Hope Is a Ferris Wheel by Robin Herrera
To be published: March 11, 2014 by Amulet Books
Ten-year-old Star Mackie lives in a trailer park with her flaky mom and her melancholy older sister, Winter, whom Star idolizes. Moving to a new town has made it difficult for Star to make friends, when her classmates tease her because of where she lives and because of her layered blue hair.
But when Star starts a poetry club, she develops a love of Emily Dickinson and, through Dickinson’s poetry, learns some important lessons about herself and comes to terms with her hopes for the future.
With an unforgettable voice with a lot of heart, Hope Is a Ferris Wheel is the story of a young girl who learns to accept her family and herself while trying to make sense of the world around her. [goodreads]
I want to read more middle grade, but I'm always hesitant on the story because a lot of the popular middle grade books fall under fantasy or sci-fi. Which I have nothing against, but we all know contemporary is my favorite. So when I came across this book, I thought it would be a perfect fit for my reading wishes. Plus, that cover is gorgeous and very eye-catching. If you have more middle grade contemporary recommendations, I'd love to know! I am also open to historical middle grade as well.
"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
i'm surprise to know it's middle grade. really. this cover is quite different from the usual middle grade books cover.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHey Ginger! All Four Stars by Tara Dairman and When Audrey Met Alice by Rebecca Behrens are two upcoming MG's that sound amazing. I can't personally recommend them as I've yet to read them myself but they're contemporary and sound like books you might like. Oh, and Kody Keplinger has an upcoming one also! Sounds really cute :)
ReplyDeleteThis is the first I've heard of this, and oh my gosh I LOVE the title. I love middle grade, although I don't read nearly as much as I used to. Have you read Wonder by R.J. Palacio. It's amazing - funny, heartwarming, and heartwrenching at times. And it's also contemporary. You should give it a try.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this WOW, I will have to share with my teen reviewers and their moms. And yes that cover is very eye-catching!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have guessed it was MG by that cover. It's very sophisticated, and wouldn't look amiss on an adult novel. Anyway, it looks like 2014 is Emily Dickinson's year. First there's Jenny Hubbard's And We Stay and now this one!
ReplyDeleteThis one does sound good, I'm looking forward to it! And I love the cover of it! :) I love Middle Grade books!
ReplyDeleteA few Middle Grade Contemporary books I would recommend, if you haven't read them already, are:
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (This is one I would recommend to everyone! It's really good, and I LOVE it!)
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen (This is a fun book, and the movie they made of it is great too!)
The Casson Family books by Hilary McKay (These books are hilarious!)
A Horse of Her Own by Annie Wedekind (Love it!)
The Heartbreak Messenger by Alexander Vance (This was good!)
I could just keep listing them, but I'll stop here! If you read any of these, I hope you like them! :)
One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt is a good MG book. I enjoyed that one a lot. Had great characters and a good story that was deep. And it helped that the author is a Red Sox fan like myself. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe story sounds really interesting! I am excited to hear what you think of it when you review it :)
ReplyDeleteMissie @ A Flurry of Ponderings