This week's round-up of middle grade fantasy and science fiction from around the blogs (10/26/14)

Winter is coming; my little hands are quite chilly as I type.  But I have bravely carried on regardless, and here is this week's round-up (please let me know if I missed your post!)

The Reviews:

Alias Men (Double Vision 3), by F.T. Bradley, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Books of Elsewhere (series review), by Jacqueline West, at Michelle I. Mason

The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau, at Fantasy Literature

Doll Bones, by Holly Black, at The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow

Dreamer, Wisher, Liar, by Charise Mericle Harper, at Semicolon

The Eye of Zoltar, by Jasper Fforde, at Charlotte's Library

The Forbidden Flats (Sky Jumpers Book 2), by Peggy Eddleman, at Becky's Book Reviews

Frostborn, by Lou Anders, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

The Glass Sentence, by S.E. Grove, at Parenthetical

Grave Images, by Jenny Goebel, at Semicolon

The Iron Trial, by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, at On Starships and Dragonwings

The Lost Planet, by Rachel Searles, at Semicolon

Lug, Dawn of the Ice Age, by David Zetlser, at Tales From the Raven

Magic in the Mix, by Annie Barrows, at Becky's Book Reviews

The Magic Thief (series review) by Sarah Prineas at alibrarymama

The Map to Everywhere, by Carrie Ryan and JP David, at Hidden in Pages

Minion, by John David Anderson, at Book Nut

Monsterific Tales Books 5 and 6 (The Gloomy Ghost and The Bully Bug) by David Lubar at This Kid Reviews Books

The Night Gardener, by Jonathan Auxier, at Becky's Book Reviews

Oliver and the Seawigs, by Philip Reeve, at Semicolon

OMG...Am I a Witch? by Talia Aikens-Nunez, at Charlotte's Library

Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain, by Richard Roberts, at Nayu's Reading Corner

Rose and the Magician's Mask, by Holly Webb, at In Bed With Books

Scavanger: Zoid, by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, at The Book Zone (For Boys)

Smasher, by Scott Bly, at Always in the Middle

TodHunter Moon: Pathfinder by Angie Sage, at Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

The True Meaning of Smekday, by Adam Rex, at alibrarymama

The Whispering Skull, by Jonathan Stroud, at By Singing Light

Wish You Weren't, by Sherrie Petersen, at Charlotte's Library

Geo Librarian looks at two by Dan Pobloki --The Ghost of Graylock and The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe

And another two at alibrarymama-  The Accidental Keyhand (Ninja Librarians 1) and The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw

Authors and Interviews

Sage Blackwood (Jinx) at Tatum Flynn's blog

Kell  Andrews (Deadwood) talks about diversity at Diversity in YA

David Zeltser (Lug, Dawn of the Ice Age) at Cynsations

Amie Borst (co-author along with Bethanie Borst of Little Dead Riding Hood) at From the Mixed-Up Files

Claudia White (Aesop's Secret and The Key to Kashdune) at The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

Other Good Stuff

The Kirkus Prize for Young People's Literature has gone to Aviary Wonders Inc. (which is also the first picture book to be a contender in Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction for the Cybils)

A lovely long list of fairy tales old and new at The Horn Book.

And four beautifully creepy story collections at Great Kid Books

"The Percy Jackson Problem" discussed in The New Yorker

Attn. Diana Wynne Jones fans--next week is Witch Week, a DWJ celebration, at The Emerald City Book Review

School Library Journal and We Need Diverse Books are now collaborating; click through to find out how.

And you can join in supporting WNDB intivitavies via their Indigo campaign.

Publishers Weekly takes a look at sci fi/fantasy, and asks "How Multicultural Is Your Multiverse?"

The universe of Disney heroines is set to get more multicultural in 2016--Moana is a navigator from Oceania, who sets out on a fantastical voyage with a demigod (more here at CNN)

And finally, on Halloween Pottermore is going to release a new Harry Potter story about Dolores Umbrage.

And even more finally, for anyone having a hard sad week--therapy oysters.  Because you can never have too many therapy oysters.