The Iron Trial Magisterium #1 by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare Fantasy Mystery Tween * * * * Stars (Great!) Callum Hunt is going to do his best to fail his entrance exam to the Magisterium. His father has warned him that magic is dangerous and the mages will try to kill him, and despite these warnings and his own fear and misgivings, he is taken on as an apprentice by one of the Masters. … Read more
Long Road to the Circus by Betsy Bird Historical Fiction Tween/Grades 4-8 * * * Stars (Pretty good) 12-year-old Suzy Bowles wants to see the world, but she’s stuck on a farm in a small town in Michigan where no one ever seems to leave (or even wants to). When her uncle and his family come to live with them, she makes it her business to find out where he disappears to every morning before … Read more
Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles Realistic Fiction Juvenile Fiction Grades 3-7 * * * Stars (Pretty good) Comfort Snowberger’s family runs Snowberger’s Funeral Home Empire in Snapfinger, Mississippi. After her great great aunt Florentine passes away, the family has to attend its own services, and each of them deal with grief in their own way. For Comfort, she loves and misses her aunt, but because her aunt was older and was always … Read more
Fifty-Four Things Wrong with Gwendolyn Rogers by Caela Carter Realistic Fiction Tween (grades 4-8) * * * * Stars (Great!) Gwendolyn Rogers is a neurodivergent 5th grader who, after hoping for a specific diagnosis that would allow her to receive some assistance in school and some understanding from her community only learns that there are 54 things wrong with her that don’t add up to anything. She obsesses over the list of things (which she … Read more
Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles Realistic Fiction Tween * * * * * Stars (Amazing) I would give this book a 5/5 because it is about a girl who deals with death. The first time I read this, was just after my Aunt passed away. So, this book helped me with my grief.
The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor by Shaenon K. Garrity & Christopher Baldwin Adventure Funny Graphic Novel Supernatural Tween * * * Stars (Pretty good) Haley loves gothic novels like “Wuthering Heights,” so she’s not too traumatized when she gets sucked into an alternate/gasket universe – Willowweep Manor – that follows all the same rules as the stories she adores. Unfortunately, Willowweep Manor is under attack by an evil being from another world that is … Read more
When Stars Are Scattered Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed Graphic Novel Realistic Fiction (based on true story) Tween * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Omar and his younger brother Hassan fled their village in Somalia when it was overrun by men with guns. They made their way, along with other refugees, to a camp in Kenya where they waited for years for something to happen – to find their mother who became separated from … Read more
Sunny Makes a Splash Sunny #4 by Jennifer and Matthew Holm Graphic Novel Historical Fiction Realistic Fiction Tween (grades 4+) * * * * Stars (Great!) Summer is here! And most of Sunny’s friends are off doing other things while Sunny is home babysitting her little brother. Until she lucks into a job at the pool working at the concession stand. She makes lots of new friends there among the life guards and gets to … Read more
Horse Trouble by Kristin Varner Juvenile Graphic Novel Realistic Fiction Tween * * * Stars (Pretty good) Kate is a middle schooler who loves horses and has been obsessed with them since she was 7 (she’s now 12). Although she can’t afford to have her own horse, she has been taking riding lessons over the past 4 years and is becoming an accomplished rider, though she does seem to fall off a lot. She pays … Read more
A Witch Alone Apprentice Witch #2 by James Nicol Fantasy Juvenile Fiction Mystery Tween Young Adult Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) Arianwyn’s experience with the forgotten glyphs brings her to the attention of the High Elder, who wants her to go on a quest to retrieve a special book that is supposed to contain more of them. Although Arianwyn will have companions, they aren’t allowed to reveal the true purpose of their mission. … Read more