This week's round-up of middle grade fantasy and sci fi from around the blogs (3/13/22)

Good morning fellow US time travelers.  I hate springing foreword, but here we are.  And here's what I found this week.  Let me know if I missed your post please!

The Reviews

The Boy in the Post, by Holly Rivers, at Book Craic

Girl Giant and the Monkey King by Van Hoang, at Feed Your Fiction Addiction

Kingston & the Magician’s Lost and Found, by Rucker Moses & Theo Gangi, at Valinora Troy

The Last Firefox, by Lee Newbery, at alexsfictionaddiction

The Legend of the Dream Giants, by Dustin Hansen, at Cracking the Cover and She Just Loves Books

Secret Beneath the Sand (Unicorn Island #2), by Donna Galanti, at Charlotte's Library

Thirteens, by Kate Alice Marshall, at The Wandering Wordsmith

Tristan Strong Keeps Punching (Tristan Strong #3) by Kwame Mbalia, at Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog

Three at The Guardian- Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good, by Louie Stowell,  Cameron Battle and the Hidden Kingdoms, by Jamar J Perry,  and Into the Sideways World, by Ross Welford.

Authors and Interviews

Kelly Barnhill (The Ogress and the Orphans) at Publishers Weekly

Dhonielle Clayton (The Marvellers) at Publishers Weekly

Donna Galanti (Unicorn Island 2: Secret Beneath the Sand) at From the Mixed Up Files

Shakirah Bourne (Josephine Against the Sea), at Sarah Nicolas

Other Good Stuff

New in the UK, at Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

8 books for mg D and D fans at Book Riot

Here are the finalists for the Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction, glad to see two mg books I loved!  (Thornwood and Root Magic)

• Victories Greater Than Death, Charlie Jane Anders (Tor Teen; Titan)
• Thornwood, Leah Cypess (Delacorte)
• Redemptor, Jordan Ifueko (Amulet; Hot Key)
• A Snake Falls to Earth, Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
• Root Magic, Eden Royce (Walden Pond)
• Iron Widow, Xiran Jay Zhao (Penguin Teen; Rock the Boat)

This week's round-up of middle grade fantasy and sci fi from around the blogs (6/6/21)

Welcome to this week's round-up! Please let me know if I missed your post.

The Reviews

The Adventure is Now, by Jess Redman, at Always in the Middle

Amari and the Night Brothers, by B.B. Alston, at proseandkahn (audiobook review)

The Apple Stone, by Nicholas Stuart Gray, at Staircase Wit

Battle of the Bodkins (Max and the Nidknights #2), by Lincoln Peirce, at Twirling Book Princess

Curse of the Phoenix, by Aimee Carter, at The Bookwyrm's Den

Da Vinci's Cat, by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, at Charlotte's Library

Deny all Charges (Fowler Twins #2), by Eoin Colfer, at S.W. Lothian

Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch, by Julie Abe, at Pages Unbound

Fireborn  (Dragonborn #2),  by Toby Forward, at Say What?

Hollowpox (Morrigan Crowe #3), by Jessica Townsend, at Leaf's Reviews

How to Make a Pet Monster: Flummox, by Lili Wilkinson, at The Book Muse

The Last Shadow Warrior, by Sam Subity, at The Nerd Daily

Leonard (My Life as a Cat), by Carlie Sorosiak, at Books YA Love

Little Gem and the Mysterious Letters, by Anna Zobel, at The Book Muse

Little White Hands, by Mark Cushen, at Books and Chocaholic

Monster Madness (Nightmare Academy #2) by Dean Lorey, at Say What?

Monty and the Monster, by Rhonda Smiley, at Bookworm for Kids

Ophie's Ghosts, by Justina Ireland, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Pizazz and Pizazz vs. the New Kid, by Sophy Henn, at MG Book Village

The Raconteur’s Commonplace Book, by Kate Milford, at Locus

Rainbow Grey and the Weather Magic, by Laura Ellen Anderson, at Book Craic

Root Magic, by Eden Royce, at and other tales

Shadow Spinner, by Susan Fletcher, at Staircase Wit

The Three Impossibles, by Susie Bower, at Book Craic

What Lives in the Woods, by Lindsay Currie, at Rajiv's Reviews

When You Trap a Tiger, by Tae Keller, at Completely Full Bookshelf

Two at Ms. Yingling Reads--Much Ado About Baseball, by Rajani LaRocca, and The Healer of the Water Monster, by Brian Young

Three at Michelle I. Mason--The Last Windwitch, by Jennifer Adam, The Gilded Girl, by Alyssa Colman, and The Last Fallen Star, by Graci Kim

Authors and Interviews

Jim Beckett (The Caravan at the Edge of Doom) at Library Girl and Book Boy

Robert Beatty (Willa of the Woods) at Middle Grade Ninja

Greg R. Fishbone on "Magic Systems for Non-Magicians" at From the Mixed Up Files

Other Good Stuff

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking,  by T. Kingfisher, has won the 2020 Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction (and it's a very fun book that I recommend highly!) Here at Tor are all the Nebula shortlists and winners

New in the UK, at Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

New the US, at The Contented Reader

This week's round up of middle grade fantasy and science fiction from around the blogs (5/31/20)

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

The Reviews

Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi, at The Nerd Daily

The Barren Grounds, by David A. Robertson, at Butler's Pantry

The Bone Garden, by Heather Kassner, at Book Swoon

 The Boogeyman: a Monstrous Fairytale, by Shane Berryhill, at Kid Lit Reviews

The Book of Mysteries, by J.R. Wallis, at bookloverjo

Changling, by William Ritter, at Rajiv's Reviews

Dragonsinger, by Anne McCaffery, at Book Nut

The Library of Ever, by Zeno Alexander, at Not Acting My Age

Malamander, by Thomas Taylor, at Pages Unbound

The Middler, by Kirsty Applebaum, at Book Craic

Sal & Gabi Break the Universe, by Carlos Hernandez, at Latinx in Kid Lit

Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley, at Say What?

Seasons of War (Skulduggery Pleasant) at Always in the Middle

Snared: Voyage on the Eversteel Sea by Adam Jay Epstein, at Log Cabin Library

The Stolen Lake, by Joan Aiken, at Semicolon

Tuesdays at the Castle, by Jessica Day George, at A Garden of Books

A Wish in the Dark, by Christina Soontornvat, at Randomly Reading



Authors and Interviews

Wendy Leighton Porter (Max's Royal Adventure) at Carpinello's Writing Pages

Liesl Shurtliff (The Forbidden Lock) at Middle Grade Book Village

Dorothy A. Winsor (The Windreader) at No Wasted Ink

Katharine Orton (Nevertell) at Middle Grade Book Village

Other Good Stuff

The Andre Norton Award for Outstanding Young Adult Science Fiction or Fantasy Book goes to a middle grade fantasy-- Riverland, by Fran Wilde (Amulet)  (Here's the full list of winners)

The School for Good and Evil will be a Netflix Movie

This week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (2/23/2020)

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

The Reviews

The Alchemist's Shadow (Watch Hollow #2), by Gregory Funaro, at J.R.'s Book Reviews

Dead Voices, by Katherine Arden, at Twirling Book Princess

Demelza and the Spectre Detectors, by Holly Rivers, at bookloverjo

Dragons in a Bag, by Zetta Elliott, at Books4YourKids

Ghost and Bone, by Andrew Prentice, at A Garden of Books

The Hippo at the End of the Hall, by Helen Cooper, at Cover2CoverBlog

The House of One Hundred Clocks, by A.M. Howell, at Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books

In the Cirle of Time, by Margaret J. Anderson, at Charlotte's Library

Keeper of the Lost Cities, by Shannon Messenger, at Book Craic (nb--the series has just been released in the UK)

The Last Last-Day-of-Sumer, by Lamar Giles, at Rosi Hollinbeck

Lightning Girl, by Alesha Dixon, at Always in the Middle

The Mad Hacker (Escape Game #1), by Remi Prieur and Melanie Vives, at Pick a Good Book

Mañanaland by Pam Muñoz Ryan, at Latinxs in Kid Lit

Master of the Phantom Isles (Dragonwatch #3), by Brandon Mull, at Say What?

The Mystwick School of Musicraft, by Jessica Khoury, at Charlotte's Library

A Path Begins (The Thickety #1), by J.A. White, at Here There Be Books

Scary Stories for Young Foxes, by Christian McKay Heidiker, at Sonderbooks

A Sprinkle of Sorcery, by Michelle Harrison, at Book Murmuration

Superhero Squad (Lightning Girl #2), by Alesha Dixon, at Always in the Middle

The Windreader, by Dorothy A. Winsor, at A Dance with Books

Authors and Interviews

Kevin Emerson (Lost in Space: Return to Yesterday) at From the Mixed Up Files

Tara Gilboy (Unwritten, and its sequel, Rewritten) at Mrs. Book Dragon

Other Good Stuff

Oprah's magazine offers a book list for those who enjoyed Harry Potter--some of the recommendations are middle grade, but others are for adults.  I disagreed with some, but it's a reasonable, if not exciting or tremendously diverse, list.

What's new in the UK, at Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books

A list of recent (ish) diverse girl-centered mg fantasy at From the Mixed Up Files

All but one of this year's Andre Norton Award finalists are middle grade! Congratulations to Cog
by Greg van Eekhout, Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee, Peasprout Chen: Battle of Champions by Henry Lien, Riverlandby Fran Wilde, and Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez (congratulations also to Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer)

This is the last round-up post of February.  What's your favorite MG sff book of the year so far? (or multiple favorites).  My own two so far are Rival Magic, by Deva Fagan (April 2020) and The Mulberry Tree, by Alison Rushby (July 2020 in the US).

This week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (3/31/19)

The middle grade sci fi/fantasy round-ups are back, after a break for Kidlitcon.  Please let me know if I missed your post!

The Reviews

Akata Witch, by Nnedi Okorafor, at Chapters and Charms

The Apprentice Witch, by James Nicol, at proseandkahn (audiobook review)

Black and Blue Magic, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, at Say What?

Critter Haven, by Angelina Moretti, at Page Turns (you tube book talk)

Eventown, by Corey Ann Haydu, at Log Cabin Library

Explorer Academy: The Falcon’s Feather, by Trudi Treueit, at Mom Read It

Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret by Trudi Truett, at Redeemed Reader

Forgotten City, by Michael Ford, at Say What?

Gribblebob’s Book of Unpleasant Goblins by David Ashby, at Minerva Reads

The House with Chicken Legs, by Sophie Anderson, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

The Last Last-Day-of-Summer, by Lamar Giles, at Always in the Middle, Falling Letters, proseandkahn, and Unleashing Readers

Lavender-Green Magic, by Andre Norton, at Tor

Little Apocalypse, by Katherine Sparrow, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Lost Girl, by Anne Ursu, at Kid Lit Geek

The Magic of Melwick Orchard, by Rebecca Caprara, at Always in the Middle

Nevermore: the Trials of Morrigan Crow, by Jessica Townsend, at A Dance with Books

Starfell: Willow Moss and the Last Day, by Dominique Valente, at Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books 

Storm Hound, by Claire Fayers, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

Sweep, by Jonathan Auxier, at Sonderbooks

Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows, by J.M. Bergen, at Lauren's Bookshelf

The Truth About Martians, by Melissa Savage, at Rosi Hollinbeck

The Wizards of Once, by Cressida Cowell, at Mom with a Reading Problem (audiobook review)

Authors and Interviews

Angie Simbert (Bone's Gift, Lingering Echos) at Middle Grade Minded

Other Good Stuff

A creature-feature about unicorns at Booklist Reader

This week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (2/24/19)

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

The Reviews

Beanstalker And Other Hilarious Scarytales,, by Kiersten White, at Reading Books with Coffee

Bone Hollow, by Kim Ventrella, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The  Crimson Skew, by S.E. Grove, at The Crimson Skew

Dragon Pearl, by Yoon Ha Lee, at Fantasy Literature and Puss Reboots

Endling: The Last by Katherine Applegate, at proseandkahn (audiobook review)

Freya and Zoose, by Emily Butler, at Book Nut

The Girl with the Whispering Shadow (The Crowns of Croswald #2) by D.E. Night, at Log Cabin Library

Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat #1 and #2, by Johnny Marciano, Emily Raymond, Emily, and Robb Mommaets (illustrations), at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Light Jar, by Lisa Thompson,  at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Mona Lisa Key (Time Castaways #1), by Liesl Surtliff, at Charlotte's Library

The Mysterious World of Cosentino: The Missing Ace, by Cosentino with Jack Heath, at Mom Read It

Nest of Serpents (Wereworld #4), by Curtis Jobling, at Say What?

Orphan Island, by Laurel Snyder, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

Secret in Stone (Unicorn Quest #2), by Kamilla Benko, at Charlotte's Library and Pamela Kramer

Small Spaces, by Katherine Arden, at A Backwards Story

The Song From Somewhere Else by A F Harrold and Levi Pinfold, at Acorn Books

The Star-Spun Web, by Sinead O'Hart, at A Little But a Lot

Storm Hound, by Claire Fayers, at Book Murmuration

The Transparency Tonic (Potion Masters #2), by Frank L. Cole, at Geo Librarian

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow, by Jessica Townsend, at Log Cabin Library

Authors and Interviews

Anne Ursu (The Lost Girl) at B. and N. Kids Blog

Claire Fayers (Storm Hound) at Mr. Ripleys Enchanted Books

Kamilla Benko (The Unicorn Quest series) at Geo Librarian

Carlos Hernandez (Sal and Gabi Break the Universe) at Rick Riordan Presents

Caldric Blackwell (The Sacred Artifact) at Books Direct

M. G. Velasco (Cardslinger) at MG Book Village

Other Good Stuff

Monica Edinger has a great review collection in the NY  Times Book Review

The Andre Norton Award for Outstanding Young Adult Science Fiction or Fantasy Book have been announced. and two are middle grade:

Aru Shah and the End of Time, Roshani Chokshi (Rick Riordan Presents)
Peasprout Chen: Future Legend of Skate and Sword, Henry Lien (Henry Holt)

This week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (2/3/18)

Here's this week's round-up; let me know if I missed your post!  thanks.

The Reviews

The Alchymist, by Michael Scott, at proseandkahn

The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge, by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin, at Books4yourkids

Cogheart, by Peter Bunzl, at Geek Reads Kids

The Collectors, by Jacqueline West, at Lindsay Maeve Schubert

A Dash of Trouble (Love Sugar Magic #1), by Anna Meriano, at Fafa's Book Corner

The Darkdeep, by Ally Condie and Brendan Reichs, at Cracking the Cover

Dragon Pearl, by Yoon Ha Lee, at Charlotte's Library

Eleanor Roosevelt's in my Garage, by Candace Fleming, at Charlotte's Library

Eternal Seas, by Lexi Rees, at Chrikaru Reads

The Extremely High Tide, by Kir Fox and M. Shelley Coats, at Crossroad Reviews

Lenny's Book of Everything, by Karen Foxlee, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

The Lost Girl, by Anne Ursu, at For Those About to Mock and Teach Mentor Texts

Mabel Jones and the Doomsday Book, by Will Mabbitt and Ross Collins, at Puss Reboots

The Midnight HOur, by Benjamin Read and Laura Trinder, at The Book Activist

The Night Gardener, by Jonathan Auxier, at Suzanne Goulden

The Ropemaker, by Peter Dickinson, at Puss Reboots

Steel Magic, by Andre Norton, at Tor

Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows, by J.M. Bergen, at Always in the Middle, Bookworm for Kids, and Smitten for Fiction

Authors and Interviews

Anne Ursu (The Lost Girl) at Publishers Weekly

Author Kim Ventrella (The Skeleton Tree, Bone Hollow) talks about Magical Realism in Middle Grade at MG Book Village

Other Good Stuff

Congratulations to The Book of Boy, by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (Newbery Honor) and The Collectors, by Jacqueline West (Schneider Family Book Award MG honor) representing MG fantasy in the ALA awards! And congratulations to Sweep, by Jonathan Auxier, winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award.

This week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy is up (7/12/15)

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

The Reviews

The Boy Who Lost Fairyland, by Catherynne M. Valente, at Hidden in Pages

Bunnicula, by Deborah and James Howe, at Nerdy Book Club

The Chosen Prince, by Diane Stanley, at Redeemed Reader

Circus Mirandus, by Cassie Beasley, at books4yourkids, Randomly Reading, and Charlotte's Library

The Copper Gauntlet, by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black, at Hidden in Pages

Curse of the Thirteenth Fey, by Jane Yolen, at Read Till Dawn

Danger in Ancient Rome, by Kate Messner, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The D'Evil Diaries, by Tatum Flynn, at The Book Zone (For Boys)

Diego's Dragon: Dragons of the Dark, by Kevin Gerard, at Always in the Middle

Fly By Night and Fly Trap, by Frances Hardinge, at alibrarymama

Hook's Revenge, by Heidi Schulz, at The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

Hunt for the Hydra, by Jason Fry, at Fantasy Book Critic

Jack, by Liesl Shurtliff, at Geo Librarian

Octagon Magic, by Andre Norton, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Princes and the Goblin, by George MacDonald, at Views from the Tesseract

Return to Augie Hobble, by Lane Smith, at Mister K Reads

Secrets of Selkie Bay, by Shelley Moore Thomas, at Me On Books

Seraphina and the Black Cloak, by Robert Beatty, at Falling Letters and Middle Grade Mafioso

Shadows of Sherwood, by Kekla Magoon, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

Sidekicked, by John David Anderson, at Pages Unbound

Song for a Scarlet Runner, by Julie Hunt, at Charlotte's Library

Stolen Magic, by Gail Carson Levine, at Kid Lit Geek

The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner, at Leaf's Reviews

Time Square-UFO, by S.W. Lothian, at Always in the Middle

Tuesdays at the Castle, by Jessica Day George, at Fantasy Literature

The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones, by Will Mabbitt, at The Reading Nook Reviews

Valiant, by Sarah McGuire, at In Bed With Books

Wish Girl, by Nikki Loftin, at Becky's Book Reviews

Zombie Baseball Beatdown, by Paolo Bacigalupi, at Teen Librarian Toolbox (audiobook)

Three at Ms.Yingling Reads--Battle Bugs #1, The Lizard Wars, and #2, The Spider Siege, by Jack Patton, and Seraphina and the Black Cloak, by Robert Beatty

Authors and Interviews

Lou Anders (Thrones and Bones series) at Supernatural Snark

Karen Cushman at Fuse #8 talking about her forthcoming fantasy book (!)

Will Mabbitt (The Unlikely Advenutures of Mabel Jones) at The Reading Nook Reviews

 Other Good Stuff

Those of us who have been accused by our sensitive children for being "bad mothers" for exposing them to things too dark and disturbing will appreciate this pinterest board of "good fantasy, harmless bad guys" curated by books4yourkids

Bryan Konietzko (creator of The Last Airbender and Legends of Korra) announces Threadworlds, a new graphic novel, in which a young scientists sets out on adventures in galaxy where five planets share a single orbit.

And speaking of Graphic Novels, the Eisner Awards have been announced.

A Tuesday Ten of unorthodox princesses at Views from the Tesseract

The Amazing Acro-Cats are performing in Brooklyn....as if Brooklyn needed more reasons to be cool.

A list of time travel books with diversity

The Twinjas asked on twitter for recommendations of diverse time travel books, and so here one is!  I keep a list of time travel books, and a list of multicultural spec fic books, but the two aren't cross referenced, so I went into time travel and pulled out the relevant books.  Here's what there's not a lot of--LGBT time travel or time travel of characters with disabilities.  I have given my personal favorites stars, and I've given books I think of as "important reads in diverse time travel" double stars.  The links go to my reviews.

I am always open to more recommendations, so sent them my way please.

Multicultural (arranged more or less by age of reader)

Bonjour, Lonnie, by Faith Ringgold

The Little Yokozuna, by Wayne Shorey

The Magic Mirror, by Zetta Elliott

*Cleopatra in Space--Target Practice, and  The Thief and the Sword  by Mike Maihack

The Book that Proves Time Travel Happens, by Henry Clark

Chronal Engine, by Greg Leitich Smith

Abracadabra Tut, by Page McBriar

Turning on a Dime, by Maggie Dana

Bridge of Time, by Lewis Buzbee

Jacob Wonderbar and the Intersellar Time Warp, by Nathan Bransford

Phyllis Wong and the Return of the Conjuror, by Geoffrey McSkimming

*The Wells Bequest, by Polly Shulman

Dragon Magic, by Andre Norton

Lavender-Green Magic, by Andre Norton

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Race Against Time, by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Freedom Stone, by Jeffrey Kluger

Facing Fire, by kc dyer

Roberto and Me: a Baseball Card Adventure, by Dan Gutman

Black Powder, by Staton Rabin

The Snipesville Chronicles (three books) by Annette Laing

The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Archer's Quest, by Linda Sue Park

*The Prince of Fenway Park, by Julianna Baggott

And The Infinity Ring series from Scholastic, by various authors

YA on up

Black Powder, by Staton Rabin

The Girl Who Lept Through Time, by Yasutaka Tsutsui

*The Black Canary, by Jane Louise Curry

Echo, by Alicia Wright Brewster

*The Tomorrow Code, by Brian Falkner

The Freedom Maze, by Delia Sherman

Transcendence, by  C.J. Omololu

Along the River, by Adeline Yen Mah

**Kindred, by Octavia Butler

**A Wish After Midnight, by Zetta Elliott

(With reservations re whether it really counts as diversity as stated in my review) The River of No Return, by Bee Ridgeway

Disability--

Dreamer, Wisher, Liar, by Clarise Mericle Harper

Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble, by D. Robert Pease

Non-Binary Gender--

*Several short stories by Ursula Le Guin, in The Winds Twelve Quarters and Fisherman of an Inland Sea

This week's round-up of middle grade fantasy and science fiction from around the blogs (2/22/15)

Another week, another snowfall, another round-up!  Please let me know if I missed your post.

The Reviews

Alistair Grim's Odditorium, by Gregory Funaro, at My Precious

Beast Keeper, by Lucy Coats, at Charlotte's Library

Beastkeeper, by Cat Hellisen, at The Quite Concert

Billy Bobble Makes a Magic Wand, by R.S. Mellette, at Log Cabin Library

The Blackhope Enigma, by Teresa Flavin, at The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

The Boundless, by Kenneth Oppel, at Challenging the Bookworm

The Boy Who Lost Fairyland, by Catherynne M. Valente, at The Book Monsters (with giveaway)

The Boys of Blur, by N.D. Wilson, at Book Nut

The Bravest Princess, by E.D. Baker, at Leaf's Reviews

The Castle Behind Thorns, by Merrie Haskell, at Librarian of Snark

The Chosen Prince, by Diane Stanley, at Shae Has Left the Room

Copper Magic, by Julia Mary Gibson, at The Book Wars

The Dreamsnatcher, by Abi Elphinstone, at So Little Time For Books 

Echo, by Pam Munoz Ryan, at The Social Potato and Waking Brain Cells

Finding Serendipity, by Angelica Banks, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Greenglass House, by Kate Milford, at Librarian of Snark

Hunt for the Hydra, by Jason Fry, at Librarian of Snark

The Imaginary, by A.F. Harrold, at Fan Girl Nation 

The Inquisitor's Mark, by Dianne K. Salerni, at This Kid Reviews Books

The Iron Trial, by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, at The Flashlight Reader

The Last Wild, and its sequel, The Dark Wild, by Piers Torday, at Wands and Worlds

The Lost City, by J. and P. Voekel, at Charlotte's Library (with giveaway)

The Lost Heir (Wings of Fire book 2), by Tui T. Sutherland, at Hidden In Pages

The Luck Uglies, by Paul Durham, at Bibliobrit, Librarian of Snark, and Book Nut

Nuts to You, by Lynne Rae Perkins, at Book Nut

One Witch at a Time, by Stacy DeKeyser, at Small Review and Word Spelunking

The Orphan and the Mouse, by Martha Freeman, at Hope Is the Word

The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud, at Bart's Bookshelf 

A Snicker of Magic, by Natalie Lloyd, at The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow

Space Case, by Stuart Gibbs, at The Bookworm Blog

The Squire's Tale, by Gerald Morris, at Story Time Secrets

The Swallow, by Charis Cotter, at Librarian of Snark

The Witch's Boy, by Kelly Barnhill, at 3 Boys and a Novel

The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence, by Stan Lee et al., at The Story Goes...


Authors and Interviews

Nikki Loftin (Wish Girl) at Nerdy Book Club

Natalie Lloyd (A Snicker of Magic) at The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow

Shannon Hale (The Forgotten Sisters) at Publishers Weekly

P. Voekel (The Lost City--Jaguar Stones 4) at Charlotte's Library (with giveaway)


Other Good Stuff

Ten classical elements that sci fi/fantasy is built on, at Tor

The graphic novel version of Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass comes out in the US this September!  (via Educating Alice)

At The Guardian:   "It’s been 50 years since Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang spluttered into the world. Now Ian’s nephew Fergus gives us a potted version of the original book – gloriously illustrated by John Burningham."

And for more graphic goodness, here's a look at Gabriel Pacheco's illustrations for a new edition of The Jungle Book at Once Upon a Blog.

The Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy shortlisted books are:

Unmade, Sarah Rees Brennan (Random House)
Salvage, Alexandra Duncan (Greenwillow)
Love Is the Drug, Alaya Dawn Johnson (Levine)
Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future, A.S. King (Little, Brown)
Dirty Wings, Sarah McCarry (St. Martin’s Griffin)
Greenglass House, Kate Milford (Clarion)
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, Leslye Walton (Candlewick)

all the other lists can be seen here

This week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (1/25/15)

Here's another week's worth of reviews and miscellany of interest to us fans of middle grade sci fi and fantasy; please let me know if I missed your post!  Thanks.

The Reviews

Abracadabra Tut, by Page McBriar, at Sonderbooks

Alistair Grim's Odditorium, by Gregory Funaro, at Mundie Kids

Beastkeeper, by Cat Hellisen, at Xpresso Reads

The Bell Between Worlds, by Ian Johnstone, at Bart's Bookshelf

Boys of Blur, by N.D. Wilson, at Sonderbooks

The Cat at the Wall, by Deborah Ellis, at Sonderbooks

The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau, at Read Till Dawn

Doll Bones, by Holly Black, at Leaf's Reviews

The Door That Led to Where, by Sally Gardner, at Reviews from a Bookworm

The Dream Snatcher, by Abi Elphinstone, at Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books and Luna's Little Library

Echo, by Pam Muñoz Ryan, at The Book Wars

The False Prince, by Jennifer A. Neilsen, at Bibliobrit

The Fourteenth Goldfish, by Jennifer L. Holm, at Redeemed Reader

Ghosts of War: The Secret of Midway, by Steve Watkins, at The Children's War

Griffin's Castle, by Jenny Nemmo, at Jean Little Library

Jupiter Pirates: Hunt for the Hydra, by Jason Fry, at Boys Rule Boys Read and Sonderbooks

Kat, Incorrigible, by Stephanie Burgis, at Skye's Scribblings

The Last Present, by Wendy Mass, at Read Till Dawn

Lavender-Green Magic, by Andre Norton, at Charlotte's Library

Loki's Wolves, by K.L. Armstrong and M.A. Marr, at Cover2CoverBlog

The Luck Uglies, by Paul Durham, at Sonderbooks

The Map to Everywhere, by Carrie Ryan and John Parke Davis, at Readaraptor

Moon Rising (Wings of Fire Book 6), by Tui T. Sutherland, at Charlotte's Library

Nuts to You, by Lynne Rae Perkins, at Sonderbooks

Operation Bunny, by Sally Gardner, at Becky's Book Reviews

Pathfinder, by Angie Sage, at alibrarymama

A Plague of Unicorns, by Jane Yolen, at Read Till Dawn

The Royal Ranger, by John Flanagan, at Sonderbooks

Searching for Super, by Marion Jensen, at The Hiding Spot

"Shouldn't You Be in School?" by Lemony Snicket, at alibrarymama

Space Case, by Stuart Gibbs, at Sonderbooks

The Story Thieves, by James Riley, at Librarian of Snark

The Thickety, by J.A. White, at Pages Unbound

Tombquest: Book of the Dead, by Michael Northrup, at This Kid Reviews Books

Unlocking the Spell, by E.D. Baker, at Leaf's Reviews


Authors and Interviews

Dianne K. Salerni at Literary Rambles


Other Good Stuff:

Stephanie at Views From the Tesseract talks about a short story that inspired both her and Jason Fry (of Jupiter Pirates fame)

And  not exactly good stuff, because it is sad, but for those wishing to support Egmont authors with purchases--here are their 2015 books

Lavender-Green Magic, by Andre Norton, for Timeslip Tuesday

This week's time travel book is an oldie-- Lavender-Green Magic, by Andre Norton (1974, also published in paperback in 2006; that's the cover shown below right).  It's the story of three kids who are left to stay in Massachusetts with grandparents they've never met when their dad goes missing in Vietnam and their mother has to go to work full time.    Holly, the oldest of the three, is filled with doubt.  The grandparents make a living from the town dump, piecing together and mending and salvaging what is discarded, and she's old enough to find this horrifying, but not so old as to appreciate it; the twins, Judy and Crockett, are young enough to be fascinated....And Holly is also worried about being black kids in a white school.   She keeps herself to herself, and tries to keep Judy safe/isolated too.  And of course all three miss their mom something fierce.

The old dump is located at the edge of what was once a grand estate, now home to ruins and an overgrown maze.   One night Judy dreams of it...and the next day she leads her siblings through it's twists and turns to the home of a wise-woman, named Tamar--who had lived there back in the 17th century.  Tamar, wise in the shaping of thoughts into power (as well as being adept at herbal cures) is able to see into their hearts, and what she sees in Holly does not make her happy....

And indeed, Holly seems to be overtaken by angry, hurtful thoughts.  She's the next to lead the kids through the maze, but she takes them to a different woman--Tamar's sister, Hagar.   Who's not a nice sort of witch wise woman at all.  Holly's choices almost bring disaster to the family....and also to Tamar, when she's suspected of having used her powers in a dark witchy way and a mob of Puritans comes for her.   But all works out well.  Especially happily, for those of us who like gardening, the maze proves to be the key that will save the land by the dump from being sold, and the grandparents from being evicted.

Past and present are nicely twisted, although there isn't a whole heck of a lot of nuance to Tamar and Hagar, and there's not a jot of explanation about their powers (which are indeed real and magical).  These things have to be taken on faith.

Don't be reading this one for a tremendously accurate account of the Puritans, because it isn't.   Do be reading it for the herb-lore, and the descriptive pleasures of finding of old things amongst the junk.  And it is rare and pleasing to see a family of African-American kids at the center of an old and lovely/scary magical adventure.   I would have loved it as a child, and didn't mind at all reading it as a grown-up even though I wanted to shake Holly quite often, which is tiring when you want to be reading for comfort.

And I could have done without the grandmother's dialecitcal English of "laws"-es and apostrophies (jus', etc.).   Long, long paragraphs of this, that I worry would be off-putting to the young reader of today.  And I wish we'd had a chance to see Holly opening to the possibility of friendships at school.   Oh well.  Apart from the grandmother's truly jarring turns of phrase, I thought Norton did a reasonable job with issues of race, making it neither too much or too little of the story.

One thing (a pedantic sort of thing) that I think Norton messed up on is Hagar's name.   I was online today, reading up on Tamar and Hagar, both very interesting Old Testament women.   Hagar was enslaved, raped, cast out with her son into the wilderness...but seen and saved by God, and centuries later her story resonated deeply with many African-American women (you can read more here; scroll down).  Once you know this, it's a bit of a jarring note to have Hagar be the villainous one in a story starring African-American kids.

(And nothing to do with this book, but this bit of research led me on to a lovely book from 1888 called Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature, which is free online here and very diverting and worth sharing).

This week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (5/18/14)

 I'm starting this week's round-up with two announcements of things near and dear to me.

First-- The Eight Annual Kidlitcon has been announced!  If there is any way you can make it, I urge you to come--it is so lovely to be surrounded by kindred spirits talking books and blogs.   I am going- I found a good deal on my outward bound ticket and bought it already, so I hope I find a good return ticket or else I'll have to start life anew in California....

Second--  The Ninth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge, hosted by MotherReader, has been announced, and this year the focus is on diversity.

Please let me know, as always, if I missed your post! (authors and publicists--you are welcome to let me know of reviews too!)

The Reviews:

Boys of Blur, by N.D. Wilson, at Nerdy Book Club

The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, by Claire Legrand, at Log Cabin Library

Dealing With Dragons, and Searching for Dragons, by Patricia C. Wrede, at  Reading is Fun Again (audiobook reviews)

Elsbeth and the Pirate's Treasure, by J. Bean Palmer, at Life's Simple Pleasures

The Fairy Doll & Other Tales from the Doll's House, by Rumer Godden, at Charlotte's Library

The Forbidden Library, by Django Wexler, at The Bibliomaniac

The Glass Sentence, by S.E. Grove, at Waking Brain Cells

The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw, by Christopher Healy, at Charlotte's Library

The Islands of Chaldea, by Diana Wynne Jones, at The Emerald City Book Review

Millhouse, by Natale Ghent, at In Bed With Books

Mouseheart, by Lisa Fiedler, at Hidden in Pages,  Kid Lit Frenzy (with giveaway), and Charlotte's Library (also giveaway)

The Night Gardener, by Jonathan Auxier, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

Nightingale's Nest, by Nikki Loftin, at Semicolon

Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble, by D. Robert Pease, at Mother Daughter Book Reviews

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy, by Karen Foxlee, at Good Books and Good Wine (audiobook) and Becky's Book Reviews

The Phoenix and the Carpet, by E. Nesbit, at Becky's Book Reviews

The Riverman, by Aaron Starmer, at Semicolon

Rose and the Lost Princess, by Holly Webb, at Wands and Worlds 

The Runaway King, by Jennifer Nielsen, at Challenging the Bookworm

Saving Lucas Biggs, by Maria de los Santos and David Teague, at Inspiring Insomnia

The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud, at I Heart Reading

Sky Raiders, by Brandon Mull, at Hidden In Pages

Taran Wanderer, by Lloyd Alexander, at Hope is the Word 

Tesla's Attic, by Neil Shusterman and Eric Elfman, at Semicolon

The Unicorn Thief, by R.R. Russell, at The Book Monsters  and Nayu's Reading Corner

The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet, by Eleanor Cameron, at Tor 

Two super hero books at Ms. Yingling Reads--  Bacon, Lee. The Dominion Key (Joshua Dread #3) and  Jensen, Marion. Almost Super

Author and Interviews

Django Wexler (The Forbidden Library) at Fanboynation

N.D. Wilson (The Boys of Blur) at Nerdy Book Club

Jerry A. White (The Thickety) at Odyssey Workshop

MarcyKate Connolly (Monstrous) at The Book Cellar

Other Good Stuff

Oh my gosh this looks so lovely and it is so timely viz diversity discussions and I want it for my children right now!!!! -- Never Alone (Kisima Inŋitchuŋa)—"a beautifully illustrated puzzle-adventure game depicting a young Iñupiaq protagonist and her arctic fox companion" created by game designers working with Native storytellers and elders, by a tribally-owned company called Upper One Games. (Found via Once Upon a Blog). 

The Nebula Awards have been announced.  From Tor:

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy

• Winner: Sister Mine, Nalo Hopkinson (Grand Central)
• The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, Holly Black (Little, Brown; Indigo)
• When We Wake, Karen Healey (Allen & Unwin; Little, Brown)
• The Summer Prince, Alaya Dawn Johnson (Levine)
• Hero, Alethea Kontis (Harcourt)
• September Girls, Bennett Madison (Harper Teen)
• A Corner of White, Jaclyn Moriarty (Levine)

Winged equines, at Views From the Tesseract and Middle Grade Steampunk, at Bookends

Not strictly middle grade, but just a reminder there's a Sci Fi/Fantasy round-up every week at On Starships and Dragon Wings

And also not strictly middle grade, but still of interest--onn Sunday, May 25th at 2pm,  fantasy authors Leah Cypess, Erin Cashman, AC Gaughen, and Adi Rule will be talking about the challenges of creating historical and fantastical settings and sharing their world-building tips at The Writers' Loft in Sherborn, MA. 

"Alice, Creator and Destroyer" (as in Alice In Wonderland), at Seven Miles of Steel Thistles

Rush Limbaugh won the Children's Book Choice Award for author of the year for Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims; here are some reactions rounded-up at 100 Scope Notes
and another look at it at Educating Alice, where Pilgrim alternatives are offered.

 And having gotten that out of the way, let's have  more pictures from Never Alone: