This week's round-up of middle grade speculative fiction from around the blogs (2/8/15)

Here's what I found this week; please let me know if I missed your post!

The Reviews

Akata Witch, by Nnedi Okorafor, at read. we are book punks.

Alistair Grim's Odditorium, by Gregory Funaro, at Sharon the Librarian

Beastkeeper, by Cat Hellisen, at The Book Monsters, Effortlessly Reading,  In Bed With Books, Cuddlebuggery, Snuggly Oranges, On Starships and Dragonwings

Dark Lord: School's Out, by Jamie Thomson, at alibrarymama

The Dragonet Prophecy (Wings of Fire book 1), by Tui T. Sutherland, at Hidden in Pages

Dreamer, Wisher, Liar, by Cherise Mericle Harper, at Time Travel Times Two

The Dreamsnatcher, by Abi Elphinstone, at Readaraptor

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, by Catherynne M. Valente, at Fantasy Literature

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, at Leaf's Reviews, and a review of the whole series at Fantasy Faction

The Inquisitor's Mark, by Dianne K. Salerni, at Middle Grade Mafioso

The Islands of Chaldea, by Diana Wynne Jones, at Leaf's Reviews

Mark of the Thief, by Jennifer A. Nielsen, at Literary Rambles (with giveaway)

Monstrous, by MarcyKate Connolly, at The Daily Prophecy

Nuts to You, by Lynne Rae Perkins, at alibrarymama

A Plague of Unicorns, by Jane Yolen, at Read Love

The Power of Un, by Nancy Etchemendy, at Charlotte's Library

The Princess Curse, by Merrie Haskell, at The Daily Prophecy

Rose and the Silver Ghost, by Holly Webb, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud, at A Reader of Fictions (audiobook review)

The Shadow Throne, by Jennifer A. Nielsen, at Log Cabin Library

Space Case, by Stuart Gibbs, at Always in the Middle

The Swallow, by Charis Cotter, at Rachel's Reading Timbits

Tommy Black and the Staff of Light, by Jake Kerr, at This Kid Reviews Books

A World Without Princess, by Soman Chainani, at The Book Smugglers

The Zodiac Legacy-Convergence, by Stan Lee et al., at Charlotte's Library (giveaway)


Authors and Interviews

MarcyKate Connolly (Monstrous) at Literary Rambles (with giveaway)

"Angela Banks" (Finding Serendipity) on "How Two Write a Novel" at Nerdy Book Club

Pam Muñoz Ryan (Echo) at Publishers Weekly


Other Good Stuff:

Middle grade speculative fiction did not fare well in this year's ALA Youth Media Awards.  I Lived on Butterfly Hill, by Marjorie Agosín, is the 2015 Pura Belpré (Author) Award winner. And A Snicker of Magic is an Odyssey Honor Recording.  Oh well....

Lee and Low announce the finalists of the 2015 New Visions Award

The Guardian offers "The best talking animals in children's books."

Flavorwire has a nice long article about "We Need Diverse Books" --a good summary

At BoingBoing, "The best adventure stories for kids from 1965" includes lots of fantasy books.

I almost have enough snow lying around (with more falling) to try my hand at my own massive snow sculptures, but I think the Japanese army and their Stormtrooper tableau will always have me beat....