Turtle Boy

Turtle Boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein Five out of Five Magical Coffee Cups I don’t want to say too much about this book, but it made me cry.  At school! Will loves turtles; he even has a few in his room and maybe a few more his mom isn’t even aware of. He also has … More Turtle Boy

Awake

Awake by Christopher Krovatin Four out of Five Magical Coffee Cups This book is not listed as the second to Ablaze, but it absolutely is! Why isn’t it listed as a series? You could get away with not reading the first because they explain the main points of the first book, but then you really … More Awake

Ablaze

Ablaze by Christopher Krovatin Four out of Five Magical Coffee Cups Aly is a middle child. She is dealing with middle child issues. She feels like she has to take care of her little brother and do what she can to calm and support her older sister. She lives by the middle child mantra of … More Ablaze

The Invasion

The Invasion by K.A. Applegate, Michael Grant, and Chris Grine Animorphs: The Graphic Novel Four out of Five Magical Coffee Cups I knew of these books when I was younger but I never read them. I was always creeped out by the covers.  I didn’t like them! I had no idea what they were about, … More The Invasion

Dear Mothman

Dear Mothman by Robin Gow Four out of Five Magical Coffee Cups Book in verse I saw this book right after I saw a book at my local bookstore called ‘I’m in Love With Mothman.’  Is there an anniversary of mothman coming up? I know it’s only two books, but it is such a niche … More Dear Mothman

Don Brown

I have given many book talks for the spooky season in the past few weeks. I always like to include some nonfiction books. I tell the kids how the truth can be stranger than fiction. I always love when the kids ask, “Wait, this really happened?”.  I found the author Don Brown and his collection … More Don Brown

All He Knew

All He Knew by Helen Frost Four out of Five Magical Coffee Cups A young boy, Henry, loses his hearing due to an illness, and his family is convinced that sending him to a home for the “unteachable” is their best option. His parents don’t really want to do this, but they want to do … More All He Knew

The Girl in White

The Girl in White by Lindsay Currie Four out of Five Magical Coffee Cups: Mallory lives in Eastport, Massachusetts, also known as “the most cursed city in the USA.” This city takes spookiness very seriously, and October is the height of its tourist season.   *Incoming Random tangent* This made me think of all the cities … More The Girl in White

K. R. Alexander

It’s close to Halloween! It’s time for some spooky middle-grade books! As a middle school librarian, I have been reading spooky books like it’s my job! Well, it is. This past week I focused on the author K. R. Alexander. This author practically has their own shelf in my library, and the kids love them! … More K. R. Alexander

A Rover’s Story

A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga Five out of Five Magical Coffee Cups If you watched the Mars rover landing, this might be the book for you.  If you think about Opportunity’s last message to Earth as the dust storm covered their solar panels, this might be the book for you.  If you liked the … More A Rover’s Story