Middle grade fiction

Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Wordsong 

Summary:  Garvey can’t seem to please his father, who wants a football-player son, not one who struggles with his weight and hates sports.  But Garvey’s good at chess, loves to read, and is interested in astronomy.  Encouraged by his best friend Joe, Garvey overcomes his fears and tries out for chorus, where his talents really start to emerge.  He discovers he has a strong tenor voice, and he even makes a new friend, Manny, a boy with albinism who shows Garvey how to ignore teasing and be himself.  When the first concert arrives, Garvey is shocked to see his father wiping away tears after his solo.  It turns out Dad was in a band way back when, and father and son finally find a connection through music.  A note at the end explains tanka, a Japanese form of poetry used to write this story.  120 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  A brief novel in verse that lingers long after the first page.  Garvey and his family are sympathetically portrayed, and readers will be rooting for him as he slowly finds his place in the world.

Cons:  At times, Joe and Manny’s advice seemed unrealistically wise beyond their years.

Frazzled: Everyday Disasters and Impending Doom by Booki Vivant

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Published by HarperCollins 

Summary:  Abbie Wu is about to start middle school, and she is not excited about it.  To her, the middle is not a happy place, having spent her life stuck between an adorable younger sister and an overachieving older brother.  Not only that, but she is supposed to choose an elective, and she doesn’t know what her “thing” is.  Her best friends both have a “thing”—Maxine loves the theater and James is a genius at games.  Since Abbie can’t make up her mind about an elective, she gets stuck in study hall.  And in study hall, her stomach rumbles embarrassingly; school lunch is such a disaster that she’s starving by the afternoon.  Turns out she’s not the only one, and pretty soon she’s organized a snack exchange, first in study hall, then in the whole school.  It’s such a hit that Abbie thinks she has a “thing”…until the principal discovers what’s going on and shuts her down.  Fortunately, Abbie has a supportive, if somewhat eccentric, family, and they help her discover that it’s okay to fail occasionally, and she might just have a “thing” after all.  240 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  Reluctant readers will embrace Abbie, with her humorous observations on middle school and her book full of funny cartoon drawings.  A sure “thing” for Wimpy Kid and Dork Diary fans.

Cons;  While it’s still wildly popular, the whole irreverent middle school diary illustrated with cartoons “thing” is getting a bit old in this reviewer’s opinion.

School of the Dead by Avi

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Published by HarperCollins 

Summary:  “The first time Uncle Charlie came to live with us he was alive.  The second time he came, he was dead.”  So begins this ghost story about Tony, who grows close to his eccentric Uncle Charlie shortly before his death.  Before he dies, Uncle Charlie encourages Tony’s family to move to San Francisco so Tony can attend the Penda School, where Uncle Charlie was a student.  After his death, they do so, and immediately, Tony suspects there’s something strange about the school.  For starters, he keeps seeing Uncle Charlie.  Then there’s the mysterious blond boy in his class that other kids don’t seem to see.  As Tony hears more stories about ghosts and Penda students who have gone missing, he begins to suspect he may be in great danger.  The people around him may or may not be who they say they are, and it’s difficult for Tony to know just who he can trust.  The suspense builds to a heart-stopping climax at the school’s Halloween party, when Tony has to single-handedly battle the ghosts for the life of the school…and himself.  288 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  A suspenseful ghost story with plenty of plot twists and turns.  Plenty of creepily evil characters without being super scary.

Cons:  It was difficult to believe that a school in which students have disappeared regularly for decades hadn’t triggered some sort of investigation.

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers 

Summary:  Castle Crenshaw learned to run fast the night his dad got drunk and fired a gun at him and his mom.  They ran fast enough to get away, and his father went to jail.  That was three years ago, but Castle hasn’t gotten over it.  He doesn’t like to go home after school to an empty house.  He refuses to sleep in his bedroom, opting instead for a pile of blankets on the living room floor, while his mom dozes on the couch. And he has a lot of anger inside that sometimes pushes him to do things he later regrets.  When he stumbles upon a middle school track practice and ends up beating one of the fastest sprinters, his life begins to change.  He gets a place on the team, a new nickname, “Ghost”, and a coach who grew up in the same neighborhood Castle did and understands his anger.  It’s one step back for every two steps forward Castle takes, but by the last chapter, it looks like Ghost has found his place on the team.  192 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  Castle’s voice tells his story in a strong voice with plenty of humor and wry insights into his situation.  Sports fans will love this, but so will anyone who enjoys rooting for a likeable underdog.  A National Book Award finalist for Young People’s Literature, and, in my opinion, a strong contender for the Newbery committee to consider.

Cons:  The last page…nooo!  The sequel can’t come out soon enough.

Moo: a novel by Sharon Creech

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Published by HarperCollins

Moo: A Novel: Creech, Sharon: 9780062415240: Amazon.com: Books

 

Summary:  When Reena and Luke’s parents decide to quit their jobs in the city and move to Maine, the kids aren’t sure what to expect.  Reena’s hoping for blueberries, lobster, and the beach. But when her mom strikes up a conversation at the doctor’s with eccentric Mrs. Falala, the summer takes a turn for the worse.  Reena and Luke get volunteered to help their elderly neighbor with her unusual collection of animals, most notably an ornery cow named Zora.  As they attempt to get Zora ready to show at the fair, Reena learns some interesting secrets about Mrs. Falala’s past.  A couple of the local kids are old hands at showing cows, and soon become friends and allies in the struggle to get Zora in the show ring.  The day of the fair brings both joy and sadness, and a change that cements Reena’s family as a permanent part of their Maine community.  288 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Sharon Creech has fun with words, creating all kinds of poems to tell the story, and playing with the fonts and words on the page to make them more expressive.  Readers will take Reena, Luke, and eventually even Zora and Mrs. Falala to heart as the story unfolds.

Cons:  I would have preferred an entire novel in verse, rather than interspersing prose chapters with the poetry ones.

Project [Un]Popular by Kristen Tracy

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Published by Delacorte Press 

Summary:  Perry’s excited to be starting middle school, especially when she joins the yearbook staff as a photographer.  When eighth grade editor Anya takes Perry and her best friend Venice aside to give them “feedback” on their photos, Perry is thrilled, but Venice is suspicious.  Seventh grader Leo tells them that Anya isn’t to be trusted, and before long he and Venice are plotting against her.  Perry, feeling left out, allies herself with Anya, but becomes disillusioned when she realizes Anya is creating a yearbook that will showcase her and her popular friends.  Perry tries to take control, but ends up making things far worse, ultimately causing a suspension for Leo and detention for both her and Venice.  It looks like Perry and Venice’s friendship may be over, but things are smoothed over by the end, and they’re ready to face the future in book 2 of this series.  336 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Readers will laugh out loud at Perry’s missteps and constant misreadings of various situations.  A series that’s sure to be as popular as Anya purports to be.

Cons:  I occasionally found Perry’s level of naiveté unbelievable.

Click Here to Start by Denis Markell

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Published by Delacorte Press 

Summary:  During 12-year-old Ted’s final visit with his somewhat mysterious great uncle, Uncle Ted extracts a promise from young Ted to not give up and keep looking for answers.  Shortly afterward, his great uncle dies, and Ted inherits his apartment and all its contents.  He and his friend Caleb are psyched to dig into the mess, but disappointed when Ted’s father invites his boss’s daughter, Isabel, to join them.  Isabel turns out to be a brain, which is helpful as the three are drawn deeper and deeper into a search for lost treasure.  Ted is an expert an online escape-the-room games, and it turns out his great uncle created a hunt perfectly honed to his skills.  The only problem is there’s at least one bad guy racing to find the same treasure, and it’s hard to tell who he is.  With plot twists on practically every page, the three kids finally end up victorious, with a few ends left loose to pave the way for a sequel.  320 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros: Fast-paced and funny, this is sure to engage reluctant readers with its non-stop action and humorous dialogue.

Cons:  Plan on suspending your disbelief by chapter two and keeping it suspended up until the last page.  The solution to this puzzle is way beyond the capabilities of any mortal mind, and there are a few too many coincidences to be believable.  Don’t think too much…just enjoy the ride.

The Wolf’s Boy by Susan Williams Beckhorn

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Published by Disney-Hyperion 

Summary:  Set in prehistoric France, Kai’s story begins with the discovery of his clubfoot at birth.  His parents are told to abandon him to the wolves, but the wolves spare his life, and his mother rescues him.  He grows up in a loving home, but is not allowed to hunt or even touch the weapons the other boys use to learn how to become hunters.  Kai has always had a connection to the yellow wolves that live nearby, and when one of the females is killed, Kai decides to adopt one of her pups.  He raises her to be a pet, but some in his community feel threatened by the presence of both Kai and his wolf.  After a near-fatal showdown with some of the other boys, Kai decides he must strike out on his own, with only Uff, his wolf, for a companion.  The second half of the book tells the story of his survival, including a mysterious Ice Man who rescues Kai from an avalanche and nurses him back to health in a cave.  Near the end, Uff is mauled by a bear and nearly killed; that crisis helps Kai decide that it is time for him to return home.  240 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  People from a far-distant past come to life in the pages of this exciting historical fiction story.  Kids will connect with Kai’s experiences with his family, bullies, a girl he likes, and most of all, the dog he loves.

Cons:  Because the setting is so unfamiliar, kids may find some parts of the story confusing.

Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm

~ Janet Dawson ~ 5 Comments

Published by Random House Books for Young Readers 

Summary:  Beans and his family are down on their luck.  It’s 1934, and Key West, Florida has been hit hard by the Great Depression.   Beans’ mother takes in laundry, while his father has left for New Jersey, hoping to find a factory job.  When local bootlegger Johnny Cakes offers Beans a job pulling fire alarms to distract the townspeople while Johnny smuggles out his whiskey, it’s hard to say no.  But when a real fire ravages his best friend’s house, the fire department thinks it’s another false alarm and doesn’t show up.  Tortured by guilt, Beans leaves behind his life of crime and starts focusing on some of the New Dealers who are trying to turn Key West into a tourist resort.  It seems like a crazy plan at first, but Beans and the rest of the Key West kids pitch in to clean up and fix up their town.  Before long, movie stars and other rich and famous types are flocking to Key West, and it looks like Beans’ luck may have turned around at last.  An author’s note tells more about Key West and President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal plans to transform it.  208 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  A sequel to Newbery honor book Turtle in Paradise, this story follows Turtle’s cousin Beans and his family and friends.  The pages are crowded with memorable characters, including cameos by Robert Frost and Ernest Hemingway.  Beans provides a funny, tough-guy narration to the events of his town that will transport readers to a slice of life in the 1930’s.

Cons:  I haven’t read Turtle in Paradise, and am pretty sure I would have had a greater appreciation for some of the characters and incidents in this book if I had.

Tru and Nelle by G. Neri

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Published by HMH Books for Young Readers 

Summary:  When Tru and Nelle first meet, he thinks she is a boy and she thinks he is a girl.  After exchanging a few rounds of insults, the two become fast friends.  Both live in Monroeville, Alabama, a sleepy little town in the throes of the Great Depression, but their combined imaginations create a force to be reckoned with.  They love to read, and Sherlock Holmes becomes a favorite.  Before long, Tru is Sherlock and Nelle is Watson, and they’re on the prowl for a real mystery.  A break-in at the local drugstore provides one, but it ends in disaster, and the two decide it’s safer to write their stories than to act them out in real life.  Eventually, Tru’s socialite mother remarries and sends for him to join her in New York City, but first he throws a blow-out farewell party that results in a confrontation with the local Ku Klux Klan.  The writing, the friendship, the wild party…all foreshadow what would happen to these two children who grew up to become Truman Capote and (Nelle) Harper Lee. 336 pages; grades 3-5.

Pros:  Fans of To Kill a Mockingbird will enjoy learning more about the real-life Scout and Dill.  The writing beautifully captures the Depression-era South.  Modeled on Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the book ends with a few short stories which are flesh out the longer novel.

Cons:  Readers in the targeted age range aren’t likely to be familiar with Harper Lee or Truman Capote, making this a much less appealing choice for the younger crowd.