Title: The Okay Witch Author: Emma Steinkellner Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Magical Realism Trigger Warning: Rating: 4 stars Release Date: September 3, 2019 Synopsis Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Roller Girl in this hilarious, one-of-a-kind graphic novel about a half-witch who has just discovered the truth about herself, her family, and her town and is doing her best to survive middle school now that she knows everything! Magic is harder than it looks. Thirteen-year-old Moth Hush loves all things witchy. But she’s about to discover that witches aren’t just the stuff of movies, books, and spooky stories. When some eighth-grade bullies try to ruin her Halloween, something really strange happens. It turns out that Founder’s Bluff, Massachusetts, has a centuries-old hi...

It's time for another week of Top Ten Tuesday! This week's prompt was childhood favorites, and it was a really fun list to write as I walked back through memory lane. I was only able to narrow it down to eleven, but all of these are great books, especially for kids but also I know that I want to reread now. I read all of these in elementary school and would like to thank the public library that let me read so many of these great series. So let's get started! Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan- Honestly, I cannot count how many times I actually managed to read this, especially the first time. I remember the first time I read The Battle of the Labyrinth on the way back from a trip from my dad, and I just love all of this honest...

Title : The Girls of Firefly Cabin Author: Cynthia Ellingsen Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary Trigger Warning:  Previous Character Death, Bullying Rating:  5 stars Release Date: May 1, 2019 Synopsis Lauren, Isla, Jade, and Archer meet the first day of summer camp, and friendship magic is made in Firefly Cabin. If only they could immortalize their summer memories by winning the contest to be the face of the camp’s website. But it won’t be easy; not with rival cabins, distracting crushes, and of course, the girl’s own secrets getting in the way. Can friendship—and the Fireflies—triumph over all? Review A special thank you to Edelweiss and Albert Whitman & Co for providing a free advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review. When I picked up this book, I was really hoping for a cute middle grade read about friendships and found families and I was not disappointed...

Title: Ronan Boyle and the Bridge of Riddles Author: Thomas Lennon Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy Trigger Warning:   Rating: 3 Stars Release Date: March 5, 2019 Synopsis Fourteen-year-old Ronan Boyle is the youngest and lowliest recruit to the secret Garda, an Irish police force that handles the misdeeds of numerous magical creatures. Ronan’s parents are in jail, but Ronan is convinced that they were framed by the wee people. So, despite his small size, poor eyesight, and social awkwardness, he’s determined to learn all he can in the Garda in order to prove his parents’ innocence. To show he’s got what it takes, he’ll have to confront a fiery leprechaun, a sinister harpy, and a whole world of monsters hidden in plain sight next to real-life Ireland. Fast paced, action packed, and completely hilarious, this is the start to an exciting new middle-grade series by actor and writer Thomas Lennon. Review A special thank you to Netgalley and Amulet Books (ABRAMS Kids) for ...

Top Ten Tuesday prompts are posted by  That Artsy Reader Girl This week's Top Ten Tuesday is about places in books I'd like to visit. I struggled coming up with ten, probably because I love dystopian novels but wouldn't want to visit the world despite loving the book. Also, I contemplated a few fantasy worlds (like that in Reign of Shadows) that I probably would not survive a vist to. Still, I was able to come up with a list of five-ish, all of which are fantasy worlds that I think would be really cool places to be able to visit. 1. Camp Half Blood The Percy Jackson and the Olympian series was the first "big kid" series that I fell in love with and I still love the first five books today. It would be amazing to get a chance to visit Camp Half Blood. Like, I know the basics of how it works, but it would be so cool to be able to experience everything firsthand. All of the cabins look different and it would be so cool to see that little hodgepodge collectio...

Title: Jake, Lucid Dreamer Author: David J. Naiman Genre: Middle Grade, Magical Realism, Fantasy Trigger Warnings: Death of a parent, bullying My Rating: 3 Stars Synopsis 12-year-old Jake has been suppressing his heartbreak over the loss of his mother for the past four years. But his emotions have a way of haunting his dreams and bubbling to the surface when he least expects it. When Jake learns how to take control in his dreams, he becomes a lucid dreamer, and that’s when the battle really heats up. Using his wits to dodge bullies by day and a nefarious kangaroo hopping ever closer by night, Jake learns about loss, bravery, the power of love, and how you cannot fully heal until you face your greatest fear. This uncompromising novel is a magical yet honest exploration of emotional healing after a devastating loss. Review A special thank you to Netgalley and Kwill Books for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. David J Naiman's Jake, ...

Title: Love, Aubrey Author: Suzanne LaFleur Genre: Middle Grade and Young Adult (it's a solid in-betweener), Contemporary Trigger Warnings: Death of a parent, death of a child, abandonment, neglect, depression Rating: 5 stars Synopsis "I had everything I needed to run a household: a house, food, and a new family. From now on it would just be me and Sammy–the two of us, and no one else." A tragic accident has turned eleven-year-old Aubrey’s world upside down. Starting a new life all alone, Aubrey has everything she thinks she needs: SpaghettiOs and Sammy, her new pet fish. She cannot talk about what happened to her. Writing letters is the only thing that feels right to Aubrey, even if no one ever reads them. With the aid of her loving grandmother and new friends, Aubrey learns that she is not alone, and gradually, she finds the words to express feelings that once seemed impossible to describe. The healing powers of friendship, love...

Title: The Dollar Kids Author: Jennifer Richard Jacobson Genre: Contemporary, Middle Grade Trigger Warnings: Gun violence, death of a child My Rating: 5 Stars Synopsis When a family buys a house in a struggling town for just one dollar, they’re hoping to start over — but have they traded one set of problems for another? Twelve-year-old Lowen Grover, a budding comic-book artist, is still reeling from the shooting death of his friend Abe when he stumbles across an article about a former mill town giving away homes for just one dollar. It not only seems like the perfect escape from Flintlock and all of the awful memories associated with the city, but an opportunity for his mum to run her very own business. Fortunately, his family is willing to give it a try. But is the Dollar Program too good to be true? The homes are in horrible shape, and the locals are less than welcoming. Will Millville and the dollar house be the ...

Title: Ruby in the Sky Author: Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo Genre: Contemporary, Middle Grade Trigger Warnings: Arrest, Death of a Parent, Bullying My Rating: 5 Stars Release Date: February 5, 2019 Synopsis Twelve-year-old Ruby Moon Hayes does not want her new classmates to ask about her father. She does not want them to know her mother has been arrested. And she definitely does not want to make any friends. Ruby just wants to stay as silent and invisible as a new moon in the frozen sky. She and her mother won’t be staying long in Vermont anyway, and then things can go back to the way they were before everything went wrong. But keeping to herself isn’t easy when Ahmad Saleem, a Syrian refugee, decides he’s her new best friend. Or when she meets “the Bird Lady,” a recluse named Abigail who lives in a ramshackle shed near Ruby’s house.? Before long Ahmad and Abigail have become Ruby’s friends—and she realizes there is more to ...