Wednesday, December 30, 2015

2015 Top Picks for Middle Grade Books


This week we're wrapping up 2015. We've enjoyed reading all the books we've reviewed this year, and here are a few of our favorites. Friday, we'll share our top picks for children's picture books. Happy reading! ~ F & L

Nightbird by Alice Hoffman

Twig has lived in the same small town since she was little. She's pretty much invisible, so no one pays any attention to her. Kids know Twig won't come to their birthday parties, nor will she invite them to her house... read more. 

Author website 



A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd

Felicity Pickle sees words around people and items, so she collects and keeps track of them. She finds them all over the places, especially because Felicity, her mom, and her younger sister are travelers. They never stay in any place very long, that's just the Pickle way... read more. 
Interview with Natalie Lloyd 

 Author website


The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

 Ivan is a silverback, but he has lived away from his family for most of his life. He lives in what he refers to as his domain, and his domain happens to be a cage at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade... read more. 
Interview with Katherine Applegate


 Author website 
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Posted by DMS at 9:58:00 AM

72 comments:

  1. Suvarna GoldDecember 30, 2015 at 10:50 AM

    I need some new cool books :) nice inspiration!


    no, I didn't try them yet hehe.


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    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 7:35 PM

      Suvarna- Glad these sound good to you! :) ~L

      Delete
  2. bettyDecember 30, 2015 at 11:01 AM

    Always neat to look back and remember the good books one read in the year :)

    betty

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 7:37 PM

      Betty- I love looking back at the books I have read too. :) ~L

      Delete
  3. RosiDecember 30, 2015 at 11:13 AM

    These are three on my TBR list I haven't read yet. Thanks for the reminder.

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 7:42 PM

      Rosi- Glad to remind you about these books and I think you will love them all when you get to them! :) ~L

      Delete
  4. BirgitDecember 30, 2015 at 11:19 AM

    Nice way to end the year to a shout out of the favourite books you have read

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 7:48 PM

      Thanks, Birgit! It is fun to look back at all the books we read in 2015. :) ~L

      Delete
  5. DonnaGalantiDecember 30, 2015 at 12:38 PM

    I adored The One and Only Ivan! Now must read the other two. Thanks for recommending. Happy New Year!

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 7:49 PM

      Donna- The One and Only Ivan is awesome! You will love the other two. Happy New Year to you too! :) ~L

      Delete
  6. UnknownDecember 30, 2015 at 1:08 PM

    My kids are always on the lookout for new books, thanks for these suggestions.

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 7:50 PM

      Coreena- You are welcome! Hope they enjoy them. :) ~L

      Delete
  7. brandileigh2003December 30, 2015 at 1:37 PM

    I don't read much MG, but these do sound good

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  8. DEZMONDDecember 30, 2015 at 2:01 PM

    Lovely covers for all of them! IVAN is supposed to be turned into a movie sometime in the future

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 7:56 PM

      Dezmond- Aren't the covers great! I didn't know Ivan was being turned into a movie. Awesome! :) ~L

      Delete
  9. Mary KirklandDecember 30, 2015 at 2:08 PM

    Those books look fun.

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  10. Nas December 30, 2015 at 3:00 PM

    These books look awesome.
    Wishing you a Happy New Year!

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 7:58 PM

      Olivia Rose- They were great! Happy New Year to you too! :) ~L

      Delete
  11. Elephant's ChildDecember 30, 2015 at 3:06 PM

    I loved The One and Only Ivan.
    I also love Alice Hoffman, and don't know this one of hers. Yet. A Snicker of Magic is tempting too.

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 8:19 PM

      Elephant's Child- Wasn't The One and Only Ivan excellent! I think you will love the Alice Hoffman book and A Snicker of Magic. :) ~L

      Delete
  12. Sandra CoxDecember 30, 2015 at 4:17 PM

    Love the cover of A Snicker:) So cute.

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  13. Olivia's CatastropheDecember 30, 2015 at 4:36 PM

    I always say I don't read too much MG but looking back in the year, some of my favourites really are of this genre, so I am trying to look into it more. I'm already familiar with Katherine Applegate's writing in YA, so I would be interested in trying the One and only Ivan for myself. Hope you have a good new year, full of new brilliant books <3

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 8:48 PM

      Olivia- Savannah-How awesome that some of your favorite books from 2015 were MG. I think you will really enjoy The One and Only Ivan. Now you made me curious to read one of Applegate's YA books. :) ~L

      Delete
  14. Kelly HashwayDecember 30, 2015 at 5:53 PM

    I just got a great MG book in the mail. I think you've heard of it...The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow. :)

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 8:49 PM

      Kelly- You betcha! We hope you love it! ~Stephanie and Jess

      Delete
  15. AnonymousDecember 30, 2015 at 9:14 PM

    I read Ivan (loved it) and the other two look interesting. MG is awesome.

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 8:49 PM

      Medeia- I think you will love the other two MG books too. :) ~L

      Delete
  16. Adriana @ BooksOnHerMindDecember 30, 2015 at 11:46 PM

    I've read none of these haha. A snicker of Magic is in my library now so we'll see. The Nightbird cover looks so interesting. I'm excited to see what other books are on your top favorites list of this year.

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 8:50 PM

      Adriana- You will love A Snicker of Magic. It is amazing and since you already have it I think you should start right away. :) ~L

      Delete
  17. Launna December 30, 2015 at 11:56 PM

    I wanted to wish you a wonderful and very happy New Year xox ♡♡♡ And a very successful one ♡

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 8:51 PM

      Launna- Awww! Thanks so much! :) ~Stephanie and Jess

      Delete
  18. UnknownDecember 31, 2015 at 12:50 AM

    Great list! I enjoyed Nightbird, with a some reservations, but The One and Only Ivan was fantastic! My little girl recently finished it and is raving about it to all her friends and cousins :)

    Wishing you all the best in 2016; Happy New Year!

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 8:55 PM

      Claudia- Thanks! Glad to hear that you and your daughter both loved The One and Only Ivan.

      Happy New Year! :) ~L

      Delete
  19. The Armchair SquidDecember 31, 2015 at 9:06 AM

    I think Ivan is the only one my daughter has read. Thanks for the recommendation on the others!

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 8:56 PM

      The Armchair Squid- Glad to give you some other books to recommend to your daughter. :) ~L

      Delete
  20. Meradeth HoustonDecember 31, 2015 at 9:48 AM

    I have so many books I need to get caught up on, especially in MG! :) Thanks for these awesome recommendations.

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 8:57 PM

      Meradeth- I can totally relate to having a million books to read. :) ~L

      Delete
  21. Stephanie FarisDecember 31, 2015 at 10:27 AM

    I got to sit with Natalie Lloyd at a booksigning and she was such a sweet person! I had to come back and read her book. It was just as charming as she was.

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 8:58 PM

      Stephanie- You are so lucky! We met her at the Connecticut Children's Book Fair! She was so sweet and that is what made me read A Snicker of Magic. I agree that it was just as sweet as she is. :) ~L

      Delete
  22. UnknownDecember 31, 2015 at 4:38 PM

    Nice. I will have to see what my 13 year old thinks. She is an avid reader.

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 8:58 PM

      Lady Lilith- I think she will love these. :) ~L

      Delete
  23. AnonymousDecember 31, 2015 at 5:04 PM

    I'm always reading MG books to check out the competition :) , but I haven't read NIGHTBIRD yet. Thanks for the reminder. I listened to the audio version of THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN and I can still hear Ivan's well-done voice.

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 8:59 PM

      Marcia- It is a great idea to read MG books to check out the competition. I think you will love Nightbird. I listened to The One and Only Ivan on audio and agree that it was awesome. Very memorable! :) ~L

      Delete
  24. Kate LarkindaleDecember 31, 2015 at 5:28 PM

    Good picks! I don't read as much MG as I probably should. Maybe I'll try to read more in 2016.

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 9:00 PM

      Kate- MG is lots of fun! Happy 2016! :) ~L

      Delete
  25. BlodeueddDecember 31, 2015 at 6:05 PM

    Happy new Year!

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 9:01 PM

      Blodeuedd- Happy New Year to you too! :) ~L

      Delete
  26. Shell FlowerDecember 31, 2015 at 7:19 PM

    These books sound pretty great. I really need to read more in 2016!

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 9:01 PM

      Shell Flower- They are all awesome! :) ~L

      Delete
  27. T.F. WalshDecember 31, 2015 at 9:24 PM

    some nice books there... I've seen The One and Only Ivan around and it has be intrigued:)

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 9:02 PM

      TF- It is a book that you will really enjoy! :) ~L

      Delete
  28. UnknownJanuary 1, 2016 at 3:40 AM

    These look great and I have to say the title A Snicker of Magic is very clever!

    Happy New Year! Wishing you a peaceful and prosperous 2016!

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 9:02 PM

      Lexa- It is a clever title and the story is magical.

      Wishing you a fabulous 2016 too! :) ~L

      Delete
  29. Lark @ The Bookwyrm's HoardJanuary 1, 2016 at 11:13 PM

    A Snicker of Magic was one of my favorite books of 2014; I absolutely loved it!

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  30. ~Brandy~January 2, 2016 at 11:57 AM

    Such beautiful artwork! I'm participating in the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge for 2016 and one of the categories is a Middle Grade Book. This post will come in really handy!!

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 9:03 PM

      Brandy- Thanks! Glad to give you some books for your reading challenge. Yeah! :) ~L

      Delete
  31. janet smartJanuary 2, 2016 at 12:40 PM

    I love middle grade books. But, I admit I haven't read those yet.

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 9:03 PM

      Janet- We love MG books too. You will love these! :) ~L

      Delete
  32. BrendaJanuary 2, 2016 at 3:14 PM

    I also really loved A Snicker of Magic and can't wait to read THE KEY TO EXTRAORDINARY.

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 9:03 PM

      Brenda- I can't wait for it either! :) ~L

      Delete
  33. hawwaJanuary 3, 2016 at 5:15 AM

    OOOh nice picks, I do love middle grade. Have you read Girl Savage/Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell or the MG/YA crossover series by Lauren Child (Ruby Redfort series)? I love those!

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 9:04 PM

      Hawwa- Thanks! MG is such fun. I haven't read the books you mentioned- but have now added them to my list. Thanks for sharing! :) ~L

      Delete
  34. Jeffrey ScottJanuary 4, 2016 at 3:43 PM

    Some good books here. I need to do more Middle Grade reading to keep me motivated to edit the series I've been writing.

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 9:04 PM

      Jeffrey- Reading MG books will definitely help keep you motivated to edit your series! :) ~L

      Delete
  35. AnonymousJanuary 5, 2016 at 6:15 PM

    These look/sound really good! :D I've read Ivan, but not the others - will do ASAP! :)

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    1. DMSJanuary 6, 2016 at 9:05 PM

      Erik- Ivan is awesome and you will love the other two too. :) ~L

      Delete
  36. Yanting GuehJanuary 7, 2016 at 7:17 AM

    I've heard a lot about all three but (ashamedly) haven't got to them yet. I have them on my to-read list. Really ought to read a bit faster!

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    1. DMSJanuary 7, 2016 at 7:50 PM

      Claudine- I can relate to having a too long TBR list. Whenever you get to these three I know you will enjoy them. :) ~L

      Delete

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