A Sampling of New Middle Grade Books
A Sampling of New Middle Grade Books
It’s May, and time to dive into some great new middle grade books. I had the pleasure over the past month of interviewing three MG authors:Sydney Dunlap, L.M. Elliott, and Teresa Robeson, on my blog, Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb.
Dunlap’s new novel, It Happened on Saturday, focuses on theissue of human trafficking. She told me: “It Happened on Saturday grew out ofmy work with child trafficking survivors and my realization that there was verylittle literature for young readers addressing this topic, even though kidsages 11 to 14 are especially vulnerable. I decided to write a character-driven,age-appropriate novel to help middle grade readers understand the risks and theneed to be careful and aware as they go online and use social media.”
Elliott wrote a historical novel, Bea and the New DealHorse, which takes place during the Depression of the 1930s. Elliott said ofthe relationship between her protagonist, 13-year-old Bea, and a chestnut horseshe comes to love: “Wrestling with her own hurts and distrust stemming from allthe catastrophes that have befallen her in her short 13 years, Beainstinctively empathizes with the horse’s wary, angry, and at times dangerousattitude—especially after learning of his mistreatment under a previous owner.She saves the chestnut from colic and the glue factory. In turn, he will learnto trust her, carry her in breath-taking flight over jumps, and teach her tofind joy again. After many mishaps and doubt, this ‘beaten-up horse andbeaten-down girl’ will find that poetic and almost balletic communion possiblebetween a horse and a gifted rider.”
Robeson has written a nonfiction book about the Dalai Lama, WhoIs Tibet’s Exiled Leader?: The 14th Dalai Lama, part of the “Who Is” series aboutnotable people. When asked what she sees as some common perceptions andmisconceptions about her subject, she said: “I’m not really aware of whatpeople think of the Dalai Lama, but a possible misconception they might have isthat he is holier-than-thou. That is completely not the case! He will readilytell you that he was a mischievous and headstrong child. He’s comfortable withthe idea that while he is the embodiment of the eternal Dalai Lama spirit, heis also a fallible human being like everyone else. He doesn’t have to be asaint to teach compassion, his mission in life, and he wants people to know wedon’t have to be perfect to be compassionate.”
Please take a look at these books, and thanks for reading!
--Deborah Kalb
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