top ten middle grade books i recommend most

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we all get to exercise our OCD tendencies and come up with bookish lists.  If you’d like to play along, check out this post.

It’s Middle Grade March, so I’m giving everything a middle grade spin.  That’s fine, because the majority of people who ask me for recommendations are looking for books for their kids or grandkids.  And usually, that means middle grade readers.  This list isn’t necessarily full of all-time favorites, but it is full of well-written crowd-pleasers that will (mostly) appeal to both sexes, and all ages.

Top Ten Middle Grade Books I Recommend Most

1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman – This book is sharp and dangerous and beautiful (as Neil Gaiman books just are), and I recommend it to readers of all ages.

2. Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce – A poignant, funny take on family, growing up, and the possibilities of space travel.

3. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente – The magic of Fairyland will break your heart and remake it again.

4. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede – Dragons, dangerous wizards, unusual adventures, and cherries jubilee (a recipe for fun, if there ever was one).

5. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis – Classic fantasy, and still enchanting and perfect after so many years.

6. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart – Clever middle grade mystery, defined.

7. The Merlin Conspiracy by Diana Wynne Jones – The book that introduced me to DWJ’s genius and charm.

8. Lyddie by Katherine Paterson – One of my favorite historical fiction books from childhood, it follows the life of determined, brave young Lyddie as she makes her way in the world.

9. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls – Oh, this book!  A must read.

10. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau – One of the first post-apocalyptic books I’d ever read, and a tightly constructed one at that.

What books do you recommend most?

breadcrumbs by anne ursu - fairy tale giveaway hop

I clearly have a preference for young adult and middle grade fantasy, but there's a special place in my heart reserved for fairy tale retellings.  There's something about taking a well-worn story and turning its frayed edges into an entirely new, intricate and beautiful creation that makes my whole being happy.  Even though I haven't finished this one, I already know it's headed in the right direction.

Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. But that was before he stopped talking to her and disappeared into a forest with a mysterious woman made of ice. Now it's up to Hazel to go in after him. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbs is a stunningly original fairy tale of modern-day America, a dazzling ode to the power of fantasy, and a heartbreaking meditation on how growing up is as much a choice as it is something that happens to us.

Would you like to win a copy of Anne Ursu's middle grade fairy tale retelling of “The Snow Queen?”  Simply fill out the FORM.  Two winners will each receive a paperback (or ebook) copy of Breadcrumbs.  Giveaway open internationally, will end April 2nd at 11:59pm EST.  Winners will be selected randomly and notified via email.  Good luck!

This giveaway is a stop on the Fairy Tale Giveaway Hop, which was organized by I Am A Reader, Not a Writer, The Book Rat and A Backwards Story.  This hop is part of the 3^rd annual Fairy Tale Fortnight, a celebration of all things fairy tale.  If you’d like to learn more about Fairy Tale Fortnight, check out the calendar of events.

Interested in other fairy tale giveaways?  Check out the hop links below!

thai chicken pizza

Once a year my extended friend group gathers for a pizza-making competition.  It’s a great party idea for a large group – each guest (or couple) makes a pizza at home and brings it to the host’s house, and then you sample them all and decide on a winner.  The host doesn’t have to do a huge amount of food prep, and everyone is happy and full at the end of the night.  This year we added a blind beer tasting, too, and that was a big hit with the guys in the group. 

I’ve participated for the last three years, and have been runner-up each time.  I really thought my pizza might win this year, but alas… I lost to a prosciutto, artichoke heart and caper concoction (which was really delicious!).  In any case, this Thai Chicken Pizza recipe is a keeper, and I plan to make this nontraditional pizza for years to come.

Thai Chicken Pizza (modified from this A Bitchin’ Kitchen recipe)

INGREDIENTS

1 thin pizza crust (pre-baked pizza crusts can usually be found near the bread or bagels in your grocery store)

1 tablespoon red curry chili paste

1/4 cup peanut sauce

1 1/2 cup cooked, shredded chicken

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup diced green onions

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.   Remove pizza crust from packaging and place on pizza pan/stone/baking tray.  Spread red curry chili paste on the crust, followed by the peanut sauce, leaving 1/2 inch around the sides.  Next, arrange the chicken on top of the sauces and cover with mozzarella. 

Lower the oven temperature to 425 degrees F and place pizza on the bottom rack.  Bake for 8-12 minutes, until cheese is melted (but not browned).  Remove from oven and top with bell pepper, onions, cilantro and chopped peanuts.   Cut into squares and serve.

Note: I like to marinate the chicken in either peanut sauce or mayonnaise mixed with the red curry paste.  Then I grill it, shred it, and it’s ready for either this pizza or a quick pad thai!

Recommended for: a quick, colorful and delicious lunch or dinner entrée, and the perfect dish for that adventurous pizza eater in your family.

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking!

odd and the frost giants

One of the middle grade books I consistently see positive reviews and recommendations for is Neil Gaiman’s Odd and the Frost Giants.  I shouldn’t be surprised, as it is a book by Neil Gaiman.  He’s the author version of a rock star.  And I have liked all* of his books (though I love Neverwhere best).  So now it’s Middle Grade March and I’m catching up on titles I’ve meant to read for a long while, and well, what do you know… I had a copy of Odd on my Kindle app.

In this inventive, short, yet perfectly formed novel inspired by traditional Norse mythology, Neil Gaiman takes readers on a wild and magical trip to the land of giants and gods and back. 

In a village in ancient Norway lives a boy named Odd, and he's had some very bad luck: His father perished in a Viking expedition; a tree fell on and shattered his leg; the endless freezing winter is making villagers dangerously grumpy. 

Out in the forest Odd encounters a bear, a fox, and an eagle--three creatures with a strange story to tell. 

Now Odd is forced on a stranger journey than he had imagined--a journey to save Asgard, city of the gods, from the Frost Giants who have invaded it. 

It's going to take a very special kind of twelve-year-old boy to outwit the Frost Giants, restore peace to the city of gods, and end the long winter. Someone cheerful and infuriating and clever…

Someone just like Odd.

Odd is a Viking boy with a lame leg, a clever turn of mind, and a strong sense of self.  When one of the harsh Norse winters threatens to continue unendingly, he leaves the safety of his village and sets off into the forest.  While Odd isn’t necessarily looking for adventure, it comes and finds him anyway, in the shape of a fox, an eagle and a bear.  Odd’s decision to travel with these three will change his future, and give him a place in legend.

Odd and the Frost Giants was lovely and brief and true.  At the same time, it didn’t skimp on the sorts of elements that boys and girls love: talking animals, epic adventure, riding bears and conquering giants!  At the story’s core are themes of transformation, story-telling, and discovering the secret desires of our hearts.  There’s also a strong dose of mythology and problem solving and several journeys toward home. 

What I found most intriguing was Gaiman’s use of the Norse gods as characters in the story.  Gaiman has done this (weaving deities from many traditions into an original tale) before in his adult works, particularly in American Gods and Anansi Boys.  While the gods’ inclusion works mostly to highlight Odd’s personal transformation, the hints at well-known story sagas and the mention of Thor’s hammer (which even the uninitiated will recognize from recent Avengers films) should spark interest in traditional tales and further reading in general.  And that is a marvelous thing.

Recommended for: young readers, fans of fantasy and mythology, and anyone looking for a quick read that will find its way into your heart.

*I should mention that I didn’t make it through Coraline the first time I tried it – I was creeped-the-heck-out.  Totally going back and reading it again soon!