape Tibet - and seek the help of the Dalai Lama himself in India.  And so, with a backpack of Tash's father's mysterious papers and two trusty yaks by their side, their extraordinary journey across the mountains begins."

Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things by Cynthia Voigt

Publisher blurb: Penguin Random House

"Max’s parents are missing. They are actors, and thus unpredictable, but sailing away, leaving Max with only a cryptic note, is unusual even for them. Did they intend to leave him behind? Have they been kidnapped? Until he can figure it out, Max feels it’s safer to keep a low profile. Hiding out is no problem for a child of the theater. Max has played many roles, he can be whoever he needs to be to blend in. But finding a job is tricky, no matter what costume he dons.

Ironically, it turns out Max has a talent for finding things. He finds a runaway child, a stray dog, a missing heirloom, a lost love. . . . So is he a finder? A detective? No, it’s more. Max finds a way to solve people’s problems—he engineers better outcomes for them. He becomes Mister Max, Solutioneer.  Now if only he could find a solution to his own problems..." 

Why did I choose this book? I really intrigued to read a book by one of my favourite authors Cythia Voigt. Her Tillerman series had a huge impact on me when I first started working in school libraries.

The Unteachables by Gordon Korman

Publisher blurb: Harper Collins

"The Unteachables are a notorious class of misfits, delinquents, and academic train wrecks. Like Aldo, with anger management issues; Parker, who can’t read; Kiana, who doesn’t even belong in the class—or any class; and Elaine (rhymes with pain). The Unteachables have been removed from the student body and isolated in room 117.

Their teacher is Mr. Zachary Kermit, the most burned-out teacher in all of Greenwich. He was once a rising star, but his career was shattered by a cheating scandal that still haunts him. After years of phoning it in, he is finally one year away from early retirement. But the superintendent has his own plans to torpedo that idea—and it involves assigning Mr. Kermit to the Unteachables.

The Unteachables never thought they’d find a teacher who had a worse attitude than they did. And Mr. Kermit never thought he would actually care about teaching again. Over the course of a school year, though, room 117 will experience mayhem, destruction—and maybe even a shot at redemption."

Why did I choose this book?  Simple answer - the title!  Plus I really enjoyed the trilogy by Gordon Korman - Island Book One Shipwreck and  Gordon Korman is from Canada and I do enjoy books by Canadian authors.

The House of Light by Julia Green

Publisher blurb: Oxford University Press

"It's always just been Bonnie and Granda, living off the land, keeping to themselves and out of trouble. Until one day, Bonnie goes scavenging on the beach and finds a battered rowing boat, and a bare-footed boy. He's cold, hungry, and in need of shelter. Bonnie knows it's a crime to help this stranger boy, but she can't leave him for the border guards to find. 

The longer she cares for this boy, who has traveled across oceans for a new beginning, the more Bonnie longs for her own freedom. Perhaps it's time to escape the life she's always known, to move out of the darkness and set sail for the house of light."

Why did I choose this book?  That's an easy question - it has a lighthouse on the front cover and I am crazy about lighthouses. I have finished this book and it is five stars from me!