middle grade – Page 23 – Cannonball Read 17

“Men of action, above all those whose actions are guided by love, live forever.” – Jose Marti

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya

January 28, 2019 by cosbrarian Leave a Comment

Arturo Zamora and his family are tight — and I mean the whole family. He and his extended family all live in the same apartment complex. The heart of the family is his Abuela, who still manages her restaurant “La Cocina” which she and her late husband opened when they emigrated here from Cuba. Her daughter is the master chef, but Abuela makes her daily rounds, greeting every customer — and her love and attentiveness is half the reason the restaurant is always packed (the […]

Accessible, exciting historical fiction for the tween set

Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood

January 24, 2019 by cosbrarian Leave a Comment

Almost accidentally, author Susan Hood stumbled upon a historical event that has gone mostly overlooked and it is the basis of her exciting middle grade novel Lifeboat 12. The book is told in verse format by narrator and actual survivor Ken Sparks, who is thirteen years of age right before London is destroyed in the Blitz. His life in London is troubled by things large in scope (like running to bomb shelters nightly when the alarms go off and living off rations and hand-me-downs) and […]

A strong finish to this series about magical oppression.

Ptolemy's Gate (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, #3) by Jonathan Stroud

January 22, 2019 by narfna Leave a Comment

Worth slogging through book two just to get to this one. (And I’m still not convinced my reaction to that book wasn’t just me trying to read it at the wrong time.) This is the third and final book in the original Bartimaeus Trilogy (he wrote a prequel in 2010 but I think I’m going to pass on that one). It takes place three years after the events of The Golem’s Eye. Nathaniel/John Mandrake is high up in government now, in charge of what is […]

Window Books and Mirror Books (or Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose)

Patina (Track - Book 2) by Jason Reynolds

Sunny (Track - Book 3) by Jason Reynolds

Lu (Track - Book 4) by Jason Reynolds

January 19, 2019 by Jenny S 2 Comments

Last February I read Ghost, the first book in Jason Reynold’s middle grade Track series and enjoyed it immensely though I understood I was definitely not the intended audience. I had seen Jason Reynolds on The Daily Show, started following him on Twitter, and all that made me want to read his work—all of his work. He’s a prolific writer, so catching up and keeping up will take some work. Flash forward to mid-December when I discovered a display of the remaining three books in […]

“A soft heart only makes it easier for a knife to slip in.”

The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken

January 19, 2019 by cosbrarian Leave a Comment

Prosper Redding is of the Massacusetts Reddings: a very rich, very privileged family whose lineage goes back to the pilgrims. Prosper is a bit of a black sheep, caring mostly about art and his twin sister Prue. His grandmother, a severe matriarchal type, seems to particularly despise him, probably because he doesn’t do much to contribute to the Redding Name. Even he couldn’t guess how much he was despised, though — until the day of a local fair, when he is dragged down to the family […]

“When the mist rises, and the smiling man comes walking, you must avoid large places at night.”

Small Spaces by Arden, Katherine

January 13, 2019 by cosbrarian Leave a Comment

Ollie hasn’t been much of a people-person, but since her mother died the only solace she can seem to find is in books. On a bike ride home from school, she comes across a woman sobbing by the lake, trying to talk herself into throwing an old black book into the water. On a whim, Ollie steals the book and discovers within its pages a strange and spooky old story about the Webster family and their tragedy brought on by a sinister “smiling man.” The […]

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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