Month: September 2018

REVIEW: Hitting the Books by Jenn McKinlay

REVIEW: Hitting the Books by Jenn McKinlay

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

It starts out like any other Crafternoon. Beth, the children’s librarian is dressed as the Pigeon. The book club has gathered to make a craft, eat great food, and talk about their book,  A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. And they’re passing around Mary’s new baby. Well, Lindsey wasn’t holding the baby. She’s not a big baby person. She focuses on the scene outside the library so no one tries to hand little Josie to her. That’s why Lindsey sees the car speeding down Main Street and notices Theresa Huston start to step off the curb. Lindsey hears the car speed up and watches helplessly as it slams into Theresa and drives away.

It quickly becomes apparent that Theresa, who survives the accident with a badly broken leg, is in someone’s cross-hairs. Lindsey absolutely should NOT look into things on her own. She’s had too many close calls in the past. But when you watch the attack happen right in front of you, it’s hard to ignore the memory of the accident.

Review

Another great mystery from Jenn McKinlay! Lindsey and her boyfriend Sully are caught up in all the action as are police chief, Emma Plewicki and her boyfriend, Robby Vine. The rest of the series regulars play a background role in most of the story. It was nice to spend time with the familiar characters, but the emphasis of the story is really on the mystery, which is terrific.

I love that the emphasis this time was on preventing a murder rather than an increasing body count. I think it’s great when series authors change up the formula. The mystery was delightfully twisty! There was a balance of action and suspense and a reasonable amount of librarian-level detective work from Lindsey. It all comes together in a satisfying story from one of my favorite series.

This is book 9 in the Library Lover’s Mystery series. I’ve enjoyed all the books so far. The author has two other mystery series as well as a set of romances that I loved. You can read some of my reviews at the link above. Jenn McKinlay is one of the authors I buy automatically – and for good reason. She always delivers!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: After Zero by Christina Collins

REVIEW: After Zero by Christina Collins

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Elise is the “quiet” one. It’s almost become a game for her. How can she get through the school day with as few words as possible? Unfortunately her teachers love things like group discussions and oral presentations. But a bathroom pass can do wonders to help her avoid those projects, at least for awhile.

Elise was homeschooled for elementary school. And she missed out on things other kids seemed to take for granted like birthday parties and negotiating social relationships. Now Elise is in a public middle school. She skipped ahead to 8th grade while her one neighborhood friend is in 7th. But Elise struggles even to talk to her.

At the beginning of the year Elise talked some. But a few false starts left her feeling exposed and awkward. It felt safer to just keep to herself.

But when Elise discovers a secret her mom has been keeping, things start to spiral out of control for Elise. And if she won’t – or can’t – speak up, how can she ever find out the truth or find help?

Review

For most of the book, I struggled to figure out where things were going. I cared about Elise and felt desperate for her to speak – to get help or stick up for herself. There were some out-of-the-ordinary moments that left me wondering if the book was somehow in the fantasy genre and I missed it in the description. If I hadn’t agreed to review this, I might not have pushed through to the end. And that would have been a shame.

This is the sort of book that you can’t evaluate except from the end. You have to press through all of your questions and frustration for Elise. Because in the end, everything ties together and becomes clear.

I learned a lot in this story about Elise’s situation. I don’t want to give anything away by saying more. I will say this will fit with the collection of middle grade books exploring mental health, but it brings an entirely new piece into the discussion. I don’t know of another book that looks at kids like Elise. And the author told the story in such a way that the reader was desperate for Elise to get her answers even if the reader doesn’t know how they are going to come about.

This would be great for upper elementary and middle school readers, especially for fans of books like Finding Perfect, Still a Work in Progress, Family Game Night and Other Catastrophes, and The Seventh Wish.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

BOOK NEWS: September 11, 2018

BOOK NEWS: September 11, 2018

Posted on by Jaymie

It’s a week of remembrance as we honor Patriot Day tomorrow. September 11th, 2001 is a day that changed our nation forever. We will never forget.

Here are the books releasing this week:

Books for Kids

Delores Thesaurus – A picture book celebrating language
Douglas, You’re a Genius! – The second Douglas book after Douglas, You Need Glasses! These look adorable.
I Am Neil Armstrong – The 16th book in this outstanding picture book biography series.
Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise – Sequel to the fantastic Interrupting Chicken. Can not wait to read this one!
Paul Writes (a Letter) – A picture book that looks at the writings of the Apostle Paul. I am so excited to see this one.
Judy Moody and the Right Royal Tea Party – Book 14 in the Judy Moody chapter book series where Judy is convinced she is related to the Queen of England. I’ll be reviewing this one later this fall.
Spirit – Book 50 in the Puppy Place series.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Dactyl Hill Squad – First in a new series about an alternate history where there are still dinosaurs in the days of the Civil War. I have an ARC of this one and I can’t wait to dig into it!
The Golden Tower – Book 5 in the Magisterium series (final book). A pawn in a magical battle faces the end of his training. I really enjoyed the first book, but didn’t keep up with the series. Now that they are all out, I could push through the whole series at once.
Mascot – A boy who was paralyzed in a car accident that killed his father struggles with his new reality. This is on my list.
Merci Suárez Changes Gears – Things at home and at school are changing for Merci and she struggles to find her way through the challenges. This sounds great!
The Monster Detector – Book 2 in the Big Foot and Little Foot series about a boy and a Sasquatch. In this book, the Sasquatch is using a Monster Detector and finds something and the boy decides he wants to go to Sasquatch school. This sounds cute.
Naomis Too – A sequel to Two Naomis. The two Naomis are now step-sisters, and they are dealing with the ups and downs of middle school while adjusting to things at home. I have to go back and read the first book; I missed that one.
No Fixed Address – A boy and his mom are living in their van, and he can’t tell anyone or he could end up in foster care. These stories always break my heart (Crenshaw!!), but I also love reading them. This is on my list for this week.
Saving Winslow – A boy who is missing his older brother who is in the military takes on the care of sickly baby donkey. Yep, this is on my list, too.
Upside Down Magic: Weather or Not – Book 5 in the fun Upside Down Magic series. I have been with this one since the beginning, and I love it. I ordered my copy of this from a Scholastic order back in August. I am eager to see what happens next.
Imposters – Scott Westerfeld returns to the world of Uglies and Pretties with a new story about a teen and her killer body double.
Rule – Another teen royalty book, and I am absolutely here for it. I LOVE books like this! In this one, three girls discover they are the illegitimate daughters of a dying king with no other living heir. I have already requested this one from the library!
We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide – A YA adaptation of the author’s book White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide. I’ve requested the adult version from the library. The author releases an adult book this week called One Person, No Vote.

Books for Adults

A Borrowing of Bones (Hardcover) – First in a new series. A former soldier and her dead fiancé’s bomb-sniffing dog are trying to recover from their wounds and losses when the dog sniffs out explosives and they find an abandoned baby. I already have this one on hold from the library!
Hitting the Books (Hardcover) – Book 9 in the Library Lover’s Mystery series. I’ll be reviewing this one later this week!
If the Coffin Fits (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Funeral Parlor Mystery series. I LOVED the first book, so this is high on my list for this week! Desiree’s investigation of a recent death puts her business at risk. I’ve already requested this one from the library.
In Cold Chocolate (Hardcover) – Book 3 in the Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery series. Charity tries to defend the person who has threatened to ruin her business. I’ve missed out on this series since it started in hardcover – I can lose track of those in the wait for them to transition to paperback. I’d like to try out the first book which is under $2 for Kindle at the time of this writing.
In Want of a Knife (Hardcover) – Book 3 in the Little Library Mystery series. Jenny is looking into a death and a missing girl when new neighbors move in from Chicago with lots of money to spend. I’ve yet to try one of these either.
Star Trek: A Cultural History (Sept. 15) (Hardcover) – Explores the Star Trek franchise in light of its place in history and culture. I’d love to check this one out when the price comes down some more.

REVIEW: Copycat by Hannah Jayne

REVIEW: Copycat by Hannah Jayne

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Addison is one of the world’s biggest Gap Lake fans. The book series by R. J. Rosen completely captivated her from the first book. Addison’s blog, which started as a place to share her thoughts and theories as she read through the books, has become one of the larger fan sites for the series. Addi even writes her own fanfic on the site.

In advance of the next book’s release, Addi receives an email from the mysterious R. J. Rosen himself! He loves her site, and he wants her to be part of the pre-release marketing events for the book. He even sends her excerpts of the book to post on her blog.

When Addi and her best friend Maya stumble across a dead classmate at school, it’s obviously disturbing. But it’s even more troubling because of the parallels with the book excerpt Rosen sent Addi. His messages to Addi make her uncomfortable. Is her favorite author connected to this death? Or is there something even creepier going on?

Review

I recently read another book about a popular author and an “art imitates life” sort of connection to her readers, and it didn’t click for me. I was really disappointed. THIS is the sort of story I was expecting – the suspense, the twists, the mystery! This was far more satisfying.

There’s a lot of action and suspense in this. It builds slowly through the whole book. There are some nice twists and surprises. I could not figure out what was going on or what might happen next. I had to just enjoy the ride. The author/book tie-in was a great hook.

This wasn’t a strong character-driven story for me. The characters were fine but there weren’t any I loved and really clicked with. This was an action-driven story instead. Who had something to lose or gain? What could happen next to ramp up the danger? This was a great suspenseful story!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Till Death Do Us Tart by Ellie Alexander

REVIEW: Till Death Do Us Tart by Ellie Alexander

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Paperbacks in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

It’s wedding time in Ashland, Oregon. When Juliet’s mom and the Professor were struggling to find a venue for the wedding, Juliet and the crew at Torte and most of the town decided to throw a surprise wedding at Uva, the vineyard in which Juliet and her estranged husband, Carlos, had invested.

Speaking of Carlos, he’s coming to town for the wedding and bringing his son, Ramiro, along. Carlos’ secrets about the boy were what caused the rift in his marriage to Juliet. Meeting Ramiro will be the first step in trying to repair their relationship.

And if a secret wedding and a new step-son weren’t enough for Juliet to juggle, she is also right in the middle of renovations at her bake shop, Torte. Juliet has her hands full.

Then her friend Lance drops his bombshell. He thinks his brother might be plotting to kill their father to finagle getting all of his money. Lance wants Juliet to help him keep an eye on his brother and his cronies. When Lance’s father dies, their investigation becomes a hunt for a killer.

Review

Book eight in the Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander. As a mystery, this was a bit disappointing for me. I felt like the mystery was only maybe a third of the book. There was a lot of time devoted to the other things going on in Ashland and between the various characters. Thankfully, I really enjoyed those other story elements so this was still an enjoyable read for me.

I love Juliet and the crew at Torte. The relationships, interplay, and growth of the store are part of what I love about this series. The food descriptions always leave me hungry. I’d love to visit a shop like Torte.

If I was looking for an intricate murder mystery to dig into, this would have fallen flat for me. The first part was mostly supposition and theories. The second part was when the traditional mystery really kicked in and that was about halfway through the book. The fact that I care about the characters and the relationships in this series redeemed the reading experience for me. But someone with less connection to the characters might be disappointed with this one. I love when an author does a great job of balancing character development with a strong, central mystery. This did not fit that description for me.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Planet Grief by Monique Polak

REVIEW: Planet Grief by Monique Polak

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic ARC/ review copy of this book from Netgalley and Orca Book Publishers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Abby is furious with her father. She does NOT want to spend her weekend at some grief retreat. She’d rather be at soccer – with friends, running around, not thinking about how it is almost Mother’s Day and her mother is dead. If only a heart transplant had come through for her sooner, or if she had not even gotten sick at all.

Christopher isn’t quite as reluctant about the grief retreat as Abby. His main worry is that someone will find out exactly HOW his father died. His mom assures him that the retreat leader, Eugene, is the only one who will know. But Christopher still walks in with his defenses up.

The other kids in the group are Gustavo who has been to grief retreat before because of his father’s death. As a seasoned participant, he helps Eugene with the group activities. Antoine and his moms are grieving the loss of Antoine’s little brother who died from SIDS. And Felicia is there because both of her parents died.

As Abby and Christopher experience grief retreat and participate in some exercises to help them with their losses, they are surprised by the things they learn about their fellow group members – and about themselves.

Review

This is an emotional and touching story. And it is so well written. I felt like the grief and emotions expressed by the characters were completely on target. I felt them and understood them. The complicated experience of grief was portrayed in a way that middle grade readers can understand. I think kids who have experienced loss could read this and feel understood. They might even get some new insights into their own grief experience. Kids who have not experienced death have a chance to gain insight and empathy by reading the experience of these characters.

I think this book could find a home in every single classroom and school library as well as home libraries. For those who tend to avoid books with gay characters due to religious reasons, I think the two moms in this story (who are never in a scene together due to the extreme grief of one of the women) are a small part of a much larger – and much more important – story. I think the value of this book to grieving kids and their friends far outweighs any questions the kids might have about a character with two moms.

I highly recommend this story.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BOOK NEWS: September 4, 2018

BOOK NEWS: September 4, 2018

Posted on by Jaymie

Happy Labor Day for those of you in the United States. I hope you are finding some rest from your labors today, even if you had to go in to work. To help with that rest, check out the books releasing this week. Maybe you’ll find just the thing for your next long weekend.

Books for Kids

But Not the Armadillo – The long-awaited board book sequel to Sandra Boynton’s classic But Not the Hippopotamus. I am entirely too excited about this book for a person who does not have board book readers in the house!
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Part of the Pop Classics series of picture books, perfect for fans of the TV show.
Cookiesaurus Christmas – September kicks off the season of Christmas books and there are two Christmas picture books on the list today. This first one features the star of Cookiesaurus Rex who wants to be the only cookie on Santa’s plate this year, but he may not make the cut. This looks darling! I’m looking forward to reading both the original and the sequel.
Lyric McKerrigan, Secret Librarian – A librarian superhero story? YES, PLEASE! This has been in my Amazon cart for months. Can’t wait to read this one!
Me, Myselfie, & I: A Cautionary Tale – The family gets Mom a new cell phone and pretty soon she’s obsessed with self-documentation. I’ve enjoyed Jamie Lee Curtis’ previous picture books.
No Peacocks! – Inspired by the real-life birds at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Devine, this story is about a of a trio of peacocks who want a chance to try a famous mac and cheese recipe. This looks adorable and I love peacocks, so this is on my list!
Professor Astro Cat’s Space Rockets – A nonfiction picture book about rockets. This looks fantastic!
Santa Bruce – Santa Bruce, book 4 in the Bruce series by Ryan T. Higgins is at the top of my wish list for this week!
T. Rex Time Machine – Two T. Rexs come to the future and find so many treats, they’ll never want to leave. Adorable!
Eliza Hamilton, Founding Mother – Ever since I first heard the soundtrack for Hamilton, I have been intrigued by the story of Eliza Hamilton and the things she did after her husband died. I am looking forward to reading this Early Reader to see how they cover her story.
The Missing Donut (Big Words, Small Stories) – A collection of stories about a boy and his cat with a side plot about a fairy who sprinkles one big word into each story. This is a fun idea; I’m looking forward to seeing how it works in person.
A Fall for Friendship – The third Orchard Novel by Megan Atwood about four friends and a New England apple orchard. In this book, one of the kids is out to prove that ghosts don’t exist. This looks like a cute transitional chapter book series.
The Race to Chimney Rock – Book one in a new choose-your-own-adventure chapter book series focused on history.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

12 Before 13 – Book 2 in the Friendship List series. Two middle school girls have a list of 12 goals to reach before they turn 13.
24 Hours In Nowhere – Four kids hunt for treasure in the desert to pay off a bully. The latest book from the author of Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, a book that has received rave reviews. I have both books on my library wish list.
After Zero – A girl tracks the number of words she says each day. A zero word day is the best because that means she didn’t say something silly in class or something embarrassing to another student. I’ll be reviewing this one next week.
The Bands of Bravery – Book 1 in the Knights Club choose-your-own-adventure graphic novel series. This is a clever idea but the execution has received mixed reviews. I’ll be reviewing this one later this fall.
Cats vs. Robots: This Is War – Book 1 in a new series about two warring planets that bring their disagreement to Earth. I’m reading this one now and will be reviewing it later this fall.
The Hotel Between – A couple of kids and a magic hotel with doors that lead all over the world are at the center of this new novel.
Isle of the Lost Graphic Novel – A graphic novel adaptation of the book by the same name starring the characters from the Disney movie Descendants about the kids of famous Disney villains.
Planet Grief – A moving story about a group of kids at a weekend grief workshop. I’ll be reviewing this one tomorrow.
Sabotage Stage Left – Book 3 in the Howard Wallace PI series. I loved book one and book 2 just came out in paperback, so I scooped that one up for my TBR shelves. In book 3, Howard and Ivy work a case at the school theater.
The Third Mushroom – Sequel to the fantastic The Fourteenth Goldfish about a science-minded girl and her grandfather who has made himself a teenager again through a science experiment. This time they are testing the influence of a special axolotl on other organisms with surprising results.  I’ll be reviewing this later this fall, but I’ll tell you now that I loved it just as much as the first one!
Unbelievably Boring Bart – The latest from James Patterson stars a kid who secretly created an amazing new app. Now, he can either use it against the bullies or tell everyone he’s the creator and be super popular.
Wedgie and Gizmo vs the Great Outdoors – Book three in the excellent Wedgie and Gizmo series. I thoroughly enjoy the humor in this series, and I think it works for both a transitional chapter book AND a middle grade book depending on the reader. In book 3,  the family is going on a camping trip and Wedgie and Gizmo get to go along. If this lives up to the first two books in the series, this will be fantastic! This is on my wish list for this week.
First Generation – Middle grade nonfiction focused on trailblazing immigrants and refugees.
Lego Star Wars Ideas Book – Lego is publishing a lot of idea books this fall. These are terrific if you have a Lego lover in your home who has a large collection of bricks that can be used for any sort of building project.
Start with a Dot – September 15th is International Dot day, inspired by the book by Peter H. Reynolds. It’s one of my favorites about creativity. In this guided journal for kids, teens and adults, users are invited to “make their mark and see where it takes them.” I am excited about this one! This could make a great Christmas gift.
Ignite the Stars – A notorious outlaw is actually a 17 year old girl. When she is captured by the Commonwealth, they force her to work for them to show that no one can resist them. I’m looking forward to this one!
Part of Your World – The latest Twisted Tale from Liz Braswell focuses on the story of the Little Mermaid and asks the question what if Ursula had won? Yep, this is absolutely on my list!
People Kill People – One gun, six teenagers. Who will be the one to pull the trigger? This is the second book in as many weeks (last week’s That’s Not What Happened)  to look at mass shootings and our gun culture. This is on my library list.
Ten After Closing – Two teens stuck at a cafe after closing find themselves taken hostage. This sounds fascinating. Definitely on my list for this week.
Two Dark Reigns – Book three in the stunning Three Dark Crowns series about triplet queens who compete to see who can survive long enough to be crowned. The first two books, and the two novellas, have been terrific. And I got to read the prologue for this book online last week and it was amazing. I requested the book from the library months ago and I am first on the hold list for tomorrow. I skimmed back through all the previous books from the library last week so I am completely ready for whatever Two Dark Reigns holds!
Uncharted – A teen who feels responsible for her mother’s death travels with her father to a mysterious estate where he goes missing. Yep, this is on the library list for this week. Sounds good and suspenseful.
Steal this Country: A Handbook for Resistance, Persistence, and Fixing Almost Everything  – The latest in a collection of activism books for teens.

Books for Adults

An Act of Villainy (Hardcover) – Book 5 in the Amory Ames mystery series about an actress who receives death threats and a cast full of people who despise her. I’ve never read any of the books in this series, but I’m eager to give them a try.
The Cats Came Back (Hardcover) – Book 10 in the Magical Cats series about a crime solving librarian and her cats, this time involving a murder around a music festival. I have several of these on my TBR shelves. I love librarian stories.
Die Me a River (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 2 in the Welcome Back to Scumble River series starring school psychologist Skye Denison-Boyd who is wrapping up her maternity leave after the birth of her twins when an explosion rocks Scumble River and a body is found. I read several of the books in the original series, but I haven’t picked up the new one yet.
Light of Kahless (Star Trek Discovery)(Paperback graphic novel) – Based on Star Trek Discovery, part of CBS’s streaming service, set a decade before the original series. This graphic novel focuses on the Klingon Empire, one of my favorite races in the Star Trek Universe.
Wuthering Kites (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 3 in the Kite Shop Mystery series about a kite shop owner who investigates a murder in Rock Point. This is another series I have on my TBR shelves.
Book Girl: A Journey through the Treasures and Transforming Power of a Reading Life (Trade paperback) – The first of two books about reading on this week’s list. This one advocates the development of a reading lifestyle and includes book lists. I will be looking for this one in person.
The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure (Hardcover) – College campuses are experiencing a more volatile tone and higher levels of mental health needs. The authors focus on three ideas they feel have led to this problem we are seeing in our young adults. I will absolutely be reading this one!
Copycat Cooking with Six Sisters’ Stuff: 100+ Popular Restaurant Meals You Can Make at Home (Large format Paperback) – I love the whole idea of this, but I’m curious to see how fussy the recipes are. If they are too intricate, I’d rather just let the experts make them. Includes appetizers, main dishes, desserts and drinks.
Didn’t See It Coming: Overcoming the Seven Greatest Challenges That No One Expects and Everyone Experiences (Hardcover) –  Tackle the issues of cynicism, compromise, irrelevance, pride, burnout and two other challenges with help from this Christian self-help book.
I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life (Hardcover) – This second book about reading is by Anne Bogel, Christian author and podcaster (What Should I Read Next?), and includes thoughts for book lovers. This one is high on my list!
Keep Christianity Weird: Embracing the Disciple of Being Different (Paperback) – Encourages Christians to become more comfortable with the idea of standing out rather than being shaped by the culture around us.
Live Long and …: What I Learned Along the Way (Hardcover) – The latest memoir from William Shatner inspired by a health scare he had in 2016.
The Man I Never Met – A memoir from ESPN personality Adam Schefter about marrying a woman who lost her husband on 9/11 and how they live life day after day and year after year. My husband was the first one to tell me about this one. I know we will be buying this book this week.
The Message Devotional Bible (Hardcover and Paperback) – Includes commentary, reflection questions and 52 meditations.
Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement that Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free (Hardcover) – I was in college and newly married when the purity culture took root, so I missed a lot of this, but I’m familiar with it from the outside. I am curious about this one and would like to read it and hear for myself what the author took away from this time in her life.
Slave Stealers: True Accounts of Slave Rescues Then and Now (Hardcover) – Two stories of rescued slaves – one from the 1800s and one from 2009. This will be fascinating and hopefully inspiring!

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Transitional Chapter Books

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Transitional Chapter Books

Posted on by Jaymie

One of the most important audiences for children’s books are the kids who are ready to branch out from picture books and early readers/beginning readers. These kids are ready for CHAPTER BOOKS! And they are SO excited when they get to that stage. I know when my teenager was little, we started with Magic Tree House, which are sort of a staple for this age group. But I got tired of reading them very quickly. So we started branching out to a few other series. Then, when I was teaching, I discovered even more. Here are some books and series to get you started if you are looking for reading material for this age group:

Old School

Some of these are the early chapter books we read when my son was little. These are still available and still a lot of fun to read.

Bad Kitty is still going strong, with new books releasing about once a year.  Dragonling has been around for awhile, but they are re-releasing them with new covers. The story is great! I wish they had redone the interior illustrations, too. Some of the Jigsaw Jones mysteries have recently been re-released. Judy Moody has gotten a makeover this year, too. The whole series has new covers, and new books are still coming. My teen didn’t read them, but I loved them. We loved the Melvin Beederman Superhero stories. Jack Stalwart books were fantastic because they were fairy simple, but the vocabulary was strong (great for strong readers who aren’t ready for the more intricate plots of middle grade), and the spy and travel aspects were fun. Stink Moody was probably our favorite back in those days. Book 2 is my favorite of the series, and that series continues to grow.

Branches

These are my go-to books for this age group. There are MANY series, but these are some of my favorites.

Boris, Haggis and Tank, and Kung Pow Chicken seem to be finished as series. I believe they have 2-4 books each. Dragon Masters, Owl Diaries and Hilde Cracks the Case are series that continue to put out new books. You will find these on a lot of my Book News posts.

Favorites

Some of my other favorite recommendations for these readers

I recently read my first Bad Guys story and I loved it! It’s almost more of a graphic novel than a traditional chapter book. But whatever format you want to call it, it was all sorts of funny! The Chicken Squad series is a spin off of a book called The Trouble with Chickens. I love the books because they are funny which is a great selling point for this age group. The Deckawoo Drive series (Baby Lincoln) is a spin off of the Mercy Watson books. Dog Man is a graphic novel series from the author of Captain Underpants. So far I have only read the first one, but it was a lot of fun. Zoey and Sassafras books are a great combination of fantasy and science. The Dragonsitter books are told in emails. I love them. They’ve been around for awhile. Galaxy Zack is basically a new-kid-at-school series about moving and making friends, but it takes place in space. My students enjoyed this sci-fi series. King and Kayla and Magic Bone are great dog stories, which is always a crowdpleaser. I thought the Magic Bone books were  hilarious. Marvel Superhero Adventures are fun stories with familiar heroes. Princess in Black is a fantastic series about a princess who has a secret identity for fighting monsters. So fun! Ranger in Time is another dog series. I describe it to kids as Magic Tree House with a dog. I love them. Finally there’s Ricky Ricotta’s Might Robot. My teen read these as a kid, so they could go in the “Old School” category, but they’ve recently received an upgrade with all new full-color art by Dan Santat. These are NOT to be missed!

Coming Soon

These are some series that are just getting started or coming out later this year.

Beatrice Zinker, History Pals (Ben Franklin), and Strange Scout Tales all have books out now with new ones coming later this year. The rest are series starting this fall. I have several of these on my wish list, including the Time Jumpers book which is the latest from Branches.