Middle grade fiction

The Way to Stay in Destiny by Augusta Scattergood

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Scholastic Press

Summary:  Theo’s spent his whole life on a farm in Kentucky with his grandparents.  But now the farm’s been sold, and he’s living in Destiny, Florida with his Uncle Raymond, whom he met for the first time a few weeks ago.  Uncle Raymond doesn’t seem to like him much, which makes sharing a room at the Rest Easy boarding kind of tough.  But Theo’s determined to make the best of his situation.  For starters, there’s a piano at the Rest Easy, which Theo can play by ear (even though his uncle hates piano music).  Then there’s his new friend Anabel, who’s an even bigger Atlanta Braves fan than Theo.  She signs him up for her extra credit school project, which is to figure out if Braves players ever spent time in Destiny.  Now Uncle Raymond thinks he wants to move.  Can Theo figure out a way to stay in Destiny?

Pros:  The characters are memorable and likable (even Uncle Raymond by the end of the story), and the writing is beautifully evocative.

Cons:  There’s not much to the story.  The description promises a mystery and an adventure.  I’m not really sure what the mystery was and any adventure was pretty tame.

The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett and Jory John, illustrated by Kevin Cornell

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Harry N. Abrams

 Summary:  Miles is the new kid at school.  He’s hoping to establish himself as the best prankster there, a title he held in his last school.  His pranks keep backfiring, though, and he finally learns why: Niles, the apparently goody-two-shoes kiss-up kid is actually a prankster extraordinaire in disguise.  The two eventually put aside their differences and team up to become “The Terrible Two”, ultimately bringing their nemesis Principal Barkin to his knees.

Pros:  You can’t go wrong with a prankster, and two pranking geniuses are sure to be appreciated by the elementary school crowd.  Both Miles and Niles have their different charms, and humor abounds throughout the story.  Short chapters and plenty of illustrations will keep reluctant readers engaged.

Cons:  The whole slacker-kid-outwitting-the-adults thing has become practically its own genre, spawned by the wimpy kid.  It’s starting to seem a little tired.

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

~ Janet Dawson ~ 8 Comments

Published by Dial Books

Summary:  Ten-year-old Ada has spent her entire life in a one-room apartment, kept prisoner by her mother who is ashamed of Ada’s club foot.  When parents are ordered to evacuate their children to the country at the start of World War II, Ada sees her chance to escape and manages to get evacuated along with her younger brother, Jamie.  They are reluctantly taken in by Susan Smith, a woman who is dealing with her own grief and isolation and does not want any children in her home.  Slowly, though, the children and their guardian learn to live with each other, and Ada discovers the world around her that she has been locked out of all her life.  She assists during the Dunkirk evacuation, discovers a spy, and survives nightly air raids.  But her greatest test of courage comes when her mother reappears and demands to take the children back home.

Pros:  I got this book right before two snow days.  Thank goodness, because I could not put it down.  Ada, Susan, and Jamie are fabulous multi-dimensional characters.  The author does not whitewash their lives or their reactions to events, which only makes them more endearing.  Compelling historical fiction for fourth and fifth graders.

Cons:  There didn’t seem to me to be adequate explanation as to why the children’s mother was so horrible.  True, she was poor, uneducated, and apparently coerced into having children by a husband who then died, but it was hard for me to get a handle on why she was so hateful.