While I haven’t had quite as much time to read lately, as I’ve started a new job last week, here are some recent Middle Grade reads of mine!

Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword, by Barry Deutsch: A charming graphic novel for middle-graders about Mirka, an eleven-year-old Jewish Orthodox girl whose life goal is to fight dragons. In her quest to find a sword of her own, she disagrees with her siblings, breaks free from the standards imposed upon her by her stepmother, thwarts the wild pig who has been making her life miserable, and fights a six-legged troll. Deutsch’s illustrations are bold and simplistic, Mirka is feisty and spunky, and the book is a wonderful introduction to Jewish Orthodox traditions. A great transition book for fans of Babymouse and Fashion Kitty.

The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus #1), by Rick Riordan: I was eagerly anticipating Riordan’s Camp Half-Blood spin-off, which lived up to the hype, for the most part. Riordan has a wonderful, kid-friendly (especially boy-friendly) writing style, filled with non-stop action, blunt, attention-grabbing chapter openings, and vivid glimpses of mythological creatures. The Lost Hero follows three new Camp Half-Blood campers: Jason, the first known son of Zeus, who has a mysterious case of amnesia; Piper, a daughter of Aphrodite, whose movie-star father has been kidnapped and who struggles with loyalty to her new friends; and Leo, the son of Hephaestus who can emit fire from his bare hands. Fans of Percy Jackson will love the reappearance of beloved characters, along with the “Percy Jackson” name-dropping. While older readers will most likely guess the big plot twist from miles away, Riordan builds to his conclusion in a well-paced manner. The only quibble I have with this book is the ‘romance’ that blooms between Piper and Jason, which just seems rushed and formulaic–thrown in there just for the sake of a relationship.

Penny Dreadful, by Laurel Snyder: I absolutely fell in love with this magical, enchanting book. When Penny’s father suddenly quits his high-powered job, she and her family move to Tennessee, to a little town in the middle of nowhere, where Penny’s mother has inherited a house from her great-aunt. (Which is wonderful, because Penny has just wished, hoping against hope that magic is real, for her family to be saved from ruin, and for an adventure!) However, the family soon comes to find that they have also inherited the tenants in their new house, families who live rent-free in the various zany additions that were added on to the original building. Penny soon meets a collection of oddball neighbors who charm both her family and the readers, and who assist her as she schemes how to save her family from financial ruin. The transformation of Penelope from a bored, yearning rich girl to a content, free Penny is lovely to behold (it also doesn’t hurt that Penny is a reader!). Snyder has a true gift for characterization, and I can not wait to read her next book. Readers of this will love Kate Messner’s The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. and Jeanne Birdsall’s The Penderwicks.