Book recommendations!

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Tara Dairman

I recently Skyped with a terrific book club in Massachusetts, and the members asked me to recommend some other middle-grade novels that they might enjoy. I ended up putting a list together and e-mailing it to them, and since this isn’t the first time I’ve had a question like this, I thought that I’d share it here as well so that I can easily refer people to it in the future.

Of course, once I got started, I thought of more and more books I wanted to include, and I had to stop somewhere. So please don’t consider this a comprehensive list by any means…but I do wholeheartedly recommend every single one of these titles and hope you’ll check them out. Here we go!

Mind-bending mysteries:
Nooks & Crannies by Jessica Lawson
Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Laugh-out-loud funny books:
Hook’s Revenge by Heidi Schulz
The Only Thing Worse than Witches by Lauren Magaziner
Remarkable by Lizzie Foley
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex

Unputdownable historical fiction:
Katerina’s Wish by Jeannie Mobley
When Audrey Met Alice by Rebecca Behrens (actually a mix of contemporary and historical!)
The Sound of Life and Everything by Krista Van Dolzer

Madcap NYC-set adventures:
At Your Service by Jen Malone
Better Nate than Ever by Tim Federle (which is also LOL funny!)

Tasty foodie books:
Cupcake Cousins (and sequels) by Kate Hannigan
It’s Raining Cupcakes (and sequels) by Lisa Schroeder

Deliciously creepy books:
Mothman’s Curse by Christine Hayes
The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy by Nikki Loftin
Grave Images by Jenny Goebel
Doll Bones by Holly Black
Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Fabulous fairy-tales:
Grounded by Megan Morrison
A Nearer Moon by Melanie Crowder
Nightingale’s Nest by Nikki Loftin
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente (best title ever, no?)

Wonderful contemporary stories:
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Rhyme Schemer by K.A. Holt (an excellent novel in verse)

What are your recent favorite middle-grade reads? Feel free to share more recommendations in the comments.

New feature: Discussion Guide for ALL FOUR STARS!

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Tara Dairman

It’s been “coming soon” for an embarrassingly long time, but book club/classroom discussion questions for All Four Stars are finally here! You can find them by clicking the Teachers, Librarians, & Book Clubs tab on this site.

And if you’re reading All Four Stars or The Stars of Summer with your book club or class, don’t forget that I offer free 20-minute Skype Q&A sessions for groups as well! Details on the same page.

I will do my best to get questions for The Stars of Summer up in a much speedier fashion. 🙂 Hope your summer is going swimmingly!

ALL FOUR STARS turns one! (and giveaway)

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Tara Dairman

One year ago today–after nine years of writing, rewriting, submitting, hoping, and waiting–a little book called All Four Stars hit the shelves. A whole bunch of you showed up to celebrate with me at Books Of Wonder in New York, and I could hardly believe what an amazing welcome you gave Gladys into the world.

Now she’s out in paperback, sporting a shiny Crystal Kite sticker, is continuing her adventures in The Stars of Summer, and has another sequel on the way. I’ve received letters, e-mails, and even book reports from young readers who have embraced her story. Enthusiastic librarians, teachers, and booksellers have put her into thousands of readers’ hands.

Sometimes in her restaurant reviews, Gladys struggles to find the right words to describe a truly transcendent meal, and I feel the same way right now. But I’ll try. To everyone who has taken the time to read my book, recommend it to a friend, purchase a copy, request it at your library, write to me to share your thoughts on it…you’ve played a huge part in making my dream of becoming a published children’s author come true. THANK YOU.

I’m giving away a signed copy of All Four Stars on Twitter to celebrate Gladys’s bookaversary–feel free to enter or spread the word here: https://twitter.com/TaraDairman/status/619503550394073088

And now I’m off to eat some raspberry cake for breakfast. Methinks Gladys would approve. 🙂