mglit | Page 3 of 8 | Daddy Mojo

Spy School Project X, marks the spot on go-to, mglit

Mglit is an abbreviation for middle-grade fiction. However, there are many instances where an mglit book can also be perfect for upper-elementary school readers. It’s kind of like the colloquial definition of art, it varies and can depend on who is viewing it. By any definition, Spy School is one of the go-to, must-read book series for the aforementioned groups. Spy School Project X is the tenth book in that series and, while it does show signs of maturity, it doesn’t show signs of decreasing quality or tired characters.

Spy School Project X is the tenth book in this fabulous mglit series, yet is as spry, fast and fun as it started. They are go-to books for ages eight and up.

To change, evolve and still maintain excellence-this does that

The Midnight Children is realistic fiction that crackles with life

The trailer to a book or movie can be a great or horrible thing. If you give too much away then one might as well not see or read the project. The Midnight Children doesn’t have a trailer per se, but it’s a great example of not judging a book by its cover. If one were to do that then you might think that it’s about a teen who hangs out in the forest with lightning bugs while his reclusive friends hide behind the trees. What’s great about The Midnight Children is that even as readers get to the one-third mark of the book, they’re still discovering exactly who the characters are and what they’re trying to accomplish.

The Midnight Children is realistic fiction that’s wonderful enough to make reader’s imaginations stretch past what they’re accustomed to.

MGLit and realistic fiction that grabs readers by hand

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor, too focused on sequels to be enjoyable

I taught ESL to Chinese students for two years. This is important because it introduced me to more Chinese myths than the average middle-grade reader. Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao has the goal of building a book series that’s aimed at middle school readers.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor has lots of potential, but puts too many cooks in the kitchen and fails to keep its eyes on the prize.

One great book, is better than trying to build a world

Gabe in the After is mglit that welcomes reluctant readers

I love it when a book that I’m not anticipating anything from utterly blows away expectations. Gabe in the After by Shannon Doleski is a book like that. Books like this feel short and make readers wish that there was more to this particular story that would’ve been told. However, at the same time, you be grateful that the book leaves you wanting more, rather than wearing out its welcome. It’s a tricky line to navigate between the two, but Gabe in the After does it with ease and will entrance even the most reluctant of upper elementary through middle school readers.

Gabe in the After is approachable mglit that’s tailor-made for reluctant realistic fiction middle school reads.

Hopeful dystopia, for mglit and up

Spineless, animal and intrigue-based mglit for ages 8-12

Steampunk is another person’s Gilded Age, albeit with possibly more action, intrigue, and impossibly complex wooden machines. Spineless has a certain steampunk vibe about it, but when the rubber hits the road it’s more late 1800s, which is when that popular aforementioned show takes place. However, this is about the mglit book that we recently read. It’s called Spineless and is a case where the cover sucks you in, and the story manages to keep you there. This is a book that patient, middle-grade mystery with periods of adventure.

Spineless is an mglit book that I wanted to enjoy more than I did. It’s aimed at ages 11-14 for those readers who like intrigue with an animal hook and a side of Scooby-esque hijinks.

Charlie Thorne and the Curse of Cleopatra, mglit as great as it gets

Soooooo good. We’ll just cut to the chase on Charlie Thorne and the Curse of Cleopatra and say that this book all but reads itself due to it being so entertaining. It’s one of those middle school books that upper elementary kids can read, and that their parents will borrow from them-and find it just as entertaining. Curse of Cleopatra, much like the first book in the Charlie Thorne series, is so much fun to read that you’ll wish that you hadn’t read it so that you can read it again the first time. So what is this book that had me and our 12 YO raving about?

Charlie Thorne and the Curse of the Cleopatra is the third entry in this consistently enthralling series for grades four and up (way up)

This series.

The Book of Stolen Time, breezy mglit summer reading anytime

After reading The Book of Stolen Time, which is one of the best titles of a book in recent memory BTW, you’ll see many Easter eggs just by looking at its cover. At first glance, a leopard, a snake eating itself, a male teen with a fairy on his arm, a girl holding a goose, and the two of them walking through a lake that they’re parting its waters is the stuff of a middle Earth-esque fairy tale. The Book of Stolen Time is the second book in the Feylawn Chronicles series. The first entry was the equally awesome titled, The Book of Fatal Errors!, and its sequel continues the world that was established in that book. Not having read that book, but jumping into The Book of Stolen Time is OK.

The Book of Stolen Time is just the engaging, taut, fantasy read that upper elementary and middle schoolers will dig.

Summer time and the reading’s easy

Crocs, a Sharks Inc. book that effortlessly hooks readers 9 and up

Upper elementary school readers and older want to be respected, and-to an extent, challenged when they read for fun. There comes a point when elementary and middle school readers become aware of the fact that the books that they read are a direct reflection of who they are. They’ve got the staples that most of them are reading in fourth and fifth, with a few brave souls venturing out to discover something unique. That funnel opens up much more in middle school. Crocs is our first encounter with a book in the Sharks Inc. book series by New York Times-Bestselling author Randy Wayne White. It checks off so many columns in what ages nine through 15 are looking for in a great fiction book that it resembles a dog’s shopping list at the meat market.

Crocs is realistic fiction that’s loaded with action and smarts that very few in this genre can match. It’s also jammed with STEM and real-world Florida vibes.

If you love to read, you’ll love this book