Middle grade novels are the types of books I love to pick up and devour in one sitting. They aren't usually super-long and yet in addition to an interesting storyline, there is often a bigger message that authors are able to convey without it being too wordy or revealing more than a middle grade reader is ready for. I am always amazed by how talented these writers are.
I've been lucky enough to have time to read a lot of great middle grade novels over the course of several snow days we've had. Here are five recent favorites:
The Unteachables by Gordon Korman - Korman is fast becoming a go-to author for me. He's been writing for a while and has a lot of books already published, so kids won't quicky run out of things to read if they like his style. His novels are humorous with a side of serious which is what I love so much about them. The Unteachables are a group of misfits - kids who have a variety of issues that seem to make them unteachable. This year the school has assigned Mr Kermit to be their teacher. He's burned out and just counting the days until he can retire. At one point Mr. Kermit had been an outstanding young teacher, but a cheating scandal ruined his career, and ever since then he's never been the same. Until this year. There are plenty of hijinks with this group of kids, and somehow they do what no other class has been able to do: break through Mr. Kermit's decades long funk and get him to care about them and their learning. This is such a fun novel, yet one that has a good message for kids - and teachers.
Nikki on the Line by Barbara Carol Roberts - I played (if you could call it that) basketball in junior high and was terrible. However, I love a good basketball story. Nikki is passionate about basketball. When she makes a competitive team along with her best friend she's relieved and excited. The team costs a lot of money though, so Nikki has to watch her younger brother after school instead of him going to daycare. That means she can't hang out with her best friend as much. When one of the new teammates seems to be moving in on Nikki's best friend, Nikki feels even more left out. Plus she's finding it difficult to find her place on the team and her self confidence takes a hit when she overhears what a teammate's dad has to say about her. The one bright spot in Nikki's life is the new boy in school who turns out to be a pretty good friend. This book is perfect for middle grade readers.
The Line Tender by Kate Allen - Lucy and her dad have gotten along fairly well since the death of Lucy's mom, a marine biologist. Lucy is interested in animals as well, and when a Great White shows up on the shore of her small town, Lucy and her best friend, Fred, want to see it for themselves. They are spending their summer on an extra-credit school project, creating a book of animal diagrams and drawings and a Great White would be a fantastic addition. And then, tragedy strikes again. Lucy's summer - and life- are forever changed and she must figure out how to go on. This is a bit of a heartbreaker, but I loved this book and the hope that it shares.
To Night Owl From Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer - I love an epistolary novel! This entire story is told in emails between two girls, Avery and Bett, who begin corresponding when they find out that their dads are dating. The girls aren't into this idea at all - and definitely don't want to be friends with each other- but they begin to plot at how to break their dads up. And then they spend a summer together at camp, at first avoiding each other, and eventually becoming inseparable. However, while they were at camp becoming friends, their dads were traveling in China, deciding they didn't really want to date anymore. Now their emails aren't about how to separate their dads. Avery and Bett begin plotting how to get their dads back together. This novel is such fun with some twists and turns and a happy (but surprising) ending.
Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary D Schmidt- Carter Jones family is struggling a little bit. Carter's dad has been deployed and no return date is in the near future. When an English butler shows up at their house, a result of something his grandfather provided for them in his will, his help is very much needed. Mr. Parker-Bowles' lessons in cricket (a new and unfamiliar sport to Carter), as well as the guidance he provides Carter as he navigates his dad's absence and the grief he is still experiencing over the death of his brother are invaluable. There are hints of The Wednesday Wars in this novel; this is a book that will make you laugh and cry. Schmidt knows how to tell a good story, and Pay Attention, Carter Jones is one that readers will thoroughly enjoy.
So, readers who enjoy middle grade fiction, these books are the ones you won't want to miss.
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