Category Archives: Middle Grade 8-12

MMGM Review: North for the Winter by Bobby Podesta

By | | , , , ,
10 Comments

North for the Winter by Bobby Podesta

North for the Winter
Bobby Podesta
First Second
Published September 2, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About North for the Winter

From Pixar star animator Bobby Podesta comes a middle-grade classic holiday story about Virginia, a girl who must help one of Santa’s reindeer back to the North Pole before Christmas.

What would you think if you saw a reindeer fly? When this happens to Virginia, she isn’t sure what to do – she’s just lost her mom, she’s in a new city, and everything seems so hard. But when she reluctantly confesses what she … Continue reading →

MMGM Review: The Beasts Beneath the Wind edited by Hanna Alkaf

By | | , , , ,
8 Comments

The Beasts Beneath the Winds by Hanna AlkafVersion 1.0.0

The Beasts Beneath the Wind: Tales of Southeast Asia’s Mythical Creatures
edited by Hanna Alkaf
Harry N. Abrams
Published October 21, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Beasts Beneath the Wind

A sweeping and magical story collection showcasing the mythical creatures of Southeast Asia, including work by two-time Newbery medalist Erin Entrada Kelly and National Book Award finalist Shing Yin Khor

A turtle the size of an island. A cricket that can possess you if swallowed. A giant who turns enemies to stone. The legends of Southeast Asia—or “the lands below the winds,” … Continue reading →

Review: Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen

By | | , , , , ,
2 Comments

Twi Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen

Two Tribes
Emily Bowen Cohen
Heartdrum
Published August 15, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Two Tribes

In her poignant debut graphic novel inspired by her own life, Emily Bowen Cohen embraces the complexity, meaning, and deep love that comes from being part of two vibrant tribes. Mia is still getting used to living with her mom and stepfather, and to the new role their Jewish identity plays in their home. Feeling out of place at home and at her Jewish day school, Mia finds herself thinking more and more about her Muscogee father, who lives with his new family in … Continue reading →

Review: Dead Ends!: Flukes, Flops & Failures That Sparked Medical Marvels by Lindsey Fitzharris and Adrian Teal

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

Dead Ends: Flukes, Flops & Failures that Sparked Medical Marvels by Lindsay Fitzharris and Adrian Teal

Dead Ends!: Flukes, Flops & Failures That Sparked Medical Marvels
Lindsey Fitzharris
Illustrated by Adrian Teal
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published October 14, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Dead Ends!: Flukes, Flops & Failures That Sparked Medical Marvels

From New York Times bestselling author Lindsey Fitzharris, a riveting middle grade nonfiction book about medicine’s most fascinating failures and dead ends.

Beheadings! Bloodletting! Bodysnatching!Journey down a snaking road bristling with medicine’s most astonishing “dead ends.” Marvel at the diagnoses, experiments, and treatments that were frequently useless, and often harmful, but that sometimes led … Continue reading →

Review: The Tear Collector by R.M. Romero

By | | , ,
8 Comments

The Tear Collector by R. M. Romero

The Tear Collector
R.M. Romero
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published October 14, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Tear Collector

This darkly fantastical climate change tale explores hope, memory, and what really makes a monster—set after the end of the world.

Climate change culminated in the Flood, an enormous wave that wiped out entire countries. Malka and her younger brother Ezra survived and now live with Dr. Jonas Hollman on the Island, the only piece of land left on Earth. Scavenging useful things from the shoreline under the watchful eye of the Island’s sinister leader Mr. Gray, … Continue reading →

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Witchy Middle Grade Books for Fall

By | | , ,
18 Comments

Top Ten Witchy Middle Grade Books for Fall

10 Witchy Middle Grade Books for Fall

Here in Florida, we have to use a little more imagination to feel the seasons. As we approach Halloween, I’m always looking for books with a cozy, witchy vibe that I can enjoy with a pumpkin-flavored treat. Today, I’m sharing a list of ten witchy middle grade books perfect for fall and the upcoming holiday.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is a Fall Freebie, giving us bookish bloggers a chance to share lists related to any fall or Halloween theme we want.

Note: This list contains affiliate links, which don’t … Continue reading →