Hi friends,
One of my favorite days of the year is the NYC marathon. The sheer number of runners (50,000!) is incredible, and marathon day always turns New York City into one huge block party along the route. My daughters and I made a sign to encourage the runners and situated ourselves on the Madison Avenue Bridge (around mile 21).
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Zed, Brock, and their friends may have saved Freestone from destruction, but the fight against the Dangers is far from over. No one knows what to expect from the dark power. And the influx of elf refugees in Freestone strains resources and brews resentment among the townspeople. Most of all, Zed and Brock’s friendship is crumbling under the weight of the secrets they’re keeping from each other. Don’t miss this second installment of the Adventurers Guild trilogy, where the stakes are raised, the action is breathless, and the dangers will stop even the bravest of heart.
I don’t anticipate ever running a marathon myself, but I definitely enjoy reading about runners! Check out these excellent middle grade books featuring runners. (As always, all book descriptions are from Goodreads.)
Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu by Jason Reynolds
Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team—a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves.
Sidetracked by Diana Harmon Asher
If middle school were a race, Joseph Friedman wouldn’t even be in last place—he’d be on the sidelines. With an overactive mind and phobias of everything from hard-boiled eggs to gargoyles, he struggles to understand his classes, let alone his fellow classmates. So he spends most of his time avoiding school bully Charlie Kastner and hiding out in the Resource Room, a safe place for misfit kids like him. But then, on the first day of seventh grade, two important things happen. First, his Resource Room teacher encourages (i.e., practically forces) him to join the school track team, and second, he meets Heather, a crazy-fast runner who isn’t going to be pushed around by Charlie Kastner or anybody else. With a new friend and a new team, Joseph finds himself off the sidelines and in the race (quite literally) for the first time. Is he a good runner? Well, no, he’s terrible. But the funny thing about running is, once you’re in the race, anything can happen.
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
Meet Holling Hoodhood, a seventh-grader at Camillo Junior High, who must spend Wednesday afternoons with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, while the rest of the class has religious instruction. Mrs. Baker doesn’t like Holling—he’s sure of it. Why else would she make him read the plays of William Shakespeare outside class? But everyone has bigger things to worry about, like Vietnam. His father wants Holling and his sister to be on their best behavior: the success of his business depends on it. But how can Holling stay out of trouble when he has so much to contend with?
The Trail by Meika Hashimoto
Toby has to finish the final thing on The List. It’s a list of brave, daring, totally awesome things that he and his best friend, Lucas, planned to do together, and the only item left is to hike the Appalachian Trail. But now Lucas isn’t there to do it with him. Toby’s determined to hike the trail alone and fulfill their pact, which means dealing with the little things — the blisters, the heat, the hunger — and the big things — the bears, the loneliness, and the memories. When a storm comes, Toby finds himself tangled up in someone else’s mess: Two boys desperately need his help. But does Toby have any help to give?
Right as Rain by Lindsey Stoddard (out February 12, 2019, HarperCollins)
It’s been almost a year since Rain’s brother Guthrie died, and her parents still don’t know it was all Rain’s fault. In fact, no one does—Rain buried her secret deep, no matter how heavy it weighs on her heart. So when her mom suggests moving the family from Vermont to New York City, Rain agrees. But life in the big city is different. She’s never seen so many people in one place—or felt more like an outsider. With her parents fighting more than ever and the anniversary of Guthrie’s death approaching, Rain is determined to keep her big secret close to her heart. But even she knows that when you bury things deep, they grow up twice as tall.
Around the web…
Meet the 2018 National Book Award Winners, via Book Riot
Thirty of the Best Thanksgiving Books for the Little Ones in Your Life, via Book Riot
I would love to know what you are reading this week! Find me on Twitter at @KarinaYanGlaser, on Instagram at @KarinaIsReadingAndWriting, or email me at karina@bookriot.com.
Until next time!
Karina
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