This is an excellent example of books I bumped to the top of my reading pile because I’ve been trying to fill in my A-Z Challenge for 2017 on GoodReads’ GMGR group (Great Middle Grade Reads). These were my Y, O, and K titles…

You Wish (The Misadventures of Benjamin Bartholomew Piff, #1) is the beginning of a charming younger middlegrade collection that introduces readers to the Wish Factory, where children’s wishes come true.

Odd and the Frost Giants is a short story steeped in Norse mythology. I can’t say much without spoiling the fun … so I won’t say anything more. Except that it’s good.

The Kneebone Boy follows the three Hardscrabble children, who are inadvertently sent to stay with someone that’s away. This is a strange contemporary slice-of-life story set in England. Slow to start, it meanders a bit, but I liked how everything resolved.

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Goodreads 2017 Reading Challenge. My new reading routine has settled into a rhythm, and it’s incredibly satisfying to be making steady progress through my “To Read” stacks. Here are some recent middlegrade titles.

The Vengekeep Prophecies is the first in a trilogy by Brian Farrey that features a family of thieves. Cunning and witty. I adored everything about it, but especially Jaxter. It’s tough to live up to the Grimjinx family’s reputation when you’re … well … clumsy.

Liar and Spy isn’t my usual genre, but I do dip into slice-of-life stories from time to time. A boy struggles to adjust to apartment life after his parents are forced to sell their house. Then a neighbor boy enrolls his help in spying on the mysterious Mr. X.

The Wanderer counts as another slice-of-life story, but with a journeying twist. A girl and her cousins spend their summer vacation crossing the Atlantic in a small sailing ship called the Wanderer. The story mixes narrative chapters with log entries.

Yesterday, I finished my fiftieth book, so for the second time this year, I had to boost my Reading Challenge goal. Now, I’m aiming for 75 books in 2017. What have you read lately?

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