MMGM- Mysteries, and Earth Day

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Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
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Always in the Middle 

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Unleashing Readers

Messner, Kate and Greenwood, Justin (illustrator)

History Smashers: Earth Day and the Environment

March 11, 2025 by Random House Books for Young Readers

Copy provided by the Publisher 

This tenth book in Messner's History Smashers series discusses the history, complications, and ramifications of my second favorite holiday (after Groundhogs' Day!)- Earth Day! I have very vague memories of the buzz surrounding the first celebration in 1970, but I definitely remember the twentieth anniversary and the renewed emphasis on recycling and environmental issues that resulted. I still have a "Save a Tree" tote bag I use... it's just like one on display in the Smithsonian! 

That is all surface interest, however, and Messner takes readers on a complicated, deep dive into the evolution of the ecological movement in the world and the US. Using a mix of comic strips, photographs, and text, a lot of historical events are depicted that show why protections for the environment needed to be put in place. From the time of Benjamin Franklin and the devastation of the beaver population in order to create popular hats, to a great illustrated overview of Rachel Carson's work against DDT, to short biographies of current leaders in the environmental movement like Hoesung Lee, Vanessa Nakate, and Greta Thunberg, this book is packed with information. 

Like other History Smasher books, there is an emphasis on how disproportionately communities of color are affected by environmental problems. This is information that is often left out of traditional textbooks, so is a welcome addition. 

The celebration of the first Earth Day isn't covered until halfway through the book, but the scene is well set for understanding its importance. I grew up fairly close to the Cuyahoga River, but even I learned a bit more about the fire that became a rallying cry for the movement. It's sad that even after the movement started, there were incidents like Love Canal, Three Mile Island, and the Exxon Valdez. The after effects, and the continued problems with the environment, are fully explored. The timeline at the end of the book is very helpful. 

It amazes me that many of my students don't have any interest in the environment. It's hard to get them to pick up books like Beer's Kids vs. Plastic and Bell's You Can Change the World: The Kids' Guide to a Better Planet. This popular series will be a great nonfiction companion to the growing pile of middle grade about climate activism and climate anxiety like Dee's Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet, Firestone's The First Rule of Climate Club, Frank's Global Warning, and Dimopoulos' Turn the Tide. 

King, Wesley. Benny on the Case
April 15, 2025 by Beach Lane Books (Simon and Schuster)

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Benny is an eleven-year-old who lives in St. George's Bay, Newfoundland, where his mother runs the Starflower by the Sea retirement home. He's been in special education his whole life, since he has Mosaic Down Syndrome. This means that while he has the physical features similar to others with this genetic condition, he doesn't have the health problems or cognitive delays. His teacher, Mr. Keane, has decided that it's time for Benny to be "reintegrated"; what we would term "mainstreamed" in the US. The day that he is to start, there is a lot happening; a nursing home resident has jewelry stolen, and one of the resident's granddaughter's, Salma, has moved from Seattle and is also starting school. The kids in their class aren't too well versed in dealing with others who might be different, and Mark and Ashlin are especially mean to the two, who become friends. Salma, whose father is from Tunisia, stands out in the primarily white Newfoundland community, and Benny is often treated like he is very young; Mark calls him "slow". When the fate of the Starflower, and of his best friend, 86 year old Mr. Tom, hinges on solving the mystery of the rash of thefts and a complicated scam involving retirement homes in the area (in which Ashlin's father is a major player), Benny and Salma step up to investigate. Benny's mother is struggling to keep the home open, especially since she is running it alone after the death of Benny's father four years previously, and Mr. Tom's health is rapidly failing. Will Benny and Salma be able to figure out the threats to the Starflower before it's too late? 
Strengths: This started with a description of "Newfoundlander speak" which was rather charming, and Benny had a great voice. I was instantly drawn into the story because of the feeling of community and wanted to know more about daily life there. The idea of a small, family run retirement home is intriguing, and I can't imagine how difficult a place like that would be to run. Mr. Tom and the other residents are not as key to the plot as they are to stories like Forman's Not Nothing or Van Draanen's The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones, but I still love to see tweens interact with older people, even if this leads to sad endings. The combination of the elements made for an interesting in unique story that I really enjoyed. 
Weaknesses: While I loved that the mystery was deeper than just items going missing from the residents, I wonder how lucrative it would be to take over retirement homes in Newfoundland. It really wasn't necessary to kill off the father. I would love to see another book set in this location with a lot more details about what life is like in Newfoundland, maybe involving smash ball, a sort of soccer with bodychecking! 
What I really think: Usually, the only characters in middle grade stories with Down Syndrome are siblings (Charlie in Cochrane's Breaking into Sunlight, Sarah in Oppel's Inkling, Izzie in Choldenko's One-Third Nerd, Charlie in Cartaya's Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish, Squirrel,  in Hart's Daisy Wormwood Changes the World, Benny and Tessie in Dallas' Somewhere to Call Home), although Darby in Cotterill's A Storm of Strawberries is a main character. It's quite interesting to see a main character with this condition, but it was the Newfoundland setting and the mysteries at the Starflower that really sold this one to me. Mystery lovers will applaud Salma and Benny's investigative skills while marveling at a school without a basketball hoop! 

Salerni, Dianne K.  , Schu, Matt (illus.).The Tontine Caper

April 22, 2025 by Holiday House

E ARC provided by Edelweiss

In 1901, Nicodemus Lombardi finds himself working for Gunther Hogg at his Precipe Inn in the Poconos after the death of his grandfather, Nonno. Nonno was a painter who died suddenly, and since Nico’s parents had perished when he was younger, Gunther claims that he is owed money, and puts Nico to work, along with his daughter, Agnetha. The inn struggles, since there are only five rooms, so when lawyer Arnold Hawes convenes a group of investors wishing to dissolve a tontine, there is a lot of work to do. The tontine, an investment scheme, involves shares in the Carbon County coal mine. There are only three remaining survivors, which means that the investment can be divided and distributed, although there has to be a vote to see if members would rather wait until there is only one survivor who would get the entire sum. The elderly Beuregard Ames and his granddaughter Beatrice arrive, followed by Diana Von Tropp and her two sons and the Deetlebaum family with Lottie and her mother, grandmother. The lawyer is late in arriving, so we see the different schemes of those hoping to profit. Nico serves all of the guests, appreciating the ones who aren’t cruel to him, as Gunther is, and is making plans to break free of his servitude, feeling (rightly so) that he will never be able to repay his debt. With so many people trying to get the money, and so much drama, who will finally get the fortune from the tontine?
Strengths: I always enjoy learning things I don’t know, and the idea of a tontine (which has been effectively illegal in the US since about 1906) is an intriguing one. I’m also a fan of English manor house mysteries a la Agatha Christie, so setting this story at a small inn in the Pocono Mountains (which I’ve always wanted to visit), was an intriguing choice. There is an art related mystery that leads to a very satisfying conclusion, but which I don’t want to spoil. Nico’s situation is one that more children in the early 1900s would have experienced, similar to the orphaned Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery, 1908) or Understood Betsy (Fisher, 1916). The characters are quirky and interesting, and Schu’s illustrations are fantastic. I’d love to see more illustrations scattered through middle grade books, reminiscent of Joe and Beth Krush’s or Hilary Knight’s mid century work.
Weaknesses: My bloodthirsty students are more interested in gruesome murder mysteries than ones that involve cons or scams, and when this was compared to Knives Out, I sort of hoped for a cozy style murder. (Nico does suspect that his grandfather was killed.)
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like mysteries like Guterson’s Winterhouse or Eagle’s The Pear Affair. This author's Eleanor, Alice and the Roosevelt Ghosts and The Carrefour Curse are also good mystery choices. 

Spikol, Susie and Metallinou, Renia  (illustrator).

Forest Magic for Kids: How to find Fairies, Make a Secret Fort, and Cook Up an Elfin Picnic.
April 1, 2025 by Gibbs Smith
Copy provided by Media Masters Publicity

Want to encourage children to spend more time outdoors exercising their imagination? Do you suspect, like the author, that fairies and magical creatures might be real? This manual on exploring the natural world and its fantastical possibilities is for you.

My students have very poor imaginations these days, so need a helping hand to cultivate a more inquisitive nature and apply this curiosity to all of the possibilities in the world. Going outside and really looking at the world around them would be a great place to start. Starting with a list of essential equipment like a journal, flashlight, and magnifying glass, this book walks young readers through the steps they need to take to become more observant about the world around them, more attuned to natural surroundings, and more aware of tiny creatures that are often overlooked.

In order to develop these skills, there are lots of activities and craft projects. From creating a DIY observation notebook to making mushroom spore prints, there are a huge number of unusual and innovative projects that utilize materials found in nature. The instructions, which include lists of easily obtainable items, are clear, but also have room for a variety of interpretations. I was particularly intrigued by the recipes for making various sorts of glitter and fairy dust out of rocks and chalk, as well as the standard "potions" out of leaves and twigs that used to be hard wired into the repertoire of children of my generation!

Metallinou's artwork is delightful, and reinforces the feeling of whimsy. While believing in fairies and magical creatures starts at a very young age, this book has a fair amount of text, so is better suited for older children, or for supervised use with younger ones. Readers who can't get enough of imaginative activity books like Halligan's Sunday Funday, Brunelle's Turn This Book in to A Bird Feeder or Storey Publishing's Backpack Explorer books will enjoy preparing the activities in Forest Magic for Kids and spending time lying on their stomachs on the grass, looking for tiny creatures and imagining all of the magical possibilities.