Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Five Debut Mid-Grades for 2012

Here are five new middle grade novels I'm looking forward to next year:

Glory Be - Augusta Scattergood
releasing January 1, 2012
Glory Be
A Mississippi town in 1964 gets riled when tempers flare at the segregated public pool. Augusta Scattergood has drawn on real-life events to create a memorable novel about family, friendship, and choices that aren’t always easy. 



The Mapmaker and the Ghost - Sarvenaz Tash
releasing April 24, 2012
The Mapmaker and the Ghost
A simple decision to map a forest lands 11-year-old Goldenrod in the midst of a true blue adventure involving a gang of brilliant troublemakers, a mysterious and very ugly old lady, and an exceedingly unexpected—and long dead—questmaster.



Chained - Lynne Kelly
releasing May 8, 2012
Chained
The touching story of a boy and an elephant who have a friendship that’s stronger than any lock, shackle, or chain.


One for the Murphys - Lynne Mullaly Hunt
releasing May 10, 2012
One for the Murphys
In the wake of heart breaking betrayal, Carley Connors becomes a foster child who finds herself in the hands of the bustling, happy Murphys, a family that shows her a side of life she’d believed did not exist.



Small Medium at Large - Joanne Levy
releasing July 3, 2012
Small Medium at Large
Because being 12, flat-chested and harassed by the school’s popular girl isn’t bad enough, Lilah Bloom’s life changes forever when she is hit by lightning and can suddenly hear dead people.

Any here you might add to your reading list?

26 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing these! Will be sure to put them on the TBR list for 2012. It's promising to be a great reading year for MG!

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  2. This is great stuff, because my daughter, as she nears graduation from elementary school, is really starting to devour MG books. Good times.

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  3. Yay! They all sound amazing. (I'm also waiting breathlessly for May B., releasing January 10th, everyone.)

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  4. Don't they sound great? And I love the variety: historical, contemporary, humorous, international setting.

    Michael, thanks! :)

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  5. Thanks so much for the feature! I've been lucky enough to read CHAINED and THE MAPMAKER AND THE GHOST already, and both are AMAZING books. Looking forward to the rest, too.

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  6. Great picks! I appreciate the variety too -- I've been looking forward to Small Medium at Large and Chained, but I hadn't heard of the others.

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  7. Thanks so much--I'm thrilled to be in such great company here! I know THE MAPMAKER AND THE GHOST is a fun read, and I'm looking forward to reading the others here.

    I recommend MAY B. also! Great historical fiction, even for kids who think they don't like historical fiction; they'll fly through this one. Anne Nesbet's THE CABINET OF EARTHS is another one to look for soon. Mystery plus fantasy, set in Paris, and hard to put down!

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  8. Yay for Small Medium at Large!

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  9. Lynne, thank you for mentioning The Cabinet of Earths. I know there are more I'm missing. Is Robin's Ditched MG? I want to say yes...

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  10. Lynne, thank you for mentioning The Cabinet of Earths. I know there are more I'm missing. Is Robin's Ditched MG? I want to say yes...

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  11. Marissa! I'm so sorry I completely forgot the much anticipated Storybound!

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  12. Woo hoo!!! So many great MG's for 2012!!!!

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  13. Great list! I recently read CHAINED and loved it.

    @Caroline - no worries, though *ahem* all you readers should read STORYBOUND, too. ;)

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  14. CHAINED looks really touching. I was just like the girl in SMALL MEDIUM AT LARGE, minus the "I see dead people" thing! ;)

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  15. These all sound wonderful. The cover of CHAINED reels me right in.

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  16. Great post, Caroline. Your book maybe, just MAY B., belongs here, too. And Marissa's is BOUND to be a STORY people love reading in 2012 as well. Wow, I'm super creative, huh?

    Oh, and no, Mellom's DITCHED is YA...but she has a MG series starting in 2012 that kicks off with THE CLASSROOM, which I'm amped to read.

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  17. Mike, you're so clever. Must be why you're a Mayhemer. ;) Yes! I've gotten Robin Mellom's books mixed in my mind. You're absolutely right.

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  18. Thank you, Caroline. Great list. I'm very proud to be on it!

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  19. So excited for all of these books!

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  20. These sound like they are definitely worth waiting for! I love the idea of the new year and a whole new crop of books to read!!

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  21. Janet McLaughlin12/29/11, 7:42 AM

    Have read Augusta's GLORY BE (several times). It's a wonderful book with a feisty protagonist who puts me in mind of Scout in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. A great read for kids and adults alike.

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  22. These all look great. I just say Glory Be at Barnes and Noble.

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  23. Wow! I am honored to find MURPHYS in such amazing company! Thanks so much! ~Lynda

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  24. Caroline, just looked at this again and saw your comment-- Robin's book DITCHED is another one I want to read, but it's YA. Prom story that's supposed to be like a high school version of The Hangover!

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  25. These all look wonderful--thanks for the heads-up, Caroline!! :-)

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Thanks for adding to the mayhem!