Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion

Use this space to discuss books you're reading or that might fit the 20th Read Harder task.

Dragonfly Song or, if I can get it, Night Singing.

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani looks interesting to me; India and Pakistan during the Partition.

I'm considering reading The Breadwinner by Deboriah Ellis, set in Afganistan and I saw that the author was listed on wikipedia as being an LGBT author, so would work for the bonus. Besides, I've been meaning to read it for a while

Mira's Diary: Lost in Paris looks pretty fun but so does Everlasting Nora

Hitler's Canary by Sandi Toksvig

Dragon Pearl takes place in space, so that counts...

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed

Would a fantastical setting count or should this be a real world setting other than US/UK?

Tiffany wrote: "Would a fantastical setting count or should this be a real world setting other than US/UK?"

Doesn't say it has to be a real place.

Does Number the Stars count as middle grade? It takes place in Denmark.

Milena wrote: "Does Number the Stars count as middle grade? It takes place in Denmark."

Yes, I think it is Middle Grade - great book.

I think I'll try Dragon Pearl for this year.

I can also recommend The Turtle of Oman, which I read for the 2019 challenge (#22. middle grade book that won diversity award). It was an easy read and a nice story.

I second Night Diaries!

Must recommend the phenomenal City of the Beasts by Isabella Allende

Rachael wrote: "Hitler's Canary by Sandi Toksvig"

I second this!!! Loved it!

I'm considering White Bird

Jenny wrote: "I'm considering reading The Breadwinner by Deboriah Ellis, set in Afganistan and I saw that the author was listed on wikipedia as being an LGBT author, so would work for the bonus. Besides, I've be..."

The Breadwinner series is very good and I highly recommend it!

Amy J. wrote: "Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed"

Same!

Soooo many Australian options for this:

Lenny's Book of Everything
Catch a falling star
Anything by Morris Gleitzman
Playing Beatie Bow
Sister Heart

Skulduggery Pleasant and Artemis Fowl both take place in Ireland.

I just read City of Ghosts, the next book Tunnel of Bones looks like it's at least mostly set in Paris, would that count?

Anne of Green Gables (entire series) is in Canada. Since I've read them recently, I was thinking The Girl Who Drank the Moon from my unreadshelf. It's not in a "real" place. Does that work? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Not sure yet, but I might read Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, or The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling.

The Thieves of Ostia set in first century Italy. The second book takes place during the first eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Clay wrote: "I just read City of Ghosts, the next book Tunnel of Bones looks like it's at least mostly set in Paris, would that count?"

The Tunnel of Bones definitely counts. It's entirely in Paris.

Sadly I started reading it last month without realizing it would fit, otherwise I would have held off.

I just finished Tunnel of Bones - set in Paris so it fits! Good, easy and quick read.

Bobby wrote: "Not sure yet, but I might read Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, or The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling."

As a kid, I once found torn-out pages scattered along my walk home from school. I collected them and discovered a riveting story...and didn't know how it ended! The pages didn't give the name of the book. It wasn't until years later when I heard someone describing a book that I realized it was Hatchet. I immediately got the book and enjoyed the (whole) story immensely.

Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder was a lot of fun when I read it with my child, and it's set in Oslo.

Artemis Fowl is set in Ireland, as is Knights of the Borrowed Dark

I enjoyed The Girl of Ink and Stars last year, so I think I'm going to try Kiran Millwood Hargrave's other book, The Island at the End of Everything. It's also a bonus that they're available through my local library as ebooks *and* audiobooks, and I'm trying to read shortlisted books from the Jhalak prize, so it ticks that box nicely too :-)

I read Lucy and Lihn by Alice Pung for last year’s challenge. It’s for older middle grades, I think. Taking place in Australia it the story of Lucy Lam, a daughter of immigrants, winning a scholarship to a prestigious school and her challenges there.

Jessica Townsend's Morrigan Crow series (the first is The Trials of Morrigan Crow) is delightful. The author lives in Australia, but the book world (Nevermoor and its surroundings) is entirely fictional.

What is meant by a muddle grade book?

Evelyn,

Good question! Middle grade books are aimed at 8-12 year olds (grades 3-6). The protagonist should be in that age range. There is no graphic violence or profanity. Length is usually 35,000-50,000 words.

There’s more to it than that, but that’s a good starting place. :)

https://www.scholastic.com/parents/bo...

More on the category, including some more nuanced looks at it.

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...

Hi everyone! Our rec post for this task is up. https://bookriot.com/2020/01/08/middl...

Amy J. wrote: "Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed"
Yes, good rec!

I read The Breadwinner, which takes place in Afghanistan. It was sad and hopeful and, I think, an important perspective that isn't usually considered.

I read The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery, which takes place in the Sahara desert

Does anyone know where the Wayward Children series is set? I mean it's mostly fantastical, but does it ever say where the school is located?

I might read The Light-Bearer's Daughter (set in Ireland). I loved the first 2 as a kid, and didn't realize there was a third until recently!

so I read the first book in the Wayward Children series and it is definitely set in NA (the only places referenced were Oklahoma and Maine, so probably safe to assume US). in case anyone had the same question I did!

Natsuo Kirino or Ryu Murakami would be appropriate choices. Or Battle Royale, maybe.

I was at our local library and asked the librarians in the middle grade section for a suggestion and they provided me with Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is historical fiction and takes place mostly in a Paris train station. It has beautiful artwork in it, as well, and was made into the movie, Hugo.

Marie wrote: "Bobby wrote: "Not sure yet, but I might read Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, or The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling."

As a kid, I once found torn-out pag..."

Such a cool story of your experience with Hatchet!

There are a few new books related to the movie Frozen 2 that I believe are middle grade books and don't take place in the UK or US. Frozen 2: Forest of Shadows by Benko, Kamilla

The Fire Keeper by J C Cervantes takes place on an island, but mostly in, well, Mayan hell. Related to Mayan mythology.

I was wondering if Island of the Blue Dolphins would work - it's entirely on an island, though the island is off the coast of California, I believe. It's a beautiful story.

Weirdly, I feel like I'd be cheating if I read a book set in Canada. Still, on my TBR list are The Lotterys Plus One by Emma Donoghue, author of The Room, (Set in Toronto) and the just released Bloom by Kenneth Oppel (set on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia)

Lianne wrote: "Weirdly, I feel like I'd be cheating if I read a book set in Canada. Still, on my TBR list are The Lotterys Plus One by Emma Donoghue, author of The Room, (Set in Toronto) and the j..."

I've been feeling exactly the same way. Being in Canada means that Canadian middle-grade books are just as prominent as American and British ones, so it somehow doesn't feel like it's in the spirit of the challenge (especially since reading a Canadian middle-grade book wouldn't be out of the ordinary for me) to read one, even though it still technically counts.

I've been leaning towards reading a book not set in the UK, the US, or Canada, just because I feel like that will help me push my tastes a bit and try new things. To be fair though, one of my personal goals for the year is to read more books set in places I haven't read books set in (I log it all in a map so I can see it visually), and books set in Canada would do very little to actually help with that (unless it was maybe set in Yukon, NWT, or maybe northern Quebec).

Elizabeth wrote: "Lianne wrote: "Weirdly, I feel like I'd be cheating if I read a book set in Canada. Still, on my TBR list are The Lotterys Plus One by Emma Donoghue, author of The Room, (Set in Tor..."

My son wrote a book report on Down the Yukon in 4th or 5th grade -- in case you really want to read about the Yukon