We have just started the new year and it is now time to start setting those goals and thinking about what we want to accomplish in 2023. If you have a goal to read more books or even just to finish one, then this week’s middle grade book spotlight is perfect to help you jumpstart that mission. Our middle grade book spotlight this week is on chapter books that are the first books in a series!! I think one of the best ways to find yourself reading more is to fall in love with a series that has multiple titles. Some of the series we are featuring today are ones that are completed so you can read through nonstop and then we have some others that are still in progress; we have graphic novels, realistic, mythology inspired, historical, fantasy, and end of the world meeting humor just to get you started. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #youthfirstseries as well as on Libby and Hoopla. Check back next week for a new Middle Grade book spotlight and if you have any book suggestions, please let us know!!
The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan--They have always scared him in the past—the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger’s apprentice. What he doesn’t yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied. . .
Amulet: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi--When Emily and her brother move to their great-grandfather's run-down house after their father is killed in a tragic accident, she quickly discovers that the home holds a very dangerous secret: It's inhabited by evil creatures. Their mother soon disappears after entering the basement, and Emily -- with the help of a precious amulet and a talented bunny-bot -- ventures into the dark realm to save her.
The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley--Two orphaned sisters, Sabrina and Daphne, are sent to live with their mysterious grandmother, Relda Grimm, in a strange town in New Youk known for it's extraordinary number of unexplained and unusual crimes. Relda Grimm is the keeper of Snow White's mirror, Prince Charming is the mayor of the town, and the Three Little Pigs are the police force of Ferryport Landing. Sabrina and Daphne soon learn that they are descendants of the Brother Grimm, who were actually detectives of the magical phenomenon carried out by the Everafters, a parallel race of magical beings. It is the Grimm family's legacy to keep the Everafters in line, and the two sisters are sole heirs to this challenge.
Greenglass House by Kate Milford--A lovely historic inn called Greenglass House located in the harbor town of Nagspeake boasts an attic ripe for exploring, cozy corners containing myriad secrets and a mysterious and multi-layered past. It is here that Milo resides with his adoptive parents, who provide a stopover for benign smugglers. When five unexpected guests arrive over Christmas break and one by one begin losing belongings that have ties to the enigmatic Greenglass House, Milo and Meddy, the cook's daughter, embark on an investigation to finally uncover the secret of the fascinating inn.
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole In the Sky by Kwame Mbalia--Reading his dead best friend's journal allows seventh-grader Tristan Strong to see folk heroes John Henry and Brer Rabbit. Then, a character from the Anansi story steals the journal, and in his effort to retrieve it, Tristan accidentally rips open a chasm into Alke, where African American folk characters are gods. Tristan learns that the people of Alke are suffering partly due to Tristan's actions, and in order to get back home and save his friends, Tristan, John Henry, and Brer Rabbit must seek out the god Anansi the Weaver to fix the chasm.
The Revenge of Magic by James Riley--Thirteen years ago, magic came back to the world when, alongside the bones of buried dragons, magical books of spells were discovered. Only kids born after this "Discovery Day" can use the magic. After his father is killed by a giant creature attacking Washington, D.C., Fort is invited to train to use magic from those books at a prestigious, government-run school--but there may be something sinister going on at the school, which may have caused the monster's attack in the first place.