The Girl With the Green-Tinted Hair by Gavin Whyte

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Fable
Source: I purchased a copy

What a wonderful fable about growing up and changing.  A little boy wants a really close friend. It seems the only friend he can tell anything to is his favorite tree. He has a question he has been told he must answer, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ He goes to ask his friend the tree. He hears singing and as he gets closer he see a young girl with green-tinted hair. She is singing. They become friends.  The story takes the reader through each season and the lessons that life teaches us as we pass through each season of our own life.   Absolutely loved this book

Student Saturday: Dog Driven by Terry Lynn Johnson

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
Student Reviewer: Levi M.

I read a book called Dog Driven. It is about a fourteen-year-old girl named McKenna who is trying to win a competition to earn a job. The job everyone is trying to get is delivering mail in a dog sled. So Mckenna and her little sister are trying to win the race to get a job. But the only problem is McKenna's sister is battling an eye disease, so it is hard for her to see, and McKenna must raise/train a bunch of dogs, so they are ready for the race. 

            McKenna and her sister were so nervous about the race because they had to travel 113 miles in horrible weather and had to beat 50 other teams in this race. McKenna's team is good and strong so they should not have a problem coming close to winning. Halfway through the race McKenna was passing everyone and she was so far ahead. The weather was starting to get intense the snow is getting thicker and taller. At this point, the dogs are having an extremely challenging time getting through the snow. About 20 minutes later someone came on the loudspeakers and said everyone had to return to a safe location because there was a huge blizzard rolling in. So McKenna and her team hid under a huge cliff. Do you think they survived and won the race? 

 I recommend this book to someone who likes a book that is entertaining and if you like dogs. One of the reasons I liked this book is because I love dogs, and this was an interesting book. 

The Snow Games by Darren Greninger

 

Genre:  Middle Grade, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Source:  I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I absolutely loved the premise of this story and the characters.  Francesca’s school has sent out a message they are going to vote on having year-round school to battle the learning slump. Francesca and her friends decide to find a way to keep this from happening. When her brother Liam tells her about the Snow Games, she sees a way she may be able to save the day.

Tyler Young is the billionaire creator of the games.  Using snowballs and their wits, the contestants must capture a flag and then cross the finish lines.  In exchange he will provided support for the teams school.  Unfortunately, no school has ever won. That doesn’t deter Francesca. She agrees to be on her brother’s team. The team consists of her brother Liam, who suffers from severe asthma. Then there is Priya, her best friend. The only way she can get Ethan, the school’s hockey player, and who she’s had a crush on forever to join the team is to convince the new girl Lindsay to join. Each member has their own reason for being on this team and working to win. Their chaperone on this televised event is none other than Claire, the school psychologist.  Throughout the book we get a deeper look at each of these characters, their motives, and what truly drives them.

This book is a book of hope, of going for the brass ring, and not listening to those who would put you down. Most importantly it is about believing in yourself and your strengths and learning that sometimes what you think you know about yourself and what you think you want is just a small part of what you actually want and who you are. 

The Fairy of the Enchanted Lake by Kris Nedy

 

Genre: Young Adult, Middle Grade Fantasy
Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

 

This was an absolutely wonderful book. I read it in about four hours. We start off with a young girl who has no friends. Michaela is constantly taunted about her size and appearance.  One day while playing outside she runs into the woods and gets lost. She keeps walking until she finds a lake. She meets the fairy in the lake and she meets a talking beaver. He givers her a stick that will take her home. He also tells her that it can bring her back if she only says some magic words. She buries the stick until the day she can no longer take the taunting. She takes the stick, says the magic word and is brought back to the lake. She makes a wish to be beautiful like the fairy in the lake. The fairy tries to talk her out of it, but she insists.  Michaela becomes beautiful on the outside. Unfortunately, something else happens to her and her insides begin to turn dark. 

This is a wonderful story of consequences of our actions. It is a story of Good versus evil, light versus darkness.  The characters are all very well developed. The world building, although fantasy is so well written the reader is made to feel like they have entered the world as they are reading. This is a brand new author to me. However, I love reading stories that are allegorical and I am sure I will be reading more of this author’s work.  I highly recommend this book to young and old alike.

Twell Town by Harriet M. Winter

 

Genre:  Children, Middle Grade, Fantasy

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I absolutely loved this book.  It was fun and full of humor. The author created an alternate world that is so interesting. All the characters of Twell Town are made from fabric, yarn, and other recyclable items.

Bunny Thread is a very unique character. Bunny lives with her mother at the back of her mother's button shop.  Bunny has no school friends.  She doesn't exactly fit in with them.  She makes all her own clothes.  They are very unique to say the least. One day she comes home from school and decides to make herself a friend. She gathers up her materials and sews up a friend. Her first few tries are rejected as they aren't quite good enough. Finally she grabs some yarn and knits herself a bear. She goes to bed with him that night and when she wakes up in the morning he is gone. She finds him sitting in her window. When she goes to him he speaks to her. He makes sure she knows his name is Dexter, not Buttercup, like she had named the bear she created. He tries to explain where he is from. Finally he takes her hand and off they go to where he lives, Twell Town.

Bunny is given a tour of the town which is quite fascinating.  Everyone accepts her there. Then they get to his house. She is impressed, but he is not. Someone has been in his house. She doesn't understand how he figures that since everything is in place. That is when we learn he is definitely not a neat freak.  He is sure he know who was in his house and what they are looking for.  He tries to explain that to her but she doesn't quite understand. But she will. Dexter must get her back to her land and then try to stop the fiends from getting what he has hidden from them. But, what happens when they find Bunny and the item?

Fun adventure from the very beginning.  I loved the author's play on words.  When they visit a clothing store in Twell town the owner of the store starts listing off clothing designers whose names are very similar to those we know today. She also used a lot of figurative language that made the images jump off of the page.  Everything was well thought out and planned.  At the end I wondered if maybe there would be a sequel to this book.  It was wrapped up nicely. However, there could be more adventures down the road. 

Student Saturday: Boys of Blur by N.D.Wilson

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Adventure
Student Reviewer: Dominick O.

This mystery fiction book is a book about Boys in Taper, Florida. These boys only like one thing and that is football. But when they aren't on the field they are running through the miles of muck. But when they go at night, they are not the only ones there. Things roam at night. Things that cannot be explained, and these boys are about to find out why. In my opinion this is a pretty good book. I would recommend this book to people who like suspenseful books or movies. I would also recommend this book to people who like the author N. D. Wilson.

Cameron and the Shadow Wraiths by Mark Cheverton

 

Genre:  Children, Middle Grade, Fantasy

Source:  I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is the second book in the series: Order of the Stones.  This is a fabulous series.  I read the first book, Facing the Beast Within, and loved it.  In this sequel a year has passed and the kids are back at camp. Leonard has learned to stand up to his father when it comes to his love of History, Bobby is his same jovial person. Elise who loved archery comes back not wanting anything to do with it. Karl comes back a new person. He is no longer a bully. When Cameron steps off of the bus he hears kids chanting "The Hero of Pontchartrain."  He feels like a fraud. The school year was rough. His anxiety is back in force.  Then a childhood friend and bully show up. Twins Jessie and Jamis show up at camp.  Jessie and Cameron were best friends. Jamis does his best to torment Cameron.  When Jessie is taken by a shadow wraith it is up to these heroes to rescue her.

This journey is not going to be easy. Lord Malphas wants Cameron. He has a reason for all of this. Will he succeed? We learn a lot more about Mr. Watson the grounds keeper.  He is more than just a grounds keeper. He will play a major role in shaping the person that Cameron becomes.  The tension in this book was very high. Just about the time we think things are going to work out, something else is thrown in their path and we see Cameron's Beast come back, This time he doesn't only have to battle his own beast, but also Malphas who has found a way to get into Cameron's head.  This was such a wonderful book. The third book in this series, The Gargoyle's Revenge comes up sometime in 2025.  I will definitely be reading it.  Go ahead, read it. I recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy, kids who overcome their fears and find belief in themselves.  This one is a keeper

Facing the Beast Within: The Anxiety of Cameron Poole by Mark Cheverton

 

Genre: Children, Middle Grade, Fantasy
Source: I own a copy.

Mark Cheverton has written a book that children today will be able to connect.  He has taken his main character Cameron, who suffers from anxiety, and placed him in a summer camp. This isn’t any ordinary summer camp. That would make anyone anxious. This camp has monsters and it is up to Cameron and his friends to try to stop them from entering their world.

The world building is well done. Any kid who has gone to any type of summer camp or watched movies with summer camp will understand that for an outdoorsy person this is the best place to be. For a kid who suffers with anxiety, maybe not so much.  They will be able to identify with kids, especially Cameron, being bullied. After all, they deal with or see things like this all the time.  What this book does is shows what happens when someone steps up and faces their monsters. It shows how strong they can be, especially with the help of some friends. It shows that they don’t have to do things alone. What better lesson can one learn and in such a charming, and fantastical way.  Well done. I look forward to reading the second book in this series.

Student Saturday: Guts by Raina Telgemeier

Genre: Middle Grade, Biography, Graphic Novel
Student Reviewer: Zoey L.

The book I read this month was called Guts. This book is about a young girl named Raina. She always did great in school and never had a problem with anything. Until, one night she wakes up with a terrible stomachache. Later, she returns to school with normal school days, drama, and bullying with the other stuff too. Although everything is back to normal, Raina is not. She can't take her mind off her stomach bug. She just keeps thinking about it. Now it is starting to get into the way of everything. Will Raina be able to fix this problem? Overall, I like this book. I have read similar books by this author. They are always fun to read. I relate to this book because I get stomach aches too. I would recommend this book to my little brother because he likes comics. I give this book a 10/10 and I would definitely read it again. 

Student Saturday: Killer Species: Ultimate Attack by Michael P. Spradlin

 

Genre: Middle Grade Adventure

Student Reviewer:  Elizabeth R.  

 

      This book is about two scientists named Emmet Doyle and Calvin Geaux that created this killer species but in that time Dr. Catalyst was making a creature called swamp cat to hunt Emmet. But that is most of it with a little twist and turns but you will have to find out for yourself. If I had to recommend this book to someone it would be people that like watching or reading about exotic creatures because this book has other series about creatures that are not even created but fascinating. Overall, I honestly like it, it is remarkably interesting and cool.

Student Saturday: Restart by Gordon Korman

Genre:  Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

Student Reviewer:  Olivia S.  

In the book “Restart” Chase Ambrose is a 13-year-old boy whose has forgotten his whole life and the people in it. Chase gets amnesia after falling off his house's roof and wakes up surrounded by total strangers. He doesn’t remember his family, his friends, or even who he is. When Chase gets well enough to go back to school, he is greeted by various reactions. Some of the kids think he is a hero, others are afraid of him, and some clearly hate him. Chase has no idea who the real Chase was and does not know why people clearly dislike him. Will Chase get his memories back and become who he used to be, or will he decide that who he used to be is not who he wants to be anymore? 

Chase Ambrose is a big kid with brown hair and is very athletic. When Chase gets amnesia, he is athletic, intelligent, and funny and he gains a moral compass from his injury. Chase becomes more empathetic to other people and becomes nicer to the people surrounding him. This book reminds me of the book “Masterminds.” Both Chase and the Masterminds go on a journey to discover who they truly are. In both books, the protagonists must solve a mystery. I would recommend this book to ages 10 and up, since it teaches kids good morals. This book teaches people that you decide what choices you make and that you can decide to change your actions.  

Student Saturday: Nightbooks by J.A. White

 

Genre:  Middle Grade Fantasy

Student Reviewer: Elijah S. 

This story is about a boy named Alex who became trapped in a magical apartment by a witch named Natacha. But in the apartment, there was also another person there. Her name was Yasmin and she tried to escape many times but couldn’t escape the witch’s grasp. Every night Alex had to read a book to the witch to survive. If I was in Alex’s place, I would try to deceive the witch into making me leave the magical apartment, but I don't think that would even be possible considering Yasmin tried countless ways to escape. I recommend this book to people who like hair-raising stories. If I had to rate this on a scale from 1 to 10, I would rate it a 6. This book was good, but it did not meet my expectations.

Student Saturday: Odette's Secrets by Maryann Macdonald

Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction

Student Reviewer:  Camilla M.

The book an Odette's Secrets is about a young girl that went through much hardship during the Holocaust. Odette was a yound girl with curly hair. Odette started out as a young girl in Paris. Throughout the story she grew up and moved to the country and eventually back to the city. Madame Marie was her godmother, who played a big part in Odette's life. Madame Marie, her mother, and her father all cared for Odette very much.  Odette was forced to move around to escape the soldiers. She moved to the country where she met great people. Her mother then forced her out of the country to go back to the city. Odette had a hard time finding out who she was and where she belonged. She found that poetry would soothe her mind. I sometimes wonder where I belong. Just like Odette I find things and activites that help me with calming my mind. This book teaches great lessons and exceeds my expectations. I would reccomend this book to someone that likes history and heartfelt books. 

Student Saturday” “One Last Word” by: Nikki Grimes

Genre: Middle Grade, Poetry
Student Reviewer: Susan T. 

This collection of poems is truly meaningful and inspiring. The deep, powerful meanings behind every single one of these poems are thought-provoking and filled with wisdom. These are poems that show people what poetry is about. A few of my favorites are ‘Emergency Measures’, ‘Lessons’, and ‘Through the Eyes of Artists’. The meanings behind these three poems stood out to me the most. I recommend this book to most people. The perspectives in this book are realistic and meaningful, I would read it again.

Student Saturday: Listen, Slowly by Thanhhà Lại

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction 4/6
Student Reviewer: Jason G.

Mai, A Twelve-year-old girl who finished 6th grade, got hit with the news that she would go to Vietnam for six weeks. She did not appeal to this idea and attempted to counter-argue it with her parents but got madder. On the plane, her grandmother, Bà, tried to get Mai to stop resisting by saying, “Mai, try to understand that this trip is for you too. To see where you are from...” Mai, still in resistance, screams into the airplane pillow. As Mai and Mua, her father, discuss the importance of her going, Mua hisses, “Bà thinks Õng might be alive; that’s why.” Õng is Mai’s grandfather, and Bà seeks to uncover during their trip to Vietnam. Mua says, “As soon as she accepts that Õng is truly gone, you both can go home. Mai, I would just like you to be with her until she accepts.”

I can relate to Mai because, like Mai stated, “What’s so important? All her children and grandchildren are in California. Her life is there. My life is there.” I would also be short-tempered if I went on a trip for the sole purpose of learning more about family. This book is well-crafted for its ability to engage with readers who have encountered similar cultural challenges. I recommend this book to people who find the complexities of adolescence in a multicultural world stimulating. This book is well-written and shows a heartfelt and insightful exploration of cultural identity and the complexities of family heritage.

Student Saturday: Pax by Sara Pennypacker

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Adventure

Student Reviewer: Nikita K

Foxes are adorable creatures that are mainly wild, but a lucky few in the world are able to own them as exotic pets. Foxes are exotic because of their natural attachment to the wild, making them hard to grow close to. However, if they become close with their human owners, foxes, with their unique intelligence, will remain loyal and become natural best friends. 

Sara Pennypacker’s “Pax” highlights the rarity of foxes and their loyalty to humans, by displaying a boy named Peter, who lived alone with his father and fox for years, until his father had to leave for the army to take part in an oncoming war in the area he lived in. Since his mother was gone and his grandfather did not want any pets, Peter had to release Pax to the wild, a place where his fox had not been exposed to for years since he was a kit and rescued after losing his own skulk. With them growing up together, they achieved a loyalty and bond to each other that many normal friends and pets don’t typically share. With that being obvious, Peter felt he had an obligation to go out into the wild, with zero experience and a broken leg, to look for his fox and reunite with him.

 

After rereading “Pax” for the third time, this book still manages to hold a spot in my top 5 favorite books of all time. This beautifully written story by Pennypacker does a wonderful job at making the reader feel as if they were right next to Peter and Pax in their journey and help you feel what they feel in the moment. This book comes highly recommended from me to readers from middle school and up who are looking for an adventurous and heartwarming book that is highly realistic and reflects problems in modern day society. 

Student Saturday: Diamond Willow by Helen Frost

 

Genre:  Middle Grade, Adventure, Novel in Verse

Student Reviewer:  Anna H.

 “Diamond Willow” by Helen Frost is a beautiful book with many different perspectives from a variety of characters. Diamond Willow (Willow) is a twelve-year-old girl from Alaska who lives in a cabin with her mother, Father, and Zanna, her little sister. Willow and her dad train dogs to pull them on the sled and teach them the way around the forest. Willow’s father was on a dog sled the day willow was born and found a diamond willow stick which is where she got her name from. Roxy is their best sled dog who leads in most of their rides and knows her way around the entire area. Willow feels as though her parents view her as a little kid and no one sees who she really is, but there is more to Willow than others see. Shes not much of a social butterfly and only has one friend, not including Roxy, named Kaylie. Kaylie is too focused on her crush, Richard, anyway which makes Willow seem like she really is alone. Willow's grandma and grandpa adore her and only live only about twelve miles down one of the sledding trails. Willow had been begging her parents to let her drive the dog sled by herself to her grandparents for forever, but they always thought she was too young. One day both of her parents agree that she may venture alone to her grandparents. Her and her father set up the sled with Roxy as the lead dog and she was on her way. Her ancestors watch over her in the form of animals to ensure that the trip goes smoothly. Sadly, on her way home, Willow and the dogs were going too fast to see a fallen tree and crashed. Willow got stabbed in the leg with a stick and poor Roxy had her gorgeous sparkling eyes jabbed with branches. Willow rushed over to Roxy and stopped the bleeding that gushed from her eyes and began her way home not sure what would happen. Willow told her parents, and they were furious, but they held themselves together well. Turns out that Roxy had been blinded and now their best sled dog could never see again. As willow eavesdropped on her parents, she heard that they were going to put down the dog. She couldn't let this happen so the next day she loaded the sled and took Kaylie with her to her grandparents' house. She put Roxy safely in the sled and left without her parents knowing. They happened to take a wrong turn and got lost in the woods where they decided to camp in a small shelter. They were found by Richard who brought Kaylie home, but Willow proceeded on to her grandparents' house. When she arrived, her entire family had a heart-to-heart conversation about Roxy and events from the past. They told Willow that she had a twin sister whos name was supposed to be Diamond but when she perished four days after being born Willow took both names. Where they had gotten lost on the trail is where Diamond's ashes had been laid. It would be crazy to think that is just a coincidence, wouldn't it?

   “Diamond Willow” is a book of many secrets and plot twists. You never know what will happen next, but in the end, it turns out to be a very heartwarming story. I loved the way Helen Frost incorporated a diamond shape when writing about Willows thoughts and feelings and adding messages that relate to the paragraph. This book reminds me of what it feels like to be getting older while your parents seem to think you are still five. I recommend this novel to anybody between the ages of 10-14 since they will be able to relate to the main character well. 

Student Saturday: Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner

Genre: Middle Grade, Adventure 

Student Reviewer:  Clayron R.

There is no stopping a little boy who loves his grandfather. Stone Fox is about a 10 year old boy named Willy who is faced with adult challenges on a small potato farm in Wyoming. One day Little Willy woke up to be amazed that grandfather was still asleep. He and his dog named Searchlight went to Doc Smith's house to get some help. Once she had checked Grandfather out she said that he was as healthy as can be, and his grandfather just didn't t want to live anymore. Little Willy started to do everything he could to get Grandfather to feel better including doing the potato harvest, paying the bill at the general store and even getting all of the winter supplies, but Grandfather still wasn't better. To make matters worse,Mr. Clifford Snyder, a state of Wyoming tax collector, came to collect 10 years of back taxes. Little Willy had never heard of taxes and didn't believe the man because he knew Grandfather had always paid everything on time. There was a big problem if the taxes weren't paid. They would lose the farm. To solve the problem, Willy and Searchlight entered a race. The prize was the exact amount of money they needed to save the farm - $500. Searchlight and Willy were up against some of the best. Some things I really liked about this book was that Willy had to deal with real life problems. A connection I had with this book was little Willy and I share the same love for dogs. Did Willy win the race? Did he save his grandfather's farm? Read the book to find out! 

Student Saturday: The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

 

Genre:  Middle Grade, Fantasy, Traditional

Student Reviewer: Mykyta K.

Egyptian Mythology and religion is a one of the many mysteries of our time, and one of the most interesting as well. Many fantasize about it, and many others make a career out of it by unraveling those very mysteries.

I am one of those people who enjoy fantasizing about it and imagining how it was back then, which is exactly why I enjoyed the idea of Rick Riordan’s book, “The Serpent’s Shadow”. Rick Riordan is one of my favorite authors, and I particularly enjoyed his Greek Mythology works. “The Serpent’s Shadow” is one of his comics about Egyptian mythology that starred a family called the Kanes. The Kane Family is composed of a brother and a sister, a father whose job consists of judging the dead, and an uncle who works for the gods. However, the mother isn’t talked about much. This family was in charge of doing the work for the gods in the mortal world, using the Egyptian gods' powers. They led a group of magicians who also attempted to live alongside the gods while wielding magic, but had to protect dear things to the gods from their enemies who were against their ideas.

    

This world painted by Rick Riordan takes place in Egypt, along with some cities in modern day America. Personally, I enjoyed the idea of this, but in my opinion, the book overall didn't really appeal to me. I say this because I consider myself to enjoy more advanced books, and occasionally light reads, but “The Serpent's Shadow” was in a way, not very serious and quite “cringey”. I would however, recommend this book to younger audiences in elementary school, as it's a nice way for younger people and minds to begin learning about mythology and history.

Maddie’s Ghost by Carol Saller

Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery
Source: I won a copy from the author through LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

When Lainie Stanton receives a call from a TV reporter inviting her to be interviewed as Ohio’s first millennium baby she is flattered. Her Uncs and father are not as thrilled. They see this as possible issue, especially if the reporter’s intentions are not true. Their worst fears come true.  During the  taping of the interview Lainie is faced with pictures of her great-grandmother’s hanging.  Seventy-five years before her great-grandmother was tried and convicted of murder.  Lainie blindsided by this reporter claims she has proof of her grandmother’s innocent. Now she has only a few weeks to make her lie a truth. 

I loved the complexity of this book. The flipping back and forth between historical documents and present time kept me reading. This is definitely a book I will read again in the future. It was just that good.  Definitely need a copy for my classroom shelves.