Middle grade fiction

The Curious Cat Spy Club by Linda Joy Singleton

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Albert Whitman & Company

Summary:  When Kelsey helps stop a runaway zorse (a cross between a horse and a zebra), she gets more than she bargained for.  The zorse belongs to Becca, one of the most popular girls in school.  Ducking into an alley to avoid a boy from school, the two girls discover a bag of kittens in a dumpster.  A third member, Leo, gets involved in the rescue, and the unlikely trio decides to form a club to protect the kittens until they can find them homes.  Kelsey has always dreamed of being a detective, and now she has a real mystery on her hands…who put the kittens in the dumpster?  As the Curious Cat Spy Club works to solve it, they uncover a whole pet-napping ring right in their neighborhood.  Recommended for grades 4-6.

Pros:  This well-paced mystery will keep readers guessing right up to the end.  In Nancy Drew-like fashion, the last few chapters involve an exciting run-in with the villain and more than one narrow escape.  There are interesting subplots that give the characters more depth, such as Kelsey’s and Leo’s family issues and Becca’s thwarted romance.

Cons:  Kelsey didn’t get to keep her kitten.  But the cover says this is an exciting new mystery series, so there may yet be hope.

Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis

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Published by BOOM! Box

Summary:  April, Jo, Ripley, Molly, and Mal are five very different girls enjoying summer camp.  And what a camp!  In the first few pages, the girls ward off a pack of talking foxes who deliver a cryptic message, “Beware the kitten holy”.  They return home to a very angry camp counselor, Jo, and a more lenient camp director, Rosie, who seems to know more than she’s telling.  Originally four comic books, each section is introduced with a page from the Lumberjanes Field Manual, describing a merit badge (“Up All Night Badge”, “Robyn Hood Badge”).  Filled with friendship and Girl Power, there are sure to be more Lumberjanes adventures.

Pros:  Holy Mae Jemison (she and other female heroes are frequently used in exclamatory contexts)!  Each girl has a strong and distinctive personality, and there’s a new adventure on every page.  The Lumberjanes are sure to popular with those ready to move on from Raina Telgemeier.

Cons:  The portrayal of boys is not very flattering (they’re cookie-baking, housecleaning simpletons until they transform into evil monsters).

The Rat with the Human Face by Tom Angleberger

~ Janet Dawson ~ 5 Comments

Published by Harry N. Abrams

Summary:  This is the second of the Qwikpick Papers, three sets of papers supposedly found by Tom Angleberger in an old Qwikpick gas station in Crickenburg, Virginia.  It reports the escapades of Lyle, Dave, and Marilla, the three 11-year-old members of the Qwikpick Adventure Society.  In the first book, they searched for and found a poop fountain.  This adventure begins when the three friends overhear an electrician at the Qwikpick (where Lyle’s parents work) talking about his encounter with a rat with a human face in the basement of an old research lab.  The kids decide finding this rat will be their next escapade.  Of course, just about everything goes wrong, and in the end Marilla’s father bans her from Qwikpick membership.  There are a few glimmers of hope, though…the kids actually see the rat, and could that be a romance beginning between Lyle and Marilla?  A sequel is all but guaranteed.  Grades 3-6.

Pros:  The kids’ voices are so genuine, it is hard to believe they didn’t really write this report.  Tom Angleberger, author of the Origami Yoda series, is a master of quirky details that seem just odd enough to be true, like the stuffed Andrew Jackson doll in the Qwikpick crane game.

Cons:  I read this book when I had jury duty, hoping that the title would convince the judge I was unfit to serve.  Unfortunately, we were all dismissed before I could test my hypothesis.

Nightbird by Alice Hoffman

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Published by Wendy Lamb Books

Summary:  Twelve-year-old Twig lives in the idyllic western Massachusetts town of Sidwell, where her mother runs an orchard and bakery.  She wishes she had friends, but her mother forbids it.  Turns out Twig’s older brother James was born with wings, part of an ancient family curse, and their mother is determined to hide him from the rest of the town.  But James sneaks out at night, flying over the woods, and now the whole town is convinced there’s a Sidwell monster.  Meanwhile, the family gets some new neighbors, including two girls just the ages of Twig and James, who are related to the witch who cursed Twig’s family 200 years ago.  Their presence sets off a whole chain of events that threatens to disrupt the lives of every member of Twig’s family.  Recommended for grades 4 and up.

Pros:  Twig is a believable and sympathetic narrator, and the magic elements in her life seem natural and ordinary.  Some of my favorite childhood books, by author Edward Eager, are referenced, and this book contains similar elements of magic occurring in the lives of ordinary mortals.

Cons:  I listened to this book on CD, and it took me a while to get through disc 1.  Readers may need a little perseverance at the start.

The Tapper Twins Go to War (With Each Other) by Geoff Rodkey

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Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  It starts, not surprisingly, with a fart.  Reese accuses his twin sister Claudia in front of a bunch of sixth graders, and Claudia decides she wants revenge.  So she puts a dead fish in his backpack.  War between the siblings is declared, and the battles escalate.  The oral history of this conflict has been compiled by Claudia, and is told mostly as short snippets alternating between Reese and Claudia, with occasional additions from other characters.  Texts between the parents appear in almost every chapter, as do sketches and photographs.  In the end, the twins learn a thing or two about revenge, cyberbullying, and each other.  Recommended for grades 3-6.

Pros:  Written by the screenwriter of Daddy Day Care and RV, this book has its finger squarely on the pulse of contemporary eleven-year-olds.  My expectations were low, but I was pleasantly surprised by both the story and the characters.  The most reluctant reader may be enticed by this book, and fans will be happy to see that the first chapter of the sequel is included at the end.

Cons:  Great literature?  Let’s just say this book won’t be on the short list for the Newbery Medal.

The Question of Miracles by Elana K. Arnold

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by HMH Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Sixth-grader Iris is miserable about her family’s move from sunny California to rainy Corvallis, Oregon.  Her father has decided to turn their new house into a self-sustaining “homestead”, her mother is wrapped up in her new job, and Iris is having trouble making friends.  Worst of all, she is still grieving for her best friend Sarah, whose death was the impetus for the move.  Then Iris meets Boris, a Magic-playing, self-centered classmate with no table manners, who unexpectedly turns out to be a friend.  Even more unexpectedly, she finds out that his death-defying birth was a miracle, in the process of being documented by the Vatican.  If miracles are possible for Boris, might there be a miracle that can help her connect with Sarah again?  Recommended for grades 4-6.

Pros:  This book delves right into the big questions about God, life after death, and who gets a miracle in life.  It is a quiet, reflective book that could engender a lot of discussion.

Cons: I kept waiting for something big to happen.  It never did.

My Life As A Gamer by Janet Tashjian and Jake Tashjian

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Published by Henry Holt

Summary: Derek is back, this time getting a chance to pursue his love of video games. His father arranges for Derek and his friends to be part of a focus group to test a new video game, Arctic Ninja, before it comes out on the market. This makes Saturdays a lot of fun, but during the week Derek is stressing about the upcoming state standardized tests. He’s got a new tutor to help him, but when he tells her some of the top-secret details about Arctic Ninja, he suddenly finds himself in hot water. Derek starts experiencing some familiar feelings of failure, and it’s up to him to figure out how to turn things around.  Recommended for ages 9-12.

Pros: Another winning entry in the “My Life” series. Derek Fallon is Greg Heffley with a heart…and a brain. Short chapters, a large font, and lots of comic-type illustrations will attract Wimpy Kid fans.

Cons: Readers of a certain age may be put off by an icky romance developing between Derek and his friend Carly.

All the Answers by Kate Messner

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Published by Bloomsbury USA Children’s

Summary: Ava’s sweating it out through another math quiz when she hears a voice giving her the right answer. She’s surprised that no one else can hear the voice, but is grateful that it helps her ace the quiz. Eventually she discovers that the voice is coming from the pencil she found in the junk drawer as she was rushing to get ready for school. She and her friend Sophie learn how to use the pencil to uncover answers about the people around them. At first it seems great but then, as so often is the case with magic, complications arise. Ava discovers that knowing people’s secrets isn’t always for the best and learns that she really is brave enough to make it through the tough times in her life on her own. Recommended for grades 4-6.

Pros: Fans of Wendy Mass’s Willow Falls book will enjoy this realistic fiction story with a little magic thrown in.

Cons: Unfortunately, this is just a realistic story with a single magical element. It doesn’t quite come up to the level of Wendy Mass or Lisa Graff’s A Tangle of Knots in weaving magic through the whole story with a big wow at the end.

A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord

~ Janet Dawson ~ 5 Comments

Published by Scholastic Press

Summary:  When Lily’s blind dog Lucky goes after Salma’s lunch, the two girls meet and become friends.  Salma is part of the migrant farm community that arrives every summer to pick the wild blueberries in Lily’s Maine hometown.  Although Lily has always known of this group’s existence, she’s never paid much attention to them until she meets Salma.  Salma proves herself a true friend by offering to help Lily raise money to help pay for an operation to restore Lucky’s sight.  In return, Lily offers to help Salma become the first migrant girl to win the annual Blueberry Queen pageant.  Last year’s winner, Hannah, used to be Lily’s best friend before she became so boy crazy, and Lily finds herself with divided loyalties between her two friends.  As the summer draws to a close and the pageant gets closer, Lily finds herself with more questions than answers about her relationships with her friends and family.

Pros:  Cynthia Lord’s many fans will not be disappointed with her latest work.  Once again, she portrays a sympathetic cast of characters faced with realistic dilemmas of growing up.

Cons:  Be careful that you don’t get caught without a box of Kleenex as you navigate your way through the last few chapters.

Finding Serendipity by Angelica Banks.

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Published by Henry Holt

Summary: It’s the last day of school, and Tuesday McGillycuddy, daughter of famous Serendipity Smith, is excited.  When her mom finishes a book, the whole family celebrates with a relaxing vacation, and Tuesday knows the last book in the Vivienne Small series is almost done.  That night, when she and her dad go to say goodnight to her mom, the window of the study is open, and Serendipity has vanished.  Tuesday types a few sentences on her mom’s typewriter.  The words turn into a silver thread that carry Tuesday into a magical world where stories are created.  She and her dog Baxterr find Vivienne and learn to create their own adventures.  But Serendipity is nowhere to be found, and Tuesday’s not sure how to get herself and Baxterr home.  Will the mother and daughter writers figure out their way to “The End”?

Pros:  Not only is this a good adventure story, but it’s a fun introduction to the art of storytelling.

Cons:  Reading the first chapter, I thought this was going to be an awkwardly contrived metaphor for the writing process.  Stick with it, the story really picks up further on.