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This is the last wrap-up of the mid-point of the year. I for sure need to get back to doing weekly or monthly wrap-ups because this was a lot. I can't help but ramble, unfortunately, but it's easier than constructing a review. Middle grade is usually one of, if not the highest, age range I read since I am a children's librarian. I am seriously lacking this year, but I am still happy I've been able to read so many books my own age since that's a rarity. Still, seeing how small this list is makes me realize I need to step it up.
The Faraway Forest by Debbie Fong - Not technically a middle grade book, but I had nowhere else to put this. The Faraway Forest was one of the first books I read and it just so happens to be a Sunshine State Reader! My mom worked for the post office as a clerk. I was always interested in mail growing up and even now I love the idea of receiving letters. This snail art trend is right up my alley. This was very cute, as you would expect. You've got a grumpy neighbor who always complains that Wally is late. You can see him delivering mail to all the townspeople. He's trying to win over the grumpy neighbor. It's a cute little graphic novel. 4 stars
Berry Parker Doesn't Catch Crushes by Tanita S. Davies - I thought this would have a cute little romance but it did not! It did have some friendship drama and addressed issues with family dynamics. Berry's friend doesn't communicate and basically decides to take a different class so that she has no friends in any of her classes. It's important that kids recognize friendships that aren't going to last and how to treat other people but nothing really came from that plotline. Then her mom, whom she sees a few weeks a year or something like that is planning on moving to London. She had her hopes set on her coming back to her town and being with her dad again but then another man kept showing up with her. Great plot and I cared about Berry I just wish there was more follow-through. 4 stars
Pasta Girls by Taylor Tracy - I don't think I've ever intentionally picked up a LGBT+ middle grade book. Usually, it's added randomly in very few of the books I read. I love foodie books and romance. I also wanted to read books with autistic rep this year so this was a frontrunner. Pasta Girls is a Romeo and Juliet retelling but make it middle grade girls with competing Italian family restaurants. This was wonderfully told. Loved every moment of it. I love coming-of-age stories which is probably why no matter what age, I've gravitated toward reading YA. But now, middle grade has made it into my life after reading the Percy Jackson books religiously when they came out. I don't get a lot of checkouts without LGBT+ books but... I want to at least give these books a chance to reach a reader who needs them. That's why I read this book and since it was beyond what I could imagine, I'll read anything Taylor Tracy publishes. 4.5 stars
Besties: Work it Out by Kayla Miller and Jefferey Canino - I am seriously lacking in reading graphic novels. The easiest form of reading! This is a spin-off to the Click series which I haven't read and you don't really need to. These two best friends make mistakes, tried to fix it, and do the right thing. There's a lot of hijinks. There's also a good lesson at the end. 3.75 stars
Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate - Historical fiction isn't really my thing. I rarely read it but this is about a cute little bear, so I gave it a shot. It's told through the POV of a sassy cat. It's quite heartfelt and it's one that's getting a lot of buzz. I could see it being an easy recommendation to get kids into historical fiction. 4 stars
Bubblegum Shoes: The Case of the Contraband Closet by Goldy Moldavsky - Written by a Latina but with no representation from what I am aware of. However, this has a good mix of diverse misfits who have to work together to find who stole the items in the contraband closet. The main character must risk it all in order to get her and her friends out of detention and maybe even get her best friend back in the promise. Loved this one and I am planning on reading the sequel soon. 4 stars
Goodbye, French Fry by Rin-Rin Yu - Ping-Ping deals with the struggles of being a Chinese American whose food and name make her an easy target for a bully. She's also facing worries about having to move to a whole different country. You will love how the bully realizes she's not one to mess with. 3.75 stars
Queso, Just in Time by Ernesto Cisneros - I honestly expected a lot more from an award-winning author. Sounds harsh but this didn't land for me at all. I also always had a fear of time travel and people changing things and he does in this book! I don't have that fear anymore but maybe this just wasn't the book for me. Maybe it was just too much of a boy book? It did have its heartfelt moments as the main character goes back in time, where he hangs out with his dad whose a kid. In the present timeline, his dad was killed. A heartfelt story but needed that extra something to make this special. And way too many pop culture references. 3 stars
The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei by Christina Matula - Holly-Mei is moving to Hong Kong for her mom's job. Her new school is right by the beach and it sounds like it's going to be fun especially since her friendship has been dissolving back home. But cue drama from the popular girl and she's not having the best time. Her mom is also different. She never used to care about being the best but now she feels like she doesn't measure up. Kids love drama so this is an easy recommendation. I thought the resolution with her mom wasn't satisfying but otherwise this was an okay read. I didn't love that Holly-Mei accused someone very nice to her of stealing. She's not perfect but she's a good character that kids can learn from. 3.25 stars
Pennies by Lora Senf - The Blight Harbor series is one of the best middle grade series to ever be written. The books are genuinely creepy. The world-building is immaculate. Simply the best books every time. Pennies is a prequel to the series. It follows the ancestry of the main character in the original series, as the killer John Pope is actively... well, killing people. Very creepy with a great cast of characters. If Lora Senf writes more books in this world, I will die happy. 4.5 stars
Choir Grrrl by Ashley Granillo - This one snuck up on me. I didn't have it on my radar but I was looking to read more Latino books and the summary had to do with being in a band. It gave me Julie and the Phantom vibes without the phantoms. This was beyond what I could have imagined. It explores family dynamics, pressure to live up to your parents' legacy, and being an individual outside of your family. This was out of this world amazing. I was rooting for Alondra the whole time. She found her voice through her journey to be brave and seek out new ways of being a singer. A must-read. 4.5 stars
When You're Brave Enough by Rebecca Bendheim - I'm looking at all these books I rated 4.5 stars and I wonder why I didn't rate them 5 stars but then comes this book. Again, I never read middle grade LGBT+ books but I had such a good time with Pasta Girls and I happened to listen to the author talk about it in a video. I took a leap of faith and I got a masterpiece. Being brave enough is the central theme of the story. Lacey looks back at moments with her friend Grace who is unapologetically herself with I want to say jealously, embarrassment, and guilt. There was one point where she wanted so badly to stand up for her friend but she also didn't understand why she couldn't stop standing out. Grace put herself out there and Lacey is ultimately scared of that. She tries to conform to what's easier and palatable and it makes her unrecognizable. Truly a beautiful story. It had pansexual, queer, and Jewish rep. I'm very excited to read more from this author and see what other stories she has within her. 5 stars
Well, that's the end of my wrap-up for this mid-year point. I plan to make one more stats post and point out what themes and representation I would like to focus on for the rest of the year. I'll go into some quarterly plans as well so I don't all of a sudden at the last quarter feel a need to rush read certain books. We'll see. For sure, I need to read more middle grade and I will!
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