Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Middle Grade Books Featuring a Magic School

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Middle Grade Books featuring a Magic School

Happy Tuesday, everyone! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is to pick a past topic to reboot. I made it easy on myself, and kind of went for a freebie type post because I’ve been wanting to do a Middle Grade Books Featuring a Magic School list for a little bit. In case you’re unfamiliar with Top Ten Tuesday, it’s a weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. It’s a great way to connect with other bloggers and find new books for your reading list.

So, I’m going to assume you’re already familiar with the boy wizard series and Rick … Continue reading

Review: The Girl and the Galdurian by Tim Probert

Lightfall The Girl and the Galdurian by Tim Probert

The Girl and the Galdurian (Lightfall #1)
Tim Probert
HarperAlley
Published September 1, 2020

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About The Girl and the Galdurian

Deep in the heart of the planet Irpa stands the Salty Pig’s House of Tonics & Tinctures, home of the wise Pig Wizard and his adopted granddaughter, Bea. As keepers of the Endless Flame, they live a quiet and peaceful life, crafting medicines and potions for the people of their once-prosperous world.

All that changes one day when, while walking through the woods, Bea meets Cad, a member of the Galdurians, an ancient race … Continue reading

Review: Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy by Misty Copeland

Black Ballerinas by Misty Copeland

Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy
Misty Copeland
Illustrated by Salena Barnes
Aladdin
Published November 2, 2021

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About Black Ballerinas

As a young girl living in a motel with her mother and her five siblings, Misty Copeland didn’t have a lot of exposure to ballet or prominent dancers. She was sixteen when she saw a black ballerina on a magazine cover for the first time. The experience emboldened Misty and told her that she wasn’t alone—and her dream wasn’t impossible.

In the years since, Misty has only learned more about the trailblazing women who made her own success possible by … Continue reading

Review: They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker

They Called Us Enemy
George Takei
Justin Eisinger
Steven Scott
Illustrated by Harmony Becker
Top Shelf Productions
Published July 16, 2019

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About They Called Us Enemy

A graphic memoir recounting actor/author/activist George Takei’s childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps during World War II. Experience the forces that shaped an American icon — and America itself.

Long before George Takei braved new frontiers in Star Trek, he woke up as a four-year-old boy to find his own birth country at war with his father’s — and their entire family forced from their home into an uncertain future.

In 1942, … Continue reading

Review: A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

A Song Below Water (A Song Below Water #1)
Bethany C. Morrow
Tor Teen
Published June 2, 2020

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About A Song Below Water

Tavia is already at odds with the world, forced to keep her siren identity under wraps in a society that wants to keep her kind under lock and key. Nevermind she’s also stuck in Portland, Oregon, a city with only a handful of black folk and even fewer of those with magical powers. At least she has her bestie Effie by her side as they tackle high school drama, family secrets, and unrequited crushes.

But everything changes in the aftermath of a … Continue reading

Review: Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell

Josephine by Patricia Hruby Powell

Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker
Patricia Hruby Powell
Illustrated by Christian Robinson
Chronicle Books
Published December 1, 2013

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About Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker

In exuberant verse and stirring pictures, Patricia Hruby Powell and Christian Robinson create an extraordinary portrait for young people of the passionate performer and civil rights advocate Josephine Baker, the woman who worked her way from the slums of St. Louis to the grandest stages in the world. Meticulously researched by both author and artist, Josephine’s powerful story of struggle and triumph is an inspiration and a spectacle, just like the legend herself.

Continue reading