Five Favorites from 2024

 Episode 27: Some Favorites From 2024

Listen HERE

Intro

Welcome to another episode of Happy Reading, a podcast that spotlights and celebrates fabulous middle grade stories. I’m Sarah Threlkeld, a former 6th grade reading teacher and elementary librarian with a Master’s degree in Children’s Literature. I currently work as a children’s specialist at Island Books, an indie bookstore near Seattle. It’s safe to say I am obsessed with children’s books and love recommending them to readers of all ages. I’m that person who eavesdrops on families in libraries and bookstores and then offers unsolicited advice on which books to take home. 

For those of you joining me for the first time, each episode is formatted the same way. I summarize a handful of books that fit a theme and read a short excerpt from each one so you get a sense of the author’s writing style, the characters’ voices and the storyline. While I truly believe middle grade books can be enjoyed by people of all ages, they are generally thought of as a good fit for 8- to 12-year-old readers, although some books do skew younger, while others are classified as older middle grade because of mature themes. Not every book on this podcast will be appropriate for every reader, and occasionally I may recommend chapter books or young adult books that fit the episode’s theme. Now that you know what you’ve gotten yourself into, let’s get started!

Intro

Despite a slow start to the year in terms of middle grade books I was excited to read and recommend, 2024 ended up pumping out a ton of fantastic books aimed at 8-12 year old readers. I read a little over one hundred middle grade novels last year and thought it made sense to kick off the new year by highlighting a few of my favorites. Definitely not easy to narrow down my list! I do admit to being a tad sneaky by spotlighting some other favorites in the coming months based on the episode’s theme. But for this episode I’m going to focus on five books: three realistic fiction stories, one of which is written in verse and also counts as historical fiction; one science fiction story; and one that’s an interesting mix of science fiction and historical fiction. 

Ferris by Kate Dicamillo

Full disclosure: Kate DiCamillo can do no wrong in my eyes. I have never been disappointed by one of her books, and Ferris is no exception. The plot is charming, albeit a tad wacky, the characters are endearing oddballs, and, though the story clearly pushes a narrative about the power of love, it never feels saccharine or didactic. 

[read chapter one]

First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly

Eons ago I read Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me in one sitting, only pausing for a bathroom break, so when I cracked open Erin Entrada Kelly’s The First State of Being and saw its dedication to the Laughing Man, I already knew I was in for a treat. Set in 1999, with Y2K panic running high, Kelly’s novel is a riveting exploration of time travel, belonging, unexpected friendships, and totally sick 90s pop culture. 

[read chapter one]

Carter Avery’s Tricky 4th Grade Year by Rob Buyea

When I taught 6th grade I often read Rob Buyea’s Because of Mr. Terupt with my classes, so I was excited when his latest novel showed up at the bookstore. True to Buyea’s other books, Carter Avery’s Tricky 4th Grade Year is a satisfying roller coaster of emotions packed with characters that you can’t help rooting for. It takes place over the course of a school year and centers around Carter’s academic struggles, his relationship with a first-year teacher, and his life at home with his grandmother and older sister. I listened to the audiobook and loved how well Carter’s voice came across. 

[read prologue and chapter one]

Unsinkable Cayenne by Jessica Vitalis

I had seen a lot of buzz about Unsinkable Cayenne, the latest novel in verse by Jessica Vitalis, so I had high expectations going into it. I am very happy to report that all the buzz is well-deserved. Set in 1985, Unsinkable Cayenne expertly portrays the highs and lows of middle school through 7th grader Cayenne’s eyes, while also exploring the realities of poverty and class systems. Cayenne has spent her entire life traveling the country in a van with her hippie parents, so she is thrilled to be putting down roots for the first time in a small town in Montana where her father has gotten a job at the sawmill. Such a big change is hard on everyone, though, and Cayenne has to figure out if her need for consistency and stability are worth the price of her family’s happiness. 

Since Unsinkable Cayenne is written in verse, I will read the first few poems to give you a sense of the story and Cayenne’s voice.

Westfallen by Ann and Ben Brashares

Westfallen, by siblings Ann and Ben Brashares, completely caught me off guard. The premise hooked me immediately, but the authentic characters, top-notch writing, and perfect blend of humor and drama kept me turning pages way past my bedtime. My husband and daughter were so invested in the outcome of the story that I had to give them a report every night on what had happened. 

[read prologue and second half of chapter one]

Outro

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Happy Reading podcast. I hope you discovered some new books that you are excited to read or that you were reminded of some that have been hanging out on your TBR stack. Have a few favorite middle grade books from 2024?  I’d love to hear about them! You can find me on Instagram as Kidlit_Lover and you can message me through the Happy Reading website at happyrdng.blogspot.com. If you enjoy this podcast and want to help other people discover it, please take a moment to rate and review it on Apple Podcasts. Thanks again for spending some time with me. Until next time, happy reading!

I wanna' see you sweat!

Listen to the episode HERE

 I hated organized sports as a kid and had no interest in participating in the activities my parents insisted on signing me up for, like soccer and T-ball. As you can probably guess, I was more interested in reading and playing “school” with my Cabbage Patch Kids. It wasn’t until I started running about nineteen years ago that I finally saw myself as an athlete. I’m still not a fan of team sports–participating in them or watching them–but I do enjoy reading stories about kids who are passionate about sports, especially when those sports are a bit offbeat. In this episode I spotlight five middle grade books featuring table tennis, synchronized swimming, roller derby, fencing, and baton twirling. Yep, you heard that right. Baton twirling. Whether you are an athlete or not, I hope these stories inspire you to try something new. Who knows? Maybe you’d dominate at ultimate Frisbee or competitive ballroom dance if you just gave it a chance.

Call Me Adnan by Reem Faruqi

Reem Faruqi’s novel in verse, Call Me Adnan, is a story about table tennis, family bonds, sibling relationships, unexpected loss, and the different ways grief impacts our lives. Published by Harper in 2023, this book ripped my heart out, while managing to leave me feeling hopeful.

Barely Floating by Lilliam Rivera

I listened to the audiobook of Barely Floating by Lilliam Rivera and it had me wishing for warm summer days splashing around the local pool instead of cold mornings walking around my neighborhood. Published in 2023 by Kokila, Barely Floating explores the world of synchronized swimming, while also examining complex topics like gender norms, fat politics, social activism, generational trauma, and morality.

The Derby Daredevils: Kenzie Kickstarts a Team by Kit Rosewater
It’s time to strap on your skates and think of your best punny nicknames! As a child of the 80s I fondly remember watching roller derby on TV, so I was pretty excited when the sport had a revival in the early 2000s. I love that roller derby is one of a few sports dominated by women and that it celebrates and encourages aggression, strength, speed and camaraderie, which isn’t always the case for female identifying athletes. The Derby Daredevils, a series written by Kit Rosewater and illustrated by Sophie Escabasse, delves into the world of roller derby as seen through the eyes of an unlikely team of fifth graders. The series consists of three titles, all published by Amulet Books, with each one centering around a different member of the team.

Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Much like Barely Floating, Jewell Parker Rhodes’ Black Brother, Black Brother examines social injustice through the lens of competitive sports. Published by Little, Brown and Company in 2020, Black Brother, Black Brother centers around a middle schooler who becomes interested in fencing as a way to get revenge on a classmate who bullies him.

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

In my eyes, Kate DiCamillo can do no wrong. I absolutely adore her Mercy Watson books, laughed out loud while reading Flora and Ulysses, cried while reading Edward Toulane, and fell in love with the spunky, endearing young women in the Three Rancheros series. Raymie Nightingale, the first book in that series, was published by Candlewick press in 2016, and features a lot of baton twirling, which might be the most offbeat of all the sports featured on this episode.

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Happy Reading podcast. I hope you discovered some new books that you are excited to read or that you were reminded of some that have been hanging out on your TBR stack. If you know of other wonderful middle grade books that fit this episode’s theme, I’d love to hear about them. A few that I wanted to include in this episode but didn’t have time for are One Last Shot by John David Anderson, which centers around miniature golf, In Your Shoes by Donna Gephart, a book that takes place partly at a bowling alley, and Jayla Jumps In, Joy Jones’ story about double dutch jump roping. I continue to patiently wait for a middle grade book about the world of competitive croquet.