Middle Grade Monday: Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla. Illustrated by Tania de Regil. 208 p. Quill Tree Books/ HarperCollins Publishers, July, 2024. 9780063268852. Review of finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media.

Happy Monday! I have a little over two weeks left of summer break, and am pet/ housesitting for my oldest son while he and his family are away. I had to board Helga with the rescue since they didn't think it would be a good idea to bring her and Boo to a strange house with two strange dogs, one of whom can be territorial. Turns out, Helga will probably get adopted today. She had a successful meet and greet with the adopter and two of her dogs yesterday. Today, she will go to the country to meet the other two dogs and, if all goes well, will stay. I'm happy for her, but sad too. She's a smart, sweet dog who has come a long way. I'm happy to be part of her recovery, but she will be happier in the country with her new dog-trainer mom. Here's one of my last pix of her with Boo before the rescue came to pick her up.

Middle Grade Monday features Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla. Anxious Isabel feels like she doesn't fit in with her large, loud family. She knows she doesn't fit in at school, where new girl, Monica seems to have alienated her 'sort of' friends against her. Not only that, but her teacher doesn't seem to like her and is constantly reminding the class about the very important state testing that they have to do well on. She describes her feelings as "worry moths" and talks about practicing smiling and being a good friend, only to be crushed to learn that she was the only girl not invited to Monica's birthday part. Her mother thinks her stomach aches are all in her head, but one day, the pain feels different. Isabel feels invisible, but also, a part of her wants to be invisible.

This gentle, illustrated verse novel is told mostly from Isabel's point of view and beautifully conveys the struggles of a tween struggling with anxiety. Isabel is instantly relatable. Readers will laugh at her subtle humor and root for her as she finds her voice. Some poems reflect Monica's point-of-view, where readers learn a bit of her backstory. The illustrations add to the story. 

Once again, Sally J. Pla delivers an insightful glimpse into the inner life of a neurodivergent child. Invisible Isabel is a welcome addition to any library.

Middle Grade Monday and ARC Review: Barely Floating by Lilliam Rivera

Image: Penguin Random House

Barely Floating by Lilliam Rivera. 240 p. Kokila/ Penguin Young Readers, August 29, 2023. 9780593323120. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Monday! I spent a lovely weekend with my youngest sister up in her home in the Berkshires. It was lovely family time filled with good food and lots of walks and talks. Middle Grade Monday features Barely Floating by Lilliam Rivera. Twelve-year-old Natalia de la Cruz Rivera y Santiago goes by Nat and is unapologetically fat. She's also athletic. She uses people's assumptions about her size to her advantage in a side hustle at the town pool, where she challenges unsuspecting mean kids to a swim race. She's planning on earning bank this summer and reading endless manga, but when the LA Mermaids perform at the pool, she falls hard for synchronized swimming. When she asks her activist mom and professor dad for permission to join, she's dismayed to learn that they view the sport as a "pageant in water." Sure, the sport is dominated by very thin white girls, but the LA Mermaids is a mostly Black team and there's even a boy who wants to try out! So, Nat tries out secretly and, when she makes the team, talks her cousin into helping her attend practices and meets without her parents' knowledge. Surely, once her parents see her dedication, they will change their minds! Won't they?

Nat is a sassy, saucy narrator with a strong sense of self and a strong sense of social justice that occasionally gets her in trouble. Readers will find her hilarious, endearing and occasionally annoying. I loved her complicated friendships and her supportive family. She's a lucky girl. Barely Floating goes down real easy, but has depth. It releases on August 29. Put it on your radar. 

Middle Grade Monday: When Clouds Touch Us by Thanhhà Lai

Image: HarperCollins

When Clouds Touch Us by Thannhà Lai. 256 p. HarperCollins Publishers, May, 2023. 9780063047006. Review of finished copy borrowed from the public library.

Happy Monday! I hope you had the glorious weather we had this past weekend. Middle Grade Monday features When Clouds Touch Us by Thannhà Lai. This sequel to Inside Out and Back Again is also in verse. Hà has finally made a friend in Alabama and has been invited to an American birthday party. Her plans are dashed when he mother announces they are moving to Texas, a name that none of the family can pronounce, for a better job. Hà rallies her older brothers to outvote their mother, but one-by-one, they change their vote until it is Hà who is outvoted. Now she has to start seventh grade in a new place and most likely be the first or only Vietnamese student in her new school. The year is filled with firsts, some hilarious and some sobering. This moving and hopeful verse novel is told in first person. Fans of Inside Out and Back Again will root for Hà as she and her family try to make the U.S. their home.

#tbt: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. Chaos Walking Triology, Book One. 480 p. Candlewick Press, 2008. 9780763639310. (own.)

#tbt features The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. Book one of the Chaos Walking Trilogy was first published in England in May of 2008, and in the U.S. in October. Todd Hewitt is about to turn thirteen and he lives in an all-male settlement called Prentisstown on a planet that was colonized some years before. Todd has been taught that the men were infected with a germ that broadcasts all their thoughts and the women died from it. Todd's adoptive parents, Ben and Cillian want him to run away from the settlement before his manhood initiation, but Todd is resistant. Todd finds a quiet space away from all the noise of the men while out in the swamp with his dog, Manchee, and he escapes there as often as possible. He's shocked to find a girl who doesn't speak, nor can he hear her thoughts, but Manchee trusts her. Todd can tell because Manchee's, as well as other animals, thoughts are broadcast as well.

This sci-fi dystopian, features a brilliant first line, "The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don't got nothing much to say." It also has one of the most heartbreaking scenes in YA literature. The world-building is vivid and the suspense is high. The book was named a Booklist Editor's Choice and a Best Book for Young Adults. It was adapted for film and released in 2021 entitled, Chaos Walking.

I read this one with my ears. It was narrated by one of my favorite narrators and the special effect that depicted the noise was particularly evocative. Happy reading!

Waiting on Wednesday: Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart

Image: Author's Website

Waiting on Wednesday features Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart. This is a sequel to The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise which was published in 2019. It's due out February 27, 2024. Here's the synopsis and cover via the author's website:

When Coyote discovers her mom's long-hidden ashes, she has to go on another epic adventure to finally lay her mother to rest...but first she has to secretly solve the mystery of where her mother wanted to be scattered. She and her dad have to fire up the bus and get back on the road - and of course they'll need some help along the way, from some old friends as well as some new ones. Whether you're already a Coyote fan or new to the family, it's all aboard for another remarkable journey of hope, heartbreak, and homecoming!

If you like sad books featuring quirky characters, you'll enjoy reading the first Coyote book while waiting for the second.

Middle Grade Monday: Nat for Nothing by Maria Scrivan

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Nat for Nothing by Maria Scrivan. 240 p. Nat Enough series #4. Graphix/ Scholastic, February, 2023. 9781338715422.

Happy Monday! Middle Grade Monday features Nat for Nothing by Maria Scrivan. In book 4 of the Nat Enough series, the principal at Nat's school is all about rules and Nat seems to break them alot. It didn't help that she was late for the first day of school and in her rush forgot to change out of her bunny slippers, but then she was caught running in the halls by him. He also issued a rule that all students should be involved in an extra-curricular activity. Nat's friends have no trouble finding their "thing." Flo joins puppetry and Zoe makes the volleyball team...with Lily, her former BFF. Not only does Nat not have a thing, her friends do and she's seeing them less and less, and Zoe and Lily seem to be getting particularly tight. What is Nat to do?

There are quite a few fans of this series at my school and book 4 does not disappoint.

Middle Grade Monday: Leon the Extraordinary by Jamar Nicholas

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Leon the Extraordinary by Jamar Nicholas and illustrated by Bonaia Rosado. 272 p. Extraordinary Leon #1. Graphix/ Scholastic, October, 2022. 9781338744163. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Happy Monday! I am back to school after a week-long February break. It wasn't as productive as I wanted, but I got some of the chores done, attended a yoga class each day and took Boo for plenty of walks. The big news at school this morning is the anticipated snow day. Apparently, our area is bracing for six to eight inches! We'll see.

Middle Grade Monday features Leon the Extraordinary by Jamar Nicholas and illustrated by Bonaia Rosado. Middle school student Leon doesn't have two things he desires - a cell phone and superpowers. He lives in a city where superheroes and villains coexist and where all of his classmates have cell phones. He lives in an apartment with his single mom, who is a nurse and his best friend lives one floor down. Leon has fashioned a green super hero outfit complete with cape and a utility belt despite being teased as a loser by his ex-friend Clementine, who is a shape-shifter and heads the hall monitor squad. Leon is an upstander, one who is quick to defend his classmates against bullies. After Clementine humiliates Leon at her birthday party, her parents ground her and take away the cell phone she was to receive as a present. The following day at school, Leon notices that all the kids seem glued to their phones in a zombie-like state except for Clementine and him. He reluctantly teams up with her to get to the bottom of the zombie apocalypse.

The action is brisk in this brightly painted graphic novel and series beginner. There's plenty of humor as well as realistic school drama from weird lunches to weird classmates. Leon the Extraordinary is Mr. Nicholas' debut. I'm looking forward to being entertained in the next installment. 

Middle Grade Monday: Dinged by Tommy Greenwald

Image: Abrams Books

Dinged by Tommy Greenwald. 288 p. A Game Changer companion novel. Amulet Books/ Abrams, September, 2022. 9781419755156. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Monday! It is a wet and dreary Monday here in northern NJ. The pups were miserable plodding through the dark and the rain to do their business, but they sure do love to be towed-dried at the end. 

Middle Grade Monday features Dinged by Tommy Greenwald. Freshman Caleb Springer has it made. He not only made the varsity football team, but is its quarterback. His whole life has been all football all the time, and he's a rare natural talent that is expected to go all the way to the pros as his father did. Only his dad is showing some disturbing signs - forgetfulness and explosive anger, and Caleb is concerned after having his bell rung twice during the season.

This first-person novel is interspersed with text messages and color commentary by a bantering duo of high school sports journalists. Caleb is instantly appealing as he thoughtfully leads a team of boys that are older and bigger than he. The football action is crisp. The romance between Caleb and Nina is sweet. The ever-present danger of traumatic brain injury and the effects of repeated head injury are ominous, and will hopefully cause readers to reflect. They will root for Caleb as he ponders his path.

Dinged should have wide appeal among middle school readers, not just fans of sports novels. Mr. Greenwald's writing is consistently crisp. His plots move briskly, but also contain depth and his characters are engaging and relatable. And, that cover sure is arresting! Back matter includes an author's note and a list of resources about traumatic brain injury. Highly recommended!

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Cinder and Glass by Melissa de la Cruz

Image: Penguin Random House

Cinder and Glass by Melissa de la Cruz. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~10 hours. Read by Lauren Ezzo. Listening Library/ Books on Tape/ Penguin Random House, March, 2022. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library.)

Happy Tuesday! It's going to be a lovely day today! I hope you get outside, get some exercise, then sit in the shade with a good book. I took Boo for a medium-long walk, went to yoga class, and will be heading into the garden with an audiobook soon.

Teen Tuesday features Cinder and Glass by Melissa de la Cruz. This is a lush and lovely retelling of Cinderella set in the late 1600s at Versailles during the reign of King Louis XIV. Cendrillon's hopes of becoming a lady-in-waiting in King Louis' court are dashed when her beloved father suddenly remarries and dies soon after. Her stepmother assumes ownership of the chateau and Cendrillon is reduced to a life of servitude. She had hoped her godmother would eventually marry her father. Cendrillon wonders why she doesn't visit. She's isolated and lonely. So when the king decides to have a ball in order to pick 25 maidens for his son, Prince Louis to court, Cendrillon decides to attend.

Setting aside Cendrillon's infuriating naïveté, something teen readers won't notice, but this old lady did, fans of fairy tale retellings will love it. This fast-paced romance may have familiar trappings, but there is plenty to delight, with plenty of court intrigue along the way. The narration was well-paced and engaging. 

Middle Grade Monday: Absolutely Nat by Maria Scrivan

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Absolutely Nat by Maria Scrivan. Nat Enough series #3. 240 p. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc., September, 2021. 9781338715392. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Happy last day of school! The final Middle Grade Monday post of the 21-22 school year features Absolutely Nat by Maria Scrivan. Book #3 of the "Nat Enough" graphic novel series does not disappoint. It doesn't take long for Natalie to find out that summer camp is not going to live up to the brochures. Instead of bunking with her besties, she's stuck bunking with her former bestie and the tiresome Millie Flatbottom. What's worse, is she's being pushed out of her comfort zone, like having to swim to the dock in the lake. While not the first graphic novel to portray the trials and tribulations of summer camp, Nat continues to endear. More please!

Middle Grade Monday Student Guest Post: The Rise of the School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

The Rise of the School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani. 368 p. HarperCollins Publishers, May, 2022. 9780063161524.

Today, we will enjoy a final guest post by graduating eighth grader, LIa.

Happy second-to-last Middle Grade Monday! If you read these posts, then by now, you should know that I am a loyal fan of the School for Good and Evil series by Soman Chainani. You might remember that a few months ago, I wrote a post about its upcoming prequel, Rise of the School for Good and Evil. Well, it was finally released! As expected, I read it and it completely blew my mind. Here is a quick summary of RSGE:
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Two School Masters have taken an oath. One Good, one Evil. Two brothers have sworn to guard the Storian, forever sealing a bond of love. A balance in the Endless Woods.

That is, until a new student arrives at the School for Good and Evil. A student whose soul cannot be deciphered. So, a wager is made on the boy’s true purpose. To serve Good or to serve Evil. However, soon enough, a harmless wager between the School Masters turns into the spark that triggers an imbalance in the Endless Woods. The Storian’s judgment is questioned, a pirate believes he is fit to attend the School, and a strange student is claiming to be a seer… Throughout this tale, love, trust, and everything in between are put at stake, and a lifetime of brotherhood now stands in fear- especially in the face of the unknown.
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Fans of the School for Good and Evil series are guaranteed to leave this prequel in shock. Rest assured, you will never think of SGE the same way you did before. Personally, my mind is still attempting to fully comprehend the events of Rise, and I have a feeling the next book leave me the same way this one did.

Thank you Lia! Best of luck in high school!

Middle Grade Monday: Share Your Smile: Raina's Guide to Telling Your Own Story by Raina Telgemeier

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Share Your Smile: Raina's Guide to Telling Your Own Story by Raina Telgemeier. 144 p. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc., April, 2019. 9781338353846. (Review of purchased copy.)

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. The weather here was quite unusual! It was supposed to rain on Saturday and be nice on Sunday. Both days were windy and raw, but the sun was definitely out more on Saturday even though it did rain at times. Neither day was particularly inviting to be in the garden, but I managed to fill six cans with yard debris. I laugh whenever I think of the time I wished for a bigger piece of property!

Middle Grade Monday features Share Your Smile: Raina's Guide to Telling Your Own Story by Raina Telgemeier. I'm not sure how I missed this book's publication in 2019, but Im glad I spotted it at our recent PTO/ Scholastic Book Fair! 

Ms. Telgemeier's books are TMS favorites and in this one, the graphic novelist shares her creative process to encourage young writers to tell their own story. There are writing prompts, family photos, step-by-step illustrations from thumbnail sketches to inking-everything a budding graphic novelist might need to know. There are also blank pages meant for the reader to sketch out ideas, but please don't write or draw in the library book, TMS Readers! Grab a separate sheet of paper to try out all of Ms. Telegemeier's ideas.

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

Image: Candlewick Press

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat. Unabridged audiobook on one MP3 CD. ~10 hours, 40 minutes. Read by Greta Jung. Candlewick on Brilliance Audio, March, 2020. 9781799731316. (Review of purchased audiobook on MP3 CD.)

Happy Monday! I hope you had a lovely holiday weekend. My Christmas Eve plans were dashed by a Covid exposure, which was sad. My youngest son came from the Boston area with his fiancé and my third son came out two weekends ago when his place of work went back to fully remote. I had some company to help me through another "first."

Middle Grade Monday features A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat. Pong lives in a prison in Chattana, a city in Thailand where the governor rules with an iron fist. He brought the city into the light after a great fire destroyed it, but there is light for just a privileged few. Pong's mother had been imprisoned for stealing food. She died, but Pong will remain in prison until his thirteenth birthday. He and his best friend and fellow orphan, Somkit, try to protect each other from bullies and dream about life once they are released. When the opportunity to escape presents itself, Pong escapes alone. The prison warden loses his job due to Pong's escape and his "perfect" daughter, Nok vows to hunt him down. 

This paltry summary does not do justice to this layered, epic adventure filled with fascinating and complex characters. There's humor and tragedy (I cried) and a myriad of emotions in between. Chattana and its surroundings spring vividly to life as Pong attempts to make his way to freedom, but soon realizes that, thanks to his prison tattoo, his fate may be sealed. There are so many twists and turns and surprises along the way.

The audiobook performance by Greta Jung was well-paced and her voices were distinct and nicely varied. I especially appreciated learning the correct pronunciation of names and other Thai language words that I would've glossed over were I reading with my eyes. 

A Wish in the Dark won a Newbery Honor as well as a Jane Addams Book Award. If you love adventure and fantasy, you will love A Wish in the Dark. Highly recommended!

Middle Grade Monday: Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

Image: Disney Books

Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez. 400 p. Rick Riordan Presents/ Disney Books, March, 2019. 

Happy Monday! I'm sorry my students' Monday is a rainy one. They have off so that we teachers can have a professional day. Hopefully, they have some great books to curl up with. 

Middle Grade Monday features Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez. This sci-fi adventure was Mr. Hernandez's debut and published in 2019. It won the 2020 Pura Belpré Award as well.

Thirteen-year-old Sal Vidón has diabetes and is an aspiring magician who also has the ability to reach into the space-time continuum and bring back objects and people, most notably, his dead mother, who is not dead in other universes. He also likes to play pranks, which is not endearing him to the teachers at his new school, nor Gabi Réal, student council president and reporter for the school newspaper. She aims to prove it was Sal who put the bloody chicken in her friend's locker.

This fast-paced adventure is laugh-out-loud funny, but there are moments of touching poignancy that deepen the connection to these two characters.

Sal & Gabi Break the Universe is book one of a planned series. Sal & Gabi Fix the Universe was published in 2020. 

Fact Friday: The Burning: Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 by Tim Madigan. Adapted for young people by Hilary Beard

Image: Macmillan Publishers

The Burning: Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 by Tim Madigan. Adapted for young people by Hilary Beard. 302 p. Henry Holt and Company/ Macmillan Publishers, May, 2021. 9781250787699. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Happy Friday TMS Readers! As we head into the Independence Day weekend, take some time to read and reflect on the history of the U.S. and the democracy that the colonists fought to achieve. Read deeply, past the mythology and understand that "We the people" need to work toward a more perfect union every day by becoming informed participants.

Fact Friday features The Burning: Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 by Tim Madigan. Adapted for young people by Hilary Beard. Back in the beginning of April, Fact Friday featured Unspeakable by Carole Boston Weatherford. This picture book was a gentle introduction to a tragedy that history book writers tended to ignore at best and misrepresent at worst. Teen readers who want to learn more about the Greenwood community and how it thrived during the Jim Crow era will receive cogent and comprehensive information gleaned from a variety of primary sources. Peppered throughout the narrative are personal stories of a variety of residents.

This book was adapted from a book written for adults. Just as Jason Reynolds did when he adapted Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's National Book Award-winning work for adults, Stamped from the Beginning, Ms. Beard gently but honestly guides teen readers through the complex factors surrounding this tragedy. Make no mistake though, there will be pain. Segregation is painful and dehumanizing. Lynching was a fairly common form of vigilante justice and the violence that rained down on the community of Greenwood was swift and devastating. Back matter includes copious chapter notes, followed by several pages of books and websites for readers/ researchers wanting to read more.

The Burning is an important addition to any library serving young readers. 

Teen Tuesday: Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare

Image: Simon & Schuster

Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare. The Last Hours #2. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~23 hours, 23 minutes. Read by Finty Williams. Simon & Schuster Audio, March, 2021. 9781442386440. (Review of downloadable e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Happy Tuesday! Teen Tuesday features Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare. This is book two of The Last Hours series. I thought I featured Chain of Gold, the first book already on a Teen Tuesday, but apparently, I did not. This Shadow Hunters book is hefty, as all of Ms. Clare's books are. They are atmospheric and peopled with fascinating characters, often gruesome conflict and swoon-worthy romance. I don't want to spoil anything from book one, so I will just say everyone has secrets in Chain of Iron - Cordelia, James, Lucie, and the rest of the Merry Thieves. Plus, there is a Jack the Ripper-type killer on the loose and he is after Shadow Hunters. If you are a mature teen reader and enjoy fantasy, you will love Cassandra Clare books.