Middle-Grade Book Reviews Archives - Reading Middle Grade

Review | Blood in the Water

Afoma Umesi — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 14:42:28 +0000

Summary: Blood in the Water Kaylani is spending the summer on Martha’s Vineyard with the Watson family, her family friends, after her dad is imprisoned for fraud. She’s understandably sad to be without her father, but her parents want her to have some fun and be a kid despite the ups and downs in their

Review | Refugee by Alan Gratz

Afoma Umesi — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are three kids living in the 1940s, 1990s, and 2015, respectively. They are also all refugees trying to escape their homes in search of a better life. Josef is a Jew fleeing Germany with his family, Isabel is leaving Cuba via boat to Miami, and Mahmoud and his family are fleeing Syria amidst the civil unrest. But will they make it to safety?

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Review | The Trouble with Sunshine

Afoma Umesi — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 17:59:46 +0000

Dorani is heartbroken when her mom dies on the freeway of a heart attack en route to her school after she's suspended for speaking up. Soon after, she's separated from her mom's fiancé in Florida and sent to live with her aunt Ivette in rural Wyoming as stipulated by her mom. There, she learns a great deal about her mom's childhood and teenage years, forms a bond with a horse named Sunshine, and grows closer to her aunt. But soon, she realizes that she'll need to stand up for her new group of friends who are being unfairly treated. But is she brave enough to do it, when she thinks it cost her her mother's life?

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Review | The Best Worst Summer of Esme Sun

Afoma Umesi — Wed, 21 May 2025 10:09:18 +0000

Esme is used to being the underachiever of her family. Her other three sisters are all good at something and get lavish praise from their mother. This summer, Esme realizes that she can actually swim really well. She also starts forming a great group of friends at the pool who encourage each other to succeed. But once her mom finds out and starts egging Esme on to compete at the cost of her friendships, the summer swim team doesn't feel fun anymore.

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Review | Zarina Divided

Afoma Umesi — Thu, 08 May 2025 20:46:20 +0000

Zarina's life changes when her family is forced to move from Poona to Karachi after the Indian Partition. This story chronicles the family's dangerous move to Karachi, Zarina's move to a boarding school far from Karachi after a painful mistake, and her struggle to stay open to people, regardless of their religion or race, despite the many prevailing prejudices at the time.

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Review | Benny on the Case

Afoma Umesi — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 10:26:30 +0000

Benny is a boy with Mosaic Down Syndrome living in Newfoundland, Canada. He lives with his mom in the nursing home they run and is entering mainstream school for the first time. Fortunately, he meets and befriends a new girl called Salma on his first day. When a string of burglaries at the home start to threaten his mother’s livelihood, Benny and Salma come up with a plan to catch the thief and end up unraveling a shocking conspiracy.

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Review | Wish by Barbara O’Connor

Afoma Umesi — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 13:33:10 +0000

Charlie Reese is an 11-year-old with a temper and an obsession with making wishes -- and she wishes for the same thing every time. Temporarily living with her aunt and uncle because of her family's instability, her life changes in the best way when she finds a stray dog to belong to and makes a neighborhood friend who is kind to her and sees the best in her, even when she makes mistakes.

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Review | Danilo Was Here

Afoma Umesi — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 13:54:12 +0000

In the aftermath of his father abandoning their family and the 1989 Just Cause US invasion of Panamá, Danilo is losing interest in baseball -- the sport that connected him and his father -- and is more interested in caring for his mom and sister. But when an opportunity to train with a junior baseball team in California falls in his lap and his family suddenly becomes refugees in their country, Danilo takes the chance to go to the US, potentially meet his father, and seek help for his mom and sister. However, his time in the US takes a surprising turn.

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Review | A Study in Secrets (Last Chance Academy #1)

Afoma Umesi — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 11:00:00 +0000

When Megumi Mizuno is sent to Leland Chase Academy (aka Last Chance Academy), she's not expecting to make new friends or fall into a scavenger hunt. She's hurting from the grief of losing her mother and feeling distanced from her workaholic father. But when silver envelopes start arriving at her (and other students') dorm room, they're all eager to win the coveted prize.

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Review | Kaya Morgan’s Crowning Achievement

Afoma Umesi — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 06:28:02 +0000

Kaya and her dad shared a love for the Renaissance Fair before he died, and he always envisioned her becoming queen of the fair. So when she comes back to attend camp at the fair two years after his death, she’s determined to win the role of Queen–the first Black Queen of the fair. Imagine her disappointment when she gets the role of Court Jester. Can she win the crown? Is the dream worth holding on to?

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