Information Goodreads: Plain Jane and the Mermaid Series: None Age Category: Middle Grade Source: Library Published: 2024 Summary Jane has been told her entire life that no one will love her. She’s just too plain. So when her parents die, leaving the estate to a male cousin, Jane has no choice: she proposes marriage to handsome village lad Peter. She figures he might not like her, but he’ll do it to escape his mean father and she’ll be able to get some money from the estate. But her plan goes awry when a mermaid captures Peter to be her husband. Now Plain will have to travel the bo ..read more

Information Goodreads: The Mystery of Locked Rooms Series: None Age Category: Middle Grade Source: Library Published: 2024 Summary A medical issue means Sarah’s dad can no longer work. And now Sarah and her family face a foreclosure. Sarah can think of only one way to earn enough money to stay in town and with her two best friends: break into an old fun house and find the treasure allegedly hidden there. Review The Mystery of Locked Rooms seems like a contemporary middle-grade story almost tailor made for me. Puzzles and escape rooms? Count me in! Unfortunately, however, while th ..read more

Information Goodreads: A Game of Noctis Series: None Age Category: Middle Grade Source: Library Published: 2024 Summary The Great Game determines life in the city of Dantessa and a player’s standing can mean wealth and opportunity–or expulsion to the Pawn Isles. Pia Paro has always believed that following the rules would lead to reward, but when the Great Game takes her grandfather, her worldview starts to crumble. To have a chance of reuniting with him, she joins the greatest game of all–Noctis. But what if the Game is rigged? What if the Game itself needs to change? Review A Ga ..read more

Information Goodreads: The Liars Society Series: Liars Society #1 (so far implied) Age Category: Middle Grade Source: Library Published: 2024 Summary Weatherby is thrilled to receive a scholarship to the prestigious Boston School–the same school her dad (who died before she met him) attended. She plans to visit the school’s private island, which changed his life, and to learn all about the things he would have experienced. But Weatherby has a secret, and someone at the school is threatening to expose it. Review The Liars Society starts off slowly, focusing on the world of competi ..read more

Information Goodreads: Mission One: The Vice Principal Problem Series: Blue Stars #1 Age Category: Middle Grade Source: Library Published: 2024 Summary When cousins Riley and Maya start at a new school, they learn that the vice principal wants to cut all funding for clubs and sports in order to buy new detention pods. They will have to set aside their differences and team up if they want to stop him. Review The Vice Principal Problem introduces readers to local politics and inspires them with the knowledge that they can impact their community for the better. The strongest part of ..read more

Information Goodreads: Daughters of the Lamp Series: Daughters of the Lamp #1 Age Category: Middle Grade Source: Library Published: 2024 Summary Sahara Rashad wants nothing more than to go the the theme park all her classmates keep talking about. Instead, her father buys them tickets to Egypt, to attend her uncle’s wedding. But her cousin keeps insisting that the bride-to-be is really a witch. And…maybe she is? Weird things keep happening, and Sahara is about to discover that her family comes from a long line of guardians who protect Ali Baba’s legendary treasures. Review Daughte ..read more

Information Goodreads: The Princess Protection Program Series: None Age Category: Lower Middle Grade Source: Gift Published: 2024 Summary When Princess Rosamund wakes from her 100-year sleep, the last thing she wants to do is marry a prince she’s never met. So she runs–and finds herself at the gates of the HEA, a school for fairy tale characters who want to escape their stories. But though the headmistress says the students will learn how to survive in the real world, no one ever seems to have graduated. Rosamund and her new friends will have to band together to uncover the school ..read more

INFORMATION Goodreads: The Curse of Eelgrass Bog Series: None Age Category: Middle Grade Source: Library Published: 2024 Summary Kess Pedrock lives in the Unnatural History Museum with her brother, waiting for the day their parents return from a scientific exploration. In the meantime, she hunts for fossils of unnatural creatures to add to the museum. The trouble is, the best specimens are found close to Eelgrass Bog, where the locals fear to tread. Rumors say that witches and demons lurk within its depths. But then Lilou Starling shows up at the museum, asking for help. And her qu ..read more

INFORMATION Goodreads: Strange Academy: First Class Series: Strange Academy #1 Age Category: Upper Middle Grade/Young Adult Source: Library Published: 2021 SUMMARY Doctor Strange has started an academy of magic. And Brother Voodoo, the Ancient One, the Scarlet Witch, Magik, Daimon Hellstrom, and more are there to teach the next generation of magic wielders. But when outside forces threaten the school, the students will have to hope that they have learned enough to save one of their own. Review Strange Academy is, at its heart, a fun premise: many recognizable characters from the ..read more

INFORMATION Goodreads: Once There Was Series: None Age Category: Upper Middle Grade/Lower YA Source: Library Published: 2023 Summary Marjan’s father used to tell her fables growing up, stories of mythological creatures that intersected with the lives of humans. Now, he’s dead. Murdered, actually, though the police have no leads. And so Marjan is left with his veterinary practice, and the secrets he left behind. That might be enough to explain why, when a mysterious woman hands her a plane ticket and a promise to explain more, Marjan takes the trip. And discovers that her father use ..read more