Fave Reads: Middle Grades. High Marks.

It’s been a few years since my own tween days (thank god).

But I am currently in the thick of parenting two tweens (god bless me).

Thus, I get exposed to all things Fortnite and Flossing (make it stop).

But I also get exposed to some really great Middle Grades literature (you won’t want to put these down).

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley – I read this one cover to cover in one sitting. It was just so, so good. War forces ten-year-old Ada to leave her London home to stay with a stranger in the countryside. There, she finds everything she was once missing – education, adventure, and hope.

What If It’s Us By Becky Albertalli – An old, fashioned teenage romance novel with a refreshing nowadays spin – the lead characters are two teen boys. (P.s. This is definitely more of a YA than Middle Grades)

Rules by Cynthia Lord – It’s not easy being a twelve-year-old girl. And it’s even harder when your younger brother has autism. An authentic look at the dynamics of families with special needs children.

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan – I try to read all my sons’ assigned summer reading, but typically finish long after they do (good thing I’m not getting graded). But this one I surprisingly finished before the school buses started rolling again. Many months later I’m still thinking about this tale of ordinary people in tough circumstances doing extraordinary things.

Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley – Don’t we all wish we could escape our troubles and run off and join a magical circus?

This is the fifth and final installment in a series of my favorite books I read in 2018. I did a similar series in 2017, 2016 and 2015.

How does this worker-bee/soccer-mom/rickety-runner find time to read 50 books a year? This is my secret.