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MORE 'MIDDLE-GRADE-REALISTIC-FICTION' POSTS

    Review of the Day: The Usual Suspects by Maurice Broaddus

    Betsy Bird, October 5, 2019 | Best Books, Best Books of 2019, Reviews, Reviews 2019

    You know why you haven’t heard more people talking about this book? Because nobody knows how to sell it. Well, sorry folks, but the secret is out now. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read for kids, and maybe the best school rated children’s novel I’ve encountered period. This, right here, is the book of our times.

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    Review of the Day: Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds

    Betsy Bird, August 15, 2019 | Best Books, Best Books of 2019, Reviews, Reviews 2019

    Good news. I know exactly what to do with this particular middle school book. You need to weigh it down with awards, so many that it can no longer stand under its own weight and is forced to stagger to the display unit that stands front and center in the library where all the best books go. Then, and only then, will it have found its true home.

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    Review of the Day: A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée

    Betsy Bird, July 5, 2019 | Best Books, Best Books of 2019, Reviews, Reviews 2019

    Lisa Moore Ramée has taken the complexity of the real world, with all its police shootings and racism and destructive tendencies and made it personal for young readers. I don’t care what kid you hand this book to. Every single one of them will understand what’s going on here and, maybe, what’s going on in the wider world. The new required reading.

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    Review of the Day: The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle by Christina Uss

    Betsy Bird, November 2, 2018 | Best Books, Best Books of 2018, Reviews, Reviews 2018

    The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle By Christina Uss Margaret Ferguson Books (an imprint of Holiday House) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-8234-4007-8 Ages 9-12 On shelves now. The term “quirky” has gotten a bad rap recently. I blamed forced quirk. Have you ever read or watched something where the book or movie is just trying too […]

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    Review of the Day: Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya

    Betsy Bird, October 11, 2018 | Best Books, Best Books of 2018, Reviews, Reviews 2018

    Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish By Pablo Cartaya Viking (an imprint of Penguin Random House) $16.99 ISBN: 9781101997260 Ages 9-12 On shelves now The other day a woman contacted me and wondered if I could offer any picture book/middle grade/ YA suggestions for a list of various topics. The list consisted of things like “OCD”, […]

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    Review of the Day: Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson

    Betsy Bird, July 13, 2018 | Best Books, Best Books of 2018, Reviews, Reviews 2018

    Harbor Me By Jacqueline Woodson Nancy Paulsen Books (an imprint of Penguin) $17.99 ISBN: 978-0-399-25252-5 Ages 9-12 On shelves August 28th A good book, whether it’s written for a nine-year-old, a nineteen-year-old, or a ninety-year-old can tilt your perspective, if only momentarily. Consider the concept of the “happy ending” and what it’s supposed to resemble. […]

    Read Post »

    Review of the Day: The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

    Betsy Bird, May 9, 2018 | Best Books, Best Books of 2018, Reviews, Reviews 2018

    The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl By Stacy McAnulty Random House Books for Young Readers $16.99 ISBN: 9781524767570 Ages 9-12 On shelves now The world would have us believe that the left brained and right brained amongst us can never see eye-to-eye. Think about it. How many times have you heard a perfectly intelligent person say […]

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    Review of the Day: The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

    Betsy Bird, April 19, 2018 | Best Books, Best Books of 2018, Reviews, Reviews 2018

    The Parker Inheritance By Varian Johnson Arthur A. Levine Books (an imprint of Scholastic) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-545-94617-9 Ages 9-12 On shelves now. The other day I was asked to come up with ten children’s book equivalents to Claudia Rankine’s book Citizen (which, should anybody ask you, is not for kids). To do this, I wanted […]

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    Review of the Day: The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez

    Betsy Bird, September 14, 2017 | Best Books, Best Books of 2017, Reviews, Reviews 2017

    The First Rule of Punk By Celia C. Perez Viking (an imprint of Penguin Random House) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-425-29040-8 Ages 9-12 On shelves now They don’t warn you in library school. They’ll tell you about all the cool children’s books you’ll get to read. They’ll stress how you’ll be able to make a difference in […]

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    Review of the Day: Patina by Jason Reynolds

    Betsy Bird, August 11, 2017 | Best Books, Best Books of 2017, Reviews, Reviews 2017

    Patina By Jason Reynolds Atheneum, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Books $16.99 ISBN: 978-1481450188 Ages 9-12 On shelves August 29th You cannot be a children’s librarian or an adult children’s book reviewer if you do not constantly remind yourself that you have to read outside your comfort zone on a regular basis. Our current […]

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