Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday (#MMGM) Book Review: Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly

Publication Date: Feb. 5th, 2019

From the Publisher: 

Twelve-year-old Iris has never let her deafness slow her down. A whiz at fixing electronics, she's always felt at home in the world of wires and vacuum tubes.
School, on the other hand, isn't quite as simple. Between her frustrating teacher Ms. Conn and her overly helpful classmate Nina, Iris can't seem to catch a break.
But during science class, Iris learns about Blue 55—the loneliest whale in the world. Saddened by the animal's inability to speak to other whales, Iris uses her tech skills to come up with a plan communicate with Blue 55.

One small problem: the whale is swimming off the coast of Alaska, nearly 3,000 miles from her Texas home. But, nothing stops Iris, and with her Deaf grandmother by her side, she sets out on a road trip to meet the whale and make sure he's finally heard.



My Thoughts:

Such a great look into what it means to be Deaf--I learned so much. This book was truly food for thought, and stuck with me long after reading.

The science angle gave the book extra depth, and the whale story gave it heart. I really loved Iris, the main character, and her family. There were a few moments (the horrible teacher in the beginning) that were a slight hiccup for me, but overall this is one of the best middle-grade books I've read in a while.

A must read this year I would say--be ready for this story to stick with you long after you finish the book. A great classroom read, too.


Plus, extra points for this awesome cover...


**ARC provided by publisher**

Find more links to #MMGM book reviews here.

Extra note: **Greg is the winner--contest ended**for U.S. readers (postage overseas is just too high...) comment here and I'll draw one name to mail my advanced copy of Song for a Whale..!

Friday's Forgotten Books: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

From the cover:

A Newbery Medal winning modern classic about a racially divided small town and a boy who runs.

Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee might have lived a normal life if a freak accident hadn't made him an orphan. After living with his unhappy and uptight aunt and uncle for eight years, he decides to run--and not just run away, but run. This is where the myth of Maniac Magee begins, as he changes the lives of a racially divided small town with his amazing and legendary feats.

My thoughts:

This book is almost twenty years old, but it feels as current as ever: the racial divisions, the self-imposed limits of a neighborhood and community... I picked this book up because a teacher had recommended it a few years ago, and I was struck by how unique and deep the story is.

Maniac Magee is a bit of an odyssey story, when we follow a kid who has lost his parents in a tragic accident, and becomes a nomad, moving from house, to park bench, to the zoo's bison habitat. The town of Two Mills is divided as so many towns are, by race and class, and Maniac Magee experiences all of it. In his nomad year the story covers, he bridges divides, and encourages everyone around him to look beyond the limits society and they themselves have put upon them.

Also, it's funny. Although the book covers heavy subjects, it does so in a non-judgmental, entertaining and humorous way. It's middle-grade after all: we serve our deep conflict with a dose of fun. I highly recommend this one to readers of all ages.

For more of Friday's Forgotten Books, click on over to Patti Abbott's blog.

MMGM book review: Time Square-The Shift by S.W. Lothian

From the publisher:

Imagine this. Your dad is a part-time archaeologist who has a tendency to discover things. One day, he comes home from an expedition with a crusty old relic, and dumps it in the basement. You’d probably think everything would be fine and dandy, but that’s where you’re wrong. Because that’s precisely when all the trouble started.

It’s 1930, and Lewis and Eva Hudson are a couple of twin teens with just such a dad. Then, on a chilly wintry day in Washington D.C., the three of them mysteriously disappear into thin air, without a trace.

Throw in a weird and mysterious rival with a point to prove, add a looming disaster that threatens to break time itself, and pretty soon they’re smack bang in the front seat of a roller-coaster to doomsville.


My thoughts:

I read this book on my e-reader this summer, while on a long road trip. I couldn't think of a better book to read--Time Square-The Shift had me hooked from the beginning. I found myself reading portions out loud, making my kids laugh with me.

S.W. Lothian has truly captured that MG audience in this book. I heard the next in the series just came out, so I can get back to the fun...

***Be sure to stop by this blog Friday, when Linc interviews Lewis and Eva for the character book club!***

Cliches in middle-grade books for reluctant readers, and why they need to go

I spent the past few years very focused on reading as much middle-grade as possible--especially middle-grade aimed at reluctant readers. You know, the not-so-fat books, books with more illustrations in them (like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, only not), books with bigger type, you get the idea. If you're going to write for a certain age group, you should read lots in that department too, I think.

So you'll routinely see me checking out stacks of middle-grade books at the library. It's nice reading, even if you're not eight-to-twelve years old. But as I read more, I also started noticing some cliches/trends.

Trend 1: Lots of smarty-mouth books featuring boys. Now, I can't say anything about the mouth business, because Linc has his share of attitude. But some of the attitude I see in these books is kind of... Disrespectful toward adults, or fellow kids that are portly/foreign/homely-looking. Maybe it's the parent in me, but I frowned at this trend. You can be a smart-mouth without being disrespectful, I think (hope).

Trend 2: In these same books, we're FOREVER AT SCHOOL. Wimpy Kid makes it work, but there's more to life than school, even if you're a kid who gets around on a bike or via parental transportation.

Trend 3: No plot. A smart mouth and middle-school detention does not a story make.

What's frustrating to me about these books is that I visit classrooms full of the intended readers all the time. We plot a novel together (loads of fun), and what strikes me every time is how smart, creative, imaginative, and positive middle-schoolers are. They deserve better books. Especially if they're reluctant readers, because how do we expect them to keep reading if all they get is books on boogers, farts, and snarky comments about odd kids?

The good news? There are a lot more books being published for middle-graders, and really GOOD books at that. Sure, many are still in the fantasy department, but contemporary fiction is represented too. Let's hope that we'll see fewer Wimpy Kid knock-offs (why try anyway? Jeff Kinney does such a great job), and more stories taking kids on adventures outside the classroom... More mysteries too, I hope.

What do you think? Are there any cliches you're sick of seeing?

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday Review: Ender's Game

From the publisher:

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister. 

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives. 
Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

My thoughts:

Not that this book needs another review, but I wanted to read it as part of an effort to read more classic books I missed (since I'm Dutch and grew up overseas, I missed many U.S. classics). This story was one I shouldn't have liked: military scifi, lots of narrative, kind of a dude book (meaning lots of male characters). But I was sucked in, and didn't skip ahead once.

I did end up flipping to the front many times to check its seventies copyright, because it felt so relevant. For a book almost as old as me *cough*, it held up amazingly well. It's one I'll re-read.

Where I found out about this book:

Well, TV commercials for the movie, sad to say. I thought I should read the book first...

Why 6th grader Nathan gets a big thank you from me today

I don't like to toot my own horn, because... Well, it's sort of tacky. And if you read this blog, you know I wrote a book. Nuf said.

But the best part about writing for kids is when I get a good review--from a kid.

Like sixth grader Nathan, who gave Double Vision five stars, and said, "What I really like about this book is that it is humorous. For example, in the prologue, it talks about how the story isn't about Percy Jackson or Spiderman in a really funny way."

Nathan, you made my day. So here's a big thank you.

Have you ever read a book in one sitting?

Confession time: if a book gets too much buzz, I probably won't read it. The more it shows up on 'best of (fill in the year)' lists, the smaller the odds that the book will make my TBR pile. I guess it's my rebellious side talking. Once a book--or anything really--starts to feel like a bandwagon is waiting for me to get on, I'm out. Bandwagons are crowded, and someone always ends up elbowing you in the ribs.

But.

There was such a book last year: Wonder, a middle-grade that was on everyone's list. If it buzzed any more, it would've been a swarm of bees :-) So I avoided it...

But then two different librarians recommended it to me with such heartfelt excitement, I couldn't not read it. Because those librarians know their business, we all know this. So I picked up Wonder, and started reading it. And I finished it in one sitting.

I don't remember the last time I did that... And it wasn't like it was the perfect book--there were things I liked and didn't like, which is pretty normal--but it had me hooked. I felt a little like I was a kid again, reading the latest book waaaay past my bedtime.

Do you ever read books in one sitting? Have you ever? What was the book?

Join Me For My Book Birthday! There's Cake...

If you've been hanging around here a while, you probably know: it's launch day for Double Vision! Seems like it took forever for this day to come, and then suddenly, here we are.

Pass the cake (I'm all about the cake, you know)...

And for more partying, come on over to Sleuths, Spies, and Alibis for an Interrogation Room interview with yours truly. You can enter to win a signed copy of the book!

And if you've followed me this far, I hope you'll consider buying a copy of Double Vision--it makes a great present... Easy buy buttons are to the right, see?

That's it for the hard sell from me. Have some more cake, and let's celebrate!

The Great Library Giveaway--Donate a Book for Good Karma

Want to donate a middle-grade book to a library in need? From The Mixed-Up Files is running a Great Library Giveaway--check out the details here.

Donate a book for some good karma. You know, in case you cut someone off in traffic this morning...