Middle grade fiction

Little Claws (Animal Rescue Agency, book 1) by Eliot Schrefer, illustrated by Daniel Duncan

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Katherine Tegen Books

Case File: Little Claws by Eliot Schrefer

Summary:  When a polar bear cub gets stranded on an ice floe, his anguished mother contacts the Animal Rescue Agency: the unlikely duo of Esquire Fox and her rooster partner Mr. Pepper.  The two head up to the Arctic, where they are pursued by a villainous man in a white hat and barely survive a series of narrow escapes.  With the help of various polar animals, they manage to outwit this man, rescuing the cub and reuniting him with his mother.  Back home in Colorado, Esquire posts the man’s picture on the wall of villains, surrounded by question marks that seem to indicate there will be other villains…and other books in the series.  Includes information about climate change and its threat to polar bears and a recipe for the mushroom jerky Esquire eats to curb her appetite for chickens.  176 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  Like Eliot Schrefer’s books for older readers, this one mixes humor, adventure, and information about animals and the threats humans pose to them.  With plenty of illustrations, animal characters, and bantering dialog, this is sure to be a popular series with elementary readers.

Cons:  Obviously, it’s for a different audience, but I missed the awesome world building of Schrefer’s The Lost Rainforest series.

The Lion of Mars by Jennifer Holm

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Random House Books for Young Readers

Image result for lion of mars holm

Summary:  Bell, age 11, is the youngest kid in the American settlement on Mars.  He enjoys his life underground, hanging out with the teenagers, working on the algae farm, and taking care of his cat, Leo.  There aren’t many rules, but the few that are in place are strictly enforced. One of these is about not interacting with other countries’ settlements, even though it seems as though there were international friendships in the past.  When a shipment from Earth unleashes a serious illness among the adults, it falls on the kids to try to get help from Finland, France, or one of the other countries.  What they discover there surprises everyone–and leads to a healing of misunderstandings of the past.  Includes a lengthy author’s note about her interest in Mars and space exploration and how she came to write this book.  272 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Jennifer Holm adds another masterpiece to her unusually diverse list of works, this one a fun science fiction story that imagines a pretty plausible settlement on Mars with a cast of loveable characters, and a few interesting plot twists.  This would make a great book club selection that would appeal to a wide range of readers.

Cons:  It seemed sad that anyone who settled on Mars was unable to ever return to Earth.

Too Small Tola by Atinuke, illustrated by Onyinye Iwu (Released March 2)

~ Janet Dawson ~ 4 Comments

Published by Candlewick

Image result for too small tola
Image result for too small tola

Summary:  Tola is the youngest of three children living with their grandmother in Lagos, Nigeria.  Because of her size and place in the family, Tola is often told she is too small and works hard to prove otherwise.  In the first story, she and Grandmommy go to the market and struggle to carry home all their purchases.  Next, Tola helps her siblings get water when the water in the apartment isn’t working.  She is almost thwarted by some older boys until some kind neighbors turn the tables on the bullies.  Finally, Tola saves her friend the tailor when he breaks his leg.  Tola has a talent with numbers, and she and her older brother bike all over Lagos to measure people for their new Easter and Eid outfits.  Tola is rewarded by the tailor with the beautiful ruffled dress that she has dreamed about.  96 pages; grades 2-4.

Pros:  These tales are completely charming, both the stories and the illustrations.  Tola and her family live in pretty impoverished circumstances, in a two-room apartment with unreliable water and electricity that is paid for by a father working in England.  But her circumstances are described in a very matter-of-fact way, with a much greater emphasis on the love and caring of Tola’s family and community.

Cons:  I was really hoping for a bit of backmatter on Lagos and Nigeria–at least a map.

I happened to listen to a TED talk recently that is the perfect complement to this book. If you have fifteen minutes, listen to The Danger of a Single Story by author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who grew up in Lagos.

Katie the Catsitter by Colleen A. F. Venable, illustrated by Stephanie Yue

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Random House Books for Young Readers

Image result for katie the catsitter amazon
Image result for katie the catsitter amazon

Summary:  Katie’s facing a boring summer when her best friend Bethany leaves for camp.  Hoping to join her for a one-week session, Katie advertises her pet-sitting services in her apartment building.  She’s hired by the mysterious Madeleine Lang to look after her 217 cats.  Every evening, Ms. Lang goes off to work until midnight, and Katie deals with the cats.  As she begins to learn the cats’ various amazing talents, Katie starts to suspect Ms. Lang’s true identity.  By the end of the summer, Katie’s interest in going to camp has been replaced with more heroic pursuits at home.  224 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  Hand this graphic novel to fans of Raina Telgemeier and company; they will be delighted by the magic realism of Katie’s world and the amazing cats whose individual personalities and superpowers are lovingly delineated.

Cons:  So many cats made me sneeze.

Ground Zero: A Novel of 9/11 by Alan Gratz

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Scholastic

Image result for ground zero gratz

Summary:  Brandon has been suspended from school and is spending the day of September 11, 2001 with his dad, who works at the Windows of the World restaurant in the World Trade Center.  When his father isn’t looking, Brandon sneaks out to buy a toy in the mall.  The World Trade Center is hit by a jet while Brandon is in the elevator, and he must find his way down 89 floors to escape–after trying to go back up to rescue his father.  In alternating chapters, readers spend the day of September 11, 2019 with Reshmina, a girl in Afghanistan who rescues an American soldier and pays a price when the Taliban finds out.  The two protagonists’ stories intersect at the end of the book, and each one gains a new perspective from meeting the other.  336 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  Alan Gratz has produced another historical fiction novel filled with compelling characters and heart-pounding action.  In his characteristic style, he ends each chapter with a cliff-hanger, then picks up the narrative of the other character.  In his author’s note he mentions that it has taken him 20 years to feel ready to write about 9/11, and I think he was wise to wait.  The takeaway message questioning the ongoing American presence in Afghanistan might have been quite different a decade ago.

Cons:  I found Brandon’s story much more compelling and suspenseful than Reshmina’s, which had to provide a lot of context about Afghanistan that took away from the action.

Bump by Matt Wallace

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Katherine Tegen Books

Image result for bump matt wallace amazon

Summary:  MJ is in a pretty dark place at the beginning of the story: she still can’t admit that her father passed away suddenly a few months ago, and the sixth-grade mean girls have convinced her not to pursue her passion for gymnastics.  So when she discovers that her elderly neighbor is a former luchador who runs a wrestling school, MJ is determined to learn the lucha libre wrestling that she and her father loved watching together on TV.  At Victory Academy, MJ finds friends, a surrogate grandfather, and a talent for lucha libre that surprises her.  But something isn’t right at the academy, and both the school and its loveable director Papi may be in danger.  It falls to MJ, the youngest student in the school, to discover what’s going on and set things right in a heart-stopping wrestling match.  288 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Readers will connect with MJ’s sense of isolation and longing to belong somewhere as she begins middle school.  Those not familiar with lucha libre will learn plenty, and the final showdown between good and evil is fast-paced and unforgettable.

Cons:  Just like in a good wrestling match, you’ll have to suspend your disbelief a bit for the final showdown between good (MJ) and evil (the villain who is trying to close Victory Academy).

Billy Miller Makes a Wish by Kevin Henkes (released April 6)

~ Janet Dawson ~ 5 Comments

Published by Greenwillow Books

Image result for billy miller makes a wish

Summary:  Billy Miller’s wish, made while blowing out the eight candles on his birthday cake, is that something exciting will happen.  Almost immediately, an ambulance rushes down his street, and he later learns that an elderly neighbor has passed away.  Billy is filled with guilt, but Papa assures him that Mr. Tooley’s death was not his fault.  The next day, Papa leaves for art camp, leaving Billy, his mom, and little sister Sal to cope with a few more exciting events including a bat in the basement, love letters falling into the wrong hands, and a chimney fire.  When Papa returns, it seems like life has returned to normal…until Mama and Papa announce the most exciting news of all.  192 pages; grades 2-4.

Pros:  Ever since I used to read Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse and other mouse picture books to my own kids, I have admired Kevin Henkes’ ability to tell a story that perfectly captures the ordinary moments and emotions of childhood without ever talking down to kids.  He has pulled off this feat once again in this sequel to the Newbery honor book The Year of Billy Miller. This would be a perfect read-aloud for first, second, or third grade.

Cons:  I hope Kevin Henkes will not wait another eight years to write book three in this series.

Many Points of Me by Caroline Gertler

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Greenwillow

Many Points of Me - Kindle edition by Gertler, Caroline. Children Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Summary:  Georgia is still recovering from the death of her artist father and sometimes feels like she needs a break from her best friend Theo, who was also close to her dad.  Theo is excited that sixth grade is the year that both of them can enter the student art competition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but Georgia isn’t sure how she feels about art anymore.  When her art historian mom starts working on an exhibit of her dad’s work at the Met, Georgia feels even more confused.  As she goes through the work her mom has left around their apartment, she finds a portfolio of sketches that her dad made of her, including one that may be the answer to a mystery surrounding a painting her father planned but never completed.  As she begins to reach out to friends and family and to share her grief, she recognizes that there are many different parts to her, and those who love her are okay with all of them.  352 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Georgia is a protagonist with a lot of heart, and many readers will relate to her family and friendship issues, as will those who have some interest in the art world.  While I wouldn’t classify this as a mystery, Georgia did have an interesting puzzle to solve about her father’s work.

Cons:  I was hoping for more of an art-related mystery, a la Under the Egg or Chasing Vermeer.

Just Like That by Gary D. Schmidt

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Clarion Books

Just Like That: Schmidt, Gary D.: 9780544084773: Amazon.com: Books

Summary:  Meryl Lee is dealing with a huge loss in her life that has left her fighting against what she calls the Blank, the overwhelming grief she faces wherever she goes.  Her parents decide a change will be best for her, and send her to St. Elene’s Preparatory Academy for Girls on the coast of Maine for her eighth grade year.  Around the same time, a boy named Matthew Coffin finds his way to town, trying to escape his past.  In the course of a very eventful year, the two of them become friends and make important discoveries about themselves and the people around them.  Set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War era, many of the characters are affected by the events overseas.  Almost everyone is dealing with some sort of loss, but each of them finds a unique resilience to go on with life and to find the courage to love once again.  387 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  Gary D. Schmidt may be in line for another Newbery, Printz, and/or National Book Award recognition for this beautiful novel that references both The Wednesday Wars and Lizzie and the Buckminister Boy.  

Cons:  If you’re a fan of The Wednesday Wars, prepare yourself for some devastating news in the first chapter.

Five (okay, six) more favorite chapter books

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

I struggled to get this list down to five–the random magic number I have chosen for each of these lists. I couldn’t bear to remove any of them, though, so here are the six.

The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman

Published by Viking Books for Young Readers

The Blackbird Girls: Blankman, Anne: 9781984837356: Amazon.com: Books

There’s a lot to this book, and it’s probably not for every reader, but those who love historical fiction and strong girl characters will take Valentina and Oksana to heart as they form an unlikely friendship in the aftermath of Chernobyl.

The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

The Only Black Girls in Town: Colbert, Brandy: 9780316456388: Amazon.com: Books

Another outstanding friendship story featuring Alberta and Edie who are navigating mean girls, seventh grade, and a mystery that reveals the racism in their town’s history that has persisted to the present day.

96 Miles by J. L. Esplin

Published by Starscape

96 Miles: Esplin, J. L.: 9781250192288: Amazon.com: Books

I do not typically use the expression “holy cow” in a book review, but I did indeed do that when reviewing this gripping survival story that I read practically in one sitting.

The Boys in the Back Row by Mike Jung

Published by Levine Querido

The Boys in the Back Row: Jung, Mike: 9781646140114: Amazon.com: Books

This book struck just the right balance between funny middle school story and touching friendship story and made me realize how rare it is to find a middle-grade novel that celebrates boys’ friendships. As the cherry on top, it’s a love letter to marching band geeks like myself.

The Mystwick School of Musicraft by Jessica Khoury

Published by HMH Books for Young Readers

The Mystwick School of Musicraft: Khoury, Jessica: 9781328625632: Amazon.com: Books

I always feel a bit guilty that I don’t review more fantasy books; I’ll admit it’s not my favorite genre. Once in awhile, though, I find a great one. I spent a few pleasant weeks this spring listening to Amelia Jones’s adventures at Mystwick on Audible and doing jigsaw puzzles. Despite 2020’s reputation, it has not been without its happy moments.

Brother’s Keeper by Julie Lee

Published by Holiday House

Brother's Keeper: Lee, Julie: 9780823444946: Amazon.com: Books

I would not have predicted that a survival story featuring a brother and sister escaping from 1950 North Korea would have made it on to my list of favorite 2020 books, but look, here it is.