Mundie Moms

Monday, January 23, 2012

Middle Grade Must Haves

It's back!!! I started spotlighting MG reads in 2010, but I've severely slacked off on my Middle Grade posts lately. With a new year comes new goals, and one of those is to faithfully post a MG each week. Each Monday along with my Mundane Monday post I'm going to not only feature Middle Grade books I've reviewed on my children's book review blog, Mundie Kids, I'm also going to take part of author Shannon Messenger's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday meme on Mundie Kids. She's the author of last week's WOW, Keeper of the Lost Cities.

Excuse for me just a moment as I get overly EXCITED about this year's upcoming MG and Children's Book releases. I love YA, but man alive I feel like it's Christmas time over the excitement with this year's MG books & children's picture books. Some of the pictures are absolutely STUNNING! As in I would totally purchase the art work and hang it in my house stunning.

Since I just got back from ALA, I wanted to share with you guys some of the upcoming releases to be on the look out for. Here's some of my goodies I came home with and I can't wait to read and talk about here and on Mundie Kids:


If you haven't already I highly recommend adding these books to your lists! I know it's hard to see some of them, but I'll be spotlighting them through out this year. There are a lot of exciting titles coming up. They will rock your socks off!

Here's a few recent MG books I've read and HIGHLY RECOMMEND picking up!




Released on: January 17th, 2012 TODAY
Source: ARC from publisher to review
Ages: 10 & up
5 stars: I LOVED It!

Magic, Djinn, Ogres, and Sorcerers. Thirteen-year-old Zardi loves to hear stories about fantastical beings, long banned from the kingdom of Arribitha. But anyone caught whispering of their powers will feel the rage of the sultan—a terrifying usurper who, even with his eyes closed, can see all.

When her own beloved sister is captured by the evil ruler, Zardi knows that she must go to any lengths to rescue her. Along with her best friend, Ridhan—a silver-haired, violet-eyed boy of mysterious origins—and an unlikely crew of sailors led by the infamous Captain Sinbad, Zardi ventures forth into strange and wondrous territory with a seemingly impossible mission: to bring magic back to Arribitha and defeat the sultan once and for all -quoted from Goodreads

A fantastic debut that's full of adventure, fantasy, friendship and a whole lot of charm. I felt like a kid all over again while reading this compelling story. There's something about a well written middle grade book that reminds me of the excitement I had when I first started reading them (what feels like eons ago), and this book has that excitement. The journey with Zardi and her best friend Rhidan isn't just thrilling, it was completely engaging. The world of Arribitha screams of adventure, because it is dangerous, full of myths, magical creatures and a place where magic is strictly forbidden. It's also ruled by an evil and cunning Sultan who isn't afraid to do whatever it takes to keep his people in line. He definitely gives evil villains a who new meaning. Mixed into the story's danger are two well characters I've really come to admire.

You can read the rest of my 5 star review here



Published by: Little Brown kids
Released on: September 5th, 2011
Source: book from the publisher to review
Ages: 8 & up
4 stars: I Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

On a scale of one to ten, sixth-grader Danvers Blickensderfer's life is a solid minus two. But he really hits rock bottom when he auditions for the local talent show: his death-defying hula-hooping-ninja tribute to Gonzo the Great is beat out by the world's most obnoxious middle school boy band, Emo Shun.

With his daredevil dreams dashed, Danvers goes to bed... and wakes up feeling a little fuzzy-literally! He's turned into a Muppet! Fortunately, there's an internship open at the Muppet Theater and Danvers has a chance to meet his long-nosed, stunt-lovin' hero! All aboard The Electric Mayhem bus as this misfit makes good and joins the zaniest crew ever: The Muppets! -quoted from Goodreads

Growing up a Muppets fans, I adored this book and it's one my son enjoyed just as much as I did. Scroggs does a great job at staying true to the humor and misadventures that the Muppets are known for. I thought it was really creative in the way the story is told, which is through a kid name Danvers who wakes up one morning to find himself now a Muppet. Not only do readers get a behind the scenes glance of all that goes in the Muppet's world, but it was really cool to see how a huge fan of the Muppet's himself tries to adjust being one now.

You can read the rest of my review here



Published by: Scholastic
Released on:
Source: Book from publisher to review
Ages: 7-10
4 stars: A Really Fun Read
Purchase from: Scholastic | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Can the world's friendliest spiders spin a web strong enough to catch . . . a criminal?

They're sweet and friendly . . . but they just happen to be super toxic. The Deadlies are the world's most misunderstood family of spiders. Kicked out of home after home, all the Deadlies want is to settle down in a cozy web with no exterminators around.

Now they've found the perfect place - the Rare Books room at the Boston Library. The librarian isn't afraid of the Deadlies, and they have lots of lovely books to explore. But their peace is threatened when a thief starts targetting the library. Can the Deadlies spin a web big enough to catch a crook - or is it back on the road once more? -quoted from Goodreads

What a fun adventure with a unique family of crime fighting spiders. Who would have thought that spiders could be so cool? Certainly not me, but if this family of spiders lived in my house I'd definitely keep them around. Not only do they protect the Boston Public Library's collection of books from those pesky silverfish who eat through pages and the collectable paintings, but together they stop thieves who keep stealing pictures out of books.

You can read more of my review here

26 comments:

  1. I am knee deep in Middle-Graders over here, so I've gotta post their opinions on books and it's fun to see your Middle-Grade Monday. Today I posted Dash's review of Wonderstruck... and Bear's askin' when I'll get his Warrior's series up & I keep buggin' 'em about Above World coming out next month 'til they're teasing me about it. Yay for books!! :-) http://burgandyice.blogspot.com/2012/01/wonderstruck-by-brian-selznick.html

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  2. For some reason my computer was only showing me the end of the post. Anyways The Book of Wonders is a book I am looking forward to reading, and The Deadlies sounds like a super cute and fun book. I enjoy reading Middle Grade books once in a while, and it seems like there are a lot of great ones coming out this year.

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    1. That's so weird. Blogger's being weird today. The Books of Wonders is such a great read! I highly recommend it. There are a ton of great MG books coming out this year.

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  3. Oh man...you guys just rocked MMGM!!! Thanks for joining in!

    And--I have to go wipe the drool from my face after seeing your ALA treasures. Happy, happy reading!

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    1. Thank you and you're welcome! I'm thrilled Shannon asked me. I've been doing a weekly Middle Grade post, but I slacked off at the end of the year w/ it. I'm looking forward to jumping back in the MG posts.

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  4. That spider book looks great! I wonder if my son is old enough to be interested in MG books! I'll have to test it out with that book. I look forward to all your Monday posts!

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    1. It's a really good read. It's one I'm hoping my son will read. I'm looking forward to being more active w/ my MG posts again.

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  5. Ooo, all of these sound so up my alley. And thank you so much for the shout out--so glad to have you guys on board for middle grade mondays! Love seeing middle grade get some love in the blogosphere!

    (and I'm not even going to address my jealousy over your ARC stash except to say: WANT!) :)

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    1. You're so welcome!! I LOVE Middle Grade books. Come over and look through them :)

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    2. *jumps on a plane and shows up at your door* (you think I'm joking...) ;)

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  6. ahh! you have so many great MG books! MG books are wonderful! <3

    i need to get The Book of Wonders like yesterday. it sounds SO good and i've only heard good things about it. plus that cover? LOVE IT.

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    1. Thank you! That cover is beautiful! It's such a perfect match for the book too. I hope you love it!

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  7. THANK YOU for spotlighting middle grade. Those of us who write middle grade appreciate it. I also participate in some of Shannon's Middle Grade Mondays.

    I can't wait to read The Book of Wonder and a bunch more middle grade books, though I love YA too.

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    1. You're so welcome! I love Middle Grade! The Book of Wonder is a fabulous MG read! Thank you for your sweet comments!

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  8. You're such a trooper to be toting (or shipping) books back from ALA. I stopped picking up books & swag years ago! I LOVE the exhibit hall but I have to be very selective about what I carry. It's too easy to get overwhelmed!!

    @capefearlibn

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    1. Thank you! I was extremely selective in what I brought home. There was a lot of great books at ALA too. I agree, it's very easy to want to grab everything.

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  9. The Book of Wonders sounds absolutely magical. This is the second MMGM review I've read about it.

    I joined Shannon's MMGM brigade in late 2010. Just found you through her and became your newest follower!

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    1. It is a magical book with a fabulous adventure as well. Thank you so much for following me! I really appreciate it :)

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  10. The Muppets one is strange and makes me wonder about all sorts of publishing permissions! May have to take a look at it just because of the band name, though-- Emo Shun.

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  11. No. Way. You have the sequel to The Search for WondLa! I would give my left arm for that! I just read it a couple weeks ago after it had been hanging on my TBR for ages and it immediately became my favorite MG :]

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  12. Oh my gosh, lol. I could hardly concentrate on reading the post when I saw your ALA ARC's. Happy happy reading!

    Going to buy Book of Wonders for myself and recommend the library gets it, too. Will keep eyes peeled for the other two, too. Thanks!

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    1. LOL I was thrilled over the ARCs I was given to review. I am so excited to feature each of them on both my blogs.

      Book of Wonders is a must have!!

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  13. That's one amazing stack of ARCs you got there :)
    I'm jealous you have the sequel to The Search for Wondla ;)
    oh and the Book of Wonders is on my list of books to buy this year.

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