Category Archives: Middle Grade 8-12

Review: Room to Dream by Kelly Yang

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Historical, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,
Room to Dream by Kelly Yang

Room to Dream (Front Desk #3)
Kelly Yang
Publisher
Published September 21, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Room to Dream

New York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang is back with another heartwarming and inspiring story of Mia and friends!

Mia Tang is going for her dreams!

After years of hard work, Mia Tang finally gets to go on vacation with her family — to China! A total dream come true! Mia can’t wait to see all her cousins and grandparents again, especially her cousin Shen. As she roams around Beijing, witnessing some of the big changes China’s going through, Mia thinks about the changes in her own life, like . . .

1. Lupe’s taking classes at the high school! And Mia’s own plans to be a big writer are . . . stuck.

2. Something happened with Jason and Mia has no idea what to do about it.

3. New buildings are popping up all around the motel, and small businesses are disappearing.

Can the Calivista survive? Buckle up! Mia is more determined than ever to get through the turbulence, now that she finally has . . . room to dream!

My Review

Mia’s journey continues in the third installment of this smart, engaging series. Inspired by some events from her own childhood, Yang writes about running a family motel, pursuing a dream as a young writer, and learning to navigate challenges in friendships and family relationships.

This book invites young readers to consider how a changing political landscape impacts their families and communities. Sometimes we act like we can shelter kids from the news and political changes. And, while we can shelter them from some things, they often see and hear more than we realize. They also feel the impact of some things in the community around them.

I like that Kelly Yang introduces readers to these ideas in an age-appropriate way. Some readers will identify with Mia, a young girl from an immigrant family, watching her teacher and classmates’ attitudes change as they embrace political ideas that malign people like her. Mia shows courage by figuring out how to speak up for herself and help friends in need. She learns some lessons about being a true friend and about navigating changing feelings in a relationship.

I love this series so far, and I highly recommend it.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 9 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
A boy kisses a girl without her consent. A couple of characters discuss an unrequited crush.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Someone throws a bowl of punch on the floor at a school dance in a moment of anger.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , ,

Impossible Creatures (Impossible Creatures #1)
Katherine Rundell
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published September 10, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Impossible Creatures

The day Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake would change his life forever. It’s the day he learned about the Archipelago, a cluster of unmapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years—until now. And it’s the day he met Mal, a girl on the run who desperately needs his help.

Mal and Christopher embark on a wild adventure, racing from island to island, searching for someone who can explain why the magic is fading and why magical creatures are suddenly dying. They consult sphinxes, battle kraken, and negotiate with dragons. But the closer they get to the dark truth of what’s happening, the clearer it becomes: no one else can fix this. If the Archipelago is to be saved, Mal and Christopher will have to do it themselves.

My Review

Every time I see this book, I pick it up, intent on dropping everything and reading it just then. I finally ended up borrowing a copy from the library and squeezing it into my reading schedule, and I’m so glad I did.

This book didn’t feel long at all. I loved the descriptions of magical creatures (be aware that an important one dies in the book), and the different roles they play in the story. I was fascinated by the opening, in which we meet Christopher, a boy who has a special gift with animals. Everywhere he goes, animals seem to crowd around him. I liked how that ties into his role in the story.

Christopher and Mal end up with a small crew of people helping them, and I liked each one of them. It was interesting that not all of the people helping them are doing so for benevolent reasons. In some ways that made the story feel more realistic.

There are some sad moments in the story that I’m still not okay about. Haha. They made sense in the larger context of the story, but I’m still upset that they happened.

The second book in the series came out in September 2025, but I’m not sure how long it’ll take me to get to it. I want to read it, but I’m not sure I’m ready to move on to a new story in that universe, if that makes sense.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Two instances of mild profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to romantic love.

Spiritual Content
Magical creatures exist in a fantastical land, but the magic is fading and the are creatures disappearing or dying. The back of the book contains an illustrated glossary of magical creatures.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. A man chases a child, intent on killing her. He kills someone else who gets in his way. Brief battle violence in a fight between people and dangerous magical creatures. Death of an animal. Death of a child.

Drug Content
A character must drink a dangerous potion that at first causes them to be sick and unable to walk.

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

Review: Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp by Rachel M. Marsh

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, Paranormal, , , , , , , ,

Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp
Rachel M. Marsh
Greenwillow Books
Published March 24, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp

Ferris meets Ghosts of Tupelo Landing in this cozy ghost story about family, environmental activism, food, and friendship.

Basil Theriot has spent her entire life in New Orleans—in her family’s famed Cajun restaurant in the French Quarter, really—but she’s never been out to the bayou where her grandfather grew up. She’s also never seen a ghost, even though dozens of ghost tours pass by the restaurant every day and her best friend Tommy is determined to be a ghost hunter.

But then Grandpere’s ghost appears. And he has a mission for her.

Basil wouldn’t mind being haunted if Grandpere could be helpful and share his secret recipe that might save the restaurant. But instead, he’s intent on connecting Basil with her Cajun heritage. He sends her out to the bayou to meet his an airboat captain, a shrimper, and a scientist rebuilding Louisiana’s fast-disappearing coastline.

For fans of Gracie Under the Waves and A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall, Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp has a little bit of a pinch of spookiness, a dash of environmental activism, and a heaping of family.

My Review

This is definitely one of those books where the disparate threads all come together nicely in the end. In a way, it reminded me of Once For Yes by Allie Millington. I adored the Louisiana setting. Some of the characters made me think of my partner’s family members, who are from Louisiana. His family is also Cajun, so that was a fun connection to the story as well.

It was interesting to read a book in which the main character is surrounded by people who love food and cooking, yet she has strong negative feelings about them. Basil’s perspective about the family restaurant makes a lot of sense, and it makes sense that she would have such strong conflicted feelings about her future, since she feels the family needs her to be as invested in the restaurant as they are.

I like how her relationship with her grandfather’s ghost propels the story in unexpected ways. While Grandpere clearly has something important to resolve, his presence helps Basil in ways she wouldn’t have predicted. I like that she learns a lot about him and about herself through the experience.

Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp celebrates strong family connections across generations and a love for the natural world. Give this book to fans of Elsie Mae Has Something to Say by Nancy Cavanaugh and Nowhere Better Than Here by Sarah Guillory.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Basil sees the ghost of her grandfather, who recently passed away. She eventually sees other ghosts as well.

Violent Content
A kid gets in trouble for throwing salt all over a classroom when what he thinks is a ghost appears. An argument escalates into a food fight.

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: Until We Meet Again by Lily Kim Qian

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Memoir, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , ,

Until We Meet Again
Lily Kim Qian
First Second
Published April 21, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Until We Meet Again

A poignant and vividly illustrated graphic memoir about a young woman’s search for belonging as her immigrant family moves between Canada and China.

Lily isn’t sure where home is anymore. Her family is constantly on the move, resettling in different towns across Canada and, eventually, in Shanghai, China. Her father plays the role of primary caregiver while her mother is absent for long periods of time. When she reappears, her strange behavior turns Lily’s life upside down. As Lily enters her college years, she strives to better understand her family and her place in the world. But can she escape the inherited trauma passed down by her immigrant parents?

My Review

This moving illustrated memoir follows Lily from early childhood to adulthood and shows her feelings about and relationship with her mom as she begins to witness and, later, understand her mother’s mental health issues.

A few lines of thoughtful narrative appear on each page, reflecting on a moment or experience from the author’s childhood. Graphic novel panels without dialogue illustrate the events described.

This storytelling style gives readers a chance to piece together for themselves what’s happening and how the illustrations intersect with the narrative statements. I really enjoyed the way those added up to more than the sum of their parts.

I think it’s also an important story. Kids who have parents with mental health issues may find some of the descriptions and scenes resonate with them or validate their own experiences. Other kids who haven’t had an experience like this may find Qian’s writing illuminating. The story also briefly addresses the harm of stigma surrounding getting a diagnosis or treatment for mental health issues, which is another important topic for discussion.

All in all, this moving story deserves space on the shelf next to Visitations by Corey Egbert and Messy Roots by Laura Gao.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 to 18.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to her mother throwing things and becoming very upset if confronted by someone or something she didn’t like.

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 Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett

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

The Grace of Wild Things
Heather Fawcett
Storytide
Published February 12, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Grace of Wild Things

An inventive and fantastical reimagining of Anne of Green Gables—with magic and witches!—that explores found family, loss, and the power of a girl’s imagination, from the acclaimed author of The Language of Ghosts and The School Between Winter and Fairyland. Perfect for readers who loved The Girl Who Drank the Moon and Serafina and the Black Cloak.

“A magical, witchy, and thoroughly successful homage to a classic.” —Kirkus Reviews(starred review)

Grace has never been good at anything except magic—not that anyone believes her.

While other children are adopted from the orphanage, nobody wants Grace. So she decides to make a home for herself by running away and offering herself as an apprentice to the witch in the nearby woods. After all, who better to teach Grace to use her magic? Surely the witch can’t be that bad.

But the witch is that bad—she steals souls for spells and gobbles up hearts. So Grace offers a deal: If she can learn all 100½ spells in the witch’s grimoire, the witch will make Grace her apprentice. But if Grace fails, the witch can take her magic. The witch agrees, and soon an unexpected bond develops between them.

But the spells are much harder than Grace expected, and when a monster from the witch’s past threatens the home Grace has built, she may have to sacrifice more than her magic to save it.

My Review

I didn’t read the back cover copy before I read this book. I remembered that a friend had read and loved it, so I’d had it on my reading list. The only thing I remembered about the book was that it was a reimagining of Anne of Green Gables. So, at first as I read, I assumed the witch-y things were Grace’s imagination. Ha! Then she woke up in the oven, and I was like, wait a minute.

At first, I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of a Marilla character as an evil witch. The story really won me over, though. I liked the way that her grumpiness and solitary nature gave way to fondness for Grace over time. And Patrick, the rain cloud! I thought that was a very clever way to introduce a character like Matthew from the original story.

The character I was immediately sure about was Grace. She was so thoroughly Anne, from her imaginative nature to her daydreaming and tendency to goof things up. I loved her friendship with Serena, too. That reminded me a lot of Anne and Diana.

Grace’s commitment to work through the spells in the grimoire gave the story more structure than I imagined. I loved those adventures and ways in which the spells worked out differently than Grace intended.

The Grace of Wild Things is the only book by Heather Fawcett that I’ve read so far, but I have already added others to my reading list. I’m excited to check out more of her books, and I wholeheartedly recommend this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Vague reference to an adult who became romantically involved with a man until she learned he was married.

Spiritual Content
Some characters are witches. One character is a faery.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Grace wakes in an oven of a witch who plans to cook and eat her. Other bones indicate that she’s done this before. A tree appears to try to devour a boy. Nightmares appear in a forest.

Drug Content
One spell makes a character act silly, and someone assumes the character is drunk.

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

Review: The Bard and the Book by Ann Bausum and Marta Sevilla

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

The Bard and the Book: How the First Folio Saved the Plays of William Shakespeare from Oblivion
Ann Bausum
Illustrated by Marta Sevilla
Peachtree
Published April 2, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Bard and the Book: How the First Folio Saved the Plays of William Shakespeare from Oblivion

The unlikely true story of why we know the name William Shakespeare today, and the four-hundred-year-old book that made it possible.

Four hundred years ago, no one bothered to write down the exact words of stage plays. Characters’ lines were scribbled on small rolls of paper (as in, an actor’s role ) and passed around, but no master script was saved for the future. The main reason we’ve heard of Romeo, Juliet, Hamlet, and Shakespeare himself is that a group of people made the excellent choice to preserve the plays after the Bard died. If they hadn’t created the book known as the First Folio, Shakespeare and his works would surely have been lost to history.

Part literary scavenger hunt (the search for every existing First Folio continues today), part book trivia treasure trove, and part love letter to Shakespeare, this behind-the-scenes, sharply funny true story is an ideal introduction to the Bard and his famous plays.

My Review

Happy National Shakespeare Day! Today is the day we traditionally celebrate Shakespeare’s birth and death. I figured this was a perfect day to review a book about Shakespeare.

I read an article years ago that said that home libraries often have fewer nonficton titles than they should, and since then, I’ve been on the lookout for great nonfiction for kids. This book caught my eye immediately. I love the idea of pairing this with a first look at Shakespeare’s work.

The book covers the way that theaters operated during the time Shakespeare’s plays were written. I’d never considered that there wouldn’t be bound copies of an entire play from the very beginning. But actually, plays weren’t printed that way at the time.

The author also shares some facts about Shakespeare’s life and what happened to copies of his work from those first printings to now. I loved reading the author’s note and backmatter info about her research experience and her family’s connection to writing nonfiction.

The only other book by Ann Bausum that I’ve read at present is White Lies, which is aimed at an older audience. This book features playful illustrations and cheery text, making it perfect for middle grade or early young adult readers.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Reference to romance in Shakespeare’s plays.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Reference to illness and death.

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 copy of this book for Christmas. All opinions are my own.