Written before the pandemic hit earlier this year, nine-year-old Chet is quarantined in his room for several months due to an illness. With the short length (76 pages), the story is closer to a chapter book than a full-blown MG novel. I could see this used as a read-aloud in the classroom or at home for kids in grades 3-5.

Here’s the official synopsis:

This is a story about a lonely boy who had to stay in his room all by himself, all day every day for months, because the illness he had was contagious. He would get better but it would take time—a lot of time. One day, to keep himself busy and to take his mind off his loneliness, he was playing a game on his tablet. In the middle of the game, a real-life ant walked across the screen. It looked like a plain, ordinary ant, just like all the others the boy had seen in the garden and sometimes in the house. But the boy discovered, over the weeks that followed, that this was no ordinary ant. It did wondrous and seemingly magical things, and yet it was always kind and gentle and really helped the boy to overcome his loneliness and to get well.

It’s a charming story and in our current world readers will fully understand the boredom and frustrations Chet has each day. The ant provides an outlet and helps Chet cope with his unfortunate situation. Numerous colorful pictures compliment the text well. A promising first children’s book by this author.

About John Sharer
John Sharer was born in England, and has published two previous books:.Honor Knows No Borders (2010) and The Cockney Lad and Jim Crow (2015). John was naturalized as an American citizen while in the Army during the Korean War, but also retained his UK citizenship. After leaving the service, he graduated from UCLA as an undergraduate and then Law School. Currently, he is a practicing trial lawyer, mainly in California, and an adjunct professor at Pepperdine Law School. He and his wife reside in Southern California, and have two children and two grandchildren. 

For more visit John’s website. You can order ANTS DON’T TALK, DO THEY? at Amazon or Barnes & Noble

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Blogging about middle grade books or authors next week? Join the celebration:

All you have to do is blog about a middle grade book on a Monday (contests, author interviews, or anything middle grade related also count). Email me the title of the book or feature and a link to your blog at gpcolo[at]gmail[dot]com

Make sure you put MMGM or Marvelous Middle Grade Monday in the subject line so it gets sorted accurately–and please don’t forget to say what book or author you’re featuring) You MUST email me your link by Sunday evening (11 PM Eastern Time) in order to be included in the list of links for the coming Monday.

Thanks for spreading the middle grade love and for being a part of this awesome tradition begun by Shannon Messenger and carried on here at ALWAYS in the MIDDLE! (CLICK HERE FOR PAST MMGM POSTS)

*Please note: these posts are not a reflection of my own opinions on the books featured. Each blogger is responsible for their own MMGM content and I do not pre-screen reviews ahead of time, nor do I control what books they choose. I simply assemble the list based on the links that are emailed to me.