Contemporary Middle Grade Fiction: A Fall Roundup

Do you shy away from middle grade books because you think they're one-dimensional or all about wizards? The truth is that middle grade stories cover the full range of genres and styles, from contemporary fiction to memoir, poetry, nonfiction, and of course fantasy.

Although these books are not as complex as adult literary fiction, the stories address big issues, opening readers' minds and sparking important discussions. Today is all about contemporary fiction, and posts later in the week will cover other genres.

Read these books yourself, take notes for gift-giving, or try a readalong with a middle grader in your life.

Surviving Middle School

• Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead is about two groups of students who are navigating the rocky waters of middle school. Told from three perspectives, the novel explores different ways kids respond to social pressures and problems at home. Major themes: social media, changing friendships, young love, and popularity. Audience: older MG readers. [Wendy Lamb Books, August]
• Connect the Stars by Marisa de los Santos and David Teague focuses on Audry and Aaron who meet at a wilderness camp meant to help give middle grade children confidence and social skills while they learn about the outdoors. The campers, who each have different issues (such as being too introspective, untrusting, or overly sad) learn to rely on each other and become true friends. Major themes: friendship, bullying, trust, self-identity, and family. [HarperCollins, September]
• Don't Vote for Me by Krista Van Dolzer looks at what happens when a self-described band geek decides to challenge the popular girl for class president. The more David gets to know his opponent, the more he questions his desire to win. Major themes: popularity, family issues, and seeing people for who they really are. [Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, August]

Dealing with Grief

• A Series of Small Maneuvers by Eliot Treichel looks at how a young teen copes with her father's accidental death, which occurred when they were on a father–daughter canoe trip. This is less a survival in the wilderness story than one about a girl finding her way after her world is forever altered. Major themes: grief, family, responsibility, and friendship. Audience: older MG readers. [Ooligan Press, November]
• Dear Opl by Shelley Sackier introduces us to Opal, who comforted herself with food in the aftermath of her father's sudden death. After a disturbing medical checkup, she takes on a pen name and starts a blog to vent her feelings; soon others are turning to "Opl" for advice. Sensitively written and spiked with humor. Major themes: weight and body image, popularity, grief, self-esteem, health, and family. [Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, August]
• The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin is about how 12-year-old Suzy copes with her friend's drowning just weeks before the start of seventh grade. Told in the present and in flashbacks over the course of their friendship, Suzy struggles to understand both the accident and the ways her friend changed over the previous year. Major themes: friendship, being different, family, maturing, and mean girls; minor themes of divorce and a gay relationship. [Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, September]

Taking on Bigger Issues

• Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt is about a young teen who is placed in foster care after spending time in a series of state-run homes for troubled boys. Although he slowly becomes comfortable with his new family, he can't stop dreaming about meeting his infant daughter. Major themes: first impressions, class differences, teen parenthood, fathers, and domestic abuse. Audience: older MG readers. [Clarion Books, October]
• A Blind Guide to Stinkville by Beth Vrabel is about a young girl whose family relocates from Seattle to a small town in South Carolina. The move is fraught with extra challenges for 12-year-old Alice because she is legally blind as a result of her albinism. Major themes: living with a disability, family, independence, and mental health issues. [Sky Pony Press, October]
• Until I Find Julian by Patricia Reilly Giff documents young Mateo's secret journey from a village in Mexico, across the border, to a town in Alabama to find his older brother, who is an undocumented laborer. This age-appropriate story shows us the personal side of an important contemporary issue. Major themes: brothers, friendship, trust, and hope for a better future. [Wendy Lamb Books, September]

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Weekend Cooking: Slice Harvester by Colin Atrophy Hagendorf

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

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If you're reading a Weekend Cooking post, then it's a fair bet that you love a good food-centric memoir as well as I do. Some of these kinds of memoirs are inspirational, some are lovely. Colin Atrophy Hagendorf's Slice Harvester is just plain fun.

Many food books have been born from a successful blog or a clever gimmick, and Slice Harvester is no exception. Here's Hagendorf's story: In 2009, while out drinking with friends, he decided to begin a quest to eat a slice of pizza in every pizzeria in all of Manhattan. About two years and just over four hundred slices later, Hagendorf ate his last slice on Wall Street, sitting across the table from his girlfriend while a newspaper photographer recorded the event.

The plan: Hagendorf began at the north end of Manhattan and worked his way across and down the island until he had visited all the pizzerias he could find. He was an experienced eZine writer and publisher, so it seemed natural to him to start a blog, Slice Harvester, where he could make his reviews public.

The approach: Generally, Hagendorf would try four to six pizza places in one go, snapping photos and taking notes. He was often accompanied by a friend or two and would eat and/or share one slice of plain pizza in each place. He went on harvesting trip once every week or ten days.

What's in the book? Slice Harvester is a memoir; it's not a place-by-place description of eating pizza in New York. Written in a conversational, street-cool punk style, Hagendorf talks about his friends, his family, his life, and of course, pizza. Along the way, we learn about the punk scene, we meet the owners of pizzerias, and we get a unique view of the city. We also learn how he found a direction for his life and discovered that sobriety is not such a bad thing.

The good and the bad: I really enjoyed getting to know Hagendorf, whose life is so completely different from mine. He's a fairly good writer with a strong personal style, and I loved the many literary references that pop up throughout the memoir. On the other hand, some (okay, most) of the punk cultural references went over my head, and I have to admit to skimming every so often. Although I liked the handful of black-and-white illustrations, I wish the book had contained photographs of the places Hagendorf wrote about.

Recommendation: Colin Hagendorf's Slice Harvester is both an interesting memoir and a fun way to explore New York. It isn't the best food memoir I've ever read, but it held my attention. Be warned: by the time you finish Hagendorf's story, you'll be craving pizza -- especially one from the only pizzeria to have won his coveted 8-slice rating: Pizza Suprema, across from Madison Square Garden. (The link takes you to Hagendorf's original review.)

Published by Simon & Schuster, 2015
ISBN-13: 9781476705880
Source: Review (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

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Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: 12 Short Takes

Stacked-Up Book Thoughts are my random notes about books I've read or listened to, movies and TV I've watched, books I'm looking forward to, and events I hope to get to.

Audiobooks: This summer has been my slowest audiobook time since the 1980s. First it rained every day, so I couldn't get out for my walk, which is prime listening time. Then we did some traveling. Then the temperatures and humidity skyrocketed, so again I've been unable to get many walks in. Fall can't get here fast enough for me.

Regardless, I still managed to get some listening in. The following books are all recommended and you'll eventually find reviews at AudioFile magazine, and here on my blog.

• American Meteor by Norman Lock follows the life of Stephen Moran, who witnesses or plays a part in many important historical events of the last half of the 19th century (such as the Civil War, Lincoln's assassination, the building of the railroad, Custer's Last Stand). Mark Bramhall's narration is terrific.
• Even if you've never read a Joyce Carol Oates book before, do not miss her beautiful memoir, The Lost Landscape. All I really want to say is that it's emotional, poetic, funny, and amazing. Cassandra Campbell's performance is brilliant.
• Parnez Foroutan's The Girl from the Garden focuses on three generations of women in a Jewish family living in Iran, set mostly in the early 20th century. The themes are family sacrifice, women's roles, marriage, motherhood, prejudice, and class divisions. Narrator Lameece Issaq nicely captured the characters' personalities.
• Polly Stone and Simon Vance share the narration of Tatiana de Rosnay's A Paris Affair, a wonderful collection of stories, all of which feature infidelities. The circumstances and consequences of the affairs will surprise you, make you laugh, and sometimes make you angry. Stone and Vance bring a very French feel to their spot-on performances.

Books I'm Reading Now: Lately I've been reading and skimming and evaluating a ton of middle grade books for a group of roundups, which will appear on my blog next week (I hope). I am so impressed with the quality and diversity of books for young readers this year, and I can't wait to share my discoveries with you. Here are four books--two nonfiction, two fiction--I haven't reviewed yet.

• White Dresses by Mary Pflum Peterson is a fascinating memoir centered her relationship with her mother. Themes involve sexuality, hording, spirituality, and mental health.
• Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz delves into the strange but real life of one of America's surgical pioneers. Dr. Mutter's Marvels, newly out in paperback, takes us into the OR and the good doctor's fight for sterilization and anesthesia. I'm totally hooked by this story.
• I wrote about Robert Goolrick's The Fall of Princes on Tuesday, so I'll just quickly say here that it's an emotionally complex story of a regular working man who recalls, with mixed feelings, his glory days as a Wall Street 1 percenter.
• Thank goodness that all that I loved about S. E. Grove's first book in the Mapmaker's series is back in The Golden Specific. In fact, the second installment in this unique, time-bending, alternate history/fantasy series may be even better, as our young heroes grow and mature. I've only just begun this book, but the scent of adventure is in the air.

What I've Watched: Besides our regular shows on HBO and SHO, we finished up all the available (free) episodes for Blue Bloods, Justified, and Longmire. We don't have a current obsession, but here are four things that have appeared on our screen.

• If you are into creepy psychological thrillers, then you'll love The Fall starring Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan. A woman detective superintendent is called to Belfast to find and capture a serial killer. In the meantime, we see the killer in the act and as he lives his other life, as a husband and father. Loved!
• I adore Kelley Armstrong, so it was a duh that I would give Bitten, starring Laura Vandervoort and Greyston Holt, a try. I haven't finished the first season yet, but the plot seems to be following the book fairly closely (or at least closely enough). The jury is still out on this: Mr. BFR is bored (but he's not into werewolves), and I'm just not convinced that the spirit of the book is there.
• Confession: I could not get past about page 70 of Cheryl Strayed's memoir. She mostly just made me mad. But Mr. BFR is a Reese Witherspoon fan, so we watched the movie version of Wild, when it became available on HBO. Witherspoon was good, but I was still bored and still totally uninspired by Strayed's adventure.
• I love Ian McShane and was so happy to see him on Ray Donovan this season. Then I heard he was going to have a small but important part in next season's Game of Thrones. All this made me nostalgic for my first introduction to McShane: the mystery series Lovejoy, which aired from 1986 to 1994. Antiques expert, con man, ladies' mad, and rogue -- Lovejoy was always getting into and out of scrapes, running just a few steps ahead of the creditors. Way too much fun not to rewatch.

So that's about it for me. Still praying for cooler weather but happy to have such good entertainment to keep me happy when I'm stuck inside with the A/C.

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Wordless Wednesday 358

Rose, 2015

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Today's Read: The Fall of Princes by Robert Goolrick

Remember riding high in the wild money-making days of the 1980s? The era was a paradise for Wall Street hot shots, who indulged in everything their inflated salaries could buy. Oh how life has changed for our protagonist, Rooney, in the decades since the bubble burst.

When you strike a match, it burns brighter in the first nanosecond than it will ever burn again. That first incandescence. That instantaneous and brilliant flash. 1980 was the year, and I was the match, and that was the year I struck into blinding flame.

—The Fall of Princes by Robert Goolrick (Algonquin, 2015, p. 1)

Quick Facts

• Setting: New York City & the world; 1980s & beyond
• Circumstances: A humbled working stiff recalls his former self as a top dog in the fast-paced, drug-fueled, money-filled world of the 1980s.
• Characters: Rooney in young adulthood as a major player in a New York investment firm and in middle age, maybe wiser and certainly poorer; friends, family, lovers, and colleagues in both time periods
• Genre: literary fiction; fictionalized autobiography
• Themes: greed, loss, redemption, excesses, marriage, regret
• Discussion points: women's status in 1980s, greed, AIDS, irresponsibility, loss of wealth, marriage, adjusting to changing circumstances
• Why I want to read this: I absolutely loved Goolrick's earlier novels and I have every hope for The Fall of Princes. Goolrick's sympathetic characters and poetic writing create an unforgettable atmosphere, pulling me into whatever story he has to tell.
• Something to know: Goolrick himself was an ad man who lost it all in the crash and had to cope with new realities, including rehab.

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