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July New Releases at From the Mixed-Up Files

~ Patricia

It’s July! Time for a summer slow down. Lucky for you, we have a nice list of new middle grades coming your way – including one from our very own
Jennifer Swanson. Happy book birthday, Jennifer!!


Spacecare: A Kid’s Guide to Surviving Space by Jennifer Swanson

Have you ever wondered how astronauts stay healthy in space? What if an astronaut gets sick on the space station? Does snot run in space? This fascinating photo-illustrated look at space and medicine explores how scientists and physicians study astronauts in space, how they help keep them safe, and what we’ve learned about the human body through space exploration. Questions from real kids and answers form from astronauts, along with photos from NASA, combine for an out-of-this-world exploration of health.

 

Light Comes to Shadow Mountain by Toni Buzzeo

Cora Mae Tipton is determined to light up her Appalachian community in this historical fiction novel from an award-winning author and former librarian.

It’s 1937 and the government is pushing to bring electricity to the mountains of southeastern Kentucky. It’s all Cora can think of; radios with news from around the world, machines that keep food cold, lightbulbs by which to read at night! Cora figures she can help spread the word by starting a school newspaper and convincing her neighbors to support the Rural Electrification Act.

But resistance to change isn’t easy to overcome, especially when it starts at home. Cora’s mother is a fierce opponent of electrification. She argues that protecting the landscape of the holler–the trees, the streams, the land that provides for their way of life–is their responsibility. But Cora just can’t let go of wanting more.

Lyrical, literary, and deeply heartfelt, this debut novel from an award-winning author-librarian speaks to family, friendship, and loss through the spirited perspective of a girl eager for an electrified existence, but most of all, the light of her mother’s love and acceptance.

 

The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla

Neurodivergent Maudie is ready to spend an amazing summer with her dad, but will she find the courage to tell him a terrible secret about life with her mom and new stepdad? This contemporary novel by the award-winning author of The Someday Birds is a must-read for fans of Leslie Connor and Ali Standish.

Maudie always looks forward to the summers she spends in California with her dad. But this year, she must keep a troubling secret about her home life–one that her mom warned her never to tell. Maudie wants to confide in her dad about her stepdad’s anger, but she’s scared.

When a wildfire strikes, Maudie and her dad are forced to evacuate to the beach town where he grew up. It’s another turbulent wave of change. But now, every morning, from their camper, Maudie can see surfers bobbing in the water. She desperately wants to learn, but could she ever be brave enough?

As Maudie navigates unfamiliar waters, she makes friends–and her autism no longer feels like the big deal her mom makes it out to be. But her secret is still threatening to sink her. Will Maudie find the strength to reveal the awful truth–and maybe even find some way to stay with Dad–before summer is over?

 

See what else is coming out in July over at From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors.

 

Creativity Boosts at From the Mixed-Up Files

~ Patricia

I’m over at From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors with a list of books I used to boost my creativity during a long, dark winter. Keep reading for a sneak peek of the post. Then head over to From the Mixed-Up Files for the rest of the list.

 

Sometimes, a month or so before the end of a long, dark winter, I start to feel my creativity wane. Everything feels a little cold. A little hidden. A little like it’s waiting for some magical thing to energize it. This year it’s taking longer than usual for that energizing force to show up. And, I’m not alone here. Even the buds on my fruit tree aren’t bursting forth yet. Maybe it’s the still too dark days, or the snow storm in the middle of April, or maybe it’s just not yet time yet. Whatever the reason, I weary of waiting, so I have been poring through my bookshelves, the internet,  and the local library, looking for inspiration. Here’s a list of what I’ve found:

Fairy Tales, Folktales, and Archetypes.

The symbolism of the shoes in Cinderella. The archetype of the Dark Man in dreams. The Ugly Duckling. The Baba Yaga. I’ve dug up old stories, new to me stories, and some new ways of thinking in the following books.

Fearless Girls and Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters

Dismayed by the predominance of male protagonists in her daughters’ books, Kathleen Ragan set out to collect the stories of our forgotten heroines. Gathered from around the world, from regions as diverse as sub-Saharan Africa and Western Europe, from North and South American Indian cultures and New World settlers, from Asia and the Middle East, these 100 folktales celebrate strong female heroines.

Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters is for all women who are searching to define who they are, to redefine the world and shape their collective sensibility. It is for men who want to know more about what it means to be a woman. It is for our daughters and our sons, so that they can learn to value all kinds of courage, courage in battle and the courage of love. It is for all of us to help build a more just vision of woman.

 

Women Who Run With the Wolves

Within every woman there is a wild and natural creature, a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing. Her name is Wild Woman, but she is an endangered species. Though the gifts of wildish nature come to us at birth, society’s attempt to “civilize” us into rigid roles has plundered this treasure, and muffled the deep, life-giving messages of our own souls. Without Wild Woman, we become over-domesticated, fearful, uncreative, trapped. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D., Jungian analyst and cantadora storyteller, shows how woman’s vitality can be restored through what she calls “psychic archeological digs” into the bins of the female unconscious. In Women Who Run with the Wolves, Dr. Estes uses multicultural myths, fairy tales, folk tales, and stories chosen from over twenty years of research that help women reconnect with the healthy, instinctual, visionary attributes of the Wild Woman archetype. Dr. Estes collects the bones of many stories, looking for the archetypal motifs that set a woman’s inner life into motion. “La Loba” teaches about the transformative function of the psyche. In “Bluebeard,” we learn what to do with wounds that will not heal; in “Skeleton Woman,” we glimpse the mystical power of relationship and how dead feelings can be revived; “Vasalisa the Wise” brings our lost womanly instincts to the surface again; “The Handless Maiden” recovers the Wild Woman initiation rites; and “The Little Match Girl” warns against the insidious dangers of a life spent in fantasy. In these and other stories, we focus on the many qualities of Wild Woman. We retrieve, examine, love, and understand her, and hold her against our deep psyches as one whois both magic and medicine. In Women Who Run with the Wolves, Dr. Estes has created a new lexicon for describing the female psyche. Fertile and lifegiving, it is a psychology of women in the truest sense, a knowing of the soul.

 

Creative Kick Starters

I picked up a couple of old favorites and some new reads for a fresh perspective, a pep talk, and a reminder to just keep going.

Head over to From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors for the rest of the creativity boosts.

 

March New Releases at From the Mixed-Up Files

~ Patricia

March is blowing in with some great New Middle Grade Releases – including one by our very own Beth McMullen. (Congratulations, Beth!) Find a cozy blanket and a patch of almost-Spring sunlight and settle in with one of these new books.

 

Miracle by Karen S. Chow

When her father dies, Amie’s ability to play music dies, too. Nothing short of a miracle can bring back what she has lost.

Amie has spent her life perfectly in tune with Ba-ba, her father–she plays the violin, his favorite instrument; she loves all his favorite foods, even if he can’t eat them during his cancer treatments; and they talk about books, including Amie’s favorite series, Harry Potter. But after Ba-ba dies, Amie feels distanced from everyone close to her, like her mother and her best friends, Rio and Bella. More devastating still, she loses her ability to play the violin–the notes that used to flow freely are now stilted and sharp. Will Amie ever find her way back to the music she once loved?

With hope and harmony lighting the way–and with help from the people who care about her most–Amie must find the strength to carry on. In the end, she’ll learn that healing, while painful, can be its own miraculous song.

The Alchemy of Letting Go by Amber Morrell

A young scientist finds a magical way to escape death, but can’t escape her emotions.

Twelve-year-old Juniper Edwards can’t stop chasing the endangered butterfly her sister died trying to catch. In her grief, Juniper finds comfort in her family’s study of insects, because science is based on logic, order, and control. But then Juniper’s search for the butterfly nearly kills her, too, and when she wakes up with newfound abilities, she discovers that the line between science and magic–and life and death–is not as solid as she thought. With the help of her mysterious neighbors, Juniper tries an experiment to change things back to the way they were. Its result will force her to face the fact that some things are way beyond her control.

See what else is coming out in March over at From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors.

 

 

 

February New Releases at From the Mixed-Up Files

~ Patricia

In need of a cure for the winter blahs? I know I am. A pile of lovely new releases are coming our way in February. There’s so much to choose from, I don’t know where to start.

 

She’s Still Here: Paranormal Investigator Series Book One by Caitlin Alexander

When the dead speak, Kate listens.

Kate is new in town. Jane has been there for what seems like forever. Can Kate find out the truth? The one that is keeping Jane tethered to Ravendale Middle School? Find out in book one of the Kate Sablowsky Paranormal Investigator Series … And Know Life’s not just the here and now.

For fans of Mary Downing Hahn and the Nancy Drew mystery book series, you’ll love Caitlin Alexander’s debut middle grade paranormal horror, filled with the perfect combination of ghostly mystery and adventure.

 

Enly and the Buskin’ Blues byJennie Liu

Twelve-year-old Enly Wu Lewis is determined to go to band camp and follow in the footsteps of his musician father, who died years ago.

But his mom, a single parent working two jobs, is saving every penny for his older brother’s college tuition. So Enly sets out to earn the money for camp on his own, by busking with an obscure instrument he can only kind of play. When someone drops a winning scratch-off lottery ticket into his tip box, Enly thinks it’s the answer to his problems–but he’ll have to overcome teenage thieves and his own family if he wants to achieve his dreams.

 

Bunny Bonanza (Must Love Pets #3) by Saadia Faruqi

A young middle grade series that combines the heart and friendship of the Baby-sitters Club, with the irresistible appeal of adorable animals!

Hop to it!

Imaan and her friends London and Olivia really think they’re getting the hang of this whole pet-sitting business thing.

So when a client needs the girls to watch an adorable rabbit named Doc, they jump at the chance. Watching a rabbit hop around seems easy compared to what they’ve done for their last few clients. But this isn’t any rabbit– Doc is in training to be a trick rabbit– one that can run obstacles and perform for an audience.

London has the bright idea that Doc can be entertainment at an upcoming neighborhood street party. It will be good practice for Doc– and great advertising for Must Love Pets! What could go wrong?

 

Harriet Spies by Elana K. Arnold (Author) Dung Ho (Illustrator)

 

The unforgettable star of Just Harriet returns for another mystery on Marble Island, from award-winning author Elana K. Arnold.

There are a few things you should know about Harriet Wermer:

She always tells the truth.She’s loving spending her summer on Marble Island, where she is an A+ mystery-solver.Okay, maybe she doesn’t always tell the truth.Actually…she has a tendency to lie quite a bit.

Which is why, when one of the guests at her grandmother’s bed-and-breakfast finds that their treasured pair of binoculars has gone missing, no one believes Harriet when she said she had nothing to do with it. But this is one time Harriet isn’t lying–and she knows that if she can find the binoculars and figure out who really took them, she can prove it.

With her cat, Matzo Ball, her grandmother’s basset hound, Moneypenny, and Harriet’s new friend, Clarence, helping her out, Harriet knows she can crack the case. But when the culprit isn’t who Harriet expects, it’s up to her to decide how important the truth really is.

See what else is coming out in February over at From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors.

 

 

November New Releases at From the Mixed-Up Files

~ Patricia

Grab a warm drink and a cozy blanket. There are some great books waiting for you in our November New Releases List.

Looking for True by Tricia Springstubb

When two unlikely friends bond over shared compassion for a bereft but lovable dog, they learn what it truly means to find a sense of belonging and identity.

11-year-olds Gladys and Jude live in the same small, rust belt town, and go to the same school, but they are definitely not friends. Gladys is a tiny, eccentric, walking dictionary who doesn’t hesitate to express herself, while Jude likes to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself. But they both agree that a new dog in the neighborhood is being mistreated by its owner.

Gladys would like to do something to help while Jude is more resigned to the situation until the dog (who Gladys has named True Blue) disappears. They hatch a plan to find her and once they do, realize they have a problem: Gladys’s father is allergic and Jude’s mother hates dogs. There is no way they can bring her home. They hide True Blue in an abandoned house on the edge of town, but as their ties to the dog–and to one another–deepen, so does the impossibility of keeping such a big secret. Yet giving True up will break all three of their hearts.

Told in alternating voices set in a small, rust-belt town, True Blue is a story about family, identity, and finding friends in unexpected places.

 

 

Midnight at the Shelter by Nanci Turner Steveson

Written with a distinctively doggy voice, great humor, and plenty of heart, this novel from acclaimed author Nanci Turner Steveson is a perfect pick for readers looking for a touching animal story in the vein of Because of Winn-Dixie or Marley & Me.

Rescue dog MahDi is happy helping his human partner, “MomDoc,” with the important work at her vet clinic and the local animal shelter. The two of them make a good team, caring for the town’s pets and matchmaking rescue animals with the families who need them.

When the shelter is suddenly down a staff member, the animals have to deal with a new caretaker: Huck, an unpleasant man who seems to have no problem threatening the animals he’s supposed to care for. As more dogs crowd into the shelter than are going to new homes, MahDi begins to worry that if MomDoc isn’t around, there is no telling what Huck might do.

With three perfectly good legs, the heart of a true leader, and his pack mates by his side, MahDi is willing to risk everything to save his shelter-friends from an uncertain future.

 

Find out what else is coming out in November over at From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors.

 

 

 

October New Releases at From the Mixed-Up Files

~ Patricia

October is bringing in a bounty of New Middle Grade Books – perfect for curling up on a crisp fall day.

 

Jeff Pennant’s Field Guide To Raising Happy Parents by Kelli McKinney

Why don’t parents come with an instruction manual?

Enjoy childhood, they say.

I will. I do. Or, at least, I did.

I’m over here living my best life with my best friends and science club. And in three weeks, we’re going to GamerCon.

Suddenly, my parents want to talk about my choices. It’s so unfair. Why am I grounded for enjoying my childhood? I’m doing exactly what they said to do.

I know I’m not a parent. But I’m pretty sure ‘doing what you say you’ll do’ is in the top five rules of parenting. It’s right up there with ‘feed the kid’. Just my opinion.

Now I’ve lost everything good because the grown people in my life don’t make any sense.

If I can’t spend time with my best friends, how do I keep them? And how do I get out of trouble when I’m not sure how I got there in the first place?

 

 

The Last Hope in Hopetown by Maria Tureaud

Stranger Things meets Fake Blood in this deliciously charming and spooky debut novel about one girl’s choice to save her vampire parents or do what’s right for the greater good.

Twelve-year-old human Sophie Dawes lives a good life in Hopetown. There, vampires and humans live in harmony and Sophie and her adoptive vampire moms are living (or unliving) proof. There are a lot of rules that vampires must follow to keep the humans they live around feeling safe, but if regular visits from child protective services and abiding by a nightly curfew keeps their family together, Sophie will do anything to stay with her loving vampire parents. But then, normal, law-abiding vampires begin to go rogue.

After Sophie’s own mother– the sweetest person she knows– goes rogue, Sophie decides it’s up to her to find a cure. But taking matters into her own hands might be way more than she bargained for if it means braving a secret council of vampires, executing epic heists, and facing the true bad guys head on. With her best friend by her side, Sophie will fight for hope, freedom and a family bonded by a love that’s thicker than blood.

See the rest of October’s New Releases at From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors.

 

 

Take a Hike: An Outdoor Adventure Book List at From the Mixed-Up Files, book

~ Patricia

I’m over at From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors sharing my love for hiking and a book list full of outdoor adventure. Keep reading for a sneak peek. Then head on over to From the Mixed-Up Files for the rest of the post.

One of the very best things about the place where I live is that there is a fun mountain hike less that 10 minutes from my house. Which means, on a good week, I’ve climbed the trail to the summit at least once and have hiked the foothills trail around 2 times. Last year, there were very few good weeks because we were socked in by wildfire smoke most of the summer. This year, we’ve been lucky so far (fingers crossed that it lasts) so I’ve managed a few good hikes where I can wander up the hill and imagine stories and sort out problems in my work in progress.

My hiking adventures are pretty tame right now, but, truth be told, I love a good outdoor adventure. I bet some of you do to. So, I’ve put together a list of Middle School books that take you outside – up mountains and across deserts and even to a city park. Settle in and get ready to hit the trail with these kids. Who knows? You may be inspired to lace up your hiking books or tennis shoes and set out on your own adventure.

The Hike to Home by Jess Rinker

In this fun middle grade adventure, a young girl and her two new friends brave the wilderness to find a castle, prove a local legend, and discover the true meaning of home.

Lin Moser is not looking forward to this summer. After living on the road all her life, hiking mountains and traveling through the country in an RV with her house-flipping parents, she’s now stuck in Newbridge, New Jersey for their longest stay yet. With Mom away on a year-long naturalist assignment, Lin has resigned herself to having the most boring summer ever. But then she finds out about a local legend: an ancient ruined castle in the woods that no one has been able to find. Hiking to this castle would be like a quest. . . such an amazing quest that Mom might even come home, and they could adventure together the way they used to.

Determined to create her own adventure, Lin sets off on her biggest one yet–braving the wilderness with her two new friends, seeking the castle, and maybe discovering a new idea of home along the way.

 

Head over to From the Mixed-Up Files to see the rest of list – and be sure to share your favorite outdoor adventures.

 

 

 

June New Releases at From the Mixed-Up Files

~ Patricia

June is here and so is a treasure trove of new middle grade to fill those long summer days.

There’s something for every reader in this month’s New Releases list – so get ready for some reading.

The Lost Ryu by Emi Watanabe Cohen

Kohei Fujiwara has never seen a big ryū in real life. Those dragons all disappeared from Japan after World War II, and twenty years later, they’ve become the stuff of legend. Their smaller cousins, who can fit in your palm, are all that remain. And Kohei loves his ryū, Yuharu, but.

.Kohei has a memory of the big ryū. He knows that’s impossible, but still, it’s there, in his mind. In it, he can see his grandpa – Ojiisan – gazing up at the big ryū with what looks to Kohei like total and absolute wonder. When Kohei was little, he dreamed he’d go on a grand quest to bring the big ryū back, to get Ojiisan to smile again.

But now, Ojiisan is really, really sick. And Kohei is running out of time.

Kohei needs to find the big ryū now, before it’s too late. With the help of Isolde, his new half-Jewish, half-Japanese neighbor; and Isolde’s Yiddish-speaking dragon, Cheshire; he thinks he can do it. Maybe. He doesn’t have a choice.

 

Alice Austen Lived Here by Alex Gino

Sam is very in touch with their own queer identity. They’re nonbinary, and their best friend, TJ, is nonbinary as well. Sam’s family is very cool with it… as long as Sam remembers that nonbinary kids are also required to clean their rooms, do their homework, and try not to antagonize their teachers too much.

The teacher-respect thing is hard when it comes to Sam’s history class, because their teacher seems to believe that only Dead Straight Cis White Men are responsible for history. When Sam’s home borough of Staten Island opens up a contest for a new statue, Sam finds the perfect non-DSCWM subject: photographer Alice Austen, whose house has been turned into a museum, and who lived with a female partner for decades.

Soon, Sam’s project isn’t just about winning the contest. It’s about discovering a rich queer history that Sam’s a part of — a queer history that no longer needs to be quiet, as long as there are kids like Sam and TJ to stand up for it.

 

Super Troop by Bruce Hale

Cooper just wants to spend the summer before 7th grade drawing and having adventures with his best friend, Nacho. Anything to keep his mind off the fact that his dad’s new girlfriend and his mom’s announcement that she’s going to start dating.

But when one of his adventures with Nacho goes too far, Cooper’s parents freak out. Either he joins the Boy Rangers, a dorky club that’s all about discipline and rules, or that dream cartooning camp at the end of his summer? Will get erased.

At first it’s not so bad–the troop is a disorganized mess. But then a new scoutmaster starts. Mr. Pierce is a gruff ex-Marine who’s never worked with kids before, especially not a ragtag team of misfits like Troop 19. As he tries turning them into a lean, mean, badge-earning machine, Cooper longs for freedom. He doesn’t want to break the rules, but the rules are going to break him!

Head over to From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors for the rest of this month’s New Releases.

 

My Desert Island Top Five at From the Mixed-Up Files

~ Patricia

Summer is finally here. School is out, and everyone is ready for a long, relaxing summer.

This past year has got me thinking about summers when I was kid. Back then, summer vacation consisted of baseball games in the pasture, slip and slides, camping out in the back yard, and traveling only as far as your bike could take you in the hours between breakfast and dinner. A slow and easy summer like that meant two things – you hung out with the same small group of people day in and day out and you spent a lot of time making up games to keep you entertained. One of the games we played when the days got too long and we got too bored was Desert Island. Desert Island consisted of naming your Top Five – the five songs, albums, movies, tv shows, and books (of course) that you’d want to have if you were stranded on a desert island.

Our Top Five lists shifted and changed week to week and year to year. Sometimes we’d steal from each other. Occasionally, an out of town relative would come for a visit and completely upend our idea of what was worthy. But mostly, every time we played, we got to think about what we loved and why we loved it – which isn’t a bad thing to do.

This past year, I’ve spent some time thinking about what I love and why. I reread old books (like Beverly Cleary’s Henry and the Clubhouse which still holds up and has a Ramona and her mom scene that completely cracked me up). I rewatched old movies (like Legally Blonde and Sense and Sensibility – both of which always make me smile), and revisited old tv shows (Parks and Recreation of course). And, I read a lot of books and thought about which ones stuck with me past the last page and why. It was thinking about what stuck that got me to write this post.

Enough talk. Let’s get to it. Here are my Desert Island Top Five Middle Grade reads this past year (in no particular order):

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

A lightning strike gave her a super power…but even a super genius can’t solve the problem of middle school. This smart and funny novel is perfect for fans of The Fourteenth Goldfish, Rain Reign, and Counting by Sevens.

Lucy Callahan’s life was changed forever when she was struck by lightning. She doesn’t remember it, but the zap gave her genius-level math skills, and she’s been homeschooled ever since. Now, at 12 years old, she’s technically ready for college. She just has to pass 1 more test–middle school

Lucy’s grandma insists: Go to middle school for 1 year. Make 1 friend. Join 1 activity. And read 1 book (that’s not a math textbook ). Lucy’s not sure what a girl who does calculus homework for fun can possibly learn in 7th grade. She has everything she needs at home, where nobody can make fun of her rigid routines or her superpowered brain. The equation of Lucy’s life has already been solved. Unless there’s been a miscalculation?

A celebration of friendship, Stacy McAnulty’s smart and thoughtful middle-grade debut reminds us all to get out of our comfort zones and embrace what makes us different.

 

Check out the rest of My Desert Island Top Five over at From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors.

 

patriciabaileyauthor.com

 

June New Releases at From the Mixed-Up Files

~ Patricia

Summer is here! Finally. And so is a bookshelf full of new middle grade books to fill up your time. Kick back and enjoy this month’s new reads. There’s something for everyone.

Trillium Sisters 1: The Triplets Get Charmed by Laura Brown and Elly Kramer (Authors) Sarah Mensinga (Illustrator)

Three sisters discover that they and their pets have superpowers they can use to protect the world around them in the first book in a fantastical new chapter book series about family, friendship, and environmental responsibility perfect for fans of Mia Mayhem and The Wish Fairy.

Nothing can stop this triple team!

Eight-year-old triplets Emmy, Clare, and Giselle are excited to celebrate Founding Day, the day their dad found them and they became a family. The girls want this year’s celebration to be extra special. And Dad has a big surprise–trillium petal charms that he found with the girls..

But when the girls’ little brother, Zee, slips into the river while helping them plan a special surprise, something magical happens: The charms are drawn together, forming a glowing flower, and the girls suddenly have super¬powers! Channeling their new abilities, they work together to try to save Zee, but will they be able to figure out how to help in time?

 

TRILLIUM SISTERS 2:  BESTIE DAY by Laura Brown and Elly Kramer (Authors) Sarah Mensinga (Illustrator)

When the ecosystem of their mountain home is threatened, the triplets join forces and channel their super powers into saving the day in the second book in the Trillium Sisters chapter book series, perfect for fans of Mia Mayhem and The Wish Fairy.

The Trillium Triplets are flying into action!

Wondering if their powers will return, Clare, Emmy, and Giselle throw themselves into preparations for Bestie Day, when everyone in Trillsville celebrates the special people in their lives. The girls are planning to make presents for one another from fallen flower petals. That way, they can enjoy the beauty around them without causing harm.

But at the flower field, instead of finding beautiful blooms, the Trills find a big problem. Two girls from town are cutting so many flowers for their Bestie Day bouquets that the bees can’t get enough nectar. And without the bees, the entire mountain ecosystem could fall apart! When their Trillium powers activate, will the sisters be able to buzz to the rescue?

 

Miles Morales: Shock Waves (Original Spider-Man Graphic Novel) by Justin A. Reynolds (Author) Pablo Leon (Illustrator)

An original middle-grade graphic novel from Graphix starring Brooklyn’s Spider-Man, Miles Morales, by bestselling author Justin A. Reynolds and Eisner nominee Pablo Leon

Miles Morales is a normal kid who happens to juggle school at Brooklyn Visions Academy while swinging through the streets of Brooklyn as Spider-Man. After a disastrous earthquake strikes his mother’s birthplace of Puerto Rico, Miles springs into action to help set up a fundraiser for the devastated island. But when a new student’s father goes missing, Miles begins to make connections between the disappearance and a giant corporation sponsoring Miles’ fundraiser. Who is behind the disappearance, and how does that relate to Spider-Man?

A true middle grade graphic novel starring one of Marvel’s most popular characters, bestselling author Justin A. Reynolds (Opposite of Always) and Eisner award-nominated artist Pablo Leon (Refugees) create a riveting story that will connect with new and well-versed comics readers alike.

Head over to From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors to see more June New Releases and start adding to your summer reading list!