Sunday, December 14, 2014

Christmas-time Middle Grade Books


I thought I would list a few middle grade holiday books, in case anyone would like to read them.

by Nancy Krulik
Scholastic Paperback October 2009

 How The Pops Stole Christmas (How I Survived Middle School Super Special Series)

Jenny can't wait for the holidays, but her good mood quickly evaporates when she picks Dana as her "Secret Snowflake" in English class and finds out that her friend Sam is heading home to England for the holidays.

by Tony Abbott
Scholastic Press 2005

Kringle

Unlike the traditional Santa Claus myth, Kringle is a coming-of-age story about an orphan who becomes a force for good in a dark and violent time. It is a tale of fantasy, of goblins, elves, and flying reindeer — and of a boy from the humblest beginnings who fulfills his destiny.
Our tale begins in 500 A.D., when goblins kidnapped human children and set them to work in underground mines. Kringle is one such child.... until he discovers his mission — to free children from enslavement. His legend lives on today, as he travels the earth every Christmas Eve to quell the goblins once more.

by Kathryn Laski
Scholastic November 2001

Christmas after All: The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift, Indianapolis, IN, 1932 (Dear America Series) 

At the age of twelve, Minnie Swift is living through one of the toughest times in America's history, The Great Depression. She keeps a detailed diary over the span of one Christmas month. Reflecting the sadness but also the optimism that characterized the time, this is an intimate portrait of a mid-western family's days and nights, ups and downs, triumphs and losses. It is the story of one family's persevering spirit.

The only one I have read is the Christmas After All and I enjoyed it.

There are lots and lots of picture books with the Christmas theme, but I couldn't find that many MGs that dealt with Christmas - hmm, maybe I should write one.

 Do you have any good ones to add to my list?

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By the way, I mentioned in my last blog post about our local library's annual writing contest. They announced the winners at a reception on Thursday.

 I was surprised and happy to find out that I took 1st place in poetry and 1st place in memoirs!




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10 comments:

  1. Beverly Stowe McClureDecember 15, 2014 at 9:23 AM

    Congratulations on winning first place. Two first places. That's exciting. Great suggestions for books too. Books make wonderful gifts. Merry Christmas.

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    Replies
    1. Janet,December 15, 2014 at 10:24 PM

      Hi Beverly, thanks. And, books do make wonderful gifts

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  2. RosiDecember 15, 2014 at 7:54 PM

    Great wins for you! Congrats. Thanks for telling me about these books. I will have to get Kringle. Sounds great. And I love the Dear America books, so will kind that one as well. You might want to add WinterFrost by Michelle Houts to your list. I just read it and loved it. I think it will become a Christmas classic.

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    Replies
    1. Janet,December 15, 2014 at 10:23 PM

      Thanks, Rosi, I've never heard of WinterFrost.

      Delete
  3. MarciaDecember 20, 2014 at 12:33 PM

    Congratulations on your wins, Janet! I like your list; all three of the books seem very different.

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  4. Rena JonesDecember 31, 2014 at 3:10 PM

    These looks great. We honestly don't have many middle grade books regarding Christmas, other than maybe a Flat Stanley one. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, Janet, and that 2015 is a great year!

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    Replies
    1. Janet,January 7, 2015 at 8:07 AM

      Hi Rena. Thanks. Wishing you a great year, too.

      Delete
  5. DMSJanuary 2, 2015 at 7:34 PM

    Congrats on the awards from the library contest! Awesome!

    I haven't read any of these holiday books for MGs- but it is always good to add some to the list!

    Happy New Year!
    ~Jess

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Thank you for your comments. I love comments!

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