In no particular order, our top picks of 2012 for Midde Grade readers (ages 8-12)….
Summer and Bird by Katherine Catmull
“Within the first few pages of Summer and Bird, I knew that I was reading something truly beautiful and complex. Katherine Catmull has accomplished an extraordinary literary feat. She creates a mythology of birds that changes the way you will see winged creatures forever and layers the story with stunning imagery and with the depths of human truths. Summer and Bird are the title characters of this story, two sisters who travel to a universe underneath our own in search of their mother and father after they wake up one morning to an empty house and an enigmatic note. It is a story about family, and the love and dysfunction that involves. Above all, it is a story full of beauty, where birds chase the sunsets they’ve seen in their dreams – ethereal, cerebral, mysterious, stunning.” – Consuelo, Master Bookseller
The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
Tired of being overshadowed by their princess counterparts, four bumbling princes known to the world only as Charming hit the road to earn names of their own in a rollicking slapstick romp that will leave readers laughing out loud the whole way through.
The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann
With changeling children hiding in the shadows, a sinister murder mystery, and plenty of political intrigue, this thrilling steampunk adventure takes readers on a twisty ride through a gothic and atmospheric world infected by the magic of Faerie.
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
Mysteries abound in sleepy Tupelo Landing, and Mo LoBeau and her best friend Dale are determined to solve them all (including an honest-to-goondess murder) in a radiantly colorful story of friendship, family and good old-fashioned gumption.
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Auggie has never hoped to blend in. But now, in a regular school for the first time, his facial abnormalities have never felt more extreme. Narrated with wry, self-deprecating humor, Auggie’s journey from isolation to acceptance resonates with heart and hope and the beauty of human kindness.
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