Some New MG Novels for October Reading

 

Some New MG Novels for October Reading

 

I’ve read so many great new middle grade novels over the past month as I interviewed authors for my Book Q&As blog, and I thought I’d share what a few of these authors had to say.

 

Kate Albus is the author of the MG historical novel Nothing Else But Miracles, which is set in New York City during World War II. Albus told me, “I wrote Nothing Else But Miracles during the darkest part of the pandemic, when it felt like, rather than coming together to support one another, many people were acting without thought for the common good.” She added, “I think a part of me really yearned for that sense of shared community, and of everyone looking out for and genuinely caring for their neighbors. So I hope kids will be reminded of the value of everyday kindness and generosity.”

 

Thushanthi Ponweera’s new middle grade novel in verse is called I Am Kavi, and it focuses on a girl in Sri Lanka. Asked what she hoped readers would take away from the story, Ponweera said, “The fact that there are children around the world, experiencing life in completely different ways, but also facing the same problems. That we shouldn’t be afraid to question belief structures that we may have grown up with. That it is possible to be loved for who you are, even if it’s hard. That they now know where Sri Lanka is!”

 

In her MG novel Together for Never, Marilyn Kaye writes about two girls whose parents are in a new relationship with each other. Kaye said, “I’ve witnessed many ‘blended families,’ with all their ups and downs. In most of them, the children of the couple were supportive, but I was wondering how hard it would be for the kids who didn’t think a relationship was a great idea — not because they didn’t like the parent’s prospective partner, but because of how it would change their own lives in other ways. I wanted the two girls to be very different from each other.”

 

The protagonist in Rosanne Parry’s new MG novel, A Horse Named Sky, is indeed a horse. Parry told me, “I love the research process. For each book I write, I read 20-30 books and find all sorts of experts to interview. I also spend time in the field, both watching the animal I’m writing about and closely observing the environment where they live.” She added, “It's not enough to say horses eat grass. I need to know which grasses they eat and which they shun. Do all wildflowers taste the same? I tasted them to find out. Some flowers are sweet and some sour and some bitter.”

 

It's always fun to find some wonderful new MG novels, and I hope you take a look!

 

--Deborah Kalb