Category Archives: Middle Grade 8-12

Review: Paul Weaver and the Soul Reaver by Sean McMurray

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Paul Weaver and the Soul Reaver by Sean McMurray

Paul Weaver and the Soul Reaver
Sean McMurray
Artemesia Publishing
Published July 8, 2025

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About Paul Weaver and the Soul Reaver

Can one vlogger and his loyal dog save their town from the clutches of a dark wizard?

When 12-year-old fantasy super fan Paul Weaver started a channel on his favorite fantasy website documenting his quest to become a Paladin Knight, he never considered he would one day have to pull off the heist of all stealing his principal’s soul.

That sounds more like something a member of the thieves’ guild or a dark wizard would do, not a supposed Knight-in-Training, but to halt a growing evil changing his grandfather, older sister, and best friend – err – former best friend for the worse, and turning many others in his small town into mind-controlled zombies, Paul doesn’t have much choice.

With the help of his loyal dog, Samwise, and their modest following of fans and subscribers, Paul may just pull it off. If he doesn’t, his town will be lost forever and his grandpa, sister, and former best friend will never be normal again.

My Review

The way this book is set up is pretty clever. Each chapter opens with an illustration of what looks like a video thumbnail, like you might see on YouTube. The chapters are largely a transcript of a boy recapping his adventures for his viewing audience.

The format made the book seem like a quick read with a fast-moving plot. After Paul witnesses something supernatural in the woods, he’s determined to figure out what’s going on and to stop the person from harming anyone else. At first I assumed this was going to resolve into a misunderstanding with some kind of non-magical explanation, but I think I liked that the book leaped into the paranormal even better than that outcome.

At times, Paul seemed a bit young for his age. I think this works, especially in clueing readers into some of the subtext for why his recent friendship may have faltered. It seems like he’s still clinging to games he and his friend played when his friend is ready to move on to a new phase of life. That’s pretty relatable. It’s also complicated, as another kid picks on Paul and the fact that his friend doesn’t stand up for him or stop the other kid hurts.

One interesting relationship in the story is the one between Paul and his sister. She is experiencing some changes and growth herself, and at first, Paul feels disconnected from her. His adventure provides a new way for them to connect. I like that it shows that process of growing apart and finding new ways to connect.

Conclusion

All in all, I could see readers looking for a paranormal story for the season enjoying this tale and relating to the social media-based format. If you liked A Bite Above the Rest by Christine Virnig, check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to a crush.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have supernatural ability and may be stealing souls.

Violent Content
Situations of peril.

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: Beetle and the Chimera Carnival by Aliza Layne

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Beetle and the Chimera Carnival (The Beetle Books #2)
Aliza Layne
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published April 29, 2025

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About Beetle and the Chimera Carnival

Beetle and her friends attend a carnival full of dragons and magic, only to discover something sinister at play behind the scenes, in this delightful sequel to the Stonewall Honor-winning Beetle & the Hollowbones middle grade graphic novel.

Hidden behind the clouds, giant dragons guard the most powerful magic in the world from prying eyes. On one magical night, once every ten years, these leviathans reveal themselves to a fanfare of costumes, music, and parades in the Chimera Carnival.

But this time, something’s wrong.

When Beetle, Penny, and Kat decide to check out the empty carnival site one night, they discover an injured dragon screaming for help. And the more Beetle uncovers about the Chimera Carnival, the more sinister it gets. Dragons who arrive for the early festivities disappear without a trace. Beetle’s magic begins to go haywire. And Kat’s parents come back to town, worrying both girls about whether they have a future together.

In the catacombs beneath the demolished ‘Allowstown mall, something hungers for dragon magic. And Beetle and her friends are already more entwined with it than they could possibly imagine.

My Review

I remember being surprised at how much I enjoyed Beetle and the Hollowbones, the first book in this series, which I reviewed the year it came out. When I spotted the sequel on the shelf at the library, I grabbed it immediately.

Layne’s illustration style is both reminiscent of Halloween and whimsical. This is definitely the kind of story that The Nightmare Before Christmas fans will enjoy. The book opens with a clever recap of events that looks like pages in a scrapbook. From there, we dive straight into the story.

I had forgotten how much I liked the sweet relationship between Beetle and Kat. They’re in the early days of a romance that leaves them a little swoony about one another. Beetle also worries about the status of their relationship, but she tries really hard to give Kat the space she needs to figure out when to talk to her family.

Though Kat and Beetle end up mired in a dangerous mystery, the story has so many joyful moments. I love the way that Layne shows big emotions and just embraces the goofiness of her characters. The story also has one of the best moments between Kat, Beetle, and Beetle’s Gran’ma. That scene (it’s near the end) was absolutely perfect.

So, two books into the series, and I’m more a fan now that ever. I hope there are more Beetle and Kat adventures to come. Definitely check this one out if you need a boost of joy in your life or are ready to celebrate new love or Halloween.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
A couple of panels show a couple kissing. Two characters discuss relationship status.

Spiritual Content
Beetle is a goblin. Kat is a living skeleton. Penny is a ghost. The group plan to attend a festival at which dragons gather. Another character is a vampire. Characters can perform different kinds of magic. References to necromancy.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Kidnapping. Brief cartoon battle scenes. Brief homophobic comments.

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 my local library. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Guardians of Dreamdark: Windwitch by Laini Taylor

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The Guardians of Dreamdark: Windwitch
Laini Taylor
Amulet Books
Published September 23, 2025 (Orig. 2007)

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About The Guardians of Dreamdark: Windwitch

From New York Times bestselling author Laini Taylor comes a new edition of her first cult favorite series, Guardians of Dreamdark, about a devil-hunting faerie and her quest to save her world
 
For centuries faeries have lived safely in their ancient forests, but now their peace is under threat. Devils are escaping the prisons that have held them since the Dawn Days, and only one faerie stands in their way. Magpie Windwitch is the greatest—the only—devil-hunter of the Age. Together with her trusted band of crows, she tracks down and recaptures these ravenous beasts that devour everything in their path.
  
When the hunt leads them to the legendary forest of Dreamdark, Magpie finds herself outmatched. Facing the greatest foe her kind has ever known (not to mention an imposter queen, a disgusting imp, and a young faerie warrior as infuriating as he is brave), one thing is If she’s to save the world, she’ll need all the help she can get. 
    
Bestselling author Laini Taylor’s thrilling first novel is now available for the first time for a new generation of fans.

My Review

I’ve read both the “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” series and the “Strange the Dreamer” duology, but I had never read “The Guardians of Dreamdark” duology. This first book is both like her other work and different. I can definitely see how she went from this series to writing Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

It feels a little like the 1994 movie Thumbelina. The story has definitive stakes and danger, but Magpie faces it all bravely along with her crew of crows and faerie allies.

This series is written for a younger audience than the author’s other books. It’s got a lot of adventure and danger, but very lightly brushes by romance, giving us the impression of characters who maybe feel some attraction for one another. It’s a longer book, coming in at about 400 pages, so that will certainly intimidate some upper middle grade/lower YA readers.

Because Magpie isn’t truly a child (she’s still young by faerie standards), I could see this being a great crossover series and appealing to adults, especially those who grew up with the author’s other books. Readers who like faerie adventures will enjoy the world-building and high stakes of the adventure.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A few made up curses.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some blushing and attraction between characters.

Spiritual Content
Some characters are faeries. 7 powerful Djinn created the world through their dreams. Faeries can choose to leave the world for the Moonlit Gardens, a different realm, sort of like an afterlife space. If faeries are killed in battle, they also appear in the Moonlit Gardens. Other creatures like imps and scavenging devils appear in the story and cause trouble. Magpie and her family have spent years tracking down these devils and imprisoning them in bottles.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief battle scenes and scary imagery. A monster made of darkness swallows up some characters.

Drug Content
Reference to social drinking and smoking tobacco at a community celebration.

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 Forest of a Thousand Eyes by Frances Hardinge and Emily Gravett

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Version 1.0.0

The Forest of a Thousand Eyes
Frances Hardinge
Illustrated by Emily Gravett
Amulet Books
Published August 26, 2025

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About The Forest of a Thousand Eyes

Costa Award-winning Frances Hardinge’s gripping story of a young girl’s daring mission through a natural world intent on her destruction.

With stunning two-colour illustrations by superstar illustrator Emily Gravett on every page, this richly atmospheric book is perfect for fans of David Almond and Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

The hungry Forest is moving forward like an army, a green and constant threat to the humans living in and on an increasingly crumbling Wall. Feather, accompanied only by her scaled ferret, Sleek, must avoid the Forest’s tentacles, and the many dangerous creatures it shelters, to return the community’s precious spyglass to its rightful place. Along the way, she develops her resilience, and meets other people living on the Wall, whose stories and experiences open her mind, and those of her community, to new horizons.

A compelling story filled with adventure, emotional intensity and the rawness of nature.

My Review

This is totally going to date me as a reviewer, but this book reminded me of The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, but plants instead of zombies and make it middle grade. (I tried to link to my review, but apparently I never posted a review of that one! I’m adding the whole series to my list to reread.)

This story is eerie. Feather, the main character makes a mistake that threatens her community’s survival, so she sets out on a quest to fix her error. The whole way, the Forest comes after her. The plants feel sinister as they creep along after her, sending vines to wrap her up and whispering thoughts of betrayal to her scaled ferret.

I love the community aspect of the story. Feather meets people from other settlements on her journey, and they trade ideas and learn from one another. So that she leaves behind her a trail of goodwill leading all the way home.

The story is a little dark, and definitely unusual. I’d say this would bridge upper elementary grades into middle school. It would work well as a story that has an eerie vibe for the Halloween season without being related to the holiday.

The message about caring for others and building community is well-crafted, and the quick pace of the adventure along with the evocative illustrations will make readers want to devour this book in one sitting.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Someone tries to kill another person by pushing them off a wall. Forest elements stalk a character with ill intent. The story contains depictions of and descriptions of spiders.

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.

MMGM Review: Ghoul Summer by Tracy Badua

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Ghoul Summer
Tracy Badua
Storytide
Published September 2, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Ghoul Summer

In this beachside ghost story that’s perfect for fans of Erin Entrada Kelly and Wednesday, twelve-year-old Barnaby is forced to spend his summer helping his grandpa move, only to be confronted by Maxwell—a moody ghost boy with some unfinished business. 

Barnaby had grand plans for his summer. He should’ve been spending his days watching movies and gaming with his friends. Instead, his parents drag him to the boring beach town of Sunnyside to help his grandpa move.

Just when he thinks this summer can’t get any worse, a ghost boy named Maxwell shows up in their vacation rental home to kick Barnaby and his family out.

Barnaby tries everything to get rid of Maxwell on his own. But when his attempts fail and Maxwell actually becomes stronger, Barnaby realizes that there’s only one solution to his ghost helping Maxwell figure out his unfinished business. If he doesn’t, the ghost might ditch the rental home for Barnaby’s body instead.

With the clock counting down to the end of the trip, Barnaby is forced to enter an uneasy truce with Maxwell to find the truth—or be haunted forever. 

My Review

Helping a ghost resolve their unfinished business is a premise some readers will already be familiar with. I love that Badua shakes things up a bit in her book. For instance, Maxwell, the ghost, isn’t all that friendly. He’s moody and willing to get Barnaby in a lot of trouble if he doesn’t get what he wants. In many of the other ghost-with-unfinished-business stories I’ve read, the ghost is sad or friendly. Seeing Barnaby, who is himself a bit prickly, wrestle with his conflicting feelings about Maxwell made for a more interesting story.

While Barnaby is able to solve some mysteries about what Maxwell needs, others remain largely unresolved. This could be challenging for readers who like their stories wrapped up neatly, with consequences for all the parties who wronged the characters. On the other hand, I think the way Badua chose to end the book creates more opportunity for discussion, and I appreciate that. I love a hijinks-filled middle grade book that gives you some stuff to think about.

I’m surprised this came out in September. It seems like the kind of book that would have come out in May, at the start of the summer season. Kids here in Florida go back to school a lot earlier than some other places, though, so maybe it’s just me. Either way, Ghoul Summer is a fun story that packs a lot of character growth. I suppose a September release date is perfect for those of us not ready to let go of that summer feeling and readers anxious for the Halloween season.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
One character is a ghost with an attitude. In one scene, Barnaby tries to exorcise the ghost using a ouija board. This backfires and somehow connects him to the ghost, so he can take control of Barnaby’s body.

Violent Content
The ghost makes threats to get Barnaby in trouble, such as threatening to use Barnaby’s hands to punch someone.

Drug Content
References to a possible poisoning.

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

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

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

Author Q&A with Isabelle Knight

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Author Q&A with Isabelle Knight

Hosting an author for a Q&A is one of the things I wish I did more on The Story Sanctuary. I love getting to know how an author comes up with ideas and brings their vision to the page. Today, I’ve got prolific young author Isabelle Knight here to talk about not one book but FOUR that make up her “Enchantria” series.

I’ve known Isabelle a bit through a weekly meme called Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays, where bloggers share bookish news and reviews of middle grade books on Always in the Middle. Her reviews are so enthusiastic, and I enjoy the way she relates her reader experience. I’m super excited to hear about her experience as a writer.

Author Q&A with Isabelle Knight

I find that a story was often inspired by a question. Was there a question that inspired you to write the Enchantria series? Or one of the novels in particular?

This is a good question, and my answer to that is sort of, but also not quite in the way you might think. I think that the Enchantria series in all does have a question at its heart (perhaps even multiple questions!), however, I never really know what question a story will have at its heart until I start writing it. Sometimes, I might not even realize what question the story has until I’m done writing it!

This was especially true for the final book in the series, The Last Hope. However, while I was writing The Last Hope, I did already have the first three books written, so I think I had the faintest idea of a question while writing book four, and that was: How do you find hope when it seems all hope is lost? However, this was a very faint question I was asking myself while writing the story, and the story evolved, and while it does ask that question, there are a lot more questions in it – questions that I never expected until I started writing it!

Are there things about your favorite character that couldn’t be included in the series?

I feel like most authors would say that there are things that couldn’t be included in the series (and while there are soooooo many worldbuilding bits that I couldn’t include because, well, then the book would balloon up to over 150K and even for me, that’s a tad extreme – especially for middle-grade). But I think that there actually weren’t that many things about my characters that couldn’t be included.

I am what is called a “pantser” meaning I write by the seat of my pants without an outline or a plan, and so I figure out the characters as I write the story, and what I figure out is just really naturally woven into the story! However, this is only true for Enchantria… It is completely the opposite for my current work-in-progress, which I can’t tell you too much about, but I will say… there are a lot of things about my main character and side characters that I just can’t include without the novel ballooning up to 150K…

You’ve created a wide-ranging story world with several different kingdoms populated with magical creatures. What did you have the most fun discovering about the setting of the series?

This is such an impossible question! I loved all of it! While there were bits that made me wish to tear out my hair in frustration (such as trying to invent/figure out twelve different kinds of creatures/beings to inhabit the twelve kingdoms. By kingdom #8, I was just desperately pulling whatever came from my mind), I had a lot of fun with everything, really! I definitely loved discovering Enchantria’s magic system, though, so if I had to narrow it down to one, this miiiight be my favorite part. Just finally discovering how everything in the magic system worked and having it all pull together smoothly was amazing (and I especially loved all the crystals in Enchantria! They’re a pretty big part of the world, as you’ll see once you’ve read the book!)

Is there a scene or moment in the Enchantria series that really sticks with you? Can you tell us a little bit about it?

There are two that come to mind right away. The first is in book one, and it is probably my favorite scene in book one, and it is when Elenora and her new friends are on the quest to find the Tribe, and they have to cross this river of literal magic that sort of runs along the northern border of Enchantria. There used to be a bridge there, but when Elenora and her friends show up, they find it in crumbling ruins because Ravena (the villain) has destroyed it. I won’t spoil anything or say exactly how they get across, but I just loved writing the scene! The descriptions of the river were just such fun to write!

The second scene that comes to mind is from The Last Hope, and it is the very last scene in the book (not counting the coronation and the prologue!), and it is, of course, when Elenora and her friends finally defeat the villain! Again, no spoilers, but this scene came out so differently than what I’d been expecting, but it was so much truer to the story and its themes of hope than my original idea of them just destroying Ravena…

What do you most hope that readers take away from the series?

This is a hard question to answer. I think every reader will take something very different away from this series, and I think that is what I really love about reading. I don’t really want to write to “teach a lesson or moral” or anything, but instead, I just really want to write to face hard questions that I myself have asked countless times before.

I think book four really does ask these two questions: “What makes a hero?” and “Where is home, truly?” I really do hope that readers will pick up on these questions and think about them, however different their answers to these questions may be from my own. The way these questions are sort of ‘answered’ in book four is really just my take/answer (though, really, I can’t promise I have one definitive answer for any of those questions) on them, and I want readers to find their own. But most of all, I just hope they will see themselves in Elenora and just have a great time reading the series!

What is one question about your books you are often asked by readers?

I get so many questions, so… (digs through mailbox and interviews to find the number one most asked question I get)

Alright, I think I found it… And it is the most common question I think every author on planet Earth gets: Where did you get the idea for the Enchantria series?

The answer is a lot, a lot, a looot of different places. Books, movies, TV shows, even a video game I once played! But I think the main original idea (which has since evolved greatly and has changed throughout the years, because I got the idea for this series when I was pretty young) came from a movie I watched as a kid. It had two kingdoms with this very clear border between the two kingdoms.

I believe one kingdom was good and the other was a dark, creepy forest… The movie’s called Strange Magic (thank you to Pinterest for helping me remember the name, because I’d forgotten the movie till I was scrolling to find inspiration for my WIP, and the movie poster for it popped up!), and Strange Magic and Enchantria are absolutely NOTHING alike… But it gave me the idea for Enchantria and Nyxria. Other ideas just came to me as I started writing the book, and I pulled inspiration from a lot of my favorite books!

About the Enchantria Series

Amazon | Goodreads

Elena Ramirez’s mother disappeared eleven year ago. On her sixteenth birthday, Elena finds her way to the magical land of Enchantria, only to find that she is the subject of a centuries old prophecy that is now being fulfilled. With the old prophecy being fulfilled, Ravena, the dark lady of the ravens, awakes and is now determined to destroy Enchantria at any cost. Elena and her new friends must fight against Ravena and undertake a series of dangerous quests to save Enchantria. If they fail, Enchantria is doomed. And Ravena is getting stronger by the minute. Will they manage to defeat Ravena and restore order to the land or will Ravena destroy Enchantria, once and for all?

About Isabelle Knight

Website | YouTube

Isabelle Knight is the middle-grade fantasy author of the Enchantria series, which she began writing at age ten and published sometime later in her life. A lifelong book and cat lover, she now resides in a book-filled apartment surrounded by countless stuffed pandas and enough books to start her own bookstore. When she’s not writing about creepy shadows, daring heroines, and magical adventures, she’s talking about books, writing, and doing writerly ramblings on her blog and YouTube channel.