Welcome to Litsy!

Ranks among my favourite book dedications. ☺️

This was a fun, enjoyable MG fantasy + mystery—with a dragon, an ogre, two castles (naturally), and a young girl making her way in the world. As an adult reader rather than the intended middle grade audience, I had a few issues with the writing. But I liked the characters, I liked the mystery, and I probably would have loved this when I was the target age! This was a soft pick… and my 2011 read for #192025.

My issues: ⤵️

I just used this one for my Sunday Funday post, and I really loved it! The description of the weather and everyone cozied up in the gorgeous inn was perfect for winter reading!

#MiddleGradeMonday @Karisimo @Daisey

This is such a cute series. I‘m going to enjoying what happens next for Sakura and her friends. I‘m going to enjoy reading this series. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#CardcaptorSakuraClearCardVol1 #Clamp #Manga #Fantasy #Romance #Comics #GraphicNovels #Shojo #Magic #YoungAdult #Fiction #MiddleGrade

Wow! This middle grade graphic novel packed quite the emotional punch!

The story is based on the author‘s own life. It followed Cindy at age 12 when she discovers some major family secrets.

I loved the structure of the this book. It was a linear story with some flashbacks. The flashbacks added to the story and were well placed.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/12/22/review-how-to-draw-a-secret/

repost for @julieclair

I‘m “allergic” to chunksters, so I tend to avoid them. But there are SO many great books that are chunksters! So, #AllergicToChunksters is back for another year! If you would like to tackle a few chunksters yourself this year, do join me!

My definition of a chunkster is any book over 500 pages long, but feel free to use whatever definition makes sense to you. If it scares you, it counts!

For #MiddleGradeMonday I‘m sharing the classic Christmas read about the Herdmans and a new one that I just picked up to read this week. Stealing Christmas doesn‘t have a lot of reviews, and they are very mixed so we‘ll see how it goes.

#MiddleGrade #Christmas

I read this several years ago, but remain so charmed by this sweet family and their simple heartfelt Christmas celebrations while at the same time they must figure how to save their family home.

#middlegrademonday @daisey

This has been on my TBR for a while, so I listened to it today. It‘s a fun origin story for Santa Claus including how he started using a sleigh pulled by reindeer, getting in houses through the chimney, filling stockings, and his immortality, all with with no Christian connections.

#MiddleGrade #Christmas #audiobook

📷: Giving the pets a little extra attention after a busy week at school.

This little YA book is a gut punch. The author wrote it in a unique way that any age can understand. Narrated by the ghost of the main character, he knows what happened to him but doesn‘t understand why. He meets someone who can see him, and some other unexpected historical persons; together, they try to make things right. I was reminded of The Lovely Bones, but this book is a far more powerful read. This book is banned…read it!!!