This Sunday's Round-Up of Middle Grade Science Fiction and Fantasy

Happy New Year, all readers and writers of middle grade science fiction and fantasy, and welcome to the first mgsff round-up of 2011. If I missed your post, or that of your best friend, or anything you happened to see, please let me know! And thank you, all of you in the past year who have mentioned on your own blogs that I am doing these round-ups--I appreciate it, and you are welcome to do it again, not because I want the visitors qua visitors so much, but for the Sake of the Books, because the whole point of these round-ups is to bring attention to them.

What mg sff book are you most looking forward to in 2011? I, myself, am having trouble immagining a world beyond January, so I'll go with Small Persons With Wings, by Ellen Booraem.

First, the big/already probably old news:



What do these books have in common?
A. I like them all lots
B. Little pink was used in the cover art, and as far as I know, there are no sparkles*
C. Good writing and tons of kid appeal
D. They all include vampire yetis
E. All of the above

*I haven't seen the finished cover of the Shadows. Are there sparkles???

Answer: (mostly) E. They are the finalists in the Elementary Middle Grade Science Fiction/Fantasy category of the Cybils Awards (for which I was a panelist), and they show beautifully the range of mg sff today. They include horror, humor, reimagined fairy tales, tragedy, wondrous inventions, ghosts, evil, magic...They are girl books and boy books, books perfect for younger readers, and books perfect for grown-ups! I wish we could have shortlisted more books--there are several I'm still very wistful about...

I think my favorite cover is The Dead Boys--the Evil Tree tickles my fancy lots. But I can't decide which is my favorite book, and I pity the judges of the next round who have to pick just one winner!

This week's reviews:

Beauty, by Robin McKinley, at Nayu's Reading Corner. If I were to pick just one book to give to an eleven year old girl, this would be it. Beauty, incidentally, just got a very new and sharp looking cover over in the UK, shown on the far right. My own version, read in the 1980s, looking very 1980s indeed, leads the parade:







Behemoth, by Scott Westerfeld, at Boys Rule Boys Read

The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau, at Reading Vacation

The Good Little Devil, by Ann Lawrence, at Charlotte's Library

Johnny Mackintosh and the Spirit of London, by Keith Mansfield, at Charlotte's Library

The Jumper Chronicles--Quest for Merlin's Map, by W.C. Peever, at Eating Y.A. Books

A Matter of Magic, by Patricia C. Wrede, at The Book Smugglers

Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, at books4yourkids

Shadow, by Jenny Moss, at Reading Vacation

The Shadow Hunt, by Katherine Langrish, at Eva's Book Addiction

Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus, by R.L. Lafevers, at TheHappyNappyBookseller

Melina at Reading Vaction takes a look at the Suddenly Supernatural series -- Book 2--Scaredy Kat, and Book 3--Unhappy Medium

and Gregory Breen takes a look at the Artemis Fowl series at Suite 101.

Interviews:

Greg Van Eekhout (Kid vs Squid) at Spookycyn

Susan Fletcher (Ancient, Strange, and Lovely--Book 4 of the Dragon Chronicles) at Euphoria

Other Stuff:

I thought it would be but the work of minutes to pull together a list of all the mg and ya dragon books published in 2010. It wasn't. You can find the long long list that resulted here!

The Nebula Awards have a category (the Andre Norton Awards) for YA books, and now the Hugo Award folks are thinking of doing the same, with an award for YA books including "those for younger children" (read more at Cheryl's Mewsings)

And finally, for the little bon mote I like to offer at the end of these round-ups, here is a selection of "Ancient Robots and Victorian Androids" at Dark Roasted Blend. Really cool stuff! I am something of a fan of Marie Rutkoski's books (The Cabinet of Wonders and The Celestial Globe), and so was immensely tickled to learn that John Dee, Elizabethan Alchemist, devised a wooden beetle that could fly:

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

Nebula Awards Announced--Powers by Le Guin wins!

Oh my gosh. I am stunned by the news that Powers (Annals of the Western Shore), by Ursula Le Guin--a YA novel, character driven and gently paced--has won the Nebula. My money was on The Name of the Wind all the way, which was on the longer list for the Nebula this year, but not the final ballot. *


Is this the first time a YA book has won the best novel award? I'm very pleased, because I love Le Guin in general, and am happy every time she gets recognition, but since I think that the second book in this series, Voices, is much better, I'm a little mmph-ish.

The Andre Norton Award, which specifically is awarded for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy, went to Flora's Dare: How a Girl of Spirit Gambles All to Expand Her Vocabulary, Confront a Bouncing Boy Terror, and Try to Save Califa from a Shaky Doom (Despite Being Confined to Her Room), by Ysabeau Wilce.

*edited to add--here is what Le Guin said about The Name of the Wind: "It is a rare and great pleasure to find a fantasist writing not only with the kind of accuracy of language absolutely essential to fantasy-making, but with real music in the words as well. Wherever Pat Rothfuss goes with the big story that begins with The Name of the Wind, he'll carry us with him as a good singer carries us through a song."

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

Zoe's Tale, by John Scalzi

Zoe's Tale, by John Scalzi (2008, Tor, YA, 330pp)

Zoe is not your typical teenaged girl/interplanetary colonist. She's had a pretty eventful life even before her foster parents accepted an invitation to lead a group of colonists to the planet Roanoke--for one thing, she is practically a goddess to the alien race to whom her father gave the gift of consciousness. Two of that alien race shadow her every more, but she's used to them--they're part of her family, and they are going to Roanoke too.

When their colonizing ship emerges from its space jump, they find that they are at the wrong planet. Worse still, an enemy league of alien races is out to get them, and this means starting their new lives devoid of every technological gadget that might betray them to the watchers out there in space. But life goes on, rather pleasantly in parts--like kissing her new boyfriend, Enzo, and engaging in snarky one-ups-manship repartee with her best friend.

Until the war in space comes for them, and all that Zoe holds dear is threatened...can a teenage kind-of-goddess, with just a few self-defense skills and more than a bit of smart alecky attitude, save her new planet, without loosing too much in the process?

Zoe's Tale is a young adult companion to the Old Man's War series, but it is not at all necessary to have read those books before reading this one. The information dumps are tastefully handled, and are rather interesting backstory in their own right. And I found Zoe's particular story engrossing, full of twists both plotwise and with regard to character. The relationships between Zoe and her friends, complete with relationship angst, friendly banter, and tremendous loyalty, were as interesting to me as the space adventure/planet colonizing plot.

Young adult science fiction is a pretty rare breed, so there's not a lot of competition for this book within that subgenre. But even standing it against adult sci fi on the one hand, and teenage romantic fantasy on the other, it's a strong book. I might even lend it to my mother...and I say that only of books that have both intellectual and emotional appeal, and pretty tight writing.

Zoe's Tale has been nominated for this year's Andre Norton Award. But it doesn't please everyone--Scalzi bravely offers a look at some of the one star reviews he's gotten here...I think those people are misguided at best.

(disclaimer: I received this book from the publishers back in fall 2008 for Cybils consideration...and it has been haunting me ever since. I just couldn't read all 166 of the books nominated, so I saved this one for a rainy day-which turned out to be yesterday).