Rain Reign book review

Rain Reign is "a perfect read for dog lovers or anyone in search of a emotional journey."

#iLoveMG is my continuing series where I share middle grade books recommended by my fifth graders. (Please note that my fifth graders read a wide variety of books across a wide variety of genres, levels, and topics. Do not think that these books are "only" for fifth graders.) For younger readers, #3rdfor3rd for recommendations from when I taught third grade.

Rain Reign

Recommended by Luca

Rain Reign is a captivating novel that grips you from the very first page. The main character, Rose, has a fascinating obsession with homonyms, happy in the way her name fits the rule. She even names her beloved dog Rain, which has multiple homonyms, reign, and rein. But when a powerful superstorm sweeps through their town, Rain goes missing, and Rose is faced with the ultimate challenge, will she be able to find her dog when it matters most? 

This book excels in weaving a good, engaging storyline filled with unexpected twists that keep you interested the whole book. It’s a perfect read for dog lovers or anyone in search of a emotional journey. If you’re looking for a book like this, dive into Rain Reign, I guarantee you’ll fall in love with it!"

Click here for all of our #iLoveMG posts. What are your favorite middle grade books?

Pay Attention, Carter Jones book review

"This is a sentimental book and has my whole heart." [Katie note: keep the Kleenex handy.]

#iLoveMG is my continuing series where I share middle grade books recommended by my fifth graders. (Please note that my fifth graders read a wide variety of books across a wide variety of genres, levels, and topics. Do not think that these books are "only" for fifth graders.) For younger readers, #3rdfor3rd for recommendations from when I taught third grade.

Pay Attention, Carter Jones

Recommended by Anonymous

My book is Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary Schmidt, and the genre is realistic fiction. The book is about a boy named Carter Jones, and on the first day of school, a butler knocks on the door. Turns out, his father, who's in war, sent a butler. The butler quickly helps the Jones family clean up the house and takes them to school in a shiny purple S.U.V. Carter must now figure out how to navigate the complex world of middle school without his father, and with this new strange man in his life, all while dealing with the grief and anger from his past. 

This is a sentimental book and has my whole heart. It’s engaging and will never bore the reader and its warmth will reach out to all of its readers. You’ll find yourself cheering on Carter as he slowly opens to the butler and figure his way through middle school. I love it and rate 11/10!

Click here for all of our #iLoveMG posts. What are your favorite middle grade books?

The Benefits of Being an Octopus book review

#iLoveMG is my continuing series where I share middle grade books recommended by my fifth graders. (Please note that my fifth graders read a wide variety of books across a wide variety of genres, levels, and topics. Do not think that these books are "only" for fifth graders.) For younger readers, #3rdfor3rd for recommendations from when I taught third grade.

The Benefits of Being an Octopus

Recommended by Ash/Max

My book is The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden. The book is about a girl named Zoey. Zoey lives with her mom's boyfriend, Lenny, in a trailer situated in a neighborhood full of rich kids. She has to deal with all sorts of issues as well as taking care of Aurora, Bryce and baby Hector. At school, she tries to be invisible and go unnoticed. Unfortunately, her teacher Ms. Rochambeau forces her to join the school debate club. Debate club eventually leads to Zoey seeing things in a different way, like her mom’s relationship, her best friend Fuchsia’s issues, and her own place in the world. 

 I enjoyed The Benefits of Being an Octopus because of its descriptive imagery and underlying messages about the cultural divide and the gun debate. I probably wouldn’t have picked this up and read it, but I’m glad I did. This was overall a pretty good book.

 

Click here for all of our #iLoveMG posts. What are your favorite middle grade books?