Rachel Reads & Reviews

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Tag: #middlegrade

  • Book Highlight: Brown Girl Dreaming

    Just as I never read the children classic author, Ronald Dahl, I hadn’t gotten to Jacqueline Woodson. Until now! Her memoir mixes prose and poetry as she chronicles her childhood in five parts: Part 1, i am born which covers her childhood in Ohio and her parents’ separation; Part 2, the stories of south carolina…

  • Book Highlight: Young, Fearless, Awesome

    This delightfully inspiring book encourages kids to chase after their dreams and break boundaries no matter their age through the stories of these icons. Some you probably know like Anna Frank and Greta Thunberg but it also features some new ones like Samantha Smith who wrote to a Soviet leader and became a peace ambassador…

  • Author Highlight: Ann M. Martin

    Ann M. Martin has shaped so many lives with her children and young adult fiction ever since the 80s I believe. The first Martin classic has lived on in pop culture with reboots and reprints is The BSC-The Babysitter’s Club!

  • Ranking The Mother-Daughter Book Club

    Home for the Holidays: Home for the Holidays takes top spot for being one of the few holiday novels that I’m interested in. Yeah, I confess I’m not a magical Christmas fan. But this one makes me feel the spirit. It also has the riveting addition of Becca having a POV after three years of…

  • Princess Academy Review

    I am on a roll here with yet another childhood staple (and Newbery Honor winner) I missed when I was young. I’ll admit I skipped it because I thought it was yet another Cinderella adaptation. Those are everywhere! But I was wrong and I’m glad I finally did read this. Hale’s wholly original tale takes…

  • Thoughts on Canterwood Crest

    So after rereading the entire Canterwood Crest series for the first time in like 7 years, my biggest thoughts from it are….

  • Summer YA

    Debating Darcy by Sayantani DasGupta While I’m usually iffy with Pride and Prejudice adaptations since they’re everywhere, there’s always one that manages a new spin to it that makes me enjoy the story all over again. It helps that the protagonist, Elizabeth is a musical nerd so I immediately connect with her as she sings…

  • Top 5 Dork Diaries

    1. Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl This was the first book I read from the series even though it’s the second. My mom got it from some used books bin so yeah. Anyway the hilarious running around Nikki went through trying to juggle the three different parties literally made me breathless from laughter. That…

  • Kiki’s Delivery Service Review

    When I saw this classic by Eiko Kadono in the library, I just had to read it and see how it compared to the movie. My conclusion is that it’s delightful in its own way. Inspired by a drawing by her 12 year old daughter, this is the book that inspired Kadono to make writing…

  • Interview with Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

    I have actually been in touch with Suzanne Williams, a prolific children’s writer with hits such as Library Lil, Ten Naughty Monkeys, the Fairy Blossoms series for several years now. So it was great to get to a short interview her and her co-writer, Joan Holub (Might Dads/Moms, Little Red Writing) to discuss their careers,…