Middle Grade Standalone Books
Newbery Award-winning author Patricia MacLachlan is releasing her chapter book “Painting the Game” for the first time in paperback. Lucy’s dad is a minor league baseball player, and she wants to be just like him—a pitcher. However, she also feels the pressure of being her daddy’s girl and may not live up to people’s expectations. As she works on a secret project, can she, with her squad of friends and a herd of goats, prove to herself and others that she can be great on her own?
This is a good father-daughter middle-grade-age book, and those who love the game of baseball will score a home run with this story.
It’s the start of the 20th century and little orphan Nico is working to pay off a debt at the out-of-the-way Precipice Inn in Pennsylvania.
The usually deserted inn is suddenly filled with guests. Three families are there to discuss how to go about distributing the money from the tontine. A tontine is a financial investment in which surviving investors will receive an annuity at an agreed-upon deadline. As the families wait for the lawyer to arrive, strange and curious happenings take place at the inn: Suitcases are mixed up, a mysterious redhead appears, and a guest has an unusual interest in one of the inn’s paintings. With all these strange goings-on, will Nico’s plans to escape from the overbearing innkeeper be thwarted by all the shenanigans?
Independent readers will enjoy the adventures—and misadventures—found in this fun and fast-paced book.
Superheroes and Amazing Creatures
In this new superhero action-adventure, Noah Minor is a regular middle-schooler who feels he is, well, just regular. His backstory of miraculously surviving a fall from a high-story building makes him think he is meant for great things. One day, he discovers that he is able to manipulate gravity and is subsequently tapped and trained by a super-secret agency called Gravitas. As his powers build and his confidence grows, he realizes that there is more to being a superhero than strength and power.
Christian author Bryan Davis, author of the best-selling “Dragons in Our Midst” series, has another set of books coming out that takes place in the same dragon universe. “The Sacred Scales,” the first book in the “Dragons of Camelot” adventure, provides the backstory for the dragon Clefspeare’s time during the age of Camelot. Merlin strives to protect the good dragons from being slain by those who believe all dragons are evil. With the aid of two young children, Hawk and Sabina, will they be able to spare the dragons from ultimate destruction?
Mixing Arthurian legend and dragon lore, the story will provide boundless entertainment for those with imaginative minds and a love for fantasy adventure. Perfect for children ages 8 and up. “The Sacred Scales” may be read independent of the “Dragons in Our Midst” series.
The much-loved 24-book “Phantom Stallion” series by Terri Farley was well-received when the first book was released in 2002. Set in the contemporary American West, the series covers the adventures of 13-year-old Samantha Forster, who releases her beloved mustang back into the wild. With horse rustlers and natural predators, there is a lot of excitement spread out across this multi-book series. Themes of family and friendships—both human and equine—abound.
The first eight books in the series are being re-released this summer with brand new covers and bonus material at the end of each. These books are better appreciated if they are read in order. They are hard to put down, and readers are sure to run through the series. Appropriate for readers 12 and up.
Oldies but Goodies
Older readers may remember Millicent Margaret Amanda, or more popularly known as Milly-Molly-Mandy, from the 1920s. The stories and adventures of a little girl of about 8 years old, in her signature pink-and-white striped cotton dress, are getting an updated cover this summer as the story celebrates nearly 100 years of publication.
As Molly does her chores, runs errands for her elders, and comes up with projects with her best buddies, “little-friend-Susan” and Billy Blunt, today’s young readers are given a glimpse of a childhood in a rural village. There, fun and play can be had in the simple enjoyment of nature. Each chapter is comprised of short, independent stories, perfect for the very young who will delight in listening to Milly-Molly-Mandy’s life and childhood.
