Category Archives: Middle Grade

Books for middle graders. Not quite a teen, no longer a junior.

The things that will not stand.

November 12, 2018 by mstuart720

Michael Gerard Bauer Omnibus Books ISBN 9781742997582 RRP $18.99 Age 12+ Date of publication September 2018 Reviewer Megan Stuart This book is full of hope and some funny puns too. The action takes during one day which is an open day for prospective students at the University of Queensland. Although the location is Brisbane the themes are universal. Some of the themes addressed are coming to terms with the past, families, loss, bullying and standing up for what you believe […]

Categories: Austrlalian, Middle Grade, Miscellaneous, Omnibus Books, Realistic fiction, Reviewer - Megan Stuart, Young Adult • Tags: omnibus books, Realistic fiction, Reviewer - Megan Stuart

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Tracy Lacy for Classy Captain

January 6, 2018 by mstuart720

Tania Lacy Danielle McDonald Scholastic Australia ISBN 9781760275969 RRP $14.99 Publication date November 2017 Age 10+ Reviewer Megan Stuart It’s great to welcome Tracy Lacy back. In this volume Tracy is at her critical best in the secondary school setting. No matter how exaggerated the problems Tracy does triumph and show humility in the process. There are definitely laughs along the way!

Categories: Austrlalian, humour, Illustrated, Middle Grade, Miscellaneous, Reviewer - Megan Stuart, Scholastic Australia • Tags: humour, Reviewer - Megan Stuart, Scholastic, School

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Prisoner of ice and snow

January 6, 2018 by mstuart720

Ruth Lauren Bloomsbury ISBN 9781408872758 RRP $12.99 Date of publication October 2017 Age 9+ Reviewer Megan Stuart A stolen music box, a freezing prison from which apparently there is no escape, a disgraced family, twin sisters and an unsolved mystery. This is a book of intrigue and action with strong female role models.

Categories: adventure, Bloomsbury Children's Books, Middle Grade, Miscellaneous, Reviewer - Megan Stuart • Tags: action, Bloomsbury, Reviewer - Megan Stuart

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The extremely inconvenient adventures of Bronte Mettlestone

January 6, 2018 by mstuart720

Jaclyn Moriarty Allen & Unwin ISBN 9781760297176 RRP $22.99 Date of publication 25th October 2017 Age 10 – 14 ebook available Reviewer Megan Stuart Such a delightful and enjoyable read which takes you with the heroine Bronte Mettlestone on a quest to some bizarre places and to meet some intriguing characters… many of whom are strong and independent women. A great read which will empower the spirit and feed the imagination. It also has a thoroughly satisfactory ending too. Highly […]

Categories: adventure, Allen & Unwin, Children's Books, Children's Recommended Read, fantasy, humour, Illustrated, Middle Grade, Miscellaneous, Reviewer - Megan Stuart • Tags: ebook available, humour, Illustrated, Reviewer - Megan Stuart

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All the things that could go wrong

August 1, 2017 by mstuart720

Stewart Foster Simon & Schuster ISBN 9781471145421 RRP $16.99 Age 9+ Date of publication July 2017 Reviewer Barbara Hoodless The story is told by two high school boys and gives a brilliant insight into their minds. One suffering from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and is being bullied. The other is the bully. How brave and honest is Alex? How thoughtless and angry is Dan? This is an encouraging story for young readers.

Categories: Middle Grade, Miscellaneous, Reviewer Barbara Hoodless, Simon and Schuster, Young Adult • Tags: Barbara Hoodless, Middle Grade, Simon and Schuster

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Down the line

February 17, 2017 by mstuart720

Michael Panckridge Ford St ISBN 9781925272635 RRP $14.95 Age 10+ Reviewer Megan Stuart Yes more books in the Legend Series are available in March. In the 3rd book in the series there is plenty of action involving tennis and our friends Mitchell, Luci and Travis. Books about sport and winning and losing always get an audience and these books also appeal to less confident or reluctant readers. The books also offer interactive Q codes for the home and the classroom. […]

Categories: action, Austrlalian, Children's Activity Books, Children's Multi-media, Ford St Publishing, Middle Grade, Miscellaneous, Reviewer - Megan Stuart, Sport • Tags: Ford Street Publishing, Reviewer - Megan Stuart, series, Sport

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The pain, my mother, Sir Tiffy, cyber boy and me.

August 12, 2016 by mstuart720

Michael Gerard Bauer Omnibus Books ISBN 9781742991504 RRP $16.99 Age 12+ Date of publication May 2016 Reviewer Megan Stuart Michael Gerard Bauer’s background as a teacher only partly accounts for his ability to write about teenagers and issues of importance to them. In his latest book, The pain, my mother, Sir TYiffy, cyber boy and me we become involved in the life of a fifteen year old called Maggie Butt. Although the book has a light-hearted approach nevertheless it deals with […]

Categories: Austrlalian, Middle Grade, Miscellaneous, Omnibus Books, Reviewer - Megan Stuart • Tags: Megan Stuart, omnibus books, Teens

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The marvels

December 5, 2015 by dberger

Brian Selzniak Schoalstic Inc ISBN: 9780545448680 RRP: $34.99 Published: October, 2015 Reviewer: Nicola Cain They say, a picture really does paint a thousand words, and this book proves it. Brian Selzniak’s The Marvels tells two stories in one. The first is story of Billy Marvel. He survives a ship wreck and then finds work in a theatre. As time goes on, the Marvel family blossoms into generations of talented actors. Then in 1900, Leontes Marvel is banished from the stage. […]

Categories: adventure, Graphic novel, Junior Novel, Middle Grade, Reviewer - Nicola Cain • Tags: Scholastic Inc

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Thirst

July 14, 2015 by dberger

Lizzie Wilcock Scholastic Press ISBN: 9781742839660 RRP: $16.99 Published: May, 2015 Reviewed by Debbie Berger Karanda Hooke is a young, angry girl on her way to her sixth foster home in the Northern Territory when a fatal car accident occurs. This situation creates an opportunity to escape her terrible life of being rejected by every foster home she has ever been placed in. Solomon, the other foster child in the car, decides he will tag along whilst Karanda is running away from […]

Categories: Middle Grade, Young Adult • Tags: Australia, Reviewer - Debbie Berger, Scholastic Australia

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Footy dreaming

July 14, 2015 by dberger

Michael Hyde Ford Street Publishing Pty Ltd ISBN: 9781925000993 Publication date: May 2015 RRP: $17.95 Reviewed by Debbie Berger Footy Dreaming tells the tale of two talented boys, Ben and Noah, and their dreams of playing AFL at the MGC. It is set in a Victorian town where the boys play in rival teams and where football is the way of life for everyone. When Noah is racially vilified in a match against Ben’s team, things change for both of […]

Categories: australian, Middle Grade, Young Adult • Tags: Australia, Ford Street Publishing, Reviewer - Debbie Berger, Sport

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The honest truth

February 7, 2015 by dberger

Dan Gemeinhart Chicken House ISBN 978190002131 Published: February, 2015 RRP: $15.99 Age: 10+ Reviewed by Debbie Berger Mark’s cancer has returned and this time he has had enough of the treatments, the sympathy and the tears. He decides he is going to run away to the mountains to escape it all. He takes along his loyal four legged friend, Beau the dog, for the adventure. Beau is the star of the book; with undying loyalty and companionship he doesn’t leave […]

Categories: adventure, Middle Grade • Tags: Adventure, Chicken House, Dan Gemeinhart, Reviewer - Debbie Berger

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Dead Dog in the Still of the Night

August 13, 2014 by dberger

Archimede Fusillo Ford Street Publishing ISBN: 9781925000344 RRP: $16.99 Age : 12+ Key Words: Friendships, Australian Published: March, 2014 Reveiwer: Shona Sunebeck Primo has got some problems. His father is in a home, his sister has moved out, one of his brothers is trying to make amends with his wife after cheating on her, and his other brother is twenty two years older than him and a distant and intimidating figure, all while his mother tries to hold it all […]

Categories: Austrlalian, Middle Grade, Young Adult

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1914

August 7, 2014 by dberger

Sophie Masson Scholastic Australia ISBN: 9781743622476 RRP: $16,99 Age: 12+ Keywords: Historical, War, Family Published: August, 2014 Reviewer: Donna Clark June 1914: Louis and his family are enjoying their European summer in a small town near Sarajevo. Theirs is an affluent family where their father is an international diplomat and they enjoy socialising with different nationalities through this family connection. Louis in fact wants to be a photographer and his brother Thomas dreams of being a reporter. Upon witnessing the […]

Categories: Historical, Middle Grade, War, Young Adult

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Forget Me Not

August 7, 2014 by dberger

Sue Lawson Black Dog Books ISBN: 9781742032108 RRP: $18.99 Age: 10+ Keywords: Historical fiction Published: March, 2012 Reviewer: Donna Clark Siblings Thomas and Evelyn Gilmore are about to embark on the ill-fated journey to New York on the RMS Titanic. Whilst fictional, this story is based on the facts surrounding this famous voyage. Thomas is looking forward to the adventure of staring work with his father and Uncle in America, but Evelyn is feeling emotional and does not want to […]

Categories: Historical, Middle Grade

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Choose Your Own Adventure – How to get to Rio

August 6, 2014 by dberger

Julie Fison Hardie Grant Egmont ISBN: 9781742977744 RRP: $18.95 Age : 10+ Key Words: Friends, family, choose your own adventure Published: 1st April, 2014 Reviewer: Debbie Berger Kitty McLean faces the dilemma of choosing between her old best friends, Mia and Izzy, or her new, cool friend Persephone – all in the pursuit of Rio, the cute boy that catches her school bus each day, whom she has a crush on. Kitty has to decide whether she will spend her […]

Categories: Austrlalian, Junior Novel, Middle Grade

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July 25, 2014 by kyliecalwell

Scholastic Australia James Phelan The Last 13 bk 3 ISBN: 9781742831862 RRP: $14.99 Age: 10+ Key Words: Action, Adventure, Dreams, Thriller Published: 1st February 2014 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Sam reconnects with Xavier Dark and the two of them take the next part of the journey together to Berlin. Things are moving fast and having access to a private jet certainly helps when you have to journey all over the world. Through his dad Xavier has some good connections to information that […]

Categories: Middle Grade, Young Adult • Tags: Action. Adventure, James Phelan, Reviewer - Kylie Calwell, The Last 13, Thriller

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July 25, 2014 by kyliecalwell

Scholastic Australia James Phelan The Last 13 bk 4 ISBN: 9781742831879 RRP: $14.99 Age: 10+ Key Words: Action, Adventure, Thriller Published: 1st March 2014 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Sam and Xavier are in dire straights. Sam is convinced this is the end – his at the hands of Solaris. Then rescue comes in a very unexpected way. He was sure Alex was dead but now it looks as though he is working with The Enterprise and Sam doesn’t know what to make […]

Categories: Middle Grade, Young Adult • Tags: action, Adventure, Dreams, James Phelan, Reviewer - Kylie Calwell, The Last 13, Thriller

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Machine Wars

May 27, 2014 by kyliecalwell

Michael Pryor Random House ISBN: 9780857982766 RRP: 10+ Age: $17.99 Key Words: Artificial Intelligence, Computers, Science Fiction Published: 1st April 2014 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Bram was late home from music practice, these things happen but this time something is very wrong when he gets home. This is a moment he has been training for. For some reason a paranoid, super intelligence is out to get him. His mum always said she hoped this would never happen but she made sure he […]

Categories: Middle Grade • Tags: Artificial Intelligence., Computers, Michael Pryor, Recommended, Reviewer - Kylie Calwell, science fiction

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Cave of Wonders

May 27, 2014 by kyliecalwell

Matthew J Kirby Scholastic Infinity Ring bk 5 ISBN: 9780545387002 RRP: $14.99 Age: 8+ Key Words: History, Adventure Published: 1st Nov 2013 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Bagdad has become a centre of learning in the Dark Ages. As well as merchants and explorers from all over the city houses many scholars. It is here that Sera, Dak and Riq find themselves for their next fix. They determine that they have to find a way to save the great library that is there […]

Categories: Middle Grade • Tags: action, Adventure, history, Infinity Ring, Matthew J Kirby, Reviewer - Kylie Calwell

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Timmy Failure Now Look What You’ve Done

April 15, 2014 by kyliecalwell

Stephen Pastis Candlewick Press Timmy Failure bk 2 ISBN: 9781406356342 RRP: $17.95 Age: 7+ Key Words: Humour, School Stories, Detective Stories Published: 25th Feb 2014 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Timmy Failure believes himself to be the greatest detective ever and he is going to solve the biggest problem of the missing globe. There are many things he has to contend with along the way : a very lazy partner, a best friend with an abnormal interest in learning an arch nemesis who […]

Categories: Junior Novel, Middle Grade • Tags: Detective Stories, humour, Reviewer - Kylie Calwell, School Stories, Stephan Pastis, Timmy Failure

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Curse of the Ancients

April 15, 2014 by kyliecalwell

Matt De la Pena Scholastic Infinity Ring bk 4 ISBN: 9780545386999 RRP: $14.99 Age: 8+ Key Words: History, Action, Adventure Published: 1st June 2013 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Sera, Dak and Riq find themselves back with the ancient Maya people. The Maya’s are a people who seem to know a great deal about the future but that doesn’t prevent them from being involved in one of the breaks that the kids have to fix. The only problem is they aren’t sure exactly […]

Categories: Middle Grade • Tags: action, Adventure, history, Infinity Ring, Matt de la Pena, Reviewer - Kylie Calwell, science fiction

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Ash Rover – Keeper of the Phoenix

February 21, 2014 by kyliecalwell

Aleesah Darlison Walker Books Ash Rover series bk 1 ISBN: 9781922179029 RRP: $14.95 Age: 8+ Key Words: Fantasy, Action, Adventure Published: 1st Feb 2014 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Ash Rover doesn’t want to be just looking after the cows, which goes someway to explaining how he was asleep on his post. He is rudely awakened by a rock dropping on his head, though it is no ordinary rock, this rock generates warmth. He takes it home but his mother is not impressed […]

Categories: Middle Grade • Tags: action, Adventure, Aleesah Darlison, Ash Rover, fantasy, Mystical Creatures, Reviewer - Kylie Calwell

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Poison Boy

February 21, 2014 by kyliecalwell

Fletcher Moss Chicken House ISBN: 9781908435446 RRP: $14.99 Age: 10+ Key Words: Adventure, Crime Published: 1st July 3013 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Dalton Fly has a job, it’s not one that guarantees a long life but for an orphan it is better than nothing. Dalton is a food taster for the rich. He has the unenviable job of testing to ensure food and drink on the tables of the wealthy is not poisoned. Dalton has had a narrow escape, his mate wasn’t […]

Categories: Middle Grade • Tags: Adventure, crime, fantasy, Fletcher Moss, mystery, Reviewer - Kylie Calwell

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January 23, 2014 by kyliecalwell

James Phelan Scholastic Australia The Last Thirteen bk 2 ISBN: 9781742831855 RRP: $14.99 Age: 10+ Key Words: Dreams, Action Published: 1st Dec 2013 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Sam just escaped last time he followed his dreams, the dreams that lead him to The Star of Egypt. He finds himself heading to Egypt with someone he would never have expected. He is on the path to finding out why the Star was so important and discovering the rest of the last 13. This […]

Categories: Middle Grade, Young Adult • Tags: action, Dreams, friendship, James Phelan, mystery, Reviewer - Kylie Calwell, The Last Thirteen

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Bug in a Book

Celebrating Literacy for Everyone

Category Archives: Middle Grade

The things that will not stand.

Tracy Lacy for Classy Captain

Prisoner of ice and snow

The extremely inconvenient adventures of Bronte Mettlestone

All the things that could go wrong

Down the line

The pain, my mother, Sir Tiffy, cyber boy and me.

The marvels

Thirst

Footy dreaming

The honest truth

Dead Dog in the Still of the Night

1914

Forget Me Not

Choose Your Own Adventure – How to get to Rio

11

10

Machine Wars

Cave of Wonders

Timmy Failure Now Look What You’ve Done

Curse of the Ancients

Ash Rover – Keeper of the Phoenix

Poison Boy

12