middle grade book

Comic Review: We Found a Monster

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We Found a Monster by Kirk Scroggs

We Found a Monster
by Kirk Scroggs
4 out of 5 stars

Casey writes in his art journal to tell us the story of how monsters keep finding him! There’s a vampire in the attic, and gremlins in the basement. Frankenstein keeps recharging his brain batteries and making the electric bill go up. A huge cephalopod lives in the kiddie pool in the backyard. When a new girl arrives at school, Casey finds out that she is interested in monsters too. And there is a new pink monster in town.

I love the colorful art style! It really draws the reader into the story. The colors are so bright and fun. I love the funny expressions on the characters’ faces. Some of the sketches are just pencil drawings, and some are filled-in with color. It really looks like someone’s journal with text and illustrations thrown all over the page.

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Comic Review: Teen Titans Go! Roll with It

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Teen Titans Go! Roll With It! by Heather Nuhfer

Teen Titans Go! Roll With It!
by Heather Nuhfer, P.C. Morissey, Agnes Garbowska, Sandy Jarrell
4 out of 5 stars

Robin has gathered the Teen Titans to play an exciting game of Basements and Basilisks. The friends just want to have fun, but Robin wants to force everyone to follow the rules and make the game difficult. Jinx puts them under a spell to stay in the game, and only Robin can save the day. That is… if he can let go of the rules.

I liked the comedy in this comic! Robin is always getting up to crazy hijinks and ruining everyone’s game experience with his insane determination to make the game impossibly difficult. He is always trying to prove that he is the fastest, smartest, biggest hero, and that is the perfect backdrop for some truly hilarious failures.

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Graphic Novel Review: The Inkberg Enigma

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The Inkberg Enigma by Jonathan King

The Inkberg Enigma
by Jonathan King
4 out of 5 stars

This graphic novel centers on a bookish young man, Miro, who lives in a fishing village where his father works in a history museum. There are strange occurrences around the town, and the fishermen have secrets to hide. Miro’s new friend, Zia, takes a photograph of a fisherman who has been attacked at sea, the local fishermen warn Miro and Zia to stay away and keep quiet about what they saw. But of course, they begin to investigate the weird phenomena around town.

I loved this book! The characters, the interesting plot, and the world-building are all excellent.

I liked that Miro is a bookworm, and spends his life diving into books but never having any real adventures. Each of the characters has their own vivid personality and backstory.

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Book Review: Starcross

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Starcross by Philip Reeve

Starcross (Larklight, #2)
by Philip Reeve (Goodreads Author), David Wyatt (Illustrator)
5 out of 5 stars

Myrtle and Arthur are having adventures again! This time they are visiting a seaside hotel called Starcross located in the asteroid belt. There are mysterious disappearances and strange beings lurking around the hotel, and it’s up to Myrtle and Arthur and their friends to save the empire!

I loved everything about this book! The plot, the characters, the hilarious writing, the world-building, the mystery, the adventure, and every single dramatic chapter all kept me reading for hours on end. This is one of those books where there isn’t a good place to stop reading. You just have to keep going through the next chapter and the next.

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Book Review: Borrowers Afield

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The Borrowers Afield by Mary Norton

The Borrowers Afield (The Borrowers #2)
by Mary Norton, Beth Krush (Illustrator), Joe Krush (Illustrator)
4 out of 5 stars

I love seeing how the Borrowers survive in the wild, fighting off insects, gathering nuts and berries, and finding shelter in an old boot. The plot in this book has so many interesting little twists and turns, as the Clock family meet Spiller, a Borrower who lives in the fields and hedges.

They are such funny characters with grit and determination. Pod is resourceful and serious, but cracks a joke now and then. Homily is fearful, but has a reserve of inner fortitude that comes up in a crisis. Arrietty is adorable and sweet, plucky and adventurous and playful. Spiller is mysterious and taciturn. I just love them all!

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Book Review: The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre

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The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine

The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre (The Two Princesses of Bamarre, #0.5)
by Gail Carson Levine (Goodreads Author)
3 out of 5 stars

Perry is the adopted daughter of Lakti noble parents, but her real parents are Bamarre servants. Her true bloodline is kept a secret, because the Bamarre people are considered inferior and cowardly. The fairy Halina visits Perry and urges her to embrace her true heritage and free the Bamarre people from Lakti tyranny. With the help of a magic tablecloth, seven-league boots, and a perfect disguise, Perry plunges into espionage and rebellion. But can she ever escape her Lakti upbringing and be accepted by the Bamarre?

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Book Review: Ogre Enchanted

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Ogre Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Ogre Enchanted (Ella Enchanted, #0.5)
by Gail Carson Levine (Goodreads Author)
3 out of 5 stars

Evie is a teenage healer, always concocting potions for her best friend, Wormy. When he proposes, she says no, and the fairy Lucinda curses her to be an ogre until she accepts a marriage proposal. Any marriage proposal from anyone. Evie travels to the Fens, hoping to learn the art of persuasion from the ogres who live there. Life as an ogre is more difficult than she imagined, but Evie becomes known as the healer ogre. She searches for someone who will awaken her ability to love, and hopes that someone will propose to her. But she isn’t even sure what love is supposed to feel like.

I was disappointed in this book.
The story was oddly disjointed, and there were several things that seemed exceedingly far-fetched, even for a fairytale world. The ending was rushed, and the relationships felt forced. The characters are okay, but I wasn’t amazed with their personalities or the bland character development.

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Book Review: How to Get Away with Myrtle

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How to Get Away with Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce

How to Get Away with Myrtle (Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery 2)
by Elizabeth C. Bunce 
5 out of 5 stars

Myrtle is traveling by train for a holiday at the seaside, when a priceless tiara is stolen and one of the train passengers is murdered. The local police are incompetent, and only Myrtle and her irrepressible governess, Miss Judson, can solve the case and bring justice to the murderer. But how is a Proper Young Lady supposed to adhere to the Rules of Etiquette AND have the freedom to run around the beach solving crimes? Especially with mean Aunt Helena criticizing her every move.

I cannot describe how much I loved this second book in the Myrtle series!
One of the things that made me fall in love with this book is the incredible character development. I love how the main characters change their minds, discover new information, grow in their personalities and abilities, and suddenly realize that their relationships with other characters can be different.

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Book Review: Larklight

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Larklight by Philip Reeve
Larklight (Larklight, #1)
by Philip Reeve (Author), David Wyatt (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

Arthur and his sister Myrtle live in a space home in an outer orbit of the Moon, and they find it very boring. Nothing ever happens in such a remote area of space, and they long to travel to Earth, or see the colonies on Mars, or visit the exciting moons of Jupiter. One day their home is visited by a mysterious stranger named Mr. Webster, and they are thrown into an adventure that takes them across the solar system with pirates, ancient civilizations, and alien spies.

I loved everything about this book! The plot, the characters, the hilarious writing, the world-building, the mystery, the adventure, and every single dramatic chapter all kept me reading for hours on end. This is one of those books where there isn’t a good place to stop reading. You just have to keep going through the next chapter and the next. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Rising Star of Rusty Nail

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The Rising Star of Rusty Nail by Lesley M.M. Blume
The Rising Star of Rusty Nail
by Lesley M.M. Blume

3 out of 5 stars

Franny is a piano prodigy in a backwards country town. When a mysterious Russian musician arrives in town, Franny begs her to teach piano lessons.

I was not impressed with this book. As a piano teacher myself, I was hoping for something more, but it was pretty basic. Most of the book is about the townspeople and their little country lives. It’s supposed to be funny, but I wasn’t laughing. I was annoyed with the ignorant people. I didn’t like any of the characters. The children are all brats. The adults are all incompetent. The characters are one-dimensional. The writing is good, but not amazing. Continue reading →