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Blogging about all things books! I review every book I read and tell you how it is. Topics include book reviews, book lists,book recommendations, reading challenges, reading group guides, and how books play a part in my daily life.
Recent Posts Tagged With 'middle readers'
Thanksgiving at the Inn by Tim Whitney
I hope that everybody had a great Thanksgiving holiday if you are here in the states! I had a fantastic time sluffing all of my blog responsibilities and not posting a thing! (That’s not to say that I wasn’t working hard on a new rea...
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is the perfect realistic fiction book with a fantasy twist. It’s a mystery too. As well as a coming of age, friendship book. In fact, When You Reach Me dabbles a little in many genres. In a short 197 p...
The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo is in the same magical vein as The Tale of Despereaux. Although the book doesn’t start out with the words “Once Upon a Time,” it certainly has that fairy tale feeling with the first li...
Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf
Loved this book. Loved it. Read on . . . One of my favorite types of books to read are books that take place around World War II and the Holocaust. There will never be a drought of stories to tell from this horrific part of history. But I was sho...
Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carman (Skeleton Creek Series)
Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carman is the follow up book to Skeleton Creek. I love this series because of it’s creativity . If you are not familiar with Skeleton Creek (which you can check out my review and details here), it’s a b...
Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
How could I resist a book like Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin with a cover like that? As soon as I saw this book on display at my local library I snatched it right up. Didn’t even read the back cover or anything. I just knew ...
Chess Rumble by G. Neri, Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson
Chess Rumble by G. Neri and illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson is one of those books that I hope people don’t judge based on the cover. I don’t think it’s the best representation of the book. It’s a book that I would have ...
Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry is the 1940 Newbery Medal winner. Set in the Polynesian Islands before the traders and missionaries first came to the South Seas, it is the story of Mafatu who is known as The Boy Who Was Afraid. What was it th...
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
I grew up not reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl but rather watching the Gene Wilder movie. I loved it! I watched it over and over.  When they announced the new movie directed by Tim Burton and starring Johny Depp you can&#...
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson, a 1979 Newbery Honor, is such a sweet book with wonderfully sweet characters. Gilly Hopkins is going to stay with me for a long time.  Gilly’s transformation that takes place between the openin...
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume is timeless. Absolutely timeless. It could have been written yesterday not 1972. There’s nothing about this book to date it. I remember LOVING this book when I was in elementary school and h...
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look
In my review of Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, Schools, and Other Scary Things I said that the book was perfect in every way. That I wanted to give it a little hug. Naturally, I couldn’t wait for it’s sequel Alvin Ho: Allergic to Campin...
Dork Diaries: Tales from a NOT-SO-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renee Russell
In full honesty and transparency I was a little excited to receive Dork Diaries: Tales from a NOT-SO-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renee Russell for review. This author certainly knows how to promote herself. First the book arrived in a box, not an env...
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
I read Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, the 1998 Newbery Award winner, in my ongoing project to read all of the Newbery books. Set in the 1930’s during the great depression in the dust bowl of Oklahoma, Out of the Dust is told as a diary in free...
Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Eric Wight
Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom written and illustrated by Eric Wight is a spoof of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom but in this case Frankie’s nemisis is his messy room. Pair that with his nagging mom and he’s got a problem!Â...
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff is a 2003 Newbery Honor book and is worth every minute of the short read. Hollis is twelve years old and stuck in the foster care system. She is known as being a trouble maker and constantly runs a...
On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck
On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck is a really wonderful book. Richard Peck is one of the most loved authors of our time and it’s certainly for good reason. I loved everything about this book.  I was drawn into the story immediately w...
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
I love Harry Potter. I do. I’ve only read the series once and listened to them once (I think I’m in love with Jim Dale too) but I am looking forward to the day when I can reread the entire series. And I LOVE the movies. I think th...
The Sisters Grimm, The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
The Sisters Grimm, The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley opens as eleven year old Sabrina Grimm and her seven year old little sister Daphne are being shuttled from their last foster home to a new home in Ferryport Landing. This time it’...
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson is the prequel to Peace, Locomotion which I recently reviewed. I’m not sure which one I enjoyed more. But that’s the beauty of it. I don’t think I have to put one book above the other. Both b...
Lunch with Lenin and Other Stories by Deborah Ellis
After discovering Deborah Ellis after reading The Breadwinner series, I soon realized that I wanted to read everything that she’s written. I’ve got a ways to go. This prolific author has more than a dozen books under her belt. Lunch...
Jellaby by Kean Soo
I read Jellaby, written and illustrated by Kean Soo, for my Children’s Literature Book Club in which we were reading titles for this past year’s Cybils; Jellaby was shortlisted in the elementary/middle grade fiction graphic novel category...
Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson is the sequel to Locomotion but when I read it I had no idea. It can be read entirely on its own, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. But I’ll say this, Peace, Locomotion was so touching ...
Longhorns and Outlaws by Linda Aksomitis
I’m on tour today with Linda Aksomitis’s newest book, Longhorns and Outlaws, a great historical fiction western middle grade novel. Recent immigrants from the Netherlands, Lucas is just getting used to living in a new country, when his pa...
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney
Finally! I was so disheartened when I was number 250 something on hold at the library for The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney. At that rate it would be months before my turn. That goes to show you how popular The Diary of a ...
The 13th Reality: The Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner
The 13th Reality: The Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner is the sequel to The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters.  I’ve talked about James a bunch here on my blog when I reviewed The Journal of Curious Letters and interviewed ...
Holbrook: A Lizards Tale by Bonny Becker
Holbrook: A Lizards Tale by Bonny Becker is such a cute little book about following your dreams even when nobody else thinks you can reach them. From the dust jacket: Holbrook loves to paint. He has to paint. But no one in the dusty town of Rattl...
My Brother, The Robot by Bonny Becker
“We don’t want to pressure you, son. But we’ve ordered the Perfect Son. He’s arriving today.” Thus begins My Brother, The Robot by Bonny Becker. Chip isn’t the perfect son. He’s far from it. His r...
The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice
The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice is a very sweet debut novel.  Eleven-year-old Eleanor Robinson, better known as Groovy, loves to cook. Her perfect day consists of creating the perfect menu with the perfect food. Certain...
