Cammie McGovern | The Children’s Book Review | April 10, 2016
Five Exceptionally Good Middle-Grade Novels
My favorite middle-grade novels all seem to have one thing in common: a narrator with a wonderfully strong voice that makes me laugh even as the story makes me cry. The five books on this list which have come out in the last year do just this. I not only loved all these books, I know I’ll go back and re-read them in the future to study exactly how these skillful writers strike the delicate balance I’m always looking for between laugh-out-loud funny and reach-for-the-Kleenex poignant. I also admire the way a few of them have chartered what feels to me like new territory for middle-grade fiction—a minimum-security prison, a severely agoraphobic parent, a disabled girl escaping an abusive parent—in stories which, by the end, can only be described as uplifting.
All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook
Written by Leslie Connor
For a young boy raised in a prison to defend his inmate mother, he must first learn the truth not only about her crime but her fellow inmates who have become his family. Endearing, honest, and most surprising of all: funny.
Ages 8-12 | Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books | 2016 | ISBN-13: 978-0062333469
Courage for Beginners
Written by Karen Harrington
The plot summary—a girl copes with a severely agoraphobic mother after her father has an accident that leaves him a coma—belies how truly hilarious the main character and her school friends are. This one is a jewel.
Ages 10-13 | Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers | 2015 | ISBN-13: 978-0316210461
The War That Saved My Life
Written by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
This is the best historical MG book I’ve read in ages. A disabled girl escapes her abusive mother during the relocation program of London children at the start of WWII. Filled with fascinating historical details, it’s also a testimonial to how some children survive abuse.
Ages 10-13 | Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers | 2015 | ISBN-13: 978-0316210461
The Thing About Jellyfish
Written by Ali Benjamin
A beautiful study of a science-obsessed girl’s inquiry into the death of a friend (and really into the death of the friendship before her death…) Though she’s never labeled with Aspergers, any child (or parent) with an interest in this, will love this book.
Ages 10-13 | Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers | 2015 | ISBN-13: 978-0316380867
The Remarkable Journey of Charlie Price
Written by Jennifer Maschari
A book that combines elements of magical realism in telling the very real story of a very real boy coping with the loss of his mother and the weight of grief.
Ages 8-12 | Publisher: Balzer + Bray | 2016 | ISBN-13: 978-0062380104
About Cammie McGovern
Cammie McGovern is the author of the teen novels Say What You Will and A Step Toward Falling as well as the adult novels Neighborhood Watch, Eye Contact, and The Art of Seeing. Her debut middle grade novel, Just My Luck, released in February 2016. Cammie is also one of the founders of Whole Children, a resource center that runs after-school classes and programs for children with special needs, and is actively involved in Beyond Differences. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, with her husband and three children. You can visit Cammie online at www.cammiemcgovern.com.
Just My Luck
Written by Cammie McGovern
Publisher’s Synopsis: Critically acclaimed author Cammie McGovern’s middle-grade debut is a powerful and heartwarming story that will appeal to readers who loved R. J. Palacio’s Wonder, Ann M. Martin’s Rain Reign, and Holly Sloan’s Counting by 7s.
Fourth grade is not going at all how Benny Barrows hoped. He hasn’t found a new best friend. He’s still not a great bike rider—even though his brother George, who’s autistic, can do tricks. And worst of all, he worries his dad’s recent accident might be all his fault. Benny tries to take his mom’s advice and focus on helping others, and to take things one step at a time. But when his dad ends up in the hospital again, Benny doesn’t know how he and his family will overcome all the bad luck that life seems to have thrown their way.
Just My Luck is a deeply moving and rewarding novel about a down-on-his-luck boy whose caring heart ultimately helps him find the strength to cope with tragedy and realize how much he truly has to offer his friends and family.
Ages 8-12 | Publisher: HarperCollins | 2016 | ISBN-13: 978-0062330659
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Cammie McGovern, author of Just My Luck, selected these five middle-grade books. Discover more articles on The Children’s Book Review tagged with Middle-Grade Books and Books for Kids Age 9-12.
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4 Comments
What a great looking list! I haven’t read any of these- but I have almost all of them on my TBR already. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
cool books i never will read them
I either misunderstood the title of this article or the topics and plots of these books certainly do not match with the LoL concept. When I read the short descriptions, they seem to have very dramatic, almost tragic story lines and characters. I am not sure whether or how they get funny or fun at one point but the heading of this article and the books recommended seems not to be a good fit.
This just made me more anxious about the right book selection for my 8 year old daughter.
I hope I misread or misunderstand some concepts but if not I hope this will help The Children’s Book Review crew to take a relook at the books recommended under such heading: “5 Laugh-Out-Loud and Reach-for-the-Kleenex Middle Grade Novels”!
Dear Huma,
The books on this list are poignant and real and all truly wonderful. The book list heading denotes that each of the books made the list curator BOTH cry and laugh… it’s truly magical when a book can draw multiple emotions from a reader. Often authors of reality-based fiction for kids will find beautiful ways to lighten and brighten moments (the laugh-out-loud moments) without detracting from tough topics (the reach-for-the-Kleenex moments) that they entrust to the reader. Reality fiction can be a great representation of life, showcasing that some days/years are better/harder than others. While I trust that your daughter would find a book from this list to enjoy, it sounds like you are looking for books that only have the laugh factor. We’d be happy to help you find just the right book for your daughter. To help us suggest books that may interest her, perhaps you could share a couple of titles that she has previously enjoyed, along with an interest or two that she enjoys when she is not reading. We hope you’ll reach out—matching kids with just the right book is a huge part of our goal of *growing readers.*
In the meantime, we quite like this joke book for some straight-up laughter: https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/weblog/2019/09/the-big-book-of-silly-jokes-for-kids-800-jokes-book-review.html
And here is a link to our humor category featuring books for varying ages: https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/topic/books-by-subject/funnies-books-that-make-you-giggle
Additionally, to avoid any possible future confusion, we have adjusted the title.