We Are Never Getting Together

Rallison, Janette. We Are Never Getting Together 

April 7, 2026 by Shadow Mountain
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Madeline and Cooper are seniors in high school, and have a long standing feud going on that leads them to dramatically sabotage each other. After Madeline steals Cooper’s clothes from the locker room and leaves him a clown costume instead, Cooper retaliates by having his friends relocate her Miata under the bleachers. This brings the two to the attention of principal, Ms. Tsuru, who is tired of the antics, which have included leaving meat in a locker and a glitter bomb. Madeline’s father and Cooper’s mother are called to the office, and the two pranksters have to work together on painting the faded tiger tracks in the parking lot. Since both parents are divorced (Madeline’s mother moved to Norway for her career, and Cooper’s father is working on an Alaskan oil rig) and know each other from the spin class the mother teaches, they decide to go out to dinner to discuss their errant children. The two do talk while they are painting, even though there is a rather epic paint battle, and get to the root of the problem; Cooper commented that Madeline got starring roles in the plays because her father donated money to the school, and Madeline retaliated by sharing an unflattering football video of Cooper. Both admit to being wrong, and have an uneasy truce. This is disrupted when they find that their parents are dating, and they figure this must be stopped. Cooper’s sister Claire rather likes Madeline and her father, but Cooper comes up with a good idea: he and Madeline should pretend to date, because then their parents wouldn’t be interested in each other. Madeline agrees, and the two have to navigate Cooper actually dating a girl named Dahlia, making their parents believe they are dating, and dealing with the football team and Madeline’s friend Selena. On the night of Homecoming, Madeline is out with the rather unpleasant TC from another school, and he hits a stray cat who has been hanging around the school. Madeline is upset, but TC won’t take the cat to the vet. Luckily, Cooper’s friend group happens by and stops, and Cooper not only hands over hsi suit jacket to protect the injured animal, but goes with Madeline to the vet. The two have been dancing around their attraction to each other, and finally admit that the two of them should be together, to the surprise of absolutely no one.
Strengths: There have not been enough books from Rallison lately; I adored her 2008 Revenge of the Cheerleaders, 2009 Just One Wish, and 2010 My Double Life! She does an excellent job of writing about high school characters who are still interesting to middle school students. Such books were more prevalent 15 years ago; now young adult books include a lot more mature language, drinking, and other questionable choices. I would not have found these enjoyable as a teenager. While I am not personally a fan of the “enemies to lovers” trope, I know a lot of people are, and Madeline and Cooper’s journey to one another is very sweet. There’s some “practice” kissing that is totally middle grade appropriate but also rather thrilling. There are humorous moments, but also good lessons about how teens should act towards one another. Dahlia could have been a completely evil character, but is portrayed with a little bit of sympathy, and TC is unfortunately a type of guy that readers may encounter.
Weaknesses: It would have been fun if the parents had still gotten together. Younger readers won’t care, but it would have made for a fun complication for Madeline and Cooper. It was nice to see parents involved with high school students, showing up at games and taking them out for ice cream.
What I really think: This is exactly the type of book my readers have been wanting to read this year, so I will definitely purchase a copy, and am dusting my older titles off and making sure they get some circulation. Glad to see this author back! Fans of Kasie West, Sarah Dessen, and Lynn Painter will enjoy this title.  

MMGM- The Setback and Skateboards: A Graphic History

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

If you are in charge of buying books for middle grade readers in 4-8th grades, put Leitch's The Setback on your purchase list immediately. It will be a huge hit. It's also a fabulous gift for a sports obsessed boy named Liam (look at that cover!), and there are tons of those out there.

A little more personality leaked into this review than usual, which just means that the writing made me FEEL things. Either that, or it's an indication that I wrote this on the last day before winter break and I am feeling the strain of having to say things to students like "Please don't touch other people's pants" and "Let's not make emergency noises in nonemergent situations".

Leitch, Lynn. The Setback

March 24, 2026 by Pajama Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Liam LOVES sports. He is on several teams with his best friend Marcus, and the two hope to apply to the prestigious Camp Jackman for the summer. Liam feels very connected to his grandfather who has recently passed away, and feels that attending the camp would honor his legacy. The grandfather played soccer for the Nation Team, and went to the camp in 1977. Liam's parents support his efforts, but have lately been busy caring for his five-year-old sister Lily, who was recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. When Liam does not make the baseball team (and Marcus does), he is in a difficult position. In order to apply to the camp, he needs to be on two sports teams that decide members through tryouts, but has only played soccer. He thinks about joining a local swimming team, but when he finds that obnoxious new student Jayson is on it, declines. He's on the shorter side, and doesn't make the school basketball team. He thinks about joining an intramural team, but never quite makes that happen. In the meantime, he has school projects, class activities with Mr. Young, and a possible romance with Izzie. There's friend drama with Marcus: Liam feels awkward because his friend will go to camp while he will not, but it turns out that Marcus feel ignored by Liam, and thinks that Liam would rather be friends with the girl-obsesses Sami. After a classroom incident involving stealing gum, Liam is held back for after school detention, making him late for track tryouts. This ruins his last chance at applying to the camp, although the track coach was impressed by his performance. Liam even e mails Camp Jackman, hoping they will bend the rules for him. They won't, but invite him to apply next year. Since he is invited to participate in the Blue Hornets elite track team, he is well on his way to his next application.
Strengths: It is hard to describe exactly how all-consuming sports can be for middle school students. I've seen many kids like Liam who play multiple sports, both at school and on the club level, and who think that they can make a career playing sports. Liam is willing to participate in just about any sport, and it was great that he found he had a talent for running. (But not surprising; my best cross country runners often had soccer backgrounds.) The friend drama with Marcus was perfect; it's hard when a friend excels at something when one is struggling. The inclusion of family issues, with Lily's health, makes the parents' support of Liams' endeavors even more meaningful. The portrayal of middle school romance is absolutely spot on, from Sami's interest in all the girls, to the trend of having shoelaces portray relationship status, to Liam breaking up with Izzie because he doesn't want to go out with anyone. While Liam doesn't get to go to camp, there is a bright spot when he gets to be on he elite track team, so this was hopeful while not ignoring the struggles tweens face. I'm very interested to see other books by Leitch.
Weaknesses: This is set in Canada, so maybe school rules are different there. At my school, Mr. Long would be out of a job for not watching his class on multiple occasions! We're not even allowed to let students sit in the hallway outside a classroom unsupervised. If a student is sick, we have to call the office or find a teacher on hall duty to take the student to the clinic. We also can't assign detentions for the same day as an infraction, because how would the student get home if a bus were missed? Our families are given at least a week's notice if students are kept after school, and detentions are given only for cumulative behavior, not just for one instance. They are issued by the assistant principal, not teachers. Young readers won't mind these details, but they really bothered me, especially since major plot points revolved around them.
What I really think: I think the fact that I had some personal issues with this book stemmed from the fact that I really liked it and need this book for my students. I'm definitely buying a copy, even though it stung more than a little that the grandfather was exactly my age and DEAD! Authors, authors! Let's increase dramatic tension in stories by keeping relatives alive and having tweens argue with them. What if the parents had supported Liam no matter what he did, but the grandfather put pressure on him to excel? Much more interesting. The Setback had some of the same feel of Wallace's great 2010 Sports Camp, and is the book I would expect if the extraordinary sports writer Fred Bowen teamed up to write a book with the fabulous tween romance writer G.F. Miller. 

Hoena, Blake and López, Sareki (Illustrator). 

Skateboards: A Graphic History
January 1, 2026 by Graphic Universe ™
Copy provided by the publisher

There are always young readers who skateboard, but there are very few books that tie in to this interest. Having a graphic nonfiction title is a perfect way to deliver this interesting history. 

While most people know about the tie-in to California surf culture and the 1960s resurgence in the sport, the early 1900s background may be surprising. Creating ones own toys was always fun, so seeing boxes and old roller skate wheels made into scooters, and boards used for baking buns made into skateboards didn't surprise me at all, but I don't know that children today produce as many of their own amusements. The different technological developments are interesting; I need to know more about what a clay wheel is, since my involvement with skateboards didn't happen until the appearance of urethane wheels.

There was a lot of fun history of which I was not aware; a drought in Southern California in 1976, for example, led to a lot of empty swimming pools that were used to develop new tricks. Parkour style outdoor skating utilizing stairs and railings in public areas heated up in the 1980s, and the X Games and Tony Hawk took hold in the 1990s and early 2000s. 

The illustrations all give a great feel for the styles and fashions of the time periods, and there is plenty of detail given to the evolution of skateboards themselves. There's even a bit of information about Vans shoes; I didn't realize that they were associated with skateboarding because the soles had extra gripping capabilities! This ends with a glossary, a few websites to visit, and a very helpful index. 

My students will be very excited to see this book. Now, if there could be some middle grade novels about skateboarding like Spangler's Kickturn. Other than a few old Matt Christopher titles and some Jake Maddox books, there are few other choices.  

Read 63 books in March. A little slow for me; I really am dedicated to reading just about all middle grade lit. 

Don't you think SOMEONE in publishing might be just the tiniest bit curious about why I am only buying FOUR of the books I read?

Nyah. No one cares. They just want to keep publishing depressing stuff and then whine about why no one is buying middle grade. Grrr. 

And yes, I had an uninspiring spring break, and am heading into testing next week. Also, blocked someone on Goodreads who commented that a long synopsis of a book is not a review, and I merely suspected they might have been referencing my review. That's the current mood! 

Happy Easter! Marie's Magic Eggs and Little Bunny's To-Do List

Wallace, Sandra Neil and Turk, Evan (illus.)

Marie's Magic Eggs: How Marie Procai Kept the Ukrainian Art of Pysanky Alive

February 10, 2026 by Calkins Creek

Copy provided by the Publisher

Ukrainian history is unfortunately filled with many tragic events, and young readers will be aware of the problems there currently with Russian. They may not know that the Ukranian people have a long history of trying to maintain their country, culture, and identity. Born in a small village in 1987, Marie and her family lived under various occupations, and eventually fled to Croatia. After her brothers left for North America, she made the trip herself at the age of thirteen, and ended up living with a cousin in Minneapolis. She worked in the vibrant Ukrainian community there, and started to try to replicate the Pysanky eggs that she made at Easter with her grandmother. She didn't have the dyes or equipment she needed, so improvised with using colors from paper and makeshift tools. She helped build a Ukranian church, and kept up her family traditions. After her son was killed in 1945, she helped welcome war refugees to further help her community. When her daughter took an interest in her art, Procai set up a Ukranian Gift Shop as a way to preserve the art of her culture. By 1972, there was such interest in Pysanka artists that Nationagl Geographic featured the family in an article. Procai went on to write books about decorating, and her business became the largest supplier of pysanka products in the world. 

Wallace, whose family emigrated from Ukraine, is a vocal advocate for Ukranian identity. Her grandmother had a tool from Procai's gift shop, but she didn't find out about Procai until Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. It couldn't have been easy to gather information about Procai; the history of businesses is often lost to time, and folk artists often don't get the attention that they deserve. Luckily, her grandchildren agreed to speak to the author, and there are a good number of family photos from the mid twentieth century included in the back matter. 

I might have to look up Procai's book; my cousin's father's parents were from  Czechoslovakia, and she has made Pysanka eggs for fifty years. This is an art prevalent in several Slavic cultures, and doesn't get the widespread recognition that other arts and crafts do. Turk's art captures the color and style of the traditional egg designs. 

This is a great book to celebrate Easter, and will perhaps encourage young readers to investigate other forms of egg decorating beyond the standard US dye tablets. Include this in displays or Ukranian culture or in ones celebrating artists along with Rogers and Innerst’s Joan Mitchell Paints a Symphony, Harvey and Wise’s Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas, Scott, Stinson and Soloy's A Tulip in Winter: A Story about Folk Artist Maud Lewis, Spangler and Sweet's Unbound: The Life and Art of Judith Scott, and Temple and White’s Wilhelmina Barnes-Graham: An Introduction to Her Life with Activities.

Zax, Helen Kemp and Eagan, Kiersten Eve (illustrator)
Little Bunny's To-Do List
January 6, 2026 by Harry N. Abrams
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

A small, white rabbit living in a hutch has a busy morning as he magically transform into a bow-tie wearing Easter bunny and makes all of his preparations for delivering eggs. He consults his lengthy to-do list as he gathers and Dye's eggs, harvests jelly beans from a tree, and knits a number of lambswool sweaters. After enchanting his giant egg basket, he takes off in the evening to deliver eggs. It's not all work, though; he has plenty of time to bunny hop with the garden gnomes. With all of the Easter baskets filled and eggs hidden everywhere, he hops home in time to drink some magic parsley tea and return to being a regular, and very tired, bunny. He snuggles with the other bunnies to dream. 

Told in rhyming verse, this book shows Little Bunny being very productive, and even includes a fold out list at the end, complete with glittery check marks indicating that he got all of his work done. From a time management perspective, I was a little surprised that he left all of the work for the day before Easter; I rather wished this would also have showed some long range planning. The readers for this, however, are young enough that they probably have never even created a to-do list, so this is a great place to start. Zax and Evans have also written Little Witch's To-Do List and Little Elf's To-Do List (for Christmas). 

The illustrations are befittingly pastel , with a good dose of sparkles. Little Bunny and his friends are all shown be upbeat, cooperative, and helpful. Little Bunny does take some breaks to have lemonade with his friends, who help him organize things, unwind wool, and have quite the party while dyeing the eggs. The end papers are delightful, with eggs, teacups, carrots, and flowers. 

While there may never be another Easter picture book as completely perfect as Heyward's 1939 The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes, there are a number of fun ones available. Take a look at Toht's Pick a Perfect Egg,  Heim and Blanco's Stop That Bunny, Baker's Hap-Pea Easter,  and Trukhan's The Great Big Egg Hunt for a veritable Easter basket of great titles. 

Princess Academy: The Graphic Novel and Fruitcake

Hale, Shannon and Ying, Victoria. Princess Academy: The Graphic Novel
April 7, 2026 by Bloomsbury Children's Books
ARC provided by the publisher

Miri lives in Eskel with her father, who has raised her since her mother died while she was being born. Her small mountain village depends on the mining of a stone, linder, and trading with other communities. When the message comes that the prophets have revealed that the heir to the throne, Steffan, will have a wife who comes from Eskel, all of the girls of a certain age are sent to a Princess Academy to learn skills. While Miri is glad to be going to school rather than tending goats, she misses her community, especially Peder, whom she would like to marry. There are a lot of different girls attending the school, with the understandable problems, as well as friendships. Even though the ostensible purpose of the academy is to train a future princess, the girls are able to work together, overcome obstacles, and think beyond the traditional fairy tale stereotype of a princess. There is a magical element in this with Miri being able to communicate via the linder stone. The original novel (2005) has two sequels, Palace of Stone (2012) and The Forgotten Sisters (2015).

There seems to be a trend of trying to increase interest in older titles by issuing graphic novel versions. Pierce's Alana: The First Adventure has seen this treatment as well. Princess Academy seemed closer to the original than some adaptations I have read, but it has been quite some time since I read the original. Hale's strong world building definitely comes through, and seeing one concept of the setting was fun. Readers who enjoy other girl power fantasies like Ursu's The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy and Hendrix's Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans will enjoy this visit to Eskel.

Ogle, Rex. Fruitcake (Four Eyes #3)

April 7, 2026 by Graphix

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

As the new year of middle school starts, Rex is dismayed that all of his classmates seem to be forming romantic pairs. He's still hanging out with his friend Drew, but things are very complicated with him. Chase and Ramon are still giving people a hard time, even accosting Kyle just because he is wearing a pink shirt. Rex finds himself wanting to have a girlfriend, and connects with Charlotte, whom he asks to a dance. She accepts, and he feels like he is part of the larger group who have romantic entanglements. He can't afford to get his hair cut, as his family struggles with their finances, so takes a job babysitting to earn some money. His stepfather cautions him against letting people at school know about his employment, since babysitting is a girl's job. The stepfather also doesn't want to travel to California, because it's full of "fruits and nuts". Rex spends some time hanging out in the art room with other students who find the cafeteria daunting, and he talks to Nina as well as Kyle, who says openly that he is gay. When Rex's abuela visits, she always makes sure that the family has food and clothing. She also wants to take the family to church. Rex's mother won't attend, and Rex is shocked with the minister decries "the sin of homosexuality" from the pulpit. Even though Rex has leanings towards liking boys, he tells himself that if it is a sin, he will make the choice to like girls. Drew continues to deliver conflicting messages to Rex; they can hang out and kiss, but if Rex talks in public to Kyle, he can't talk in public to Drew. When Rex feels that kissing Drew is cheating on Charlotte, he breaks up with her with little explanation. There is a lot of drama at the school dance, but Rex eventually makes peace with Charlotte, his grandmother and her religion, and his own sexuality.
Strengths: This is an interesting look at how middle school life was back in the 1980s or 90s- going by the author's own age, this should be 1993, but the presence of overalls wants me to set in a few years earlier! This has all of the tween drama. Charlotte is a great character, and the way that Rex breaks up with her seems completely realistic. Drew is quite the eye opening character, and I always love reading about Abuela. The illustrations really make this one.
Weaknesses: The trend in LGBTQIA+ literature has been away from coming out stories, but since Ogle frequently draws on his own middle school experiences, this must have been the story he wanted to tell. I don't know how many 13 year olds now will understand the term "fruitcake".
What I really think: Readers who have followed Ogle's story in Four Eyes and Pizza Face wil be interested to see how his life in middle school continues. I know that marginalized communities often take derogatory terms and regain power by using them, but I haven't been a fan of any of Ogle's titles. I never would have referred to myself as "four eyes" in middle school, but times do change. Certainly, the acceptance of LGBTQIA+ individuals has changed dramatically in the last thirty years. 

Iced Out and The Water You're Swimming In

Marino, Max, Bolte, Mari and Diaz, Roman (illus.)
Iced Out (Lerner Sports Stories)
January 1, 2026 by Lerner Publications ™

Copy provided by the publisher

One of Xio's moms has been transferred, and while starting at Grant Elementary is a little daunting, Xio is glad that the community has a travel hockey team rather than just a club one. When she goes to school, she sees boys wearing soccer jerseys and strikes up a conversation with Luke and Lamar, but they are dismissive and rude, telling her that girls don't play hockey. Only Todd is nice and agrees that girls could play as well. At least Ainsley asks Xio to sit with her at lunch, and the two bond over skating, since Ainsley and her friend Lainey are figure skaters. Xio encourages the girls to try out for hockey with her after skating at the local rink with members of the older girls hockey team. After drilling and practicing for weeks, Xio feels prepared for the tryouts, even though the boys tell her that she should join the Bumblebees instead of the Hornets. Xio, Lainey, Ainsley, and Davi all make the team, and the boys are angry because they displaced four of their friends. Luke and Lamar even try to push the girls around on the ice until their coach upbraids them for treating teammates poorly. Lainey wants to quit, but Xio encourages her to stay. When the team runs into former members Leo and Mikey, who now play for the Bumblebees, they find out that they are having a perfectly fine time, and know that not everyone can play on the same team. Xio has good skills, and because of her hard work, the team is doing well. Luke and Lamar eventually apologize, and the Hornets have more success when they all work together. The end of the book has a short biography about Grace Zumwinkle, who plays in the PWHL. 

It is hard for me to believe that over fifty years after Title IX boys still are resistant to girls on their teams! Even the Boy Scouts, now Scouting America, have female members, and my middle school had several girls on the team before enrollment dropped and we had to combine with another school. That makes books like this all the more important for young readers, so that they can understand that girls are just as good at sports as boys!

I loved that Xio and her friends put in the hard work to polish their skills for tryouts, and that they were determined to stick with the team even when the boys were rude. They stood up for themselves, and eventually changed the boys' minds. Characters who are resilient and persistent are great examples for younger readers, and I wish more middle grade books included these good examples. 

There are a few shorter books about hockey, like Eyre's The Mean Girl Meltdown, McKnight's Jim Nasium is a Hockey Hazard, Mutinda and Walters' Hockey Night in Kenya, and Maddox's Slap-Shot Slump, although not all of them deal with the additional topic of girls in sports. Books for slightly older books that address this include Deibert's Bea Mullins Takes a Shot, Morrill's Being Sloan Jacobs, and Kim's On Thin Ice.

 

Fagan, Rachel Schwartz. The Water You're Swimming In 

March 17, 2026 by Orca Book Publishers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Noah lives in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia in a town near the Bay of Fundy that is so small that students either need to go to a private Christian school for some of their years, or travel to a nearby town. As he enters 8th grade, he's dealing with the fact that his older brother, Jamie, who has always had problematic behavior, has run away to Halifax. His parents are struggling, so invite his Grandma Aisling to stay with them to keep an eye on Noah. She's a fiddler as well as an herbalist, traditions that are kept alive by Jamie, who is hoping to make a living playing fiddle. Noah is a swimmer, and when he finds that the winner of an end of year school meet will win an all expense paid trip to Halifax, he practices extra hard so that he can visit the city, find his brother, and bring him back. Classmate Jessica, however, informs him that SHE will be winning the meet. Noah has a crush on Alysha, and the two spend some sweet moments together, but there is drama when she confides in Jessica. Noah comes in second at the meet, but takes his savings and gets a bus to Halifax. He doesn't have a lot of money, and can't find his brother after checking several local bars. Taking a moment to look out at the ocean, he slips and falls in... and is rescued by Jessica, who is there with her parents. Eventually, his parents are contacted, Jamie is found, and the family is able to work through their problems with a therapist.
Strengths: I don't know anything at all about Nova Scotia, other than the Anne of Green Gables connection, so it was interesting to take a brief look at a community there. There also aren't a lot of books about swimming, so details of Noah's training and competition were appreciated. Including a light romance with some twists to it added some interest. While I don't approve of Noah taking off on a bus by himself, I have to applaud his initiative and independence, even if he doesn't plan as well as he should have. There's a happy ending to the book, and it's good that the family is shown attending therapy.
Weaknesses: It was interesting to see Grandma Aisling's herbal concoctions and hear her songs (a lot of them are quoted, and they have a bit of a sea shanty feel to them), but I'm not sure how either of these topics will resonate with my students.
What I really think: There's a lot of emotional impact in a missing sibling, and The Water You're Swimming In is a good choice for readers who like stories like Pfeffer's 1987 The Year Without Michael or Fritz's Everywhere Blue.

Mystery in the Grand Canyon

Bowling, Dusti. Mystery in the Grand Canyon

Sir Edmund of the Wild West #1
March 17, 2026 by Holiday House
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Edmund is a goldendoodle who thinks he should become a British Royal Guard at Buckingham Palace when his owner, the British Mrs. Brandywine, passes away from a heart attack. He is returned to the Academy, where service dogs are trained. Since Edmund has a talent for identifying when people are about to have seizures, he is paired with Willy, a veteran who suffered a traumatic brain injury in the service and also suffers from PTSD after the death of his friends Jeff and Mike. Willy has a camper van, and hosts a ghost hunting show. He and Edmund take off to the Grand Canyon to investigate the 1928 disappearance of hikers Glen and Bessie. Edmund, who is extremely supercilious and overestimates his own importance, is condescending to the dogs he meets, like Rocky and King Ruler (a tiny Chihuahua), although he bows to social pressure and lets Rocky sniff his butt. Because many people have died in the Grand Canyon, Edmund realizes that he can see and talk to their ghosts. Willy starts his investigation at the Emery Kolb photography studio, since it was the last place that the hikers were seen. The other dogs warn Edmund about the Mogollon Monster who frequents the canyon, and there are plenty of scrapes, like Willy slipping and almost plummeting to his death before being saved by travelers Emmie and Jared. Edmund uses his conversations to help lead Willy to some conclusions about the mystery, and he is soon able to lean into his new life, even eating a lowly hotdog that Rocky provides. Willy's seizures have returned, so the two get help from Emmie and Jared in order to head off to their next adventure.
Strengths: Bowling uses a lot of history of the Grand Canyon, especially in her portrayal of the ghosts. I loved her author's note at the end, as well as the bibliography. It's always fun to travel in the Southwest via her books. There's a nice balance between Edmund's point of view and Willy's activity, and the representation of a military veteran dealing with health issues and being helped by a service dog was excellent. I'm not sure how many elementary readers are interested in podcasts, but middle school ones occasionally listen, especially to ones with murder and ghost themes, so the mystery of Glen and Bessie will garner some interest.
Weaknesses: Edmund's British affectations and insistence that he is somehow better than the other dogs will amuse elementary school readers more than middle school ones.
What I really think: Comparisons to Messner's Ranger in Time series are apt, since both books feature dogs who save the day and are roughly the same length and reading level This reminded me most strongly of Erickson's 1982 Hank the Cowdog series with a dash of Cameron's Puppy Tales books.

Hafsa's Way

Saeed, Aisha. Hafsa's Way
March 10, 2026 by Nancy Paulsen Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this companion novel to Amal Unbound and Omar Rising, we follow the progress of Amal's best friend, Hafsa. Hafsa's family runs a produce market in their small Pakistani village, and she is very excited to have been accepted into a month long medical studies summer program at the Bukhari school in Lahore. Her father is adamantly against the idea, since he is appalled when she does something as simple as riding a bicycle, because it is somehow unseemly for a girl to do this. When her older sister, Shabnam, visits with her doctor husband, Sohail, the idea comes up for Hafsa to stay with Shabnam while she attends the program, which Sohail offers to pay for. In a surprise move, Hafsa's grandmother jumps with with her agreement to send Hafsa, stopping her son from forbidding it! Hafsa is surprised at how opulent Sohail's family home is, and a bit concerned that Shabnam is helping Sohail's mother with a hospital fund raising gala rather than going to culinary school. Another concern is that the medical camp is being held the next year, and the focus of the current program is climate change. Since it was difficult to attend this year, there is little hope of returning. One teacher lets Hafsa watch the recorded videos from the previous year, so she does get some of the medical information. The program is interesting, and Hafsa takes a particular interest in an elephant, Gulab, at the local zoo, even though other students make fun of her "dancing" with the elephant in a quiet moment. At the zoo, she runs into Tariq, who is also worried that Gulab is not receiving the best care, and the two work to get Gulab's situation more attention. Hafsa talks to Sohail about the fact that Shabnam is working so hard on the gala that she has set aside her dream to open a cupcake bakery, which causes a few family problems, but also opens communication. Hafsa's attempts to get Gulab's case media attention are successful, and the school offers her a scholarship to the camp the following year because of her work. Sohail's mother agrees to hire a team to help with the ever increasing work for the gala, and the book ends on a positive note. 

Strengths: I read this book and Hicks' Inbetweens on the same night, and now I want to go to a summer program! While these tend to be expensive, they are so helpful, and it was interesting to see depictions of programs in both the US and Pakistan. Of course, I would rather send my own children to a medical program, and climate change is every bit as important to study. There's just enough information about climate change and its effects to be interesting, but not so many that the story is bogged down in details. There's a personal face of the issues with Gulab; readers who love animals will want to read this for the details about elephants. The family dynamics are well depicted, and US readers will find it interesting that Shabnam was married relatively young to a man picked out for her by her parents. It was nice to see a glimpse of Amal at the beginning of the story. 

Weaknesses: I would have adored this as a middle school student, but while Amal Unbound remains popular in my library, I've had trouble getting readers to pick up titles like Omar Rising. I'll probably purchase a copy, because I think it's an important story to read. Just don't understand why young people are not curious about the world. 

What I really think: This is a great choice for readers who want to see what every day life is like in countries other than the US and who enjoyed stories like Abbas's Aarzu All Around, Perkins's The Golden Necklace: A Darjeeling Tea Mystery, or Bajaj's Thirst.

I hesitate to mention this book, but since it caught me a bit off guard, it might surprise others as well. Even if librarians and teachers don't read every book they hand to students, they should have a good idea of what the stories contain. This might be exactly what you are looking for in a book; it is just not something I will be purchasing. 

Patel, Khushboo. All That Chandni Knows
March 31, 2026 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

**Spoilers**

While I very much enjoyed seeing the depiction of daily life in Gujarat in 1999 (and was amazed that there were so many cultural references that are the same in the US!), the exploration of colorism, and Chandni's struggles to get into boarding school, I'm not sure that I want to personally hand middle school readers a story where the father is having an affair with the mother's sister, Diya Masi. Not only that, but Diya Masi lives in the family home, shares a room with Chandni, and while Chandni knows about the affair (and is told that the mother is okay with it), the mother does not and is devastated at the end of the book. There are no details at all about any activity, so my objection doesn't lie there. This is a novel in verse, and I wish there were more support for Chandni throughout, because this would be a devastating secret with which to live.

This was lyrical and heart felt, but perhaps just not the right choice for my readers in grades 6-8. If this is something that appeals to you, by all means take a look. 

The Queen's Granddaughter

N.B. Yes, I know it's Tuesday, but this is not a fantasy book. Zahler writes some impressive fantasy titles, but this is definitely historical.

 

Zahler, Diane. The Queen's Granddaughter

March 24, 2026 by Roaring Brook Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Twelve-year-old Blanca is an infanta living in Castile, Spain with her father, Alfonso VIII, and mother, Lenore. When it is announced that her grandmother, Eleanor of Aquitaine will be visiting and taking her older sister, Urraca, to France to marry the dauphin, Louis, Blanca is not happy. She's already lost one sister to marriage, and knows that if Urraca goes to France, she may never see her again. Even though Eleanor is in her late 70s, she is not afraid of a journey, and even arrives early. Blanca tries to paint her older sister as someone who would be unfit to be queen, but is surprised when her grandmother announces that Blanca herself will be Louis' bride! Her sister is angry, and this is not at all what Blanca had intended. She takes some comfort that her best friend, Suna, will go with her, since Suna has no family. Her mother consoles her that it is the fate of princesses to embark on political marriages, and that she herself was married at nine, although it is said in passing that such marriages are not consummated until the bride is of age. Her grandmother says that the choice was made because she liked Blanca's spirit and thought she would be a good queen of France, and also because she doesn't like Urraca's name! Eleanor musters her retinue, and the group sets off for France. It's not an easy trip. There is a snowstorm near Aquitaine, and the group helps to rescue some pilgrims, who are helpful when Eleanor falls ill. Eleanor and Suna are also kidnapped and held for ransom, but manage to escape and take sanctuary in a church. Eventually, soldiers from Castile come and save them, but Eleanor decides that she won't go all the way to France for the wedding, but will instead go to the abbey at Fontevraud to spend the rest of her days. Suna, also, decides to return to Castile after experiencing a lot of anti-Muslim sentiment. Even though it's not ideal, Blanca heads off to France, where she went on to have an impressive career after her marriage to Louis VIII. 
Strengths: One of my favorite books as a middle schooler was Princess of Orange (1966) by Elisabeth Kyle. There was something endlessly appealing about a fictional version of everyday life for a girl destined to be queen that made me read the book again and again. Blanca's adventure on her way to her wedding felt the same way, but with more excitement. I adored the representation of Eleanor of Aquitaine as an older woman still willing to take an epic journey and to wield power over her family. Suna is a completely fictional interpolation, but her inclusion makes sense given Blanca's resistance to her son fighting Muslims, and gives this a little more diverse look at the past. There are plenty of descriptions of food, travel, and Eleanor's lined face that added to the appeal.
Weaknesess: This really needed Blanca's family tree at the beginning; maybe the final copy will have one. I knew of many of the characters, but could have used a handy reference to how everyone was related, as well as the years when all of this occurred.
What I really think: I no longer have Konigsburg's 1973 A Proud Taste of Scarlet and Miniver or Gregory's 2002 Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine, France, 1136, although I do have Carolyn Meyer's Young Royals books. It's not a topic my readers request a lot, but Zahler's fairy tale based books circulate steadily. I will have to buy a copy anyway, since it made me so happy, and I always have a few voracious readers of historical fiction who can be persuaded to pick up something a little different.

MMGM- Wilderness Hacks and Survivor Mountain

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

Brorsen, Joslin. Wilderness Hacks
March 31, 2026 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Netgalley.

After the death of her father, Sadie tries to take especially good care of her younger brother Silas, who is on the autism spectrum and is also struggling with recently diagnosed celiac disease. He is a big fan of social media influencer Radley Shaw, a boy her age who posts wilderness and survival content. There's a contest to be featured on Radley's show, but Silas is too young. Sadie steps in, and has Silas film a video of her finding, cooking, and eating a grub. When Radley sees the video, he thinks that Sadie is smiling at an off camera boyfriend, since she has such a fond look on her face, and doesn't pick it. Radley's team (which includes tutor Juliana and her father, manager Marcus) thinks Sadie's forthright demeanor would mean a lot of likes, and include her in the voting. She wins, and she and Silas are soon traveling to meet Radley, so that they can introduce him to some of the joys of the Colorado wilderness. While Radley has reservations about Sadie, Sadie also isn't a fan of Radley, whom she thinks doesn't really know how to survive, but is in the business just to promote products. Sadie is struggling with being outside, since that was her father's favorite place to be. When Silas starts a fire with some off-camera help, Sadie's suspicions are confirmed. Still, Rad and Sadie take off with guide Chuck to get some footage on the rapids, but things go terribly wrong when there is an earthquake. This causes a local dam to overflow, and the flooding also leads to landslides. Chuck manages to keep everyone safe for a while, but eventually sacrifices himself in order to get Rad and Sadie to safety. They manage to get off the raft onto dry land, and climb as fast and as far as they can to get away from the water. They have to set up camp, dry off, and see if they can find any food. Sadie does have a backpack that Silas packed for her that includes a personal locator beacon (PLB), which gives them hope, and a Life Straw so that they can drink water. There are some issues with food; even though Sadie doesn't have celiac disease, she has the genetic markers, and because her father's death was tied to the same issue, she doesn't want to eat anything with gluten. Rad, on the other hand, is leery of most meats, and they manage to find a common ground to help them communicate in order to survive. There are plenty of challenges in the wilderness, and Rad is concerned that the PLB might not be helping; he had promoted it, and his father hadn't let him raise awareness when the device was proven to be problematic. Rad tries to protect Sadie from seeing a dead body, and the kids also come across an abandoned bike left because a mountain lion killed the rider. Luckily, by the time they are in a critical situation, Rad and Sadie are near help. Rad sets up a donation page to help the victims of the earthquake and posts a retraction about the PLB, and Sadie makes some peace about her father's death.
Strengths: Sure, we all think we could survive in the wilderness with a friend, but what about someone we just don't like? The friction between Sadie and Rad is completely believable, and I loved how long into their trek they still didn't get along! The survival details about good as well, and there is some good celiac disease and autism spectrum representation. Younger readers will be enthralled with Radley's social media empire, even though he doesn't really enjoy the fact that something he enjoyed has now become a job. This moved quickly, and the action scenes were interspersed with Radley and Sadie coming to terms with each other in an effective way. The ending was hopeful and upbeat, despite the devastation that the earthquake caused.
Weaknesses: This was my favorite read of December 2025, but there were a lot of survival fiction tropes that made it seem less than fresh. However, I've read hundreds of survival tales, and my students have not, so they will not notice. At least the children were attacked by a mountain lion and not a bear. The ending was a bit abrupt. For sensitive readers, there is an on page death that is not at all graphic, and also a dead body.
What I really think: Good survival tales are always popular with my students, and the fact that this blends some drama and the tiniest sprinkling of romance will assure that this is rarely left on the shelf. The Suzanne Lee cover is fantastic and bright! Hand this to readers who loved Teagan's Survivor Girl, Hashimoto's Off the Map, or Behrens' Alone in the Woods. Excuse me while I go hunt down a PLB and LifeStraw to keep with my survival pack that I feel like I should take even on my two mile suburban trek to work! 

Floyd, Sara. Survivor Mountain
November 25, 2025 by Wild Ink Publishing

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Dani is apprehensive about going on a school hiking trip with the Excellence in Leadership group, but she’s glad to be with her friend Gemma, Aunt Zoe (who is her history teacher), and the very cute Miles. She’s not as wild about having her younger sister Lily there, but since their older sister Rachel was killed in an accidental fall and their father has recently been injured in a robbery at the bank where he is a manager, she knows it’s important for Lily to have a change of scenery and to hang out with her. Dani often feels stressed, and tries to use the coping strategies that her therapist has recommended. Once the group gets to the start of the trail in the mountains, there is a brief tremor, but the teachers decide that it should be fine for the kids to do their hike. They are split into six groups of four, and Dani is in a group with Gemma, Miles, Miles’ friend A.J., and Lily, who doesn’t want to go with their aunt. The group makes good time, and even manages to traverse the difficult Devil’s Slide, which Miles and Dani plan to do a school project about. When there is another tremor, Gemma cuts her leg, and has some trouble walking. The group plans to meet a teacher at the summit, which is only a mile and a half away. The tremors have caused some difficulty on the path, and while the kids are trying to find a way around some obstacles, they come across two campers with a fire. They feel uneasy about Jackie and Rob, with good reason. Lily bungles into their tent and tells the others that they have guns and orange bags that look like they came from a bank. Rob doesn’t appreciate being found out, especially since there is a $50,000 reward for the capture of the two. Miles, Dani, and Lily are taken hostage, but AJ and Gemma are let go, with a warning not to tell their teachers too much. Lily pretends to have to go to the bathroom, and Miles and Dani escape, but Dani goes back to get her sister. Having seen an EpiPen in Rob’s things, Dani finds a way to put Rob in the path of some bees that she’s discovered near a cave where the group is sheltering. This turns out to be a good plan to disable Rob, but Dani doesn’t want to be responsible for his death and helps Jackie revive him. Luckily, at a critical juncture, the police and Dani’s father arrive to save the day. Back at school, Miles is in a play, and the group announces that they are using the reward money to donate a new stage to the school, named after Rachel. Dani and Miles share a sweet kiss after the performance.

Survival books are always popular with my students, and I love that there is an age appropriate romance added to the story. The cover reminds me a bit of the Boxcar Children illustrations, and led me to believe that this was more of an outdoor adventure survival story; what an interesting surprise that it was more of a kidnapping tale! There haven’t been as many of those lately, and readers who enjoyed kidnapping stories like Paulsen’s Captive! Or Kehret’s Abduction will be glad to read this, as will fans of Behrens’ Alone in the Woods or Brorsen’s March 2026 Wilderness Hacks (see above).

Because of the presence of the robbers (who have an intriguing tie to the girls), this story avoids some of the typical survival tropes. There’s no bear attack, no one falls into a river, and there’s not a lot of mention about having to find food or shelter because Rob and Jackie are well supplied.

There is a lot of discussion about Dani’s PTSD over Rachel’s death, and as the story unfolds, she does process some of her emotions about it, and makes peace with Lily, whom she had blamed a bit for the circumstances surrounding Rachel’s fall. An author’s note at the end talks about the importance of mental health issues, and gives some resources as well. 

While it was nice that the kids used the reward money for apprehending the bank robbers to donate a stage to the school in the sister’s memory, I’m never a fan of books about grieving, so I personally could have done without this story line. My readers would probably prefer more time spent on the romance. If you are looking for books to purchase in paperback and want to support a small press, this would be a good choice. 

Breakout

Wyman, Christina. Breakout
March 10, 2026 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Ellie Starr's parents are separated, and live across town from each other. Ellie spends most of her time with her mother, seeing her father only two weekends a month. Now that 8th grade has started, Ellie has to turn her attention to the capstone project that teachers have been alerting them to since 6th grade; Ellie isn't happy that her school has a "Stalk You Child" system so that her mother always knows her grades. Her best friend, Aggy, whose mother's family is from India and whose father's is from Germany, is being forced into a project that her mother finds interesting, and Ellie is ready to default to one about processed food and carbon footprints before she hangs out with her Aunt Lydia. Lydia is a dog trainer, so Lydia wants to use her aunt as her "expert" and research information about whether dogs make people happy. Ellie is struggling with severe acne, and will try anything, including putting toothpaste on her face. This doesn't end well. Her mother thinks that Ellie picks at her face, and eats the wrong foods, and that's why the blemishes persist. Money is tight in Ellie's family, and a source of argument between her parents, who say they can't afford to get divorced. To further complicate matters, Ellie's mother is dating a man named John, borrowing Ellie's fashionable jeans to wear, and putting on makeup. She wants Ellie to help out more around the house, doing her own laundry, helping with grocery shopping, and staying by herself when her mother goes out. Her mother doesn't talk to Ellie in a very productive way, and constantly uses hurtful language. Luckily, Aunt Lydia is more supportive. When the family car is damaged, money becomes even tighter. There's some friend drama with Aggy, who has been hanging out with another girl, Casey. Eventually, Ellie's mother takes her to a dermatologist, who says that while Ellie's acne is bad, there's not a lot to be done about it. 

Strengths: I love the family dynamics in all of Wyman's books, and seeing Ellie going between two living situations with different expectations will resonate with many readers. Being unable to afford things is something that many families experience, although I am one of those people who buy mulitple boxes of pasta when it is on sale! The capstone project was stressful just to read about, so that was a good thing to have hanging over Ellie's head on top of everything else. Wyman has a great foreword about including supportive adults in her characters' lives, even though kids in real life don't always have them. Including dogs and dog training is a nice touch. There's a good amount of information about treating acne, although there could also have been an end note with some resources. 
Weaknesses: Wyman's Slouch and Jawbreaker  both ended up being rather hefty books with small print, and haven't circulated as well as I had hoped. I would have liked this to have been better edited so that it was shorter; some of the situations could have been condensed or not mentioned as many times. I think that the contrast between the graphic novel looking cover and the length of the stories has caused some trouble. I wish it weren't the case, but it seems to be. 
What I really think: There are not a lot of books that address the common teen problem of acne, but  Howse's Zitface (2011), Greenwald's The Real Us (2017), Burns' YA Smooth, and  Ogle and Valeza's Pizza Face do. Readers who are interested in more complex characters with sometimes difficult lives will be interested in this title. 

Saturday Morning Cartoons- Comic Books: A Graphic History and Inbetweens

Hoena, Blake and Hampton, Daimon (illustrator).
Comic Books: A Graphic History (Amazing Inventions)

January 1, 2026 by Graphic Universe ™

Copy provided by the publisher

Led by a character named Comic, this graphic nonfiction book takes the reader through an explanation of what comic books are, and explains the storied history of "sequential art". From cave paintings and Egyptian hieroglyphics to the Bayeux tapestry to Rodolphe Topffer's illustrations in the early 1800s, there were a number of different attempts to tell stories through pictures. The modern comic, however, starts in the later part of that century with one of the first comic strips, Outcault's The Yellow Kid. It took a bit longer for comic books to be regularly published, starting with Comic Monthly in 1922. This publication featured a collection of strips, but in 1935, Allied Publications put out New Fun, a comic magazine, followed by Detective Comics. From there, super hero comics like Superman captured the popular imagination with a variety of characters. They had a great run until 1954, when "experts" decided that comic books were contributing to juvenile delinquency! A Comics Code was put in place, and artists like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby produced more popular super hero comics. 

Styles of illustration and types of content have continued to evolve. I didn't quite realize that there were different "ages" of comics, with the Bronze Age spanning the years from 1970-1985 and comics since then being considered Dark Age comics. Manga caught on in the US after 1985, as did more literary comics, like Spiegelman's 1986 Maus. It would have been interesting to include the surge in graphic novels for middle grade readers. While Telgemeier's 2009 Smile is the first really popular title, the first graphic novels I bought for my school library were Johnston and Damerum's adaptation of Horowitz's Stormbreaker and Marunas and Craddock's Manga Claus in 2006. 

The Amazing Invention graphic novels are very much like the History Comics ones, but shorter, and dedicated to pop culture phenomena rather than straight history. While Hatch's 2006 Comic Books : From Superheroes to Manga, Rosinsky's 2010 Graphic Content! : the Culture of Comic Books, and Besel's 2011 The Captivating, Creative, Unusual History of Comic Books are all informative, telling the history of comic books in a comic book format is inspired. 

Hicks, Faith Erin. Inbetweens
March 31, 2026 by First Second
E ARC provided by Netgalley

In 1999, twins Sloane and Ash are excited to attend a seven week animation summer camp at Ormidale College. The two have been obsessed with animation since a trip to Disney when they were young, and they have worked on various projects, like a comic book about themselves. Ash is SUPER excited to go, especially since she will get to meet her idol, animator Douglas Frye, who worked on her favorite film, Monstrous. Ash is always anxious about first days, and is worried that she won't make friends. Most of the participants are male, but the two meet Nisha, an excellent animator, and Cameron, who loves to draw backgrounds. There are a variety of activities and projects, although things do not go smoothly. Nisha's work is always dismissed by Frye, and Ash's work is criticized to the point where she loses motivation. Sloane, for a change, is the more social twin, hanging out with Nisha and renting Studio Ghibli videos. Ash throws herself into her work, and is devastated when Frye tells her that maybe animation isn't the right course for her. Sloane begins to realize that while she loves drawing, making it her work takes the joy out of it. Ash realizes with the help of another teacher that she shouldn't let one person's opinion make her stop doing what she loves.
Strengths: While this isn't a straight memoir, it is based on the Hick's (Ride On) own experience with an animation camp. The girls have distinct personalities but are clearly good friends as well as twins, and this was a fun vicarious summer experience, even though there are some problems consistent with the current cultural zeitgeist. I'm not sure how much progress has been made in the art world concerning women; I hadn't realized that this was similar to the treatment of women in tech fields. There are enough details about drawing to make budding artists happy, and I enjoyed learning about Canadian film initiatives. This ended on a happy note, which is always good to see.
Weaknesses: Both girls were drawn with freckles across their noses and under their eyes, but there were also black lines almost like football eye black that distracted me. There didn't seem to be a lot of details other than current films (and the video store!) that would settle this story in 1999, but that might be because the world doesn't seem that different from the 1990s to me!
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Doodles From the Boogie Down, Doucet's Art Club, or Telgemeier and McCloud's The Cartoonists Club: A Graphic Novel.

Grandpere's Ghost Swamp

Marsh, Rachel M. Grandpere's Ghost Swamp
March 24, 2026 by Greenwillow Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
 

Basil's family is morning the death of her grandfather, chef Claude, who has run Theriot's Cajun restaurant in New Orleans for fifty years. At his funeral, Basil is worried to see his ghost, although her best friend Tommy, who wants to be a ghost hunter, thinks this is great. Basil's father, Etienne, is stepping up to be the head chef, but can't quite get the signature dish, stuffed mirlitons, quite right. One of the first things Basil asked G'pere about is the recipe, but he gives her cryptic answers. He encourages her to go out on an airboat with his young friend Cameron, which she is able to do under the guise of research for Career Day at her school. Basil is expected to take over the restaurant, but doesn't want to, so is looking for another career on which to report. On the tour of the swamp, G'Pere shows up, and asks Basil to feel the swamp in her soul. The area has seen a lot of devastation from storms and climate change, and the more Basil is able to experience the local areas, the more concerned she grows. Traveling out with the restaurant's shrimp supplier, Miss Babette, she sees even more evidence that things like the logging of cypress trees and the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet initiative are ruining bayou life. She decides for Career Day that she will report on being a coastal scientist, and interviews Dr. Colleen Matherne. She volunteers with Dr. Matherne's group and helps plant trees. When Tommy runs off to investigate a supposedly haunted cabin in the wetlands, even Basil's parents are able to see G'pere's ghost swamp; a version of the swamp from his youth that he hopes will be restored. When Basil fights with her parents about working to save the restaurant that she doesn't want to inherit, this helps them understand her desire to be a coastal scientist instead. Tommy ends up being a good cook, and the missing ingredient for the mirlitons is uncovered.
Strengths: This was a well constructed book that delivers an important message about climate change, family dynamics, and personal identity. These are all topics that resonate with young readers. It's hard to believe that its been 20 years since Hurricane Katrina; I've certainly read a lot of middle grade novels about that event in that time! The threads of the grandfather's death, Tommy's interest in ghost, the fact that Basil doesn't want to run the restaurant, and the school Career Day were all woven together very well. Basil's parents are busy but involved in her life, and I loved how concerned Basil was about not disappointing them. The virtual trip to the bayou was interesting, and the climate change message is very timely
Weaknesses: It would have been helpful to have a map of Basil's stomping grounds so that I had a better understanding for where things took place. On a personal level, I would have enjoyed this more if G'pere had been alive and taking Basil to the swamp himself, but given his busy restaurant lifestyle, that really wasn't possible.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed other Louisa tales like this author's Rougarou Magic, Rhodes's Bayou Magic or Guillory's Nowhere Better Than Here, or ghostly grandparent stories like Iriarte's Benny Ramírez and the Nearly Departed.

Ape Escape

Gibbs, Stuart. Ape Escape (FunJungle #10)
March 24, 2026 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus Teddy Fitzroy is investigating what is happening to ducklings in the zoo when his parents receive horrible news; one of their proteges, and a close friend of Teddy's, has been killed in Rwanda. It's thought that young Jadim Okenoyo has been killed by poachers, and the family drops everything and flies in for the funeral. Once there, they meet Lana, Jadim's girlfriend, who is taking care of an orphaned gorilla, Fuzi, and lets them know that Jadim faked his own death and is hiding in the mountains. When Fuzi is stolen and Lana is knocked out, the Fitzroy's decide to use Teddy's detective skills, as well as Summer McCracken's wealth, to get the animal back. While they travel to Lake Victoria and Tanzania, Teddy videoconferences with Summer to try to figure out what is going on with the ducklings. A park attendant, Orville, who is neurodivergent, has been counting the ducklings, and has noticed that they have gone missing. Video footage uncovers an unusual crocodile like animal, an endangered gharial, in the ponds. Since there aren't any officially at the zoo, Summer investigates how one came to be in the park. Meanwhile, Teddy and his family are on the trail of the poachers, and finally come across a group of men who were hired to kidnap Fuzi by a man named Bob. The poachers have few opportunities to make money, so have turned to crime. It's a dangerous mission which involves a lion attack, a car crash, and big containers of angry snakes. Will Teddy be able to find Fuzi and turn over the poachers to the authorities while also remotely saving cute little ducklings and their endangered predator?
Strengths: In my review of All Ears, I commented that I wouldn't mind a return to Fun Jungle, and Gibbs managed to give us a mystery set in the zoo while we also got to travel around Africa. Well done. The parents were brought in to the investigation in a realistic way, and I loved that Teddy's mother was considered a scientific rock star by many of the people they met. The group's ability to travel was funded by the McCracken's wealth, so they ddn't have to worry about chartering planes when necessary; I don't know why this detail made me so happy. As always, Gibbs uses his platform to draw attention to real world problems, in this case, the trafficking of exotic animals, whether living or dead. I appreciated that there is some understanding of what drives people to capture animals, and that Marge has become a nicer person. I would still like to spend a little more time back at FunJungle, so that Teddy and Summer could hang out together!
Weaknesses: The name Fuzi bothered me. Is it pronounced Fuzzy of Fuse-y? Foo-zee? I had to refer to the gorilla as Fern in my head. I also would not have minded a map of the Fitzroy's travels.
What I really think: I always think of Lillian Jackson Braun's The Cat Who mysteries when I read Gibbs' work; there were 29 books, and I read and loved them all. While most series languish on my library shelves, there are always students who are looking forward to Gibbs' new titles.

 

Belly Up (#1)

Poached (#2)

Big Game #(3)

Pandamonium (#4)

Lion Down (#5)

Tyrannosaurus Wrecks (#6)

Bear Bottom (#7)

Whale Done (#8)

All Ears (#9)

Opening Day! Baseball's Shining Season and Thrown Off Base

Sandler, Martin W. and Sandler, Craig. 

Baseball's Shining Season: America's Pastime on the Brink of War

April 7, 2026 by Bloomsbury Children's Books

ARC provided by the publisher

As he did in the 2019 1919: The Year that Changed America, Martin Sandler, joined by his son, Craig, looks at specific events during a critical year while weaving in many different threads that made it so pivotal. 1941 encompassed both the US involvement in World War II and a spectacular baseball season. Growing up in the 1970s, neither of these things seemed to far away, but with 80 years having passed, there's really no one around who was an eyewitness to the events and emotions of this time. 

There is so much information in this book that it's hard to do it justice. The state of baseball in the first half of the twentieth century is so different from what it is now, and is even different from what was prevalent in the 1950s and 1960s. Major league players would have to have jobs in the off season. The sport really was the national past time. The treatment of players who weren't white was horrible. 

It's also hard for younger readers to understand how invested people on the home front were in the success of the troops during WWII. Everyone was affected by the war, and people were willing to sacrifice. Ball players enlisted; Ted Williams fought not only in WWII but also in Korea. 

I was absolutely amazed that the baseball executives went to President Roosevelt and asked whether or not there should even be a baseball season! He was a big fan, and said that there should be. Of course, with so many men fighting overseas, very young players were scouted, and the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League had its heyday. Baseball was considered a good way to keep morale up during these turbulent times. I knew that it had been played extensively at Japanese internment camps. 

Politics, world history, social history, popular culture, changes to the sport: it's all here. I especially appreciated that the last chapter dealt with how things changed in US society after 1941; the invention of the teenager is a topic that fascinates me. Of course, football and basketball now eclipse baseball, but there are still ardent fans out there. I want to hand this to a dozen of my students. 

The ARC did include some of the full color pages, and the format of this book is very attractive. There are many photographs, and the layout reminded me of Sandler's beautiful 2020 Race to the Skies: The Week the World Learned to Fly. The book is a little larger than a typical fiction book, and 192 pages long, so perfect for the narrative nonfiction projects my teachers assign. 

I learned a lot by reading this book, but it also made me sad. Since Martin Sandler would have been eight years old during the 1941 series, there is a palpable feeling of loss and nostalgia. "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?" kept running through my mind as I read this. What a great scrapbook of a bygone time. Highly recommended for middle and high school libraries. 

Marino, Max. Thrown Off Base

January 1, 2026 by Lerner Publications ™

Copy provided by the publisher

Adam is excited to play baseball. He pitches for the Stingers, and he and his friend Amir think that the upcoming season will be excellent. Adam pitches, and feels that he is in good form, and he's glad when the coach makes him the starting third baseman. After Adam injures his wrist while diving to make a catch, however, he is thrown off his game. He's unable to concentrate, and overly protective of his arm, which interferes with his playing. He hesitates on a throw, which leads to the Stingers losing their first game. His mother is supportive, but his coach is forced to change his position. Adam agrees to do whatever is best for the team. Back at home, he does some research into why he might be playing poorly and comes across information about Mickey Sisler (not a real player) and the "yips". He tells his parents he thinks this is what his problem is, and they encourage him to try some of the coping mechanisms. He shares these with Amir, and the friends try to deep breathing to regain their focus before a game. The positive mindset helps, and Adam feels more confident about his abilities. The end of the book has information about player  Daniel Bard, who quit playing after a severe bout of anxiety but later returned to the sport. 

This short book (68 pages) is well formatted. It has a smaller trim size, large, san serif font, and plentiful illustrations. There is a series of the Lerner Sports Stories that are similar to the Jake Maddox Stone Arch Sports Stories. 

Seeing a baseball player struggle with an injury and lack of confidence in a positive and constructive way is valuable to young players who might experience a similar crisis. Adam keeps trying, taping his wrist (and even enjoying that it looks "cool"), and not arguing with his coach when he is told to step away briefly. This is great behavior for younger readers to see modeled. 

This would be a great title for elementary school libraries, since Little League starts at the alarmingly young age of four! Fans of Kelley's Baseball Mysteries can build their reading skills with these books before picking up Fred Bowen and Matt Christopher titles.