This week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (7/30/2023)

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

The Reviews

Alex Neptune: Monster Avenger, by David Owen, at Book Craic

The Area 51 Files, by Julie Buxbaum and Lavanya Naidu, at Kiss the BOOK

Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup, by Zira Nauryzbai, Lilya Kalaus, translated by Shelley Fairweather-Vega, at Log Cabin Library 

Bob vs the Selfie Zombies, by Andy Jones, at Twirling Book Princess

Brick Dust and Bones, by M.R. Fournet, at Ms. Yingling Reads

 Carnival of the Spider, by Kieran Larwood, illustrated by Sam Usher, at Book Craic

The Cat Half-Eleven, by Kevin Blakeslee, at Pages and Paws

The Chaos Monster (Secrets of the Sky), by Sayantani DasGupta, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Destiny of Minou Moonshine, by Gita Ralleigh, at Scope for Imagination and Charlotte's Library

Devin Drake and the Family Secret, by R.M. Clark, at Bookworm for Kids

Finding Bear, by Hannah Gold, at Magic Fiction Since Potter 

A Game of Fox and Squirrels, by Jenn Reese, at Pages Unbound 

The Great Texas Dragon Race, by Kacy Ritter, at Pages Unbound 

Hansel and Gretel, by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Lorenzo Mattotti, at Twirling Book Princess

Into the Shadow Mist (Legends of Lotus Island #2), by Christina Soontornvat, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Interdimensional Explorers, by Lorraine Gregory, at Sifa Elizabeth Reads 

International House of Dereliction, by Jacqueline Davies, at Cracking the Cover

Kelcie Murphy and the Hunt for the Heart of Danu, by Erika Lewis, at Always in the Middle…  and Charlotte's Library

The Memory Thieves, by Dhonielle Clayton, at Mark My Words

Odwar vs. the Shadow Queen, by Shiko Nguru, at Mark My Words

The Puppets of Spelhorst, by Kate DiCamillo, at Mark My Words

The Storm and the Minotaur, by Lucy Strange, at Valinora Troy

Thomas Creeper and the Purple Corpse, by J.R. Potter, at  Bookworm for Kids 

Winnie Zeng Vanquishes a King (Winnie Zen #2), by Katie Zhao, at  Kiss the Book

Three at  A Library Mama--The Carrefour Curse by Dianne K. Salerni, The Rhythm of Time by Questlove and S.A. Cosby, and A Spoonful of Time by Flora Ahn

Authors and Interviews

 Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass (The Lost Library), at Publishers Weekly 

Erika Lewis (Kelcie Murphy and the Hunt for the Heart of Danu) at MG Book Village

Deke Moulton (Don't Want to be Your Monster) at From The Mixed Up Files

Eibhlís Carcione  (Welcome to Dead Town Raven McKay) at Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books 

Kate DiCamillo on The Yarn Podcast (Pt. 2) at 100 Scopenotes

Other Good Stuff

Tara Gilboy (Unwritten) shares "The best middle grade books for kids who love fairy tales" at Shepherd

Kelcie Murphy and the Hunt for the Heart of Danu

We first met Kelcie Murphy in the middle grade fantasy Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for Unbreakable Arts (2022) when she (much to her astonishment) qualifies for a magical school in the Summerlands, a place where Irish mythology is real.  She discovers she has magical gifts, is descended from a minor goddess, finds her father is still alive (but imprisoned for being a traitor) and helps save the Summerlands from a terrible danger, and makes friends (and more).  

She returns to school in Kelcie Murphy and the Hunt for the Heart of Danu (July 25, 2023, Starscape)  Summer is still at war with winter, Kelcie's father is still imprisoned, and the Summerland faces its most dire threat in millennia.  And a saboteur from the Winterlands, Lexis, is one of her classmates.  Lexis is on a mission to steal the Heart of Danu, the source of all light and warmth, and if she succeeds, Winter will win once and for all, for everyone in Summer will die.

And Kelcie's mother, the omen of doom, seems to think Kelcie can save the day.  Which she does, with the help of her close group of friends.  But it's a tough challenge.  Kelcie is treated with lots of suspicion, not just because of her father, but because on that side of the family she is Formorian --the predecessors of the summer folk.  The Formorians are kept partitioned in a particularly nasty bit of the Summerlands, and only now are Formorian students being welcomed to the Academy.  And Lexis is always a step ahead of her...

There are mythological monstrous challenges galore, which will please readers who love vivid action and adventure.  (Kelcie also has a magical animal companion, a cù sìth named Striker, who will delight many young readers).  I myself preferred the first book, which has much more of the magical school experience in it, including more time focused on friendship and belonging, but that's just me; the parts of this one I most enjoyed were the those that focused on Kelcie and her particular coterie, though I was a bit frustrated that one particular bit of tension never got explained to my satisfaction (the way Niall distances himself from Kelcie...).  

 This second book, though, takes on bigger, real-world challenges, which I appreciated.  How can two lands, at war for ages, who have hurt each other badly, find peace?  There's a satisfying resolution to this particular story at the end of the book, but there's lots left for book #3!

disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher.

The Destiny of Minou Moonshine, by Gita Ralleigh

I first heard about The Destiny of Minou Moonshine, by Gita Ralleigh, when I was compiling a list of debut middle grade fantasy books for 2023, and I immediately wanted to read this historical fantasy set in an alternate India!  I was fortunate to have that pleasure this weekend, and it was a lovely read!

Minou is a foundling who has lived for all her 13 years with her adopted grandmother in a ramshackle boathouse shelter in Moonlally, a queendom colonized by foreigners (the British Raj with different names, and slightly different culture and technology...).  Her grandmother has raised her to be fierce, smart, and respectful of the Dark Goddess who, despite the efforts of the colonizers, continues to be worshiped by the local people.  Thirteen years ago, the last Queen died, and now a wicked General rules by fear and force.

When her grandmother is killed in suspicious circumstances, Minou joins the rebels bent on overthrowing the General....and so her adventures begin, taking her into the secret heart of the old palace, the jungles beyond Moonlally, and even the skies above it in the general's own airship.  The Queen still lives, and can, perhaps, be found.  With true friends at her side, a marvelous mechanical elephant to help considerably with travel through the jungle, and only a few derailments when her kind and generous heart threatens the quest to find the Queen, Minou succeeds in her quest...only to find that she's also found her own unexpected path forward.

A great read for middle grade readers who love stories of plucky girls vs tyrants, with action that zips briskly along.  Sometimes the resolutions to dangers seemed too easy to me as an adult reader, but this I think actually adds to the appeal of the book to those of its target audience who are in the market for fun reads and not doorstoppers.  Even so I found the adventure part of the story to be lots of fun, especially the steampunk-esque elements, and Minou is certainly a character to cheer for.  

That being said, what I enjoyed most were the pictures the words made for me.  It was a lovely trip to an alternate India!  

Out now in hardcover in the UK from Zephyr, an imprint of Bloomsbury, available also as an ebook in the US.  

this week's round-up of middle grade fantasy and sci fi from around the blogs (7/23/2023)

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

The Reviews

Abeni’s Song, by P. Djèlí Clark, at  Pages Unbound 

Arkspire, by Jamie Littler, at  Magic Fiction Since Potter

Book Review: The Blameless (The Blameless #1), by E.S. Christison, at GoodeyReads

Bob, by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead, illustrated by Nicholas Gannon, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

The Chaos Monster (Secrets of the Sky #1), by Sayantani DasGupta, at Cracking the Cover

ChupaCarter and the Haunted Pinata, by George Lopez and Ryan Calejo, at Mark My Words

The Curious Mysteris of Eli Marks, by John Gaspard, at  Always in the Middle…

The Great Texas Dragon Race,by Kacy Ritter, Log Cabin Library

Etta Invincible, by Reese Eschmann, at  Kiss the Book 

Into the Shadow Mist, by Christina Soontornvat, at Cracking the Cover 

The Legend of Greyhallow, by Summer Rachel Short, at Ms. Yingling Reads: 

Misfit Mansion, by Kay Davault, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Mr Tiger, Betsy, and the Blue Moon, by Sally Gardner, at  Sifa Elizabeth Reads

No One Leaves the Castle, by Christopher Healy, at Mark My Words

Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa, Julian Randall, at A Kernel of Nonsense

Rieden Reece and the Broken Moon (Rieden Reece #1), by Matt Guzman, at Mark My Words

Scarewaves, by Trevor Henderson, at Mark My Words

The Snow Girl, by Sophie Anderson, at Scope for Imagination

 A Spoonful of Time, by Flora Ahn, at Charlotte's Library

The Stupendous Sonny, by Ellie Clements, at Scope for Imagination

The Very Unfortunate Wish of Melony Yoshimura, by Waka Brown, at Ms. Yingling Reads: 

The Wonder Brothers,’ by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, illustrated by Steven Lenton, at Library Girl and Book Boy

Villains Academy, by Ryan Hammond, at Twirling Book Princess

Authors and Interviews

The Importance of Unimportant Books, a guest post by Darcy Marks (The Afterlife of the Party) at Teen Librarian Toolbox

Other Good Stuff

Here's the long list for the  new Oxford/Pushkin Children's Fantasy Prize!

A Spoonful of Time, by Flora Ahn, for Timeslip Tuesday

A tasty one for the week's Timeslip Tuesday-- A Spoonful of Time, by Flora Ahn (April 11, 2023, Quirk Books), in which the time travel magic is inextricably linked to delicious Korean food!  

Maya's Korean grandmother has come to live with her and her busy mother, and though Halmunee is loosing her memory, she still has brightly lucid moments in the kitchen, making delicious food.  The food is more than just tasty, though--it transports Maya and her grandmother back in time, to watch as young Halmunee and her family, back in Korea, eat the very same thing!  Turns out, Maya's family has a gift for timeslipping through food, and though they can only watch as spectators, it's still wonderful.  And Maya is thrilled to learn more about her family; her mother has never wanted to talk about it, and Maya is pining to learn more about her absent father.

It was a pleasant start to the story, with simple time slipping tourism, but things get more intense when Maya meets a boy who's also a time slipper.  As the time travel becomes more than just episodes of watching her family, she realizes she's caught up in a series on interconnected mysteries, hinging on the secrets of her missing father and her mother's strained relationship with Halmunee.  

And by the end, it becomes powerful and truly magical in the best sort of twisting timeness as Maya learns the truths her mother kept from her.  (Twisty enough that even a relatively strong time travel reader like me had to stop and think hard about what was happening and when....not a complaint, becuase I like this sort of thing!)

Maya's somewhat strained relationship with her best friend, Jada give this nice middle grade realism, and I loved how this tension was resolved (with the help of cookies!); I appreciated, as many middle grade readers probably will, that it was casually mentioned that Jada has a crush on another girl.   And as an added bonus for young foodies, there are recipes included.

this week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (7/16/2023)

 Morning all.  Please enjoy this collection of mg sci fi/fantasy reviews etc. and let me know if I missed your post!

The Reviews

Arkspire, by Jamie Littler, at Scope for Imagination

Back to the Bright Before, by Katherine Nolte, at Faith Elizabeth Hough

The Eyes & the Impossible, by Dave Eggers, at Mark My Words: 

Gallowgate, by K.R. Alexander, at Geo Librarian.

The Housetrap by Emma Read, at Scope for Imagination and Book Craic

Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy, by Angie Thomas, at Puss Reboots

One True Wish, by Lauren Kate, at Pages Unbound 

The Phantom Firefighter, by J.W. Jarvis, at Mark My Words

The Sea of Terror, by Stuart Gibbs, at Geo Librarian.

Sometime in Summer, by Katrina Leno, at  Charlotte's Library

The Song that Sings Us, by Nicola Davies, at Book Craic

Stinetinglers 2: 10 MORE New Stories From the Master of Scary Tales, by R.L. Stine, at  Mark My Words

Suzie and the Moon Bugs, by Katie and Kevin Tsang, at Sifa Elizabeth Reads

Tapper Watson and the Quest for the Nemo Machine, by Claire Fayers, at  Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books 

 The Time Tider, by Sinéad O’Hart, at Magic Fiction Since Potter: 

The Umbrella Maker's Son by Katrina Leno, at  Mark My Words: 

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, by T. Kingfisher, at Pages Unbound 

Three at Black and White Words and Pictures --The Demon Sword Asperides, by Sarah Jean Horwitz, Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez, and  The Lock-Eater, by Zack Loran Clark

Authors and Interviews

Jenna Yoon (Lia Park and the Heavenly Heirlooms) at MG Book Village

Kaela Rivera (Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls and Cece Rios and the King of Fears) at From The Mixed Up Files

 Refe Tuma (Frances and the Monster) at Literary Rambles (with giveaway)

Other Good Stuff

at Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books  UK Children's Book Picks July 2023 

Sometime in Summer, by Katrina Leno, for Timeslip Tuesday

 A  younger YA/upper Mg (12-13 year olds) to read at the beach for this week's Timeslip Tuesday--Sometime in Summer, by Katrina Leno (June 2022, Little Brown).

14 year old Anna is sure she's unlucky.  She and her best friend haven't talked for months, her parents are getting a divorce, and her mother, Miriam, has decided the family bookstore has to be sold.  Even though Anna isn't herself a reader, she loves the bookstore dearly, she misses her friend but stubbornly refuses to reach out to her to try to set things right, and she can't understand how her parents, who still seem to love each other, won't stay married.

But two months away from California at a New England beach town in the little house her mom has just inherited turns out to be just what she needs.  A comet her mom remembers from 20 years ago has returned, lighting up the night sky with its swarm of meteors, and the moonstone ring her dad gave her lights up in magical (?) sympathy, and in her night time wanderings she finds a door to a small shore structure that should be locked, but isn't.  And when she steps through, she finds a boy and girl her own age, with whom she becomes friends.

Knowing in advance that this is a time travel book makes it obvious almost immediately (and there are lots of clues even if you don't know) that she's meeting her parents back in the summer when they first met.  And this experience, so strange and yet so friendly for her is just what she needs.  By the end of the book, she's been able to take a hard look at herself and the way she's reacting to life, and she makes remarkable progress in growing up.

Which isn't that exciting as a plot point, especially when Anna is somewhat annoying for most of this rather long (almost 400 page) book in which nothing much actually happens.  But still it was a pleasant seaside vacation for me as a reader, and I did enjoy the time travel lots, even though (or perhaps because) it came with almost no time travel tension.  

So yes, if you are looking for sun and sand and books being read and a little gentle time travel mystery with the heroine setting off on a hopeful path, you'll enjoy it, especially if you are a kid a little younger than Anna.

this week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (7/9/2023)

Morning all!  Here's what I found this week; nothing from me because I was off on vacation, but happily lots of other folks shared great books and authors!

The Reviews

Alebrijes, by Donna Barba Higuera, at Mark My Words

Arkspire, by Jamie Littler, at Vicky's Never Ending TBR 

Bob, by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead, at Susan Uhlig

City of Stolen Magic, by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak, at Bellis Does Books and Valinora Troy

The Great Texas Dragon Race, by Kacy Ritter, at Mark My Words

Grimwood, by Nadia Shireen, at Bookworm for Kids 

Haru, Zombie Dog Hero, by Ellen Oh, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Horrible Bag of Terrible Things #1 (The Horrible Series), by Rob Renzetti, at Mark My Words:  

The House of the Lost on the Cape, by Sachiko Kashiwaba, at Bookworm for Kids

The Lovely Dark, by Matthew Fox, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

The Magic Hour, by David Wolstencroft, at Tom’s Book Corner 

Menacing Manor, by Kiersten White, at  Puss Reboots

Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston, by Esme Symes-Smith, at Miss Print 

Suzie Saves the Universe, by Katie and Kevin Tsang, at Sifa Elizabeth Reads

White House Clubhouse, by Sean O'Brien, at Mark My Words: 

You Can't Hide, by Dan Poblocki, at Puss Reboots

Authors and Interviews

Dianne Salerni (The Carrefore Curse) at From The Mixed Up Files

Kacy Ritter (The Great Texas Dragon Race) at Literary Rambles

‘You can’t write to make people love you’: Kate DiCamillo on the 20th Anniversary of Despereaux (Pt. 1) at  The Yarn Podcast 

Sarah Jean Horwitz  (The Demon Sword Asperides), at From The Mixed Up Files

This week's round up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (7/2/23)

Happy July to us all!  Here's what I found this week; please let me know if I missed your post!

The Reviews

Between Monsters and Marvels, by Alysa Wishingrad, at Log Cabin Library

Conjure Island, by Eden Royce, at A Library Mama, Ms. Yingling Reads, and Charlotte's Library

Emba and the Beckoning Bones, by Jenny Moore, at Much To Do About Writing

The Extraordinary Adventures of Alice Tonks, by Emily Kenny, at Semicolon 

Fear Ground, by Jennifer Killick, at Vicky's Never Ending TBR

Flock Horror, by Jennifer Killick, at Sifa Elizabeth Reads 

Greenwild: The World Behind the Door, by Pari Thomson, at The Story Sanctuary

The Lake House, by Sarah Beth Durst, at Kiss the Book 

Lore Isle, by Jiin Kim, at The Miramichi Reader

The One and Onlys and the Case of the Robot Crow, by Doug Cornett, at Kiss the Book 

The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, by Victoria Williamson, at Green Reads Books 

The Polter-ghost Problem, by Betsy Uhrig, at Kiss the Book 

Quest Kids and the Dragon Pants of Gold, by Mark Leiknes, at Kiss the Book

Someone for Sasquatch, by Jeanne Moran, at Bookworm for Kids

Toby and the Silver Blood Witches, by Sally Doherty, at Book Craic and Good Night To Read

The Umbrella Maker’s Son, by Katrina Leno, at Jenjenreviews 

Utterly Dark and the Tides of Time, by Philip Reeve, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

Vivian Lantz's Second Chances, by Kathryn Ormsbee, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Wildsmith: Into the Dark Forest, by Liz Flanagan, at Read for Good

Wizkit: An Adventure Overdue, by Tanya J. Scott, at Mark My Words

Authors and Interviews

Katrina Leno (The Umbrella Maker's Son) at Writer's Digest