Middle Grade Monday: The Moon without Stars by Chanel Miller

Image: Penguin Random House

 

The Moon without Stars by Chanel Miller. 256 p. Philomel Books/ Penguin Young Readers, January, 2026. 9780593624555. Review of finished book borrowed from pubic library. 

Seventh grader Luna is well aware of her outsider status. She might be even comfortable with it. After all, she has her bff, Scott to walk to school and sit with at lunch. They sit under a tree, where Luna observes the interactions of the "popular crowd" with some fascination. 

After she read all the books that she was given by the family of a girl in town who had died, Luna wonders what to do with them. She decides to give them away, but carefully. She becomes a "book doctor," prescribing books for her classmates - a middle school "right book at the right time for the right reader," if you will. Soon, she finds herself in demand for these books and she wonders how she can help more people. So she creates a zine and Scott illustrates it. 

The zine takes off and eventually, Luna catches the eye of the popular crowd. At first, she splits her time between them and Scott, but eventually ditches him altogether; but being in the popular crowd has its price and as the stakes grow, Luna is unsure of her place in it.

This was such a spot-on depiction of middle school friendship dynamics. I loved Luna's voice. I loved her friendship with Scott and ached for him when she ditched him for the popular crowd. Middle school readers will find much to relate with in this engaging, heartfelt story. I picked it up after reading some Newbery buzz about it. The buzz is well-deserved. 

Middle Grade Monday: The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman

Image: Hachette Book Group

The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman. Unabridged audiobook, ~6 hours. Read by Marisa Calin. Hachette Audio/ Little, Brown Young Readers, February, 2025. 9781668647448.

Clare, the undead fox of Deadwood Forest, is rather relieved to be undead. He's a silver-tailed fox who was run over as a kit and was convinced that his afterlife would be spent in the realm of Pain. Instead, he became an usher, one who welcomes the newly dead to Deadwood Forest and prepares them to enter one of four realms, Peace, Pleasure, Progress or Pain. Excepting for the yearly taunting by children each Halloween about how he's a monster who feasts on bones, his life is orderly and predictable. He enjoys helping souls move on and loves tending to his mushroom garden.

Things become a bit unsettled though, when a badger named Gingersnipes appears. Clare hates badgers, but this one doesn't seem so bad. She has way too many questions for Clare's liking, and he tries to show her the way quickly. Unfortunately, Gingersnipes knocks on Clare's door again, apparently unable to pass on. With great foreboding Clare attempts again, and again, and again. What does this mean?

This was an absolutely immersive audiobook! Ms. Calin's smooth narration and unique voices added dimension to this layered, lovely and magical story. The world building was deeply engaging. There was humor, suspense, sadness, heartbreak and hope. It's a story that can be read on many levels and should have broad appeal. 

As I listened, it occurred to me to check out the print book. Something told me it was illustrated. It was, and they were a lovely addition! 

Middle Grade Monday: Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate

Image: Macmillan

Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate. 240 p. Feiwel & Friends/ Macmillan, September 9, 2025. 9781250904362. Review of finished, purchased copy.

Middle Grade Monday features Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate. This sweet, illustrated novel is narrated by Zephryna, a self-proclaimed "Robin Hood of felines." She's an alley cat who has allowed Dasha and her mother, Elizaveta to feed and care for her. They are Ukranian refugees who live in a small apartment. Dasha uses crutches as her legs were injured in the war that also killed her father. She rescues Zephryna's finds, washes them and places them in a little wagon outside their apartment for their owners to reclaim them. If they remain unclaimed after three days, the toys join other rescued toys. They all come to life when everyone is asleep and are led by Pocket, a small, "thimble-born" bear who is over one hundred years old. 

Zephyrina's latest theft was rescued from a dumpster behind an Italian restaurant. This large, cumbersome bear was covered in sauce and rather difficult for her to drag home to Dasha and Pocket. Pocket, a thoughtful, well-read bear, sees something in this new recruit. Unfortunately, so does Picky Vicky, an antique toy dealer who regularly visits scrounging for deals.

There's a lot of humor in this story, but also a lot of depth, which is gently told. There was a fair amount of laughing out loud, but also unabashed tears. I loved this timeless tale.