Death in the Tallgrass

Rogers, Andrea L. Death in the Tallgrass
September 15, 2026 by Levine Querido

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In the summer of 1968, Cynthia and her family are spending the summer with her father's parents, whom they have never seen because a fight their father had with his own father. The change from Dallas to Snake, Oklahoma is stark, and dealing with the strict and unapproving grandfather has Cynthia walking gingerly and doing a lot of work around the farm. Her older sister Diane is busy hanging out with teens in town, especially Will, and her younger sister Wren is not expected to do as much, although she does see the chickens as pets and cares for them. The parents are fighting, and trying to figure out how to get the family moved to Tulsa in time for the father to start a new job, although the mother's health is an issue as well. Cynthia is interested in her family's Cherokee heritage, but no one wants to talk much about it. She also gets drawn into a historical mystery when she finds a bracelet and journal belonging to a young girl, Violet, who died under suspicious circumstances in the 1920s. As the summer progresses, tensions rise, and Cynthia and her family must figure out their next moves. 

Strengths: This is a good look at life in the late 1960s; there's a lot of unrest among the teenagers, and a lot of tension between generations. Cynthia's attitude is one that modern children might find new, because she doesn't complain about the work on the farm. She knows that doing it will make her grandfather less volatile, so takes it up on herself, even though her sisters slack a bit. I loved that she was reading Snyder's 1965 The Velvet Room. I loved that book! Nothing like reader about the desperate plight of families in the Great Depression to make one think that taking care of the chickens isn't that hard. There is a good bit of Cherokee history included, especially in interludes between chapters. 
Weaknesses: The title of this led me to believe that this would be a murder mystery (which my students crave!), and it is, but it moves very slowly and has little information about the "death in the Tallgrass".

What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who want historical fiction that includes Native Amerrican culture and reconnecting with grandparents, like Johnson's The Blossoming Summer or Sneve and Littlebird's The Summer of the Bone Horses.

Still Alive (Kidnapped from Ukraine #3)

Skrypuch, Marsha Forchuk. Still Alive (Kidnapped from Ukraine #3)

April 21, 2026 by Scholastic Press

Public library copy

Rada and her mother are living in a ski village in the Carpathanian mountains after their harrowing experiences after the Russian attack of Ukraine in Under Attack and Rada's twin sister Dariia's journey Standoff. Her mother is working in the spa, and the two have assembled a small community around them that includes Babushka, who is making drones for the Ukranian army, Alina, Viktor, and Mr. Yani. When they hear from Dariia and learn that she is in Russia with a family, they start making plans to rescue her. They reach out to the family's of the children with her, although Genya's family doesn't respond right away, and there is little information about baby Sasha. Since children can only be reclaimed by official guardians, and it isn't safe for Rada's mother to travel alone, it's important to find family members. Rada's father is still missing, and there is little information about him. When temporary housing is constructed in Prytulok, those living in the ski chalet get units, and move to town. Babushka decides to live near a shop where she can work, but the others are fairly close. Rada, whose hair had to be cropped close after she couldn't wash it for months, is relieved to be in her own space with her mother, and appreciates the community that places like Lydia's Kitchen provides as she and her mother try to heal after their experiences. While there is no imminent danger, the stress of trying to get Dariia back, and of not knowing where her father is, still is difficult. Once Genya's family is located, a reporter, Mr. Semeniuk, offers to go in her mother's place with a power of attorney if he can report on the conditions in Russia. This sounds like a great solution, but there is still a war on, and he is injured. There is some brief contact with Dariia, who is being aided by her foster mother's son, Anton. Anton has seen first hand how badly Russia has treated Ukranians, so is willing to stand  up to his mother. Will Dariia be able to make it safely back to Rada in Prytulok, and will their father ever be found?

Strengths: My students don't read a newspaper or listen to the news, so many have no idea what is going on in other parts of the world. Books like the Kidnapped from Ukraine series are essential in helping them to understand that the way they live their lives is very priviledged, and to develop a sense of empathy toward other people. Seeing events unfold from two perspectives gives a wider understanding of the various realities of life in Ukraine; Dariia and her father and Rada and her mother have had very different experiences. Shedding some light on the egregious Russian practice of stealing children and having them "adopted" by Russians is good, because I haven't heard much about this even though I do keep up with the news. It's helpful to see that there are moments of happiness and lightness even in the midst of a war, and I particularly liked the scene where Rada works on psyanky for Easter. There are great notes at the back of the book that help the reader understand what has happened since February of 2022. 

Weaknesses: There are a lot of characters to keep straight, so this is a series where reading the books in quick succession works well. Since the storyline is very compelling, this shouldn't be a problem. Again, because of the horror of the war in Ukraine, this book will be best suited to middle schoolers reading independently, or upper elementary students who have good support. 

What I really think: This is a good conclusion to this trilogy, although it seems fitting that it doesn't quite seem like an ending. I'll be optimistic and hope that in just five years, the war in Ukraine will be over, and Skrypuch will be able to write a final book to wrap up the storyline, like Deborah Ellis did with the fifth The Breadwinner book, One More Mountain, even though things are still not settled in Afghanistan.

Time Slip Tuesday- The Travelers

Howard, Greg. The Travelers
August 25, 2026 by Nancy Paulsen Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Ben has to move from Tennessee to Rutledge, South Carolina, after the death of his mother. Since his father had passed away when he was a baby, he has to live with his grandmother, Martha Turner, whom he has never met. She’s a brusque, quiet woman inhabiting the Clifton House mansion, built in 1825, which has a creepy vibe to it. The grandmother tells Ben that he should never touch the clocks or go to the third floor, but then leaves him to his own devices, telling him to play outside. Ben meets Ollie, who is trying to catch a skittish stray dog, and she takes Ben to the public library to meet Ash. The three decide to investigate the mysteries of Clifton House, and start with asking the library director, Raleigh, for help. Armed with a little information, they proceed to go directly to the third floor, and get magically swept back in time to 2004 where they meet Ben’s mother, Hope, her twin sister Grace, and Martha when she was younger. The grandmother, in her current 61 year old incarnation, is also there, posing as the housekeeper, Mrs. Dowers. Family secrets are revealed, and Ben and his grandmother try to change the past. Will they be able to change the trajectory of the family?
Strengths: This had a very clever time travel method, and the link to the great great great grandfather’s study of horology was interesting. Traveling back in time and meeting one’s parents is always fascinating; one of my daughter’s favorite books in middle school was Page’s Rewind. It was great that Ben met two local children right away, and Raleigh was a great character who played a bigger than expected role in the book. Ben tells Ollie early on that he is gay, and I enjoyed that it is just part of who he is and doesn’t become a focus of the story. There are some very modern touches to the family tragedy, but also some room for a sequel, since Ben’s grandfather was lost somehere in time. There’s a lot of very realistic uses of time travel, and some raw emotions that come into play and motivate the characters. There haven’t been too many time travel books published lately, but it’s always an interesting topic.
Weaknesses: There’s a note by the author linking his previous books The Whispers and The Visitors as his “Grief Trilogy”. Adult gatekeepers seem to enjoy the middle grade trope of grieving a lot more than my students and I do. I’m very sorry that Mr. Howard had such a hard time dealing with his own mother’s death, but I still have trouble getting my students to read books on this topic, especially since there are so many of them. Also, as a 61 year old woman, it seemed a bit off for the grandmother to be wearing a black dress and living in a house with Victorian era decor; also, I’m pretty sure that as a 40 year old, I would have recognized my 61 year old self, even if the time traveling was aging.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed DeStefano’s The Girl with the Ghost Machine, Haydu’s Eventown, or Urban’s Almost There and Almost Not.  

MMGM- California or Dust and The Healers of Harlem

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

Wendell, Mindy Nichols. California or Dust

August 25, 2026 by Holiday House

Copy provided by Edelweiss Plus

Lark Jensen and her mother, father, brother Jeb and sister Junie live in Oklahoma in 1939. The incessant dust storms, which have caused Jeb to have dust pneumonia, eventually drive the family off their farm. They end up in the San Joaquin Valley in California, where they live in a tent at the Fieldstone Farm Labor Camp. There are some supports there; the children can get breakfast for a penny. They attend the local elementary school, but the children, as well as their teacher, resent the “Okies” in the community and are quite mean. Not all students are; Helen even shares her lunch with Lark after a boy ruins Lark’s own. The family eventually moves into a tin cabin, but is never far from trouble. The children get measles, and an altercation at a Valentine’s dance results in Junie being hurt. Ma is having difficulties coping, and seems a shadow of her former self. Lark fails fifth grade, and is terribly embarrassed, but throws herself into working during the summer. Hope arrives in the form of Mr. Ford, the county superintendent, who advocates for the residents of the labor camp and arranges to have a school built just for them. There is a grant from the Sears Roebuck Foundation, and the children are encouraged to help build the school. Once it’s opened, there are kinder teachers and more support, and the principal even delivers doses of cod liver oil to students himself! When Ma finds a list that Lark has made about ideas on how to “fix” her mother, based on her conversations with a grandmotherly volunteer, Mrs. Oliver, she is angry and plans to move the family elsewhere. Lark and her friends have to work together so that the Jensens can stay. There are historical notes at the end of the book on a variety of topics.
Strengths: As a tween, I adored books about the Great Depression for reasons I can’t even explain. Now that we are almost 100 years from the stock market crash of 1929, I think the time is right for more books about this era. Fieldstone is based on the real Weedpatch Camp in Bakersfield, California, where there is now a historical site! Even though I’ve reread Gates’ Blue Willow recently, I had forgotten some of the details of camp life, and Wendell, who did the fantastic Light and Air, does a great job of showing what life was like. Lark is a great character who wants to help everyone around her even though she is barely holding on herself; even though tough topics were addressed, this book was refreshingly upbeat, and I enjoyed it very much.
Weaknesses: While modern people will not doubt for a second that the mother is depressed and sometimes too depressed to go work in the fields, I had some trouble with that from a historical standpoint. My Yingling grandparents had to sleep on my great uncle’s floor for two years during this time period, and my Clark grandparents were raising nine children; I can’t imagine any of them complaining or doing anything but working hard with a positive attitude, much like Lark. This attitude does, however, explain why Ma was so angry at Lark; it was considered shameful to do anything but try your best to thrive.
What I really think: I am definitely purchasing this one and need to start thinking about a display that includes some of my feedsack quilts and books like Buzzeo's Light Comes to Shadow Mountain Sanchez's  The Wind Called My Name, Elliott's Bea and the New Deal Horse, Colman’s Where Only Storms Grow, Daley’s If the Fire Comes, and Lansdale’s All the Earth, Thrown to the Sky.

Chhita, Nina. The Healers of Harlem: The Black Women Who Changed Medicine Forever

August 25, 2026 by Dutton Books for Young Readers

ARC provided by the Publisher

The Harlem Hospital started in 1887 as a branch of Bellevue hospital, operating out of a Victorian home and serving the growing population of the area. It is still operating today, although the building has changed. What makes the hospital particularly interesting is that it was groundbreaking in the hiring of Black doctors and nurses. This was not an easy process, and one that took many years. It is also the site where Martin Luther King was taken when he was stabbed in 1958. The doctors there saved him, although they almost didn't get a chance. Since there were Black doctors, and even a Black anesthetist, authorities wanted to move King, who had a blade wedged in his chest close to his heart, to a different hospital with white staff. 

This type of discrimination was repeated again and again over the course of the hospital's history. In 1919, a young doctor named Louis Wright, who had graduated from Harvard Medical School, desperately wanted to be hired. He was... but only treating outpatients on a voluntary basis! Soon after, Coral Smith, a nurse, was offered a place and then dismissed because she was Black. The thought was that the white staff would not work with Black doctors and nurses. She sued, and got her place back, and this gave Wright the motivation he needed to secure his own place. 

There was also Lurline Vassal, who in 1922 wanted to take a training course in nursing, since there was little that Black women could train for other than teaching. Most work offered was domestic work. She wasn't allowed in a class with white students, but the hospital put together a class of Black women at the same time that the hospital finally agreed to have Black doctors. 

Some women fought against the odds to become doctors. May Edward Chinn started out in teachers college in music education, and the fact that she had accompanied Paul Robeson on the piano actually got her hired as a doctor in 1926. By 1930, there was an overhaul, and 40% of the doctors were Black. 

It's hard to get information on some of these doctors and nurses, like Pearl Andrea Strachn, a surgeon, although others, like Louis Wright's daughter, Jane Cook Wright, kept newspaper articles about herself in a scrapbook. Myra Adele Logan did pioneering work in antibiotics alongside Dr. Benjamin Duggar, who discovered Aureomycin. Many of these medical personnel overlapped, so someone like Muriel Petioni, who started an organization to unite women in medicine worked with May Chinn. 

This is a wonderfully researched narrative nonfiction book that reminded me a lot of Dreilinger's The Secret History of Home Economics, and it left me wanting an entire series of 32 page middle grade biographies of these groundbreaking medical pioneers! There's even information about the Harlem Riots of 1935 and the WPA murals painted by three Black artists. I loved that these survived and were put back into a renovated hospital pavilion! There is so much information that I'm merely skimming over it; I do wish there were a timeline at the back, but perhaps there will be in the finished book. 

I'm always looking for interesting narrative nonfiction over 200 pages long for several language arts projects that teachers at my school assign. This would be a great choice for a strong middle grade reader with an interest in medicine. Because there are so many people portrayed, it is a little hard to follow than some books, but it was very interesting! The illustrations by the author are attractive, but I did find myself wanting to see photographs, but these may not always exist. 

Lucy in Between

Callender, Sarah. Lucy in Between
August 18, 2026 by Holiday House
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus 

Lucy Bains lives in San Francisco with her mother and older brother Henry. Her father left the family years ago, and is a professor and research fellow in Peru. Henry is a talented violinist who has had many opportunities to shine, and even has a Stradivari violin at his disposal thanks to a generous patron. He’s struggling, however, and not finding much joy in playing or in anything else. This doesn’t stop his mother from pressuring him, although she does insist that he sees a therapist. Lucy is in charge of making sure he goes to his appointments. She has her own interests, as she competes in talent shows as a mime, and talks to her best friend, Charles, who is studying remotely from London while he and his mother tend to his dying grandmother. The family lives a more privileged lifestyle thanks to money and a house left to them by Great Aunt Lorraine, but money can’t buy happiness. Things become dire after Henry wrecks the family’s Mercedes roadster and damages his hand badly. Things spiral, and after a tragedy occurs (mentioned in the book’s description), the mother takes a leave of absence and takes Lucy to Peru to stay with her father. Lucy had wanted to reconnect with her father, and was angry that her mother had not facilitated this, but finds that both her mother and her father are busy with other things, and Lucy feels alone and bereft. She gets some support from Ernesto, a friend of her father’s who runs a bookstore and instrument repair shop, and talks to him about her life as she helps him organize the books. Ernesto also introduces her to the poetry of Pablo Neruda. Lucy’s emotions eventually bring things to a boiling point, after which she and her mother try to heal a bit before returning to San Francisco.
Strengths: Lucy’s lifestyle in San Francisco is interesting, and I liked that she and her friend Charles had some difficulties, not because of the distance, but because Charles was interested in another girl, and Lucy was surprised that she was jealous. I can’t say that I’ve seen another middle grade novel about someone interested in miming as a career path. The look at life in Peru was tantalizing, and Ernesto and his bookstore are tremendously appealing.
Weaknesses: There are so many books about processing grief, and while adults seem very excited about these books and vigorously defend them as something tweens want to read, I haven’t seen that at all. I take personal offense at how grieving parents are portrayed as so unable to cope that they take drastic measures like leaving the country, and don’t support their surviving children. This seems unrealistic; most people have to keep going to work, and make sure their children get the support they need. Other teachers and librarians will disagree with this point of view.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who appreciated Mather’s Where Was Goodbye?, Morrison’s Coming Up Short, or Bishop’s Things You Can't Say. I will pass on purchase.

Journey to Tomioka: A Graphic Novel

Galandon, Lauren, Crouzat, Michaël (Illustrator), Smith, Owen (Translator), and Smith, Anne (Translator)
Journey to Tomioka: A Graphic Novel
June 9, 2026 by First Second
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Osamu and his sister, Akiko, are being raised in Japan in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster by their grandmother, Bā-chan. It’s been difficult for Osamu, who is not dealing with the death of his parents well, and he befriends yōkai, spirits that no one else can see. When the grandmother passes away, a cousin from the city offers to take the children to live with her, even though her husband isn’t very keen on the idea. As they are preparing for the move, Osamu is adamant that Bā-chan’s ashes be taken to her family farm, but since that is in the restricted zone, it’s not an easy task. The area is still radioactive, and hard to get to. The children are taken into the area to take the ashes to the cemetery, but Osamu runs away deeper into the zone. Akiko goes after her brother, and the two make the perilous journey to the farm, having to evade law enforcement, and endangering themselves with the radiation. They are successful in their mission, but somewhat affected by the radiation. They move to the city with their cousin, and slowly start to make their new life in Tokyo, where Osamu’s spirit friends join him.

The Fukushima disaster in 2011 is something I vividly remember, and it’s a little surprising that there haven’t been middle grade books about the event other than I Survived the Japanese Tsunami, 2011 by Lauren Tarshis and the nonfiction books Meltdown by Deirdre Langeland and Meltdown: The Nuclear Disaster in Japan and Our Energy Future… by Alfred B. Bortz. Adding a fantasy element that is culturally connected to the book is interesting, and the yōkai help out Osamu as he works his way through his dangerous and upsetting journey to place his grandmother’s ashes in a location where she would be comfortable.

The illustrations have a manga-like feel to them that also connects to Japanese culture, and have a muted green and yellow color palette interspersed with some darker nighttime shades of mauve and plum. The translation is very smooth, and young readers probably won’t even realize this is a translation from the French. I liked the notes at the end detailing the author’s research and showing some photographs of Fukushima.

Readers who were interested in the recent graphic novel Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters: A Graphic Memoir by Yevgenia Nayberg or who have found other stories about disasters like Faris’s Finding Normal, Brown’s Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, and Bard’s Wildfire interesting will want to pick this up.

Guy Friday- Earth to Chris Cleevy

Bogacs, Christo, Krieger, Hannah (Illustrator), and Savos, Sammy Savos (Illustrator)
Earth to Chris Cleevy
August 25, 2026 by HarperAlley
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this graphic novel, Chris lives with his mother after his dad has left, and is very interested in a variety of science fiction stories and video games. He shares this interest with friends Flo and Jayden. Flo has been his friend since kindergarten, and also loves taking care of her own aquarium, as well as ones at school. Jayden is new to the area, and having trouble connecting with the boys on the basketball team, but feels like a third wheel with Chris and Flo. After Chris watches the very scary Mind-Eaters film and his mother announces that she is dating a man named Phil whom she wants Chris to meet, he starts to exhibit more OCD symptoms and tics as he worries that Phil is perhaps an alien. In addition to tying and retying his shoelaces (which sometimes takes so long that his friends say “Earth to Chris”, hence the title), he flicks light switches on and off a certain number of times, rebuttons his shirt, and has trouble choosing a pair of socks, thinking that everything depends on him completing these tasks in exactly the right way. He goes through Phil’s bag looking for clues that he is an alien, and when he finds a ray gun, decides to take it to the authorities. He ends up in the police station, and his mother realizes that there is a problem. She takes Chris to Dr. Jenny, who helps him come up with strategies to manage his condition. Jayden is hurt that Chris isn’t speaking to him, and talks candidly with his father about how to communicate with his friend. Flo also has concerns, but the three eventually talk and end the book with a better friendship and understanding of each other’s needs.
Strengths: The graphic novel format allows Chris to have Walter Mitty like moments of seeing his fears come true, as Phil and people close to him take on the guise of aliens. The underlying cause for his compulsions (his fear that his mother will leave him) makes sense, and I was glad to see that his father was realistically absent and not dead. The friend drama is true to the often seen dynamic in groups of three, and the way the issues are resolved definitely embrace the modern zeitgeist with sensitive discussions and psychotherapy based language. The illustrations are nicely done, and the incorporation of science fiction based media will appeal to readers who also like this genre.
Weaknesses: While Chris seems to be in middle school, his belief that Phil might be an alien seems like a concern of a younger child, although unusual beliefs are a feature of OCD of which I was unaware. This is a semi-autobiographical account of the nonbinary author’s own life, so perhaps that belief is also held by the author.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked introspective graphic novel accounts of difficult childhood experiences like Page’s Button Pusher, Ogle and Valeza’s Four Eyes, or Kobabe and Shikumar’s Opting Out or Cooke’s Puzzled.

Raise the Bar

Frick, Fernanda H. Raise the Bar: A Graphic Novel
August 25, 2026 by Dial Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this graphic novel, Samata Sánchez lives in Santiago, Chile and is obsessed with weight lifting. While her older brother, Pedro, is supportive of her dreams, her parents are not. They think that competitive sports in Chile are not a good choice, so discourage her. She’s never had a coach, and has learned everything from Barb Miller , a US influencer, but when Eva dos Santos, an Olympic weightlifting coach, is recruiting for the HPC school, Sam tries out. When she makes it, her parents so let her attend the school, and she is surprised to find that Barb is also there. There are teens from across Latin America there, competing in a variety of sports. Sam ends up rooming with Barb, and befriends JoJo, Karen, and Tom, whose father works in the kitchen. There is some mix up with Sam’s accommodations, so she ends up eating in the kitchen for several months, and gets to know Tom well. Sam dedicates herself to training in a single mided way that isn’t particularly healthy, and is isolated from the other students. When she attends a competition to qualify for the Pan American Championships, she pushes herself far beyond her capabilities, even though Eva warns her that it is a bad idea. Sam ends up injuring her knee, but decides to stay at the school to recuperate, and ends up making friends and helping out. She also is able to regain some of the joy of weight lifting that she had lost. She develops a romantic relationship with Tom (and other students, like JoJo and Karen, couple up as well) and finally makes peace with her parents and their expectations.
Strengths: Sam’s love of weight lifting will resonate with athletes who are fond of their own sport, and her attendance at the prestigious HPC school will seem like a dream come true to them. The cast of characters is interesting and diverse, and Sam’s relationship with her “rival”, Barb, is particularly well done. While I was surprised that the coach allowed Sam to attempt liftin beyond her range, young athletes definitely push themselves too far sometimes, and even the most cautious teens have to suffer through injuries from time to time. The addition of a little romance makes this even more appealing, and the artwork is charming.
Weaknesses: There are a lot of technical explanations of weight lifting that will appeal to fans of the sport, but might slow down the story for those who are unfamiliar. This is on the long side, and was originally conceived as an animated show, although it was never developed as such.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoy sports books with different sports, like Pérez’s Tumble or Egbe’s Run Like a Girl.

100 Things I Love About School- Happy New Year!

I love being back at school. We had sixth graders yesterday, but EVERYONE is back today! It's so exciting! Everything is clean and in place, there are new books up on display, and I get to spend a good portion of the day (when not dealing with ViewBoards, Chromebooks, or helping people did their classes) recommending books to people. It does NOT get any better than this. No new outfit, but I get to wear a dress, jacket, real shoes, and earrings instead of sweat pants. The school even smells good, like lemon cleaner and floor polish. 

Not sure when it became cool to hate school and want to retire, but after a long, hot summer of having to find things to accomplish every day, I am so happy to be back. I can only hope that my grandson will look forward to school, and reading books like the following can only help! 

Schwartz, Amy and Tolstikova, Dasha. 100 Things I Love About School

July 14, 2026 by Harry N. Abrams

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Early elementary school is such an exciting place, and this picture book captures the glory of morning meetings, storytimes, and gold stars. There are a lot of different activities, like building things, exercising, and using scissors and glue. There can be parachutes to play with, fantastic playgrounds, and lots of friends. There are even some snacks, musical instruments, and class plays. At the end of the year, there can be moving-up day, which means an opportunity for more adventures the following year. 

Told in fast-paced, free wheeling verse, this book is a triumphant list of all of the things that make school a much more enticing atmosphere than just staying home. While I'm just as glad that I work with older children (less leakage, which is not depicted in this tome!), the lure of doing things for the first time has an undeniable appeal, and the exuberance of young children comes through in the text. 

The illustrations have an early 1980s feel to them; they are rendered in graphite and watercolor, and have limited backgrounds, making the children and activities really stand out of the page. I'm not familiar with the late Ms. Schwartz's work, but she had been writing and illustrating for a long time. Tolstikova does a good job at paying homage to her style. 

As the back to school sales start up, this is a great book to read while arranging new crayons in scissors in a school box. Continue with Clapham and Shireen's The Tour at School, Brenner and Hill's And Then Comes School, and Olsen and Sonke's A Letter From Your Teacher on the First Day of School. You can even delve deep into history and embrace the plaid school bag with its hidden stuffed animal in Haywood's classic 1943 Back to School with Betsy. 

Little Monsters

Roche, Máire. Little Monsters

August 18, 2026 by Aladdin

ARC provided by the publisher

Meg March lives with her three sisters in Salem, Massachusetts, where they are cared for by foster mother, Marmee. They have had a lot of placements, all in Salem, but they have never worked out particularly well. It doesn't help that Meg o manifests sharp teeth and long claws when stressed, Jo becomes covered in fur, Amy is part mermaid and struggles with issues when she gets near seawater, and young Beth has bat wings. As Halloween approaches, Meg wants to fulfill her sister's wishes for costumes, even though this means caring for chickens for Mr. Laurence next door. His grandson, Laurie, lives with him, and is Jo's best friend, and a young John Brooke, whose parents can't care for him, lives there as well. Brooks (as he is known) sees Meg with her sharp teeth when they run into each other in the woods by their houses, but doesn't doesn't bother her about it. Meg is fortunate to have a very caring friend in Sally, who is always supportive, but is frequently bullied by the well-to-do Annie and her brother Ned Moffat. There is an animal on the loose in Salem who is eating chickens and destroying property, and Meg starts to worry that she is the one doing these things when she wakes up covered in dirt, with no memory of being outside. With security cameras all around town, she's concerned that there are videos of her transforming into a monster. She even breaks into Annie's house to try to retrieve footage, and finds that Annie might not be treated very well. Occasionally, Meg does things she isn't supposed to do, like staying out late, but Marmee never gets upset; she tries to support Meg, even helping her save favorite breakfast foods that her sisters usually take. Meg doesn't understand why Marmee is so supportive, and still feels that it is her job to provide for her sisters and take care of them. Brooks is also always on Meg's side, and helps her out frequently. Meg does go to the public library to research monsters in Salem after hearing that there are more monsters around than one would suspect, but still feels it is important to hide her true self. When the monster attacks result in Ned being hospitalized, the townspeople gather pitchforks and torches to go after the monster. Meg finds out surprising information about Marmee, and doesn't know quite whom to trust. Is hiding her true self and never asking help the best way for her to live her life as a monster? 

Strengths: Meg doesn't get much coverage in the original book, so it is interesting to see life from her perspective, especially since we also see her future husband, John Brooke. This uses the original characters well, tweaking essential information about them just slightly. For example, we see Ms. Hummel show up as a school teacher. Having the girls in foster care makes Meg's role as the oldest sister more important, and watching her try so hard to mother her sisters is heart warming. The fact that Meg doesn't want to ask for help is a big facet of this book, right up there with the fact that she is trying to hide her true self. Both of these themes are on trend both in middle grade literature and also in social emotional learning practices. This isn't really a scary book, since we only hear about the antics of the "monster" after the fact, so this is more of a book about personal identity and relationships, which makes it truer to the original. 
Weaknesses: I'm afraid that populating this story with Little Women characters will lose more middle grade readers than it will gain. While I'm not sure exactly where the original story was set, I always imagined it was Concord rather than Salem, but that could just be my own assumptions. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like allegorical fantasy books like Lucas' The Vanished Ones , Haydu's The Ordinary and Extraordinary Auden Greene, Leavitt's The Garden Just Beyond. or Savaryn's The Edge of In Between. I just don't have the readers for this type of fantasy book at my library.

Right before I started at my current school in 2002, I was a raffle winner in a library reading contest! Got my picture in the local paper, and told them that "My goal is to read every fiction book in the library", which I thought would take 15 years. It only took me until 2011, when I finished Zirpoli's Roots in the Outfield. I contacted the newspaper, and they came to school to interview me, which was fun. Nothing like setting a ridiculous goal and actually achieving it! 

And yes, I've been wearing this thrift store 1980s jacket ever since. I used to wear a LOT of plaid! 

MMGM- Women and Girls in Sports (with Bonus Blather!)

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

King, Billie Jean and Robbins, Liz. 

See It To Be It: Eleven Champions Leading Women's Sports Today

August 11, 2026 by Calkins Creek

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

From the Publisher:

"Tennis legend Billie Jean King profiles 11 of today’s pioneering athletes in women's sports  in this inspiring nonfiction book based on exclusive interviews that will empower athletes and sports fans ages 12 and up.

Billie Jean King made history in her 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match against Bobby Riggs. She proved that a woman athlete was as capable, determined, and worth watching as a man. Now, she highlights the trailblazing athletes of women's sports of today who are proving the same thing every time they play.

In See It To Be It, readers will learn about superstars athletes like tennis player Naomi Osaka and WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark, as well as players on the rise, such as Paralympic swimmer McKenzie Coan and Kendall Coyne Schofield of the gold medal-winning US Olympic hockey team. Based on exclusive interviews and featuring never-before-published photos, this electrifying book shares true stories that will energize young athletes and prove that legends aren’t just born, they’re made—both on and off the playing field.

Athletes profiled are Caitlin Clark (basketball), Diana Flores (flag football), Kendall Coyne Schofield (hockey), Midge Purce (soccer), Asjia O’Neal (volleyball), Kelsie Whitmore (baseball), Amit Elor (wrestling), McKenzie Coan (swimming), Nikki Hiltz (track), Chelsea Gray (basketball), and Naomi Osaka (tennis)."

This colorful collection of short biographies offers a wide range of women currently involved in professional sports. There are not only different sports, but also different ethnicities. The struggles of these competitors is not downplayed, including medical  and mental health issuesthat they may have faced, which is a change from twenty years ago when people didn’t discuss many things publicly. 

I’m a huge admirer of King’s, and the amount of good she has done for women’s sports is beyond incredible. It’s particularly noteworthy that she stops to focus on the struggles and accomplishments of other women in sports. Robbins writes engaginly about the different women, there are lots of photos, and the source notes at the back of the book are very complete. 

This would make a great gift for a young athlete. The preface talks about the fact that King herself, and many of the women highlighted, had books about other female athletes that inspired them. For a school library, I am always hesitant to buy biographies about people who are in the middle of their careers, since things can change, but public and school libraries with a decent budget will want to look into this clear interview that helps to correct the fact that only 20% of sports news coverage focuses on women’s sports! 

Johnston, E.K. Third Period Comeback

August 11, 2026 by Dutton Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Hayley is an avid and talented soccer player, but she knows that her playing days are soon going to be over. Her great grandfather, William Rilko, played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but was killed in an air crash in 1951. This is thought to be the catalyst for a curse that has led the team to have disastrous seasons and not win championships, but since his body was never found, his whole family suffers. It’s a very large family, with Hayley’s 21 cousins as well as aunts, uncles, great-aunts, and great-uncles. The Rilko’s all love playing hockey, but have to stop when they hit puberty. Everyone knows about this, so when Hayley gets her period, she’s devastated and a bit embarrassed that everyone will soon know. She is able to finish the season, since the curse doesn’t take hold until her third period, but she feels the time crunch. When her extended family goes to their summer camp in Timmins, outside of Ontario, she and her cousins try several different ways to undo the curse. This is a struggle, since not only have other family members devoted their lives to this pursuit, but people knowledgable in magic haven’t been able to reverse it, either. They attempt to talk to “Greatest William” via Ouija board, and eventually travel deep into the woods to find the plane and burn whatever body remains to break the curse. Will Hayley be able to find a way to continue playing her beloved sport?
Strengths: The depiction of the family cabin, with its musty board games and tiny shared rooms, was delightful, and reminiscent of Matson’s The Firefly Summer. I loved that Hayley didn’t want to summon the dead with a game produced by Parker Brothers! Very astute. The large family works well together with understandable hitches in dynamics from time to time, and the adults are supportive but give the children lots of freedom. This is definitely a fantasy novel, with a thin veneer of magic coating Hayley’s entire world. Hayley’s ancestor seems to be loosely based on the real life Bill Barilko, who was killed in a plane crash in 1951. I am always glad to see books centered on sports! 
Weaknesses: There could have been more detailed world building, since there seemed to be whole systems of magic that weren’t well explained. I also knew nothing about “real” curses the Toronto Maple Leafs suffered, so was vastly confused. Hayley’s family is very large, which is understandable (I personally have 38 cousins!), but made it hard to keep track of characters. There is a lot of detail about getting one’s period that will appeal to some readers but not to others.
What I really think: Add this to a selection of hockey books that includes Blitt’s Breaking the Ice, Irwin’s Captain Skidmark Dances with Destiny, and Ridge’s Inside Hudson Pickle. I don’t have a huge audience for hockey books, but I can see this being popular in Canada!  

Blather:

The school year no longer starts with a definitive First Day, which I don't like. We had schedule pick up, teacher work days, more teacher work days, and have just 6th graders tomorrow. I would rather jump into a cold pool all at once, and this is easing toes in for way too long! 

I really am thrilled to be back; no threats to librarian positions in my district for about three years. Whew. Last year at this time, I was sure I was out of a job. The library schedule worked out really well, a new order of books came in, and things are fairly organized. The students seem excited, and some of the more challenging 8th graders are now in high school. It should be a great year. 

Have to share a LegiLad (pictured) story about the power of exposing children to books. My daughter, Picky Reader, said she read Sandra Boynton's Moo, Baa, La La La to LegiLad thirty times. He's eighteen months old. She finally said "Please go get a DIFFERENT book!" He went over and picked out... their second copy of Moo, Baa, La La La! When told again to go get a different book, he went back and got Boo, Baa, La La La. At that point, she figured that he liked what he liked, and proceeded to read whatever he wanted. She also sent a video of him sitting on the floor, happily turning pages in a board book. This picture of him with the Reader's Digest is great. He actually looks like he is completely absorbed in "Increase Your Word Power"! 

Hope everyone has a great new school year! 

Also, it's been raining torrentially here, and we didn't have students, so attacked my new books wearing drip dry athletic gear. May have threatened my principal I would make this a habit, but he knows I am lying. Thrift store pants, cross country coach's shirt from about 2015! 

Sunday Reading

Janowitz, Brenda. The Introvert's Guide to Kissing in Europe 

August 18, 2026 by Melissa de la Cruz Studio

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Emily has decided not to go to college, since she is still dealing with the death of her older sister Liv five years ago, and thanks to her grandmother, is able to take a gap year in Europe. Her grandmother Rose is comfortable because she was part of a girl group, the Flower Sisters, with her sister, Dahlia, and their songs have been used in movies and sampled by later artists. Rose has given Emily her itinerary and asked her to recreate it. On her first day in Seville, she meets Penny, a social media influencer who is traveling with several other teend. Emily is soon caught up with their whirlwind, since Penny decides to document the tour recreation. Emily has a relationship with Alejandro, who is at college, but when he doesn't meet up with her at Christmas because he has to be with his girlfriend, this relationship ends. She also meets up with Nick, whom she has seen several times, but when his grandmother is ill, he and his group return home. While there are some educational spots that she visits, and there are a few people who remember her grandmother (including her great aunt Dahlia's female life partner), most of the trip is eating, shopping, dancing, and yes, kissing boys. 

This was pitched as Johnson's 13 Little Blue Envelopes meets Welch's Love and Gelato, and I guess it sort of is. I was definitely looking forward to it, and my disappointment is because I am old and Emily's travels are completely unlike my own... in 1986. It's very modern with family video chatting our intrepid traveler, the sister having died after taking a pill laced with fentanyl at a party, and generally a very Gen Z feel. Which it should have. I won't buy it for middle school because there was a lot of casual drinking as well as mentions of Emily losing her virginity. It would have been great to see a LOT more of the grandmother's tour with the Flower Sisters, but there wasn't very much. It seemed very, very privileged, and didn't have the vibe of 13 Little Blue Envelopes. I would probably buy it for high school, but think it might be dated quickly. I'm curious how this book plays with fans of Kasie West or Sarah Dessen, and am curious enough that I might take a look at this author's The Grace Kelly Dress. 

Biltmore, Eileen. The Disappearance and the Diary (The Manor Mysteries #1)

August 25, 2026 by Simon Spotlight

E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus

This is a repackaging of Whitby's Beth's Story (Secrets of the Manor #1)(June 24th 2014 by Simon Spotlight), much like the Lee Heart repackaging of the Angela Darling Crush books as Spotlight Sprinkles. I wasn't able to compare the two, but they are essentially the same story. Names are changed (Margaret instead of Beth), as are some details, but since I already have the entire 2014 series, I won't be purchasing the new books.

 
The new covers are quite nice, and if you are looking for a series of upper crust English manor mysteries, this is a good bet. The sequel to this one seems to be The Girl and the Ghost. (Aug. 25, 2026) https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/2014/07/mmgm-secrets-of-manor.html

The Introvert's Guide to Kissing in Europe Brenda Janowitz

Saturday Morning Cartoons

Gillman, Melanie and Mock, Rebecca. (Illustrator)
Who Circled the Globe in Seventy-Two Days? Nellie Bly
August 11, 2026 by Penguin Workshop
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

I was an avid reader of the Childhood of Famous American books; by avid, I mean that I checked out two every day and read them on the back porch or in the family room, and then went back for more the next day. It helped that I worked in the library during... recess? It was fifty years ago, so the details are a bit fuzzy. What I have not forgotten is how much I learned about history through the lens of particular historical figures. Early Americans? Virginia Dare. Civil War? Clara Barton. Westward Expansion? Daniel Boone. I'm sure that these books also led to my interest in historical fiction. 

Would I have read graphic novels? Unsure. I would have enjoyed this book, however, with Nellie, her one carpet bag, and her exciting adventures traveling the globe. The illustrations were delightful and captured the clothing, buildings, and people of the era well. I will definitely purchase this, and hope that it will entice my readers to not only learn more about the fascinating Ms. Bly, but to look into more historical books. 

From the Publisher: "Discover how Nellie Bly made headlines in 1889 with one of her most iconic and sensational stunts—a world record–setting race around the globe. A story of daring, adventure, and pushing boundaries, this graphic novel highlights how Nellie Bly challenged traditional gender norms and helped pave the way for women in journalism. Atmospheric full-color illustrations bring this sharp narrative to life, immersing readers in Nellie's globe-trotting exploits."

The Invisibles

Kowitt, Holly. The Invisibles
August 18, 2026 by Feiwel & Friends
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Jimmy Stern has been to a lot of different schools, since his father’s job is to set up O’Grady’s restaurants around the country. He has a tendency to avoid making friends, since he knows he will just have to leave. Instead, he is deeply invested in the world of “Weird” Walt comics. When he stands up to Kyle Scott when he is bullying hall monitor Milo, and ends up dropping Kyle’s phone in a urinal, he gets sucked into a group of “outcasts” trying to make their way through middle school. He gets accused of having pizza delivered to Mr. Gratch’s class, and helps a girl with her dog. He eventually receives a cryptic invitation to the band room, where he meets the “Invisibles”; Max, Emma, Jamiah, and Finn. They encourage Jimmy to run as the secretary-treasurer for an Art Week in order to secure a spot for Weird Walt, to whom Jimmy has talked on the phone, to visit the school. In order for this artist to come, Jimmy must win the election. With Kyle hosting parties on yachts and pulling out all the stops, will the Invisibles be able to bring one of their own to power?
Strengths: Honestly, more middle grade story plots need to center around things being destroyed or dropped in urinals. Kowitt’s books (The Loser List, The Principal's Underwear Is Missing, This Dance is Doomed) are upbeat and firmly centered on all of the drama that occurs in a middle school. I loved Jimmy’s obsession with Weird Walt, and was JUST having a conversation with my daughter about the time in 2004 that Lee J. Ames CALLED ME AT SCHOOL after I wrote to him! This could happen! Jimmy is a reluctant hero who is happy to be with his people for a change. Loved how the students harnessed their rage.
Weaknesses: There were a lot of things that didn’t seem realistic in a school setting. Hall monitors in 2026? Kids meeting in the band room? A student role responsible for an author visit? Pizzas making it past security in the front office? Young readers won’t mind, but if a book is realistic fiction, I like it to reflect actual school practices.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked the school oriented shenanigans of Cosnter’s My Life as a Potato or Rylander’s The Fourth Stall. I’m debating purchase. I loved that this is humorous and upbeat, but am still bothered by details like a hall monitor wearing a sash. I might have just been having a bad day when I read this!

Shook

Randall, Julian. Shook

August 4, 2026 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this novel in verse, Malik Page lives on the West Side of Chicago with his mother and father. He loves basketball and hopes to be a first pick for the NBA. His mother is an English teacher who has been tutoring ever since her school shut down, and his father is a coach who didn't quite go pro. He plays for the Home Grove team, and manages to win an important game, but falls and breaks his leg. His parents take him to a hospital on the North Side to get better medical attention, and Malik, whose father gave him the nickname "Shake", worries that the extra expense will be a problem for his family. He can't play for six weeks, and fears that even though he'll be ready for the next season, he won't be able to make varsity. He meets a friend of his uncle's who has gone on to be a physical therapist, and gives him some exercises to do. Shake struggles with his injury; it impacts his relationships with his friends, especially Kyla, and he starts to suffer from panic attacks. He gets angry with his teacher, Mr. Pasquale, who can never call him the correct name, and ends up being suspended after he fights with him. Shake's parents have him see a therapist, Kendrick, who helps him a lot and is generally pretty cool. He still has some panic attacks, but eventually makes up with Kyla, who was struggling with issues of her own. Shake finds out that his uncle and some other relatives also struggled with anxiety 

Strengths: Having an injury in middle school and not being able to play the sport of one's choosing can be devastating for tweens, so this is an interesting premise for a book. Many of my own students think that they can have a career playing pro sports, so they will definitely root for Shake. I love that his family is intact (the parents are both alive!) and supportive of him, making sure that he gets needed therapy even though they are struggling financially. There is a decent amount of basketball in the story, and the Chicago Bulls are mentioned frequently. Readers who want to meet characters with anxiety disorders and panic attacks will be intrigued by how these impact Shake and his recuperation. It was nice to see Shake make a responsible decision about his participation in sports at the end of the book. 
Weaknesses: It seemed a bit odd that Shake's mother wasn't able to find a job. I would think there is a teacher shortage is Chicago like there is everywhere else. Shake says at one point that "Nobody likes being in middle school, not even the teachers", but I certainly like being in middle school! 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like Reynold's Stuntboy, In the Meantime or the mix of mental health issues and sports in Stroman's The Grip. Comparisons will be made between this and Alexander's The Crossover, but this doesn't have the strong sense of poetry or the intriguing plot of that book.