Category Archives: Middle Grade 8-12

Review: Kingdom of Secrets by Christyne Morrell

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Kingdom of Secrets by Christyne Morell

Kingdom of Secrets
Christyne Morrell
Delacorte Press
Published August 3, 2021

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About Kingdom of Secrets

Prismena’s father is the hot air balloonist in the peaceful kingdom of Oren. She assists him by mending torn balloons, but she yearns to build and fly the complicated machines herself. One day, a waif named Abi steals Prissy’s only remaining memento of her deceased mother – a silk scarf – and promises to return it only if Prissy smuggles a mysterious box onto one of her father’s flights. Since balloon travel is strictly regulated in Oren, that single act of rebellion results … Continue reading →

Review: Rea and the Blood of the Nectar by Payal Doshi

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Rea and the Blood Nectar by Payal Doshi

Rea and the Blood of the Nectar (Chronicles of Astranthia #1)
Payal Doshi
Mango and Marigold Press
Published June 15, 2021

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About Rea and the Blood of the Nectar

It all begins on the night Rea turns twelve. After a big fight with her twin brother Rohan on their birthday, Rea’s life in the small village of Darjeeling, India, gets turned on its head. It’s four in the morning and Rohan is nowhere to be found.

It hasn’t even been a day and Amma acts like Rohan’s gone forever. Her grandmother, too, is behaving strangely. Unwilling to … Continue reading →

Review: The Double Life of Danny Day by Mike Thayer

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The Double Life of Danny Day by Mike Thayer

The Double Life of Danny Day
Mike Thayer
Feiwel & Friends
Published June 15, 2021

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About The Double Life of Danny Day

My name is Danny Day, and I live every day twice.

The first time, it’s a “discard day.” It’s kind of like a practice run. At the end of the day, I go to bed, wake up, and poof everything gets reset, everything except my memory, that is.

The second time, everything is normal, just like it is for everyone else. That’s when everything counts and my actions stick. As you could probably guess, “Sticky Day” … Continue reading →

Review: The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe by Tricia Springstubb

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The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe by Tricia Springstubb

The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe
Tricia Springstubb
Margaret Ferguson Books
Published June 1, 2021

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About The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe by Tricia Springstubb

Eleven-year-old Loah Londonderry is definitely a homebody. While her mother, a noted ornithologist, works to save the endangered birds of the shrinking Arctic tundra, Loah anxiously counts the days till her return home. But then, to Loah’s surprise and dismay, Dr. Londonderry decides to set off on a perilous solo quest to find the Loah bird, long believed extinct. Does her mother care more deeply about Loah the bird than … Continue reading →

Review: Everywhere Blue by Joanne Rossmassler Fritz

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Everywhere Blue by Joanne Rossmassler-Fritz

Everywhere Blue
Joanne Rossmassler Fritz
Holiday House
Published June 1, 2021

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About Everywhere Blue

After twelve-year-old Maddie’s older brother vanishes from his college campus, her carefully ordered world falls apart. Nothing will fill the void of her beloved oldest sibling. When her parents fly out to Strum’s college to search for answers, Maddie is left in the care of her sixteen-year-old sister, who seeks solace in rebellion and ignores Maddie. Drowning in grief and confusion, the family’s musical household falls silent.

Though Maddie is the youngest, she knows Strum better than anyone. He used to confide in her, sharing his fears about … Continue reading →

Review: The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

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The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

The Thief (Queen’s Thief #1)
Megan Whalen Turner
Greenwillow Books
Published February 28, 2017 (orig. 1996)

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About The Thief

The king’s scholar, the magus, believes he knows the site of an ancient treasure. To attain it for his king, he needs a skillful thief, and he selects Gen from the king’s prison. The magus is interested only in the thief’s abilities.

What Gen is interested in is anyone’s guess. Their journey toward the treasure is both dangerous and difficult, lightened only imperceptibly by the tales they tell of the old gods and goddesses.

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