Need some ideas for books for your 8-12 year old? You’re in the right place as I’ve read the first chapter in three YA/middle-grade books this week:
My first book up for First Chapter Friday is The Iron Trial. It was just released on the 9th and I am already hearing so many good things about this book. You know these authors: Holly Black is The Spiderwick Chronicles and the super creepy Doll Bones and Cassandra Clare is of course The Mortal Instruments books. You just know any book they collaborate on will be excellent. The plot starts out like every other magic/fantasy/YA book out there: kids must pass the Iron Trial to be admitted to the Magisterium to study magic. Ho hum so far, right? WRONGO, me hearty (sorry, Talk Like a Pirate Day just got me!) The twist to this book is that Callum Hunt wants to FAIL the Iron Trial, so of course he passes and must enter the Magisterium. Despite some comparisons to Harry Potter in the reviews, I thought the first chapter was pretty good and different enough to rate a full book read.
The Spirit Animals series has been on my radar for a while since Brandon Mull and Garth Nix wrote books in the series. This is book 4 of the series and in this one, the four kids (Greencloaks) travel to the far, frozen North to try to stop “The Conquerors” using their “spirit animal” powers.
I didn’t finish the first chapter-VERY bloody/violent killing in the first two pages. Definitely NOT for the age 8-12 range that is the target market. NO NO NO. I’m not sure what Shannon Hale was trying to accomplish in using this to set up the plot but it is an epic fail for me. I’ve read the reviews and I’m seeing lots of comments about the humor and character interaction later in the book but I just can’t get past chapter one–this series goes to our do NOT read pile.
OH!! You know how you get that tingly feeling when you read a really good book and you don’t want to put it down? Nightmares is THAT book!! Now this is a book for the 8-12 crowd-funny, scary and you will want to be Charlie’s friend as he tries to figure out what is going on in his new home.
His father has married a woman Charlie is sure is a real witch and they have moved to her purple mansion that may or may not be haunted. There is a touch of sadness when you read that Charlie can see his old house from his new bedroom window 🙁 What a great plot point, that one sentence gives the reader more about Charlie than you could tell in 20 paragraphs. Authors Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller have done a fantastic job with the writing. Top of the to be read pile for this one.
One clunker this week but two your kids definitely “Otter” be reading!!