Here’s my bingo card for Middle Grade Carousel’s Reading Bingo challenge. This month, I finished nine middle grade books. Well, eight titles that fit the descriptions on the bingo card. (I actually read more than nine books, including a few books for adults.)
How Does It Work?
Pick your challenge, grab a book, and fill in the squares. Try and get 5 in a row, or attempt to fill in the whole sheet if you’re a speedy reader.
Rules
- Because this is a Middle Grade Carousel challenge, all of the books on your Bingo board should be MG reads. Find out more about Middle Grade books here.
- Each square needs to be filled with a unique book. You cannot use the same title more than once, even if it fits multiple themes. Choose wisely!
- You should only be filling in your Bingo board with books you’ve read during this month.
Here are my results… (The * means that’s the book that got me my Bingo!)
*Graphic Novel
The Little Mermaid // by Metaphrog
MG, Graphic Novel, Fairy Tale (2017)
So, this is the Hans Christian Anderson version of the fairy tale. (But it does borrow some elements from the Disney version!) The illustrations did not blow me away, but I did like a few of them. Particularly when the sea witch bargains for the little mermaid’s voice. They did the whole thing in pink and it is striking!
The one thing I didn’t like was the ending. They got it wrong. 😦 She doesn’t turn into sea foam! She joins the daughters of the air. [4 stars]
*A Book by a Favourite Author
Ramona and her Father // by Beverly Cleary
MG, Contemporary (1977)
This is perhaps the most perfect of the Ramona books! Okay, I love them all, but this one is extra special. And it definitely earned the Newbery Honor.
I love how it tackles her dad’s job loss and his smoking. Ramona has come a long way from her days as Henry Huggins’ nemesis. I think that’s what I really like about these books. Ramona still does things her own way, except now we get to see it through her POV. And, frankly, that makes all the difference.
The scene with the burrs? Wonderful! [5 stars]
*First in the Title
Jacob Two-Two’s First Spy Case // by Mordecai Richler
MG, Contemporary (1997)
This was a fun read in the same sort of vein as The Phantom Tollbooth. Jacob Two-Two breaks into espionage when his neighbour turns out to be a Master Spy.
Lots of fun word-play. (The villains are Mr. I.M. Greedyguts and the Perfectly Loathsome Leo Louse.) And lots of little Canadian jokes 🙂 [4 stars]
*A Tail on the Cover
The Unteachables // by Gordon Korman
MG, Contemporary (2019)
Gordon Korman’s back on top of his game for this book! Hooray 🙂 As for the tail… yes, there is a tail on the cover of the book. See the little lizard sitting on the desk?
I enjoyed getting to know the group of kids nicknamed the Unteachables. As in many of Korman’s books, we get to see things through several differing viewpoints… including the teacher Mr. Kermit, and even the principal. [4 stars]
*Author’s First Name is Jonathan
Bridget Wilder: Spy-in-Training // by Jonathan Bernstein
MG, Contemporary/Espionage (2015)
This book reminded me of the Spy School books. But it’s a little weirder than that. There were some nice twists and turns, but I wasn’t crazy about a few of the things that happen in the book. Mainly with regards to the big brother Ryan, who is constantly in trouble. But this all seems to be part of a running joke in the book. Maybe I was taking it too seriously. Anyhow, this book was okay, but nothing to get excited about. [3 stars]
Other MG Books I Finished this Month…
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- Double O’s in the Title // Cool Zone with the Pain and the Great One // by Judy Blume
- A Book that was Recommended // The Moffats // by Eleanor Estes
- Pick Your Prompt / A Mystery // Room One // by Andrew Clements
- A Quest // The Dark is Rising // by Susan Cooper
Final Thoughts…
January Bingo: Complete! Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you thought of them.
Finding Someplace // by Denise Lewis Patrick
Zane and the Hurricane // by Rodman Philbrick
Genre: MG, Historical Fiction (1941)
My Thoughts: This story seems to me to be a hybrid of a Charles Dickens/George MacDonald tale… It’s about two little orphans who run away from the workhouse and end up on the streets of London. I did like the relationship the two sisters had, and the boy they meet is a fun addition. I love the element of the doll-maker, so that was definitely a bonus for me.
My Thoughts: A sweet story about a brother and sister who are staying with their grandparents over Christmas. Liam feels like White Cow could use a friend, and so he goes out to find her one.
This is a Guys Read book. I’ve seen these around for quite awhile, but this is the first time I’ve ever picked one up. And I’m glad I did. While I’ve read many of the authors before, there were some that were new to me. It was nice to get a hint of what they write. It was also nice to read new-to-me short stories by authors I already knew.
Public School Superhero // by James Patterson
Pinocchio // by Michael Morpurgo
Al Capone Throws Me a Curve // by Gennifer Choldenko
Spy School Goes South // by Stuart Gibbs
Genre: MG, Contemporary (2012)
Genre: MG, Contemporary (1985)
Once again Middle Grade Carousel hosted a 
MG, Contemporary (2018)
MG, Non-fiction (2010)
Lower MG, Magical Realism (2010)
MG, Historical Fiction (2018)
MG, Contemporary (2011)
My Thoughts: I love Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle! I love reading about her cures for unruly, unhappy, and unfortunate children. I just happened upon this book at a used book sale and picked it up for a bargain. This is the fourth book in the series and I don’t know if I’ve actually read this one before now. I don’t recall any of the stories.
My Thoughts: I’ve never read the Land of Stories series before. I’m guessing they’re books that retell fairy tales, which means they probably give their own spin to the original stories. One thing I’ve noticed with such books, they don’t mean much if you aren’t familiar with the original accounts. So, my guess is meant to remedy to that… By giving us the famous fairy tales and folk tales like: Cinderella, Rapunzel, The Little Mermaid, Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks, etc. (Each tale does mention whether it was based on the Grimm Brothers’ retelling or Hans Christian Andersen’s story or whatever.)
I’m claiming puzzles on this one, even though it’s about Scrabble. I figure that Scrabble is about word puzzles, right?
There’s No Wifi on the Prairie // by Nicholas O. Time
A True Princess // by Diane Zahler
Kindred Souls // by Patricia MacLachlan
The Fences Between Us // by Kirby Larson
Cody and the Mysteries of the Universe // by Tricia Springstubb
Anna Maria’s Gift // by Janice Shefelman
Northern Exposures // by Eric Walters
Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf // by Jennifer L. Holm
The third book in the Ghost / Patina series. This one focuses on Sunny who is a long-distance runner. Except he doesn’t want to do that anymore. It was his mom’s dream to run the marathon, but his mom is dead. And so, he just stops running. When he tells Coach, he gets pulled into the field part of track and field.
Whatshisface // by Gordon Korman
There are many reasons why I should have liked this book. I love stories about the space race. I love middle grade books. This book is by a real astronaut, so the science should be A-Okay!
So, I read this book when I was a kid. It’s the “sequel” to Heidi, by Johanna Spyri. This book was written by the man who translated the book into English. It is followed by a book called Heidi’s Children (also by Tritten).
This is the sequel to Magic or Not? In this one, the magic wishing well is up to its old tricks. The children make wishes, but they’re not sure if the well is actually doing anything. This book, oddly enough, is written in first person, from multiple perspectives of the children. (I don’t think any of the other Eager books are written this way.) My favourite chapter is the “Anonymous” one that gives several clues as to the identity of the character. Of course, it’s easy to figure out who the character is!
A companion book to Ghost. If you like track and field (at least track), you should read this book. This is Patty’s story. How she’s training to be on the 4×800 relay team. On top of that, she has to juggle a never-ending to-do list: her ma’s on dialysis, her sister needs her hair braided, she’s the only one in her group project doing any of the research. And then there’s Momly.
This book was a little hard for me to read. It’s about a mother who has OCD who’s always cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. But her daughter, Kat, doesn’t want to tell anybody. I felt for Kat and for the mother. I just wanted to reach out and give this girl a hug. And get that mom some help!
The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs // by Betty G. Birney
Thimble Summer // by Elizabeth Enright
Things That Surprise You // by Jennifer Maschari