Middle grade fiction

Something Like Home by Andrea Beatriz Arango

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Random House Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Laura’s just arrived at her aunt’s house as this novel in verse opens.  Her parents are in rehab following Laura’s 911 call, and she’s trying to deal with the fallout, including guilt for having made that call.  Titi Silvia provides her with structure and a comfortable home but is emotionally distant.  When Laura finds an abandoned pit bull puppy, she resolves to train him as a therapy dog, believing this will be her ticket to getting to visit her parents.  A new friend, Benson, is struggling with sickle cell disease, but offers to help her with training as his health allows.  After Laura’s parents check themselves out of rehab, and her mom makes a disastrous unannounced visit to her school, Laura realizes that her path back home may be longer and more complicated than she first believed.  Some therapy and heart-to-heart talks with Titi Silvia help her find a greater acceptance of her new life and the new people who are trying to help her.  256 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  This follow-up to Andrea Beatriz Arango’s Newbery Honor book Iveliz Explains It All is a moving story narrated by a believable protagonist who has to navigate some pretty tough situations feeling like she is more or less on her own.  

Cons:  There was so much packed into this relatively short story–foster care, addiction, chronic illness, dysfunctional families, Laura’s Puerto Rican heritage, therapy dogs–that it felt like some of the topics didn’t get explored as fully as they could have.

Wildfire by Breena Bard

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Little, Brown Ink

Summary:  Julianna’s heading home from a 4-H meeting near her home in rural Oregon when she runs into her ex-friend Carson with a group of boys bragging about some fireworks they have.  She tells them not to set them off due to the fire warnings in the area, but they ignore her.  Later, she and her family face a sudden evacuation from their home when wildfires sweep into the area.  They escape with their pet cat and goats, but their home is destroyed.  Weeks later, they’re starting over in Portland, Julianna starting eighth grade at a new school.  She finds new friends through an environmental club but is dismayed when Carson shows up.  As she and her family work through their anger and grief about all that they’ve lost, she begins to talk to Carson and discovers his guilt and shame about his role in the fire.  While she can’t bring herself to call him a friend, she’s able to understand and forgive him for what happened that day and to figure out a way to make a difference in a scary and uncertain world.  Includes an author’s note about her own experiences with Oregon wildfires and climate change and a list of additional resources.  288 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  An excellent graphic novel that deals with issues that are unfortunately timely and shows the emotions that go with facing the destruction of climate change.  Julianna and Carson have a lot to deal with, and Carson is portrayed sympathetically despite his disastrous choice.

Cons:  I started to get a bit frustrated with Julianna’s parents who seemed slow to recognize how devastating an experience this was for her.

Extra Normal by Kate Alice Marshall

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Published by Viking Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Charlie Greer is the only “normal” kid in her family, with adoptive siblings that include a sister who’s a ghost and brothers who are telekinetic and a werewolf.  Both her mom, who has magic powers, and her dad, who does not, work for a paranormal investigative agency, and have been feeling increasingly burned out by their work and home responsibilities.  Charlie has decided that her power is being the responsible one, so when her parents take off for a short vacation, she vows to leave them alone, even when a mysterious family moves in across the street and neighbors start to disappear.  Soon it appears that all the Greer kids are in danger, leaving them to use their magic to save themselves, even Charlie, who discovers that even being normal can carry with it a certain superpower.  240 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Elementary horror fans will love this spooky story which also delivers a good message about embracing who you are and not taking the weight of the world upon your shoulders.

Cons:  Horror is one of my least favorite genres, so October’s not really my favorite month. If you’re a fan, however, stay tuned.

Saving Sunshine by Saadia Faruqi, illustrated by Shazleen Khan

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Published by First Second

Summary:  Pakistani American twins Zara and Zeesh are constantly fighting, despite sharing scientific passions, Zara for animals and Zeesh for astronomy.  When their parents take them to Key West for a medical conference where their doctor mother will be honored, the two bicker the entire way down.  Exasperated, their parents take away their phones, telling them that they must spend some time together.  Without the distractions of technology, the two eventually find and help rescue a stranded loggerhead sea turtle.  Woven into the main story are incidents of prejudice and racism, including flashback scenes showing Zara’s decision to start wearing hijab, and the bullying that led to Zeesh’s quitting the space club.  224 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  This graphic novel seamlessly incorporates the experience of being Muslim and Pakistani American into a universal tale of sibling rivalry and devotion that many readers will connect with.

Cons:  When Zeesh gets annoyed at people always asking where he’s from (he was born in the US), both his dad and later, the white vet dismiss his feelings.

The Wild Robot Protects written and illustrated by Peter Brown

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Everyone’s favorite robot is back.  At the end of The Wild Robot Escapes, Roz had finally returned to the beloved island that she made her home in The Wild Robot.  Now that home is being threatened by the poison tide, a toxic substance in the ocean that is sickening and killing animals.  When it reaches her island, Roz decides she must travel north to find the legendary shark who is said to have the power to stop the poison tide.  After discovering that her new body is waterproof, Roz walks and swims through the ocean until she finds not only the shark but the source of the poison, which turns out to be a substance created during the mining process for minerals used to make robots.  A lengthy battle ensues that results in the destruction of the mining operation and almost the destruction of Roz.  She survives, though, and makes it home to meet her new grandchildren/grandgoslings.  320 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  I don’t usually review three books in a series, but I had to find out what was new with Roz and was not disappointed.  Peter Brown explores the themes of home and the interconnectedness of life (to quote from his author’s note) in an exciting adventure that sees the wild robot exploring the ocean depths and making new friends with the animals she meets there.

Cons:  As in the other two books, I kind of skimmed through the battle scenes, my least favorite part of the story.

Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell

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Published by Charlesbridge

Summary:  Six eighth graders and their teacher take on the topic of racist mascots when they are assigned to a debate about their town’s Braves mascot, which often inspires face paint and tomahawk chopping at sports events.  At first, only the girls are opposed: Callie, a member of the Cherokee nation and Black; Priya, the Indian American editor of the school paper; and Tessa, a White girl who has been homeschooled through seventh grade.  The boys mostly just want to enjoy the local teams, but eventually Franklin, who is Black, joins the girls in their campaign and loses Luis’s friendship in the process.  Sean’s family is struggling with poverty but has long supported the Braves and opposes changing tradition.  As the school year draws to a close, tensions mount as the anti-mascot campaign kicks into gear and the kids learn more about what is most important to them and to their families.  Includes lists of Cherokee and Salvadoran Spanish words used in the text and additional information about mascots and taking action.  256 pages; grades 4-8.  

Pros:  A timely issue is explored through the voices of a diverse group of middle school kids, all of whom are presented sympathetically with realistic reasons for their various points of view.  A quick read that could easily inspire students to look around them to see what might need to change in their own communities.

Cons:  The story was extremely agenda-driven; the novel-in-verse format didn’t allow for much character or plot development outside of the mascot issue.

Barely Floating by Lillian Rivera

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Published by Kokila

Summary:  Nat has grown up in a very progressive household, always encouraged to stand up for herself and to see herself as beautiful.  Her mom doesn’t understand Nat’s love of fancy clothes and make-up, and when Nat sees the L.A. Mermaids perform a synchronized swimming routine, she knows her parents won’t get why she wants to become part of the team.  They do, in fact, deny her request to join, so Nat enlists her older cousin Sheila to help her sneak off to practices and competitions, hoping that when she’s good enough she’ll be able to reveal her secret and persuade her parents.  But soon she’s entangled in a web of lies, hurting Sheila, her best friend Joanne, and herself.  When Nat’s deceptions catch up with her, she and her mother are finally able to communicate about their differences and to find a compromise that works for both of them.  240 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  A fun introduction to synchronized swimming with a memorable narrator who is both confident and vulnerable about putting herself out there.  The Mermaids are a gutsy group of kids who defy the stereotypes of thin white girls participating in the sport and really make it their own.

Cons:  I can generally get behind a good social justice warrior, but Nat’s mom’s constant outspokenness to various family members about progressive causes started to wear on me after a while.

The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett

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Published by Clarion Books

Summary:  It’s an ordinary day for 11-year-old Kemi when the news of an asteroid rapidly approaching Earth changes everything.  Kemi’s passion for statistics and probability tells her that the 84.7% chance of a collision means that life as she knows it will most likely end in four days.  As her extended family gathers together, Kemi decides to put together a time capsule to show anyone who finds it what her family was like. From her grandmother’s Nigerian recipes to her family’s “magical” sweatshirt, the time capsule soon has representation of each family member except her dad. Kemi goes on a scientific quest to find out his true passion, something he’s been searching for since leaving a demanding job.  As the days tick by, a huge plot twist emerges, and readers learn why it feels like the end to Kemi and her family, as they learn that even when the world ends, there is always an after.  336 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros and cons:  I started this book at the end of July, and it has taken me almost six weeks to finish it.  With record summer temperatures and wildfire smoke in the sky, it took all my willpower to keep reading about the impending destruction of the world.  But as I finally neared the end and learned what had really befallen Kemi’s family, it occurred to me that this may be the most timely book of 2023, with its meditations on loss, grief, racism, violence, and of course, the end of the world as we know it.  A Newbery contender for sure, if only Sarah Everett were American, not Canadian.

Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen

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Published by Heartdrum

Summary:  Mia lives with her mother and stepfather, observing her Jewish faith both at home and at her Jewish day school.  When a boy at school tells her she’s not a “real Indian,” Mia goes on a quest to discover her Muscogee culture, passed down to her from her father’s side.  She and her best friend hatch a plan in which Mia uses some of her bat mitzvah money to take a bus from L.A. to Oklahoma.  She manages to pull it off and spends a few days with her dad and his family, learning more about her heritage, before her mother discovers where she is and flies down to get her.  Back home, Mia must face the consequences of her actions, but her new discoveries have given her courage to talk to her mother and stepfather about making some changes to allow her dad and her Muscogee family to be part of her life.  Includes a note from the author about her own Jewish-Muscogee heritage, a glossary of Muskvoke terms used, and a note from Heartdrum author-curator Cynthia Leitich Smith.  256 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  This debut graphic novel offers an interesting look at a unique heritage and the difficulties of embracing that when divorce separates a family.  Readers will empathize with Mia and enjoy learning about her Jewish and Muscogee cultures alongside her.

Cons:  I was a bit stressed about Mia’s secret 24-hour bus trip on her own.

We Still Belong by Christine Day

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Published by Heartdrum

Summary:  Wesley is excited about two things as she heads to seventh grade one day: having her poem about Indigenous People’s Day appear in the school newspaper and asking her crush Ryan to the school dance.  As the day unfolds, however, both dreams are destroyed in true middle school fashion. A teacher criticizes her poem, telling her it’s not good enough to read aloud in his class, and Ryan shows up on social media with another date to the dance.  Defeated, Wesley heads to the annual powwow with her family, where her day starts to turn around.  Not only does she get encouragement about both the poem and Ryan, but she discovers a new friend and comes to embrace and appreciate her family and her Upper Skagit community even more. Includes an author’s note. 256 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  Readers will enjoy getting to know Wesley as they follow her through a day in her life, navigating friendships, family issues, and school.  Information about indigenous culture is expertly woven into the story and expanded upon in the author’s note.

Cons:  While I appreciated the excellent writing and storytelling, I found this book a little slow going at the beginning.