Middle grade fiction

The Vanquishers by Kalynn Bayron

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Summary:  Malika, nicknamed Boog, lives in a San Antonio neighborhood near her best friends Jules and Cedric.  They all agree that their parents are way too overprotective, acting as though vampires were not all wiped out during the Reaping that took place before they were born.  A new neighbor named Aaron seems to fit into their group perfectly, but his mysterious disappearance turns their lives upside down.  When Boog learns that Aaron’s been bitten by a vampire, she and her friends take matters into their own hands, trying to discover the monster that is most likely living among them.  The new school guidance counselor is the obvious choice, but some surprise revelations at the end change everything about the kids’ lives and seem to set the stage for a sequel.  288 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  I have a few books with heavier topics waiting to be read, but I opted for the vampire tale this week and am so glad I did!  I had trouble putting this book down, with its diverse cast of characters, excellent blend of middle school humor, and delicious creepiness that kept me turning the pages.  As a side note, I finally was grateful that my daughter urged me to join her watching several seasons of Buffy, which gave me some background knowledge of vampire lore.

Cons:  This made me break my vow, made many years ago, to never read another vampire story after finishing Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot. 

The Prisoner of Shiverstone by Linette Moore

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Published by Harry N. Abrams

Summary:  Helga Sharp, an 11-year-old inventor, accidentally makes contact with Erasmus Lope, who’s been trapped on an island where “mad scientists” are exiled away from the mainland.  When Helga is found unconscious on the island, she’s housed with a brother and sister who work as island guards, but who have a few secrets of their own.  With the help of the sister’s robot butler, Helga gets to work trying to free Erasmus.  The secrets of both Helga and the island characters are gradually revealed, as Helga carries out her mission and ultimately finds a new home on the island.  160 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  A fast-paced graphic novel with lots of fun characters and plenty of adventure.  The end is somewhat open-ended, and readers will no doubt hope for a sequel to learn about what’s next for the plucky Helga.

Cons:  There was a lot of world-building and plot to cram into 160 pages.

Aviva vs. the Dybbuk by Mari Lowe

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Published by Levine Querido

Summary:  Aviva is an introverted 11-year-old whose mother, Ema, struggles with depression, but her life hasn’t always been that way.  Before her father’s accidental death, both she and Ema were a lively part of their Orthodox Jewish community.  Now the two of them live in a tiny apartment above the mikvah, a women’s ritual bathing house that her mother takes care of.  The mikvah is also home to a dybbuk, a mischievous spirit that only Aviva can see.  While Aviva and Ema have been immersed in grief for the last five years, things begin to change when Aviva starts sixth grade, as a renewed friendship with Kayla and her mother opens up new possibilities.  A final, frightening showdown with the dybbuk helps Aviva to come to terms with her grief, allowing her and her mother to begin to move forward.  171 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  This debut novel is beautifully written, exploring the emotions of grief and trauma, as well as the antisemitism directed at the Orthodox Jewish community.  This strong community, especially the women, makes for an inspiring cast of characters with language, rituals, and traditions expertly woven into the story.  I’ve seen this book on a few Newbery prediction lists.

Cons:  This book reminded me of last year’s Newbery honor book Too Bright to See: in both cases, the first few chapters felt so depressing that I almost gave up.  I was ultimately glad I stuck with both books, but kids might need some extra encouragement to keep reading.

Scout Is Not a Band Kid by Jade Armstrong

~ Janet Dawson ~ 3 Comments

Published by Random House Graphic

Summary:  Scout’s greatest dream is to go to AlmonteFest and meet her favorite author.  When she finds out her school band is going, she decides to join, pretending that she can play trombone.  The only other trombone player is Merrin, a dedicated player who is trying to get into an exclusive arts high school.  Merrin has been wanting to have first and second trombone parts and is annoyed that Scout is faking her way through all the music.  A disastrous concert forces a reluctant Scout to take lessons from Merrin, and much to the surprise of both girls, they discover they actually have quite a bit in common.  By the time of the festival, they’ve become pretty good friends.  A falling out on the trip reveals to both how much they need each other, and that having dreams come true isn’t always as important as having a best friend to count on.  Includes several pages from the artist showing how they developed the characters and story.  272 pages; grades 4-8.

Pros:  As I revealed a couple of years ago, I too was a band kid, so I always enjoy reading about the fun if slightly cringey world of teen musicians.  This particular ensemble has a pretty stellar cast of unique characters, and I found it satisfying to watch Scout gradually realize that her true friends are in the band.  Raina Telgemeier fans will enjoy this when they’re ready to move onto something a little bit edgier.

Cons:  Occasionally some of the characters looked like they were sketched in instead of fully drawn.  I think there was probably a reason for this, but I couldn’t figure it out.

You Only Live Once, David Bravo by Mark Oshiro

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by HarperCollins

Summary:  Middle school is off to a rough start for David. On one particularly bad day he messes up a presentation on his family heritage (he’s adopted), gets food poisoning before a big cross-country race, and causes an accident that injures his best friend, Antoine, ruining Antoine’s dreams of making the varsity cross-country team.  When he wishes for a do-over, he gets a visit from a wisecracking time-traveling dog.  Fea, as David nicknames her, is on a mission to help him straighten out his life. Reliving the most recent day doesn’t take care of it, so David has to travel deeper into his past. Fea also helps him acknowledge the romantic feelings he has for Antoine by sharing her regrets from her own life. It turns out she was once a human who loved a girl in high school but never had the courage to tell her.  The forays into the past start to reveal interesting clues about David’s birth and adoption, and everything comes together with a few surprising plot twists.  384 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Although this story addresses the serious topics of being yourself and living life without regrets, it is also a ton of fun with a narrator who has a great self-deprecating sense of humor and a plot that adeptly handles the intricacies of time travel.  Betsy Bird has this on the fall edition of her Newbery predictions list.  We shall see in just a few short months.

Cons:  The plot twists at the end required some suspension of disbelief.

The Tryout by Christina Soontornvat, illustrated by Joanna Cacao

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Graphix

Summary:  Seventh grade is tough, and to Christina, the cheerleading squad looks like they have it all figured out.  She and her best friend Megan decide to try out, a two-step process that involves a first round with a panel of judges and a second round in which the whole school votes.  Christina, who is Thai-American, and Megan, who is Iranian-American, have often felt like outsiders in their small Texas town.  Megan decides to partner with someone else for the tryouts, feeling that they’ll stand out less if paired with white girls.  Christina is hurt but finds a new partner and throws herself into preparing for the big day.  Things don’t turn out the way the girls are hoping, but just getting through the terrifying experience of auditioning in front of their classmates gives both girls new confidence to pursue other goals.  Includes an author’s note and five pages of photos that give more information about Christina’s real-life middle school experiences.  272 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  Add this to the list of high-quality books produced by the incredibly prolific Christina Soontornvat. Readers will be entertained and inspired by her middle grade graphic memoir that looks at racism, bullying, and learning to be yourself.  

Cons:  This seems like a truly terrible way to choose a middle school cheerleading squad.

Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution by Sherri Winston

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Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Summary:  Lotus is a gifted violinist just starting at a new arts school.  Her best friend Rebel is still at their old, underfunded middle school, leading protests against the discrepancy between the two schools.  Lotus would rather keep the peace and focus on her music, but when the older boy she displaces as concertmaster starts bullying her, she finds it harder and harder to keep her temper.  Then the boy’s mother gets into the act by pressuring the school to threaten Lotus with expulsion if she doesn’t get rid of her Afro.  Torn between her politically active friend and her peace-loving mother, Lotus must learn to find her own way to express her views and navigate the path that is best for her.  304 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Middle school kids will appreciate Lotus’s dilemma of wanting to speak up but being afraid to make waves.  I liked that ultimately she figured out what was right for her even though it was different from what Rebel was advocating.  This made the National Book Award longlist; the finalists were recently announced and can be found here.

Cons:  Lotus seemed stuck in inaction for a long time.

Always, Clementine by Carlie Sorosiak

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Published by Walker Books US

Summary:  Clementine is a super intelligent mouse who has spent her whole life in the lab that bred her and several other mice.  Her closest friend is a chimpanzee named Rosie who also lives in the lab, and whom Clementine sneaks out to visit at night.  Told in a series of letters to Rosie, the story opens with a researcher named Felix stealing/rescuing Clementine and another identical mouse (he just wants Clementine but can’t tell the two apart) and leaving them in a mailbox.  This turns out to belong to a boy named Gus and his grandfather, Pop, who soon discover the mice.  As they get to know Clementine, they realize she is no ordinary mouse, and the APB alert from the lab that they see on TV helps them to understand more about her.  They also learn from the TV that the scientists plan to kill Clementine so that they can study her brain, and they begin to hatch a plan to rescue her, a plan that involves Pop’s background as a chess champion.  Freed from the lab, Clementine learns more about who she really is and how she can use her gifts to help herself and other animals.  Includes an author’s note with additional information about lab animals.  304 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  Starting with the adorable cover, this is a book that is sure to appeal to animal lovers and may turn some of them into activists.

Cons:  I felt like I never really got to know Rosie.

Ride On by Faith Erin Hicks

~ Janet Dawson ~ 3 Comments

Published by First Second

Summary:  Best friends Norrie, Hazel, and Sam are mystified by the new rider at Edgewood Stables.  Hazel recognizes her as Victoria, a girl she saw compete in a show at the more elite Waverly Stables.  Impetuous Norrie is certain that she’s a spy, sent over to check out the competition, but as the three get to know her, they learn the truth.  Victoria loves to ride but is not as a hardcore a competitor as her former best friend Taylor.  When Taylor refused to let Victoria ride her new horse, they had a falling out, and Victoria left Waverly.  The new group at Edgewood bonds over horses, of course, but also their favorite cheesy sci-fi TV show Beyond the Galaxy.  Between preparing for an upcoming competition and planning a stunt to celebrate the revival of BTG after a 20-year hiatus, the four friends have a busy time of it and come to appreciate the power of their friendship.  Includes an author’s note about her experiences growing up around horses.  224 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  Graphic novel fans are going to love this story of Victoria and her new friends at Edgewood.  The story line is engaging and moves easily between the past and present to slowly reveal what brought Victoria to the new stable, and the artwork is gorgeous, especially the portrayals of horses.

Cons:  I hope the author won’t wait as long as the Beyond the Galaxy producers to create a sequel.

Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, illustrated by Gabriela Epstein

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Graphix

Summary:  The story opens with five middle school students gathered in the principal’s office, clearly in some kind of trouble and being asked to tell what happened.  Jorge, or George, begins.  When he’s assigned a community service stint in the cafeteria, he’s told he’ll be with “kids like him”.  He assumes that means other gifted students, but it turns out it’s a group of Latinx kids, many of whom, unlike George, speak Spanish as their first language.  While they’re often lumped together, each student is from a different country and has a distinctive personality: George is Puerto Rican, Dayara is from Cuba; Miguel is Dominican; Nico, Venezuelan, and Sara, Mexican.  Although each one has a typical middle school label (smart, tough, jock, snob, loner), as they take turns recounting their story, a very different picture emerges that shows each of them struggling with both family and school issues.  By the end, the principal has heard a story of compassion, helping a little girl and her mother who have been living in a van near the school.  The mean cafeteria lady is reprimanded and sent on her way, while the five kids celebrate their accomplishment and the beginning of a new friendship.  Includes notes from the author and illustrator.  208 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  There’s a lot packed into this graphic novel, with five unique and well-drawn (in both senses of the term) characters who help dispel the notion that Latinx kids all have similar backgrounds.  Most of the students speak Spanish throughout the story, with the English translation added with a dashed-line cartoon bubble.  Sure to be a big hit with all the fans of graphic novels set in middle school.

Cons:  I was hoping for a little redemption for the mean cafeteria lady.