Category Archives: Middle Grade 8-12

Review: Lightfall: The Dark Times by Tim Probert

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Lightfall Dark Times by Tim Probert

Lightfall: The Dark Times (Lightfall #3)
Tim Probert
HarperAlley
Published April 2, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Dark Times (Lightfall #3)

The Lights have gone dark in Irpa.

Danger lurks as the air grows colder and threats lie in the shadows at every turn. While the rest of their fellowship seeks safety, Bea and Cad team up with a small group of survivors to travel to the Citadel of Knowledge, pursuing answers to their world’s darkest mysteries.

But their journey reveals even more secrets. Until an unexpected ally shines a light in the darkness, providing a clue to a mystery from long ago…and a beacon of hope for the future.

My Review

I waited two years for this book. The only disappointment, and I’m not sure it’s truly disappointing, is that it’s not the conclusion to the series. I don’t know why I thought it would be, but it’s not. The great thing about that is there are more Bea and Cad adventures still to come!

Because the story takes place during an unending night, the color palette is very dark with a lot of golden/firelight colors. It’s not my favorite combination of colors, but I get why that palette worked for this particular part of the tale.

Bea and Cad remain great characters and deliver fun and surprising lines. The ever-optimistic Cad loses hope for a bit, and Bea steps up as a bold warrior in a couple of scenes. I loved seeing the two of them experience some growth and depth. Their friendship remains a powerful force that helps them both.

I read this book at the end of a pretty grinding day, and it was very much the warm, fun adventure I needed to finish my day on a high note. The artwork by Tim Probert continues to amaze me. Everything has a playfulness to it, and the story world feels epic and fantastical. It’s so fun.

I’m really glad to have the next installment of this series on my shelves. I think fans of the Amulet series or fantasy graphic novels in general will love these books. If you’re unfamiliar with the Lightfall series, you can check out my reviews of the first and second books.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Cad is a Galdurian, which means he looks a little bit like a giant axolotl?? There are minor characters with brown skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Bea learns about magic from a mentor who teaches her that everything in her world has a soul, and if you can learn to listen to each soul around you, you can ask them for help.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battle scenes.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays. Check out other blogs posting about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle with Greg Pattridge.

Review: Fake Chinese Sounds by Jing Jing Tsong

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Fake Chinese Sounds
Jing Jing Tsong
Kokila
Published April 30, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Fake Chinese Sounds

A middle-grade graphic novel about a Taiwanese American girl navigating identity, bullying, and the messy process of learning to be comfortable in her skin.

Between homework, studying, and Chinese school, Měi Yīng’s summer is shaping up to be a boring one. Her only bright spots are practice with her soccer team, the Divas, and the time spent with her năi nai, who is visiting from Taiwan. Although Měi Yīng’s Mandarin isn’t the best and Năi Nai doesn’t speak English, they find other ways to connect, like cooking guōtiē together and doing tai chi in the mornings.

By the end of the summer, Měi Yīng is sad to see Năi Nai go—she’s the com­plete opposite of Měi Yīng’s serious professor mother—but excited to start fifth grade. Until new kid Sid starts making her the butt of racist jokes. Her best friend, Kirra, says to ignore him, but does everyone else’s silence about the harassment mean they’re also ignoring Sid . . . or her? As Sid’s bullying fuels Měi Yīng’s feelings of invisibility, she must learn to reclaim her identity and her voice.

My Review

One of the many reasons I wanted to read this book is that my older daughter is studying Chinese in school. I thought this book would be something we would enjoy talking about—and we did!

Since Měi Yīng attends Chinese classes on Sundays, some of the panels show her working on what appear to be homework assignments or journal entries. They contain Chinese characters positioned with context clues so that even readers unfamiliar with the language will be able to piece together what’s being said. The panels also show conversations between Měi Yīng’s mom and grandmother. Standard speech bubbles show when characters speak English to one another. When characters speak Chinese, the speech bubbles have a different background color, and the text appears in all uppercase letters. I love that this simply and visually cues readers that the characters are not speaking those lines in English.

The pages in which Năi Nai teaches Měi Yīng Chinese words are also cleverly done. The panels set up the idea that Měi Yīng’s grandmother is teaching her the Chinese words for things. Then, a page shows Měi Yīng in its center, with the things around her labeled with Chinese characters and pinyin (phonetic spelling of the characters) for the objects around her.

I loved that. It’s so immersive, and it perfectly captures that experience. Měi Yīng’s relationship with Năi Nai is also super cool. They practice tai chi and cook together and develop a connection wholly different than Měi Yīng’s relationship with her mother, who is more buttoned up and stoic.

The other theme the story focuses on is bullying. Měi Yīng overhears people making fun of the way her mom and grandmother speak. Then, a classmate begins regularly harassing her. People tell Měi Yīng to ignore the cruel comments, which leaves her feeling as though her friends are ignoring how those statements affect her.

The author presented this aspect of the story really well, too. It was easy to see how deeply the racist comments affected Měi Yīng, and how betrayed she felt when her friends didn’t speak up. Eventually, Měi Yīng does find a way to resolve the conflict, but it doesn’t happen easily.

Měi Yīng also plays soccer. While the story isn’t about her prowess on the field, her role on the team and performance in the games does impact the story. I liked that the author included sports as a part of Měi Yīng’s interests.

All in all, this is such a smart book! I love how accessible it makes speaking Chinese, and the character relationships and conflicts play out in believable and engaging ways. I highly recommend this for readers who enjoy graphic novels about fitting in, playing sports, learning another language, or family relationships.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Měi Yīng is Taiwanese American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some racist comments directed at or about Měi Yīng and her family.

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.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays. Check out other blogs posting about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle with Greg Pattridge.

Reread Project: Greenwild by Pari Thomson

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Reread Project: Greenwild: The World Behind the Door

One of my favorite books last year was Greenwild by Pari Thomson. I got completely swept away in the lush fantasy setting packed with magic, powerful plants, charming characters, and an unforgettable cat.

This summer, the series continues with Greenwild: The World Beyond the Sea, which I’m eagerly anticipating. It’s one of the books I’m most looking forward to this year. While I’m waiting, I’m going to enjoy the fabulous world of book one all over again– just in time for Earth Day, too!

If you haven’t read this gorgeous story, grab a copy and dive in so you’re ready when book two hits shelves.

Greenwild: The World Behind the Door
Pari Thomson
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Published June 6, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads | My Review

About Greenwild: The World Behind the Door

Open the door to a spellbinding world where the wilderness is alive and a deep magic rises from the earth itself . . .

Eleven-year-old Daisy Thistledown is on the run. Her mother has been keeping big, glittering secrets, and now she has vanished. Daisy knows it’s up to her to find Ma―but someone is hunting her across London. Someone determined to stop her from discovering the truth.

So when Daisy flees to safety through a mysterious hidden doorway, she can barely believe her eyes―she has stepped out of the city and into another world.

This is the Greenwild. Bursting with magic and full of amazing natural wonders, it seems too astonishing to be true. But not only is this land of green magic real, it holds the key to finding Daisy’s mother.

And someone wants to destroy it.

Daisy must band together with a botanical genius, a boy who can talk with animals, and a cat with an attitude to uncover the truth about who she really is. Only then can she channel the power that will change her whole world . . . and save the Greenwild itself.

Coming June 4, 2024

Greenwild: The City Beyond the Sea (Greenwild #2)
Pari Thomson
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

Daisy Thistledown’s epic adventure continues in the spellbinding sequel to New York Times bestseller The World Behind the Door by Pari Thomson.

In a land ruled by water, treachery runs deep . . . 

Daisy Thistledown and the Five O’Clock Club might have defeated a terrifying foe, but their journey to find the missing Botanists is only just beginning.

Desperate to join the long-awaited expedition to the heart of the Amazon, Daisy and her friends abandon the safety of magical Mallowmarsh –only to fall face-first into danger on the high seas when they find themselves pursued across the waves by Grim Reapers. Their only to find the legendary Iffenwild, a mysterious pocket of the Greenwild hidden and lost to time.

But beneath the waves, a strange botanical magic stirs. And it will take all of Daisy’s courage and determination – and the trust of an unexpected new friend – if she is to discover the truth that haunts Iffenwild, and save the Greenwild from a terrible fate.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of GREENWILD: THE WORLD BEHIND THE DOOR in exchange for my honest review.

22 Most-Anticipated Middle Grade Books Coming Spring 2024

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22 Most-Anticipated Middle Grade Books Coming Spring 2024

How are there so many great books coming out in just three months? It’s wild. I love it, but I wish I had time to read them all. Since I’m so late getting this posted, I’ve read a few of these already, and they’ve been excellent! I can’t wait to read the rest of them. The list includes a mix of contemporary and fantasy novels, graphic books, and mystery. Here are my 20 most-anticipated middle grade books coming spring 2024.

Note: This post contains affiliate links that do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. Thanks for using them to do your shopping!

22 Most-Anticipated Middle Grade Books Coming Spring 2024

Kyra, Just for Today by Sara Zarr

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A girl’s complex relationship with her alcoholic mom and the value of her support system. Sensitive, beautiful, and packed with emotional depth.

Published March 5, 2024 | My Review

Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A book about grief, saying goodbye, living life outside the box, and embracing adventure. Fabulous characters. Poignant and fun.

Published March 5, 2024 | My Review

Sona and the Golden Beasts by Rajani LaRocca

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A girl hears music everywhere in a land where music and magic are forbidden. Sounds like a sweeping fantasy exploring the impact of colonialism.

Published March 5, 2024 | My Review to Come

Ferris by Kate DiCamillo

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A wild family adventure about a girl, a ghost, and a grandmother by two-time Newberry Medalist Kate DiCamillo.

Published March 5, 2024 | My Review to Come

Pirates of Darksea by Catherine Doyle

Amazon | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A secret island ruled by a pirate king. A dangerous island-eating monster. A desperate boy in need of a miracle. By the author of The Storm Keeper’s Island series.

Published March 14, 2024 | My Review to Come

Louder Than Hunger by John Schu

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A novel in verse and fictionalized account of the author’s personal experiences with disordered eating. Looks haunting and powerful.

Published March 19, 2024 | My Review to Come

The Deadlands: Survival (The Deadlands #3) by Skye Melki-Wegner

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: The thrilling finale of a trilogy I couldn’t get enough of. An unlikely alliance of dinosaurs must save their herds from the Carrion Kingdom’s powerful weapons.

Published April 2, 2024 | My Review

The Second Favorite Daughters Club 1: Sister Sabotage by Colleen Oakes

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: Tired of being second-favorite, these two girls plot to get their parents’ attention and affection in this goofy, heartfelt story.

Published April 2, 2024 | My Review

Trouble at the Tangerine by Gillian McDunn

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A boy moves to a new apartment where a series of robberies occur. He and his new friend vow to find the culprits. An energetic, fun mystery.

Published April 2, 2024 | My Review

Continental Drifter by Kathy MacLeod

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A graphic memoir about a girl who longs to find her place as her family moves between homes in Bangkok and Maine.

Published April 2, 2024 | My Review to Come

The Dark Times (Lightfall #3) by Tim Probert

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: Cad and Bea continue their journey in the third installment of one of my favorite graphic novel series. It’s fantastic.

Published April 2, 2024 | My Review to Come

Winnie Nash is Not Your Sunshine by Nicole Melleby

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A girl spending the summer with her estranged grandma and dealing with big feelings about her identity and mom’s depression. Deep, wise, and lovely.

Published April 2, 2024 | My Review

Nightmares in Paradise (Ring of Solomon #2) by Aden Polydoros

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A boy who saved the world once already must find the Tree of Life to wake his sister from a coma. Looks like a wild adventure from a great author.

Published April 2, 2024 | My Review to Come

Tree. Table. Book. by Lois Lowry

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A girl with an elderly best friend in cognitive decline. I’m expecting all the storytelling power Lowry never fails to deliver in this sweet, loving story.

Published April 23, 2024 | My Review to Come

Fake Chinese Sounds by Jing Jing Tsong

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A Taiwanese American girl learns how to deal with bullying and find her voice. This looks powerful and engaging.

Published April 30, 2024 | My Review to Come

The Cats of Silver Crescent by Kaela Noel

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: This one had me at magical cats! A story of friendship, family, and the magic inside all of us. Looks absolutely adorable.

Published April 30, 2024 | My Review to Come

Skandar and the Chaos Trials by A. F. Steadman

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: The third installment in the series promises more unicorn magic, challenges to family bonds, and the power of true friendship. I can’t wait!

Published May 7, 2024 | My Review to Come

The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A girl discovers a magical library where each book is literally a portal to an adventure. Part mystery, part adventure, part exploration of identity. I’m in!

Published May 7, 2024 | My Review to Come

Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A fantastical, adorable underwater adventure about a girl determined to save the boy she loves from dangerous mermaids.

Published May 7, 2024 | My Review to Come

Puzzleheart by Jenn Reese

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A child and their father visit the B&B her grandmother never opened and face deadly puzzles and strange messages. Looks super imaginative and packed with family drama– my favorite!

Published May 14, 2024 | My Review to Come

The City Beyond the Stars by Zohra Nabi

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A girl sets out to rescue her mother from powerful alchemists and save her world in the sequel to one of my favorite MG books from 2023.

Published May 14, 2024 | My Review to Come

The Mine Wars: The Bloody Fight for Workers’ Rights in the West Virginia Coalfields

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: The gripping true story of the largest labor uprising in American history and how it led to protection for workers. Seems pretty relevant to me!

Published May 14, 2024 | My Review to Come

What most-anticipated middle grade books coming spring 2024 did I miss?

I am not as good at keeping up with middle grade fiction as I am with young adult fiction, so there are always titles that didn’t make my radar or somehow got missed.

What upcoming MG titles are you looking forward to? Have you read any of the books on my list? Let me know in the comments!

Review: The Wolves of Greycoat Hall by Lucinda Gifford

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The Wolves of Greycoat Hall (The Wolves of Greycoat Hall #1)
Lucinda Gifford
Kane Miller Publishing
Published September 1, 2020

Kane Miller Website | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Wolves of Greycoat Hall

A family of wolves leaves their mansion in Moravia, returns to their Scottish homeland and fights for their right to live among society and save the castle that has been in their family for generations from a crooked developer.

Boris Greycoat is a friendly young wolf who likes meeting people and trying new foods. His father Randall Greycoat is becoming an expert in speaking French and playing table tennis. Boris’s mother, Leonora Greycoat, likes to practise her warm, reassuring smiles. Wolves need to look reassuring if they are to flourish in society.

Excited to hear the news that wolves are to be reintroduced to Scotland, Boris Greycoat and his parents, Randall and Leonora Greycoat embark on a journey back to their ancestral lands. However, it’s more difficult for wolves to travel than one might think, and it seems that Scotland may not be prepared for sophisticated wolves like the Greycoats. A deliciously funny tale, with equally amusing illustrations, about being judged for what, rather than who you are.

My Review

What a cute book! I’ve seen a couple other reviews of this series, and thought it sounded like fun. I have a young, voracious reader who will shortly be looking for middle grade books with a lot of illustrations, and I think this series might be perfect for her.

Every few pages or so, black-and-white drawing shows the characters or significant objects in the scene, which breaks up the text nicely. The whole book is about 220 pages, so it’s longer than a chapter book, but the frequent illustrations and short chapters make this a good choice for readers transitioning from chapter books to middle grade novels.

Boris and his family are kind, well-mannered wolves preparing for a vacation in Scotland. They face some prejudice from fellow passengers on a train and in a restaurant who clearly do not expect a family of wolves to be riding or dining with them. As Boris and his family explore Scotland, they decide to buy a castle, which becomes a whole adventure in itself. There are a couple of moments where tension builds, but for the most part, this is a sweet, cozy family vacation story.

I got a kick out of the different ways each family member approaches their interactions with people and their vacation adventure. This is one I know I’ll be reading again with my daughter and recommending to other readers her age.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12. It would work as a read-aloud with a younger child, maybe 6-8, as well.

Representation
Main characters are wolves who experience some prejudice when they go certain places humans aren’t expecting to see well-mannered wolves. The human characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
In one scene, a character trips and worries he might fall from a balcony.

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.

Nightmares in Paradise by Aden Polydoros

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

Nightmares in Paradise (Ring of Solomon #2)
Aden Polydoros
Inkyard Press
Published April 2, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Nightmares in Paradise

Zach Darlington saved the world from total apocalypse and all he got was grounded. He’s not even allowed to watch his favorite horror movies anymore, and now his parents want to ship him off to boarding school!

But before Zach can talk some sense into his parents, his little sister, Naomi, lands in an unexplainable coma. Zach’s friend Ash (yep, Zach and the King of Demons are friends now) knows this was the work of Ash’s eternal nemesis, the Archangel Uriel. And the only way to revive Naomi is with the fruit from the Tree of Life. Yeah, that tree. Like, from the actual Garden of Eden .

Zach and his friends will have to face terrifying angels, monsters, and a serpent to get to the tree and save Naomi’s life. He just hopes he won’t be grounded till the end of time if they ever make it back.

My Review

I’m a little late to this series (I haven’t read the first book), but I loved WRATH BECOMES HER by Aden Polydoros. WRATH is an immersive, dark YA novel, so when I learned that the author also writes middle grade, I had to check it out. I couldn’t imagine a middle grade book in the same writing style as the young adult book I’d read. NIGHTMARES IN PARADISE is written in a completely different style than the YA novel I read, which is great, and shows the incredible range of this author.

I love that this is a fantasy series based on Jewish mythology. It’s such a cool idea. I also love that the book includes the relationship between an older brother and a younger sister. Their relationship feels very real. There’s some sweetness but lots of frustration as they navigate their relationship.

Zach has a little bit of an attitude, but it’s balanced by his fears and worries about his identity as a gay boy. He deals with a bully at school and the knowledge that the world nearly ended, something hardly anyone knows and he really can’t tell anyone about. So, he’s a pretty complex guy.

The pacing was the only thing that I found a little bit challenging. It might be that I just expected something different from the plot based on the back cover copy, or maybe I missed something somewhere in the book. It seemed like the middle ran a bit long, and the end of the story happened very fast. I also couldn’t tell if the ending concludes the series? The description of the first book in the series calls it a trilogy, but I wonder if, because Inkyard Press has closed, maybe the Ring of Solomon series has become a duology? I guess we’ll find out!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Zach and his family are Jewish. Zach is also gay. His best friend is Ecuadorean American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A boy bullies another boy because he’s gay.

Romance/Sexual Content
Reference to a couple who used to date one another.

Spiritual Content
Zach’s family celebrates Passover. A relative asks him if he would like to have a Bar Mitzvah. Uses Jewish mythology. Some spiritual characters, like angels and the king of demons.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to battles with a sword that bursts into flames. Some monstrous creatures, such as a giant worm that eats stone. References to the creation story in the Garden of Eden.

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.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays. Check out other blogs posting about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle with Greg Pattridge.