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In Phoenix, Book One of her Ride On Series, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley introduces middle grade readers to her knowledge of and love for horses. Set in Tennessee, this first installment follows the life of Harper whose mother and father are divorcing. When “the Bomb” hits, everything familiar disappears, and Harper is devastated by the loss of her best friend Cat and two parents who seemed to mostly get along. Now it’s a new school, new home, new town, and new life. With too many hard things to handle all at once, Harper experiences a deep sadness and essentially withdraws from life. The first surprise thatRead More →

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Chanel Miller clearly recalls the tumultuous time of middle school. Her recent novel targeted towards tweens, The Moon without Stars touches on several very real and raw issues experienced by this age group. Perhaps the best litmus test of Miller’s knowledge is her analogy about the swimming unit in physical education: “While I appreciate that the school prevents death by drowning, they haven’t considered death by humiliation” (102). Although home is kind for seventh graders Scott Mango and Luna Noon, it is also a place of “unspoken stress, unmet longing, and dissatisfaction” (57). The two twelve-year-olds are both looking for a “cure for happifying [their]Read More →

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Both a journalist and social justice activist, Ruchira Gupta writes her middle grade novel The Freedom Seeker as a plea to young readers for understanding and for tolerance of those who are different. As her story told in three parts unfolds, Gupta interweaves several significant morals. To create a human connection, Gupta creates a family in India who faces religious intolerance. Henna Ali is a nurse with Muslim faith who loves Gurbeer Singh, a farmer and former field hockey player who practices the Hindu faith. Their love leads to a marriage and the birth of Simran, whose name means “one who meditates.” But at twelveRead More →

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Set in both New York and Massachusetts and told in three parts, Chris Makes a Friend by Alex Gino explores several social and emotional impacts that young people encounter. Among these are the challenges of friendship making, the difficulties in dealing with parents who experience chronic pain, the struggles that occur between siblings, and the power of connection experiments. As this novel targeting middle grade readers opens, eleven-year-old Chris Rossi has just learned that she will be attending “Old People Summer Camp in Massachusetts,” her name for a forced vacation with her grandparents while her mother endures yet another surgery. Because Chris prefers alone timeRead More →

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Jaxon Averett’s parents have passed away and his grandma Averett develops Alzheimer’s, rendering her unable to care for her grandson any longer. As a result, the state houses Jaxon with his Aunt Helga and Uncle Clive Grimmitz, who already have six children of their own—all of whom have “inherited the Grimmitz genetics for cruelty” (9). According to Jaxon, “life in the Grimmitz home is a crash course in the game of survival” (9). In order to escape the inhumane treatment, Jax writes an escape declaration and forms his own country, the Free State of Jax. Such is the background that forms the plot of JenniferRead More →

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At twelve years old, Max Conway resents that other people want to make plans for him. He’s not interested in sports despite his father’s passion for them, and it’s not so easy to brush off his dad’s disapproval. Although his dad is Big Max and he’s Little Max, he’s tired of trying to fill his dad’s expectations. So, when he and his mother will be spending the summer on Lafitte Island off the Texas coast, he borrows the name Milo from a brand-new giraffe at the Houston Zoo he loves and takes on a new identity. When he tries the name out with his mom,Read More →

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Set in Juniper, Scotland, A Glimmer of Change by Elle McNicoll features a neuroatypical protagonist, Keedie Darrow. From Keedie, readers will learn the challenges experienced by a fourteen-year-old who lives with autism and who despises bullies. As the book opens, Keedie is wielding the “Al Capone of plastic pistols,” this one filled with ice-cold water in order to avenge her friend Bonnie who was the target of a group of bullies, one of whom turns out to be the boyfriend of her twin sister, Nina. When Hugh remarks: “You two are so different,” (29). Keddie agrees by saying, “Shared a womb, not a brain,” (29).Read More →

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In her novel for middle grade readers entitled What Happened Then, Erin Soderberg Downing writes about family and the generational trauma that gets passed down. Twelve-year-old Avery knows she’s best in small doses. “Every time I try to fade, I fail . . . and flare instead. In a crayon box of colors, I’m the shocking pink and laser lemon” (5). Although she wishes to be less exuberant and less talkative, she hasn’t yet mastered moderation. “I know I’m too much. Too loud, too annoying, too big for any room I step into. . . . I wish I could edit and refine myself, likeRead More →

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With her debut graphic novel, On Guard!, Cassidy Wasserman creates a clever metaphor between fencing and life.  As the story unfolds, Grace Collins is beginning seventh grade at Marshall Middle School. To further complicate life, her parents have divorced, the custody agreement adds challenges, and her best friend has moved on to a new friend group, replacing Grace with Lana. Adrift, angry, and alone, Grace starts watching the eighth grade fencers during her lunch hour. Although she imagines herself armed with a sword, she considers herself unathletic and chooses to sit on the sidelines instead. However, when her father notices Grace’s withdrawn demeanor, he encouragesRead More →