Title: Winterling Author: Sarah Prineas Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade Publisher: HarperCollins Publication Date: January 2012 Hardcover: 256 Pages Jennifer— Things here have gotten very bad. My girl, when you opened the Way, something happened. It has been weeks since…
Middle Grade
Graphic Novel Round-Up: Atomic Sheep by Sally Jane Thompson & The Lost Boy by Greg Ruth
I’ve been reading a few graphic novels lately and wanted to share two of my recent favourites. Sixteen year old Tamrika Fuller is happy with her life. With good friends and good grades, she’s content to keep her options…
Old School Wednesdays is a weekly Book Smuggler feature. We came up with the idea towards the end of 2012, when both Ana and Thea were feeling exhausted from the never-ending inundation of New and Shiny (and often over-hyped)…
It’s Friday and we are over at Kirkus! Today, Ana reviews the latest (and yet, the oldest!) Terry Pratchett book: Go HERE to read what she thought.…
Greetings, boys and ghouls! It is almost Halloween, and I have been a very bad Crypt Keeper indeed. I realize that this year, I have yet to post a SINGLE list of horror goodness! But fear not, darlings, for…
Title: Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror Author: Chris Priestley Genre: Horror, Short Stories, Middle Grade Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens Publication Date: September 2007 Paperback: 240 pages This spine-tingling, thrill-packed novel has more than enough fear-factor for the most ardent fan…
Title: Blue Moon Author: James Ponti Genre: Horror, Urban Fantasy, Middle Grade, Zombies Publisher: Aladdin Publication Date: October 2013 Hardcover: 336 Pages Molly is ready for more nonstop, undead action in this follow-up to Dead City, which Kirkus Reviews…
Today we host the cover reveal for a brand new anthology! The Cabinet of Curiosities is a website that is run by middle grade authors Claire Legrand, Stefan Bachmann, Katherine Catmull, and Emma Trevayne. Each week one of these…
Old School Wednesdays: The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
Old School Wednesdays is a weekly Book Smuggler feature. We came up with the idea towards the end of 2012, when both Ana and Thea were feeling exhausted from the never-ending inundation of New and Shiny (and often over-hyped)…
Title: The Real Boy Author: Anne Ursu Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade Publisher: Walden Pond Press Publication Date: September 2013 Hardcover: 288 Pages On an island on the edge of an immense sea there is a city, a forest, and…
Today, we are thrilled to host a stop on the blog tour for Anne Ursu’s newest book, fantasy middle grade novel The Real Boy. We are huge fans of Anne’s (having read and loved Breadcrumbs), so were thrilled when…
Book Review: Magic Marks the Spot (The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #1) by Caroline Carlson
Title: Magic Marks the Spot (The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #1) Author: Caroline Carlson Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade Publisher: Harper Collins Publication Date: September 10 2013 Hardcover: 368 Pages Pirates! Magic! Treasure! A gargoyle? Caroline Carlson’s hilarious…
Title: Dead City Author: James Ponti Genre: Horror, Middle Grade/Young Adult, Zombies Publisher: Aladdin Publication Date: October 2012 Hardcover: 288 Pages The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins says this paranormal action-adventure “breathes new life into the zombie genre” and…
Title: Counting by 7s Author: Holly Goldberg Sloan Genre: Contemporary, Middle Grade, PoC Publisher: Dial Publication Date: August 29 2013 Hardcover: 384 Pages In the tradition of Out of My Mind, Wonder, and Mockingbird, this is an intensely moving…
Joint Review: The Year of Shadows by Claire Legrand
Title: The Year of Shadows Author: Claire Legrand Genre: Paranormal, Horro, Middle Grade Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Publication Date: August 27 2013 Hardcover: 416 Pages Olivia Stellatella is having a rough year. Her mother left,…
The Year of Shadows Blog Tour (& Giveaway): Claire Legrand on Believing in Ghosts
We are thrilled to be kicking off the blog tour for Claire Legrand’s second novel, The Year of Shadows, a middle grade ghost story about love, loss, and friendship! Today, Claire is over to talk about ghosts – specifically,…
Old School Wednesdays is a weekly Book Smuggler feature. We came up with the idea towards the end of 2012, when both Ana and Thea were feeling exhausted from the never-ending inundation of New and Shiny (and often over-hyped)…
Today, we are thrilled to host the cover reveal for R.J. Anderson’s forthcoming middle grade novel, Nomad (sequel to Swift)! We’re big fans of R.J.’s – Thea loved Ultraviolet and Quicksilver so very much – so we cannot wait…
Title: Vanished Author: Sheela Chari Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, PoC, Middle Grade Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Publication Date: July 2011 Hardcover: 336 Pages Eleven-year-old Neela dreams of being a famous musician, performing for admiring crowds on her traditional Indian stringed instrument. Her…
Ash Mistry and the World of Darkness Blog Tour: Sarwat Chadda on Diversity and Writing Kick-ass PoC Characters
Sarwat Chadda, is the author of the fabulous Billi SanGreal books, featuring a teenage female Templar Knight as well as the kick-ass Ash Mistry series featuring Indian Mythology and a badass PoC hero. The third book, Ash Mistry and…
Title: Sidekicked Author: John David Anderson Genre: Speculative Fiction, Contemporary/Urban Fantasy, Superheroes, Middle Grade Publisher: Walden Pond Press Publication Date: June 2013 Hardcover: 384 Pages With not nearly enough power comes way too much responsibility. Andrew Bean might be…
Middle Grade Review Bonanza: Rump by Liesl Shurtliff, Aesop’s Secret by Claudia White, and Binny for Short by Hilary McKay
The Middle Grade Review Bonanza is a new feature of 2-3 mini-reviews for short (typically 250 pages or less) MG books we both really wanted to read. It’s a new Regular Thing (and we’d love to hear your thoughts…
Old School Wednesdays Readalong: Archer’s Goon by Diana Wynne Jones
Old School Wednesdays is a weekly Book Smuggler feature. We came up with the idea towards the end of 2012, when both Ana and Thea were feeling exhausted from the never-ending inundation of New and Shiny (and often over-hyped)…
The Glass Puzzle: Christine Brodien-Jones on Inspirations & Influences (& Giveaway)
“Inspirations and Influences” is a series of articles in which we invite authors to write guest posts talking about their…well, Inspirations and Influences. The cool thing is that the writers are given free rein so they can go wild…
Middle Grade Review Bonanza: the David Almond Edition (The Boy Who Swam With Piranhas; The Savage and Mouse Bird Snake Wolf).
The Middle Grade Review Bonanza is a new feature of 2-3 mini-reviews for short (typically 250 pages or less) MG books we both really wanted to read. It’s a new Regular Thing (and we’d love to hear your thoughts…