Middle Grade Madness! discussion

Feel free to recommend as many contemporary books as you like below!
Please only recommend Middle Grade books. (Because this is a middle grade group and I know people will benefit more if the books are only middle grade.)

Please clearly label your recommendation(s) from other comments you might make like “I love that book” or “I’m reading that book right now”, etc.

Please use book links like: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone or to help people navigate around GR to find the book(s) easily.

Please include some extra details on the book (if it’s part of series, if it’s part of other genres, etc.)

Challenge: Describe why you like the book in 5-8 words!

(Reserved comment for future use)

Okay, one of my favourite MG authours is Joanne Levy. The two books she's written (there's going to be a third, probably in August) are Small Medium at Large and Crushing It are great! I'm only going to add something for Small Medium at Large because it's my favourite out of the two, and I've read it more times

Small Medium at Large

- Hilarious/awkward (you definitely get that second-hand embarrassment)

- Has ghosts/spirits

- Seventh-grade girl who gets struck by lightning

Let’s BR it in the future, Zaiyah!

Sure

I really love the Track series by Jason Reynolds, starting with Ghost. It's about a track team, and each book features one of the members of the team. I am NOT a big fan of sports books, but these really delve into the lives of these characters, and a lot of them are dealing with very heavy, very real issues. At a same time, the books are also uplifting.

I also really enjoyed Posted and Ms. Bixby's Last Day by John David Anderson. Posted is about bullying, and Ms. Bixby's Last Day is about a teacher who has to leave her job due to illness, and her students' reactions. They're both very poignant reads.

All of these sound so GREAT. I really want to read the first 2!

One more recommendation for contemporary MG books.

When Friendship Followed Me Home

This book has everything: found families, cute dogs, great friendships, lots of tragic events and stuff to cry over, and a hopeful message.

Wendi wrote: "I really love the Track series by Jason Reynolds, starting with Ghost. It's about a track team, and each book features one of the members of the team. I am NOT a big fan of sports b..."

I read Track for the August challenge and it was soooooo good. I loved it! So different and genuinely captured youthful spirit. And it was funny how much of a mess the protagonist managed to make out of everything. Such a good recommendation, thanks Wendi!

Kadi wrote: "Wendi wrote: "I really love the Track series by Jason Reynolds, starting with Ghost. It's about a track team, and each book features one of the members of the team. I am NOT a big f..."

Oh yay! I'm so glad you liked it!

When You Reach Me is a book I really loved. It had hints of mystery and sci-fi. My brother who isn't really into contemporary also loved it.

Bella wrote: "When You Reach Me is a book I really loved. It had hints of mystery and sci-fi. My brother who isn't really into contemporary also loved it."

THIS BOOK SOUNDS AMAZING!! I'm going to start it next week!

I recommend Maybe He Just Likes You because it is about the timely topic of sexual harassment and how it starts. The story gives readers practical information as well as a realistic story about a middle school girl's experience.

I recommend Death by Toilet Paper because the story follows a quirky boy, who is always entering contests hoping to win. It is set in the backdrop of a family in a emotional and financial crisis after the death of the husband and father who was the breadwinner and emotional rock of the family. It is both funny and tragic.

Bella wrote: "When You Reach Me is a book I really loved. It had hints of mystery and sci-fi. My brother who isn't really into contemporary also loved it."

I actually did end up reading When You Reach Me after I said I’d read it which is honestly shocking because I say I’m going to read stuff and then usually don’t😂
Anyway it was very good as Bella said it would be. I gave it 4 stars and here’s my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Lynn wrote: "I recommend Maybe He Just Likes You because it is about the timely topic of sexual harassment and how it starts...."

I’ve had my eye on this book for ages and I already have it ready to read on my kindle app so maybe I’ll finally get round to it this year!

One of our book of the months From the Desk of Zoe Washington was a contemporary standalone.
It follows Zoe Washington who wants to be on a baking competition show but her whole life changed when she receives a letter from who dad who is in jail for murder.

We discuss the book a lot here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
You can check out my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Kadi wrote: "Lynn wrote: "I recommend Maybe He Just Likes You because it is about the timely topic of sexual harassment and how it starts...."

I’ve had my eye on this book for ages and I alread..."

It's not a perfect story, but it is good and the topic is important.

Hi, I’m looking for a MG contemporary that’s a bright, engaging read but still covers some heavy topics. If you have any recommendations please feel free to comment

Little • Miss • Booked wrote: "Hi, I’m looking for a MG contemporary that’s a bright, engaging read but still covers some heavy topics. If you have any recommendations please feel free to comment"

Hi, Little Miss Booked! You just described one of my favorite type of books!
Here's a few I've read recently you might like.

I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day (highly recommend!!)

When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller (contemporary magical realism and just won the Newbery Medal)

A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi

If you read any of these and want to talk about them, I'd love to discuss them with you!

Tiffany wrote: "Little • Miss • Booked wrote: "Hi, I’m looking for a MG contemporary that’s a bright, engaging read but still covers some heavy topics. If you have any recommendations please feel free to comment"

Hi, Tiffany
I was very glad to hear from you! All of your recommendations sounds incredible, I have when you trap a tiger on my way from the library and might consider buying the others. Either way, I would love to discuss them with you

@Little Miss Booked
When You Trap a Tiger and I Can Make This Promise were two of my favorite books I read last year! I enjoyed A Thousand Questions, too, but I had more mixed feelings about it. Whenever you read any of them, just let me know and we can talk. :)

@Tiffany

I'll let you know when I've read the books so we can discuss them.

House Arrest sounds FANTASTIC!! Oh man I so want to read it super soon!! Maybe I can make time in May🤔

Hedda wrote: "My 2021 reading list practically consists of realistic fiction so here are a few of my top favorites. I will also put my rating out of 10.

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl *..."

is on order at my library, so I put a hold on it. Sounds good. If I remember right, is a novel in verse.

I totally forgot to say but I read House Arrest. It was absolutely fantastic! The novel in verse style meant it was a super fast read. I'm pretty sure I read it in one setting. But I remember I often felt like I wish it was just a normal prose novel because I wanted to see more of the protagonist's emotions and other people's reactions and stuff which the verse style didn't pay much attention to.

I loved house arrest too :p it was only my second novel in verse.

I think it was my 4th. After reading it I made a new shelf just for novels in verse: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Gotta be as organised as possible😂

Have you read the sequel Kacie? I was considering it because I really want to know what happens after the first book ends but then I'm not sure if I'll like the second book because it has the younger brother as the protagonist so it really won't be the same.

i have not yet. my thinking was the same as yours. I think it was great as a standalone and i just don't feel the need to read the sequel right now. I will eventually I think

Kadi wrote: "I totally forgot to say but I read House Arrest. It was absolutely fantastic! The novel in verse style meant it was a super fast read. I'm pretty sure I read it in one setting. But ..."

Apparently is also written in verse.

@Lynn Really! It's been recommended to me by not one but two people and I see some really great reviews for it but there's one review I read that said the book made their body image issues worse. I don't really have insecurities but I'm not on the thin side (so I'd probably relate to the content of the book) and I don't want to be triggered into having insecurities. That's an oversimplification of how those issues work but hopefully you get what I mean. It's still on my tbr so maybe I'll read it in the future though.

Little • Miss • Booked wrote: "Hi, I’m looking for a MG contemporary that’s a bright, engaging read but still covers some heavy topics. If you have any recommendations please feel free to comment"
i love a thousand questions super good book for people who love amal unbound

Haniya wrote: "i love a thousand questions super good book for people who love amal unbound"

I haven't read Amal Unbound but A Thousand Questions looks really good so I added it to my TBR!

Does anyone have any good recommendations for fiction books about adoption or fostering? They can also belong to mystery or fantasy genres instead of just contemporary.

I've read One for the Murphys and Greetings from Witness Protection! and really enjoyed them both, they handled the adoption topic very well.

I’m looking for recommendations for my son. He is 11 and has read literally all books by Rick Riordan. He loves all mythology books and is very interested in History. He also loved Harry Potter. He also liked animox and the blackthorn code series. He started the Alex Rider series 2 weeks ago and is the first time into this kind of genre.