by Carolyn Leiloglou | Adventure, Fantasy, Middle School, Middle-grade, Read Alouds, Recommendations
From the first read, Lightseekers: A Kingdom of Shadows by Emily Bain Murphy gave me Pilgrim’s Progress vibes. Something about the dark world and the journey toward the light reminded me of John Bunyan, though this book is not a retelling. The Kingdom of Wildfel...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Adventure, Graphic Novel, Middle-grade, Scary Stories
100 Cupboards: The Graphic Novel provides a new portal into a beloved story. I’m always excited to see a book I love adapted into a movie, game, picture book, or graphic novel, but rarely does the new format hold up to the original. In this case, though, 100...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Adventure, Boys, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Middle-grade
I’ve been waiting for this book to come out for a LOOOOONNGGG time! You see, I first read it in 2021 when my friend Glenn McCarty and I exchanged manuscripts for feedback. I sent him Beneath the Swirling Sky (which was published in 2023). He sent me The Song of...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Adventure, Fantasy, Middle-grade, Recommendations
I’m thrilled to introduce the finale of my Restorationists trilogy, Beyond the Far Horizon! When I began the Restorationists series, I didn’t actually know whose story book three would follow. At first, I thought it might be Vincent’s little sister,...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Adventure, Fantasy, Middle-grade
“Do we need a new Narnia?” That’s what my husband asked me when I described what I felt author Kathryn Butler was trying to achieve in her Dream Keeper Saga books. It’s a good question. In some way, no! I hope that series reigns supreme for a...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Adventure, Dystopian Future, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle-grade, Recommendations
I love being surprised by a book that’s so delightful I just have to share it! I’d seen the cover of Please Return to the Lands of Luxury floating around Instagram for a while. The cover and title looked interesting, but I had no idea what it might be...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Biography, Biography, Education, Fantasy, Middle-grade, Nonfiction, Recommendations
When I set this book down, I told my husband, “Mythmakers is a masterpiece!” I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it. Mythmakers by John Hendrix is a non-fiction graphic novel about the friendship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, a...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Adventure, Fantasy, Middle-grade
It’s time to celebrate because Between Flowers and Bones, the second book in The Restorationists series, is finally here! It’s been a wild ride, and I can hardly believe that Beneath the Swirling Sky came out just last year. I’ve been amazed by how...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Adventure, Character Training, Middle School, Middle-grade, Recommendations
My favorite line from the Tony Parker Spiderman movies was always, “with great power comes great responsibility.” That idea is echoed in the new middle grade superhero novel The Minor Miracle by Meredith Davis. Because having super powers isn’t what...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Adventure, Fantasy, Imagination, Middle-grade, Recommendations
What feeds our creativity and what makes art truly our own and not just a copy? Inkling by Kenneth Oppel is a fantastic middle grade novel that explores these questions and more through a magical story about a kid who finds living ink. This book will encourage your...
