Category Archives: Middle Grade 8-12

Review: Quest for the Golden Arrow by Carrie Jones

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

Quest for the Golden Arrow by Carrie JonesQuest for the Golden Arrow (Time Stoppers #2)
Carrie Jones
Bloomsbury
Published May 2, 2017

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When the demon Raiff kidnaps Annie’s guardian, Miss Cornelia, the magical village of Aurora, Annie and her friends must journey to the Badlands to rescue her. Annie, a young Time Stopper who can stop time on command, doesn’t make the journey alone. Together with a team of misfits—an elf who may be the last of his kind, a boy who might be a troll, an irritable dwarf, and a stone giant obsessed with quotes—Annie embarks on a quest to find the last dragon and a golden arrow which will help her defeat Raiff and save her guardian and her village from destruction.

Quest for the Golden Arrow took a little getting used to for me. It’s super different than my usual go-to fantasy read in that it’s really quirky and silly and sort of random. I can definitely see how it would appeal to younger readers because of the high adventure elements paired with the fun, offbeat storytelling. Sometimes the characters stand around and tease each other or make jokes or conversation that has nothing to do with anything but is absolutely the kind of thing that kids really do.

While there are some heavier references (at one point the team learns Raiff tortures his captives, for instance), the story refrains from describing any real violence. Annie uses her Time Stop ability to help her friends escape from more than one battle rather than fighting the enemy head-to-head.

All in all, I think The Quest for the Golden Arrow has strong appeal for younger readers, particularly third or fourth graders. Readers interested in fantasy stories but not quite ready for the likes of Percy Jackson may find this a great introduction to the genre.

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Cultural Elements
Quest for the Golden Arrow features characters of different fantasy races, like dwarfs, elves, trolls, brounies, and giants. In one place the text mentions that Jamie’s skin is dark, but there aren’t a lot of cultural details beyond fantasy race.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
No profanity, though one character is said to swear using words about trolls, etc. Some jokes and situations about gas and poop. (A cow passes gas; a bird poops on someone’s head, etc.)

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Annie uses magic to stop time. Also, things she draws become 3D objects. Another character can draw the future, though what he draws isn’t guaranteed to happen. A hag prophesies Annie falling to evil, which haunts not only Annie but her whole team. Jamie may turn into a troll, which prejudices the town against him, and also makes Jamie continually question himself and worry that no matter what he believes and values, he may transform into an evil creature.

Annie’s adversary, Raiff, is a demon and a pretty bad dude. Through the story, Annie learns a secret about Raiff and about herself which forces her to question everything more deeply. See below for spoiler.

Violent Content
References to torture (not shown). Trolls attack Annie’s village and take pixies captive. Annie and her friends battle and attempt to escape from monsters like Snatchers (female monsters with long claws) and a Bugbear. Snake-like creatures bite Annie and her friends.

Drug Content
Brief references to alcohol. In Ireland, the team meets a dwarf who’s fifteen but look much older. He says the Guinness beer ages dwarfs faster. An older man drinks liquor from a flask.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

SPOILER – Spiritual Content
Annie learns that Raiff is her great-grandfather, and therefore, she’s part demon herself. She worries, like Jamie does, that this means she may be destined for evil no matter what she truly wants and values.

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Review: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

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Brown Girl Dreaming
Jacqueline Woodson
Nancy Paulsen Books
Published August 28, 2014

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From Goodreads
Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.

My Review
After reading her novel-in-verse Locomotion, I knew I had to read Brown Girl Dreaming. I loved the descriptions of character and emotions in each poem. It’s easy to feel the family connections and the love of places, especially her grandmother’s home in South Carolina.

It’s funny—I think there’s this idea that reading and writing always come easily to people who grow up to be writers. Sometimes that’s really not the case. As a little girl, Jacqueline’s relationship with story far exceeds her ability to read or write, something that I think gives a lot of hope to young readers who struggle. There’s a strong element of courage that runs through the whole story. I loved feeling the connections between family members and the strength each one carried and how those relationships affected Jacqueline in her life and her quest to understand her place in the world.

Brown Girl Dreaming would be a great pick for a child struggling with reading, both because of the way it’s told and the struggle in the story itself. It’s also a great place to begin introducing the Civil Rights movement to younger readers.

Recommended for Ages 8 up.

Cultural Elements
Jacqueline Woodson writes about growing up as a young African American girl in South Carolina and later in Brooklyn in the 1960s.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Jacqueline’s grandmother brings her and her siblings to services to learn about being a Jehova’s Witness. They attend classes and go door to door to spread their faith.

Violent Content
She learns about a woman who fell down stairs and died.

Drug Content
Her grandfather smokes cigarettes.

Review: Dream Magic by Joshua Khan

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Dream Magic (Shadow Magic #2)
Joshua Khan
Disney-Hyperion
Published April 11, 2017

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About Dream Magic

People throughout Gehenna are disappearing, even the feared executioner Tyburn. Many of the nobles believe the kidnappings to be the work of the northern trolls, raiding south for the winter, and when Baron Sable and others head off to fight them, Castle Gloom is left guarded by only the squires.

Lily is struggling with her growing necromantic powers. The castle fills with ghosts, drawn like moths to a flame by the brightness of her magic. Zombies roam the country, some left over from those raised in SHADOW MAGIC, others awakened by Lily. Families are troubled by the returning dead, so Lily tries to incorporate them into day-to-day life, much to the resentment of the living.

Then Lily is attacked in her own castle by a mysterious sorcerer known as Dreamweaver, a young man determined to conquer Gehenna using jewel-spiders, strange crystalline creatures whose bite doesn’t kill, but sends victims to sleep. Lily soon discovers that Dreamweaver is harvesting dreams to fuel his magic.

Lily enters the realm of sleep known as the Dream Time, in an attempt to awaken all the captive dreamers. Instead she finds herself trapped within a dream, one where her family is still alive. With the help of Thorn and the ever loyal Hades, she must somehow overcome the evil Dreamweaver by using his own magic against him – and reclaim her kingdom.

My Review

This is one of those books I wanted to review because it sounded so original. I had not read SHADOW MAGIC before reading this one, but I had no trouble following the plot and characters of DREAM MAGIC, the second book in the series. I absolutely loved the writing. It’s dark, for sure—I mean, Lily’s magic interacts with the dead. Zombies, ghosts, and trolls fill the pages of the story. But it’s also cheeky and off-beat and fun! Maybe a little bit of a Nightmare Before Christmas kind of tone, though obviously a completely different story. (It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that movie, so don’t quote me on that.)

Both Thorn and Lily had me from their earliest scenes. I loved his courage and her determination to bring justice and fairness to every one of her people. There’s a gentle romantic pull between them which was really fun, too. Their struggles to figure out what their roles are in the midst of their crazy world felt real and compelling.

Another thing I really enjoyed were the illustrations at different places in the book. I liked getting to see drawings of some of the critical moments, and character depictions brought the story even more to life.

Thorn and Lily’s ages (Thorn is twelve and Lily thirteen) make this more of a middle grade read, but the writing struck me as more like young adult. I guess it’d be considered upper middle grade, but I think it’d have strong appeal to young adult readers as well. Definitely a great fit for fifth and sixth grade readers especially.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 up.

Representation
DREAM MAGIC takes place in a fantasy landscape without a lot of racial descriptions. Some of the names sounded reminiscent of Asian culture. The biggest and most interesting social conflict in the story relates to Lily’s magic. Rumors of curses on women with magic leave people with strong prejudice against any woman who uses magic. Lily faces some harsh criticism and fear simply for being a female with magic. The conflict is well-grounded within the story. Other groups like trolls and zombies face discrimination as well. Lily and Thorn advocate fair treatment and acceptance for all creatures.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild and in context. For instance, a couple uses of Hell refer to the actual place. One use of damned refers to those cursed.

Romance/Sexual Content
A brief kiss between a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Lily, a necromancer, rules a kingdom closely associated with death. She possesses powerful magic that controls the dead and can summon ghosts and interact with undead creatures. Other kingdom rulers possess different types of magic—one controls wind, another light, etc.

Thorn possesses the ability to summon a giant bat monster named Hades to help him in battle. He doesn’t control Hades’s actions, but it’s clear he does have some influence and a relationship with it.

Violent Content
Battle scenes. Some creepy stuff related to zombies falling apart and such. Lots of spiders!

Drug Content
Brief references to drinking ale at a celebration.

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

Review: Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

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Three Times Lucky
Sheila Turnage
Dial Books
Published May 10, 2012

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Mo LoBeau, rising sixth grader in the tiny town of Tupelo Landing, turns detective when a local man turns up murdered. Mo and her best friend Dale figure they can locate the killer before that nosy outsider detective has time to finish his lunch at the café. After all, Mo already has experience searching for things, most particularly her “Upstream Mother” who set Mo on a raft and sent her down the river to the Colonel and Miss Lana as a baby. Mo and Dale follow clue after clue in the murder investigation, even as a hurricane barrels toward them. When Mo’s guardians disappear, she realizes she must find the killer before he adds the people she loves most to his body count.

I’ve had this book on my bookshelf for a ridiculously long time, and I’m only sorry I didn’t read it sooner. I absolutely loved it. Three Times Lucky is all the things you want in a Southern Story: interesting food, quirky characters, an adorable small town, and an unforgettable narrator. I loved the entire cast of characters. The mystery unraveled at a perfect pace. The story was equal parts humor and heart. The setting felt like a place you would recognize the minute you stepped out of your car.

This is a perfect read for middle or late elementary-aged readers. It would make a great story to read aloud or listen to on a family vacation. Definitely a must-read and one of my favorites this year.

Recommended for Ages 8 up.

Cultural Elements
Tupelo Landing, the setting of the story, is a small very Southern town peppered with quirky Southern people. The cast reminded me a little bit of the townspeople in To Kill a Mockingbird or Lucky Strikes.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None. Mo does note that Dale swears, and comments that the way things are going, she might start anytime, but no curse words are printed in the story.

Romance/Sexual Content
Mo adores Dale’s older brother Lavender and teases him about marrying her someday. He and his buddy spend some time with twin girls, but Dale and Mo seem pretty oblivious to anything that really happens between them.

Spiritual Content
The local pastor agrees to hold a funeral at the church for a man even though he never attended services there. Brief references to prayer.

Mo writes letters to her Upstream Mother—the woman she believes gave birth to her and then set her on a raft and placed her in the river, where the Colonel later found her.

Violent Content
When Dale’s father gets drunk, he gets violent, and hits Dale and his mother. Mo knows about it because she sees the fallout, but she doesn’t witness it happen. At one point she does witness Dale’s dad threatening to hurt him.

Mo stumbles onto a murder weapon (the victim died of blunt force trauma.) Later, as they search for a kidnapping victim, Mo and Dale discover a bloody handprint.

Drug Content
Dale’s dad gets drunk on multiple occasions. At one point Mo and Dale see him driving and worry that he may be driving drunk.

Review: The Star Thief by Lindsey Becker

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The Star Thief
Lindsey Becker
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Available April 11, 2017

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About The Star Thief
Honorine’s life as as maid at the Vidalia mansion is rather dull, dusting treasures from faraway places and daydreaming in front of maps of the world. But everything changes when she catches two brutish sailors ransacking Lord Vidalia’s study, and then follows a mysterious girl with wings out into the night….

Suddenly, Honorine is whisked into the middle of a battle between the crew of a spectacular steamship and a band of mythical constellations. The stars in the sky have come to life to defend themselves against those who want to harness their powers. Much to her surprise, Honorine is the crux of it all, the center of an epic clash between magic and science, the old ways and the new. But can this spirited young girl bring both sides of a larger-than-life fight together before they unleash an evil power even older than the stars?

My Review
From the very first pages, I was totally hooked on this book. I loved Honorine right from those first few lines. She’s smart but so compassionate. Her interest and talent at mechanics not only made her an interesting character but contributed to several key points in the story. At first I found the concept of the Mordant a little bit confusing. I felt like I missed something, but I read the first few chapters really late at night, so it could have been entirely my slow brain not processing them very well.

One of the interesting things about The Star Thief is the fact that Honorine finds herself caught between two men: a sea captain determined to capture the Mordant and the Mapmaker, a powerful Mordant who vows to stop the captain at any cost. Honorine loves them both, though she trusts neither, and wants desperately to find a way to save them both.

Sometimes stories where all the adults turn out to be disappointing or untrustworthy really bother me. I think that’s because my experience was so the opposite and I want so much for other kids to have good adults in their lives and value them. Someone very close to me did not have the same experience, though. Stories where the hero emerges from difficult situations despite a lack of trustworthy adults really resonate with him, and I wonder if it’s because it’s closer to what he went through.

Either way, this book is a win. Totally imaginative and full of heart. If your reader isn’t quite ready for Percy Jackson, The Star Thief would make a great alternative read. If you’re already a PJ fan, you’ll want to add this book to your reading list. Either way, don’t miss it!

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Two instances of “hell.”

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
In The Star Thief, each constellation corresponds with a living creature called a Mordant. They inspire specific types of knowledge, invention, or creativity. For instance, spending time with one inspires advances in medicine. Fearsome creatures called Bellua inspire war and chaos and will try to kill the Mordant. While they’re not gods and goddesses exactly, it’s clear they have an elevated role compared to humanity.

Violent Content
Battles between a group of pirates and the Mordant and the Mordant and Bellua.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

Review: Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan

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Amina’s Voice
Hena Khan
Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster
Published March 14, 2017

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Now that Amina is in middle school, it seems everything is changing. Her best friend Soojin wants to hang out with Emily. Amina remembers Emily making fun of her and Soojin in elementary school. Soojin wants to celebrate becoming an American citizen by changing her name, and she wants Amina to help her pick something “American.” Amina struggles to find her own place in the shifting world. Soojin encourages her to sing a solo for a chorus concert, but Amina worries she’ll freeze up and be unable to speak. Then she learns she’ll have to speak at a recitation of the Quran. She dreads the idea, especially when her very strict uncle from Pakistan volunteers to coach her the verses she’s selected to speak.

When her mosque is vandalized and the recitation canceled, Amina feels devastated. In the wake of the disaster, the community rallies around her, and she discovers that friendship crosses boundaries and survives changes, sometimes even flourishes because of them.

I heard about this book on Aisha Saeed’s blog where she recommended several books, including this one. I enjoyed reading about a practicing Muslim family and Amina’s struggle to balance her spiritual beliefs with other parts of her life. As a practicing Christian who grew up in public school, I remember facing some of the same kinds of challenges and having some of the same fears and concerns.

I loved that Amina’s best friend is a practicing Christian, too. Actually, during middle school, my best friend was a practicing Jew. I found that having deep spiritual commitment gave us a kind of common ground I wouldn’t have expected, because we both held deep belief that sometimes held us apart from our classmates.

It’s funny… I hadn’t thought about what it would be like to watch that relationship as a parent (my parents loved my friend and clearly valued our friendship.) Now, as a parent of a child in a school district with a significant Muslim presence, I find I feel similarly. I would love for my daughter to have a friend like Amina. I think having someone to share that feeling of otherness that comes from a deep faith and challenging each other to love across religious lines was one of the most valuable experiences I had as a middle school kid.

My own experience aside, I loved this book. It was easy to identify with Amina. She’s a good girl who wants to do right and struggles with fear and shyness. The story really delves into her understanding of friendship and community, issues common to all of us. I enjoyed the way her relationship with her parents, her brother, and her friends at school changed as she grew to see herself differently and began to explore her connection with her community more deeply.

If you’re looking for a story that exemplifies the power of coming together as a family and a community, this is a great pick. Amina’s Voice is also a good read for a shy child trying to find his or her place in the changing landscape of school transition.

Recommended for Ages 8 up.

Cultural Elements
Amina and her family are practicing Muslims. Her parents are from Pakistan, and an uncle from Pakistan comes to visit the family. Amina’s best friend Soojin and her family are Korean.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Amina’s family takes time to pray and attend services. Her uncle has much more strict beliefs than Amina’s family. When he visits, he expresses some of his more conservative views—such as music being sinful. Amina worries that her love and talent for music make her an evil person. Her parents share their own views—that Allah gave her this special talent for a reason—and this comforts her.

When Amina lets a secret slip and embarrasses a friend, she worries that she’ll be condemned for speaking against someone, as her uncle claims. Her parents reassure her that harming someone else wasn’t what was in her heart. Therefore, they tell her, she’s not the evil person the scripture in the Quran meant to identify.

After an attack on the mosque, the community, including a local Christian church, rallies together to help raise funds and find ways to repair the damage and provide places for services in the meantime.

Violent Content
Amina and her family witness the aftermath of a fire and destruction at her mosque.

Drug Content
Amina worries after learning her brother spent time with boys who were smoking. She bursts into tears when confronting him, but feels reassured to learn he didn’t smoke with them.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.