Middle Grade

Middle grade reviews are organized alphabetically by author, within three categories: my son’s reviews, my daughter’s reviews, and my reviews.

Middle Schooler Reviews (my son)

• The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann
• Epoca the Tree of Ecrof by Kobe Bryant and Ivy Claire
• My Life As A Potato by Arianne Costner
• Balance Keepers series by Lindsay Cummings
• The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
• The Unwanteds: Island of Silence by Lisa McMann
• The Jack Blank series by Matt Myklusch
• The Changelings by Christina Soontornvat
• A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

Elementary Student Reviews (my daughter)

• The Girl Who Could Not Dream by Sarah Beth Durst
• Ghost Squad by Claribel Ortega

My Reviews

If there’s a star, I’ve featured the book and/or series in one of my year-end favorite reads round-ups.

• The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
• Ruby Reinvented by Ronni Arno
• Dear Poppy by Ronni Arno
• Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go by Dale Basye
• Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon
• Real Mermaids series by Helene Boudreau*
• Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor by Ally Carter
• Vanished by Sheela Chari
• The Dead Gentleman by Matthew Cody
• Will in Scarlet by Matthew Cody
• Counting Thyme by Melanie Conklin*
• Secrets from the Sleeping Bag by Rose Cooper
• New Kid by Jerry Craft
• Balance Keepers: The Fires of Calderon by Lindsay Cummings
• The BFG by Roald Dahl
• All Four Stars by Tara Dairman*
• The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
• The Seventh Level by Jody Feldman
• Destiny, Rewritten by Kathryn Fitzmaurice*
• In A Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz
• Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai
• Family Game Night and Other Catastrophes by Mary E. Lambert
• Circle of Secrets by Kimberley Griffiths Little
• When the Butterflies Came by Kimberley Griffiths Little*
• The Time of the Fireflies by Kimberley Griffiths Little
• Partners in Crime by Kim Harrington
• Ruby & Olivia by Rachel Hawkins
• The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy*
• The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy
• The Paradise Trap by Catherine Jink
• How to Outrun a Crocodile When Your Shoes Are Untied by Jess Keating
• The Boy Project by Kami Kinard
• Juniper Berry by M.P. Kozlowsky
• Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca* (interview)
• A Farewell to Charms by Lindsey Leavitt*
• A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
• The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy by Nikki Loftin
• Plastic Polly by Jenny Lundquist
• Seeing Cinderella by Jenny Lundquist*
• The Last Boy at St. Edith’s by Lee Gjertson Malone
• At Your Service by Jen Malone* (interview)
• The Sleepover by Jen Malone*
• You’re Invited by Jen Malone & Gail Nall*
• The Unwanteds: Island of Silence by Lisa McMann
• Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger*
• Exile by Shannon Messenger*
• Everblaze by Shannon Messenger*
• Nightfall by Shannon Messenger*
• Flashback by Shannon Messenger
• Eye of the Storm by Kate Messner
• The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner*
• Whatever After series by Sarah Mlynowski*
• The End of Infinity by Matt Myklusch*
• Seaborne: The Lost Prince by Matt Myklusch*
• The Billionaire’s Curse by Richard Newsome
• Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver
• Rules for Ghosting by A.J. Paquette
• The Train of Lost Things by Ammi-Joan Paquette
• Science Fair by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
• The Peculiar Haunting of Thelma Bee by Erin Petti
• The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
• Half Upon a Time by James Riley*
• Once Upon the End by James Riley*
• Story Thieves by James Riley
• Story Thieves: The Stolen Chapters by James Riley*
• Story Thieves: Worlds Apart by James Riley*
• The Revenge of Magic by James Riley
• The Map to Everywhere by Carrie Ryan and John Parke Davis
• The Fourth Stall Part II by Chris Rylander
• My Secret Guide to Paris by Lisa Schroeder
• Sealed with a Secret by Lisa Schroeder
• The True History of Lyndie B. Hawkins by Gail Shepherd (interview)
• The Swap by Megan Shull
• Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstilstin by Liesl Shurtliff*
• My Very UnFairy Tale Life by Anna Staniszewski
• Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead
• I So Don’t Do Mysteries by Barrie Summy
• Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
• Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
• Don’t Vote for Me by Krista Van Dolzer (interview)
• The Sound of Life and Everything by Krista Van Dolzer* (interview)
• Earth to Dad by Krista Van Dolzer* (interview)
• The Multiplying Mysteries of Mount Ten by Krista Van Dolzer* (interview)
• Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief by Wendelin Van Draanen
• Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf by Wendelin Van Draanen
• The Second Spy by Jacqueline West
• The Books of Elsewhere by Jacqueline West*
• Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee