Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Hi!

I enjoyed reading the thread with YA suggestions for many of this year’s prompts. I am getting ready to try my first Middle Grade May readathon and was wondering if anyone had any middle grade recommendations for the prompts. For example, I have already read the book “Restart” for a book with something broken on the cover. It works for a book about forgetting as well.

Thanks!

I love Middle Grade! Here are some of my favorites:
Flora and Ulysses, The remarkable journey of Coyote Sunrise, The night diary, The girl who drank the moon, The candy makers, To night Owl from Dogfish

I am new to posting here so I do not know how to respond directly to your comment. I have read almost all of those. I am planning on reading The Girl Who Drank the Moon next month. It is actually one of two I had narrowed down for Prettiest Cover On My TBR so I might put it there.

Mars Evacuees for mostly outside

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate for 3 generations

The School for Good and Evil possibly for dark academia

I haven't read it yet, but I plan on reading The Explorer soon so I'll let you know how it goes

I read Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai and loved it. This is a collection of poems from the perspective of a 10 year old girl as her family flees Vietnam by boat and ultimately ends up in the Southern United States. It is not a biography of the author's experience but it is based on it.
It's perfect for a fresh start, oxymoron in the title, and set in multiple countries.

I'm really enjoying Victoria Schwab's City of Ghosts series. The first book, City of Ghosts is "set in multiple countries" (the U.S. and Scotland). Book two, Tunnel of Bones takes place in Paris, and could work for the "a book set somewhere you'd like to visit in 2021" prompt. And the third book, Bridge of Souls is due to be released on March 2nd, so it would definitely work for the "a book that's published in 2021" prompt.

I love middle grade books because I get to read them with my boys. Some I have on my 2021 list:

The Lost Hero (a book about forgetting)
The Son of Neptune (past favorite: a book inspired by myth/legend/folklore)
Race to the Sun (a book by an indigenous author)
Fablehaven (ugliest cover)
Serafina and the Black Cloak (DNF from TBR)
Into the Wild (a book set entirely or mostly outdoors)
The Gauntlet (a book by a Muslim/American author)

And by the way, The Girl Who Drank the Moon is tons of fun!

Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai has three generations. A Vietnamese-American girl travels to Vietnam with her father for the summer, to help her grandmother find information on what happened to her grandfather during the war. While she's there, she meets her extended family, travels a bit through the country, and learns more of the language. (audiobook was good for this!)

Hatchet — Set outdoors
Z for Zachariah — Starts with Q, X or Z
The Silver Crown — Gem, mineral, rock in the title
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry — BLM list
I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World — Social Justice
Blubber by Judy Blume — Body positivity
Deenie by Judy Blume — Body positivity

I'm trying to read a lot of books from the Newbery Medal list this year.

A good book for body positivity is Genesis Begins Again - the main character is 13. It is a 2020 Newbery Honor Book.

For something broken on the cover I'll be reading The Headless Cupid - 1972 Newbery Honor Book.

For an oxymoron in the title, Splendors and Glooms - 2013 Newbery Honor Book.

For a book by a Muslim-American author, Other Words For Home - 2020 Newbery Honor Book.

Not a Newbery list book, but The Brave... I just read it... liked it a lot. The author is half Ojibwe so, an indigenous author.

For magical realism, When You Trap a Tiger won the Newbery Medal this year. I haven't read it yet.

I have others on my list - some are middle grade and some are not. If you'd like to see what I'm planning to read: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I read Holes for a bestseller from the 90s

I love middle-grade books too! I read is:
The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead
The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies (and also the series of this book)
Ban This Book by Alan Gratz
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks
Front Desk by Kelly Yang(which is my favorite)

Here are two middle grade books I loved. They're written by sisters Kirsten and Aiyven Mbawa:

Sagas Of Anya by Kirsten Mbawa
Land of the Nurogons by Aiyven Mbawa

Thanks Leah,
I would love to read your sister's books. I'll start looking for them today!