Icefall
by Matthew J. Kirby
Part historical, part coming of age, part mystery, Solveig must come into her own and find who is the culprit behind the betrayal of her friends and family in a frozen wilderness... and decide how to tell her own story of what happened. This is a lovely little piece, full of suspense, humanity and a young girl finding her own place in a society where she has never exactly fit any role.
Accelerated Reading level: generic 4
Lexile: 670L
- Hardcover: 336 pages
- Publisher: Scholastic Press (October 2011)
- ISBN-10: 0545274249
-- amazon (look inside available)
City of Orphans
by Avi
**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** Booklist
**Starred Review** Publisher's Weekly
**Starred Review** GoodBooksforKids
Avi’s usually been a good bet for me in the past, but this historical novel set on the lower east side at the turn of the century is one of my favorites. Concise and vivid, a newsie and an orphan girl band together to help save his sister from being framed for theft. It’s a great introduction for new readers to this time period and setting, and a great story. Being a New Yorker myself makes it even more delightful.
Accelerated Reading level: generic 4
- Hardcover: 368 pages
- Publisher: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books (September 2011)
- ISBN-10: 1416971025
-- amazon (look inside available)
The Floating Islands
by Rachel Neumeier
This is a case of not judging the book by its cover. It’s an awful cover, looks boring and ponderous and . . . well not much fun for a gal who likes a really imaginative story. Don’t let that fool you. It’s one of the best pure fantasy stories I’ve read in a while. Full of exotic islands with men that fly through the air, a wizard school that finds you if your talented enough, and a war brewing. There’s enough story between both male and female protagonists to satisfy readers and while there’s potential for further storytelling, it’s a good stand alone as well.
Accelerated Reading level: 6.0 (17 points)
AR Quiz: 142175
Accelerated Reading level: 6.0 (17 points)
AR Quiz: 142175
- Hardcover: 400 pages
- Word Count: 106,084
- Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (February 2011)
- ISBN-10: 0375847057
-- amazon (look inside available)
A Monster Calls
by Patrick Ness
**Starred Review** Publisher's Weekly
**Starred Review** GoodBooksforKids
Oh my. One of those books that will tear out your heart and make you cry and you can only keep turning pages because it’s that amazing and powerful to read. Our young teen protagonist is dealing with the emotional turmoil of his mother slowly dying from cancer when he is visited by a monstrous yew tree at night. A powerful and cathartic journey through pain, grief and love, with the struggle to survive and come out the other side. This isn’t an easy or fun book, but it is a stunning book.
Accelerated Reading level: generic 4
Accelerated Reading level: generic 4
- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: Candlewick (September 2011)
- ISBN-10: 0763655597
-- amazon (look inside available)
Circus Galacticus
by Deva Fagan
In counterpoint to the book above, this one is just pure fun. Space opera of the first order. Beatrix yearns to be special, to escape the hum drum prison life has become. When an intergalactic circus comes to town, she gets her chance. But joining the circus and swooping through space on this wild ride has its own troubles and dangers. Will Trix survive and learn to find her own place in the universe?
Accelerated Reading level: generic 5
Accelerated Reading level: generic 5
- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; None edition (November 15, 2011)
- ISBN-10: 054758136X
-- amazon
The Inquisitor’s Apprentice
by Chris Moriarty
**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** Publisher's Weekly
**Starred Review** GoodBooksforKids
Another book set in NYC, but this one has an alternate timeline, a world of magic use and some dangerous characters on the loose! Sascha never dreamed of being involved in anything to do with magic, he was just a good Jewish boy from the Lower East Side . But his ability to see magic lands him willy-nilly in an apprenticeship with the city’s Inquisitor. And there’s trouble brewing that only the Inquisitor and his new apprentices can put a stop to! Great worldbuilding with a few twists I’ve never seen before. While I think the writing has room to improve, I’m delighted enough with this one to see what else Moriarty cooks up!
Accelerated Reading level: generic 5
- Hardcover: 356 pages
- Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (October 2011)
- ISBN-10: 0547581351
-- amazon (look inside available)
So, just a few of my overall favorites from this year!
Happy Reading! ^_^ Shanshad
2 comments :
I've heard a lot about A Monster Calls (enough to intrigue me) but I'm curious that you would define it as "middle grade". Based on the difficult subject matter (and the fact that most readers seem to define it as "young adult"), I'd just assumed that this was geared for older teenagers more so than for younger ones. What age groups would you say this is appropriate for?
We've had some discussion about that here in the library system too. But the fact is, despite the tough subject matter, this really is a middle grade book (5th and 6th) rather than a young adult book. The protagonist is only 13 years old, and his concerns and reactions are those of a thirteen year old.
My first thought when I saw this was YA, but now, while I think a young adult audience could read and appreciate this as a crossover book, there is no reason not to include it in middle grade fiction. A Monster Calls isn't the kind of fun book most kids will automatically pick up, but it is already being used for class reads and as bibliotherapy.
It really, unapologetically puts the reader in the mind and emotions of a thirteen year old boy dealing with what is probably the hardest thing he's ever had to face. It's a book where you cry at the end. It's a book that kids should read and probably discuss.
Parents and siblings and friends dying is not anything particularly new in middle grade fiction (heck, that's a main part of Charlotte's Web), but often the treatment is gentle with the idea of comfort and easing of pain. Ness's book takes away the comfort and taps into the rage, the blame, the denial, the sheer sleeting emotional storm that this protagonist is going through and I think it is a good thing.
I'd never simply hand this book to a child not knowing their taste and capacity for heavy subjects, but I have several strong readers who I think would appreciate this immensely.
Hope this answers your question!
--Shan
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