My Favourite MG Books

Hi everyone!! So quickly, before I get into today's post I just thought I'd say that I'm currently planning a Q+A post and I need a couple more questions, so could y'all comment some down below? You can comment as many as you want, and they can be about anything:) Also, just needed to rant about how Brooklyn 99 has been cancelled after just 5 seasons:((( B99 is the most perfect, funny, wholesome show with lots of much-needed minority representation and it doesn't deserve to be cancelled AGH!! Have you watched it? What are your thoughts? #RenewB99!! But anyway hahahah - so recently, I've reread a couple of old MG books back from when I was 11 or so, and it reminded me just how good some MG books are. Nowadays, I primarily read teen/YA fiction, but occasionally I want an easier read, so I lean towards a book aimed at 8-12 year olds. And so, I thought I'd compile a list of my favourite MG books and share them with y'all in today's blog post...

Time Travelling With A Hamster by Ross Welford

TTWAH was a re-read, but for some reason I enjoyed it so much more the second time round. It's not even like I didn't like it the first time - I really did, but the second time I realised that I love this book! It's funny, but also made me shed a couple of tears at points. The MC I really warmed to, and I loved he grandfather so much. Some points, I have to admit, are a little confusing, but that's only because the book touches on things like The Grandfather Paradox but nothing too majorly confusing for an 9-12 year old (which is who I'd recommend this for). I like that this book really isn't aimed at one gender either - TTWAH definitely appeals to boys and girls alike. Also, I know my little sister has also read a couple other books by Ross and she also really likes them so I might need to check out a couple of his others.

credits: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Travelling-Hamster-Ross-Welford/dp/000815631X

Murder Most Unladylike (series) by Robin Stevens

I feel like I've talked about the Murder Most Unladylike stories so many times on this blog haha, and I can't help but mention them again (I couldn't do a post on my favourite MG books and not include these?!!). I love murder mysteries, but haven't found that there are that many good mysteries for kids (that I know of - if you have any recommendations, let me know). However Robin Stevens' books are an exception to that. There are now 6 books in this series and in my opinion they are all as good as each other, - I don't find them predictable, I love the characters and I think the writing style is perfect for kids and teenagers. Definitely recommend!!

Letters From The Lighthouse by Emma Carroll

I read this book after my sister recommended it to me on holiday and I had run out of books to read (THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH ROOM IN SUITCASES OK), but I have to admit I was slightly hesitant. It's just it didn't really sound like my kinda thing haha! But I read it anyway, and I'm so glad I did. I've done a full book review on this (which you can read here: http://www.whatlexieloves.com/2017/08/letters-from-lighthouse-by-emma-carroll.html) but I'll summarise the book quickly for those who don't know. LFTL is about Olive, whose older sister Sukie goes missing during an air raid (this book is set during the 1940s) and her journey to try and find where Sukie is. This is actually a very cleverly written plot, with lots of twists and turns. It's a book if you want an easy, but still really interesting, read.

Scarlet Ibis by Gill Lewis (and any other of her books!)

Again, I have already done a whole post on Gill Lewis - focussing on three of her fabulous books - which you can check out here, (by the way if you do go to check it out, I was much younger when I wrote it - that's why it's not the best post hahahah) but for those of you who haven't read that blog post, I thought I'd include one of her books in this roundup. Scarlet Ibis is a beautiful, touching book about Scarlet and Red - an inseparable sister-brother duo. Their mum is a very troubled woman - who often is drunk and too ill to care for them, so a lot of responsibility falls to Scarlet. But when a tragedy occurs, Scarlet and Red have to be separated and it's all about how they struggle to cope without each other. Whilst this touches on some mature themes, it's handled very very well, so I would still recommend it to 9-13 year olds. I would definitely recommend Scarlet Ibis if you haven't read it (or any other Gill Lewis books!).

Wonder by RJ Palacio

And finally, one of my favourite books... Wonder. If you've been following my blog right since the beginning, then you may know that my first ever blog post was a review of Wonder. http://www.whatlexieloves.com/2013/10/wonder-book-ive-read-over-50-times.html The title over the best was 'The Book I've Read Over 50 Times' and I genuinely have read it over 50 times, that's not even an exaggeration (and my copy of the book proves it; it's so battered and dog-eared *although I prefer the adjective 'well-loved'!!). I still read this book again today, and it never fails to impress me. Wonder is beautiful, heart-warming and such a wholesome book - I cannot explain how much everyone should read this!

So those are my Top 5 Favourite MG Books that I would definitely recommend. Whilst writing this, I thought of lots of other great MG books, so I could always do a Part 2 if you wanted (??). These books are mainly for 8-12 year olds, but every now and again teenagers need an easier, more light-hearted read, so I recommend this list for those times. I'll be back soon with another post (and as I said, it's a Q+A - which I know y'all love, so watch out for that!!)