![35 Middle Grade Fantasy Faves [Wyrd & Wonder]](https://i0.wp.com/fallingletters.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/35-MG-Faves-1.png?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=245%2C150)
Preamble Today’s post features my favourite middle grade fantasy books. I chose titles that are personal faves. These books were all 4+ star reads for me. A list of ‘best middle grade fantasy’ would look a little different. These books represent what I think of when I hear fantasy. For me, fantasy features happenings that could never occur in our world. Fantasy roots itself in imagination and magic. (I am […]
![Indian No More [MG Review]](https://i0.wp.com/fallingletters.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/indian-no-more.jpg?fit=1000%2C1500&ssl=1&resize=245%2C150)
Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis with Traci SorrellFormat/Source: Hardcover/ LibraryPublished: Sept. 2019Publisher: Tu Books (Lee & Low)Length: 211 pages Genre: Historical fictionTarget Age: 8+#OwnVoices: Yes (discussed below) Review ✍🏻 About the Book Indian No More is an #ownvoices title, based on the experiences of Charlene Willing McManis’ family. McManis was a baby when her Umpqua tribe was terminated in 1950s and her family moved to Los Angeles. When McManis learned she had terminal cancer, she […]
![Riordan Presents: Tristan Strong and Sal & Gabi [MG Review]](https://i0.wp.com/fallingletters.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/MGLit-52.png?fit=600%2C600&ssl=1&resize=245%2C150)
Preamble I read these two books as part of my role as a 2019 Cybils judge for middle grade speculative fiction. In these ‘brief thoughts’ reviews, I aim to highlight these books’ strengths while acknowledging my personal preferences. I toyed around while writing these (Do I need to write more from my more professional ‘children’s librarian’ perspective? Is it okay to write from a wholly personal perspective?) and ended up […]
![Lalani of the Distant Sea: A Filipino Fairy Tale [Family Reads]](https://i0.wp.com/fallingletters.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/lalani-of-the-distant-sea.jpg?fit=428%2C648&ssl=1&resize=245%2C150)
Why we chose Erin Entrada Kelly’s Lalani of the Distant Sea We originally considered reading Jeff Vandermeer’s Dead Astronauts. In the time of COVID-19, though, we were not up to the task. Ash suggested Lalani of the Distant Sea after her book club read it. I’m always happy to read middle grade. I had this title in particular on my TBR because I was curious to see how Kelly writes […]
![An Unlikely Crew of Robots Make for a Charming Tale [MG Review]](https://i0.wp.com/fallingletters.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/cog-greg-van.jpg?fit=428%2C648&ssl=1&resize=245%2C150)
Cog by Greg Van Eekhout Cog looks like a normal twelve-year-old boy. But his name is short for “cognitive development,” and he was built to learn. But after an accident leaves him damaged, Cog wakes up in an unknown lab—and Gina, the scientist who created and cared for him, is nowhere to be found. Surrounded by scientists who want to study him and remove his brain, Cog recruits four robot […]