With twists, loyalty between friends, and its cast’s cleverness, the middle grade fantasy The Eye of Zeus hits all the right notes. Action-packed and empowering, Alane Adams’s The Eye of Zeus combines plucky modern characters with a... Read More

There’s plenty of warmth to the stories of Farmer Arnold’s Barnyard, which make life on a farm seem charming and serene. In M.E. Hulme’s bucolic collection Farmer Arnold’s Barnyard, uplifting tales team classic farm animals with... Read More

"Penny Helps Portia Face Her Fears" is a charming chapter book with friendship at its center. Penny is an adorable pit bull who was abandoned by her original family. She’s set free by a neighbor, but living on the streets, she’s... Read More

Full of dark thrills and derring-do, Peter Bunzl’s steampunk fantasy "Skycircus" finds fourteen-year-old Lily receiving a personal invitation to Slimwood’s Stupendous Traveling Skycircus, accompanied by a package that contains her... Read More

In Emily Ilett’s ethereal fantasy, a twelve-year-old girl on a Scottish island learns that she’s braver and stronger than she thinks. Gail and her older sister Kay once longed to be marine biologists. Swimming and sharing secrets,... Read More

The twenty-four stories that make up Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide: Volume 6 alternate between being funny, serious, adventuresome, and studious. They feature intelligent and resourceful characters who’re between the ages of eight... Read More

Emotional and rich, "The Wish and the Peacock" concerns families, loss, and acceptance. After the death of her father, twelve-year-old Paige is determined to fill the gaps left by his absence. She works hard to keep their farm running,... Read More

Narcisse is the virtuoso black cat chef at Le Minipalais and the central figure in Jeffrey Erlacher’s delightful middle grade novel, "The Little Palace". Animals and humans work together at the Paris restaurant, an oasis of food, art,... Read More