Middle Grade Madness! discussion

Hey All,

I’m Kadi, your mod, and I thought this would be nice to just introduce ourselves and get to know each other.
So how about we all say a bit about ourselves, the kind of books we like to read and give one piece of info that isn’t book related.

I’m an eager kind of person. Some would call it annoying but I like to call it enthusiastic. Sorry if that annoys you. I’m either 100% committed or -10% I don’t care😂. I’m a huge stickler for grammar but don’t worry I’ll take your spelling and punctuation mistakes and I promise I’ll try my hardest not to correct you🤦🏻‍♀️

My favourite genres are mystery, time travel and thriller. I looove middle grade (obviously). I am a huge comic fan (DC only, no Marvel) and I usually avoid fantasy but I enjoy Middle Grade fantasy.

Outside of reading I love watching TV and movies. I love the feeling you get when it rains because where I live it doesn’t happen often. And I love watching cooking/baking videos but I rarely do any of it myself.

Now what about you guys? I want to get to know you all!

Hi I'm Althea!

Based on the number of books I have read, favorite genres are fantasy, science fiction, contemporary, and poetry. But I am a very flexible reader and I usually read anything that interests me.

I am a very music-oriented person and I play a couple of instruments. I also enjoy watching tv shows and movies :)

I read a whole lot of books, and preatty much love every genre. My favorite would probley have to be Fantasy though. Theres just so much you can do with it! You guys can call me Théo. I watch a lot of TV and Shows too!

I read a lot of manga, fantasy, and historical fiction! My favorite book series actually IS a MG series: Kate O’Hearn’s Valkyrie trilogy, so I thought it would be fun to discover some new MG books I haven’t heard of/read before.
If you read the list of random things I like on my profile that is pretty much everything you’d need to know about me lol.:)

Hi I’m Farren!

I read a variety of genres, but I would have to say I enjoy fantasy the most. I like being immersed in a new world with a new set of rules. Outside of reading, I love rock climbing and doing yoga! Currently, I’m recovering from ACL reconstructive surgery so I’ve had a little more time to read lately.

Hey, I'm Zaiyah,

I am forever correcting the grammar of others too. And I'm not really what you'd call an enthusiastic person. I am in JH right now, but the middle-grade genre is not my absolute favourite to read, but I still love it all the same.

My favourite genres are YA, fantasy, middle grade (in case you didn't catch that) and contemporary.

Hi, I’m Autumn. My favorite types of books to read are any I can get my hands on. I read a lot of Middle Grade books because they’re fun or just need something lighter than adult books. I can usually spot other grammatical errors but never mine. Don’t hesitate to correct me, but in a nice way please. For we only stop living when we stop learning. Books no matter the age group they’re intended for make us learn something every time we open them.

Autumn wrote: "Hi, I’m Autumn. My favorite types of books to read are any I can get my hands on. I read a lot of Middle Grade books because they’re fun or just need something lighter than adult books. I can usual..."

I never correct people when it's typed (unless they ask me to), it's more of an oral thing for me personally.

Can we transfer the poll from Polls for our Souls to here, please? Just so it's easier to find.

Hi! I'm Daphne and I like to read pretty much anything that's not erotica. I really love steampunk, though I don't read nearly enough of it! I haven't read a ton of middle-grade recently (I've been trying to read more classics), but I'm hoping to get back into reading them.

Zaiyah wrote: "Autumn wrote: "Hi, I’m Autumn. My favorite types of books to read are any I can get my hands on. I read a lot of Middle Grade books because they’re fun or just need something lighter than adult boo..."

Hey Zaiyah
So unfortunately that's not possible :(((((
Here's a link to it: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...
so it's easier for you to get to and I have added it to the July Book of the Month thread too but I can't transfer it to here. I would have to set up a new poll and I wouldn't be able to transfer the results the poll currently has.

I wanted to do it on here all along but doing it on Polls for our Souls was a better way to reach out to people because you can invite people who are on the group and when I set up the poll it was only me and my friend on this group😂

I promise all future polls regarding anything to do with this group will be run on this group to make it easier for people to find.

I want to respond to everyone individually but I don't want to clog up the thread with a ton of replies😂 so I'll just say a collective hi to everyone you all seem super awesome and I can't wait to get started reading books with you all!
Maybe check this out? https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... and let me know on that link if you have any ideas for things we can do within the group! No idea is a dumb idea!

Hello everyone! I'm Grace. Looking forward to read books with you all!

Hello I’m Karen :)
Really interested in reading some middle grade books. It’s been years since I’ve read a MG book, but thought I’ll give a Genre change for a bit

Hi everyone! My name is Ilsen! I love groups like these and interacting with new readers and finding new reads to flail myself over! My favorite genres are YA contemporary and fantasy, but I also love mystery. I also really like middle grade but I only dipped my toe into it so I’m excited to know more middle grade! I would love to get some recommendations! I also love cooking and singing!

I’m Audrey; I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area transplanted to Salt Lake City. I’m in my 40s and have five kids, ages 9 to 19. I’ve had better luck getting my girls to read than my boys.

I teach music and play a bunch of instruments. I’m also a freelance editor.

I like fantasy the most but all speculative fiction. I like good stories, no matter what age they are for. I’ve been enjoying Brandon Mull, Jonathan Stroud, and J. Scott Savage for MG books.

Hello! I'm Jess.
My favorite genre is definitely fantasy. I find it's the easiest genre for me to escape reality in. But I really enjoy middle grade reads, though I haven't read an abundance of them so I'm super excited to read more!

Hola! Hazel here.
~13 years old
~ Swiss Canadian
~ Lives in the USA
~ Farmer
~Animal lover
~Book lover duh

Hi I'm Kiera!
I am reader of all things YA AND middle grade. I have a blog on WordPress and I love spending time with my dog.

Hi, Montzalee here. I am a retired/ disabled RN. Avid reader of just about everything but my favorite genres are fantasy and sci-fi. I have 8 grandkids so I read a lot of kid books of all ages. So, I am here! I have several grandkids in this age groups and want to find books they would like.

I'm Melissa. I'm a former teen librarian (10 years in Burbank), and now that I don't have to read three books per month for my three teen book clubs, I was looking for a way to keep up to date on what's being published in teen lit, because I am now teaching YA Literature at UCLA in the masters program for librarians. I thought this would be a good place to keep my motivation to read middle-grade fiction! I like all kinds of fiction genres; I'm not a huge fan of graphic novels, but I'll read one if required! I also have a blog, where I occasionally talk about readers' advisory, but mostly just review the weirdly eclectic bunch of books I've been reading. If it's okay to publish, it's bookadept.com/blog.

Hi, I'm Zoe, and I'm guilty of not reading as many MG books as I should, and I'm hoping this group will help me change that!! xxo

I’m trying to post a funny gif but it just keeps saying image error so forget it. Hi all! I read all your intros and you all seem super awesome and this is going to be exciting! Can’t wait to start off with our first book of the month and I have so many more things planned after that...
Check it out: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Hi everybody, I'm Melissa and I'm 24 years old. I love reading YA and MG (my favorite author is Rick Riordan and my favorite series is his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series) and I'm happy to be apart of the group. Happy reading everyone!

Hey everyone!!! I can't wait to read with you all💕💕💕

Hey everyone! Excited to join and especially take part in the Books of the Month! I'll read almost anything. I love to read middle grade books when the rest of the genres have worn me out or are too long. Reading middle grade is like a relaxation technique for me. My name is Ashlynette and you can call me that or by my username Primadonna.

Hey! Ashlynette is SUCH a pretty name!
Also I agree! Reading middle grade is super relaxing. And I can’t wait to start reading next months Book of the Month either...

Kadi wrote: "Hey! Ashlynette is SUCH a pretty name!
Also I agree! Reading middle grade is super relaxing. And I can’t wait to start reading next months Book of the Month either..."

Thank you so much.! And thank you so much for inviting me to this group! I'm excited! Just a few more days!!

Hey I’m Jena

Excited to join. I will be reading with my 8 year old son as part of our homeschool literature. We are excited for the monthly books and read-a-thons!

Hi! I'm Mary,

I'm the weirdest person I know, I'm in the Marching Band at my school and am a squad leader in it. (for no one who knows what that means :P) I just became a Sophomore today, so I am fresh out of being a Freshman! (hehe) I love to make terrible puns (obviously), watch Anime, read books, play the Trombone, watch Youtube, listen to music, write and lots of other cool stuff that it would take waaaay too long to list! Fact is, I have a lot of friends because I get along with most people because of that fact that I do so many things, I probably have at least one thing in common with everyone.

I prefer to read Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Realistic Fiction. (Turtles All the Way Down was an amazing realistic fiction. The underrated cousin to the Fault in Our Stars.) My favorite Sci-Fi book is the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, it is also one of my all time favorites. And I think my favorite fantasy book is the Narnia book series.

I'd love to get to know everone! And if you want to see if we have something in common, I'm always open to talk to people!

Hey, Mary. Welcome.

I used to play trombone, but then I switched to euphonium because it's easier for me to play (I'm one of the laziest people I know). I will probably switch to tuba next year because then I get to play with my back against the chair as that is proper posture.

That's really cool! I've always wanted to try Tuba, but my band director needs me on Trombone :(

I think I'm going to try it when I get out of High School though, because my Dad used to play Tuba, and he still has one. It just need a bit of work.

Hey! I'm Grace, I'm an 8th grader, and I love to read!


When I was younger I used to read ALL THE TIME. I read pretty much anything and everything I could get my hands on. The past couple of years though I really didn't have time to read and kind of lost interest in it. But recently I started reading again and remembered just how much I love it! I'm not a very fast reader, and still don't read as much as I use to, but I'm getting there.

I don't really have a favorite genre, I read a little bit of everything, but have recently been loving fantasy.

I am an artist, I love drawing cartoon and realism, painting, hand lettering, crafting, and sewing. I also love music and theatre, and I play piano and ukulele. I absolutely adore cats, and have 4 of my own.


I am very excited to be surrounded by fellow book lovers and do the monthly reads with y'all!

Super excited to have you here, Grace! Hopefully the group can help you read more! You should check out the August Middle Grade Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Maybe it’s something you’ll enjoy taking part in😊

Hey, everyone!

I read a LOT of middle grade (a professional necessity and also for pleasure). :)

My wife and I have owned a brick and mortar bookstore for the last 28 years (shuttering this Halloween, sadly), so I guess I'm going to need new ways to keep my finger on the pulse of what's new and good out there in Middle Grade book reading land. So, here I am.

—Richard
(I'm also a novelist. Newest one here: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...)

Hey Richard! Sorry to hear about your store😞 it sounds like a really cool place to go and buy books. I’m a sucker for a bookstore with old-school/classic vibes.

Your book looks great! I do not read enough steampunk MG books. Super cool having an author join our ranks! Hopefully the group can help fill your book void a little now the store is going. I’ve got a lot of things planned coming up in the next couple of months that you can hopefully take part in and enjoy (check out the 2019 schedule: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... ) and if you have any suggestions for what we could host here on the group let me know: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I love hearing other people’s suggestions!


Maybe read our Book of the Month for this month: The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... ) there’s still time😂
Also, come vote for what you’d like our next month’s Book of the month to be: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Right now I’m planning our next month’s reading challenge: Superhero September! I’m really excited to let everyone know what it’s about so stick around!

I love Number the Stars! It’s so sad but beautifully captured the wartime experience through a child’s eyes.
And glad you like the ideas on the group! Hope you can stick around and participate in some of our challenges😊

Steve Schatz here. I've had a couple of YA fantasy novels published by Absolute Love Publishing - Adima Rising and Adima Returning. I recently formed my own publishing company to bring out an adult LGBT novel about friends - Here

I'm publishing a middle grade ghost story - The Body Finders - in September and would love to have folks take a look at a beta version. Interested, let me know - steve@SteveWrites.com .

The Body Finders
Mysteries Solved by a Ghost & a Loner

Nate hates living in the little town. His mother made him move. He wants to get back to his friends in Boston. Then he meets Mattie, who drowned in the flood of 1922. She can’t find her body and only has 10 days before she’s banished to the Badlands. With the help of a crazy cat lady, a friendly librarian and a cluster of friendly ghosts, Nate and Mattie set out to do the impossible. Evade her evil pa and find her body. Middle grade. 26,000 words. 15 Chapters.

Hi everyone, my name is Jason and I like to read sci-fi, fantasy, and spy thrillers! I like reading all age levels, including MG and YA. I tend to like books that are fun, have adventure, and ignite my imagination! I am a published author; my first novel, middle grade fantasy adventure Monster Problems, comes out December 26! It's a goal I've worked on for many years so I am very excited. When I'm not writing, I work in Human Resources, watch Marvel movies, listen to 80s music, and go to baseball games. I live in Cleveland, Ohio, USA with my wife and many great friends. I am new to this part of Goodreads and I look forward to meeting new people and making connections and hopefully some great book recommendations!

Hi Jason! Welcome to the group😊 I love adventure books too! They’re one of my top genres to read. Your book looks very interesting! Becoming a published author is one of my life goals so it’s really cool that you’ve published👏🏻

I'm the author of a MG book - Ghost Girl: A Mystery. I recently posted a playlist on youtube where I read the complete book. The viewer can see me reading and the text of the book. I think this might be a good way to encourage readers - combining the pleasure of being read to with the experience of reading for themselves.

The playlist is here Ghost Girl Playlist

Ghost Girl was reviewed on LitPick and received a 5 star review. It is the story of an unusual friendship. Nate was forced to move to a small town with his mother, away from his friends in Boston. Mattie drowned in the flood of 1922, but can't find her body. She only has a few more days to find it before she is banished to the Badlands forever. For some reason, Nate can see her and she convinces him to help her. With the help of some friendly ghosts, a crazy cat lady and a helpful librarian, they risk floods and an evil ghost in their search, becoming friends along the way.

I hope you enjoy it. Share it with the world. Let me know what you think. If anyone is interested in the tech of doing this, I'd be happy to share.


Thanks,
Steve

Kadi wrote: "Hi Jason! Welcome to the group😊 I love adventure books too! They’re one of my top genres to read. Your book looks very interesting! Becoming a published author is one of my life goals so it’s reall..."

Hi Kadi, it's great to meet you! Sorry to take so long to reply, new job and holidays got in the way. Thank you for your kind words regarding my book! There's a Goodreads giveaway drawing going on for it right now! That is very cool you want to be a published author! What genre do you like to write? Do you have something you are working on right now? My biggest piece of advice is to not give up! It took me about 13 years total to get Monster Problems published (but don't worry--it may not take you that long! :)). I am looking forward to meeting people on here and learning about new MG books!

Hey Jason! No worries for the late reply. I sometimes reply late too, Life gets busy! Yeah I have something I’m working on right now. It’s a middle grade novel and it dips into the genres of adventure, mystery, superpower and time travel. Basically everything I love😂 As of now I’ve written about 1/8th of it I’d say but I’ve planned out much more including a second book. I’d love to find the time and commitment to write more of it but I’m so busy with my studies it’s hard to. Plus there’s always that choice you have to make between reading and writing and watching something. The writing usually loses out😂

Heyo I'm Joshua but most people call me josh, either works. I mostly read middle grade but I do mix things up from time to time.

I love the gregor the overlander series, coraline, hugo cabret, you know most stuff that involve a kid getting into all sorts of trouble.

And this is my first day on goodreads so I'm sooo new to this. But I am an huge bookworm so I thought this community was a good place to start :)

Hey Josh!

Wow your first day on Goodreads! I’m honoured you spent it coming to our group! Don’t worry you’ll get used to the way everything works pretty quickly, goodreads is easy to use like that. You’ve come at the best time because we have a lot of fun things planned for January and hopefully you can join in...

The schedule for January:
1. Book of the Month - Ghost
2. Lockwood & Co. 2020 Readathon book 1 - The Screaming Staircase
3. New Year TBR Purge Challenge

(You can find what I’ve got planned for the rest of the year here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...)

I’m honestly really excited to kick off the new year with all these events and I can’t wait! Only one more day!🎉

This all looks like so much fun! I can't wait to get started :)

Me too! Less than 1 day left!

Hi, my name is Caroline!!
I’m really into young adult and middle grade!! My favorites are definitely Contemporary and Fantasy!!! Also i’m new to Goodreads so excuse me if i do something wrong!

Hi Caroline!!
Welcome to the group😊 check out what events I’m running on the group in Jan on the 2020 Schedule page and come join in, they’re going to be a lot of fun!

Dear All,

My name is Prashanti Talluri and I am the author of two middle-school thriller books called The Core Fulcrum and The Cerulean Monarch. They are book 1 and 2 of the The Golden Cat series. For those who like Harry Potter type of books, this would be a new unusual series in the same genre.

My second book The Cerulean Monarch reached Top #50 worldwide in Crime Thrillers for Children. The reviews (fingers crossed) have been good so far too.

The series is about an enchanted world where cats are omnipotent. There are two heroes called Goldie and Snowball. They go to school, learn magical lessons in a Hogwartish institution and come up with amazing inventions to deal with the mysteries that plague them constantly. Some scenes do have spine tingling sequences and some violence but nothing gory. They have to use their magical prowess, technological advancement and powers of deduction to deal with omnipresent danger.

I am doing a give-away from the 3rd of Feb to the 8th of Feb. To enter the giveaway contest, please like my page
FB Page:
https://www.facebook.com/prashanti.ta...

AND

Subscribe to mail here:
http://www.prashantitalluri.com/contact

Will choose the winners by the 2nd week and send the three free eBooks.

Thank you,
Prashanti

Hello all and thank you for accepting me in this lovely group
My name is Fahad, i am 28 years old from middle east, Iraq. I live in San Francisco, California. Moved here four years ago.
I got introduced to books in the past four years, and i loved it since then. I started with non fiction, scientific, history, biographies and some novels. I have never tried any of young adult books before, therefore i am open for good suggestions.
I am thankful for books and how great are they. They add good values to our lives which is really beautiful.
Can’t wait to be more active in this group.
Hope you all have great day.