Middle-Grade Novels
Journey Beyond the Burrow
by Rina Heisel
As a trained weather scout for his burrow, young Tobin knows the rules of mice. He knows who is friend and who is foe. But when his mother's new pinkling gets abducted by a gang of sinister spiders, he must join forces with some unlikely woodland creatures to help bring it back. Along the way, Tobin discovers there's more to the situation than just the stealing of one baby mouse. The spiders have a plan to take over the woods. Is one mouse big enough and brave enough to stop them? Fans of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and Charlotte's Web will enjoy this underdog animal story.
Family togetherness and respect/love for one's parents are central themes throughout the story.
Please note: In one line of the book, one mouse refers to another mouse as having "turd for brains."
Kildee House
by Rutherford Montgomery
Upon retirement, Jerome Kildee moves to the woods. He builds himself a modest home against the base of a redwood tree and dedicates himself to the hermit life. But then, raccoons begin to show up. And skunks. And deer. And two nosy children. They'd all like nothing more than to commandeer his warm shelter. Jerome's peaceful retreat no longer seems so peaceful.
In the tradition of other classic animal stories, Montgomery paints a vivid picture of nature and shows how enemies, when given a common goal, can learn to get along.
Please note: This story describes animals in their natural habits and with their natural instincts. The depiction of hunters and predators vs. prey may be difficult for sensitive readers.
The Candymakers
by Wendy Mass
When four very different children are selected to compete in a national candy-making competition, they each assume Logan, the candy maker's son, is a shoo-in to win. But then, someone tries to steal the secret ingredient from the candy factory and fingers start pointing in everyone's direction, even his. Did he do it? And if not, was it one of the other contestants or someone else entirely?
This is a multipersepectivity story, meaning that the events of the book which take place over the course of three days are repeated over and over again but through the perspective of a different character each time.
Toliver's Secret
by Esther Wood Brady
Set in colonial New York, this historical fiction tells of the bravery of young Ellen Tolliver, the ten-year-old granddaughter of a local rebel who's working with General Washington to bring down the British army. When her grandfather falls ill and can no longer smuggle secret messages in loaves of freshly baked bread, Ellen cuts her hair and decides to take his place in the spy ring. Pretending to be a boy, she risks her life to help the Revolutionary cause.
Parents, Be Aware
Ginny off the Map
by Caroline Hickey
10-year-old Ginny has always had two anchors in her life: her love for geography and the love of her father. But when the military uproots her family, moves them to a new city, and deploys her father to Afghanistan, she feels lost. Encouraged by her mother, Ginny launches a neighborhood geography camp to help her make friends in her new neighborhood. She soon finds that making new friends isn't quite as easy as she had hoped it would be.
The longer Dad is gone, the harder it becomes for the entire family to keep it together, especially Ginny.
Things to know: This book contains a few mentions of the following: evolution, millions of years of earth erosion, the undead, and zombies. Ginny lies to her mom, her dad, and a few of her friends on several different occasions and never gets caught nor suffers any consequences for her bad behavior. Additionally, the sisters are at times disrespectful to their mom and directly disobey her on at least one occasion.
Just for you, Mom
The Residence
by Kate Andersen Brower
No one has a more intimate look into the lives of America's first families quite like the resident workers of the White House. Hired from word-of-mouth recommendations, these faithful few serve the country by serving its leader regardless of whether they agree with his politics, like him personally, or voted for him during the last election. This nonfiction book peels back the walls of the most famous home to give readers a glimpse at the day-to-day workings of the house. I especially enjoyed learning about how the workers handle the transition from one administration to another and how they manage presidential deaths and/or scandals.
Please note: A few times, when directly quoting from interviewees, the author will include a four-letter word.