MMGM: My Top Three MG books of 2013

Below is a list of all the books I read this past year. I highlighted my top three favorites for the middle grade books, and my favorite YA and adult book. Unfortunately I had an apparent least favorite middle grade and adult book, but it wouldn't be in the spirit of this post to mention those. At least (as writers) we can learn from what we don't like in books we read and make sure it doesn't show up in our own writing!

Favorite middle grade books:

1. Rump: The True Story of Rumplestiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff. I just thought this book was a lot of fun in the creative way she retold this story. Instead of a mean little old man, Rump was a young boy who needed to unravel the mystery of his name. I enjoyed learning the story right along with him.

2. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. I had only read one verse novel prior to this, and it was a good one (Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai) but with Out of the Dust I really understood the power verse can have. I connected more with the format and knew I had to try to write in verse myself. Any book which inspires me to go write is a winner in my mind!

3. Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary (Fablehaven Book 4) by Brandon Mull. I have really enjoyed each book in this series. With every new installment there comes a new adventure (it does take a stretch of the imagination to believe that humans could come out from any of them alive - but it is fantasy after all) and what I liked about this one is a major character twist I didn't see coming. Like "whoa... no way!" Maybe other readers had this figured out, but not me. I have enjoyed the creativity of the world Brandon Mull has created and that he keeps us guessing how it will all turn out in the end.

What was your favorite middle grade (or other) book that you read in 2013?

Happy reading in 2014!

Middle Grade Books 2013

1. The Boy on the Porch Sharon Creech
2. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
3. The Dead Boys by Royce Buckingham
4. Smile by Raina Telgemeier
5. A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff
6. Kepler's Dream by Juliet Bell
7. Doll Bones by Holly Black
8. Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm by Megan McDonald
9. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
10. Crunch by Leslie Connor
11. Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
12. Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood
13. May B by Caroline Starr Rose
14. The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd 
15. Better Than Weird by Anna Kerz
16. Geenie Wishes by Elisabeth Dahl
17. Frindle by Andrew Clements
18. Pie by Sarah Weeks
19. The Humming Room by Ellen Potter
20. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
21. Rump: The True Story of Rumplestiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff
22. The Last Song by Eva Wiseman
23. SLOB by Ellen Potter
24. Katerina's Wish by Jeannie Mobley
25. Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry
26. Faith, Hope, and Ivy June by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
27. I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson
28. The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech
29. Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
30. The Magic Half by Annie Barrows
31. Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary (Fablehaven Book 4) by Brandon Mull
32. Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
33. Geeks, Girls and Secret Identities by Mike Jung
34. Fairytale Detectives by Michael Buckley
35. Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead
36. Grip of the Shadow Plague (Fablehaven Book 3) by Brandon Mull

Young Adult Books 2013

1. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
2. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
3. Divergent by Veronica Roth
4. Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
5. I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder 
6. Deadline by Chris Crutcher
7. Butter by Erin Jade Lange
8. This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
9. The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington

Adult Books 2013

1. Down the Darkest Road by Tami Hoag
2. The 9th Girl by Tami Hoag
3. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
4. Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
5. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
6. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
7. Six Years by Harlan Coben
8. Drop Shot by Harlan Coben
9. The Shack by William Paul Young
10. You Don't Know Me by Susan May Warren

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Marvelous Middle Grade Monday (MMGM) was created by Shannon Messenger. To find other bloggers participating in MMGM go to her blog for a list of links.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

I normally don't read fantasy... well OK, except for Harry Potter and Twilight! But I do like to attend "Meet the Author" events and Brandon Mull came to our area this past week. As I have mentioned here before we have an awesome library system and a great organization that supports the library by handing out free books by the authors they have invited to speak. So I picked up my copy of Fablehaven and dove right in without knowing much about the series or the author.

Book Description: (from Amazon) Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws keep relative order among the greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. But when the rules get broken, powerful forces are unleashed, and Kendra and her brother face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save their family, Fablehaven, and maybe even the world, Kendra and Seth must find the courage to do what they fear most...

 

Why it is marvelous: When I met Brandon this past week I told him I don't normally read fantasy but that I really enjoyed this book. I think that is because it is set in the real world, with two normal everyday kids as the main characters. And we are introduced to the fantasy element nice and slow. The reader discovers the magical world of Fablehaven right along with the two main protagonists, and this is a very interesting world to discover. The Fablehaven series deals with magical creatures we are used to, like fairies, demons, witches and trolls. But Brandon puts his own twist on them which pulls the reader in wanting to find out how this world works, and then when things go very wrong for Kendra and Seth, how mere humans could possibly prevail over the greatest evil at Fablehaven.

 

If I had the time I would definitely read on in this series as I am curious to go on another adventure with Kendra, Seth and their grandparents. Brandon's other popular series, Beyonders, leans even more toward the fantastical with a portal to another world via the mouth of a hippo and made-up races such as The Seed People who, when killed, can be reborn by planting a seed that pops out of the back of their head. My son seemed interested so we are now the proud owners of a signed copy of the first book in this series A World Without Heroes. But reader beware! From the reviews I see that this book is a bit gory and might be suited for a slightly higher age range.

 

It was interesting to hear Brandon speak about his professional writing and daydreaming... imagine getting paid to daydream! An interesting point he made was about the first book he wrote - at age 6! What was meaningful to him about that project was that he actually completed the book. He said lots of kids (adults too!) can start a story, that's easy. But only those who are dedicated will finish it! And his biggest pieces of advice to the kids in the audience was to keep writing.

 

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My son getting his books signed!

 

 

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Marvelous Middle Grade Monday (MMGM) was created by Shannon Messenger. To find other bloggers participating in MMGM go to her blog for a list of links.



MMGM: What we are Reading

Another week I have let the time slip away and forgotten to notify Shannon of my participation in Marvelous Middle Grade Monday. Not that I have not been productive today. I asked for a little time to myself so I could write and finished a little over 1,000 words on my own marvelous manuscript.

What we are reading now.

Son #1: (Age 10)

• Has started The Inheritance Cycle Series by Christopher Palolini and is really enjoying it. After a week and a half he is more than halfway through the second book. It helps that his screen time has been revoked but still, he is plowing through them quickly! What is amazing about this series is that the first book was written (and revised) when the author was between 15 and 17 years old. WOW! So understandably the reviews are all over the place. This is definitely not my kind of genre so I can only say that my son gives them a thumbs up.
• Geronimo Stilton and the Kingdom of Fantasy #4: The Dragon Prophecy by Geronimo Stilton. He just loves these books. They are a super-quick read for him but I often find him reading them again or just looking at all the amazing artwork throughout the books. I think these are a great choice for reluctant readers too because of all the different fonts used and the interesting illustrations.

Daughter: (age 8)

• Has started the Judy Blume pack she got from the Scholastic Book Club order through her classroom. She brought them home from school last Wednesday and has already finished Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge.
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. She attempted to read this one earlier in the year and didn't finish. I could tell it was a struggle for her. Now she is breezing through it and, from conversations with her about the book, also understanding what she is reading. She is two thirds of the way done and excited to finish and collect those 44 hard-earned AR points at school! 

Mom: (not revealing my age!)

• Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. I heard about this book via an e-mail promoting his upcoming author visit at our local library. We have an awesome library system as well as an organization that supports the library and donates books (to give out to patrons for free) when the author visits. So I stopped by to pick up my free copy last week and have been pleasantly surprised by my interest in the story. Usually I don't like fantasy, but the main characters are (mostly) human which gives it a more normal feel for me. I am looking forward to meeting the author next week!

 



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Marvelous Middle Grade Monday (MMGM) was created by Shannon Messenger. To find other bloggers participating in MMGM go to her blog for a list of links.