Middle Grade Monday: The Flying Horse by Sarah Maslin Nir

Image: Linden Tree Books

The Flying Horse by Sarah Maslin Nir. Once Upon a Horse #1. 172 p. Cameron Books/ Linden Tree, March 14, 2023. 9781951836672. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publicist.)

Happy Monday. Middle Grade Monday features The Flying Horse by Sarah Maslin Nir. This series beginner is sure to please your horse-obsessed readers. This is a parallel story where the chapters alternate between the birth of a foal in the Netherlands and the struggles of a horse-loving middle school student who is hiding her dyslexia. 

When the foal is born early, the surprised farmer names him Trendsetter, or Trendy for short. Trendy soon shows promise as a jumper. The farm is struggling, so the farmer has high hopes that Trendy will become a jumper at the National Equestrian Center. Unfortunately, he misses his horse pals, his treats and affectionate pats from the farmer, and so, he literally digs his heels in and refuses to jump. His spirit catches the eye of an imposing lady though, the Calvary Master for Piper Stud Farms, where the world-famous Lipizzaner horse are trained. 

Sarah is a seventh grader at an elite, private school in New York City. She's bright and inquisitive, but hiding a secret-reading and writing don't come easily to her. She can't even confide in her beloved grandmother. Like many students with learning problems, she has been able to hide her weaknesses, but in middle school, the emphasis on reading and writing increases. Her solution-to stop doing homework-gets her suspended. 

This quick and sweet read is attractively designed and certainly gives readers tons of all things horsey-from treats to tack to competing.

Middle Grade Monday: Refugee by Alan Gratz

Refugee by Alan Gratz. 352 p. Scholastic Inc., July, 2017. 9780545880831. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Refugee is a powerful, must-read book for every student (and teacher) in TMS. Three young refugees from three different time periods tell the story of their harrowing escape from Nazi Germany in the 1940s, Castro's Cuba in the 1990s and present-day Syria respectively. The parallel stories are compelling enough on their own, but author Alan Gratz weaves them together brilliantly, ratcheting up the danger and suspense along the way. Warning: there will be tears. 

Regular or observant readers of this blog might do a double-take as I did review the audiobook just last month. I couldn't wait to get my thoughts out on this absolutely timely, compelling, powerful MUST-READ book! Today, Refugee was featured today on "The Daily Booktalk" on my student announcements as written above. Those announcements are featured here daily so it appears here as well. It's well-worth repeating here. This book can't get enough praise as far as I'm concerned. I hope the committees are taking a look at it. It has already shown up on a "Best of 2017" list. Publishers Weekly published theirs last week along with a few other fine books. 

My school's first Scholastic Book Fair was last week and Refugee was featured prominently with lots of copies available for sale. As my principal and I were perusing the fair, I pointed to the book and told him how much I loved it. I said, "Were we ever to do a One-Book/ One-School read, Refugee would be my choice." 

Teen Tuesday: Thornhill by Pam Smy

Thornhill by Pam Smy. 544 p. Roaring Brook Press, August, 2017. 9781626726543. (Review from purchased finished copy)

If you enjoy graphic novel hybrids or gothic horror, check out our Teen Tuesday feature. Thornhill by Pam Smy. Two stories are told in this debut, one in pictures and one in prose. The pictures take place in the present time and the prose is the diary of a girl who resided at Thornhill back in the days when it was an orphanage. It's a boarded up dilapidated wreck now but Ella, who has just moved in across the street spies a girl in the upstairs window and, because she is lonely, investigates.

This one is dark, creepy and disturbing. Dread grows as the diary entries unfold and the visual story is equally suspenseful, helped along by the tones of black and shadows. Atmospheric and a perfect choice to lure a dormant reader.