Happy back-to-school!
I miss the days of shopping for school supplies. Notebooks, folders, pencils, and oh man, books! One thing I always looked forward to about starting a new school year was the Scholastic Book Fair. Thinking back to when I could freely roam the shelves, circle books I wanted in the catalog, and open up a package of fresh new books, still gives me chills.
But even though I am a big person now with big person things to do, that doesn’t mean I can’t stop reading books for children. And with a little baby boy by my side, I now have a reading partner who gets to enjoy all the books with me! For that, I am truly grateful!
Here are some new middle grade books I’m looking forward to reading this fall!
Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead
Feiwel & Friends
A charming middle-grade novel about friendship and the power of imagination, told in alternating chapters by Rebecca Stead, the Newbery Medal winning author of When You Reach Me, and Wendy Mass, New York Times bestselling author of The Candymakers
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
Feiwel & Friends
Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood “wishtree”—people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red’s branches. Along with a crow named Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red’s hollows, this wishtree watches over the neighborhood. When a new family moves in, not everyone is welcoming, and Red’s experience as a wishtree is more important than ever. With a message of inclusion for dreamers and welcomers, this is a book for our lives and times.
The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden
Sky Pony Press
“This is a compassionate look at poverty, hard choices, and defending one’s right to be treated humanely. A very fine first novel, written with a deft hand.” — Karen Hesse, Newbery award winning author of Out of the Dust
She Loves You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah) by Ann Hood
Penguin Workshop
Determined to regain her social status and prove herself to her father, Trudy looks toward the biggest thing happening worldwide: the Beatles. She is set on seeing them in Boston during their final world tour–and meeting her beloved Paul McCartney. So on a hot August day, unknown to their families, Trudy and crew set off on their journey, each of them with soaring hopes for what lies ahead.
Happy reading everyone!
xoxo
Elizabeth Anne Martins 