Mundie Moms

Monday, September 19, 2011

Must Have Middle Grade Reads

Welcome to this week's edition of Must Have Middle Grade Reads, a weekly feature here on Mundie Moms where I spotlight last week's middle grade books I reviewed on Mundie Kids. This week's Must Have Middle Grade reads are:


Released on: September 6th, 2011
Ages: 8-12

A curse befalls Vastia, eliminating human magic. Only animals are able to cast spells, and it is up to Aldwyn, Skylar, and Gilbert to save the queendom from the evil threatening it. In addition, Aldwyn discovers the truth about his past, embarking on a journey that brings him closer to the father he never knew.- quoted from Goodreads

The Familiars are back, and this time their adventures is even more exciting than the last. On a quest to restore the power of human magic, The Familiars set off to find the snow leopard's crown. Aldwyn, Skylar and Gilbert's unforgettable adventure is full of magic, danger, and has a few surprises a long the way for them. One of the things I love about this group is their friendships and bond. This time there's a stronger sense of family unity between them, especially for Aldwyn, who discovers some shocking family secrets.

You can read the rest of my 5 star review here



Published by: Delacorte Press
Released on: October 12, 2010
Ages: 9 & up
Purchase from: Amazon| Barnes & Noble

Lots of families have secrets. Little-Known Fact: My family has an antebellum house with a locked wing—and I’ve got a secret of my own.


I thought getting kicked out of the Gifted & Talented program—or not being “pegged,” as Mama said—­was the worst thing that could happen to me. W-r-o-n-g, wrong.I arrived in Tweedle, Georgia, to spend the summer with Granny and Gramps, only to find no sign of them. When they finally showed up, Cousin Isaac was there too, with his trumpet in hand, and I found myself having to pretend to be thrilled about watching my musical family rehearse for the town's Anniversary Spectacular. It was h-a-r-d, hard. Meanwhile, I, Maebelle T.-for-No-Talent Earl, set out to win a blue ribbon with an old family recipe.But what was harder and even more wrong than any of that was breaking into the locked wing of my grandparents’ house, trying to learn the Truth with a capital T about Josiah T. Eberlee, my long-gone-but-not-forgotten relation. To succeed, I couldn't be a solo act. I’d need my new friends, a basset hound named Cotton, the strength of my entire family, and a little help from a secret code.With grace and humor and a heaping helping of little-known facts, Bethany Hegedus incorporates the passions of the North and the South and bridges the past and the present in this story about one summer in the life of a sassy Southern girl and her trumpet-playing adopted Northern cousin.

Maebelle T Earl is a southern ray of sunshine! This lovable character is feisty, outgoing and so fun to get to know. The story is centered on her spending the summer, like she always does, with her heartwarming, eccentric grandparents, and her adopted cousin Isaac. I adored her grandparents and fell in love with Isaac. This poor kid broke my heart. He's a character I really came to admire, and though he's only a secondary character, he really stole the show for me.

You can read the rest of my 5 star review here.



Published by: EgmontUSA
Released on: August 23rd, 2011
Ages: 10 & up
Purchase from: Egmont USA| Amazon

The candles dripped onto the icing as Robin deliberated. What could she possibly wish? She wanted to wake up the next day and learn all her problems were gone. But since her problems weren’t going to disappear, she didn’t want to be Robin anymore.

“I wish I was somebody else,” Robin wished. And in that moment, she meant it. She blew out the candles.

After the worst eleventh birthday ever, Robin wakes up the next morning in the body of Fiona, an eleven-year-old girl from London with an amazing life. Fiona is gorgeous, with glamorous parents, and she’s the star of a major theatrical production. Why would Fiona have wished herself out of her own body? Slowly, Robin discovers a whole network of girls like her—girls who have gotten their wish and are living somebody else’s life. But what happens when Robin finally decides she wants to go home? Does anybody in the Wishers network know how to make this happen?

In this exciting first novel, Kathleen Churchyard asks: What if you wished for someone else’s life—and it came true?

Have you ever had one of those days were everything that could go wrong does? At the end of the night as you reflect upon how horrible your day was you wish you could be someone else? That's exactly what happens to eleven year old Robin, who's birthday ended up being a disaster. When she awakens the next morning she finds she's not only switched places with someone else, she's now someone else who lives in England! I don't know about you guys, but that would be awesome, that is until I realized that Robin now has to figure how in the world she got there, how to undo what just happened and she has to learn to be Fiona, the girl she's now become. Not to mention she has to quickly learn the different phrases they say in England. So, maybe that's not so fun.

You can read the rest of my 4 star here & my interview with Kathleen here.



Published by: Scholastic
Released on August 30th, 2011
Ages: 8 & up
Purchase from: Scholastic| Amazon

Are you ready to save the world? The bestselling series returns with an adventure spanning 6 explosive books, 2 secret-filled card packs, and a website that places readers right in the action.
Thirteen-year-old Dan Cahill and his older sister, Amy, thought they belonged to the world's most powerful family. They thought the hunt for 39 Clues leading to the source of that power was over. They even thought they'd won. But Amy and Dan were wrong.
One by one, distress calls start coming in from around the globe. Cahills are being kidnapped by a shadowy group known only as the Vespers. Now Amy and Dan have only days to fulfill a bizarre ransom request or their captured friends will start dying. Amy and Dan don't know what the Vespers want or how to stop them. Only one thing is clear. The Vespers are playing to win, and if they get their hands on the Clues . . . the world will be their next hostage.
An exciting, new, action packed series from the creators of 39 Clues, The Medusa Plot brings together the Cahill family for a thrilling new adventure. The Cahills are the most powerful family in the world, and things look like they're about to change when one day, different family members are kidnapped at various places through out the world. Now their lives hang in the balance of Amy & Dan's hands.

You can read the rest of my 5 star review & enter to win a SIGNED copy by Gordon Korman here.



Published by: EgmontUSA
Released on: August 23rd, 2011
5 stars- Vordak is fabulously evil!
Purchase from: Amazon| Indie Bound

Greetings, goobers! After my latest experiment worked a little too well—transforming my rather fetching figure into something significantly smaller—I’ve been forced to return to those halls of horror better known as . . . school. But going back to junior high may be my greatest opportunity for mayhem in many a month! Try to keep up as I:
• Dramatically defeat the daily dangers of schooldom—even though everyone is against me.
• Strive to win the junior high presidential election by alerting my fellow students to the wonderfulness of Vordak the Incomprehensible, as well as the yuck-ness of my opponent, Marlena Lurchburger.

• Mastermind a catastrophic career day, where that disgusting do-gooder Commander Virtue will finally, fiendishly be foiled.
Fortunately for you, I have recorded every mischievous moment within these carefully crafted covers so that you may bask in my brilliance as I plot to RULE THE SCHOOL . . . and, eventually, THE WORLD! MUAHAHAHAHA!!!
This pint size villain is so incredibly evil, but in such a good way. I'm sure he's not going to enjoy the fact I've called in pint size or evil in a good way. This evil genius is so well written that both adults and MG readers will enjoy reading his books. You don't need to have the desire to want to take over the world or rule the school like Vordak to appreciate his evil, sarcastic charm. There's plenty of laugh out lines, and one liners you'll find yourself wanting to quote, that make this book engaging and fun.

You can read the rest of my 5 star review here.



Published by: Razorbill
Released on: June 28th, 2011
Ages: 9-12
Purchase from: Amazon| Barnes & Noble

Since the dawn of time, prehistoric shark clans called Shivers have ruled over the earth's oceans, fierce protectors of all who swim. For eons, the Big Blue has prospered under Shiver Law, and the delicate balance of sea life kept sacred. Until now.

Rising sea temperatures and overfishing have caused food to become scarce, and the battle for new hunting grounds has brought with it corruption and warfare.

Now, with the ocean on the brink of chaos, a young reef shark named Gray - exiled from the safety of his peaceful reef home - must venture deep into Open Water to unlock the secrets of his destiny and bring peace back to the ocean. But first, he'll have to discover the truth about who - and what - he really is.

This is a great action packed, under water adventure that centers around sharks. If you have ever wondered what really goes on a in sharks world, than Shark Wars will have your answer.

Gray is a typical reef shark, or so he thought. He and his friends live with the Coral Shiver, a clan of sharks, but when Gray is banned for not following rules, he finds himself in the middle of a large ocean that's full of excitement and danger. Things change for Gray when he's is taken in by the Goblin Shiver, ruled by Goblin. He becomes blinded by the things these mean sharks are doing and he gets a first hand taste at betrayal, treachery and just how far some sharks will go to get what they want.

You can read the rest of my 4 star review here



Written & Illustrated by: William Joyce
To Be Released on: September 6th, 2011
Ages: 4-8
Purchase from: Simon & Schuster| Amazon|


Up there in the sky.

Don’t you see him?
No, not the moon.
The Man in the Moon.
He wasn’t always a man.
Nor was he always on the moon.
He was once a child.
Like you.
Until a battle,
a shooting star,
and a lost balloon
sent him on a quest.
Meet the very first guardian of childhood.
MiM, the Man in the Moon.
What a fabulous, beautifully illustrated book that tells a unique story about the man in the moon. This is one of those books that reads like a movie you'd want to take your kids to see. I'm not sure what I was drawn more towards, the absolutely amazing artwork or the fantastic story.

You can read the rest of my 5 star review here & enter to win one of two copies we're giving away here.

8 comments:

  1. This is a great post for middle readers. Thanks so much!

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  2. Ricki- You're so welcome!! Thank you for your comment. I really enjoy reading MG & Children's books as much as I enjoy YA. There's such a huge selection of MG books that I think gets over looked. Hopefully more people will start to pick them up.

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  3. My 13 year old son and I are always on the lookout for new stories that interest him (a challenge, sometimes) I look forward to showing him this post to help him pick his next reading adventure!

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  4. tlmafarmgirl- Oh wonderful! I hope he finds something that interests him! There's a lot of great books coming out for boys.

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  5. Ah, this is PERFECT timing. My 11 year old just finished a book yesterday and was looking for something new. Thanks so much for the recs!

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  6. Steph- You're so welcome!! I hope you're able to find one your 11 yr old will enjoy. :)

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  7. Great great great post!!!!! Love that you are highlighting MG books. And these are fantastic picks.

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  8. Jill- Thank you so much! I adore MG and there's so many great MG books that I think our readers will also enjoy.

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