Great Middle Grade Reads discussion

Sorry I'm a day late. Holiday weekend in the UK puts everything out...

Here's the call for nominations for our Book of the Month for June.

Thanks to some strong hints near the end of last month's thread... June's theme will be:

SIBLINGS

Any pairing of siblings (or more than a pair) is sufficient, but there must be at least two sibling protagonists (lots of books have siblings where one is just 'the baby').

Also, make sure they are Middle Grade books - suitable for MG readers.

Please check your library listings, as I can only check my UK ones. Don't nominate it if it is not available in your library. If you can't check your library but it's available for a very low price (below $5) online, then that should be okay.

If it's been a BOTM in the last three years, it's ineligible. You can check the list here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Nominations close mid-month or earlier if we have 'lots' of nominations, as I'll sieve it down to around five. Then you'll vote on it till around 24th of the month. That's a little movable as I'm away in mid May, and I know the cottage I have hasn't got wifi. Ideally, I'd like to post it on the 13th if we've got enough nominations.

Get nominating!

Yehey! Thanks for this Thread Jem. I have a lot of ideas about Sibling Revelry and in the end, they getting along. I'm going to nominate The Lemonade War. It's perfect for siblings. Fourth-grader Evan Treski is people-smart. He’s good at talking with people, even grownups. His younger sister, Jessie, on the other hand, is math-smart, but not especially good with people. So when the siblings’ lemonade stand war begins, there really is no telling who will win or even if their fight will ever end. Brimming with savvy marketing tips for making money at any business, definitions of business terms, charts, diagrams, and even math problems, this fresh, funny, emotionally charged novel subtly explores how arguments can escalate beyond anyone’s intent.
And I found this great website about Sibling Revelry: https://www.vocabulary.com/lists/fbrb...

There are so many great books with siblings... I would like to put forth the following 3 books that I have not read and would like to:

Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit
The Willoughbys Return by Lois Lowry
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

and 1 book that I read quite recently:

The Greatest Superpower by Alex Sanchez

I would note that The Willoughbys Return is a sequel to The Willoughbys, which is also about siblings; I have already read the first one, though, which is why I'm nominating the sequel.

The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis, narrated by Maude's Younger sister, Sallie.

The Lost Twin by Sophie Cleverly featuring twins Scarlett and Ivy Gray.

Oh... I also want to add a new release:
The Pennymores and the Curse of the Invisible Quill - Eric Koester

It's also available on Amazon right now for only $0.99!

All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor

The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall

The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee T. Frazier

A hora mágica da Kristin Hannah

"Priscila wrote: "A hora mágica da Kristin Hannah"

Manybooks wrote: Is this written in English?"

The English version: Magic Hour

Jennifer wrote: ""Priscila wrote: "A hora mágica da Kristin Hannah"

Manybooks wrote: Is this written in English?"

The English version: Magic Hour"

Thank you!

But is this a middle grade novel? The synopsis shows it features siblings but it also feels as though the novel is more YA.

Patricia wrote: "Yehey! Thanks for this Thread Jem. I have a lot of ideas about Sibling Revelry and in the end, they getting along. I'm going to nominate The Lemonade War. It's perfect for siblings. ..."

I was just thinking of nominating The Lemonade War. :) I remember reading it to my children many years ago and I think we all enjoyed it. :) And it's perfect for the warmer months. :)

Jennifer wrote: "There are so many great books with siblings... I would like to put forth the following 3 books that I have not read and would like to:

Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit
[book:The W..."

I was also thinking of nominating Five Children and It. :) It's been quite a few years since I last read it to my children. :)

Janice is right, the lemonade war is perfect for the warmer months to read:D

The Vaderbeekers series by Karen Yan Glaser --
...of 141st Street
...ad the Hidden Garden
...to the Rescue
delightful fun reads about siblings Oliver, Laney, Jessica and
Hyacinth in a large bi-racial family in Harlem-
-- and Junior League Guild selections,

Patricia wrote: "Janice is right, the lemonade war is perfect for the warmer months to read:D"

Thank you, Patricia :)

Janice wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Janice is right, the lemonade war is perfect for the warmer months to read:D"

Thank you, Patricia :)"

You're welcome:D

Well, it looks like I can close this for nominations on Monday and give you lots of time for voting!

And I need you to vote on whether you want a book for each of July and August as usual, or up to four titles to read over the two months, which we’ve done several times in the past…
Poll is here…
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...

A Pinch of Magic by Michelle Harrison?

Mind Over Matter by Ali Sparkes?

Okay. I shall go about sifting 17+ nominations into 6, so no more!!

Thank you all for your industry!

Okay! The poll is up!

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...

You have a choice of four, and the poll closes in two weeks (24th evening). I am on vacation until then, so if I get back and find it's very close I may cut the options down and re-open the poll for a few days.

Notes on the selections: 2 books I planned to include turned out to have been BOTMs in 2020 (Vanderbeekers and The Strangers) although I fancied both of them! Two were not MG - listed as YA and even chicklit. Two were not really siblings as dual (or more) protagonists; but one sibling leading or looking for the other. A couple more looked to have limited circulation/availability. After that, well I generally only pick one choice per person, but not always :)

Jemima wrote: "Okay! The poll is up!

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...

You have a choice of four, and the poll closes in two weeks (24th evening). ..."

Thank you Jemima. A good selection to choose one to vote for.

HI EVERYONE!
I got back from holiday, and yes, it was very close, so I’ve cleared your votes for a run-off poll.

Please vote again, same link, open until the 25th.

Well, it was very close again, but the winner is The Lemonade War (by a nose, I believe the term is).

And it was slightly more clearcut in the question of reading over the 'holiday' months - we will do one book a month as usual.