Middle Grade Madness! discussion

National Novel Writing Month is just around the corner! And with it comes our annual celebration of the amazing achievement that is publishing a book.

I've cast the net far and wide in search of awesome new independently published books to show to you all and I'm so excited to reveal these fantastic books and their authors.
A huge thanks to every author who reached out. It's my honour to support indie authors and newcomers and I'm extremely grateful for this platform and all the lovely group members that allow me to do my bit in supporting writers!

This year's featured books are very varied, so I know we'll have something for everyone's tastes.
Check back to see these special picks on 1st November!

For the first time ever, we're featuring a short story collection, a horror novel, double the dose of dragon-related escapades and a mythological time travel adventure.

This year's featured writers are an extremely talented bunch and their books look like fantastic reads!

An Unexpected Adventure by Kandi J. Wyatt
Genres: fantasy, adventure
Fun facts: This is E.T meets How to Train Your Dragon when modern-day eighth graders discover a dragon egg on the beach! Dragon-filled fun and friendships await behind this beautifully designed cover…
About the author: Writing for her kids and students, Kandi has written more than a dozen family-friendly fantasy novels after attracting her written submission attracted the eye of a publisher at a writer’s conference in 2015.
Buy a copy here: https://www.books2read.com/u/3yDLX6

The Order of Time by Scott P. Southall
Genres: ancient civilizations, historical fiction, time travel, mythology/fairy tale, adventure
Fun facts: As if one round of time travel, angry gods, and mythical monsters weren’t enticing enough, the sequel to this book will be coming out in January 2022!
About the author: A global banker by day and writer by night, Scott chased his true passion by penning this book after being inspired by a trip he took with his wife to Egypt in 2017.
Buy a copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Order-Time-Sco...
https://www.indiebound.org/book/97806...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-...

The Search For Synergy by Brett Salter
Genres: portal fiction, coming of age, fantasy, adventure
Fun facts: An interesting combination of philosophical coming of age and epic dragon adventure, this is the first book in a planned 12 book series!
About the author: Brett is a former punk rock band member who wrote book 1 of his fantasy adventure series on a dare. He also often advises you to keep a wary eye out for portals…
Buy a copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Talisman-4-Boo...

Dangerous Doorways are for Elfling Princes by H.M. Forrest
Genres: short stories, fantasy, mythical creatures, royalty, mystery, humour
Fun facts: Explore four different elven realms in this short story compilation filled with unique adventures, mysteries, and a laugh or two!
About the author: Living in Arizona with her son and dragon, H.M. Forrest has been writing since childhood. Captivated by her love for elves which eventually led her to this debut short story compilation, she’s also on the cusp of publishing a full-length MG novel featuring one of the characters in this book.
Buy a copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Door...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dangerous-Do...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dang...

FEARFUL Scary Stories of the Evil App by Christian Nava
Genres: horror, adventure
Fun facts: More than just horror, this is also a heartfelt tale about the power of self-acceptance against the growing dangers of social media pressure. A wonderfully relevant message in today’s day and age!
About the author: Christian is an award-winning advertising writer with over ten years of experience in online marketing. Mr. Potter, Mr. Wayne, and a very likable serial killer called Kira live on his bookshelf and he may or may not have attended Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters…
Buy a copy here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09CDVBR5G/

Which books are everyone planning on reading first? They all look so good I can hardly decide! I think I might want to start with one of the dragon ones though...

I’m going to start with The Search For Synergy since I already have a copy of it. Next, I will probably read An Unexpected Adventure. I’m really hoping I can get to all of the books on this list, but I’ll just have to see how busy I am with school. I at least want to read those two.

@Grace you’re planning on starting with the dragon books too! Great minds think alike😂 I’m also hoping to read all the books at least before the year ends. I need to get myself copies of all the books!

I mean, books with dragons are just superior 💁🏻‍♀️😂

@Grace I have not read enough dragon books and it is tragic😂

@Grace and @Kadi P dragon books never get old! Even books about tiny dragons like the Harper Hall Trilogy are awesome.

I started reading The Search for Synergy, but I ended up
DNFing at around 15%. Now I’m starting An Unexpected Adventure.