Middle grade fiction

Ruby on the Outside by Nora Raleigh Baskin

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Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers 

Summary: Ruby has kept a big secret for many years: when she was five, her mother was arrested and sentenced to 20-25 years in jail. Since then, Ruby has lived with her aunt and gone to visit her mother in prison every weekend. She’s kept her distance from other kids because she doesn’t want them to know about her mom. The summer before middle school, Margalit moves into Ruby’s condo complex, and the two girls quickly become friends. Just as Ruby is about to reveal the truth to Margalit, she learns that Margalit’s brother may have been the victim of Ruby’s mother’s crime. Can Ruby risk being honest with her friend?  Grades 4-6.

Pros: This book takes a sensitive look at an issue not often addressed in children’s literature. Readers will take Ruby to heart as she navigates the difficult issues life has dealt her. Her mother is portrayed sympathetically, but Ruby still struggles with anger, hurt, and a sense of loss. The realities of life in prison and what it’s like to visit a loved one there are described unflinchingly.

Cons: The emotional issues occasionally slow down the action a bit.

Goodbye, Stranger by Rebecca Stead

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Published by Wendy Lamb Books

Summary: Bridge and her friends Tabitha and Emily have been best friends for years, having sworn a vow never to fight. Seventh grade tests that promise, as the girls begin to move in different directions, with Em swooning over a new crush, Tab becoming a human rights activist, and Bridge still trying to figure out why she got a second chance at life after surviving a car accident years before. The story, which begins with the new school year, is mostly told from Bridge’s point of view, interspersed with narratives from Sherm, Bridge’s new friend, who may or may not be a boyfriend. Then there are sections about a mysterious character, referred to in the second person, who is having a crisis on Valentine’s Day. Her story slowly unfolds over that single day as the rest of the story moves from September to the culmination on Valentine’s Day when all stories converge. Grades 6-9.

Pros: Rebecca Stead seamlessly blends many, many elements, large and small, into a fabulously satisfactory resolution. The middle school characters are so real you expect them to pass you on the sidewalk whenever you put down the book.

Cons: I really wanted to have this book in my elementary library, but I just can’t see a fifth grader appreciating it nearly as much as he/she would as a middle schooler. Also, can someone tell me why the title of this book is Goodbye, Stranger?

Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley

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Published by Dial Books

Summary: When Ephraim Tuttle was a boy, he discovered the magical Circus Mirandus, accessible only to those who believe. He showed the Man Who Bends Light a magic trick, and in return the magician promised him a miracle. Ephraim couldn’t think what he wanted, so he saved his miracle all his life. Now he’s dying, and his grandson Micah, who’s grown up on stories of Circus Mirandus, knows it’s time for Grandpa Ephraim to use his miracle. Micah and his new friend Jenny go off in search of the circus and the Man Who Bends Light. There are heroes, villains, stories within the story, and through it all, the power of magic and the imagination. Grades 4-7.

Pros: One of the most highly-touted books of 2015, Circus Mirandus just about lives up to the hype. The best part about it is, it’s a great story. Peopled with endearing characters, it unfolds at just the right pace, with magic and adventure woven throughout. This would make a captivating read-aloud for second grade and up.

Cons: The two main villains, Victoria and Aunt Gertrudis were a little one-dimensional.

Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty

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Published by Disney-Hyperion 

Summary: Serafina’s always been pretty happy living in the basement of the Biltmore estate with her Pa. Sure, she’s a little different than other kids and her existence is a secret, but she enjoys prowling through the house at night, catching rats. Then one night she sees a man in a black cloak abducting a little girl. When he wraps the girl in his cloak, she disappears. Serafina barely escapes herself, but when she tries to tell her story the next morning, only one person believes her. That’s Braeden Vanderbilt, the nephew of the estate’s owner, whose tragic past has made him a bit of a loner as well. As more children vanish from the estate, Serafina and Braeden team up to try to figure out who the mysterious man is and what can be done to stop him…before it’s too late for them. Grades 5-7.

Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFZvSzfnm6I

Pros: This would be a great choice to teach the term “gothic novel”. Lots of dark creepiness everywhere, relieved only at the end when Serafina proves herself a true heroine and learns the amazing truth about her own past.

Cons: Preview this before giving it to a child. Pretty scary stuff, and occasionally a bit gruesome as well.

Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm, illustrated by Matthew Holm

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by GRAPHIX 

Summary: Sunny is not happy at the prospect of spending the entire month of August, 1976 with her grandfather in Florida. He lives in a retirement community with no kids, she has to sleep on a squeaky sofa bed, and Grandpa’s idea of a big outing is a trip to the grocery store. In chapters flashing back to various points in the last couple years, the truth about why Sunny is on her extended visit are gradually revealed: her older brother is having some serious trouble with drugs and alcohol, and their parents want Sunny away from home while they try to get him some help. Sunny makes friends with the gardener’s comic book-loving son, and eventually is able to talk to her grandfather about what is going on at home, getting reassurance that it’s not her fault. She even talks him into a trip to Disney World before she returns home in September. Ages 8-12.

Pros: This seems to be the year for graphic novels starring girl protagonists. The award-winning Babymouse brother-and-sister team has produced a touching story based on their own childhood. An author’s note at the end talks about living with someone with an addiction.

Cons: I didn’t like the artwork quite as much as some other similar graphic novels (Smile, Roller Girl). Although the rendition of the 1976-era “Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific” magazine ad was spot on.

Another Kind of Hurricane by Tamara Ellis Smith

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Schwartz & Wade

Summary: Henry and his best friend Wayne were together on Mount Mansfield in Vermont when Wayne died in an accident. The two boys had a lucky marble that they passed back and forth. When Henry’s mother accidentally gives away his jeans that have the marble in them, Henry knows he needs to get it back. The clothes were destined for New Orleans to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. They end up with Zavion, a boy with demons of his own after barely making it out of his flooded house. The two boys’ paths cross in New Orleans. Eventually, they end up on the top of Mount Mansfield, where they are able to begin the process of healing together.

Pros: This is an emotionally powerful story, with chapters alternating between the two boys until they finally meet up. The story of what happened to Wayne is slowly revealed, but not told fully until the very end. Short chapters keep the story moving quickly.

Cons: Much of the action of the story is internal. For elementary readers, this might be a better choice for teacher-guided reading than independent.

Wrap-Up Wednesday: Middle Grade Mysteries

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Admittedly, curling up with a good mystery on a hot summer morning isn’t quite as good as a cold winter’s night, but you won’t want to wait another four months to read these whodunits.

The Detective’s Assistant by Kate Hannigan.  Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Nell Warne’s only living relative left is her Aunt Kate, but Kate’s too busy with her job as the first woman private eye at the Pinkerton Detective Agency to have much time for an 11-year-old orphan.  Can Nell prove herself enough of a sleuth to win over her aunt?

Mothman’s Curse by Christine Hayes, illustrated by James K. Hindle.  Published by Roaring Brook Press.

When siblings Josie and Fox discover an old Polaroid camera that creates pictures with a ghost in them, they know they have a mystery on their hands.  Little do they know that the ghost will lead them to the evil Mothman, whose presence is said to portend disaster, and who starts to make appearances in their town.

Nooks and Crannies by Jessica Lawson.  Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Agatha Christie meets Roald Dahl in this Victorian-era thriller featuring amateur detective Tabitha Crum.  When Tabitha and five other children are invited to a mysterious countess’s estate, they think they may be there to inherit a fortune.  One by one, the children begin to vanish, and it’s up to Tabitha to figure out where they are before it’s too late.

The Curious Cat Spy Club by Linda Joy Singleton.  Published by Albert Whitman & Company.

Kelsey, Becca, and Leo happen to be in the same alley at the same time…and they discover three kittens in a dumpster.  They decide to form the Curious Cat Spy Club to solve the mystery of where the kittens came from, ultimately uncovering a pet-napping ring right in their own neighborhood.

Mothman’s Curse by Christine Hayes, pictures by James K. Hindle

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Published by Roaring Brook Press

Summary: While their father is running a sale at the family auction house, Josie and Fox discover an old Polaroid camera. Trying it out, they discover a ghostly man appears in all the photos they take.   They buy the camera, and it turns out to be the first in a series of events that spins out of control. The old man in the photos has a connection to Mothman, a red-eyed monster who has appeared in different towns for the last 100 years right before a huge disaster. Now he’s come to Josie and Fox’s town, and they only have a few days to break his curse before disaster strikes. Grades 3-6.

Pros: Plenty of kids love creepy stories, and this story has plenty of creepiness. It will definitely give some shivers, yet isn’t scary enough to be disturbing to most middle grade readers.

Cons: The ghost in the picture has committed suicide, which may be a bit disturbing to some readers.

Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova

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Published by Yen Press

Awkward : Chmakova, Svetlana, 1979- author, illustrator : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Summary: New girl Peppi accidentally bumps into nerdy kid Jaime on her first day of school, and he ends up getting made fun of as a result. For weeks, she agonizes over how best to apologize to him. In the meantime, she finds new friends in the school art club. The art club’s big rival is the science club, and wouldn’t you know it, Jaime is the star of the science club. The principal, in one of those clueless educational administrator moves, pits the art club against the science club in a competition for table space at the annual school club fair. War clouds gather on the middle school horizon until Peppi and Jaime are able to resolve their differences and come up with a solution that allows the two clubs to work together peaceably. Grades 4-7.

Pros: Awkward will happily share shelf space with graphic novels Smile, El Deafo, and Roller Girl. The art is near perfect and the story line impeccably captures the agonizing awkwardness of adolescence. Svetlana Chmakova uses several pages at the end to show the design process of creating characters and settings.

Cons: There are a couple incidences of mildly PG language.

Nooks and Crannies by Jessica Lawson

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Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Summary: When Tabitha Crum gets a weekend invitation to the estate of the mysterious Countess of Windermere, she thinks it will be a fun interlude before her despicable parents drop her off at the orphanage. Five other children have been invited, and at their first dinner, the Countess reveals that all six were adopted by their parents. One of them is her long-lost grandchild, heir to a fortune. The lights go out, somebody dies mysteriously, children start disappearing, and Tabitha has to use all of her best detective powers to figure out what is going on…before it’s too late.  Grades 4-7.

Pros: Agatha Christine meets Roald Dahl in this old-fashioned page-turner. Tabitha is a lovable character, unfortunately stuck with the worst parents to disgrace the pages of a children’s book since Matilda Wormwood’s. She’s also a fan of detective fiction, and with her sidekick Pemberley the mouse, is able to puzzle out the many twists and turns this story takes. The grand finale is completely satisfying, with all loose ends neatly tied up and a happy ending for those who deserve it and just desserts for the ones who don’t.

Cons: Tabitha’s reactions to her horrible parents occasionally seemed a little to kind to be true.