middle grade

Book Review: The Scandal

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The Scandal
Theodore Boone #6
by John Grisham
read by Richard Thomas

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fiction

No one likes standardized testing—not the teachers, not the students, and not the parents. Theodore Boone is no exception, but at least he can be happy when they’re over. But when he hears about a possible scandal at a nearby school involving the tests, he can’t help but be concerned that he’ll have to take them again. And that would be the worst thing ever…

The idea of someone cheating on state-wide standardized tests was interesting to me. I remember those tests in school (who doesn’t?), and I remember disliking them. And I remember hearing the phrase “teaching for the test” being used as a negative, and eventually coming to understand why it would be seen as a bad thing. Yet the tests persist, though that’s really a matter for a different discussion. Or maybe not, since, as has become typical in this series, the question of the wisdom of having these tests is brought up in the form of Theo’s parents disagreeing over them. I suppose young teens and pre-teens might not find the subject as interesting as I did, but Theo’s involvement in the scandal, as well as his attempts to not be involved in the scandal, keeps the book moving forward at a decent pace. I enjoyed the story and the characters here just as much as previous books. Poor Ike takes a bit of a hit in this book, but I still like him.

It’s strange that a series that I just discovered randomly when looking for something to listen to that I wouldn’t have to put on hold ended up being something I liked so much and that I’m sad to be near the end of. This book is probably the most stand-alone since the beginning of the series, though I’d recommend reading it all in order anyway. Overall, I’d say whether or not a teenager or pre-teen will be interested in this book will depend on what kind of fiction they like—if fast-paced action is important, this probably won’t suit them. If they’re interested in realistic fiction about crime and law and trials, this could be fascinating for them. And the audiobook is well-narrated, if that’s your/their speed.

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Book Review: Kristy’s Big Day

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Kristy’s Big Day
The Baby-Sitters Club #6
by Ann M. Martin

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic

For complete transparency, I’ll say up front that I read a lot of this series when I was a kid/pre-teen. And at the time, my name was the same as the founder of the BSC (with the first name spelled slightly different). Nostalgia will hugely affect my reviews for this series, and I have no plans to try to be objective.

The main story in this book involves a whole bunch of kids, aged 10 down to an infant, converging in Stoneybrook in advance of Kristy’s mom’s wedding. The entire Baby-sitters Club pitches in to keep the kids occupied for a full week while their parents help plan the short-notice wedding. I really related to what they went through, first making plans for how to pass the day and then having to alter the plan or even throw it out the window as the day gets going. I’ve totally been there. Sometimes I have to remind myself that these babysitters are only 12 years old and being left alone all day with around a dozen kids, a few of which are only 2-3 years younger than them. I can’t say how realistic it is, but I did enjoy it.

Whether or not this book will translate well to kids and pre-teens now, I couldn’t say. I wish I had thought to start reading this series to/with my daughter when she was around 8-10, because I think she would have enjoyed it, and we could have discussed the good and the bad of the books.

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Book Review: A Kingdom of Shadows

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A Kingdom of Shadows
Lightseekers #1
by Emily Bain Murphy

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fantasy

The light is disappearing and shadows are increasing in the world that 12-year-old Finn inhabits, along with his best friend Adrion and little sister Lydia. They have a plan to escape their town and try to make their way in the dimming world, but that plan is derailed when they meet Ehrit, an older teen who promises that he can take them to a lake of light. It won’t be an easy journey, but just maybe it will be worth it.

This book is stated to be similar to both The Wingfeather Saga and The Chronicles of Narnia, which is a tall order on both counts. The first is one of my favorite series (and a big deal in my family in general) and though the latter series isn’t as meaningful to me, it’s obviously a well-loved classic series. And unfortunately, to me at least, it doesn’t really live up to any of that hype. The story isn’t bad, but it felt like it rambled along to me and things that happened were kind of random. I didn’t get into the story very much, at least partly because of the lack of cohesion, so it wasn’t as enjoyable as it might have been. The characters overall were fairly bland, except Finn himself, who at least had a decent arc. 

A lot of people see this as a Christian (or at least generally religious) allegory, and I can see why they do, especially considering the 2 series it’s compared to. However, I don’t see any indication that it’s meant to be such. I don’t see it listed as Christian fiction anywhere (except on Goodreads, but I’m pretty sure those labels aren’t official), and the author hasn’t written other Christian fiction that I can see. It has obvious themes of good vs. evil or light vs. dark, but felt much more mystical than faith-based to me, maybe even bordering on New Age, especially considering the bizarre “inner forest” sensing that Finn has. If it is supposed to be a Christian allegory, I can’t say I care for it. The expectation of any Christian themes aside, the book was decent enough to make me interested in continuing the series. I think that readers around the age it’s meant for (maybe 12-14) will probably enjoy the adventure more than I did, too. (For anyone like me with arachnophobia, be aware that there is a scene that might be an issue. I survived, but it wasn’t fun.)

Thank you to Netgalley and WaterBrook Children’s for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: How to Break a Dragon’s Heart

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How to Break a Dragon’s Heart
How to Train Your Dragon #8
by Cressida Cowell
read by David Tennant

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fantasy

Camicazi is missing, and Hiccup goes with his tribe to try to find her. This leads to Hiccup becoming engaged to the daughter of a rival tribe’s leader and sent off on a quest to earn her hand and coming face to face with an old nemesis.

Hiccup and Fishlegs are, what, 13? But here we have a plot involving an older woman (I don’t remember it ever saying her age, but my guess is at least 18, if not older) that Fishlegs swoons over and Hiccup ends up pledging himself to. It’s just ridiculous. I can appreciate an over-the-top story now and then, but I just couldn’t get into the premise or the story here. I was touched by how Hiccup cared about Toothless when he was sick, but Toothless remains more of a menace than anything else.

Sadly, I realized part way through listening to this book that I was just bored. I can see from the synopses of the rest of the books in the series that a greater story is about to pick up here, but I find myself not caring enough to keep going. I’ve enjoyed a few of the books up to this point, but mostly it’s the ones that break the formula that I tend to like more, and that happens too little. David Tennant’s narration may have been what kept me going for this long, and it is still great, but I’m calling it here for my own journey through this series.

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Book Review: The Fugitive

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The Fugitive
Theodore Boone #5
by John Grisham
read by Richard Thomas

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fiction

When Theo spots Strattenburg’s most wanted while on a field trip in Washington, D.C., it kicks off a whirlwind that leads to Pete Duffy standing trial once again for murdering his wife. And Theo is right in the middle of things, which is sometimes a good thing and sometimes a bad thing.

Leaving aside the incredible coincidence of Theo happening to be in the same place as someone from his hometown in a city as large as Washington, D.C., this was an enjoyable entry to the story and nicely wrapped up a storyline that’s been left hanging since the first book. What struck me most about this story is that nothing is really all that simple for Theo. No decision is obvious, and even when he thinks he’s doing a good thing, there are unpleasant consequences.

I know that several well-known adult authors have taken to writing for teens or young adults in recent years and that not everyone thinks this is a good idea. Like most things, though, blanket statements don’t work here. I haven’t actually read any of Grisham’s adult books (though maybe I should soon), but I appreciate John Grisham’s style in these books, because he doesn’t talk down to kids. He isn’t afraid to talk about serious matters and explains “dry” legal things in a way that even I can understand (which tells me most kids could probably understand it too). Theo is by turns responsible—sometimes wise beyond his years—and immature, which, considering his age and his upbringing, all makes complete sense. His parents are kind and responsible but also rather neglectful. And his Uncle Ike continues to be my favorite side character, even if he does get a raw deal in the narration.

Though previous books in this series could have probably been read in any order, it’s definitely best to have read at least the first book before reading this one. Though I’d recommend reading it all in order anyway. Overall, I’d say whether or not a teenager or pre-teen will be interested in this book will depend on what kind of fiction they like—if fast-paced action is important, this probably won’t suit them. If they’re interested in realistic fiction about crime and law and trials, this could be fascinating for them. And the audiobook is well-narrated, if that’s your/their speed.

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Book Review: Super Puzzletastic Mysteries

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Super Puzzletastic Mysteries
by various authors (see below)

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Middle grade mystery, short stories

This book contains 20 short stories, all mysteries aimed at kids aged 8-12, written by 20 different authors, and all giving the reader the clues they need to solve the case, then stopping before the ending is revealed. Answers are in the back, so the reader can try to solve the story themselves and then check their answer. Normally with a book like this, I’ll try to give a couple of lines for each story—what I liked or didn’t care for so much. But with 20 stories, I decided not to take the time it would require to do that. I will say that I like almost all of the stories, some more than others. A few made me chuckle or made me want to look up more by the author. I didn’t solve them all, but it was always fun to try. There were a few similar detective characters (who weren’t always the POV character), super-focused Sherlock Holmes types that were fairly unemotional, something that I don’t think works as well in an eleven year old. Overall, though, this collection of stories would be great for older kids and pre-teens who enjoy mysteries and want to challenge themselves.

Contributing authors:
Chris Grabenstein
Steve Hockensmith
Stuart Gibbs
Sheela Chari
Fleur Bradley
Lauren Magaziner
Gigi Pandian
Lamar Giles
Kate Milford
Laura Brennan
Lara Cassidy
Fred Rexroad
Bryan Patrick Avery
Eileen Rendahl
Mo Walsh
Alana Ferguson
Peter Lerangis
Bruce Hale
Tyler Whitesides
James Ponti

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Book Review: How to Ride a Dragon’s Storm

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How to Ride a Dragon’s Storm
How to Train Your Dragon #7
by Cressida Cowell
read by David Tennant

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fantasy

Because these Vikings can never do anything normally, an inter-tribe swimming race means that the winner is actually the one who makes it back last, because that means that person could stay in the water longest. Actually, the contest of endurance isn’t that strange, but calling it a race is. Anyway, Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Camicazi end up abducted by someone Hiccup ticked off in a previous book and that leads to them battling Polarserpents and attempting to discover America (which no one believes exists).

I definitely liked this book more than the previous. (Though Big-Boobied Bertha and her unusually large chest makes an appearance again, it’s not nearly as involved as last time.) Hiccup and Fishlegs still take a lot of flak from their tribe, but then they are able to get away from them for a while. And Fishlegs had some nice development in this story. Though that has made me realize how little development Hiccup gets in these books. He’s been good and smart and level-headed from the start, and I’m not sure he has anywhere to go from there.

Some aspects from previous books are brought back here and there are a few elements that are possibly left open for future stories, all of which made the story more intriguing. The narration continues to be great, though it feels a little like David Tennant was running out of new voices for some of the different side characters or creatures by this point, since some of the voices are seeming a bit more ridiculous. Overall, though, this book was another fun addition to the series.

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Book Review: Silent Extraction

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Silent Extraction
Coordinator Files Trilogy #1
by J.N. Timmer

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Middle grade adventure, puzzles

When your parents and sister are kidnapped and you have good reason to believe the kidnappers are after you too, what do you do? This book is a call-back to the old Choose Your Own Adventure franchise, except the choices are puzzles that the reader must solve in order to move on correctly.

Classic Choose Your Own Adventure books were a big thing when I was growing up, but I remember that I didn’t enjoy them that much, because they kinda stressed me out. I didn’t trust my instincts and decision-making skills, and would worry about making the wrong decision and ending the story early. However, a book of the same type that requires you to solve a puzzle correctly to move on is more objective than subjective, which appeals to me. The book is written in 2nd person, which is pretty normal for this kind of book, though I am a little confused about the age the MC is supposed to be and thus the age range the book is intended for. This might be on purpose, but that means it’s difficult to know how to gauge the difficulty of the puzzles based on the age the book is meant for. For me, an adult who enjoys escape rooms and other puzzle-y things, some of the puzzles were super easy and some were a bit too arbitrary or subjective. I think I got only one completely wrong, and though I did understand the explanation given, I might have wished for a little more explanation before making my decision; and I kinda just guessed another one or two that I got right. However, if the puzzles were all super easy, it wouldn’t be very fun, and there are hints for every puzzle in the back of the book.

The story is appropriately exciting and even gives the young MC a realistic reason for being involved in the action and danger without involving police or other adults. It’s an overall quick read, even with the time spent solving puzzles. It was a fast-paced race to save your family from some very dangerous people. The only aspect of the story that I found a bit off was one wrong answer that leads to a brief page in which you basically kill your own dad. It felt a bit extreme to me.

When I read a self-published book, it is my intention not to let things that a professional editor would help with affect my view too much. I’m not saying that there is no burden of responsibility here, but it’s harder for self-published authors. So while it did not affect my rating, I will at least mention that there are several mistakes throughout the text; for example, there are a lot of comma errors and one “your” that should have been a “you’re.” It can detract from the book for some, so let that be a warning. And I was sad when one puzzle instructed me to cut pieces apart and put them together to find the right page number to go to next, for various reasons, one of which is that I like being able to share books with others. I didn’t know this was a one-and-done story. But since it’s the only puzzle like that, the author could easily provide a link to a replacement puzzle online, allowing the original reader to print the puzzle and pass it on with the book (though he’d also have to separate the puzzle from the story text on the other side of the same page, but again, easily done). On the other hand, I am seeing now that the book is fairly low priced on Amazon, so I guess it’s not a huge deal to buy a new copy if you read the book, destroy the one page, and then want to share the book with someone else. And to be fair, I didn’t have to cut the pieces apart; it was pretty easy to solve just by looking at it. (On an unrelated note, there’s a Kindle version of this book, which makes me wonder how that cutting puzzle would work.)

Overall, I really liked the idea of a puzzle-led Choose Your Own Adventure type of book, and this did deliver well on that idea. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but not the kind that I find too often these days (especially in self-published books) where even the story goal of the first book isn’t resolved—fortunately, it is. I think that kids aged around 10-12 who like puzzles and books with adventure or thrills would like this book.

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.

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Book Review: Mandie and the Ghost Bandits

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Mandie and the Ghost Bandits
Mandie #3
by Lois Gladys Leppard

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christian historical fiction

I read a lot of this series when I was a kid/pre-teen, and I read some of them to my now-teen daughter when she was younger. Nostalgia definitely affects my reviews for this series, and I’m okay with that. Though I am also willing to admit the flaws in the books. Fortunately, this one was less aggravating than the previous. As a parent now, I was particularly interested in Mandie’s mom’s difficulty in parenting her. With the gap in their relationship between the time Mandie was a baby and when they found each other again over a decade later, Elizabeth doesn’t really know how to be a mom and isn’t very good at standing up to her very willful daughter. It also gives Mandie an actual dimension beyond just coming across as perfect all the time, though it’s fairly subtle. On the other hand, Mandie definitely displays a personality shortcoming in this book, so there’s another flaw. It was a little difficult to understand why Tsa’ni was suddenly so kind and friendly at the end of the previous book, then here was rude again, though he never got quite as bad as he had been before again.

One of my biggest overall issues with this series so far is the theology. In my review of the first book, I mentioned that there seemed to be a salvation-by-works message. Here, I was bothered when Mandie tells the wife of a dear friend that they had to trust God to heal that dear friend who was badly injured, and there doesn’t seem to be any allowance for the possibility that God wouldn’t heal him. And then when he takes a turn for the worst, very soon after Mandie’s insight, Mandie herself falls to pieces and loses all semblance of trusting in God. She is supposed to come across as wise and full of faith, but she doesn’t follow her own advice, which is a bit lacking in understanding anyway. I can’t help but wonder what kind of impact this might have on kids who don’t have a full understanding of God yet. So keep that in mind if you’re kids might read these books. Outside of that, the story was good overall.

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Book Review: The Activist

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The Activist
Theodore Boone #4
by John Grisham
read by Richard Thomas


My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fiction

When the powers that be discuss building a bypass around the city of Strattenburg, thirteen-year-old Theodore Boone finds himself in the middle of the politics from both sides of the issue. A friend whose family’s home is threatened by the bypass thinks Theo can somehow help, but Theo knows he’s in over his head. Even his own dad is for the bypass. What’s a kid lawyer to do?

Whew, this book took a lot of turns and kept me invested all throughout. The issue of the bypass, though it could easily be dry and make the plot slow, is handled well by Grisham. Both sides of the issue are represented well, and though Theo does probably pick his side pretty quickly, he recognizes that there’s really nothing a 13-year-old can do. Meanwhile, there’s an unrelated subplot in which Theo’s leadership abilities are questioned during a camping trip with his fellow scouts, and as weird as it might sound, I really appreciated the way Theo handles it (which is not well), because it keeps him from being too mature or even “perfect” for his age. As much as I’ve been enjoying these books, Theo can get a little unrealistic, so his immaturity on the scout trip brings him back to earth a bit. In the end, this book has quite a different feel than the rest of the series, yet it’s just as good. Maybe my favorite, though it’s difficult to pick between this and the previous.

Richard Thomas continues to do a great job with the narration. It’s probably not super important to read the books in order, though I’d recommend it. Overall, I’d say whether or not a teenager or pre-teen will be interested in this book will depend on what kind of fiction they like—if fast-paced action is important, this probably won’t suit them. If they’re interested in realistic fiction about crime and law and trials, this could be fascinating for them.

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