MMGM: The Battle (The Gauntlet #2) by Karuna Riazi

It's been four years since Farah Mirza proved that "there is no one who knows how to play - and win - a game better than a Mirza" in The Gauntlet. And if you read The Gauntlet, you will no doubt remember her younger brother Ahmad, and Farah's quest to rescue him from the game world of Paheli that he found himself in or remain there until another game player comes along and wins.

Ahmad is now a 7th grader at PS 52 on New York's Upper East Side. He's not the star student his sister was, he still has difficulties paying attention in school and always drawing an elaborate game world called Paheli. Ahmad has not recollection of actually being in Paheli, thinking his drawing are inspired by family trips to India and Bangladesh, instead. But he really gets in trouble when a mysterious package arrives at school, addressed to Ahmad and sent by Farah, now a student at Princeton. And thanks to the smartest girl in class, Winnie Williamson, the school lets him have the package, which turns out to be a game cartridge called The Battle.

Almost as soon as they load it, New York freezes, Ahmad and Winnie find themselves in the world of Paheli and the game begins. The first person in hologram form that they meet is the MasterMind, master coder and rebuilder of Paheli "all new and upgraded for the twenty-first century." She's working for the game master known simply as the Architect. The object of the game is to win the three challenges the MasterMind and the Architect set up and New York along with all its occupants will be unfrozen.

After they learn the object of the game, Ahmad and Winnie make their way to teashop of Madame Nasirah, the gamekeeper. Her job is to guide and help players with the game. She gives them each a knapsack with several items to help them: a map, a water bottle, a lantern, and snacks. Fortified, they are ready to face their three challenges and unfreeze New York.

Along the way,  Ahmad and Winnie meet some Paheli residents from Farah's game, besides Madame Nasirah and Lord Amari the Architect. Vijay Bhai, who was 12 when he was left behind in Paheli after his friend Zohra Bhuiyan was ejected from the game by the Architect (see page 214 in The Gauntlet). And Titus Salt, former controller of Paheli, moving the city with clockwork precision, now haunting alleyways since the MasterMind took over Paheli. 

The three challenges are as action packed as any video game, all the more so because the MasterMind keeps tweaking the code. Unfortunately, she's tweaked the life right out of Paheli, as T.T., a giant mouse explains "The code doesn't allow for life." For example, the souk used to be a place teeming with vendors, shopkeepers, shoppers, and good smells, now they have repetitive conversations while repeating the same actions over and over. The excitement and activity in the souk was one of the things I really liked about The Gauntlet, and I missed here.

In all fairness to the character of Ahmad, I found him to be super annoying in The Gauntlet and even in the beginning of The Battle, but he did grow and change by the end of the book for the better. Winnie, who is black, is a nice character, smart and kind. She reminded me a little of Farah, but she could have been fleshed out just a bit more.

On the whole, The Battle was a fun book to read, and although I have referred to The Gauntlet a number of times, I do think that this sequel would stand alone. Bottom line: I was very excited when I heard there would be a sequel to the first book, and while I wasn't totally disappointed by this book, it pains me to say that I didn't really love it as much as the first book - and I totally blame it on the MasterMind.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was received from Salaam Reads

Be sure to check out the other Marvelous Middle Grade Monday offerings, now being carried on by Greg at Always in the Middle. 

🌝A Brilliant Hunter's Moon This Year🍂🍁

When the Moon is Full: A Lunar Year by Penny Pollock,

illustrated by Mary Azarian

Sadly this book is out of print, but can be found in libraries and used book sites like ABEBooks.com

The Hunter's Moon is the first full moon occurring after the Harvest Moon. Both moons help people prepare for the coming winter. The Harvest Moon for food gathering and storing, the Hunter's Moon for getting meat and skins for warmth. And tonight is the night of the Hunter's Moon and if you can see it, it's going to be a brilliant orange casting it's glow across the night sky (and also marking the official start of the Halloween season).

The October poem below is from When the Moon is Full by Penny Pollock. Each of the 12 months is represented by its traditional Native American name, followed by a poem exemplifying the meaning of that moon, and complimented with a absolutely beautiful matching painted woodcut illustration:

After I posted the poem about the Harvest Moon last month, I dug out my old copy of this book. I had used it for teaching when I was still a classroom teacher in the Bronx. New York City kids learn about the history of New York State, and the Six Nations the formed the Iroquois Confederacy (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and, as of 1722,Tuscarora). My kids were mostly interested in the kinds of things kids relate to - how the Iroquois lived, what they ate, what did they do for entertainment, how they dressed. I used When the Moon is Full to help them understand the importance of the lunar calendar in the life of Native Americans. And even though it wasn't related to New York, we also read The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich, which my kids always loved.

If you would like to know more about the Six Nations, please visit Haudenosaunee Guide for Educators

Blog Tour: The Bootlace Magician (Circus Mirandus Book 2) by Cassie Beasley

As we learned in the first book, once you have visited Circus Mirandus, you usually can't return. That's the rule. Mostly. But some lucky people do get to return, and for us, the lucky ones, the cost of the ticket is reading the book...oh, yes, and believing in magic.

Micah Tuttle, 11, returned and has been traveling with the Circus Mirandus for several months now, and living with his guardian, the Lightbender. Basically happy, living a peaceful life with the circus, Micah is still painfully missing his deceased grandpa Ephraim, and his best friend Jenny Mendoza back in Peal, and hoping to discover just what magic his knots can do. Luckily, Jenny is coming to visit Circus Mirandus for a day, armed with a chart to help Micah figure that out.

Micah has also been spending a lot of time in the menagerie tent, visiting Fish in his aquarium and feeding him knots full of memories. Ephraim Tuttle had used Fish so long ago to enter Circus Mirandus. Mr. Head, the circus manager, has also decided that Micah is just the person to care for an abandoned baby Unicorn named Terpsichore. But Micah knows that Unicorns didn't abandon their babies, no matter what and he is puzzled by what could have happened to Terp and his mother.

But even after Micah figures out what may have happened to Terp, it's treated like a long shot. Yet, when a sudden severe storm hits during Jenny's visit and lightning strikes the menagerie tent, it begins to look like someone is trying to hurt or destroy Circus Mirandus. And after finding some notebooks that his grandmother, Victoria Starling, had borrowed before she was banished from the circus, Micah has a pretty good idea what is happening, but why? Victoria had been called the Bird Woman, flying with a flock of birds that she controlled with a wordless song - until one night she destroyed the birds during a show, angry that the Lightbender would not let her achieve what she so desperately craved.

But when Victoria Starling attacks the circus again, it looks as though it's days are numbered, and now she wants to get Micah to help her get what she has always craved so badly - fame and glory. But how does Fish figure into her grand scheme?

I loved reading Circus Mirandus and was so happy to learn there would be a sequel. And it is every bit a good as the first book.  Cassie Beasley has once again created a magical world that just felt so familiar and welcoming. I sat and read until I was finished and then went through the book again, not wanting to once again say goodbye to these favorite characters, especially Micah.

Beasley really knows how to flesh out her characters, and even though they felt complete in the first book, they turn out to be even more complex here. Even Micah, just 11, has a true understanding and appreciation for the world he now lives in, but without a desire to abandon the world that Jenny lives in. And Jenny, the rational girl who needed to be convinced that magic existed, has become one of Micah's greatest champions and a great Circus Mirandus enthusiast. It was wonderful watching her excitement during her visit.

The Bootlace Magician does stand on its own, enough background information is provided, but why do that when you can have the joy of reading Circus Mirandus followed by this novel. And like that first novel, this is an extraordinary coming of age story about courage, faith, and the people who become our family, and a story that is not to be missed.

May the Circus Mirandus continue "to fight to keep enchantment alive" in the world for children. And remember, when you hear the drums and pipes, the circus has come to town and you know what to do.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was a ARC received from Friya at Penguin Random House 

🎃Blog Tour: The Itty-Bitty Witch by Trisha Speed Shaskan, illustrated by Xindi Yan

The Itty-Bitty Witch by Trisha Speed Shaskan, 

illustrated by Xindi Yan

Two Lions Press, 2019, 32 pages 

Betty is so excited to begin first-grade at witch school. Small for her age, Betty's broom is small as well. But the other kids laugh at her kinder-broom and start calling her Itty Bitty instead of Betty.

And no matter how many times she corrects them, they continue to all her Itty Bitty, which always makes her feel small inside. It doesn't help that she isn't as fast or as skillful as the other witches whenever they practice flying on their brooms. And the other witches aren't very nice about it.

But when the teacher announces the Halloween Dash, a competition among the students, Betty is convinced that if she wins the race, the other kids will stop calling her that awful name. Betty maps out the race course, makes up a rhymes to remember it and practices, practices, practices. Will her strategy work or will Betty be hindered by a "kinder-broom" and her size?

The Itty-Bitty Witch is less a Halloween tale and more a story about how hurtful the name-calling of peers can be. The text and illustrations really capture Betty's sinking self-esteem the more she is called Itty Bitty as she struggles to keep up with the other kids. However, readers see how quick thinking and cleverness save the day for Betty. The colorful, digital cartoon-like illustrations compliment a text with lots of onomatopoeia and I like the fact that the first-grade witch class is quite diverse. A fun book for kids that is sure to become a favorite.

Watch the Trailer:

Meet the Author:

When Trisha Speed Shaskan was a child, Halloween meant bobbing for apples, daring to touch brains (which may have been noodles), and—best of all—wearing costumes. She still loves dressing up for Halloween. Trisha is the author of more than forty children’s books, including Punk Skunks and the Q & Ray series, both illustrated by her husband, Stephen Shaskan. Trisha lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with Stephen; their cat, Eartha; and their dog, Beatrix. Learn more at www.trishaspeedshaskan.com.

Find her on Twitter and Facebook

Meet the Illustrator:

Xindi Yan grew up in a small city called Wuhu in China, and like Betty, she was always the smallest in her class. Standing a little shy of five feet, she still can’t reach the high shelves in grocery stores and sometimes finds that shoes made for kids fit her best. But her size didn’t stop her from chasing her big dreams of being a published artist in New York City. Xindi is the illustrator of Sylvia Rose and the Cherry Tree by Sandy Shapiro Hurt and the Craftily Ever After series by Martha Maker. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and hopes to have a puppy one day. Learn more at www.xindiyanart.com

Twitter: @xindiyan

Instagram: @xindiyanart

This book is recommended for readers age 4+
This book was provided by Blue Slip Media

📚It's Cybils Award Nomination Time Again! 😃 What are you nominating?

Remember that middle grade book that made you sigh when you finished it because it was just so good and now you have to say good-bye and, oh golly, you just loved that protagonist?

Or how about that picture book that made you laugh out loud? Or shed a tear or two? How about the one the kids want you to read over and over and over again?

And then there's that YA book that made you shake you head in agreement and think, yes, that is just how it is when you're a teen?

Perhaps you've read a novel written in verse that touched your heartstrings?

Well, if you have a favorite in any of the 10 categories that make up the Cybils, now is your chance to…NOMINATE THEM FOR A CYBILS AWARD!

What are the 10 categories, you might ask?  They are (click link for complete descriptions)

Fiction Picture Books and Board Books
Early Reader/Early Chapter Books
Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction
Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction
Middle Grade Fiction
Poetry
Graphic Novels
YA Fiction
YA Speculative Fiction
Junior/Senior High Nonfiction

Still not sure which category your favs fit in? No problem! Click the link for complete descriptions.

Of course, there are a few rules, but nothing too complicated:

1- You (and you can be anybody, even you) may nominate any book published in the contest year in English. This includes bilingual books;

2- The book must be published in the US or Canada.  It's just more aggravation and expense than we can stand to wheedle free copies from foreign publishers;

3- Only one book nomination per category.  Get your friends and co-workers in on the act if you can't make up your mind;

4- Nominations open October 1st at 12:00 PST and close October 15th. You can find out how to nominate HERE

If you still have questions, you can check out the FAQs

Once again, I am so happy to be a part of the Cybils Awards. I was a Round 2 Judge for several years, and this is my second year as the MG Fiction Category Chair.