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Tag: middle grade realistic fiction

April 13, 2024 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day: Slugfest by Gordon Korman

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.

November 25, 2023 by Betsy Bird

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

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.

August 11, 2023 by Betsy Bird

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

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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Review of the Day: Jawbreaker by Christina Wyman

July 20, 2023 by Betsy Bird

I dare you to read even two chapters and not be engulfed in the narrative. Smart and savvy, Jawbreaker is the novel you wish you had read as a kid and are grateful that kids get to read today.

Review of the Day: Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow

April 28, 2023 by Betsy Bird

This is for the kid who likes their humor to be complicated, their writing to be scintillating, and to never, ever, know what an author is going to do next.

Review of the Day: Hands by Torrey Maldonado

March 2, 2023 by Betsy Bird

Torrey taps into a kind of writing we've been in dire need of for a very long time. And with his authentic voice and whole heaping helpfuls of heart, his latest book Hands is one that your kids are NOT going to want to miss.

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Review of the Day: Undercover Latina by Aya de León

September 1, 2022 by Betsy Bird

Ms. de León takes a learning opportunity for kids and couches it in enough chase sequences and fistfights to almost make you forget how much information is crammed into this little package. Prepare for exciting nuance!!

Review of the Day: The Kaya Girl by Mamle Wolo

August 5, 2022 by Betsy Bird

From the food to the clothing, the weather to the history, this is a book worth discovering and adoring. Go on. Read it. You’ll feel lucky that you had.

Review of the Day: Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone by Tae Keller

July 14, 2022 by Betsy Bird

Typical bully books lack nuance. This book? A deeply nuanced take, unafraid to declare loudly that when it comes to human nature, there are no easy answers.

Review of the Day: Losers at the Center of the Galaxy by Mary Winn Heider

June 10, 2021 by Betsy Bird

In an era of information overload, Mary Winn Heider is the author who will lead us through the pandemonium into the light. Hand this to the kid that wants something smart and funny with a side order of turmoil for spice.

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