mystery stories

The Big Sting

Sophie Rosen , , ,

Delaney, Rachelle. The Big Sting. Toronto: Tundra, 2023.
Leo and his family are spending a week on a small island off the coast of British Columbia. Leo enjoys virtual adventures on his computer at home in Toronto, but now he is in the middle of a real-life mystery: his recently deceased grandmother’s beehives have been stolen and his grandfather is determined to find them. Meanwhile, his parents have taken themselves off to a luxury resort. How will Leo cope with his grumpy grandfather and impetuous younger sister? The hopefulness of Patricia MacLachlan’s stories and the zany humour of Polly Horvath’s stories combine in this life-affirming novel highly recommended for readers 8 to 11 years old.

A novel by Patricia MacLachlan

Novels by Polly Horvath

Stories about grandparents

Stories by Canadian writers

Stories set in Canada

Peg Kehret

Sophie Rosen , , ,

Dear Middle School Reader,

If you like realistic novels,
straight-forward stories that don’t have all sorts of hidden allusions which you are supposed to discover,
if you prefer easy-to-read novels that are filled with action,
you might like stories by Peg Kehret…


 

My favourite novel by Peg Kehret is Escaping the Giant Wave. Thirteen-year-old Kyle and his younger sister have to rescue themselves after a tsunami strikes the Oregon resort where they’re staying with their parents. If you like detailed stories that let you follow – step-by-step – exactly what is happening, you’ll like this realistic novel.

 

 

If you like biographies, you might like these two books. In Small Steps, Peg Kehret describes her childhood fight – when she was in grade seven – against a disease we rarely see today due to life-saving vaccinations.  And in Animals Welcome, she humorously describes some of the animals she has rescued during her adult life. Both of these books are heart-warming and inspiring. You’ll feel happy after reading them!

“No matter how sad you feel, plan something special that you want to do each day, even if it’s only taking a bubble bath or watching a movie. Set a date to visit a friend, or order a book you want to read from the library. Always have something to look forward to.” – Stolen Children   

Happy reading! 

Ms. R.