Saturday Morning Cartoons- Camp Monster

Messner, Kate and Koch, Falynn (illus.) Camp Monster
February 3, 2026 by Bloomsbury Children's Books
ARC provided by the publisher 

Tasha, a young Yeti, writes to her grandfather about the fact that her parents are reopening his summer camp. Because of the decline in the population of Yetis, they have decided to open the camp to other types of monsters. Tasha's cousin, Kami, will be attending, but so are twin goblins Tom and Zelbawog, werewolf Lup, vampire Vera, ogress Isabelle and Griffin Claude. The counselors are also diverse, with a mermaid life guard and sphinx camp cook, among others. There are some tensions; Isabelle doesn't get along well with Vera, and also struggles with the common perception of ogres, since she is all about glitter, pink tutus, and dramatic acting. Tom and Zelbawog use their magic to create a sentient robot, which causes some trouble. There is a constant threat from humans, and the campers are told to alert the staff if they see anything. Of course, when Tasha finds hoofprints, she assumes they are from horses, and tries to investigate. The camp sign listing rules is damaged, Lupo is reluctant to swim, and the cook is constantly harassing the campers and making the guess riddles before they can eat. In the end, a culprit outside the camp is found to be responsible for damaging the sign, and the camp experience has been so successful that the campers all decide to come back for another session in two weeks. 

This was an interesting graphic novel that will appeal to young fantasy lovers who also want a dash of humor. There are some nice twists on the different types of monsters, and it's nice to see Tasha's family working together to resurrect the grandfather's camp while also changing it slightly to appeal to a wider variety of campers. There's even some excitement when the campers have to work together to ward off a threat from humans. I would have liked to see Gramp Abominable show up at camp, but I wouldn't be surprised if this became a series, so we may yet see him.

The Lion's Run and Time for Courage

Pennypacker, Sara. The Lion's Run

February 3, 2026 by Balzer + Bray

ARC provided by the Publisher

Lucas lives in Lamorlaye, France in 1944. He is being raised at the local abbey, since his parents have died. There are other boys there, including Marcel and Claude, who bully him mercilessly and even drown a bag of kittens in front of him. After they leave, he rescues them, but one has died. He takes the rest out to a barn in the woods, where he find Alice and her horse, Bia. Alice's father is a British trainer who is trying to work with the Nazis for his own safety, but since horses are being conscripted for the military, she hides Bia. She is not happy to see Lucas and tells him not to come back, but he says he needs to find the kittens mother and will bring her back. Lucas works for the Lamars and delivers groceries. One of the places he delivers groceries is to a maternity hospital run by Mme. Garnier. She is kind to Lucas and allows him to do odd jobs for money. When Alice tells Lucas that the facility is a Lebensborn hospital where the Nazis put young women who are pregnant by Nazi soldiers, he is appalled. The girls are treated well, but forced to give up their babies, who are then adopted by German couples. After talking to one resident, Claire, he knows this is true. Claire claims that she will be able to find her son, Felix, after the war is over, but that seems unlikely. Lucas ends up running notes between members of the resistance, like Father Gustave at the abbey and Mme. Garnier. Mme. Garnier lost her husband and son to the war, and tells Lucas she would like to adopt him, but the war makes things difficult. Soon, Lucas is drawn into Alice's plan to get Bia out of the country by faking documents and saying she is another horse. Bia and the groom will travel to Spain, and then to Kentucky, where Alice has contacted a horse breeder who will care for Bia. When the Nazis arrive earlier than planned to take the babies away, Lucas makes a rash decision to steal Felix, sending him on a perilous journey with Bia. Will they both be able to leave France?
Strengths: There are so many facets to World War II that it is not a surprise that I learned something new with this book. I had a vague idea of the German eugenics program, but didn't know that they had hospitals for young women who were having babies with German soliders. Alice's predicament reminded me of Kerr's The Winter Horses or Hopkinson's They Saved the Stallions, and will appeal to readers who like horse stories. Lucas was a great character with a lot of resilience despite his self doubt. Alice was at turns imperious and empathetic, and I loved that she saved the day even though she didn't really want to. Mme. Garnier was also a heart warming character, and there are indications that maybe she and Lucas would reconnect after the war. This is probably my favorite of Pennypacker's titles.
Weaknesses: A warning for sensitive readers: This starts with the drowning death of a kitten, and the mother cat's body is later found. Combined with the depictions of war and the discussion about why the girls are at the Lebensborn hospital, this might be best suited to middle school readers.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who were interested in Marsha Skrypuch or Carol Matas' World War II titles. While I liked the Jon Klassen cover, it does look a bit like it might be connected to this author's Pax, but it is not. 

Currie, Rob. Time for Courage (Hunger Winter #2)
January 6, 2026 by Tyndale Kids
E ARC provided by Netgalley

In this sequel to Hunger Winter, we rejoin the Ingelse family as they settle in to life at a farmhouse outside of Utrecht, Netherlands so that the father can continue to work with the Resistance. Els has finally allowed Dirk to join the efforts as well, and the book starts with a daring heist of food coupons for the orphans in the care of their Aunt Cora, as well as a harrowing chase scene. Dirk still doesn't always make good choices but is slowly starting to fully grasp the extent of how careful he must be after a Finnish girl, Enny, pulls him away from an elderly woman at a train station who is asking him for personal information. Dirk's six year old sister, Anna, is constantly asking for a younger brother (even though the mother has died), so when Dirk is unable to take three year old Isaac to his foster family, she is thrilled that he will be living with them. The Nazis soon attack the farmhouse, and Isaac's safety is in jeopardy. The father is on the run, as are the children. Will the Ingelse family be able to survive the war?

This was an excellent sequel, and I'll definitely purchase it for my fans of World War II, but it was a tense read filled with constant danger. There were some more lighthearted moments, such as when the group releases a bunch of cats in the train station to throw the Nazi dogs off the scent so that food parcels could be retrieved for delivery, but even that was a very serious and dangerous situation. The father's refrain that he won't tell his children what was happening "Not until after the war" was heartbreaking.

My main take away from this book was that the world should have learned valuable lessons from World War II, and yet many did not, and the world has once again plunged into endless cycles of conflict that are killing and displacing so many people. It's good to see the indomitable spirit of the Dutch, but given the current global climate, this just made me sad. 

They All Had a Reason

Leathers, Michele. They All Had a Reason 
October 7, 2025 by Sourcebooks Fire

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Charlotte's nemesis is Bellany Silverfield, a popular, pretty girl who is also very mean. Ever since Charlotte's mother dated Bellany's father, the two have been at odds, even though Bellany's twin, Bridger, is Charlotte's best friend. At a party at the Silverfield house to celebrate the twin's 17th birthday, Charlotte overhears some compromising information about Bellany cheating on her boyfriend, Quentin, and Bellany locks her in the basement. Charlotte manages to get out, and tries to help Quentin look for Bellany, who has gone missing. Charlotte finds Bellany some ways from the house... bluedgeoned to death, with her phone at her feet. Shocked, Charlotte returns to the party as though nothing has happened. When the cops break up the festivities, she goes home. At the funeral, her best friend Vivy is ready to gossip, and Wade is flirting with Charlotte, but the shocker is that Bellany has signed her own funeral guest book and there's not a body in the coffin! Charlotte tries to get information from Bridger, but he doesn't know anything. Later, Wade and Charlotte go to the cemetery and try to ask the gravediggers if they can put a "family heirloom" in the coffin, but there is a scuffle and they find themselves pursued by one of the workers whom they call "Tattoo Face". The official line is that Bellany was cremated and half of the ashes went to her mother in Europe and half were buried, but Charlotte doesn't believe this. When she becomes a prime suspect when pictures of her car near the scene surface, Charlotte knows she must solve the mystery or end up in jail. She makes a list of suspects, tries to return to school, where she is ostracized, and makes a series of risky decisions when her mother is out of town. Will she be able to solve the mystery, or will she be arrested for murder? The ending is more surprising than you could imagine.
Strengths: Imagine you are seventeen and you want to write a murder mystery. This is the book you would write. The evil character is pretty and popular, so of course she is murdered. At the funeral, the teens are more concerned with smoking and conspiracy theories about the body. Even though Charlotte is eventually questioned about the murder, her mother is absent most of the book. There are midnight chase scenes in the cemetery. Not only that, but the ending was quite the surprise. This is sensational, and rather like a slasher film. Not too much blood and gore, but just enough, and very little swearing or drinking, which I appreciated. The flirting is mild; there might have been one kiss. The cover is fantastic. Middle grade readers who ask me for Karen McManus titles will adore this one.
Weaknesses: If we apply standard measures of novel writing to this, it falls short. The characters are flat and stereotypical. The dialogue is stilted. There are huge plot holes, as well as many things that seem unlikely, from Charlotte carrying a handkerchief at the funeral to Quentin's mother having poisoned his father but being back after serving jail time. There's a weird sub plot with Wade's stepbrother Coop. The whole book reminded me a bit of 1990s Christopher Pike stories like The Midnight Club that just felt... icky. This is bound to be super popular.
What I really think: While I prefer April Henry's work, or even Natasha Preston's more mild stories, I may end up buying this one. It might not be great, but it's exactly what my students want. Sigh. I'm not sure I can read They All Had A Secret, which is the sequel even though the blurb lists different characters.

**WARNING**

If you read the review for the next book, it will spoil some of the twists of the first book. 

Leathers, Michele. They All Had a Secret #2

January 20, 2026 by Sourcebooks Fire

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus 

Bellany is not living in Chehallis, Washington, working as a maid in a motel and living in a room there. She is also working as a waitress. Her plan is to get the grandson of the owner, Roy, to break up with his girlfriend and marry her, so that she can have access to money and renovate the motel. She has made up a sad story that she was in foster care and has no one concerned about her, when in reality we find that Bellany was psychologically abused by her mother, who expected her to do chores, while her twin, Bridger, did not. We hear from the perspectives of a lot of different people who are involved in the town, and at one point Bellany (who goes by the name Charity), puts ExLax in Roy's girlfriend Samanta's drink while she is waiting on their table. 

This had a bit of a Flowers in the Attic vibe, in that every single character was unpleasant, and the writing was just not as good as it could have been. This will make it popular with readers who like Natasha Preston and other teen suspense authors, but I don't think I will buy it. It doesn't have the murder mystery element that the first book did, and just had an odd feel to it, with Samantha wanting to marry Roy, and Bellany being evil right and left. I'll stick with buying multiple copies of April Henry's books for my middle school library. 

Eureka!

Chang, Victoria. Eureka

January 27, 2026 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Set in 1884, this novel in verse follows the journey of Mei Mei from San Francisco to Eureka, California. Mei Mei's parents run a grocery store in the city, but are increasingly concerned about their daughter's welfare, as other young Chinese girls have been kidnapped. They send her 300 miles north to live with her aunt and uncle, who have told them that Eureka has schools where Chinese students attend with white students. Since Mei Mei has been attending a small school held in a church basement, she is very excited about this new opportunity, although she doesn't want to leave home. Her best friend, Hua Hua, also leaves, but Her entire family goes to live in Arcata. Her aunt, however, lets her know that she will be working as a servant in the home of the wealthy Bobbitt family. The father is a local banker, the mother and young son are very mean, and the daughter, Sara, is kind and offers to teach Mei Mei how to read. The cook, Mrs. Yu, and the kitchen boy, Tom, help Mei Mei navigate life in the new town. There are many problems between the white and Chinese population, and the Chinatown area is at the end of a sewer line, so always smells like garbage. The homes are ramshackle, and the local tongs frequently clash with each other. Mei Mei's uncle is heavily involved in this activity, so her aunt is very concerned. Both Mei Mei's mother and aunt had their feet bound as children, so find it hard to walk. Mei Mei's mother never leaves the home, but her aunt is able to get around with some help. When the tong activity escalates and two white people are shot, the town tells the Chinese population that they must leave or be forcibly removed. Sara manages to get a wagon for Mei Mei so that she can get her aunt to San Francisco, but when she arrives home with Mrs. Yu and Tom, her aunt and uncle have fled. As the group leaves, they can tell that the Chinatown has been burnt. The journey to San Francisco is treacherous, but Mei Mei's parents welcome all three travelers and settle them into life in the city.
Strengths: Historical fiction is a great way to learn about what life was like in different places and times, and I was not familiar with the details of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 or the impact that it had on Chinese American society at the time. Viewing this time from the point of view of a young girl was a good choice, and young readers will be appalled at how Mei Mei is treated. I loved that she was interested in education, and it was a bright spot to see Sara helping her to learn to read. Later in the book, it comes out that she taught Tom as well, and this small act of humanity made life seem a tiny bit less bleak. The details about bound feet were interesting as well. Thank goodness the practice was banned in 1912, although it was enforced until 1949.
Weaknesses: This is a really interesting topic, but I could have used more details about the general politics and events at the time. Novels in verse are more poetic, and often lack the details needed for readers who may not have background knowledge. Since I can't think of any nonfiction books for middle grade readers that could be used to scaffold this knowledge, more information would have been helpful.
What I really think: It's hard to find fictional books about this period of US history, so this is a good choice for readers who enjoyed stories about the Chinese American experience like Ingold's 2010 Paper Daughter or Yee's Maizy Chen's Last Chance Yep's 2013 The Journal of Wong Ming-Chung: A Chinese Miner, California, 1852.

The Aftermyth

Wolff, Tracy. The Aftermyth. 

February 3, 2026 by Aladdin

ARC provided by the Publisher

Penelope Weaver has been looking forward to attending Anaximander’s academy, and being in the Athena house like her parents. Things start to go wrong from the very beginning; her parents can’t drive her and her twin brother, Paris, right to the dorm, and she is attacked by snakes on her way to the school. She’s late for the assembly, and arrives in front of the 500-600 students disheveled and muddy. When Anastasia Themis, the headmistress, has the students hunt for coins in the Hall of Legends, Penelope again has trouble. Using her coin in a giant gumball machine to find out her house, she is appalled to learn that she is assigned to Aphrodite instead. Luckily, fellow student Fifi befriends her, even though she calls Penelope “Ellie”. Anaximander’s has an unusual campus, in that the buildings are in different places everyday, and students each have a muse assigned to them. Penelope has Calliope, who is rather reluctant to help at all, although Fifi’s muse, Frankie, gives her 75 gumballs that she can chew to summon him. Aphrodite’s students have an epic party to welcome students, with amazing food, and they also have weekly movie and video game nights as well as a candy room and cookie baking times. Still, Penelope can’t help but yearn for the more staid, regimented life of Athena’s students. In Dr. Minthe’s class, the students find out about the myth for the year; Pandora’s Box. They are challenged to find symbols of the seven evils that were released, and Penelope manages to find the emerald key representing envy. She then convinces her house to participate in the year long competition, which they normally ignore. Penelope continues to have problems, which often include being attacked by snakes, and having odd things happen to her. She meets a boy from Hades house, Kyrian, who helps her get the second symbol, a book written in Attic Greek. Dr. Minthe’s is surprised that Penelope was able to travel into the Underworld to retrieve the tome, and more secrets come out about her abilities. I would not be surprised if this were the first book in a series. 

Strengths: The world of Anaximander's academy has some good touches, such as the moving buildings, the awesome candy room, and the frequent parties. The Greek mythology is an always popular topic, and the houses uphold the standard perceptions of gods like Poseidon, Zeus, Hades, Athena, and Aphrodite, although there are some twists. Penelope's frequent problems, like her shoes getting dirty or Fifi calling her "Ellie" will speak to middle grade readers who frequently have their own days go wrong. While this could be a stand alone, the fact that there are still Pandora's symbols to be found and the year is not over could propel this story into several more books.
Weaknesses: It took Penelope almost 100 pages to get to the amphitheater for the welcome assembly. This pacing made me think that Wolff might be a young adult author, and sure enough, she has also penned the Crave series, where book one comes in at 575 pages.
What I really think: At 448 pages, this will be a hit with readers who like long fantasy books like O’Hearn’s Flames of Olympus or Messenger’s Keeper of Lost Cities.

Happy Sweet 16 to Boys Read Pink!

In 2010, I had a Super Secret Evil Plan to encourage boys to read books with girls as the main character. It's become easier to get boys to read these; this year, with the resurgence in interest in romance books amongst 6th graders, I've even seen girls recommending the Spotlight Sprinkles books to boys, who seem to enjoy the very short romances. 

There's still progress to be made. It would be great to see more funny books for boys, and perhaps more Encyclopedia Brown proteges. 

On the flip side, I'd love to see more teachers and librarians read sports books. A great starting place is Amar Shah's Wish I Was a Baller, the title of which is based on a song which I had never heard because I am old. Mr. Shah, who was a reporter for Sports Illustrated Kids when he was in high school, has an impressive resume. I'm so glad he agreed to be the Celebrity Spokesperson for 2026's Boys Read Pink Celebration, and was gracious enough to do an interview to celebrate the occasion. 

Ms. Yingling: We know from Wish I Was a Baller that you were a big writer even in your teens, but what kind of a reader were you? What were some of your favorite books?

Mr. Shah: I was a voracious reader from the time I was a kid. One of my earliest memories is my mom reading me a book called The Clown-Arounds by Joanna Cole, which is still one of my favorite childhood books. I also remember devouring everything at the school book fair. If it had sports in it, I wanted it.

One of my first big obsessions was the Iron Mask baseball series by Robert Montgomery. It was five books long, and it felt impossible to track them all down. Other kids would get different books in the series, and I would literally salivate as I watched them read what I hadn’t found yet. That series made me realize how powerful sports stories could be.

I also loved Matt Christopher books, of course, but Judy Blume was my all-time favorite growing up. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge really opened up the world of middle grade for me. My fourth-grade teacher, Ms. Runyon, would read those books aloud to our class, and I was completely hooked. I think that was the moment I knew I wanted to be a writer.

As I got older, I fell in love with journalism. I idolized writers from magazines, especially SLAM Magazine. There was a writer named Scoop Jackson whose work I followed religiously. Later, he actually became a mentor to me when I started writing for SLAM, which felt surreal.

In high school, I discovered The Great Gatsby and became obsessed with F. Scott Fitzgerald. That opened up a whole new world of literature for me. All of these voices shaped who I am as a writer today.

My readers LOVE sports books, but many teachers and librarians don’t. Why should adults pick up more middle grade books about sports?

This question has baffled me for a long time. Right now, more kids are participating in youth sports than ever before. And yet, there is a huge lack of sports books for this age group.

I can’t tell you how many librarians have approached me, desperately looking to fill their sports sections. Kids are craving these stories. They want to see themselves on the page. They play these sports. They live these experiences. Some of the most powerful stories happen on courts, fields, diamonds, and rinks.

Reading between the ages of eight and twelve is foundational. Sports are foundational, too. They teach teamwork, failure, resilience, confidence, leadership, and identity. What better way to explore those lessons than through stories?

I once read a study that of the middle-grade books published in 2024, fewer than two percent are sports-related. That is a huge missed opportunity. We are abandoning an entire group of readers, many of whom already feel disconnected from books.

This is not just about boys. Girls need more sports books, too. Women’s sports are exploding right now. Volleyball is the fastest-growing high school sport. Flag football is becoming massive. Kids deserve to see themselves represented in all aspects of the game.

(Sam Subity's overview of genres does indeed reveal sports at the bottom of publisher releases in 2024.)

Can you tell my readers what sports you played, or what your relationship with sports was? Did you ever have girls on your team?

I played soccer, baseball, basketball, and tennis. Was I great at any of them? No. But in my head, I still dream about playing in the NBA.

Sports were foundational to who I was. I started as a fan before I ever became a player. I loved football, hockey, baseball, and basketball. I grew up rooting for the Mets, Knicks, Rangers, and Jets, which I inherited from my dad. He got to see them succeed. I have mostly suffered ever since. Thank goodness, I’m a Florida Gator. 

In middle school, I knew I probably was not going to make the school team. I actually got cut at the very end, which was heartbreaking. But that experience pushed me toward sports journalism. I wanted to tell the stories of the kids who played the game.

That passion grew. I thought, why stop at high school? Why not cover the NBA? Nothing was going to stop me. That mindset eventually led me to write for major sports magazines while I was still a teenager.

I always had girls on my teams, and they were often the best athletes. On the field, everything felt equal. It was incredible to see so many of them grow into amazing players. Watching women’s sports explode now feels very full circle to me.

In a lot of middle grade books, at least one parent is killed off. You have Raam’s parents and his grandparents really involved in his life. What do you think the inclusion of close-knit families adds to a story?

I grew up in an Indian-American household, and extended family was always around. Uncles, aunties, cousins, friends of the family. My house was never quiet.

My parents worked a lot, but they were always there for me. They dropped me off at school. They picked me up from practice. Now that I have my own kids, I see how lucky they are to have their grandparents actively involved in their lives, too.

I wanted to show that kind of family dynamic on the page because it shapes who we are. Especially for first-generation kids, grandparents and extended family are often the bridge to culture, tradition, and history. They pass down stories, values, food, language, and meaning.

It adds texture to a story. It adds flavor, color, and emotional depth. Family is just as important to shaping a character as anything that happens on the outside.

Your Hoop Con series includes a great female character, Trina. What inspired you to include her in such a supportive and important role?

I love that you asked about Trina because she is my favorite character in the series.

In my own family, my dad is the youngest sibling, and my mom is the oldest. That means I have aunts and uncles who are younger than me, and nephews and nieces who are older than me. I always had older relatives close to my age who felt like siblings.

I was the oldest kid in my immediate family, so those cousins became my support system. I spent summers with them in New Jersey and Chicago. I wanted Raam to have that same kind of relationship.

Trina is technically his aunt, but she feels like an older sister. I loved playing with that dynamic. I also wanted to create a strong female role model for him.

Watching the impact Kobe Bryant had on girls through his daughter made me realize how important representation is. With the growth of women’s basketball and women’s sports, I wanted Raam to have someone cool, confident, and supportive to look up to.

We need more characters like Trina. Strong, empowered, and unapologetically themselves.

Are there any middle grade books with girls as the main character that you would recommend to students in grades six through eight?

There are so many great ones. Some of my favorites include:

• Free Throws, Friendship, and Other Things We Fouled Up by Jenn Bishop

• Coming Up Short by Laurie Morrison

• We Are Big Time by Hena Khan

• Vote for the G.O.A.T. by Ali Terese

• Hoops by Matt Tavares

• Bea Mullins Takes a Shot by Emily Deibert

• Crushing It by Erin Becker

• Play It Like a Girl by Misty Wilson

These are all fantastic sports stories with female protagonists. (Ms. Yingling: I think so, too!)

One of my students, Ismail, wants to know if there will be a part two of Wish I Was a Baller. Can you share what books you might have coming out in the future?

That is such a great question. Right now, there are no official plans for a direct sequel to Wish I Was a Baller. That does not mean it will never happen.

What I am really excited about is the idea of a prequel that explores my childhood growing up in the gas station and convenience store business. That world shaped me in so many ways, and I would love to explore it more.

I also have ideas for another middle-grade sports graphic novel that is a little more fantasy-based. And I absolutely want to keep writing sports stories, whether that is basketball, baseball, football, or something else.

Youth sports is such a powerful space, and it is a privilege to write stories for kids. There are so many more adventures left to tell.

MMGM- Rule for Liars and Manifest for Kids

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

Garfinkle, Debra and Patten, April. Rules for Liars

February 3, 2026 by Kar-Ben Publishing

ARC provided by the April Patten 

Rebecca Weiss and Nikki Davis both are dealing with a lot in their lives. Rebecca's mother has passed away, and she lives in an apartment with her father and older brother Noah. She's studying for her bat mitzvah but struggling with every aspect of it, taking solace in her large rescue dog, Meatball. Nikki's mother has lost her job housesitting a Portland Heights Mansion, so the two have had to move closer to her mother's new job at Wonderful World of Waffles. Nikki has never told her friends Saylor and Willow about her family circumstances, but let them assume from her fancy address and her designer hand-me-downs that she was one of their wealthy crowd. When Nikki moves into Rebecca's apartment building, things don't go well. Rebecca hears Nikki yelling about how terrible everything in the neighborhood is, and Meatball introduces him to a terrified Nikki by licking her face! Rebecca had hoped that she might find a friend in her new neighbor, since her former best friend Hailey has decided she'd rather hang out with drama club members, but clearly this is not going to work. Nikki doesn't talk much to her old friends, since she can't afford to let them know her lies, so feels lonely. She has also told cute neighbor Emilio, within Rebeccca's hearing, that her father has passed away. The two find a reason to spend time together after Hailey returns a concert ticket and Rebecca asks Nikki to go with her, and when they both need money. Rebecca wants to fund a better bat mitzvah celebration than her father can afford, in order to impress her crush, Josh, and Nikki needs to repay $300 that she has stolen from the church collection plate and spent on a sweater that can't be returned. The two try dog walking and babysitting, with disastrous results, and finally settle on a lemonade and cookie stand. This brings in some money, but doesn't solve all of the girls' problems. When Rebecca needs help studying the Torah, Nikki thinks she's being helpful in contacting Josh for help, since Rebecca has hinted that Josh is her boyfriend. This doesn't end as badly as it could have... at first. Rebecca is glad of the help, and the girls are finally honest with each other, but Rebecca is devastated that Nikki would lie about her father being dead when he wasn't. Will the two girls be able to solve their personal problems and make amends?
Strengths: Wow. I didn't realize how much more tween lying we need in books until I read this. Being in middle school is hard, and one way to cope is to create a believable fiction about one's circumstances. This isn't discussed much, but is such a powerful idea. Both Rebecca and Nikki are a little embarrassed by their economic situation, and it's fascinating to watch how they handle it. Lack of impulse control at this age leads to so many bad choices, so stealing, lying, and other spur of the moment decisions are completely realistic. Bring in a couple of cute boys, and of COURSE Nikki will make up a story about her father being dead rather than admit that he lives across the country with his new family, and she hasn't seen him since she was young. The other part of this that I really enjoyed was the fact that the girls' parents thought they would be friends right away, when they were clearly different people. It made sense that they eventually became friends, but it was by no means a smooth process. Another unique factor to this story is that both girls are religious. Nikki and her mother travel across town to attend their old church, and eventually find a new church home. This doesn't come up in middle grade fiction as much as it should; I was very invested in my church youth group in middle school. The religious details weren't overwhelming, but were a good part of each girl's life. Friend drama, light romance, money making plans, and themes of personal identity; all of these things combine to make a delicious and unexpected cookie of a book (and there are cookie recipes at the end!).
Weaknesses: I always have trouble believing that any middle school girls know about designer clothes are would wear silk, but it does add an interesting element to Nikki's personality. My biggest complaint is that the recipe for quadruple chocolate decadence cookies is not included. I really want to know how I can get FOUR different kinds of chocolate into a cookie.
What I really think: It's interesting to see Garfinkle (whose Young Adult books Storky and Stuck in the 70s I read years ago) and April Henry (whose upper middle grade/young Adult mysteries are super popular in my library) team up to write a solidly middle grade book exploring what it means to be true to oneself and connect with others. I enjoyed this story a lot, and especially appreciated the portrayal of economic struggle from a tween point of view.

Nafousi, Roxie. Manifest for Kids: 4 Steps to Being the Best You
February 3, 2026 by Penguin Workshop
Copy provided by the publisher

We have had an advisory period in my school for several years now, and the activities that are provided focus a lot on goal setting and academic focus. I am constantly surprised as to how completely unmotivated many of my students are. They have no goals for the school year, and haven't really thought about life beyond high school. Perhaps because my parents were both educators, I always had a list of Things To Be Done and had clear career goals even in sixth grade. Well, the dentist thing didn't really pan out, but I always had an idea that I needed to work towards my future.

Nafousi's Manifest for Kids provides much needed support in learning how to embrace life rather than just floating through it. It starts with a very modern look at understanding emotions, and offers good tips with how to deal with feelings like fear, worry, and guilt. This was hard for me as a 60 year old to fully embrace, since my mother was a firm believer that all emotions should be squashed and never shared with others, but this generational difference makes this a book that older caretakers should read before handing to tweens, so that we can understand the more modern approaches to these topics.

I've seen a lack of confidence in many of my students; as much as shame shaped my childhood, I was always told that I could do anything I set my mind to. Today's tweens need more details about how to believe in themselves, and the chapter on Confidence and Self-Belief is very information. I love that it talks about doing what makes you happy, but also about the importance of being kind to others.

Gratitude is sometimes hard to come by, so the advice to focus on what one has, rather than what one doesn't have is a great place to start. I liked the lists that this gave, and there is a short space for the reader to write down things for which to be grateful. There's some helpful rephrasing (I especially liked turning "I'm bored." into "I'm going to find something to do."). I'm a big proponent of thanking people, and this also has information about the harm of comparing ourselves to others, and of spending too much time on social media. Of course, there are entire books surrounding that slippery slope.

The final chapter has some great step-by-step tips on goal setting that will be helpful. These rely more heavily on things like vision boards and visualization than the ubiquitous SMART goals we hear about at school, but it's good to get a different viewpoint on things.

The last half of the book is a guided journal, so this wouldn't be a great book for a school library. This journal is undated, but has the days of the week at the top. I was a little surprised that the prompts were the same on all of the pages. They rely heavily on the "emotional toolbox" that was talked about at the beginning of the book, and end with saying "I believe in myself" as an affirmation.

Several years ago, I reviewed a similar journal (the name of which I can't for the life of me recall), and gave it to one of my students who was struggling with some family and personal issues. She seemed to think it helped her a lot, and gave her some information on how to deal with various situations that people in her life had not helped her with. This would make a good gift for a middle school student struggling to find self-regulation or motivational strategies, and is similar to Parker's Strong Is the New Pretty: A Guided Journal for Girls or Carter, Chamblee, Walthall's I Am, I Can, I Will: A Guided Journal of Self-Discovery for Black Girls.

It's amazing how many books one can read when there are FIVE snow days in a row!

Confessions From the Group Chat

Visit the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz. I rarely post personal things, but it's been a long, cold week. School was canceled every day after we got 14" of snow on Sunday and temperatures hovered around zero. My dog, Leo, was very happy.

Read fifty middle grade books and wrote reviews. Had I known we'd have the entire week off, I would have gotten some crafts out, but... inertia won! 

I usually walk a lot outside, but it was too cold, and the sidewalks too icy. The extra sleep was nice, but I'll be glad to be back at school! 

BIG THINGS are coming up in February. Monday will feature an interview with the fantastic Amar Shah for the Sweet Sixteen Celebration of Boys Read Pink, and on February 16th I'm hitting a BIG blogging milestone! 

Meadows, Jodi. Confessions From the Group Chat
October 21, 2025 by Holiday House
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

**Some spoilers that seemed rather apparent in the book, but may not occur to everyone.** 

 Virginia likes to volunteer at her local library, shelving books and organizing things. It doesn't hurt that Greyson Jennings also comes to the Deer Hill branch. He's cute, but ever since he quit the 8th grade football team, he's been a loner. Along with her friends Mary Heather, Kat, and Jess, she writes reviews for their joint Scrollr account that focuses on businesses in their town, like Seasonal Sweets. When they pass Greyson on the way home, Mary Heather's mother offers him a ride, and Virginia talks to him briefly about books. Later, when texting Jess about photo tips, she sends a picture she took of Greyson... but sends it to the whole group. Kat is snidely mean about it, and Virginia replies with mean comments about Greyson, to deflect opinions that she really likes him. After a scuffle at school in the group, Virginia is kicked out. To make matters worse, Kat copies and posts some of Virginia's mean comments from the group chat on Scrollr. Her older sister Victoria suggests she ignore the social media, which is hard, but Virginia copies by texting her "text-door neighbor". This person replies, and claims to also be 13, sending a picture of the same language arts textbook that Virginia has. The two (she names the person Knight Errant) text back and forth about hobbies and plan to text the next day. She has a little tiff with Greyson, but the two end up working together on the Winter Jolly-Days library booth since they both spend so much time with the librarian, Mrs. Kaufmann. In the meantime, Virginia keeps up her text chats with the unknown Knight Errant, although at Victoria's insistence, both sets of parents talk. When the Deer Hill Dirt Scrollr account gets meaner, it causes more problems for Virginia as well as Greyson. Things get messy, but end on a happy note. 

Strengths: Ah, the mean friend. The friend group that suddenly shatters. The cute but lonely boy on whom you have an unrequited crush. This certainly highlights so many compelling tween issues, and even includes parents obsessed with a crack in the house foundation, an understanding and helpful older sister, and a secret friend who helps Virginia through a tough time. I appreciated that Victoria insisted that Virginia tell her parents, even though she didn't want to know the identity of her "text-door neighbor". While I saw the identity of Knight Errant from the beginning, younger readers might not get that right away, and be charmed when it is revealed. Given the popularity of Greenwald's TBH series, young readers also are more delighted with conversations in text boxes than I am. 

Weaknesses: In Bye Forever, I Guess, Ms. Meadows has a note describing some text conversations that have come her way; I just can't believe that Greyson and Virginia would be one phone number apart. It's cute, but the only texts I've ever gotten that were not meant for me were meant for the previous owner of my number who apparently owed a LOT of people money. Young readers will be more likely to believe this could happen and will also be more invested in the drama. 

What I really think: This is a good choice for fans of Weissman's So Over Sharing, Parks' Averil Offline, or other books that combine tween drama with social media.  

Saturday Morning Cartoons- Korobá: The Case of the Missing Kolo

Ònájìn, Àlàbá. The Case of the Missing Kolo (Korobá #1)
February 24, 2026 by Holiday House
ARC provided by Young Adult Books Central

In this graphic novel, we meet Korobá, who lives in Makoko, Nigeria with Iya, her mother, four year old brother Taju, and baby sister Pofpof, as well as their dog, Popi. As the Harvest Festival approaches, Korobá and her friends at St. Helenś Primary School investigate how much money theye gathered in their Kolo boxes, and plan their purchases of clothing and food for the festival. Korobá has decorated hers, but her friend Saidat has not. Saidat has to deal with her cousin Risi, who is visiting from the city and rather snobby about the more rough and tumble life in a fishing village. There is also a carpenter working on the floor of her house. When Saidat's Kolo box goes missing, Korobá helps to investigate. There are plenty of suspects, from Risi to the carpenter, to Mausi, a friend who has been acting suspiciously. The real test of the Kolo box's ownership is that Saidat's knows exactly how much money is in the box. Will Korobá be able to find the thief before the Harvest Festival?

An author's note mentions that Makoko is a real place, and has high levels of poverty. The graphic novel allows young readers to not only follow Korobá's exploits, but to see how different Makoko may be from their own homes. It is a fishing village, and many of the houses and buildings are on stilts above the water, and the children often travel in boats. There are lots of good details about the Harvest Festival as well.

The artwork, which will be in full color in the finished book, does a great job of capturing Korobá and her friends, from their clothing to the range of expressions on their faces. Even Popi sometimes has an adorable scowl on his face!

I'm a huge fan of reading about the lives of children in places other than the US and Canada. I have had a few students with Nigerian backgrounds, and this would be especially interesting to them. Atinuke's Too Small Tola or Anna Hibiscus also have characters of Nigerian descent, and this graphic novel will be popular with readers who like gentle mysteries like Smith's The Great Cake Mystery, Butler's Kayla and King books or Haldar's Word Travelers.

Hypergifted

Korman, Gordon. Hypergifted (Ungifted #3)
February 3, 2026 by HarperCollins
E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus

Donovan has had a wild ride ever since his adventures in Ungifted and Supergifted, and after the robot his group has made, Heavy Metal, hands out middle school diplomas at the Academy for Scholastic Distinction, he gets a big surprise. His friend Noah (whose IQ is 206) has not only graduated from middle school, but high school as well. He's been awarded a scholarship to study at Wilderton College, and has been offered placement in a summer computer studies program to get him used to campus life. The college even invites him to bring a friend, which doesn't make Donovan happy. He's planned a summer of video gaming and sitting around, but since his parents want to take a trip to celebrate their 25th anniversary, he is sent packing. Noah's experience is being chronicled by C.T. Beldner as a journalism thesis, and Donovan has been offered a job as a counselor in training for the Explorers program at the college, which serves primarily the children of professors. Chapters highlight different perspectives, so we hear how Noah struggles to grow his elderberry bushes and crushes on 19 year old classmate Arlene, how Donovan rather enjoys living in a dorm but has to deal with escape artist Jalen during camp, as well as occasional input from head counselor Raina, frat members Darius and Edward, and others. After the school mascot, Porquette, eats Noah's elderberries, the boys panic that these will make the large pig sick, and hide her in their bathtub. This causes a sense of gloom to be cast over the campus. Noah is working on an artificial intelligence model called AIDAN, and is obsessed with the campus secret society, to which he thinks Darius and Edward belong. Noah completes a lot of household cleaning tasks for them as "initiation", but when he finds they are not really members, starts his own secret society, the Fibonacci Society. Through a series of mishaps, this becomes the Society of the Curly Tail, celebrating the missing Porquette. As the summer winds down, how will Noah and Donovan be able to tie up all of their loose ends? There could be another book after this one, following Donovan at high school and Noah at college.
Strengths: This was another goofy romp from Korman, reminiscent of his McDonald Hall (Bruno & Boots) series. The college setting allows him to give his characters a lot of freedom without killing off any of the parents. I loved the observation that the campers in the Explorers program were about five years younger than Donovan and Noah, who were about five years younger than the college students. That's a great perspective! Middle grade readers will absolutely believe that the two kept a pig in their dorm for three weeks, and didn't bathe the whole time because Porquette was in the tub! Noah having a crush on an older woman was interesting, and Raina's perspective as interesting. Jalen's disappearances were a mystery, and the solution was fun. I was glad to see that Noah was majoring in computer science, even if he was creating an artificial intelligence model. Even though Ungifted came out in 2012, it still gets read, so there is an audience for this new adventure.
Weaknesses: This strained my credulity as an older person. Where did the boys put all of Porquette's poop? What did they feed her? Their room didn't smell? How did Jalen's disappearance go unnoticed by the adult counselors? And most of all, why was Noah being sent to college even though he wanted to go to high school? We have college credit options in my district, so Noah should have been able to attend high school at least part time, and still work on college classes. Young readers won't notice this, but I wasn't bothered by a lot of things.
What I really think: I'll definitely purchase this one, since Korman is wildly popular in my library. I normally love humorous romps, but I must have been in a bad mood when I read this. This did seem more realistic than Sumner's Schooled, also set on a college campus. 

Nadia Islam, On the Record

Jaigirdar, Adiba. Nadia Islam, On the Record.
January 13, 2026 by Quill Tree Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Eight year old Nadia is excited for Ramadan. She and her best friend, Yasmin, are going to fast for the first time, and plan on supporting each other. When her family plans a trip to visit relatives in Bangladesh, Nadia is not happy. She is very interested in being the editor in chief of her elementary school newspaper after summer break is over, and thinks that the current editor, Millie, is “the coolest fifth grader”. She confers with Yasmin, and the two decide that the article Nadia submits in the fall can be about her visit. Nadia’s Aunt Khalamoni is a reporter for a big national newspaper, and is also going to Bangladesh. She hopes to write an article about how climate change is affecting the country, and wants to start doing more freelance writing about issues that affect her deeply. Nadia and her older brother, Adam, meet their three cousins, and decide that they will have a “Ramadan Race” to see who can fast the most days. They make a bet that the winner can have everyone’s Eid money. The adults don’t know about this, and encourage the children to only fast every other day, but Nadia is still focused on her goal. She accompanies Khalamoni to a shelter that has been set up by Reem, who is just a bit older than Nadia. Flooding has driven many people out of their homes, and Reem’s shelter for victims is very helpful. Nadia is excited about the writing, but she is at odds with Yasmin, who doesn’t agree with the direction Nadia wants to take with their article for school, and is definitely against the fasting race. The race escalates, with the girls trying to trick Adam into breaking his fast by giving him sweet treats, and with the cousins putting a glass of water by Nadia’s bedside. When the adults find out, they put an end to it, and encourage the children to learn the true meaning of Ramadan. When Khalamoni’s article is cut by the outlet that was going to run it, Nadia makes a video with Reem so that her story is not ignored. She also reconciles with Yasmin.
Strengths: Reading about children who go to visit relatives outside of the US is always interesting, and a good way for students to learn about different ways of life. Including information about climate change adds another level of interest to this, and Reem’s shelter is a great example of how even younger people can help make the world a better place. Many of my Muslim students face similar struggles with fasting for Ramadan, especially when there are not as many of their friends who are fasting, so reading about Nadia’s experiences with it is interesting, especially since she has friends, cousins, and family who are right there to support her.
Weaknesses: There have been a number of books about children who want to write news articles, but they don’t circulate well with my students, perhaps because none of the K-8 schools in my district produce any newspapers. The tone of this veered often into the didactic, which middle schoolers won’t like, but which might not bother younger ones.
What I really think: This is a good choice for elementary school readers who enjoyed Ramadan stories like Algarmi’s Almost Sunset or Zia’s The Garden of My Imaan, or newspaper stories like Dassori’s Greta Ever After or Lobenstine and Na’s The Barking Puppy.  

Ballet Besties

Naghdi, Yasmine and Franco, Paula (illustrator)
Ballet Besties #1: Yara's Chance to Dance
September 9, 2025 by Candlewick

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Yara Madani's father is an eco-engineer who travels to different countries to help set up factories. She's always loved dance, and has taken some private lessons, but is very excited to be settled in one town and enrolled in a ballet academy with other students. Her mother, who is from Belgium, has set up a new patisseries called Cake Stop. Miss Diamond has opened the Shimmer and Shine studio not far from her new home, and Yara is all set with new shoes and leotards. Some of the other students include Momoka, who also likes to play the violin, Charlie, who is into baking and drawing, Dante, who plays soccer, and Indu, who prefers science to dancing. When the group overheard Dame Clougston-Wilmott ("Mrs. C." ) threatening to close down the studio, Yara is so upset that she goes to visit the older woman, whose son rented the space to Miss Diamond when Mrs. C.  was abroad. Yara finds out that Mrs. C.'s own dancing career was cut short by an accident after her brilliant performance in Sleeping Beauty. Yara works with Miss Diamond and her fellow students to stage a performance of the same ballet in hopes that Mrs. C. will change her mind. Will they be able to keep the school open?

This book includes lots of good descriptions of dance, as well as a glossary of ballet terms and even diagrams on how to perform some of the positions and moves. There are many middle grade readers who are involved in dance, but very few books on the topic. There is even a recipe from Yara's mother's bakery!

I loved Yara's passion for dance, but even more than that I loved that her parents would only let her participate if she paid attention to her school work. Yara does not turn in all of her assignments, and her parents do impose some strictures, which brings home the message that school is important even if one does harbor not-so-secret desires to be a prima ballerina, for which, of course, school is not necessary. 

There are occasional illustrations throughout this shorter novel, which will make it very appealing to upper elementary age readers. 

Hand this one to a young ballerina who is interested in all things dance related, along with Ziegler's The Audition (ballet), Mendez's The Reel Wish (Irish step dancing), and Sutton and Hannuniemi'sThe Song of the Swan (retelling of Swan Lake as a fantasy novel). 

Naghdi, Yasmine and Franco, Paula (illustrator)
Ballet Besties #2: Indu's Time to Shine
September 9, 2025 by Candlewick

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Indu would much rather study science for her future career as a doctor, but her mother wants her to have a variety of activities. She attends Miss Diamond's Shimmer and Shine Academy. She does enjoy hanging out with fellow dancers Yara, who wants to be a prima ballerina, as well as Momoka, Charlie, and Dante. The group frequently hangs out at Yara's mother's patisserie, where they are treated to free baked goods, which is a relief for Indu, since her single mother struggles with bills. When Miss Diamond plans a trip to the professional ballet to see a production of Cinderella, Indu is slow to turn in her permission slip, since she doesn't want to ask her mother for money. Eventually, since she wants to go so badly, she forges her mother's signature and doesn't pay, although she goes to the performance. Eventually, she confesses to Miss Diamond, who tells her that they could have worked something out. While all of the other dancers want the role of Cinderella in the production, Indu really does not, although she claims to since all of her friends are trying out. She's happier with a smaller role, and throws herself into a fund raiser to benefit other students who might have trouble paying for lessons. 

While many children are keen to take lessons or participate in sports, there are always children who are doing these activities for other reasons, and may be more reluctant to take the spotlight, even though the enjoy the camraderie of the activity. Indu's interest in science, and her preference for studying, will speak to many young readers, but it's good to see that she is eventually able to enjoy ballet. 

Many activities are expensive, so it is nice to see a realistic story about the concerns children have over the cost. Indu is torn between wanting to be with her friends and the reality of her mother's financial situation. Her desire to help others out is admirable, and a great example. 

The illustrations scattered throughout the book will make this even more appealing to upper elementary students, and I enjoyed the glossary of ballet terms and diagrams of positions. 

Streatfield's Ballet Shoes is a classic, and there are a few other ballet books that readers interested in this sport can turn to, including Bound's And All That Jazz, Peck and Harris' Katarina Ballerina, and Siwa's Jojo & Bow Bow.