Good morning fellow MG lovers!

How are you all doing? What have you been reading recently? 

I’ve read some CRACKING MG books recently and I figured that I would share some mini reviews with you and if you’d like to know more about any of them, I’m happy to share more thoughts with you! As I’ve said in the past, I love a mini review because it gives me a chance to share my thoughts with you (without you having to read 100s of words of ramble of me!)

Let’s get on with it…

Pests by Emer Stamp

“Meet Stix. He’s the size of an egg cup, can jump the width of a dog’s bottom, and LOVES cheese. That’s because Stix is a mouse. He probably lives behind your washing machine, but you wouldn’t know it, because his Grandma’s taught him to always stay out of trouble and NEVER let the humans know he’s there. But now Stix has stumbled across PESTS – the Peewit Educatorium for Seriously Terrible Scoundrels, in the basement of his block of flats, and along with a whole host of new pesty friends (and enemies), he’s about to rip up Grandma’s rule book and make a REAL pest of himself…”

The brilliant publishers sent me a review copy of this book and it just kept whispering to me to read it and I’m so glad I did. Once I picked it up, I was in this world of mice and rats who live in the buildings. This book is a whole load of fun! Stix, our main character, a young mouse who has lived in his humans’ house for his whole life, is a great main character and he’s very brave! As well as a mouse, there are a whole load of characters getting in the fun: a bat, a rat and all kinds of other pests involved in trickery and mischief! Brilliantly illustrated and loads of fun. I chuckled a fair few times! ‬I hope this is going to be a series! This is going to be a brilliant story for developing readers – perfect mix of illustrations and text! 

Anisha, Accidental Detective – Serena Patel

“Anisha is all set to be a (reluctant) bridesmaid at Aunty Bindi’s wedding…until a secret ransom note arrives. Bindi’s groom has been kidnapped and will only be released IF THE WEDDING IS CALLED OFF! With best friend Milo, mischievous Granny Jas, a runaway lobster, a kitten-loving giant, and some super skills of logic and observation, it’s up to Anisha Mistry to find her uncle, before the big family wedding of the year becomes a big disaster.”

I’d seen a recommendation on twitter from one of my teacher friends about this book. I’m always on the look out for recommendations that feature diverse characters that are GREAT stories and I am so glad I got my hands on this! This is a brilliant story about Anisha and her hunt to look for her auntie’s groom the day before and the day of his wedding! This book is full of colour, personality and mystery! I loved the illustrations through out and the interesting layout. Plus, I love a book with a footnote to teach me things about other cultures. Yay for diverse characters and family backgrounds! If this is gonna be a series, I’m gonna be delighted. I know this is going to be a big hit with our kids – I’d say Year 4 on will love this! 

Isadora Moon Goes on Holiday – Harriet Muncaster

“Isadora Moon is special because she’s different. Her mum is a fairy and her dad is a vampire and she’s a bit of both. When Isadora wins an amazing holiday for her whole family she’s ready for sun, sea, and sand! But there’s work to be done when she and her mermaid friend Marina discover a baby turtle in trouble. Can Isadora help the turtle find a way home?”

As a massive fan of this series, I was delighted when the publishers sent me a copy of the brand new one. I know MANY of our children who have fallen in love with reading because of this series, so this one will go down brilliantly well when we go back! This time Isadora enters a competition on the back of a cereal box to win a holiday and she wins! When she gets there she finds that people aren’t looking after the brilliant, picturesque sea she loves and she makes it her mission to do something about that! I really loved that this story talked about the importance of looking after the sea and our planet alongside mermaids and cereal box competitions! A wonderful mix which might have made this one my favourite in the series so far! 

Willow Wildthing and the Swamp Monster – Gill Lewis

“When Willow meets the Wild Things she knows life is never going to be the same again. Strange things happen in The Wilderness. It holds more than you could possibly imagine: secrets, shadows, a witch. Even a monster. Are you brave enough to come? Because the moment you step across the boundary, you’ll be changed forever…”

This, a bit like Isadora Moon, is a brilliantly illustrated short chapter book filled with adventure and fun. Willow is a young girl who’s got a few things going on in her life that she just wants to escape from for a minute. She goes out to play one day and ends up finding a strange bunch of children in the woods. They end up helping her solve a mystery about the creature in the woods! This is jam packed with loads of brilliant imagination and a sense of magic. If this is going to be a series, it’s going to be a hit with younger children!

And that’s it for now!

Thanks for stopping by! Let me know if you’ve read any of these books, or any you’d like to read! 

S x