Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
Shannon Whitney Messenger decided it was time to give middle grade stories the attention they deserve, and "Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays" was born.
The Last Martin
by Jonathan Friesen
by Jonathan Friesen
Goodreads Blurb:
There's always a Martin. One Martin. Martin Boyle already has plenty to worry about. His germaphobic mother keeps him home from school if she hears so much as a sneeze, and his father is always off somewhere reenacting old war battles. Julia, the most beautiful girl in school, won't even speak to Martin, and the gym teacher is officially out to get him.Which is why Martin really doesn't need this curse hanging over his head.On a trip to the family cemetery, Martin wanders among the tombstones of his ancestors and discovers a disturbing pattern: when one Martin is born, the previous Martin dies. And---just his luck---Martin's aunt is about to give birth to a baby boy, who will, according to tradition, be named Martin. Martin must find a way to break the curse, but every clue seems to lead to a dead end. And time is running out.
I won this book on Goodreads, and I am SO GLAD I did. This was a fun, fun story--I loved it. The voice is excellent, the mother is a hoot, the dad is uber lovable, Poole is too cool for words, and Martin is just perfect! This is a great story for middle grade readers, full of humor, middle school angst, weird and embarrassing family members, friendship, fears followed by courage, and dreams.
I highly recommend it!
*** Others who can be counted on for a great MMGM review each week: ***
- Joanne Fritz @ My Brain on Books
- Ben Langhinrchs @ My Comfy Chair
- Sherrie Petersen @ Write About Now
- Brooke Favero @ Somewhere in the Middle
- Myrna Foster @ Night Writer
- Ally Beecher @ Kid Lit Frenzy
- Barbara Watson @ Novel and Nouveau
- Deb Marshall @ Just Deb!
- Anita Laydon Miller's Middle Grade Blog
- Michael G-G is interviewing CHRIS RYLANDER @ Middle Grade Mafioso
- Natalie Aguirre @ Literary Rambles
Happy Monday!
18 comments:
hi miss shannon! for sure that sounds like a neat book. im gonna put it on my wanna read list.
...hugs from lenny
Sounds like a must read! I'm glad you won it so you could tell us about it. :)
Good to know you liked it! I gave it to my husband's bosses' 10yr old, who'd just finished The Red Pyramid, so I hope he liked it, too. His eyes sure lit up when I gave him the pile of MG books I scored at ALA.
Seemed like a creepy mystery, and from what I read, the voice was fun.
How cool. Sounds grand :)
Perfect read to keep one of my kids happy on our long trip this weekend. Thanks for the suggestion, Shannon. :D
It sounds like a great book! :)
Ooo, how have I never heard of this book?? Sounds intriguing. What a great premise.
Nice review, Shannon.
Yay for Martin!!! LOL! I love the enthusiasm of your review - wonderful! This sounds like a fab book! Take care
x
This sounds so cute! I need to read more middle grade humorous books, I think. :)
Sounds like something my son would actually read. Missed you! Can't wait to catch up. :)
This sounds great! I'm always amazed at how many middle grade books I haven't come across that sound AMAZING! This is one of them.
Great review, Shannon!
Congratulations on both winning a book and then discovering that it is amazing. That's like a double whammy in a world of duds.
Oooh, this sounds like a great read. My son loves MG books, so we may give this one a whirl.
Sounds like a good Halloween novel for my nephew! Definitely going to check it out.
Sounds like a fun read. It's awesome you won it on Goodreads. I need to enter more of those contests.
Hi Shannon .. definitely sounds like a fun read for the kids .. perhaps especially boys .. and then their creative imaginations can go AWOL .. yugh!
Seems to have hit Lenny's button - must be a good sign .. Cheers Hilary
Thanks for the recommendation!
I like stories with "weird and embarrassing family members" (in MG/YA or Adult lit) - I can relate. The book also sounds like an original idea, which is hard to come by.
Hi - making the rounds of all the middle grade monday blogs. I just discovered this was a network of blogs and well, that's cool. Bow tie and fez cool.
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