Book Review: The Night Gardener

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier is spooky tale much spookier than what you would expect from a book placed on the Middle Grade shelf. I found myself having to take breaks in the middle of the day so I wouldn't get too creeped out. Granted, I'm a big 'ole wuss.

But beneath the spooky elements is a wonderfully crafted narrative filled with rich characters, magic, and mystery making it a perfect read for the season.

Book Review: Under the Egg

I picked up Under the Egg on a whim at the Los Angeles Festival of Books while I was waiting for my next panel to start. I spent the next two hours turning page after page, pausing only once to change my location from a bench in the unforgiving sun to a cafe table under an umbrella. The jacket description references The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and I find the comparison to be rather apt. Laura Marx Fitzgerald’s middle-grade mystery of forgeries, smuggling, and stolen art is full of the same wonder and larger-than-life adventure that made E. L. Konigsburg’s novel a classic.

Book Review: Doll Bones

Fresh off my first adventure into Middle Grade with Counting By 7s, I decided to keep up the trend and hop on over to Doll Bones by Holly Black. Although technically under the same umbrella genre of Middle Grade, Doll Bones is a completely different type of story than Counting By 7s. 

Doll Bones, is a coming of age adventure-horror that reminds you of how scary the idea of growing up can be.

Book Review: Counting by 7s

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan was my first true foray into middle grade novels. (Middle grade is for the 12-14 year old reader demographic)

The premise seemed very interesting and it was receiving rave reviews, so I thought I'd be safe and not read a book that would ruin the whole genre for me. And turns out, I read a book that opened the whole genre for me. I need to read more books like Counting by 7s!

This unforgettable book transcends that 12-14 year old age bracket, and should be read by all ages. It is a tale of loss, grief, friendship, perseverance, and triumph that grabs on to your heart and doesn't let go.

Book Review: Smile

“[Scholastic] also publish one of the bestselling graphic novels of all time: Smile, by Raina Telgemeier. Last year, she published her second book, Drama. It debuted on the list at #2. What was #1 that week? Smile. Who else has done that? Robert Kirkman, and he had to use a television show to sell that many copies!”

That quote comes from an article by Torsten Adair at The Beat (a comics news site), published earlier this year. Smile was one of a few middle grade graphic novels geared toward kids that I’d been curious about for a long time but never got around to reading. However, seeing this quote piqued my interest. What story would I find within the pages of this New York Times best-seller?