The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry by Shelly Brown and Chad Morris

The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry by Shelly Brown and Chad Morris is a great story about a girl who has lived all her life with her family far from what we would call civilization, but has to come into town because of her little brother's illness.

Learning to navigate school, mean kids, shy kids, teachers, etc. is a pretty heavy load for Juniper. She has all that to deal with, and on top of it all, worry about her brother. How will Juniper cope? This is a great book about learning how to adapt to new situations, and working to make oneself a better human because of it. I recommend this great book for kids as well as adults! This book is also a 2024 finalist in the Middle Grade Whitney Awards!

A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck takes place a few years after the bulk of A Long Way from Chicago ends. Mary Alice is the narrator now, and because of financial difficulties in her family, her parents decide to have her spend a year at Grandma Dowdle's.

She enrolls in the local school, and begins to meet different people she didn't in her summer visits. Some are nice, others not so much. This time she has several adventures from attracting the attention of the local meangirl, to going through a tornado warning. Through each chapter Mary Alice learns more about herself, her grandma, and her neighbors. Including one special classmate who happens to be a boy.

A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck

A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck is a fun story for children and adults about the adventures of a brother and sister during their summer breaks when they spend time with their grandma.

Joey and Mary Alice have all sorts of adventures with their Grandma Dowdle, from hosting the wake of a homeless man found dead and the shenanigans of an angry tomcat, to helping two sweethearts sneak off so they can elope without the interference of both their meddling families. As each summer passes, Joey and Mary Alice learn more and more about their grandma who doesn't seem to much like her neighbors, while going far out of her way to help them. This is a great coming of age book that both children and grown ups would enjoy.

The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown

The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown is the third book in The Wild Robot series. In this delightful story, Roz is living happily on her island with her animal friends after the adventures of the 2nd book came to a happy conclusion, and something happens.

An injured seal comes ashore and delivers a dire warning before hurrying to swim away. A poisoned tide is coming. Something in the water is sickening and even killing the life in the ocean, and no one knows its source! Determined to protect her family, friends, and environment, Roz sets out to see if she can stop the poisonous tide from destroying the life in the ocean. Along the way, she meets many different kinds of ocean life and learns, along with the readers, many interesting facts about different animals. But will Roz at last stop the poison that is hurting the ocean? Read the book and find out! This is a fun book for kids as well as adults who enjoy middle grade stories!