Great Middle Grade Reads discussion

I fancy a nice science fiction OR science fact book this month.

This will return to our normal process: we'll nominate books until mid-month, take a decision about whether we need to whittle down the number with a pre-selection then a run-off vote or just one poll. I'll try to get the answer out so you have time to get the book before the start of May.

So, science fiction/science fact. Please can we avoid time travel books for this one. As usual, they should be easily available in libraries, so likely to have been out for a while.

Get those thinking caps on, and get nominating! (max two titles each)

I have had this on my to-read list for a while. It is not time travel, but it does seem to take place in the 1800s and appears to be a mixture of fantasy, adventure and science fiction.

The Wondrous Journals of Dr. Wendell Wellington Wiggins

I nominate Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. It's set in the future, where everyone is considered "ugly" until their 16th birthday, when they get a surgery to be turned "pretty," with a perfect face, and you get to move to another area of town with the other pretties and finally be happy. The main character has been waiting her whole life to become a pretty, and as the day draws nearer, she discovers that maybe they do something else to you... to your brain... when you're under the knife.

My nomination is The Fog Diver by Joel Ross. Post-apocalyptic steampunk adventure. Here's the Kirkus review -- https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...

I would like to nominate Arrival by Chris Morphew and The Cut Out by Jack Heath. Arrival is now available in a bindup with Book 2 of the series.
Both of these titles are very popular with Middle School students in my school library in Australia.

Oh, boy. I'll have to think about this one. There are quite a few new SF titles that I've noticed. I haven't read any yet, so I'll have to check the blurbs and see what looks good.

I nominate The Demon Headmaster by Gillian Cross https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

an oldie (first published in 1982, but in numerous editions since, I recall reading it when I was around 9 or 10 in the mid-nineties)

and
The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

I nominate The Imagination Box by Martyn Ford.

Also, I wouldn't mind trying Scott Westerfeld's new release, Horizon but I don't know if that is too new, since it just came out this month?

Julie wrote: "I nominate Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. It's set in the future, where everyone is considered "ugly" until their 16th birthday, when they get a surgery to be turned "pretty," with a perf..."

Julie wrote: "Also, I wouldn't mind trying Scott Westerfeld's new release, Horizon but I don't know if that is too new, since it just came out this month?

Julie wrote: "I nominate [book:Uglies|2..."

Yes, we are avoiding books that are less than 2 years old, as they may be harder to get in libraries and less apt to be available for cheap in other ways.

I know this is slightly dated, but I nominate Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett.

Hello all. Sorry I haven't been around much in the last couple of weeks... new job, new book, all that sort of stuff.

I was just doing a look through the nominations to see if we needed a two-stage poll, but it strikes me that a lot of the books nominated aren't really science fiction, (or fact) and some aren't MG either. For info, I use the shelves other Goodreads readers have listed the books on in order to judge, since mostly the people who shelve them have read them.

I think qualifying titles at present are:
Uglies
Only You Can Save Mankind
The Imagination Box
The Fourteenth Goldfish
The Fog Diver

and I'd allow you to argue for including Arrival

I looked in my booklist for some scifi/mg books, and the only ones I have except Wrinkle in Time are by indie authors (lots of them!). What does that say?

Do you think A Wind in the Door qualifies as scifi? If so I'll nominate it. I'm sure you'll all have read it, though.

Jemima wrote: "Hello all. Sorry I haven't been around much in the last couple of weeks... new job, new book, all that sort of stuff.

I was just doing a look through the nominations to see if we needed a two-stag..."

I would like to see Arrival included please. It is is listed as Scifi but like Uglies is also listed as YA. Although the main characters are midteens, it isn't too scary or much in the way of relationships. I have it in my Middle School rather than Senior School section of the Library and regularly recommend it to Middle School students - who devour the series. However, I will respect your opinion on qualifying titles.

Reading the blurb of Arrival, it reminds me of The Maze Runner, which is YA. The blurb of Uglies also makes me feel its more YA, as the protagonist is 16 yrs old and the story sounds like it's about being pretty or ugly. If I knew of a 10-yr-old, I would be hesitant recommending such a book to him/her. As for a Wind in the Door, it sounds more fantasy than scifi (even though it has the word 'mitochondria').
I don't know any of these books as I haven't read them, just the impression that the blurbs gave me.

Jemima, I assume you didn't mean to link to the picture book. As for the Phoenix Files's Arrival, definitely listed as YA in our library. Ditto Uglies.

A Wind in the Door is a sequel to A Wrinkle in Time and like many of L'Engle's books, treads a line between SF and fantasy.

I did some searching in the library catalog, and came up with several that sound interesting to me, and I think qualify.
The Fog Diver More high-intensity, but still listed as juvvy.
Star Scouts Looks cute.
Spaced Out

I know, nominate 2. So I'll pick the Fog Diver and Spaced Out as my nominees.

Edit: I see the Fog Diver is already nominated, so I'll stick with Spaced Out

Okay, I'm putting the poll up now. No more nominations (and I'm leaving out Wind in the Door, Uglies & Arrival).

You'll have until 26th to vote, in order for you to have a few days to find the winning book before May starts!

Find the poll here: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

In the event of a tie, I get a casting vote between the winners.

I think I'm adding several titles to my summer reading list from this.

Dixie wrote: "I think I'm adding several titles to my summer reading list from this."
I know - frightening, isn't it!

Jemima wrote: "Dixie wrote: "I think I'm adding several titles to my summer reading list from this."
I know - frightening, isn't it!"

My list is so long that I've stopped looking at it...

Voting finished yesterday, and The Fourteenth Goldfish was a clear winner over Star Scouts in second.

I've had to ask my library to see if they can get it, so I don't know whether it'll arrive before May is out...

I'll put the new month's threads up on May 1st.

Jemima wrote: "Voting finished yesterday, and The Fourteenth Goldfish was a clear winner over Star Scouts in second."

Looking forward to it!