This week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (11/12/23)

Good morning from Rhode Island!  Here's what I found this week--please let me know if I missed your post!

The Reviews

Camp Sylvania (Camp Sylvania #1), by Julie Murphy, at Jill's Book Blog

Emperor of the Universe Series, by David Lubar, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Field of Screams, by Wendy Parris, at Charlotte's Library

Glassborn, by Peter Bunzl, illustrated by Katarzyna Doszla, at Scope for Imagination

The Girl in the Window, by Lindsey Hobson, at Bookworm for Kids

The Haunted Mansion: Storm & Shade, by Claudia Gray, at Kiss the Book 

Impossible Creatures, by Katherine Rundell, at Book Craic

Into the Shadow Mist, by Christina Soontornvat, at Pages Unbound

November Witches, by Jennifer Claessen, at  Library Girl and Book Boy

Postcards from Valhalla, by Danny Weston, at Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books 

The Puppets of Spelhorst, by Kate DiCamillo, at A Kids Book A Day and The Book Nut (audiobook review)

RiverHome for the Holidays (The Adventures of Toby Baxter: Book 2), by Tim Wright, at Reading With Your Kids Podcast

Shades of Winter (Misfit’s Magic), by Fred Gracely, at  Mark My Words: 

The Song of the Swan, by Karah Sutton, illustrated by Pauliina Hannuniemi, at Log Cabin Library 

Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being a Witch by Rhianna Pratchett and Gabrielle Kent, illustrated by Paul Kidby, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

Wand, by Landra Jennings, at Always in the Middle…  

The Wolf-Girl, the Greeks and the Gods, by Tom Holland, illustrated by Jason Cockroft, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

Authors and Interviews

Esme Symes-Smith (Sir Callie and the Dragon’s Roost) at The Nerd Daily

Christopher Mackie (Cloudlanders) at Parrot Street Book Club

Kerstin Stanford (Escape from Portaliege: A Sam Harte Adventure) at The Worldshapers podcast

Jennifer Claessen (The November Witches) at Scope for Imagination

Other Good Stuff

"Epic Quests & Enchanted Worlds" at From The Mixed Up Files

Field of Screams, by Wendy Parris

If you are looking for a middle grade ghost story that's spooky and scary but not so horrifying as to be disturbing, Field of Screams, by Wendy Parris (August 2023 by Delacorte Press), is a great pick!

Rebecca is a would-be ghost hunter who hasn't yet managed to actually see a ghost.  When her mother decides the two of them are going to spend the summer with her deceased dad's family on a farm in Iowa, the only comfort her best friend (who she was hoping to go to camp with) can offer is that an old house in the middle of nowhere sounds like a great place for ghosts.

And indeed, this proves to be the case.  The mundane world of family time, including reminiscences about her dad that make her feel closer to him (he too believed in ghosts, for instance), is disturbed by creepy happenings.  They are small at first, and possible to for Rebecca dismiss with intense logical thought, and certainly nothing anyone else takes seriously.  Not even Nick, the cute boy who is willing to at least consider the possibility that ghosts are real, is convinced at first.  But the creepiness turns into a genuine haunting that can't be dismissed.  

Rebecca, now certain there is a real ghost, struggles to keep investigating like a good paranormal researcher while becoming increasingly frightened.  The ghost is getting stronger and more terrifying every day.  It becomes a race to find the clues to who the ghost is and what they want, before a tragedy from long ago strikes again.

The mystery is a satisfying one, leading down an interesting path of Rebecca's family history to a really great abandoned (and haunted) house (I liked the abandoned house exploring bits lots!).  The haunting is also satisfying, and the ghost makes sense--there's a reason they are still around.  The writing is very vivid; it is easy to feel Rebecca's fright and admire her determination to keep going.  Real world tensions (is Rebecca's mom falling in love with Kelsie's dad?  And why is Kelsie so awful to Rebecca?) play on Rebecca's nerves alongside the strain of being haunted, adding to general discomfort that's looming like an approaching storm.

And then when then the storm breaks, all the pieces come together very nicely indeed in a tense and moving climax.

Don't expect, though, all the jump scares and bloody horror the title might conjure up; there's actually no running-while-screaming through a corn field, and the field is only a minor part of the haunting.

But you can expect to be gripped and entertained by the supernatural mystery, that touches on themes of loss and change that are very relatable to the target audience!

this week's round-up of middle grade fantasy and science fiction from around the blogs (11/5/23)

Here's what I found this week; nothing from me becuase of me still desperatly trying to finish outside work before winter, sigh.

The Reviews

Adventures of Takuan From Koto, by Ryu Zhong, at Bookworm for Kids

The Clockwork Conspiracy, by Sam Sedgman, at Scope for Imagination

Dogtown, by Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko, illustrated by Wallace West, at A Kids Book A Day

Dragon Daughter, by Liz Flanagan, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

The Fall of the House of Tatterly, by Shanna Miles, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Finch House, by Ciera Burch, at A Kids Book A Day

Glassborn, by Peter Bunzl, at a Library Lady 

The Great Weather Diviner, by Andrew Dolberg and Rob Long, at Always in the Middle…

The Hunt for the Hollower, by Callie C. Miller, by Pages Unbound

Keynan Masters and the Peerless Magic Crew, by DaVaun Sanders, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Mermedusa, by Thomas Taylor, at Sifa Elizabeth Reads  

Odder, by Katherine Applegate, at proseandkahn

Once We Were Witches, by Sarah Driver, at Kiss the Book

The Puppets of Spelhorst, by Kate DiCamillo, at Faith Elizabeth Hough

A Ranger’s Guide to Glipwood Forest, by Andrew Peterson, at Mark My Words

Scariest.Book.Ever. by R.L. Stine, at Kiss the Book

Shadowhall Academy: The Whispering Walls, by Phil Hickes, at Book Craic

Spooky Stories of the World, by Wendy Shearer, illustrated by Teo Georgiev, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Tales to Keep You Up At Night, by Dan Poblocki, at Twirling Book Princess

The Taming of the Cat, by Helen Cooper, at Scope for Imagination

The Wild Robot Protects, by Peter Brown, at Miss Cleveland is reading… 

Two at The Book Search -- The Lost Library, by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass, and The Carrefour Curse by Dianne K. Salerni

Three at the New York Times--Jeanne DuPrau’s “Project F,” Patricia Forde’s “The Girl Who Fell to Earth” and Donna Barba Higuera’s “Alebrijes”

Authors and Interviews

 R. L. Stine (Scariest Book Ever) at People

Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh, by Rachael Lippincott for Timeslip Tuesday

A YA sapphic love story for this week's Timeslip Tuesday--Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh, by Rachael Lippincott (August 29, 2023, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers).

Audrey is in a depressed holding pattern--dumped by her boyfriend and waitlisted by her dream school, the RI School of Design, she puts in the motions of working at the family corner store in Pittsburgh.  If she can send RISD the additional art they asked of her, maybe she'll get in, but she's not feeling any creative spark at all.  But then a regular customer, a curmudgeonly old man, sends her back to England in 1812.  Which turns out to be just the unsticking adventure she needs!

Back in 1812, wealthy and lovely Lucy is also stuck--her father is planning to marry her off to a much older man who is an awful piece of work.  Then Audrey pops into her life.  Lucy takes Audrey in hand, molding her as much as possible into a proper regency young lady, albeit one who's American upbringing can be used to try to explain all the bits of Audrey that refuse to be molded, and there are lots of these.  

Audrey figures out that she has 24 days in the past, and figures that she needs to find her spark again to get home.  So she casts around at the local eligible young men for love....  And Lucy, talking all this over with her new friend, yearns for a spark of her own.  

And then they realize it is each other that is making sparks fly....

It's a charming enough romance, and there's considerable humor in fish out of water Audrey back in 1812, and considerable sympathy evoked for poor trapped Lucy.  But the story didn't go beyond "charming enough" for me into any sort of moving, gripping reading experience.  It's pretty clear what's going to happen romance-wise, so it was more a waiting for the inevitable to happen than a what will happen next story.  Also the only Pride and Prejudice tie in was the time period, which disappointed me.  If you want a bit of escapism with two girls falling sweetly in love, and if you like your Time Travel to be a diverting bit of plot device, it will do nicely, but if you want more, not so much.

This week's round-up of middle grade fantasy and sci fi from around the blogs (10/29/23)

Good morning all!  Here's what I gathered this week; please let me know if I missed your post!

The Reviews

Bite Risk, by S.J. Wills, at Valinora Troy

Coyote Queen, by Jessica Vitalis, at ReadWonder and Watch. Connect. Read.

Dogtown, by Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko, illustrated by Wallace West, at Charlotte's Library

Ghost Rescue, by Jenny McLachlan, at Sifa Elizabeth Reads 

Grumbones, by Jenn Bennett, at Pages Unbound 

Hellaween, by Moss Lawton, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Hollowthorn, by Kalyn Josephson, at The Story Sanctuary and  It's All About the Book 

Just a Pinch of Magic, by Alechia Dow, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Kingdom of Dust by Lisa Stringfellow, at Watch. Connect. Read.

Mia and the Traitor of Nubis, by Janelle McCurdy, at Books Up North

The Midnight Switch, by Samuel J. Halpin, at Book Craic

Project F, by Jeanne DuPrau, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Puppets of Spelhorst, by Kate DiCamillo, at Redeemed Reader

Shakti, by S. J. Sindu & Nabi H. Ali, at  Pages Unbound

Show Us Who You Are, by Elle McNicoll, at  Kiss the Book

Sixteen Souls, by Rosie Talbot, at Ms. Yingling Reads 

The Snow Girl, by Sophie Anderson, at Book Craic and My Book Corner

The Song of the Swan by Karah Sutton, at The Story Sanctuary and Charlotte's Library

The Spirit Snatcher, by Cat Gray, at Book Craic

The Witch-Stone Ghosts, by Emily Randall-Jones, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

Two dog stories at A Library Mama--Elf Dog and Owl Head, by M.T. Anderson, and The Eyes and the Impossible, by Dave Eggers

Two more at A Library Mama- Between Monsters and Marvels, by Alyssa Wishingrad, and Don’t Want to Be Your Monster, by Deke Moulton

Two at The Book Search--Creatures of the In Between, by Cindy Lin, and The Bellwoods Game, by Celia Krampien

Two at Ms. Yingling Reads -- Alex Wise vs. The End of the World Terry J. Benton-Walker, and Futureland: The Nightmare Hour (Futureland #2), by H.D. Hunter

Other Good Stuff

10 Enchanting Dungeons and Dragons Books for Kids (imaginationsoup.net)

Spooky Books for Halloween! - (mybookcorner.co.uk) and another great Halloween list at kellybyrd.com

Urusla Le Guin's absolutely charming Cat Wings series is being reissued!  via Cracking the Cover

The winners of the 2023 Ignyte Awards have been announced! Congratulations to Claribel Ortega!

Best in Middle Grade

for works intended for the middle grade audience

• Ruby Finley vs. the Interstellar Invasion – K. Tempest Bradford (Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers)
• The Last Mapmaker – Christina Soontornvat (Candlewick Press)
• The Marvellers – Dhonielle Clayton (Henry Holt & Company)
• WINNER: Witchlings – Claribel Ortega (Scholastic Press)
• You Only Live Once, David Bravo! – Mark Oshiro (HarperCollins)

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.

Dogtown, by Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko, illustrated by Wallace West

Dogtown, by Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko, illustrated by Wallace West (younger middle grade, September 19, 2023, Feiwel & Friends) arrived at my home unexpectedly, and I'm very glad it did, because it is a charmer!  It touched the heart of even cynical non-dog person me, and if it can do that, I'm sure that young uncynical dog lovers will be utterly and completely in love with it!

It's the story of a dog named Chance, who lives at Dogtown, a shelter for both regular dogs and robotic ones.  Chance longs every day for her family to come take her home again, though she's worried that they won't want her anymore when they find she only has three legs now.  But this doesn't mean that she spends her days pining.  She has a wonderfully caring personality, and this is what drives the plot.

When a robot dog, Metal Head, arrives at Dogtown, Chance is at first dismissive of them--robot dogs don't have hearts like real ones.  But Metal Head proves her wrong.  This is the catalyst for a chain of events include a tense (and entertaining) adventure for Chance, Metal Head, and Chance's mouse friend outside the safety of Dogtown.  And it's because of Metal Head that Chance finds her family again.  

And although I (cynical, as noted above) tend to squirm at sweet messages, the last message Chance gets from Metal Head made me sniff (in a good way)--"Your heart is a muscle.  It grows stronger the more you use it."  The sweet message is set in the context of a solid story, with characters the reader can't help but care for, and the illustrations make the book all the more appealing.  So many cute dogs!  

But don't think it is all caring friends and happy endings!  Sensitive kids might be distressed by some aspects of the story--Dogtown, sadly, is not a no kill shelter.  And although none of the dogs we meet suffer this fate, it hangs over their heads, adding to their desperate wish to find homes.  Chances backstory is sad--a horrible dog sitter was responsible for the accident that cost Chance her leg.  And Metal Head's story has a twist that might distress--(spoiler) the boy he lived with discarded him as being a childish toy, which reminds me of what happens to kids when friends grow up faster than they do.

Still, the feeling at the end is warm and loving, and I would happily give it as a gift if I had any 8 or 9 year old animal lovers to shop for.

This week's round up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (10/22/23)

Here's what I found, let me know if I missed your post!

The Reviews

The Cats of Silver Crescent, by Kaela Noel, at Mark My Words

The Deadlands: Survival (The Deadlands 3), by Skye Melki-Wegner, at Mark My Words

Deadly Deep, by Jennifer Killick, at Sifa Elizabeth Reads

Deephaven, by Ethan M. Aldridge, at Pages Unbound and Ms. Yingling Reads

The Ghost Job, by Greg Van Eekhout, at Always in the Middle… 

The Great Ghost Hoax (The Great Pet Heist #2), by Emily Ecton and David Mottram, at Kiss the Book

Grave Mistakes, by Kitty Curran, at  Geo Librarian

How Not to Be A Vampire Slayer, by Katy Birchall, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Kingdom of Broken Magic, by Christine Aziz, at Book Craic

Lunar, by Chris Bradford, at Book Craic

Mahahaa, by Neil Christopher, at Mark My Words

Moongarden (Plotting the Stars 1), by Michelle A. Barry, at Susan Uhlig

The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow Jessica Haight and Stephanie Robinson, at Valinora Troy

The Secret of the Ravens, by Joanna Cacao, at Mark My Words

Sir Cumference and the 100 PerCent Goose Chase by Cindy Neuschwander and Wayne Geehan, at Sharon the Librarian

Slime Doesn’t Pay, by R.L. Stine, at Mark My Words 

Vivian Van Tassel and the Secret of Midnight Lake, by Michael Witwer, at Mark My Words

Welcome to Dead Town, Raven McKay, by Eibhlís Carcione, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

White House Clubhouse, by Sean O'Brien, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Two at A Library Mama--Finch House, by Ciera Burch, and Nightmare House, by Sarah Allen

Two at The Book Search--Three Tasks for a Dragon, by Eion Colfer, and  Dogtown, by Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko

Other Good Stuff

"We Don't Talk About Harry Potter," by Dhonielle Clayton (publishersweekly.com)

the new WONKA Trailer at 100 Scopenotes

Ways to Build Dreams, by Renée Watson

Though I mostly review middle grade sci fi/fantasy here, I do actually read other genres too! And Ways to Build Dreams, by Renée Watson, illustrated by Niña Mata (October 17th 2023, Bloomsbury), was just the right heartwarming read for this difficult week.

This is the fourth story about Ryan Hart, and in this outing she is on the cusp of change.  Starting middle school next year, quite possibly without her best friend at her side, is a daunting prospect.  And it feels like she's being pushed to figure out not just who her future self will become, but how she will make change for good in the world.

The story is full of lots of small moments in ordinary life; there's nothing dramatic, but it's all interesting, and there's enough going on, and enough food for thought, to invest the reader in Ryan's world. 

But most of all the story is full of love --from her parents, from her friends (with empathy even coming from a boy she hadn't before been able to quite trust), from her teacher, and from herself--not just love back to all those people, but loving herself, and believing, as the title promises, that she will keep on building dreams. Though the honor of being her class valedictorian comes with the horror of public speaking, Ryan rises to the challenge.  And her speech, which brings this part of her life, and the book, to a close, says something many of us need to be reminded of--

"So, instead of telling you to dream big and change the world, I want to say, go change your world--your family, your neighborhood, your community.  I've learned that it's not only important to dream of doing big, big, big, things, it's also important to dream of simple, everyday things we can do to make the world a better place."

Yes. I needed to hear that.

disclaimer--review copy received from the publisher.

this week's round up of middle grade fantasy and sci fi from around the blogs etc. (10/15/23)

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

first--today is the last day of public nominations for the Cybils Awards!  If you haven't yet shown love for a elementary/middle grade sci fi/fantasy book published in the US or Canada between Oct 16 2022 and Oct 15 2023, don't miss your chance!  I have gathered together a list of some of the books still waiting for your consideration--do visit and see if there's one you love and give it its chance to shine! And I've starred the books in this round-up that are eligible and haven't been nominated yet.  (There are of course lots of other worthy categories, from picture books to HS non fiction....)

The Reviews

Alex Wise vs. the End of the World, by Terry J. Benton-Walker, at Mark My Words

Bella Bright and the Ghost Game, by Carolyn Ward, at Scope for Imagination and Book Craic

The Bellwoods Game, by Celia Krampien, at Bookworm for Kids

Book Review: 'Percy Jackson: The Chalice of the Gods' (thecosmiccircus.com)

Coyote Queen, by Jessica Vitalis, at  Always in the Middle… 

*The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejía, by Alexandra Alessandri, at The Banner

*Forever Twelve, by Stacey McAnulty, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Grave Thief, by Dee Hahn, at Pages Unbound 

Ice Children, by M.G. Leonard, at Valinora Troy

Just a Pinch of Magic, by Alechia Dow, at Punk-Ass Book Jockey  

*Kelcie Murphy and the Hunt for the Heart of Danu, by Erika Lewis, at proseandkahn

*The October Witches, by Jennifer Claessen, at Sifa Elizabeth Reads

*Project F, by Jeanne DuPraa at Dede  (@professional_bookworm_dede) 

*The Puppets of Spelhorst, by Kate di Camillo, at Semicolon and Cracking the Cover

Scarewaves, by Trevor Henderson, at  Ms. Yingling Reads

Sky, by Holly Webb, at Book Craic

Three Tasks for a Dragon by Eoin Colfer, illustrated by  P.J. Lynch, at Mark My Words  and Cracking the Cover

Vivian Lantz's Second Chances, by Kathryn Ormsbee, at Charlotte's Library

Authors and Interviews

Shanna Miles (*The Fall of the House of Tatterly) at teenlibrariantoolbox.com

Alechia Dow (Just a Pinch of Magic) at teenlibrariantoolbox.com

Zana Fraillon and Bren MacDibble (The Raven’s Song) at Bellis Does Books (wordpress.com)

Sylvia Whitman (*If you Meet the Devil, Don't Shake Hands) at Smack Dab in the Middle

Sean O’Brien (*White House Clubhouse) at Literary Rambles:

Jessica Vitalis (Coyote Queen) on Telling the Truth: Sometimes You Have to Make It Up, at Cynthia Leitich Smith and an interview at From The Mixed Up Files

 Lisa Schmid (Hart & Souls), at From The Mixed Up Files

Other Good Stuff

Spooky Stories for Middle Grade Readers 2023 – Scope for Imagination

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Best Children's Book Picks October 2023 

Vivian Lantz's Second Chances, by Kathryn Ormsbee for Timeslip Tuesday

Today's Timeslip Tuesday, Vivian Lantz's Second Chances, by Kathryn Ormsbee (middle grade, June 2023 HarperCollins) is a Groundhog's Day style repeating the same day over and over again.  In this case, Vivian is stuck repeating the first day of  8th grade.  And her track record of truly horrible first days is not broken by the many misfortunes that befall her, with every do-ever day bringing fresh distress.

Vivian isn't thrilled about starting 8th grade without her best friend Cami who has moved away.  But she's determined to do it right, and so she writes a to-do list in her new journal to help her have a great experience.  She does not.  Slipping in the mud, accidently bringing a bag of dog poop to school, destroying the class fish tank, and getting her first period (and first period stain) in the cafeteria at lunch is just some of what happens.  

And when she wakes up the next day, she gets to do it all again (but this time without the poop and with a pad...)  She starts figuring out some of the social dynamics that she'd missed before--the boy she was crushing on is a jerk, the queen bee girl is a viper, and Gemma, who used to be tight in that circle of friends, has had enough of them, and is (maybe) ready for a new friend....as of course is Vivian.  Maybe even more than just friends.... (though there is explicit attraction, it is not acted on, which makes sense because although Vivian gets to know Gemma through 8 or so days, Gemma keeps meeting Vivian for the first time....)

But there's more going on in Vivian's life than just school. That first day is when her 17-year-old brother leaves with no warning, to go off travelling with his band. She and their dads have to somehow come to terms with this; Vivian feels angry and abandoned.  So a few of her repeat days are spent with her brother as her main focus, which is a nice change from middle school awful-ness, and she tells her brother what's been happening to her, and though he has no answer about how to stop the time loop, he does give her food for thought.

Back at school, Vivian keeps messing things up in her quest to have a perfect first day, and is getting fed up.  She tells her best friend Cami all about it, and Cami's insights blend with her brother's.... Instead of trying to have a Perfect Day, Vivian is going to simply live it authentically.  And miraculously, that works!  It isn't, in fact, a perfect day, but it's far from being a disaster.

So reliving a horrible 8th grade day is not exactly fun reading, but it was fun seeing how things played out differently each time. The magic is explained more or less satisfactorily, and the ending is such that there's a teasing though that it might come into play again, which I'd be up for!   And though I wanted to shake Vivian at times, I was glad she was able to do some quick growing up.  I'm sure this will resonate with many of its target readers, and perhaps even give them food for thought as well.

Glad to have a new one to add to my LGBTQ middle grade fantasy list!  (as well as Vivian's crush on Gemma, who is explicitly identified as gay, there are Vivien's two dads, a nice discussion she has with one of them about how he realized he was gay, a brief reference to how they weren't allowed to marry for years, and Vivian's own reflection that she didn't have to choose either/or boys/girls).

NB.  This one has been safely nominated for this year's Cybils Awards, but there are lots and lots of great books still waiting to be picked.  Please show a book the love it deserves by nominating it before the deadline at the end of the day on the 15th!  Here and also here are some (though by no means all) of the books you could pick, and here's where you go to nominate.

Some elementary/middle grade fantasy and sci fi books waiting for their Cybils Awards slot

I read a lot of middle grade fantasy and sci fi books every year, and every October when I'm a panelist for the Cybils Awards, I desperately want every one of them, as well as all the ones I haven't read yet, to be honored with a nomination! So if you have a few minutes to spare to show a book some love, here are some elementary/middle grade speculative fiction books that haven't gotten the call yet!

 I hope you see one you really loved and nominate it! Here's where you go--#CYBILS2023 Public Nomination Period

TODAY OCT 15 is the last day!!!!

Heroes of the Water Monster, by Brian Young

Rumaysa, by Radiya Hafiza

The Chalice of the Gods, by Rick Riordan

Seagarden, by Michelle A. Barry

City of Secrets, by Alex London

The Book of Stolen Dreams, by David Farr

Oscar From Elsewhere, and also The Secret of Lillian Velvet, by Jaclyn Moriarty

The Portal Keeper: The Misewa Saga, Book Four a book by David A Robertson

The Fall of the House of Tatterly by Shanna Miles

A Pocketful of Stars, by Aisha Bushby

The Unforgettable Logan Foster and the Shadow of Doubt, by Shawn Peters

Heroes of Havensong: Dragonboy by Megan Reyes

Emma and the Queen of Featherstone by Lindsay Fryc

Maggie and the Mountain of Light by Mark Snoad

Escape from Grimstone Manor (Monsterious, #1) by Matt McMann

The Hunt for the Hollower by Callie C. Miller

Maybe There are Witches, by Jude Atwood

Field of Screams by Wendy Parris

Peril at Price Manor by Laura Parnum

The Otherwoods, by Justine Pucella Winans

Bee Bakshi and the Gingerbread Sisters, by Emi Pinto

Golden Frog Games. Witchlings #2 by Claribel Ortega

Islands of Elsewhere by Heather Fawcett

Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind, by Misa Siguira

Ring of Solomon, by Aden Polydoros

Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies, by Stacey Lee

Serwa Boatang’s Guide to Witchcraft and Mayhem, by Roseanne Brown

Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit by Jesse Q. Sutanto

The Little Match Girl Strikes Back, by Emma Carroll

The Ghost Job, by Greg Van Eekhout

The Glass Witch, by Lindsay Puckett

The Enchanted Bridge, by Zetta Elliott

The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejía, by Alexandra Alessandri

The Pearl Hunter, by Miya Beck

The Extraordinary Curiosities of Ixworth and Maddox, by J.D. Grolic

Marikit and the Ocean of Stars, by Caris Avendaño Cruz

The Dollhouse, by Charis Cotter

Where the Black  Flowers Bloom, by Ronald L. Smith

Princess of the Wild Sea, by Megan Frazer Blakemore

Sir Calli and the Champions of  Helston, by Esme Symes-Smith

Sisters of the Lost March, by Lucy Strange

both The Chaos Monster and The Poison Waves by Sayantani DasGupta

The October Witches, by Jennifer Claessen

The Puppets of Spelhorst, by Kate di Camillo

Scarewaves, by Trevor Henderson

White House Clubhouse, by Sean O'Brien

Project F, by Jeanne DuPrau

this week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs is up! (10/8/23)

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

It's Cybils Awards nominating season--you have till the end of the day on October 15 to show love for your favorite Elementary/middle grade speculative fiction books! (and books in other categories too...)  I've put stars next the books in this week's round up that are eligible and haven't been nominated yet.  More great books needing nomination can be found at A Library Mama.  Here's where you go to show your book love!

The Reviews

*Bite Risk, by S.J. Wills, at Mark My Words

The Carrefour Curse, by Dianne K Salerni, at Pages Unbound

Coyote Queen by Jessica Vitalis, at Log Cabin Library

The Disappearing Diamond, by Glen Blackwell, at  Book Craic

Dogtown, by K.A. Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko, at Ms. Yingling Reads

*Forever Twelve (The Evers), by Stacy McAnulty, at Mark My Words

*The Ghost Job, by Greg Van Eekhout (with interview!), at Charlotte's Library

*It Found Us, by Lindsay Currie, at Geo Librarian

Just a Pinch of Magic, by Alechia Dow, by Punk-Ass Book Jockey 

*The Little Match Girl Strikes Back, by Emma Carroll, illustrated by Lauren Child, at Charlotte's Library

The Lost Library, by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass, at Staircase Wit and The Cosy Dragon

*Odwar vs. the Shadow Queen (The Intasimi Warriors), by Shiko Nguru, at YA Books Central

*Quest Kids and the Dark Prophesy of Doug, by Mark Leiknes,, at Cracking the Cover

 Read, Scream, Repeat, edited by Jennifer Killick, at Sifa Elizabeth Reads 

*Seagarden, by Michelle A. Barry, at Cracking the Cover 

Skrimsli, by Nicola Davies, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

The Taming of the Cat, by Helen Cooper, at  Book Craic

*Three Tasks for a Dragon, by Eoin Colfer, illustrated by P.J. Lynch, at Charlotte's Library

The Weather Well, by Vashti Hardy, at Scope for Imagination

*White House Clubhouse. by Sean O'Brien, at Charlotte's Library,  Always in the Middle and The Story Sanctuary

Three at Ms. Yingling Reads-  *Gone Wolf, by Amber McBride,  *Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans, by Isi Hendrix, and  *Mari and the Curse of El Cocodrilo, by  Adrianna.Cuevas,

Two at The Book Search: Nell of Gumbling, by Emma Steinkellner, and *The Mossheart's Promise, by Rebecca Nix

Authors and Interviews

Adrianna Cuevas (*Mari and the Curse of El Cocodrilo at  From The Mixed Up Files

Jessica Vitalis  (Coyote Queen) at Mr Schu Reads and MG Book Village

 Sinéad O’Hart  (The Silver Road) at Valinora Troy

Dianne K Salerni  (The Carrefour Curse) at Legit KidLit

Geri Halliwell (*Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen) at Today

Other Good Stuff

"2023 Releases by Latine Authors Perfect for the Horror Season" with lots of great mg titles, at  A Kernel of Nonsense

How sci-fi books can help kids better understand science - UND Today

lovely wyverns of yesteryear (zoom in for wyvern goodness)!  Rare 1,000-Year-Old Brooch Goes on Display in England

Three Tasks for a Dragon, by Eoin Colfer, illustrated by P.J. Lynch

My five star goodreads review for Three Tasks for a Dragon, by Eoin Colfer, illustrated by P.J. Lynch (October 3, 2023, Candlewick), is as follows--"a lovely book--both the words and the pictures gave me great pleasure. If I had someone in my life who loved beautiful fairy tale/dragon books, they would be getting this as a gift."  

It is the story of Prince Lir, who doesn't particularly want to become the next Wolfhound King--he is a scientist at heart, and the wolfhounds don't even come when he summons them, the way they are supposed to do for the true king, and the way they came for his stepbrother.  So she has him sent away on a quest.....and his reaction made me love him--

"Lir was already heartsore at the thought of leaving his beloved Ladin, most especially his friends in the small scientific community who were building a giant spyglass that would enable the watcher to clearly observe the face of the moon. 

I will never see the moon clearly, he thought." p 7

Lir suspects that dark magic might be afoot, and indeed there is, but there is nothing for him to do but go on a quest to save a maiden from a dragon.

And then this fairy tale goes in all sorts of unexpected direction--the maiden, Cethlenn, is better off working for the dragon than she was before, and she knows it, and the dragon, beset by physical ailments, is sorely in need of Lir's practical, scientific mind. So Cethlenn, the dragon, and Lir end up peacefully coexisting for a while...

Until the instigator of the dark magic Lir suspected was afoot arrives, and brings disaster.  There is a happy ending, but it is tense for a while.

There's more complexity of both character and plot to the story, but I'm not spoiling it.  Suffice to say it is a wonderful read for the romantic, castle dreaming youngster such as I was at 9 ish years old, and a pleasure for even the more cynical, ex-castle dreaming adult such as I am now!  The story carries one along, and the illustrations are lovely.  My only quibble is that I would have liked more words--this is lots more than a picture book, word-wise, but not quite even as long as novella.

In any event, I stand by my first reaction--this would be a great present for the right reader.

disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher

NB--Three Tasks for a Dragon is eligible for this year's Cybils Awards in Elementary/Middle Grade speculative fiction, and has not yet been nominated.  Lots of other fine books haven't been nominated either; here are a few of them.  Please show book love by nominating here before the end of the day on October 15th!

The Little Match Girl Strikes Back, by Emma Carroll, illustrated by Lauren Child

 I read and reread Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tales as a child, with more morbid fascination than true enjoyment, although I did appreciate how very good he was at making pictures in the mind.  The little match girl's frozen body, for instance, is still distressingly clear to me.  So it was somewhat cathartic to read Emma Carroll's re-imagining of the story, The Little Match Girl Stikes Back (Sept 2023 in the US, Candlewick), in which she isn't just a pathetic victim. 

Bridie comes close, though.  She is out in the snowy misery of 19th century London, desperately selling matches to help feed her little family (mother, herself, and her younger brother).  Her mother works at the match factory, which is its own hell of physical misery, pathetic wages, and phosphorous poisoning (not quite as bad as the poor radium girls, but close....).  And one day everything goes wrong for Bridie--hit by a carriage, all but three of her matches are ruined.  And one by one she lights them....and wishes.

The first match gives her a luxurious meal in a grand house, that leaves her no better off than before (the food not being real).  The second wish, though, is a catalyst for actual change.  She wishes "that rich people....didn't have everything while poor families like mine have nothing."  And magically, she meets in her dream a woman who is in real life a fierce advocate for the poor, and together they visit the match factory, where her mother is being fired.  The match fizzles out, but not the spark that has been lit, and the third match gives Bridie a vision of a possible future without desperate poverty and her mother's phosphorous poisoning that gives her hope that change is possible.

And so Bridie galvanizes the women of the factory to strike, and the advocate she met in her vision takes the cause up to a national level, and it succeeds. It's based on an actual strike, discussed in a non-fiction coda at the end of the book, and the mixing of this real and important history with the fantasy and reality of Bridie makes for an engrossing and memorable story.  The illustrations and decorations add beautifully to the fierceness and desperation of Bridie's life.

It's not your regular sort of fantasy--the magic is real, but, like the matches, burns only in flashes.  But they are very bright flashes.  And it's not your regular sort of straight historical fiction, because the story depends on the magic.  Offer it to young readers who like both, especially if they happen to be fascinated by labor horror stories of yesteryear, and love reading about kids who make change happen.

disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher.

The Little Match Girl Strikes Back is eligible for this year's Cybils Awards in Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction and has not yet been nominated.  Here's where you go if you want to show love for this one, or many of the others still waiting for their call....

The Ghost Job, by Greg Van Eekhout (with interview!)

Greg Van Eekhout is one of the authors who gets shelf space in my much beloved, still new and shiny, built-in bookshelf of which this is only a small section:

(Although this post is supposed to be a book review with bonus interview, I'd like to take the time to note the pleasing progression from Kelly Barnhill to William Alexander to Greg's books....Stephanie Burgis is perhaps not the right continuation, though, and I may have to tweak...and of course all of these authors are still writing (yay!) and I need to go back and buy the ones I don't already have when funds allow (built in bookshelves aren't cheap) so in a few years someone will have to be moved in any event...I can imagine, for instance, a whole Stephanie Burgis shelf which would take care of the question about who should go next to her.)

In any event, the newest arrival in the very choice Greg Van Eekhout section is The Ghost Job (Sept 26, 2023, HarperCollins), which I enjoyed very much!  It's the story of Zenith and her three best friends who fall victim to a freak middle school science lab accident.  Although being dead stinks, at least they have each other. 

 But when they hear of a machine that might be able to bring them back to life, they are determined to steal it from the unscrupulous necromancer using it for his own financial gain.  But not only is the machine well-guarded, they soon realize the necromancer wants to bottle their own ghostly essences for his stockpile of spirits....

Each of the kids has their own particular ghostly ability that makes them a great time to carry out this heist of a death-time.  Zenith can move physical things, Nicholas can make himself heard by the living, Vanessa can send her vision into the eyes of paintings and photographs from outside of buildings, and Eddie, who already had an affinity for the mechanical, now feels electric currents and the like in his ghostly body.  But even with these helpful heist advantages, it's touch and go....

There is great ghost action and adventure here, but there's a thoughtful, heart-tugging side of it too.  The kids, after all, are ghosts, and though they have each other, it is fundamentally a sad situation.  Ethical and moral questions are raised as well, giving the reader interesting food for thought.  All in all, an excellent read!

I got to ask Greg some questions about the book, which was nice for me.

How did the premise of Ghost Job come to you?

I was hard at work lying on the couch with my eyes closed, trying to decide if I wanted to write about heists or ghosts, and then the first line of the book came to me: "Ghosts are great thieves" and it was like boom, there's the book. Then I started working even harder and an hour later I woke up and had a glass of milk.

These are your first middle grade ghosts, and I'm wondering if the ghostly part apparated in your mind more or less intact, or if it required deep thought about things ghosts can make and do. And speaking of what ghosts can do, each character has a unique skill, with Zenith, the pov character, having poltergeist powers. It's essential for the plot that this is her skill, and I'm curious about whether you had to do a lot of making power fit plot, or vice versa, or if you knew from the start that Zenith would need to be able to do what she does? (and if you were a middle school ghost, which of the skills would you pick as your own?)

Ghost powers are pretty straightforward -- being invisible, walking through walls, etc. But stories about thieves who pull complicated heists generally feature specialists. You need a mastermind, you need muscle, you need a tech nerd, and so on. So I chose the specialities my ghost crew needed, assigned each character one of those roles, and then crafted their personalities to fit.

The main character, Zenith, is the muscle. She's a poltergeist who can move objects in the physical world. If I were a middle school ghost I'd want Zenith's powers just because there's so much potential to help people lift heavy objects, plus pranks.

One of the things that doesn't get a lot of explicit page time is the crushing grief of being sundered from family, though it's clearly something Zenith is feeling. Was the process of grief titration (enough so that it's there, not so much that readers get bogged down in a morass of sadness) tricky for you?

The grief and loss were the trickiest parts to write. I wanted to write a fun story about ghosts who steal stuff, but I couldn't ignore that a ghost is someone who's died, and death is horribly sad for those left behind, and if there is such a thing as a ghost, it must be sad for them too. So I aimed to find the right mix of jokes and adventure and hijinks while also respecting the emotional consequences of the concept.

There are so many themes and metaphors and messages that can be found in the story....do you have any such thing in particular that you hope young readers can take away?

Nobody gets through life without some hardship and loss, and I know of nothing that alleviates pain better than friends and love and laughter. Everybody hurts. Take comfort in your friends. Just like the REM song.

Do you believe in ghosts?

Do I believe in spectral presences that visit us and speak to us and interact with our physical environment? No. But do I believe our bodies and minds and the environments around us can combine in ways that make us feel like there are ghosts messing around with us? Absolutely. Unless it's Halloween. On Halloween I totally believe in ghosts. Especially when I'm alone. In the dark. In a graveyard...

Thanks Greg!

nb--The Ghost Job is eligible for this year's Cybils Awards, and hasn't been nominated yet.  Here's where you can go nominate this one or many other fine books still awaiting their nod!  Cybils nominations are a great way to show love for your favorite books and authors!

disclaimer: review copy recieved from the publishers 

White House Clubhouse, by Sean O'Brien, for Timeslip Tuesday

 

Today's Timeslip Tuesday book is White House Clubhouse, by Sean O'Brien (middle grade, October 3, 2023 by Norton Young Readers). It's fun time travel with engaging young travelers on a wild train ride, but it also makes a powerful point about the need to be good stewards of our natural resources for the sake of future generations.

Marissa and her little sister Clara are proud of their mother, the new president of the United States, but life in the White House is more constricting than they'd like.  But then they find a hidden tunnel leading to an underground clubhouse full of mysterious old stuff, and an invitation to join the club of White House kids....and they sign it.  They are whisked back in time to the White House of 1903, where Teddy Roosevelt's kids are up to all sorts of shenanigans.  It's a fun break from real life for the two modern girls, but when they want to go home, they find they are stuck.  The invitation they signed requires them to make a difference of some kind before they can go back to their own time.

When Marissa learns of plans afoot to bring industry and progress to the western states, at the expense of the natural world, including the giant sequoias, she decides that stopping this environmental destruction is the change she wants to make. So the sisters, aided, abated, and encouraged by Quentin and Ethel Roosevelt, stow away in the luggage traveling with the president on his whistle stop train tour out to the west coast.  Four kids can't stay hidden in luggage forever but playing poker with the press corps and avoiding other, less friendly grown-ups won't save the sequoias...(though this is the aspect of the book that will most please readers here for "having adventures on trains")

But Alice Roosevelt, Teddy's oldest daughter (the one with the green snake, Emily Spinach) also snuck onto the train, and she gives Marissa advise that will help her bring Teddy back on track to being the defender of natural beauty that is his best legacy.  It's very nicely done--the tension is great, the actions of the kids and the ways they effect change gripping and believable.  Young (and even old) environmentalists will be inspired.

Time travel is primarily a plot mechanism; the modern girls are of course put out by the uncomfortable clothes of yesteryear, but the cultural/linguistic/technological differences aren't really the point.  And since the Roosevelt kids know the sisters are time travelling, they are able to smooth over difficulties.  That being said, the time travel, especially toward the end of the book, does loop in some emotional resonance that adds to an already kid-empowering story.

disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher

NB--White House Clubhouse is among many fine books eligible for this year's Cybils Awards in the Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative fiction category (books published in the US/Canada for kids between Oct 16 2022 and Oct 15 2023).  Show your favorite kids/YA books love!  Nominations close October 15.  Read more here  #CYBILS2023 Public Nomination Period

this week's roundup of middle grade fantasy and sci fi from around the blogs (10/1/23)

Happy October!  Today is the first day of the Cybils Awards nominating period--nominating books is a great way to show love for them.  Eligible books are those published between Oct 16 2022 and Oct 15 2023;  I've starred the books in today's round up that are eligible.....as always, let me know if I missed your post!

The Reviews

*Alex Wise vs the End of the World by Terry J. Benton-Walker, at  Take Me Away…

Baby Unicorns (The Magical Unicorn Society #3), by Anne Marie Ryan, at Twirling Book Princess 

*Book of Screams, by Jeff Szpirglas,  and Steven B. Hughes,  (illus.). at Ms. Yingling Reads

Dragon Force – Infinity’s Secret, by Katie and Kevin Tsang, at Valinora Troy

Dreamweavers: Night of the Scary Fairies , by  Annabelle Sami, at  Book Craic

Eedoo: Book 1 (Eedoo Trilogy 1) by W.W. Rowe, at Mark My Words

In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen (Geomancer Book 1), by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, at Book Craic

Island of Whispers, by Frances Hardinge, illustrated Emily Gravett, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

*Kingdom Over the Sea, by Zohra Nabi, at A Library Mama

*The Lost Library, by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass, at Redeemed Reader

*Nightmare King, by Daka Hermon, at Ms. Yingling Reads

*Perfect Villains (Bad Princesses #1) by Jennifer Torres, at She's Got Books on Her Mind 

Podkin and the Singing Spear (The World of Podkin One-Ear #7), by Kieran Larwood, at  Book Craic

*Princess Betony and the Unicorn, by Pamela Freeman, illustrated by Tamsin Ainslie, at Log Cabin Library

*Rewind, by Lisa Graff, at Charlotte's Library

River of Crows (The Arcanium #1) by N.P. Thompson, at Mark My Words

*Scream for the Camera (Graveyard Girls #2), by Lisi Harrison and Daniel Kraus, at Bookworm for Kids 

*Serwa Boateng's Guide to Witchcraft and Mayhem, by Roseanne A. Brown, narrated by Soneela Nankani, at Sharon the Librarian (audiobook review)

The Silver Road, Sinéad O’Hart, at  Sifa Elizabeth Reads  

*Vivian Van Tassel and the Secret of Midnight Lake, by Michael Witwer, at The Miramichi Reader and  Bookworm for Kids

What Came From the Stars, by Gary D. Schmidt, at Redeemed Reader

Two at Ms. Yingling Reads--*Zombie Season, by Justin Weinberger, and *Arazan's Wolves (Ranger's Apprentice: The Royal Ranger, #6), by John Flanagan

Three more at Ms. Yingling Reads--*The Shape of Time, by Ryan Calejo,  *The Longest Night in Egypt (The Shadow Prince #2), by David Anthony Durham,  and *The Memory Thieves (The Marvellers #2), by Dhonielle Clayton

Two featuring indigenous tweens at SLJ--*Tiger Lily and the Secret Treasure of Neverland, by Cherie Dimaline, and *The Storyteller, by Brandon Hobson

Authors and Interviews

Peter Brown (The Wild Robot Trilogy) at The Yarn podcast

Other Good Stuff

Coming Soon(ish): The Wild Robot Animated Film, via  100 Scope Notes 

18 Zombie Books for Kids & Teens, at Literacious

Rewind, by Lisa Graff, for Timeslip Tuesday

Despite not having finished preparing the talk I'm giving tomorrow (on shipwrecks and archaeology, which I've done before but it needs work), I'm here with a Timeslip Tuesday both again!   And it's a fun one--Rewind, by Lisa Graff (August 22, 2023 by Philomel Books).  

An annual highlight in 12-year-old McKinley's hometown is the Time Hop--everyone dresses up in clothes from the chosen year, and parties to that year's music.  It's about to be Time Hop 1993, and McKinley works hard on her outfit.  But the happiness of the day is spoiled when her father tells he she has to stay home to look after her grandma, who had a stroke a while back.  She sneaks out anyway to join her best friend Meg, but they have a falling out.  And then her father shows up in the middle of the party to drag her home.  But that's not all--McKinely, devastated, rushes away...and travels back in time to the real 1993!

It's the same town, and she's quickly befriended by Meg's mom.  Her grandmother hasn't yet had her stroke, and her dad and Meg's dad are two utterly obnoxious pests.  She and Meg's mom join forces to try to figure out how to get McKinley home--does she have to change something?    Like, perhaps, make the two dads less obnoxious so that Meg stands a chance of being born, and McKinley's own home life is more pleasant?  And some research in the library (microfiche ftw) results in the two girls learning that others in the town have travelled back in time as well- adding an interesting twist to the puzzle of getting back to the present.

(Meg's mom is just the sort of new friend one wants to make when time traveling!  She accepts the situation, is tremendously helpful, and very practical, keeping McKinley safe and fed).

It's fun, and I'm sure the target audience will love all the details of 1993, and be taken aback, as McKinley is, at some of the cultural nuances of that long ago time  (including more overt misogyny and racism than kids today maybe, I hope, experience).  There's some food for thought gently folded in, like this quote-“Not mentioning the bad stuff, doesn’t make it go away,” McKinley had explained. “It just makes it so kids like us don’t know what really happened. And talking about the awful stuff doesn’t mean you can’t talk about the good stuff that happened that year, too.” (pp 150-151).  And there's a subtle but strong message that changing other people isn't the way to solve problems.

It wasn't quite a book for me, as I have no interest in the 1990s, and didn't much like the characters (especially the two boys, who I found unbelievably horrid), but still I read it with enjoyment.