Great Middle Grade Reads discussion

This thread is for nominations for the book of the month for December, and it will close around 24th November to allow voting to take place.

Bearing in mind that holiday season gets in the way of some of our group activity, I wondered whether you'd like the nominations for January to consist of all the runners-up during 2015, and have a longer poll period than usual, starting around mid-December, say.

Please note you can also go with the theme - see message #7 for details.

Also, I've popped a thread up with the master list of BOTM winners as far back as I could find. I hope that helps.

So, what do you want to nominate for next month, and what do you think of the idea of just a vote for January?

That's a good idea, Jemima. You have my vote regarding the runners up list for Jan. Regarding what we should read in during the festive season, can I suggest a theme of "MG Books you would buy as gifts"?

Giving runners-up a chance sounds like a good idea.

I like Justine's idea of a theme, but I'll have to think on my nomination if we do want to use 'giftable' as a criterion.

If we're themeless, I'm nominating one I enjoyed as a child and want to know if I still like, the Newbery Winner Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Gray Vining.

Yes, books you would give as gifts could give us a problem on that 'available in libraries' criterion for the BOTM - that they should be easily accessible.

I'm sighing here, because I don't know what the answer is, and I have a further problem in that books available in US libraries may not be readily available in libraries in other countries (and vice versa). Can we combine 'giftable' with 'not published in 2015'? Would that be a start?

Maybe that turns it into 'books you would have given as gifts last Christmas'!

As an aside, I just bought our November BOTM - it was cheaper (with free shipping) on Book Depository than either the ebook or the paperback on Amazon. I wouldn't have bought the kindle version at that price.

When I think 'giftable' I think 'staying power.' Something that's stood a bit of the test of time. For example, a nice box of His Dark Materials. But that's me.

If the book is famous enough, it will be in most libraries around the developed world within a few months, I would think. So, if the theme is phrased as something like 'books well-known enough (and worthy enough) to have been given last Christmas' it might work.

Otoh, maybe there should just be a separate thread for those members who want to discuss giftable books. After all, not all of us celebrate this 'festive season', or, even if we do, don't celebrate by exchanging gifts. I'll certainly cooperate w/ whatever is decided, but I guess, if I were mod., I'd have giftable books in a different thread, and just let this be themeless this month.

(Themes are nice, but only if we've enough advance notice. Imo.)

Yeah. I'm not very good on themes :)

I agree with Cheryl. It just needed a bit of rephrasing. That's exactly what I had in mind; books that you have read in the past that you want to recommend so strongly that you'd buy it as a gift.

Personally I like themes as it makes me more aware of what's out there in a more focussed and organised way. I tend to remember them better this way.

Hmm. This narrows it down, for me, cuz I'm not much of a rereader. I'll check my 'to enjoy again' shelf for something to nominate, but I think it more likely that I'll vote for something that someone else suggests that I haven't read (and evaluated as giftable) yet.

So, let's have those nominations!

Actually, I do have a nomination that should have more general appeal than any of my old favorites. One of my very favorite authors wrote a MG book over a year ago. I actually bought a copy from his website, but have been holding off reading it for the sake of sweet anticipation. I know it's in some libraries, and I know it's available in HC, Pb, Audio, and eBook. It's also already avl. on half.com for .75. (All data US.)

The Scavengers by Michael Perry

Ooh, a 'to enjoy again' shelf. I'll have to add one of those!

Jemima wrote: "Ooh, a 'to enjoy again' shelf. I'll have to add one of those!"

I like it!
So our theme is "books I enjoyed enough to give as a gift"?

I'll have to think about that. And check the list of past winners.

I like the idea for January--no need to think of titles in December.

And Jemima, thanks for taking such firm hold of this important aspect of the group.

Cheryl wrote: "When I think 'giftable' I think 'staying power.' Something that's stood a bit of the test of time. For example, a nice box of His Dark Materials. But that's me.

If the book is famous enough, it wi..."

Interesting - a lot of books are delayed in their release here for more than a year - I've had that trouble with Fish in a Tree (best middle grade book this year as far as I am concerned) and Timmy Failure and Charlie Joe Jackson. Frustrating for us kiwis who are trying hard to stay current and relevant. I have a USA address, which is lucky, but many of my teaching colleagues have problems. Less so with UK books. I like not having to think again for January. I am also happy with an enduring book I would give as a gift.

Hello everyone! I nominate The Giver as our book for December. I haven't read it before but have heard some great things about it! I'm not sure if you already had this book though.

Madeline wrote: "Hello everyone! I nominate The Giver as our book for December. I haven't read it before but have heard some great things about it! I'm not sure if you already had this book though.

The Giver is the book my in town book club just chose, so that would simplify my life for once.

The giver has been the book my in town book club just recommended and this would simplify my life for once. Rebecca did you mean to nominate a different book, or did you think you were linking to the giver? If we didn't want to go simple, the giver is a quartet, and those of us who have read it before could pick ones of the later books , Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son

I had to sub in a class of fourth graders this week and their read aloud was a newberry winner called "Doll Bones" which I was intrigued by and have never heard of before.

Doll Bones seemed, to me, when I read it, a little intense & sophisticated for 4th-grade. The main characters are 12, after all. I also gave it only two stars... but my opinion is in the minority....

I just picked up Doll Bones at our school's most recent Scholastic book fair for my 4th grader. :)

I tend not to gift books because I feel like they are so personal but I asked my daughter which books she liked recently that she would give to her friends and she said Remarkable, Story Thieves, and The Templeton Twins Have an Idea. The Templeton Twins is similar to Lemony Snicket, which is probably more widely available, so I would probably substitute The Bad Beginning for that one.

I was trying to nominate the Penderwicks.

I have seen Doll Bones, but not read it.

The Templeton Twins is in our library system; also in Boulder, CO. Since Boulder is REALLY not one of the huge library systems, that suggests it's out there okay. So I'd say to nominate the book that hasn't been read by everyone in the world. Remarkable and Story Thieves are also readily available, so they can all be added.

fwiw, Story thieves is new, but my library has it; none my library system have Remarkable, and Templeton Twins is both old enough and in my library...

I started Doll Bones and am enjoying it. I looked at Templeton Twins and the reviews didn't grab me much but the Story Thieves looks interesting to me. Looking through the Giver again and I love it. Sometimes the abundance of great books makes me wonder why I ever think the world needs my novels too?

Dixie, there are abundant wonderful books out there. I try not to think about whether the world needs my books. I need to write them.

Cheryl wrote: "fwiw, Story thieves is new, but my library has it; none my library system have Remarkable, and Templeton Twins is both old enough and in my library..."

Forgot to check the date. I'm surprised about Remarkable. I figure if Boulder has it, it would be commonly available. Maybe I need to find a library someplace like Idaho Falls to use as a benchmark :)

Tuesdays at the Castle or Story Thieves both great books.

I just bought the entire collection of as a present for someone.

Rebecca wrote: "I was trying to nominate the Penderwicks.

I have seen Doll Bones, but not read it."

Hi everyone, I was reading the comments and I saw the icon of The Penderwicks. That was an absolutely fabulous book that each of my children, a son and a daughter, loved. We also brought the audio book version on a road trip. The whole family enjoyed it, lots of great moments and lots of laughs.

Doll Bones -- my nearly 13 year old son still refuses to read this book because he finds the cover creepy!

Is there a poll for this yet?

I knew I should have put the poll up a day earlier than I said, before I went away for a few days!

Sorry.... will be up in a few minutes!