Heavy Medal
March 18, 2024 by Amanda MacGregor
Beyond the love of reading, the prospect of doing well in school, or even increased empathy for those around the reader, middle grade books offer something far more important: optimism.
March 15, 2024 by Amanda MacGregor
There's no shortage of middle grade characters who love to cook or bake!
March 15, 2024 by Amanda MacGregor
A really nice look at how independence is often hard-fought and can come through unexpected paths. A solid upper middle grade read.
March 14, 2024 by Amanda MacGregor
Not every character name goes through a rigorous process—some are a little more random!—but this is one of those parts of the writing process that is pure fun for me. It can be challenging to settle on the right name, but when you do, it makes all the difference.
March 13, 2024 by Amanda MacGregor
Warrior on the Mound will enhance readers’ knowledge of the history of Black Americans in baseball which started much earlier than 1947 when Jack Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers.
March 13, 2024 by Amanda MacGregor
A middle schooler used to living in her best friend’s shadow learns how to stand out and speak up, not just for herself but for her whole school.
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March 12, 2024 by Amanda MacGregor
In The Deadly Daylight, Alice England is a friend to the dead. She listens to what they tell her.
March 11, 2024 by Amanda MacGregor
The key to making that 2015-2024 walk to oblivion and partway back? Persistence. Holding nerve. Holding serve. Hoping to get another chance, and then another, and believing that if only you get that chance, you'll get it right this time.
March 8, 2024 by Amanda MacGregor
Their stories and their voices are so important to have represented, not just for representation's sake, but to show other children surviving difficult situations and to offer hope and empathy.
March 7, 2024 by Amanda MacGregor
In The Color of Sound, twelve year old musical prodigy Rosie stumbles upon a shed on her grandparents’ property and, once inside, meets a girl who is, against all odds, a version of her own mother at age twelve.
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