The Girl In The Lake by India Hill Brown

 

Genre:  Middle Grade, Mystery/Horror

Source: I purchased a copy

Celeste and her brother Owen are spending the summer at their grandparent's lake house along with their cousins Daisy and Capri.  Celeste is not interested in spending tine at the lake. She can't swim. She failed her swim test. Her brother Owen loves the idea of swimming since he passed his test. He is not interested in hiking with his grandfather. He has a fear of mountain lions. He doesn't know if there are any, but why take a risk?  Daisy is the kind and courteous one but she fears storms. Capri is a lot like Celeste. She fears failure.  Will these four learn to face their fears? What does a ghost who looks like Celeste have to do with everything that is happening at the lake house?

I bought this book for my classroom from the book fair. Before I had a chance to take it home and read it a student asked to check it out. I ended up buying a second one and taking it home so that I could read it. I just now got around to it.  I now know why my students kept telling me I needed to read this book. I read it in under three hours. It was that good.  Great mystery/horror story. Kept me on the edge of my seat.   I highly recommend this book.

 

My Name is Layla by Reyna Marder Gentin

Genre: Young Adult, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

This last Friday was my last day at school. Our principal told us to make sure we took time for us. Then he called me out in front of everyone. He told me he had talked to my husband about finding a way to make me not focus on work. Yes I admit I have a problem letting school work go. However, after two years of covid teaching I needed a break. I told him I had a stack of books on my couch waiting for me.

This book was one of them I had not been able to get to earlier due to covid teaching.  As a middle school teacher, this book really resonated with me. I see students like Layla every year.  A lot of them fall through the cracks and are never diagnosed with a learning disability. I try to be a teacher who works for each and every one of them.  Layla wants so hard to do better in school. She wants the approval of her mother who works the night shift as a nurse.  She has the support of her older brother Nick.  No matter how hard she tries her undiagnosed dyslexia makes her feel bad about herself. It is her English teacher who believes in her and recognizes her disability that turns things around.

This should be on every classroom shelf. It is true to life. Middle school students will be able to identify with the character and most importantly the events that take place in school and at home.  The fact that Layla is able to find help will give hope to those who struggle, and may just encourage those teachers who aren't real sure how to help a student.  I applaud this author for creating a book that needs to be read by teachers and students alike.

 

Little Wanderers: The Everlasting Seasons by I.K. Silver

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Once I started this book I couldn't stop reading it. Snowy is  a very small dwarf. He lives in a village where it snows all the time. He hates the cold. One day he decides he is going to leave. He packs his things and heads off to find the village of Origenem where there is supposedly a buried treasure. He read about it in a book.  On his trek he meets another dwarf who mistakes him for a young kid. Korkoro takes him home with him. Snowy stays for a while before deciding to join Snowy on his trip. The two encounter talking cats, a castle where everyone eats nothing but maple syrup, a wizard and a village that is cursed.  This was such an interesting book that I couldn't stop reading. I read it from beginning to end in one sitting. I can't wait until the next book comes out so I can continue to read the adventures of Snowy and Korkoro.