C.J. Milbrandt's Blog, page 18

Currently Reading

#MGBookMarch

Big Finish. As mentioned on previous weeks, I took part in #MGBookMarch over on Twitter this year. To refresh your memory, here are ALL the themes:

Yesterday, the month-long challenge wrapped up. Here were my tweeted books from Week 4:

Day 23 – Anticipated MG – Once I get hooked by a series, I’m always eager for the next book.

Day 24 – for “A Spring Ritual,” I went with coloring Easter eggs. So here are three books with eggs on the covers.

Day 25 – Intergenerational Bo...

Are we near water?

Elza and I love games almost as much as we love reading middle grade books. You’ll find more of these over on Middle Grade Carousel and posting throughout the day on our Twitter account. Follow us and play along! ~CJ

#amreading Independently

In Here Lies the Librarian, Peewee is doing just fine, dressing like a boy, working in her big brother’s automotive shop. But then their town sets out to hire a new librarian, and Peewee’s whole way of life takes an interesting (if unwanted) turn. Wonder at the Edge of the World is about Lu Wonder, who lives in a Kansas town set ablaze by racial conflicts. Abolitionists and slave owners are at war, and nobody is safe from the fallout, especially Lu, because the one stirring up trouble is on ...

Can I pet it?

Elza and I love games almost as much as we love reading middle grade books. You’ll find more of these over on Middle Grade Carousel and posting throughout the day on our Twitter account. Follow us and play along! ~CJ

#amreading Courageously

Short was one of my favorite reads of the year when I read it. When her younger brother wants to audition for a part in a summer production, Julia’s mom makes her try out, as well. It’s The Wizard of Oz, and they’re cast as munchkins. Because… Julia’s short. In Alan Cole is Not a Coward, Alan’s older brother bullies him into a game of Cole vs. Cole. If Alan looses, Nathan will out him as gay to the whole school. This was a tough one for me. Dysfunctional families make me sad, and Nathan’s pr...

Currently Reading

#MGBookMarch

Week 3. I’ve been keeping up with (most of) the themes for Middle Grade Book March over on Twitter. As a reminder, here are ALL the themes:

Day 15 – Series Shoutout – I love mysteries, fantasy, paranormal stuffs, and any combination thereof. Picking three fave series, because ghosts, FBI agents, & a family of thieves!

Day 16 – A Book I’m Lucky to Have in My Life – Hmm. Let’s go with thrift store finds! Used bookstores hold treasures. Would I have read these if I hadn’t stumbled acr...

Are you sure that’s safe?

Elza and I love games almost as much as we love reading middle grade books. You’ll find more of these over on Middle Grade Carousel and posting throughout the day on our Twitter account. Follow us and play along! ~CJ

#amreading Serious Matters

In the classic The Family Under the Bridge, Armand is an adorable curmudgeon who lives under a bridge in Paris. When he comes home one day to find three children in his usual spot, he knows he’s in trouble. Especially when these “starlings” decide he should be part of their family. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, shortly after the second World War, a lively girl who loves to run begins to show symptoms of “atomic bomb disease.” Sadako’s whole world becomes a hospital room, where she sp...