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Tag: middle grade fiction

April 11, 2025 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day: Candle Island by Lauren Wolk

Lauren Wolk's power is her ability to intrigue, enchant, and eventually surprise. A beautiful book that is about art while being art.

December 30, 2024 by Betsy Bird

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2024 Middle Grade Novels

Come and enjoy this eclectic collection of some of the most memorable fiction for older readers out in 2024.

August 8, 2024 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day: The Wrong Way Home by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Consider today's book for any kid who is ready to doubt everything they ever knew about narrators.

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Review of the Day: Mid Air by Alicia D. Williams

July 12, 2024 by Betsy Bird

Adept and fleet footed with nary a misstep, allow me to recommend a little something to wring your heart out and then pump it up all over again.

Review of the Day: Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu

May 10, 2024 by Betsy Bird

Somehow, Ursu has managed to write a legitimately scary ghost story (sorta) that’s also about accusations of hysteria, invisible illnesses, and issues in middle school.

Review of the Day: Slugfest by Gordon Korman

April 13, 2024 by Betsy Bird

Thanks to Slugfest, Korman has penned a book so enticing, so fun, so downright enjoyable, and so unapologetically sportsy, that it is impossible to resist. The book, quite frankly, that we’ve all been waiting for.

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Review of the Day: Ferris by Kate DiCamillo

March 8, 2024 by Betsy Bird

There’s an admirable level of confidence to Kate DiCamillo's writing, and Ferris, her latest title, takes that experience and knowledge, weaving it into her most personal book to date.

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2023 Middle Grade Fiction

December 30, 2023 by Betsy Bird

Today, I celebrate both the books that I loved and the books that my fellow, trusted librarians loved. It's not complete, but it is reliable.

Review of the Day: Maggie Lou, Firefox by Arnolda Dufour Bowes, ill. Karlene Harvey

November 25, 2023 by Betsy Bird

With more oomph and spit than a little book of this sort could possibly contain, Maggie represents the kind of slambang, fantastic personality you find only once in a blue moon. You’re not going to want to miss this one.

Review of the Day: Eb & Flow by Kelly J. Baptist

August 11, 2023 by Betsy Bird

A book that had me laughing and biting my nails in turn. Hard to think of any other title to compare to this.

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