Great Middle Grade Reads discussion

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

The theme for July will be Climate Change.

I'm not sure how many books for middle grade readers specifically address this, so I will take books that involve problems and situations clearly linked to bad weather (heatwaves, floods, hurricanes, well, you know what I mean!). Books set in future water worlds etc count.

Please, 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 been out for a couple of years from a recognised publisher, and 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. I'm involved in family celebrations from then, so check the poll result if I'm late!

Get nominating!

Hi! I want to recommend Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. I think it has a connection to weather. Delsie loves tracking the weather--lately, the storms are in her own life. She's always lived with her kindhearted Grammy, but now she's looking at their life with new eyes and wishing she could have a "regular family." And that, together, they can weather any storm.

Hmm. One of my favorite books that involves a major climate change is The Fog Diver by Joel N. Ross. It's not a contemporary/realistic story, though. It's rather more post-apocalyptic, set in a future where much of the world is buried under a fog that was *intended* to help put an end to harmful climate change/pollution. So it comes at the issue sideways, in the midst of a really good story.

It took me a while to remember this one, but Floodland by Marcus Sedgwick was about the first book I read once I'd started writing, after going to a workshop on writing for children, and being urged to read as much of the best as we could.

Only three so far!
Any more?
I'm thinking of adding The Survival Game, by Nicky Singer, but maybe it's too old for GMGR - I ranked it upper MG - YA when I read it.

Annie wrote: "The First Rule of Climate Club by Carrie Firestone was a pretty good book I got as an ARC and it's exactly that about climate change and these middle schoolers who want change for the better. Also,..."

Interesting - I just finished an ARC of BirdGirl by Mya-Rose Craig, who's been an activist for climate change and to change the 'institutional white male' image of environmentalism. Recommended, but not for MG :) Although for a 10-12 year old with a parent who has mental health issues, it might be helpful.

First Rule of Climate Club is only just out, though, so not eligible for BOTM yet.

Okay, all the rest of the climate change related books I could find are either too new or written by indie authors, which is not really a surprise...

So I'll put the poll up with the three first nominated. Please check to see if you might be able to get a copy of the one you want to vote for... it would be a shame if we picked a book nobody then read!

No more nominations, please :)

And the poll is here:

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

Ends 24th June, hopefully I'll announce the winner on the 25th, but if I miss it, please check the poll result and go ahead and hunt down a copy of the winner!

With 4 votes each, Shouting at the Rain and The Fog Diver win.
3 votes for Floodland.

Please read whichever book you want/can get hold of at your library.
Bonus points for reading two or more. I'll just put a Climate Change theme thread up for July.

I'm great with that book!

I already check my Library and they have "Shouting at the rain" book.