Middle Grade – Page 73

Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Middle Grade, Middle School, Tween Reads

New spooky fun series! Bruce Hale’s Monstertown Mysteries!

Posted on June 14, 2016June 14, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Monstertown Mysteries: The Curse of the Were-Hyena, by Bruce Hale, (July 2016, Disney/Hyperion), $14.99, ISBN: 978-1-4847-1325-9

Recommended for ages 8-12

It’s another day in Monterrosa, California, and buddies Carlos and Benny are in class with their favorite teacher, Mr. Chu. Who starts acting really weird. He’s laughing and growling, he’s quick to be angry and aggressive with students, and… well, you’ll read about the chicken incident. Carlos and Benny start investigating the situation, enlisting the help of their local comic book dealer and a classmate who elbows her way into the group, they discover that Mr. Chu has been bitten by a were-hyena, and unless they can find the alpha hyena in a couple of days – in time for the full moon – Mr. Chu is doomed to be a were-beast forever!

This is the first book in a new scary-fun series for middle graders by favorite, Bruce Hale, and it’s perfect for Goosebumps fans who are looking for new territory. The kids rule the stories, there’s great characterization, some laughs, and lots of excitement, adventure, and mystery. Adults take a backseat and let the kids get the work done, but they’re supportive and there to help, like Mrs. Tamasese, the former pro wrestler turned comic book shop owner.

There’s also some very nice diversity in the book, with characters of different ethnicities and abilities (including Mrs. Tamasese, who’s wheelchair-bound, but doesn’t let that stop her from going on adventures).

I loved the book, and think this one will work nicely with the kids here, who have read my Goosebumps collection (in both English and Spanish) until they fall apart. I introduced the Eerie Elementary books to my younger readers, and they’ve snapped them up; something tells me that Monstertown Mysteries are going to find a very happy home on my library’s shelves. The ending sets up for a series very nicely. There’s some fun black and white illustrations that will keep readers’ interest, especially once you get to the Big Bad Hyena.

Add this fun series (number two is due out in the Spring) to collections where spooky and fun go hand in hand. If you’ve got kids in your life who love creeptastic excitement, put this on your list.

Bruce Hale is a hugely popular children’s author: the Chet Gecko, the Underwhere, and School for S.P.I.E.S. series are just a few of his hits. You can check out his author website to learn more about his books, author visits, and find some cool downloads and activities.

Intermediate, Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Non-Fiction

National Geographic talks Angry Birds!

Posted on June 11, 2016June 11, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

National Geographic: The Angry Birds Movie-Red’s Big Adventure, by Christy Ullrich Barcus (Apr. 2016, National Geographic Children’s Books), $14.99, ISBN: 978-1426216848

Recommended for ages 8-12

The Angry Birds have arrived on the big screen, and NatGeo Kids is there to celebrate with the release of their twelfth and latest Angry Birds title, Red’s Big Adventure. The book, set in the world of the Angry Birds movie, is set up in four levels: Bird Island, Bird Village, The Search for Mighty Eagle, and Beyond the Island, readers are introduced (or, really, familiarized with – they likely know most of these birds already) to the Angry Birds: Red, Matilda, Chuck, Bomb, Terence, Judge Peckinpah and Cyrus, the Mighty Eagle, and that rascally pig, Leonard. Each character gets a spotlight and a bio, and Red’s adventure is a thread that runs through the course of the book.

What we also get are breathtaking pictures and facts on the animals and plants, the environments and natural wonders of the world’s islands, from Greenland to Galapagos. Learn how a bird’s beak is better than a Swiss Army knife in terms of multi-purpose use: it’s a weapon, a utensil, a mating signal, and a sensory organ. Learn about mountain ranges and how glaciers are formed; learn to create maps or navigate using the stars, like our forefathers did. Find out about some of the biggest animal migrations in history, or discover an island inhabited by pigs (is that were Leonard and his friends came from?)!

I love the NatGeo books. They have the perfect combination of fun and learning, whether it’s their handy, schoolbag-sized fun facts books, like the Angry Birds and the Weird But True books, their sticker books (my living room coffee table currently has all the Dino Sticker Activity book stickers on them, like it’s a mini-Jurassic Park), the First Big Books, or their atlases and almanacs. The photos are incredible, and the information is easily digestible and exciting in its presentation. My kids love them, and the kids at my library go berserk for them. I celebrated the Angry Birds movie release with an Angry Birds Treasure Hunt around the children’s room, where they had to locate different pictures of the birds and pig for a prize. I honestly wasn’t sure how it was going to go over: were younger kids that into Angry Birds anymore? The answer was a resounding YES. About 30 kids took part in the treasure hunt, ensuring that this book and the 11 other NatGeo Angry Birds books will be in my next ordering cart.

Add to collections where nature books and Angry Birds are popular. You’ll be happy you did!

Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

The Secret Coders are searching for Paths & Portals!

Posted on June 11, 2016June 11, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Secret Coders: Paths & Portals, by Gene Luen Yang & Mike Holmes, (Aug. 2016, First Second), $10.99, ISBN: 9781626720763

Recommended for ages 8-12

We’re back at Stately Academy for more coding and mystery with with Hopper, Eni, and Josh! The last time we met the gang, they’d just figured out Stately’s secret: it used to be the campus for the Bee School, where kids learning coding and programming. Determined to learn to program and code, our fearless three find ways to get detention – custodial duties – to sneak in some coding time, but when the principal and his rugby team thugs take an interest in them, things get a little tense.

This is the second volume in the Secret Coders series from National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Gene Yang, and Bravest Warriors/Adventure Time artist Mike Holmes, and both the action and the coding lessons have increased. The characters learn more complex programming codes and requests now, taking readers along with them – and teaching them a funk prank or two in the process, including wacky names to execute commands, and programming fun ways to foil bullies. There’s some solid programming history in here, too, as we learn that Little Guy – the robot turtle and my favorite character, to be honest – speaks Logo, a programming language designed waaaay back in 1967 (may as well be in hieroglyphics to the kids, amirite?). I’m a firm believer in understanding the past to progress to the future, so giving kids that piece of programming history is amazing. The whodunit mystery adds to the fun and keeps the pages turning.

I loved the first book in this series, and evangelize it to kids right and left. I’ve done coding here at my library, and with our kids so wrapped up in Minecraft, it just seems like the smart choice to seize the opportunity and have programming information and fiction available to them wherever they turn. You can probably create a great Secret Coder program: make sure you get enough copies of each volume to have available to the kids, and introduce them to the Secret Coders website, where they can watch instructional videos and download exercises to sharpen their coding skills. They can upload finished artwork to the gallery on the site.

You’ll love Paths & Portals, and so will the kids in your life. Computer labs should consider introducing these novels to get kids familiar with and interested in coding, and libraries, like mine, that will be getting kids on board with Google CS First this summer should definitely make sure to have the first volume out and promote the second one, which hits stores on August 30: just in time for back to school!

Early Reader, Intermediate, Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Blog Tour: NatGeo Kids/Put Me in the Story and a Trip to San Diego!

Posted on June 8, 2016June 3, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

I LOVE the NatGeo Kids’ books. They have breathtaking artwork and photography, they break down information into chunks that kids can’t get enough of, and they cover everything from dinosaurs to gross science. What’s not to love? They’re aces at my library, too – just about every title is on my “reorder” list, because the kids circulate every last book like it was gospel, and at home? My little guy devours them, just like his older brothers did before.

I was lucky enough to get copies of their new “Put Me in the Story” books for dinosaurs and animals, and am in love. It makes a great gift for a dino fan or an animal fan: you upload your child’s picture to the (very secure) site, put in your child’s name, plus a dedication, and they generate the book. My little guy has his own Dinosaurs and Animal books, and each spread contains facts, photos, and questions aimed at your child, like, “How fast can you run, Anthony?” “What’s your favorite dinosaur, Sarah?”! It’s such a great way to spark discussion, and let’s be honest, it’s just really cool.

Even better, you have a chance to win a trip to the San Diego Zoo for their 100th Anniversary, courtesy of Put Me in the Story and National Geographic Kids! Read on!

PUT ME IN THE STORY AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS PRESENT…

THE LITTLE EXPLORER DRAWING CONTEST!

Help us celebrate the new National Geographic Kids personalized books and the San Diego Zoo’s 100^th Anniversary!

Enter the contest for your chance to win a trip to the San Diego Zoo to celebrate their 100^th anniversary!

The San Diego Zoo has an extra special year of fun planned and we want YOU to be a part of it! With displays on Centennial Plaza, new film experiences, new shows and more, this year will be one of the most exciting at the San Diego Zoo!

Contest Open: May 16 – July 8

To Enter: Adults 18+ can fill out the form on the contest page to enter.

For EXTRA entries: Download the free coloring pages on the contest page and share a photo of your child’s drawing on their coloring page with the hashtag #ColorAndExplore on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook! You can also upload the drawing to the photo gallery on the contest page.

*Social media posts must be public for them to be counted as an extra entry.

1 GRAND PRIZE WINNER will receive:

Family vacation to San Diego!
- 4-days/3-nights for a family of 4! Includes flights and hotel accommodations and 4 tickets to the San Diego Zoo
National Geographic Little Kids Book of Animals and National Geographic Little Kids Book of Dinosaurs personalized books

2 RUNNER-UP WINNERS will receive:

National Geographic Little Kids Book of Animals and National Geographic Little Kids Book of Dinosaurs personalized books
1-year subscriptions to National Geographic Kids magazine and National Geographic magazine

ABOUT THE BOOKS

National Geographic Little Kids Book of Animals

Hardcover $29.99 | Paperback $19.99

Explore the rain forest, the ocean, and the icecaps with this personalized guide for your animal-lover! National Geographic Little Kids Book of Animals is a colorful introduction to some of the world’s coolest creatures. From blue morpho butterflies and red-eyed tree frogs to tigers and polar bears, this personalized guide is sure to indulge your junior explorer.

Each page features beautiful photos of the animal alongside quick facts about its size, diet, and habitat. Questions like “How fast can you run?” are woven throughout to keep your little one’s interest.

Personalize this book with your child’s name, photo, and an encouraging dedication message to create a memorable keepsake. For a special surprise, check out the final pages, where your child can mark their favorite animal characteristics, then draw themselves as their favorite animal!

National Geographic Little Kids Book of Dinosaurs

Hardcover $29.99 | Paperback $19.99

Take a trip back in time with this personalized guide through the prehistoric world! With full-color illustrations, quick facts, and pronunciation guides, National Geographic Little Kids Book of Dinosaurs has plenty of information to captivate your paleontologist-in-training.

This kid-friendly reference book includes dinosaurs of all kinds: big and small, scaled and feathered, meat-eating and plant-eating. Your kiddo will learn fun facts about each dinosaur and answer questions like, “How many plates do you see on the Stegosaurus?”

Personalized with your child’s name, photo, and special dedication message, National Geographic Little Kids Book of Dinosaurs will become a favorite read. On the final pages, your child can mark the dinosaur qualities they like best, then draw themselves as a dinosaur!

ABOUT THE HOSTS/SPONSORS

About National Geographic Kids

National Geographic Kids inspires young adventurers to explore the world through award-winning magazines, books, apps, games, toys, videos, events and a website, and is the only kids brand with a world-class scientific organization at its core. National Geographic Kids magazine (10 issues per year) and National Geographic Little Kids magazine (six issues per year) are photo-driven publications available on newsstands or by subscription in print and on tablets. National Geographic Kids Books is the leading nonfiction publisher for kids with more than 100 titles each year, including The New York Times best-seller “Kids Almanac.”

About San Diego Zoo Global

Bringing species back from the brink of extinction is the goal of San Diego Zoo Global. As a leader in conservation, the work of San Diego Zoo Global includes on-site wildlife conservation efforts (representing both plants and animals) at the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, as well as international field programs on six continents. The work of San Diego Zoo Global is made possible by the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy and is supported in part by the Foundation of San Diego Zoo Global.

About Put Me In The Story

Put Me In The Story, the #1 personalized books site in the U.S., creates personalized versions of bestselling books and books where you star alongside your favorite characters. Our gifts capture moments that matter and memories that last. With each touching picture and special dedication message, our readers have become our most dynamic characters.

Put Me In The Story inspires a love for reading, across all ages and generations, through the experience of shared, personalized stories.

GOOD LUCK!

Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

It’s a Fairy Tale Summer: Girl in the Tower

Posted on June 5, 2016June 4, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Girl in the Tower, by Lisa Schroeder/Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli, (March 2016, Henry Holt & Co.), $16.99, ISBN: 9780805095135

Recommended for ages 8-12

In true fairy tale fashion, we have an evil queen, a magic spell, and a hidden princess. Young Violet has never known life outside of the castle tower: the evil Queen Bogdana imprisoned her mother shortly after Violet was born, believing that Violet’s beauty will allow her to create a spell that will make her just as beautiful. Bogdana enchanted Violet’s father, sending him away with no memories of his wife or new baby. Mother and daughter pass their days making up stories for one another, alone in their small cell. Thankfully, the palace staff looks after the two, even creating a beautiful garden to sneak the young girl out to once in a while, where she plays with the hummingbirds that live in the garden. As Violet nears the age where the queen can work her spell, she takes Violet, telling her she will become a princess and be adopted by Bogdana and the king, but can never see her mother again. Violet’s mother makes the sacrifice for her daughter’s sake, but Violet is far too smart for Bogdana – she knows something is strange in the castle, and she’s going to find out and reunite her family.

This is a wonderfully modern fairy tale that retains the sense of wonder and magic from classic tales. Violet is a spunky, smart young princess in training, the Bogdana is a perfectly evil queen with a deep-seated self-esteem complex. Ms. Schroeder may humanize Bogdana by letting us in on her motivation, but it doesn’t change the fact that she’s done horrible things to people for the most insipid purposes, and Violet – a naturally lovely and kind foil to Bogdana’s darkness – is going to set the balance right. It’s a great book with strong heroines – her mother is pretty outstanding, herself – and I can’t wait to get this onto my shelves and into my booktalks. I love my fairy tales – the kids here all know it – so I’ll be chattering this up alongside Imelda and the Goblin King for a nice discussion on smart heroines. The black and white illustrations by Nicoletta Ceccoli add beautiful depth to the story.

Add this one to your middle grade fairy tale collections, and take a look at some more of the artwork here:

Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Mother Goose’s legacy is passed on in The Secret Destiny of Pixie Piper

Posted on June 5, 2016June 4, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Secret Destiny of Pixie Piper, by Annabelle Fisher/Illustrated by Natalie Andrewson, (May 2016, Greenwillow Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9780062393777

Recommended for ages 8-12

Fifth grader Pixie Piper discovers that she is a direct descendant of Mother Goose – yes, THAT Mother Goose – complete with her own goose, the ability to create amazing rhymes, and a bit of spellcasting magic. She has to protect her goose from the awful Raveneece – a descendant of the Sinister Sisters, who have some messy history with Mother Goose and the Goose Ladies – plus keep her status as a Goose Girl a secret, even from her mom and her best friend!

I really enjoyed this book. Pixie is very likable, as is her best friend, Gray, and her small group of friends at school. Her mom’s quirkiness and love of fairy tales appeals to me, so let me give a little side shout-out to moms out there: read the book! I love the idea of there being an actual Mother Goose, and having a legacy passed down – it’s not exactly what you may think, so that makes it even more fun. Destiny, Pixie’s goose, has her own personality, and the relationship between Des and Pixie is sweet. We’ve got a story with good Goose Ladies, mean Sinister Sisters, frenemies, and a Toilet Museum: this is summer reading gold.

This is the first of two books starring Pixie Piper, and I’m looking forward to spending more time in her world. Add this one to your middle grade fantasy collections and booktalk it with the Sisters Grimm, Grimmtastic Girls, Whatever After, and the Fairy Tale Reform School series.

Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade

A fantasy quest: Grayling’s Song

Posted on June 4, 2016June 4, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Grayling’s Song, by Karen Cushman (June 2016, Clarion Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9780544301801

Recommended for ages 9-12

Grayling’s mother – a local “wise woman” whose remedies and healing songs are popular in their village – is in trouble, and only Grayling can help her. Their home has been upended, her potions and herbs scattered, her grimoire (spell book) stolen… and she’s turning into a tree. Teaching Grayling a song to sing that the grimoire will respond to, she sends Grayling off in search of other wise women to bring help. As Grayling sets out, she’s accompanied by a mouse who’s eaten some of her mother’s potions and discovers he can talk and shape-shift! She names the mouse Pook and goes on her way. Grayling meets other witches in what becomes a coming-of-age quest, including a weather witch and her surly apprentice, an enchantress, and a soothsayer who uses cheese to perform his magic.

Grayling’s song was a little lukewarm, as middle grade fantasy goes. It didn’t have the “bigness” of a quest novel, and it was missing the introspection of a coming-of-age novel. More often than not, the adventure consisted of Grayling being annoyed at the company she kept, and the entire company dissolving into bickering and wandering around, hoping to find the grimoire. There are some humorous moments and the book’s pace moves along nicely, but overall, this wasn’t my book.

Karen Cushman received a Newbery Medal for The Midwife’s Apprentice and Newbery Honors for Catherine, Called Birdy. Her author website offers a full bibliography, an author biography, FAQ, and “odd facts”.

Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Cover Reveal: Zaria Fierce and the Dragon Keeper’s Golden Slippers

Posted on June 3, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

I posted my review for the final book in the Zaria Fierce trilogy the other day, but I’m happy to give you guys the cover reveal today – and it’s a good one.

Eoghan Kerrigan has outdone himself this time. That dragon is beautiful – and wait until you see the illustrations inside. Zaria Fierce and the Dragon Keeper’s Golden Shoes publishes in paperback and eBook on July 1st!

Animal Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Fiction, Intermediate, Middle Grade

The Somewhat True Adventures of Sammy Shine: Animal Adventure!

Posted on June 1, 2016May 31, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Somewhat True Adventures of Sammy Shine, by Henry Cole (Apr. 2016, Peachtree Publishers), $16.95, ISBN: 9781561458660

Recommended for ages 8-12

A young boy’s brother launches his pet mouse off in a homemade airplane, and starts the little mouse off on the adventure of a lifetime! Sammy, the mouse, lands in a field and discovers that life outside of his friend Hank’s room is very, very different. Thankfully, he meets a wonderful group of animal friends that help him in his quest to get back home, but he has to steer clear of the awful weasel, Mustela, who wants Sammy’s plane for himself!

This was another of my PLA goodies, and I’m so glad I listened to the rep and took an ARC. I love Henry Cole’s writing and illustration, and when she told me that this book was inspired by a childhood experience: Henry Cole did have a pet mouse named Sammy Shine, and his brother did launch Sammy off in a plane; this book is what Henry likes to think Sammy went on to do after that flight. What tribute to a pet is sweeter than that?

Illustrated with Cole’s beautiful black and white drawings, we get an animal adventure up there with The Rescuers, Stuart Little, and The Great Mouse Detective. The characters are sweet, even when they’re cantankerous (I always had a soft spot for Templeton in Charlotte’s Web), and the exciting sense of adventure leaps off the page, extends its hand to the reader, and invites you in to join the fun. Intermediate readers will adore Sammy, and middle graders will come back to Sammy to enjoy one more mission. I hope Mr. Cole dreams up more missions for Sammy and Co.; I’d hate to think that the adventure only lasted for one brief moment.

Get this one on your shelves for summer reading, and booktalk it with old favorites like The Rescuers, and new classics like The Tale of Desperaux, The Guardians of Ga’Hoole, and The Warriors series.

Henry Cole is an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books. Among his more recent titles are Big Bug and Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad. He has illustrated such ground-breaking titles as And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, I Know a Wee Piggy by Kimberly E. Norman, and The Sissy Duckling by Harvey Fierstein. His author website includes information about all of his books and school visits, and games.

Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, mythology, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

Zaria Fierce returns in the Dragon Keeper’s Golden Shoes!

Posted on May 31, 2016May 27, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Zaria Fierce and the Dragon Keeper’s Golden Shoes, by Keira Gillett, (Jul. 2016, Keira Gillet Books), $14.99, ISBN: TK

Recommended for ages 10-13

Keira Gillet’s Zaria Fierce trilogy comes to a huge conclusion with the final book in her adventure, Zaria Fierce and the Dragon Keeper’s Golden Shoes. Picking up where Zaria Fierce and the Enchanted Drakeland Sword left off, Zaria and her friends need to rescue the Stag King’s son, Hart, stop Koll and his fellow dragons, and save Zaria’s birth mother, Queen Helena. No pressure, Zaria.

Zaria also feels the crushing weight of these responsibilities – and the part she played in them, when tricked by the dragon, Koll – and it’s taking its toll on her. Thankfully, her friends aren’t going to let her confidence flag; they’re there for an adventure, and they’re not going to let anyone, be it a dragon that personifies fear, or a fierce water-wyvern, stop them.

That’s the great thing about the Zaria Fierce trilogy: adventure is fast, furious, and loaded with Norse mythology, but the friendship between Zaria and her group of friends is the heart that drives this story. They won’t give up on Zaria, even when she’s ready to give up on herself; in turn, she will do anything to keep her friends safe. Even fight a dragon.

There are so many wonderful moments in this book, but to start talking about them would lead to spoilers. Suffice to say that Keira Gillett takes us on a hero’s journey, in the guise of a young girl whose entire life is upended one morning as she crosses a bridge to get to school. Zaria Fierce and the Dragon Keeper’s Golden Shoes brings us to the end of one story, and a wish to return to this universe soon.

Recommended for middle grade collections where fantasy is popular. I’d book talk this with other hero’s journey tales like CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia and Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson/Magnus Chase series; they’ll have a firmer frame of reference when you present the series with these popular fantasy tales. Talk up Zaria as a strong female character who overcomes her fears and self-doubts to outwit monsters, and save herself and her friends!