Tag: Middle Grade

Review: Ellen Outside the Lines by A.J. Sass

Ellen Outside the Lines A.J. Sass My Rating: 5 stars Genre: Contemporary Age Category: Middle Grade Blurb: A heartfelt novel about a neurodivergent thirteen-year-old navigating changing friendships, a school trip, and expanding horizons for fans of Rain Reign and Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World. Thirteen-year-old Ellen Katz feels most comfortable when her life is well planned out and people fit neatly into her predefined categories. She attends temple with Abba and Mom every Friday and Saturday. Ellen only gets crushes on girls, never boys, and she knows she can always rely on her best-and-only friend, Laurel, to help navigate […]

Posted April 25, 2023 by Lola in Contemporary / 0 Comments

Review: The Final Trial by Kelley Armstrong

The Final Trial (Royal Guide to Monster Slaying #4) by Kelley Armstrong My Rating: 4 stars Genre: Fantasy Age Category: Middle Grade Type of romance: no romance Blurb: Rowan embarks on an expedition to prove once and for all that she is the rightful royal monster hunter, in the fourth and final book in this fantastical series by New York Times–bestselling author, Kelley Armstrong. The time has come! After discovering the true reason for the monster migration, Rowan is on an expedition to ultimately prove that she is worthy of the ebony monster-slaying sword on her back. She and her […]

Posted November 24, 2022 by Lola in Fantasy, Review / 1 Comment

Review: The Serpent’s Fury by Kelley Armstrong

The Serpent’s Fury (Royal Guide to Monster Slaying #3) by Kelley Armstrong My Rating: 4 stars Genre: Fantasy Age Category: Middle Grade Type of romance: no romance Blurb: Rowan faces her most dangerous monster-slaying challenge yet, confronting what could be the most infamous monster of all, in the third book in this fantastical series by New York Times bestselling author, Kelley Armstrong. Rowan is Tamarel’s Royal Monster Hunter, and her twin brother, Rhydd, will be its king. After the events of The Gryphon’s Lair, Rowan, along with her friends, her brother and an entourage of monstrous companions, makes her way […]

Posted November 29, 2021 by Lola in Fantasy, Review / 4 Comments

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