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12 Best Realistic Middle Grade Fiction I Read in 2020

Dec30

I thought the realistic middle grade fiction published in 2020, both historical and current day setting, was a much better crop of books than the speculative fiction, which I’ll post the best of tomorrow. Here are 12 of my favorites, all published in 2020.

Leaving Lymon by Lesa Cline-Ransom. A companion novel to Finding Langston, recipient of a Coretta Scott King Writing Honor and winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Everyone has a story, even the bully Lymon, who needs a father and a second chance.

A Ceiling Made of Eggshells by Gail Carson Levine. Set in the 1490’s during the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, this historical fiction title tells the story of a young Jewish girl and her famous and influential grandfather. Loma lives with her family in the judería of Alcalá de Henares, Spain, and wants nothing more than to someday have a family of her own, but it seems as if Loma will never be able to make a life of her own. The Jews are in danger, and only Loma is particularly suited to help her grandfather in his quest to save their people from exile and worse.

Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk. I thought this one was better than the author’s previous award-winning books, Wolf Hollow and Beyond the Bright Sea. Ellie’s father is in a coma, asleep in their mountain home where her family has been forced to live because of the Great Depression. And since everyone thing her father’s accident is Ellie’s fault, Ellie must find a way to bring him back, even if she has to enlist the help of the “hag” who lives at the top of Echo Mountain

We Could Be Heroes by Margaret Finnegan. Hank Hudson and Maisie Huang, misfits both, become unlikely friends and bond over saving her neighbor’s dog, Booler, who has seizures and is, according to Maisie, in imminent danger of being taken away. I didn’t know that this was a debut novel, but it is quite good. It’s light-hearted and funny without being sarcastic or slapstick, something I think is often missing in children’s fiction these days. The two children do grow, and if the father’s reaction to Hank’s first lie (he’s rather proud of his autistic son for learning how to tell a lie) is confusing to young readers, it could be a point of discussion.

Orphan Eleven by Jennifer Choldenko. Based on a true (sad) story of experimentation and psychological manipulation of orphans back in the 1930’s, this novel of four children who escape from an exploitative orphanage and find a home at the circus is well-written and engaging. Lucy, the central character, is an elective mute, and the suspense of the story has to do with why Lucy doesn’t talk, whether she ever will, and whether Lucy will find her older sister, Dilly. The villains of the story are bad, and the helpers are good; nevertheless, even the supportive adults at the circus aren’t infallible, and the children themselves have their own faults and bad choices to overcome. I liked the way the children bore one another’s burdens and forgave, even when one child was not so likeable and endangered the rest.

Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri. An amazing story based on a combination of Scheherazade and the 1001 Nights and the author’s own story of emigrating from Iran to Oklahoma, this book should garner all kinds of awards. There are too many poop stories embedded in the overall story, but it’s all part of a bigger narrative of persecution, assimilation, and survival that inspires and educates American readers about Persian culture and the difficulties of being caught between two worlds.

Gold Rush Girl by Avi. Victoria Blaisdell wants independence and adventure, and when she stows away on the steamship that’s carrying her father and other hopeful gold hunters from the East Coast to the gold fields of California, she gets both in spades. Victoria’s father, determined to strike it rich, leaves Victoria and her little brother in wild and dangerous San Francisco while he searches for the gold that will change their family fortunes. And Victoria must deal with thieves, kidnappers, and her own divided loyalties as she learns to persevere and never give up hope.

Here In the Real World by Sara Pennypacker. The NY Times gave it a good review, but Kirkus called the book “well meaning but belabored”. The story is about two eleven year olds, Ware and Jolene, who create a secret garden and castle in a deserted vacant lot and torn-down church. There’s some allusion to Christian ideas and some garbled theology as both of the children try to figure out how to be hopeful and yet realistic in a broken world. If it’s belabored, then I like belabored.

Brother’s Keeper by Julie Lee. Twelve year old Sora and her little brother Youngsoo are escaping with their family from North Korea at the height of the Korean War, but when the two children are separated from their parents they will have to get to Busan on their own. Can Sora survive and take care of eight year old Youngsoo over three hundred miles of war torn country in the dead of winter?

Things Seen From Above by Shelley Pearsall. When April signs up to be a Buddy Bench monitor, mostly to escape from sixth grade lunch hour, she meets Joey, a boy who acts and interacts, well, differently. The more April tries to understand what Joey’s actions during recess are all about, his walking in circles and making trails in the playground dirt, the more she begins to understand about herself and the kids around her, her school and even her town.

Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson. The acclaimed author of The Hate U Give shares a new Ramona Quimby-esque story for the 2020’s, starring a Black girl, Ryan Hart, and her family and set in Portland, Oregon, just like Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books.

The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman. This story is told from the perspective of three different girls–Valentina and Oksana at Chernobyl in 1986 and Rifka in 1941 surviving World War II in Ukraine. The themes are overcoming tragedy, disaster, and abuse, the value and meaning of friendship, and loyalty in an age of betrayal.

Still More Book Lists 2020

Dec22

Modern Mrs. Darcy: My favorite books of 2020. I’m afraid that Anne Bogel and I are just not into the same books, and that’s O.K. You may find some gems on her list of favorites. I didn’t see anything except Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, which I’ve already put on my TBR list.

Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2020. Well, I want to read Jack by Marilynne Robinson and The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larsson (about Churchill who is someone I love reading about). I read The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel, and I thought it was meh. Not horrible, just not great. The rest of Mr. Obama’s list seems to be made up of books about race, immigration, politics, drugs, and more race, which is fine but just not what I’m looking for right now.

Trevin Wax: My 10 Favorite Reads of 2020. Now this list is right up my alley. Mr. Wax begins his list with The Last Lion, a three volume biography of Winston Churchill by William Manchester, which I have read and loved. So, the rest of the list is bound to be good. Yes, Breaking Bread With the Dead by Alan Jacobs is one I already have on my TBR list. The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson sounds fantastic. And maybe I’ll even try Reading While Black by Esau McCaulley.

Kevin DeYoung: Top 10 Books of 2020. Some of these look good but too hefty for me to add to an already hefty reading list for 2021.

Jared C. Wilson: My Top 10 Books of 2020. Also, most of Jared’s picks are too much for me to try to read this year, although he does recommend (again) Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund, a book I’ve already seen recommended over and over, and one I do plan to read ASAP. And I would like to read Jared’s YA novel, published in 2020, Echo Island.

Adventures of a Digitabulist: My Top 5 Books of 2020. This list was different and intriguing. 600 Hours of Edward by Craig Lancaster sounds like something I’d like. The blogger, Francesca, says she “took a chance” with Edward, and I think I might do so as well.

Book Lists 2020

Dec8

I used to have a feature here on Saturdays called the Saturday Review of Books. And every year around the end of the year, I dedicated that Saturday Review to lists of books for the old year or for the new year or for anything in between: Favorite Books of This Year or What I’m Reading Next Year or The Best Books of All Time According to Blogger #1 or really any book list that came out on a blog somewhere at the end of the year. So, I’ve been collecting these lists, and now I’ll post a few each day. If I don’t already have yours linked here, please leave a comment and a link. I love book lists, and I like sharing them with you all.

Let the listing begin!

My Favorite Books of 2020 by Russell Moore. Most of Mr. Moore’s list is non-fiction of the theological and sociological persuasion, and for the most part I’m not a fan of those kinds of books. But I am looking forward to reading Marilynne Robinson’s Jack, the newest in her Gilead set of stories.

The 2020 For the Church Book Awards by Ronni Kurtz. “[W]e are pleased to present our readers with a few books that stuck out as exceptional from this past year. In this, our fourth annual For the Church book awards, each member of the editorial team chose two books—a winner and a runner-up—to honor and to recommend to you.” Of the book on this award list, I am most interested in Alan Jacobs’ Breaking Bread With the Dead, about reading and learning from old books.

Cody Glen Barnhardt: 10 Favorite Books I Read in 2020. Mr. Barnhardt is not the first to suggest Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sufferers and Sinners by Dane Ortlund. My pastor also suggested it earlier this year, and I’ve seen it on other lists. Maybe someone is trying to tell me something?

Hungry for Good Books?: The Annual List 2020 Edition. Trina Hayes has her entire list of 100 or more books read during this year of the plague. And I spotted a few possibilities there: Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Jiles, The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay, The Women of Copper County by Mary Doria Russell, Eliza Hamilton: the Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton by Tilar Mazzeo. I could probably find more, but my TBR list is already way too long.

Dewey’s Treehouse: 25 Top Books I Want to Read in 2021. “Enough with long lists. If I get these done, I’ll be happy.” ~Mama Squirrel. OK, it’s a great idea in theory, but MY list is already miles long. And I can’t resist the this (long) title on the Treehouse short list: Why You Should Read Children’s Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise by Katherine Rundell.

Gift Books for Grown-ups by Betsy at Redeemed Reader. Several of these are already on my own TBR list, and several others I’ve already read and enjoyed. I daresay any of them would make a lovely gift—for someone else or for yourself. (And I still added more books to the TBR list from this one.)

I’ll link to a few more book lists tomorrow, maybe yours if you leave me a comment?

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.