The Ghost Job

November 3, 2023November 3, 2023

The Ghost Job by Greg Van Eekhout
Published by HarperCollins ISBN: 006325333X
Genres: Horror
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

“The Ghost Job” by Greg Van Eekhout is a thoroughly enjoyable middle grade novel for fans of ghost stories and heist fiction alike. When seventh grader Zenith and her three best friends are killed in an unfortunate science class lab experiment gone wrong, they’ll do anything to try to get out of the afterlife (basically the school auditorium), even if it means stealing a magical device from a very evil, very alive necromancer. Pooling the talents they had when they were alive, and the new powers they find themselves with as ghosts, they pull off a series of heists in preparation for the biggest job of their undead lives. Witty dialogue, snarky humor, delightful side characters (both living and dead), and a few poignant moments between the friends make this a really solid choice for a middle grade collection. This book has universal appeal for all types of readers, and the humor, friendships and bittersweet emotions of the kids make what could be a scary premise a really fun read.

Recommended for grades 5-7.

Lee Remick, York Middle School, York

The Little Match Girl Strikes Back

October 24, 2023

The Little Match Girl Strikes Back by Emma Carroll, Lauren Child
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536233358
Genres: Fairy Tale, Historical Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

The Little Match Girl Strikes back is a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic folk tale, but with a social justice focus. In this version, the little match girl has a name- Bridie. She sells matches made in the factory where her mother works. Despite long hours in dangerous working conditions, their family struggles to pay rent and put food on the table. Bridie decides to strike her last three matches instead of selling them, and experiences a bit of magic that shows her a better life for her family and how to accomplish this. Once the magic wears off, Bridie helps to lead a strike at the match factory, demanding pay increases and a safer work environment. The author’s note reveals that this is based on a true story of a London strike in 1888. This chapter book would be most appropriate for upper elementary/middle school students. Readers will enjoy Bridie’s tenacious and fiery spirit, which is reflected in the illustrations that are black and white, save for Bridie’s red hair and the red of the match flame. This is a quick read as the pages are small in size and the font is larger, but the living and working conditions described in the text and the power of the women to improve them, will stick with readers long after they finish reading.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library

We Still Belong

October 24, 2023January 17, 2024

We Still Belong by Christine Day
Published by Heartdrum on August 1, 2023
ISBN: 0063064561
Pages: 256
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Day does the admirable job of writing a middle grade book about a regular girl, living her middle school life, who is also a part of an Indigenous community and who is struggling to figure out where she fits in there. Wesley Wilder has a big day planned. She has had a poem printed in the school newspaper giving voice to her feelings about being Indigenous, and she anticipates being asked to read it out loud in English class; and the dance is coming up and she has the perfect plan to ask her crush, Ryan. Of course nothing goes as planned; her teacher criticizes the poem for not taking a stand against Columbus Day and for not having a thesis statement, and Ryan is asked to the dance by someone else while Wesley is offering emotional support to a new friend.

Readers will feel for Wesley as she navigates the ups and downs of her day. All middle school readers will recognize the quest for identity while also trying to quietly fit in. When Wesley ends her day at an intertribal powwow, things get better: her poem is praised and she is asked to share it, and she and Ryan connect. The message is clear from Day that Wesley does belong, both in her Upper Skagit Indian Tribe and at Shorelands Middle School. Through her engaging prose and relatable character, she has done a fantastic job offering a mirror to any middle school reader, and a window into the life of an Indigenous teen. Highly recommend to realistic fiction readers in grades 5-7.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Falmouth Middle School

Wrecker

October 23, 2023

Wrecker by Carl Hiaasen
on September 26, 2023
ISBN: 0593376285
Genres: Mystery
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Valdez Jones VIII, known as Wrecker, lives in Key West and loves the water. If he’s not out in his skiff fishing for dinner, he’s diving just like the original Valdez who salvaged shipwrecks. When Wrecker finds a stranded cigarette boat and tries to help, he ends up over his head helping “Silver Mustache,” a mobster-type criminal in his scheme to distribute fake vaccination cards. Set during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hiaasen also weaves in the true story of the lynching of Manuel Cabeza. With delightful characters, including “7,” Wrecker’s wannabe singer dad, and Wrecker’s friend Willi, fans of Hiaasen won’t be disappointed.

Reviewed by Karen Sandlin Silverman, Mt. Ararat Middle School, Topsham

Confessions of a Candy Snatcher

October 23, 2023

Confessions of a Candy Snatcher by Phoebe Sinclair, Theodore Taylor III
Published by Candlewick Press on August 15, 2023
ISBN: 1536213683
Pages: 336
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Jonas and his friends don’t bother trick-or-treating – they just steal candy from other trick-or-treaters. Last Halloween, Jonas hurt someone snatching their candy and has not apologized or made amends. Worse, he accidentally hurt the same classmate during PE class. When Jonas starts getting “I know what you did” notes in his locker and starts to see his friend for the homophobic bully that he is, he finds himself questioning his actions and his choice of friends. Meanwhile his parents have separated and might be headed towards divorce. When his home-schooled friend C. (Concepcion) encourages him to create a Zine with her and poses the question, “What’s the worst thing you ever did?” Jonas starts writing poems using the old typewriter his Mom’s employee finds in the back of his Mom’s store. Readers will enjoy the Zines that illustrate the book and will be enamored by Jonas learning how to use a typewriter.

Reviewed by Karen Sandlin Silverman, Mt. Ararat Middle School, Topsham

Something Like Home

October 23, 2023October 24, 2023

Something Like Home by Andrea Beatriz Arango
on September 12, 2023
ISBN: 0593566181
Genres: Fiction in Verse/Poetry, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

This poignant novel in verse tells the story of Laura and how she comes to be living with her Aunt Silvia who she barely knows. Laura worries that she should not have called 911 when she found her parents because then things would be the same – she’d be home in her cozy trailer, attending her old school, and hanging out with her friends. Instead she is placed in kinship care, living with a relative she’s never known who doesn’t quite know what to do with Laura. One day Laura rescues an abandoned dog and her aunt allows her to keep the dog. When Laura learns about therapy dogs, she decides to train her dog so she’ll be able to visit her parents in rehab with her therapy dog. Along the way, she makes a new friend and starts to see that other people have challenges in their lives too. A realistic and age-appropriate look at how addiction hurts families and how children are impacted. A powerful and important book for middle grade readers.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Karen Sandlin Silverman, Mt. Ararat Middle School, Topsham

On Air with Zoe Washington

October 10, 2023October 10, 2023

On Air with Zoe Washington (Zoe Washington, #2) by Janae Marks
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on February 14, 2023
ISBN: 0063212315
Pages: 293
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

The sequel to Cream of the Crop nominated book, From the Desk of Zoe Washington. Now that Zoe has seen her biological father exonerated and released from prison, she wants to get to know him better. She starts her own podcast to spread the word about people who’ve served in the prison system. She also hopes that her podcast will raise some money. There is a diverse cast of characters with different experiences in this engaging coming-of-age story.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

When Clouds Touch Us

October 6, 2023

When Clouds Touch Us by Thanhha Lai
Published by Harper on May 9, 2023
ISBN: 0063047004
Genres: Fiction in Verse/Poetry, Historical Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars
This sequel to Newbery Honor Inside Out & Back Again continues the story of Hà and her family as they struggle with life as refugees from Vietnam. Hà is just getting comfortable in Alabama when her mom moves their family to Texas for better opportunities, hoping to be able to save enough money for a down payment on a home. Once again, Hà struggles to make friends and fit in at her new school. She also misses her mom who works a lot and her father who was captured years before during the Vietnam War. This middle grade novel is written in verse. The sparse yet rhythmic language captures the strong thoughts and emotions of the characters. This story of hope, resilience, and family is a pretty quick read, but it does leave the reader with a lot to think about. Readers who enjoyed the first book will no doubt enjoy this well written sequel.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library

My Father, The Panda Killer

September 27, 2023September 27, 2023

My Father, The Panda Killer by Jamie Jo Hoang
ISBN: 0593642961
Genres: Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars
“My Father, the Panda Killer” by Jamie Jo Hoang is a young adult historical fiction novel about a daughter’s relationship with her abusive Vietnamese father. Jane is leaving for college and is having trouble telling her younger brother that she’ll be leaving. The story switches from Jane’s life in 1999 to her retelling of her father’s story in 1975 of trying to escape the Vietnam war. The book is unflinching in its depiction of violence, both during the war and from Phuc, Jane’s father in the present day. Themes of generational trauma and abuse are clear. Hoang does a great job of making the characters seem like real people, flaws and all. We may not like all the characters, but we learn their backgrounds and see where they are coming from.

The author includes a note at the beginning of the book in all caps that “THIS BOOK IS NOT A HISTORY LESSON,” which I appreciate because too often readers will assume that historical fiction is specifically to teach about history, but this story is not meant to teach us about that historical event. It is its own fictional story. Readers may find the abuse and violence very hard to get through, but it is a key part of this novel. Recommended for ages 15 and up, this is a recommended purchase for YA collections.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.

Shannon in the Spotlight

September 25, 2023

Shannon in the Spotlight by Kalena Miller
Published by Delacorte Press on April 25, 2023
ISBN: 0593486056
Pages: 272
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars
Shannon and her friends love participating in their community theater’s summer musical each year. Shannon and her friend Fatima work behind the scenes, while their friend Elise prefers to be up on stage in front of the audience. Shannon, suffering from severe OCD, sticks to her routines and tries not to draw attention to herself. However a chance encounter at auditions lands her one of the starring roles – unfortunately the role her bff Elise wanted. As rehearsals get underway, Elise distances herself from the friendship, Fatima becomes increasingly busy in the tech side of the play, and even her mom has misgivings about her ability to perform and doesn’t seem supportive. Just when things couldn’t get more stressful, a fire forces her cantankerous grandmother to move in with Shannon and her mother – and it is not an ideal living situation due to the stress and fighting between her mom and grandma, and her grandmother’s refusal to accept Shannon’s mental health issues. But Shannon relishes being on stage, and with the help of her new friend (crush) Micah, a fellow actor, she finds her place in the spotlight. This is a great middle grade read highlighting coping with mental illness, navigating rocky friendships and family situations, and overcoming your fears to let yourself shine. A solid pick for a middle grade collection.

Recommended for grades 4-7

Lee Remick, York Middle School, York