contemporary magic – Page 2

Show & Tell – Michelle Cuevas

July 23, 2018June 22, 2018Posted in favorite fiction, say cheeseTagged amreading, book blogger, book reccomendation, bookstagram, bookworm, contemporary, contemporary magic, family, historical fiction, illustrated MG, IReadMG, kidlit, lower middle grade, magic, magical creatures, magical realism, MG novels, MGLit, MGReads, Michelle Cuevas, Middle Grade, middle grade novels, middlegrade, realistic fiction, scifi, upper middle gradeLeave a comment

Hope, and magic, and adventure. Whimsy, and heartbreak, and self-discovery. Looking, and losing, and loving.

Question of the Day: Can you describe the book you’re currently reading in three words?

Show & Tell – Ye Olde Notice

July 16, 2018June 22, 2018Posted in favorite fiction, say cheeseTagged amreading, Annabelle Fisher, book blogger, book series, bookstagram, bookworm, contemporary magic, fantasy, illustrated MG, illustrators, IReadMG, kidlit, lower middle grade, MG series, MGCarousel, MGLit, MGReads, Middle Grade, middle grade series, middlegradeLeave a comment

Did you know that some of my photos are featured on Middle Grade Carousel’s Instagram? If you don’t want to miss any shots, go give @MGCarousel a follow!

Book Review – Wishes, Kisses, and Pigs by Betsy Hearne

June 18, 2018June 1, 2018Posted in book reviews, favorite fictionTagged amreading, Betsy Hearne, book blogger, book reviews, children's books, contemporary magic, fantasy, IReadMG, kidlit, lower middle grade, magic, magical realism, MG novels, MGLit, MGReads, Middle Grade, middle grade novels, middlegradeLeave a comment

Wishes, Kisses, and Pigs by Betsy Hearne

When Louise makes a careless wish upon the evening star, her brother, Willie, is turned into a pig. This isn’t the first sign of troubles at Tollivers’ Hollow, and certainly not the last. Out-of-hand magic and conspiring neighbors threaten their chances as Louise and her Mama try to find a spell to make everything go back to the way it was.

“That star is out to get me, Mama, honestly!”

Continue reading “Book Review – Wishes, Kisses, and Pigs by Betsy Hearne” →

Quote of the Day – The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole

June 8, 2018June 1, 2018Posted in book quotes, favorite fiction, UncategorizedTagged amreading, book blogger, book quotes, bookworm, contemporary magic, illustrated MG, IReadMG, magical creatures, magical realism, MG novels, MGLit, MGReads, Michelle Cuevas, Middle Grade, middle grade novels, middlegrade, QOTD, quote of the day, quotes, reading, reading quotes, science fiction, scifi, upper middle gradeLeave a comment

I had a hunch that if Mom found out I was entertaining a space phenomenon in my room, she wouldn’t approve.

–The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole by Michelle Cuevas

Book Review – Confessions of an Imaginary Friend by Michelle Cuevas

June 4, 2018June 1, 2018Posted in book reviews, favorite fictionTagged amreading, book quotes, book reviews, bookworm, contemporary magic, IReadMG, lower middle grade, magical creatures, magical realism, MG novels, MGLit, MGReads, Michelle Cuevas, Middle Grade, middle grade novels, middlegrade, upper middle gradeLeave a comment

Confessions of an Imaginary Friend by Michelle Cuevas

Jacques Papier gets ignored a lot. In fact, if it weren’t for his twin sister, Fleur, he’d feel downright invisible. Jacques believes that everyone must hate him—until he discovers the truth; he’s an imaginary friend.

Sometimes imaginary troubles are harder to bear than actual ones.

Continue reading “Book Review – Confessions of an Imaginary Friend by Michelle Cuevas” →

Show & Tell – Book A Day in May

May 27, 2018Posted in favorite fiction, say cheeseTagged Alison Cherry, amreading, contemporary, contemporary magic, Dear America, dragons, early readers, family, historical fiction, illustrated MG, IReadMG, Jon Scieszka, Karen Hesse, lower middle grade, Luli Gray, magical creatures, magical realism, MG novels, MG series, MGLit, MGReads, Michelle Cuevas, Middle Grade, middle grade novels, middle grade series, middlegrade, novel in verse, Patrick Skene Catling, poetry, reading, realistic fiction, Sara Pennypacker, Sharon Creech, slavery, sports, The Time Warp Trio, thieves, time travel, upper middle gradeLeave a comment

Less than a week left in my book a day challenge. In a way, I can’t believe it. Time really does fly when you’re having fun, and, with so many adventures and stories piling up around me, it feels a bit surreal that I’ve accomplished so much reading in so little time!

This week I’ve added:

20. Falcon’s Egg by Luli Gray
21. Your Mother was a Neanderthal by Jon Scieszka
22. The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling
23. The Classy Crooks Club by Alison Cherry
24. Dear America: A Light in the Storm by Karen Hesse
25. Clementine and the Family Meeting by Sara Pennypacker
26. The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole by Michelle Cuevas
27. Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Question of the Day: Who are your favorite hidden gem/under-appreciated authors?

Show & Tell – Book A Day in May

May 19, 2018Posted in favorite fiction, say cheeseTagged amreading, Barry Danenburg, book series, contemporary, contemporary magic, Dear America, historical fiction, Holly Grant, IReadMG, Jon Scieszka, kidlit, lower middle grade, magical realism, MG horror, MG series, MGReads, Middle Grade, middle grade novels, middle grade series, middlegrade, mystery, Natasha Lowe, orphans, Polly Horvath, reading, realistic fiction, Sara Pennypacker, Scholastic, The Time Warp Trio, time travel, upper middle grade, witchLeave a comment

A trip to the library this week means my stack of finished books is a little less impressive, but the new titles I picked up are providing plenty of incentive to keep up with my goal of reading a book a day.

Freshly added to the stack this week:

14. The Power of Poppy Pendle by Natasha Lowe
15. The League of Beastly Dreadfuls by Holly Grant
16. Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka
17. Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath
18. Clementine, Friend of the Week by Sara Pennypacker
19. Dear America: So Far from Home by Barry Danenburg

Question of the Day: What genres do you read when you need a break from the usual?

Quote of the Day – The Fish in Room 11

May 14, 2018May 4, 2018Posted in book quotes, favorite fictionTagged amreading, book blogger, book quotes, children's books, contemporary magic, fantasy, Heather Dyer, illustrated MG, IReadMG, kidlit, lower middle grade, magic, magical creatures, mermaids, MG novels, MGLit, MGReads, Middle Grade, middle grade novels, middlegrade, QOTD, quote of the day, quotesLeave a comment

Toby would have loved living in a hotel—had he been allowed to slide down the banisters, sleep in a different bed every night, and hang around in the kitchen waiting to lick out the cake bowl. But of course he wasn’t allowed to do any of those things.

-The Fish in Room 11 by Heather Dyer

Favorite Fiction – Food

May 11, 2018May 10, 2018Posted in favorite fictionTagged amreading, contemporary, contemporary magic, cooking, Diane Zahler, family, fantasy, food, friendship, illustrated MG, Jessie Janowitz, lower middle grade, magic, magical realism, MG novels, MGCarousel, MGLit, MGReads, Middle Grade, middle grade novels, middlegrade, Natalie Lloyd, Neil Gaiman, princesses, realistic fiction, time travel, travel, upper middle gradeLeave a comment

Books about food are some of my favorites. I blame being raised on Food Network, but, let’s be honest, you don’t have to know how to proof dough, mix up icing, or candy lemon peels to enjoy a story about sweets.

Here are a few books that revolve around sweet treats that you should definitely check out:

Baker’s Magic by Diane Zahler
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
The Doughnut Fix by Jessie Janowitz

Links will take you to Goodreads.

For more tasty reads, check out the #MGCarousel challenge for May!