Must Read Mid-Grade for 2015: May Edition by Caroline Starr Rose

There are so many incredible middle-grade titles releasing this year, I decided to dedicate my posts these next months to sharing as many as I can with you. My list is not exclusive and is actually just the tip of the iceberg. I hope these glimpses get you excited enough to ask your library to purchase a copy or buy one yourself. All descriptions are taken from Amazon.com.

A whole lotta books this month are from debut authors. Go, debuts, and happy reading!

Wilder Boys -- Brandon Wallace (May 5)

Two brothers will need all their wilderness skills to survive when they set off into the woods of Wyoming in search of their absent father.

Jake and Taylor Wilder have been taking care of themselves for a long time. Their father abandoned the family years ago, and their mother is too busy working and running interference between the boys and her boyfriend, Bull, to spend a lot of time with them. Thirteen-year-old Jake spends most of his time reading. He pours over his father’s journal, which is full of wilderness facts and survival tips. Eleven-year-old Taylor likes to be outside playing with their dog, Cody, or joking around with the other kids in the neighborhood.

But one night everything changes. 

The Sound and Life of Everything -- Krista Van Dolzer (May 5)

Twelve-year-old Ella Mae Higbee is a sensible girl. She eats her vegetables and wants to be just like Sergeant Friday, her favorite character on Dragnet. So when her auntie Mildred starts spouting nonsense about a scientist who can bring her cousin back to life from blood on his dog tags, Ella Mae is skeptical—until he steps out of a bio-pod right before her eyes.

But the boy is not her cousin—he’s Japanese. And in California in the wake of World War II, the Japanese are still feared and despised. When her aunt refuses to take responsibility, Ella Mae and her Mama take him home instead. Determined to do what’s right by her new friend, Ella Mae teaches Takuma English and defends him from the reverend’s talk of H-E-double-toothpicks. But when his memories start to resurface, Ella Mae learns some shocking truths about her own family and more importantly, what it means to love.

The Runaway’s Gold - Emilie Christie Burack (May 12)

The year is 1842, and thirteen-year-old Christopher Robertson and his family are struggling to survive in Shetland, a cluster of islands off the northern coast of Scotland.  Poverty, hunger, and being in debt are all they've known, until an unexpected twist of fate changes Christopher's life forever.

When John, Christopher's devious brother, frames him for the theft of their father's secret pouch of coins, Christopher embarks on a journey to return the coins and clear his good name.

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer - Kelly Jones (May 12)

Twelve-year-old Sophie Brown feels like a fish out of water when she and her parents move from Los Angeles to the farm they’ve inherited from a great-uncle. But farm life gets more interesting when a cranky chicken appears and Sophie discovers the hen can move objects with the power of her little chicken brain: jam jars, the latch to her henhouse, the entire henhouse....

And then more of her great-uncle’s unusual chickens come home to roost. Determined, resourceful Sophie learns to care for her flock, earning money for chicken feed, collecting eggs. But when a respected local farmer tries to steal them, Sophie must find a way to keep them (and their superpowers) safe.

Wild Boy and the Black Terror -- Rob Lloyd Jones (May 12)

London, 1842. Wild Boy, master detective and former freak-show performer, and Clarissa, circus acrobat and troublemaker, are the secret last hope of a city beset by horror. A poisoner stalks the streets, leaving victims mad with terror—and then dead. Can the Black Terror be traced to a demon called Malphas? With their partnership threatened by rules and regulations, can Wild Boy and Clarissa uncover a cure in time to save the queen and the city?

Joshua and the Lightning Road: The Lost Realm - Donna Galanti* (May 19)

Twelve-year-old Joshua Cooper learns the hard way that lightning never strikes by chance when a bolt strikes his house and whisks away his best friend—possibly forever. To get him back, Joshua must travel the Lightning Road to a dark world where stolen human kids are work slaves and ruled by the frustrated heirs of the Greek Olympians who come to see Joshua as the hero prophesied to restore their lost powers. New friends come to Joshua’s aid and while battling beasts and bandits and fending off the Child Collector, Joshua’s mission quickly becomes more than a search for his friend—it becomes the battle of his life.

*A Project Mayhem author!

What new releases are you looking forward to?

Surviving Bear Island: Four Details

Below are a few brief things about Surviving Bear Island. A little history and a look toward the future.

1. Surviving Bear Island, my debut novel, a survival story set in the wilds of Prince William Sound, Alaska comes out March 25^th (Move Books). Having completed the first draft of this novel 10 years ago, and then countless drafts since then, I feel incredibly fortunate to have found a home for this book. As my agent was trying to sell a different manuscript we started working on getting Surviving Bear Island ready for submission.

2. When I wrote Surviving Bear Island I didn’t envision it being illustrated. In fact, I first wrote it as a young adult novel and then six years into the revision process, it morphed into both first person and middle grade. One thing the illustrator James Madsen said about Surviving Bear Island is: "This book in particular has been one of my favorites because I grew up an avid outdoorsman and there’s no where I’d rather be than in the mountains or around wildlife."

I feel fortunate to have my book matched with an artist who has spent a lot of time in the outdoors. In the past fifteen years James has illustrated more than 75 books. Below is one illustration from the book. James also did the cover.

James Madsen

3. Surviving Bear Island is a 2015 Junior Library Guild selection. Again, I feel incredibly fortunate that the Junior Library Guild is putting their energy into getting my book into school and public libraries.

4. As of a couple days ago you can now pre-order Surviving Bear Island on Amazon.

As Surviving Bear Island nears publication I'm working on two books. One is an MG adventure set in Interior Alaska. The other is a contemporary YA novel.

Thanks for reading!

Cover Reveal & Giveaway for A SLIVER OF STARDUST, by: Marissa Burt

**Update: Three winners for the ARC giveaway have been selected through rafflecopter's random number generator and notified. Thanks so much to all of you for reading Project Mayhem's blog and for entering the giveaway! I'll let you know of other ARC giveaways for A SLIVER OF STARDUST via my twitter or facebook page. Happy reading! M**

You Guys.

I am beyond excited to reveal the cover for my next book, A SLIVER OF STARDUST.
...
Many, many thanks to the extremely talented people behind this gorgeous cover: to Jakob Eirich who created the jacket art, to David Coulson who did the lettering, and to Michelle Taormina who designed the jacket, and to everyone else on the Harper Team who continues to overwhelm me with their brilliant creative work.
...
But wait! Before you see the cover, a little bit about the story from the jacket copy:

I am a gold lock.

I am a gold key.

However high and low you hunt,

You'll never find me.

Wren Matthews outgrew nursery rhymes a long time ago. Little did she know that songs of twinkling little stars and four-and-twenty blackbirds are the key to the ancient magic of stardust - a magic that only a few people can see and use. And Wren is one of them.

Wren has always preferred to stick to herself. But when she is invited to the faraway fortress where an ancient order has long studied and guarded the stardust, she doesn't hesitate to accept.

Soon Wren is swept up in strange dreams, buried secrets, and rumors that an old enemy is plotting his return. As she tries to master her new abilities, Wren only knows one thing for sure. there's magic in the world - and it's waiting for her.

In the stars, a world of wonder and

magic awaits...but it is in grave danger,

and only Wren can save it.

...

And now...

And, because I want you to see how fantastic the back of the cover is:

Wow. I just can't stop gushing about it...prepare yourself for exclamation points! The aurora! The fantastic details! The glow of the lights in the Crooked House! The excitement on Wren's and Simon's faces! The shadows and spray of the water! The wingspan of Wren's falcon! I love Wren and Simon and their story so much and am so delighted that this cover captures the spirit of their adventure.

Count down the days with me until A SLIVER OF STARDUST will make its way into the hands of readers on October 20, or you can pre-order it now at Amazon!

But if you can't wait that long, enter below for a chance to win one of three ARCs that I'm giving away. Tweet or facebook about the giveaway every day from now until Friday 2/27 for more chances to win. This giveaway is open to US addresses only, and I'll send out the ARCs as soon as they become available.

a Rafflecopter giveaway