Middle Grade Fantasy Favourites: Mystery, Magic and More

The power of a novel to transport one to another world, filled with excitement and thrills, is incredible.  The magic in new middle grade fantasy stories is no exception! As Popp (2021) points out:

“Middle grade books with magical themes are literal magic, in a way. They transport readers to places real or imagined. Their lore is wholly concocted by the author or inspired by mythologies from around the world.”

Further, as Popp (2021) references, these types of novels can help readers feel empowered; magic can help one to achieve their goals—and find courage, and strength and to remember than they have these abilities within them.

This blog will focus on some of my newer fantasy favorites—with strong characters, new adventures and a focus on doing what is right....

CeCe Rios and the  Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera

When CeCe was 7, she was wandering in the desert and met Tzizimitl, the criatura of stars and devouring.   Five years later she encounters a dark criatura  called El Sombrerón when he captures her sister Juana and takes her back to Devil's Alley to make her his bride. Cece is determined to get her sister back and is willing to do whatever it takes to get to Devil’s Alley to save her... even if it means training to be a bruja and practicing dark magic...

 Kirkus describes CeCe as a “...culturally rich adventure weaves Spanish and Nahuatl throughout the text. With strong ties to Mesoamerican lore and culture, the story hits the sweet spot between dark and light.”

This is a story of inner strength, magic, spirits, and adventure and is to keep readers of all ages captivated until the very end! 

Amari and the Night Brothers- B.B. Alston

Quinton Peters, Amari's brother, is missing. She misses him greatly and is determined to find him. One day a mysterious package appears in Quinton's closet containing a magic suit, and a nomination to join a summer camp with the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. It also contains magic glasses that allow her to see a whole other world...

As Amari discovers her inner power, and strength, she also discovers that she is a magician, and unfortunately, magicians are not looked upon with favor in this new world.

This novel has some great lessons about privilege and prejudice, as well as magic, mythical creatures, humor, and adventure (and the best part—it's part of a trilogy!).

Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas

For Nic’s 12th birthday her father gets her a pet hellhound (Cocoa)...but refuses to share with her how to use her ‘gift’ and what makes her a ‘remarkable.’ When Nic gets grounded the same night that her favorite author TJ Retro is in town for a signing, she sneaks out... and that night her world changes forever. She learns that her favorite book series is actually a fictionalized version of her father (and friends) childhoods fighting evil AND that TJ is actually a manifestor!  She learns her dad has been accused of stealing something very powerful and they are in danger.

It is up to Nic to navigate this new world to try to save him, with the help of her Cocoa, her long lost twin, and ‘unremarkable’ best friend as they embark upon the journey of a lifetime.

Kirkus describes as “A story of African American folklore and mythology, and an examination of Black American’s history and trauma in a fantastical world.”  

An excellent novel sure to be devoured!

Charlie Hernandez and the League of Shadows- Ryan Calejo

Charlie grew up listening to his abuela’s stories about the supernatural, but he soon discovers that they may not be just stories...

When Charlie’s parents mysteriously go missing he is determined to find out what happened to them, and why he has started growing feathers (and horns).  When he discovers a map in his mother’s old locket he embarks upon the adventure of a lifetime, where La Llorona, La Cuca and El Sombrerón are awaiting (and are no longer just names from his abuela’s stories).

Chupacarter – George Lopez and Ryan Calejo

A humourous story involving 12 –year-old Jorge, and his new best friend, a 7 foot tall chupacabra! 

When Jorge is sent away to live with his grandparents  he is not pleased.  They live in a remote area of New Mexico, and he doesn’t know anyone there.  When he meets a monster in the woods, he is initially terrified, but he soon learns that the monster Carter is not dangerous, and is just a lonely chupacabra that has been separated from his family.  He soon discovers that they share a love of video games, junk food and shoes, and they become fast friends.

When livestock start showing up dead Jorge becomes worried for Carter’s safety, as the townspeople want to know who (or what) is responsible are looking for creatures in the woods. Jorge knows Carter is innocent, and with the help of his new friends he embarks upon a quest to save him...  

All these great books are available to borrow from the Ottawa Public Library! Really enjoyed one of the titles and want to find something similar? Check out NoveList K-8 for read-alikes, recommendations, and more!

Don’t have a library card yet? No problem, you can register for free online!

This month’s blog is written by Charmaine Atrooshi, Children and Teen Librarian at the Hazeldean Branch of the Ottawa Public Library.

Meeting the social and emotional needs of young children - Ottawa Public Library Recommendations

Tough topics can be difficult to talk about with young children. These books, recommended by the Ottawa Public Library, offer a helping hand in a variety of situations to engage and spark reflective conversation.

Grief

All From a Walnut by Ammi-Joan Paquette

Following a family tradition, Grandpa gives Emilia a walnut and together they plant and care for it, but as her little nut grows into a tree, Grandpa begins to slow down until one sad day Emilia has to say goodbye.

The Invisible String by Patrice Karst

When Liza and Jeremy run to their mother during a scary storm, she comforts them by telling them about the invisible string, which connects people who love each other no matter where they are and means that they are never alone.

Maybe Tomorrow? By Charlotte Agell

Elba carries the black block of grief and sadness wherever she goes--until Norris comes along and helps her to let go of the block and enjoy life again.

Dementia

Hundred Years of Happiness by Thanhha Lai

An's grandmother Bà sometimes gets trapped in her cloudy memories. An and her grandfather Ông come up with a plan to bring her back to a happy moment: growing gấc fruits so they can make xôi gấc, Bà's favorite dish from her wedding in Vietnam many years ago. 

Never Forget Eleanor by Jason June

Elijah loves spending time with his grandma Eleanor. She knows all the best words to answer tricky crossword puzzles and to tell the most beautiful stories to her family and friends. Everyone calls her 'Never Forget Eleanor' because she remembers every word she reads and person she meets. Lately though, Elijah has started to notice grandma Eleanor forgetting little things.

The Day Abuelo Got Lost by Diane De Anda

Luis and his grandfather enjoy spending every afternoon together but when Abuelo becomes forgetful, Luis must find new ways to share time and show love.

Depression

A Blue Kind of Day by Rachel Tomlinson

Coen is having a sniffling, sighing, sobbing kind of day. His family thinks they know how to cheer him up. His dad wants to go outside and play, Mom tells her funniest joke, and his little sister shares her favorite teddy. Nothing helps. But one by one, they get quiet and begin to listen. After some time, space, and reassurance, Coen is able to show them what he needs.

Balloons for Papa by Elizabeth Gilbert Bedia

Arthur's father rushes him through the park every morning, through gray and rainy weather. Arthur just wants a bright balloon from the park's vendor, but Papa always says no. One morning, the balloons magically appear at their doorstep, and Arthur figures out the perfect way to bring the sunshine out--and Papa's smile back--even if only for a few moments.

Divorce and Separation

Here and There by Tamara Ellis Smith

After Ivan's parents separate, he has trouble finding joy at either of their homes until he discovers that the birds and music that he loves may be found in both places.

Mila has Two Beds by Judith Koppens

Mila has two homes: some days she lives with Mommy and some days she lives with Daddy. Today she is going to her Mommy's house. Everything is a little different at Mommy's than at Daddy's. But Mommy and Daddy both think Mila is the sweetest girl in the whole world.

 Resilience

Sometimes All I Need is Me by Juliana Perdomo

A young girl finds comfort and confidence within as she makes the best of any situation, in a text that highlights the themes of resiliency, mindfulness, and self-care.

The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld

When Taylor's block castle is destroyed, all the animals think they know just what to do, but only the rabbit quietly listens to how Taylor is feeling.

In Every Life by Marla Frazee

A picture book celebrating both the highs and lows that everyone experiences over the course of a life.

Amanda Spargo, Children's Services Librarian at the Ottawa Public Library - Ruth E. Dickinson Branch 

Upcoming activities for Kids in Ottawa - April 2023

We’ve been getting and seeing all kinds of activities and opportunities for kids coming in to our inbox lately so we thought we could put together a grouping of them here for you to check out!

Art classes

SPACE themed Drawing & Painting class at the Ottawa School of art in Orleans, Ages 9-12 | Wed 6pm-8pm, start date: 04/19/2023 !

They still need at least 1 more kiddo signed up for the class to run.

P23SC02C: Art in Space: Drawing and Painting Strange New Worlds (Ages 9-12)

Wednesdays, 6pm-8pm

10 sessions

April 19-June 28 (No Class May 10)

Summer Camps

Many summer camps are already sold out for the season - check out these options that as of writing this, still had available spots!

ASNY (Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet) has spots left in their Magic Treehouse musical theatre summer camp July 17th - 28th. Everything we’ve heard about the ASNY programming has been wonderful and a great chance for any musical kids to be a part of a production!

Math camp: If you have a math enthusiast, the Canadian Mathematical Society is running a camp July 24-28 out of Carleton University! There will be 3 age groups available:  Grades 4-5, Grades 6-7, Grades 8-9 and if there is enough interest they may open up the next week for camps as well.

City of Ottawa: The City has openings left in some of their camps, but they’re filling up fast so a good idea to check out what’s still available sooner than later!

Earth Day

The Nature Museum is opening for free on April 22 for Earth Day, so it’s a great day to visit the museum! They’ve also included a Nature Trek Scavenger Hunt worksheet on their website you can download and bring with you for your visit!

Children’s Business Fair

This event will showcase youth entrepreneurship in the community!

The fair will host 50 youth-run businesses on April 30, 2023 from 10 am to 1 pm at the Lansdowne Horticulture Building. This event is free and open to the public! Children create a product or service, develop a brand, build a marketing strategy, and then open for customers at this one-day marketplace. https://www.childrensbusinessfair.org/ottawa

Have anything you’d like to see added to the list. Email kidsinthecapital.@gmail.com!

March Break 2023 Activity ideas in Ottawa

March break is right around the corner and if you haven’t made any plans to keep you and the kids busy yet, you aren’t alone. Here are some ideas for things to do locally here in the Ottawa area!

Museum of Nature

Make the museum your March Break destination. Special hands-on activities include a guessing game with wolf, coyote, dog and cat skull models, as well as a wolf activity sheet. Children will love making a paw print from modelling clay that they can take home as a keepsake. On Monday, March 13, 10 am to 3 pm, you can stop by the Queens’ Lantern to meet some representatives from the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind and their special four-legged assistants. Learn about how these amazing canines are trained.

Their highly-popular Pacific Discovery Tank is open daily during Spring Break (Sunday to Wednesday and Friday 10 am – 4 pm; Saturday 11 am – 4 pm; Thursday 10 am –  7:30 pm).

Ottawa Public Library

We’re big fans of the Ottawa Public Library here at Kids in the Capital. You can go in and check out books that have been recommended by the library in our monthly blog posts, or check out some of their special March Break activities!

They’ve got chess, crafts, dungeons and dragons, building activities, knitting, games, and so much more!

Sugarbush at the Log Farm

It’s sugarbush season and the Log Farm is a great place to experience it!

Take a wagon ride out to the sugarbush. See how maple syrup is made. Then take a walk through the trails of the sugar maples.

All their sap is collected by hand and if the weather conditions are right you and your family can help!

When you visit during sugarbush season you will also have access to the main farmyard, where you can visit with all the farm animals. They have lots of friendly animals to see, feed and touch around the farm and play areas for the kid’s, including hay structures and sensory tables. The pioneer farmhouse will be open for self-guided tours, where you will step back in time and see what family life would have been like in the 1860s. Make sure to dress for the weather and arrive early in your session, giving you the time you need to enjoy it all.

Visitors are limited each day so families can enjoy this great springtime tradition without long lineups and large crowds.   You can pre purchase tickets through their website.

Visit their website www.thelogfarm.com for more information and to find a link to purchase tickets.

Festival of Fire and Ice

Centretown is once again transforming into a magical street with stunning illuminations. Bank Street will be filled with captivating lights and sound installations for you to interact with.

This year’s Fire & Ice Winter Festival is a 3-day event spanning over 4 blocks.

• The festival is FREE admission and falls right during March break

• Lots of interactive installations for children to enjoy such as an illuminating swing

• Exciting performances throughout the 3-days such as buskers, dancers, throat singers

Dates:

• March 17th: 7:30 PM to 12 AM | Live DJ performance from 8 PM to 10 PM | Silent Disco from 10 PM to 12 AM

• March 18th: 11 AM to 12 AM | Live DJ performance from 8 PM to 10 PM | Silent Disco from 10 PM to 12 AM

• March 19th: 11 AM to 10:30 PM 

  Admission is FREE 

  *Silent Disco headphone tickets need to be purchased

Canada Agriculture and Food Museum

The Museum has daily activities going on for March break for you and the kids to check out!

Here is a glimpse at the daily activities they have planned but they also have other special activities you can check out on their website!

Daily Activities

9:30 a.m. — Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - English (Learning Centre, second floor)
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. — Maple Muffins (Demonstration Kitchen)
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. — Children’s Craft (Learning Centre, second floor)
11 a.m. — Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – French (Learning Centre, second floor)
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. — Fleece to Fabric Activity Station (Learning Centre, second floor)
12:45 a.m. — Abominable – English (Learning Centre, second floor)
1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Whipped Feta Dip (Demonstration Kitchen)
1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Children’s Craft (Learning Centre, second floor)
1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Fleece to Fabric Activity Station (Learning Centre, second floor)
2:15 p.m. — Abominable – French (Learning Centre, second floor)

Daily Demonstrations

10 a.m. — Meet an Alpaca (Small Animal Barn)
11 a.m. — Meet the Dairy Cow Breed of the Day (Dairy Barn)
12 p.m. — All About Sheep and Goats (Small Animal Barn)
2 p.m. — Soil: The World Beneath our Feet (Soil Lab)
3 p.m. — Meet Hercules the Bull (Horse and Cattle Barn)
4 p.m. — Afternoon Milking (Dairy Barn)
(Please note the Dairy Barn closes at 4:30 p.m.)

Bank of Canada Museum

The Bank of Canada is always free and has a great array of interactive activities for kids to enjoy, and it’s a fun spot to take the kids over March break!

Kids can learn to spot a counterfeit, design their own bank note, and explore the museum to find Canadian symbols.

On March 11 and 12 they will also have an RCMP fraud specialist on site!

Check out the Mall!

A lot of the local malls are running daily activities to keep the kids entertained!

Carlingwood has magicians, science, music and so much more throughout the week!

Place d’Orleans will have singing, cookie decorating, animals and honey!

Billings Bridge will have animals, leprechauns, and science!

Know of anything else we should add to the list? Comment below!

Middle Grade Fiction: Expand Your Horizons - Recommendations from the Ottawa Public Library

The Ottawa Public Library is back to share fabulous folktale books with us. This month’s post is by Raven Winn-Desroches, Librarian, Children's and Teen Services at the St Laurent Branch of the Ottawa Public Library.

When kids first start reading novels on their own, it can be difficult to know where to start. There are so many books out there. It can seem quite overwhelming. Often, they will turn to the most popular books. The ones their friends are reading and talking about. While there is nothing wrong with this (I strongly believe that it does not matter what is being read, as long as kids are reading), it can lead to frustration. They do not like the popular books, or do not see themselves represented in its pages. Or they have simply read all the popular books and are now looking for more. 

The list below is meant to help with this issue. These books feature a variety of marginalized voices all the while telling stories that can appeal to everyone. Reading outside of their immediate experiences can help kids learn empathy, and these books teach them about the world around them and the people in it. It is also a great jumping off point for anyone looking to read more diversely, or who simply want to see themselves reflected in the books they read. 

I have also put together a list featuring the books below, and others like it here: Middle Grade: Expand your horizons | Bibliothèque publique d'Ottawa | BiblioCommons 

All books mentioned are aimed at readers aged 8-12, but everyone’s preferences and comfort levels when it comes to reading may vary. 

Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy 

Dear Sweet Pea follows thirteen-year-old Patricia as she grapples with the effects of her parents’ divorce on her life. She is recruited by her neighbour, the town’s eccentric local advice columnist, Flora Mae, to manage her mail while she is away. Patricia cannot help herself: she notices the handwriting on one of the letters and responds to it as Flora Mae. This sets off a chain of events that throws Patricia’s friendships into disarray as she toes the line between right and wrong. 

The Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker & Stacy Davidowitz 

The Chance to Fly is the story of musicals-obsessed Nat Beacon. She is never seen an actor on stage who uses a wheelchair for mobility like she does, but she gets the chance to change that when she moves to a new town and gets cast in the ensemble of an all-kids production of Wicked. 

No Vacancy by Tziporah Cohen 

In No Vacancy, Miriam Brockman and her family move to a small rural town in New York State, where they have purchased a dilapidated motel in the hopes of turning it into a successful business. Seeing her family struggle with this, Miriam and her new friend Kate orchestrate the appearance of a religious image in the town, in hopes of driving up much-needed tourism in the town. This book expertly interweaves Miriam’s Jewish faith, and the reality of antisemitism in today’s world, with themes of family and friendships that everyone will relate to. 

Different Kinds of Fruit by Kyle Lukoff  

Different Kinds of Fruit tells the story of Annabelle Blake as she navigates her budding friendship with a new student at her school. With Bailey, Annabelle’s world opens up, and she learns about things she had never thought of before – including gender, intercommunity conflict, and LGBTQ history. This is a coming-of-age story that shows readers how things like gender and sexuality and acceptance may not be quite so black and white. 

Fifty-Four Things Wrong With Gwendolyn Rogers by Caela Carter 

Gwendolyn Rogers is a fifth grader who, ever since she discovered a list of fifty-four things that are wrong with her (Number 16: she is sneaky. Number 13: She is impulsive), has become determined to fix everything that is wrong with her. Otherwise, she believes, she will only continue to be a bad daughter, student, friend, or person in general. Author Caela Carter pulls from her own experiences as someone with undiagnosed ADHD and dyslexia to create a moving and richly told story about self-acceptance. 

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston 

Amari and the Night Brothers is the first book in a fantasy series. Amari Peters’s brother, Quinton, went missing some time ago, but Amari has never given up hope that he is still alive. When she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet containing information about something called the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, Amari cannot help but want to investigate. This plunges her into a world where magicians, fairies, aliens, and all manner of supernatural creatures are real. Now, she must now compete for a spot in the BSA in hopes of discovering what truly happened to Quinton. 

The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat 

The Last Mapmaker is a story of identity and integrity, perfect for fans of tales of adventure. It follows twelve-year-old Sai, assistant to Mangkon’s most celebrated mapmaker. The daughter of a notorious conman, Sai hides her identity to maintain a respectable position in society. However, as her ship approaches the Sunderlands – a land of dragons, riches, and dangers untold, Sai must grapple with her lies, and decide what her future is worth to her. The Last Mapmaker deftly approaches themes of colonization and discovery that make it must-read.