Top 10 Tuesday: 2016 Debut Middle Grade Novel We Are Looking Forward To

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Today some of the MGSB team have each chosen a debut MG book that they are most looking forward to.

1. Elen Caldecott - Captain Pug by Laura James

I have to confess to a partisan interest in Laura's debut, she was a student at Bath Spa Uni where I teach. I didn't see this book though, which was acquired by Bloomsbury shortly after Laura graduated. This series will be illustrated by Eglantine Ceulemans and I've seen some sketches which are just wonderful; comic, but full of heart, just like the other work of Laura's I've seen. Out May 2016.
www.elencaldecott.com

2. Clare Zinkin - Beetle Boy by MG Leonard

Another confession, the book proof for this landed on my doormat quite recently, and although I haven't read it yet, I am looking forward to devouring it over Christmas. The first paragraph (sneaky peek) reads like a dream, and the premise - a missing father, beetles, museums - I already know of children who will pounce on it! 
www.MinervaReads.com
@minervamoan

3. Tatum Flynn - Secrets of the Dragon Tomb by Patrick Samphire

12-year-old Edward Sullivan is used to looking after his eccentric family in the face of malfunctioning clockwork butlers and stray pterodactyls.
But throw in a lunatic archeologist, kidnapped parents, spies, deadly hunting machines, and a chase through the Martian wilderness, and things are about to get crazy.

A funny adventure story with all of the above AND set on Mars?? CANNOT WAIT.

www.tatumflynn.net
@tatum_flynn

4. Kieran Fanning - The Great Chocoplot by Chris Callaghan

Imagine a chocopocalypse - a world in which chocolate is running out! Doesn't bear thinking about. But don't worry, because chocolate fan, Jelly, is on the case. Can she solve the great chocoplot?
Chris is a great guy, and very funny too, and I for one am looking forward to his debut.

www.kieranfanning.com
@KieranJFanning

5. Claire Fayers - The Ministry of SUITS by Paul Gamble

Of all the books I am desperate to read next year, I am most desperate to read this.  Jack and Trudy are the newest recruits in the Ministry of Strange, Unusual and Interesting Things, where they find out that the world is much stranger than they'd previously believed, and also contains more pirates and dinosaurs. I caught a brief glimpse of the review copy of this several weeks ago and I'm still laughing. It's due out in July but I'm planning to steal that review copy back because I genuinely can't wait that long.

https://clairefayers.wordpress.com

@clairefayers

6. Lara Williamson - Beetle Boy by M G Leonard

This book promises humour, adventure and science and I can't think of a better mix. Not only is the main character fabulously named, Darkus Cuttle, but he joins forces with a super species of intelligent beetles to find his missing father. Now, I'm no big fan of beetles but I am prepared to be amazed and astounded and I suspect I'm going to love those little creepy-crawlies by the time I've turned the last page. I love books that can make me look at things in a new way. So, roll on 2016 and let me discover more about beetles and Beetle Boy. 
Twitter: @LaraWilliamson

7. Ruth Fitzgerald - The Voyage to Magical North by Claire Fayers

I have been hearing so many enticing bits and pieces about this book for ages and I'm so excited to read it in full. The main character, Brine Seabourne, sounds like a brilliant new, female lead and the book has pirates, magic, sea monsters and evil, talking penguins! Oh, I'm getting all excited again! I'm down for an ARC but it seems to be very slow in arriving, maybe that's because I'm very impatient but I suspect it's because it's one of those books no one wants to pass on!

Twitter: @writingruth

~~~

Only seven from us this week, but I am sure that if 2014 and 2015 are anything to go by then 2016 will also be a fabulous year for debut middle grade novels.

Top 10 Tuesday: Quote I Loved From A Middle Grade Book I Read In The Past Year Or So

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Today some of the MGSB team have chosen favourite and/or memorable quotes from middle grade books that they have read in the past year.

1. Elen Caldecott - The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell

I'm glad I got in first this week! It means I can nab what must be many people's choice, the opening line of The Wolf Wilder, to quote in full: "Once upon a time, a hundred years ago, there was a dark and stormy girl." That traditional opening, and cliche is to beautifully and elegantly subverted. You know you're in very safe hands indeed.
www.elencaldecott.com

2. Rachel Hamilton - A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Quote: “You do not write your life with words...You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do.” 
I found myself nodding as I read these lines earlier this year. Despite what some might claim, I don't believe negative thoughts are toxic. Thoughts don't make us good or bad, they just make us 'us'. And it's only when we fully understand and accept ourselves that we become truly capable of writing our lives with actions.
http://rachel-hamilton.com/
@RachelLHamilton

3. Susie Day - Joe All Alone by Joanna Nadin

'''Welcome to the real world, son.'
I'm not your son, I think. And it's not up to you. It's up to Mum.
But that's not true and we all know it."
At first Joe's almost relieved that Mum and Dean, her heartbreakingly awful boyfriend, go off on holiday and leave him behind for a week. But then the leccy runs out, and the money, and the food, and when Friday comes they don't come back... There's hope too, in the form of Asha and Otis in the flat opposite, and tons of wry humour, but Nadin's rightly uncompromising about the bleak reality of neglect and poverty. An outstanding read, with sequel White Lies, Black Dare coming February 2016.
susieday.com

4. Darren Hartwell - Fire Girl by Matt Ralphs

Ha! Elen beat me to it, and I would not be surprised if there are a few others on the MGSB team who wanted to pick the same quote. Instead, I am going to go for one line from Matt Ralphs' brilliant debut, Fire Girl:
 "That's it, witch-child, burn it all down"
It's the book's Die Hard "Yippee Ki-Yay, M********" moment. It's not particularly deep and meaningful, but as it is uttered by a grumpy dormouse called Bramley it makes me chuckle every time I think of it. Go on - say it out loud. You'll find yourself defaulting to a deep and gravelly James Earl Jones voice, but remember, you have to use the highest pitched voice that you can. More Minnie Mouse than Darth Vader. See - hilarious. And a perfect example of how Ralphs eases the darkness of his story with humour.
The Book Zone (For Boys)

5. Harry Oulton - The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers


"It happened that green and crazy summer when Frankie was twelve years old." Great opening to a book! What is 'it'? why was the summer 'green' and why 'crazy'? Is Frankie a boy or a girl? And how old is she/he now? How far back are we looking? All those questions in one sentence, that's how to set up a book! It gets a bit weird after that amazing opening, but for that alone it makes the list.
www.harryoulton.co.uk

6. Abi Elphinstone - Stonebird by Mike Revell

Ha! First Elen steals Rundell's opener for The Wolf Wilder then Darren nicks off with my favourite Fire Girl quote. I'm going to go with a few lines from the first page of Stonebird by the very talented Mike Revell.
‘It starts at night… A huge shadow in the darkness, a flash of gleaming gold. It sweeps across the garden and blends with the trees, then flies off towards the rundown church.’
In just a few sentences Revell sets the magic of his story turning - darkness, gold, hushed trees and a rundown church. This is storytelling at its best. 
www.abielphinstone.com
@moontrug

7. Clare Zinkin - Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead

"You paint your toenails. You don't steal nail polish, though....Your mother is shouting that it's time to leave for school. You suck in air and shout back: "Just a minute!" You are not going to school. She doesn't realise that, of course"
When the second chapter blasts open and starts talking in second person narrative, the reader is hooked - who is the mystery 'you'? And how does Stead catch the emotions of an anonymous person so brilliantly. An amazing feat of storytelling, carefully woven into the rest of the novel.
www.MinervaReads.com
@minervamoan

8. Tatum Flynn - Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge

‘In the old days folk would have told stories,’ remarked his companion. ‘By the fire. To hold back the dark. But the dark always finds its way into the stories, does it not? The stories worth hearing, at least. The true lies.’
Wonderful quote from an absolutely wonderful, gripping, creepy book. Hardinge's imagination and prose are second-to-none. No wonder Cuckoo Song was the first children's book to win the Bristish Fantasy Award for best novel.
www.tatumflynn.net
@tatum_flynn

9. Kieran Fanning - Island by Nicky Singer

'If we forget the language of the ancestors, we forget how to think. If we stop telling our stories, we stop knowing who we are.'

A powerful quote from an exceptional novel which is important, brave, finely crafted and unique.
www.kieranfanning.com

@KieranJFanning


Sadly only nine from us today - do you have a favourite quote from a middle grade book that you have read this year that could be our tenth?

Top 10 Tuesday: Middle Grade Movie Adaptation I'm Looking Forward To or MG Book To Movie Adaptation I Still Need To Watch

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Today it's all about film adaptations and some of the MGSB team have chosen the adaptations they are most looking forward to watching (some of which are verging on the hopeful), or film adaptations that we still need to see.

1. Elen Caldecott - Howl's Moving Castle

I love Studio Ghibli (even the slower, pastel-hued offerings like The Wind Rises and The Tale of Princess Kaguya) AND I love Diana Wynne Jones. So, I have no idea why it has taken me forever to watch this adaptation. I think I'm just scared. What if two mastercraftspeople have ended up making a dog's dinner? Top Ten Tuesday might just force me over to Netflix!
www.elencaldecott.com

2. Susie Day - The Secret World of Arrietty

What Elen said! Except this time it's the joy of Ghibli combined with Mary Norton's The Borrowers. I think my wariness comes from having seen some, er, less than stellar adaptations of Arrietty's tiny world of thievery, growing up and green baize doors. But if anyone can...
susieday.com

3. Huw Powell - Magyk by Angie Sage

I met Angie at Bath Children's Literature Festival this year and cannot wait for her Septimus Heap books to be made into films. Not only are they exciting magical adventures about a wizard apprentice, they also contain cauldrons full of warmth and humour. Spellbinding stuff for the big screen!
www.spacejackers.com

4. Darren Hartwell - Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens

Ok, I don't know if this is cheating a little, but as Robin announced back in August that the Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries have been optioned for TV and film then they would have to appear right at the top of my list. I rarely get excited about film adaptations of great books (I've been disappointed too many times in the past - Percy Jackson? The Dark is Rising? Stormbreaker?), but Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are made to be on the screen, although I would probably prefer a TV series over a big screen version. Think Poirot or Miss Marple, but for younger viewers - in the right hands they could quite easily become the essential Christmas Day viewing in the future.
The Book Zone (For Boys)

5. Roz Isme - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

I'm definitely cheating because it seems I've already seen all the MG movie adaptations that I've looked up. So this is one I'm looking forward to watching again. We all saw Harry, Hermione and Ron grow up on the screen, so to go back and see them right at the beginning will be a treat. I'll have to stop myself constantly saying 'Oh they're so cute!' After that I may as well watch all the other Harry Potter films too!

6. C.J. Busby - The Amulet of Samarkand, by Jonathan Stroud

This isn't being made into a film, but it should be. Apparently someone has the movie rights - please, hurry up and make it, before Johnny Depp is too old to play Bartimaeus! There's intrigue, magic, dark Victorian London streets and a wise-cracking djinn who gets all the best lines. There are loads of great characters, lots of action and a spectacular showdown at the end. I's definitely pay good money to see it.
www.cjbusby.co.uk

7. Kieran Fanning - Artemis Fowl & His Dark Materials

The MG movie I'm most excited about seeing is Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. After years of the movie nearly being made, news was released recently that it's definitely going ahead with Kenneth Branagh as director. Read the full story here.  Only this week BBC confirmed a TV series of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials which is so exciting. Read about it here. Hopefully it'll be closer to the National Theatre's brilliant stage version than the 2006 movie, which was poor.
www.kieranfanning.com

8. Harry Oulton - Two Jungle Books coming next year!

It's weird re-reading the original (very short) Jungle Book as you realise what an amazing job Disney actually did (how often do we say that?) - it's  a proper adaptation in that they took the world and the incidents from the book and then shaped them into a proper cinematic structure. Like How to Train your Dragon, or Paddington. Maybe it's only films for Children that make the effort to do this? Anyway, live action Jungle Book coming next year. Twice! can't wait.
harryoulton.co.uk

9. Abi Elphinstone - Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver

Few writers conjure up worlds as vividly as Michelle Paver. Her Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series plunge the reader back into the Stone Age where a boy, Torak, makes friends with a wolf and together they set out to destroy the demonic powers that killed Torak's father. Apparently someone, somewhere, is making a film of the first book, Wolf Brother. Paver's research was meticulous - she travelled to the forests of Finland to explore how people lived 6000 years ago and she spent time in a wolf sanctuary and with ravens in the Tower of London. It'll be a challenge to recreate her powerfully imagined world but if it's done well, it'll be spectacular. I can't wait...
www.abielphinstone.com
@moontrug

10. Darren Hartwell - Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve and The Undrowned Child by Michelle Lovric

I get to have another choice! Hurrah! And I'm going to cheat again. Doubly so, as I'm going to name TWO more books that I think would make fabulous movies. The first is Philip Reeve's superb Mortal Engines - just imagine how incredible this would look on the big screen (especially if someone like George Miller, of Mad Max fame, got his hands on it as director). Gritty, post-apocalyptic action adventure! And the other one is Michelle Lovric's The Undrowned Child. Michelle is one of my favourite middle grade writers and I totally love her Venice-set fantasy stories. I would love to see Spielberg directing this one, or alternatively I would love to see a Studio Ghibli version - could someone please persuade Hayao Miyazaki to come out of retirement (again)?
The Book Zone (For Boys)

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Middle Grade Releases For The Rest Of 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Today, ten of our wonderful Middle Grade Strikes Back contributors have each chosen a book they just cannot wait to read when it is released later in 2015:

1. Abi Elphinstone: The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell

Books as brilliant as Katherine Rundell's 'The Wolf Wilder' are very rare. I adored 'Rooftoppers' but this is better still and I cannot wait for it to be released. Combine the snow-bound woods of Russia with a heroine worthy of comparison to Pullman's Lyra Belacqua and Rundell's effortlessly brilliant story-telling with a plot championing outsiders and underdogs - this is a book every child will be talking about come September. It is impossible to read it without feeling that something very special has just happened. This book will become a classic - guaranteed. 

www.abielphinstone.com 

2. Jim Dean: First Class Murder by Robin Stevens

So many great books coming out later this year - I've been lucky enough to read The Wolf Wilder already and would definitely second Abi's recommendation - but top of my personal most-wanted list is the third instalment of the wonderful Wells & Wong series. These two schoolgirl detectives are a captivating duo and their first two mysteries have been entertaining adventures which bring the 1930s to life perfectly; I can't wait to read more.

(Also, they're on a train - how cool is that?!)

www.yayeahyeah.com

3. Tatum Flynn: The Box of Demons by Daniel Whelan

It's MG, it's funny, and it's about demons, so naturally am hugely looking forward to reading this. It's also coming out in a gorgeous hardback with a pop-up cover illustrated by one of my favourite artists, Chris Riddell. We grown-ups don't get nearly enough excuses to play with pop-up books...

http://www.tatumflynn.net/ 

4. Clare Zinkin: Another Kind of Hurricane by Tamara Ellis Smith

Sometimes I just like to take a punt. So I’ll be reading this debut novel from across the pond, about two boys both suffering huge losses, one in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the other through a tragic accident, and how they find each other and a way to heal. The author draws from her own experience of living through Tropical Storm Irene, and the novel has been described as being told from multiple points of view, as well as being mainly character driven. It’s all about human connections. I hope it’s a good one. Publishes 14 July.

Clare Zinkin writes about children's books on her website www.MinervaReads.com

5. Darren Hartwell: The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair by Lara Williamson

My task of cjossing only one book has been made significantly easier by the fact that a number of the books I have been aching to read later this year have sadly been pushed over to 2016 for publication. However, there is one that I am soooo glad is still scheduled for 2015, and it is this second book by Lara Williamson. Her debut, A Boy Called Hope, was one of my Top 5 books of 2014. It was a funny, heart-warming, enchanting and inspirational, and I am expecting more of the same from Lara with The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair, which is due out in October.

Book Zone (For Boys)

6. Andy Shepherd: In Darkling Wood by Emma Carroll

Thanks to the ‘Twitter effect’ and pre-release buzz I seem to have rather a lot of books on my Hotly Anticipated list! I definitely agree with Abi and Jim about The Wolf Wilder which I did manage to sneak a copy of, but another one I really want to get my hands on is Emma Carroll’s ‘In Darkling Wood’. I loved ‘Frost Hollow Hall’ and ‘The Girl Who Walked on Air’ and I can’t wait to dive into Emma’s latest book. She writes so beautifully and the stories are always rich and intriguing and full of fantastic characters. In her new book we have an ancient wood, fairies, secrets, magic and the First World War. Let me at it! @moontrug whet my appetite even more with her review.

Twitter: @andyjshepherd

http://andyshepherdwriter.co.uk

7. Kate Mallinder: Too Close to Home by Aoife Walsh

It's the mark of a great writer if, having read their debut, you're itching to read what they write next.  I loved 'Look After Me' which was about a family that didn't conform to the norm.  It seems that 'Look After Me' will follow in that theme of family life.  It's described as a 'story full of humour, honesty and minor household emergencies' which sounds like it could be another book that does the tricky job of making the reader laugh and cry.  Can't wait for the 2 July when it comes out!

Twitter: @KateMallinder

www.KateMallinder.co.uk

8. Tizzie Frankish: Timmy Failure: Sanitized for Your Protection by Stephan Pastis

Its a tough one... So many super books out this year! Like Darren, I'm also eagerly awaiting Lara Williamson's 'The Boy who sailed the Ocean in an Armchair' along with 'Timmy Failure: Sanitized for your Protection'. After reading the fabulously funny first book in the Timmy Failure series and interviewing Author/ Illustrator Stephan Pastis for the MGSB blog, my children and I are currently laughing our way through the series. We are intrigued to find out what the hapless detective and his trusty sidekick Total the Polar Bear get up to in the fourth book, which is out in October. 

www.tizziefrankish.com

9. Harry Oulton: Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine

I think this may technically be out already, but it's been eagerly awaited by me for ages - Finding Violet Park was Jenny Valentine's fantastic debut novel - a kind of London odyssey about an urn of ashes leading to the past. This one looks even better - and it's got the most fantastic cover!

www.harryoulton.co.uk

10. Sophie Plowden: Circles of Stone by Ian Johnstone

'Circles of Stone', the second book in the 'Mirror Chronicle' series, comes out on 2 July. And if it comes halfway to meeting the epic scale and jaw-dropping beauty of Ian Johnstone's debut 'The Bell Between Worlds’, then we're in for a treat.
http://www.the-bia.com/sophie-plowden.html

Top Ten Tuesday: Middle Grade Books We'd Love To See As A Movie/TV Show

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Today, ten of our wonderful Middle Grade Strikes Back contributors have each chosen a book they would love to see made into a TV show or a film on the big screen:

1. Huw Powell: Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve.

This futuristic series of steampunk books is packed with daring deeds, adventure and mystery. The story is fast-paced, gripping and full of colourful characters. It would make a visually stunning movie for an increasingly popular genre. The opening line of the first book is: "It was a dark, blustery afternoon in spring, and the city of London was chasing a small mining town across the dried-out bed of the old North Sea."

www.spacejackers.com

2. Jim Dean: Children of the Red King series by Jenny Nimmo

I loved the Harry Potter films and The Worst Witch TV series, so would be thrilled to see another of my favourite magical schools brought to life! This series has brilliant characters - focusing on Charlie Bone, who can travel into photographs and pictures, but with a strong supporting cast like Emma Tolly, who can turn into birds, storm-bringer Tancred Torsson, and illusionist Olivia Vertigo. Either as a movie with special effects, or a cartoon reminiscent of so many of my beloved 80s series, this would rock.

3. Tatum Flynn: His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

A lot of people where underwhelmed by The Golden Compass film, but I wasn't one of them - I thought it looked absolutely stunning, and that Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman were perfectly cast. It's not an exaggeration to say I was gutted when they didn't make any more. I would pay all the money to see the rest of this enthralling, magical trilogy play out on screen.

http://www.tatumflynn.net/ 

4. Paula Harrison: The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken

I seem to have been praising the brilliance of The Wolves of Willoughby Chase all over various blogs plus twitter for months now! This story would make an amazing film. It has characters drawn with subtlety and brilliance - both baddies and the heroes and heroines. It has tension, a big old house, a brooding snow covered landscape and wolves. Honestly, what are the film directors waiting for!

(Having checked I see there was a version made in 1989. This is no good - we need an up to date movie made!)

Paula Harrison is the author of Red Moon Rising  www.paulaharrison.jimdo.com

5. Cecilia Busby: The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

Jonathan Stroud is one of those authors who gets co-opted as YA but  I would consider him to be a proper middle-grade children's writer, even if he does have YA (and adult) appeal. The Amulet of Samarkand would make a fabulous film - all those djinns and afrits and imps in the dark Victorian London streets, balls and receptions and the business of government conducted by dark suited magicians while the common unmagical people foment revolution... And Bartimaeus! What a character! I would cast Johnny Depp, or failing that, Tom Hiddleston. They have the right kind of sardonic expressions and ability to raise one eyebrow. They'd also look very fine transformed into a dark-eyed slave girl or skinny Egyptian boy. And there is a fantastic action-packed finale whicih would have everyoe on the edge of their seats.

Cecilia Busby is the author of a number of MG fantasy books. www.cjbusby.co.uk

6. Elen Caldecott Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay

The first in the warm, funny Casson Family series, this book would be perfect for a TV adaptation. It would sit on the spectrum of real life drama that includes classics like Tracy Beaker and Grange Hill. In the novel, Saffy has to find her place in the eccentric, eclectic family as a seismic secret comes to light. It has elements of soap opera, in that the emotional narrative is addictive, but it is done with such elegance that kids would be getting top quality telly.

www.elencaldecott.com

7. Miriam Craig Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson

When I was younger I watched TV adaptions of A Little Princess and The Secret Garden (by Frances Hodgson Burnett) with great pleasure (on video, of course). I think a movie or TV version of Journey to the River Sea would be every bit as popular. It's a story with great breadth, that starts at a boarding school in England, takes us by ship to Brazil and then circles back to an English country house. The characters are incredibly engaging and complex, especially the relationship between Maia, an orphan, and her stern governess, Miss Minton. And the plot is genuinely thrilling. But with the early 20th century setting and so many exciting locations, it wouldn't be cheap to make!

www.bookyshmoo.com

8. Jason Rohan: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

This is one of those books that is cinematic in concept and execution. Even though I read it a few years ago, many scenes remain vivid in my imagination. In short, it's a survival story against very long odds. 13 year old Brian Robeson finds himself stranded in the Canadian wilderness and has to fend for himself, like a much younger version of Tom Hanks in Cast Away. Even though there is only one main character and very little dialogue, for obvious reasons, Paulsen crafts a skillful tale of boy versus nature with plenty of excitement and I'd love to see this given the proper Hollywood treatment.

9. Anne Booth: Carbonel by Barbara Sleigh

It is a wonderful book full of magic and wit and I think it could be adapted to be a fantastic film.

10. Susie Day: Varjak Paw by SF Said, illustrated by Dave McKean

This one hurts, because it comes with so much might-have-been baggage. A kitten warrior navigating the city and learning The Way, accompanied by Dave McKean's aesthetic? It's no wonder this film has genuinely nearly happened time and again. There's even a poster. I loved Mirrormask's queasy fantasy, and the book's illustrations call to mind just such a tall-shadowed creepifying gothic landscape. The story's cracking too: tribes, family, responsibility and courage. Come on, Hollywood.

http://susieday.com/

Top Ten Tuesday: Middle Grade Books I Plan To Have In My Beach Bag This Summer

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Today, ten of our fabulous Middle Grade Strikes Back contributors have each chosen a book they plan to have in their beach bag this summer:

1. Elen Caldecott; Alex, the Dog and the Unopenable Door by Ross Montgomery

It's been out for a while, but Ross Montgomery had slipped under my radar, so I haven't read this yet. I read The Tornado Chasers earlier in the year and loved it. It was odd and unexpected in a really good way, and the title of this, at least, makes me hope I'll love this book as much.

www.elencaldecott.com

2. Kieran Fanning; The Astounding Broccoli Boy by Frank Cottrell Boyce

The reason this will be in my beach bag this summer is because it is written by Frank Cottrell Boyce.  Simple as that.  The man's a genius. His books are hilarious, but warm and heartfelt too. I first discovered him through the movie, Millions, and then went on to read the book, which I really liked. I enjoyed 'Cosmic' too but 'Framed' is one of my all time favourite books. So really looking forward to it.

www.kieranfanning.com

3. Abi Elphinstone: In Darkling Wood by Emma Carroll

I like fiesty heroines and Emma Carroll does them brilliantly. I adored Tilly in 'Frost Hollow Hall' and Louie in 'The Girl Who Walked On Air' and this July sees the release of 'In Darkling Wood' - where Carroll blends Alice's modern day adventure with the historical magic of Flo's. Based on the enigmatic Cottingley Fairies and with a stunning cover by Julian De Narvaez, I can't wait to read it...

www.abielphinstone.com 

4. Jason Rohan: Arsenic For Tea by Robin Stevens

Murder Most Unladylike was for me an unexpected treat with engaging characters, a solid mystery and moments of unexpected humour and wicked satire. On the one hand, you had midnight feasts and bunbreaks, whilst on the other you had schoolgirls snogging and period jokes. Like the best animated movies, MMU was written on different levels and I for one am ready for another arsenic-laced slice of this particular tiffin treat.

5. Tatum Flynn: The Crowham Martyrs by Jane McLoughlin

Witches and ghosts and mysteries at a crumbling old boarding school, and a heroine named Maddy Deeprose? YES PLEASE. And since one reader admitted the book was so scary it spooked her even on a full train, I think the beach might be the only safe place to read it...

http://www.tatumflynn.net/ 

6. Darren Hartwell: Circles of Stone by Ian Johnstone

I read The Bell Between Worlds, the first book in Ian Johnstone's The Mirror Chronicles trilogy, a few months ago and loved every moment of it. It is middle grade fantasy at its very best, and had I read it when it was first released it may very well have made it into my top books of 2014. The sequel, Circles of Stone, is out at the beginning of July, but work is always bonkers around then (whoever says teachers wind down for the summer has never taught at my school!), so I'm going to wait until the summer holidays so I can devote quality reading time to it.

bookzone4boys.blogspot.com

7. Paula Harrison: Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones

I've read and loved many Diana Wynne Jones books but I missed out Fire and Hemlock until I bought a copy in my local bookshop recently. The blurb talks of Polly and Thomas Lynn who make up stories together that have a nasty habit of coming true. Now, who could resist that as a story premise

Paula Harrison is the author of Red Moon Rising   www.paulaharrison.jimdo.com

8. Clare Zinkin: My Brother is a Superhero by David Solomons

I spend most of my time recommending books to children, so when it happens the other way round I’m totally delighted. This book only publishes in July, but my son was lucky enough to get an ARC and adored it; in fact for someone who remains fairly straight-faced through all comedy, this book had him guffawing and chuckling. The premise itself is enough to draw me in though – comic mad 11 year old Luke goes to the loo at the exact moment than an alien arrives and gives his undeserving brother superpowers. A new take on sibling rivalry! Bring on summer!

Clare Zinkin writes about and recommends children’s books on www.MinervaReads.com 

9.Harry Oulton: The Owl Service by Alan Garner

I read The Weirdstone of Brisingamen years ago and loved it, but was never allowed to read The Owl Service because I was told it was too scary! I figure I'm now old enough to tackle it, but figured what better book to read in the summer when the nights are short so as much as possible can be read in daylight. All I know about it is that it involves owls, attics and a lot of horror. Written by one of our finest living writers! What's not to like?

www.harryoulton.co.uk

10. Sophie Plowden: Alfie Bloom and the Secrets of Hexbridge Castle by Gabrielle Kent

And once I've devoured The Crowham Martyrs, I'm plunging my fangs straight into 'Alfie Bloom and the Secrets of Hexbridge Castle' for more spooky goings on in the company of eleven year old Alfie, his ancient castle and a shapeshifting solicitor. (Oh - and a flying, talking bearskin rug, which I'd swap for a beach towel in a heartbeat!)

http://www.the-bia.com/sophie-plowden.html

Top Ten Tuesday: Our Favourite Middle Grade Series Of All Time

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Today, ten of our fabulous Middle Grade Strikes Back contributors have each chosen their favourite Middle Grade series of all time:

1. Elen Caldecott: The Casson Family series by Hilary McKay

This series, starting with 'Saffy's Angel' is as warm and comforting as lying on your nana's sofa under a crocheted blanket when you're poorly. Each book is a hug from a cherished friend. The Casson family are inventive, supportive, brave while still feeling real and vulnerable. The writing is assured. We see the family's worries and difficulties, but we also see that there's no place like home for any of them. Just wonderful.

www.elencaldecott.com

2. Huw Powell: The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

Not only is this a fantastic trilogy full of magic and adventure, but JRR Tolkien created a whole world with Middle Earth, including its own creatures, politics, history, maps and languages. His work has entertained generations of fans and inspired decades of fantasy novels. It's difficult to talk about The Lord of the Rings without using the word 'epic'.

www.spacejackers.com

3. Kieran Fanning: His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

Not sure if this is technically Middle Grade but it was certainly read by this age group. I was totally blown away by Pullman's world and the vast adventure encompassed in the three books.  The originality of his creations, most notably the idea that everyone has a daemons, brought something fresh to the fantasy genre. And you've got to love the spirit of his MC, Lyra Belacqua. Craving for more when the series ended I was further enchanted by The Royal National Theatre's production of the story but so disappointed by the movie. It is of no surprise that this was the only children's book ever to win the Whitbread Prize.

www.kieranfanning.com

4. Piers Torday: The Adventure Series by Willard Price

This 14 book long adventures of animal lovers Hal and Roger may never win the Nobel Prize for Literature. But if there was a a Nobel Prize for great adventure stories that get boys reading, I would have made these stories my number one choice. Much of my early knowledge of the animals and habitats of the world come from these yarns, which always had a strong eco-message decades before it was a mainstream agenda. They are quick to read, addictive and packed with facts on everything from scuba diving to volcanoes. As a young reader I learned the basics of storytelling from them (now continued by Anthony McGowan), not to mention a lifetime's worth of pub quiz trivia - and they deserve broader recognition.

www.pierstorday.co.uk 

5. Jim Dean: The Pea's Book Series by Susie Day


The quartet of Pea's Books - soon to be continued in a sequel series, starting with The Secrets of Sam and Sam - feel like classics despite being written so recently. Pea is an utterly delightful lead, I love her sisters and her mother and the strong family bond between them, and there's a wonderfully diverse cast of characters.

6. Aoife Walsh: The Tillerman series by Cynthia Voigt

These books are peopled with incredible characters – from Dicey to Bullet to Mina to Jeff to the rest of them, they are wildly realistic, stressful, uplifting reads. I was an anxious child, always looking for release in books, a neat ending that wrapped up all the worries. These were not those books. These were about struggles that didn't end; these were the books that said that life is hard, and that’s OK. It doesn’t mean you can’t be happy.

7. C.J. Busby: The Chrestomanci books, by Diana Wynne Jones

These aren't a conventional series - the first one written (not the first chronologically) was Charmed Life, and that didn't really get a conventional sequel until almost thirty years later, with The Pinhoe Egg - but in between there are a whole set of stories that somehow or other (often not till the last minute) feature Chrestomanci. They also feature alternative worlds, magic, unexpected villains, and all manner of witches, warlocks, wizards, enchanters and even a goddess. All of them are funny as well as twisted, and full of  the most marvellous writing and invention. I read the early ones as a child, and loved them - I read the later ones as an adult, and still loved them. Diana Wynne Jones is, as Neil Gaiman has said: 'the best writer of magic for children there is'.

www.cjbusby.co.uk

8. Claire Fayers: The Earthsea books, by Ursula Le Guin

I came to these quite later, after reading every gigantic fantasy saga that existed at the time, and they were such a refreshing change.  The books are slim but the world of Earthsea is fully developed with a cast of diverse characters. I particularly like the way the characters fail, make mistakes and grow over the course of the stories - they felt far more human to me than the usual plethora of fantasy warriors. Plus there are dragons.  Graceful, wise, ancient, indifferent, dangerous dragons. The Earthsea dragons became my template of what dragons ought to be.

9. Darren Hartwell: Alfred Hitchcock and the The Three Investigators series

Blyton was huge in our family in the 1970s, and we all grew up on a diet of her stories. The Five Find Outers books got me hooked on mystery stories, where proper deduction was required, rather than in The Famous Five books where the four children plus dog more often than not just stumbled onto the solution. At some point I moved on from Blyton, and I think it was when I discovered The Three Investigators - The Mystery of the Green Ghost was, I believe, the book that hooked me, and from that moment on I picked up books whenever I could - local library, jumble sales, charity shops, wherever (and I still have all my original copies). 

This was proper mystery solving, with Jupiter's brains, Pete's physical prowess and Bob's talents for research. The mysteries were clever, dangerous and thrilling to read. They had a secret base of operations hidden under the multitude of items in Jupe's Uncle's junkyard, and for a good few years I yearned to live in Rocky Beach, California, and be the owner of a 3 Investigators business card and a coloured piece of chalk. Sadly, I had to make do with living in middle England, but I made myself one of those cards and I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a piece of chalk as well... and various detetctive manuals, a fingerprint kit, a code making kit (yes, it was my little middle grade obsession, and at that point in my life I was most definitely going to be a detective, or a spy). I could go on and on, but I will instead promise to write a longer article about these for MGSB in the future.

Book Zone (For Boys)

10. Paula Harrison - The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

I discovered the Penderwicks when looking for books that my (then) 10 year old might like. She'd been living on a diet of fantasy and magic and I thought the realism  of Penderwicks might be a nice change. The books kept us entertained for months. The family of four sisters - each very different - is so well drawn. The scrapes and trials they go through are narrated with such sympathy and humour. I'm very glad we found this series.


Paula Harrison is the author of Red Moon Rising   www.paulaharrison.jimdo.com

Top 10 Tuesday: Inspiring quotes from Middle Grade Books

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Today, ten of our fabulous Middle Grade Strikes Back contributors have each chosen their favourite inspiring quote from a middle grade book:

1. Paula Harrison: from Cosmic by Frank Cottrell-Boyce

"It might look like a coincidence that Dad rang me just as the phones came on. But it wasn't. He'd been trying for days and days. He got through the moment they came back on because he'd been trying all the time - that's what dads do. I had to look out for the children, like Dad looked out for me and his dad had for him, right back through time. Dadliness was out there among the stars, a force like gravity; and I was part of it."

Hmm my quote's a bit long. But I love the fact that the main character has this moment of clarity looking back at Earth from a space rocket. and I love the depiction of his relationship with his dad. 

http://paulaharrison.jimdo.com

2. Andy Shepherd: from A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness         

"'You do not write your life with words, the monster said. You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do.'"

This book makes me cry, every time I come back to it, because it goes right to the heart of something I found so hard growing up. The fact that you can think so many different and conflicting things at once. The fact that those thoughts feel like the truth, every single one of them. And how can that be? And what does it say about you, if you think those thoughts?

I wish I’d had A Monster Calls when I was young – because then I might have learned sooner that negative thoughts and emotions are simply part of our experience. That the mean, scary, horrible thought I’d just had was ‘only a thought, one of a million.’  And that the answer to the question ‘So what do I do?’ is:

‘You speak the truth.’

- however complicated that might be!

@andyjshepherd
http://andyshepherdwriter.co.uk

3. Abi Elphinstone: from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R Tolkien

"Frodo: I can't do this, Sam. 
Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something. 
Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam? 
Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for."

My little brother, Tom, is travelling the world at the moment and he couldn't be there for the launch of my debut. And so instead, he wrote me a letter with this conversation in it, telling me to be brave no matter how scary it might feel to have my first book tiptoe out into the world. It was the loveliest letter I have ever been sent. There is something so powerful and moving in both Sam and Frodo's friendship, and in their courage. 

www.abielphinstone.com
@moontrug

4. Cecilia Busby: from Danny Champion of the World by Roald Dahl

"A real mouth smile always has an eye-smile to go with it, so watch out, I say, when someone smiles at you with his mouth but the eyes stay the same. It's sure to be bogus."

As a child, I loved Danny's father, with his twinkling eye-smiles and his mad adventures - and his deep dark secret, that really he's a poacher... The bit where Danny has to drive their car to rescue his father from the woods in the dead of night was one of the most heart-stoppingly exciting things I'd ever read. And I think this quote, about looking out for fake smiles, is an excellent bit of advice!

www.cjbusby.co.uk


5. Jim Dean: from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling

"'It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.'"

It's hard to pick a favourite quote from a series as brilliant as Harry Potter, but I think the pep talk Dumbledore gives to Harry after he's doubting whether he should really be in Gryffindor or if, with his ability to speak Parseltongue, the Sorting Hat was right to consider Slytherin for him, is wonderful. This is the key sentence and it's something I'd love ALL children and teens to remember.

www.yayeahyeah.com

@yayeahyeah

6. Sophie Cleverly: from A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” 

This book is a veritable treasure trove of quotes, but the above is one that is most frequently shared, and rightly so. It's true of holidays, adventures, moving away... but it's also true of reading. Once you've read this book, you will see the world differently.  It teaches you, moves you, changes the way you think. Take that step out into the world, or into a book, and broaden your horizons. “There isn't a way things should be. There's just what happens, and what we do.” 

http://www.hapfairy.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/Hapfairy

7. Peter Jay Black: from Peter Pan by JM Barrie

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.”

Everyone knows the tale of Peter Pan and this quote not only sums up the whole premise of the story, but of childhood too - imagination and belief. It's often said we lose that when we grow up, but I'm not so sure we do (authors definitely don't!). The reason people read is to escape to fantasy worlds, to be transported, to imagine, to believe. . ."The reason birds can fly and we can't is simply that they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings."

https://twitter.com/PeterJayBlack
http://www.urbanoutlawsbunker.com/

8. Clare Zinkin: from Pollyanna by Eleanor H Porter

"What men and women need is encouragement. Their natural resisting powers should be strengthened, not weakened...Instead of always harping on a man's faults, tell him of his virtues."

An old-fashioned classic, but one which remains inspirational. I'll never forget the prisms of light that Pollyanna hung in her window - the visual has stayed with me from childhood. Above all, this is a book that teaches how to triumph in the face of adversity, that goodness shines through and that one person can make a difference. It pointed out many truths before self-help books came along and tried to say the same things! 

@minervamoan
http://www.MinervaReads.com 

9. Rachel Hamilton: from Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

"The idea hovered and shimmered delicately, like a soap bubble, and she dared not even look at it directly in case it burst. But she was familiar with the way of ideas, and she let it shimmer, looking away, thinking about something else"

There are so many wonderful lines to choose from when it comes to Philip Pullman's writing, but this is my favourite. It's such a perfect description of how ideas float in the air waiting to be coaxed on to the page, or canvas, by those with skill and patience, but ready to pop in an instant if grabbed at too greedily.

http://rachel-hamilton.com/
Twitter: @RachelLHamilton

10. Harry Oulton: from The House at Pooh Corner by AA Milne

"He's out," said Pooh sadly. "That's what it is. He's not in. I shall have to go a fast  Thinking Walk by myself. Bother!"

Fantastic not very clever hero. Loyalty, and simplicity as the most valuable characteristics ever. And how fantastic that Winnie the Pooh (a 'bear of little brain') is Disney's most valuable character, and probably the most successful children's literary character ever.

www.harryoulton.co.uk

Twitter @HarryOulton1