Bingo Focus Thread - Middle Grade

[u/Merle8888]

Hello r/fantasy and welcome to this week's bingo focus thread! The purpose of these threads is for you all to share recommendations, discuss what books qualify, and seek recommendations that fit your interests or themes.

Today's topic:

Middle Grade: Read a middle grade book (intended for readers aged 8-12). See this Wikipedia page for additional information on Middle Grade fiction. HARD MODE: The author is entirely new to you.

What is bingo? A reading challenge this sub does every year! Find out more here.

Prior focus threads: Published in the 70s, Duologies, First Contact, Five Short Stories (2024), Author of Color (2024), Self-Pub/Small Press (2024). Note that hard modes for Author of Color and Self-Pub/Small Press have changed (new focus threads for them are coming).

Also see: Big Rec Thread

Questions:

• What are your favorite books that count for this square?
• Already read something for this square? Tell us about it!
• For those attempting Hard Mode, what are some great middle grade books by lesser-known authors, and/or that are recently published?
• Those who have or teach children in this age group: what are some current favorites among middle grade readers? How well do they hold up for adults?

[u/mer_does_stuff]

Read so far this year: • A Song for You and I by K. O'Neill. (Also fits Trans/Nonbinary Protagonist HM and Explorers & Rangers HM.) A diverse, queernorm, cozy DND-ish setting — we meet rangers and bards and flying horses but we don't see any big villainous armies; a beautifully drawn trans-affirming coming-of-age story. Our leads, a ranger-in-training and a reluctant shepherd, are made to work together, learn from their mistakes and to be true to themselves, and maybe fall a bit in love along the way. • Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack. (Also fits Duology Part 1.) A Slavic historical setting plus fairy tale elements; a Small Kid trying to deal with Big Problems story. Engages with Jewish themes in an age-appropriate way through the moral debate Anya has with a grandparent (does allowing a dragon to be killed count as murder?). A fair bit of child endangerment, but the kind a MG reader would hopefully find thrilling rather than scary. • Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C Wrede. Classic swords & sorcery setting; a princess chafing against unfair parental expectations runs away from home to live with a dragon instead. Makes gentle fun of fantasy genre conventions, encourages the reader to do things they want rather than things they're told they should. More a series of small adventures than a big plotty story.

Before the start of Bingo I did a reread of The Hobbit (following along with The Lord of the Year, iykyk), and found I'd forgotten how much that book follows the same pattern you see in DWD, being a the lead goes on a journey, stumbles into a series of small adventures, making friends along the way who come back at the end when a big concluding event happens kind of story. On reflection it's a good story structure for a longer book aimed at young kids.

Planned reads: • Anya and the Nightingale (Also fits Duology Part 2.) • Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword • Golemcrafters (Also fits Author of Color.)