The Tears of the Empress by Alfred M. Struthers

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery

Source: Purchased

Like always, the author has created a story full of mystery, suspense and history. In this book we have are usual cast of characters. Nathan, the young teen turned detective. He was left a unique bookcase by his father. That bookcase has helped him solve several mysteries, helped him find several treasures and almost gotten him killed more times than he could count. His best friend Gina is always in on the capers.  After one too many close calls her parents have forbid her to see Nathan at all. It doesn't matter they live right down the street from each other.  In this story we are taken on a journey that is very personal to Nathan. He learns that his grandfather was murdered. He also learns about a group his grandfather had created to help those in need. He called them the facilitators.  This time he has been assigned someone to protect him. He teaches him defensive moves, how to move quickly and plan for any contingency. He helps him with strength training.  However, none of that will stop someone from using him to try to get what they want, no matter what the consequences are to him. I read the book in two days. I didn't want to stop, but had to find time to sleep.  This is by far one of the best of his books in this series. I really enjoy the amount of historical information he gives at the end of the book. I think the historical research he does to make sure there is accuracy in his books is one of the major delights for me. Each book shows the main character growing and maturing in natural ways. The progression along with the pacing of the book makes the reader not want to put the book down. He always ties it up neatly, yet at the same time he leaves something or someone in the book that we were introduced to unfinished. It always leaves you wondering, "But what about....?"  Then he finishes off the book with a taste of the next book in the series.  This is and always had been one of my favorite series. It all began with the very first book, "The Case of Secrets." If you have not read any of this series you need to get out there and do so. Now to pass this one on to my grandson who loves this series.

Tethered by Shawn Inmon

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Ghost Story
Source: Purchased

Frankie, Eddie and their mom have just moved into a run-down house.  On the second day there Frankie sees and hears something.  Lucy and Frederick are two ghosts who inhabit the house. Some people when they die are tethered to a house for some unknown reason. That is why Lucy and Frederick are still here. After Frankie and Eddie begin to see Lucy they set off trying to figure out why she and Frederick are still stuck in the house.  This was a short story, but none the less a great story. I love short stories because the author has to have what I call tight writing. They have to tell a story as well as any novel in a shorter amount of words.  This author is one I am looking forward to reading more of their work.  Excellent job.

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor coerr

Genre: Middle Grade, Biography

Source: Purchased

It has been over thirty years since I read this book. I decided to purchase and reread it again today.  This is the story of a young girl who was an infant when the United States dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima. So many people died. Worse yet were those who developed leukemia years later. Sadako was one of them. She loved to run. She had a dream of making the running team when she got to Junior High. Instead of running, she found herself in the hospital battling leukemia. Her best friend brought her a golden origami crane. She had made it based on the story they had been told about a person making a thousand paper cranes, then they will get well.  

I am sixty-six at this reading. I was so touched at the message in this book. It is a message of hope and never giving up. It is a message of reaching for your dreams.  The author was inspired to write this story for the kids in America. She based it on the biography  of Sadako's life written by her classmates and published. I enjoyed rereading this book so much that I will make sure that I have a copy on my shelves at school. I want to reintroduce one of the most inspirational books I have ever read to a new generation of students.

 

Student Saturday: Monster Blood for Breakfast by R.L. Stine

 

Genre: Upper Elementary, Middle Grade, Horror

Student Reviewer: Landon M.

This book, Monster Blood for Breakfast by R.L. Stine is a horror story that you do not want to miss. it is full of action and excitement. The setting is both at Matt Daniel's the main character's house, and his school. Matt is an athletic person. He is on the school swim team.  Bradly Wormser is his friend next door. They call him worm because he is super skinny.  This book is about two friends, Matt and Bradley. matt is strong and on the swim team. So, Bradley orders something called monster blood. Bradley brings it over to Matt's house and explains to him what it is and what it does. Bradley says that it is monster blood and if he eats it, he will be strong like Matt. He explains that Monster blood is dangerous, and he will get rid of it the next day.  But, they have a science project and Matt is mad at Bradley for stealing his idea. So, the morning that Matt has a swim meet he puts the monster blood in Bradley's cereal. When Matt goes upstairs to change his shirt Bradley noticed Monster Blood and switched cereals with Matt. The monster blood does not just make him stronger, it makes him a lot bigger. Now he must do the swim meet because his teammates depend on him.

Will he figure out how to be normal again, or will he have to be like that forever? Find out and read Monter Blood.  In this book  when he grew super big from accidentally eating the monster blood, I thought while reading this book of something I would have done. Something I would have done is try to throw up the monster blood. Another thing I would have done is act like I was sick and not go to the swim meet.  

This book was full of adventure and excitement. I thought it would have been scarier, but it was it was still good, and I still enjoyed it. I would recommend this book to ages 10-14 and to people who enjoy adventure. Also, for people who like excitement this book would be for you. 

The Bully Book by Eric Kahn Gale

Genre: Elementary and Middle Grade Realistic Fiction

Source: I own a copy.

 

This book is loosely based on bullying the author faced when he was in elementary school. His main character represents so many kids today. Erick Haskins was looking forward to his last year in elementary school. He hasn’t seen his best friend Donovan all summer. When his best friend walks past him and sits with the bullies he doesn’t know what to think. When the Jason calls him the “grunt” he isn’t sure why. He has always tried to stay out of trouble. He has managed to stay out of the way of the school bullies. This year they have decided he is low man on the totem pole, the grunt. As we go through the year with Erick we see his journal of thoughts and learn that there is a “Bully Book”. The book is about his hunt for it. If he can just find it and read it then maybe he will know why he was chosen as the grunt, how to stop being the grunt, and maybe, just maybe prevent this from happening to someone else. If there is one thing he has learned this year is that leaving elementary school as a grunt, can carry over into the next year.

I think this was a eye opener for me. I am a teacher so not necessarily the target audience for this book. However, some of the subtle things I saw happening in the book are things that often happen in today. I had a couple of students who were the target of bullies. I tried my best to stop it in the classroom. Once they left my room I was often unable to protect them. As a teacher this is very disturbing. At one point one of my students stood up for the weak child. She called out the bullies on an issue I had not seen. They work under the radar I have learned. She then looked at this kid and said, “You have got to start standing up for yourself.” He chose to take whatever they gave out and just live with it. Talking to admin. Doesn’t always help.  I now know why my students passed this book around and when they finally put it on my desk, told me I needed to read it. It has characters and situations they can identify with, which makes them feel like they are not alone

 

Chester and the Magic 8 Ball by Lynn Katz

 

Genre: Middle Grade Realistic Fiction.
Source: I received a copy from BookBub. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Middle school is tough. I know this because I’m a middle school teacher. Sixth graders are trying to grow up yet they face so many new challenges. This is often the first time they face the death of a family member or friend for the first time. They face bullying, illnesses, changes in friendship. I guess that is why I know middle school kids will be able to identify with this story.

Georgia has wanted a dog as long as she can remember. She asks her Magic 8 Ball if she will get a dog today and the answer comes back, ‘It is certain’. Georgia puts her plan into effect and by the end of the day she has a dog in her life. Chester isn’t just any dog. He was a well loved dog whose elderly owner fed him candy which rotted his teeth. He had to have all his teeth pulled. Everyone loves Chester.  When Georgia’s father comes home from the hospital and sees the dog he argues with his wife and leave the house. Georgia knows her parents have been fighting a lot lately. But now she believes getting Chester caused her dad to move out.

As we read through the book we see how Chester’s presence has such a surprising effect on people.  Will he bring people together?  Is he psychic? After all he plays with the Magic 8 Ball and so far all his predictions to questions Georgia has asked have been correct.  A charming book full of hope and wishing for better things. A book that shows you that sometimes what you need is right in front of you.  Looking forward to sharing this with my students at school and recommending it to our media specialist.

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.