I have tried to participate in Middle Grade March before, but have only done so very passively, only reading the minimum of one middle grade book. I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself, but this year I would love to try to read more. I at least want to read the group book for this year, The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
Today I wanted to pay homage to my favorite middle grade books of all time. With Middle Grade March beginning tomorrow, these books are also some great options for any last minute TBR.
This book was one of my all time favorites. I read it no less than three times growing up, and I still think about it all the time. This is the story of Primrose, who's parents were lost at sea, as she finds a new family among the citizens of the town of Coal Harbour. There's also an important restaurant where everything is served on a waffle, which is reason enough to pick up this book up immediately! It's sweet and heartwarming, and there are recipes at the end of each chapter! It's sure to make you hungry, but your heart will be full!
I was taken completely by surprise when I read this book for the first time. This is not just a simple story about the friendship between a cat and a dog. There are so many more layers to it, and I think this book is one of the most underrated middle grade books ever. At its heart, this book is a sweet animal story of friendship and loyalty, but there's so so so much more to it. I can't say too much, because surprise is the best part of reading this book. It covers darker topics than other children's books, with themes of sacrifice and redemption. The chapters are short and you can easily fly through it. The illustrations are stunning, and the writing is lyrical and beautiful. If you only pick up one book from this list, I highly recommend this one!
I read this book shortly after it first came out, and I absolutely loved it! It's such a fun, original story of a blind thief, a magical world, and some mysterious pairs of enchanted glass eyes. This book is not your typical children's fantasy book. It doesn't take itself too seriously in tone, but the themes are so great. I love the characters and the world. The journey that Peter Nimble goes on to discover the origins of the glass eyes is incredible and will keep you on the edge of your seat. I desperately need to read all of Jonathan Auxier's books!
This is another book from my childhood, and is one I believe everyone should read. It's an extremely short and quiet book, but so incredibly powerful. Every time I have read it, I have not been able to put it down, always finishing it in one sitting whether I intended to or not. This story follows Wanda, a girl living in poverty who is ridiculed by her classmates for her claims of owning a hundred dresses. None of them believe that poor Wanda could own that many dresses, since she wears the same ragged dress every day. From there, the story explores the deep layers of the issue of bullying and how it affects the different people involved. It's an amazing book that I would recommend to everyone!
This is the book that was my favorite book of all time when I was in late elementary school, and is one that I believe led me to my huge love of historical fiction. This book is set in colonial Connecticut in an extremely conservative town. Kit moves into the home of her aunt and uncle in the colony after living her whole life in Barbados. With Kit's unconventional manors, she is labeled a witch. From there, the story follows Kit as she finds herself and grows in spite of the tensions of the society. Anything by Elizabeth George Speare is incredible, but this one in particular is so so so good. It is a book that has stuck with me always.
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What are your favorite middle grade books? Are you participating in Middle Grade March?
10 comments
I haven't read any of these, but after reading your mini reviews I'll have to check them out!! ;) Some of my favorite MG books are:
ReplyDelete- Wonder by R.J. Palacio
- The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
- Counting by Sevens by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Have a lovely March, Hannah! <333
I love The Girl Who Drank the Moon too! I hope you have a great March as well!
DeleteOne of my sisters started all of us girls (my many sisters and a sister-in-law) on Three Times Lucky and the rest of the Mo and Dale series. They are middle grade books set in a small town in the Carolinas I think. A hilarious middle-school girl narrator with tons of vibrant quirky people in the book. They are just so much fun. The overall atmosphere reminded me of another writer, Natalie Lloyd whose A Snicker of Magic and A Key to Extraordinary are also set in small town south although these are magical realism.
ReplyDeleteThe Penderwicks books 1-4 are favs as well. And The Faerie Rebels and Swift and Nomad (she's working on book 3 for this connected trilogy) by RJ Anderson I'm not sure if these are middle-grade or YA. They feel like Harry Potter which also straddles the genre. And they aren't silly like YA.
Ahhh these are great recommendations! I'll check them out soon!
DeleteI've never heard of Middle Grade March! Middle grade is one of my favorite genres though, so I'll definitely have to hop on board. :) Some of the books on this list are vaguely familiar to me, but I don't really remember reading them! I distinctly remember needing to read The Witch of Blackbird Pond for school, though not what it's about. :/
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorites:
-The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunshine by Dan Gemeinhart
-Some Kind of Happiness by Clare Legrand
-City of Ghosts by VE Schwab
-A Series of Unfortunate Events
Def recommend all of these!!
I just finished A Series of Unfortunate Events and loved it! Middle Grade books are pretty great!
DeleteI haven't heard of Middle-Grade March, but it sounds amazing as MG books are among my favorite genres (totally not biased by the fact that my debut was MG, lol).
ReplyDeleteThe Girl Who Drank the Moon book that you have pictured is definitely one of my favorites, along with The Witch's Boy (by the same author), A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Chronicles of Narnia, and so so many others! I will have to find a MG book on my TBR to read this month for sure now...
I've read most of those and can definitely co-sign on how they're amazing! I hope you're able to participate!
DeleteI really liked Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes!! I read that a few months ago. However, I think the sequel Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard is even better. Definitely read that one! :D
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to pick that one up, so I guess I definitely have to soon!
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