Professional wrestling, just like a good mglit book needs an excellent heel. If the evil, bad guy, or source of conflict is not somewhat believable, in addition to being an actual threat, then the build-up is for naught. Iron Man 3 is a great example of that. Naomi Feitelbaum Ends the World is mglit that doesn’t suffer that same fate. It’s a quick-paced, lively romp with a Golem at the center of things.
When I was teaching 8th grade ELA I was aghast at how few students read for fun and how much work their context clues needed. Out of the approximately 108 students that I taught for a couple of months, there was one of them that read for fun. That student’s grades reflected that fact and they constantly got strong A’s on their assignments, while paying minimal attention in class. I mention this, albeit in kind of a rant, that there are an almost limitless number of books that will be great for middle school readers.
The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls is a book that will certainly be attractive to upper elementary through middle school audiences. It’s a curiously long title that will intrigue those readers who stand a chance at reading the book. The reason I phrase it like that is that getting middle school students to read, much less read realistic fiction is a seriously challenging task.
The Vanquishers has a great title. Its name alludes to a once great team of vampire slayers who were so successful that their prey is now extinct. However, much like Doc Brown in the very last minute of Back to the Future, “It’s your kids Marty”. Now it’s a couple of decades later, the vampire hunters are older, and have families and grandchildren of their own. It’s the families of the original Vanquishers that still keep an eye on the rearview mirror. It’s a book with more heart than vampire horror but will deliver for those mglit audiences that want more silly, than scary.
We love to watch The Muppets because the movies and the old television show has something that works on a level that parents, as well as, children, could enjoy at the same time. Reading, especially non-fiction reading is a different animal altogether. The reading interests of elementary school students are, for the most a common one with some touch points that boys and girls both hit upon. When boys get into fifth grade they crave all things Bigfoot, Sasquatch, UFO, Bermuda Triangle or alien porthole. All of these things combine in the Venn Diagram of The Search for Sasquatch, a non-fiction book by Laura Krantz that at first glance might not seem like it’s on par for upper elementary school students.
Grounded For All Eternity is hyperbole. True story: for a while, I thought hyperbole was pronounced hyper bowl and really was just people bowling really fast. This is a case where a youth does something bad, really bad, and thinks that they’ll be grounded for a very long time. This is also no ordinary kid. Mal lives in Hell, again, that’s not hyperbole, he lives in Hell. It’s hot, with lots of red and black décor, and has various circles that comprise neighborhoods with homes, fallen angels, and flying folks. Grounded For All Eternity is thrilling mglit that takes a leap of faith to follow its premise, but rewards readers with a story that’s ironically about redemption and friendship.
Allegory, teen-angst, outsiders, corporate shenanigans, and overcoming your fears meet in mglit, what’ll ya have? If you’ve ever been to The Varsity in Atlanta, which is a fabulous place to grab a hot dog, they’ll greet you that way. Let The Monster Out is mglit that wants to be in the Stranger Things, but with-more-heart club, and almost gets there. It has high aspirations and does offer plenty of thrills along the way, but left us feeling empty as though the book was playing favorites, let us explain.
I love it when a book series gets better with a subsequent release. Unmasked is the third book in the Fright Watch series by Lorien Lawrence and manages to do that. We also read The Collectors, which was the second book in the series and while it was enjoyable, it didn’t have as much of an age-appropriate scare that some readers want. Unmasked is about a middle school girl, Marion, who uses the artistic creation of monsters as therapy. Her latest creation is a sea monster that she calls Winston. It’s all happening as the Super Blue Blood Moon and the school dance are around the corner, and Marion has developed a crush on a boy. Things can get complicated when you factor in a super-realistic mask that even gives its creator the creeps.
An anthology doesn’t always have to be allegorical. Windswept is a fantasy book that combines elements of those two categories into something that also crosses over in fables and fairy tales. To add to the trippy attitude of the book it has the all-seeing eye that’s firmly placed below a tree. And this is before you know anything about the plot, which is about children being literally swept away by the winds, never to be seen again.
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