Category Archives: Middle Grade 8-12

Review: Greenwild: The Forest in the Sky by Pari Thomson

By | | , , ,
2 Comments

Grenwild: The Forest in the Sky by Pari Thomson

Greenwild: The Forest in the Sky (Greenwild #3)
Pari Thomson
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Published June 3, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Greenwild: The Forest in the Sky

The Secret Garden meets A Wrinkle in Time in the spellbinding final book of the New York Times-bestselling Greenwild series.

Daisy and her friends may have defeated the Grim Reapers in Iffenwild, but it’s clear that the battle for the Greenwild is only just beginning…

With the support of the Iffenwilders and their mighty water magic, Daisy and her friends are finally setting off to rescue the Botanists held prisoner in the heart of the Amazon … Continue reading →

Review: You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P! by Alex Gino

By | | , , ,
Comments Off on Review: You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P! by Alex Gino

You Don't Know Everything, Jilly P! by Alex Gino

You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P!
Alex Gino
Scholastic Press
Published September 25, 2018

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P!

Alex Gino, the Lambda Literary Award-winning author of Melissa, is back with another sensitive tale based on increasingly relevant social justice issues.

Jilly thinks she’s figured out how life works. But when her sister, Emma, is born deaf, she realizes how much she still has to learn. The world is going to treat Jilly, who is white and hearing, differently from Emma, just as it will treat them both differently from their Black cousins.

A big fantasy reader, … Continue reading →

Review: Storm Singer by Sarwat Chadda

By | | , ,
2 Comments

Storm Singer by Sarwat Chadda

Storm Singer
Sarwat Chadda
Rick Riordan Presents
Published April 15, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Storm Singer

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief meets One Thousand and One Nights in this thrilling middle grade fantasy from Rick Riordan Presents author Sarwat Chadda about a girl with the magical power to control the elements with her song.

In a land ruled by fierce winged warriors known as eagle garudas, twelve-year-old Nargis is just a poor, lowly human, a Worm who hates the garudas that killed her parents. But even though she can’t fly—and her childhood attempt left her walking with a crutch—she is far from powerless. … Continue reading →

Review: Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake

By | | , , ,
2 Comments

Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake

Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea
Ashley Herring Blake
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published May 25, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea

A poignant yet hopeful novel about a girl navigating grief, trauma, and friendship, from Ashley Herring Blake, the award-winning author of Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World.

Hazel Bly used to live in the perfect house with the perfect family in sunny California. But when a kayaking trip goes horribly wrong, Mum is suddenly gone forever and Hazel is left with crippling anxiety and … Continue reading →

Review: On the Block: Stories of Home edited by Ellen Oh

By | | , , , ,
Comments Off on Review: On the Block: Stories of Home edited by Ellen Oh

On the Block: Stories of Home edited by Ellen Oh

On the Block: Stories of Home
Edited by Ellen Oh
Crown Books for Young Readers
Published October 22, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About On the Block: Stories of Home

From We Need Diverse Books comes a heart-warming middle-grade anthology that follows the loosely interconnected lives of multigenerational immigrant families inhabiting the Entrada apartment building. Edited by Ellen Oh, a founding member of WNDB.”The beauty of their shared home does not come from any single person, but instead from the sum of their experiences” -Meg Medina, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

12 Families. 12 Cultures. 1 … Continue reading →

MMGM Review: Just Lizzie by Karen Wilfrid

By | | , , ,
10 Comments

Just Lizzie by Karen Wilfrid

Just Lizzie
Karen Wilfrid
Clarion Books
Published November 14, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Just Lizzie

A 2024 LAMBDA AWARD FINALIST

In this beautifully written contemporary middle grade debut, an eighth grader’s study of asexuality in science class leads her to understand her own asexual identity as she embarks on a journey toward self-discovery and self-advocacy. For readers of Alex Gino and Ashley Herring Blake.

“There’s the part of me that doesn’t understand kissing or cuteness or attraction, and then there’s the part of me that feels so lonely. How do I make sense of those two parts? Maybe I’ll never … Continue reading →