Category Archives: Middle Grade 8-12

Review: The Ribbon Skirt by Cameron Mukwa

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , , , , ,
The Ribbon Skirt by Cameron Mukwa

The Ribbon Skirt
Cameron Mukwa
Graphix
Published November 12, 2024

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About The Ribbon Skirt

A joyful coming-of-age middle-grade graphic novel by debut Indigenous creator Cameron Mukwa about the journey of a two-spirit kid who wants to create a ribbon skirt for the upcoming powwow.

Ten-year-old Anang wants to make a ribbon skirt, a piece of clothing typically worn by women in the Anishinaabe tradition, for an upcoming powwow. Anang is two-spirit and nonbinary and doesn’t know what others will think of them wearing a ribbon skirt, but they’re determined to follow their heart’s desire. Anang sets off to gather the materials needed to make the skirt and turns to those around them — their family, their human and turtle friends, the crows, and even the lake itself — for help. And maybe they’ll even find a new confidence within themself along the way.

My Review

I was a little slow to connect to Anang as a character. In the first few pages of the book, I wasn’t sure what was going on. Some of that might simply be that a graphic novel format doesn’t leave room for much exposition. I found myself picking up hints about what was going on as the scenes unfolded.

Once I understood why Anang worried so much about making a ribbon skirt, everything clicked into place. This happens on page 9, so readers aren’t asked to invest much time before the story becomes clear. I just spent those early pages feeling like I’d missed something.

I loved the way the spiritual part of Anang’s journey is represented in the story. Mukwa crafts a very visual experience and even involves Anang’s companions. (Their reactions are funny, too.)

The storytelling is gentle and warm. Mukwa lets readers glimpse some of the bullying Anang has endured without letting those moments upstage their current experiences. The focus remains on Anang’s quest to find materials for and make a ribbon skirt for the upcoming powwow.

The backmatter has a helpful note to visitors who would like to attend a powwow on how to engage as a guest and behave respectfully. The author also includes a short note explaining the history and meaning of the two-spirit identity that readers will find informative.

All in all, this graphic novel is a lovely, uplifting read.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 9 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Anang asks spirits (two turtles and a lake) for guidance about making a ribbon skirt. The spirits help them find materials and remind them to be true to themself. Others with Anang see and interact with the spirits as well. Anang offers tobacco in thanks.

Violent Content
Some transphobic comments.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Wilderness Hacks by Joslin Brorsen

Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , , , , ,

Wilderness Hacks
Joslin Brorsen
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published March 31, 2026

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About Wilderness Hacks

Hatchet meets Survivor in this high-action, humor-filled middle grade adventure about two kids stranded in the wilderness, whose annoyance with each other rivals the roaring rapids and ferocious predators they must face.

12-year-old Sadie Hahn didn’t plan to eat grubs on camera to win a contest. And she definitely didn’t plan to win first prize—a guest appearance on a Youtube show hosted by America’s favorite 13-year-old survivalist Radley Shaw. But she’ll do anything to cheer up her little brother Silas, who’s too young to qualify.

Rad has millions of followers and exactly zero real-life friends, so the contest is a great chance for him to hang out with kids his own age. But it’s hate-at-first-sight when Silas throws a wrench in his plan and Sadie decides Rad is just a clueless poser who doesn’t know the first thing about survival.

Disaster strikes when their scripted rafting trip turns into a real fight for survival. Lost in the mountains, Rad and Sadie must find shelter, build a fire, forage for food and try not to become food for a hungry predator. But can they stop bickering long enough to hack it in the wilderness? And will that be enough to keep them alive?

My Review

I love it when a story with two points of view features characters whose personalities are very different from one another. In this book, Sadie is cautious and methodical, while Rad is working really hard to be cool on camera. Both of them are working through big feelings about their dads. Sadie is grieving her dad’s death. Rad misses his dad, who seems increasingly absent from his life.

The friendship between the two gets off to a rocky start. Sadie clocks Rad as attention-seeking and spots him cutting corners rather than practicing real survival skills. (For example, the fish dinner Rad’s team prepares includes a store-bought, filetted fish instead of the fresh catch Sadie pulled from the river.) Rad feels like he can’t get a break. No matter what he does, Sadie is angry with him.

Once the two are truly lost in the woods, they must put aside their grievances and find a way to work together. Sadie realizes that Rad knows a lot about survival and challenges him to showcase it more authentically on his channel. Rad encourages Sadie to explore her complicated feelings about being in the wilderness after her dad’s death.

I liked the character growth in both Sadie and Rad. The bond they formed through their experience felt authentic. There’s a scene near the end that reminded me a lot of Hatchet, which was a nice moment. I’m a little puzzled by the comparison to the show Survivor, since there is no competition element here. I guess it’s meant to be a reference to being in the woods with a stranger?

In any case, Wilderness Hacks is a fast-paced, entertaining story that will make a perfect summer read.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Sadie and Rad witness the death of an adult and find the body of another person. They hear what they think might be wolves eating someone’s remains. They don’t see anything, but they’re pretty creeped out. A mountain lion attacks hikers. Some brief description. References to the death of a parent.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Song of the Yellow Dragon by Ying Ping Low

Blogger's Favorites, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , ,

Song of the Yellow Dragon
Ying Ping Low
G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Published May 12, 2026

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About Song of the Yellow Dragon

Two children search for a legendary dragon’s magic in this enchanting fantasy, perfect for readers ages 9-13!

There is a secret that every child knows: Magic is real. But by the time children turn thirteen, they forget that magic is anything but make-believe.

Mengyao wants to remember. Born in a village nestled in a secluded vale, Mengyao wants to hold on to magic and become a Divine Healer. But with her thirteenth birthday fast approaching, she is losing hope.

Young emperor Kai is on the run from traitorous advisors. He’s searching for the fabled Dragon’s Pulse, a magic capable of defeating his enemies. On the brink of his thirteenth birthday, Kai doesn’t have much longer. So when he meets Mengyao—the girl whose name is mentioned in his legend—he forces aside his instinctual distrust and recruits her to help him on his quest.

On their perilous journey, Kai and Mengyao find aid in unexpected forms like a jade hare, a moon goddess, and a handful of promises. But as enemies close in and time runs out, secrets that will reshape the fate of their kingdom forever come to light.

My Review

This is such a charming book. I loved the voice it’s written in. At times, the narrator speaks directly to the reader or reminds readers about something happening far from the main characters. The tone is almost playful, keeping the story light even though some serious events occur.

I loved the bond between Kai and Mengyao. They have very different personalities, so at first, I wasn’t sure how they could get along. But it made sense that their differences would work together to make them a strong team. I enjoyed watching them push each other and keep each other safe, even as they pretended to ignore one another.

As the story reaches its most desperate moment, many threads weave together, revealing new elements that reshape the narrative as a whole. I love it when that weaving together is well done, as it is here.

I also enjoyed the way that the story uses magic. In the book, children know and recognize magic around them until they turn thirteen. They can ask the wind for help if they’re lost. Mushrooms will tell them whether they’re poisonous. But once a child turns thirteen, they look back on those experiences as childish and overly imaginative. That looming forgetting of magic created an interesting deadline for Kai and Mengyao. I loved how the author used that to add tension and keep the story whimsical.

I have a feeling this is going to be one of those books that doesn’t get nearly enough visibility as it deserves. If this isn’t already on your reading list, please check it out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 9 to 13.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
References to spiritual beliefs and practices. Supernatural beings offer help in times of need. An ancestor has a power that can help in a crisis. A deity intervenes to protect someone.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to murder (happens before the story begins). Someone tries to poison children. Soldiers burn down a building. References to a murder plot. Soldiers chase children with intent to harm them.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Journey to Tomioka by Laurent Galandon and Michaël Crouzat

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , ,

Journey to Tomioka
Laurent Galandon
Art by Michaël Crouzat
Translated by Anne and Owen Smith
First Second
Published June 9, 2026

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About Journey to Tomioka

For fans of This Was Our Pact and Hayao Miyazaki films comes a breathtaking graphic novel about siblings who risk everything to return their grandmother’s ashes to her home inside the Fukushima Exclusion Zone.

Osamu hasn’t been the same since that day. When the tsunami hit Fukushima prefecture, it killed his parents, destroyed his home, and triggered one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters. Now, all Osamu has left is his grandmother, Bā-chan, and his big sister, Akiko. As he withdraws into his own world, he befriends friends yōkai―spirits only he can see.

Then, tragedy strikes again, and Bā-chan dies. Osamu and Akiko are determined to return her ashes to their family farm in Tomioka, a town within Fukushima’s forbidden zone. There, the siblings will face dangerous radiation and yōkai, both friendly and deadly―but they’re willing to risk it all to make it home.

My Review

This book draws attention to the victims of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. The story follows Osamu, a young boy who shows kindness toward the yōkai, mythical creatures that live in his home and community. When his grandmother dies unexpectedly, he convinces his sister that they should bring her ashes home to her farm in the area still evacuated since the nuclear disaster.

Along the way, they meet a man who lives in the forbidden zone and cares for the animals living there. The story gently encourages readers to question our relationship with nature and our short attention spans for tragedies happening elsewhere.

At one point in the story, Osamu’s sister notes that his personality changed in the wake of the tsunami. He went from being an outgoing kid with lots of friends to being much quieter and more internal. A doctor, she says, diagnosed him with Autism, but she feels that’s inaccurate, because he used to have friends. I think I get what she’s trying to say, but I kind of wish this had just been left out of the book. It’s a small comment, and there’s so little context. I could see people feeling like this is saying that people with Autism can’t have friends or be friendly, which isn’t true.

All in all, I appreciate the author for bringing the Fukushima nuclear disaster to the forefront of conversations through this book and for highlighting some of the victims who are too often neglected, namely, children and animals.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 9 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Osamu believes in the existence of yōkai, mysterious supernatural creatures and spirits from Japanese folklore. He speaks to some who live in his home and leaves an apple for one living near a tree. He later encounters a being representing radiation.

Violent Content
References to the death of a grandparent and caregiver. References to the deaths of parents in the tsunami. These are not shown on the page.

Osamu breaks a window in an abandoned shop. He and his sister evade rescue workers and their cousin’s fiancé, Seiichi, and venture deeper into contaminated spaces, risking exposure to radiation.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Anna-Jane and the Endless Summer by Paige Classey

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Middle Grade 8-12, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Poetry, Sci-Fi, , , , , ,

Anna-Jane and the Endless Summer
Paige Classey
Random House Books for Young Readers
Published April 28, 2026

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About Anna-Jane and the Endless Summer

Anna-Jane couldn’t wait for camp. But when the outside world goes dark, she and her friends soon realize they’re in for the adventure of their lives this summer—and maybe even beyond.

Anna-Jane is thrilled to be back at Camp Chester—the one place she feels like she belongs. She’s excited to swim in the lake, read in her favorite chair, and swap secrets with her best friend under the stars. But not long after Anna-Jane unpacks her trunk, weird things start happening.

First, townspeople near camp begin disappearing. Then, the internet, cell service, and all other forms of communication are cut off. Soon, Anna-Jane and the residents of Camp Chester realize they are completely alone.

Or so they think. Across the lake, the kids spot a strange flashing light. And when animals begin turning up with yellowed eyes and disfigured limbs, it is clear the dangers are only growing. Most alarming of all, though, is the deepening distrust among the campers themselves, which could have deadly consequences. Anna-Jane knows what to expect from a summer at camp . . . but what happens when camp lasts well beyond the summer?

My Review

I didn’t realize this was a novel in verse until I started reading it. That format lends itself really well to a fast-paced story like this one. The summer camp setting also creates a perfect place where the kids are really at the center of the story and have to make decisions for themselves.

Though for the most part, I enjoyed the pacing of the story, there are a couple of things that I wish the author had explored more deeply, or maybe left out altogether. At one point, someone raises the idea that the changes Anna-Jane and the others are seeing are the result of bioterrorism. I felt like that was kind of a leap. The science behind what’s happening is explored a little bit, but it’s not truly the focus of the story.

I do like that the kids at camp each had something to contribute. I like that the crisis flipped the social hierarchy. Suddenly, the most popular kid wasn’t necessarily the best positioned to help. Perhaps the kid on the bottom rung of the social ladder would turn out to contribute the greatest value to the survival of the group.

I could definitely see fans of Megan E. Freeman’s novels in verse enjoying this one. It’s got a similar focus on surviving an event that changes life as we know it. It’s also a nice spin on summer camp stories.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
One character has a gun and implies a threat to use it. Anna-Jane learns to hunt small animals using a bow and arrows. Someone collapses due to a medical crisis. References to the death of a child.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Genius Under the Table by Eugene Yelchin

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Memoir, Middle Grade 8-12, Nonfiction, , , , , , ,

The Genius Under the Table
Eugene Yelchin
Candlewick Press
Published October 5, 2021

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About The Genius Under the Table

An Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Honor Winner

With a masterful mix of comic timing and disarming poignancy, Newbery Honoree Eugene Yelchin offers a memoir of growing up in Cold War Russia.

Drama, family secrets, and a KGB spy in his own kitchen! How will Yevgeny ever fulfill his parents’ dream that he become a national hero when he doesn’t even have his own room? He’s not a star athlete or a legendary ballet dancer. In the tiny apartment he shares with his Baryshnikov-obsessed mother, poetry-loving father, continually outraged grandmother, and safely talented brother, all Yevgeny has is his little pencil, the underside of a massive table, and the doodles that could change everything. With equal amounts charm and solemnity, award-winning author and artist Eugene Yelchin recounts in hilarious detail his childhood in Cold War Russia as a young boy desperate to understand his place in his family.

My Review

I read I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This by Eugene Yelchin last year, and then had the unexpected and amazing opportunity to interview him earlier this year. I’d wanted to read this book before the interview, and couldn’t make that happen, but I bought a copy to read at my earliest opportunity, and now, here we are.

It’s interesting to see the difference between the way that I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This, which is for an older audience, is written versus The Genius Under the Table. Each story has an underlying current of humor and playfulness. The young adult memoir brings some of the frightening aspects of living in Soviet Russia to the forefront, whereas they’re kept a little more in the background in the middle grade memoir, though they’re still present.

As a former ballet dancer, I found the descriptions of Yevgeny’s mom’s work and her connection to Baryshnikov really interesting. I felt deeply for Yevgeny, who internalized pressure from his parents to find his artistic talent in an artistic family at a time when that could mean a huge difference to a family. I loved how that talent made itself known.

It was cool to see Yevgeny’s mom and grandmother and the similarities and differences in their characters in both books. His grandmother is probably my favorite character.

All in all, I am really glad I read this book. I loved the pairing of the text and illustrations, and the narrative’s inquisitive tone.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Yevgeny and his family are Jewish.

Violent Content
References to persecution against Jewish people in Russia.

Drug Content
One character smokes cigarettes.

Spoiler (highlight the text below to reveal the spoiler.

Death of a parent. Yevgeny’s dad dies in a chapter late in the book.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I purchased a copy of this book for my collection. All opinions are my own.