This latest batch of middle grade bunch is a particularly wonderful one! It took me extra long to get this group up because I read a lot of middle grade books to find these titles that I am really excited about sharing. The other titles, in my opinion, just didn’t “cut-it” for one reason or another and I just wasn’t a big fan. These are the books that I really enjoyed and can whole-heartedly recommend. They are griping, magical and purely delightful. Happy reading!
“Misfits (Royal Academy Rebels)” by Jen Calonita- This new series is lots of fun. As a child I was (and still am) a HUGE fan of Ella Enchanted and so I am confident that this series would have been a big hit with me. I love the magical princess academy and I love that characters for classic princess like Snow White are even included. Definitely a fun one for any tween girl who has ever wanted to be a princess.
Synopsis from Amazon:
Presenting the first book of the new Royal Academy Rebels series: In Enchantasia, becoming a legendary prince or princess doesn’t happen overnight. Enter Royal Academy, the training ground for the fairy tale leaders of tomorrow!
Misfits (Royal Academy Rebels Book 1): Devin has major reservations about her new school and her royal future. How can she be a princess and the best creature caretaker Enchantasia has ever seen? It doesn’t help that there’s something seriously weird about the academy’s headmistress. Olivina seems obsessed with preparing students for possible attacks from villains. (“A royal can’t rule when they’re stuck in a tower!”) Devin gets that being Snow White and
“The Train to Impossible Places: A Cursed Delivery” by P. G. Bell – This book is fantastic! It is exciting and adventurous without being too scary and the pacing is nice because it moves along from one wonderful scene to the next. This one has that extra-special feel to it that accompanies it’s memorable characters and admirable creativity. This is one that I added to my list of books that I simply MUST read aloud to my kids when they are older! (I think it will be especially great as a read-aloud…)
Synopsis from Amazon:
A train that travels through impossible places. A boy trapped in a snow globe. And a girl who’s about to go on the adventure of a lifetime.
The Impossible Postal Express is no ordinary train. It’s a troll-operated delivery service that runs everywhere from ocean-bottom shipwrecks, to Trollville, to space.
But when this impossible train comes roaring through Suzy’s living room, her world turns upside down. After sneaking on board, Suzy suddenly finds herself Deputy Post Master aboard the train, and faced with her first delivery―to the evil Lady Crepuscula.
Then, the package itself begs Suzy not to deliver him. A talking snow globe, Frederick has information Crepuscula could use to take over the entire Union of Impossible Places. But when protecting Frederick means putting her friends in danger, Suzy has to make a difficult choice―with the fate of the entire Union at stake.
“Tangled in Time: The Portal” by Kathryn Lasky – Another princess book that is lots of fun. This one, however, has more of a serious tone to it and is a historical fiction book. That being said, a particularly large amount of allowances seem to be taken in the “historical” department. This didn’t really bother me much though as I was looking for an entertaining story more than nonfiction and on that account this book definitely delivered. I would heartily recommend this one!
Synopsis from Amazon:
For fans of the Royal Diaries series and Gail Carson Levine, Newbery Honor-winning author Kathryn Lasky delivers the first enchanting adventure in a compelling new middle grade series about a newly orphaned girl who finds herself time-travelling between the present day and the court of the two most memorable English princesses in history.
Life used to be great for Rose: full of friends, a loving mom, and a growing fashion blog.
But when her mother dies in a car crash, Rose is sent away to live with a strange grandmother she hardly knows and forced to attend a new school where mean girls ridicule her at every turn.
The only place Rose finds refuge is in her grandmother’s greenhouse. But one night she sees a strange light glowing from within it. She goes to investigate…and finds herself transported back five hundred years to Hatfield Palace, where she becomes servant and confidant of the banished princess Elizabeth, daughter of King Henry VIII.
Rose soon discovers something else amazing—a locket with two mysterious images inside it, both clues to her own past. Could the greenhouse portal offer answers to the mysteries of her family…and their secrets?
“Edison: The Mystery of the Missing Mouse Treasure” by Torben Kuhlmann- This book feels like a large format picture book that is hefty with its over 200 pages. Each page spread includes color illustrations that are spectacular and the story is both fascinating and “classic” feeling. I read this one aloud to my young children and my oldest especially adored it. So, even though it is geared towards 8+, younger children can definitely still enjoy it as well. We now have the other two books in this series on hold at our library. We are so excited!
Synopsis from Amazon:
A long time ago, one mouse learned to fly, another landed on the moon…what will happen in the next Mouse adventure?
From the creator of Lindbergh—The Tale of a Flying Mouse and Armstrong, comes Edison—The Mystery of the Missing Mouse Treasure.
When two unlikely friends build a vessel capable of taking them to the bottom of the ocean find a missing treasure—the truth turns out to be far more amazing.
“Keeper of The Lost Cities” by Shannon Messenger- This book has converted me to a die-hard fan of the series. I found myself quickly invested in the story and couldn’t put the book down. There is just enough mystery to keep you anxiously turning pages for revelations and the world-building is particularly good in my opinion. As I am posting this the 7th book is the newly released title in the series, but since this series is new to me the first title is the one I am sharing here. (Just in case you are unfamiliar with it as well!) I love it so much that I already ordered the next couple books and am checking my mailbox in anticipation every day!
Synopsis from Amazon:
In this riveting debut, a telepathic girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world—before the wrong person finds the answer first.
Twelve-year-old Sophie has never quite fit into her life. She’s skipped multiple grades and doesn’t really connect with the older kids at school, but she’s not comfortable with her family, either. And Sophie has a secret—she’s a Telepath, someone who can read minds. But the day Sophie meets Fitz, a mysterious (and adorable) boy, she learns she’s not alone. He’s a Telepath too, and it turns out the reason she has never felt at home is that, well…she isn’t. Fitz opens Sophie’s eyes to a shocking truth, and almost instantly she is forced to leave behind her family for a new life in a place that is vastly different from what she has ever known.
But Sophie still has secrets, and they’re buried deep in her memory for good reason: The answers are dangerous and in high-demand. What is her true identity, and why was she hidden among humans? The truth could mean life or death—and time is running out.
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