It's
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
at
at
and #IMWAYR day
at
January 27, 2026 by Holiday House
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Priscilla Cobb of Walnut Grove, PA is very excited to be chosen to travel to Moon Village in 2079, especially since her late mother was a participant in the program when it first started. Her father is going along as an adult supervisor and focus group member opining on the tourist portion of the project. While she's sad to leave behind her best friend Doria, grandma Nin and Gram Nicole (who is almost 100), she excited to live in space and also to show off her newest invention, a robot that can create complicated hairstyles, inspired by her uncle's work as a hairdresser. While Priscilla is glad to connect with fellow student Hoshiko, she is dismayed that famous actor Orion Prett and dancer/singer/acrobat Starletta, also from Walnut Grove, are attending the school program but also planning a concert. Priscilla had an unpleasant interaction back home with Starletta, and doesn't like the emphasis on entertainment that is taking away from the scientific aspect of Moon Village. Priscilla is excited to be assigned to a horticulture and botany unit, and is eager to learn about growing plants and fungus in space. Life in on the moon is very different, and Priscilla is eager to experience it all, even when a walk to a lunar crater ends with Starletta and Priscilla plummeting to the bottom of the crater and needing to be saved. As the preparation for the concert ramps up, Priscilla asks the head of the interns, Dr. Petrova, if she agrees with the emphasis on tourism, and what the group might be able to do to protest it. The two decide that sabotage is a bad idea, but agree that well placed signs stating "Keep the science going", and consistent comments by everyone interviewed by Earth media underlining the importance of the science missions, will be helpful. Priscilla has an altercation with Starletta that gets her kicked out of dancing at the concert, but the two eventually talk and make amends. After a key staffer becomes I'll right before the concert, Priscilla's hair styling robot saves the day by doing Starletta's hair, and Starletta makes a public announcement that learning and discovering should take precendence over tourism.
Strengths: Books depicting girls with an interest in STEM always go right to the top of my list, and I loved that Priscilla was interestested in horticulture and mycoculture. Even though I live in Ohio, I have more students interested in marine biology than agronomy, and that's a shame! Food science is an interesting field. We get just enough of a glimpse of Priscilla's life at home before taking off into space, and the details about preparing for the journey are great. When the tourism aspect was first introduced, with the fancy resort and boutique shops, I had an immediate visceral dislike of it, so was glad to see that Priscilla chose to fight against it. The drama with Starletta will appeal to tweens on a lot of levels, especially when the two tumble into the lunar crater! This had a lot to recommend it, and is a necessary purchase for middle school libraries.
I've read too much middle grade speculative fiction, so kept waiting for something terrible to happen. You know, all the parents get blown up in a space shuttle and Priscilla has to work with Earth to get the kids back. The village looses power. Space aliens wanting a vacation invade the resort. I'm always asking for upbeat novels, and this was really perfect in that regard, just surprising considering the gloom and doom speculative fiction already out there. The biggest problems were the tiff with Starletta, and frenemy drama is always a hit with my readers. Can't argue at all with the idea that the village should be dedicated to science rather than tourism.
Weaknesses: Somehow, I had trouble connecting to this book, but I think I'm going to have to blame this on my current bad mood rather than any faults with the writing. Priscilla also mentions her deceased mother quite a lot, which doesn't really add to the plot and is just one of my least favorite tropes in middle grade literature, recently eclipsing even talking animals. I rarely reread books, but I may pick this up again when I get a library copy. If I still have a job after the November 2025 election. (Hence, bad mood.)
What I really think: Why does the blurb compares this to Stacy McAnulty’s The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl? The two books are not similar at all! While most similar to Danziger's 1986 This Place Has No Atmosphere, it also reminded me of Holm's Lion of Mars, Gibbs' Moon Base Alpha, Anderson's Stowaway, King's The Incredible Space Raiders From Space, or other middle grade speculative fiction novels that showcase living in space. I did very much like that this concentrated on being on the moon rather than traveling around space, and appreciated that it was mostly upbeat. I'm definitely purchasing this, and love the cover.
I've read too much middle grade speculative fiction, so kept waiting for something terrible to happen. You know, all the parents get blown up in a space shuttle and Priscilla has to work with Earth to get the kids back. The village looses power. Space aliens wanting a vacation invade the resort. I'm always asking for upbeat novels, and this was really perfect in that regard, just surprising considering the gloom and doom speculative fiction already out there. The biggest problems were the tiff with Starletta, and frenemy drama is always a hit with my readers. Can't argue at all with the idea that the village should be dedicated to science rather than tourism.
Weaknesses: Somehow, I had trouble connecting to this book, but I think I'm going to have to blame this on my current bad mood rather than any faults with the writing. Priscilla also mentions her deceased mother quite a lot, which doesn't really add to the plot and is just one of my least favorite tropes in middle grade literature, recently eclipsing even talking animals. I rarely reread books, but I may pick this up again when I get a library copy. If I still have a job after the November 2025 election. (Hence, bad mood.)
What I really think: Why does the blurb compares this to Stacy McAnulty’s The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl? The two books are not similar at all! While most similar to Danziger's 1986 This Place Has No Atmosphere, it also reminded me of Holm's Lion of Mars, Gibbs' Moon Base Alpha, Anderson's Stowaway, King's The Incredible Space Raiders From Space, or other middle grade speculative fiction novels that showcase living in space. I did very much like that this concentrated on being on the moon rather than traveling around space, and appreciated that it was mostly upbeat. I'm definitely purchasing this, and love the cover.
Maysoon Zayid, the Girl Who Can Can
February 10, 2026 by Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster BFYR
Copy provided by the publisher
Maysoon Zayid, author of the graphic novel Shiny Misfits, was born in 1974. Because of difficulties with her birth, she has lived with cerebral palsy. This manifests itself, in her case, by tremors that she can control sometimes. When she wanted to enroll in the same elementary school with her sisters, the principal said that she could not because of her disability, and sent her and her father to the superintendent. It was even mentioned that she should enroll in a school for children with Down Syndrome. This was before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. She made her case successfully, as was able to enroll. Her parents, who immigrated from Palestine, couldn't afford physical therapy, so her father worked with her for two hours a day at home. To help, she did enroll in dance classes. Since she was young, Mayson wanted to be a famous actress and appear on the television soap opera General Hospital, so she loved dancing. She attended Arizona State University to major in dance and drama. Despite a lot of negativity from teachers, she persevered. She took comedy classes as well, and eventually got an audition for her dream job, General Hospital, and won a role. She continues to perform and to serve as a good example for fighting through difficulties and not giving up on dreams.
Strengths: This is the first book in the Muslim Mavericks series, and is a short (72 pages) book with large print and great illustrations that would be perfect for elementary school students. Since I was absolutely obsessed with the Childhood of Famous Americans series when I was in elementary school (right about the time Zayid was born!), I would have adored this book as a child. There is a good mix of family background, personal dreams, and challenging reality that is very appealing. The story moves quickly, and has a positive, upbeat feel to it. Since Zayid's book, Shiny Misfits, will have a good number of readers, seeing how see strove for her dream in real life despite obstacles will make this biography a good companion to the graphic novel. It's becoming easier to find biographies of people with Islamic backgrounds, but there are still not enough books. I'm looking forward to seeing what other titles Salaam produces.
Weaknesses: There are no dates listed in the book, which makes it hard to place Zayid in a historical context. I hope that further Muslim Mavericks books also include people whose dreams included more practical fields like technology, science, and medicine.
What I really think: Elementary libraries will want to include this series in their collections. It is a little young for my middle school collection, but I would love to see something similar for older readers that is around 100 pages and includes dates, a bibliography, and an index.
February 10, 2026 by Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster BFYR
Copy provided by the publisher
Maysoon Zayid, author of the graphic novel Shiny Misfits, was born in 1974. Because of difficulties with her birth, she has lived with cerebral palsy. This manifests itself, in her case, by tremors that she can control sometimes. When she wanted to enroll in the same elementary school with her sisters, the principal said that she could not because of her disability, and sent her and her father to the superintendent. It was even mentioned that she should enroll in a school for children with Down Syndrome. This was before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. She made her case successfully, as was able to enroll. Her parents, who immigrated from Palestine, couldn't afford physical therapy, so her father worked with her for two hours a day at home. To help, she did enroll in dance classes. Since she was young, Mayson wanted to be a famous actress and appear on the television soap opera General Hospital, so she loved dancing. She attended Arizona State University to major in dance and drama. Despite a lot of negativity from teachers, she persevered. She took comedy classes as well, and eventually got an audition for her dream job, General Hospital, and won a role. She continues to perform and to serve as a good example for fighting through difficulties and not giving up on dreams.
Strengths: This is the first book in the Muslim Mavericks series, and is a short (72 pages) book with large print and great illustrations that would be perfect for elementary school students. Since I was absolutely obsessed with the Childhood of Famous Americans series when I was in elementary school (right about the time Zayid was born!), I would have adored this book as a child. There is a good mix of family background, personal dreams, and challenging reality that is very appealing. The story moves quickly, and has a positive, upbeat feel to it. Since Zayid's book, Shiny Misfits, will have a good number of readers, seeing how see strove for her dream in real life despite obstacles will make this biography a good companion to the graphic novel. It's becoming easier to find biographies of people with Islamic backgrounds, but there are still not enough books. I'm looking forward to seeing what other titles Salaam produces.
Weaknesses: There are no dates listed in the book, which makes it hard to place Zayid in a historical context. I hope that further Muslim Mavericks books also include people whose dreams included more practical fields like technology, science, and medicine.
What I really think: Elementary libraries will want to include this series in their collections. It is a little young for my middle school collection, but I would love to see something similar for older readers that is around 100 pages and includes dates, a bibliography, and an index.
Beyond the Game: Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Whetstone
June 3, 2025 by Viking Books for Young Readers
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central
Jordan was born in 1988 to Terra Beth, a nurse from the Lakota Nation, and David Daniel, a teacher. She lived on a Sioux reservation in South Dakota, where she enjoyed visiting with her grandfather Nyal, who had been forcibly sent to a boarding school and was the first in his family to attend college. Both he and Terra Beth were strong runners, a sport which Jordan also embraced. While her grandfather and mother were Olympic hopefuls who sustained injuries which crushed their dreams, Jordan did well. After the family moved to Maine, where she had a hard time with her classmates, many of whom were racist, she ran track and cross country, and eventually got a scholarship to the University of Maine. She struggled with some eating disorders, but was eventually able to move to D.C. for work and earn money through sponsorships for her running. Her job with the National Indian Health Board opened her eyes to even more injustices, such as the Standing Rock Oil Pipeline. Qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 2019, she decided to bring attentiong to the plight of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women by racing with red body paint and handprints. She inspired other young activists, like Rosalie Fish. Today, running the Rising Hearts nonprofit that helps races acknowledge that they are being held on Native lands and supports the relatives of people who were forced into boarding schools.
There is a lot of good information in this book, and there are appendices at the end. There are tips for getting involved, a number of resources, a glossary, a map of Native words, and a list of other influential Native athletes.
Hodge's illustrations support the text and will make this more appealing to young readers. They depict various scenes and people from Jordan's life.
Maraniss' other Beyond the Game titles cover LeBron James, Pat Tillman, and Maya Moore, and do a good job of covering not only the subject's athletic career, but also the social activism that drives and inspires their work. These are great books for reader who like Penguin's Who Was biographies but are looking for individuals involved in sports.
No comments:
Post a Comment