Middle Grade March TBR | March 2024

[@michaelmccarty]

Oh, I love Wonder -- and I hope you do, too! How fun to find a book set in Fremont -- I'd love to read a book set in San Leandro (my hometown). And the Kate Klise book sounds so intriguing. Great choices!!!

[@jensreadinglife]

I just finished Wonder and loved it! I didn't realize you were from San Leandro...that's where my dad grew up!

[@elizabethbrink3761]

What a great TBR! I can't wait to hear your thoughts about what you read. I hope you love Anne of Avonlea! I love the Regarding the Fountain series! I read them when I was a teenager. I am really looking forward to the group read. I have such a huge stack. 😂 One of the books I'm most looking forward to is The Pink Motel by Carol Ryrie Brink.

[@jensreadinglife]

Oh I can’t wait to hear what you think of The Pink Motel! I really want to read that one!

[@darrylfriesen]

I can’t wait for you to get to Rilla, Jen! It’s just SO good!! When you get to it, try to get ahold of the 2010 release of Rilla of Ingleside edited by Benjamin Lefebvre, Canada’s current leading scholar on L. M. Montgomery. He discovered that Rilla had been silently abridged in the American paperback edition, and that it’s basically only been available in that edition ever since! The restored edition is so worth reading, and contains some beautiful passages of nature writing and extra details about the lives of the women and children left at home during WWI.

[@jensreadinglife]

Thank you so much for the tip, Darryl! I’ll definitely be sure to track down that edition. 😊

[@Readingindarknesss]

I have shooting Kabul on my tbr! And I never read Esperanza rising but I always meant to.

[@tennisfan2658]

Jen, you are a kindred spirit! Our mothers obviously molded our tastes! I wanted to marry Lord Peter while traversing the Hollow Hills in ballet shoes. I was an original English major who graduated with a Fine Arts degree -- kismet! Thanks for reminding me of Beverly Nichols. I'm now on the search to find every one of his books. Have you read Tey's Daughter of Time & Helen MacInnes who went out of print for years but now back on the shelves?

[@jensreadinglife]

Kindred spirits indeed! I read Daughter of Time years ago but need to reread it. And now I have to look up Helen MacInnes because clearly I need to read her!

[@theresas709]

I am also reading Because of Winn-Dixie this year. I read A Kind of Paradise last year and really liked it. I have that exact copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond, from my childhood, and have never read it. I am older than you. I can't believe I still have it.

[@jensreadinglife]

I'm so impressed you have a book from your childhood that you haven't read! I have so many childhood books that I wish I'd kept. I only have about 4 left from back then...makes me so sad.

[@theresas709]

@@jensreadinglife I am very surprised because my mom's house had a leaky roof and a lot of them were damaged. I am lucky to still have what I do. Luckily my Nancy Drew are still in good shape.☺

[@MyBookHauledLife]

Hello! I am reading at least one Newbery book each month. In Feb '24 I read Because of Winn Dixie. It has so many amazing life lessons for adults that I did not absorb when I read it as a child. In March I plan to read Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt and then I plan to explore more of that series as well as several others by the same author.

[@jensreadinglife]

I loved Dicey’s Song and Homecoming when I was a kid! Enjoy them!

[@gretchen6475]

It sounds like you have a nice bunch of books to choose from for March! I am planning to read the group read. It just came in at the library for me. Also reading Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson. I heard about it and was intrigued. March seems like a good time to read it. Other than that, I will just see where the month takes me. I read Regarding The Fountain way back in 2012 (it's a good thing I kept lists of the books I read). It was just as good as it sounds. I also liked The Witch of Blackbird Pond. All of Elizabeth George Speare's books are good. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the books you read!

[@jensreadinglife]

I'll definitely share all my thoughts at the end of the month! I need to read Eva Ibbotson...I have a few of her books on my shelf waiting to be read.

[@Knownforherhair]

Your teapot lamp is to die for! It's so cute and cozy!🫖💓

[@jensreadinglife]

Thank you! My mom gave it to me. 😊

[@susanbaird4552]

I loved The Witch of Blackbird Pond-both as a child and as an adult. Interestingly I never read any Montgomery as a child and I wonder if she was somewhat out of favor in the 70’s? Great list of reads!

[@tennisfan2658]

Ahhh, thanks for the memory -- I loved that book too along with a book about Nantucket (?), Secret Garden (of course!) & Phanthom Tollbooth.

[@jensreadinglife]

Maybe there was something about Anne and the 70's! I need to start an informal poll of my friends and see if they've read it or not. Everyone seems to love Witch of Blackbird Pond so I am really excited about that one!

[@jensreadinglife]

LOVED The Phantom Tollbooth! Great book!

[@insearchofwonder]

I think the PBS movie of Anne of Green Gables released in the eighties and revived interest in LMM and the Anne series. I'm an eighties child and totally grew up on Anne. I also love the Little House series!

[@jensreadinglife]

I definitely think you are right about the Anne tv series. Which I also still need to watch but it's hard to find!

[@amyofhearthridge]

Sooo many fun choices! ♥️

[@jensreadinglife]

I’m excited about all of them!

[@Michelle-Loves-Books]

Regarding the Fountain sounds promising! I'll be interested to hear about it if you manage to fit in reading it. I'm always on the lookout for good books to give to my middle-grader.

[@jensreadinglife]

It’s pretty short and I really want to read it so stay tuned for my wrap up video and I’ll share my thoughts on it. 😊

[@sassykassispages]

Ohh, I absolutely adore Because of Winn-Dixie! Just a sweet book! Good picks this month!

[@jensreadinglife]

I have a feeling I’m going to love it too!

[@TheLibraryMouseGina]

My students in fourth grade loved Wonder but the ultimate favorite was Because of Winn-Dixie. One of my all time favorite books to read every year. ❤❤

[@jensreadinglife]

I’m so glad to hear that!

[@gracetaylor7351]

Thanks Jen for this video very interested in some these some I haven’t read before or heard of before .❤

[@jensreadinglife]

You are so welcome! I’m glad there were some new to you books! 😊

[@sherrystengel9673]

I am participating in MGM again this year. I don’t have my choices set in stone yet. I work in an elementary library & have chosen, for the first time, to display the prompts and book choices in the library for students to read. After I explained it to my upper grades, every one of the choices I had displayed for the refugee/immigrant prompt were checked out. Well, there went my choices for what I was going to read for that prompt, so I need to do some more digging and find other ones for them and myself!😂. That’s a good problem to have! On the topic of YA books, I too haven’t read hardly any YA. However, I stumbled upon Sharon Cameron’s The Light in Hidden Places & absolutely loved it. It was Historical Fiction set during WW II. I am currently reading Bluebird by her, which is also Historical Fiction set in that time period. I highly recommend both of them!

[@jensreadinglife]

My best friend is an elementary librarian! How fun. And thank you for the YA recommendation. I will definitely check out that author. I hope you’re able to find some books for the prompts before your students check them all out! 😂

[@janenightreadsandwrites223]

Because of Winn Dixie is on my March TBR too.

[@jensreadinglife]

I’m excited for it! It seems to be a favorite of many.

[@susanmay4215]

I have Emily Climbs on my to be read list for March. I very much enjoyed Emily of New Moon. I'm listening right now to Anne of the Island. Once again, a great video, Jen. Thanks!

[@jensreadinglife]

Thanks Susan! We should chat about Emily Climbs when we both finish it.

[@MLLatUtube]

I love Regarding the Fountain! I have never heard anyone on KZbin talk about this series. I picked up Inside Out and Back Again for my immigrant choice, because it is in verse and I am hoping it will be as good as Other Words for Home. I also chose The Highly Trained Dogs as my animal on the cover choice. I remember reading The Witch of Blackbird Pond as a child and pleading with my parents for "just one more chapter!" at bedtime. I think it was the first book I read that was so compelling. I can't wait to hear what you have to say about your books.

[@jensreadinglife]

Inside Out & Back Again is excellent. I don't think you'll be disappointed. There is so much love for Witch of Blackbird Pond so it's a MUST READ!

[@eileennielsen5165]

Because Of Winn Dixie is a FABULOUS book! There is a movie also w/ Jeff Daniels as the Dad. I never read Anne Of Green Gables until I bought it for my daughters! I ended up buying them EVERY series L.M. Montgomery wrote, so of course I read them also. Also bought some stand alone books by her for myself. She wrote a Poetry book too. In my TBR mountain, I have "After Anne" . Her life after she stopped writing. I also am going to read some bks. I missed as a child/ middle reader. I was always curious about The Witch Of Black Bird Pond. Will read that and some of your other recommendations. Thank you!🤗

[@jensreadinglife]

I'm so glad I'm not alone in having missed out on Anne as a child! I hope you find some great reads this month and I'll be sure to report back on all of mine.