Marvelous Middle Grade Monday – THE RELUCTANT JOURNAL OF HENRY K. LARSEN by Susin Nielsen

For this week’s Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, I’m going to review another Canadian author with another book set in the lovely lower mainland of BC, where I live. THE RELUCTANT JOURNAL OF HENRY K. LARSEN, by Susin Nielsen. Here’s the blurb from the publisher: Thirteen-year-old Henry’s happy, ordinary life comes to an abrupt halt when … More Marvelous Middle Grade Monday – THE RELUCTANT JOURNAL OF HENRY K. LARSEN by Susin Nielsen

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: YA books for MG readers

The other day, one of my students, who is ELEVEN blithely informed me that she had borrowed FORBIDDEN by Tabitha Suzuma  from the library. I choked a little, blushed purple I’m sure, and as discreetly as I could informed her that the book is VERY explicit. She didn’t seem concerned. She said she’d read until … More Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: YA books for MG readers

MMGM – OUT ON A LIMB

This Marvelous Middle Grade Monday I’m going to feature another Vancouver author represented by my agency, The Carolyn Swayze Agency:  Gail Banning whose book OUT ON A LIMB is also set in Vancouver. Here’s the blurb: Rosie and her family’s financial problems find them living in the most unexpected of places  a treehouse, on the … More MMGM – OUT ON A LIMB

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday – Natalie Babbit

This MMGM I want to highlight two short books by Natalie Babbit, an author who is still writing and publishing, but seems to have been a bit forgotten. TUCK EVERLASTING, which was made into a slightly unsatisfying film a few years back, is a very concise and contained fantasy story about immortality. Here’s the blurb: … More Marvelous Middle Grade Monday – Natalie Babbit

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday – Are you a Reader or a RE-READER?

I’ve just this second come up with a theory. Here it is: Writers not only start out as readers, they start out as re-readers. When I was a child I would read books over and over again – some countless times.  Some until the books was dog-eared and falling apart. Others I would borrow from … More Marvelous Middle Grade Monday – Are you a Reader or a RE-READER?

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday : Readers Interviewed about PERCY JACKSON and MAGIC TREEHOUSE

For this week’s Marvelous Middle Grade Monday  I’m doing something a little different. My daughter and my niece came into my office so I thought I would interview them about their favorite book series. My daughter, L is 7 and my niece B is 11. What is your favorite book series? L (7) – My favorite book series is, um, … More Marvelous Middle Grade Monday : Readers Interviewed about PERCY JACKSON and MAGIC TREEHOUSE

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday – SILVERWING and talking animals

I’ve never written a talking animal.  I’m not inspired by reducing the natural limitations of characters. In fact more than once I’ve written a character whose ability to communicate is somehow impeded. This is more narratively interesting to me. That said, I’ve read many books with talking animals, and enjoyed them. I thought for this … More Marvelous Middle Grade Monday – SILVERWING and talking animals

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday – THE SILVER CHAIR by C. S. Lewis

For this week’s Marvelous Middle Grade Monday the obvious choice is C. S. Lewis’s Narnia Series. Of the series, the “first” book THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE is the one that first comes to mind to focus on as a standalone, and it IS a great book. But my favorite of the series is … More Marvelous Middle Grade Monday – THE SILVER CHAIR by C. S. Lewis