Great Middle Grade Reads discussion

Robert wrote: "Hi, everyone. I'm a first grade teacher and middle grade reader. I am excited about the possibilities of a Middle Grade Focused group. I think it would be fun to have a top Middle Grade Book Tou..."

Hi Robert,
Welcome aboard. I'll keep an eye out for your ideas.

Hi> I"m Grace and I'll be starting 6th grade in a month.
I LOVE reading. I can't wait to start middle school, their library is so much bigger than than my elementary school's. I've already read every book in it. And about half of the books twice so that's why I'm pretty excited.

Grace, love to hear your enthusiasm for reading.

Hi, Robert and Miss Grace. Keep reading, Grace - it's a very healthy pastime.

Hi guys, I'm Mike Bearden, retired teacher and principal who has been writing children's books on character education. I just finished my first MS novel, The Young Knights and the Search for Phantom Island. A mystical relic is lost and a thirteen year old, Timothy Knight, and his friends must find it before an evil genius, the Black Scarab, and uses it power to wage an apocryphal war and become pharaoh of the world.

Hi, I'm a middle school teacher and mom of two boys. I love reading and am always on the lookout for books for my sons and students.

Grace wrote: "Hi> I"m Grace and I'll be starting 6th grade in a month.
I LOVE reading. I can't wait to start middle school, their library is so much bigger than than my elementary school's. I've already read ev..."

Hi Grace, Welcome to the GMGR group. I hope you find plenty of reading ideas.

Michael wrote: "Hi guys, I'm Mike Bearden, retired teacher and principal who has been writing children's books on character education. I just finished my first MS novel, The Young Knights and the Search for Phant..."

Hi Michael, Welcome aboard. Your book sounds really interesting. My books are high action/adventure based on time-travel back to ancient Egypt so we have similar interests.

Andi wrote: "Hi, I'm a middle school teacher and mom of two boys. I love reading and am always on the lookout for books for my sons and students."

Hi Andi, I hope the group gives you plenty of ideas. It's great to have you in GMGR.
Steve

Juliana wrote: "Hi! I'm juliana. I'm a middle grade student and I'm a huge book worm!
I joined this group to help me find some great, middle grade-leveled books. Thanks of making this group!"

Hi Juliana, Thanks for joining GMGR. I'm sure there will be plenty of great stuff on here for you to discover.
Steve

Cordelia wrote: "This isn't simply for self-promotion, but it's a fun way to read new books - free - and give you experience in writing reviews. If anyone is interested, check out this post by the publishers of my ..."

Hi Cordelia,
Thanks for the information. I've moved it from this thread into another slightly renamed thread 'MG Book Review Blogs and Information'. (Just so your info won't get lost in the intros in this one)
Hope this suits.
Steve

Thanks, Steve!

(Original intro post from Jacci)

I wanted to introduce myself. I'm a Reno author and write YA fiction. My books involve high school students and are great for reluctant readers. I've attended book clubs to discuss them. Let me know if you're interested and I'll chime in. Jacci Turner www.jacciturner.com

Welcome to the group Jacci.
Great to have you onboard. I've also set a thread up for you (with your intro info) in the 'MG Authors Corner' section.
I've put your name/book series in the topic heading so we can easily find you)
Cheers :)

Hi everyone, I'm Jen and I'm posting from Utah. I'd love to be a writer someday but for now I spend my time saving up funny stories from all the phone calls I take at the office. I love reading all kinds of books but find I often end up back at Middle Grade because they are simply just fun books for the most part. I've got 20 nieces and nephews and I have a library of my own books for them, hoping they will love reading as well when they grow up. So...yeah, that's me.

S.W. wrote: "I thought it would be nice if there was a place you could introduce yourself when you join the group. It's a great way of letting us know a bit about yourself and meeting new members. Any ideas on ..."

Also...I love Tim Tams as they are fantastic. A Tim Tam Slam is even better!

Hi everyone, I'm Mark and I've totally switched genres to begin writing kids books. Up until recently I was writing manuals for graduate students who were taking statistics. Now I'm writing interactive Kindles books for kids learning to read. Here is an example if you're interested:

Parents of Small Children Will Love This One.

Here is a short video that shows the latest state-of-the-art KF8 Fixed Formatting techniques being used to create this magical, interactive Kindle ebook that just might be the most fun a parent can ever have teaching their small child to spell the names of 145 of our favorite animals. Here is the video link:

http://bit.ly/SeeHappy2

This Kindle ebook is titled:

TAP-N-SPELL Kids Reading Fun - 145 Fun Animals - Kids Learn to Read and Spell Flashcard Ebooks With Happy the Clown!

This will be some of the greatest fun that you and your child have ever had while teaching your child to spell. Just tap on each of the 145 pictures of fun animals and the spelling of the animal's name will pop up along with a funny kids joke about that animal.

Each page will have amazing fun facts about the last animal on the page. You and your child will laugh all the way through this Kindle ebook while you teach your child to spell the names of each of the 145 fun animals and learn amazing facts about the animals as well.

Jenny wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm Jen and I'm posting from Utah. I'd love to be a writer someday but for now I spend my time saving up funny stories from all the phone calls I take at the office. I love reading all..."

Hi Jenny,
Welcome to the group. I hope that you find plenty of great reads for that community of nieces and nephews you have.
Cheers

PS. Tim Tam slam is yummo!

Mark wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm Mark and I've totally switched genres to begin writing kids books. Up until recently I was writing manuals for graduate students who were taking statistics. Now I'm writing interac..."

Hi Mark,
Welcome to GMGR. There's plenty of great discussions that will hopefully prove interesting for you.
Cheers

Hi! My name is Jane and I teach 7th grade Language Arts. I'm looking forward to being a part of this group! Thanks for starting it, Steve!
Jane

Hi, Jane. Nice to meet you.

Hi Everyone,
My name is Annie and I am a teacher librarian. At the moment I am in a 5-8 middle school, so finding books to suit everyone can be a challenge. I hope to get some great ideas here. I am also starting a book group for my students, so I hope you don't mind if I crib your rules:-))

Jane wrote: "Hi! My name is Jane and I teach 7th grade Language Arts. I'm looking forward to being a part of this group! Thanks for starting it, Steve!
Jane"

Hi Jane, Thanks so much for joining. You may be interested in the MG Reviews by Kids that we will be starting up very soon.
Cheers

Annie wrote: "Hi Everyone,
My name is Annie and I am a teacher librarian. At the moment I am in a 5-8 middle school, so finding books to suit everyone can be a challenge. I hope to get some great ideas here. I..."

Hi Annie, Great to have you on board. I hope that you find heaps of great and useful info for your students.
Steve

Annie,

You might want to check out http://kidsebookfinder.wordpress.com/... It has some wonderful reviews and sorts Middle Grade works into different categories.

Robert

Hi, Annie! I read lots of MG books, so let me know if you need any recommendations. Just finished Bread and Roses, Too. I love the Alice books, and anything (almost) by Jerry Spinelli. My library is small and doesn't get a lot of new MG books, but I grab them as soon as they come in and try to comment on them on my blog when I have time.

Hey. My name is Kyla and I am 15, so I do not read MG books too often anymore, but, when I do, I love the nostalgic feeling I get. Ah, the good `ol days before all the swearing and crude humor. Right?
I am a writer and the first book I ever decided to write and have actually finished is a MG. The only problem now is that I read YA now mostly so I find it hard to write the sequel to it. I love the jolt of inspiration I get when I go read through my old MGs that sit, tattered and over read, on my book room shelf.
There are some things that just can't compare to reading a good MG book. Eating a pint of Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Therapy ice cream? Yes. Finishing writing a novel? Yes. Not sure anything else is quite so bitter sweet.
Anyway, that's enough of my ... uh... usually it would be `rants' but I don't think that describes what I just did exactly. I don't know. I'll just call it a `whatever'.
~Kyla Marie Rich : )
P.S. I am wrote an MG book but don't have it published. I just have it published on a writing website. Could I put a thread for it in the MG authors section or is that not allowed since it is not "Technically" published?

Kyla wrote: "Hey. My name is Kyla and I am 15, so I do not read MG books too often anymore, but, when I do, I love the nostalgic feeling I get. Ah, the good `ol days before all the swearing and crude humor. Rig..."

Hi Kyla,
Great to have you in the group. Great intro post.
I hope that the group will help you relive some of those MG memories, and maybe make some new ones.
Cheers

Hi, Kyla. Thanks for sharing some of your feelings about reading and writing. Kudos to you for accomplishing so much and for sticking with it. I wish you much success and joy with your writing future.

Hi my name is Tabatha. I have a 13 year old boy. He would only read comics or picture books until I found an author last year. His name is John Flanagan. He has a series of books that are chapter books. They contain no pictures. He reads them without complaint and is on book 9 now. They also start off not too thick and eventually get a little thicker. Please check them out. They were a great find.

Tabatha wrote: "Hi my name is Tabatha. I have a 13 year old boy. He would only read comics or picture books until I found an author last year. His name is John Flanagan. He has a series of books that are chapter b..."

Hi Tabatha,
Thanks for joing, it's good to have you in the group. I hope you discover some great reads for your son.
Cheers

Howdee ! I'm Khang ;)) 22, from Philippines. I love reading, eating, blogging and more. I love making friends and sharing ideas with people. I'm currently working in my own greenliving blog but haven't published yet. I'm also looking for people who are willing to join me to make a group, mostly helping our brothers and sisters who're suffering from hunger, out-of-school youth, and those who are victims of calamities. I hope you guys will join me and I'd love to know you guys.

I'm Cheryl, and I'm a goodreads addict. I have no reason to read MG lit except that I love it. And this group's discussion page looks great - I love that you have a section for reviews from kids. It's so hard for adults to know what kids will like, and they certainly deserve books that are not only good for them, but enjoyable too.

Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "I'm Cheryl, and I'm a goodreads addict. I have no reason to read MG lit except that I love it. And this group's discussion page looks great - I love that you have a section for reviews from kids...."

true.

Hi, everyone. I'm Bev Katz Rosenbaum, author of the Penguin novels I Was a Teenage Popsicle and Beyond Cool, which were marketed as YAs, but probably should have been MGs! The rights to Beyond Cool have reverted back to me so pretty soon I'll be revising and re-releasing it as That's Cold, an MG novel! Love MG--currently, I recommend Small Medium at Large, by my friend and colleague Joanne Levy!

hi im Maddie. i live in Texas and i will be going into the 7th grade. i read at a 9th or 10th reading level though. i hope to find a beter interest in more types of books. :)

Bev wrote: "Hi, everyone. I'm Bev Katz Rosenbaum, author of the Penguin novels I Was a Teenage Popsicle and Beyond Cool, which were marketed as YAs, but probably should have been MGs! The rights to Beyond Co..."

Hi Bev, Wow, your friend's title and theme sounds so close to mine that it's eerie :-) I self-published my middle grade novel, Alibi's Ghosts, The Larger-Than-Life Small World of a Medium's Daughter in January, and put it in paperback in June. Hopefully with ParaNorman by Elizabeth Kimmel coming out at the theater this coming weekend, both of our books will get a boost :-) But, I will be sure to read it. Thanks for suggesting it.

Khang wrote: "Howdee ! I'm Khang ;)) 22, from Philippines. I love reading, eating, blogging and more. I love making friends and sharing ideas with people. I'm currently working in my own greenliving blog but hav..."

Hi Khang, a warm welcome to GMGR.

Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "I'm Cheryl, and I'm a goodreads addict. I have no reason to read MG lit except that I love it. And this group's discussion page looks great - I love that you have a section for reviews from kids...."

Hi Cheryl, glad to have you on board. The reviews by kids only launched yesterday and I'm hoping it becomes a success within the group.
Cheers

Bev wrote: "Hi, everyone. I'm Bev Katz Rosenbaum, author of the Penguin novels I Was a Teenage Popsicle and Beyond Cool, which were marketed as YAs, but probably should have been MGs! The rights to Beyond Co..."

Hi Bev, thanks for joining, I hope you enjoy our discussions.
Cheers

Maddie wrote: "hi im Maddie. i live in Texas and i will be going into the 7th grade. i read at a 9th or 10th reading level though. i hope to find a beter interest in more types of books. :)"

Welcome Maddie.
I hope you find heaps of great info in the group.
Cheers

Hi, All!

Richard Knaak here! I write fantasy. Simon & Schuster is my main publisher. I'm old-fashioned, so I like to write my novels so that a wide range of ages can enjoy them. Have to say, a number of my most ardent readers started reading me in middle school/junior high. My latest DRAGONREALM novel - SHADE - will be out next month and the publisher has kindly arranged for a Giveaway. Please check it out at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13...

And if you're involved with a school, I'm always interested in hearing how to expand my contact with such

Richard wrote: "Hi, All!

Richard Knaak here! I write fantasy. Simon & Schuster is my main publisher. I'm old-fashioned, so I like to write my novels so that a wide range of ages can enjoy them. Have to say, a..."

Hi Richard,
Glad to see you on board. We look forward to chatting.
Cheers.

Hi I am a fourth grade teacher, always on the lookout for great books especially read alouds!! Bring on the suggestions! I am excited to have this resource and opinions at my fingertips!

Liz wrote: "Greetings everyone! My name is Liz and I am a public librarian in Maryland who writes young adult fiction and maintains a tween focused blog called GoodTweenReads at GoodTweenReads.Wordpress.com."

Great website. Thank you for some more resources! Teaching fourth grade is really in that middle grey area,where I find chapter books to be too easy for my students and again, the YA books not quite right. I will be visiting that site a lot and recommending it to my parents.!

Hello from Julee, a Texas teacher-librarian serving grades Pre-kinder three-year-olds up to sixth grade. Three recent MG #mustreads are: "Liar and Spy" by Newbery Award winning author Rebecca Stead and "The One and Only Ivan" by the fabulous Katherine Applegate and my favorite "Wonderstruck" by Brian Selznick. I look forward to some great MG discussions.

Julee wrote: "Hello from Julee, a Texas teacher-librarian serving grades Pre-kinder three-year-olds up to sixth grade. Three recent MG #mustreads are: "Liar and Spy" by Newbery Award winning author Rebecca Stead..."

Hi Julee, Glad to have you on board. I hope you find plenty of interesting info in our discussions.
Cheers

Kammera wrote: "Hi I am a fourth grade teacher, always on the lookout for great books especially read alouds!! Bring on the suggestions! I am excited to have this resource and opinions at my fingertips!"

Hey Kammera, Welcome aboard the GMGR express!

Hi everyone! I'm Jacci Turer, Author of two YA books in The Birthright Series. And, you can currently get the first one, The Cage on Smashwords.com for free. But, I'm currently working on a middle grade fiction that I'm so excited about!!! So, stay tuned! Jacci

(Original post by Beth)

Hi!

Am I ever glad that I've found all of you!!! My name is Beth, and I work with students in grades 2 - 5 at my local library. Part of my job requirement is to conduct book talks at the elementary school monthly, so I am always reading junior novels. (Of course, I would be doing that even if it wasn't for my job!!! HA! HA!) I also help pick what we purchase for the library. What a daunting task!

I am partial to fantasy novels with titles such as The Underneath, Hatching Magic, Toad Rage, A Tale Dark and Grimm, and The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles being some of my favorites. I hope that here I can find like-minded people to help me with suggestions. This is my kind of group!

Excited, as always!
Beth

P.S. Katie -- I LOVE books about dragons!!! I will have to read yours!

Hi Beth, welcome to the group. I've moved you into into this new members intro thread. Cheers.