Phyllis Wheeler's Blog, page 10

Chirp by Kate Messner, a review

Chirp by Kate Messner, published in 2020, tells the tale of Mia, a twelve year old former gymnast who’s just moved from Boston to Vermont. Her family moved there to support her grandmother, whose unpredictability makes everyone wonder what’s going to happen next. Gram’s business, raising crickets for people food, is languishing.

Ranger in Time: Night of Soldiers and Spies, by Kate Messner

Kate Messner's Ranger in Time series features a rescue dog, Ranger, who who magically is called to other times and places to help save people. In this tale, Soldiers and Spies, Ranger helps a young black soldier in the Continental Army of George Washington. It's winter, and battle is coming.

A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan, a review

Authors Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan team up to tell a middle-grade tale with two points of view: one a Muslim Pakistani-American girl who just wants to fit in at her big new school, and the other a Jewish girl whose best friend has dumped her.

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead, a review

Georges, that’s with a silent s, moves into a Brooklyn apartment building and meets Safer, another twelve-year-old who starts a spy club for the two of them. They’re spying on a bird nest, on people in the building lobby (through the videocam), on people who wash their clothes in the washers in the basement, and […]

Wanted: A Superhero to Save the World by Bryan Davis, a review

Bryan Davis, author of thirty successful young adult books, wrote this middle-grade tale and published it last year. It’s a delightful comic book story of heroes and villains told as a novel, with plenty of gadget references that remind me of Batman. Twelve-year-old Eddie Hertz’s city is threatened with more and worse earthquakes by a […]

Ghost by Jason Reynolds, a Review

Jason Reynolds' award-winning middle-grade novel Ghost tells the story of a boy who joins a track team. But he's not just any boy; he's one ran with his mother for their lives from his father, who was shooting at them.

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt, a review

Sometimes I stray from my core mission of reviewing middle grade novels. This novel is almost a middle-grade novel. After all, its narrator is twelve, perfect for middle grade. But the real protagonist is thirteen or fourteen, a boy who’s already lived enough grief–and joy–for a lifetime. So I guess it’s young adult. Gary D. […]

I signed a publishing contract!

Elk Lake Publishing will be publishing a book of mine in about a year, I’m happy to announce. The book, a middle-grade novel, features time travel. I’m not going to tell you anything more about it right now. Sign up for my occasional newsletter if you want to be kept up to date on this!

Freerunner by Kathy Cassel, a review

Kia struggles to find a place socially on the track team, leaning heavily on her boyfriend. It’s not easy. And then her abuser--her grandfather--shows up and actually moves in with Kia and her mother. It’s a recipe for disaster, especially for the little six-year-old girl that her grandfather is getting to know as a volunteer at a day care.

So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk Toward Freedom by Gary D. Schmidt, illus. by Daniel Minter

Here's a truly notable book about Sojourner Truth, set apart by its amazing illustrations and its jewel-toned prose.