[quote]Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where we list our top tens![/quote]
This week’s topic is “top ten eight books I enjoyed that weren’t my type of book (but now is).” Middle Grade books! I never thought much about Middle Grade books, but I’ve found myself yearning for them after getting a taste of the awesomeness I read. It’s all those beautiful displays of friendships and the adventures the characters get themselves into. They have seduced me! Now, I’ve been bit by the Middle Grade-loving bug! I need to get all of them!
Here are eight Middle Grade books I enjoyed, and that you definitely need to read. (I highly recommend the first five.)
THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
Why you need to read it: Bizarre and creepy, unexpected outcome. Parents sending their children to The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, a reform school. Kids disappearing. It’s brilliant. (My review)
Why you need to read it: Beautiful displays of friendship, where fights do not end them. So honest and full of love. Made me very emotional. (My review)
Why you need to read it: Murder mystery investigated by Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong. Told from Hazel’s POV, a Chinese main character. Super fun. (My review)
Why you need to read it: Patrick Ness is a gem (and he wrote this). Very emotional book. Great illustrations that will consume you.
Why you need to read it: Super delightful MG about Captain Hook’s daughter. Pirate antics.
THE CURIOUS TALE OF THE IN-BETWEEN
Why you need to read it: Supernatural tale about a girl who can talk to ghosts. Honest portrayal of death and grief. Good friendship! (My review)
Why you need to read it: Treasure hunt about lost Cold-War technology, disappearances and government cover-up, space-themed riddle, gun-toting bad guys, and an underground city doomsday bunker! (My review)
Why you need to read it: A taste of history. Simple historical portrayal of life after the erection of the Berlin Wall. Lots of tension between Greta’s family and the Stasi. (My review)
What a great list – I haven’t heard a lot of these, but they are catching my eye now.
Thanks for the post.
Thanks for this post! You posted it just in a good time, as I am trying to read more middle grade books, just to see what’s outthere plus I always seem to enjoy them when I read them, even if I’m in someone’s opinion waaaaaay too old to read MD.
When I was a child I read only Croatian MG authors, german, austrian and italian, some chech and so on (it would be esier if I just said European), long story short, as a child, I didn’t read amrecian authors, so it’s nice to catch up those later in life. The good thing is that those books read pretty fast.
From your list, I am adding: Goodbye Stranger, The Cavendish Home For Boys and Girls and The urious Tale of the In-Between.
MG was very much out of my comfort zone until quite recently, and I loved Murder is Bad Manners (or as I knew it, Murder Most Unladylike) as well! I really enjoyed GEORGE by Alex Gino, and thought that it was a simple but important book.
I’m definitely going to be checking out some of the books on this list! ?
I didn’t realize that A Monster Calls was MG. I’m always looking for good MG because my son likes me to read them to him before bed. The Cavendish Home, Hook’s Revenge, and A Curious Tale of the In-Between are all going on my list :)
A Monster Calls was such a gorgeous book! I’m glad you liked it! Great list!
<a href='https://bftreviews.wordpress.com/2016/02/23/top-ten-recent-books-i-enjoyed-that-were-out-of-my-comfort-zone/'?My TTT
I love history and will definitely check out A Night Divided. I need to get back to reading more MG. I would suggest Broken Branch Falls by Tara Tyler, it’s an MG Adventure.
I haven’t read or heard of most of the books on this list, which is a good thing. Middle grade books aren’t really my thing, but I’ve recently started a part time gig as a writing tutor for a young girl. She’s an extremely advanced reader for her age, so I’m trying to compile a list of good books to work through with her. I’m thinking this is good place to start!
I LOVE middle-grade novels, they deal with such heartbreaking topics with such innocence and simplicity. I love them! I’ve read A Monster Calls and Murder is Bad Manners (I know it by the title of A Murder Most Unladylike) and I really enjoyed both books. There’s quite a few novels here that I haven’t heard of so off to check them out!
Kyra @ Blog of a Bookaholic
My TTT Post!
Love this post, I definitely need to read more middle grade!
I just picked up A Monster Calls and I usually don’t read books like this one. I’m enjoying it though! Patrick Ness is a gem, so right. Happy reading!
Here’s my Top Ten Tuesday!
That’s loads of books I need to get around to reading! A Monster Calls is already on my list but The Curious Tale of the In-Between and Goodbye Stranger definitely have to go on my TBR now!
I’ve been wanting to read more books like these because now that I’m older I feel really strongly that it’s actually super important to have good books aimed at kids.
I think I’ve mentioned this to you already but Howl’s Moving Castle! Read it! ;)
I really honestly rarely pick up middle grade! I didn’t even know A Monster Calls was a middle grade one. Apart from maybe Percy Jackson and Harry Potter, I really never read much MG. I am definitely going to check out some of your recs though! Definitely an interesting list, Cee! :)
my TTT:
https://letsgababoutbooks.wordpress.com/2016/02/23/top-ten-tuesday-recently-enjoyed-out-of-my-comfort-zone/
MG books have the best covers omg *stares forever* I am usually quite snobbish about them but there are some MG I love such as A Monster Calls & Leviathan.
The Cavendish Home for the Boys and Girls sound exactly like something I would love though, now I just need to go pay that fine at the library before I can check it out.
I just finished reading a middle grade book called Risuko. It is really good. See my review here. http://crystal-hikari.blogspot.com/2016/02/risuko-david-kudler.html Unfortunately, it’s not out yet, but there are previews on Risuko.net and i got the e-ARC from Netgalley.
Yikes, I haven’t read any of these… but I do own the Lauren DeStefano one and I hear remarkable things about the Ness one! I’ll have to read Murder is Bad Manners because I’m always on the look out for Asian MCs!
I don’t read much Middle Grade but this list has me excited to start. The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls sounds so interesting. And I’ve had A Monster Calls on my TBR for ages – definitely need to bump it up to read soon. Hook’s Revenge sounds really fun, too. Thanks for the recommendations!
My TTT
I’m not a big fan of middle grade books either. But A Monster Calls was my jam :-)
It’s always awesome finding reads that are unexpected loves! The only one I’ve read here is Goodbye Stranger but I can’t remember much about it. I’m looking forward to reading A Monster Calls though.
Jeann @ Happy Indulgence
I’ve only read two of the books on your list! I guess that means I have a ton of middle grade reading ahead of me ;)