Genre: Middle Grade

Alistair Grim’s Odditorium by Gregory Funaro: A Dual Review with Danielle Hammelef

(No actual dueling—or even arm-twisting—was involved. Don’t worry, this is a dual review, not a duel review. Sorry if you’re disappointed.) Danielle Hammelef was the latest winner of my Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up “Make Me Read It” giveaway, and she chose to make me read Alistair Grim’s Odditorium by Gregory Funaro. I read the book and then sent it along to Danielle, and we did a dual review together. Read on to see what we thought of the book… […]

Posted June 13, 2019 in Dual Reviews, Reviews / 16 Comments

Bite-Sized Reviews of I Love You So Mochi, Girl Against the Universe, Midsummer’s Mayhem, and Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray

I’ve got four reviews for you today: two YA contemporaries, a MG contemporary fantasy, and a MG adventure. I hope these bite-sized reviews will be enough to feed your fiction addiction! I picked this book up on a whim when I saw two glowing reviews from fellow bloggers (Dani @ Perspective of a Writer and Sam @ We Live and Breathe Books), and I’m so glad I did! This is the type of book that […]

Posted June 4, 2019 in Reviews / 31 Comments

Shred Girls by Molly Hurford: Review

Girl Power at its best! Shred Girls follows Lindsay as she goes from shy superhero wannabe to BMX biker extraordinaire. Lindsay spends her time reading superhero comics and imagining a world where she defeats the supervillain, but in real life she feels like an outsider, never quite sure enough of herself to fit in. When her parents leave her with her older cousin Phoebe for the summer, Lindsay’s not sure what to think—after all, Phoebe’s always […]

Posted May 29, 2019 in Reviews / 6 Comments

Bite-Sized Reviews of The Truth About Leaving, City of Ghosts, The Forever Song, & Educated

I’ve got four reviews for you today: a YA contemporary, a MG contemporary fantasy, a YA fantasy and a memoir. I hope these bite-sized reviews will be enough to feed your fiction addiction! Lucy has spent her whole life living for other people: when her mom moves for work, she sacrifices her own time and energy to help take care of her little brothers; when it’s time to think about college, she doesn’t consider anywhere […]

Posted May 21, 2019 in Reviews / 22 Comments

Shipwreckers by Scott D. Peterson & Josh Pruett: Review & Giveaway

This book is a hilarious and perilous adventure, filled with action, goofy puns, and a nice helping of heart. When I read the author’s bios and saw that they write for kids’ TV, it all made so much sense–the book reads like an animated movie. It’s full of larger-than-life characters who make you laugh out loud (Captain Kevin Adventureson is incredibly clueless and yet full of himself, but he still manages to be lovable at […]

Posted May 15, 2019 in Giveaways (Ended), Reviews / 6 Comments

Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos: Review & Giveaway

Planet Earth Is Blue is a heartwrenching portrayal of a little girl who can’t tell the world who she truly is. The book is set in the 80s and starts ten days before the fateful launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger. The story centers around Nova, a non-verbal autistic girl. She struggles to show the world that she is more than they think she is—that though she can’t speak well, she is intelligent and curious. It’s a […]

Posted May 10, 2019 in Giveaways (Ended), Reviews / 18 Comments

Bite-Sized Reviews of Hurricane Season, Release, Grim Lovelies and Story Genius

I’ve got four reviews for you today: a MG contemporary, a YA contemporary, a YA fantasy and a non-fiction writing craft book. I hope these bite-sized reviews will be enough to feed your fiction addiction! Hurricane Season is a poignant story of the complexities of loving a parent who struggles with mental health issues. Fig is used to having to take care of her dad. She’s used to him embarrassing him in front of her […]

Posted April 29, 2019 in Reviews / 16 Comments

Spotlight on Author Danielle Hammelef: Danielle’s Top Ten Addictions & Info About Her Books!

So, lots of us in the book blogging community know Danielle Hammelef. She’s a regular presence in the comments section of so many of our blogs. And I’ve featured her here on FYFA on several occasions when she’s done dual reviews with me (after winning my Make Me Read It Giveaway). We all know that Danielle is a superstar. But did you know that Danielle is also an author? A while back Danielle mentioned to […]

Posted April 9, 2019 in Author Top Ten Lists, Reviews / 20 Comments

Bite-Sized Reviews of Slayer, Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc, Mera: Tidebreaker, and You’d Be Mine

I’ve got four reviews for you today: a YA urban fantasy, a YA historical in verse, a MG graphic novel and a YA contemporary. I hope these bite-sized reviews will be enough to feed your fiction addiction! I honestly just want to randomly gush about this book because it’s a new installment in the Buffy-verse and it lives up to the brand!! I was both delighted and terrified to read this book. Buffy the Vampire Slayer […]

Posted April 5, 2019 in Reviews / 18 Comments

Samantha Spinner Series by Russell Ginns: Review & Giveaway

This first book in the Samantha Spinner Series introduces us to Samantha and her wacky family. Her dad is a lightbulb expert, her mom is a lizard veterinarian, her older sister Buffy is a fashion-obsessed shopping machine, and her little brother Nipper is just an annoying little brother–who loses stuff a lot (and knows a lot of random facts). But strangest of all is Uncle Paul, who goes missing at the very beginning of the book. […]

Posted March 29, 2019 in Giveaways (Ended), Reviews / 6 Comments