• snow day
    book review,  Books

    Stuck Inside? 5 Great Middle Grade Snow Day Reads

    The Polar Vortex is back, the weather is keeping everyone inside, and it’s possible you are being subjected to another day of “Mom/Dad, I’m bored!” The weekend ahead looms, cold and dreary for much of the US. If this sounds familiar, I have just the thing to keep your kiddos occupied – check out my list (Part 1) of some entertaining middle grade books – perfect for a snow day. (This roundup of some of my favorite books from 2018 contains affiliate links.) These books all share a general theme of overcoming obstacles of one sort or another. A few of them are laugh out loud funny while tackling topics…

  • middle school
    book review,  Books

    Middle School Book Picks from my Middle Schooler

    Two weeks before school let out, my 11-year-old suffered a concussion which left her unable to do much of anything – like watching TV, running outside, or the worst possible punishment when you could inflict upon her – reading. This proves especially painful (pun intended) when your order of Scholastic books arrives the day after you bonk your head. Thankfully, the  concussion cleared up in time for vacation and Maddie spent nearly the entire 3200 mile drive reading.  As such, SHE has a pile of middle school books she would love to recommend. They run the gamut from fantasy to supernatural fiction (dealing with grief) to historical fiction, and she was…