A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness The novella deals with grief and loss and how it feels to be powerless when your world is changing for the worse. Conner is dealing with his mother’s increasing illness and the ancillary changes brought about when everyone at school finds out his mother has cancer. Conner doesn’t know …
Tag: middle grade
Aug 25
Book Review: Scumble
Scumble by Ingrid Law This is a charming middle-grade fantasy about a boy in a magic-wielding family finally getting his own “savvy” on his 13th birthday. Ledger (all the kids in the family have bizarre names) hopes that he will become a super-fast runner, the track star that his father hopes for. Instead, his talent …
Jan 08
Book Review: Absolutely Almost
Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff This is a charming book about a kid named Albie who’s not very good at anything. I found him plausible and endearing, as well as the secondary characters. It’s a character-driven novel centering on a young boy and his relationship with his parents, with his babysitter, with his best friend, …
Nov 28
Book Review: Everlost
Everlost by Neal Shusterman This book reminds me of why I like to read middle grade and YA novels–they are less likely to suck. This novel has adventure, danger, mystery, creepy settings, good characters–basically everything you might hope for from a book written for adults, except for the kissing (only one kiss, and it’s chaste.) …
Oct 05
Book Review: The Figure in the Shadows
The Figure In the Shadows by John Bellairs I read this book as a child. In fact, it was one of my favorite books. It was one of the few books which made the short list of books I read over and over again. I remember that it was the second in a series, and …