Thank you so much for joining YABC’s Valentine’s Day Giveaway 2024 (Middle Grade)!
Check out all the books being offered and enter this amazing giveaway down below.
Themes include: Love of Family, Self, Friendship, & Relationships
Title: Penny Draws a Best Friend
Author: Sara Shepard
Publisher: Penguin / Dutton Books for Young Readers
Release Date: 5/16/2023
Title: Courtesy of Cupid
Author: Nashae Jones
Release Date: Jan. 2nd 2024
Publisher: Simon and Schuster (Aladdin)
Erin Johnson’s thirteenth birthday unfolds like any other day, from her mom’s quirky and embarrassing choice of outfit to racing her nemesis, Trevor Jin, to the best seat in class—front row, center. But her gifts this year include something very out of the ordinary: magical powers.
Erin discovers her mysterious father is actually the love god Cupid and she’s inherited his knack for romance. It’s not the most useful ability for an overachiever with lofty academic and extracurricular goals…or is it? Erin desperately wants to be elected president of the Multicultural Leadership Club, and as usual, Trevor is her fiercest competition. He’s never backed down from a challenge before, but if Erin makes him fall in love with her, maybe he’d drop out of the race and let her win.
With her magical pedigree, wrapping Trevor around her finger is a snap, and having him around all the time is a small price to pay for victory. But without their cutthroat rivalry bringing out the worst in each other, Erin realizes Trevor may not be as bad as she thought, and suddenly her first foray into love gets a lot more complicated…
Title: Ferris
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Release Date: March 5, 2024
Title: Ellie in First Position
Author: Brian Freschi
Publisher: Marble Press
Release Date: October 3, 2023
Can a sport klutz reach her dream and dance? A charming and hilarious, slice of life, middle grade graphic novel about ten year old Electra who refuses to give up her dream to take ballet.
After moving, Ellie feels lonely in her new class. Mom has a solution, the girl needs to join the school’s sports team to make friends. There is only one problem, no matter what sport she tries Electra makes an utter fool of herself. In the middle of her misery, enchanted by her cousin’s ballet performance, Ellie suddenly knows what she wants more than anything, dancing. If only mom could agree.
A page turner, full of relatable conflicts, Ellie in First Position is a humorous, positive and heartwarming story about resilience, self-love, new experiences, and friendship. By the end of the book, Ellie doesn’t only learn to accept herself and her family, makes new friends and even has her first crush, but manages to deal with her bullies too.
Fans of The Babysitters Club, Fancy Nancy, or the Stepping Stones series will love Ellie in First Position.
Title: The U-nique Lou Fox
Author: Jodi Carmichael
Publisher: Pajama Press
Release Date: August 9, 2022
Award-winning author Jodi Carmichael, who has ADHD
herself, affirms and celebrates those who struggle with their uniqueness and
triumphantly discover its gifts
It isn’t easy being Louisa Elizabeth Fitzhenry-O’Shaughnessy–especially with dyslexia. She prefers Lou Fox, the dream name she’ll use one day as a famous Broadway playwright. In the meantime, Lou is stuck in fifth grade with Mrs. Snyder, a total Shadow Phantom of a teacher who can spot a daydream from across the room but doesn’t know anything about ADHD. Mrs. Snyder’s constant attention is ex-cru-ci-a-ting. If only she would disappear.
Fortunately, life isn’t all a-tro-cious. There’s The Haunting at Lakeside School, the play Lou is writing and directing for her two best friends. And soon she’ll be a big sister at last. Nothing could ruin the joy of those things…right?
Title: Moth in a Fancy Cardigan
Author: Charlotte Lance
Publisher: Berbay Publishing
Release Date: July 2, 2023
This is the story of Gary Grey Moth who desperately wants to be seen and Florence Butterfly who has had enough of being noticed. What would happen if they swapped cardigans and could each be the bug they always wanted to be?
This fast-paced and perceptive story is about expectations and identity, told from the unlikely but utterly relatable perspectives of a moth and a butterfly. They’re not so different, if you really think about it.
From Melbourne-based author Charlotte Lance and internationally renowned artist David Booth (also known as Ghostpatrol), comes this humorous, insightful coming-of-age junior fiction novel, illustrated in 2/c throughout.
Title: The Lonely Book
Author: Meg Grehan
Publisher: Little Island Books
Release Date: September 12, 2023
A warm and loving story about how a non-binary person comes to understand and accept themselves by an award-winning queer author.
Every morning, when Annie’s moms open up their bookshop, there’s a pile of books on the counter, waiting for the right reader to come and find them.
But one day, there’s a book nobody comes for. Nobody ever comes, and each day the book gets lonelier, and the bookshop becomes an unhappy place. Who can the book be for, and why don’t they come?
Eventually, the book finds the reader who needs it: Annie’s sister, Charlotte. Charlotte asks the family to call her Charlie now, and to use ‘they/them’ pronouns.
The bookshop cheers up. Customers start buying books again.
Title: Human Kindness
Author: John Francis
Publisher: What on Earth
Release Date: September 6, 2022
Be inspired by incredible stories of
kindness from around the world, and throughout
history.
Join the Planetwalker, John Francis,
on an exploration of kindness, great and small. From the kindness John has
experienced in his own life to the history of how kindness has helped to shape
our laws, morals and communities from around the world.
Over
the whole history of humankind, kindness has been key to the survival of our
species, and to making our world a better place. Learn about Harriet Tubman,
who risked her life to help others escape from slavery, the Nomads Clinic,
which sends doctors trekking into the Himalayas to tend to patients, The Linda
Lindas, a group of young musicians who use their talent to speak up for the
rights of others, Joshua Coombes, a hairdresser who gives free haircuts to the
homeless, and many others. The joyous and awe-inspiring stories in this book
will encourage young readers to be kind to others. And being kind, even in
small ways, turns out to be healthy for you, yet another reason to practice
kindness every day. It’s our planet to share together–let’s be kind.
Title: The Secrets of Cricket Karlesson
Author: Kristina Sigunsdotter
Publisher: Gecko Press
Release Date: April 5, 2022
Winner of the prestigious Swedish August Prize 2020.
A bright, contemporary and fearless novel about an ordinary extraordinary eleven-year-old trying to win back her best friend and get her mother to stop sighing.
Cricket Karlsson is going to become an artist just like her aunt, who loves cheese and art and always speaks her mind. Not like Cricket’s mother, who is dieting and sighs at everything. But now Aunt Frannie has lost her joy and Cricket’s best friend has dumped her for the horse girls.
Eleven-year-old Cricket Karlsson is a warm and complex character with an artistic soul. Written as a diary, tween readers will fall in love with Cricket’s tough yet charming voice as she shares her secret thoughts about her best friend break-up, her Aunt’s breakdown and experimental chewing gum sculptures. Punkish and surprising comic-style illustrations perfectly compliment this coming of age story.
This is a liberating and unexpected story about growing up, fitting in, and sorting out the adults in our lives that will reach the hearts of young readers (and older ones).
“charming, funny, deceptively deep.” The New York Times
Kristina Sigunsdotter is a Swedish writer, artist and playwright. She is also the founder of The Poetry Factory, a poetry workshop for children.
Ester Eriksson is an artist and cartoonist from Sweden.
Title: Melody Queen
Author: Puneet Bhandal
Publisher: Lantana Publishing
Release Date: Sepember 5, 2023
Can music-obsessed Simi stand up to a gender-biased industry?
Twelve-year-old Simi’s life is set. First: graduate from the Bollywood Academy, school to future stars. Second: become a super-famous actor, just like her showbiz parents. There’s only one problem: Simi would rather make music than act, and music is a profession dominated by men. Can Simi navigate the gender barriers of the industry to prove she has what it takes to become Bollywood’s next big music composer?
A story of passion for music and courage in the face of overwhelming odds, this second book in the dazzling world of Bollywood is sure to get your toes tapping and head bopping to Simi’s beat.
Title: Haarville
Author: Justin Davies
Publisher: Floris Books
Release Date: June 6, 2023
Welcome to Haarville – if you’ve arrived, you’ve survived! This darkly comic, quirky middle-grade mystery adventure is perfect for fans of Malamander and Lemony Snicket.
Off the grid and not on the maps, Haarville is shrouded in fog and steeped in pungent pongs. Everything here smells fishy, especially the town’s suspicious new arrivals.
Twelve-year-old Manx Fearty is an orphan (his family has a terrible habit of dying, terribly), and now he’s about to lose their perpetual device shop to sinister newcomers claiming to be long-lost relatives. As he sets out to prove them wrong, Manx finds himself on the trail of a murky, mist-muddled mystery – and it’s one he needs to solve fast, otherwise Haarville is doomed.
With the help of his fiercely protective drag-queen guardian Father G (aka the fabulous Gloria in Excelsis), loyal best friend Fantoosh, and oystercatcher-with-attitude Olu, Manx wades through secrets, schemes and some stomach-churning seafood. Can he save both his family’s legacy and his town?
Title: The Do Over
Author: Jennifer Torres
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: June 07, 2022
From the author of Stef Soto, Taco Queen comes this story about sisterhood, friendship, and the intricacies of blended families.
The Mendoza sisters need a do-over!
Raquel and Lucinda used to be inseparable. But ever since their parents split, Raquel has been acting like editor-in-chief of their lives. To avoid her overbearing sister, Lucinda spends most of her time with her headphones on, practicing her skating routine.
Then a pandemic hits, and the sisters are forced to spend the lockdown at their dad’s ranch house. Suddenly Raquel sees a chance to get back everything they’ve lost. If they can convince their mom to come along, maybe they can get their parents to fall in love again and give their family a second chance, a do-over.
But at the ranch, they get a not-so-welcome surprise: their dad’s new girlfriend and her daughter are already living there! Lucinda finds she actually likes them, which only makes Raquel more desperate to get rid of them. And as her Raquel’s schemes get more and more out of hand, Lucinda starts to wonder what they are really fighting for. Is trying to bring the Mendoza family back together really just tearing them further apart?
Title: Making Friends #3: Third Times a Charm
Author: Kristen Gudsnuk
Publisher: Graphix
Release Date: August 03, 2021
Dany’s sketchbook is at it again, but this time it’s not Dany’s doing!
Dany and Madison are living a new reality. Rather than best friends, the pair now believe they are twins — and that isn’t the only part of their lives that has been completely rewritten. Their mom is a novelist, their dad is a rock star, and Dany has suddenly become a diligent student.
Things. Aren’t. Adding. Up.
Dany and Madison start sleuthing and discover that someone has drastically altered the universe! Can the pair put things back the way they were, or is this magic beyond their control?
Title: A Beautiful Something Else
Author: Ash Van Otterloo
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: May 16, 2023
Full of humor and heartbreak, this story about a nonbinary character navigating a binary world is perfect for fans of Alex Gino and Kyle Lukoff.
It’s exhausting trying to be the perfect daughter. Still, getting good grades without making any waves may be the only way to distract from the fact that Sparrow Malone’s mother is on the verge of falling apart. Which means no getting upset. No being weird. No standing out for the wrong reasons.
But when Mom’s attempts to cope spiral out of control, Sparrow is sent to live with Aunt Mags on a sprawling estate full of interesting, colorful new neighbors. And for the first time, trying to fit in doesn’t feel right anymore. Even Sparrow’s shadow has stopped following the rules.
As Shadow nudges Sparrow to try all the scary, exciting things Mom has always forbidden, Sparrow begins to realize something life-changing: They don’t feel like a girl. Or a boy. And while this discovery is exciting, now Sparrow must decide whether to tell everyone―their new family and friends, not-so-secret crush, and, most importantly, their mom―the truth, especially if it means things change forever.
Title: Lemon Drop Falls
Author: Heather Clark
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press/North Star Editions
Release Date: Feb 15, 2022
Mom’s last words: Keep them safe. Help them be happy.
Morgan promised, so she sacrifices soccer, free time, and friendships for her younger siblings. But when Dad’s “talk therapy” campout ignites Morgan’s anxiety, she makes a reckless decision to prove she can fill Mom’s shoes . . . which leaves her literally fighting for survival.
Title: It Happened on Saturday
Author: Sydney Dunlap
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press/North Star Editions
Release Date: Feb 21, 2023
After thirteen-year-old Julia nearly becomes a victim of human trafficking, she must find the courage to speak up about her experience or else her friend could end up becoming a victim too.
Title: The Art of Running Away
Author: Sabrina Kleckner
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press/North Star Editions
Release Date: Nov 16, 2021
When Maisie reconnects with her estranged 22-year-old brother abroad while trying to save her family’s portrait studio, she uncovers a truth about her parents that changes everything.
*GIVEAWAY DETAILS*
One winner will receive a copy of each title from YABC’s Valentine’s Giveaway 2024 (Middle Grade)! ~US ONLY
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*
These would be great to add to my MS library.
Books look great! Hope we win!
Great selection!
I have lots of these on my wish list already! Keeping my fingers crossed.
My daughter would love these!