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First up is the appealing graphic novel, WINGING IT. Luna lost her mother when she was just a baby. The only things she has to keep that person in her thoughts are her name, old photos, and nature journals. Mom’s passion was the environment and she named her daughter after the Luna moth.

Luna lives with her dad in California. She has friends and a good life. That is until Dad takes a job back east and they move to the Washington D.C. area. Just as upsetting is that they will be living with her mother’s mom, the grandma she barely knows. The story covers the next year and chapters are titled by each month.

As Luna adjusts to the new environment she begins to take an interest in the outdoors like her mother. Her goal is to see the rare Luna moth in its natural environment. The confusing relationship she has with her grandmother takes on a new direction. Illustrations and text blend nicely with the facial expressions of each character, boldly displaying every emotion.

WINGING IT is a fun, charming tale that is perfect for the middle grade audience. Another plus are the back pages with directions on how to create your own nature journal.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Megan Wagner Lloyd is the Eisner-nominated writer of the bestselling and award winning kids’ graphic novels Allergic and Squished, co-created with illustrator Michelle Mee Nutter, and the Super Pancake kids’ graphic novel series, co-created with illustrator Abhi Alwar. Megan is also the author of the children’s novel Haven: A Small Cat’s Big Adventure, the picture book How to Catch Some Zzzs, illustrated by Jade Orlando, and several more books. She lives with her family in the Washington, DC area.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Michelle Mee Nutter is an Eisner-nominated comic artist based in Boston. Her work includes bestselling graphic novels Allergic and Squished and several picture books, includingThe Girl Who Built an Ocean and Peyton Picks the Perfect Pie. Her favorite part of illustrating is capturing a character’s emotions and making readers feel seen. When she isn’t working, you can usually find her doing puzzles, playing video games or perusing stationery shops.

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Halloween is in one week and what better way to get in the spooky mood than by reading THE BLACK MARKET. You’ll find two appealing characters and a not too scary tale for the Halloween season.

Ten-year-old Martin loves horror movies, spending time with his best friend Jess, and the unannounced visit from his great-aunt. Her latest visit came the day before Halloween with a gift for Martin: a pair of curly toed shoes made from an extinct animal hide. She also tells him a secret as to where they came from: none other than the Black Market where once a year those who know about it can trade for some unusual items.

When the Black Market turns up down a dark alley in his home town on Halloween, Martin just has to visit. He gets in and eventually trades his new shoes in for a very famous Bag of Dirty Tricks. To Martin and Jess it sounds like fun, but they soon realize the tricks aren’t so harmless. First Martin’s Dad turns bright red from head to toe, then the grouchy neighbor next door sprouts long branches from his ears and fingers. They decide to bury the bag. It turns up in the wrong hands and the two friends devise a plan to find out who has it and hopefully destroy the remaining tricks in the bag.

Martin’s kid-like narration gives readers a story with page turning appeal and a lot of plot twists. The character ARCS for both Martin and Jess are a highlight as they go from pranking others to seeing the harm they are doing and try to change. The occasional illustrations add to the fun and spooky aspect of the story.

THE BLACK MARKET is a great addition to the shelves for Halloween. It would actually be an entertaining read any time of the year.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jed Alexander is an author and illustrator who has done work for a variety of publications, including Cricket Magazine and SpongeBob Comics. He’s the author of three critically acclaimed wordless picture books, Red, and Gold and Olive. His recent release is the Middle Grade Novel, The Black Market. He lives in Davis California with his wife and best friend in the world, Regina.

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It’s almost time for another Marvelous Middle Grade Monday. Won’t you join us? It’s here I share highlights and links from other bloggers about middle grade books. Many of the posts will have reviews, interviews, and tips on writing. Take a look at PAST MMGM POSTS.

It’s easy to get a spot in the lineup. 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 don’t forget to say what 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 that week’s MMGM.

*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.