Great Middle Grade Reads discussion

Another month has come and gone. Here's hoping April held some great reads for you. Now's the time to recommend your favorites. What books don't you want us to miss?

My personal favorites from last month would have to be A Home for Goddesses and Dogs by Leslie Connor and Into the Wind by William Loizeaux.

The Secret Garden andThe Great Gilly Hopkins

It's always so hard to pick my favorite reads of the month, but I'm trying to get better. To that end, I was able to narrow down my list to just 4 this time! They are:

Ana on the Edge by A.J. Sass - a wonderful story about a young figure skater who is struggling with her gender identity (has gay, NB, and trans characters)
Last Gate of the Emperor by Kwame Mbalia & Prince Joel McKonnen - a futuristic tale set in Ethiopia that is based on the history of the last great empire; the co-author is actually the grandson of the last Emperor of the former Ethiopian empire.
The Pants Project by Cat Clarke - a story about a student who is struggling with their gender identity while also challenging the school's dress code for girls that requires them to wear skirts. (has gay and trans characters)
The Unadoptables by Hana Tooke - a fun story about 5 "unadoptable" children who were all abandoned at the same orphanage; when faced with the prospect of a scary man adopting them, they run away in search of the parents of one of the children.

Deenie and Seedfolks

So with regard to rereading my favourite book for April has of course been The Secret Garden which I do seem to love more every time I visit it.

And for new middle grade books read and also just published in April 2022, my favourite book (and very highly recommended) is Marissa Moss’ middle grade biography The Woman Who Split the Atom: The Life of Lise Meitner.

I also always find it hard to pick a favourite read. I think mine might have been The House at the Edge of Magic by Amy Sparkes

I didn't dip too much into MG in April, but really enjoyed a little Richard Peck binge, rereading Fair Weather and Past Perfect, Present Tense--which also includes some good thoughts on writing in Peck's explanations of how he got to some of the stories, and how he came to write short stories at all.

Olá, o meu livro que adorei ler no mês Abril foi a hora mágica da escritora Kristin hannah.

Priscila wrote: "Olá, o meu livro que adorei ler no mês Abril foi a hora mágica da escritora Kristin hannah."

I’d not heard of this until you nominated it, Priscila. But is it really an MG book? Suitable for reading by 9-12 year olds? I suppose I’m not used to having adult protagonists in children’s books.

Não é um livro infantil. Mas o tema é sobre crianças