Wilderlore: The Accidental Apprentice

 Barclay Thorne is an apprentice to a mushroom farmer ahe he is happy to be there.  One day while out looking for specific mushrooms he ends up entering the Wilderwood Forest, which is a no-no.  In that forest is magic or Lore.  He encounters a girl, Viola, who is trying to capture a beast to make it hers, but it ends up "marking" Barclay.  Because magic is forbidden in his town, he ends up running away to find out how to remove the mark. Viola helps him get to a Lore town in the middle of the Wilderwood and once there in order to remove his mark he must participate in a competition to find a Loremaker to be an apprentice to.  

Reminiscent of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, this is a fantasy book that has a slow start, but definitely has some fast paced action in parts.   

The Seventh Raven by David Elliott

 Disclaimer:  I listened to the audiobook.

Written in verse this book tells the story of  a family of 7 boys.  All named Jack except the 7th is Robyn.  The dad's name is Jack as well and he would like a daughter.  Mom, Jane, also wants a daughter, and their wish comes true, but on the day of her birth, she is dying and the dad wishes to trade all his boys for one girl and the 7 boys turn into ravens.  As the daughter grows she realizes something is being kept from her, and once she realizes she had 7 brothers she goes on a journey to find them.

The cover is AMAZING, but this is one of the weirdest books I have ever read/ listened to.  It's not long at all, but I kept hoping it would get better. The narrators were great and there were several, but the story is just to out there and doesn't even come close to making sense in parts.  Also the ending leaves much to be desired.  It's just not a clean ending.

Pity Party by Kathleen Lane

Told in different stories and perspectives, this book gives us glimpses into what we all go through and that is hard times, not fitting in, struggling with anxiety or depression, wishing things were different than they are, finding your place in the world, or just generally growing pains.  

At first I didn't like the book at all, but the more I've thought about it I can see that it will have it's place, especially in middle school where everyone feels like they are the only one who has ever felt this way.  I think it would be great for a book club as long as people are willing to talk. 

The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman

 Told in three voices:  Rifka (1942), and Valentina and Oksana (1986). Valentina and Oksana are school peers and have woken up to an explosion at Chernobyl.  Both of their fathers work there and they live in the same building, however Oksana doesn't care for Valentina.  Oksana's dad calls Valentina's family dirty Jews.  As Oksana discovers her father has died, she and her mother prepare to evacuate the city, but her mother has been contaminated by radiation.  Valentina's father is in the hospital, and she and her mother are also evacuating.  They offer for Oksana to come with them, and she does.  Valentina's mother has to send them on alone to her mother.  Valentina has never met her grandmother.  As Oksana and Valentina begin to get to know one another, they become close friends.  

Interspersed within their story is the story of Rifka, a Jew, who is running away from the Germans and tells of her story of surviving WWII.  

I really enjoyed this story not only for the WWII aspect, but the history of Chernobyl.  It is rare to have a middle grade novel written about that bit of history.  I think this will be a popular book for many.

Thanks a Lot, Universe by Chad Lucas

 Told in two voices, Brian and Ezra.  Brian keeps to himself, and Ezra is popular.  Brian's dad leaves the family and his mother tries to commit suicide.  Brian and his younger brother are placed in foster care, which they run away from.  Ezra realizes he has a crush on Brian and is worried about him.  Ezra contacts Brian and helps him and  his brother get to safety with a teacher of theirs.  As Ezra deals with his feelings and coming out, Brian is dealing with his family and trying to figure out what will happen to him and his brother.  

The characters are deep and real.  This is not a glossed over book and I enjoyed seeing the thoughts and interactions.  

Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee

 Valor Luck's employer has passed away recently, but they were supposed to travel on the Titanic to America.  Val decides to continue with their plans, even though she is Chinese/ British and is looked down upon.  She is denied boarding, but sneaks on board and assumes the identity of her employer by wearing a veil and claiming she is a recent widow.  Her brother Jamie is also on board and as she finds him to propose her plan, she wants them to audition for the Ringling Brother's Circus.  The owner is onboard, but Jamie is not interested in auditioning or going to America.  As Val and her brother work out the details, the prejudice of Chinese and her lie of who she is begins to catch up to her, then the unthinkable happens.  

Good historical account of Chinese passengers, who are never brought up in accounts of the Titanic.  Interesting back story and kept me interested, but most of the story is at the beginning, not much about the sinking and then the afterwards left me wanting more. 

Lupe Wong Won't Dance by Donna Barba Higuera

 Good Gravy!  Lupe's school is having a square dancing unit!  Yuck!  She will do anything she can to get rid of it, BUT she has to make an A in every class to meet her hero, pitcher Fu Li Hernandez.  She wants to be a player in the MBL one day, and he is Chinese/ Mexican like her, so she looks up to him.  Her uncle has said he will introduce her to him this summer as long as she makes all A's.  Will square dancing keep her from her goal?  The lengths she goes to is entertaining, as well as eye opening.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, very entertaining and also has some good lessons about acceptance and learning to get along with others.  Highly recommend for girls and boys.

Rivals by Tommy Greenwald

The whole book is written in a flashback along with different formats (newspaper, blog, interviews, etc), and this book tells the story of two schools from the same town...Walthorne North Middle and Walthorne South Middle.  Both teams have competitive captains of their basketball teams, but the question is what lengths are they willing to go to win?  As reporter Alfie Jenks digs into the two rivals, she brings up somethings that  are not exactly on the up and up.

This is probably a great book for middle guys, just wasn't my thing.  It is also from the author of the popular Game Changer, so I'm probably in the minority. :)

The Deepest Breath by MEg Grehan

 Stevie is 11 and gets very interested in whales, dolphins, and all kinds of sea creatures.  She lives alone with her mother and sits with two boys, one of whom she has known since she was little, and a girl, Chloe.  She really thinks Chloe is nice and she doesn't like Andrew, who she's known forever, "like that".  When she talks to or looks at Chloe she feels a "fizz" in her chest.  What does that mean?  She's not sure and she doesn't know how to tell her mom, so she goes to the library to find a book about it.  

Written in verse this book explores a girl struggling with her crush on a girl.  It doesn't go very deep and is pretty surface just dealing with her feelings and trying to understand herself.  Mom and others are very accepting.  

Remedy by Eireann Corrigan

 Cara has been sick her whole life.  She can't remember her dad, she lives with her mom and doesn't see any other family.  They move around a lot and she sees a lot of doctors.  She doesn't really have a diagnosis.  When she starts her freshman year and is only present for 18 out of 45 days, the assistant principal gets involved with her attendance.  Her mother comes unglued, how dare he!  Cara wants to go to school, but just doesn't feel well.  As she tries her best to go to school, and prepare for semester exams, she ends up fainting and in the hospital.  Her mother quickly takes her out and finds a new doctor, Dr. Eric.  As Cara makes a friend in her peer tutor, she comes to realize something is not right with her mom, medicines, and that she also finds her grandparents.  

Kind of obvious to me what was going on early on in the book.  It was an okay book, but I would say it would be geared more for high school and up just based on the topic.  

Starfish by Lisa Fipps

 Ellie has a nickname at school, Splash.  Her older sister actually started it, which is very hurtful, her mother is constantly telling her about her food, weighing her, watching what she eats, limiting her choices and talking about bariatric surgery for weight loss.  Her older brother picks on her as well, with mean jabs.  Her best friend is moving to Indiana and she has no other friends at school, and gets picked on constantly with no teacher intervention.  The only one who seems to be on her side is her dad, except he takes her to a therapist!  Ellie ends up making a new friend, Catalina, her new neighbor.  She also learns to stand up for herself at home and school.

Told in verse, this book was sad and empowering.  I love the fact that overweight kids and "skinny" kids will see themselves in this book and hopefully will create empathy for others.  I think that kids wanting a sad book will definitely have it in Starfish.

Gold Spun by Brandie June

 Eleanor (Nor) is homeless and lives with her 3 brothers in the woods.  They survive by hoaxing people with a magic elixir.  One day as she is scoping out the town on her return to her brothers she runs into a man in the woods who is lost, as she pick-pockets a gold ring she seals her fate.  On her return home she encounters a couple of men who have captured a fairy and she helps the fairy escape.  The fairy, Pel, tells her he owes her a favor and gives her a way to contact him along with a rope of gold.  This gives her an idea of a con, spinning straw into gold.  She and her brothers work up the con and go to town to make some money, when the man she pick-pocketed shows up.  He is the new king! He recognizes her and his ring and sees her conning his people.  He takes her to the castle to spin gold for the court and Nor has to call on Pel to help her.  

A wonderful retelling of Rumpelstiltskin.  June does a great job of adding in details and filling in the story.  It left me hanging at the end and I'm glad to report there will be a second book to make a duology.  

 

Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood by Gary Paulsen

 Gary Paulsen shares his growing up starting when he was five.  His mother had him entertaining men at bars for her in Chicago, his grandmother intervenes and sends him to live with his aunt and uncle in Minnesota.  His uncle takes him under his wing, teaching him the woods, farming, and how to be a man.  Sadly, his mother swoops back in and takes him across the sea to the Philippines to live with his dad, who is in the Army.  His mom and dad fight a lot and Gary escapes by hiding in the basement and creating hisself a place of his own.  As his family moves back to the states, Gary continues living a hard life trying to escape his house and going out on his own.  

Great story giving us a glimpse into the life of the man Paulsen is today and where some of his stories came from.  Has some deep issues that may not be for younger readers.  

Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales by Soman Chainani

 This book is a telling/ retelling of famous fairy tales.  12 tales including Red Riding Hood, Peter Pan, Little Mermaid, Snow White and many more.  Chainani has told parts that would be familiar to us, but added details and twists that change the story completely from what we know.  

The cover is AMAZING, and that drew my attention, but I was disappointed by the stories.  I guess, I was hoping somehow it would all tie together, but they are all separate tales.  The twists and added details didn't keep me reading and I really had to make myself go back to finish reading the book.  Just not for me, but maybe my middle schoolers will enjoy it.

What Comes Next by Rob Buyea

Thea lost her best friend Charlie and a terrible accident during spring break.  She can't even go back and finish 6th grade, so her parents homeschool her.  Her family decides to move to another town to give her a fresh start and her dad decides to get a new dog.  They go to the rescue to pick out a dog and Thea ends up selecting, a little dog with a lazy eye...just like Charlie had.  They name him Jack, or Jack-Jack, or Jackson.  They all call him various versions of the name. :) Thea has gone mute since the accident, but slowly Jack gets her talking again and then she meets her little sister's teacher Ms. Stacey, who helps her out, but also introduces her to Rory.  With all their help, she is able to start living again.

By the end of the book there are so many ties that I didn't see coming.  I just love that it is a window into grief and how people handle things differently.  The little supernatural touch of the dog is just perfect.

 

A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen

 Liza Yang lives in Houston where her mom owns a bakery and her dad owns a restaurant next door.  Liza feels like she is expected to be perfect like her sister, but she feels anything but.  Her mom is CONSTANTLY trying to set her up with a "nice, Taiwanese or Chinese boy", but Liza wants to choose her own boyfriend.  As Liza finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her and dumps him, she meets a boy who steps in  to protect her from his lashing out.  

Liza's mom has an annual baking contest and Liza wants to enter, her mom says no, but she can be a judge.  Little does Liza know her mom is stacking the contestants with all boys!  As Liza is dealing with her mom and her set-ups, she finds people are not always what they seem or what you expect.  

I am NOT a romance book person, but this was actually a fun read.  I would definitely recommend it for my romance readers, but really anyone looking for a fun read.  Great Houston life mentioned and very reminiscent of Jenny Han books!

Frankie and Bug by Gayle Forman

 Bug usually loves the summer because she spends it with her older brother, Danny, on Venice Beach.  This summer, however, her older brother wants to be called Daniel and not have to hang out with her, so her single mother has to find a solution for Bug.  Frankie, an 11 year old boy from Ohio, comes to spend the summer with his uncle, Phillip, who lives in the same building as Bug. As Bug is dealing with feeling betrayed by her brother for pulling away, and resentful that Frankie is here taking away attention from Phillip, she learns about herself and how things are not always what they seem and everyone has problems they are dealing with that you can't always see on the outside.  

Nice book about a girl growing up in the 80's, whose Salvadorian father has passed away, and a single mom whose family has pretty much disowned her.  Frankie is actually a girl, who feels like a boy and is struggling with her identity.  Frankie's dad wants her to get it out of her system, but mom seems supportive and sends her to stay with her gay uncle.  

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera

 Cece lives in a remote town in the desert, where a few months of the year Criatura's come out and plague the townspeople and can cause death and problems.  When Cece was young she met a criatura, but it didn't harm her and helped her get home.  Because of this Cece isn't sure the legends of the criatura's are all true.  When her older sister is kidnapped by a criatura for his bride, Cece decides to go after her sister and must get her own criatura to help her enter Devil's Alley to rescue her.  As Cece finds Coyote to help her, she hides what she is doing from her parents and the town and finds that everything she thought and was told has been changed in the retelling and she also learns to trust herself and her strength.

I LOVED THIS BOOK.  It was one where I wanted to read to find out what happened, but didn't want it to end.  I hope this author continues Cece's story.  It is so amazing!  I listened to the audio and the narrator was amazing as well.

The Hiddenseek by Nate Cernosek

 Holly and Hector Thorn were playing a game of hide and seek and were never found, so they ended up in a alternate universe called "The Hiddenseek".  There they meet several other children who were also playing hide and seek and never found.  When IT finds you she turns you to stone.  As Holly, Hector and the others try to stay away from It, they begin to discover the history of how and when Hiddenseek was created and they try to fix it so they can get home, but things spiral out of control pretty quickly and it becomes a ticking clock of who will survive and make it out. 

Pretty good book.  Similar to Hide and Seeker, which I read and reviewed, but a little more historical feel to this one.  

Mine by Delilah S. Dawson

 Lily and her family are moving from Colorado to Florida for her dad's job.  Something happened in Colorado, and Lily's parents are always telling her to settle down and not be so dramatic.  As Lily moves into their new house she realizes why they could afford it, a hoarder lived there and it is in pretty bad shape.  As she and her mom begin to clean the house out, weird things happen.  green gook bubbles up out of the toilet, sink and shower and then disappears.  Lily's room  is tossed and messed up, things she knew she put in one place find their way back.  As Lily and a friend begin to investigate the house's history they discover there were deaths there and one little girl who died there is not happy Lily is there.

Super creepy!  Ghosts, danger, and a book that kept me reading.  

Life in the Balance by Jen Petro-Roy

 Veronica loves playing softball and is getting ready to try out for an All-Star League.  After coming home one evening her parents tell her that her mom is an alcoholic and will be going into rehab for several months to get better.  Veronica can't believe it and is ashamed and doesn't tell her best friend because her parents are divorcing so Veronica doesn't want to add anything else.  As if that wasn't enough her dad starts working a second job to pay bills and tells Veronica they may not be able to afford the softball league.  Veronica works on how to make money to play softball and ends up telling another girl at school what is going on with her mom and finds there are others like her with alcoholic parents. 

Veronica is dealing with a LOT.  Seems very real with her anger, frustration, fear, and just typical teenager confusion about finding yourself.  It was an okay book for me.  

Shaking up the House by Yamile Saied Mendez

Ingrid and Winnie Lopez have lived in the White House since they were toddlers.  Their dad is the first latinx president in the office.  As they are getting ready to transition to the new family moving in, they decide to welcome them with a few friendly pranks.  Skylar and Zora Williams are twins whose mom is the first African American Woman president-elect.  Their family will be moving in before the Lopez's move out.  As Ingrid and Winnie pull their first friendly prank, Skylar and Zora take it the wrong way and decide to retaliate.  As the two sets of girls go back and forth with their pranks, neither know the other's intent and things get a little out of control and start to cause a ruckus in the house!

It was okay.  Didn't love it and seemed pretty silly.  
 

Hold Back the Tide by Melinda Salisbury

 Disclaimer:  I listened to the audiobook.

Alva lives with her dad, who is a murderer.  He killed her mother when she was 8.  Now she is 15 and she tries to make sure he doesn't kill her by making herself very useful.  He is in charge of checking on the loch and he has nets in, but keeps finding them cut.  As she repairs them for him and replaces them she notices the loch is loosing water quickly from the paper mill in town and sees a hole in the bank that she thinks is an otter den.  As she and her friend Marren start to discover there are things her dad hasn't told her and she sees a large, white, skeletal being, her dad becomes extremely cautious to the point of locking her in the house.  She and Marren wonder what in the world is going on?  What was the creature?  Where did it come from?  And mostly what really happened the night her mother died.

Could not stop listening.  Wow.  What a ride.  So many things were thrown in that when I thought I had it figured out, I was WRONG!  Was a little slow to start and I kept thinking get to the point, but don't quit it is AMAZING.  

Dead Wednesday by Jerry Spinelli

Robbie, AKA Worm, is in 8th grade.  Every year the 8th graders participate in Dead Wednesday where the students are assigned a teenager who died in the previous year by things that could be avoided, such as drugs, alcohol, texting while driving, etc. The students always look forward to it because they become "invisible" and can pretty much get away with anything, burping in people's faces, climbing on desks, you name it and they get out 1/2 a day early.  Robbie and his best friend Eddie along with the entire 8th grade is planning on going to watch a huge fight at 12:30, but Worm's mom keeps texting him that she needs him to come home and help with the writer's retreat they own.  As Worm starts his day he gets his assigned dead kid, Rebecca Finch.  Things are kinda weird as the teachers don't talk to them, make eye contact with them, or anything.  Worm really thinks it's weird that he keeps seeing a girl in raspberry colored pjs. Once he gets close enough to see her face he realizes it is Rebecca, his dead kid!  Is he going crazy or is something else at work here?  He and Rebecca try to figure it out.  

Wow.  What a great book.  Worm is insecure, shy, and defers to Eddie.  He thinks the whole Dead Wednesday is stupid, but in participating learns a lot about himself and life in general.  Such a great what if book for small choices we make everyday.

 

 

Turtle Boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein

 Will is starting 7th grade.  He was supposed to get community service hours over the summer in preparation for his bar mitzvah, but he didn't so now he has to start visiting a 16 year old in the hospital.  He does NOT want to do that, he HATES hospitals.  His dad died when he younger in the hospital.  Will also has a health issue and his chin and mouth area will need surgery.  Because of his chin deformity he wears his hoodie around his face, but a couple of boys at school started the nickname Turtle Boy.  He also really likes turtles and has captured 4 in the nature preserve behind the school and has them at his house.  As he and the boy in the hospital, R J, begin to become friends, RJ shares with Will his bucket list for Will to work on.  One thing at a time, and eventually will realizes that RJ is terminally ill.  

LOVE THIS BOOK!  So many great things to say... compassion, empathy, doing hard things, dealing with death, not fitting in, overcoming fear, standing up for others even when you're scared, etc. This would be a great book for a book study group or even a read aloud.