Blogiversary: Top Middle Grade Books

Hey, look at this! I've been blogging a year as of this week. In celebration, I'll be sharing some of my favorite books in various categories. Today, we tackle Middle Grade books. I included books that easily stood alone or the first book in a series for consideration. You can find more books by typing "Middle Grade" into the search bar at the top of the page.

Number 3: Kingdom's Edge, by Chuck Black 

While this is the third book in an allegorical fantasy series, this book stands alone nicely. It's a 5/5 for the age group. Adult readers may find the plot and characters a little shallow, but it's still enjoyable. 

You can also find my review for the first two books in the series here. 

Number 2: Spirit Fighter, by Jerel Law

A fun urban fantasy for younger grade readers with strong spiritual themes, this one was my number 2 pick for this year in Middle Grade. Older readers may not enjoy it as much, but I think it's still worth a read. 

Number 1: Dreamtreaders, by Wayne Thomas Batson

This one might edge over into "teen" a little bit, but it's definitely my top pick for younger readers. The character development is more substantive than the other books, which would make it enjoyable for older readers as well. Plus, the idea of travelling between worlds in your dreams is pretty sweet. 

Honorable Mention:

Kiriath's Quest, by Rick Barry.
-While it's a nice quest-style story, this one just didn't stick with me as much as the others did. It would be suitable for middle-grade readers looking for an easy fantasy read.

One Realm Beyond, by Donita K. Paul.
-This one almost edged out Kingdom's Edge for number three. The length might be discouraging to readers at the younger edge of this age range, but it's definitely a fun read.

Well, that's the end of day one of the blogiversary extravaganza! Tomorrow, we'll cover sci-fi. 

Friday Fiction Fix: "Kingdom's Edge"

While this book is a sequel, it stands very nicely on its own. I thought it would be an appropriate pick for Good Friday since it is an allegory of the gospel account. 

The Short:

Kingdom’s Edge

The Kingdom Series, Book 3

By: Chuck Black

4/5 Stars (5/5 for intended age group)

What: A stranger comes to the Kingdom of Arrethtrae, claiming to be the Prince.

Recommended to those who like: Fantasy, allegory, Christian, Middle-grade, sword fights

The Long:

A while back, I reviewed books one and two of the Kingdom Series. You could easily jump into this book without reading the first two books.

This series is well suited to middle grade readers. If you have a younger child at home, it would even be suitable to read aloud. They’re easy, quick reads and have a strong Christian allegorical message. The sword fights and adventures are exciting and enjoyable.

The story is a very close allegory to the gospel accounts. We see the story through the eyes of Cedric, a young peasant who is turned into a knight by the Prince.

If you’re looking for a book exploring real-life issues or having a deep plot, this probably isn’t the series for you. However, I think books like these are a cool way to get kids interested in their faith. Sometimes hearing the gospel in an interesting, new format can give it fresh life.

I hope you have a blessed and reflective day. I may be slow to respond to comments this weekend.

How do you celebrate Good Friday/Easter? 

Reread, Rewrite, Burn Tag

Thank you to the lovely Liz over at Out of Coffee, Out of Mind for this tag. I'm glad that I finally got around to it. Send up a prayer for her when you think about it; she's had a rough couple weeks, from the sound of things. 

So, this is essentially a fun--if painful--tag wherein I took the last 15 books I read, sorted them into groups of three using a random number generator, and now have to decide which book I'd like to reread, which I'd like to rewrite, and which I'd like to burn (or just not read again).

I've left links to my reviews of books that I've featured on the blog. Others have "upcoming" reviews (you typically don't see my book review until a month or so after I've read it) and others don't fit in with what I review here.

Ready? Here goes:

Group One

Re-read: Kingdom's Edge

Rewrite: Third Starlighter

Burn: The Killer Angels

This group was somewhat difficult, mainly because I couldn't decide which book I would want to re-write more. I love Kingdom's Edge, but it would sort of be fun to see it written at a higher level than its current middle-grad audience. Third Starlighter had some things I'd really like to iron out, so I ended up choosing it. As much as I enjoyed The Killer Angels, which is about the battle of Gettysburg, I could be perfectly happy without re-reading it. 

Group Two

Re-read: Daughter of Light

Rewrite: The King's Scrolls

Burn: Spirit Fighter (Review Upcoming)

The re-read was a no brainer on this one. Daughter of Light is on my real life re-read list. I loved Spirit Fighter, but it's fairly straightforward. I think I could live happily with it in my memory and not worry about leaving it behind too much. *sniffs* On the other hand, Samara's Peril is coming out soon, so I might reread The King's Scrolls beforehand. I'm not quite sure what I'd change about it. Perhaps more internal conflicts within the characters? 

Group Three

Re-read: Beneath the Forsaken City (Review Upcoming)

Rewrite: Isle of Stars

Burn: Storm Front

Again, the struggle between re-reading and rewriting is a challenge. I was tempted to say that I would write out some of the mushy-gushy parts of Beneath the Forsaken City. However, the climax of Isle of Stars irked me more. Storm Front was recommended to me by a friend, but I didn't finish it. I guess I'm not a huge fan of urban fantasy. 

Group Four

Re-read: Auralia's Colors (Review Upcoming)

Rewrite: Oath of the Brotherhood (Review Coming this Friday)

Burn: Hospital Sketches

This was probably the easiest group so far. I can take out some of the mushy-gushiness from Oath of the Brotherhood while also leaving the epic sword fights in tact. Just the thought of trying to touch up Auralia's Colors makes me cringe--I absolutely love the book. Once again, my history class made the decision to burn something easy; Hospital Sketches is interesting, but is definitely something I could live without. 

Group Five

Re-read: The Heir War (Review Upcoming)

Rewrite: The Hunters, Brotherband Book 3

Burn: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

As much as part of me wants to make The Heir War a little less dark, I have to fix the head-hopping in The Hunters. Part of me hurts saying that I would burn Narrative of the Life, just because it's superbly written and I think it's a valuable look into slavery. 

Well, there you have it, folks. I feel a bit guilty for how easy that was; History of the American Civil War really saved me in these groups. I might actually redo this tag down the road; it's sort of a fun way to look back at what books I've read lately.