Great Middle Grade Reads discussion
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The best book I read in June (2021)
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Doing a Beverly Cleary retrospective for June and July for the Fiction Club in the Children’s Literature group. Have so far read four of the Ramona novels (did not encounter them during my childhood since as a child in Germany, Astrid Lindgren was my go-to children’s author and I am pleasantly surprised at how similar theme wise Beverly Cleary is to Astrid Lindgren). But while I am very much enjoying reading the Ramona novels, my favourite Cleary novel thus far is definitely Ellen Tebbits, as Ellen feels really relatable and totally a kindred spirit.
Also think that Ensnared in the Wolf's Lair: Inside the 1944 Plot to Kill Hitler and the Ghost Children of His Revenge is excellent but depressing.
The Wolf of Cape Fen by Juliana Brandt was the best of June. This is a tale of magic and suspense. The people living on Cape Fen can't leave because of their obligation to the Baron. They can bargain with him for magic gifts, but there are always consequences. Eliza has to find a way to protect her younger sister from the effects of someone else's bargain.I also enjoyed a tale of friendship that develops when two girls are evacuated after the Chernobyl disaster. The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman.
A Night Divided" by Jennifer A. Nielsen kept me readng all through June despite the hectic activity of packing and moving to a new location. But 12-year-old Gerta and her 16-year-old brother Fritz and their incredble, almost unvelievable action of digging a tunnel under the Berlin Wall from the East to the West, in order to join their father and brother, was an intriguiging read, especially when you know it is based on a true story.
Leone wrote: "A Night Divided" by Jennifer A. Nielsen kept me readng all through June despite the hectic activity of packing and moving to a new location. But 12-year-old Gerta and her 16-year-old brother Fritz ..."Read it in March. Loved it.
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Rebecca hasn't posted her review to the book on Goodreads yet, but you can read it on her blog here: https://www.ninjalibrarian.com/2021/0...
She says (roughly) the issue of abuse is at its heart, although approached well for middle grade.
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Great Middle Grade Reads
Books mentioned in this topic
Shouting at the Rain (other topics)Fighting Words (other topics)
The Wolf of Cape Fen (other topics)
The Blackbird Girls (other topics)
Ensnared in the Wolf's Lair: Inside the 1944 Plot to Kill Hitler and the Ghost Children of His Revenge (other topics)
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My pics are easy. I loved The Lost Property Office by James R. Hannibal, which I reached for because it was listed on a board for MG books with ties to Sherlock Holmes. Those ties are very loose, here, but the writing is excellent and the adventure is solid. I'm already well into Bk2. I also very much enjoyed A Kind of Paradise by Amy Rebecca Tan, which is set in a small town's library. In this book, a good girl who made a bad choice is serving her hours of community service. Bonus: occasional references/allusions to Jane Eyre.