middle school – Page 2 – Cannonball Read 17

“Don’t be an enemy to you. Love you. Be your friend.”

Enemies by Svetlana Chmakova

October 16, 2022 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

CBR14Bingo: Font (I always really like Chmakova’s handwritten font.) Enemies is the fourth in Svetlana Chmakova’s Berrybrook Middle School series, which I love. I’ve been waiting a few years for the most recent installment and this lived up to my hopes. Felicity lives in the shadow of her little sister Letty, who is always winning science fairs and getting recognition for her academic achievement. In the beginning of the book, Letty teases Felicity that she never finishes anything, and so Felicity sets out to win […]

Meet Booger Lizk’t of Elberon or Tommy Tomkins to you

Tales of a Seventh-Grade Lizard Boy by Jonathan Hill

August 19, 2022 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I finished this book in a day, starting at the dentist, finishing as I enjoyed some cold pizza (shh don’t tell my dentist) from dinner, and it became a new favorite. Granted, Tales of a Seventh-Grade Lizard Boy might not be an OMG BEST BOOK EVER, but I really enjoyed how we take the being different theme and make it (while specific to our hero Tommy) a generic idea. That is a favorite thing about science fiction/fantasy. You take the Idea You Want to Present […]

“Doing something even though I was scared felt kind of amazing.”

Just Roll With It by Veronica Agarwal and Lee Durfey-Lavoie

July 11, 2022 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

I really loved this book and I hope it ends up getting the recognition it deserves. Just Roll With It follows Maggie during her first year of middle school as she makes new friends and gets involved with the D&D/role playing club. The main reason I got this book is that it’s a realistic and careful portrayal of OCD and anxiety, which made it a very relatable read. Both of the creators have struggled with mental health and I think it really adds to the realism […]

“Everywhere I looked, there was danger:” A Nuanced and Interesting Middle-Grade Novel

Turtle Boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein

July 11, 2022 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

Turtle Boy was a random bookstore find for me, and I’m really glad I picked it up off the shelf. An interesting cover illustration will always get me, and the combination of bright yellow and a picture of the visual representation of my inner child intrigued me. Turtle Boy follows Will Levine, who is struggling with bullying, the death of his father, and having to do community service as part of the preparation for his bar mitzvah. In the opening chapters of the book, Will is […]

Two days that changed it all.

The Way I Say I by Nancy Tandon

November 10, 2021 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The Way I Say It is an old school feeling story with a modern take. The entire time I was reading I was thinking, “This is so 1980s!” I felt that while the issues being discussed in this book by Nancy Tandon, they were terribly tame by today’s standards. It almost felt like I had read this book back when I was between the ages of 8 and 12. Yet, dealing with a speech issue, brain injury and friendship woes is timeless at the same […]

You just remember what your old pal said (Girl), you’ve got a friend in me

Making Friends V01 by Kristen Gudsnuk

August 4, 2021 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

cbr13bingo Shelfie (granted, not my shelf, but it is on a shelf at a place I call mine.) If making friends was as easy as it was in Making Friends V01 by Kristen Gudsnuk, most of us would never have to be friendless again. Of course, one would have to have some mad skills in drawing to make sure stick figures were not wandering around. Which our main character, Dany, has. Maybe just a little too good! How do you make a friend? For Dany […]

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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