middle grade book

Book Review: A Wish in the Dark

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A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

A Wish in the Dark
by Christina Soontornvat (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

Pong was born in prison, and he escapes with a tattoo that marks him as a criminal. A kindly monk takes him and covers the mark with bracelets. Each bracelet represents a blessing. Pong hides in plain sight, joining the monks in their prayers and charitable deeds.
Nok, the daughter of the prison warden, is determined to prove herself by tracking down the escaped prisoner and bringing him to justice. However, she begins to realize that justice and the law might not always agree.

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Book Review: Skyriders – The Sky King

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The Sky King by Polly Holyoke

The Sky King (Skyriders)
by Polly Holyoke (Goodreads Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars
In this second book, Kie is grieving for the losses her nation suffered during the chimerae war of the previous book. She has terrible nightmares of the people she saw killed in the war, and her greatest fear is that she will again be placed in a position to relay more orders that send skysteeds and their riders to their deaths in battle. When she is asked to accompany the prince on a diplomatic mission to the wild skysteeds, Kie is hopeful that they will be able to convince the king of the wild skysteeds to help them defend their land against the chimerae. However, Kie’s skysteed N’Rah disagrees with her. For the first time, they have a serious disagreement and they have to learn to navigate their delicate relationship in a new way.

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Book Review: Skyriders

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Skyriders by Polly Holyoke

Skyriders
by Polly Holyoke (Goodreads Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars

In a land where human riders can communicate telepathically with their pegasus steeds, one man has made a special study of how the ancient peoples fought off a scourge of monsters called chimerae. When the chimerae return, he entrusts a book full of his research to his niece, Kie. She and her stysteed, N’Rah, must take the book to the capital city and somehow convince the emperor to use these ancient battle techniques. Kie has been practicing using special weapons that her uncle taught her about, and she is hoping to demonstrate how effective they are against the monsters.

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Book Review: Handbook for Dragon Slayers

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Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell

Handbook for Dragon Slayers
by Merrie Haskell (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

Princess Tilda thinks that her townspeople hate her because they believe her deformed foot is unlucky or cursed. She hobbles around the castle on crutches, and the maids make a sign against the evil eye behind her back. Tilda wishes she could run away from her princess duties and be free to write her own book as a scribe. When her cousin tries to steal the family lands, Tilda is rescued by two dragon slayers and they start tracking down a dragon to kill. The only problem is… these dragon slayers have never actually killed a dragon.

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Book Review: Hannah Edwards: Secrets of Riverway

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Hannah Edwards by Ashley Hards

Hannah Edwards: Secrets of Riverway
by Ashley Hards (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars

Hannah’s father has disappeared and the police don’t seem to be doing much to solve the mystery. Hannah and her friend Sam are determined to find out what happened and find Hannah’s father. Although Sam claims that he has seen a ghost that looks like Hannah’s father, Hannah is not ready to admit that her father could be dead. They begin exploring the occult, using a Ouija board to try to contact the ghost.

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Book Review: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Wrath of the Triple Goddess

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Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan

Wrath of the Triple Goddess (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #7)
by Rick Riordan (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

Percy needs three recommendation letters from three gods in order to get into college with Annabeth next year. So he teams up with Annabeth and Grover for a few last quests to earn those godly recommendation letters. Their second task is to pet-sit a polecat and hellhound for the scary triple goddess, Hecate. These pets are terrifying and wild, and Hecate’s home is a creepy mansion full of secrets and weird bathrooms. The pets do not look friendly, but Percy is determined to follow Hecate’s instructions and keep the pets alive and well for the entire week. All while trying to pass his regular school classes and graduate senior year.

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Book Review: The Lemonade War

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The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies

The Lemonade War
by Jacqueline Davies

4 out of 5 stars

A brother and sister start a competition to see who can make the most money running a lemonade stand. Evan is extroverted and popular. He loves to talk to people, and is great at getting customers to stop and buy lemonade. But Jessie is a math genius, and she knows how to organize the business for optimal sales. They are both determined to win and prove that they are the best, but underneath they just want to repair their relationship.

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Book Review: The Other Shepards

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The Other Shepards by Adele Griffin

The Other Shepards
by Adele Griffin (Goodreads Author)

2.5 out of 5 stars
Sisters Geneva and Holland are constantly living in the shadow of their deceased siblings, who died before they were born. Everyone they meet has a story about the siblings, and the girls can’t seem to grow up in their own way without everyone comparing them to their deceased older siblings. Annie is a painter who comes to their home to help them paint a mural in the kitchen. Geneva and Holland find a freedom in her company, and she encourages them to express themselves and begin to heal.

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Book Review: Water Sky

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Water Sky by Jean Craighead George

Water Sky
by Jean Craighead George

4 out of 5 stars

Lincoln Noah visits Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost town in all of the United States. He stays with some friends of his father, the Ologak family. The head of the family, Vincent Ologak, is the captain of a whaling team who camp out on the ice. They have a quota of only a few whales that they are legally allowed to hunt each year. Lincoln’s uncle came to Barrow years ago to protest against the whales being hunted, but Lincoln hasn’t heard from him in a long time. Lincoln is hoping to find out what happened to his uncle, but no one will talk about him. Lincoln joins the Ologak whaling team and finds out why whaling is so central to the Iñupiat culture.

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Book Review: Ellie in First Position

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Ellie in First Position by Brian Freschi

Ellie in First Position: A Graphic Novel
by Brian Freschi

4 out of 5 stars

This graphic novel follows Ellie, who is very awkward and clumsy when it comes to sports. Her mother encourages her to try a lot of different sports so that she can make friends with her teammates. However, Ellie only wants to draw and dance. She takes after her artistic father who is a musician. Ellie makes friends with some kids who take ballet classes, and secretly learns a few dance moves, but her mother refuses to pay for ballet lessons, saying all that frou-frou stuff is a waste of time. But Ellie knows that she could be good at dance if only she was given a chance!

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