middle grade

Between Two Brothers

Balzar and Bray | 978 -0063047297 Today is Isaiah “Ice” Abernathy’s birthday and he’s a bit salty. In his own words he says, “In parts of Texas, it’s illegal to sell Limburger cheese on Sunday or shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel,” but “no one saw fit to make it a… Read more »

Lolo’s Light

Chronicle Books | 978-1797212944   Days before school is to begin, 12 year old Millie Donally’s neighbors – the Acostas – ask Millie to babysit their 4 1/2 month-old daughter, Lolo. This is a first, a milestone that is both exciting and daunting. Millie’s older sister, Tess, is the one who usually watches Lolo. But Tess… Read more »

HUNDRED PERCENT, a perfect book for a middle-grade reader

Recently, I was in the grocery store choosing peaches and standing next to another mom who was also shopping. Beside her stood a very bored, very impatient daughter with braces shining on her teeth, a few powdered-over pimples, and a BIG frown. She was not a happy camper until… a sweaty boy in a soccer uniform sauntered by…. Read more »

Adventure, family, heroes, time-travel: THE LOST CELT

THE LOST CELT written by A.E. Conran, Gosling Press, 2016,  is a treasure of an adventure story with heart, perfect for a middle-grade reader who also loves video games. “The best kind of children’s adventure story …. Not to be missed.” Katherine Applegate, Winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal THE LOST CELT is a page-turner… Read more »

Robin Yardi on The Midnight War of Mateo Martinez

  It’s a pleasure to welcome Robin back to ReaderKidZ! DIANNE: Hey, Robin! You’ve had quite a year. Your first picture book, They Just Know: Animal Instincts (Arbordale, 2015) came out last September, and now, we get to celebrate the publication of your first middle grade novel, The Midnight War of Mateo Martinez. Congratulations! In… Read more »

A Tale of Highly Unusual Magic by Lisa Papaemetriou

In Lisa Papademetriou’s fascinating A Tale of Highly Unusual Magic (HarperCollins, 2015) two girls on polar opposite points of the earth are brought together by a magical book entitled The Exquisite Corpse. Kia is from Houston. Leila is an American living in Pakistan. Each have a copy of the magic book that writes its own… Read more »

A CABINET OF EARTHS by Anne Nesbet

Twelve year-old Maya Davidson is spending the year in Paris for her scientist father’s work, along with her ill mother and her annoyingly charming, five year-old brother James. They’ve been invited by the strange Society of Philosophical Chemistry. Turns out the society is run by distant cousins who’ve been… waiting for Maya. Nesbet’s sure storytelling… Read more »