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Browse: Home / middle reader recommendations

middle reader recommendations

Nov

4

2019

Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy

Sweet Pea is that spunky, likeable girl next door who’s going through a rough patch. Her parents are getting divorced, she’s caught between friends, and her cat seems like the only one who loves her for who she is. And now she’s scored her first job — forwarding mail for her unusual neighbor, Miss Flora …

Aug

7

2018

2

remarks

Never Underestimate the Power
of a Fart Joke

I think it’s fairly safe to say that we all have several reading personalities, depending on mood and circumstance. Sometimes, you might be in the mood for the literary equivalent of a summer blockbuster, with explosions and car chases and clearly defined bad guys. Other times you might want a stately costume drama or something …

Sep

7

2017

The Apprentice Witch

The Apprentice Witch by James Nichol

This energetic and fresh story will draw you into the universe straight away. A unique fantasy plot and lovable characters makes this book a quick and easy read. –Lucy, teen reviewer for Queen Anne Book Company Find this magical debut middle grade novel and more gems of storytelling at Queen Anne Book Company and other …

Jun

16

2017

It IS Reading

It happens at least once a week. A well-meaning adult will come to the store looking for a gift for a kid– sometimes with the kid in tow, sometimes not. The adult will be wandering lost, clueless, picking up and dismissing book after book after book.  If they’ve come in with a kid, the kid …

Oct

20

2016

Poet's Dog

The Poet’s Dog by Patricia MacLachlan

Nearly 12 year-old Nickel and his younger sister Flora find themselves in the woods, in a snow storm, seeking help/shelter, after their car slides off the road and their mother sets off to find help, leaving them to stay put in the car. Fearful of the car being buried in the snow they set off, …

Aug

29

2016

Girl Who Drank the Moon

The Girl Who Drank the Moon
by Kelly Barnhill

Kelly Barnhill’s The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a modern fable about a witch named Xan, who accidentally gives a baby moonlight instead of starlight, and the child, Luna, who grows up to be magical and dangerous. Factor in a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, a swamp monster, a not-so dormant volcano, and a mysterious woman with …

Jul

6

2016

Tale of a No-Name Squirrel

The Tale of a No-Name Squirrel by Radhika R. Dhariwal, illustrated by Audrey Benjaminsen

It’s summertime, and that means It’s adventure time! Join Squirrel and a menagerie of characters (bees, mice, crows — oh my!) for a wild ride to solve a mysterious riddle that could be a blessing or a curse. Kids are going to love the fast-paced, action-packed story and the clues and riddles are going to …

May

9

2016

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

Powerful! This is a middle grade novel so worthy of discussion and rereading. Annabelle struggles as she faces evil in the form of a 14-year-old bully– and prejudice that leads a community to follow fear instead of the truth. Poetic and thoughtful, it’s a story about justice and doing the right thing (To Kill a …

May

7

2015

Island of Adventure

The Island of Adventure
by Enid Blyton

This beloved and highly requested British series first published in the 1940’s is back in print, and for those who love books from a timeless era of children’s writing this is for you. Children have fearless adventures in nature and spend entire summers outdoors. As my family is deeply in love with Arthur Ransome’s “Swallows …

Apr

21

2015

Billie Bloebaum's Alice in Wonderland

So many books, how little time?

Well, it’s begun. The first of the nominees for the 2016 PNBA Book Awards has arrived in my mailbox. Which means I am now in my last few weeks of being able to read books for any other reason. Which gets me all in a panic because I don’t know what to read first and …

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