THE MOSTLY INVISIBLE BOY Casey Grimes, Book One by AJ Vanderhorst INtense Publications Middle Grade Fantasy 292 pages ages 8 to 12 Eleven-year-old Casey Grimes is stubbornly friendly, but he’s eternally the new kid at Vintage Woods Middle School. Students look right through him—and they’re not faking. Casey doesn’t know why he’s mostly invisible, but […]
Gold Rush Girl by Avi
Published by Candlewick Summary: Victoria (Tory) lives with her parents and younger brother, Jacob, in Providence, RI, where she chafes under the expectations of her parents and strict Aunt Lavinia. When her father loses his job and proposes going west with Jacob to seek gold, Tory sneaks on board their boat, revealing herself only when […]
Review: The Places We Sleep by Caroline Brooks Dubois
THE PLACES WE SLEEP by Caroline Brooks Dubois Holiday House Middle Grade Historical 272 pages ages 8 to 12 A stunning debut novel in verse about a family divided, a country going to war, and a girl desperate to feel at home. It’s early September 2001, and twelve-year-old Abbey is the new kid […]
Review: Nit Boy
Lewis Snow has nits. Lots and lots of nits. But unlike most kids that endure the itchy, scratchy bugs sucking up the blood from their scalps, Lewis actually likes his nits. He considers them his friends. And it’s a good thing, too, because the colony of nits that live on his head have big plans. […]
Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson
Published by Nancy Paulsen Books (Released September 1) Summary: ZJ can remember “before the ever after” when his NFL star dad was a football star, and he and his parents lived a happy life in suburban Maplewood. But his father has started having severe headaches, memory lapses, and irrational behavior that have put an end […]
The Cook and the King by Julia Donaldson and Illustrated by David Roberts
Review Copy Courtesy of Abrams Books for Young Readers [Affiliate Link] Amazon [Local Bookstore] Indiebound [Library] Worldcat I love The Cook and the King by Julia Donaldson and David Roberts so much. It is the most pure and unadulterated fun I have personally had while reading a picture book aloud to my kids in ages. When we finished […]
Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk
Published by Dutton Books Summary: Ellie’s family has moved to a farm on a mountain in Maine after losing almost all their money in the Great Depression. Ellie and her father love the self-sufficiency of the farm, while her mother and older sister Esther hate it. When their father is hit by a falling tree […]
Review: Shadow
Mum and daughter have suffered some severe trauma. It’s the two of them now and they have moved to another home. The child is afraid. Mum assures her there is nothing to be afraid of here; that there are no dark places at all in the new house. But under her new bed, hiding amongst […]
See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
Published by Candlewick (Released September 8) Summary: “See the cat,” says an omniscient narrator (later identified as Book). But all the reader sees is a dog, and he’s not happy. He is NOT a cat. He is NOT a blue cat. He is NOT a blue cat in a green dress. And his name is […]
A Field Guide for Getting Lost by Joy McCullough
The thing about robotics and coding that nine-year-old homeschooled Sutton Jensen likes is that is it always black and white – if you code correctly, your program responded as expected. Not like a mom and dad who marry and then get divorced, or a mom who’s always off studying emperor penguins in Antartica and […]
Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them
Enter a world filled with magical and mystical creatures from the world of Harry Potter and immerse yourself in the quest for knowledge. Compiled by famed Magizoologist Newton Scamander, wizards and muggles will love discovering what this updated field guide has to offer. Travelling the world through darkest jungles, mountain peaks and marshy bogs. An […]
Review: Tashi 25th Anniversary Edition
Twenty-Five years! Can you believe it? Little Tashi has been entertaining and delighting us for 25 years. Tashi is a fantastic series for junior readers, and this 25th anniversary collection is a beautiful introduction to Tashi’s fantastical world. With four Tashi stories included, kids will get the full Tashi experience as Tashi’s early years are […]