Mundie Moms

Monday, October 15, 2012

Must Have Middle Grade / Halloween Reads for Kids

I'm a little embarrassed that it's been a little over a month since I've posted this feature. I try to keep my Mondays open so that only this feature and my two TMI features are posted, but there's been a lot of other things going on that have been posted on Monday, and sadly this post has been bumped to make room for those posts, so I don't have like 5 posts on Monday. I'm happy to say I'm not longer going to bump this feature and if I have 5 posts in one day, so be it. I feel MG books are important books to feature and help promote on here. So, here are some of the recent MG books I've read and a few Halloween reads for kids that I'd recommend picking up:



By: James Dashner
Published by: Scholastic
Released on: August 28th, 2012
Purchase from: Scholastic | Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Scholastic's next multi-platform mega-event begins here! History is broken, and three kids must travel back in time to set it right! 

When best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste stumble upon the secret of time travel -- a hand-held device known as the Infinity Ring -- they're swept up in a centuries-long secret war for the fate of mankind. Recruited by the Hystorians, a secret society that dates back to Aristotle, the kids learn that history has gone disastrously off course.Now it's up to Dak, Sera, and teenage Hystorian-in-training Riq to travel back in time to fix the Great Breaks . . . and to save Dak's missing parents while they're at it. First stop: Spain, 1492, where a sailor named Christopher Columbus is about to be thrown overboard in a deadly mutiny! -quoted from Goodreads


An historical journey filled with adventure, danger, catastrophic events, and plenty of mystery, James Dashner's A Mutiny In Time is an awesome, jam packed read that younger kids will devour. Set in a future America that is constantly plagued by natural disasters, the world which we live in now is much simpler compared to the one best friends Dak and Sera live in. If the deadly earthquakes, freak storms, and volcanic eruptions weren't enough, Dak's parents are now missing, and Dak and Sera are thrown into a secret society and world they never nothing about, until now. Read my full 4.5 star review here.




Published by: Harper Collins Childrens
Released on: October 2nd, 2012
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Browse inside


One night when Liza went to bed, Patrick was her chubby, stubby, candy-grubbing and pancake-loving younger brother, who irritated and amused her both, and the next morning, when she woke up, he was not. In fact, he was quite, quite different.

When Liza's brother, Patrick, changes overnight, Liza knows exactly what has happened: The spindlers have gotten to him and stolen his soul.

She knows, too, that she is the only one who can save him.

To rescue Patrick, Liza must go Below, armed with little more than her wits and a broom. There, she uncovers a vast world populated with talking rats, music-loving moles, greedy troglods, and overexcitable nids . . . as well as terrible dangers. But she will face her greatest challenge at the spindlers' nests, where she encounters the evil queen and must pass a series of deadly tests--or else her soul, too, will remain Below forever.

From "New York Times" best-selling author Lauren Oliver comes a bewitching story about the reaches of loyalty, the meaning of love, and the enduring power of hope -quoted from Goodreads



I really enjoy Lauren Oliver's YA books, but I've completely fallen in love with her MG books as well. There's something magical about Lauren's  MG writing. Places come alive, characters become real, and the adventure feels like it's really happening. Lauren's talent for story telling and her gift for writing adds that element of excitement to each of her stories she's written so far, that cater to this younger audience, and it was no different for this book. I don't know if it's the fantasy element she adds in, the adventure, the magic, or the endless possibilities that lie within this book or the combination of each of these make her MG book perfectly for precisely that age group, and not to mention perfect for reading it out loud together with your kiddos.

You can read my full review here.




By: Susan Hood
Illustrated by: Jed Henry
Published by: Harper Collins
Released on: July 24th, 2012
Purchase from: Harper Collins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble


If three dinosaurs roar when you open your door, what do you say?

"Boo!" of course! In this charmingly spooky story by Susan Hood, little trick-or-treaters learn just what to say in every Halloween situation. From rattling bones to ghostly footsteps, Susan captures all the best scares of the season--and teaches just the right way to dispel fears in favor of fun. Jed Henry's lustrous watercolors add the perfect crisp chill to this fall-weather story.


For if a skeleton groans as she rattles her bones, what do you say? -quoted from Goodreads

What an adorable Halloween read! I loved this story makes the some of the scarier things of Halloween fun for kids. For example, "If a yip and a yowl make you shiver and scowl, what do you say?" "BOO!" Kids are not only treated with some with incredibly warm and fabulous illustrations, they get a fun story, with easy to read words, and in the process learn a little Halloween adequacy as well.




Illustrated by: Felicia Bond
Published by: Balzer & Bray
Released on: July 24th, 2012
Purchase from: Harper Collins Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Join Mouse from "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" as he decorates all the pumpkins in the patch! -quoted from Goodreads

Fans of If You Give A Mouse a Cookie will really enjoy this Halloween themed book. Toddlers will love reading about Mouse and seeing how he decorates his seven pumpkins. They'll also see a surprise visitor from one of Mouse's friends who drops in to see him. This one I'd definitely recommend picking up for little readers. Being a board book makes it great for little hands.


You can read my full review for each of these must have Halloween reads and another one here.



By: Emily Jenkins
Illustrated by: Harry Bliss
Released on: July 24th, 2012
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

It's Halloween. Fourth grader Hank Wolowitz "hates" Halloween. Every year his older sister, Nadia, scares him half to death.

This year might be different, though. After all, Hank's the only kid in Brooklyn--probably the only kid in North America--with an invisible bandapat living in his laundry basket. And Invisible Inkling "loves" Halloween. Pumpkins are his favorite food.


But Hank has serious trouble stopping Inkling from devouring every jack-o'-lantern in their neighborhood. And that's not his only problem: Will he figure out a cool costume? Will he survive the small army of ballerinas roaming the hallways of his building? Will Hank ever get revenge on Nadia?


Inkling has long since stopped listening to Hank's worries. Inkling is taking actionquoted from Goodreads

This a fun Halloween read following the misadventures of 4th grader of Henry Wolowitz, and his pumpkin eating invisible Inkling. Unfortunately for Henry, his invisible pet has discovered how delicious pumpkins are, and this not only spells trouble for Henry, it gets him into a situation or two that only his Inkling can get him out of. You can read my full review here


Published by: SourceBooks
Released on: April 2012
Ages: 8 & up
3 stars: It's A Good Read
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Series: Horrid Henry

Henry is up to his usual mischief. 

Four new stories in which Horrid Henry terrorizes his classmates at a school sleepover in the museum; plays with Perfect Peter and tricks him into handing over all his money; gets out of writing his own story for Miss Battle-Axe by adapting one of Peter's; and meets the Nudie Foodie, a celebrity chef, who comes to the school to improve school dinners. No more burgers! No more chips! - quoted from Goodreads



An entertaining read that will leave readers laughing out loud, Horrid Henry and the Zombie Vampires will definitely be a hit for fans of this series. With Francesca's easy to read text, some laugh out loud moments, and the book's smallish size make this a fast paced read even the most reluctant reader will enjoy. This book's 4 short stories will entertain just about anyone with a second grade reading level and higher. You can read my review here.

8 comments:

  1. Ah! I must read the James Dashner book! I love the holiday books! Those Halloween ones look cute.
    Clean Teen Fiction
    Clean Adult Fiction

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    1. YAY! I can't wait to read the next book in the series. I love the line up of authors they have to write for the Infinity Ring. The Halloween ones are very cute.

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  2. Aww, so many cute MG books! I'm looking forward to reading Spindlers soon! <3 Lauren Oliver! Thanks for the post!

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    1. You're welcome! Lauren's writing is fabulous! I hope you enjoy it.

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  3. I love Spindlers. I'll read anything by Lauren Oliver, and this book is uber cute! Another favorite of mine from the list is Just Say Boo! I'm past the reading level of picture books, but this one is just adorable. My friends and I had a blast reading it :)

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    1. Just Say Boo is a must have Halloween book. My kids and I loved it. So glad you guys enjoyed it!

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  4. Great choices. I loved Spindlers. I'm like Kris. I'll read anything by her.

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    1. Thank you! I love that Lauren is writing MG books! She's a fabulous author.

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