Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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“You’d think spitting up frogs would be a lot like the worst stomach flu you’ve ever had, but it’s surprisingly different.”

The Carrefour Curse by Dianne. K. Salerni

February 11, 2024 by faintingviolet Leave a Comment

There are two tasks in the Read Harder Challenge that are specifically about middle grades books (and others that are for a picture book, YA book by a trans author, and YA non-fiction) and works intended for readers on the younger than YA end of the spectrum are basically non-existent on my to read list so I had to do some research to find books to read. By and large, libraries can be relied upon to point you in good directions, so I went hunting for […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Horror, Mystery Tagged With: CBR16SweetBooks, Dianne. K. Salerni, middle grade horror, middle grade mystery, read harder challenge, The Carrefour Curse

faintingviolet's CBR16 Review No:7 · Genres: Children's Books, Horror, Mystery · Tags: CBR16SweetBooks, Dianne. K. Salerni, middle grade horror, middle grade mystery, read harder challenge, The Carrefour Curse ·
Rating:
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I love epistolary novels but had a major issue with this one

The Jigsaw Jungle by Kristin Levine

July 11, 2022 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

I am a sucker for an epistolary novel, and this one is told in a combination of notes, transcripts, drawings, and so on to give it a sense that it’s a scrapbook. The Jigsaw Jungle follows Claudia’s quest to figure out why her father has vanished. One evening he sends an email saying he will be home late and then never returns. Claudia’s mother then has to go on a work trip to Switzerland and Claudia ends up staying with her grandfather for two weeks while […]

Filed Under: Children's Books Tagged With: epistolary novel, family drama, Kristin Levine, LGBTQ, middle grade mystery, puzzles

GentleRain's CBR14 Review No:67 · Genres: Children's Books · Tags: epistolary novel, family drama, Kristin Levine, LGBTQ, middle grade mystery, puzzles ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

There’s Always Room in My Life For Middle Grade Mysteries

The Bell, The Book, and the Spellbinder by Brad Strickland

The Chessmen of Doom by John Bellairs

June 7, 2022 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

I got these books by mistake since I confused them with John Bellairs’ other middle grade gothic horror/magic series starring a boy being raised by his grandparents. I cut myself some slack for this one, especially since I also read this Johnny Dixon series as a child and the titles were familiar. I do still want to do a re-read of the Lewis Barnavelt series, so I’ll have to get my hands on those soon. My idea in getting these was to read the series from […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Horror, Mystery Tagged With: Brad Strickland, Gothic Horror, John Bellairs, middle grade fiction, middle grade mystery, scary story

GentleRain's CBR14 Review No:46 · Genres: Children's Books, Horror, Mystery · Tags: Brad Strickland, Gothic Horror, John Bellairs, middle grade fiction, middle grade mystery, scary story ·
Rating:
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Adventures in ghost hunting

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

December 28, 2021 by teresaelectro Leave a Comment

I read Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega for our Young at Heart Cannon book club. I am so glad this book came into my life. 2022 has been plagued with a few reading slumps from the pandemic. However, this middle-grade book got me back into the groove. I read the audiobook, which I highly recommend. The supernatural mystery follows two friends, Lucely and Syd, who live in St. Augustine, Florida. Lucely is Dominican-American and can see her ghost relatives. She speaks to their spirits […]

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Children's Books, Fantasy, Mystery Tagged With: book club read, Cannon Book Club, Claribel A Ortega, Florida, ghosts, latinx author, latinx stories, middle grade, middle grade mystery, Young at Heart

teresaelectro's CBR13 Review No:18 · Genres: Audiobooks, Children's Books, Fantasy, Mystery · Tags: book club read, Cannon Book Club, Claribel A Ortega, Florida, ghosts, latinx author, latinx stories, middle grade, middle grade mystery, Young at Heart ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

A middle-grade mystery inspired by Zora Neale Hurston

Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon

December 25, 2020 by teresaelectro 1 Comment

Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon took Zora Neale Hurston’s life as literary inspiration for their joint debut novel, Zora and Me. Framed as a middle-grade mystery, we follow the adventures of a fictionalized Zora through the eyes of her best friend, Carrie. The two curious girls and their friend Teddy are given mostly free rein to explore their small town of Eatonville, Florida. They play in the woods and are often given candy from the owner of the general store, Joe. When an alligator […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Mystery Tagged With: black author, middle grade, middle grade fiction, middle grade mystery, T. R. Simon, Victoria Bond, Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon, Zora and Me, Zora Neale Hurston

teresaelectro's CBR12 Review No:30 · Genres: Children's Books, Mystery · Tags: black author, middle grade, middle grade fiction, middle grade mystery, T. R. Simon, Victoria Bond, Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon, Zora and Me, Zora Neale Hurston ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment


Recent Comments

  • Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
  • Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
  • Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
  • Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
  • Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.
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