The two Percy Jackson movies didn’t do this series justice. They tried to take a cool, YA approach that defied what made this book (and series) so popular in the first place. The voice! Percy is fun and sarcastic, and the new TV series captures that. But the book captures it even better. 🙂
Category: MG Adventure
City of Ghosts
For middle grade, the balance between scary and not-too-scary is difficult to perfect, and Schwab does a great job giving kids the creeps without completely creeping them out
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
When thinking about a good book to blog about for father’s day, this was the perfect candidate. No, the father in this story is far from perfect, but then, most father’s aren’t perfect. It’s the relationship between him and his daughter, Coyote (the main character), that makes this book a treasure.
Hello Future Me
I was excited to pick this book up because it is so pretty! Although, right away, I knew the main character was going to be, well, a character. The voice and humor is strong in this story that includes friendship, magic, and dealing with life when adults are making decisions you don’t like.
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
I now understand why my daughter’s fifth-grade teacher recommended the Maximum Ride series to her. The series has a perfect mix of adventure, science fiction, intrigue, and romance (which is minimal, but just present enough). The story focuses on children and young teenagers who have been turned into flying mutants, and it gives X-Men franchise a run for its money.
Mortal Engines
Not your typical post-apocalyptic world, Mortal Engines is a fast-paced read with plenty of action and adventure. The main characters have wonderful depth, the settings are intriguing, and the plot will keep any reader invested in the series.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia)
I always try to do a holiday post around this time of year. However, feeling a wave of nostalgia, I returned to a childhood favorite–The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The idea of walking through an enchanted wardrobe and entering another world is a concept for any reader bent on finding adventure in unassuming places.
Holes
Whether you have had the experience of reading Holes, or you’re not sure you’ve heard of it, now is the time to pick this one up. It may be 20 years old, but it not only entertains and excites, but corresponds to some of the issues of racism we are still working to overcome. Also, its a great story for boys, and sometimes those are hard to come by.
Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin
What’s in a name? Well, quite a bit in Shurtliff’s charming and engaging Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin.
The traditional character of Rumpelstiltskin is that of villain. What else could he be as a greedy, impish baby-stealer? But Shurtliff imagines him as a misunderstood protagonist.
Klawde
Klawde is irreverent, silly, and laugh-out-loud funny. But best of all, it has the same beautiful messages of friendship distilled in its pages that are found in my most favorite children’s novels.
The Night Gardener
It’s that time of year when we’re all ready for something a little spooky, right? Well, I’ve got a few scary ideas for you, but I definitely want to mention The Night Gardener.
Land of Stories: Wishing Spell
If I could credit one book with giving my daughter the bug to read, it might be this one. Or perhaps, I’d just credit the whole series. This was the first BIG series that she undertook, and the assembly of fairy tales into an exciting novel was enough to hook her for the rest of the series.
Kid List 