On upcoming books that you should check out

Sadly, I've really been falling behind on ARCs these last few months. This year, I'm turning over a new leaf - I'll be participating in The Herd Presents' Blogger Shame Challenge to catch up on old (aka recently released) ARCs and try keeping up with more current ones. And I'm not doing so poorly thusfar - I've already read a new ARC this year and I've gone through a few backlisted (though not ARC) books. The future is looking bright for my ARCs. Until I get around to more, here are a couple books you should be getting excited about:

• Moonshine by Jasmine Gower (February 6th) - First of all, I can't get enough of this cover. It is absolutely stunning and so creative. It also gives you a pretty good idea of what the book is about - it's like "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and urban fantasy smushed into one delightful little novel. I adored this and I'm so excited to see what else the author has to offer.

• The Language of Spells by Garret Weyr (June 26th) - Such an adorable book! This middle grade story is so wholesome and sweet -and it has some very kind and tenderhearted dragons. Weyr tells the tale of a lonely dragon and a lonely little girl so well - you feel like you understand them and their predicament so well. It's a bittersweet and tender book, perfect for young fantasy readers.

• Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (July 10th) - Again, what a beautiful cover. If only I could get my hands on this ARC. I loved Novik's Beauty & the Beast retelling and was worried she wouldn't write any more fairytales - and now she announces a Rumpelstiltskin retelling. Thank goodness she has - and hopefully she'll be retelling fairytales for years to come. Now I just have to worry about waiting til July...

What upcoming books are you excited about? What new releases have you been ranting about? What gets you excited about a new book?

On middle grade books about school

By the time kids get to be 9-12, they have a good feel for school and know what to expect of school. At this point, it may be time to break out the silly, feel-good kids books about school. Below are some of our suggestions:

• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
• Pickle: The (Formerly) Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Point Middle School by Kim Baker
• The Last Boy at St. Edith’s by Lee Gjertsen Malone
• Miss Ellicott’s School for the Magically Minded by Sage Blackwood
• Jake the Fake Keeps it Real by Craig Robinson and Adam Mansbach
• Ms. Bixby’s Last Day by John David Anderson
• The Best Man by Richard Peck
• Ghost by Jason Reynolds
• I Funny by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein
• Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
• The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
• I Heart Band by By Michelle Schusterman
• Frindle by Andrew Clements
• Genie Wishes by Elizabeth Dahl
• Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

Middle grade books aren’t something I specialize in, so I got quite a bit of help here, here, here, and here. If you need more middle grade book suggestions, be sure to check those out.

What middle grade books about school do you love? What books are missing from this list?

On gritty middle grade/YA novels

As middle grade readers begin checking out YA books, the transition can be tough. To begin with, YA books deal with much different issues than your typical middle grade novel. YA books also tend to be trendier, grittier, and have very upfront and in-your-face love stories (or bizarre love triangles). Writing for middle grade and for YA is SO DIFFERENT as well - most middle grade is much fluffier and fun, while many YA books use more difficult words and are written in more real voices. For a middle grade reader who doesn’t quite know how to deal with these changes, I have a few suggestions. These are also for anyone who wants a bit of easy, but gritty, reading:

• Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman? by Eleanor Updale - While this novel isn’t entirely dark, it has several dark aspects to it. Montmorency makes a Valjean-esque change from rags to riches and spends plenty of time being confronted with his past - while still trying to provide for his future.
• Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix - In a dystopian future not to far from our own world, families are only allowed to have two children. Haddix explores the stories of secret third children - and the terrible danger posed with their continued existence. My mum read these books before I did and highly recommended them when I was young. It was one of the darker books I read at a young age and I remember being somewhat
• The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick - In this Lord of the Flies-esque book, Philbrick shows a dystopian future where children run their own dark society and where some children cannot let go of their traumatic pasts.
• Lord Loss by Darren Shan - This series is one of the bloodiest I have ever read. For many children, the themes (and bloodshed) in this book may be too intense. The writing is very middle grade and incredibly easy to read. Parents may want to read this book before offering it to their children.
• The White Mountains by John Christopher - This classic science fiction novel was one of the first chapter books I remember reading. At age 8, it both intrigued and disturbed me. Reviewing it later in life made me realize it wasn’t nearly as dark as it seemed to me when I was young, but for a kid, this book packs a punch. While being easy to read, it can be a lot of very young readers to swallow. Highly recommended for introducing your child to science fiction.

On soon-to-be- or just-released books with my seal of approval

Meet my seal of approval. This majestic being is a tough guy to please, but here are the upcoming releases or book that have just barely been released that he deigned to approve of:

• How to Stage a Catastrophe by Rebecca Donnelly (April 1st) - I don’t often read middle grade books, but this one caught my eye and captured my heart. The story follows Sidney Camazzalo and his friends as they work to save the children’s theatre they love. The characters are hilarious, the story is ridiculously far-fetched (which is exactly what I liked when I read a lot of middle grade books), and the storytelling is wonderful and memorable. I laughed aloud several times. A must-read for any kids interested in theatre.
• Change of Seasons: A Memoir by John Oates (April 4th) - Rock ‘n’ roll biographies and histories are some of my favorite books to read and this book was no exception. The first half of it took me a long time to get through - I kept having to convince myself that it was worth finishing. The second half was different - I breezed through it in a night because it was so funny and it was wonderful to learn more about one half of the famous Hall & Oates duo. This reignited my interest in H&O and might have caused a slight crush on John Oates (that stache, though!). I highly recommend this to any H&O fans and anyone with an interest in classic rock/pop should enjoy this as well.
• A Tyranny of Queens (Manifold Worlds #2) by Foz Meadows (May 2nd) - The second book in the Manifold Worlds series was much better than the first. A fairly straightforward portal fantasy, this series feels like it stepped out of the 1980's in some ways. Full of political intrigue, magic, dragons, and worldwalking, it's a fun and easy to read series. I look forward to reading more by this author - Meadows seems to be getting better with more practice and has a lot of potential in my mind. I recommend this for anyone who loves portal fantasy and who enjoys knowing about up-and-coming fantasy authors first.

• It’s All a Game: What Board Games Tell Us About the World and Ourselves by Tristan Donovan (May 30th) - This book is AWESOME. As a lover of board games, I felt obligated to try this out and I absolutely adored it. In addition to giving the history of various popular board games, Donovan offers some theories as to how the world was altered because of these games. Tabletop games are growing in popularity these days, so this is a well-timed and delightful book for anyone with an interest in board games (especially if you like chess a lot). If you’re feeling inspired to get into tabletop games, Board Game Quest has some suggestions.