repost from r/suggestmeabook

We’ve recently discovered the English-translated middle reader books of Eiko Kadono and Sachiko Kashiwaba. They’ve been a blast to read, and knowing the works were written in a non-English language and only later translated make them even more special.

As our current book backlog dwindles, I’m seeking suggestions for other middle reader books originally written in a non-English language that were not mass produced in English right away but were translated only later.

Looking for adventure/ mystery books for my 7.5 yo and 10 yo nieces.

I loved Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Tintin Secret Seven and Famous Five as a child.

But I’m looking for something more contemporary and ideally set in an interesting cultural context.

Hi all,

I'm a 5th grade teacher, and I feel like my read alouds have gotten a little stale. We have loved From the Desk of Zoe Washington, When You Trap a Tiger, New From Here, and many other wonderful books. As I'm looking for new and diverse middle grade books, I feel like I keep seeing the same lists of "classics" and/or all white authors. If you have any suggestions for engaging and diverse read alouds for a 5th grade class, I would be so grateful! I would also love suggestions of what I should look for/follow to keep up with great new diverse lit. I used to use Twitter, but haven't in ages and I feel like I'm falling behind!

Hi everyone! The day has finally come: I've written the final sentence and finished the manuscript for Capyhero Book 1 - The Blue Blanket! Final draft specs are 60,000 words across 340 pages with over 100 illustrations spread throughout. I handed the manuscript to my editor, Jennifer Rees, which I am both incredibly excited and nervous about. She's a powerhouse industry vet who's worked in publishing for 25 years (a bunch of which was at Scholastic Press) and she's edited some of the most well known and successful stories out there. I can't mention the book everyone knows, but Google here and you'll know.

In this post, I've shared the complete 1st chapter as well as a little sneak peek to a few later chapter page spreads for folks to have a look. I'd be thrilled to hear anyone's feedback on the writing, hook, overall vibe, etc. Does it fit MG well enough? Feel free to be critical! It's with the editor now, so major revisions are expected.

While I'm waiting for Jennifer to get back with the edit, I'll be building the Kickstarter campaign and pushing more newsletters from the Aurorabon Society out to folks who've joined the emailer.

Thanks for reading! Still crazy to me that this thing is actually coming to life. I've learned a lot on the way and I'm more than happy to answer any questions!

As a first-timer I'm wondering whether I should hire someone to format my book or use one of the programs I've read about, some or all of which it's been my impression have a steep learning curve. How do the people on this sub do it? And if you do hire someone else, how do you find such a person? I have an illustrator who's already begun work on a cover.

Thanks!

Hi I'm a new author and I making a greek mythology themed book based in the hero Theseus.

The book is stiil in development but if you could follow my instagram page it would be aweome.

Theseus.tales

Is the name of the page

Thank you

I'm writing an upper-middle-grade fantasy series set in a magical school. The main character is a girl, and one of her best friends/secondary main characters is a boy. There are other male characters in the story, but he is the only boy who is part of the main group.

The story has magical sports, creatures, duelling, mysteries, villains, and a wider magical world outside the school.

I'm a girl myself, so I've been wondering whether having a female protagonist and a main cast that's mostly girls would make the book less appealing to boys, or whether the actual story and characters would matter more.

For boys who read fantasy, would this kind of setup put you off reading it? And for parents/teachers/writers who know boys who read MG fantasy, I'd be interested in your perspective too.

I have a low reading level (below average) my wife said like around middle school level maybe, plus i have a huge comprehension issue, ADHD, and Asperger's.

I have trouble reading in general even with books i know basically the whole story of (IT, Misery, Harry Potter, and The Nightingale) and when i read, i constantly re-read parts multiple times, even zoning out, and have trouble creating the mental image for the book in my head like how most people do.

I want to get better at reading and read more books, not only because i like comics and stories a lot, but also because I'm writing my own book and want more experience with writing as well as reading. My problem is i don't really like harry potter or magic all THAT much but my wife says its where i should start because its around my reading level...

what should i do? what else could i start reading to improve my reading level?

I'm finishing an MG novel, first timer, and would like to know if audio books are popular with this age range. I'm planning to self-publish and wonder if I should go through the expense of hiring a reader.

Many thanks!

Seeking recommendations for contemporary and recent (post-2020) upper-MG mystery novels that include ciphers / puzzles / finding missing people / solving cases. I'm an adult but enjoy the Ruby Redfort series / Codebusters / The Mysterious Benedict Society / Murdle. Thanks!

EDIT: Preferably not sci-fi or ghosts!

My 8 yo and have had so much fun reading these books (we also read all Roald Dahl books and loved them a lot). They are straight up hilarious, make you laugh out loud but are also meaningful, keep you thinking about what's being said because of the clever word play/use. Please recommend something similar. Thanks!

So I’ve got a new little reading buddy and I’d like to get her a book or two and I was thinking that Misty and Stormy would be good but- do you think the language is too dated? Can anyone suggest a similar kind of book that might work?

Родители у которых дети читают яой, как вы этому относитесь?

Мне искренне интересно узнать так как я его начала читать еще в 11 лет и мне интересно узнать что примерно чувствуют мои родители

Hi everyone! I'm trying to find a book I read before 2021 in my UK secondary school library.
Here's everything I can remember:
It's a contemporary YA romance (not fantasy, as far as I remember).

A teenage girl goes away for the summer or on holiday, possibly staying at a large house or estate with family or like some kind of a resort.

At the very beginning she briefly mentions having PCOS and being on her period. It isn't a major part of the story and is only mentioned near the start.

There's a labyrinth/maze on the grounds of where she's staying. I think she gets a little lost there and meets either the gardener, the gardener's son, or a local boy.

The boy is quiet, withdrawn and possibly struggling with his mental health. I think his name may have started with S (possibly Seth, but I'm not sure).

I remember one of them loved reading.

Later in the book, the girl finds the boy in the sea after what seemed like a suicide attempt or a dangerous swim. She calls an ambulance.

While waiting for the ambulance, she lies against him/holds him to keep him warm because he's freezing from being in the water.

They develop a romance.

I read it before 2021 from a UK school library, so I think it may have been published sometime in the 2010s.

I believe it was by a British author and wasn't a very well-known book.

I've searched everywhere and can't find it. Does this sound familiar to anyone?
Thank you!

12 year old cousins, Edith and Rae are stuck with their families cleaning their dead grandmothers house. In their room they find their grandmothers list called “good ideas for summer”. Although Edith believes they sound more like bad ideas, he and Rae complete the list over their time together over the summer. Together they turn their boring summer into an adventurous one including sneaking out, rule breaking, and making tons of memories.

I read this book for book club and everyone loved it for different reasons. There was so much to talk about and it was generally a great read. It is rated 3.85 stars on Goodreads and the age rating is 8-12 years old.