The GMGR A-Z Book Challenge of 2016

[S.W.]

This topic is new ground for GMGR. We thought it was time to start a challenge that was simple, interactive and helpful to members. We think we've come up with a great idea.

This challenge is all about the books that members read throughout the year, with a twist. The aim is to read one (or more) books with titles that start with each letter of the alphabet. As the year progresses, each participant can keep their list updated so it can give ideas to other members.

As with life, it's best to keep things simple. So, I've listed a few steps and guidelines below to keep us on the right track.

1. Set yourself up a comment on this thread
2. List each letter of the alphabet.
3. Backfill your list with Middle Grade books you have already read in 2016
4. The first letter of the title must match the listed letter
5. Drop the 'The'. eg. The Camelot Kids would be listed for C
6. Drop the 'A' eg. A Wrinkle in Time would be listed for W
7. Add a rating and review link if you dare. Like this - **** My review is here
8. Keep the books you list to Middle Grade. That's what we're all about.
9. Keep your list updated throughout the year by editing your comment
10. Visit regularly to check other lists, get ideas, and leave feedback.
11. For an added challenge, see if you can read your books in alphabetical order ... it's up to you.
12. GOOD LUCK. MAY GOOD BOOKS BE WITH YOU.

[S.W.]

My GMGR A-Z BOOK CHALLENGE OF 2016

A. AWAKENING - Benjamin Dragon 1 *****
- Quite an enjoyable read that nicely sets up the series. Love the cover too. Book 2 is called Legacy
- My full review is here.
B.
C.
D.
E. ESCAPE FROM MR. LEMONCELLO'S LIBRARY
- Not my cup of tea, but it has plenty of fans.
- My full review is here.
F. FIREFLIES ****
- It's a warm, old fashioned, and simple small town story, with a twist that tugs at the heartstrings.
- My full review is here.
G. GLIMPSE ****
- Glimpse is an interesting, entertaining, and clever story that should appeal to YA/Teen readers. I plan to continue reading this series.
- My full review is here.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
N.
O.
P.
Q.
R.
S. SHIRLEY LINK & THE SAFE CASE *****
- Shirley Link is a Miss Marple of the future, but perhaps not so old and stodgy. Although she has such great skills, I like that she remains grounded and kind.
- My full review is here.
T. TOMMY BLACK AND THE STAFF OF LIGHT ****
- A promising series.
- My full review is here.
U.
V.
W.
X.
Y.
Z. ZET AND THE EGYPTIAN AMULET MYSTERY ****
- This is a great middle-grade read that focuses on friendship and teamwork while solving a mystery, with a good dose of history thrown in.
- My full review is here.

[Lori]

A-to-Z Book Challenge


A
B - Book Scavenger 4* Mystery. Two middle school kids go on a treasure hunt and solve a crime in the process.
C - Capture the Flag 3* Mystery. Three kids snowed in at a Washington DC airport investigate the theft of the flag that inspired "The Star Spangled Banner"
D - Doll Bones 4* Newberry winner. Coming-of-age with a touch of horror. Three friends on the verge of giving up their fantasy game go on one last adventure.
E
F - Flunked 4* Fantasy.
G
H - Half Upon a Time 5* Fantasy. May ("punk princess" according to her t-shirt) witnesses her grandmother's kidnapping and ends up in the fairy tale world. Jack (son of the one that climbed the beanstalk) vows to help her find her grandmother and her way home.
I - I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World 4* Autobiography
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S - The Stolen Chapters 5* Fantasy. 2nd book in the Story Thieves series. Owen and Bethany travel through books in search of Bethany's fictional father.
T - The Templeton Twins Make a Scene 4* Humor/Adventure. 2nd book in series. A sarcastic narrator tells the story of how the Templeton twins defend their father from another dastardly plot of the evil Dan and Dean D. Dean. Twice Upon a Time 4* Book 2 in the Half Upon a Time series
U
V - The Voyage to Magical North 5* Fantasy. A magical pirate adventure with humor.
W
X
Y
Z

[Justine]

A Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret about the anxiety a girl goes through when approaching puberty
B Black Hearts in Battersea about a boy entwined in a conspiracy in London.
C Cowgirl about friendship with a farming girl in Wales
D
E Eon: Dragoneye Reborn about a crippled girl chosen as the powerful Dragon's apprentice.
F Flyaway about how a girl responds to the possibilty losing her father
G
H How to Train Your Dragon about a viking boy who, as part of the initiation into his viking tribe, has to train a dragon
I I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
J
K
L The Lie Tree about a tree that flourishes in deception, and bears fruit that reveals the truth.
M Mortlock
N Neverseen the 4th book about a girl on her journey to discover why the elves have created and hidden her in the human world.
O Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great
P Philippa Fisher's Fairy Godsister
Q The Queen of Dreams about a girl who discovers her link to the magical world.
R
S
T The Thing About Jellyfish about a girl coming to terms with her friend's untimely death.
U
V
W Watership Down
X
Y
Z

[Jemima]

My MG A-Z Challenge (since I have a mixed one on my website).

A.
B. The Boundless 3*
C. The Camelot Kids: Part One 4*
D.
E.
F. Fireflies 4* ; Fantastic Mr. Fox 4*
G. The Golden Wizard 4*; A Grave Tree Time travel for serious science geeks (start with A Pair of Docks) 5*
H.
I. I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World 4*
J. Jolly Foul Play 4*
K.Karmack 4.5*
L. The Legacy 4*
M. Magyk 4.5*
N.
O. The One Dollar Horse 5*
P. The Phantom Tollbooth 4*
Q. A Quill Ladder 4*
R.
S. Sons of the Sphinx 5*; South by South East 4*
T. Tutankhamen Speaks 3*
U. Up, Up, and Away: Advice and Adventures from the Future Authors and Astronauts of Farnsworth Aerospace 3*
V. The Vanished Knight more YA than MG really, but i'm getting desperate. 4*
W. When You Reach Me 4*
X.
Y. Zoe & Zak and the Yogi's Curse 4* OK, some just call it Yogi's Curse #2 in the Zoe & Zak adventures....
Z. Zoe & Zak and the Ghost Leopard 5*

I see you're being strict, Steve - I have the Golden Wizard for W on my other list!

[Cheryl]

My GMGR A-Z BOOK CHALLENGE OF 2016
(some complete reviews here, some on librarything... don't pay too much attention to my star ratings because some of the threes are almost four, and vice-versa...)

A. About Face 3* A friendship springs up between a girl living with her grandmother in a boarding house/antique store and the daughter of carnies, giving them both a chance to learn to appreciate their lives and their families.
B. The Boxes One of Sleator's more straightforward SF thttps://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... for youth, and the protag. is female.
C. Cat Talk 2*
D.
E. The Emily Sonnets: The Life of Emily Dickinson 2*
F. The Friendship Doll 3* Historical fiction as seen through the eyes of a museum doll, a tiny bit like Miss Hitty. Fairly light]
G. The Glory Girl 4* One of Byars' most thought-provoking (and that's saying something!). Would make for great class discussion, starting with the question, "Would you like to be part of a evangelical performing family, traveling around and giving shows?"
H. Hob and the Goblins 4* A House-Elf saves a London bus-driver and his family when they move to grandfather's cursed house. Poetic & almost metaphysical, short but rich.
I. The Island on Bird Street 4* HF adventure of a child trapped alone in the ghetto, avoiding getting captured and sent to concentration camp, apparently semi-autobiographical.
J. Judy's Journey 4* One of Lenski's series like the more famous Strawberry Girl, about migrant farm workers along the southern and mid-Atlantic states. Compare also to Blue Willow and The Velvet Room, set in California.
K.
L. The Lie Tree 4* Who cares if it's got science, history, feminism - it's an exciting character-driven mystery with paranormal elements for upper MG that I plan to reread.
M. Mountain Born 3* Newbery honor, growing up to be a shepherd like Dad.
N. No More Dead Dogs 4* Funny, but interesting, too: just as you'd expect from Korman.
O. Old Town in the Green Groves: Laura Ingalls Wilder's Lost Little House Years 4* for fans of the original series, fills in a lot of gaps and sends the family East (!) for a little while.
P. Porcelain Pagoda 4* bright HF for upper MG
Q. The Queen's Shadow: A Story About How Animals See 3* narrative science in a picture-book format for grade-school children.
R.
S. Saint George and the Dragon 5* Gorgeously illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, this picture-book brings to life an exciting portion of The Faerie Queene; my sons and I have enjoyed it for years.
T. The Thing About Jellyfish
U. Under the Royal Palms: A Childhood in Cuba 4* memoir The author has done some wonderfully fun picture-books, too.
V. Violet Eyes 2*
W. Warp Speed 4* About 7th-graders, for 5th-7th who want something a bit richer than Wimpy Kid, but still funny and fast-paced.
X.
Y.
Z.

[Scott]

A. The Accidental Afterlife of Thomas Marsden
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
N.
O.
P.
Q.
R.
S.
T. The Thing About Jellyfish
U.
V.
W.
X.
Y.
Z.

Just to establish myself. I'll add my books as I go!

[S.W.]

Cheryl wrote: "My GMGR A-Z BOOK CHALLENGE OF 2016
(complete reviews on leafmarks... don't pay too much attention to my star ratings because some of the threes are almost four, and vice-versa...)

A. [book:About F..."

WOW, Cheryl, you've certainly set the standard. I love your idea of a brief summary. I think I'll steal the idea and update my list :)

[Cheryl]

Thanks. I may change some as I go along, if I read an amazing book for a letter for which I currently list a so-so or out-of-print book. :)

[Rebecca]

This one's going to take a bit of work to catch up, but I'll get started, and fill in links to my reviews later.

A. Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories
B. The Book of Lost Things
C. Chomp
D. Dumpling Summer
E. El Deafo
F. Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. A children's classic I never read as a child. Review
G. The Green Glass Sea
H. Heartbeat
I. The Island of Beyond
J. Just Like Me
K.
L. The Lightning Thief
M. The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail
N.
O. Our Only May Amelia
P. Paperboy
Q.
R. Replay
Rain Reign
S.Spring According to Humphrey; Summerlost
T. The Trouble with May Amelia
U.
V.
W. Weedflower
When You Reach Me
X.
Y.
Z.

[Jemima]

I was just checking titles for my reading priorities for the rest of the year. A book for X has me stumped. I found Nanny X which looks like a good MG read, but it'll cost me over $15 to buy, sent from the USA.

Looking forward to seeing what everyone else comes up with!

[S.W.]

Maybe you have time to write one, Jemima.

[Rebecca]

S.W. wrote: "Maybe you have time to write one, Jemima."

I guess it's time to bring out my collection of stories about Xavier Xanthum, Space Explorer. Though I've never decided if those are for kids or not!

[Cheryl]

Generally when I play a game with X I allow anything with X as a key letter, ie in Fox in Socks or something like "Extraordinary Adventures of...."

[Sandy]

Disclamer - In my little world I rarely give out a 5 star rating, 5 star books are ones I found absolutely amazing. A 4 star is worth reading, rereading in the future, (if I haven't already) and I will purchase it in hardback so it not only survives my children but hopefully my grandchildren too. If a book has a 3 star rating I did enjoy the book and it was worth reading, owning, and encouraging others to read it. 2 star books were okay, were worth my time to read, and can live at the library.
A –
B – The Brightest Night (Wings of Fire #5 by Tui Sutherland) 4*
C –
D – The Dragonet Prophecy (Wings of Fire #1 by Tui Sutherland) 3*
The Dark Secret (Wings of Fire #4 by Tui Sutherland) 3*
E –
F –
G –
H – The Hidden Kingdom (Wings of Fire #3 by Tui Sutherland) 4*
The Hunters (Brotherband #3 by John Flanagan) 4*
I – The Invaders (Brotherband #2 by John Flanagan) 4*
J –
K –
L – The Lost Heir (Wings of Fire #2 by Tui Sutherland) 3*
M – Moon Rising (Wings of Fire #6 by Tui Sutherland) 4*
N –
O – The Outcasts (Brotherband #1 by John Flanagan) 4*
P –
Q –
R – The Red Pyramid (Kane Chronicles #1 by Rick Riordan) 3*
S – The Slaves of Socorro (Brotherband #4 by John Flanagan) 4*
Scorpion Mountain (Brotherband #5 by John Flanagan) 4*
T –
U –
V –
W – The War That Changed My Life
X –
Y –
Z –

I will come back later and link the books when I have more time.

[Cheryl]

Interesting rating system, Sandy. So, you're neither amazed, nor really disappointed, very often, if I understand correctly. I need to ponder that a bit.

(I've often considered the merits of a rating system with either 3 or perhaps only 2 choices....)

[Jemima]

Cheryl wrote: "Interesting rating system, Sandy. So, you're neither amazed, nor really disappointed, very often, if I understand correctly. I need to ponder that a bit."

I think Sandy's rating parallels Goodreads' own very closely. I've dropped most of my five stars down one level this year, since last year's to-do about adults rating kids books too highly! So I use the Goodreads 'amazing' (5), 'liked it a lot', 'liked it', 'it was okay' and 'I didn't like it' (1) all this year. Not sure I'm comfortable with 2 stars for something that was all right, since 2 stars looks poor, to me, and I think to most other people. But hey-ho, if we have to rate...

[[deleted user]]

I'm in two minds about rating books with a number after I had a nasty response from an author after rating his book 3 stars. For me this meant I liked the read however, for him, 3 stars meant his booked dropped below some standard required for the book's promotion on other sites.

This experience dampened my enjoyment of GR, rating books and writing reviews. He even questioned that I had actually bought and read his book!

[Annie]

A: The Austere Academy *4; Armageddon Summer *5
B:
C: The Carnivorous Carnival *4
D:
E: El Deafo *4; The Ersatz Elevator *4; Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library *4
F: Frogged *4; Found *4; Fever 1793 *4
G: The Great American Dust Bowl *4; The Grimm Conclusion *4
H: The Hostile Hospital *4
I: Inside Out & Back Again *4; I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World *5
J: The Julian Chapter *5
K:
L: The Lost Boy *4; Listen, Slowly *5; The Lightning Thief *4
M: Mistakes Were Made *3; The Miserable Mill *4; The Mighty Miss Malone *5; The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail *3; Maniac Magee *4
N: Nim's Island *4
O:
P: Pluto: A Wonder Story *4
Q:
R: Running Out of Time *4; Roller Girl *4; Ragweed *4
S: Smile *4; The Slippery Slope *4; Shingaling: A Wonder Story *4
T: Touching Spirit Bear *4
U:
V:
W: When You Reach Me *4; Who Was Edgar Allan Poe? *4
X:
Y:
Z:

[Scott]

S.K.Fischer wrote: "I'm in two minds about rating books with a number after I had a nasty response from an author after rating his book 3 stars. For me this meant I liked the read however, for him, 3 stars meant his b..."

I think there are many an author that feel like if they don't get all 5 star review, they're a failure. I find this to be most common with new authors. As an author releases more books, they become more accustomed to feedback on their writing, both good and bad, and if they're smart, will use the comments in the negative reviews to improve their writing. Don't let one argumentative and defensive author ruin your willingness to write reviews. They are the life blood for authors, especially if they are new or independent.

[Sandy]

Cheryl wrote: "Interesting rating system, Sandy. So, you're neither amazed, nor really disappointed, very often, if I understand correctly. I need to ponder that a bit.

(I've often considered the merits of a rat..."

I guess I feel that if I give a lot of 5 star ratings then those books that truly are amazing don't get the higher rating that they deserve. I am a major Harry Potter fan but even they don't all get 5 star ratings from me. I wish there was a way to rate a series as a whole. There are many series that I think are amazing but not each individual book in it is. The character and plot development over a series of books is usually far more deserving of a five star rating than the development in each individual book.

On the other end of the spectrum I am reading children's fiction to be entertained and even books that aren't incredibly well written can be entertaining and therefore deserve 2 stars. I would have to really dislike a book and not be able to see how anyone could gain any good from it to give it only 1 star and that doesn't happen very often.

[El • Your Average Bibliovert]

A-
B-Beneath, Beyond the Kingdoms
C-Cryptid Hunters, Cinder, The Compound, Camo Girl
D-Doll Bones
E-Enter: Ten Tales for Tweens: Fantastic Short Stories for Middle Grade Readers
F-The Fire Horse Girl I made a book trailer for this one. It's on Youtube by 765242667!, The False Prince
G-Golden Boy
H-Hidden
I-Incarceron, The Iron Trial
J-Jaguar
K-
L-Lincoln's Grave Robbers
M- Marvelous
N- The Night Gardener
O-The Old Willis Place
P-"The President Has Been Shot!": The Assassination of John F. Kennedy, Peak, The Prisoner of Cell 25
Q-
R-The Rithmatist, Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin
S-Sapphique, Storm Runners, See You at Harry's, Shadow on the Mountain, Sierra Jensen Collection, Vol. 1, Scarlet
T-The Thief Lord, This Journal Belongs to Ratchet, Three Times Lucky
U-
V-
W-Will in Scarlet, When You Reach Me
X-
Y-
Z-
I'm sorry but I don't like rating or reviewing books. I might do it if I feel like going through and rating them, though.
Can people tell me if there is a book on here that shouldn't be there. I have not yet added the filter of middle grade to my brain. These are all the books I've read this year in middle school.

[Leah]

I just joined the group and I love A-Z challenges so I had to add my list as well!!

A-
B- Book Scavenger
C-
D- The Diary of a Young Girl
E-
F-
G-
H-
I-
J-
K-
L- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
M-
N-
O- Out of the Dust
P-
Q-
R- Ruby Lee and Me
S- Serafina and the Black Cloak
T- A Tangle of Knots | The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle | The Thing About Jellyfish
U-
V-
W-
X-
Y-
Z-

[Inventory]

A-Almost Home
B- Bloomability
C-Counting by 7s, Crenshaw, Charlotte's Web, The Crossover
D-
E- Echo, El Deafo
F- Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess
G-The Great Gilly Hopkins
H-How to Steal a Dog, Home of the Brave, Hate That Cat
I-
J-
K-
L-A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story, Love That Dog
M-Marcelo in the Real World, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Magician's Elephant
N-
O-The One and Only Ivan, One Crazy Summer
P-Peace, Locomotion, P.S. Be Eleven
Q-
R-Roller Girl, Raymie Nightingale
S-Speak, Shooting Kabul, Stella by Starlight
T-Tears of a Tiger, The Thing About Jellyfish
U-Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere
V-
W-The War that Saved My Life, When You Reach Me
X-
Y-
Z-

[Leeann]

A-
B- Because of Mr. Terupt
C- Counting by 7s
D-
E-
F-
G-
H-
I-
J-
K-
L-
M- Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
N-
O- Out of My Mind
P-
Q-
R- Ruby on the Outside
S- Savvy ; The Screaming Staircase
T-
U-
V-
W-
X-
Y-
Z-

[Leeann]

S.W. wrote: "This topic is new ground for GMGR. We thought it was time to start a challenge that was simple, interactive and helpful to members. We think we've come up with a great idea.

This challenge is all ..."

I'm having trouble figuring out how to add the review link! LOL

[Jemima]

Leeann, to add the link, find the book on Goodreads (usually easiest to do with a second tab so you can keep the group page open). You can either right-click* on the 'MY REVIEW' heading to save the link, or click the link, go to the URL, and copy the url displayed in your browser.

Then come back to this page and add your review link next to the book.

I hope that makes sense.

*(PC-users, right-click, Mac-users, Ctrl-rightclick No idea what to do on the phone app.)

[Jemima]

This doesn't show up on the front page for some reason, so I'm just posting to draw attention to this fun challenge!

[Rebecca]

Oh, man, I forgot all about this. I'll have to go back and see what I can fill in.

[Rebecca]

Not too bad, given I haven't been particularly trying!

[El • Your Average Bibliovert]

I'm having a hard time finding the last few letters of the alphabet!

[Jemima]

Ellie wrote: "I'm having a hard time finding the last few letters of the alphabet!"

I know what you mean, Ellie. It looks like you've got about as many gaps as I have - but I can recommend the Zoe & Zak Books!

[Rebecca]

I'm not going to make all 26, but I think I've done pretty well given I never really tried to get any letters.

[Jemima]

Rebecca wrote: "I'm not going to make all 26, but I think I've done pretty well given I never really tried to get any letters."

You have :) I'm thinking of making a BOTM theme one of the letters we have trouble filling, later in the year (assuming we run this again next year).

[Rebecca]

Jemima wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "I'm not going to make all 26, but I think I've done pretty well given I never really tried to get any letters."

You have :) I'm thinking of making a BOTM theme one of the letters w..."
I had that same thought!

[Jemima]

Do people want to do another one of these for 2017?

Add your comment below :)

[Rebecca]

Absolutely! I didn't really make any special effort this year, but still got a lot. I'd like to see what I can do if I actually try :)

[Jemima]

Don't forget to edit your lists and add the others you read in 2016, everyone!

[S.W.]

Jemima wrote: "Don't forget to edit your lists and add the others you read in 2016, everyone!"

It's on my to do list