Middle-Grade Monday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 11.6.23

Welcome to our first Middle-Grade Monday! Each Monday we plan to feature reviews from two books for tweens that our judges are reading. This week, we have nominees in the Elementary/Middle-Grade Graphic Novels and Middle-Grade Fiction categories.

Book summaries come from Goodreads. Clicking the book cover will take you there, should you want to add the book to your TBR.


Today’s books (coincidentally) use sports as the backdrop for fictional-yet-real stories of perseverance, problem solving, and hard choices.


ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE-GRADE GRAPHIC NOVEL NOMINEE

Cindy on behalf of Kiss the Book, review by Michelle in the Middle – A great read. A graphic novel works well in presenting the story and you will find yourself cheering for these girls. The art is bright and colorful and the frames are easy to follow. You may find yourself dumbfounded at girls who play games in tee shirts with electrical tape for numbers. Though hard to tell from just the graphic art, the characters seem to be diverse as well as Coach Montez.

Amy @ Goodreads – Readers will be inspired to practice hard and follow their passions even if the odds seem to be stacked against them, and friends don’t understand.

MIDDLE-GRADE FICTION NOMINEE

Jessica @ Cracking the Cover – At less than 150 pages, Hands is a relatively short book for middle readers, but it certainly packs a punch. In fact, the book is better for its brevity with author Torrey Maldonado perfectly capturing the voice his audience wants to hear. From the first page, it is as if Trev is talking directly to you. His tone, his body language, his emotion. They’re all there. Hands is a fast-paced read with short chapters that’s full of energy. For many, it will be a one-sitting read.

Amy @ Goodreads – I flew through this one in one sitting! Amazing middle grade that deals with topics of violence, personal protection, and identity. Trev has grown up being taught not to be soft – that’ll make you a target. Trev is stuck between two difficult choices. This reminded me of all the great things about Kwame Alexander and Jason Reynolds. It’s told with an authentic voice and the story is real.