Fun Books for Middle Grade Readers
The Genie’s Gift
is a lighthearted action novel set in the fifteenth-century Middle East,
drawing on the mythology of The Arabian
Nights. Shy and timid Anise determines to find the Genie Shakayak and claim
the Gift of Sweet Speech. But the way is barred by a series of challenges, both
ordinary and magical. How will Anise get past a vicious she-ghoul, a sorceress
who turns people to stone, and mysterious sea monsters, when she can’t even
speak in front of strangers?
In The Well of Sacrifice, a Mayan girl in
ninth-century Guatemala rebels against the High Priest who sacrifices anyone
challenging his power.
Kirkus Reviews called The Well of Sacrifice, “[An]
engrossing first novel….Eboch crafts an exciting narrative with a richly
textured depiction of ancient Mayan society….The novel shines not only for a
faithful recreation of an unfamiliar, ancient world, but also for the
introduction of a brave, likable and determined heroine.”
Watching this unorthodox
12-year-old girl outwit a high priest, escape jail, rescue her sister and more
makes for a fast-paced read. An author’s note describes the historical context
for the tale. - Publishers Weekly
Jesse Owens: Young Record Breaker and Milton
Hershey: Young Chocolatier are inspirational biographies in Simon
& Schuster’s Childhood of Famous Americans series, written under the name
M.M. Eboch.
Jesse Owens would be especially suitable for young
athletes, while Milton Hershey might appeal to kids who
struggle in school, as Milton did. They are full-length books at a middle grade
interest level, but written at a third-grade reading level.
More Books for Middle
Grade Readers
The Cousins in Action Series by Sam Bond
Operation Golden Llama, by Sam Bond
Dumped at their eccentric Grandma’s, Cagney, Olivia, Aidan,
Lissy and Tess are convinced they’re in for a boring summer. But when Grandma
gets a series of mysterious phone calls, and a highly unlikely pet sitter
arrives, the cousins find themselves jetting off to Peru, where much to their
surprise they find their adventures have only just begun.
The
Sweet Spot, by Stacy Barnett Mozer
When thirteen-year-old Sam Barrette’s baseball coach tells
her that her attitude’s holding her back, she wants to hit him in the head with
a line drive. All stakes now rest on Sam’s performance at baseball training
camp. Placed at the bottom with the weaker players, she will have to work her
way up to A league, not just to show Coach that she can be the best team player
possible, but to prove to herself that she can hold a bat with the All-Star
boys.
Fantasy Set Today
The Galaxy Games Series by Greg Fishbone:
The Challengers
Things are looking up for Tyler Sato (literally!) as he and
his friends scan the night sky for a star named for him by his Tokyo cousins in
honor of his eleventh birthday. Ordinary stars tend to stay in one place, but
Ty’s seems to be streaking directly toward Earth at an alarming rate. Soon the
whole world is talking about TY SATO, the doomsday asteroid, and life is turned
upside down for Ty Sato, the boy, who would rather be playing hoops in his best
friend’s driveway….
The Amorphous Assassin
Thirteen-year-old Tyler Sato has lied, cheated, and scammed
his way into the Galaxy Games. Now, on the eve of the galaxy-spanning sports
tournament, Tyler’s past is catching up…with a vengeance!
Earth’s team of international all-stars is at each other’s
throats. A shadowy conspiracy is on the move. And a shape-shifting alien
assassin has Tyler in his sights.
Can Tyler step up his game to become the leader Earth needs?
Or will the world finally discover that Tyler isn’t quite the hero that
everyone believes?
The Magic Mayhem Series by Deanna Roy
Jinnie Wishmaker
Six-time USA Today bestselling author Deanna Roy mixes adventure and magic in her first series for middle grade readers. In Jinnie Wishmaker, an eleven-year-old girl discovers she can grant any living thing its one true wish. The trouble is, once she grants the wish, she can’t control the results.
Marcus Mender
Marcus Mender can fix anything just by holding it. But now, he can't stop! Like King Midas and the golden touch, everything becomes new and perfect in Marcus's hands.
Before he can control his new power, the magical Vor team is sent to South America on a mission: to recover a rare magnetized lodestone before the Loki, the magic thieves, use it for their own selfish purpose.
But the lodestone's magnetic field causes a reversal between positive and negative, turning the Loki into heroes and the Vor into villains out to steal more power. Only Marcus's ability to fix the lodestone can save them, but with the switch of good and evil, Marcus will have to fight his own magic to make the right choice.
Marcus Mender is Book 2 of the Magic Mayhem series that begins with Jinnie Wishmaker. However, it can be read as a standalone book and is aimed at reluctant readers.
Visit Deanna Roy’s blog or find Jinnie and Marcus on Amazon page.
For Teens and up
For a fun romp with a lot of heart, suitable for teenagers or adults, check out Plum Crazy by Cece Barlow:
The summer of her junior year, Texas geek girl Elva Presley
Hicks lands a job as a plumber’s helper in Houston, Texas. She earns $$$$, but
is as lonely as heck.
It’s not like there aren’t any suitors. Elva could choose Chase, the obese pig
farmer, or Wyatt, the plumber with wandering hands, but she yearns for something
more and finds it with electrician, Mitch McCall.
It’s a cosmic connection. Mitch isn’t turned off by Elva’s name or fan fiction
writing, and Elva doesn’t lose interest in him after he cuts off his nose.
Trials and triumphs follow Elva, including a friendship implosion, world-wide
fanfic humiliation, and goat salvation.
This summer is destined to be Elva’s most memorable. Join her!
Tomorrow I'll post some picture books for younger children.
On Friday, I'll list some titles for grown-ups.
I love the handprints of different sizes going up the wall. We like to imagine a family making these. These appear to be pictographs. A pictograph is simply a picture or symbol. The term can be used in many fields, including mathematics. But in archaeology, pictograph refers to a symbol painted on a rock. On the other hand, petroglyphs are symbols created by scratching or carving into the rock. Both are protected by state and federal laws.
Here's another handprint, but this one is done as an outline.
Can you spot symbols in here? Slightly left of center, in the lower half, the red paint seems to surround something like a castle. Toward the upper right is what looks (to modern sensibilities) like a hash tag. It looks rather like the Zia Sun symbol as well.
The holes on top of this boulder do not appear entirely natural. They are too rounded and smooth, suggesting this may have been a bedrock mortar used to grind grain.
