Hello! I'm Afoma.
  • Book Reviews
    • Picture book
    • Chapter Books
    • Middle-Grade
    • Graphic Novels
    • Young Adult
    • Adult Fiction
    • Adult Non-Fiction
  • Author Interviews
  • Book Lists
    • Book Lists by Theme
    • Book Lists by Grade
    • Audiobook Recommendations
    • New Releases
  • Work with Me
    • Review & Promotion Policy
    • Privacy Policy
  • Join My Newsletter!
    • Get Weekly Kindle eBook Deals

Reading Middle Grade

Books for Kids and Grown Ups

  • Book Reviews
    • Picture book
    • Chapter Books
    • Middle-Grade
    • Graphic Novels
    • Young Adult
    • Adult Fiction
    • Adult Non-Fiction
  • Author Interviews
  • Book Lists
    • Book Lists by Theme
    • Book Lists by Grade
    • Audiobook Recommendations
    • New Releases
  • Work with Me
    • Review & Promotion Policy
    • Privacy Policy
  • Join My Newsletter!
    • Get Weekly Kindle eBook Deals

Book Reviews, Middle-Grade · March 2, 2021

Review | Peter Lee’s Notes From the Field

Summary: Peter Lee’s Notes From the Field Peter Lee’s Notes from the Field is Angela Ahn’s second middle grade novel. Her debut, Krista Kim-Bap is one of my favorites, and this did not disappoint either. Peter, or Petey, as he’s…

Read More

Book Reviews, Middle-Grade · February 19, 2021

Review | The Million Dollar Race

Grant Falloon is a super fast track runner, so it’s a no brainer when he gets the chance to sign up for the million dollar race organized by Babblemoney. The mega-rich sneaker company wants to give back a million dollars to the winning kids from their international contest. Unfortunately Grant runs into a couple of snags.

Book Reviews, Middle-Grade · February 16, 2021

Review | Life in the Balance

Veronica’s life seemed like it was on track until her parents announced that her mom is going to rehab for alcoholism. Her mom who was a softball player when she was young, her mom the lawyer, her mom who was supposed to help her and her friends practice for softball tryouts.

Book Reviews, Middle-Grade · December 23, 2020

Review | Brave Like That

Cyrus Olson does not think he’s “brave like that.” He’s not brave like his adoptive firefighter father who was also a star football player in his day. Although he plays football for his school team, he does not enjoy it, and would much rather be doing something else, but he’s afraid to let his dad (and the town that knows him to be an Olson) down. But Cyrus gets some motivation to stand up for himself and his desires when a dog is abandoned at the fire station (just like Cyrus was).

Book Reviews, Middle-Grade · November 11, 2020

Review | One Last Shot

One Last Shot follows 12-year-old Malcolm who has an anxious streak and never feels good enough, especially for his dad. It doesn’t help that his parents are always arguing, and Malcolm is typically caught in the middle. Malcolm’s father loves competitive sports (especially baseball) and is disappointed when Malcolm decides to stop playing because he isn’t good at it and does not enjoy it. But he finds some respite when Malcolm becomes interested in miniature golf — and actually enjoys it.

As usual, Malcolm’s father goes overboard, hiring a coach called Frank and signs Malcolm up for a tournament. The book alternates between the events of the tournament day and past events leading up to the tournament as Malcolm and Frank forge a sweet friendship, Malcolm befriends a smart girl named Lex, and his parents relationship deteriorates.

Book Reviews, Middle-Grade · November 2, 2020

Review | Stick with Me by Jennifer Blecher

In Stick with Me, Izzy and Wren, two very different 12-year-olds are unwittingly brought together at just the right time in their lives. Izzy, a sweet, creative artist with a love for stickers lives in Boston with her parents and older brother Nate. Her best friend, Phoebe is now friends with popular, not-so-nice girl, Daphne, and only hangs out with Izzy because their mothers who are best friends, make them. Wren, on the other hand, is a determined figure skater whose little sister, Hannah has epilepsy.

Book Reviews, Middle-Grade · September 7, 2020

Review | Lupe Wong Won’t Dance

Lupe Wong Won’t Dance is Donna Barba Higuera’s debut middle-grade novel. Her protagonist Lupe is a Mexican-Chinese girl who loves baseball. Her Chinese father died several years ago, so she lives with her Mexican mom and her brother Paolo. However, both her abuela and her Chinese grandparents are very present in their lives. Lupe is excited to get all A’s this year because her uncle has promised her a meeting with baseball star Fu Li Hernandez, who’s Chinacan/Mexinese like her if she does. But all of a sudden, there’s a new development in her gym class: Coach wants them to do square dancing instead of like, actual sports. And guess what? Lupe does not dance.

Book Reviews, Middle-Grade · September 4, 2020

Review | The Great Wall of Lucy Wu

This middle-grade book follows Lucy, a short Chinese-American girl caught between two cultures. Lucy plays basketball (very well) and would choose mac and cheese over most Chinese dishes. Her older siblings seem to fit the “perfect Chinese child” stereotype more than she does. Regina, her older sister started a Chinese club in high school and speaks flawless Chinese, while her brother Kenny, although a bookworm loves and eats all Chinese food and is a Math whiz. Still Lucy perseveres with interests, eagerly anticipating her sister’s move to college so she can have their room all to herself, but that is not to be.

Book Lists, Middle-Grade · August 11, 2020

BEST MIDDLE-GRADE BOOKS ABOUT SPORTS

Books about sports were tricky at first for me. You see, I never enjoyed sports as a child. But the wonderful thing about books is that they open your eyes to a world you haven’t necessarily been a part of. The picks I’ve read on this list of middle-grade books about sports were all massively entertaining for me, despite being heavy on the sport. I’ve also taken care to choose books centered around the specific sport and not just with side characters playing the sport.

Book Reviews, Middle-Grade · August 10, 2020

Review | The Distance to Home

The Distance to Home is Jenn Bishop’s debut middle-grade novel. I read and loved her most recent release, Things We Can’t Say about a boy dealing with parental suicide. The Distance to Home focuses on an equally sensitive subject: the death of a sibling. This summer, Quinnen isn’t playing baseball with her team — she decided to quit after her sister, Haley died the summer before. But when her family decides to host a player from a Minor League Baseball team, Quinnen starts to bond with the a couple of the players.

Book Reviews, Middle-Grade · July 13, 2020

Review | Chirp

Chirp was my first Kate Messner novel. Mia and her parents have moved to Vermont the summer after seventh grade to help look after her grandma. Before the move, Mia broke her arm falling off a balance beam in gymnastics. Since then, she’s packed up everything related to the sport she once loved, deciding to call it quits.

braced by alyson gerber review

Book Reviews, Middle-Grade · November 20, 2019

REVIEW | Braced by Alyson Gerber

In Braced, Rachel Brooks has finally scored a spot as a forward on her soccer team. She just needs one more doctor’s visit to check on her scoliosis — one she hopes will be the last.

Unfortunately, the doctor has bad news for her: the curve has worsened and she’ll have to wear a back brace. Worse still, she needs to be in a back brace for twenty-three hours a day. How will she still play soccer? What will her friends think? And what about Tate, the boy she’s crushing on?

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next →
About Me
Hi, I'm Afoma! Thank you for stopping by. Learn more about me here.

Advertise with us

Get 2 Months Free on Scribd

Follow on Bloglovin’

Follow

We’re Social Too!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Goodreads
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Blog
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Copyright © 2021 Reading Middle Grade · Theme by 17th Avenue