Narrowing down to my top ten middle-grade books is always the hardest of all! Some of these books are younger than others, as always, because age ranges are hard to define. A few of these would be borderline chapter books; a few would be borderline young adult.The Racehorse Who Wouldn't GallopWriter: Clare BaldingIllustrator: Tony RossPublisher: Penguin UKAs a child, I loved the Animal Ark series so much that I longed to be a vet. When I learned that studying medicine involved cutting things up, I balked. Yet, animals were special to me, and I would go as far as to say that they are special to most children.The Racehorse Who Wouldn't Gallop is a charming story of love for animals. It is a tale of friendship and grit: friendship among animals, people, and animals and people. Once more, it is a story that explores the idea that children can do … [Read more...]
The Diamond of Drury Lane
I love Julia Golding. There were a couple that I didn't end up writing about - The Glass Swallow and Ringmaster (Darcie Lock Book 1), but there were others that I devoured and simply had to gush about. Here are four that come to mind:Empty Quarter (Girl on the Run Book 2)DragonflyCat's CradleThe Middle PassageAnd now, The Diamond of Drury Lane, which begins with the wonderful lines:Reader, you are set to embark on an adventure about one hidden treasure, two bare-knuckle boxers, three enemies and four hundred and thirty-eight rioters. It is told by an ignorant and prejudiced author - me."Cat Royal - orphan, adventurer, actressThe Diamond of Drury Lane is the first of Cat Royal's adventures, and it's delicious.As a reader, characters are everything to me. If I fall in love with the character, I'm much more likely to fall in love … [Read more...]