Welcome to the first MG sci fi/fantasy round up of 2024!  I hope we all have a lovely reading year (especially me because last year I read and reviewed less than I have since I started blogging....)

First--here are the finalists for the 2023 Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction Cybils Awards! Do consider joining in the fun next year if you haven't already.

The Reviews

The Bellwoods Game, by Celia Krampien, at Falling Letters

Crazy Creek, by Evelyn Sibley Lampman, at Charlotte's Library

The Creatures of Killburn Mine, by Dan Smith, at Scope for Imagination and Book Craic

The Curious Vanishing of Beatrice Willoughby, by G.Z. Schmidt, at Kiss the Book 

The Curse of Eelgrass Bog, by Mary Averling, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Eyes and the Impossible, by Dave Eggers, at Heavy Medal 

Field of Screams, by Wendy Parris, at Twirling Book Princess

Fright Bite, by Jennifer Killick, at Scope for Imagination

Gone Wolf, by Amber McBride, Heavy Medal

Graysen Foxx and the Curse of the Illuminerdy, by J. Scott Savage and Brandon Dorman, at Cracking the Cover

Harley Hitch Takes Flight, by Vashti Hardy, at Scope for Imagination

The Invisible Spy (The Forgotten Five 2) by Lisa McMann, at Mark My Words

The Last Rose (Sisters Ever After), by Leah Cypess, at Kiss the Book

The School for Invisible Boys, by Shaun David Hutchinson, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Stitch, by Pádraig Kenny, at Book Craic

We Will Comfort Them (Time School #4), by Nikki Young, at Scope for Imagination

Two at A Library Mama--The Demon Sword Asperides, by Sarah Jean Horwitz, and The Dark Lord’s Daughter, by Patricia Wrede

Authors and Interviews

Mary Averling (The Curse of Eelgrass Bog), at  Literary Rambles

Linda Crotta Brennan (The Selkie's Daughter) at Teen Librarian Toolbox

Other Good Stuff

Mr Ripley's Children's Book Picks Jan 2024 UK

this week's roundup of mg sci fi/fantasy from around the blogs 12/10/23

Please let me know if I missed your post or a post about your book!

The Reviews

Champions of the Fox, by Kevin Sands, at Cracking the Cover

The Dark Lord's Daughter, by Patricia Wrede, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Hither & Nigh, by Ellen Potter, at Pages Unbound  

Hollowthorn, by Kalyn Josephson, at Ms. Yingling Reads 

The Ice Children, by M. G. Leonard, at Book Craic and Sifa Elizabeth Reads 

The Lumbering Giants of Windy Pines, by Mo Netz, at Mark My Words

No Way Out (Shadowhouse #3), by Dan Poblocki, at Puss Reboots

THE PUPPETS OF SPELHORST — Kate DiCamillo, at Rosi Hollinbeck

Shiver Point: It Came From the Woods, by Gabriel Dylan, at Twirling Book Princess

The Sky Over Rebecca, by Matthew Fox, at Teen Librarian Toolbox

The Thirteenth Circle, by MarcyKate Connolly and Kathryn Holmes, at  Mark My Words

The Wild Robot Protects, by Peter Brown, at proseandkahn

Worst Broommate Ever! by Wanda Coven, at Bookworm for Kids 

Two at  A Library Mama --Abeni’s Song and Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston |

Authors and Interviews

James Haddell (Tales of Truth and Treasure Book 4: Dagger, Spear and Sword), also with a review, at Scope for Imagination

this week's round-up of middle grade fantasy and sci fi 11/19/2023

Hi all, here what I found this week!  please let me know if I missed your post/a post about your book. And please if you review a mg sci fi/fantasy book this week, feel free to let me know in advance!  What with Goodreads eliminating mg as an award category, MG authors can use all the love you can give them (and showing MG spec fic books love my main motivation for doing these round-ups instead of renovating, or even cleaning my house on Sunday mornings, or even evener, actually reading and reviewing myself), so review away and let me know!

The Reviews

The Dark Lord’s Daughter, by Patricia C. Wrede, at Pages Unbound

Darkness and Demon Song (Marius Grey 2) by M.R. Fournet, at Mark My Words

The Dreamatics, by Michelle Cuevas, at YA Books Central

The Invitation (Book 1 of Kepler62), by Timo Parvela and Bjorn Sortland, at Mark My Words

The Memory Thieves, by Dhonielle Clayton, at Sifa Elizabeth Reads  

The Midnight Switch, by Samuel J. Halpin, at BookMurmuration

The Nighthouse Keeper (Blight Harbor 2) by Lora Senf, at Mark My Words. Ms. Yingling Reads, and Kiss the Book 

The Puppets of Spelhorst, by Kate DiCamillo, at Sonderbooks, Miss Cleveland is reading, and Magic Fiction Since Potter

Time After Time, by Sarah Mlynowski and Christina Soontornvat, at Ms. Yingling Reads

 We the Future, by Cliff Lewis, at  Charlotte's Library 

 The Whispering Walls (Shadowhall Academy #1), by Phil Hickes, at Scope for Imagination

Two at A Library Mama -- The Lost Library, by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass, and The House of the Lost on the Cape by Sachiko Kashiwabe, translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa

Authors and Interviews

Danny Weston (Postcards from Valhalla) at Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books and Scope for Imagination

DaVaun Sanders (Keynan Masters and the Peerless Magic Crew) at Literary Rambles

Other Good Stuff

8 Baking Fantasy Books, at  A Library Mama

At Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Best Children's Book Picks November 2023 in the UK 

The Song of the Swan, by Karah Sutton

The Song of the Swan, by Karah Sutton, illustrated by Pauliina Hannuniemi (middle grade, Oct 24, 2013, Knopf Books for Young Readers), is a magical, fairytale inspired mystery. The fairytales in this case are Swan Lake and Giselle, but there are undertones of other tales as well. 

It's the story of a young girl, Olga, who was taken in by a swindling crook after her mother's death.  She uses her strands of magic to craft illusions that make items of shoddy workmanship appear (to a small number of people) worth buying.  A strong and steadfast young man, Pavel, travels with them, and is Olga's only friend, although she is so hardened by her unpleasant upbringing that she takes him for granted.

When Olga hears of a mysterious castle, avoided by anyone with sense, that is home to an immensely valuable gem, she becomes determined to go looking for it.  And she and Pavel find it, and much to their surprise instead of being the ruin they were expecting it is full of light, with guests enjoying the ballroom dancing every night and all creature comforts readily available.  The lord of the castle is a gracious host.  

Olga is suspicious, but not quite suspicious enough at first; there's a magic at work, urging complacency, and Pavel falls almost completely under its spell. But still Olga, driven by the desperate need to find the gem, and achieve a comfortable independent life, persists in her hunt, following the strands of her magic through a twisted maze of evil.  Not only does she risk her friendship with Pavel, but she almost loses herself to the horribly dark magic of her host and the curse that has trapped all the other guests.  

Fortunately, she has help from the magical spider queen, who was the original grantor of threads of magic to mortals.  And fortunately, as well, she discovers she still has the ability to care for others.  (nb--although there are indeed spiders in the story, arachnophobes should be able to cope--they aren't monstrous). And although I predicted many of the twists, this did not make me less interested in see how things played out.

I really enjoyed seeing the plot unfold, and glad to see Olga become less ruthless and start to develop a moral compass, seeing beyond her own immediate desires.  If you like cursed castles (with lots of rooms full of stuff, which I personally like lots) and plucky youngsters unravelling curses, you will, like me, enjoy this one lots!

disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher.

This week's round-up of mg sci fi and fantasy (9/3/23)

 Here's what I found this week, from before my computer crashed and I lost a lot of edits, including all the links I got from my customary google search. sigh.

I've put stars next to all the books that are eligible for this year's Cybils Awards, and if you want to read them all, and why would you not, come be an elementary/middle grade speculative fiction panelist this year!  Here's where you go to apply.

The Reviews

*Bad Grains (The Order of the Strawberry Circle #1), by Susanne Schmidt, at Mark My Words

Bridget Vanderpuff and the Ghost Train, by Martin Stewart, at Scope for Imagination

*Elf Dog and Owl Head, by M.T. Anderson, at Puss Reboots

*The Girl Who Fell to Earth, by Patricia Forde, at Mark My Words

*A Horse Named Sky, by Rosanne Perry, at Always in the Middle… 

Kid Christmas and the Claus Brothers Toy Store, by David Litchfield, at Scope for Imagination

*Lei and the Fire Goddess, by Malia Maunakea, at PBC's Book Reviews

*The Lost Library, by Rebecca Stead & Wendy Mass, at Cracking the Cover

Nightshade Revenge, by Anthony Horowitz, at Vicky's Never Ending TBR 

*Starboard, by Nicola Skinner, at Redeemed Reader

The Stupendous Sonny, by Ellie Clements, at Book Craic

Two at The Book Search--*Nimbus, by Jan Eldredge, and *The Dark Lord's Daughter, by Patricia C. Wrede

Six at Ms. Yingling Reads--

    *The Secret of the Dragon Gems, by Rajani LaRocca and Chris Baron

    *Tessa Miyata is No Hero, by Julia Abe

    *Extra Normal, by Kate Alice Marshall

    *West of the Sea, by Stephanie Willing

    *Totally Psychic, by Brigid Martin

    *Vivian Van Tassel and the Secret of Midnight Lake, by Michael Witwer

Authors and Interviews

Ciera Burch (*Finch House) at  From The Mixed Up Files

Rosanne Perry (*A Horse Named Sky) at From The Mixed Up Files

Kekla Magoon (The Secret Library) at Fuse #8

Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead (*The Lost Library) at Fuse #8

Other Good Stuff

Artist: Known — Illustrator for 'A Wrinkle in Time' gets long-overdue credit | Endless Thread (wbur.org)

This week's round up of middle grade fantasy and sci fi from around the blogs (8/27/23)

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

first--it's Cybils Time!  please consider reading Elementary/middle grade sci fi and fantasy with me this year (or applying for another category....).  It really is lots of fun, and I would love to welcome new folks!

The Reviews

Abeni’s Song, by P. Djèlí Clark, at Locus Online  

 Beadbonny Ash, by Winifred Finlay, at Charlotte's Library

Clarity Jones and the Magical Detective Agency, by Chris Smith, at Book Craic

Disconnected, by Riley Cross, at Carol Baldwin's Blog

Gossamer Summer, by H.M. Bouwman, at Mark My Words

Grayling’s Song, by Karen Cushman., at Pages Unbound 

Izzy Hoffman is Not a Witch, by Alyssa Alessi, at Mark My Words

Kevin the Vampire: A Most Mysterious Monster, by Matt Brown, at Valinora Troy

Mermedusa, by Thomas Taylor, at Vicky's Never Ending TBR 

 Molly and the Mutants (Far Flung Falls #2), by Eric Jon Slangerup, at Ms. Yingling Reads:

Read, Scream, Repeat, curated by Jennifer Killick, at Scope for Imagination

Rewind, by Lisa Graff, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Scariest. Book. Ever. (Goosebumps House of Shivers 1), by R.L. Stine, at Mark My Words: 

Terra Ultima: The Discovery of a Hidden Continent, by Raoul Deleo, at Library Girl and Book Boy

Too Many Interesting Things Are Happening To Ethan Fairmont, by Nick Brooks, at Bookworm for Kids

Totally Psychic, by Brigid Martin, at Cracking the Cover 

A War of Wizards by Margaret Storey, at Staircase Wit  

The Wrath of the Woolington Wyrm, by Karen Foxlee, at Book Craic

Yesterday Crumb and the Storm in a Teacup, by Andy Sagar, at  Laura's Bookish Life  

The Unsuper Adventures of Norma, by Mark Svartz, at  Log Cabin Library

Authors and Interviews

Patricia C. Wrede (The Dark Lord's Daughter) at Publishers Weekly 

Julie Abe (Tessa Miyata is No Hero) at Readers Digest

Emma Greville (Raine in the Underlands), at Kids' Book Review

Two at A Library Mama --  Ghosts, Toast, and Other Hazards, by Susan Tan, and Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind, by Misa Siguira |

Other Good Stuff

"Middle Grade Inspired by Folk & Fairy Tales" at Literacious

this week's round up of middle grade fantasy and science fiction from around the blogs (5/2/21)

Happy May!  Here's this weeks gathering of what I found around the blogs etc.; please let me know of anything I missed!  The fact that the letter L wins this week (for I think the first time in all the years I've done this) and that there are no S books makes me think I've missed lots!

The Reviews

Amari and the Night Brothers, by B. B. Alston, at Pages Unbound

The Beast of Harwood Forest, by Dan Smith, at Scope for Imagination

The Circus of Stolen Dreams, by Lorelei Savaryn, at Randomly Reading

The Dark Lord Clementine, by Sarah Jean Horwitz, at Read to Ramble

Dragon Legend, by Katie and Kevin Tsang, at Book Craic and Sifa Elizabeth Reads

From Spare Oom to War Drobe: Travels in Narnia with My Nine-Year-Old Self, by Katherine Langrish, at The Spectator

Homer on the Case, by Henry Cole, at Rajiv's Reviews

The Last Fallen Star, by Gracie Kim, at Lyrical Reads

Legend of the Dragon Slayer: The Origin Story of Dragonwatch, by Brandon Mull and Brandon Dorman (illus.), at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Legend of Hobart, by Heather Mullaly, at The Children's Book Review

The Lost Lands (The Pelagius Chronicles #2) by Gareth Griffith, at Log Cabin Library 

Lunar Blitz (Ultraball #1), by Jeff Chen, at Say What?

Moon-Force 1, by Janelle M. Adams, at Briar's Reviews

Thornwood, by Leah Cypess, at Charlotte's Library

Trouble in the Stars, by Sarah Prineas, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy, by Anne Ursu, at For Those About to Mock 

Other Good Stuff

"Why You Should Watch The NeverEnding Story as an Adult" at Tor

"Fairy Tales and Realism" at Seven Miles of Steel Thistles

"Lena Headey to Adapt and Star in 'Scary Stories for Young Foxes' Animated Miniseries" at Collider

"‘The Borrowers’ Reboot From Universal & Working Title In Works; Conrad Vernon In Talks To Direct Patrick Burleigh Script" at Deadline

Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch, by Julie Abe

I have decided that my one of favorite sub-genres of middle grade fantasy is "kids with magical powers being responsible for a field of care, and their struggles along the way." This is not yet a huge sub-genre.  There's Tiffany Aching, of Discworld, arguably The Young Wizards series by Diane Duane, and The Apprentice Witch series, by James Nicol, The Dark Lord Clementine, by Sarah Jean Horwitz, and now Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch, by Julie Abe (Little Brown, August 2020).

Eva's magic was slow to show itself, and has never been very strong; not nearly as strong as her powerful mother's.  But in a land where magic was growing less common every generation, it was still enough (barely) for Eva to qualify as an apprentice witch.  Like all apprentices, Eva is sent on a  journey to the town that needs her, with a ticket that will let her know which town is hers.  But Eva falls asleep, and when she wakes up, the ships she's on has reached its last stop, and her ticket is gone.  So this ocean town, for better or worse, is going to get her as its witch.

The mayor certainly wanted a witch, one with strong magic who could protect the town against the yearly storms that have been bringing disaster to the country.  She doesn't want Eva, who has to jury-rig her magic by bolstering it with real world things (enchanting seaweed to make boulders slippery enough to be pushed aside, instead of whisking them away with magic).  But she lets Eva stay, and agrees to sign her apprentice papers if she can keep the town safe from this year's storm.

And so Eva acquires a cottage to live in, a flamefox cub to look after, and some friends, and sets up a semi-magical repair shop.  As she desperately tries to think of ways to keep the town safe, she comes to realize that though her magic might not be the most powerful ever, it can certainly do lots when combined with ingenuity, imagination, and a gift for repairing things!

It's lots of fun, with just the right amount of tension to keep things interesting, while still be being a relaxing read. Eva's lack of confidence in her gifts, and her realization that there's no one path to success, is a comfortable message for kids to hear, and they will love her magical fixes.  Eva herself is still middle school aged, and like the target audience is not only working out who she is as a person, but how to be a good friend, making her very relatable.   And her flamefox, though destructive, adds a nice bonus touch of cute!

And like I said above, this is a "field of care" book, so the town and its setting and its people all become very nicely real!  So much so that although I hope there are more books about Eva, I'm a little rueful that they probably won't be set right there again....

Do let me know if you can think of other books of this sub-genre of magical kids responsible for fields of care!  (Field of care  is a term coined by the great humanistic geographer Yi-Fu Tuan (Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience. 1977. University of Minnesota Press), meaning that places can't be reduced to their physical landmarks, but are rather made rich and complex and entwinned with people's lives by being cared about, and cared for....)

NB:  Eva Evergreen Semi-Magical Witch is eligible for the Cybils Awards this year in the Elementary/Middle Grade speculative fiction category, and has yet to be nominated!  I can't nominte all the 100 or so I've read so far this year that I really love, so please do go nominate this, or some other great EMG Spec book from the past year!

This week's round-up of middle grade fantasy and science fiction (5/17/20)

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

The Reviews

The Candy Mafia, by Lavie Tidhar, at Rajiv's Reviews

The Chaos Curse (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond Book 3),  by Sayantani Dasgupta, at alibrarymama

Cog, by Greg Van Eekhout, at Fantasy Literature

The Clockwork Crow, by Catherine Fisher, at Rajiv's Reviews

The Disappearing Bikeshop, by Elivira Woodruff, at Charlotte's Library

A Game of Fox and Squirrels, by Jenn Reese, at Puss Reboots

Gargantis, by Thomas Taylor, at A Garden of Books

The Girl Who Could Not Dream, by Sarah Beth Durst, at Michelle I. Mason

The Green Ember, by S.D. Smith, at greenish bookshelf

Iron Hearted Violet, by Kelly Barnhill, at alibrarymama

Maleficent- Mistress of Evil: Heart of Moors by Holly Black, at Brooklyn.the.bookworm 

The Mulberry Tree, by Allison Rushby, at Rajiv's Reviews

The Night Fairy, by Laura Amy Schultz, at Jen Lowry Writes

Peasprout Chen: Future Legend of Skate and Sword, at The Green Tea Librarian

A Pinch of Magic, by Michelle Harrison, at Log Cabin Library

Quintessense, by Jess Redman, at Charlotte's Library

Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe, by Carlos Hernandez, at Fantasy Literature

Shuri: A Black Panther Novel, by Nic Stone, at A Kids Book a Day

A Storm of Wishes (The Collectors #2) by Jacqueline West, at Log Cabin Library

The Unready Queen (Oddmire #2) by William Ritter, at The Reading Chemist

Three at Ms. Yingling Reads--Shuri: A Black Panther Novel, by Nic Stone, Maya and the Rising Dark, by Rena Barron, and The Chaos Loop (Throwback #2), by Peter Lerangis


Authors and Interviews

Sarah Jean Horwitz (The Dark Lord Clementine) at Black and White Words and Pictures

Hayley Chewins (The Sisters of Straygarden Place) at Into the Forest Dark

Laura Ruby (The Map of Star, York #3), at Nerdy Book Club

Other Good Stuff

“Eustace Was a Dragon All Along”: Aslan and Spiritual Growth in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" at Tor

A look at Sal and Gabi that includes the time before they were mg characters) at Den of Geek

Percy Jackson tv series coming to Disney (more at Book Riot)

Have you heard about the Middle Ground Book Fest (August 1)?  Still accepting applications for presenters, including bloggers and reviewers!

Have you read Mañanaland, by Pam Muñoz Ryan?  Do you think it is speculative fiction? I ask this question in my review, and am still not quite sure....

Gloom Town, by Ronald L. Smith

Gloom Town, by Ronald L. Smith, is perfect for readers who are just getting into solid middle grade fantasy--it's a great "first mortal peril from deeply creepy monstrous beings who are about to sacrifice you to a Great Evil of mythical proportions" story.

12-year-old Rory lives with his mother in the seaside town of Gloom, a place that is accurately named; miserable weather, little in the way of vibrant culture, and in the case of Rory and his mother, financial hardship.  When Rory sees that the mysterious Lord Foxglove needs a valet, he applies for the job.  Foxglove Manor is weird, in an off sort of way, and the job interview is very peculiar, but Rory can't  afford to be picky.  So he signs the contract, and only then sees that's he's now committed "on penalty of death."

Foxglove Manor and it's master have dark secrets, and though Rory didn't set out to deliberately find them, his curiosity and fear lead him to terrifying discoveries.  His sleep is full of a nightmares, and it becomes clear that his employer isn't quite human.... Fortunately, outside the manor he has a good friend, Izzy, a young fortune teller with tons of spunk, and she takes the disturbing things he describes seriously, and helps him seek for information within the town.

As the nature of the threat (ultimate evil taking over the world) becomes clearer to the kids, they realize that there's no hero around to step in and save the day, and that they'll have to do it themselves.   Fortunately Rory, though he doesn't know it, has just the thing he needs to help him do the job....

And that's where the book kind of falters, here at the ending.  The spooky buildup and revelations of the menacing evil are great--vivid and creepy as all get out, including little details like Rory finding the heart of the previous boy who had his job, buried in a metal box out behind the house.  There were plenty of twists and turns as Rory and Izzy figured things out.   Both kids are smart and brave, though their bravery is greater than their ability to figure out how to take down ancient evil.  And in fact in the ultimate face-off, Rory wins through simply because he happens to have an external object that saves the day.  And it's a bit of a let down.

That being said, if you are used to reading more complex books (YA and Adult) about defeating ancient evil, you'll be expecting more.  You'll also be excepting more detail to the worldbuilding and the origin of the ancient evil than you'll find here. But if, as I suggested above, you're a first time Ancient Evil reader, this won't be a problem.  And the vivid setting and descriptions are perfect for gripping the reader's imagine, and Rory and Izzy are great companions in adventure.

The door is left open for a sequel, and I would be more than happy to see what happens to these two kids next!

(one for my list of diverse fantasy--Rory, as shown on the cover, is a brown-skinned kid)

This week's round up of middle grade fantasy and sci fi from around the blogs (2/2/20)

Welcome to this week's round-up of mg fantasy and sci fi!  Please let me know if I missed your post.

The Reviews

All the Impossible Things, by Lindsay Lackey, at Imaginary Friends

Cryptozoology for Beginners, by Euphemia Whitmore and Matt Harry, at Kid Lit Reviews

The Dark Lord Clementine, by Sarah Jean Horwitz, at Sonderbooks

The Dragon Pearl, by Yoon Ha Lee, at Sloth Reads

Frostheart, by Jaime Littler, at Arkham Reviews

The Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted, by Conor Greenan, at Say What?

Interview with a Robot, by Lee Bacon, at Hidden In Pages (audiobook review)

Midnight on Strange Street, by K.E. Ormsbee, at Eli to the nth, J.R.'s Book Reviews, and Ms. Yingling Reads (and many more--full list at Eli to the nth above)

A Mixture of Mischief (Love Sugar Magic #3) at alibrarymama and Charlotte's Library (and many more--see either of the links above for the full blog tour)

Monster Slayer, by Brian Patten and Chris Riddell, at Book Murmuration

The Mulberry Tree, by Allison Rushby, at Rosi Hollinbeck

Ogre Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine, at Susan Uhlig

The Reckless Rescue (Explorers #2), by Adrienne Kress, at Pages Unboud

The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost (Johnny Dixon #4), by John Bellairs, at Say What?

Sauerkraut, by Kelly Jones, at Youth Services Book Review 

Snow White and the Seven Robots, by Stewart Ross, at Twirling Book Princess

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, by Kwame Mbalia, at A Dance With Books

What We Found in the Corn Maze and How It Saved a Dragon, by Henry Clark, at TRB Next

Where the World Turns Wild, by Nicola Penfold, at Book Lover Jo

Authors and Interviews

Anna Meriano (Love Sugar Magic series) at Nerdy Book Club

Kaela Noel (Coo) at Middle Grade Book Village

Other Good Stuff

A loving look at Lloyd Alexendar's Chronicles of Prydain at Tor

The latest famous singer/song writer to pen a middle grade fantasy is Dave Matthews; If We Were Giants comes out March 3.

SCBWI announces the new  A. Orr grant for writers of middle grade sci fi and fantasy

As I predicted, there was no Newbery Award medal for mg sci fi; however, there were several mg sci fi/fantasy books recognized.  Congratulations to:

Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker (Newbery Honor)

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia (Coretta Scott King Author Honor)

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez (Pura Belpré Award Author winner)

This week's round-up of middle grade fantasy and sci fi from around the blogs (1/19/20)

Here's what I found this week; please let me know of anything I missed!

The Reviews

Alien Superstar, by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, at Good Reads with Rona

Boy Band of the Apocalypse, by Tom Nicholl, at Always in the Middle

Cog, by Greg van Eekhout, at Sonderbooks

The Dark Lord Clementine, by Sarah Jean Horwitz, at Geo Librarian

A Dash of Trouble (Sprinkle of Spirits #1), by Anna Meriano, at Leaf's Reviews

The Girl who Stole and Elephant, by Nizrana Farook, at Lily and the Fae (I haven't read this myself yet, so not sure it counts as fantasy....)

The Girl with the Dragon Heart, by Stephanie Burgis, at Book Criac

Lampie and the Children of the Sea, by Annet Schaap, at Whispering Stories

The Mystwick School of Musicraft, by Jessica Khoury, at Sharon the Librarian

Race to the Sun, by Rebecca Roanhoures, at Ms. Yingling Reads, Book Page, and Bookshelf Fantasies

The Red Winter (The Tapestry #5), by Henry H. Neff, at Say What?

The Revenge of Magic, by James Riley, at Imaginary Friends

The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood and Co. #1), by Jonathan Stroud, at Sloth Reads

The Seeking Serum (Potion Masters #3), by Frank L. Cole, at Cracking the Cover

Snow White and the Seven Robots, by Stewart Ross, at Sharon the Librarian

The Thief Knot, by Kate Milford, at Charlotte's Library, Geek Dad, and The Neverending TBR

Time Sight, by Lynne Jonell, at Semicolon

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, by Kwame Mbalia, at proseandkahn (audiobook review)

The Twelve, by Cindy Lin, at Charlotte's Library

Washed Up (Boy Band of the Appocalypse #2), by Tom Nicoll, at Always in the Middle

The Winterhouse Mysteries, by Ben Guterson, at Puss Reboots

A Wolf Called Wander, by Roseanne Parry, at Semicolon

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow, by Jessica Townsend, at Leaf's Reviews


Authors and Interviews

Michelle Harrison (A Sprinkle of Sorcery) at Book Trust ("the books that made me")

Other Good Stuff

A list of mythological fantasies beyond Rick Riordan, at Jean Little Library

Scary middle grade books ranked, at Falling Letters

Tor is kicking off a close re-reading of Prince Caspian; here's the intro. post

This week's round-up of middle grade fantasy and science fiction from around the blogs

Happy New Year!  Here's what I found this week in my blog reading; please let me know if I missed your post.

The Reviews

Cog, by Greg van Eekhout, at Raise Them Righteous

The Dark Lord Clementine, by Sarah Jean Horwitz, at Raise Them Righteous

The Darkdeep, by Ally Condie and Brendan Reichs, at Twirling Book Princess

The Door to the Lost, by Jaleigh Johnson, at Feed Your Fiction Addiction

Esme's Wish, by Elizabeth Foster, at Book Craic and Hasanthi's Book Blog

The Forgotten Girl, by India Hill Brown, at Charlotte's Library

The Healing Star, by A. Kidd, at Always in the Middle

The Key of Lost Things (Hotel Between #2), by Sean Easley, at Say What?

Jinxed, by Amy McCulloch, at Sharon the Librarian

Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities #8), by Shannon Messenger, at Carstairs Considers

Over the Moon, by Natalie Lloyd, at Raise Them Righteous

The Root of Magic, by Kathleen Benner Duble, at Not Acting My Age

Stoop Sale Treasure, by Corey Ann Haydu, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Turnkey of Highgate Cemetery, by Allison Rushby, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Winterhouse Mysteries, by Ben Guterson, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Other Good Stuff

My favorite time slip books from the past decade (Charlotte's Library)

The Cybils short list for elementary and middle grade speculative fiction was announced! (if you think being a Cybils panelist for emg sf sounds like fun, which it is, look for the call for panelists next August!) You can find all the shortlists here.

Cog, by Greg van Eekhout
The Dark Lord Clementine, by Sarah Jean Horwitz
Homerooms and Hall Passes, by Tom O'Donnell
Love Sugar Magic: A Sprinkle of Spirits, by Anna Meriano
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, by Carlos Hernandez
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, by Kwame Mbalia
We're Not From Here, by Geoff Rodkey

The Shortlisted Elementary/Middle Grade speculative fiction books for the 2019 Cybils Awards!

Today's the day for the announcements of the 2019 Cybils Awards Shortlists!  I'm the category organizer for Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction, and I'm so proud of our love list of seven books!

Cog, by Greg van Eekhout
The Dark Lord Clementine, by Sarah Jean Horwitz
Homerooms and Hall Passes, by Tom O'Donnell
Love Sugar Magic: A Sprinkle of Spirits, by Anna Meriano
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, by Carlos Hernandez
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, by Kwame Mbalia
We're Not From Here, by Geoff Rodkey

Thanks so much to my fellow first round panelists:

Debbie Tanner, The Booksearch
Beth Mitchell, Imaginary Friends
Jennifer Miller, Raise Them Righteous
Sondra Eklund, Sonderbooks

Now it's over to the round 2 judges, who have to pick just one to be the winner!  The announcement's on February 14.

And if you think it sounds like fun to read over 100 elementary/mg sci fi and fantasy books, and pick seven, you are right and should apply to be a Cybils panelist next year.  The only requirement is that you write or talk about books on line.  Look for the call for panelists next August!

This week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (12/8/19)

Back with middle grad sci/fi fantasy round-uping; please let me know if I missed your post from this past week!  Thanks.

The Reviews

The Box of Delights, by John Masefield, at Semicolon

Charlie Hernandez and the League of Shadows, by Ryan Calejo, at Savings in Seconds (with giveaway), and books 1 and 2 of the series at Middle Grade Minded (with giveaway of both books)

The Dark Lord Clementine, by Sarah Jean Horwitz, at Imaginary Friends

Deeplight, by Frances Hardinge, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

The Diamond of Aether, by Scott L. Collins, at BigAl's Books and Pals

The Fear Zone, by K.R. Alexander, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Fiend and the Forge (The Tapestry #3), by Henry H. Neff, at Say What?

Geeks and the Holy Grail (The Camelot Code #2), by Mari Mancusi, at Say What?

Hilda and the Hidden People, by Luke Pearson, at Twirling Book Princess

Legacy, by Shannon Messenger, at Pages Unbound

Legends of the Sky: Dragon Daughter, by Liz Flannagan, at Say What?

Malamander, by Thomas Taylor, at Randomly Reading

The Miraculous, by Jess Redman, at Rosi Hollinbeck

The Mystwick School of Musicraft, by Jessica Khoury, at Hidden in Pages (audiobook review)

The Polar Bear Explorers' Club, by Alex Bell, at Pages Unbound

Twinchantment, by Elise Allen, at Ms. Yingling Reads

A Wolf Called Wander, by Roseanne Perry, at Charlotte's Library

Authors and Interviews

Amy Ephron (The Other Side of the Wall) at Jungle Red Writers

Other Good Stuff

"Matrons, Monsters, Children: Femininity in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" at Tor

Here's Kirkus' list of best mg sci fi/fantasy of 2019

this week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the web (10/20/19)

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

(I changed my post title from "around the blogs" to "around the web" but do cool kids these days actually say "the web"?  Would "on-line" be more au currant?)

Book Reviews

Archimancy, by J.A. White, at Puss Reboots

The Battle, by Karuna Riazi, at Randomly Reading

The Beast (Darkdeep #2), by Ally Condie and Brendan Reichs, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Dark Lord Clementine, by Sarah Jean Horwitz, at Cracking the Cover and A Garden of Books

The Dragon Warrior, by Katie Zhao, at Endless Chapters, For Ever and Everly, and The Quiet Pond

Dual at Araluen (Royal Ranger #3), by John Flanagan, at Say What?

The Evil Wizard Smallbone, by Delia Sherman, at Kid Lit Geek

The Fire Keeper, by J.C. Cervantes, at Pamela Kramer

Guardians of Magic, by Chris Riddell, at Book Craic

The Jumbie God's Revenge, by Tracey Baptiste, at Sally's Bookshelf

The Key of Lost Things (Hotel Between #2), by Sean Easley, at Kid Lit Reviews

The Land of Roar, by Jenny McLachlan, at Thoughts by Tash

The Last Dragon (Revenge of Magic #2), by James Riley, at GeoLibrarian and Good Reads with Rona

The Little Grey Girl, by Celine Kiernan, at Pages Unbound

Malamander, by Thomas Taylor, at PidginPea's Book Nook

Master of the Phantom Isle (Dragonwatch #3) by Brandon Mull, at Read Love

The Missing Barbegazi, by H.S. Norup, at Log Cabin Library

Rebels with a Cause (Max Einstein #2), by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein, at Say What?

The Revenge of Magic, by James Riley, at Boys and Literacy

The Shores Beyond Time, by Kevin Emerson, at Charlotte's Library

Skeleton Keys: the Unimaginary Friend, by Gus Bass, at Book Craic

Small Spaces, by Katherine Arden, at Imaginary Friends

Spark, by Sarah Beth Durst, at Dead Houseplants

Trace, by Pat Cummings, at Locus

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, by Kwame Mbalia, at  Paul's Picks, YA Books Central, Feed Your Fiction Addiction, Broadway World, Ashley and Company, and Charlotte's Library

Weird Little Robots, by Carolyn Crimi, at Always in the Middle

A Wolf Called Wander, by Roseanne Parry, at Redeemed Reader

Two at The Book Search--The Bootlace Magician, by Cassie Beasley, and The Revenge of Magic, by James Riley


Authors and Interviews

Katie Zhao (The Dragon Warrior) at the Barnes and Noble Kids Blog

Kwame Mbalia (Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky) at the News & Observer

Adrianna Cuevas (The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez) at Middle Grade Book Village

Nicole Valentine (A Time-Traveller's Theory of Relativity) at the Lerner Podcast

Nick Tomlinson (The Ghouls of Howlfair) at Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books

Sarah Jean Horwitz (The Dark Lord Clementine) at Middle Grade Book Village

Paul Mason (The International Yeti Collective) at Alittlebutalot

J. de laVega (Peter Tulliver and the City of Monster) at Reading With Your Kids Podcast


Other Good Stuff

"Historical Fiction With a Touch of Fantasy" at Lyn Miller-Lachmann

at Tor--"The messy beautiful worldbuilding of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"

Not exactly good stuff, but I'm looking for new middle grade dystopia, and would welcome suggestions!  Here's what I have so far.

This week's round-up of middle grade science fiction and fantasy from around the blogs (10/13/19)

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

The Reviews

The Bootlace Magician (Cicus Mirandus #2), by Cassie Beasley, at Randomly Reading

The Boy Who Was Fire, by Marcus Kahle McCann, at The Children's Book Review

City of Bones, by Victoria Schwab, at Pages Unbound

The Dark Lord Clementine, by Sarah Jean Howitz, at Sally's Bookshelf

Dead Voices, by Katherine Arden, at Charlotte's Library

Dragon Pearl, by Yoon Ha Lee, at Imaginary Friends

The Dragon Warrior, by Katie Zhao, at Log Cabin Library, Forever and Everly, and Lost In Storyland

Ember: the Secret Book, by Jamie Smart, at Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books

The Hippo at the End of the Hall, by Helen Cooper, at Charlotte's Library

Homerooms and Hall Passes, by Tom O'Donnell, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The International Yeti Collective, by Paul Mason, at Book Craic

The Little Broomstick, by Mary Stewart, at Fantasy Literature

Mightier than the Sword, by Drew Callander and Alana Harrison, at Feed Your Fiction Addiction

Race to the Sun, by Rebecca Roanhorse, at Imaginary Friends

The Red Fox Clan (Royal Ranger #2), by John Flanagan, at Say What?

Scary Stories for Young Foxes, by Christian McKay Heidicker, at Books4YourKids

The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud, a review revisited at Twirling Book Princess

Small Spaces, by Katherine Arden, at Geo Librarian

The Tyrant's Tomb, by Rick Riordan, at Say What?

The Wayward Witch and the Feelings Monster (Polly and Buster #1), by Sally Ripen, at Always in the Middle

Two at alibrarymama--Freedom Fire. Dactyl Hill Squad 2, by Daniel José Older, and Spark, by Sarah Beth Durst

Two at Falling Letters-- Sweep, by Jonathan Auxier, and The Stone Girl's Story, by Sarah Beth Durst

Two at The Book Search--We're Not From Here, by Geoff Rodkey, and Twinchantement, by Elise Allen

Authors and Interviews

Nick Tomlinson (The Ghouls of Howlfair) at A Little But a Lot

Daniel Kraus (The Teddies Saga) at Fuse#8

Paul Mason (The International Yeti Collective), at Thereaderteacher.com (also with review)

Liesl Shurtliff (The Obsidian Compass: Time Castaways series #2), at A Year of Reading.

Other Good Stuff

"Imagining Other Worlds in Diana Wynne Jones' Witch Week" at Tor

"25 Scary (and not-so-scary) books to get you in the Halloween spirit" at Pop Goes the Reader

And if you haven't nominated a book for the Cybils Awards in Elementary/middle grade speculative fiction, here is a list I made of books that haven't been nominated yet!