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

Eyes of the Forest

Eyes of the Forest by April Henry Five out of Five Magical Coffee Cups This book was described as ‘Misery’ meets ‘Game of Thrones.” Yeah, that checks out. You discover a big twist early on, and the rest of the book tries to resolve everything. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t … More Eyes of the Forest

People Like Her

People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd Three out of Five Magical Coffee Cups I love a good thriller, but there was something about this one. I didn’t care for the main character, Emmy, as much as I thought I would. She made me uncomfortable with how she ran her social media life. I already knew … More People Like Her

The Spellshop

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst Four out of Five Magical Coffee Cups Kiela works as a librarian in the city of Alyssium. She and her assistant, Caz, have been living in this library, taking care of the empire’s spellbooks. I should mention that Caz is a sentient spider plant.  At first, that made me … More The Spellshop

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