Tag: Middle Grade

Review: The Talent Thief by Mike Thayer

The Talent Thief by Mike Thayer narrated by Kate Coventry My Rating: 5 stars Genre: Contemporary Fiction with a bit of magic Age Category: Middle Grade Blurb: A girl with the ability to borrow other people’s talents must use her powers to find her own spotlight in The Talent Thief, a wish-fulfilling middle-grade novel from Mike Thayer, the author of The Double Life of Danny Day. Tiffany Tudwell is cursed. She once tripped over a backpack and fell face-first into a trashcan. She had pink eye on picture day. One time she tried to hold back a sneeze and farted […]

Posted February 12, 2024 by Lola in Contemporary, Review / 4 Comments

Review: Camp QUILTBAG by Nicole Melleby and A.J. Sass

Camp QUILTBAG Nicole Melleby and A.J. Sass My Rating: 4 stars Genre: Contemporary Fiction Age Category: Middle Grade Blurb: From the acclaimed authors of Hurricane Season and Ana on the Edge, an unforgettable story about the importance of and joy in finding a community, for fans of Alex Gino and Ashley Herring-Blake. Twelve-year-old Abigail (she/her/hers) is so excited to spend her summer at Camp QUILTBAG, an inclusive retreat for queer and trans kids. She can’t wait to find a community where she can be herself—and, she hopes, admit her crush on that one hot older actress to kids who will […]

Posted October 9, 2023 by Lola in Contemporary, Review / 4 Comments

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