Mundie Moms

Monday, September 2, 2013

Middle Grade Monday: It's BACK!

Middle Grade Monday is back! It's been a long time since I did a middle grade monday feature, and I'm excited to get back to featuring MG books here on MMs. Here's a few of books that have recently been featured on Mundie Kids


By: Diane Zahler
Published by: Harper Collins Children
Released on: August 27th, 2013
5 Stars: I Loved It!
Purchase it from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add it to Goodreads


The classic fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty is transformed into a dazzling new story of two sisters fighting a powerful curse by Diane Zahler, the acclaimed author of The Thirteenth Princess. Briskly paced and full of lush descriptions, readers who enjoy the work of Shannon Hale and Gail Carson Levine will be swept away by this spellbinding novel.

The daughters of Sleeping Beauty, Princesses Aurora and Luna, have grown up in a cliff-top palace by the sea, where they are carefully protected by their parents. No one visits, the girls cannot stray beyond the castle walls, and all sharp objects are forbidden here.

But accidents will happen—particularly when an old curse still has power. Soon, in spite of all precautions, Aurora is struggling not to slip into an enchanted sleep.

Frantic, the princesses accept the help of a young fisherman named Symon and embark on a daring ocean voyage to find their aunt—a fairy who may be able to break the spell. From fearsome beasts to raging storms, many dangers befall them, yet they must not give up . . . for if Aurora sleeps, she will not wake for one hundred years.

I simply adore Diane's fairytale retellings. What Diane does in Sleeping Beauty's Daughters is brilliant. I love how she's able to take a beloved fairytale and not only give is spin, but include some mythology into her story. This makes for a read that fans both young and older alike can enjoy. Instead of this story centering on Sleeping Beauty herself, we get to see that the sleeping curse started long before Princess Aurora was ever born. This curse dates back to when her mother, the now Queen, was a baby. 


Read my entire review here




Olivia Stellatella is having a rough year.
Her mother left, her neglectful father — the maestro of a failing orchestra — has moved her and her grandmother into his dark, broken-down concert hall to save money, and her only friend is Igor, an ornery stray cat.
Just when she thinks life couldn’t get any weirder, she meets four ghosts who haunt the hall. They need Olivia’s help — if the hall is torn down, they’ll be stuck as ghosts forever, never able to move on.
Olivia has to do the impossible for her shadowy new friends: Save the concert hall. But helping the dead has powerful consequences for the living . . . and soon it’s not just the concert hall that needs saving.

Don't miss my blog tour post featuring an interview with Olivia and Henry and enter to win a copy of The Year of Shadows HERE




By: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
Illustrated by: Kadir Nelson
Published by: Random House Kids
Released on: October 9th, 2012
Ages: All
Purchase from: Random House | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

From Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s daughter, Dr. Bernice A. King: “My father’s dream continues to live on from generation to generation, and this beautiful and powerful illustrated edition of his world-changing "I Have a Dream" speech brings his inspiring message of freedom, equality, and peace to the youngest among us—those who will one day carry his dream forward for everyone.”

On August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, Martin Luther King gave one of the most powerful and memorable speeches in our nation's history. His words, paired with Caldecott Honor winner Kadir Nelson's magnificent paintings, make for a picture book certain to be treasured by children and adults alike. The themes of equality and freedom for all are not only relevant today, 50 years later, but also provide young readers with an important introduction to our nation's past.
You can read my review and special feature for my review post here

Check back next week for more exciting Middle Grade reads!

5 comments:

  1. Zahler's cover are so pretty, and I love the stories as well. I'm definitely looking at this one.

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  2. I have The Year of Shadows on my TBR list and hope to get to it soon. Sleeping Beauty's Daughters is new to me- but from your description it sounds like one I will love! I read I Have a Dream. What a wonderful story and the pictures are beautiful. Thanks for sharing. :)
    ~Jess

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  3. Great recommends--can't wait to read them! Since Sleeping Beauty's Daughters has been put on my mental To Read list before, then somehow slipped off, I've popped over and added both these middle grades to my goodreads list. Thanks for the heads up, and happy MMGM!

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  4. I love Claire Legrand's writing. I'm really excited to read THE YEAR OF SHADOWS, and SLEEPING BEAUTY'S DAUGHTERS sounds wonderful too. What a beautiful, old-fashioned image on the cover!

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  5. Wow! All the books seem great, especially Sleeping Beauty's Daughter. The cover is gorgeous! I've read Claire Legrand's first book and it was good, so I'll definitely take a look at this new one.

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