Fiction

Horror is for Middle Grade – A Booklist for Thrills and Chills

By K.D. Garcia on March 26, 2023 / Articles, Book Lists, Fiction

Anyone who enjoys Stephen King appreciates that deliciously uneasy feeling of a toe sticking out of the covers when who-knows-what is hidden under the bed.

All people deal with fear. Middle Grade Horror allows children to experience thrills and chills, find their brave inner hero, and go on a dangerous journey in a safe space. It’s an important lesson. Plus, it’s fun.

Below, you’ll see why I believe Horror is for Middle Grade and check out the book list for the young horror-reader in your family.

Reluctant Readers

My own family stumbled into horror when one of my children struggled to find stories he liked. He labelled the books he read too predictable, too touchy feely, and too boring. All of that changed when a great librarian suggested he check out Middle Grade Horror. He started with The Vampire Plagues, by Sebastian Rook. This series, about three children who chase a vampire from 1850s London to Paris and on to Mexico, hooked him on reading, and I believe it can help other reluctant readers learn to enjoy books.

Liking this article about scary books? Check out this archived interview with scary book author and MUF contributor Jonathon Rosen

An Emotional Journey

Like all great stories, great Middle Grade Horror takes the reader on an emotional journey. Horror provokes terror, surprise, revulsion, empathy, love, and hatred. With all that excitement, probably everyone of us would enjoy some Horror. However, all of us have limits, and no child should be pushed beyond theirs. We want children who read Horror to be thrilled by it and not to suffer nightmares.

I highly recommend The Vampire Plagues, a fast-paced, action-packed, vampire-filled adventure. Below are more great Horror reads that range from Bunnicula, a story that is hardly scary at all to Katherine Arden’s truly creepy Small Spaces.

Middle Grade Horror Book List

Bunnicula is as silly as it is scary. This much beloved series features a mystery loving dog, an overly dramatic cat, and a vampire rabbit who sucks the life out of carrots.

The Graveyard Book, written by Neil Gaiman, author of the Halloween favorite Coraline, is an action and adventure story. It’s a great read for a child who enjoys action, suspense, and mysteries. It is a great read. It comes with lots of fun, friendly ghosts, and a few who are not-so-friendly.

For the daring, Victoria Schwab’s City of Ghosts leads the reader into increasingly unsettling territory. The ghosts in this book are monsters to be feared, and the heroine takes great risks in her endeavors.

Finally, Small Spaces by Katherine Arden is the ultimate spine-chilling adventure. The main character is a deeply flushed out, sympathetic child with tons of courage. She uses every ounce of her courage to face some truly terrifying creatures.

A lot of people, including children love horror stories. Being scared is fun. Middle grade horror provides a compelling read for some children who might be reluctant to dive into less edgy topics, and it presents an opportunity for kids to learn to deal with fear.

Basbeball Booklist: Four Books For Your Baseball-Obsessed Middle Grader

By Ines Lozano on March 22, 2023 / Articles, Book Lists, Fiction

Baseball Booklist

It’s officially spring, and when I was in middle school, there was only one thing that meant to me: spring training season! My middle school years were defined by the New York Mets. I couldn’t get enough of them, and the months before spring training were made colder by the lack of heat felt from the sound of a bat cracking against a baseball. The only way that I could tithe my obsession over until the next season was by escaping into books about baseball.

That’s the thing about middle-grade-aged kids. As a mom of one, I see that gripping passion that takes hold when a child finds a passion and becomes blindingly obsessed with it. It’s those moments when they can’t seem to get enough of whatever they’ve fallen in love with that you’ll find the perfect opportunity to indulge them with books. Whether it’s a sport, a band, or a show (Stranger Things obsessed middle grader in my house), you can casually slide a book about it their way and watch them gobble it up. The point is, you’ll get them reading.

“Kids like to read when it’s fun and when it’s relevant to their interests…In addition to wanting to read more, your child will also expand his or her imagination.” – Save The Children, Child Literacy Statistics for Parents

So, for my baseball-obsessed middle graders out there, this list of books about baseball is for you:

Four Books About Baseball

The Hero Two Doors Down by Sharon Robinson

Can you imagine what it would be like for your middle grader to befriend a baseball legend? This middle-grade novel is based on the true story of the friendship between eight-year-old Stephen Satlow and baseball great Jackie Robinson.

Having been a middle-grade fanatic, I can attest that all sports-loving kids dream about meeting their favorite players and even fantasize about becoming friends with them. This story follows Stephen in his Brooklyn neighborhood as he develops a bond with an American hero, tapping into those fantasies.

Out Of Left Field by Ellen Klages

Katy is the best pitcher in town, and everyone knows it. Then why is she barred from playing for their little league team? Why is it only for the boys? Readers will join Katy’s movement for girl’s rights in baseball in this middle grade novel. She sets out on a campaign with the help of friendly librarians to prove that lots of girls love and play baseball. Katy doesn’t understand why these baseball heroes have gone unknown, but she’s on a mission to change that and the rules of her town’s little league.

Out Of Left Field is the third book of The Gordon Family Saga, which means you may get your child to read more than one book because, as stated above, when middle graders become enamored with something, they can’t get enough.

Lupe Wong Won’t Dance by Donna Barba Higuera

Speaking of girl activists, meet Lupe Wong—champion of causes. Whether she’s fighting for the expansion of options when it comes to designating one’s race on a school test or demanding less wait time between Doctor Who seasons, Lupe Wong stands for what she believes in.

So, when the chance to meet her favorite baseball player, Fu Li Hernandez—a fellow Chinese Mexican, requires straight As on her report card, she sees no problem…until gym class takes up square dancing. No way Lupe will let that happen.

Baseball Great by Tim Green

This one would be for the older middle-grade reader as the topic of steroids is covered in this riveting story which is as much about a talented young baseball player as it is about a father-son relationship.

Josh’s talent is too good to ignore, especially for his father who pulls him from school tryouts and pushes him toward the traveling youth championship team coached by Rocky Valentine.

Playing baseball is all that Josh wants, but when he’s being pressed to drink protein shakes and take supplements, he knows something is wrong. He and his friend Jaden uncover a dangerous secret and catch the attention of a man willing to do anything to keep the secret from getting out.

These four kids books about baseball scream everything I would’ve craved for as a kid.

((If you enjoyed this list, you’ll love the list here))

On the road!

By Julie K. Rubini on February 10, 2023 / Book Lists, Fiction

My husband Brad and I both experienced camping adventures while growing up. His family took several trips in a motorhome, mine in a camper. In my case, six kids, one bathroom, not enough beds. Despite close quarters, sunburns, poison ivy, and motion sickness from being stashed in the back of the family station wagon, (again, me!), we both wanted to raise our kids with similar experiences.

Flash forward to adventures in a camper with pop out ends (a solid metal frame but screened in beds that extended out) with our three little ones. At some point Brad and I decided we wanted to travel to all of the fifty states with our kiddos.

Then life took a tragic turn.

Our oldest daughter, Claire, died unexpectedly from a misdiagnosed heart condition. Our little reader gone too soon was just 10 years-old. For those of you who have followed my journey, we created an amazing children’s book festival in her honor, Claire’s Day.

We also focused on honoring our relationships with each other and our two children, Kyle and Ian. And, we followed through on the promise of experiencing our amazing country together as a family. We bought a motorhome to accomplish this goal. Our first journey, three weeks of pure bliss in discovering the Wild West just three years after our tragic loss, helped us find our souls again.

(Well…it was mostly blissful. We had our fair share of challenges, including a septic incident, a close brush with an afternoon storm in the Tetons and a scary encounter with a new momma moose in the brush near Jackson Hole. But who remembers those?) Once our travels were through, “Bessie” was a hit for tailgating at their colleges, University of Kentucky and The Ohio State University.

It was a sad day when we decided to sell Bessie.

Covid put a hold on our plans to see more of the world, so Brad and I hit the road again in another motorhome. We’ve been traveling since October, our journey entailing over five months and six states. We have our kayaks, our bikes, our golf clubs, and our 8 year-old Labrador, Luna. It’s been an amazing experience so far…check out my blog on our adventures here.

This time around, I’ve met families full-timing with their kids. For various reasons, from the ability to work remotely, to a desire to homeschool, these families have sold their homes and hit the road in an RV.

Between our experiences on the road with our children, and my observations of other families, I’ve toyed with sharing our stories. In doing my homework, I discovered some great reads for middle graders about being on the road. I’d like to thank Afoma Ulesi and her blog, Reading Middle Grade for her wonderful recommendations!

Here are a few titles featuring road trips in an RV the middle-grade readers in your life may enjoy.

Breathing Underwater by Sarah Allen

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Olivia is on the road trip of her dreams, with her trusty camera and her big sister Ruth by her side. Three years ago, before their family moved from California to Tennessee, Olivia and Ruth buried a time capsule on their favorite beach. Now, they’re taking an RV back across the country to uncover the memories they left behind. But Ruth’s depression has been getting worse, so Olivia has created a plan to help her remember how life used to be: a makeshift scavenger hunt across the country, like pirates hunting for treasure, taking pictures and making memories along the way.

All she wants is to take the picture that makes her sister smile. But what if things can never go back to how they used to be? What if they never find the treasure they’re seeking? Through all the questions, loving her sister, not changing her, is all Olivia can do–and maybe it’s enough.

Far from Fair by Elana K. Arnold

Odette Zyskowski has a list: Things That Aren’t Fair. At the top of the list is her parents’ decision to take the family on the road in an ugly RV they’ve nicknamed the Coach. There’s nothing fair about leaving California and living in the cramped Coach with her parents and exasperating younger brother, sharing one stupid cell phone among the four of them. And there’s definitely nothing fair about what they find when they reach Grandma Sissy’s house, hundreds of miles later. Most days it seems as if everything in Odette’s life is far from fair. Is there a way for her to make things right?

Wrong Way Summer by Heidi Lang

A Junior Library Guild Selection

A moving summer road-trip story for fans of Crenshaw and The Someday Birds

Claire used to love her dad’s fantastical stories, especially tales about her absent mom–who could be off with the circus or stolen by the troll king, depending on the day. But now that she’s 12, Claire thinks she’s old enough to know the truth. When her dad sells the house and moves her and her brother into a converted van, she’s tired of the tall tales and refuses to pretend it’s all some grand adventure, despite how enthusiastically her little brother embraces this newest fantasy. Claire is faced with a choice: Will she play along with the stories her dad is spinning for her little brother, or will she force her family to face reality once and for all? Equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking, Wrong Way Summer is a road-trip journey and coming-of-age story about one girl’s struggle to understand when a lie is really a lie and when it’s something more: hope.

The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla

Winner of the 2018 Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award * Two starred reviews * A New York Public Library Best Kids Book of 2017 * A Bank Street Best Children’s Book of 2017

Charlie’s perfectly ordinary life has been unraveling ever since his war journalist father was injured in Afghanistan.

When his father heads from California to Virginia for medical treatment, Charlie reluctantly travels cross-country with his boy-crazy sister, unruly brothers, and a mysterious new family friend. He decides that if he can spot all the birds that he and his father were hoping to see someday along the way, then everything might just turn out okay.

Debut author Sally J. Pla has written a tale that is equal parts madcap road trip, coming-of-age story for an autistic boy who feels he doesn’t understand the world, and an uplifting portrait of a family overcoming a crisis.

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone

How to Go on an Unplanned Road Trip with Your Grandma:
– Grab a Suitcase: Prepacked from the big spring break trip that got CANCELLED.
– Fasten Your Seatbelt: G’ma’s never conventional, so this trip won’t be either.
– Use the Green Book: G’ma’s most treasured possession. It holds history, memories, and most important, the way home.

What Not to Bring:
– A Cell Phone: Avoid contact with Dad at all costs. Even when G’ma starts acting stranger than usual.

Take a trip through the American South with the New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone and an eleven-year-old boy who is about to discover that the world hasn’t always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren’t always what they seem–his G’ma included.