Recent Reads of MG Magic

         MG, for those who don’t know, is Middle Grade, a category of books for kids in the age range of roughly 8-12 or sometimes 14 years old.  Of course the reading level and content taste of individual kids varies widely, but that’s the general ballpark.  (Plus of course there’s the fact that while I am well over 14 years old, I very much enjoy MG books.  Maybe I’ll explain why in another post, but for now, let’s get to the books!)  It’s been quite a while since I posted about books I’ve been reading, but I’m writing such a post now because I recently received an ARC (Advanced Review or Reading Copy) of a book that will be released this summer, and I wanted to do my part to help generate buzz!  So we’ll start with

        The Demon Sword Asperides by Sarah Jean Horwitz.  Asperides the demon sword is pinned through the heart of its late master, a supremely evil sorcerer knight, when someone (bored dark sorceress Cleoline, to be specific) resurrects the guy.  At the same time, Asperides just can’t help himself from inveigling naive, somewhat hapless would-be knight Nack from entering into a binding soul-contract to be the demon sword’s next master.  Meanwhile the young novitiate seer Therin foretells the return of the Missing Moon…  Each character with their various motivations and talents (and lack of talent, at times) struggles to follow their chosen path, as those paths begin to converge and intertwine.  What will happen when the Missing Moon returns and the evil sorcerer knight carves a hole into the demon realms in an attempt to retrieve the missing 80% of his soul?  I enjoyed this book very much, with its light, humorous tone, lovable characters, interesting world-building, and tons of heart.  Horwitz is a master at making “dark” characters with hearts of gold, as demonstrated in her previous book The Dark Lord Clementine.  (Horwitz joined me for an interview about 

it on this very blog three years ago, and I encourage you to read what she has to say about writing Middle Grade fantasy.)  But not all hearts are gold, and our heroes have their work cut out for them, discovering the true meaning of duty, honor, courage, and knighthood.  Curious?  Want to hear more?  Horwitz herself will be giving a live on-line reading from The Demon Sword Asperides on July 20.  Learn more about the event at Strong Women-Strange Worlds!

        Another MG book I read relatively recently and loved was Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez (and its sequel Sal & Gabi Fix the Universe).  This is not a book that needs any extra buzz from me, because it’s won tons of awards and starred reviews since its release in 2019.  Sal Vidón is struggling at a new (but wonderfully wacky and innovative) school, as well as struggling with the loss of his mother.  Student council president Gabi Reál is doing everything she can to keep her friend Yasmany from being expelled for bullying after he picks a fight with Sal.  Another very funny book, which touches on all kinds of heart-wrenching issues without ever losing its light touch, this is another one that warmed me to the very cockles.  And this is one reason I love MG fantasy so much: it’s never ashamed to celebrate love and joy.  I won’t attempt a synopsis of the crazy, convoluted, multiverse-spanning plot, but I will say that the thing about these books that won me over utterly was their portrayal of happy families that come in some pretty unusual variations.  Sal may have lost his mother, whom he longs to bring back (from another universe), but he’s also got a wonderful father and stepmother.  Gabi has a mother who would embrace (and feed) the entire world if she could, plus a huge number of “dads” who include men, women, a robot, and more, all of whom love her, her critically ill baby brother, and each other fiercely.  Sometimes it seems like dysfunctional families are used by writers as just an easy shortcut to add conflict, so it’s really refreshing and satisfying to see a portrayal of healthy, happy, and delightfully diverse, loving families who work together to solve their problems.

        The Lock-Eater by Zack Loran Clark (2022) is another magical adventure with a wonderful message of love and acceptance.  Melanie Gate is an orphan in the capital city of the thaumacracy.  She has a strange talent for opening locks, which occasionally causes trouble, but most of all, she longs for adventure.  Then adventure finds her, in the form of a mage’s gearling who turns out, impossibly, to be sentient, alive… a person.  In fact, Traveler is an absolutely endearing person, and also (all too rare in stories) one whose desire to do no harm makes him work hard to be a pacifist.  This world (which is flavored like 19th-early 20th century Europe with 2 competing magical systems) is well-drawn, the adventure twists and turns with several surprising pivots, and there are many likeable characters.  Like the families in Sal & Gabi, Melanie’s orphanage family is loving and supportive, and they have her back when she needs them.  Although there were times when the theme of diversity and inclusion seemed a tad heavy-handed, it’s not a theme I’m going to object to (and it may seem less obvious to MG readers).  In addition to that I appreciated that the characters engaged seriously with issues of non-violence.  I enjoyed this one very much, and the ending was warm and satisfying.

        Each of these books has its own distinct flavor, and you can take your pick between light goth, madcap sci-fi, or political epic fantasy… but I would recommend any of them to anyone who needs a reminder that love is its own powerful kind of magic, and no matter who we are, we can all choose to wield it.