Twelve-year-old Bryn has always dreamed of becoming a Seeker, just like her dad. Only the Seekers are allowed to journey from their small village into the fantastical, untamed wilderness of their island known as the Wild Realm. Once there, they obtain magical items for the village and use magic to protect and heal the incredible creatures native to the Realm. When one of the elderly Seekers retires, leaving a vacant position, Bryn knows this may [...]
Congratulations to Mae Respicio Koerner on her latest middle grade novel, Any Day with You. In this story, a creative girl named Kaia hopes that by winning a filmaking contest, she'll convince her great-grandfather not to move back home to the Philippines. The movie Kaia creates for her creative arts camp is inspired by the Filipino folktales that her great-grandfather tells her. It's a warm, tendor story only Mae can tell and we asked a [...]
Happy book birthday to Newbery Medal-winning author, Erin Entrada Kelly, on her new novel, We Dream of Space, a heartwarming story about three siblings who are struggling with a tumultuous home life and school anxieties. As adults, we remember where we were when the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after take-off. Although we know the spoiler at the end of the space journey, that's only a small part of the story for these three siblings. [...]
National Book Award nominee Lisa Graff presents a book about family secrets that is full of heart. BUY HERE CJ tours the country with her Aunt Nic who can speak to the dead. She looks forward to the times when her Aunt lets her speak to her mother who died in childbirth. When her Aunt announces she won’t be able to do this anymore because CJ’s mother [...]
Hi, Stephanie! Welcome to Middle-Grade Mojo! Middle Grade Mojo: Tell us about your latest book, The Popularity Code which is being released on April 28th. Stephanie Faris: The Popularity Code focuses on an app called SlamBook, which allows students to anonymously post comments about each other online. Many of the comments are mean, which puts the main character, Faith, in a tough position. She figures out how to hack into the app and see who’s [...]
Antonia may not be the most powerful wizard the world has ever seen, but she’s worked hard to win her place as apprentice to renowned sorcerer Master Betrys. Unfortunately, even her best dancing turnip charm might not be enough when Moppe the scullery maid turns out to be a magical prodigy. Now that Betrys has taken Moppe on as a second apprentice, Antonia’s path to wizarding just got a bit more complicated. But when Betrys [...]
About the Book: For fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dork Diaries, and Diary of a Third Grade Mermaid, comes Robin Loxley with her tell-all tale. Fifth grade has just started, and the school bully, Nadia, already rules recess with an unfair Playground Tax. Robin Loxley refuses to be pushed around, but all she can think about is winning back her best friend, Mary Ann, after a disastrous fallout over the summer. To do [...]
Attention Middle-Grade Readers! I am so happy to present to you the cover of THE SECRET NOTEBOOK, by D.A. D’Aurelio! How beautiful is this?? Illustrated by Teresa Martinez, the colors are gorgeous. I especially love the diagrams in the dark blue. Those are actual drawings from Nikola Tesla, the famous inventor Why Tesla? […]
We're excited to feature award winning author of Catepillar Summer, Gillian McDunn and her latest novel, The Queen Bee and Me in today's Mo-books! In this book, Gillian weaves together a nuanced story about friendship. She combines interesting facts about bees along with authentic voice and heart-warming characters. Middle Grade Mojo: What was your inspiration for the story? Are their many similarities to your own life? Gillian McDunn: Friendships are so important! I would not be [...]
Fig, a sixth grader, loves her dad and the home they share in a beachside town. She does not love the long months of hurricane season. Her father, a once-renowned piano player, sometimes goes looking for the music in the middle of a storm. Hurricane months bring unpredictable good and bad days. More than anything, Fig wants to see the world through her father’s eyes, so she takes an art class to experience life as [...]
