Tag: Middle Grade

Review: Maybe a Mermaid by Josephine Cameron

Maybe a Mermaid by Josephine Cameron narrated by Karissa Vacker My Rating: 4 stars Genre: Contemporary/ Magical Realism Age Category: Middle Grade Type of romance: no romance Blurb: A summer romp full of mystery, new friends, and maybe a mermaid! Eleven-year-old Anthoni Gillis is not the kind of kid who believes in fairies, unicorns, or even the word maybe. She’s more of a comic-books girl. So when her mom brings her to Thunder Lake for a summer at the Showboat Resort, she doesn’t believe the local rumors about the Boulay Mermaid. Anthoni has bigger fish to fry. She’s always wanted […]

Posted October 9, 2020 by Lola in Contemporary, Review / 2 Comments

Review: The Gryphon’s Lair by Kelley Armstrong

The Gryphon’s Lair (Royal Guide to Monster Slaying #2) by Kelley Armstrong My Rating: 4 stars Genre: Fantasy Age Category: Middle Grade Type of romance: no romance Blurb: The exciting follow-up book in the fantastical duology for ages 10-14 by NYT bestselling author, Kelley Armstrong. Rowan is now the Royal Monster Hunter, and her twin brother, Rhydd, is destined to be king. But her mother’s cousin Heward is still determined that his children be the ones to inherit the titles, and will stop at nothing to show that Rowan and Rhydd are too immature to properly lead. After the gryphon […]

Posted August 13, 2020 by Lola in Fantasy / 6 Comments

Review: A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong

A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying (Royal Guide to Monster Slaying #1) by Kelley Armstrong My Rating: 4 stars Genre: Fantasy Age Category: Middle Grade Blurb: Twelve-year-old Rowan is next in line to be Queen; her twin brother, Rhydd, to be Royal Monster Hunter. Rowan would give anything to switch places, but the oldest child is always next in line, even if she is only older by two minutes. She resigns herself to admiring her monster-hunting aunt’s glorious sword and joining her queen mother for boring diplomatic teas. But tragedy shatters the longstanding rule, and Rowan finds herself hunting the […]

Posted January 23, 2020 by Lola in Fantasy, Review / 6 Comments

Review: The Summer of Bad Ideas by Kiera Stewart

The Summer of Bad Ideas by Kiera Stewart Rating: 3 stars Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Blurb: In this funny, big-hearted friendship story, perfect for fans of Wendy Mass and Linda Urban, twelve-year-old Edie and her impossibly cool cousin, Rae, set out to complete a mysterious list of “Good Ideas for Summertime” that their eccentric late grandmother wrote back when she was their age. But good ideas? Most of them seem like bad ideas. Reckless. Foolish. Ridiculous. Still, by accomplishing everything on the list, rule-abiding Edie feels certain that she can become the effortlessly brave adventurer she dreams of being, just […]

Posted May 2, 2017 by Lola in Contemporary, Review / 10 Comments

Review: Sunborn Rising Beneath the Fall by Aaron Safronoff

Sunborn Rising: Beneath the Fall (Sunborn Rising #1) by Aaron Safronoff Rating: 4 stars Blurb: Cerulean is on the brink of collapse. The decay wasn’t fast, it wasn’t obvious, but now the world stands on the precipice. Woven forests floating on an ocean around a star, Cerulean’s once vibrant treescape has grown dim over generations of arboreal life, and the creatures of the forest have forgotten the light. Barra, a young, willful Listlespur, finds her late father’s hidden journal, and reads about his discovery of Cerulean’s brighter past and the mysterious plague he believed has all but destroyed it. He […]

Posted June 29, 2016 by Lola in Fantasy, Review / 8 Comments

Review: The Case of the Wilted Broccoli by Will Hertling

The Case of the Wilted Broccoli by Will Hertling Rating: 4 stars Blurb: Willow and her brothers, Elon and Linden, want to build the best science fair project ever, and their plan to build a quadcopter that can fly itself is sure to win. But they’re up against stiff competition, including Willow’s best friends. The science fair takes an unexpected backseat when students at Mt. Hood Elementary start getting sick, including Willow. Everyone thinks it’s just a stomach flu, but Willow suspects there’s something wrong with the school lunches. Willow, Elon, and Linden will have to work together, using their […]

Posted June 18, 2016 by Lola in Mystery, Review / 4 Comments

Review: True Colors by Krysten Lindsay Hager

True Colors (Landry’s True Colors #1) by Krysten Lindsay Hager Blurb; Landry Albright just wants to be one of the interesting girls at school who always have exciting things going on in their lives. She wants to stand out, but also wants to fit in, so she gives in when her two best friends, Ericka and Tori, push her into trying out for a teen reality show modeling competition with them. Landry goes in nervous, but impresses the judges enough to make it to the next round. However, Ericka and Tori get cut and basically “unfriend” her on Monday at […]

Posted May 21, 2016 by Lola in Contemporary, Review / 6 Comments