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Book Reviews, Middle-Grade Book Reviews · January 7, 2022

Review | Nikki on the Line

Nikki on the Line - Book Review

Summary: Nikki on the Line

In Nikki on the Line, 13-year-old Nikki Doyle feels one step closer to her pro basketball player dreams when she gets signed on to an elite-level club team. But her mother doesn’t have enough to pay for the club, and so Nikki offers to watch her little brother after school so they can save on daycare money. Unfortunately, playing for the club isn’t nearly as easy as Nikki expects.

Shorter than her teammates and suddenly no longer point guard on the new team, she feels out of place. What’s more, her new busy schedule means she can’t hang out with the team as much as she’d like. On top of that, a new genetics project at school reminds Nikki that her biological father was a sperm donor. Between juggling all her responsibilities and proving herself a valuable member of the team, it feels like everything is on the line for Nikki.

The Good

I loved this book! Much like Swinarski’s The Kate in Between and Gerber’s Taking Up Space, this book felt real and it had such realistic, action-packed basketball scenes. I don’t like basketball, but I learned so much and enjoyed every word of description in this story (it was even better because I listened to the audiobook which is exceptional!).

Nikki is dealing with financial constraints, although her family isn’t poor by any means. It’s just that her mom is a single parent with two kids and no support (since their fathers were sperm donors — another interesting theme). Still, this book highlights what can happen when friends are more financially well-off and have the resources to support their dreams and hobbies, as Nikki’s friends’ families do. It causes a bit of strain in their friendship, especially because Nikki already feels insecure about her place on the team.

The best parts of this book for me are Nikki’s relationship with her little brother and her friendship with Booker, another student who’s also figuring himself out since his biological parents were drug addicts. Booker now has loving adoptive parents and he really becomes a stabilizing influence for Nikki. I loved, loved Nikki’s character growth throughout this story.

Overall: Nikki on the Line

Nikki on the Line is a fantastic, dynamic, and highly relatable middle grade book about identity, the ways family can be different for everyone, and pursuing a love of basketball. This fast-paced, character-driven story also focuses on evolving friendships and the value of parents being involved in their children’s lives. I loved it and nothing I say will encompass just how well-written this one is. The audiobook is equally as impressive, highly recommend!


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Nikki on the Line

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Posted In: Book Reviews, Middle-Grade Book Reviews · Tagged: basketball, body image, Female friendships, siblings, single moms, upper middle grade

About the Author

Afoma Umesi is the founder and blogger at Reading Middle Grade. She's a writer and editor with a deep love for children's literature. Her favorite genre is contemporary realistic fiction, but she'll never say no to a graphic novel. Read More…

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Comments

  1. Heather N Quinn says

    January 7, 2022 at 1:16 pm

    Looks like a super book. Sent your review to a young YouTuber who is a book reviewer and basketball lover. Thanks.

    Reply

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📰 a beautiful graphic novel about speaking the 📰 a beautiful graphic novel about speaking the truth 

This stunning graphic novel follows Cinzia, Avvisi writer’s apprentice living in sunny Sianerra. Cinzia and her mestra write news stories/pamphlets to the city, but not everyone likes when they tell the truth. 

After an edition exposing the ruling family for extortion, cinzia and her mestra are arrested at night and she has to join forces with the princess to fight back against censorship. 

Besides the wonderfully imaginative and powerful storyline, loved the visuals and the diversity representation in this graphic novel. The main character has a bad leg and gets around with a walking stick, which is something rarely depicted in graphic novels (and it’s barely even discussed—it just is!).

Although, this book is closer to fantasy (but without magical elements), it’s set in a Renaissance-style Italian village, so it could work for lovers of realistic fiction too.

Look out for it in November! Have you read this graphic novel? Thoughts? Is it on your radar already?

#graphicnovels #mglit #booksforkids
🩰throwback Thursday - meet one of my favorites 🩰throwback Thursday - meet one of my favorites

Looking for an upper middle grade book about ballet, friendships, and body image? Meet TURNING POINT. 

This book focuses on Monique (Mo) and Rasheeda (Sheeda)’s friendship and how it changes over a summer when both girls are drawn into different pursuits. Mo is off at a ballet intensive with Mila, while Sheeda is stuck at church (with her church “friends”) feeling like she has no life.

At the ballet intensive, Mo comes face to face with her competitive attitude which is fueled by feelings of not “fitting in” with the mostly white, skinny ballet dancers. Even though she makes a couple of friends (who basically lovingly force her to befriend them), she’s insecure at times, afraid to be vulnerable because everything feels so different. On the other hand, Sheeda is desperate for something new. Unfortunately, she falls into a risky situation with Mo’s brother whom she happens to have a crush on.

Paula Chase is one of my favorite writers for this audience and this may be my favorite of hers so far. It’s in the same universe as two of her previous books, DOUGH BOYS and SO DONE but you don’t need to read them in order. 

I’d say her books are great for kids ages 12+
Have you read any books by this author? Which ones are your favorites?

#booksbooksbooks #mglit #bookstagram
🇲🇽Twins on opposite sides I’d seen this b 🇲🇽Twins on opposite sides

I’d seen this book floating around for ages but was never drawn to it (the cover maybe?) until I saw a review somewhere I can’t remember 🤪 I was pleasantly surprised!

Twins Luisa and Fernando find their paths diverging as they’re entering sixth grade. Luisa will be attending middle school in the US just across the border from Fernando’s school in Mexico. There, they come to face to face with different, but equally pressing challenges that threaten to tear them apart.

I really enjoyed this book. The side by side depictions of both kids parallel lives, the way the illustrations celebrate Mexican culture, living, and traditions, and the heartwarming way the twins find their way back to each other. 

I’d recommend this one to 6th graders and up (heads up for content warning: text mentions and depicts illicit drug use by a minor, although portrayed in a negative light) as a fascinating look into Mexican culture, life as a twin, and finding your own identity.

#kidlit #graphicnovels #mglit #booksforkids
♠️ on spades and what it means to be a man An ♠️ on spades and what it means to be a man

Ant isn’t your average 10 year old. He loves a good game of spades and he and his best friend are planning to revamp their reputation after losing badly at the last spades tournament. But things are changing in Ant’s life. His dad is acting weird, asking him to hide things from his mom. There’s a new girl in class who Ant maybe likes and who plays spades better than many boys he knows. 

When his best friend is grounded, Ant teams up with Shirley, hoping to impress his father and finally be tough like Joplin men should be. But instead, he learns what it really means to be a man—and it’s not about never crying.

There’s SO MUCH going on in this story, but the author does a stunning job of keeping all the threads in place. I was very surprised by all the protagonist has to manage at his age and the fact that it all remains believable. The story is told by Ant’s ancestor, lending a touch of magic realism. There are also many details about playing a game of spades and I loved, loved the audiobook narrator.

If you’re looking for a meatier middle grade book perfect for kids ages 9-12 (and older, really—love the cover!) looking for books that balance levity and relatability with real issues like toxic masculinity, parental addiction, friendship issues, and crushes.

#mglit #middlegrade #middlegradebookies #kidlit #booksforkids
❤️ a protagonist for the times Willow (Lolo) ❤️ a protagonist for the times

Willow (Lolo) Weaver’s summer is not going well. Her grandfather has recently died, her grandma isn’t herself and she’s given away her grandfather’s foster dog, Hank. Lolo’s mother is heavily pregnant and Lolo is in summer school because she didn’t do too well in her last exams. On top of that their lake town isn’t a lake town anymore because the lake’s been drained and smells awful now. 

Lolo wants to help her grandmother feel better and she’s convinced that getting back her grandfather’s dog will do the trick. The only problem is that the dog now belongs to someone else. So Lolo gets on Pop’s boat to steal Hank back—only to run into her summer school classmate, Noah (who’s the new dog owner).

I really enjoyed Lolo’s story. It’s strongly reminiscent of classics like Ramona and Lolo’s voice leaps off the pages. The setting is also an unmistakable part of this story and the story feels drenched in summer. My heart went out to Lolo who always feels like she’s the reason why everything’s gone awry. I also laughed plenty at her way of seeing the world. 

This book is perfect for family readalouds especially for kids in grades 3-5. Dog lovers and kids who like a good adventure with a sprinkle of mischief will love it too.

#mglit #summerbooks #booksforelementaryschoolkids #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram
🎸 believe the hype I was very nervous about re 🎸 believe the hype

I was very nervous about reading a book about a kid with cancer, but there’s no better author than Rob Harrell to do this. 

When Ross is diagnosed with a rare lacrimal gland cancer (in his eye), it’s like a new trial for his seventh grade existence. Add to that the fact that his mom died from cancer years before, he’s going blind in one eye, his best friend is moving away soon, and mean kids at school are making terrible memes about his illness and you have a dumpster fire of a year waiting to happen. Or is it?

As heavy as everything I’ve mentioned above sounds, this book is more hopeful than anything else. We follow Ross through radiotherapy and the painful, sad side effects of cancer medications, but also through learning to play the guitar, an unlikely friendship with a school bully, and a closer relationship with his dad.

I especially loved the audiobook version which has fun interdissions featuring Will’s comic alter-ego BatPig (with a different narrator, background jingles and everything). 

I would recommend this book to 6th graders and up looking for funny books with male protagonists. It’s also a great one to hand to kids coping with cancer or chronic illnesses. 

If you’re in the WINK fan club, you just got a new member 😉

#mglit #books #bookstagram
🧽 an engaging, compelling story about addiction 🧽 an engaging, compelling story about addiction recovery

After years of dealing with opioid addiction, Franny’s mom is finally sober and on the right track with a cleaning job and a cozy apartment upstairs from a laundromat. But then she gets in an accident and has to be prescribed opioids again, sending Franny into a frenzy. 

Franny starts doing her mom’s cleaning jobs behind her back — even blackmailing a school rival into working with her — to ensure they don’t run out of money. But she soon learns that worrying about adult problems isn’t her job.

I read this book in one sitting and loved it—as I do everything Sumner writes. Maid for It is an informative, gripping, and accessible middle grade book about living with a parent recovering from addiction. This one is a page-turner.

Sumner does a great job tackling important issues like poverty, classism, and drug misuse and presenting everything in an age-appropriate fashion for middle schoolers. If you’re looking for books about parents with addiction, this is a great pick.

Have you read any books by this author? Which one is your favorite? I think this might be mine 🥰

#bookstagram #kidlit #mglit #bookworm #amreader
🦸‍♂️ a zippy new superhero series with pl 🦸‍♂️ a zippy new superhero series with plenty of charm

What if you woke up to new powers every day? Such is the fate of our protagonist in this graphic novel-prose hybrid (think PIE IN THE SKY format—swipe for photos). Daily, he develops and loses everything from potent superpowers like telekinesis and super speed to cute, but not-so-useful ones like bubbles and speaking cat. He’s even recruited by the city’s superhero to help fight the villains popping up everywhere. The one thing he can’t seem to figure out though is where his scientist mom is.

As each day passes, readers follow Switcheroo one step closer to the mystery of his mom’s whereabouts and why there are so many villains around all of a sudden. 

With illustrations on every page and graphic panels on nearly every other page, this book is bound to appeal to fans of graphic novels. I expected a wacky adventure, but this story has so much more heart than I anticipated—especially about judging people for how they look, a criteria that is often outside their control.

Hand this new release to kids ages 8+ particularly if they’re obsessed with superheroes, robots, graphic novels, and love a sensitive, funny protagonist.

#superherobooks #amreading #booksforkids #bookstagram #bookworm
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