Middle Grade Madness! discussion

Fashionably late, but still here nonetheless, the long awaited annual Writer's Showcase has returned!

This year is a special one because we have some genres of books we've never featured in the Showcase before, as well as the sequel to a book featured in our very first Writer's Showcase 2 years ago!

And so it is my honour to unveil these books to you all...

The Tarnished by E.S. Christison
Genres: fantasy, action, found family
Fun facts: This is the highly-anticipated sequel to the National Indie Excellence Award Winner, The Blameless, which was featured in our very first Writer’s Showcase! This book has fantastic messages with a magic system based on kind and selfless behaviour and a strong female protagonist.
About the author: E.S. Christison has always loved to read so, naturally, her first job was in a library. Now, as a wife, nurse, busy mother to 7 children, she still managed to find the time to share the impactful dream that spawned her books with the world!
Buy a copy here: https://linktr.ee/eschristison

Fearless by Kristin F. Johnson
Genres: contemporary
Fun facts: This book follows a female protagonist who moves to her grandpa’s with her dad over the summer to combat her worries over her Army-mother being deployed in Afghanistan. After meeting 2 new friends they steal a dog from a puppy mill in danger of being destroyed. Along the way she learns that being fearless doesn't mean you're never afraid.
About the author: Kristin F. Johnson has published 9 books, with Fearless being her 10th! She’s been writing for years and found herself relating to the brave message of her book when going through the process of publishing her very first indie book.
Buy a copy here: https://kfjbooks.com/

Risking Exposure by Jeanne Moran
Genres: Historical fiction
Fun facts: This book dives into a tough topic that is rarely discussed in middle grade novels: the Nazi agenda to eliminate people with disabilities. Centred around a strong female protagonist, a member of the Hitler youth who develops polio, this is a heartfelt story about fighting prejudices.
About the author: One of the most influential people in Jeanne Moran’s life is her sister who was born with significant disabilities. After learning about the Nazi agenda against disabled people she wrote this book to educate middle graders on how far reaching the Nazi's prejudices were and how we can all be better.
Buy a copy here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F7QM95G

Avalon’s Portal by Lynne W. Bailey
Genres: fantasy, magic, Arthurian mythology
Fun facts: Avalon's Portal is an Arthurian adventure with a modern twist. It’s full to the brim with magic, adventure, dragons, crystals, witches and wizards!
About the author: Lynne W. Bailey has been writing since the young age of 12 and battling her inner critic, Funky Shelia. She bested Funky Shelia by putting her in a box and pouring her talents into writing this book and the recently published sequel, Avalon's Call. Take that, Funky Shelia!
Buy a copy here: https://amzn.eu/d/eOyxthN

Mystica: Book 1 by Danielle Hughes
Genres: fantasy, adventure
Fun facts: Mystica is a book set on a mysterious island with hidden powers, forgotten magical creatures, warrior tribes, wolf spies, a volatile dragon, and a lost Empress. The series keeps growing with the third book dropping mid-December!
About the author: Danielle Hughes is a mum to 4 young kids and she started writing Mystica almost 13 years ago but only found the time to attend workshops and write more during her maternity leave. After learning about the magic of self-publishing, she endeavoured to get her books out there into the world!
Buy a copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Mystica-Book-1...

Snow Globe Travelers: Samuel's Legacy by K.A. Cummins
Genres: science fantasy, adventure, magic
Fun facts: A Wrinkle in Time meets Alice in Wonderland with snow globes that create portals to other worlds in this fun and creative first book in a budding new series with a second book in the works. It’s also available as an audiobook and has a companion activity book so you can see more of the magic come to life!
About the author: K.A. Cummins is an artist as well as an author, and her art works have been featured in numerous books and honoured with awards.
Buy a copy here: https://books2read.com/snowglobetrave...

Which books will you be grabbing a copy of?

I'm already part way through The Tarnished and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I know I say this every year but I'm hoping to read all the books featured here as they all sound really great and unique!

Such a great list of middle grade books. Thank you so much for including Mystica. I can’t wait to check them all out, Risking Exposure sounds brilliant.

Kadi wrote: "Fashionably late, but still here nonetheless, the long awaited annual Writer's Showcase has returned!

This year is a special one because we have some genres of books we've never featured in the Sh..."

These all look great, Kadi! Thank you for putting the list together and giving us all teasers for our next reads.

This is a great list of books! Thanks for including The Tarnished! As a lover of fantasy, I’m going to start with Avalon’s Portal.

What a great list, Kadi! I'm adding several of these to my TBR list. TY!

Not sure why I didnt get a notification for this only saw it yesterday in the newsletter.

The library doesnt have Avalon's portal, Mysstica or Snow Globe Travelers: Samuel's Legacy but they are on my goodreads want to read list. Thanks Kadi!