Whitney Awards-Middle Grade Finalists

Middle Grade is a genre that is very close to my heart. My last few books have been middle grade, and as a result, I have had the great privilege, several times, of going to elementary schools and talking to kids about literacy, and the importance of telling their own stories. I love middle grade books, and so I wanted to highlight the books and authors of Middle Grade who were nominated for the Whitney Awards this year.

Summerlost (c)2016 Ally Condie

Ally Condie wrote Summerlost, a book that sounds absolutely amazing, and one that will emotionally connect with its readers. I love getting absorbed completely by books like this!

On Amazon, the product description says "A tender and compelling contemporary novel for young readers about facing loss and finding friendship..."

Wrong Side of Magic, The
(c) 2016 Janette Rallison

Janette Rallison, a lady whom I know is a great writer because I've read many other her other books, branched into Middle Grade, to my delight, and wrote The Wrong Side of Magic. James Dashner had this to say about her book: "Whimsical, exciting, funny, adventurous--all the things I loved about books growing up."

Mysteries of Cove: Gears of Revolution
(c) 2016 J. Scott Savage

J. Scott Savage, one of my favorite authors of all time, has added book #2 to his fantastic steampunk series, Mysteries of Cove, with Mysteries of Cove: Gears of Revolution. Trenton and Kallista continue their adventure, searching for Kallista's father, Leo Babbage but they get more than they bargained for when they run into the Whipjacks on one side of a civil war and The Order of the Beast on the other side! But the Whipjacks and the Order of the Beast may be the least of their worries as dragons start to gather.

Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood
(c) 2016 Leisl Shurtleff

Leisl Shurtleff's book Red, The True Story of Red Riding Hood is a New York Times Bestseller, and sounds like a book Middle Grade readers would eat up as greedily as Red's pal Goldie eats up porridge!

Ghostsitter (c) 2016 Shelly Brown

Brand new author, Shelly Brown, author of Ghostsitter, has produced a novel that sounds exciting, thrilling, and scary! Protagonists Tiffany Hart and Justin Henderson team up to fight against ghoulish demons to save their lives, and the afterlives of a few ghostly friends!










I'm really looking forward to reading these five books as a member of the Whitney Academy to vote on the winner. I'm not looking forward to deciding a winner though, because I already know that picking my favorite is going to be pretty tough!