The hero of Fly on the Wall hatches a daring scheme to remake his self-image. Fly on the Wall by Remy Lai. Henry Holt, 2020, 329 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-14 Listen up, fellow kids: in your hands you hold the secret manual of Lone Wanderer Henry Khoo, age 12, whose family still thinks he’s a WAH WAH WAH baby and “hovers over him so much he’s like a heliport.” But he’s out to prove them all wrong by embarking on the greatest adventure everrr, just like the heroes of those Chinese martial-arts dramas his grandma is always watching on DVD. That is, all…

Picture book biographies are one of my favorite categories of picture books. Today, I have three new ones for you: a childlike look at Beatrix Potter, a thorough look at the first men to climb Everest, and a horse whose claim to fame is how many races he lost. Saving the Countryside: The Story of Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit by Linda Marshall and illustrated by Ilaria Urbinati. little bee books, 2020. 40 pages. Most biographies of Beatrix Potter focus primarily on her stories, how she invented Peter Rabbit. This biography spends more time on Beatrix’s desire to do something important despite the strictures of her Victorian society. For instance,…

13 year olds: ready to be done with middle school, but not yet in high school. Officially “teenagers,” but plenty of maturing still to do. 13 year olds straddle the “middle grades” and “young adult” line, not quite ready for some of the more mature content in many YA books but anxious to move out of the more childish stories of the broad middle grades label. It’s a stereotype, but true: girls at this age have an easier time than boys do when it comes to finding books to read. Why? For one, many classics that are accessible to this age group simply appeal more to girls than boys (Jane…

My Pencil and Me by Sara Varon. First Second, 2020, 34 pages. Reading Level: Picture Book, ages 4-8 Recommended for: ages 5-7 Every writer knows the terror residing in a blank page. “It’s always so hard to get started,” our nameless protagonist laments. Fortunately, she has a secret weapon: her pencil. This cheerful chap oozes encouragement right out of the can: “C’mon, you can do this! You and I are a team!” Since this writer is also an illustrator, she starts with sketching ideas. Real characters at a baseball game are soon joined by imaginary characters. Nice start, but where’s the conflict? A dispute leads to a broken pencil, and…

Feinstein’s Sports Beat Mysteries are great fun for teen sports lovers. Sports Beat Mystery Series by John Feinstein. Yearling. Last Shot: Mystery at the Final FourVanishing Act: Mystery at the U. S. OpenCover-Up: Mystery at the Super BowlChange-Up: Mystery at the World SeriesThe Rivalry: Mystery at the Army-Navy GameRush for the Gold: Mystery at the OlympicsReading Level: Teens, ages 12-15 Recommended For: Teens, ages 12-15 Teen sports journalists Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson meet after they both win a prize for young journalists that brings them to the Final Four. But when they uncover a plot to throw the championship game, the two sleuths are mired in a mystery—and…

Three illustrated non-fiction books share fascinating information about ancient cultures, unusual wordsmiths, and careers you might not have considered. Ancient Romans and Their Neighbors: An Activity Guide by Simonetta Carr. Chicago Review Press, 2019, 150 pages. Reading Level: ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-12 The ancient Romans, Etruscans, Celts, and Carthaginians left a rich record of their history and culture woven through stories, artifacts, and architecture. It is remarkable how much we can know about their daily lives. Ancient Romans and Their Neighbors consists of four parts, each containing brief chapters on history, architecture, clothing, writing, art and music, religion, government and warfare, daily life, and food. Carr has done…

The Vanderbeekers are back, with all the humor and good-heartedness that makes their family so loveable. The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found by Karina Yan Glasser. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020, 347 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 8-14 How happy we were to find the Vanderbeekers four years ago! The five siblings living with their parents in a comfortable, if slightly crowded, brownstone apartment in the heart of Harlem, were a happy yet realistic picture of love that triumphs over conflict. They’re back for an autumn story of more challenges. Twins Jessie and Isa are now 14, baby Lainey is 6, Oliver is 11 and shy Hyacinth…