The Little Grey Men by BB (Denys Watkins-Pitchford). I think Tolkien must have read this book. Or Mr. Watkins-Pitchford read Tolkien? Or they both read the same sources? The Little Grey Men was published in 1942, and it won the Carnegie Medal for that year. The Hobbit was published in 1937, and it didn’t win a Carnegie Medal. Not that I think The Little Grey Men is plagiaristic, just somewhat similar in tone to Tolkien, a very British-y Middle Earth tone and setting. B.B. writes about gnomes, not hobbits. But his gnomes are just as British and nature-loving and humble and personable and hidden as Tolkien’s hobbits. This year I want to read the sequel, The Little Grey Men Go Down the Bright Stream.

Race to the Bottom of the Sea by Lindsay Eagar. Pirates and sharks and an eleven year inventor named Fidelia Quail. I thought this book was enthralling.

Last Day on Mars by Kevin Emerson. An old-fashioned space travel story with a futuristic and apocalyptic twist.

The Silver Gate by Kristin Bailey. Orphaned, Elric and his sister Wynnfrith, who is mentally handicapped, travel together through the fantasy feudal countryside as they look for a safe home where they can live free of prejudice and persecution and where they can take care of one another.

Henry and the Chalk Dragon by Jennifer Trafton. Henry draws a chalk dragon on the back of his door, but he’s not prepared for the chaos that ensues when the chalk dragon comes alive and goes to school with him. Excellent writing. Excellent adventure.

Dragon’s Green by Scarlett Thomas. Effie Truelove and her newfound friends—–Maximilian, Wolf, Lexy, and Raven—–must fight off the Diberi both in this world and in the Otherworld, and Effie must find her own way through the most important book that her beloved grandfather gave her, a book called Dragon’s Green.

The Countdown Conspiracy by Katie Slivensky. Miranda Regent is the genius thirteen year old from the United States who is one of the six astronauts in training for the international mission to Mars, a peace-keeping mission that will unite the world in a cause that transcends national interests and the recently concluded AEM war. But someone is out to sabotage the mission and the six kids who have been chosen for it. Can Miranda figure out who is behind the threatening emails and the attacks on her and her fellow astronauts before they succeed?

Broken Pride by Erin Hunter. The balance of Bravelands, a fictional version of the African landscape, has been disturbed, and only the combination of a lion cub, a young elephant, and a baboon can set it right. Maybe. If only they can figure out what has happened to make such horrible change come and what they can do to make things right. The First book in a new series by the authors of The Warriors series and The Survivors series of animal tales.

Rules for Thieves by Alexandra Ott. “After twelve-year-old orphan Alli Rosco is cursed with a deadly spell, she must join the legendary Thieves Guild in order to try and save herself in this high-stakes debut.” (Goodreads) I enjoyed this story, and the moral concerns of the protagonist made it a thoughtful and thought-provoking read.

A Chameleon,a Boy, and a Quest by J.A. Myhre. One day on the way to school in East Africa, Mu makes a friend, and everything in his life changes as his talking chameleon friend chooses Mu and calls him on a mysterious quest. I’m looking forward to reading the second books in this African setting fantasy series, A Bird, a Girl, and a Rescue (series title: The Rendwigo Tales).

Minnow on the Say by Philippa Pearce. Philippa Pearce wrote the fantasy classic, Tom’s Midnight Garden, but before that she wrote this her debut children’s book, a quiet mystery tale about boys messing about in boats on the river Say. It reminded me of my younger son and canoeing on Dickinson Bayou and times past.

Ash Road by Ivan Southall. I read this story about a bush fire in the Australian outback many years ago, and I remembered it as a great read. It was.

Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome. Finally, this year I started this series about children and imagination and free play and sailing. It was fantastic, as you can see from this list. Three out of my ten favorite middle grade fiction books are all about the Swallows and the Amazons, rival “gangs” of children who race their sailboats and have mock battles in and about the rivers and lakes of the Lake District in northwest England.

Swallowdale by Arthur Ransome.

Secret Water by Arthur Ransome.

Almost Paradise by Corabel Shofner. Twelve-year-old Ruby Clyde Henderson’s life changes the day her mother’s boyfriend holds up a convenience store, and her mother, Babe (short for Barbara) is jailed for assisting with the crime. Now Babe’s twin sister, a nun who can’t stand Ruby Clyde or her mother, is Ruby Clyde’s only refuge.

The Family from One End Street: And Some of Their Adventures by Eve Garnett. This book won the Carnegie award for British children’s children’s fiction that same year that The Hobbit was published, a mistake to be sure, but nevertheless, it’s a good story about a large, poor-but-happy family in the 1930’s.

Aim by Joyce Moyer Hostetter. Aim is a prequel to Ms. Hostetter’s two books about Ann Fay Honeycutt, Blue and Comfort. Aim tells the story of Junior Bledsoe, a secondary, but beloved, character in those other two books.

Cinnamon Moon by Tess Hilmo. Twelve-year-old Ailis and her younger brother, Quinn, having lost their entire family in the Peshtigo fire of 1871, end up in Chicago, a city which is still recovering from its own fire.

So, if there were themes for the year they were: children in boats, adventure, and courage in the face of disaster, especially fiery disaster. Even The Family at One End Street had one chapter in which one of the children stows away on a boat or a ship (can’t remember which) and goes on an adventure.