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Looking for a great stocking stuffer? Check out some of these fantastic new books!

Origins of Olympus by Kate  O’Hearn   (Aladdin paperbacks)

Emily and her winged horse, Pegasus, face an ancient challenge of Olympic proportions in this fourth book of an exciting series.
A deadly plague has struck Olympus. While the Olympians fade one by one, Emily’s heart breaks as she watches, particularly when Pegasus begins to slip away. Determined to save him, she embarks on an investigation that takes her back in time to the origins of Olympus and to the deadly battle between the Olympians and the Titans.

The Keeper: An Unguarded Story of Tim Howard by  Tim Howard (Harper Collins)

In this uplifting memoir adapted for young readers, Howard shares his remarkable journey from a challenging childhood in which he was raised by a single mother who instilled in him a love of sports and a devout Christian faith that helped him deal with the onset of Tourette’s in fifth grade. This book includes an 8-page full-color photo insert and a poster on the other side of the book jacket.

Who Was Genghis Khan?  by Nico Medina  (Grosset & Dunlap)

Named Temujin at birth by his nomadic family in early Mongolia, the great Genghis Khan used his skill and cunning to create the Mongol Empire and conquer almost the entire continent of Asia. As ruler of the largest empire in human history, he was as respected as he was feared. Learn more about the man and the legend in Who Was Genghis Khan?

Warriors: Dawn of the Clan 2  by Erin Hunter  (Harper Collins)

The mountain cats from the Tribe of Rushing Water followed the Sun Trail to a new territory, convinced that in a land with more prey, their lives would be free from strife. But while no cat has gone hungry, tensions are rising. The once firmly united group has split in two—and a young cat named Thunder is caught in the middle.

The Genius Files #4: From Texas With Love  by Dan Gutman  (Harper Collins)

The wackiest road trip in history continues in book four of the New York Times bestselling Genius Files series, following twins Coke and Pepsi as they dodge villains and visit weird-but-true landmarks from Texas all the way to Roswell, New Mexico!

Horses of the Dawn #2: Star Rise  by Kathryn Lasky  (Scholastic Press)

An unforeseen danger threatens to destroy the pack. A boy with a special gift is lost in the wilderness, and only the horses can keep him alive. But to save the boy, the herd will have to abandon their quest, and risk galloping straight back into the hands-and harnesses- of their captors.  And so, it’s up to Estrella, the herd’s unlikely leader, to make a life-changing decision. Should the horses accept the orphan boy as one of their own? How do you choose between freedom and friendship?

War of the World Records (The Fantastic  Family Whipple ) by Matthew Ward  (Razorbill)

The rivalry between the Whipples and the Goldwins escalates to an all-out war as the World Record World Championships draw near. When sinister clowns Overkill and Undercut cause a regulation game of hide-and-seek to go horrifically wrong, recordless Arthur Whipple and his unlikely ally, Ruby Goldwin, set out to catch the clowns’ mysterious boss, known only as “the Treasurer.” The young detectives follow the clues through darkened alleyways, dingy nightclubs, and the gothic halls of the World Record Archives, where they unravel the mystery of the Lyon’s Curse and the secrets of their fathers’ shared past. In the end, Arthur must fight to save his family as he struggles to earn his first world record and prove himself worthy of the Whipple name.

When you are a performer, you get to give thanks verbally to the audience. It’s pretty much part of the show. Often singers, for example, even before they start will say, “thank you to the (insert venue) for having me here tonight.” Perhaps, they might even go bigger and say, “(insert name of city), you’re awesome! And then at the end of the show, they might say, “thank you and tell the audience how great they were.” Two nights ago, I saw a string quartet, Aeolus, and the principal violinist ended the concert by saying how much he appreciated us as listeners. However, middle grade authors don’t usually have an opportunity to do that. I mean, sure some of us have that little part in our books where we thank our writing group, our editor, our agent, and probably our family, but, we don’t always have an opportunity to thank the larger community, and, since Thursday is Thanksgiving, I thought I’d give a moment to give some middle grade thanks.

1) Thank you to readers. I know this is an obvious one. It’s so obvious that it’s easy to forget. But really, I know it’s easy to decide you’re too tired to read. After all, there’s lots of wonderful movies, games and, by golly, the great outdoors. So, yes, thank you for reading.

2) Thank you to librarians. You read everything, all of those review journals, but most importantly you introduce books to readers and readers to books. It’s like being a matchmaker. “Hmm, you say you’ve read the Harry Potter series eight times, have you tried Dianna Wynne Jones….”

3) Thank you to reviewers. Okay, sure, I admit that reviewers can be scary for authors because ego and sales can be on the line but they are so vital. Now once upon a time, I used to work in publicity and the adage was—”there’s no such thing as bad publicity because any publicity is good.” No matter the outcome, it’s a privilege to be reviewed and I’m sticking that to that!

4) Thank you to educators. You are the ones who teach kids to read and then keep them reading. You truly can’t be thanked enough!

5) Thank you to the internet. Yeah, yeah, sometimes being plugged in can be a real distraction, a true opportunity to procrastinate, but it also allows us to research and become armchair detectives. It also allows us to connect with a greater community of readers, librarians, reviewers, educators, other writers as well as the the publishing community.

6) Thank you to the publishing community. Almost anyone who goes into publishing is in it for the love and not for the money. It’s demanding work, yet rewarding. Thank you for working so hard to be where you are (everyone in the biz knows you had to pay your dues by working for free as an intern first).

7) Thank you to snack food manufacturers and tea makers. I do try to eat healthy snacks, and I appreciate that you make them, as well as so many delicious herbal teas (love licorice tea). I couldn’t write without you. Okay, I could but it would be much less yummy, and I’d be without my insta-reward/bribing schemes to get through daily word counts and editing.

8) Thank you to my fellow bloggers and readers of this blog. I’m in deep appreciation for your presence, passion and attention to the Mixed Up Files of Middle Grade Authors.

You’ve been such lovely readers. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Hillary Homzie is the author of The Hot List (Simon & Schuster MIX 2011) and Things Are Gonna Be Ugly (Simon & Schuster, 2009). She can be found at hillaryhomzie.com and on her Facebook page.