MG Realistic

This is a list of the realistic novels I have reviewed for ages 8+
*Indicates those I feel work well for younger advanced readers.

A
Always Abigail by Nancy Cavanaugh

B
Binny for Short by Hilary McKay
Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly
Bobby Versus Girls (Accidentally) by Lisa Yee*

C
Caddy Ever After by Hilary McKay
The Center of Everything by Linda Urban
Countdown by Deborah Wiles*
A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
Crow by Barbara Wright

D
Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Dream On, Amber by Emma Sheva

E
Enola Holmes #1 by Nancy Springer
Enola Holmes #2 &#3 by Nancy Springer
Enola Holmes #4-#6 by Nancy Springer

F
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander
Forever Rose by Hilary McKay
The Friendship Experiment by Erin Teagan

G
Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Garcia Williams
The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami*
The Great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson
The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech
The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang

H
Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larson
The Heartbreak Messenger by Alexander Vance
Honey by Sarah Weeks
The Humming Room by Ellen Potter

I
Icefall by Matthew Kirby
Indigo's Star by Hilary McKay
Inside Out and Back Again by Thannha Lai
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

J
Just Like Me by Nancy Cavanaugh

K
The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter*

L
The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Estrada Kelly
The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
Listen Slowly by Thanhha Lai
The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

M
Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
May B. by Caroline Starr Rose*
A Million Ways Home by Dianna Dorisi Winget
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
Moonpenny Island by Tricia Springstubb
Murder is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens

N
Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool
No Talking by Andrew Clements*
Notes From an Accidental Band Geek by Erin Dionne

O
Odette's Secrets by Maryanne MacDonald
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
One Morning and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin *

P
Pax by Sarah Pennypacker*
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall*
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall*
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall*
The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall
The Perilous Gard by Marie Elizabeth Pope
Permanent Rose by Hilary McKay
Pie by Sarah Weeks*
The Problem with Being Slightly Heroic by Uma Krishnaswami*

R
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary*
Revolution by Deborah Wiles
The Romeo and Juliet Code by Phoebe Stone

S
Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan
The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry
Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland
A Song for Bijou by Josh Farrar
Stella by Starlight by Sharon Draper.
The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit*

T
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne
The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer Holm *
Two Naomis by Olugbemisolaj Rhuday-Perkovich; Audrey Vernick

V
Visconti House by Elsbeth Edgar

W
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan
The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell
Wonder by R.J. Polachio
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty is a thrilling tale of mystery and adventure set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1899. Having lived in Asheville and visited the house several times, there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to read this. (Also it's MG fantasy, always a bonus for me.) Serafina lives in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilt's spacious vacation home. She has lived there most of her life. Her father worked on the house as it was being built and is the mechanic who runs the massive generator and keeps the electricity going. Serafina is the chief rat catcher, slipping through the halls of her massive home secretly and quietly. She is light on her feet, sees well in the dark, and is quick enough to catch the vermin and keep them out. Serafina knows she if different and strange. Her father insists she stay hidden. But all that changes when one night Serafina witnesses a horrible crime. A little girl, a guest in the house, is fleein...

TTT: Characters I'd Follow On Social Media

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly themed blog hop created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl . This Week's Topic: Characters I'd Follow On Social Media I love this topic. I actually have my students create social media pages for characters for extra credit assignments, so I've always thought this was fun to think about. It actually really requires some character analysis to do well. Which social media fits this character's personality? What would they post about? How much of their inner lives would they share? Here are the characters I would follow, where I would follow them, and why: Lizzie Bennet on Tumblr because you know her blog would be a beautiful mix of nerdy fangirl thoughtfulness and feminist manifestos. I love following people like that. Darcy on Twitter: He would use it rarely, but when he did, it would be to the point and oh so entertaining. Amy March on Instagram because it would be beautifully aesthetic, and...

Piecing Me Together

A couple years ago This Side of Home was one of my favorite reads so when I found out we were getting a new Renée Watson book this year it automatically became one of my most anticipated reads. Piecing Me Together lived up to all my expectations and then some. Jade lives in north Portland but goes to the fancy private school St. Francis on a scholarship. She knows this is her greatest opportunity to go to school and get out of Oregon. It can make her feel like she is living a dual life though. Her first two years there were successful academically, but she didn't make many friends. As her junior year begins, Jade is asked to join a mentor/mentee program for "at risk" girls called Woman to Woman. She's not really sure she needs it. She doesn't feel at risk, and she definitely doesn't feel like her mentor, Maxine, is going to be very helpful in teaching her about the real world. But as the year continues to go less the way Jade expected, the more she lea...

Shadowshaper

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older is everywhere. Best of lists. Award buzz. Blogs everywhere. It's one of those books everyone is reading and talking about. I had it on my TBR but decided I definitely needed to read it before the year was out just so I could weigh in on one of the most talked about books of 2015 if asked. It is deserving of every good thing said about it. Every. One. Sierra was looking forward to a relaxing summer break. Her plans involved hanging out with her friends and painting. They did not involve being chased by zombie like creatures and threatened by a magical power connected to her family's heritage she has never heard of. When murals begin fading all over her Brooklyn neighborhood, Sierra is perplexed. When her grandfather, who had a stroke, begins to apologize and starts repeating strange phases and insisting Sierra get the help of a boy she barely knows to help her finish her mural, Sierra is concerned but mostly about her grandfather. Then at a...

The Penderwicks in Spring

The Penderwicks is not just one of my favorite ongoing series; it is one of my favorite series of all time. I'm always astounded by the depth of emotion and diverse, realistic relationship dynamics Birdsall is able to capture with these characters. The Penderwicks in Spring surpassed my expectations even though they were astronomically high already. It is now my favorite, having edged out The Penderwicks on Gardam Street . Minor spoilers for first three book are in this review. If you haven't read this series, get started: The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy The Penderwicks on Gardam Street The Penderwicks at Point Mouette Spring is coming to Gardam Street and Batty and Ben Penderwick couldn't be more excited. The season is bringing with it anticipation and new opportunities. Nick Geiger, the Penderwicks' neighbor, is returning home on leave from the Army after being at war. Both Skye and Ba...

Random Musings of a Bibliophile

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