I am reading the cutest middle grade novel right now. It's called The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass and it's about a boy, a little free library, a couple ghosts, and Mortimer, the library cat. Highly recommend for readers age 8-12.
Inspired by a true story, Hoops dramatizes the historic struggle for gender equality in high school sports. Taking place in Wilkins in Indiana in 1976, it follows a group of teenagers who created one of the first high school girls basketball teams.
I was in the first girl's sport in my high school. It was tennis and we were absolutely terrible. In two years we never won a match. But that didn't matter, we had fun. I can still remember being angry that the boys got varsity letters for their sports participation but the girls did not.
What a great graphic novel ! I really love how Jonathan Hill uses science fiction to explore the themes of difference, fear of rejection and immigration. It is truly a very smart story : Identity is at the center of the plot, but in a very unexpected way.
Five stars: Lo and Behold by Wendy Mass and Gabi Mendez (Illustrator) (2023) is about friendships made through augmented and virtual reality. Addie and her father have moved temporarily to a college town so he can help some computer science students with their grants.
A mermaid, a firebird, and a witch become entangled with the mysterious and powerful Witch Queen, who may hold the key to each of their past in this epic middle grade fantasy by debut author Vivian Zhou.
From We Need Diverse Books cofounder Lamar Giles comes an out-of-this-world adventure starring the Epic Ellison twins! Join them as they race to solve the mystery of Cosmos Camp for young geniuses in this stand-alone companion to the Legendary Alston Boys series.
Making new friends can be difficult. It can seem even more insurmountable when you are on the autistic spectrum. 11-year-old Alex knows one or two things about it. He really doesn’t like change. Change can be terrifying. Alex thinks that having a friend will greatly help him, but how will he meet someone before school begins ?
Huda F Cares? by Huda Fahmy: 4* for this this #MiddleGrade#GraphicNovel that explores what it's like to be a practicing Muslim in the United States from a young teenage girl's perspective.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes the third and final book in the cheerful and charming trilogy about friendship, adventure, and celebrating your true self.
With its friendly monsters, The Monsters of Marymount Mansion is the perfect middle grade book for #spookyseason ! Toby is a sweet monster, but with a scary apparence : he has skin like a fish, fur like a dog, and smells like cotton candy when he gets excited ! Courageous and curious, the young monster has a lot of adventures on Halloween !
The Witch Boy trilogy by Molly Knox Ostertag is a fun graphic novel series about a boy witch in a family where only girls can be witches. It follows the MC as he navigates friendships, family dynamics, mysteries, and witchcraft. The three books are: The Witch Boy, The Hidden Witch, and The Midwinter Witch. Perfect for ages 8-13 or any fan of graphic novels.
Affective Worldmaking: Narrative Counterpublics of Gender and Sexuality edited by S. Schultermandl, J. Aresin, S. Pages Whybrew, and D. Simic (nonfiction)