Category: mglit

The Traitor Moth, adventure fantasy that hides in plain sight for 8 and up

It could’ve begun as a side comment, or maybe even a dare. Write a book that has an action backbone, with the heart and emotive lessons that are age-appropriate, and entertaining, for upper-elementary and mglit audiences, with a moth as the main character. A moth. That flighty, lightweight, seemingly pointless creature who is hopelessly attracted to light and the punchline to a classic Norm Macdonald joke and its nemesis, Gregory Illininivich. Author Katherine Orton heard this sidebar, slipped into her moth exoskeleton, said hold this light and created The Traitor Moth. This is the first in the Moon Realm fantasy book series that lives in the world of eight through twelve-year-old, reading-because-it’s-awesome space.

The Traitor Moth places an adventure, action, fantasy world within the confounds of a potentially lame insect.
Adventure fantasy at a jumping off point

Double Crossed, the kind of can’t-miss, non-fiction that kids want to read

Double agent: an agent who pretends to be a spy for one country or organization while in fact acting on behalf of an enemy. The concept of a double agent makes my head spin. I understand who a spy is and what they do. A double agent gets a little tricky when it comes to fully comprehending who or what they’re spying on. They have to report to their handler in their home country, as well as their contact in the country they’re spying on. Additionally, they have liaisons in both countries and need to keep their cover identity intact. Failure to do so is almost certainly torture and death, plus all manner of pain their families and loved ones would be subject to. Longest prologue ever. Double Crossed: The WWII Spies Who Saved D-Day is the amazing, non-fiction account of D-Day and the duplicity that was needed in order for it to succeed.

Double Crossed aptly tells the story of Operation Fortitude and how D-Day’s success hinged on four double agents.
Operation Fortitude: for mglit, and it works

Relic of Thieves pivots the focus, but stays true to its world

Remember in college when you heard that song from Gypsy Kings? Maybe it was later in life when you discovered that 99 Luftballons was just the tip of Nena’s catchy rock/pop German catalogue. Your kids are into KPOP or J-rock and you probably don’t understand any of those lyrics. The comprehension is low to none, but you can enjoy it just the same. The Underwild: Relic of Thieves has something in common with all of that music for the uninitiated reader.

Relic of Thieves is a very enjoyable book by itself, but is even more so because it builds an established world set against Greeks Gods.
Great for new readers, perfect for existing fans

Burn the Water, mglit/YA that sets a higher water mark for the genre

Oh dystopian mglit and YA, you vex me so. Burn the Water is by Billy Ray. He’s the Oscar-nominated writer of the screenplay for Captain Phillips. Ray has also had his screenwriter or writing fingerprints all over The Hunger Games, Richard Jewell, and The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Text is not a stranger to him. Ironically, Burn the Water is his first novel, but he’s obviously cut his teeth on tense projects that have a taut narrative. Even if you didn’t know his pedigree, you’d suspect that something was higher than usual within the first couple of pages of Burn the Water.

Burn the Water is YA/mglit that blazes a unique path through a world that you think you know, but will certainly want to read more about.
YA/mglit/book people, c’mon in, the water’s fine

Mint to Be, charming and smile-inducing teen rom-com

This looks like one of mom’s books, our 16-year-old said when he saw Mint to Be on the table. Of course, he was trolling mom, as well as, me, but the books that she likes are very distinctive. They’re known for their pastel colors on the book’s cover and spine. If it’s a pastel color on the spine then it’s almost sure to be that this is a book that will be her jam. Mint to Be is mint green and adheres to that plan to the letter. Moreover, Mint to Be takes the formula that makes books like this so successful and dependable, but makes it relatable for mglit and high school audiences.

Mint to Be is feel-good mglit that lives in romance, small town, Christmas celebrations and the growth of two teens who might be more than friends.
The water….err…the coffee’s fine, c’mon in

Maysoon Zayid: The Girl Who Can Can, well-meaning, but flawed 

Muslim Mavericks is a new series of books by Salaam Reads. They’re non-fiction books that highlight inspirational Muslim figures. Maysoon Zayid: The Girl Who Can Can is an early chapter book. Zayid has Cerebral Palsy, a condition that impacts 10,000 people in the United States. The chapters in The Girl Who Can Can tell a story that’s inspirational, but its length and organization will impact who can enjoy the book and to what degree.

Read on for more 411

City Spies: Europa keeps the streak going as a go-to book in mglit

City Spies is seven? How is it that this go-to middle school series is seven books in and there hasn’t been a movie yet? The City Spies book series is mglit gold and the kind of books your adult self wishes existed back in the 80’s, 90’s, naughties or aughts, depending on where you’re from. Every book that we’ve read from the City Spies series is constant like gravity. They’re easy, breezy and one step away from being a CoverGirl, but this is a team joint. City Spies: Europa got the memo and author James Ponti is holding course. It set sail for age-appropriate action and intrigue to those in grades three through seven.

City Spies: Europa, or City Spies 7, maintains the twists, characters, arm chair travel, action and espionage that mglit readers want.
City spies 7 got the memo

Weirdo, uses real-life against a graphic novel setting with heart and fun

Middle school has the potential to suck. Countless variables determine if you find your people early or meander through three years of school and life. By eighth grade you’re certainly ready for high school, but is it because you hit the wall or you’re ready a bigger, more appropriate challenge? There is a lot of that in Weirdo. I also feel a lot of ‘reviewer’s remorse’ now because Weirdo has been silently judging me from my book queue for a while.

Weirdo is a ‘real’ look at changes kids have through middle school, but done with life’s learned lessons, humor, geek stuff and great art.
Heroes are weird/We are all heroes
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