Welcome to our new bloggers!

We are so excited to welcome three new bloggers to MG Minded! Meet them below. And be on the look out for their posts coming soon!

Stephanie Bearce

Stephanie Bearce is a history detective and a science nerd who loves turning her discoveries into books for kids. As the award-winning author of 24 children’s books, Stephanie is a frequent presenter at education conferences, kidlit festivals, schools, and libraries. When she's not writing books she likes to spend time exploring haunted castles, wandering in bone filled catacombs, and adding to her extensive fossil collection.
Stephanie lives in Missouri with her rocket-scientist husband, but she is always planning her next adventure. Her goal is to visit every continent and all 50 states. She's only five states and three continents away from that goal!
You can learn more about Stephanie and her books at www.stephaniebearce.com
Her nonfiction work is represented by Stacey Graham of Red Sofa Literary and her fiction work is represented by Heather Cashman of Storm Literary.

Amanda Hoving

Amanda is a teacher and a writer who thinks middle grade literature is the best of all! She enjoys reading and writing funny stuff that has heart (and maybe a little magic). When she’s not reading or writing, Amanda loves to laugh, watch baseball, play the guitar and laugh some more. She is not a good cook, and she wouldn’t mind being a hermit someday.

Originally from the plains of the Chicago suburbs, Amanda and her family now live in the hills of northeastern New Jersey, where they always keep their bear whistle handy. 
You can find Amanda’s miscellaneous tomfoolery at her blog and on Twitter.
 


Kelly K. Clarke

A former Big Four management consultant turned mom, Kelly decided that creative truths and magical worldbuilding were more fun to use in children’s books vs an office anyway. In line with her emotional maturity level and probably unhealthy obsessions with glitter, unicorns, and cryptids, Kelly writes Middle Grade fantasy with sci-fi elements and main characters who share her children’s Afro-Caribbean/white American heritage.

Kelly is a Highlights Foundation scholarship recipient (humor her and say it was all about merit), longtime SCBWI member, and contributor to the Kidlit Exchange review network.

Kelly lives between the feral strip malls of suburban Fort Lauderdale, FL with her husband, flatulent superhero son, and diva daughter. When she isn’t nagging her children about homework or sneaking writing in around her job as a marketing technology project manager, Kelly is in the PTA office swilling energy drinks.

Follow Kelly on Twitter @KidlitUndrGrnd and check out her Blog at KidlitUnderground.com.

Book Review: Order of the Majestic

I do love a book about magicians.

So when Aladdin offered Middle Grade Minded a review copy of Order of The Majestic by Matt Myklusch, I jumped at the chance to read an early copy!

The Description:

Twelve-year-old daydreamer Joey Kopecky’s life has been turned upside down. After acing a series of tests, he’s declared a genius and awarded a full scholarship at a special (year-round!) school. He’s understandably devastated, until he takes one last test, and the room around him disappears, replaced by the interior of an old theater.

There, Joey meets the washed-up magician, Redondo the Magnificent, and makes a shocking discovery…magic is real, but sadly, there isn’t much left in the world. It may be too late to save what little remains, but for the first time in his life Joey wants to try—really try—to do something big. Soon he’s swept up into a centuries-old conflict between two rival societies of magicians—the Order of the Majestic, who fights to keep magic alive and free for all, and the dark magicians of the Invisible Hand, who hoard magic for their own evil ends.

The endless battle for control of magic itself has reached a tipping point. For Redondo and the Order to survive, Joey must inherit the lost legacy of Harry Houdini. Will he prove himself worthy, or will the Invisible Hand strike him down? The answer will depend on Joey’s ability to believe, not just in magic, but in himself.

What I thought:

This book is a thrilling ride from the get-go.

Who is the mysterious man giving Joey the tests? 

What are the creatures chasing him? 

Is Redondo the Magician really what he appears to be?

And how can this parallel magical world co-exist with his own? 

When Redondo announces that he needs a protégé, Joey thinks he's a lock. 

Until he's forced to compete against the talented Shazad and Leonora.

And he turns out to be a slow learner.

But events throw them together. Can they learn to work as or team?

Full or twists and turns, Order of the Majestic is a thrilling adventure.

I've not read any of Matt Myklusch's #mglit before, but found him to be a masterful storyteller with a great voice and a cheeky sense of humour. He does a wonderful job of blending humour and thrills. 

I recommend this book!

For more information about the author, visit his website. 

Order of the Majestic is out now!

Review: The Boy, the boat, and the beast by Samantha M. Clarke

It is rare that I read a book that is completely unique.

The Boy, the boat and the beast is that book.

Description:

A boy washes up on a mysterious, seemingly uninhabited beach. Who is he? How did he get there? The boy can’t remember. When he sees a light shining over the foreboding wall of trees that surrounds the shore, he decides to follow it, in the hopes that it will lead him to answers. The boy’s journey is a struggle for survival and a search for the truth—a terrifying truth that once uncovered, will force him to face his greatest fear of all if he is to go home.

My Take:

This is a wondrous book, full of mystery, suspense, and growth.

The idea of a young boy washing up on an uninhabited island (or so he believes), with no memory of who he is or where he comes from, immediately sparks concern and fear in the reader. 

Initially alone, he is soon joined by a voice from inside his head, one who taunts and teases him and makes him feel small and incapable, but also, infuriates him into action. As he struggles to make his way home, he comes into contact with the island's animals, and of course, the beast, who challenges him to overcome his fears, even as we sense that the beast has other plans for the boy.

I can't give more of the plot away for fear of spoilers, for this book deserves to be read without any preconceptions, but know this: the ending is satisfying, surprising, and thrilling.

Samantha M. Clark has crafted a unique story using a unique voice that I think children and their adults will find compelling. Even better, the story will help many children stand up for themselves, just as the boy does.

This is a must-read!

For more information about the book and where to purchase it, visit the author's website.