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#MiddleGradeMarch
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mrp27
Break | Kayla Miller
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#MiddleGradeMarch

Only got four books in for #MiddleGradeMarch and I didn‘t even get to my Jason Reynolds book but as always it was a joy to participate. Heidi was my favorite.

sblbooks I absolutely loved Heidi, last year. Thanks for joining in. 8mo
mrp27 @sblbooks Welcome, and thanks for hosting! 8mo
22 likes2 comments
review
peanutnine
Green | Alex Gino
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Pickpick

I had to read Green's story, as they were such a vibrant character in 'Rick'. Being nonbinary, they have to work through some challenges most kids don't think about. When the school musical is being cast, they have to fight for gender neutral casting. When puberty starts, they have to make decisions about their body. And if they have a crush on a boy who says he's straight, is it hopeless to think he could ever like them back?

38 likes1 comment
review
BarbaraJean
I, Houdini | Lynne Reid Banks
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Mehso-so

Another for #MiddleGradeMarch! I loved The Indian in the Cupboard when I read it (and its sequels) in 4th/5th grade. (I‘m reluctant to re-read—I‘m skeptical whether they would hold up.) I remember seeing I, Houdini in a list of other books by Lynne Reid Banks, and becoming low-key obsessed with reading it—partly because I loved stories told from an animal character POV, and probably also partly because my library didn‘t have a copy. ⬇️

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) I came across the book in a used book store several years ago, and you know the drill: I immediately snatched it up and brought it home and promptly didn‘t read it. So: #MiddleGradeMarch to the rescue and now I‘ve finally read it! It‘s a fun little story about the antics of a hamster, but I‘m pretty sure I would have appreciated it much more as a 5th grader than I did as an adult. The book is narrated by Houdini the Hamster, and ⬇️ 8mo
BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) …the author plays up the condescending, arrogant first person voice quite a bit, which I found annoying/wearying after a while. And then there was a super weird part where Houdini meets the female hamster next door and—well, hamster lust/dubious consent was not something I wanted to read about. Especially not in a kids‘ book. “You‘re very beautiful and I‘m going to mate with you whether you like it or not”—um, no thank you. 8mo
willaful 😳 8mo
See All 12 Comments
CSeydel Whoa! that took a turn 8mo
BarbaraJean @willaful @CSeydel Yep. It's not a huge part of the narrative, but the fact that it's there at all is just bizarre. 😬 8mo
BarbaraJean Oh! And I forgot to note that this is my 1978 pick for #192025. Although I kind of want to read something different for my birth year!! @librarybelle 8mo
Librarybelle Wow! I only remember the author from The Indian in the Cupboard series - I actually didn‘t read the series but my brother did. 8mo
BarbaraJean @librarybelle With this author specifically, I remember having that moment of “Wait, she's written other books?!? Hooray!!“ That was always a revelatory discovery for me as a young reader! And then to discover my library didn't have them? Sadness indeed. Turns out maybe I wasn't missing out as much as I thought... 😂 (edited) 8mo
LeahBergen Happy Birthday!! ❤️❤️ 8mo
Librarybelle 😂 8mo
willaful @BarbaraJean I don't blame you! 8mo
BarbaraJean @LeahBergen Thank you so much!! 💜 📖 💜 8mo
36 likes12 comments
review
BarbaraJean
Lyddie | Katherine Paterson
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Pickpick

I had great plans for #MiddleGradeMarch and I‘ve only read two. 🤷🏻‍♀️ This was one of them! I LOVED Paterson‘s books when I was a kid—The Great Gilly Hopkins, Bridge to Terabithia, Jacob Have I Loved—so I picked this up a while ago out of nostalgia for a favorite author. Of course it sat on the shelf for years. 😆 This is so different from the ones I loved as a kid, but it has the same depth of characterization that I responded to back then.⬇️

BarbaraJean 13-year-old Lyddie leaves rural Vermont to work in the city—hoping to help pay off her family‘s debts quickly then reunite the family on her beloved farm. The novel demonstrates Lyddie‘s growth & determination in the midst of the terrible working conditions she encounters. As historical fiction, this does a fantastic job: painting a vivid picture of what life was like for women & girls working in the textile mills in Lowell, Mass. in the 1840s. ⬇️ 8mo
BarbaraJean Not a major issue, but my one quibble was that the writing felt aimed at middle grade readers, but also referenced some topics that seemed a bit above that age level, specifically: sexual harassment/attempted assault and a character who gets pregnant out of wedlock. I don't necessarily feel any of the content was inappropriate, but it felt like an audience/tone mismatch. 8mo
BarbaraJean This one checks off 1991 for #192025. 🎉 @librarybelle 8mo
See All 7 Comments
sblbooks This sounds so good. I stacked it. 8mo
Librarybelle I read this so long ago, probably around the time it was published! 8mo
BarbaraJean @sblbooks I really liked it. Paterson is solid!! @Librarybelle I think I was only a couple years past the age of ordering this from a Scholastic book club when it was published! The edition I have is from the Trumpet Book Club and is signed by the author, dated 10/1/92. Her note opens with: “Dear Trumpet Club Reader“ 😍 8mo
Librarybelle So cool!! I have my copy somewhere…I‘m sure I picked it up at a Scholastic book fair. 8mo
37 likes1 stack add7 comments
blurb
sblbooks
When My Name Was Keoko | Linda Sue Park
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#BookReport I finished up five for #middlegradeMarch Thanks to all those who participated! One seasonal cozy, one time travel and one suspense.

rubyslippersreads This is adorable! 🐑 8mo
34 likes1 comment
review
mrp27
Land of the Cranes | Aida Salazar
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Pickpick

#middlegrademarch

I knew the subject matter going in but really wasn‘t expecting this to be so heartbreaking and tough to read. This novel in verse tells the story of Betita and her family‘s experience as cranes, people who migrate, for various reasons. Her family is torn apart due to cruel immigration policies in the US. I‘ll never understand how people can treat other people so inhumanly. Our systems are so broken.

25 likes1 stack add
review
peanutnine
Over the Woodward Wall | A. Deborah Baker
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Pickpick

This was a fun new portal fantasy adventure. Two children find a wall blocking their path to school and when they climb over it, they enter the Up-and-Under, a world with giant talking owls, girls that turn into crows, and a road that doesn't stay in place. Avery and Zib are complete opposites but must stick together to find their way home. I enjoyed the tension of their two personalities, esp Avery's rejection of anything that doesn't make sense.

peanutnine Seanan McGuire is very good at crafting fairy tale adventures. Looking forward to reading more from this world #SeriesLove2024 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView #MiddleGradeMarch @sblbooks 8mo
Andrew65 Sounds good. Well done 👏👏👏 8mo
TheSpineView Fantastic! 8mo
40 likes3 comments
review
New Kid on the Book
The Midnight Hour | Benjamin Read, Laura Trinder
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Pickpick

I'm finally back with a book review! Sorry it took so long 📚
In this book, join Emily on a quest to find her parents in a parallel world of magic and danger at the heart of London – The Midnight Hour brims with imagination and thrills ✨!
I give it ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
🕰 Read my full review here: newkidonthebookreviews.wordpress.com/2024/03/27/review-the-midnight-hour-by-benjamin-read-and-laura-trinder/ 🕰

#middlegrade #middlegrademarch

review
peanutnine
Anne of Green Gables | L.M. Montgomery
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Pickpick

In elementary school, this was the book that I checked out from the library again & again. And yet I could not remember any of it! So I decided to reread & I can definitely see why I was so enamored with Anne & her fascinating imagination. Her outlook on the world & pure optimism (even when in the depths of despair) are uplifting, & her flair for the dramatic is charming. Little eight year old me would have dreamed of being her kindred spirit

peanutnine This audiobook read by Rachel McAdams was really fun to listen to, Rachel had the best tone to capture all the characters' quirks #MiddleGradeMarch @sblbooks 8mo
sblbooks This is one of my favorite books, and the audio was exceptional! 8mo
36 likes2 comments