Hello Everyone!
I hope everyone is having a great summer! I am enjoying my break! I have been reading some interesting books lately and I would like to share these middle-grade books with you. There are 7 diverse books in this list that include fantasy, historical fiction as well as books that cover topics like friendship, family, grief, culture, heritage, immigration, freedom, courage, bullying, and gender identity issues. You can borrow these books from your local library or buy them on Amazon.
Happy Summer Reading!
- Force of Fire by Sayantani DasGupta
This fantasy novel is based on the world of humans and Rakkhosh, which is colonized by the serpents. Pinki comes from a family of Rakkosh Resistors. (Rakkosh means demon). Her parents were freedom fighters and were arrested for the interspecies rights revolution. Pinki, the rakkosh girl, has no friends and has to take care of her three young cousins Kawla, Mawla, and Deembo. The awesome thing about her is that she can breathe out the fire. Once she humiliates herself by accidentally burning half of her school down, she is ashamed of herself and runs away. On her way, she meets Sesha, the evil serpent prince who promises to help Pinki control her power of breathing out the fire but asks her to steal moonbeams (Chandni) from the moon mother in return. Sesha bribes her by saying that if she does that, then he can help her control her fire breathing. Pinki has to make a choice and if she makes the wrong choice of working for Sesha, she’s a traitor. Will Pinki hand over Chandni, the moon maiden? What will happen to Pinki and her power of fire? Will they get their freedom from the serpents? Read to find out.
I highly recommend this book for kids interested in Hindu mythology, imagination, and magic.
Fun Facts:
- My mom’s name is Pinki but it’s spelled Pinky.
- The author of this book is a Pediatrician and the story is based on Bengali folklore.
- I learned a lot about Bengali culture and heritage.
- Got introduced to the famous poem of Rabindranath Tagore, “Ekla chalo re”, which means to walk alone and go with your own path.
- Unsettled By Reem Farqui
Leaving your home country is like leaving everything behind. Nurah, a thirteen-year-old girl, has to move to America from Pakistan when her father takes up a job in Georgia. She doesn’t know what to do in order to settle in a new place and fit into the lifestyle. She loves swimming and ends up on the swim team at school along with her brother Owais who is a better swimmer. Because of Nurah’s faith, she wears a long swimsuit and covers her head with colorful scarves. Nurah meets another girl named Stahr who has gone through a lot. Stahr has an abusive father, who hits her and her mother doesn’t know what to do. This is a beautifully written story of a young girl and her immigrant family, in verse.
Will Nurah settle down well in America after leaving her family behind in Pakistan? Read this verse novel to find out.
- Ahimsa By Supriya Kelkar
This is a historical fiction book. Ahimsa means non -violence, which is something that Mahatma Gandhi and his followers believed in. The story takes place in colonial India in the 1940s, during the Quit India movement of Mahatma Gandhi. The protagonist, Anjali is a young girl, who looks up to her mother, a freedom fighter the most. Back then, in India, there was a caste system. The lower castes were called untouchables or Harijans. Anjali’s family were of the upper caste but it didn’t matter to them. That’s what I liked most about Anjali’s family. But things get worse when the Muslims and Hindus begin to fight. This was the result of the British policy of ‘Divide and Rule.’ The religious conflict also affected the friendship of Anjali and her best friend Irfaan. Things get even worse when Anjali’s mother gets arrested for supporting Gandhi and disobeying laws. Anjali decides to become a freedom fighter like her mom. Find more about Anjali’s journey through this book?
- Halfway to Harmony by Barbara O’Conner
Things get better for a young boy Walter when Evalina and Posey( mother and daughter ) move into Harmony, Georgia as his neighbor. Walter is a ten-year-old boy, who is still grieving the loss of his big brother, Tank, who died while fighting in a war. Walter never had any real friends except for Tank. After Posey and Walter meet, they become friends and meet a man named Banjo. Banjo was looking for his lost hot air balloon for a competition. Along with Caesar Romanoff’s book of friendship rules, Walter can finally be more confident with the help of Posey, her mother Evalina, Banjo, and Posey’s three-legged dog Porkchop.
Will Walter come to terms with grief? To learn this interesting journey of finding the hot air balloon and discovering the meaning of life, read this book.
- The Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar
This is a wonderful book written in verse by Aida Salazar.
Betita is a 10-year-old young girl, who loves the stories her Papi tells about their Aztlan( land of the cranes) ancestors and their life like cranes. Betita’s family had emigrated to the USA from Mexico to escape the terror of the ‘cartel’. Currently, she lives in California with her parents and then finds out that her mother is expecting a baby! Things don’t turn out well when the ICE ( Immigration and Customs Enforcement) takes away her father and deports him to Mexico. When Betita and her mother drive to the border in search of her father, they get caught by the ICE and get sent to a camp where they are placed in a cage-like place. They are mistreated there and have to leave everything behind. They had no good food to eat, shared a bathroom with many people, and had to live in poor unhygienic conditions. Betita uses her creativity in writing and art to show her courage. What will happen next?
Learn more about Betita’s journey here in this book.
- Flight of Puffin by Ann Braden:
This beautifully written book has four different characters who are far away from each other but has something in common that brings them together. These characters are compared with the puffin bird that lives a lonely life in harsh winters. They have their challenges but an act of kindness brings them together. This book covers important themes like kindness, hope, empathy, friendship, homelessness, bullying, acceptance, and LGBTQ.
Libby (She/Her)
Seventh Grader Libby has a big idea in her mind. But she is known as the bully for her bad temper even her friends dropping her and her principal thinking bad of her. Libby has a good heart but never shows it to others. She just feels trapped, invisible and lonely. One day, she decides to use her pencils and note cards to write kind notes that she sends out the postcards to people randomly. Will this idea bring a positive impact? Read this book to find out.
Jack (He/Him)
Jack lives in Rural Vermont (Like Libby) and is fighting for his school. His school is shutting down as the school doesn’t have any money for gender-neutral bathrooms. He has conflicts at home and is grieving the death of his brother Alex. Like Libby, he feels so lost in his own world like a Puffin which I have mentioned above. Jack then decides to fight for his school. Will his plan work?
Vincent (He/Him)
Vincent has difficulty fitting in with other kids at school in Seattle. He gets bullied often because of his unusual dressing and interest in puffins, triangles, and science. As Vincent suffers from extreme bullying at school, he decides to do homeschooling for a change. He meets T during this course. Will the bullying stop?
T (They/Them)
T’s story really touches my heart. T is a homeless non-binary kid who runs away from home knowing that their parents aren’t going to accept T’s gender identity. So T lives on the streets of Seattle, where they meet Peko, a small dog. T has no money, and no place to go until Vincent finds T and Vincent gets him food. Soon they became friends and supported each other. Will T go back home?
All these four characters from across the country feel like lonely puffins who can’t fly. But soon, the act of kindness creates the ripple and changes their lives. Finally, the four lonely puffins/characters take a flight.
On the occasion of Pride month, through this book recommendation, I want to show my support for all young people like T who face challenges because of gender identity issues.
- That Thing about Bollywood by Supriya Kelkar
Sonali is an Indian American girl who loves Bollywood movies. Every Sunday, her Gujarati family has a Bollywood movie night where she enjoys watching a Bollywood movie. Trouble starts at home when her parents start to fight. Her brother gets emotional after hearing about her parent’s separation. Sonali has difficulty in handling all the emotions but Bollywood movies come to her rescue. When she goes on a school trip, she breaks out into random Bollywood songs and dance numbers. This helps her in sharing her emotions and interestingly she has a mind playlist of Bollywood music based on her mood. What will happen next in Sonali’s life? What will happen to her ‘Bollywooditis’? Please read to find out.