Middle Grade

Breaking into Sunlight / John Cochran

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Breaking into Sunlight
By: John Cochran
Genre: Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 304
Published: June 18, 2024
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Dates Read: August 30, 2024 - August 31, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: parent drug use, parent addiction, overdose

Reese is a seventh-grader who loves drawing, basketball, and his parents. But one day after school, Reese comes home to his worst nightmare – his dad on the floor, lips turning blue, overdosed. Again. After calling 911 and getting his dad help, Reese expects everything to go on like it did the last time, but for his mom, this was the breaking point. Until Reese’s dad really gets the help that he needs, Reese and his mom are leaving, moving into a rundown trailer outside of town. Reese is furious with his mom for leaving his dad when he needs them, scared for his dad who’s not answering calls or texts, and terrified his friends will find out his family’s biggest secret. 

But then he meets Meg and Charlie, siblings who have also been stranded by circumstances outside of their control. As the trio get to know more about each other, Reese discovers beauty and joy in nature – especially the river down the pathway of the property they are staying at. His dad also seems to be doing better and is talking with his mom again. But how long can these good times last?

This middle grade book deals with a heavy topic matter – parent addiction, and it does so with compassionate care for all parties. This allowed Reese to go through and process his emotions, between anger, sadness, anxiety, depression, and everything in between. Addiction is a topic that unfortunately tends to be treated like it needs to be hidden and to be ashamed about. What Reese and his family go through will really relate to children who may be going through something similar. 

I am so happy I got to read this novel, and to know that it exists in the world for younger readers so they don’t feel alone – and for those who haven’t experienced it, to open the door of understanding. Even though it is for younger readers, I do see older readers, and adults getting something out of this read too.

*Thank you Algonquin Young Readers and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary / Alice Hoffman

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When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary
By: Alice Hoffman
Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 304
Published: September 17, 2024
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Dates Read: August 25, 2024
Format: ARC/ eBook

Based on extensive research and published in cooperation with the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam Alice Hoffman weaves together a lyrical and heart-wrenching story that looks into the way the world changed for Anne Frank and her family before they went into hiding during WWII.

I’ve always been interested in Anne and her family since I first watched one of the movie adaptations as a kid. I didn’t read her diary though until a few years ago. Obviously we don’t 100% know what Anne thought of when living through the months/years leading up to the Frank family going into hiding, but I think Alice Hoffman did a wonderful job at imagining it.

The other thing I wanted to applaud Hoffman on is knowing her audience and how to talk about what was happening without being too graphic. I know we want to protect younger children from the horrors of the war – but you also have to think about the fact that children their age went through the war. Not everything needs to be described in detail but kids are smart and still deserve to know. I just remember thinking in certain parts that the writing was handled well.

I also really liked the dynamic between Anne and her mother. In her diaries she wrote about the difference in relationships she had between Pip and her mother and this story dives deeper into that and provides more layers.

Overall, I think this would be a good middle grade introduction into Anne Frank and her story. Have them read this first to open the door for discussion about Anne and her family. Then, more mature, or when they’re older, they can then read Anne Frank’s diary.

*Thank you Scholastic Press and NetGalley for  an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

With Just One Wing / Brenda Woods

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With Just One Wing
By: Brenda Woods
Genre: Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 176
Published: May 14, 2024
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Dates Read: July 20, 2024 - July 23, 2024
Format: eBook

Everyone always expects Coop to be musical like his parents, but he’s not, because he’s adopted. This summer, Coop is stuck inside after falling out of a tree trying to get a closer look at a mockingbird nest at his grandparent’s place. After the fledglings have left the nest, Coop and his friend Zandi notice one bird is left behind. Upon a closer look, they realize the bird only has one wing. Knowing it won’t survive on its own, they adopt it and name it Hop. But after a hawk injures Hop, the vet says it’s illegal to keep mockingbirds as pets. Faced with the difficult decision about surrendering his little bird to a bird sanctuary, Coop begins thinking about his birth mother’s own decision.

This will be a good book for younger readers, especially those getting into the longer chapter books. I think this story, though simply written, will open the door up for discussion about Safe Haven babies and adoption.

I do wish that it wasn’t written in Coop’s POV, simply so we could get more information maybe about Zandi, because we only get what Coop thinks about her – so when he becomes upset with her, I didn’t feel like it was that justified.

Overall, this was a cute middle grade read filled with the discussion about adoption and giving something up that you love so much.
*Thank you Nancy Paulsen Books and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Witch House / DeAnna Knippling

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The Witch House
By: DeAnna Knippling
Genre: Middle Grade, Horror
Number of Pages: 213
Published: February 25, 2024
Publisher: Wonderland Press
Dates Read: June 29. 2024 - July 2, 2024
Format: eBook

There is a witch in town and she’s causing trouble. Jayla and her new friend, Lola must work together to save both of their families from being replaced.

This book is definitely a bit different – almost experimental in a way to be honest. It’s told in alternative journal entries between Jayla and Lola and sometimes it’s real entries and sometimes they’re fake. With all that, sometimes I didn’t know exactly what was going on, but that was kind of the whole point (it’s even mentioned at the end that they know it’s confusing, but it’s how it happened).

There were scenes where it was a little confusing what was happening, but if I slowed down a bit and read it – even if it was a faster paced scene – I could “see” everything (and all the horror).

Overall, I think Middle Grade readers will really enjoy the engagement this novel has – adults will too, but Knippling does an excellent job at writing for her audience for sure.
*Thank you LibraryThing and DeAnna Knippling for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review (I’m sorry it took me a minute to get to it!!)

Telephone of the Tree / Alison McGhee

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Telephone of the Tree
By: Alison McGhee
Genre: Middle Grade, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 208
Published: May 7, 2024
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books
Dates Read: June 15, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Ayla and her best friend Kiri have always been tree people. Neighbors and family know they can most likely find them within the branches. But right now, Kiri has gone somewhere far away and Ayla can only wait in the branches of her birch tree for her friend’s return.

Then, a mysterious, old-fashioned phone appears on Ayla’s tree. Where did it come from? And why are people showing up to use this phone to call their passed loved ones?

All Ayla wants is for Kiri to come home. Until then, she will keep Kiri’s things safe, her nightmares to herself, and she will not make a call on that telephone.

As a child who lost her dad at the age of twelve (three days into my seventh grade school year), a telephone in a tree to call him would be amazing, so of course, this made me tear up quite a bit.

This is a quick read. It’s broken up in kind of a novel-in-verse type of way, but not being fully a novel-in-verse. I’ll probably still rope it in with that genre of novel though.

Even though this is a quick read, there is such a punch that gets delivered. I can see this helping younger readers with their grief of a passing loved one. We can’t stay in the denial land (or lalala land) forever and it’s important to have the space to heal and accept in our own time.

This novel is guaranteed to stick with me for a long time, if not forever.
*Thank you Rocky Pond Books and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Coyote Lost and Found / Dan Gemeinhart

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Coyote Lost and Found
By: Dan Gemeinhart
Genre: Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 282
Published: March 5, 2024
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Dates Read: May 26, 2024 - May 29, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

*Trigger Warnings: Grief, remembering death of parent and siblings, Covid-19

It’s been almost a year since Coyote and her dad settled down in a small Oregon town. But just as their lives were being close to “normal”, Coyote finds a box containing her mom’s ashes that was hidden in the bus and she thinks she’s ready to say goodbye. When Covid-19 hits and school is canceled, it’s the perfect time. The only problem – Coyote doesn’t know where her resting place is supposed to be. Her mom wrote it in a book of poetry that Coyote mistakenly sold last year on the road. Now, it’s up to Coyote to find the book so she can tell her dad where her mom’s resting place should be – all without her dad knowing she lost the book in the first place. Firing up their trusty bus, Yager, Coyote and her dad are ready to hit the road with some old friends and ready to discover some new ones.

Ah – Coyote and her dad have held a special place in my heart since reading about their first adventure. When I saw there was a sequel I immediately grabbed a copy as soon as I could.

This book is about moving on to the next chapter of your life and, even if it’s scary, accepting change, and finding things.

“…Finding ashes and finding books and finding friends and finding where you belong and finding clues and finding wings and finding a way and then, at the end, finding peace, Because we lose a lot, all of us on our journeys. There’s no way around that. But we find a lot, too, if we’re lucky. And I was.”

This book is aimed at middle grade readers, but I think those of all ages will enjoy it. Coyote is only thirteen in this novel, and she’s dealing with big emotions and grief of her mother and sisters death – so some may not like how she reacts to things – but, as someone who lost her dad at the age of twelve, the grieving process is weird and I hope think this novel will hope young readers in their own grieving processes. The characters will dig their way into your heart and you’ll think about them long after the last pages.

*Thank you Henry Holt and Co and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The First State of Being / Erin Entrada Kelly

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The First State of Being
By: Erin Entrada Kelly
Genre: Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 272
Published: March 5, 2024
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Dates Read: May 25, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

It’s August 1999 and twelve-year-old Michael is preparing for the looming Y2K crisis that’s just around the corner by keeping a small stockpile under his bed. His mom, nor his babysitter, Gibby, seem to be as worried. When a disoriented teenage boy appears out of nowhere, Michael’s life is turned around.

It turns out, the disoriented boy is named Ridge, and he’s the world’s first time traveler. As Gibby shows Ridge around the 1999s lifestyle – microwaves, basketballs, and the mall – Michael discovers their new friend has a book that outlines the events of the next twenty years. Michael wants – no, actually, he needs to get his hands on that book to find out the fate of the world in the next few months. But, how far is he willing to go to get it?

Oh to remember the Y2K crisis. I was seven and in all honesty, my memories don’t attach to computers crashing, but the world itself crumbling down?? I was probably overthinking it with the complete limited amount of knowledge I was given. My parents and my aunt and uncle weren’t concerned about it, so I just went with it.

This was cute and a fun introduction to the late 90’s for middle grade readers – and brings up the discussion of Y2K as well. It also gave plenty of shout outs to Millennials. I also enjoyed the twist(s) at the end – of course, not going to give them away. 

I can see adults liking this just as much as kids because of the pop culture references and such. Again, this would probably open the discussion for kids to ask about the late 90s, early 2000s – especially Y2K and computer culture back in the day.

*Thank you Greenwillow Books and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Secret Language of Birds / Lynne Kelly

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The Secret Language of Birds
By: Lynne Kelly
Genre: Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 240
Published: April 9, 2024
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Dates Read: May 22, 2024 - May 24, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Nina has always felt like the odd one out, both at school and with her family. When she goes to the summer camp her aunt runs, Nina expects it to be exactly the same – but then she meets the Oddballs, a group of three girls from the last cabin at camp. One night, while sneaking out to see a ghost with her fellow campers, Nina discovers what appears to be two whooping cranes who built a nest behind an abandoned infirmary – which is impossible since this species of birds haven’t nested in Texas for over a hundred years.

When Nina reports the sighting to wildlife officials, more questions arise. These birds are all tagged and tracked, but they can’t identify the female bird. With the help of the Oddballs, Nina sets out to discover who the mystery bird is and along the way, maybe she’ll find her own flock.

I really enjoyed Nina’s journey in finding her group of friends who enjoyed each other’s company and were supportive of each other. The reconnection of Nina and Iris was realistic and wholesome as well and their conversations felt genuine, especially when Iris was telling Nina how she felt. Lynne Kelly really has a way of writing with empathy, care, and gentleness. Even when Nina was having anxiety over her new friends and situations, she wasn’t ever written as being over the top or anything.

I haven’t read A Song for a Whale (yet) but this gave me more of a reason to get that moved up on my TBR. I wanted to read this one because of Nina’s love for birds and being an amateur bird watcher. It was fun finding out the ways Nina would discover birds and how she talked or thought about them.

This was aimed at Middle Grade readers, but I feel like quite a few audiences can enjoy it. It’s sweet and gentle. Without ruining anything, there’s stuff at stake but it’s not really a high stakes type of book. This will take you on an adventure with a young girl at summer camp watching over a pair of birds with her friends and in the end, watch Nina change the way she not only views others, but herself as well.

Thank you Delacorte Press and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Groundworld Heroes / Adrian So

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The Groundworld Heroes
By: Adrian So
Genre: Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 122
Published: August 6, 2024
Publisher: Monarch Educational Services
Dates Read: May 12, 2024 - May 13, 2024
Format: ARC / eBook

When Benjamin, a junior mole digger, witnesses a human invasion of his homeland of Soiland, he must gather his courage and unite two different realms to fight the intruders and save the citizens.

This book is definitely aimed at the younger crowd (upper elementary to lower middle school), but I can also see this as a chapter book for Hi-Lo readers as well. So does have fun with language in this book. Using words like: mole-ments, Whizzy Fizzy Speed Machine, bunny-hops (used to measuring distance), for rabbit’s sake! – and so much more.

Overall, this is a book about a little mole standing up for what he believes in and helping his home, and his people with his bravery. Readers will enjoy the adventure filled story with funny, witty characters and punny writing. I can see a lot of future fantasy readers getting their start in that genre with this book.

The author of this book is a teenager and this is his debut novel. I’m excited to see their continued writing journey and to see them grow as an author.

*Thank you Adrian for reaching out to me to read your debut novel in exchange for an honest review

Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods / Catherynne M. Valente

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Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods
By: Catherynne M. Valente
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 416
Published: April 26, 2022
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Dates Read: March 20, 2024 - March 24, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

All Osmo Unknown wants is to venture out beyond his small town of Littlebridge – and to be known as something other than a turnip. One day, his mother accidentally kills a Quidnunk, a fearsome and intelligent creature that lives deep in the woods. This shouldn’t have anything to do with Osmo, except there was a treaty between the Quidnunx and the people of Littlebridge that was forged hundreds of years ago.

Accompanied by a half-badger/half-wombat named Bonk and an antisocial pangolin girl named Never, Omsmo must embark on a quest to find the Eightpenny Woods – the kingdom where all the forest creatures go when they die – to make amends.

This took me a little bit to get into it. I knew it was going to be good, but my attention for it didn’t truly catch on until a little over 100 pages in, once all the group had been assembled. 

As much as Bonk initially annoyed me, the more and more I got to know him, the more I understood and liked him. I even started writing down my favorite insult names he used: ornery wee fork, ya dropped egg, absolute doorknob, trashcake supreme. I loved Never off the bat and loved every inch of her antisocial self.

There’s a narrator you see only in the beginning and towards the end, that breaks the fourth wall between the narrator and the reader – otherwise it’s told in third person through Osmo’s POV.

I can see middle grade readers really enjoying this and walking away from the last few pages feeling like they themselves went on an adventure. Even as an adult, I felt that I was just told the most fabulous story sitting around a campfire. Give it a few more pages when you’re getting into it than you probably usually do – but you won’t regret it!