Welcome to Litsy!

Happy Saturday! It‘s snowing outside, but I‘m cozy inside with Christmas music playing while I enjoy a late lunch and more of this book.

#ReadAndEat #TRS2024 #MiddleGrade

This had an interesting story, but there were also aspects that that just didn‘t work well for me. I thought the information about virtual reality and how it could be used with hospital patients was great, and the development of the friendship between Addie & Mateo was wonderful. The backstory with Addie‘s mom and opiate addiction was originally very vague and wasn‘t resolved in a way that felt logical to me.

#MiddleGrade #GraphicNovel #TRS2024

This was a cute YA romance about a teenage blogger and a boy who spends his time outside of school helping in his family‘s traditional tea shop. Online, they‘re enemies, but you can guess how it goes when they unknowingly meet in real life to work together for small businesses in Chinatown threatened by a corporate buyout.

One book completed during #DeweysReadathon #DeweyOct

#audiobook #YA #TRS2024

Maudie lives with her mom and stepdad during the school year but is starting another summer with her dad when they have to evacuate due to a wildfire. As they find a place to stay near the beach, Maudie begins making new friends. As the reader learns about autism through her experiences, she keeps secrets from her dad about learning to surf and life with her mom. I loved Maudie‘s first person story.

#audiobook #MiddleGrade #TRS2024

This is the start to another middle grade fantasy series about people who bond with flying creatures, and I loved it. In this case, Kei is a girl who flies as a courier (think Pony Express) on her skysteed, N‘Rah (think flying horse). Then, terrible monsters from the past called chimerae start attacking again, and Kei takes information and weapons from her uncle‘s old resources to help in the battle.

#audiobook #MiddleGrade #TRS2024

Will is dealing with a diagnosis of Crohn‘s disease and how that impacts his life while also navigating middle school friendships. He goes from being an integral part of his school soccer team to not playing or even traveling with them to away games. At the same time he‘s becoming friends with Griffon who just asked another boy to a school dance. The reader experience all of Will‘s uncertainties with him.

#MiddleGrade #audiobook #TRS2024

I enjoyed this story of a magical family with powers connected to their family home, but I don‘t think it‘s one that will stick with me. The main character Garnet has powers associated with gemstones and their characteristics are woven throughout the story. However, the main plot is more about family secrets and power struggles.

📷: I started listening while walking with Luthien & finished as she‘s napping.

#MiddleGrade #audiobook #TRS2024

This was a fun middle grade fantasy! Nic is so excited about her twelfth birthday when her dad has promised to teach her to use the magical gift of the Manifestors, but things do not at all go as she had hoped. Instead she ends up in an an action packed adventure including magic, African American folklore and history, family secrets, and friendship. This book is definitely the setup for a continuing series.

#MiddleGrade #audiobook #TRS2024

I‘ve been working to add more books with girls in sports to my class library, and I‘ve ordered this one to put on the shelf. It‘s absolutely a story of friendship and family and communication. It‘s also about the love of basketball at various levels, from playing as a middle schooler to the complete dedication of college fans to the fun of shooting hoops with your friends.

#MiddleGrade #GirlsInSports #MsDsLibrary #Ohio