Category Archives: Middle Grade 8-12

Review: The Magic and Mystery of Trees by Jen Green

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The Magic and Mystery of Trees by Jen Green

The Magic and Mystery of Trees
Jen Green
Illustrated by Claire McElfatrick
DK Publishing
Published March 5, 2019

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About The Magic and Mystery of Trees

Discover how they communicate and warn each other of predators, how they nurture their networks, record the past, and anticipate the future to ensure their survival. There’s so much more to trees than meets the eye.

Learn about the amazing natural science of trees in this nature and science children’s book. From the highest branches, all the down to the complex wood wide web of roots, every part of a tree plays an important role. Not only in its own growth but that of the whole ecosystem of the forest or woodland. Did you know that trees take care of each other and that a whole forest is connected?

A truly delightful non-fiction read that is suitable for all ages – each page of this nature book is nothing short of astonishingly beautiful. Enjoy a mixture of real images, vibrant illustrations, and patchwork-layering, making each page feel like a nature scavenger hunt.

You’ll learn unbe-leaf-able tree facts, see extraordinary trees from around the world, and the animals that call them home. Find out what trees do for us and how we are damaging them with pollution and deforestation. This book will show that it’s not too late to do something about it, and you’ll find out how you can help with instructions on how to plant your very own tree!

When you get to know these silent giants, you’ll never look at trees the same way again.

My Review

I first got a discount copy of this book as an e-book, but once I read it, I knew I needed a hard copy. It’s packed with information that’s presented in such a fresh, engaging way. The illustrations are bright and beautiful, and really add a lot to the text.

You might notice that I recommended this book for ages 8 and up, which is unusual and a large age range. Obviously older readers will be capable of reading above the reading level here, but the book contains so much great information and so many things that I had never even heard of before that I feel like anyone could read it.

I only have two complaints about the book. One is that I wish it contained a bibliography and a recommended reading list. I would love to know where the information came from and to know if there are other books, especially any written for kids, available to buy or borrow.

The only other negative thing I can say is that while I really appreciate the emphasis on planting a tree or recycling as things we can do to contribute to helping the planet, I wish there had been mention or emphasis on the fact that doing those things isn’t the same as saving acres of rainforest. A tree planted in our front yard or a local park doesn’t equal one in the Amazon for the biodiversity it supports. I know that as a reader, I was thinking about that, but I wish it had been included somehow in the text.

On the whole, though, I love THE MAGIC AND MYSTERY OF TREES. I think it would be a great addition to any home, school, classroom, or community library. It’s inspiring and informative and truly an engaging read.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 up.

Representation
No specific humans mentioned in the book.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None. (I mean, I guess unless you count plant pollination?? Ha.)

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: Kingdom of Secrets by Christyne Morrell

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

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 in her father’s arrest and kicks off a spiraling series of events that will yank Prissy out of her predictable life.

Along the way to free her father from jail, she’ll get caught up in a bar fight, nabbed by a sadistic schoolmistress, tossed into a home for unwanted children, schooled in the art of stealing, and thrust into the center of a brewing rebellion. On her journey through Oren – with its glitzy neighborhoods and its seedy underbelly – Prismena will uncover secrets that change the way she views her family, her kingdom, herself, and even her beloved hot air balloons. She’ll have to break a few rules – and even forge metal – to save the people she loves, but she may also get a chance to soar.

My Review

I love books featuring main characters with unusual interests, so when I learned about Prismena’s love for hot air balloons, I already loved this book. I had a lot of fun reading it. It’s a sweet story, but it does have some darker moments. Some chapters are written in Italics and tell a story from the past, and that has a lot more tragedy than the chapters from Prismena’s perspective.

The story really centers around Prismena and Abi. At first Prismena is hesitant to get involved in the revolution with Abi, but as she learns more about what’s truly happening in the kingdom as well as some new things about her own past, she begins to feel like fighting may be her only option. I felt like that transformation was well done and felt true to her character. I also really enjoyed the way that her interest in inventing things and flying hot air balloons were worked into the story.

I think readers who enjoyed THE DRAGON WITH THE CHOCOLATE HEART by Stephanie Burgis or THE UNICORN QUEST by Kamilla Benko will love this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Prismena is white but Abi is Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
A woman runs away to marry the man she loves.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to and some descriptions of child abuse. Soldiers murder a man in front of his wife.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of KINGDOM OF SECRETS in exchange for my honest review.

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

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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 give up on her brother, Rea and her friend Leela meet Mishti Daadi, a wrinkly old fortune-teller whose powers of divination set them off on a thrilling and secret quest. In the shade of night, they portal into an otherworldly realm and travel to Astranthia, a land full of magic and whimsy. There with the help of Xeranther, an Astranthian barrow boy, and Flula, a pari, Rea battles serpent-lilies and blood-sucking banshees, encounters a butterfly-faced woman and blue lizard-men, and learns that Rohan has been captured. Rea also discovers that she is a princess with magic. Only she has no idea how to use it.

Struggling with the truth her Amma has kept hidden from her, Rea must solve clues that lead to Rohan, find a way to rescue him and save Astranthia from a potentially deadly fate. But the clock is ticking. Can she rescue Rohan, save Astranthia, and live to see it all?

Rea and the Blood of the Nectar is Payal Doshi’s stunning #ownvoices middle-grade fantasy debut about understanding complex family dynamics, fighting for what is right, discovering oneself, and learning to make friends.

My Review

This was a really fun book to read! I have been hearing such great things about it for so long that I was a little nervous about reading it. I tend to have that anxiousness about books that have a lot of hype around them. In this case, though, I was not disappointed.

I felt like Rea was easy to identify with. She’s a loner but also lonely, and that absolutely resonated with me, especially in thinking back to my own life at that age. She’s also smart and motivated, though her trust issues kind of trip her up sometimes. I loved that the story explored her relationships with others and gave her opportunities to grow both as an individual and as a friend/sister/leader.

REA AND THE BLOOD OF THE NECTAR is full of playful moments. Sometimes they verge on being a bit cheesy, but I kind of liked those moments, too. It was nice to read a book that was both rich and beautiful but that didn’t take itself too seriously and embraced the silly and fun, too. That made it really fun to read.

The pacing of the story seemed pretty even to me, too. I felt like the stakes kept going up, and the tension definitely built as the story progressed toward the moment where Rea had to confront her antagonist.

I think readers who enjoyed THE FIREBIRD SONG by Arnée Flores or VASILISA by Julie Mathison will love this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12

Representation
Rea and her family are Indian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used twice.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Rea follows her mother to a woman’s home who can predict the future. Later Rea and her friend visit this same woman for help themselves. Rea discovers an entrance to another world in which she and a few others have the ability to use magic.

Violent Content
Some brief battle scenes and brief references to torture.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of REA AND THE BLOOD OF THE NECTAR in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Double Life of Danny Day by Mike Thayer

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

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” Danny is very different from “Discard Day” Danny.

When Danny’s family moves across the country, he suddenly has to use his ability for more than just slacking off and playing video games. Now he’s making new friends, fending off jerks, exposing a ring of cheaters in the lunchtime video game tournament, and taking down bullies one day at a time … or is it two days at a time?

My Review

Erg! I’m so late posting this review. I prefer to post as close to the release date as I can, but as you can see, it’s been weeks and weeks. I’m just having a hard time keeping up with things this summer. Hopefully I’m close to getting back on track, though I’ve got a few other titles I’m just really late in getting to besides this one.

So. The Double Life of Danny Day. This one started out a little rough for me– Danny isn’t really a compassionate guy at the opening of the book. He’s kind of disillusioned with his double-day ability and mostly uses it to goof off or have extra time to play video games. He’s more aloof and calculating.

Then he meets two new friends who begin to change how Danny sees things. One friend opens his eyes to the opportunity he has to make positive changes in terms of justice, and the other helps him find an opportunity that will make a big impact.

Once Danny began to have other motivations besides looking out for himself and having fun on his “discard day,” I got pretty hooked into the story. I liked the descriptions of the game that he and his friends played. I loved Freddie and her creative non-swearing and her grit and determination. I loved Zak and his deep sense of justice and his willingness to trust his friends.

This book reminded me a bit of the books about ROGER TARKINGTON AND THE MAGIC CALENDAR, and sometimes had a bit of a similar feel to it. I liked the character growth that Danny experienced and the way his relationships changed through the course of the story. I think readers who enjoyed MY LIFE AS A POTATO will also enjoy this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Danny is white. His best friend Zak’s dad is Black. Freddie comes from a poor family and lives with her grandmother.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Danny lives each day twice. The first time he refers to as a “discard day” because whatever happens that day doesn’t last.

Violent Content – Trigger Warning for Bullying
A bully attacks Danny and punches him more than once. Some students use an online social media profile called “Duds or Studs” to post pictures of other students (taken without their permission) edited with filters. Sometimes they’re unflattering pictures with cruel captions that encourage other kids to pile on and say awful things.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of THE DOUBLE LIFE OF DANNY DAY in exchange for my honest review.

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

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

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

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 Loah her daughter?

Things get worse yet when Loah’s elderly caretakers fall ill and she finds herself all alone except for her friend Ellis. Ellis has big problems of her own, but she believes in Loah. She’s certain Loah has strengths that are hidden yet wonderful, like the golden feather tucked away on her namesake bird’s wing. When Dr. Londonderry’s expedition goes terribly wrong, Loah needs to discover for herself whether she has the courage and heart to find help for her mother, lost at the top of the world.

Beautifully written, THE MOST PERFECT THING IN THE UNIVERSE is about expeditions big and small, about creatures who defy gravity and those of us who are bound by it.

For fans of SHOUTING AT THE RAIN by Lynda Mullaly and THE ADVENTURES OF A GIRL CALLED BICYCLE by Christina Uss, a novel about one unadventurous girl who discovers she is anything but.

My Review

I want to say all the things about this book at the same time, which could be my coffee kicking in. This book is odd in all the best possible ways. It has super quirky characters. A mysterious home deep in the woods. I love stories that feature the importance of community and found family, and THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE UNIVERSE absolutely does that so well.

At the beginning of the story, Loah is isolated and fearful. She’s counting down the days until her mom comes home and life will be normal again. Not only does that not happen, but her mom extending her trip is only the first in a series of dominoes that change Loah’s carefully ordered small world. As she faces circumstances that challenge her, she finds a fierceness that she didn’t know she had. The girl who once felt as isolated as an endangered bird becomes the catalyst for bringing a group of unconnected people together as a community.

I love the characters in this book. Sweet, soft-spoken Theo who can always be counted on to slip Loah some gummy worms and pragmatic, no-nonsense Miss Rinker reminded me of Matthew and Marilla from ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. Loah’s neighbors, a keep-to-themselves, self-sufficient family also have strong personalities. At first they scare Loah, but they teach her a lot about resilience and family.

I haven’t read either of the two books mentioned in the book summary, but THE MOST PERFECT THING IN THE UNIVERSE reminded me of SIX FEET BELOW ZERO by Ena Jones or CHIRP by Kate Messner. I think readers who enjoyed either of those books or who just like stories featuring small, quirky towns with big characters will love this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Representation
One minor character is described as having dark skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some pieces fall from Loah’s roof, nearly injuring someone. A vulture vomits on someone.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of THE MOST PERFECT THING IN THE UNIVERSE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Everywhere Blue by Joanne Rossmassler Fritz

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

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

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 the climate crisis and their planet’s future. So, Maddie starts looking for clues: Was Strum unhappy? Were the arguments with their dad getting worse? Or could his disappearance have something to do with those endangered butterflies he loved . . .

Scared and on her own, Maddie picks up the pieces of her family’s fractured lives. Maybe her parents aren’t who she thought they were. Maybe her nervous thoughts and compulsive counting mean she needs help. And maybe finding Strum won’t solve everything–but she knows he’s out there, and she has to try.

A brother’s disappearance turns one family upside down, revealing painful secrets that threaten the life they’ve always known.

My Review

When I started reading this book, I was super excited to learn that Maddie plays the oboe! You might remember from my review of AS FAR AS YOU’LL TAKE ME (another book featuring an oboist) that I’m pretty much surrounded by oboe players. I feel like it’s an unusual instrument to play, so I’m really excited that I’ve found two books that include the oboe.

EVERYWHERE BLUE is a novel in verse from Maddie’s point of view. She’s a hard working, super anxious girl who doubts her musical ability but also sees her life in musical terms. I loved her from the first page. Her family relationships are complicated. The person she’s closest to, Strum, her brother, has gone off to college. Her sister is angry and isolates herself from the family. Her father is angry and uses rules to control the household. Maddie often looks to her mother to comfort her and bring the family together.

I think I imagined from the cover summary that the story would be focused on Maddie finding the trail of breadcrumbs to learn what happened to her brother. And she does look for clues and wonder. But the bulk of the story focuses on Maddie and her processing what has happened to her family and her attempts to keep them together. I still enjoyed that a lot– this is a really rich emotional story. Maddie also processes a lot through her music, so I loved all the scenes that showed her practicing or listening to a piece of music that moved her. It made me want to find recordings of the music from the story to listen to.

I think readers who enjoy novels in verse, like ALONE by Megan E. Freeman, or stories about an emotional journey within a fractured family, like GLITTER GETS EVERYWHERE by Yvette Clark will want to add this one to their shelves.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Representation
Maddie has a counting ritual that she uses to cope with anxiety. She’s not labeled/diagnosed in the story. Maddie’s best friend is Asian-American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
In one scene, Maddie sees a girl sitting on a boy’s lap.

Spiritual Content
At one point Maddie says something like, if there’s a god, she hopes he’ll keep her brother safe.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
Maddie’s older sister comes home smelling like pot. (Maddie doesn’t specifically identify the smell.) Later, Maddie sees her sister and her sister’s friends drinking beer.

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