2018 MG DEBUTS by Joy McCullough

As a debut author with my first book releasing in March, I have the wonderful privilege of being a part of the Electric Eighteens, a group of MG and YA authors who all have debut novels releasing this year. There are some VERY exciting new middle grade voices this year and I wanted to take this opportunity to give you a glimpse at some of what is headed your way!

So here’s a calendar of just SOME of the awesome MG debuts headed your way!

JANUARY

Anna Meriano | LOVE SUGAR MAGIC: A DASH OF TROUBLE

Walden Pond Press/Harper
MG Fantasy
January 2, 2018

Jackie Yeager | SPIN THE GOLDEN LIGHT BULB
Amberjack
MG Magical Realism
January 9, 2018

Margaret Mincks | PAYBACK ON POPLAR LANE
Viking Children’s/PRH
MG Contemporary Humor
January 30, 2018

FEBRUARY

Kamilla Benko | THE UNICORN QUEST

Bloomsbury

MG Fantasy

February 6, 2018

E. Latimer | 
THE STRANGE AND DEADLY PORTRAITS OF BRYONY GRAY
Tundra/PRH
MG Gothic Fantasy
February 13, 2018

Brad McLelland & Louis Sylvester | 
LEGENDS OF THE LOST CAUSES
Henry Holt & Company
MG Adventure
February 20, 2018

Sayantani DasGupta | THE SERPENT’S SECRET
Scholastic
MG Fantasy Adventure
February 27 2018

 

MARCH 

Tae Keller | THE SCIENCE OF BREAKABLE THINGSPenguin Random House
MG Contemporary
March 6, 2018

Jen Petro-Roy | P.S. I MISS YOU

Feiwel & FriendsMG ContemporaryMarch 6, 2018

Diane Magras | THE MAD WOLF’S DAUGHTER
Kathy Dawson Books/Penguin Young Readers
MG Historical Adventure
March 6, 2018

Jonathan Roth | BEEP AND BOB
S&S/Aladdin
Humorous sci-fi chapter book
March 13, 2018

Daniel Wheatley | THE ZANNA FUNCTION

Jolly Fish Press
MG Fantasy
March 20, 2018 

Kheryn Callender | HURRICANE CHILD
Scholastic
MG Magic Realism
March 27, 2018

APRIL

Henry Lien | PEASPROUT CHEN, FUTURE LEGEND OF SKATE AND SWORD 

Henry Holt & Company
MG Fantasy
April 3, 2018

Will Taylor | 
MAGGIE & ABBY’S NEVERENDING PILLOW FORT
HarperCollins
MG Contemporary Fantasy
April 3, 2018

Lauren Abbey Greenberg | 

THE BATTLE OF JUNK MOUNTAIN
Running Press
MG Contemporary
April 17, 2018

Laurie Morrison | EVERY SHINY THING
Abrams
MG Contemporary
April 17, 2018

MAY

 

A.M. Morgen | THE INVENTORS AT NO. 8
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
MG Adventure
May 8, 2018

J.H. Diehl | TINY INFINITIES
Chronicle Books
MG Contemporary
May 8, 2018

Jeff Seymour |  NADYA SKYLUNG AND THE CLOUDSHIP RESCUE 
G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Fantasy Adventure
May 15, 2018

Kelly Yang | FRONT DESK
Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic
MG Contemporary
May 29, 2018

JUNE

Samantha M. Clark | 
THE BOY, THE BOAT & THE BEAST
Paula Wiseman Books/S&S
MG Magic Realism
June 26, 2018

Mae Respicio | THE HOUSE THAT LOU BUILT
Wendy Lamb Books/Random House
MG Contemporary
June 12, 2018 

Melissa Sarno | JUST UNDER THE CLOUDS
Knopf
MG Contemporary
June 5, 2018

JULY

Cindy Baldwin | 

WHERE THE WATERMELONS GROW
Harper Collins Children’s
MG Contemporary
July 3, 2018

K.A. Reynolds | THE LAND OF YESTERDAY
Harper Collins Children’s
MG Fantasy
July 31, 2018

 

AUGUST

 Saadia Faruqi | YASMIN SERIES
Capstone
Chapter Books Contemporary
August 1, 2018

Brigit Young | WORTH A THOUSAND WORDSRoaring Brook Press/Macmillan
MG Contemporary
August 14th, 2018

Ben Langhinrichs | 

DANGER TASTES DREADFUL
Clean Reads/Astraea Press
MG Fantasy
August 14, 2018

Lija Fisher | THE CRYPTID CATCHER
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
MG Adventure
August 21, 2018 

Ann Braden | THE BENEFITS OF BEING AN OCTOPUS
Sky Pony Press
MG Contemporary
September 4, 2018

SEPTEMBER

Sean Easley | THE HOTEL BETWEEN
Simon & Schuster BFYR
MG Adventure
September 4, 2018

Hayley Chewins | THE TURNAWAY GIRLS

Walker Books/Candlewick
MG Fantasy
September 2018

Allison Varnes | PROPERTY OF THE REBEL LIBRARIAN

Random House Children’s Books
MG Contemporary
September 2018

Ginger Johnson | THE SPLINTERED LIGHT
Bloomsbury
MG Fantasy
September 4^th, 2018

Christina Collins | AFTER ZERO
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
MG Contemporary
Fall 2018

Amanda Rawson Hill | THE THREE RULES OF EVERYDAY MAGIC
Boyds Mills Press
MG Contemporary
September 25, 2018

OCTOBER

Tara Gilboy | UNWRITTEN
Jolly Fish
MG Fantasy
October 16, 2018

Marie Miranda Cruz | EVERLASTING NORAStarscape TOR/Macmillan
MG Contemporary
October 2, 2018

Melanie Sumrow | THE PROPHET CALLSYellow Jacket/Little Bee Books
MG Contemporary
Fall 2018

FIVE FABULOUS FINGER-TINGLING NOVELS TO LOOK FORWARD TO by Michael Gettel-Gilmartin

Nothing gets me more excited than a new middle grade novel (well, maybe chocolate does, but I'm trying to be cerebral here.) Recently, I had the honor of a cover reveal for Michele Weber Hurwitz's latest, and decided that I needed to share the love for Michele's new novel with y'all--as well as sharing some other notable upcoming novels. The Mayhem hive mind came to my rescue, and I have a list of five novels, including Michele's, that I'm positively salivating over. Here goes:

Michele Weber Hurwitz's ETHAN MARCUS STANDS UP

From Michele's WEBSITE:

ETHAN MARCUS STANDS UP will be published on August 29th, 2017 by Simon & Schuster/Aladdin, with a sequel to follow in 2018.

Seventh-grader Ethan Marcus is fed up with sitting in school, and one day, enough is enough. He doesn't cause trouble or wander around, he just refuses to stay seated in class. His spontaneous protest doesn't go over so well with his rule-oriented teacher so Ethan is sent to the principal's office, and then is given two days of "Reflection" -- McNutt Middle School's answer to detention. When the faculty advisor suggests Ethan channel his energy into the school's Invention Day, at first Ethan says thanks but no thanks. He's never been a science-y kid. That's his Irish twin sister Erin's department. Except when Ethan and his friend Brian decide to give it a try, they realize they might have something. And it's good. Maybe great. But can they actually pull it off?

Ethan Marcus Stands Up -- narrated by five different kids -- shows how we all may have labels that define us, but that doesn't mean we can't step out of our comfort zone and attempt a new challenge. And, along the way, we may just learn from someone who sees the world from a different perspective.

See my cover reveal post on Middle Grade Mafioso for more fun!

THE DANGER GANG AND THE PIRATES OF BORNEO by our very own Stephen Bramucci, coming August 1st, 2017

Ronald Zupan is a daring master adventurer! But he actually hasn't experienced any grand adventures . . . YET! When his world-traveling parents are kidnapped on his twelfth birthday, Ronald seizes the chance to prove himself with a dazzling, danger-defying rescue operation.

Teaming up with his trusty butler Jeeves, his quick-witted fencing nemesis Julianne Sato, and his pet cobra Carter, Ronald sets course for the jungle of Borneo where his parents were last sighted. If they can crash-land a plane and outrun a hungry snow leopard, surely they can find the secret lair of Zeetan Z, the world's most ruthless pirate! But as their adventure becomes more and more dangerous, can Ronald and his companions muster enough courage to see this adventure through? (From Bloomsbury site)

Visit Stephen's new website!

LEMONS by Melissa Savage, coming May 2, 2017

Lemonade Liberty Witt’s mama always told her: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But Lem can’t possibly make lemonade out of her new life in Willow Creek, California—the Bigfoot Capital of the World—where she’s forced to live with a grandfather she’s never met after her mother passes away.

 Then she meets eleven-year-old Tobin Sky, the CEO of Bigfoot Detectives Inc., who is the sole Bigfoot investigator for their small town. After he invites Lem to be his assistant for the summer, they set out on an epic adventure to capture a shot of the elusive beast on film. But along the way, Lem and Tobin end up discovering more than they ever could have imagined. And Lem realizes that maybe she can make lemonade out of her new life after all. (From blog tour material, Penguin Random House)

Lot of buzz about this one--I will be part of the blog tour on Middle Grade Mafioso, coming soon to a blog near you!

BEYOND THE BRIGHT SEA by Lauren Wolk, coming May 1st, 2017

Crow has lived her whole life on a tiny, starkly beautiful island. Her only companions are Osh, the man who rescued her from a washed-up skiff as a baby and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their neighbour across the sandbar. But it is only when a mysterious fire appears across the water that an unspoken question of her own history forms in Crow's heart, and an unstoppable chain of events is triggered. Crow sets out to find her lost identity - and, ultimately, to learn what it means to be a family. (From Penguin UK)

THE GAUNTLET by Karuna Riazi, (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, published March 28, 2017)
When twelve-year-old Farah and her two best friends get sucked into a mechanical board game called The Gauntlet of Blood and Sand—a puzzle game akin to a large Rubik’s cube—they know it’s up to them to defeat the game’s diabolical architect in order to save themselves and those who are trapped inside, including her baby brother Ahmed. But first they have to figure out how.

Under the tutelage of a lizard guide named Henrietta Peel and an aeronaut Vijay, the Farah and her friends battle camel spiders, red scorpions, grease monkeys, and sand cats as they prepare to face off with the maniacal Lord Amari, the man behind the machine. Can they defeat Amari at his own game…or will they, like the children who came before them, become cogs in the machine? (From Goodreads)



I'm so excited to welcome all these novels in the coming months. Please add any novels you are excited about too. I'm going for a Guinness World Record of a TBR list.

A New Book! Jasper and the Riddle of Riley's Mine by Caroline Starr Rose

I’m kinda obsessed with the Klondike Gold Rush. If I were heartier and braver (and had no problem with sub-freezing temperatures), I’d love to travel back to 1897 and see the frenzy that unfolded in Canada’s Yukon Territory firsthand.

Did you learn about the Klondike Gold Rush in school? I certainly didn’t, unless you count the day we spent reading Jack London’s memorable short story, “To Build a Fire.” That was my only taste of this historic event that (unbeknownst to me) fascinated the entire world.

If I could, I’d like to spy on Jefferson “Soapy” Smith, a con-man in Skagway, Alaska, who swindled, tricked, and robbed would-be miners (called Stampeders) as they were passing through. I’d love to see the never-ending chain of people climbing over the Chilkoot Pass’s Golden Stairs — steps carved into ice that men, women, and even children trudged up for days and weeks and months, until they’d finally carried their ton of supplies safely into Canada.

What would it be like to wander the muddy streets of Dawson City -- the community that sprang up at the mouth of the Yukon and Klondike rivers after gold was discovered --where the knighted and the nameless were suddenly on equal footing? Wouldn’t it be fun to catch a glimpse of Skookum Jim and George Carmack with their gold nugget belt buckles the size of supper plates? What would it feel like to endure darkest winter in a tiny claim shanty? 

Of the 100,000 Stampeders who set out for the Klondike, thirty to forty thousand reached Dawson City. About twenty thousand of those who made it to Dawson tried looking for gold. Four thousand found it. A few hundred got enough to be considered rich. But only a handful were able to hold onto their wealth.

All that hardship with so little return. Can you think of anything more daring or exasperating?

I hope my newest book, Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine, set smack dab in the middle of the Klondike Gold Rush, gives young readers a taste of this weird, wild, wonderful bit of history — from the coziness of their well-insulated, modern-day homes, of course!

Praise for Jasper:

Jasper narrates in the present tense, his homespun voice evoking both emotion and adventure. Villains and allies provide colorful melodrama, but it's the brothers' struggle to survive the Yukon wilderness with its harsh beauty and unforgiving cold that will keep readers entranced.

— Kirkus

Jasper’s voice and Caroline Starr Rose’s writing style brought her characters alive, bursting with warmth and spirit. The rich details and historically accurate setting took me back to the era of the Gold Rush.

-- Terry Lynn Johnson, author of Ice Dogs and Falcon Wild

Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine takes two brothers and plunks them right into a hair-raising journey to the goldfields of Canada. It’s a rollicking adventure, warm and funny, chockablock with bad guys and good guys, mysteries and deceptions, dangers and disasters.  With courage and persistence, Melvin and the delightful Jasper discover the true meaning of riches, friendship, and family. It’s a rip-roaring tale and a romping good read. Try to resist!

— Newbery Award-winning author, Karen Cushman

The dreams and dangers of the 1897 Klondike gold rush fuel Rose’s first novel in prose, and it’s a rousing historical adventure…Rose’s carefully plotted clues, along with colorful supporting characters and narrow escapes, keep the pace brisk until Jasper finds Riley’s mine in a suspenseful climax. Complementing a narrative rich in details about life on the frontier, the author’s note provides more intriguing facts, including profiles of characters in the book who were true historical figures. VERDICT Highly recommended for fans of adventure and historical fiction, or as a classroom read-aloud. — School Library Journal

Would you like a personalized copy of Jasper? Click through to order! Be sure to leave instructions on the dedication in the "order comments" section.

Noteworthy Historical Middle Grade Fiction of 2016

Last year my Project Mayhem posts were about new books I was excited to read, which I arranged according to release date. This year I'll be sharing new releases by genre. Today we'll talk about my favorite -- historical fiction. 

My love affair with historicals began with the Laura Ingalls Wilder books my dad read to me starting in Kindergarten and continued with titles I read on my own in elementary school, such as When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, No Promises in the Wind, and The Yearling. While I liked history class as a kid, I never felt smart enough to "get" everything we were supposed to learn. There was just too much to take in. But once a moment in history was transformed into a book, I could not only remember, I could make connections that felt real and meaningful. History came to life because these characters and their worlds were made accessible through story. 

Author Karen Cushman puts it this way:  

I think for readers historical fiction is important because it helps them to see beyond the boundaries of their own experience. It helps them to stretch and to see what life is like for others. This helps illustrate both how we are the same and how we are different, and can give readers more empathy. 

Here are a collection of boundary-stretching historicals broken into three sub-genres: historical adventure, books about WWII, and plain ol' straight up historical (I can make my own sub-genre, right?). I hope you enjoy! 

HISTORICAL ADVENTURE 

Audacity Jones to the Rescue — Kirby Larson (January 26) 

 Audacity Jones is an eleven-year-old orphan who aches for adventure, a challenge to break up the monotony of her life at Miss Maisie's School for Wayward Girls. Life as a wayward girl isn't so bad; Audie has the best of friends, a clever cat companion, and plenty of books to read. Still, she longs for some excitement, like the characters in the novels she so loves encounter.

So when the mysterious Commodore Crutchfield visits the school and whisks Audie off to Washington, DC, she knows she's in for the journey of a lifetime. But soon, it becomes clear that the Commodore has unsavory plans for Audie -- plans that involve the president of the United States and a sinister kidnapping plot. Before she knows it, Audie winds up in the White House kitchens, where she's determined to stop the Commodore dead in his tracks. Can Audie save the day before it's too late? 

The Eye of Midnight — Andrew Brumbach (March 8)

A cross between Indiana Jones and The DaVinci Code for kids, you won’t be able to put down this classic adventure set in 1920s New York City with an Arabian twist!

On a stormy May day in 1929, William and Maxine arrive on the doorstep of Battersea Manor to spend the summer with a grandfather they barely remember. Whatever the cousins expected, Colonel Battersea isn’t it. 

Soon after they settle in, Grandpa receives a cryptic telegram and promptly whisks the cousins off to New York City so that he can meet an unknown courier and collect a very important package. Before he can do so, however, Grandpa vanishes without a trace. 

When the cousins stumble upon Nura, a tenacious girl from Turkey, she promises to help them track down the parcel and rescue Colonel Battersea. But with cold-blooded gangsters and a secret society of assassins all clamoring for the same mysterious object, the children soon find themselves in a desperate struggle just to escape the city’s dark streets alive. 

An exquisitely written, gripping adventure, Andrew Brumbach’s debut novel is poised to become a contemporary classic.  

PLAIN OL' STRAIGHT UP HISTORICALS 

Sweet Home Alaska — Carole Estby Dagg (February 2)

This exciting pioneering story, based on actual events, introduces readers to a fascinating chapter in American history, when FDR set up a New Deal colony in Alaska to give loans and land to families struggling during the Great Depression.

Trip can’t wait to follow in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s footsteps . . . now she just has to convince her mom. It’s 1934, and times are tough for their family. To make a fresh start, Trip’s father signs up for President Roosevelt’s Palmer Colony project, uprooting them from Wisconsin to become pioneers in Alaska. Their new home is a bit of a shock—it’s a town still under construction in the middle of the wilderness, where the residents live in tents and share a community outhouse. But Trip’s not about to let first impressions get in the way of this grand adventure. Tackling its many unique challenges with her can-do attitude, she starts making things happen to make Alaska seem more like home. Soon, she and her family are able to start settling in and enjoying their new surroundings—everyone except her mother, that is. So, in order to stay, Trip hatches a plan to convince her that it’s a wonderful—and civilized—place to live . . . a plan that’s going to take all the love, energy, and Farmer Boy expertise Trip can muster.

John Lincoln Clem: Civil War Drummer Boy (Based on a True Story) —E. F. Abbott (February 16)

Determined to fight for his country, Johnny sneaks onto a train filled with men from the 3rd Ohio Union Regiment. Taken in by the older soldiers, Johnny becomes a drummer boy, and later, takes up his own musket. As the war rages on, Johnny experiences the brutalities of battle as well as the rampant illness and gnawing hunger in between. But the most dangerous part of Johnny’s journey is yet to come.

Based on a True Story books are exciting historical fiction about real children who lived through extraordinary times in American History.

Making Friends with Billy Wong— Augusta Scattergood (August 30)   

 Azalea is not happy about being dropped off to look after Grandmother Clark. Even if she didn't care that much about meeting the new sixth graders in her Texas hometown, those strangers seem much preferable to the ones in Paris Junction. Talk about troubled Willis DeLoach or gossipy Melinda Bowman. Who needs friends like these!

And then there's Billy Wong, a Chinese-American boy who shows up to help in her grandmother's garden. Billy's great-aunt and uncle own the Lucky Foods grocery store, where days are long and some folks aren't friendly. For Azalea, whose family and experiences seem different from most everybody she knows, friendship has never been easy. Maybe this time, it will be.

Inspired by the true accounts of Chinese immigrants who lived in the American South during the civil rights era, these side by side stories--one in Azalea's prose, the other in Billy's poetic narrative--create a poignant novel and reminds us that friends can come to us in the most unexpected ways. 

Cloud and Wallfish — Anne Nesbet* (October 2016)
East Berlin, 1989

Slip behind the Iron Curtain into a world of smoke, secrets, and lies in this stunning novel where someone is always listening and nothing is as it seems.

Noah Keller has a pretty normal life, until one wild afternoon when his parents pick him up from school and head straight for the airport, telling him on the ride that his name isn’t really Noah and he didn’t really just turn eleven in March. And he can’t even ask them why — not because of his Astonishing Stutter, but because asking questions is against the newly instated rules. (Rule Number Two: Don’t talk about serious things indoors, because Rule Number One: They will always be listening). As Noah—now "Jonah Brown"—and his parents head behind the Iron Curtain into East Berlin, the rules and secrets begin to pile up so quickly that he can hardly keep track of the questions bubbling up inside him: Who, exactly, is listening — and why? When did his mother become fluent in so many languages? And what really happened to the parents of his only friend, Cloud-Claudia, the lonely girl who lives downstairs? In an intricately plotted novel full of espionage and intrigue, friendship and family, Anne Nesbet cracks history wide open and gets right to the heart of what it feels like to be an outsider in a world that’s impossible to understand.

BOOKS ABOUT WORLD WAR II 

Paper Wishes — Lois Sepahban (January 5)

Ten-year-old Manami did not realize how peaceful her family's life on Bainbridge Island was until the day it all changed. It's 1942, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Manami and her family are Japanese American, which means that the government says they must leave their home by the sea and join other Japanese Americans at a prison camp in the desert. Manami is sad to go, but even worse is that they are going to have to give her and her grandfather's dog, Yujiin, to a neighbor to take care of. Manami decides to sneak Yujiin under her coat and gets as far as the mainland before she is caught and forced to abandon Yujiin. She and her grandfather are devastated, but Manami clings to the hope that somehow Yujiin will find his way to the camp and make her family whole again. It isn't until she finds a way to let go of her guilt that Manami can reclaim the piece of herself that she left behind and accept all that has happened to her family.

Lizzie and the Lost Baby — Cheryl Blackford (January 12)

Cheryl Blackford's debut novel is set in England during World War II and told from the dual perspectives of ten-year-old Lizzie, a homesick girl evacuated from bomb-blitzed Hull to the remote Yorkshire valley, and Elijah, a local gypsy boy. When Lizzie discovers an abandoned baby, her dangerous friendship with Elijah is put to the test. Will Lizzie be able to find the baby's parents? And if she does, can she and Elijah remain friends in a world clouded by prejudice and fear?

The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle — Janet Fox (March 15)

“Keep calm and carry on.”  

That’s what Katherine Bateson’s father told her, and that’s what she’s trying to do:  when her father goes off to the war, when her mother sends Kat and her brother and sister away from London to escape the incessant bombing, even when the children arrive at Rookskill Castle, an ancient, crumbling manor on the misty Scottish highlands.

But it’s hard to keep calm in the strange castle that seems haunted by ghosts or worse.  What’s making those terrifying screeches and groans at night?  Why do the castle’s walls seem to have a mind of their own?  And why do people seem to mysteriously appear and disappear?

Kat believes she knows the answer: Lady Eleanor, who rules Rookskill Castle, is harboring a Nazi spy. But when her classmates begin to vanish, one by one, Kat must uncover the truth about what the castle actually harbors—and who Lady Eleanor really is—before it's too late.

What historical books are you looking forward to this year?

* A Project Mayhem author! 

Noteworthy Middle-Grade Verse Novels of 2016 by Caroline Starr Rose

Last year my Project Mayhem posts were about new books I was excited to read, which I arranged according to release date. This year I'll be sharing new releases by genre, starting with the verse novel.

Technically, verse is not a genre but a form. In its simplest definition, a verse novel is a story told through poetry. Some purists like to argue that verse novels aren't true poetry but some sort of hybrid between poetry and prose -- a "lesser" form called verse. As a verse novelist myself, this used to get my angsty juices flowing: Was I a poet? Was I a novelist? Was I something in between?

It no longer matters to me how others define the verse novel. What's most important is finding the best, most honest and effective way to tell a particular story.

While there are as many styles as there are verse novels, these books share some things in common: 

• spare language
• individual poems that stand in for chapters and stanzas that stand in for paragraphs
• vivid imagery
• rhythm
• language that evokes emotion
• line breaks used to communicate beyond the words on the page

Some verse novelists, such as Laura Shovan (see below!), use specific forms of poetry to tell their stories. Others rely on free verse alone. As an author who writes both verse and prose, one striking difference is how I experience the writing itself: Prose feels to me like a movie. Verse feels like a collection of related photographs grouped together in an album. Both tell stories, but in different ways. 

Here are new middle-grade verse novels for 2016. Some are straight verse, some are a mix of poetry and prose. I hope you enjoy!

Little Cat’s Luck — Marion Dane Bauer (February 9)

When an indoor calico cat named Patches spots a golden autumn leaf fluttering past her window, she can’t help but venture outside to chase it. But soon, Patches feels something tugging at her, telling her to find a special place—one she won’t know until she sees it. Why must she go on this search? She doesn’t know yet.

Along the way, Patches finds herself in dire circumstances, but with the help of the other neighborhood animals, she faces off against the scariest dog in town and continues on her journey to her special place.

Beautifully told in verse and accompanied by adorable illustrations by Jennifer A. Bell, this heartwarming novel from Newberry Honor­–winner, Marion Dane Bauer, is a timeless, touching, and fulfilling story about finding your way home.

Booked -- Kwame Alexander (April 5)

Like lightning/you strike/fast and free/legs zoom/down field/eyes fixed/on the checkered ball/on the goal/ten yards to go/can’t nobody stop you/

can’t nobody cop you…

In this follow-up to the Newbery-winning novel THE CROSSOVER,  soccer, family, love, and friendship, take center stage as twelve-year-old Nick learns the power of words as he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams. Helping him along are his best friend and sometimes teammate Coby, and The Mac, a rapping librarian who gives Nick inspiring books to read.  

This electric and heartfelt novel-in-verse by poet Kwame Alexander bends and breaks as it captures all the thrills and setbacks, action and emotion of a World Cup match!

Falling Into the Dragon’s Mouth — Holly Thompson (April 12)

In a Japanese seaside neighborhood lives Jason Parker:

a sixth grader

one year older than his classmates

a stinking foreigner to some classmates

an orange belt in aikido

a big brother

Jason Parker is just a boy trying to get through his days with calm and courage. If only everyone around him would let him.

This is a beautifully spare novel in verse about one boy's life-a story that will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled to fit in.

The Lonely Ones — Kelsey Sutton (April 26)

When your only friend is your own endless imagination, how do you escape your mind and connect to the world around you?

 

With parents too busy to pay her attention, an older brother and sister who would rather spend their time with friends, and peers who oscillate between picking on her and simply ignoring her, it's no wonder that Fain spends most of her time in a world of her own making. During the day, Fain takes solace in crafting her own fantastical adventures in writing, but in the darkness of night, these adventures come to life as Fain lives and breathes alongside a legion of imaginary creatures. Whether floating through space or under the sea, climbing mountains or traipsing through forests, Fain becomes queen beyond--and in spite of--the walls of her bedroom.

In time, Fain begins to see possibilities and friendships emerge in her day-to-day reality . . . yet when she is let down by the one relationship she thought she could trust, Fain must decide: remain queen of the imaginary creatures, or risk the pain that comes with opening herself up to the fragile connections that exist only in the real world? Told in breathless and visual verse, THE LONELY ONES takes readers through the intricate inner workings of a girl who struggles to navigate isolation and finds friendship where she least expects it.

The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary — Laura Shovan (April 26)

Laura Shovan’s engaging, big-hearted debut is a time capsule of one class’s poems during a transformative school year. Families change and new friendships form as these terrific kids grow up and move on in this whimsical novel-in-verse about finding your voice and making sure others hear it.

 

Eighteen kids,

one year of poems,

one school set to close.

Two yellow bulldozers

crouched outside,

ready to eat the building

in one greedy gulp.

 

But look out, bulldozers.

Ms. Hill’s fifth-grade class

has plans for you.

They’re going to speak up 

and work together

to save their school.

Moo — Sharon Creech (August 30)

When Reena, her little brother, Luke, and their parents first move to Maine, Reena doesn’t know what to expect. She’s ready for beaches, blueberries, and all the lobster she can eat. Instead, her parents “volunteer” Reena and Luke to work for an eccentric neighbor named Mrs. Falala, who has a pig named Paulie, a cat named China, a snake named Edna—and that stubborn cow, Zora.

 

This heartwarming story, told in a blend of poetry and prose, reveals the bonds that emerge when we let others into our lives.

What verse novels are you looking forward to this year?

2015 Must-Read Middle Grade: November and December 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.

Happy Reading!

Dead Possums Are Fair Game by Taryn Souders (November 3)

The world would be a better place without math or messy roommates. At least, that’s what Ella Hunter believes. Life is about keeping order and avoiding long division, fractions, or really anything with an equal sign.

As the end of the school year approaches, the fifth-grade teachers at Victor Waldo Elementary conclude there’s not enough time to complete a new math unit before summer break. Great news for math-phobic Ella, right?

Wrong! The teachers decide instead to have their students host the first-ever Math Fair. And the fair project is worth two major math grades.

Add in one dead possum plus two horrible roommates who come to stay while their house is being renovated, and you have an equation for disaster. Ella is headed for summer school and math tutoring for sure. Can she stop her troubles from multiplying before it’s too late?

A Bitter Magic by Roderick Townley (November 10)

Everything is in place: the packed theater, the Amazing Thummel, and, center stage, the magician's mysterious assistant. Some have called her the most beautiful woman in Europe.

Then, in a swirl of light, she vanishes!

An astounding illusion, but she never reappears. All that remains are a bloodstained white scarf and her daughter, Cisley, who lives in a glass castle and walks her pet lobster each morning by the sea.

Enter Cole, a rambunctious boy from town and Cisley's first true friend. Together they hunt for clues to her mother's disappearance. They puzzle over broken mirrors, ever-shifting labyrinths, a closet full of whispering ball gowns, and a fatal quest for a pure black rose.

Roderic Townley spins a deliciously spooky tale of one girl's journey to discover what's real and what is simply an illusion.

Finding Fortune by Delia Ray (November 10)

Running away from home isn't as easy as Ren thinks it will be. At least she isn't running very far -- just a few miles to the ghost town of Fortune . . . or Mis-Fortune as everyone else calls it. Mis-Fortune on the Mississippi. Supposedly, there's an abandoned school on the outskirts with cheap rooms for rent. Ren knows her plan sounds crazy. But with only a few more weeks until Dad comes home from his tour of duty in Afghanistan, she also knows she has to do something drastic so Mom will come to her senses and stop seeing that creep Rick Littleton for good. 

From the moment she enters the school's shadowy halls, Ren finds herself drawn into its secrets. Every night old Mrs. Baxter, the landlady, wanders the building on a mysterious quest. What could she be up to? And can Mrs. Baxter's outlandish plan to transform the gym into a pearl-button museum ever succeed? With a quirky new friend named Hugh at her side, Ren sets out to solve the mystery that could save Fortune from fading away. But what about her family's future? Can that be saved too?

On the Run by Tristan Bancks (November 17)

One afternoon, four police officers visit Ben Silver’s home. Minutes after they leave, his parents arrive. Ben and his little sister Olive are bundled into the car and told they’re going on a holiday. Which is weird, because Ben’s family never goes on holidays. 

Things aren’t right and Ben knows it. His parents are on the run. So Ben and Olive are running, too. 

Ben’s always dreamt of becoming a detective – his dad even calls him ‘Cop’ because he asks so many questions. Now Ben gathers evidence, jots notes and tries to uncover what his parents have done. The trouble is, if he figures it out, what does he do next? Tell someone? Or keep the secret and live life on the run?

The Rosemary Spell by Virginia Zimmerman (December 1)

Part mystery, part literary puzzle, part life-and-death quest, and chillingly magical, this novel has plenty of suspense for adventure fans and is a treat for readers who love books, words, and clues. 

Best friends Rosie and Adam find an old book with blank pages that fill with handwriting before their eyes. Something about this magical book has the power to make people vanish, even from memory. The power lies in a poem—a spell. When Adam's older sister, Shelby, disappears, they struggle to retain their memories of her as they race against time to bring her back from the void, risking their own lives in the process.

What 2015 books are you looking forward to as the year draws to a close?