Posted on by Maureen

Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary

51ddipgw21lA couple of years ago, Audible had a great sale. I was able to purchase most of Beverly Cleary’s most popular books for about $4 apiece. I have been reading the Ramona books to my seven-year-old twins, and now that the girls are out of school, we have been listening to some of the books that we haven’t read.

The girls wanted to start with Beezus and Ramona, which takes place before Ramona the Pest. They were very interested to see what Ramona was like before she started Kindergarten. I’d like to point out that Stockard Channing serves as narrator for all of the Ramona books, so that’s kind of neat in a whimsical sort of way.

Beezus and Ramona differs from the other Ramona books because Ramona’s older sister Beezus is the protagonist. Ramona is certainly the one who serves as catalyst, but the focus is on how Ramona’s actions affect Beezus. Read more

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The Classy Crooks Club by Alison Cherry

51af1qhsmflThe Classy Crooks Club had not been on my radar, but as soon as I saw one of the authors I follow on Twitter talking about it. My interest was immediately piqued based on the title alone, and within a week, a copy of the book had arrived via the library network.   The Classy Crooks Club is a middle grade novel written by Alison Cherry.

It is hard not to like narrator A.J. In one of the first scenes of the book, she describes how to emerge the victor if one were to encounter an anaconda in the jungle. It’s rather gruesome, but it gives great insight into A.J.’s personality. She is not the sort of girl to be afraid of danger or conflict.

A.J.’s parents need to travel to the Amazon for a month during summer vacation, so A.J. is sent to her grandmother’s house. Her grandmother is very strict, and does not approve of A.J.’s unladylike hobbies. Case in point: she refers to A.J.’s skateboard as “that infernal plank”. A.J. just wants to spend time with her best friends, but she only sees them at soccer practice. Read more

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The Underdogs by Sara Hammel

51k6b112r5lI received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My oldest daughter is nine years old, and she and I are very fortunate to have received the opportunity to read ARCs of some middle grade books. When I first read the synopsis of Sara Hammel’s The Underdogs, I knew that I would like it, but I wasn’t sure how my daughter would react. She tends to be a sensitive soul, but we had enjoyed reading Isabel Feeney, Star Reporter– which is also about a murder mystery- so I gave it a shot.

Chelsea and Evie are best friends, who spend their days together at a tennis club. Chelsea’s mom works at the front desk, and Evie’s dad is a tennis pro. Their club is rocked to its core when one of the most popular members is found murdered. Annabel Harper was beautiful and vivacious, and did not seem to have any enemies. Chelsea and Evie are stunned, and they decide that it’s up to them to help the police solve the case. As they follow the detective around the club, the two girls discover that the club holds many secrets- but none of these secrets seem to lead the girls any closer to discovering who could have killed Annabel. Read more

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The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox

41ijyi-d4ulI had been eagerly awaiting The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle, and was very excited when I finally had time to read it. This middle grade novel was written by Janet Fox.

Katherine Bateson and her siblings are sent to north to Scotland and Rookskill Castle to escape the London Blitz. They are joined by several other children, and they are all the guests of Lady Eleanor, who had graciously turned her manor house into a school for the children. Read more

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Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary

51zrwbgzfdlMy twins are going to be seven years old in a couple of weeks, and it’s hard to believe. They are growing up so quickly- what happened to my babies? They have always loved reading and listening to stories, but up until recently, we have always chosen picture books. I thought they were ready for chapter books, so we started reading Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary.

Ramona the Pest was first written almost fifty years ago, but it has not lost its charm. I remember loving the Ramona books when I was a child, and I was so excited to share them with my girls. Read more

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Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood by Liesl Shurtliff

51wa5tvta3lI received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My oldest daughter is almost nine years old, so I have recruited her to help me with the middle grade ARCs that I receive from Netgalley. She is a voracious reader, but she tends to gravitate towards comics and graphic novels rather than novels. Reading together gives her the opportunity to expand her repertoire, and I get some great feedback from the target demographic.

We just finished reading Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood. This is Liesl Shurtliff’s third novel featuring fairytale characters. Red’s grandmother is feeling ill, and a basket of goodies is not enough to restore her to good health. Red’s grandmother happens to be a witch, but she is too sick to prepare a potion for herself.   Red sets out to gather the ingredients for a restorative draught, but it proves to be a more difficult job than she anticipated. As if that wasn’t bad enough, a pesky girl named Goldie insists on tagging along, and Red can’t shake the feeling that they are being followed! Read more

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Waylon! One Awesome Thing by Sara Pennypacker

41zdzi3puplI received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My oldest daughter is almost nine years old, and she is an avid reader. She and I have read all of Sara Pennypacker’s Clementine books, so we were very excited about the opportunity to read Pennypacker’s latest book: Waylon! One Awesome Thing.

Waylon is not a sequel to the Clementine books, but they are definitely a spinoff. Waylon lives in Clementine’s world; the two children attend the same school, and they are both in the fourth grade. They are not close friends, but Waylon has a couple of interactions with her over the course of the book.

If you are not familiar with the Clementine books, that’s okay; you don’t have to have read them before reading Waylon. Waylon is a fourth grade boy who lives in Boston with his parents and sister. Waylon is a very intelligent boy, and he loves science. Read more

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Just Like Me by Nancy Cavanaugh

51arpbju1wlI received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My oldest daughter is almost nine years old, so I have recruited her to help me with the middle grade ARCs that I receive from Netgalley. She is a voracious reader, but she tends to gravitate towards comics and graphic novels rather than novels. Reading together gives her the opportunity to expand her repertoire, and I get some great feedback from the target demographic.

We recently read Just Like Me by Nancy Cavanaugh. The story begins with narrator Julia on the bus to sleepaway camp with Avery and Becca, her “Chinese sisters”. The girls were all adopted at the same time from the same orphanage. Avery and Becca live close to each other, get together all the time, and have embraced their Chinese heritage. Julia has been struggling with her identity, and sees herself as half Irish, half Italian like her parents- and half Chinese too. Read more

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Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt & Alison McGhee

51fyq0arfrlI received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My oldest daughter is almost nine years old, and she has been helping me by reading the middle grade ARCs with me. We recently read Maybe a Fox, which is a collaboration between Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee.

Sylvie and Jules are sisters growing up in Vermont. They live with their father, and they have a shared best friend named Sam- Super Friend Sam. Jules loves collecting rocks, and Sylvie loves running.   One day, Sylvie runs so fast that she disappears, and Jules doesn’t know what to do without her beloved sister.

At the same time, a little baby fox is born. She knows that she is here for a purpose, and as she acclimates herself to the world, she tries to discover what that purpose is. Read more

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Tru and Nelle by G. Neri

51tb2cayyflI received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My oldest daughter is almost nine years old, and she is in the third grade. She is a voracious reader, and I have asked her to help me with the middle grade books that I receive advanced copies of.

We recently read Tru and Nelle by G. Neri. This is a fictional account of the real childhood friendship between Truman Capote and Harper Lee. We finished reading a few days before Harper Lee passed away, and this book had such a profound affect on my daughter that the news of Lee’s passing brought her to tears.

When they first meet, Tru is a fastidious little boy, and Nelle is clad in dirty overalls. These two children don’t seem like they have much in common, but they bond over their love of books and their family woes: Nelle’s mother spends much of her time in various hospitals, and Tru’s parents have virtually abandoned him. Tru and Nelle have all sorts of adventures in Monroeville, Alabama, including opening a detective agency and trying to track down a mysterious vandal. At the end of the book, there are a handful of anecdotes. These short stories didn’t fit into the main narrative, although there are some plot elements that are alluded to in the main story.       Read more