I love hard-to-categorize books…books that cross over between age ranges and genres, books that sound as if they wouldn't make sense but somehow they gloriously do. The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, by John Hendrix, is wonderfully hard to categorize. Readers from advanced middle schoolers (ones who have already read The Lord of the Rings and Narnia) to young adults to adults will all love it. It's not a comic or a graphic novel or a traditional biography, but a blend of the three (I guess you could call it a highly-illustrated biography with sections told in comic panels, and also a heavy dose of beautiful hand-lettered sections). It's not a book specifically for Christian audiences, but it does not shy away from describing how faith was an intrinsic part of Lewis' and Tolkien's lives. The narrators of the story are a cartoon wizard and anthropomorphic lion, yet the subject matter is often dark and serious.

But it works. All the unlikely combinations of genres and styles and audience actually make this book shine.

Here's the brief publisher's description:
From New York Times bestselling, award-winning creator John Hendrix comes The Mythmakers, a graphic novel biography of two literary lions—C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien—following the remarkable story of their friendship and creative fellowship, and how each came to write their masterworks

I have been a fan of Lewis and Tolkien for years, so much of the info in their biography wasn't new to me, yet several small tidbits that I didn't know were crucial in bringing their friendship to life. And I loved that the focus of the story really was about that friendship itself, allowing the other biographical details to serve that story instead of taking over. Lewis and Tolkien both wrote so beautifully about the love and fellowship between friends in their stories (and also non-fiction works) that it made this approach even more fitting. 

The comical narrators helped lighten the tone of a story that is riddled with sadness—ultimately I think they were a brilliant choice for many reasons. They paved the way and made a style allowance for a truly wonderful ending (no spoilers), they enabled the author to dive into a few fascinating literary sidetracks (which, incidentally, would make this book a perfect addition to a high school literature class—I wish we'd had it last year when I taught my high schoolers a course on Modern Fantasy and its Inspirations!), and they helped the readers keep Lewis' and Tolkien's styles and philosophies clear from once another.

And the style/illustrations. You guys. It's just amazing. John Hendrix is a genius and I loved every page. This is definitely one to own if you can. 

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, as always, visit Always in the Middle: http://gpattridge.com

Over on my Instagram page, I did a poll asking my readers what book list they wanted me to write up for them next—and overwhelmingly (75% overwhelmingly), the answer was "Books for grown-up fans of ​Anne of Green Gables." 
​
I get it. I'm a die-hard Anne fan myself, and sometimes I don't want just any book. I want a book with heart and hope, with quirky characters and whimsical plots. Atmosphere is a must. A happy ending is a given. 

Here, then are a dozen books and/or authors to get you through the next time that you're in the mood for something like Anne, but different. (And I'm presuming that you already read all of LMM's oeuvre, right? Because The Blue Castle ​is one of the best books ever written.)

I hope you find a new book on this list to read and love!

Thanks to Netgalley, I was able to read one of my most highly anticipated middle grade books of 2024 early—but don't worry, you won't have to wait long! You can pre-order ​Take it from the Top now, and it will be available in November.

On to the review! Let's start with the publisher's description:

Set at a camp over the course of six summers, this novel dives into the falling-out of two girls from different backgrounds who thought they'd be friends forever. Claire Swinarski, regional indie bestseller of the ALA Notable What Happened to Rachel Riley?, tackles privilege, perspective, and the power of friendship in this page-turning puzzle that readers will devour.

Eowyn Becker has waited all year to attend her sixth summer at Lamplighter Lake Summer Camp. Here, she’s not in the shadow of her Broadway-star older brother; she’s a stellar performer in her own right. Here, the pain of her mom’s death can’t reach her, and she gets to reunite with her best friend, Jules Marrigan—the only person in the world who understands her.

But when she gets to camp, everything seems wrong. The best-friend reunion Eowyn had been dreaming of doesn’t go as planned. Jules will barely even look at Eowyn, let alone talk to her, and Eowyn has no idea why.

Well, maybe she does…

There are two sides to every story, and if you want to understand this one, you’ll need to hear both. Told in a series of alternating chapters that dip back to past summers, the girls’ story will soon reveal how Eowyn and Jules went from being best friends to fierce foils. Can they mend ways before the curtains close on what was supposed to be the best summer of their lives?

I absolutely loved this story! Eowyn and Jules are both wonderful and wonderfully-crafted characters. I wish I could be friends with both of them…and still I found myself ready to smack both of them at various points throughout the story (okay, so I was a little invested). Like all of Claire Swinarksi's books, character development takes center stage, but Take it from the Top also brings the setting to life in such a tangible way. I could practically feel the stage makeup tickling my nose and imagine the chilly lake and cozy cabins of summer camp (and that says a lot considering I never went to summer camp). 

This is an obvious pick for the theater lovers in your life. What might not be as obvious from the description is how much Take it from the Top is a book about families—how they form us, how they hurt us, how they heal us, how they make us who we are and how who we are is not defined by them. The friendship between Jules and Eowyn is the central relationship in the story, but the entire plot revolves around how their two respective families and family situations create a conflict that Jules and Eowyn have to work to overcome. Perhaps this reminds you a little of a very famous play? Maybe the name Jules was chosen as a subtle nod? While these very normal American families may be no Capulets and Montagues with ill blood between them, Take it from the Top presents a more (to my mind) interesting and relevant inter-family dynamic: can our backgrounds be so different that true understanding is impossible? Of course the answer is no…but it is also: it might be difficult. And that's okay. Because so many of the things worth putting our time into in life are difficult. Like family. And friendship. And singing on stage in front of hundreds of people.

As usual, a note to parents on whether this book is right for your child. Here are few topics and themes I'll discuss with my children either before, during, or after they read Take it from the Top:
-death of a parent and how it affects a family
-a couple cases of characters taking God's name in vain (my children are very sensitive to this)
-a lot of crushes… The main characters are 13, and my 13-year-old has absolutely no interest in crushes. :) For that reason, I'll probably give it to my older daughters first. I love that the boy-girl relationships are always innocent—the relationship between Eowyn and her crush is particularly very sweet, but I would discuss with my kids that she sneaks out of her cabin to talk to him at night several times… I know, I know, kids do this. But I'm a mom of teens and my child safety detector is on high alert.
-some of the songs and musicals mentioned are more mature than what I let my 13-year-olds view, so I'll be giving them a heads up before they start searching Youtube…

(I always provide these notes as an aid to parents, teachers, and librarians, but I won't recommend any books I wouldn't feel comfortable handing to my own kids—as a parent, I simply always appreciate having more info rather than less! Sometimes I incorporate topic notes into my reviews, but in the future I'm going to try to list them out like this for viewing ease.)

As I said, Take it from the Top will be available in November, so be sure to pre-order from your favorite bookstore or library now!

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, visit: http://alwaysinthemiddle.com

Want another book to add to your 2025 Newbery hopeful list? You've come to the right place. The Secret Language of Birds, by Lynne Kelly, has so many elements that I love in a middle grade novel: a main character with a fun obsession, a plot that revolves around friendship and fitting in (or learning when not to), an evocative setting, and a "plot problem" that is both realistic to the middle grade years while feeling high stakes for that character. 

Here's the publisher's description: 

Nina is used to feeling like the odd one out, both at school and in her large family. But while trying to fit in at summer camp, she discovers something even more two majestic birds have built a nest in the marsh behind an abandoned infirmary. They appear to be whooping cranes, but that’s impossible—Nina is an amateur bird-watcher, and all her resources tell her that those rare birds haven’t nested in Texas for over a hundred years.

When Nina reports the sighting to wildlife officials, more questions arise. Experts track all the endangered birds, but they can’t identify the female bird that Nina found. Who is she, and where did she come from?

With the help of some fellow campers, Nina sets out to discover who the mystery bird really is. As she gets closer to the truth, will she find a flock of her own?

This instant classic from award-winning author Lynne Kelly captures the coming-of-age moment of learning to spread your wings in a way you'll never forget.

I think I can safely say that my very favorite types of characters in middle grade (maybe in all books?) tend to have one trait in common: they LOVE things deeply. They get obsessed. They can tell you every detail about their favorite things, whether you asked or not. So Nina's obsession with birdwatching automatically pulled me into her story—especially, okay, because birdwatching is an obsession I might just happen to share. Lynne Kelly even managed to get two of my favorite birdwatching bits of trivia into the story (how to tell the difference between young herons and egrets—hey, it comes up a lot when you live next to a river—and one I will call "the Shakespeare one" so I don't spoil it for you, but it's very funny). My children have heard me monologue for minutes on end about the recovery of the osprey population in Connecticut (as I explain WHY I am so excited about something that is now so commonplace as an osprey nest), so none of them were surprised at all when I fell in love with a book about two endangered birds and a girl who loves them.

All that said… even if birdwatching holds very little interest for you, you will be pulled in by Nina's story. Because birdwatching is just a fascinating canvas on which Lynne Kelly paints the story of a girl who is learning to love who she is and to love others for who they are, too. Who is growing in her ability to accept love and to give it. Basically, a girl who is learning how to be a friend. And there's no more quintessentially middle grade story than that.

Mostly, the themes in this book are appropriate for even young middle grade readers, though before you hand this off to a sensitive reader, you may want to be aware that is discusses purposeless hunting of an endangered bird. The main character also sneaks off by herself several times throughout the book and keeps secrets from adults—but both of these issues are met with consequences; she does regret her bad choices and learns from them.

Have you read ​The Secret Language of Birds ​yet? What did you think?

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, check out Always in the Middle at http://gpattridge.com

​I have another wonderful historical fiction novel to share with you today: Light and Air, by Mindy Nichols Wendell. We have a lot going on this week (starting up homeschool with a senior in high school all the way down to a pre-pre-schooler!), so let's start out with the Publisher's description:

It's 1935, and tuberculosis is ravaging the nation. Everyone is afraid of this deadly respiratory illness. But what happens when you actually have it?

When Halle and her mother both come down with TB, they are shunned—and then they are sent to the J.N. Adam Tuberculosis Hospital: far from home, far from family, far from the world.

Tucked away in the woods of upstate New York, the hospital is a closed and quiet place. But it is not, Halle learns, a prison. Free of her worried and difficult father for the first time in her life, she slowly discovers joy, family, and the healing power of honey on the children's ward, where the girls on the floor become her confidantes and sisters. But when Mama suffers a lung hemorrhage, their entire future—and recovery—is thrown into question....

Light and Air deals tenderly and insightfully with isolation, quarantine, found family, and illness. Set in the fully realized world of a 1930s hospital, it offers a tender glimpse into a historical epidemic that has become more relatable than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Halle tries to warm her father’s coldness and learns to trust the girls and women of the hospital, and as she and her mother battle a disease that once paralyzed the country, a profound message of strength, hope, and healing emerges.

My thoughts:

I LOVED Light and Air. It had all the atmosphere and quiet building of suspense that I associate with my favorite vintage stories; in fact, Light and Air felt more like a book actually written in the early twentieth century than a modern book set then. (I can say that about very few books, and the lack of it is not necessarily a problem as much as a recognition of style, but I sure do like it when I find it.) 

As a head’s up to parents, this book (as you can see from the description) deals with some heavy topics: a child dies, multiple miscarriages are mentioned, and a parent suffers from depression and anxiety. None of these topics is gratuitious, however, and the plot is beautifully woven around the idea that even the dark things we go through can make us better human beings if we allow ourselves to hurt and heal. 

Have you read Light and Air yet? What did you think of it? Personally, I’m tucking it neatly away in my “2025 Newbery Hopeful” shelf!

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, be sure to visit Always in the Middle: http://gpattridge.com

(Note: The publisher's description says the book is set in Upstate New York. The book itself gets it "right:" the setting is near Buffalo, in Western New York. We had a fun, friendly little argument about this over on Instagram, but all the people who actually lived near Buffalo--like I used to!--agree that Western New York is the correct term.  ;)