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Middle Grade Speculative Fiction: Capsule Reviews

Oct28

Quintessence by Jess Redman. Ms. Redman is both a therapist and an author, and it shows. Quintessence is all about stars, and the essence of life, and finding one’s true self. It’s also about a girl, Alma Lucas, who after moving with her family to a new town, begins to experience panic attacks. Alma manages to join forces with three other children to form an Astronomy Club as well as a group dedicated to returning a fallen Starling to the heavens. As the children work together, they discover both their limitations and their strengths. The writing is beautiful at times throughout the book, but it’s all a little too therapeutic for my taste.

Catalyst by Sarah Beth Durst. When Zoe’s newfound kitten Pipsqueak grows to an enormous size almost overnight, Zoe and her best friend Harrison try to keep the giant kitten a secret. However, the only people they can trust to help are Zoe’s estranged aunt, Aunt Alecia, and the summer babysitter, Surita. Can Zoe and Harrison make it to New Hampshire during the time they’re supposed to be at summer camp without anyone finding out about Pipsqueak? A lion-size kitten is hard to hide, hard to move, and hard to keep quiet. The premise was good for this fantasy adventure, but the plot felt jerky. The denouement was too long in coming, and then it happened too quickly. And after the solution to the problem was revealed, then the mop-up action felt disappointing. Still, cat lovers and cat fantasy lovers will enjoy.

The Forest of Stars by Heather Kassner. Deserted by her father long ago, twelve year old Louisa LaRoche is left alone when her mother dies. For some reason, she decides that her father might be found in forest at the Carnival Beneath the Stars. If you want a book about magic at the circus, I would recommend Circus Mirandus and The Bootlace Magician, both by Cassie Beasley. The Forest of Stars is darker and much more incoherent than I prefer.

Scritch Scratch by Lindsay Currie. Claire has absolutely no belief or interest in ghosts, unlike her father who makes his living writing about Chicago’s ghost stories and leading a ghost tour of the most haunted sites in the city. But she can’t ignore the ghostly boy who keeps playing tricks to get her attention and writing, whispering, and scratching the number 396 for some unknown reason. Claire is afraid the ghost boy might injure, or even kill her, and she needs help. But where can she get that help now thather best friend, Casley, prefers to hang out with the new girl, Emily, instead of Claire? Unfortunately, the ghostly number changes from 396 to 369 in the middle of a page (169)–an editorial error that threw me out of the story and into a rant (in my own head) about the lack of good editing these days.

The Copycat by Wendy McLeod MacKnight has protagonist Ali Sloane discovering her own magical ability to transform into copies of other creatures as she’s trying to fit in at a new school and to resolve old family rifts and to deal with her great-grandmother’s illness and aging and to deal with her family’s lack of money in comparison to other kids at school. It’s all a bit much rolled into one book. Or as the blurb in the front says, “The Copycat is a perfect storm of family, magic, mystery, and friendship.”

Arcade and the Fiery Metal Tester (The Coin Slot Chronicles) by Rashad Jennings. This book is from Zonderkidz, a Christian imprint, and I really liked the way prayer and faith in a good God are presented as natural parts of everyday life for Arcade Livingston and his Black family living in New York City. It reminded me a little of Adventures in Odyssey, in a good way. But the plot is sometimes creaky and episodic as Arcade and his friends experience unexpected and uncontrollable time travel, care for a displaced flamingo, and search for Arcade’s lost dog. In a somewhat implausible subplot, Arcade’s friend Doug has been living with his great-grandmother, but when she has to go to a nursing home, eleven year old Doug is left to live alone in the building his great-grandmother owns.

The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf

Oct27

For the kids who are afraid—whether it’s of bullies or ghosts or grumpy moms, first days or bad days or everything in-between days. You have more courage than you know.

Thank you to my parents, who never told me “this book is too scary for you.”

~Dedication at the beginning and Acknowledgements at the end of The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf

Well, my first reaction is to tell all but the most intrepid readers that this book is too scary and dark and psychologically twisty for you. This is not a Casper-the-Friendly-Ghost sort of story. It is instead a story steeped in Malaysian folklore and culture about a witch grandmother who bequeaths to her granddaughter a pelesit, a ghost-monster-demon that lives to serve and obey its master but also survives by sucking a bit of its master’s blood every month during the full moon. Yeah, it’s called a blood-binding, and yes, this is a middle grade fiction book.

Suraya is the granddaughter, and she lives in rural Malaysia with her widowed mother and the pelesit that Suraya names Pink. Pink is Suraya’s only companion and only friend, and even though Pink is a rather dark and brooding presence in Suraya’s life, he’s certainly better than nothing—until Suraya makes a real friend, Jing Wei, who is wealthy, happy, and obsessed with Star Wars. Pink becomes jealous, and essentially goes over to the Dark Side.

Other than Jing Wei and her sunny and heedless personality, there’s not much in this book to lighten the darkness. Bullies, demons, an evil exorcist, and tortures (think: nightmares, blood, and insect infestations) inflicted by one’s erstwhile best friend are the main aspects of the plot and characters, and the sort of happy ending doesn’t really make up for the nightmare inducing remainder of the book. I was strangely fascinated and at the same time repelled by this story. I wouldn’t recommend it to any middle grade readers I know. But there may be some who would enjoy it and identify with the deeper themes of betrayal and family dysfunction and overcoming the darkness within ourselves and our own families.

Before the Sword by Grace Lin

Oct13

Written as a sort of prequel to Disney’s Mulan (movie), Before the Sword takes Hua Mulan on a journey with the healer Jade Rabbit to save Mulan’s sister, Xiu, from dying from the bite of a poisonous spider. It turns out that the spider is more than a simple spider, and even Mulan herself might be something more than a clumsy, persistent, horse-loving, and unconventional village girl.

I’ve never watched the movie Mulan (can you believe it?), so I can’t say how well the book meshes with the characters and plot of the movie. However, Ms. Lin, a best-selling author of middle grade novels, easy readers, and picture books, with Disney’s permission and imprimatur. So, someone must have thought it paired well with the franchise.

The book read a lot like Ms. Lin’s previous non-Disney character middle grade novels—Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, When the Sea Turned to Silver, and Starry River of the Sky—which all have short legends and stories embedded in between chapters that tell an over-arching story. Before the Sword not only has short legends and folktales that illuminate and explain the main novel’s story, but it also switches point of view from time to time to tell the story from the perspective of the enslaved servant, the Red Fox, of the villain of the piece, who is Daji, the White Fox.

Fans of Ms. Lin’s previous novels of Chinese folklore and culture will enjoy this one, too. I actually liked it better than the others she has written because it seemed more approachable from my own cultural background. Maybe it’s more Westernized? Or maybe I’m just getting better at understanding how a story from a Chinese/Asian culture works? I’m not sure. At any rate, with the live-action movie version of Mulan already streaming on Disney+, this book should get some traction and should please a number of young readers.

Rival Magic by Deva Fagan

Oct12

As I began reading this middle grade novel about two rival magician’s assistants, I thought I could see immediately where the story was headed. The two girls, with different political interests, talents, and abilities, rivals so to speak, were going to need to learn to work together. And indeed, that’s exactly the point of the story. I thought that theme might be too obvious, even for a child reader. However, the more I read the more I was drawn in and intrigued by how the author got the girls to learn cooperation and peaceful political negotiation. It might even be a lesson in reconciliation and understanding that could be applied by adults in the current political and cultural moment.

Antonia and Moppe are dissimilar in many ways. Antonia comes from a rich, politically powerful family. Moppe is a servant girl from a poor background. Antonia has worked hard to earn her place as apprentice to the famous sorcerer Master Betrys and to learn all the magical words and intricacies that make sorcery work. Moppe happens to be a magical prodigy whose first attempt at spell-casting is amazingly successful. Antonia has read all of the magic books and memorized most of the grimoires in Master Betrys’ house. Moppe can’t read at all. Antonia believes her island is safe and protected by the powerful empire to which it owes allegiance. Moppe doubts the Empire has the best interests of their island nation at heart.

Of course, the girls are forced to go on a quest together to save the island of Medasia and its people from the dreaded Black Drake. They must find the crown which controls the monster and decide how to keep the island safe. Can Moppe and Antonia trust each other and their own complementary abilities enough to complete their quest? What if they have completely different ideas about what it means to be free and at peace? And what if the adults in their lives are manipulating both girls to get something that neither of them really wants?

I ended up enjoying this romp quite a bit. It’s well-written, if slightly predictable, and Antonia and Moppe were fun to get to know. Most fantasy readers will find it fun to read, and girls in particular will appreciate the emphasis on females in positions of political power and as the dual protagonists of the novel itself. Indeed, boys should appreciate the strong female characters, too. Recommended for those who like magic, sorcery, and peacemaking at the center of their reading adventures.

Cybils Nominations Open Through October 15th

Oct9

Nominations for the Cybils Awards for Children’s and Young Adult Books (winners chosen by book bloggers) are now open, and guys, anyone can nominate books in several different categories. Head on over to the Cybils website and check out the categories. Then, if you’ve read any good, worthy books published in 2020 or in the last couple of months of 2019, nominate them!

Charlotte (Charlotte’s Library) and Katy (alibrarymama) have suggested several titles in the Middle Grade Speculative Fiction category that have NOT yet been nominated. Any of these would be great to nominate, and I have a few more that you might want to consider. Or come up with your own ideas. But do nominate your favorites so that they can be considered for the Cybils Awards.

Middle Grade Speculative Fiction (not yet nominated):

What is the best middle grade fiction, fantasy or science fiction, you’ve read this year? Have your favorites been nominated for the Cybils Awards?

The Magic in Changing Your Stars by Leah Henderson

Sep30

When Ailey tries out for the part of the Scarecrow in his school’s production of The Wiz, he experiences an attack of panic and stage fright. Then, Ailey’s beloved Grampa ends up in the hospital after a nasty fall. How can things possibly get worse?

Well, when Ailey tries to carry out Grampa’s wishes in regard to a secret box in the closet at home, he somehow finds himself stuck in the past—trying to save Grampa in the present by encouraging Grampa-in-the-past, as a boy, to be brave and follow his dream. This time travel story includes real characters from American Black history: Bill Bojangles Robinson, Madame C.J. Walker, Paul Cuffe, James Van Deer Zee. And most of the other characters are named after notable Black Americans: Alvin Ailey, Benjamin Banneker, Mahalia Jackson, Josephine Baker, Canada Lee, and others. It’s fun trying to spot all of the names, which are listed in a “Black Excellence List” in the back of the book.

The time travel works pretty well. Ailey changes the past, in a good way, when he travels back in time, and thereby he also changes the present or the future, depending on how you want to think about it. Time travel is always somewhat mind-boggling. Themes and subjects are: tap dancing, performing, stage fright, regret, Black history, Harlem Renaissance, overcoming fear.

The Highland Falcon Thief by Sam Sedgman

Sep29

Trains. Mystery. Scotland. If you like any or all of those, The Highland Falcon Thief is the right book for you. And it’s the first in a projected series, called Adventures on Trains.

In this first book, Harrison Beck’s parents send him on a train trip, the last journey of the historic Highland Falcon steam train, with his uncle, while Harrison’s mother is giving birth to his new baby sister. Harrison, knowing nothing about trains, is expecting a boring journey with all adults, but he meets a stowaway his age on the train. And the two of them become friends and fellow detectives in order to solve the case of a jewel theft. Can Harrison and Lenny find the thief and the princess’s missing diamond necklace before the Highland Falcon retires from service?

Lots of information about trains and railway history is woven into this mystery. And the solution to the mystery is satisfactory, even if it’s a bit ugly. Harrison and Lenny are brave and intrepid characters, and Lenny’s Indian British heritage adds a bit of diversity to this middle grade mystery story.

“You would have to look for a long time to find an engine more impressive and downright beautiful than this one,” Uncle Nat walked toward the nose of the train and laid his hand on it, patting it as if it were a horse.

Copying his uncle, Hal laid his hand on the metal casing and was surprised to find it was warm and vibrating. The locomotive sighed out a puff of steam, as if it were alive—a dragon, ancient, powerful, and ready to fly.

The Mystwick School of Musicraft by Jessica Khoury

Sep15

In the late twentieth century (1970’s, 80’s, and 90’s) all the fantasy books read a lot like Lord of the Rings. Well, not all, but there sure was a lot of high fantasy, as they call it. Nowadays, it’s all Harry Potter-influenced. Well, OK, not all, but a lot. The Mystwick School of Musicraft is HP-ish with music—and ghosts.

Still, just as there were and still are some fun Tolkien-influenced books, the HP-influenced stories aren’t all bad. I enjoyed The Mystwick School of Musicraft mostly for the new twist(s) it put on an old plot. Amelia Jones has always dreamed of attending the Mystwick School where she can learn to be a Maestro, a master musician on her chosen instrument, the flute, who creates magic with her music. When Amelia messes up her audition, big time, her hopes are dashed, but she gets her invitation to enroll at Mystwick anyway. Can Amelia become the perfect magical musician that her deceased mother once was? Does she even belong at Mystwick? And who is this other Amelia Jones who died before she could take her place at Mystwick?

So, the theme of the story is all about being true to yourself, becoming the person you really are on the inside instead of trying to fulfill the expectations of others, not a theme I like very much. It’s overused and trite and not wholly true. Yes, we need to know ourselves and become independent, self-actualized persons, but we also need to learn to live in community with others and in obedience and worship of Something outside of ourselves. Nevertheless, the musical magic motif of the book and the details of how that worked along with the ghost story were enough to pull me in and make me suspend judgment for the duration of the story. In other words, short version, I liked it. It was a fun read.

The Time of Green Magic by Hilary McKay

Sep14

Hilary McKay writes about dysfunctional families that somehow are nevertheless endearing. The family in Green Magic is less dysfunctional than the Casson family in her more famous series, but still the three children in this story—Abi and her two step-brothers Max and Louis— are keeping secrets from their parents (about magic happening in their new house), and the oldest child, Max, age 14, has a not-so-secret crush on the French babysitter, Esme.

McKay tries and succeeds in straddling the line between actual magic and childhood nightmares or imagination, and I just found it fascinating to watch her do it. I was never quite sure until near the end of the book whether the seemingly magical events in the book would turn out to be all in Abi’s imagination (disappointing!) or whether they were really truly happening (really, truly scary!). Some things do turn out to be childish fears and exaggerations, but the magic in the vine covered house is real. I think.

The book is about more than just a magical house, however, It’s about the ups and downs of actually blending a blended family and of working to support that family. The parents in this family are quite involved in their children’s lives, unlike the Casson parents, and they are loving parents who work hard to help their children become bonded to one another, overcome their fears, and just have fun together. Nevertheless, as is true of real families, some things happen to the children that just can’t (or won’t) be shared with mom and dad. Some problems children choose to muddle through on their own, and Max, Abi, and Louis are certainly growing in their own interior lives and in their relationships with one another as they muddle together.

Some of the scenes in this book are rather scary, and I wouldn’t recommend it for really young or sensitive children, although the nightmarish aspects of the “green magic” are vanquished in the end. For those who like a tiny bit of horror or at least weirdness and a hefty dose of family growth and dynamic, The Time of Green Magic is a delightful story.

The Peppermint Pig by Nina Bawden

Sep7

Old granny Greengrass had her finger chopped off in the butcher’s when she was buying half a leg of lamb.

The opening sentence of this British children’s novel, published in 1975, should be a warning to the squeamish or the tender-hearted: This is not the book for you. I looked at the reviews on Goodreads, and there are at least two polar opposite verdicts. Either the reviewer finds the story to be “sweet and touching, poignant and heart-breaking” or “traumatic, brutal, and cruel.” Well, actually some readers found all of those adjectives applicable and enjoyed the contrast.

The story is told in third person from the point of view of Poll, the youngest of four children in a middle class family in England. When Poll’s father leaves his family behind to go off to America to make his fortune (because of an unfortunate misunderstanding with his employer), Poll, her mother, and her siblings are left without funds and go to live with Mother’s sisters, Aunt Harriet and Aunt Sarah. Mother comes home one day with a tiny runt of a pig, called a “peppermint pig”, that the family adopt as a pet.

Lily said, “You can’t keep a pig indoors, Mother!

“Oh, we had all sorts of animals in the house when I was young,” Mother said. “Jackdaws, hedgehogs, newly hatched chicks. I remember times you couldn’t get near our fire.”

“But not pigs,” Lily said.

“I can’t see why not. You’d keep a dog, and a pig has more brains than a dog, let me tell you. If you mean pigs are dirty, that’s just a matter of giving a pig a bad name, to my mind. Why, our Johnnie was housebroken in a matter of days, and with a good deal less trouble than you gave me, my girl!”

As it turns out, Lily was right, and Mother was wrong. It’s not a good idea to keep a pig for a pet, especially if the family who owns the pig is poor and will eventually . . . well, no spoilers. However, I saw where this story was going long before the “cruel” and “traumatic” ending. And I was fascinated by the tone of the story which reveals the secret lives of children, lives of thought and action that can be very dark indeed. I think it would be comforting to some children to read that other children have violent thoughts and tell lies and become quite angry and still survive. Other children might find it quite horrifying.

But, I’m ambivalent about keeping this book in my library. I think some parents would be shocked by the language and the actions of both children and adults, while I just thought the story was realistic about the sin that overtakes us all and about the brokenness that is a part of our world. Nine year old Poll is a passionate child with ideas and questions and feelings that are overwhelming at times for such a small person. And some of the ideas and events and emotions in this book might be a bit too much for a nine or ten year old who is reading it. Some examples (and you can decide for yourself):

‘Poll said, ‘What do you mean about biting off puppies’ tails?’
‘That’s what the groom at the Manor House used to do. My mother was cook there, you know. I’ve seen that groom pick up a new litter one after the other, bite off the tail at the joint and spit it out, quick as a flash. The kindest way, he always said, no fuss and tarradiddle, and barely a squeak from the pup.’

‘She hit him in the stomach, he grunted and fell and she fell on top of him. He tried to get up but she grabbed his hair with both hands and thumped his head up and down.
She couldn’t move but Noah’s laughing face was above her so she spat into it as hard as she could and said, ‘Damn you, you rotten bug, damn and blast you to hell…’

‘She made a best friend called Annie Dowsett who was older than she was and who told her how babies were born. ‘The butcher comes and cuts you up the stomach with his carving knife,’ Annie said.’ 

Theo was clever but he wasn’t sensible the way ordinary people were. He saw things differently and this set him apart. Poll thought, Theo will always be lonely, and it made her proud and sad to know this, and very responsible.

It’s a stark and realistic picture of the inner life and growth of a child during one hard year of near-poverty and perceived abandonment. Tender-hearted animal lovers and idealizers of children should beware.