Speed Dating with Middle Grade: Part 5

Title: Revolution
Author: Deborah Wiles
Genre: Historical fiction
Read If You Like...: Stories told from various perspectives, narratives on the Civil Rights movement, books with a unique format
Three-Sentence Thoughts: Revolution tells the story of Freedom Summer as hundreds of people flood the town of Greenwood, Mississippi, in 1964 to help register voters, and to twelve-year-old Sunny, these "invaders" just add chaos to her already crazy life with a new step-mom and siblings. When a chance encounter pitches Sunny to the forefront of small-town race relations, she shows the reader what it's like to finally understand what's happening around you and how it's not always easy to stand up for what's right. This story shares an important moment in history using a creative format of text and image that can be highly impactful to the right reader.


Title: Dangerous
Author: Shannon Hale
Genre: Sci-fi
Read If You Like...: Quick-paced action stories, superhero squads, and sci-fi space odysseys
Three-Sentence Thoughts: Science-nerd Maisie's dream comes true when she wins a trip to Astronaut Camp from a cereal box contest. Unfortunately, camp gets more complicated when Maisie's team unintentionally absorbs alien superpowers and find themselves in grave danger--both from these alien parasites and the bad guys trying to take these powers for themselves. I found this book just TOO ABSURDLY RIDICULOUS to follow with any level of enjoyment, but several boys at my school were fans...so I guess it does have an audience.


Title: Loot
Author: Jude Watson
Genre: Action/Adventure
Read If You Like...: Ocean's 11-esque adventures, international capers, stories about kids leading lives that seem much more adult than adolescent
Three-Sentence Thoughts: Loot opens like an old Hitchcock movie (think To Catch a Thief...) as a notorious jewel thief falls from a rooftop and imparts some cryptic dying words to the person below. That person just happened to be his son, March, who then embarks on his own adventurous heist, following his father's clues, where the outcome is either riches and freedom or certain death. An often-funny, entertaining read with enjoyable characters that will surely keep kids wrapped up in the adventure.