For a long time as an adult, I told myself that middle grade books were no longer for me. But I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was wrong! Not only can middle grade novels simply be great stories, they can also transport you back into the world of being a kid. This includes the importance and depth of friendships that we make when we are young, the sense of adventure and openness to the fantastical and the unknown, and the complex and often difficult experience of being a kid. If you, too, love a good story regardless of age, here are some of my recommendations:
After Amari’s older brother goes missing, she discovers a mysterious briefcase in his closet. Soon, a whole secret world opens up for Amari. She is nominated to join the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs where she must compete against other students, fight against an evil magician, and find out what really happened to her brother.
After moving to a new home, Coraline goes exploring and discovers a mysterious door that opens into a world that looks very similar to her own. At first it seems like a better version of her own life, until she begins to realize that things are eerily off–and her new set of parents want her to stay with them forever.
After recently immigrating from China, Mia and her family begin to live and work at a motel in Southern California. Mia must navigate helping at the motel front desk, dealing with racism and bullying at school, and her growing dreams of being a writer.
The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy
Marya Lupu lives in a world where boys are born with the potential to become sorcerers. When Marya makes a mistake on the day of her brother Luka’s sorcerer test, she is sent to the Dragomir Academy for Troubled Girls. While at the academy, Marya makes powerful friendships and begins to discover what she and her friends are really capable of.
~Posted by Siri A.
love this book because it showcases someone whose involvement was a bit quieter. During the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Georgia Gilmore cooked and raised money to help pay for gas for car drivers helping the boycott, and later for fines for people who were ticketed. When she stood up and told her own story of discrimination by the buses during a trial for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., she was fired from her job. King gave her money to help start her own cooking business, and often used her house for meeting with important leaders like JFK and Lyndon B. Johnson. It takes a lot of people to really get a revolution going, and I loved reading this story of one woman’s contribution.
Shelf Talk 