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  • OhMG News!

    Oh MG! Middle-grade news Critter February 20, 2012: Aloud and Proud!

    World Read Aloud Day is right around the corner—March 7. How will you celebrate?

    According to Litworld, the nonprofit organization sponsoring the event, 793 million people worldwide remain illiterate today. “World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults around the world to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology.”

    For more about Litworld and for suggestions on how to participate…


    February 16, 2012: Yolen Grant Honors Mid-list Authors

    Publishers Weekly reported today that author Jane Yolen and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators have established a new grant honoring mid-list authors.

    Says Yolen, "In these difficult book times, well-reviewed and honored authors often find themselves stalled in their writing lives and find they are having trouble selling new work. In our attention to up-and-coming authors, we, the reading public, often ignore these mid-list writers who struggle to remain true to their personal vision and craft. This grant is to say: SCBWI honors you, we recognize you, we are paying attention to your work.”

    The first grant was awarded to Mary Whittington, author of Carmina Come Dance, The Patchwork Lady, Troll Games, and Winter's Child. Nominations for the 2013 grant will be taken June 1-November 3.

    For more information…

     

    February 4, 2012: Sweet Reads

    Check out these February new releases...

     

    January 29, 2012: Tweet Tips 

    Coming soon to a Twitter feed near you...

    The #MGlitchat team—which includes Mixed-up Files founder Elissa Cruz—will be hosting a series of Twitter chats in February called “Tips from the Pros.” Each week, authors, agents, editors and publicists will share their tips about writing and publishing MG books in today’s market. Want to join the fun? Check the MGlitchat blog for a list of dates, times, and guest experts.

     

    January 26, 2011: Ring! Ring!

    What’s it like to win the Newbery? “I picked up the phone, and it was like history changed,” Jack Gantos says of the call informing him he’d just won the Newbery Medal for his novel Dead End in Norvelt. For more about his reaction, check out this article in Publishers Weekly. It was a busy week for Mr. Gantos, who also won the 2012 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction.

     

    January 26, 2012: Jewish-Themed Books Honored

    Winners of the Sydney Taylor Book Award were announced January 17. The award is given annually to new books for children and teens that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience. The award memorializes Sydney Taylor, author of the All-of-a-Kind Family series.

    The gold medal in the older readers category went to Susan Goldman Rubin for Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein. Honor books were Lily Renee, Escape Artist: from Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer by Trina Robbins with illustrations by Anne Timmons and Mo Oh; Hammerin' Hank Greenberg: Baseball Pioneer by Shelley Sommer; and Irena’s Jars of Secrets by Marcia Vaughan.

    For more…

     

    January 23, 2012: The Newbery Medal Goes to…

     Jack Gantos for his middle-grade novel Dead End in Norvelt!

    According to the publisher, Dead End in Norvelt tells the “entirely true” and “wildly fictional” story of two months in the life of a kid named Jack Gantos, “whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is grounded for life by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets.” 

    Newbery Honors went to two books: Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai, which also won the National Book Award last year, and Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin.

    Other winners today were:

    • Kadir Nelson, who won the Coretta Scott King Book Award for Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans;

    • Joan Bauer, author of Close to Famous, and Brian Selznick, author of Wonderstruck, who received The Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience;

    • Susan Cooper, author of the classic The Dark Is Rising Sequence, who won The Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults; and

    • Guadalupe Garcia McCall, who won the Pura Belpré Author Award for Under the Mesquite.

    For a complete list of winners and honorees in all categories, visit the ALA Web site…

     

    January 23, 2012: Mixed-up Files Authors Honored at ALA

    A huge shout out to Wendy Shang and Sheela Chari, two of our very own Mixed-up Files members, who were honored at today’s ALA winter meeting. Shang was awarded The Asian/Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature for her middle-grade novel The Great Wall of Lucy Wu. Sheela Chari, author of Vanished, a middle-grade mystery, received the honor in the same category. The awards, which are selected by the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association, recognize works of exceptional literary and artistic merit that highlight Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage.

    For more on the awards...

      

    January 22, 2012: Esme’s Picks

    Esme Raji Codell, author of Sahara Special and other fine middle-grade titles, discusses her picks for the Newbery medal…


    January 19, 2012: The Mystery Revealed

     Finalists for the 2011 Edgar Award have been announced. The award, given annually by the Mystery Writers of America, is widely considered to be the most prestigious in its genre. In the running for best middle-grade mystery are:

    Horton Halfpott by Tom Angleberger

    It Happened on a Train by Mac Barnett

    Vanished by Sheela Chari

    Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby

    The Wizard of Dark Street by Shawn Thomas Odyssey

    Special congratulations to finalist and Mixed-up Files member Sheela Chari, who launched Vanished on our blog this summer!

    For more on Sheela and Vanished

    For a complete list of Edgar finalists in all categories, including young adult and adult…

     

    January 18, 2012: The OWL Hoots in March

    Jill, a 7th grade English teacher and blogger, is looking for authors, readers, and other bloggers to join her in celebrating March Middle-grade Madness on “The O.W.L.” blog (Outrageously Wonderful Literature for the Middle Grades).  Says Jill, “I'm putting together a fun March where I'll do nothing but highlight middle-grade books, but I need a little help.” Visit The OWL to learn more about writing a guest post, posting a review, or hosting a giveaway.

     

    January 16, 2012: The Medals Are Coming! The Medals Are Coming!

    Betsy Bird, New York City public librarian and School Library Journal blogger, reveals her predictions for the 2011 Newbery and Caldecott Awards here.... The actual awards will be announced January 23 at the midwinter meeting of the American Library Association. Stay tuned!

     

    January 4, 2012: Narrowing the Field

    Finalists for the 2011 CYBIL awards were announced this week. Awards will be given across a wide range of categories including fiction, nonfiction, fantasy and science fiction, graphic novels, and poetry. On the short list for middle-grade fiction is The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by our very own Mixed-up member Wendy Shang.

    For the complete list of CYBIL finalists...

    For more on Wendy and The Great Wall of Lucy Wu...

     

    January 4, 2012: Blogger Picks Indie Bests 

    Children’s author, editor, and “Rogue Librarian” blogger Edward T. Sullivan lists his picks for the best books from independent publishers in 2011…

     

    January 3, 2012: Author and Ambassador: Walter Dean Myers

    Walter Dean Myers, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award and two Newbery Honors, has been named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. Myers, who succeeds author Katherine Paterson, has chosen “Reading Is Not Optional” as the theme of his two-year term of service.

    “Walter Dean Myers is one of America’s preeminent authors of books for young people,” says Dr. Billington. “He is a lifelong advocate for reading for young people, and he has practiced what he preaches in schools and detention centers across the country.” 

    The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature is named by the Librarian of Congress based on recommendations from a selection committee representing many segments of the book community. The selection criteria include the candidate’s contribution to young people’s literature and ability to relate to children. The position was created to raise national awareness of the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education, and the development and betterment of the lives of young people.

    For more about Myers…

    For more about the award…

     


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Book Lists!

WELCOME TO OUR BOOK LIST PAGE!

We’re busy compiling specialty, middle-grade book lists for the hard-to-please reader in your life.  Check back often, as we’ll be updating regularly with a growing archive of wonderful new book  lists!  And if you have a suggestion for a book list you’d like us to tackle, leave a comment below and we’ll do our best.

Thanks!
The Mixed-Up Authors


THE LISTS!

Note: We have separated our book lists into general categories; therefore, some book lists may be listed more than once.  Also, not all titles in each book list fall into the categories we have listed them under.  For example, some of the lists under the Books For Boys category may also contain books for girls.  That’s the problem with unique book lists: they are hard to categorize!  We’ve tried to make it a little easier to find just the right book, though.  Happy browsing!


ACTION/ADVENTURE

DESTINATION: BOOKS!: Let these titles take you around the world

OUT LOUD: Books that make great read-alouds

RELUCTANT READERS: Our kid experts put in their two cents

SURVIVAL STORIES: Kids making it on their own


ANIMAL

NO DEAD DOGS: Middle grade books in which devoted canine companions survive and thrive!

HOORAY FOR MICE: A “Mischief” of Mice stories!

DRAGONS: A Magical Treat

BOOKS FOR AVID/EAGER/STRONG READERS

CLEVER BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS: A few good books for young mystery fans!


BOOKS FOR BOYS

BOOK CLUB BOYS: Middle grade books used to great effect in GUYS READ

A FANTASTICAL MIDDLE-GRADE MONDAY:  A sampling of fantasy titles for a Monday or any day

HUMOR AIN’T JUST IN THE BATHROOM: Books to make kids LOL

MG BOOK-TO MOVIES: Middle Grade Books that went on to make great films

BIOGRAPHIES: Before They Were Famous

BOOKS WITH BOY HEROS

SURVIVAL STORIES: Kids making it on their own

DRAGONS: A magical treat

BOOKS FOR GIRLS

BIG KID BOOKS IN THE MIDDLE GRADE SECTION: Great picks for the younger MG reader

MG BOOK-TO MOVIES: Middle Grade Books that went on to make great films

BOOKS WITH STRONG, SPUNKY FEMALE CHARACTERS:Perfect for Women’s History Month!

ONE FOR THE GALS: Strong Female Protagonists 

ATTA GIRL! Sport Stories for Girls

 

BOOKS FOR RELUCTANT READERS

I JUST WANT HER TO READ SOMETHING!: Learn how ”-ology” books attract reluctant and distracted readers

RELUCTANT READERS: Our kid experts put in their two cents

HI-LO BOOKS: High Interest, Low Level books for older readers

LET’S GET GRAPHIC… NOVEL

CLASSICS/TIMELESS

CLASSIC TALES RETOLD: For a new spin on an old classic fairy or folk tale, read these…

SNUGGLE UP AND READ: Books to read by the fireplace on a cold, winter day

WHAT MAKES A MIDDLE-GRADE NOVEL TIMELESS?: Several experts chime in on timeless books


CONTEMPORARY

ORDINARY KIDS, EXTRAORDINARY STORIES: Contemporary realistic fiction at its best

VIVE LA DIFFERENCE!: Books that feature/include characters with learning differences


EARLY MIDDLE-GRADE/CHAPTER BOOKS

BIG KID BOOKS IN THE MIDDLE GRADE SECTION: Great picks for the younger MG reader

BOOKS THAT HELP KIDS TAKE THE LEAP INTO MIDDLE-GRADE NOVELS: Some titles that help kids with the transition from pictures to words

EARLY CHAPTER BOOKS: A list of books on a new reader’s bookshelf

HI-LO BOOKS: High interest, low level books for older readers

 

FANTASY/PARANORMAL

ALL ABOARD THE FANTASY TRAIN: Titles for Harry Potter Fans

AUDIOBOOKS: Great sounding middle grade books, perfect for those long summer drives!

CLASSIC TALES RETOLD:  For a new spin on an old classic fairy or folk tale, read these…

A FANTASTICAL MIDDLE-GRADE MONDAY: A sampling of fantasy titles for a Monday or any day

MG BOOK-TO MOVIES: Middle-grade books that went on to make great films

SPINE-TINGLING READS: Spooky stories just right for Halloween night

DRAGONS: A magical treat

HISTORY/HISTORICAL FICTION

HOLIDAY TRADITIONS AND GIFT GIVING: The perfect books for your Holiday gift list

READING AND WRITING BOSTON: MG books set in Boston. Cool Beans!

HUMOROUS

HUMOR AIN’T JUST IN THE BATHROOM: Books to make kids LOL

OUT LOUD: Books that make great read-alouds

RELUCTANT READERS: Our kid experts put in their two cents

MULTICULTURAL

DESTINATION: BOOKS!: Let these titles take you around the world

FAVORITE TITLES FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Celebrate the month with these suggestions

M IS FOR MULTICULTURAL: Go global in your reading!

ONE WORLD, MANY STORIES  

HONORING ASIAN/ASIAN AMERICAN THEMED MIDDLE-GRADE NOVELS

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/HORROR

CLEVER BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS: A few good books for young mystery fans!

IT’S A MYSTERY!: Books with a mysterious twist

OUT LOUD: Books that make great read-alouds

SPINE-TINGLING READS: Spooky stories just right for Halloween night

SCARY STORIES: Try these!

NEW RELEASES (BY MONTH)

JUNE 2010: All the fresh new middle grade titles this month. For happy beach reading!

JULY 2010: Be the first on your block to read these newest mg titles!

AUGUST 2010: Hot off the press for hot summer reading

SEPTEMBER 2010: Great new reads to help middle graders ease into fall.

OCTOBER 2010: See all the new reads everyone is howling about!

NOVEMBER 2010: A bountiful harvest of new books releasing this month!

DECEMBER 2010: Spread the holiday cheer with these newly-released books

JANUARY 2011: Greet the New Year with these new releases

FEBRUARY 2011: New Books To Love

MARCH 2011: Spring Has Sprung!

APRIL 2011: New Releases

MAY 2011: MAY we interest you in a few new books?  

JUNE 2011: New Releases

JULY 2011: New Releases

AUGUST 2011: Take these to the beach

SEPTEMBER 2011: Start off the school year right with these new books!

OCTOBER 2011: Fall into some great new fiction!

NOVEMBER 2011: Giving thanks for new books! 

DECEMBER 2011: A few for under the tree…

NON-FICTION

A HOW-TO WORLD: Books that teach you how to do just about anything!

SPRING INTO HAIKU: Resources for writing the art of the Haiku

BIOGRAPHIES: Before they were famous

REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER 11

 

POETRY/VERSE

BIG STORIES IN SMALL PACKAGES: Choosing a novel in verse

POETRY THAT MAKES YOU LAUGH: Books with silly verses

SPRING INTO HAIKU: Resources for writing the art of the Haiku

CHAPTER AND VERSE

RELIGIOUS

HOLIDAY TRADITIONS AND GIFT GIVING: The perfect books for your Holiday gift list


SEASONS/HOLIDAYS

ELEVEN (BOOKS for) BIRTHDAYS: Some book suggestions for gift-giving

FAVORITE TITLES FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH:  Celebrate the month with these suggestions

A LIST OF LOVE: Books For Valentine’s Day

SNUGGLE UP AND READ: Books to read by the fireplace on a cold,

winter day

SPRING INTO CHANGE: BOOKS TO INSPIRE: See how these characters’ physical changes influence their stories

BOOKS FOR HAPPY CAMPERS: Summer Camp Stories 

REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER 11

 

SCIENCE-FICTION

NOT QUITE TWILIGHT: Paranormal for the mg reader

SCIENCE FICTION? 

“SCIENCY” FICTION/SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY

RELUCTANT READERS: Our kid experts put in their two cents


SERIES

SEQUELS: THEIR PLEASURES AND PERILS: Learn how a series of books is written


SPORTS

ATTA GIRL! Sport Stories for Girls

SPECIAL NEEDS

SHINING A LIGHT ON MENTAL ILLNESS

 DISABILITY IN MIDDLE-GRADE NOVELS

THE TRULY UNIQUE

AUDIOBOOKS:  Great sounding middle grade books, perfect for those long summer drives!

BOOK LISTS STEMMING FROM FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKENWEILER: Mini lists – New York, Museums, Art Mysteries, Runaways, Trains, Miniature Protagonists

CELEBRATING SEUSS: Dr. Seuss books and their middle-grade equivalents, in honor of Read Across America Day

DESTINATION: BOOKS!: Let these titles take you around the world

ELEVEN (BOOKS for) BIRTHDAYS:  Some book suggestions for gift-giving

MG BOOK-TO MOVIES: Middle Grade Books that went on to make great films

OUT LOUD: Books that make great read-alouds

READING AND WRITING BOSTON: MG books set in Boston. Cool Beans!

SPRING INTO CHANGE: BOOKS TO INSPIRE: See how these characters’ physical changes influence their stories

VIVE LA DIFFERENCE!: Books that feature/include characters with learning differences

WHAT THE MIXED-UP FILES AUTHORS THINK ABOUT… CHARACTERS LIKE US: Learn about some of our authors by reading about characters just like them

CRAFTY WAYS TO SPEND LATE SUMMER DAYS

FOUR HAPPY ENDINGS 

WHO’S WATCHING THE KIDS? Stories About Nannies

REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER 11

 

BOOKS FOR WRITERS

BOOKS ON THE CRAFT OF WRITING

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9 Comments

  1. Stephanie Greene  •  Apr 26, 2010 @1:15 pm

    Welcome, and good for you! Middle grade books rock. Readers at that stage may be the most accepting, open, enthusiastic readers of them all. They’re still excited about books and they’re young enough not to have become discouraged. Ask any teacher and they’ll tell you if you don’t grab a kid as a reader by the time he/she is in the 4th grade, you may not grab them at all. I say, let’s grab each and every one with wonderful middle grade books.

    I’m so glad you’ve started this site. GREAT NAME, btw.

    [Reply]

  2. Kelly Polark  •  Jul 22, 2010 @10:23 am

    Love all these lists!

    [Reply]

  3. Penny  •  Sep 28, 2010 @9:47 pm

    Thank you for what you are doing for teachers and, in turn, the students with whom they teach AND learn! Major kudos, MixedUpFiles peeps!

    [Reply]

  4. Inara Scott  •  Nov 9, 2010 @1:02 pm

    How about a list of paranormal and fantasy books for upper MG readers? Young adult literature has become more sexual and violent of late, but it’s also so popular maybe tween girls are reading up into it. I’d love to see a list of books that are exciting enough to grab the attention of the almost-YA-readers, but don’t have the mature content of the YA books.

    [Reply]

  5. Bev  •  Nov 10, 2010 @8:01 am

    Good idea, Inara! We’ll get on it:)

    [Reply]

  6. DSK  •  Nov 11, 2010 @9:30 pm

    This is a really neat website! It’s rather an odd place for me, because when I was growing up I read almost nothing but adult fantasy fiction, not middle-grade books. There was nothing like this for middle-grade children when I was of that age-or if there was it was all a bunch of politically correct nonsense, so I find it hard to suggest any books to add to your recommended reading list. Except, perhaps, a list for girls. I know girls will read nearly anything once they get going, but since you have a list for boys why not round things out with a list for girls?

    [Reply]

  7. Cathy Stakey  •  Dec 27, 2010 @8:15 pm

    I am looking for a middle grade book list of multicultural titles. I am trying to gather choices for literature circles that promote diversity and teach middle grade students about cultures beyond their own. Any suggestions?

    [Reply]

  8. Elissa Cruz  •  Jan 6, 2011 @8:29 pm

    Cathy,

    We’ll see what we can come up with! And thanks for the suggestion. I don’t think we had multicultural books on our list yet.

    [Reply]

  9. Rose Green  •  Feb 19, 2011 @1:48 pm

    Great lists! I’d love to recommend Brandon Sanderson’s Alcatraz books in the fantasy category. They are very silly and great fun to read aloud and both my boys and girls love them!

    [Reply]

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