From The Mixed Up Files

By C. M. Surrisi on January 17, 2025 The Dilemma Many authors who love middle grade mysteries would like to write one. Hurrah! We always welcome new mysteries. However, it is not uncommon in this endeavor to dive in with a clever idea and then at about page fifty, give up. Why? Because it’s darn hard for a kid to solve a mystery. Why is that? To solve a crime, a sleuth needs the ability to take action that affects the investigation and outcome, or in a word: agency. The youth-sleuth has some inherent handicaps...

Kidlit for Los Angeles – Auction for Wildfire Relief Jan 20, 2025 (9am PST) – Jan 26, 2025 (9pm PST) Mark your calendars for an online auction to raise funds for wildfire relief in California. Publishers Weekly reports that #kidlit authors, Charlotte Offsay and Caroline L. Perry organized this fundraiser and money earned will go to charities including the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Relief Fund, L.A. Regional Food Bank, L.A. Fire Department Foundation, and Animal Wellness Foundation Fire Relief Fund. The Kidlit for Los Angeles team writes: “We are a group of kidlit creators who have been heartbroken by the...

  As a bookseller, I meet so many kids looking for graphic novels. Some seek fun, best-selling titles like Dog Man and Captain Underpants, others are eager to explore the varied landscape of stories in this section.  Controversy Naysayers don’t consider graphic novels as ‘real books.’ Luckily, this myth is...

Fossils are like time capsules that preserve clues about life on Earth millions of years ago. They help us reconstruct the planet’s past, including ancient environments, climate conditions, and ecosystems. By studying fossils, we learn how the Earth has changed and how life has evolved in response to these changes....

In As You Wish, thirteen-year-old Birdie’s plans for an awesome eighth grade are disrupted when the West African trickster god Anansi offers her three wishes, as part of a debt he owes her family. Naturally, nothing goes as expected, and Birdie is forced to reexamine her priorities, goals, and friendships,...

Welcome to one of our newest features – From the Classroom – sharing tips and tricks for integrating a love of middle grade books and authors into your classroom. This month we are looking at using text sets to build knowledge. What are Text Sets? A text set is a...

Exciting new books coming out this month for the middle-grade readers on your holiday gift list. The titles below include new additions to several New York Times Bestselling series, and two war-time historical fiction titles. Although intended for younger readers, A Sea of Gold, the latest by the amazing author/illustrator...

By C. M. Surrisi on January 17, 2025 The Dilemma Many authors who love middle grade mysteries would like to write one. Hurrah! We always welcome new mysteries. However, it is not uncommon in this endeavor to dive in with a clever idea and then at about page fifty, give...