Middle Grade Madness! discussion

Team Toothless
1. (CO-CAPTAIN) Aeriell - Into the Wild by Erin Hunter - 42
2. (CO-CAPTAIN) Chara - The Shape of Lost Things by Sarah Everett- 73
3. (CO-CAPTAIN) EdenB15 - A Flash of Neon by Sophie Cameron - 77
4. Aurora - Upside-Down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski- 96
5. Patricia - Front Desk by Kelly Yang - 14
6. Anissa Michaud - A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd - 25
7. Hannah Grace Shultz - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - 13
8. Filli - Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder - 7
9. Rachael ଓ ̆̈·˚ - The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill - 5
10. Abigael Kala - A True Home by Kallie George - 8

(Each person’s name is linked to their challenge bookshelf. The book listed beside their name is their mg book recommendation and the number is their personal task)

The spreadsheet containing all the tasks will be shared with every team member via email invite on 1st August: (countdown: https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...)

2 important things to note:
1. REFER TO THE RULES
- You can find them here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
- They list every detail from how the points are calculated to information on the bonus tasks.
- If you have a questions, please check it against the rules and if you’re still looking for an answer please put it to your team captain who will ask me in the Captain’s Chat and refer back to you.

2. MAKE SURE YOUR BOOKS COUNT
Please always check your book counts towards our challenge before starting to read it!
Refer to the rules below to remind yourself of what counts as an mg book for the challenge:

WHAT COUNTS AS A MIDDLE GRADE BOOK:
- Must be more than 100 pages long.
*For audio books*: The print edition must be more than 100 pages long.
*For graphic novels*: must be more than 150 pages long.
- Must be categorised as MG+ or MG on this website: https://www.arbookfind.com/
If it says LG or UG on the website it DOESN’T COUNT.
OR
Must be categorised as MY+ or MY on this website: https://www.arbookfind.co.uk/
If it says LY or UY on the website it DOESN’T COUNT.
- Only books started on/after 1st August count!

Ice-breaker:
1. Introduce yourself! Tell your fellow team members what your favourite genres to read are and some things you like to do besides reading. Also talk about your recommended book and why you recommended it.

2. Decide on a team name! Choose the name of a protagonist (or main character) from a middle grade book/series. This challenge has been hosted four times in the past and here are what past teams have chosen: Coraline, Alice Queensmeadow, Logan Sweet, Lucy Pevensie, Sirius Black, Merlin, Charlotte, Morrigan Crow, Mary Poppins, Amari Peters, Matilda Wormwood, Wolf, Zenobia, Diana Barry, Remus Lupin, Anthony Lockwood, Cimorene, Sophie Foster, Percy Jackson, Ivy Lovely, Moose Flanagan and Alcatraz Smedry so please don’t choose those!

Hi team B!!

@Rachael please can you choose another book to recommend. The one you've chosen looks super good, I've added it to my TBR, but sadly it's too short to count for the Challenge as graphic novels need to be 150 pages or more.
Please let me know what other book you want to recommend and I can change it above😊

Hi y’all! I’m Aeriell and holy cow another year of this! I can’t wait to read with y’all and see all the books. I always love seeing the different books that people choose and how they fit into the prompt.

What should we choose for names? Please place your idea below!

Hi everybody! I'm Chara (Care-a) this is my 5th year doing this challenge.

For team names. I would love something unique
Something that whenever you hear the name you immediately think of the book/character

Skulduggery Pleasant
Artemis Fowl
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III or Hiccup

Hi Team, so excited to be back for another year, I’m Eden for those who you don’t know me and yes we will have to think of a good title!

Hi Aeriell and other team members! You all can call me Rory. I like reading fantasy and contemporary middle grade genres the most. I am excited to be taking part again.

Name idea. Bea. A few middle grade books have a girl chracter named or nicknamed Bea. Examples, The sun will come out by Joanne Levy, Bea is for blended by Lindsey Stoddard, The way to Bea by Kat Yeh, Bea Mullins takes a shot by Emily Deibert to name a few. Stumbled upon this common name this year. Only have read one of these, finishing up The Sun will come out.

Artemis Fowl, good pick Chara! That book series is really good.

Hii I'm Rachael! Still kind of a newbie (only joined the challenge last year when Kadi was promoting it), but I'm excited to join once again!

I enjoy reading fantasy and dystopian at the moment (bonus if anything remotely philosophy or history is in it), so... yes, that had definitely been why I recommended my previous book, and certainly not for the beautiful art accompanying it. My bad, Kadi, that I hadn't noted the page count when submitting my form response :")

Considering that, another book I'll recommend (that fits the page count this time ahah...) is The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. It was one of my favourite (and most memorable) reads from primary school, and even as simple as the storyline was, it was still a super endearing read when I picked it up again for a prompt last year, even making me cry (again) by the end.

Sorry that had gotten a bit long ;-; ANYWAYS on the topic of team names: my pick might be Artemis Fowl, too. Such a good series that I've yet to pick up, and quite a unique name, too!

And random divergence from the current convo, but since Hiccup was another suggestion, any other HTTYD fans here hehe? I had personally loved the film adaptations more than I had the book series.

I liked the first movie of How to train your dragon but just couldn't get into the book. Maybe because its on the younger side of the middle grade age range. Shrug emoji.

Hi! My name is Patricia and I joined 2 or 3 years ago, I guess. I love reading romance, young adult, fiction, and especially middle grade. I'm an upcoming college student, and my classes will start in August, so I will try to balance my college life and reading.

I'll have to see if we can use Artemis Fowl, it might of been used before.

I don't think Hiccup was used before so that is in the running.

Also to the people who haven't read Artemis Fowl, yes read it! I love that series!!

I also love warrior cats so there is some interesting names lol like Firestar (or many others!! So many names)

Hi all! My name if Filli. It's good to see some familiar names every year. Good to see you guys. Looking forward to the challenge, too. Let's have fun.

Also, for the name, i love HTTYD, Hiccup is okay. Or maybe we can use the dragon's name, like Night 'Toothless' Fury :D

Rachael ༊·˚ wrote: "Sorry that had gotten a bit long ;-; ANYWAYS on the topic of team names: my pick might be Artemis Fowl, too. Such a good series that I've yet to pick up, and quite a unique name, too!

And random d..."

The movies are so different from the books that I considered them to be their own thing.

Segue: Instead of doing a live action beat for beat remake they should of just adapted the books.

Rory, I recommend listening to the audiobooks. They're narrated by David Tennat (The tenth doctor) and he is bloody brilliant.

CraftyChara wrote: "Rachael ༊·˚ wrote: "Sorry that had gotten a bit long ;-; ANYWAYS on the topic of team names: my pick might be Artemis Fowl, too. Such a good series that I've yet to pick up, and quite a unique name..."

I know they are different. I think Astrid is just in the movie. I'll try the audiobook if my library has it, thanks! I love dragons.
There are a few versions narrated by other people so it's a good thing you told me which narrirator you like.
Hold placed on the David Tennat version. Maybe I can use it for a task.

That's great, Rory!

We just need to hear from Anissa & Hannah

Hi Team! I'm excited to be back for another year of this challenge and to read with all of you.

I'm Anissa and I live in Wyoming. I also work as an accountant for state government. Reading is my main hobby but I also like to play Sims 4 on occasion. My favorite genres are romance and fantasy but I'm always looking to expand my reading horizons. I chose my recommendation book because it was a cute story and one of the first books I ever read for this challenge.

Hi! Abigael Kala, 4th(?) year, I love reading fantasy, mystery, & ghost stories. I never read sci-fi, dystopian, or particularly sad books.
Nice to see some familiar names! I've enjoyed working with those I've seen before & I'm grateful we have so many captains!

I have a track record of reading 30-50 books every Challenge & I have at least 50 audiobooks on hold or in my loans pile from the library. (I'm a completionist, so if I don't /have/ to read 50+ books, but we still finish every task, that will be fine.)

If you want suggestions for books to read for specific tasks, let me know. I usually add a list (maybe in a separate tab?) on the spreadsheet for titles that I want to recommend, or seem difficult, or books/tasks I don't want to read but hope someone else will.

All of the name suggestions so far sound interesting. One thing I noticed about HTTYD is that the book seems like a linear set of sequels to the movie. I listened to all (10?) of the books for a previous year's Challenge & the fact that Hiccup the 3rd (book) & Hiccup (movie) seem to have such different storylines, eras, & names seems to lend well to a ancestor/descendant lore theory. In fact, Toothless in the books is the complete opposite in every way from in the movies, so that might be a traditional Haddock Family dragon name. Guess you'll have to find a way to fit the books into this Challenge if you're curious! Toothless the Nightfury is definitely my favourite suggestion so far.

We just need to hear from Hannah.

As for names we have in the running

Artemis Fowl
Toothless The Nightfury
Bea

CraftyChara wrote: "We just need to hear from Hannah.

As for names we have in the running

Artemis Fowl
Toothless The Nightfury
Bea"

I am changing my pick to Toothless the Nightfury.

Abigael, interesting that they changed the dragons personality for the movie. I will defiantly read the books at some point this year even if they don't fit the tasks for the challenge.

Are we allowed to add the books we read to the spreadsheet or are only captians allowed to do that now? I'm used to adding my own books to the sheet to help the captains out.

I'm fine with it Rory. How about my co-captains?

Still haven't heard from Hannah.

What about our team name?

I am absolutely fine with it as well would be really helpful!

Team wise I’m gonna vote for toothlist the night fury as well just sounds really cool!

Also, can anybody help me? I’ve not been getting notifications from Goodreads on the setting is on I don’t know what the issue is.

EdenB15 wrote: "I am absolutely fine with it as well would be really helpful!

Team wise I’m gonna vote for toothlist the night fury as well just sounds really cool!

Also, can anybody help me? I’ve not been getti..."

might be a website glitch. This site seems to have minor issues like that. I'm not getting any notifications either.

Can anybody help me, about the spreadsheet? Where can i get a look for the remaining task? I cant open the link from Kadi

And in my time zone, it will be August in just 4 hours yeiy

Hi Filli, my work finishes in 3 hours then I’ll be sending everyone the spreadsheet link directly to your email addresses.
You’ll be the first to start!

Yesss. Thank you so much, Kadi! 😊

Hi Team Toothless,
The team spreadsheet is officially live and has been emailed to you all individually, please check your junk inbox.

Please make sure you only start reading at midnight in your time zone!

Any technical issues with the spreadsheet, please let me know or send an email to kadithereader@gmail.com

Happy reading!
Kadi😊

I just looked at the sheet and the top lines are inaccessible the team member listed first on the tracking sheet isn't really legable and you can't scroll up to the first line. I think everything needs to be moved down a row.

Hi Aurora, I've moved the lines down but it should work even as it was before. What device are you viewing it on? Maybe try and zoom out because the left hand side and first line is frozen so if you move around you can always see them

I've checked it on my laptop and phone and it looks fine, so let me know if zooming out works for you

I can see the name of the team member now, thanks.

I'm on a tablet and can't seem to zoom out, laptop finally bit the dust this year. I can see the tasks fine and was able to figure out what Catagory one is. I like keeping a paper copy and marking off what's been claimed/ finished so I can easily get books from the library.

@Aurora On your tablet when you do the pinching inwards movement with 2 fingers does it not zoom out?
Printing it off is smart! I kind of feel like doing that now too

Kadi wrote: "@Aurora On your tablet when you do the pinching inwards movement with 2 fingers does it not zoom out?
Printing it off is smart! I kind of feel like doing that now too"

Thanks! That does work I just forgot how to zoom like that, face palm emoji. I write it by hand to save ink since the headers seem like they would take a lot of ink. Also I just like writing notes, lol.

I filled in the tracking sheet with some potential books.

I will start Double Cross by Sigmund Brouwe for 14#70 book set in the future, tomorrow since I own a copy.

Then I can read Hedge Over Heels by McMullen-Ciotti, Elise for 17#83 as I own a copy of this as well.

After that and Hoopla resets I'm most interested in reading
Paige Not Found by Jen Wilde for 5#25

Glad it worked Aurora! I’ll leave you guys to it, have fun everyone!
If you need me just have your Captain send a message on the Captain’s Chat😊

I still have one day! It’s only the 31st for me which sucks. I’ll check in the spreadsheet later today once off work!

Starts tomorrow for me as well! Cant wait

I have a little less than 8 hours to go.

I think I'm going to start with Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson because it's the one I've found the most potential prompt fits for so far but I may alternate it with The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy by Nikki Loftinfor something a little lighter in between.