Many of the titles on this list of my favourite early middle grade books from 2024 are book club reads. Some, the children enjoyed thoroughly; others, I enjoyed more than the children did! On the whole, I recommend these books for ages nine and up. In no particular order, here are my top ten early middle grade reads from 2024. No Talking Even though I don't usually like books that follow a boys vs girls sort of dynamic, I thoroughly enjoyed No Talking by Andrew Clements! For me, his books are particularly useful because there's just so much I can do with them at a book club. With easy, readable text that is humorous and engaging, they are perfect for all kinds of readers; plus, my book clubbers love them. No Talking was no different! Book activities Kushti Kid So many books by Vibha Batra have featured on my lists of … [Read more...]
Top 7 Picture Books and Chapter Books – 2024
It's time for my yearly roundups! I have no idea how many books I read last year (I never count), but I know I read a significant number. I read fewer picture books than usual, but I made up for that by reading dozens of chapter books.I always share these annual posts of mine with a disclaimer---not all these books were published in 2024; I just read them in 2024.A second disclaimer---I received several of these books as review copies from the publishers. This does not influence my opinion of the books; I review only ones that I enjoy.And now, here's the first of my lists - my favourite picture books and early chapter books. Three Hook Books and one hOle book feature on the list! What Happened to Grandpa What Happened to Grandpa by Nandini Nayar and Aditi Anand is a beautiful picture book about love and loss. A bittersweet story about coming to … [Read more...]
Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom
Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom opens with the oracle at Delphi predicting the fall of the Titans. The future is misty and the oracle’s glasses are foggy, so she can’t quite tell what will happen. What lies ahead? Dancers? Oh, no. Danger. Danger lies ahead.On that humorous note, we begin the story of Zeus, who has no idea that he isn’t an ordinary ten-year-old boy. Sure, it often feels like the lightning is after him, but then, that isn’t possible, is it? It’s a coincidence. It has to be. Except for the fact that each time lightning strikes him, he hears a voice saying, "You are the one."I thoroughly enjoyed reading Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom, which made me sure that my book club would love it too. Adventure, suspense and a good dose of mythology make it a fun read! Chip English At the temple in Delphi, Zeus discovers a rock chip, which … [Read more...]
The Lucky List
Are you the kind of person who finishes a book once you've begun? Or are you perfectly happy abandoning a book that doesn't work for you? I'm usually the second, but I'm so glad I stuck with The Lucky List! Two chapters in, and I was not invested in the story. Teenage girl, isolated from her group of friends because she did something unforgivable to her boyfriend ... it didn't seem like the story would engage me. But it was a light, easy read, so I persevered. And I loved the way the story played out. Emily feels anything but lucky. Her mother is dead. Her father seems set on starting afresh, which means getting rid of everything to do with the wife he loved. Emily's best friend Kiera is away at camp. And none of her other friends wants anything to do with her. When Blake, a childhood friend, moves to Huckabee, Emily is both hopeful and despondent. Hopeful because at least … [Read more...]
The Stories Grandma Forgot (and How I Found Them)
How are such few people reading verse novels? They're so lovely, so full of emotion and magic! My latest read was The Stories Grandma Forgot (and How I Found Them), a beautiful middle-grade book about love, stories, and friendship. Nyla Elachi is of mixed heritage, and she's bullied for it. But in some ways, that's the least of her problems. Her beloved grandmother has Alzheimer's. Her mother is overworked. And her father is dead ... or so she thinks. When her grandmother says she saw Basim, her father, Nyla begins to ask questions. And as she follows one clue after another, hope, fear and anticipation alternate. She doesn't even know if she's ready to find out everything that is in store for her, but she hears snippets of whispered conversations that make her more curious than ever. With her grandmother's "time-travelling", as Nyla calls the tendency to mix up timelines, the … [Read more...]
The School for Bad Girls
I was reading The School for Bad Girls and I mentioned how much I was enjoying it to an acquaintance. Immediately, she said, "I thought Anandibai Joshi was the first female doctor from India." We looked it up, and of course, I found myself going down a rabbit hole. When I finished reading the book, I saw author Madhurima Vidyarthi's note about the ongoing and "largely pointless" debate about who the first Indian woman to become a doctor was, and I smiled. After presenting a list of undeniable facts, the author goes on to ask, But why should that be important? The race was not against each other, but a joint struggle against society, patriarchy and bureaucracy. The School For Bad Girls, p. 303 And that is what the book is all about---a struggle for something that should never have been a struggle at all, yet continues to be one. Set in nineteenth century Calcutta, The … [Read more...]
Kushti Kid
I've read and enjoyed so many of Vibha Batra's books that when I saw Kushti Kid, I knew I had to read it. And it's lovely! Several of Vibha's books challenge stereotypes, particularly gender stereotypes. There's Pinkoo Shergill, which features a boy who wants to cook. Kolam Kanna is about a boy who enjoys putting kolam. And The Chhau Champ has at its centre a girl who wants to do chhau. Many of her books are favourites of mine and more importantly, favourites at my book club. Kushti Kid, Vibha's latest book with Scholastic India, is the story of Qainaat, who, inspired by a movie she watches, wants to become a wrestler. Contrary to her family's expectations, her attraction to wrestling isn't just a fleeting infatuation; it lingers. And so, she joins a summer course ... and meets with one obstacle after another. Can a girl wrestle? Should she stand up to institutional bullying? … [Read more...]
The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle
Diaphoresis and dyslexia. Mason Buttle has both, and both trouble him. But that's just the tip of the iceberg of his troubles. His best friend Benny Kilmartin is dead. His parents are dead. And his uncle has sold off parts of their apple orchard to make ends meet. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle is a beautiful story about innocence and friendship. Mason is a lovely character, a kind and gentle boy in a huge body. As he navigates a school where he is bullied, he finds a friend in Calvin Chumsky. With a new friend, it seems like Mason can finally begin to move on from Benny Kilmartin's death. If only the bullying would stop. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle is at the same time pacy and slow, gripping and gentle. As the story progresses, even though we can guess how it will all end, we keep reading, wondering how the reveal will happen. I love simple characters, … [Read more...]
The One and Only Ruby
Is there any child who doesn't love elephants? Magnificent African elephants with their enormous tusks, the gentler-looking Asian elephants with their smaller ears---I loved them all. So, of course I wanted to read The One and Only Ruby, the story of the little elephant in the gorilla Ivan's life. And just like when I read The One and Only Bob, I was blown away by how beautifully Katherine Applegate tells the story. Ruby is getting ready for her Tuskday. Or rather, she ought to be getting ready for it, but she is actually running away from it. When she sees a friend from her life in Africa, though, she is taken back to her childhood. She begins to tell her friends Ivan and Bob her story for the first time. As she tells the story, she begins another phase of her journey of healing. The One and Only Ruby is a beautiful story. Innocent and wise, gentle and powerful, it is a … [Read more...]
The One and Only Bob
Katherine Applegate's books are a treasure. Recently, I reread The One and Only Bob, a lovely book featuring an unforgettable character. About a month ago, I reviewed Odder, and I wrote about how authentic the voice is. And with The One and Only Bob, that's the first thing that comes to mind. It is a story about cruelty, loneliness, courage and love, and yet, what makes the book sparkle is Bob's voice. If you've read any of the other books in the series, you know exactly what Bob is like, a street-smart, wisecracking dog who refuses to take anything seriously. He moves with a swagger, makes himself out to be a lazy good-for-nothing, and pretends there's no softness to him. And yet, as we read The One and Only Bob, we see again that his attitude is nothing but a mask. He can't afford to show weakness, and he has made himself believe that he is selfish and looks out only for … [Read more...]
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