Tag: middle grade

Oct 15

{Review+Giveaway} The Fire Keeper by J.C. Cervantes & Illustrations by Irvin Rodriguez

The Fire Keeper is the second book in the Storm Runner series by J.C. Cervantes. The Storm Runner series is middle grade mythology fantasy series, and it is part of the Rick Riordan presents line. I have not read the first book in the Storm Runner series, and while there were a few parts where I was a little lost, It wasn’t too bad. I enjoyed this book, and am definitely excited to go back and read the first one now that I know it is part of a series. Before I get on to the book review, I just wanted to mention how much I love the Rick Riordan presents line from Disney Book Group. First, I am a huge Rick Riordan and Percy Jackson fan. The line uses Rick’s Editor and they are all hand selected by Rick himself. According to their Website, each of the books from the line feature “some type of middle grade adventure, with lots of humor and action, and probably draw on myth… Read more »

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Aug 03

{Review+Giveaway} Step into Magic by Day Leitao

Step into Magic is the first book in the middle grade fantasy series, Portals to Whyland by author Day Leitao. I thought Step into Magic was a solid first book in the series. In some ways, it was solidly in the middle grade category,, but in other ways I did think it was a little busy for a middle grade book, but I will get more into that in a bit. Step into Magic was a fun story about our main character Karina who find a pair of magic shoes, which leads her to a magic land. I really enjoyed the story and I can’t wait to pick up the second book in the Portals to Whyland series. Karina is fourteen, and what fourteen year old girl would not love to get swept away to a magical world to go on an adventure? What I loved about Step into Magic was that I was instantly hooked with the story. There was no slow start, we got to dive right… Read more »

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Jul 25

{Guest Post+Giveaway} #StarPassage Book 3: Honor & Mercy by @clarkrburbidge

Books that Have Significantly Influenced My Writing: There are too many to list them all. I will provide a quick list of ten for your information. I enjoy stories both true and fictional where the characters must reach inside themselves and find their greatness. Overcoming is a powerful read for me. It is the personal struggle during the challenge that makes a difference. Monsters in literature can be internal or external. But however they are constructed they are key to the story. No hero becomes such without overcoming something. It is the monsters that allow heroes to become heroes. This is true in our own lives as well. We too often see trials, challenges or disruption as overwhelming and by obsessing on our loss or the sudden change or bad luck we lose our way. But understanding that it is these very trials or personal monsters that provide us with the tools to become great changes the game. Our darkest hours then are seen in a new light as a… Read more »

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Jan 06

{Mini Review+Interview} We are Party People by @LeslieMargolis ‏

I am so excited to have Leslie Margolis here to chat parties and party people. Thank you for being here today Leslie! 1. Describe We Are Party People in a tweet (140 characters or less) One shy, quiet kid + mandatory mermaid costume = Catastrophe or triumph? Read on. 2. Can you describe your perfect party for me? (What are we celebrating? How many people are there? Where is it?) My perfect party is small and casual, with no occasion necessary. It is filled with artists and philosophers and activists. Everyone has outrageous stories to tell. There’s scintillating conversation, scrumptious food and drink and beautiful music. 3. What was the most fun part of writing We Are Party People? The best part of writing any novel is coming up with the initial idea and characters. Then, thinking about what could go wrong—and making it happen. I like my characters to suffer! Big-time nightmare scenarios are so much fun to read about. Don’t you think? 4. Tell us something we didn’t… Read more »

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Nov 21

{Review} #Whichwood by @TaherehMafi

Whichwood is a middle grade fantasy novel by Taherah Mafi. Even though this book is technically middle grade, I think it will appeal to fans of young adult books. It is a very detailed and long novel, and rather dark in some parts, and it felt like upper middle grade/lower young adult to me. I read, and really loved Furthermore last year. (you can check out my review here) So, I was super excited when I saw that a companion novel set in the same world was going to be released. So, it should come as no surprise that I absolutely loved Whichwood as well. It is a delightful book. Whichwood follows our main character, Laylee, who lives in the village of Whichwood. Whichwood is set in the same world as the village of Farenwood, but it is a totally different place. Farenwood is a town where colors come to life, and Whichwood is a town that is in stark contrast. Laylee finds herself becoming more and more colorless as… Read more »

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Oct 25

{Review} The Wolf Hour by @SaraLewisHolmes @AALBooks ‏@ScholasticBooks

The Wolf Hour is a middle Grade fairy tale by author Sara Lewis Holmes. I absolutely loved this story. It was such a treat for me to read. It was fun, creative, a little creepy and super cute all at once. I cannot wait for Sara Lewis Holmes next novel! I would recommend The Wolf Hour to readers of Middle grade and young adult alike. This book was excellent. It is about a town near the edge of the Forrest, where strange things keep happening. Girls go missing, or go mad. The Wolf Hour is such a unique concept, so even if my review does not do the book justice, still read it! You will love it, trust me! The Puszcza is a magical forest where the stories that we all know and love come to life. With some black magic from the witch, she can actually pull people into the stories to live them. The Wolf Hour is told in multiple perspectives, from the three pigs, to Magia- our main… Read more »

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Sep 15

{Guest Post+Giveaway} Children of Refuge by Margaret Peterson Haddix @mphaddix @SimonKIDS ‏

Welcome to Day #5 of the Children of Refuge Blog Tour! To celebrate the release of The Children of Refuge (Children of Exile #2) (9/12/17), blogs across the web are featuring exclusive content from Margaret Peterson Haddix and 10 chances to win a both books so far in the series! ——————————— Ten Terrible Titles Years ago I heard the advice that an author struggling to come up with a title for a book should read back through the entire manuscript; magically, she will find that the exact right combination of words has been hiding there all along.More recently I heard of the Terrible Titles game, where an author can scroll blindly through a manuscript, stop at random, and find comically awful title possibilities beneath the blinking cursor. As with many other seemingly contradictory “rules” about writing, I can easily believe that these two concepts could both be true. (And, really, the difference between “brilliant” and “terrible” is often the difference between working hard at something and thinking deeply about it, or… Read more »

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Aug 23

{ARC Review+Giveaway of #TaherehMafi ‘s favorite things} #Furthermore by @Tahereh Mafi

I loved Furthermore, and you will see why in my review below, but today’s post is a little something different. Because Furthermore takes place in Ferenwood, a town where color kind of takes on a life of it’s own, I decided to share some of my more colorful #bookstagram pictures with you. My feed has been very colorful lately (which is a big change from my normal wardrobe…) So, check out some brightly colored book pretties, check out my review and then be sure to enter the awesome giveaway below, which I partnered with Penguin Random House to offer. You can win a copy of Furthermore and some of Tahereh’s favorite things! Day 13: Book Rainbow. Seeing rainbows always makes me happy and seeing a book rainbow with all the brightly colored books makes me extra happy. This is the perfect way to start a Saturday 🙂 #thebooksparrowaugustbookchallenge16 A photo posted by @bookbriefs on Aug 13, 2016 at 6:30am PDT A little late but this picture took some time… Read more »

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Apr 06

{ARC Review} Don’t Stay Up Late by R.L. Stine

I used to love R.L. Stine so much as a kid. I read the books, I watched the shows. I just loved it. So when I found out that his Fear Street series was being re-launched I was super excited. What actually started my love of R.L. Stine was the tv show, “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” with the midnight society. I loved that show so much that I started looking for things like it, and I discovered the creepy magic that was R.L. Stine. Don’t Stay Up Late is actually the second book in the Fear Street series, but I never read the first book and I was fine. They are each a different scary story. I liked Don’t Stay Up Late. It transported me back to my childhood. It was a bit on the younger side for YA, so I think MG readers will enjoy it as well. It will be a great scary book for younger readers, and for YA readers looking for some new R.L…. Read more »

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Dec 28

{Review} She Dreamed of Dragons by Elizabeth J.M. Walker

She Dreamed of Dragons is a young adult book, although I think it would be better in the middle grade market, that creates a lovely new world of witches and mages. I liked the tension between the wiches and the mags because it added to the history behind them. Because they were in a constant feud, we actually learned a lot more about each of the races. There are all different kinds of mages, and one of the rarest of all is the dragon mage. I personally think the mages are more interesting than the witches. They have the power of various creatures living within them. She Dreamed of Dragons has a main character, but this is more of a book with a cast of characters. I liked the main girl, Trina and a few of the other characters, but for the most part the characters were kind of lackluster. And that was my main problem in this book. No one had any real depth, which is part of the… Read more »