While I finally reached the conclusion that the Flavia de Luce mysteries are not technically middle grade, the heroine of the stories is twelve. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is the first in a series of historical mysteries starring a girl with a keen interest in chemistry/poisons. When the Circus Came to Town is about a girl with a face scarred by smallpox and a Chinese man who looks for ways to lure her out of her depression. The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle is the second book in the League of Princes trilogy. Fabulously funny. Amazing art.

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You know, when I read Serafina and the Splintered Heart, I thought it was the final book in a trilogy. Lo and behold, a fourth book came out last year! Very good news, since this is one of the best MG suspense serieses I’ve read. Catwings is a very short story about a litter of kittens who are born with wings. And The Grimjinx Rebellion is the final book in Farrey’s Vengekeep Prophecies, which ranks high among my all-time favorite middle grade trilogies.

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The Half-a-Moon Inn is a short, suspenseful story about a mute boy who’s home alone when a blizzard strikes. He goes off to find his mother, who’d gone to market to sell their wares, and stumbles into trouble. The Council of Mirrors is the final book in The Sisters Grimm series, and I like how Buckley wrapped up his story. And then there’s The Shadowhand Covenant, the second book in the Vengekeep Prophecies trilogy, featuring my favorite family of thieves.

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Who else is taking part? My picks show up on Twitter.

Serafina and the Twisted Staff brings new dangers to Biltmore House in this historical/magical realism adventure. The Sisters Grimm series is busy culminating in Book 8, The Inside Story. And though I am wretchedly late to the party, I finally read Frindle by Andrew Clements, which deserves all the accolades. Nick’s teacher, Ms. Granger, is my hero.

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I’ve dabbled quite a bit in books like Love That Dog, which tell a single story through a series of interconnected poems. In this case, the young poet/protagonist is writing these poems as part of his English homework, so I can see it being useful to teachers doing poetry units. A Grain of Rice reads like a folk tale. A pleasant, hard-working man turns an empire upside down by being very, very clever. Math is involved! And The Everafter War is the next (seventh) installment in The Sisters Grimm series.

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While I mostly prefer the upper reaches of the Middle Grade range (10-12 year olds), I do dabble in books intended for younger readers (8-10 year olds). One of my favorite lower middle grade finds was The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great, mostly because Morris made me laugh. More than once. Tales from the Hood is the sixth book in the Sisters Grimm series, which I recommend. Serafina and the Black Cloak, the first in a series, is an intriguing blend of historical fiction and magical realism that is tense enough and scary enough that I’d caution against it for sensitive readers. But for those who enjoy teetering on the edge of their seats, this is a stand-out series.

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I usually try to tackle at least one “long” series a year, and in 2018, that was The Sisters Grimm. (Yes, I’m that far behind with these Book Report posts.) These three titles put us into the thick of things in this 9-book series by Michael Buckley. Worth the commitment? Definitely!

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Happy to report the completion of a trilogy. Fork-Tongued Charmers and Rise of the Ragged Clover wrap up Paul Durham’s Luck Uglies series, which now ranks among my favorite MG trilogies. Creative and complex, daring and enduring. Highly recommended. And then there’s the graphic novel Drama, which follows a group of friends as they get ready for a stage production. It’s a classic kerfuffle of she-likes-him but he-likes-them … with friends doing their best to support one another while still figuring themselves out.

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