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Told in five parts with an epilogue, A Year Without Home is a poignant novel written in verse by V. T. Bidania. Targeted towards middle grade readers, Bidania’s book tells the story of eleven-year-old Gao Sheng and her Hmong family during wartime. Although Gao Sheng is a classic name “meant for girls who are elegant, graceful, charming” (10), Gao Sheng claims none of those traits. She struggles against the gender roles imposed by her culture and wishes to be known as more than “a vegetable picker,” one expected to be a good and responsible daughter. Tired of being like the mab plant, useful and tough,Read More →

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“So poor you could see it ten miles away” (2), the Cleary brothers “bickered by the bucket and teased a ton” (2). At 13, Ollie loves his eleven-year-old kid brother, Gus, and feels like he has to be the man of the house after his father is killed in a mine blast gone wrong. Set in Colorado in 1893 in what sounds like the Silverton area but Avi calls Gatchett’s Gulch, The Road from Nowhere is a historical fiction story for middle-grade readers about the period in history when gold and silver mines were evolving. In order to fulfill his sense of responsibility, Ollie decidesRead More →

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Given the past two years, with a war waging between Russia and Ukraine, Swimming with Spies by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger is an especially relevant novel for middle grade readers. This historical fiction text tells the story of the annexation of Crimea in 2014—a time when “Russkyi mir, the violence and blood and criminality and corruption,” threatened Ukrainian’s language, culture, and tradition. The stars of this story are Sofiya, Ilya, Cedric, Anna, and Petro, twelve-year-old classmates who have to decide whether they will work together as well as determine the degree to which nationalism plays a role in identity. Additional characters serve as significant support staff inRead More →

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With his book Wolves at the Door, Steve Watkins writes a horrific reminder of the effects of war. Painting with historical accuracy, he captures the lives of eleven-year-old Asta, her nine-year-old sister Pieta, and their eventual ten-year-old friend Gerhard. The three are thrust in the midst of the last days of World War II, in the harsh winter of 1944-45 when more than two million people desperately fled the northeastern German province of East Prussia, just weeks ahead of the Soviet Red Army invasion. The trio of youth are traumatized by the Königsberg bombing and fearful of more planes and more bombs. Although Asta typicallyRead More →

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Although Ruth Behar’s historical fiction novel for middle grade readers is titled Across So Many Seas, the author could just as easily have named it Across So Many Generations. Set in four locations over multiple centuries and following the lives of four twelve-year-old girls, Across So Many Seas tells the story of the Jewish expulsion from Spain in 1492. The first segment is told from Benvenida’s viewpoint and captures a time when the high arts, such as reading, writing poetry, and singing sacred prayers in the synagogue were left to men. Still, Benvenida seeks freedom and autonomy. Her mother encourages her to “always live theRead More →

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Eyes on the Sky by J. Kasper Kramer is a delightful book with multiple layers. As the reader pulls these back, we learn a good deal about the desert and about Roswell, New Mexico, during 1945-1947 when the USA was conducting experiments. We also learn a great amount about twelve-year-old Dorothy Duncan and her brother Dwight. A lover of science and comic books, Dorothy is a Junior Member of the American Rocket Society. She cares a great deal about jet propulsion systems and radio echoes from the moon, so she gets odd looks from others who invite her into conversation. As far as she isRead More →

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Because of her mom’s spirit of adventure, Molly Teng has moved eight times in her 13 years of life. Now, she just wants normalcy, consistency, and a place to call home. By the time her mom, Dot, drags her to Buckeye Creek, Texas, Molly has reached the end of her rope. Bell Harbor, Maine, just had a more comfortable vibe; it was a place where life was peaceful and simple. Now, she’s in a new place, forced to make new friends, and trying to avoid “the zaps.” For Dot Teng, everything is an opportunity, but for Molly, “everything is something to be navigated” (23). WhenRead More →

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With allusions to people like Mary Bethune, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, Jessie Redmon Fauset, James Weldon Johnson, and Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Kwame Alexander commemorates Black History with his latest book: Black Star. But this novel in verse for middle grade readers goes beyond that preservation to tell the story of Charlene (aka Charley) Cuffey. The only thing Charley enjoys more than listening to her Nana Kofi tell stories about courageous ancestors and epic journeys is playing baseball with Willie Green and Henry Jones. With Grandpa’s inspiration, it’s impossible for Charley not to dream big. Charley’s mother, on the other hand, admonishes her asthmatic daughter for “getting allRead More →

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With her novel When We Flew Away, Alice Hoffman writes an emotionally stirring prequel to The Diary of Anne Frank. In this poignant piece, Hoffman reminds readers of the power of hope even when evil walks in the world. Even when it seems impossible to have hope, Anne Frank shows us that it is possible to be brave, to have dreams, and to live on in the words we have written or the record we leave behind. Set in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from 1940-1942, Hoffman’s book begins with Otto and Edith Frank wondering if their escape from Germany to the Netherlands with their two girls wasRead More →