Posts

Showing posts from December, 2019

No post this week!

I'm taking a break for the holidays, so I will not have an MMGM post this week. I hope to have one next week. See you soon!

MMGM (12/23/2019): Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

Image
For MMGM, I am recommending Wishtree  by Katherine Applegate.           I've enjoyed several of Katherine Applegate's books through the years, such as Crenshaw  (see my review here ) and Newbery-Medal-winning The One and Only Ivan  (learn about the movie adaptation here ), which is why I was excited to read this novel. In addition, it seems that I am not the only one who enjoyed Wishtree , as Stephanie Robinson reviewed it for MMGM just a few weeks ago (her review is here ).           Most middle-grade novels are from the perspective of a middle-grader. Wishtree  is from the perspective of a tree. The tree, a 216-year-old red oak named Red, spends their days housing a variety of animals (from opossums and owls to their best friend, a crow named Bongo), sharing semi-irritating wisdom and terrible jokes with Bongo, and observing the people in the neighborhood where they live. Red is more than a regular tree, though; they are a wishtree. Every year, on Wishing Day, people

MMGM (12/16/2019): Six Movie Adaptations of MG Books to Watch Out For (plus giveaway winners!)

Image
I have an unconventional post today, but, before I get to that, I have the winners of the 2019 Holiday Book Giveaway to announce! The winner of The Raymie Nightingale Three-Book Collection  by Kate DiCamillo is... Rosi! The winner of the signed copy of The Inquisitor's Tale  by Adam Gidwitz, with illustrations by Hatem Aly, is... Ravenita! Finally, I also decided to give away a Barnes & Noble e-gift card! The winner of the gift card is... Danielle! Congratulations to all of the winners, and thanks so much to everyone else who entered! Now, on to my post. I don't know how many of you like to watch the movie adaptations of MG books, but I figured that at least some of you must, so I decided to post about some of these upcoming movie adaptations. (And before anyone asks, I swear that this post isn't paid for by Disney—Disney just seems to be doing a lot of MG book adaptations.) The One and Only Ivan Based on the novel by Katherine Applega

MMGM (12/9/2019): Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo

Image
As promised last week, for MMGM, I am recommending Louisiana's Way Home  by Kate DiCamillo. Before I do though, I want to remind everyone that the 2019 Holiday Book Giveaway has not ended yet! Enter on or before Wednesday, December 11, 2019  for a chance to win (1) a boxed set of the very book I am recommending and its two companion novels and (2) a signed copy of The Inquisitor's Tale ! Enter using the Google Form at the bottom of the linked page . Louisiana's Way Home  is the second in a series of three books: the first is  Raymie Nightingale  (see my review here ) and the third is  Beverly, Right Here . This book does spoil some pretty significant parts of Raymie Nightingale , but, to be honest, I enjoyed this book far more than Raymie Nightingale , so readers may want to start with this one despite the spoilers (it still makes complete sense, especially considering I forgot almost all of the plot of Raymie Nightingale  before reading it). Here's the publishe

MMGM (12/2/2019): Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (plus the 2019 Holiday Book Giveaway!)

Image
For MMGM, I have a review of Brown Girl Dreaming  by Jacqueline Woodson. I am also holding the 2019 Holiday Book Giveaway; information is at the bottom of this post.          I really don't know how to describe this book in a way that does it justice, so I'm starting with the publisher's description (I know the font is all weird—sorry!). ***** Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature A  New York Times  Bestseller and National Book Award Winner Jacqueline Woodson,  the acclaimed  author  of  Another Brooklyn ,  tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.    Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally c