Great Middle Grade Reads discussion

This thread is the place where you can comment, discuss or make suggestions about the Reviews by Kids forum.

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There have been some ideas put forward in some other discussions about MG book reviews actually done by kids. I'd like to gauge if this is something that GMGR members would like to see or be involved with.

What do you think about MG book reviews from a kid's point of view? Do you think it's a good or bad idea? Would this be useful for you when looking for MG books to read or recommend?

If there is a enough interest and there are members who would like to contribute MG reviews on behalf of kids, I'd be happy to post them on my blog.

There has also been some mention by some authors that they would provide some MG books for free to get the ball rolling.

Please leave a comment, we'd love to hear what you think.

Count me in, Steve! After all, children are the keys to our future - let them have their say! I'll contribute a Kindle or any other format of my ebook The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis to any kid who would like to do a review! Sounds like a solid plan! Cheers!

I think this is a great Idea! Count me in..

Thanks Sharon and Joseph.
I'll see how the topic thread goes and be in touch if it gets off the ground.

Great idea! You can add me to the list. I can give away paperback or Kindle books.

This is awesome! I will definitely donate any e-book version of any of my books for review. :)

Yes, please count me in also. I'd be happy to give gift copies of either of my books for children's reviews. Thanks!

My daughter would be happy to read and review your books. She has a Nook but loves to read "actual" books. So either works. Thanks for doing this !

Sue wrote: "My daughter would be happy to read and review your books. She has a Nook but loves to read "actual" books. So either works. Thanks for doing this !"

I would love to gift her my Super Spies series...does she like mystery/thrillers? All I need is an email address to send the gift to and we're in business. :) If you're uncomfortable posting your e-mail address here you can send it to me via e-mail at lisa.orchard1@hotmail.com. Thanks in advance! :)

Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "My daughter would be happy to read and review your books. She has a Nook but loves to read "actual" books. So either works. Thanks for doing this !"

I would love to gift her my Super ..."

Lisa I just sent you a private message through Good Reads with my e-mail Thanks !

Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "My daughter would be happy to read and review your books. She has a Nook but loves to read "actual" books. So either works. Thanks for doing this !"

I would love to gift ..."

Thanks Sue! I'll be sending them in a few minutes! :)

Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "My daughter would be happy to read and review your books. She has a Nook but loves to read "actual" books. So either works. Thanks for doing this !"

I would l..."

Thank You !

You're welcome! :)

Yes, SW, I would love to hear what middle graders think of my first book and I'd be happy to donate ebooks to these young reviewers. Great idea. Count me in!

Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "My daughter would be happy to read and review your books. She has a Nook but loves to read "actual" books. So either works. Thanks for doing this ..."

Lisa - We didn't get the 2nd book. Paige is starting the first one tonight. She was telling everyone at the pool today about what she is doing. There are a lot of interested moms and kids out there just waiting to review.

This is an awesome idea. Even the young adult imprint I'm with at Musa Publishing (Euterpe) is starting up something like this! Giving kids a voice in this is the best possible promotion for all our books. Cheers, all!

Sharon wrote: "This is an awesome idea. Even the young adult imprint I'm with at Musa Publishing (Euterpe) is starting up something like this! Giving kids a voice in this is the best possible promotion for all ou..."

Your book looks amazing. Both my daughter and I want to read it. We will both write a review. Are the books available through Barnes and Noble or Amazon ?

Sue wrote: "Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "My daughter would be happy to read and review your books. She has a Nook but loves to read "actual" books. So either works. Thanks for..."

Sue wrote: "Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "My daughter would be happy to read and review your books. She has a Nook but loves to read "actual" books. So either works. Thanks for..."

Sue wrote: "Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "My daughter would be happy to read and review your books. She has a Nook but loves to read "actual" books. So either works. Thanks for..."

Sue wrote: "Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "My daughter would be happy to read and review your books. She has a Nook but loves to read "actual" books. So either works. Thanks for..."

Sue,

I just got a notice from B&N saying that they sent the book. :) If it's still not there let me know and I'll investigate. :)

Thanks so much for doing this! :)

Sounds like a good idea to me. Definitely worth trying. I'm happy to provide copies of my books Maya and the Crystal Skull and Stop! Do Not Read This Book to kids who will review them. Thanks, SW. Count me in!

http://www.amazon.com/Maya-Crystal-Sk...

http://www.amazon.com/Stop-Read-This-...

Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "My daughter would be happy to read and review your books. She has a Nook but loves to read "actual" books. So either works..."

Not here yet. I will check again before bed. Sorry !

Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "My daughter would be happy to read and review your books. She has a Nook but loves to read "actual" books. So..."

No problem! I'm sorry that it's taking so long! :)

Definitely include me. I have an 11 year old daughter, who loves to read. Thank you!

Hi everyone,
I'm taking note of all of your comments and will let the discussion run for another week, Then I'll start to get the ball rolling if there is overwhelming support.
Cheers

Debbie wrote: "Definitely include me. I have an 11 year old daughter, who loves to read. Thank you!"

Does she like to read mysteries/thrillers? I have two books out "The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer" and "The Super Spies and the High School Bomber". Would she be interested in those? I would characterize them as an edgy Nancy Drew. :)

This is a great idea, everyone. I would like to throw my books into the pile. I can send a print copy of both GRIFFIN RISING and GRIFFIN'S FIRE to a reviewer if they are interested. The Griffin series has been called JEDI APPRENTICE meets TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL.

I absolutely support having kids reviews, and I actively enourage kids to create them.

Take a peek at my Kids' Reviews page on my book blog for an idea of how they look:

http://emmaseries.blogspot.ca/p/kids-...

Darby wrote: "This is a great idea, everyone. I would like to throw my books into the pile. I can send a print copy of both GRIFFIN RISING and GRIFFIN'S FIRE to a reviewer if they are interested. The Griffin ser..."

My daughter is reviewing books for this sight. Is is 12 entering the 7th grade. She would be happy to read yours as well if you would like.

Sue wrote: "Darby wrote: "This is a great idea, everyone. I would like to throw my books into the pile. I can send a print copy of both GRIFFIN RISING and GRIFFIN'S FIRE to a reviewer if they are interested. T..."

That's great! Would she be interested in reviewing a couple of mysteries/thrillers? I've got two new releases that need reviews. :) Thanks in advance.

Lisa Orchard

Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "Darby wrote: "This is a great idea, everyone. I would like to throw my books into the pile. I can send a print copy of both GRIFFIN RISING and GRIFFIN'S FIRE to a reviewer if they are i..."

Sue...I didn't realize that was you!! LOL! Sorry about that! :)

Lisa wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "Darby wrote: "This is a great idea, everyone. I would like to throw my books into the pile. I can send a print copy of both GRIFFIN RISING and GRIFFIN'S FIRE to a reviewer ..."

Too funny Lisa.....Paige was reading your book before bed. She is loving it !!

Sue, Debbie, my latest work, The Glass Collectors, is set the two weeks before Christmas in 1989 and might be something your daughters would be interested in reading in late November or December.

Sue wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "Darby wrote: "This is a great idea, everyone. I would like to throw my books into the pile. I can send a print copy of both GRIFFIN RISING and GRIFFIN'S FIRE t..."

I'm so glad! :) This is exciting for me! :) Thanks so much for doing this! :)

Sue wrote: "Sharon wrote: "This is an awesome idea. Even the young adult imprint I'm with at Musa Publishing (Euterpe) is starting up something like this! Giving kids a voice in this is the best possible promo..."

Hey, Sue! My book The Last Timekeeper and the Arch of Atlantis is available through both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Email me at seledwith AT gmail DOT com, and I'll send you a copy in you choice of format to review.

Whoa! This is really exciting, but has become a bit of a mish-mash. Could we maybe have a thread of kids offering to do reviews, and a seperate thread of authors offering books to reviewers?

I'm not certain that's the best suggestion either, it just seems much of this can be done through private messages. I'd hate to see an eager kid left out because their post got swamped in the middle of author posts.

Krista wrote: "Whoa! This is really exciting, but has become a bit of a mish-mash. Could we maybe have a thread of kids offering to do reviews, and a seperate thread of authors offering books to reviewers?

I'm ..."

That's a good point Krista. :)

This is also a great opportunity for tween and teen readers:
http://euterpe-ya.blogspot.ca/2012/08...

Robert wrote: "Sue, Debbie, my latest work, The Glass Collectors, is set the two weeks before Christmas in 1989 and might be something your daughters would be interested in reading in late November or December."

SOunds great ! I know Paige would be interested. Thanks for letting us know !

i can't donate books or anything but i would gladly review some if i am allowed

Grlpwr00 wrote: "i can't donate books or anything but i would gladly review somw"

Awesome! Do you like mysteries? I've got the first and second book in my series that have been released. The first one is titled, "The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer" and the second one is "The Super Spies and the High School Bomber." If you're interested you can e-mail me at lisa.orchard1@hotmail.com. I'm looking forward to hearing from you. :)

Hey, Girlpower! If you're interested, I'll send you a copy of The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis too. Lisa Orchard's Super Spies series rocks! Give her a chance! My email is seledwith AT gmail DOT com if you're interested in a time travel series.

Here's my website:
http://www.sharonledwith.com

Krista wrote: "Whoa! This is really exciting, but has become a bit of a mish-mash. Could we maybe have a thread of kids offering to do reviews, and a seperate thread of authors offering books to reviewers?

I'm ..."

Hi Krista,
I'm letting the discussion run for this week to see the level of interest. I also want to make sure there is balance between authors and readers (I don't want readers to feel overwhelmed by the generosity of authors). Then I'm planning to set up a special Topic area for this which will have an organised way of listing books, readers choosing books etc, then I'll post the reviews we get on my blog.
Cheers
Steve

Grlpwr00 wrote: "i can't donate books or anything but i would gladly review somw"

Hi Grlpwr00 (is that how you pronounce it LOL)....keep on checking back, there will be a special topic area set up for these reviews soon.
Cheers
Steve

Juliana wrote: "i'm a middle grade student and i was wondering if i could possibly review the books?"

Hi Juliana,
That would be great. I'll be setting up a new section for this soon, so keep a look out. I'm keeping a list until then, so you're on the list.
Steve

Steve, I'm part of a middle school weekly book club that should be starting up in about three weeks. I'll see if some of those 7th and 8th graders want to become reviewers, too.

Awesome, Juliana and Darby! I'm so excited about this! If you like mysteries I've got two that you can review. They're from the Super Spies series, "The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer" and "The Super Spies and the High School Bomber"! :) Steve, should we wait until you set up the new section or can I leave my e-mail address?

Darby wrote: "Steve, I'm part of a middle school weekly book club that should be starting up in about three weeks. I'll see if some of those 7th and 8th graders want to become reviewers, too."

Sounds great Darby.
Keep an eye on the new topic section I've created. I hope to get it up and running over the next week.
The reviews can also be on any MG books they already own, not just books they've got from here, and I'm happy to post the reviews on my blog if the reviewer wants. I've set up a page with a little info on my blog already.

http://swlothian.wordpress.com/review...

Steve

S.W. wrote: "Darby wrote: "Steve, I'm part of a middle school weekly book club that should be starting up in about three weeks. I'll see if some of those 7th and 8th graders want to become reviewers, too."

Sou..." That's awesome Steve! :)

Lisa wrote: "Awesome, Juliana and Darby! I'm so excited about this! If you like mysteries I've got two that you can review. They're from the Super Spies series, "The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer" and "Th..."

Hi Lisa, I can tell you're excited with his idea. Love the enthusiasm.
It's up to you whether you want to wait or not. I hope to be sorted over the next week. Ive been holding back just waiting to see the level of interest.

I'm thinking this is going to be quite successful so I'm keen to try to keep it simple so it's easier to manage and keep tabs on what is happening. The topic area will essentially have a list of available books where readers can request them, and I'll also have something in place for submitting the reviews. Then if the reviewer is keen, I'll post the review on my blog.

S.W. wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Awesome, Juliana and Darby! I'm so excited about this! If you like mysteries I've got two that you can review. They're from the Super Spies series, "The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Ki..."

Sounds great! Juliana if you would like to start the review process early. You can e-mail me at lisa.orchard1@hotmail.com. I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say! :)

Robert wrote: "Sue, Debbie, my latest work, The Glass Collectors, is set the two weeks before Christmas in 1989 and might be something your daughters would be interested in reading in late November or December."

Paige would be happy to read your book,