Middle-Grade v.4, Issue 6

Will's Race for Home
by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Will and his family are struggling sharecroppers in Texas. Though emancipated 25 years prior, his father and grandfather remain trapped in a system that yields almost no profit. When Father brings home a flyer advertising the Oklahoma Land Rush, the entire family sees it as their ultimate chance to own land and change their lives. He and Will set off on a grueling trek with their loyal mule, Belle.

The 400-mile journey is highly dangerous. The pair must survive harsh wilderness terrain, poisonous rattlesnakes, and a treacherous crossing of the Red River. Along the way, they also face intense racism and thieves targeting travelers.

Please note: When Will is nearly bitten by a rattlesnake, his father says, "Oh Lord, oh Lord, oh Lord!"

A former Union soldier offers Will's dad a sip of brandy and later must drink more of it for medicinal purposes.

One scene features a gun fight with some racist men who don't want a black family to claim land in Oklahoma.  

Scout: National Hero
by Jennifer Li Shotz

With his dad deployed and his mom working long hours managing an Army base's K-9 unit, Matt feels lonely and out of place. He adopts Scout, an incredibly smart former stray from Mississippi. Though Matt's mom worries Scout is too inattentive to be a true rescue dog, Matt believes he's got what it takes.

When a devastating flash flood strikes their Nevada town, Matt's world is upended. Suddenly, he is plunged into a dangerous, life-or-death survival scenario.  With Scout's help, he swims to safety and guides other trapped victims to higher ground. But will this be enough to convince Matt's mom to keep Scout in the K9 program?

This is the first of a series of three adventure books featuring Scout. I have not read the sequels. 

Please note: The following words are mentioned once or twice in the text: sucks, heck, freakin'.

Matt intentionally omits details about what he'll be doing with friends after school when they invite him to go cliff climbing. He also takes Scout out of his military cage without permission. 

The Player King

by Avi

Lambert Simnel is a poor, illiterate orphan working under abusive conditions at Tackley’s Tavern in Oxford. He considers himself a "nobody" and dreams of a better life after watching street performers act out a play about royalty. A mysterious Dominican friar named Brother Simonds buys Lambert from the tavern keeper, takes him to a hidden, guarded house, and reveals a shocking secret: the once-orphaned boy is actually Prince Edward, the true heir to the throne. But it's all a lie.

In reality, King Henry VII has recently seized power, and the real Prince Edward has disappeared. Brother Simonds, alongside the treacherous Earl of Lincoln and Viscount Francis Lovell, plans to use Lambert's physical resemblance to the prince to start a rebellion. They meticulously train Lambert in royal manners, history, and noble posture. Though Lambert initially tries to run away, his growing taste for wealth and power changes his mind. He embraces the grand deception, actively adopting the mindset of a king. Will the country learn the truth? Will Lambert be found to be the imposter that he is? 

This novel, set in 1486 England, tells the true story of a penniless kitchen boy who is plucked from obscurity and trained to impersonate a missing prince to seize the English throne.

Things to know: In a play that Lambart attends, a man portrays a drunken Noah. The "God" character in the production tells "Noah" that if he doesn't stop drinking, He will send a flood. The man cast as "God" dumps a "piss pot" over his head.

The phrase "In God's name" appears a few times.

Attempting to put fear into Lambart so that he will stick to the plan of deception, the friar explains what would happen if the boy were found to be a traitor. He says, "You would be hanged, but before you'd fully died, your guts would be stripped out through your stomach wall and burned before you, while your beating heart would be removed and stuffed into your bloody mouth. Finally, your body would be cut into four quarters and nailed about the town." 

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion

by Beth Brower

Orphaned Emma Lion returns to London expecting her rightful inheritance of her family's home, Lapis Lazuli, and salary upon her 21st birthday, only to find her eccentric cousin Archibald has depleted her finances and banished her to the attic.

To make matters worse, her overbearing Aunt Eugenia insists Emma serve as a marriage foil for her cousin, Arabella, during the social season, instructing her to be like a "bug on the window" and not speak of politics or religion.

This book, told entirely through Emma’s diary entries, is the first in an ongoing series that blends historical fiction with lighthearted comedy, sarcasm, and profound reflections on grief and loss.

While Volume 1 feels rather slow at first, the entire series is delightful (especially in audio format) and is worth the time investment.

Homer Price

by Robert McCloskey

Armed with plenty of curiosity, a touch of moxy, and a pet skunk, Home Price foils the plot of four sneaky bandits. This charming Leave It To Beaver type misadventure features small-town Americana at its best and will leave readers in stitches...and craving a donut! Each chapter is a stand-alone story, making this book a great first read-aloud for families.