The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol

Arianwyn is the daughter and grand-daughter of witches.  Instead of going to a witch school, she is tutored by her grandmother who is on the witch council.  When it comes time for her evaluation to become a full fledged witch, she is sad and disappointed when something goes wrong and she is the only candidate that doesn't pass.  Retaining her status as an apprentice witch, she is sent to a small town that has been without any witch for 40 years. She bumbles her way through the first few months, and gradually begins to gain the confidence of the residents.  When her rival arrives in town and unleashes a creature of immense dark power, Arianwyn must conquer the darkness within before she can hope to save her new home and friends.

This is a decent middle grade fantasy.  It isn't going to win any awards, but I know plenty of 4th and 5th graders who would enjoy it.  After reading so many "acclaimed" books, I was pleased to find it was refreshingly devoid of any controversial issues, like same gender attraction, or racial tension.  It is just an entertaining adventure that is just a little bit sappy.  (A little sap never hurt anyone.) The ending could lead to a second novel or stand alone so it will be interesting to see if there is a sequel. (318 p.  It was published in UK in 2016, and in the US in 2017)

The Curse of the Harvester by Greg Grunberg

This is the second in the Dream Jumper series.  In this one Ben and Jake have started a successful dream jumper business.  Jake gets the clients and monitors Ben while he helps people turn their nightmares into good dreams.There is still evil brewing at the sleep center, and Jake is almost captured by it until an unexpected helper from the waking world joins in the battle against dream darkness.

This is a fresh riff on the kid superhero theme.  Like all superheroes, Jake has a double life, as a regular kid when he is awake, and a superhero while he is asleep. The characters are, if not deep, at least likeable, the action is fast paced, and the illustrations do a great job of moving the story along. This is a good choice for kids who liked the Amulet series. (2017, 216 p)

Ahimsa by Supriya Kelkar

I like the cover, though.

Anjali lives as a Brahman in a smallish town in India during the time of Gandhi.  Her father is a professor and her mother works as a translator for the top British official in her town.  One day her mother realizes she can no longer support the injustices she sees in her employer's service and instead joins the resistance movement. At first Anjali is reluctant to join her mother in wearing only homespun cloth and serving the "untouchables" but soon she comes to adopt the principals of Ahimsa (non-violence) and the brotherhood of all people.

This was an interesting story and the parallels between the desegregation of the castes is very similar to the racial desegregation that took place in the US.  I think that is why this book received starred reviews.  It was not because of the writing which was clunky and often awkward.  I often thought as I was reading, "wow Kelkar writes fiction about like I do"  (not a compliment).  Don't get me wrong, it was OK and a totally readable book.  It just wasn't even in the same league with something like Stars Beneath our Feet or Clayton Byrde Goes Underground.  If you are looking for books about this time period, Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan is probably better choice. (2017, 307 p)

Forever or a Long Time by Caela Carter

Flora and Julian have been adopted now, but they still suffer trauma from a long history in foster care.  Flora has a hard time expressing herself and sometimes her words won't come out at all.  Julian hides food in his bedroom because of times in the past when he didn't get enough food.  Their adopted mom, Emily, continually reassures them that their family is forever now, but Flora and Julian finally have to explore their past before they can begin to hope for a happy future in a permanent home.

This is a heart wrenching look at foster care and the scars it can leave on the children caught in the system.  Some of Flora and Julian's foster parents were loving, but others were overworked and detached.  Carter doesn't sugar coat the fact that it may take years, or even a life time, to deal fully with the trauma of the past, but she leaves the reader with hope that things will get better.  (2017, 309 p)

Recess Warrior: Hero is a Four Letter Word by Marcus Emerson

Scrap, AKA Bryce, is the playground superhero.  His best friend, Yoshi, is the toughest girl in school.  Together they face down cootie ridden zombies and crazed female pirates.  This is an amazingly clever comic book about the imaginary life on a school playground.  Of course, in the story it isn't imaginary and it is all dead serious, which, of course, makes it all the more funny.  Emerson has the classic stereotypes, the girl that is always trying to kiss everyone, the boy who acts like a cowboy, the kid who talks like a TV narrator, the science nerd kid. There is a lot of talk about bases, and territories, and getting cooties. I am always impressed when adult authors and tap into their younger selves and capture what it is like to be a 4th grader again.  I honestly chuckled all the way through this one. It reminded me of those old "Recess" cartoons my kids used to watch 20 years ago.  (2017, 133 p.)

Amina's Voice by Hena Kahn

Amina is a Pakistani American girl whose best friend is a Korean immigrant girl named Soojin.  When Soojin reaches out to Emily, who used to tease Amina when she was younger, Amina feels betrayed and wonders if she is losing her best friend to the "popular" crowd.  She gets more concerned when Soojin decides to change her name to Susan when she goes through her upcoming ceremony to become a US citizen. Amina wonders if she should just hang out with her own kind, the other kids at the Muslim community center, but is only sticking with her own kind the real way to happiness?

This was a sweet and timely realistic fiction that gave me new incite into the daily life of Muslim Americans.  It is a very positive book that shows Amina relying on her faith, and diverse religious communities coming together to help each other.  I love books about good kids trying to do what is right.This one might be a good choice for a future Mother/Daughter book club. (2017, 197 p.)

The Magical Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris

When Carter is orphaned, he is sent to live with his uncle who is a trickster and con man.  Carter learns some basic slight of hand tricks from his uncle, but refuses to become a thief.  He runs away and comes to a small town.  There he discovers a carnival, as crooked as his uncle, and a magic shop that is home to a bunch of misfit kids just like him.  He is surprised when the kids want to be his friends, and together they decide to save the town from the cheating carnival master.

This is a lighthearted and simple middle grade novel that was a bit refreshing after all the heavy "critically acclaimed" novels I have been reading.  This one didn't get any starred reviews, but I can think of a bunch of kids who would enjoy it.  Between chapters the author teaches the read a few basic magic tricks.  The book ends with the promise of more adventures to come for our clever little band. (253 p. 2017)