10 Best Middle Grade Books I Read From Summer 2023

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10 Best Middle Grade Books from Summer 2023

This summer definitely did not go as I planned. Looking back, I wonder why I imagined I’d have so much more time to do things like create list posts. Ha! Alas, here I am at the end of summer, and instead of a big list of the middle grade books that looked so great, please enjoy a list of the 10 best middle grade books I read from summer 2023.

10 Best Middle Grade Books I Read From Summer 2023

The Gray by Chris Baron

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A boy with anxiety forced to spend an unplugged summer with his aunt meets new friends who challenge how he sees himself. This was the first book by Chris Baron that I’ve read, and I can’t wait to read more!

Published: June 13, 2023 | My Review

Greenwild: The World Behind the Door by Pari Thompson

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A girl portals to another world filled with magic and danger– and a fabulous cat! This could be my favorite book this year.

Published: June 6, 2023 | My Review

The Hunt for the Hollower by Callie C. Miller

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A girl struggling to control her magic may be the only person who can save her twin brother. Full of fun, magic, friendships, and adventure.

Published: June 13, 2023 | My Review

Maybe There Are Witches by Jude Atwood

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: In a small town with deep history, a girl with a magical diary must stop a great evil bent on destroying the town. Perfect for the Halloween season.

Published: June 13, 2023 | My Review | Author Q&A

Theo Tan and the Iron Fan by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A boy and his fox spirit journey to hell and back (literally) for his family. Fun and filled with magic and adventure.

Published: June 27, 2023 | My Review

Brick Dust and Bones by M. R. Fournet

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A twelve-year-old monster hunter battles evil to bring his mother back from the dead. This one surprised me in the best ways. Powerful storytelling and great characters.

Published: July 18, 2023 | My Review

Kelcie Murphy and the Hunt for the Heart of Danu (Academy for the Unbreakable Arts #2) by Erika Lewis

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Kelcie and her friends race to stop the theft of a magical artifact that protects life in her kingdom. Great for kids interested in a magic school story.

Published: July 25, 2023 | My Review

The Great Texas Dragon Race by Kacy Ritter

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: In a world in which dragons are often enslaved, the daughter of a rancher enters a race in order to save their dragon sanctuary. Fans of SKANDAR AND THE UNICORN THIEF would like this one.

Published: August 1, 2023 | My Review

The Raven Throne (Raven Crown #2) by Stephanie Burgis

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: When their sister falls into an enchanted sleep, triplets Giles and Rosalind race to save her. The twisty conclusion to the Raven Crown duology.

Published: August 8, 2023 | My Review

Sorceline 2 by Sylvia Douyé, Paola Antista, and Tanya Gold

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: In an enchanted sleep, Sorceline fights for her life while her classmates unravel the mystery of her origin in hopes of waking her. Beautifully illustrated– a fantastic follow-up to the first book.

Published: August 22, 2023 | My Review

What Were Your Favorite Middle Grade Books of Summer 2023?

Did you read any great books over the summer this year? Are there great books I should add to my reading list? What are your new favorites? Did you read any of the books I listed here? Leave a comment and let me know!

Review: Guardians of the Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones

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Guardians of the Dawn: Zhara
S. Jae-Jones
Wednesday Books
Published August 1, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Guardians of the Dawn: Zhara

Sailor Moon meets Cinder in Guardians of Dawn: Zhara, the start of a new, richly imagined fantasy series from S. Jae-Jones, the New York Times bestselling author of Wintersong.

Magic flickers.
Love flames.
Chaos reigns.

Magic is forbidden throughout the Morning Realms. Magicians are called abomination, and blamed for the plague of monsters that razed the land twenty years before.

Jin Zhara already had enough to worry about—appease her stepmother’s cruel whims, looking after her blind younger sister, and keeping her own magical gifts under control—without having to deal with rumors of monsters re-emerging in the marsh. But when a chance encounter with an easily flustered young man named Han brings her into contact with a secret magical liberation organization called the Guardians of Dawn, Zhara realizes there may be more to these rumors than she thought. A mysterious plague is corrupting the magicians of Zanhei and transforming them into monsters, and the Guardians of Dawn believe a demon is responsible.

In order to restore harmony and bring peace to the world, Zhara must discover the elemental warrior within, lest the balance between order and chaos is lost forever.

My Review

I don’t know why I mistook this for middle grade when I first agreed to review it. Maybe the cover reminded me of a different middle grade title? I’m not sure. At any rate, the book page on Amazon recommends it for ages fourteen and up. I think maybe 11 or 12-year-olds could read it just fine, though.

My favorite thing about the book is definitely the way Zhara and Han relate to one another. They’re so cute. She gets all giggly, and he is so easily flustered. I loved it! I also loved Xu, Han’s best friend and often the voice of wisdom.

The story has some strong Cinderella vibes, but I wouldn’t call it a Cinderella retelling. I definitely see the comparison to CINDER— which was a Cinderella retelling couched in a story of revolution. Similarly, GUARDIANS OF THE DAWN: ZHARA follows characters through political upheaval and what could lead to revolution.

I’m super curious about what the rest of the series will be like. Will each subsequent book contain elements of a familiar fairytale, a la The Lunar Chronicles or the Everland series? I hope it does. I would love to see more East Asia-inspired remixes of fairytale stories.

All in all, I enjoyed this book a lot, especially the character interactions. I’m really eager to read more of this series.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
The Land of the Morning Realms is inspired by East Asia. More than one minor character is LGBTQIA+.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity very rarely used.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to romantic encounters between other couples, including same-gender couples. Characters discuss romance novels and explicit novels– the quotes and titles included are metaphorical.

Spiritual Content
Magic exists as a balance between order and chaos. Chaos includes demons, which can be summoned and can possess someone with magic. Powerful magicians have the ability to battle those forces of chaos.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Domestic violence. Some graphic descriptions of battle and monsters.

Drug Content
Zhara’s stepmother frequently gets drunk and physically/emotionally abuses her and her sister.

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

Review: That’s Debatable

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

That’s Debatable
Jenn Doll
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Published August 30, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About That’s Debatable

That’s Debatable is a witty, smart, and feminist romantic comedy, author Jen Doll explores what it means to set boundaries while breaking down barriers.

Millicent Chalmers isn’t here to make friends.

She’s here to win, and she’s on track to set a record if–no, when–she wins the state debate tournament for the fourth year in a row. Calm, cool, and always in control, Millie doesn’t care what anyone else thinks of her, least of all the sexist bullies bent on destroying her reputation.

Taggart Strong couldn’t care less about winning debate, much to the consternation of his teammates, school and parents. In fact, he might even enjoy losing, as long as the side he believes in wins.

But when a tournament takes a scary turn, Millie and Tag find themselves unexpectedly working together. Maybe Millie can teach Tag a thing or two about using his head, and Tag can teach Millie a little bit about following her heart.

My Review

I think the format of this book is going to be one of its underrated virtues. It’s got short chapters that alternate between Millie and Tag’s points of view. The book is divided into parts that begin with a famous quote and then a resolution statement. I liked the way both of those things set the stage for the chapters in that part of the book. Pretty clever, if you ask me!

I also liked both Tag and Millie’s characters. Tag is quirky and intense, but he’s guided by pretty easily understood beliefs, so he doesn’t have the chaos of a manic pixie dream boy type character, which I appreciated.

Millie is driven and smart. She picks her battles carefully, and her focus remains laser-sharp. I liked the dynamics between her and Tag– the way he challenged her to think about things differently not on purpose, but just kind of by being himself. And I liked that she was the one in the teacher/mentor role. I feel like I’ve seen a lot of books where even though there’s a feminist theme running through the story, if you look at the character roles, a boy still stands in the role as teacher or mentor. So I liked the way THAT’S DEBATABLE changed that up a bit!

The romance is sweet, and I loved the progression of their relationship and the way it impacted their relationships with other characters in the book. I loved that, and the way that those other relationships then played a role in how the story concluded.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book. I think fans of rivals to lovers rom-com like THIS MAY END BADLY by Samantha Markum and THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN ME IS YOU by Lily Anderson will love this one.

Content Notes for That’s Debatable

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
References to prayer and God.

Violent Content
Millie and Tag hide in a storage closet during what at first appears to be a shooting. They later learn that there was no shooter, just a motorcycle backfiring. A male judge makes inappropriate comments about Millie’s body and dress. Millie endures rumors about her sex life. Previously, one of her competitors shared nude images claiming they were of Millie and that he “let her win” because she sent him the photos. Someone posts a video of one of her competitions and dubs sound over it with sexual comments.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: The Lightstruck by Sunya Mara

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

The Lightstruck (The Darkening #2)
Sunya Mara
Clarion Books
Published August 29, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Lightstruck

In this epic sequel and conclusion to the Darkening duology, which has been called “enchanting and wildly clever” (Ayana Gray, New York Times bestselling author of Beasts of Prey), Vesper Vale, once savior to a city plagued by cursed storms, finds herself facing an even more sinister threat when an ominous light summoned by the Great King seizes control of the city.

Vesper Vale sacrificed everything to save her city from the cursed storm. After becoming a vessel of The Great Queen, Vesper awakes from a slumber three years after her life altering choice.

What she finds isn’t a home freed from the terror of the storm, but one where its citizens are besieged by the even more sinister force of The Great King and his growing army of the lightstruck—once regular citizens who are now controlled by the ominous light encroaching on the city. And the people are all looking to Vesper, now revered as a goddess after her sacrifice, as their city’s only hope.

To save the rings from the Great King, Vesper must contend with the obligations of being a deity to her people and the growing chasm between her and Dalca, the prince she swore never to love. Haunted by the guilt of their past choices and faced with the pressures of a city near ruin, Vesper and Dalca find themselves torn between the growing factions within the city and the royal court.

But in order to save her city from the light, Vesper must face the power most outside of her control—the goddess within.

My Review

I really enjoyed THE DARKENING, so I’d been super excited about reading this sequel. To be honest, I struggled with some parts of this story.

It might be simply that I’m in a weird place right now, reading-wise. We just started school again, and the new schedule has really caught up with me this week. It’s always harder to read a book when I’m tired, so some of my lack of connection with this one really could be on me.

I felt like some parts, especially the opening chapters, moved more slowly. It felt like waiting for things to really begin.

Once the story did begin, though, I found a lot of the same elements from THE DARKENING that I’d loved: characters like Cas and Iz, a fascinating magic system based on drawn symbols, and a hero at war with herself, wrestling with her past mistakes and future possibilities.

I enjoyed the interactions between the characters, especially Cas and Vesper. I couldn’t help wishing there was more going on between Vesper and Dalca, though.

One of the things about the book that I thought was really fascinating, though, was the way it explored people’s feelings about those who were “cursed” by the storm and ended up with some kind of physical anomaly. Some were not readily visible, but others were. It was very stigmatized, and I found myself wishing that there was more pushback against that stigma.

Ultimately the story does address that in a way that changes the perception of those physical changes. I thought that was an interesting resolution, something I hadn’t expected but thought was cool.

On the whole, I am still glad I read this one, and I would love to know if I’d have connected to the story more if I’d read it at a different time. If you loved the characters or magic system of the first book in the series, I’d say it’s still worth reading this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Characters are described as having brown skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Possible attraction between characters, but it’s not deeply explored.

Spiritual Content
Vesper holds a goddess, the Great Queen, inside her. The opposing god, the Great King, is currently unbound and trapping people in his power throughout the city.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some brief battle sequences and references to torture.

Drug Content
Vesper’s team receives poisoned food, and someone dies from eating it.

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

Review: J.R. Silver Writes Her World by Melissa Dassori

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J.R. Silver Writes Her World
Melissa Dassori
Christy Ottaviano Books
Published July 19, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About J.R. Silver Writes Her World

What if you could write your dreams into reality with the stroke of a pen? 

Sixth grade is off to a difficult start for Josephine Rose Silver. Her best friend, Violet, returns from camp with a new best friend; her parents refuse to grant her more independence; and her homeroom teacher, Ms. Kline, is full of secrets. When Ms. Kline unveils a collection of old Gothamite magazines and tells her students to build their writing skills by crafting short stories inspired by the iconic covers, J.R. discovers a peculiar power: The stories she writes come true. Soon J.R. is getting a cell phone, scoring game-winning goals, and triggering school cancellations. But it’s not long before she realizes that each new story creates as many conflicts as it does solutions. And when J.R. tries to write about her fallout with Violet, all of her problems converge.

With a pinch of magic, mystery, art history, and language arts woven into a journey of growth and self-confidence, this promising debut is a heartfelt and satisfying tribute to the power of words.

My Review

Something about stories that explore the ways friendships change in sixth/seventh grade always resonates with me. Probably because around that time, I went through an unexpected shift in a friendship I’d thought was super close. J.R.’s feelings about Violet’s new outlook on friendship (wanting to do things with other kids a lot more) rather than be the exclusive dynamic duo they’d always been were so easy to understand. As she tried all different tactics to get Violet’s attention and reestablish their closeness, I couldn’t help wishing they would work, even though ultimately what needed to happen was for J.R. to learn to speak up for the things she wanted or needed.

I really enjoyed the references to other childhood books, like THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER, and the scenes which included the Met. As a suburbanite, some of the issues about living in the city weren’t obvious to me, but I think the story paints them pretty clearly, so I felt welcomed into the picture of city life.

I think readers who enjoy books by Claire Swinarski and Gillian McDunn will definitely want to check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
J.R. is white. Some of her friends are people of color. A Black business owner is a close family friend.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some of J.R.’s friends are interested in beginning to go on dates.

Spiritual Content
J.R. discovers that the things she writes for an English assignment come true. She must bear both the good and bad outcomes of these written wishes.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: How to Train Your Dragon: How to Be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell

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

How to Be a Pirate (How to Train Your Dragon #2)
Cressida Cowell
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published February 1, 2010 (orig. 2004)

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About How to Be a Pirate

When Hiccup finds a coffin at sea, he opens it to discover a riddle that will lead to the treasure of Grimbeard the Ghastly, the world’s greatest pirate and Hiccup’s ancestor. So Hiccup and his friends set out on a treasure hunt, determined to master the art of swordfighting. How else will they escape an island of murderous dragons, defeat a boatload of Viking pirates, and survive all the twists and turns their journey will bring?

Join Hiccup and his friends on another rollicking illustrated adventure, and discover the brilliant combination of magic, action, humor, and heart that has made Cressida Cowell a beloved bestseller around the globe.

My Review

My only complaint about this book is that there are practically no female characters at all. There are maybe a couple references to female characters in the village, but no one of note and none involved in resolving the plot of the story. It’s also an entirely white cast. I’m not at all sure of the history of Vikings and whether there are simple/creative ways to incorporate BIPOC into the story and what those might be.

That said, HOW TO BE A PIRATE is another wild and wacky adventure starring Hiccup and his dragon Toothless. There’s no overlap between this story and the second HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON movie. It’s an entirely different book, as the title suggests.

At first, it seems Hiccup is outmatched and ill-equipped for the Viking challenges before him. He’s both terrible at swordplay and at an apparent disadvantage with Toothless as his dragon to hunt for treasure.

As the story progresses, Hiccup faces challenges that require more than brute strength and a dragon with a super-sniffer. As with the first book in the series, it’s here that Hiccup finds his opportunity to shine.

Toothless is still my favorite character, though he’s totally different than the dragon in the movie. He’s kind of goofy and irascible but smart. He and Hiccup make a comedic pair, but they also have a great bond which shows when things get dicey.

All in all, I enjoyed this book. I don’t know that I’ll read the rest of the series, but I can definitely see why they’re so lasting and popular.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Characters are white Vikings.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some crude references to passing gas.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Brief references to Valhalla.

Violent Content
Situations of peril and battle scenes. One human character threatens to eat other human characters.

Drug Content
None.

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