If you’re looking for a lovely short middle-grade read with a lot of heart, Kate DiCamillo’s Louisiana’s Way Home is a great choice.
Browsing: ages 10 & up
House of Dreams, written by Liz Rosenberg and illustrated by Julie Morstad, is an accessible biography of L.M. Montgomery.
In The Orphan Band of Springdale, author Anne Nesbet transports readers back to a simpler time, that’s not really that simple.
Obert Skye’s Wizard for Hire is the first book in a series, but it definitely stands alone. While the ending leaves room for expansion, it also provides a satisfying conclusion.
Switched isn’t a bad book. Jen Calonita’s writing is still easy and inviting. But it’s definitely the weakest book in the series.
The following are middle-grade books (listed in no particular order) I think deserve recognition, even though I haven’t read them yet.
If your father left for a trip and never came home, would you believe that he’s not coming back? That’s the premise of Lily’s Mountain, by Hannah Moderow.
Mira Bartók’s The Wonderling is set in a slightly steampunk Victorian land that borders between Dickensian realism and fairytale magic.
With Embers of Destruction, J. Scott Savage could have easily coasted. Instead he continues to build his characters and world in a fresh and exciting way.
I’ve never been a fan of soccer. So when I received Ten: A Soccer Story, by Shamini Flint, I opened it with some trepidation. I was pleasantly surprised.