The clocks are back on Standard Time and we're in the midst of fall right now, so here are some new middle grade novels to read in November--the quotes come from interviews I did with the authors for my blog, Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb...

 

Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter are the creators of the new graphic novel Winging It. Lloyd said of the book, "After moving to the East Coast, I learned about thebeautiful luna moth, only found on the eastern side of the US. I wondered if Icould build a story around someone who moved across the country--like me--andreally wanted to see the elusive luna moth in person. It only made sense toname this character Luna!" She added, "Because I wanted Luna to have a really strongconnection to nature at the end of the story, I decided to make her a veryindoorsy person at the beginning of the book, so that she could have a strongcharacter arc."

 

Martha Brockenbrough is the author of the new novel At the Edge of Lost. She said, "I wanted to write a book that captured how I often feelin our post-pandemic world—something that would acknowledge the anxiety of itbut also lean into the strength and hope of all the kids who made it through arough time. I didn’t want to write about Covid, though. I wanted towrite about the kids who survived it and how they would do if another pandemicscare happened. It’s the absolute last thing anyone wants to happen, andsometimes life deals us those double blows." She added, "So how do we endure? With the help of our friends. Withcourage. And on behalf of the ones we love."

Finally, Jen Calonita's new novel is The Taylors. Calonita said, "I've always been a Swiftie, and my heart is with middleschool stories so I've been dying to write a new one. Navigating fifth and sixth grade was hard for me. I switchedfriend groups, had a fight with my best friend, wound up switching lunchtables, had my first school dance and my first overnight school trip. These areall things I remember very vividly! Things that weighed on me heavily!" She added, "I was much like [my character] Teffy--afraid to use my voice and speakup--so I wanted to create a character who learns how to navigate middle schoolwith the help of three new friends, all also named Taylor, who are alsoSwifties. I wanted Teffy to learn to be braver than I was. To takechances and be fearless and my hope is that kids will read about her and wantto take chances and be brave too. This story felt like the perfect mix of allthe things I love."

 

Happy reading!

 

--Deborah Kalb