Great Middle Grade Reads discussion

I thought it would be nice if there was a place you could introduce yourself when you join the group. It's a great way of letting us know a bit about yourself and meeting new members. Any ideas on things that we could dicuss would also be very welcome.

Also, while you're on the main group page, scroll down and answer the eReader poll.

As I started the group I guess I should introduce myself. I'm a corporate soldier by day, and childrens MG author by night. I found Goodreads when I launched my first book and have enjoyed being part of many groups since then. I live Down Under and we are just heading into winter. I looovvveee Tim Tams (Google it) and travelling when I get the chance.
Cheers.

Hi, Steve. I'm Lynda the author of the Chamaeleon fantasy series for MG readers and also the webmistress over at Kindle for Kids.

Thanks for setting up this group. I look forward to getting to know everyone.

Hi Lynda....welcome to the group. It's only very new at the moment but I hope it grows into something that everyone enjoys.

S.W. wrote: "As I started the group I guess I should introduce myself. I'm a corporate soldier by day, and childrens MG author by night. I found Goodreads when I launched my first book and have enjoyed being p..."

I live in Scotland and we're just heading into winter too - or it looks like it today with fog, heavy rain and gales! I'm Lexie, I write historical detective fiction (Georgian Scotland at present) and I read all kinds of things - I enjoy MG fiction because I see it as a path to get younger folk to read all kinds of things, too!

Hi Lexie, Good to have you in the 'clan'. I'm descended from Scotland a few generations back .... you'd probably recognise the surname. I've been to Edinburgh a number of times with my 'normal' work and I even made a point of writing some of my first book in the Elephant Cafe in Edinburgh(hoping to channel some of the JK Rowling magic).

S.W. wrote: "Hi Lexie, Good to have you in the 'clan'. I'm descended from Scotland a few generations back .... you'd probably recognise the surname. I've been to Edinburgh a number of times with my 'normal' wor..."
good luck with the new book - it's waiting for me in my Kindle with the first one!

Thanks Lexie, I hope you enjoy the reads.

Hi, I'm an Australian author (Well, English born but here since childhood). I'm author of The Dragon Box, a fantasy novel for 8-12-year-olds. I have other books out, too, but they're mainly for older 'kids'. I also design book covers and I've worked as a freelance illustrator.

My website: www.katiewstewart.com

I hope this group takes off. Thanks for starting it! :D

Hi Katie,
From a fellow Aussie, welcome to the group.

Hello all,
I'm Serena living in Florida, working on my second novel in the Finn's Travels series. Just started the writing life three years ago juggling with work as a teaching artist - creative writing for kids. Thanks for starting the group, we are a small clan, aren't we? No Scottish heritage that I know of -- Cuban, German and Norwegian. Any other teachers out there?

Hi Serena,
Welcome to the group, great to have you on board. The group is only a couple of weeks old.
I have been to Florida a couple of times and loved it.

S.W. wrote: "Hi Serena,
Welcome to the group, great to have you on board. The group is only a couple of weeks old.
I have been to Florida a couple of times and loved it."

So next time you're in town, I hope you'll let me know! Haven't made it to your neck of the woods yet. Where is everyone else from?

I'm a teacher in North Carolina. I love middle grade and YA fantasy books. I have a website, www.brianclopper.com, and have started publishing my books for the Kindle and Nook. I also love zombie books, comics and apocalyptic fiction.

My newest book, Irving Wishbutton and the Questing Academy, was raved about by Piers Anthony and is now available.

Brian Clopper

Hi Brian, Good to see you here.
Cheers

Brian wrote: "I'm a teacher in North Carolina. I love middle grade and YA fantasy books. I have a website, www.brianclopper.com, and have started publishing my books for the Kindle and Nook. I also love zombie b..."

Hello, Brian! Welcome to the group!
What do you teach?
I've never read a zombie book. What do you recommend for a newbie?

Hi, Brian, and welcome from the other side of the Pond.

The Enemy is a great YA zombie book. also, Rot and Ruin is very good.

I teach all subjects in 5th grade, but especially like working with writing and inspiring the students to get more creative with their stories.

Hi everyone,
I'm the author of two MG books Anabar's Run and Anabar Rises, coming of age action/adventure series. I am also a high school English teacher and really love good MG and YA fiction. I'm 50, but my all time favorite book is The Call of the Wild.
If you are interested in learning about my books, please check out my Anabar Series blog at http://anabarseries.blogspot.com/
I have create d a safe site with lots of original features related to my books. I think MG readers will enjoy it.
It is great to be part of this group.

Will wrote: "Hi everyone,
I'm the author of two MG books Anabar's Run and Anabar Rises, coming of age action/adventure series. I am also a high school English teacher and really love good MG and YA fiction. I'm..."

Hi Will ... welcome aboard. I checked your blog have become a new follower.
I hope you enjoy the group.

S.W. wrote: "Will wrote: "Hi everyone,
I'm the author of two MG books Anabar's Run and Anabar Rises, coming of age action/adventure series. I am also a high school English teacher and really love good MG and YA..."

Thanks SW!

Kia ora everyone,

I'm ( like many of you) a teacher/writer and have spent four year of blood, sweat and beers slaving over my first novel, Cousin Felicity and the Eels of Misty Point
I'm quite excited about its prospects and would love a bit of feedback. It's a cheeky suspense/comedy adventure -written with a wink and bow to Huck Finn and set in New Zealand. It features a 10 year old boy narrator and three other strong female character as well as a slobbery dog.
hope you can check it out. I look forward to reading your work here.

Best wishes,

Kaal

Hi Kaal, a big welcome to the group. Great to have you on board.

Hi, Everyone. I just found this group and I'm so thankful S.W. started it. Are S.W. and Steve the same poster? My first novel, Michaela's Gift, is listed here on Goodreads. It's upper MG, and is a story of family relationships, with a bit of fantasy thrown in. There's also a big Scotland tie in with some historical touches regarding the Highland Clearances. I write everything from YA to PBs, but MG is my favorite. For a beginner zombie fan, I'd love to recommend Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb. It's very MG friendly.

Cordelia wrote: "Hi, Everyone. I just found this group and I'm so thankful S.W. started it. Are S.W. and Steve the same poster? My first novel, Michaela's Gift, is listed here on Goodreads. It's upper MG, and is a ..."

Hi Cordelia, Steve here (aka S.W.). Thanks for joining the group I hope it helps you to link with other MG writers and readers. It's still only very young and you are welcome to put forward any suggestions for threads that others may enjoy.
Cheers.

Thanks, Steve, for the welcome. New is good. Everything is new at some time. I think this is going to be a great group, and hopefully we can help each other with some sources to get news out about our books.

Hello to everyone, I'm a mom of two daughters, 10 and 14. The last three years I've spent volunteering much of my time at my daughter's Middle School, hosting a couple bookfairs and working closely with the librarian to put some much needed new titles on the shelves. I started reading a lot of books that I was not only buying for my own voracious reader but also recommending to other parents and students. I think I have a pretty good vibe of what today's pre-teens are reading. It can be a challenge getting teens to pick up something new and unknown, rather than a 'blockbuster' title.

Hi Kristianne! I’ve written two middle grade paranormal mysteries, Cydni Hazard, Empathic Detective, and Alibi’s Ghosts, The Larger-Than-Life Small World of a Medium’s Daughter and have had several good reviews from adults posted but would love to actually get some opinions from the target audience. If your daughters would be interested in reading either or both, I’d be happy to send gift copies. If not, I completely understand.

Hi! I just found this group and am excited to get some good recommendations and share my opinions. I teach 8th grade ELA in Upstate New York and am constantly trying to introduce books to my kids that are of high interest to them. Weekly I have book talks and also a "What Should I Read?" wall where kids suggest books for their peers to read. Hopefully this group will help me with my recommendations :) Thanks for putting it together.

I just finished Alice in Blunderland by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, and I think it's spot on with the 9 yo voice. I know she has a whole series of these if anyone's interested.

Kristianne wrote: "Hello to everyone, I'm a mom of two daughters, 10 and 14. The last three years I've spent volunteering much of my time at my daughter's Middle School, hosting a couple bookfairs and working closely..."

Hi Kristianne, welcome to the group. I hope it provides some new discoveries for you. Cheers.

Dani wrote: "Hi! I just found this group and am excited to get some good recommendations and share my opinions. I teach 8th grade ELA in Upstate New York and am constantly trying to introduce books to my kids t..."

Hi Dani,
Great to have you on board. The group is only a month old and I'm thrilled we have so many members already. I hope you find some new material to recommend to your students. Any suggestions on thread subjects we could start would be welcomed.

Hi, I'm a Teacher Librarian in Colorado. Although I serve students at two schools k- 8, I've spend most of my career at the Middle Level in Language Arts and Library.

Amber wrote: "Hi, I'm a Teacher Librarian in Colorado. Although I serve students at two schools k- 8, I've spend most of my career at the Middle Level in Language Arts and Library."

Hey Amber, Pleased to have you in the group. Welcome aboard.

Hey All! Thanks to Steve (S.W.) for filling the void with this well-needed group! I'm Sharon Ledwith, author of The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, a time-travel series for mid-grade and YA. My virtual home is at www.sharonledwith.com
It's great to be part of awesome like-minded people! Cheers to all!

Hi, I am a school librarian and serve a wide range of students k - 8. I am happy to find a group that focuses on grades 5-8. This is also my favorite age level to read for.

I am disheartened a bit to see so many authors posting one promo after another. Since this is a new group, I thought I would put my two cents in on that. I am hoping the focus is more on discussing titles and reactions than selling new authors.

Hello, I'm a teen who still enjoys reading MG books. I read YA too, but I usually find MG books to be better. In my opinion, they seem to be of higher quality.

I have too many books on my to-read shelf. It's like a disease and I can't stop! When I find a book with an interesting synopsis, I have to add it. Thanks to Goodreads I've found a lot of books that I would have otherwise never heard about or overlooked. It's sort of a blessing and a curse, I guess.

I love fantasy, historical fiction, and the classics. I've read a few series (some of them are just the first books, though), so if anyone needs any recommendations, I'd be more than happy to help. :)

Ciao!

Sharon wrote: "Hey All! Thanks to Steve (S.W.) for filling the void with this well-needed group! I'm Sharon Ledwith, author of The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, a time-travel series for mid-grade and..."

Hi Sharon, Thanks. Glad you're on board. Let me know of any suggestions that you would like to see in the group. :)

Judy wrote: "Hi, I am a school librarian and serve a wide range of students k - 8. I am happy to find a group that focuses on grades 5-8. This is also my favorite age level to read for.

I am disheartened a b..."

Hi Judy, Thanks for the comment. Its a tricky balance when the group caters for both readers and authors. There are a couple of topic areas (Authors to look out for and Giveaways) where authors can post info, separate to the general discussions. Do you have any suggestions I can add to the general dsicussions area? Cheers

Rainy wrote: "Hello, I'm a teen who still enjoys reading MG books. I read YA too, but I usually find MG books to be better. In my opinion, they seem to be of higher quality.

I have too many books on my to-read ..."

Hi Rainy, A big welcome. Sounds like you may need to give up sleeping so you can get through your to-read list :)

I've recently joined GMGR too! I want to find more MG books. I'm not "officially" in middle school yet. But, I'm starting this year coming so I hope it's great!!!

Emily wrote: "I've recently joined GMGR too! I want to find more MG books. I'm not "officially" in middle school yet. But, I'm starting this year coming so I hope it's great!!!"

Hi Emily, Good to have you in the group. I hope you find plenty of ideas for MG books to read. I love your Koala pic (I'm an Aussie just like the koala)

Hello everyone. My name is Richard Due. I'm an indie bookseller, and have been since 1991: Yes, I'm one of the elves who decided to remain, selling paper books until the end.

Here's our store: http://facebook.com/SecondLooksBooks

I'm also to co-founder of Gibbering Gnome Press, A Division of Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink.

I'm also the author of the Moon Realm Series.

In fact, there's a GoodReads giveaway running for an autographed copy of THE MOON COIN (running from 7/23/12 to 8/23/12): http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

Richard wrote: "Hello everyone. My name is Richard Due. I'm an indie bookseller, and have been since 1991: Yes, I'm one of the elves who decided to remain, selling paper books until the end.

Here's our store: htt..."

Hello, Richard,
It's great to meet an industry insider and your companies have such amusing names.

Please tell us, elf, in your opinion, what was the single best thing you did in promoting your books?

Thanks and welcome aboard,
Serena

Hi. My name is Melinda Abel and I am a middle school teacher. I teach READ 180, which is for struggling readers. I am always looking for suggestions on books for my students. The range of reading is from 2nd grade level up to 10th grade level. I am so glad I found this group.

Hi, Serena,

Thanks, it's nice to meet you too.

The most important thing I did to promote my book? That's easy: I produced the very best work I could possible make given the level of my talents, resources, and gifts.

Writing nearly every day, I drafted the first two books in the Moon Realm Series in one go, which took two-and-a-half years. During that time, however, I wrote as much backstory and scenes from future books as I drafted, about 320,000 words in all. After putting them aside for as long as I could stand, I spent another two-and-a-half years editing both books, outlining books three and four, and drafting book three. So, all told, it took six-and-a-half years to bring book one to ebook form (a little over seven years to bring it to print).

Bringing a book to print is easier if you don't try and do it all alone. At Gibbering Gnome Press I work with two talented editors. While attending a SCBWI event in New York City, I met illustrator Carolyn Arcabascio. I'm very fortunate to have her working on the project. She brings the characters to life in amazing ways that I never imagined.

My point is, in order to promote a book, you have to have something worthy of promoting.

We have THE MOON COIN on the front table as you come into our bookstore, and I've now watched hundreds of people swirl into its vortex, pick it up, handle it (and often purchase it).

That simply wouldn't happen if I'd just dashed something off, uploaded to the various e-book and print on demand sellers, and started promoting.

Hope that helps. :)

Richard Due
Gibbering Gnome Press, A Division of Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink

Hi, my name is Elizabeth and I'm not an author. XD

I work in the children's section of a public library. I do the cataloging, website work, and pretty much everything I'm asked to do. I prefer the fantasy, graphic and horror genre but a good book doesn't need genre label. I am often asked to recommend some good reads to children, youths and tweens. I joined looking for some new reading lists and to share my own if asked.

Hi! I'm Liz and I will be teaching regular ed 7th grade Lang/Lit in Aug. So Glad I found this site. I've never really been "In A Group" before.

Richard wrote: "Hello everyone. My name is Richard Due. I'm an indie bookseller, and have been since 1991: Yes, I'm one of the elves who decided to remain, selling paper books until the end.

Here's our store: htt..."

Hi Richard, Welcome to the group, it looks like you've settled in well.
Cheers

Melinda wrote: "Hi. My name is Melinda Abel and I am a middle school teacher. I teach READ 180, which is for struggling readers. I am always looking for suggestions on books for my students. The range of reading i..."

Hi Melinda, I'm glad you found this group too. I hope it provides a great resource for you.
Welcome aboard.
Cheers