THE BIG STING by Rachelle Delaney

Why this book?

Since I love books about nature and all its creatures, I was intrigued to read a story involving bees. I also know that Rachelle Delaney’s books usually have some kind of mystery to solve—and missing beehives is certainly a unique premise.

 I was having so much fun I read this story in one day, and actually laughed out loud a few times. The characters are believable and I loved the idea that Grandpa was leading his more cautious grandson on adventures.

This story also referred to some interesting professions (such as auditor) and included some fun names for computer games, like Applewood Acres. The games sounded so fun I wished they were real! I really enjoyed this book! From a writer’s perspective, I think it would be a good mentor text for anyone writing a contemporary middle grade novel.

Connections: mysteries, neighborhood adventures, bees

Activity Ideas:

Social Emotional Learning: The story mentions several personality types related to an online personality quiz: Auditor, Adventurer, Problem-Solver and Counselor. List the characteristics of each personality. Which ones do you most relate to? What kind of career interests you? Does it fit with your personality type?

Literacy: What are some of the obstacles that Leo faced as they worked to find the missing beehives? How did his character change by the end of the story?

STEAM: Research bees and design a model of a beehive using materials of your choice. Or build a real bee habitat to install outdoors.

MEDIA: Design your own computer game idea by making up a name and rules for how to play. Create an ad for your game in a format of your choice (poster, video).

 

Additional Resources:

25 Bee Activities for Middle Schoolers - Link here.

For my thoughts on some other books by Rachelle Delaney, click on the titles:

The Metro Dogs of Moscow  

Alice Fleck’s Recipes for Disaster

Book description from the publisher (to visit the publisher click here):   

A visit to Leo's grandfather's farm turns upside down when his grandmother's bee hives are stolen. A light-hearted and funny middle-grade novel for fans of Rebecca Stead and Lynda Mullaly Hunt.

Eleven-year-old Leo is an "armchair adventurer." This, according to Dad, means he'd choose adventures in books or video games over real-life experiences. And while Leo hates the label, he can’t argue with it. Unlike his little sister Lizzie, Leo is not a risk-taker.  

So when he, Lizzie, Mom and Dad leave the city to visit Grandpa on Heron Island, Leo finds all kinds of dangers to avoid — from the deep, dark ocean to an old barn on the verge of collapse. But nothing on the island is more fearsome than Grandpa himself — Leo has never met anyone so grumpy! According to Mom, Grandpa is still grieving the recent death of his wife, a beekeeper beloved by everyone on the island.

Despite Leo's best efforts to avoid it, adventure finds him anyway when Grandma’s beehives go missing in the dead of night. Infuriated, Grandpa vows to track down the sticky-fingered thieves himself . . .  with risk-averse Leo and danger-loving Lizzie (plus a kitten named Mayhem) in tow.

The Big Sting, written by Rachelle Delaney was published by Tundra Books in 2023.

 Other reviews of this book (click on title):

Kirkus 

CM

 To find more middle grade books to read, check out Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, organized by Greg Pattridge over at his blog.

ALICE FLECK’S RECIPES FOR DISASTER by Rachelle Delaney - a cooking-related middle grade mystery with lots of surprises

Why this book?

I’m a big fan of books that involve kids cooking and especially books with cooking competitions! I was hooked right from the beginning, since Alice didn’t want to be part of a Victorian-themed cooking show (what would her friends think?) Even worse, she was entered in this contest by her dad’s new girlfriend Hana, without being asked first. Lucky for us readers, Alice agrees to participate and we get to read about Alice and her historian dad working together to bake in the contest. There are even more plot twists when her favourite "Culinary Chronicles" cooking show is renamed "Culinary Combat" with a whole new approach. And then it becomes clear that someone is sabotaging the contestants! Alice meets some sweet new friends and they work together to solve the mystery of the saboteur, while she comes to terms with her dad’s new relationship, and discovers how to be herself.  

Jacket Art: Morgan Goble

Connections: reality shows, mysteries, cooking, friendships

Activity Ideas:

Literacy – Create your own “mystery” by choosing a popular recipe and inventing clues to reveal 4 or 5 of the ingredients. Can your friends guess your recipe?

Literacy/Drama – Design and film a commercial for “Culinary Combat” or another reality show you think would be interesting.

Art: Use your imagination and art materials to create your own version of “Peacock Pie.”

 

A bookformercial for the book by Tundra Books: 

 

Additional Resources:

Rachelle Delaney, the author, has lots of resources with her research materials on her website HERE.

A book club discussion guide from Kawartha Lakes Library can be found here.

Other cooking-related books students might enjoy:

The Doughnut King by Jessie Janowitz 

Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway

All Four Stars by Tara Dairman

Eliza Bing is (Not) a Big, Fat Quitter by Carmella Van Vleet

Description from the publisher:   

Alice Fleck's father is a culinary historian, and for as long as she can remember, she's been helping him recreate meals from the past — a hobby she prefers to keep secret from kids her age. But when her father's new girlfriend enters them into a cooking competition at a Victorian festival, Alice finds herself and her hobby thrust into the spotlight.
     And that's just the first of many surprises awaiting her. On arriving at the festival, Alice learns that she and her father are actually contestants on Culinary Combat, a new reality TV show hosted by Tom Truffleman, the most famous and fierce judge on TV! And to make matters worse, she begins to suspect that someone is at work behind the scenes, sabotaging the competition.
     It's up to Alice, with the help of a few new friends, to find the saboteur before the entire competition is ruined, all the while tackling some of the hardest cooking challenges of her life . . . for the whole world to see.

Alice Fleck’s Recipes for Disaster by Rachelle Delaney was published by Tundra Books/Puffin Canada in 2021. Visit the publisher’s page to listen to an audio clip of the e-book version here.

 

To find more middle grade books to read, check out Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, organized by Greg Pattridge over at his blog.

RESCUE AT LAKE WILD by Terry Lynn Johnson

Why this book?

It's a great read for kids who love nature, animals…and mysteries! In this middle grade mystery, 12-year-old Madi rescues two young beaver kits and brings them home, even though her parents have forbidden her from rescuing any more wildlife. Madi and her friends work together to find out who was responsible for orphaning the beaver kits as well as working on solving the town’s beaver problem.

I really loved the short chapters and how this book touched on lots of the issues that kids experience -- like having an annoying older sibling, doing a secret project that you want to hide from your parents and having problems with friends who get distracted. It was also interesting that Madi was a fan on scientist Jane Goodall.

Connections: solving mysteries, cooperation, Canadian animals, wildlife & human interactions, animal rescue, friendship problems

Activities for learners:

Literacy – Design a log book for collecting animal observations. Find an animal to observe (e.g., birds, family pet) to add entries to the book.

Literacy (story structure) – Make a list of the problems Madi and her friends have to solve in the story. Do they succeed or fail?

Literacy (biography) – Research scientist Jane Goodall and find out some of her contributions to helping the environment. What other scientists are helping us learn about the environment? Choose one and create a short poster or bookmark to share their contribution.  

STEM: Research beavers and create a model beaver dam or lodge. Are beaver dams built like dams made by humans? Another good (outdoor) STEM project would be to investigate different ways to control the flow of water using tubes, ramps and dams.

More resources:

Visit Terry Lynn Johnson’s website to find out more about the author.

Over here at Unleashing Readers, you’ll find another perspective on this novel as well as lots of great discussion questions for the book.

Description from the publisher:

In this funny and moving animals-in-peril adventure, a twelve-year-old girl and her two best friends determine to rescue two orphaned beaver kits—and soon find themselves trying to solve a local environmental crisis. Perfect for fans of Pax and A Boy Called Bat.

Everyone knows that twelve-year-old Madison “Madi” Lewis is not allowed to bring home any more animals. After she's saved hairless mice, two birds, a rabbit, and a stray tom cat that ended up destroying the front porch, Madi’s parents decide that if they find one more stray animal in the house, she won’t be allowed to meet Jane Goodall at an upcoming gala event.

But when Madi and her two best friends, Aaron and Jack, rescue beaver kits whose mother was killed, they find themselves at the center of a local conspiracy that’s putting the beavers and their habitats in danger. As Madi and her friends race to uncover the threat targeting the beavers, Madi must put her animal whisperer skills to the test in both raising the orphaned beaver kits and staying out of trouble long enough.

Rescue at Lake Wild by Terry Lynn Johnson was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2021.

For more great middle grade books, check out Marvelous Middle Grade Monday over at Greg Pattridge's blog, Always in the Middle.

TORNADO BRAIN by Cat Patrick

I'm very behind on my reviews, but I've been enjoying some wonderful middle grade books as well as picture books. Now that I'm on my spring break, I'm hoping to catch up a little because I do have a great list of books that need to be shared!

Why you want to read this book…

All the characters in this story felt so real! Their dialogue, actions and situations were all realistic and individual -- no exaggerated stereotypes here. Since the main character, Frankie, noticed things that others did not, she was able to put together clues to help solve the mystery of what happened to one of her friends.  But the main reason why I enjoyed this story so much was the heartbreak and the difficult emotional journey of navigating friendships.

The author carefully included unique details to show what Frankie experienced, which helped me to stay very absorbed in the story. As a writer, I was interested to study how she used flashbacks to develop the story. I also liked the tornado facts sprinkled into the story!

I think I'll remember this story long after reading it. It made me think about how an event or situation can seem different depending on your perspective. I definitely learned something from diving a little deeper into a way of thinking that is different from my own.

 

 Here’s the summary from the publisher:

Things never seem to go as easily for thirteen-year-old Frankie as they do for her sister, Tess. Unlike Tess, Frankie is neurodivergent. In her case, that means she can’t stand to be touched, loud noises bother her, she’s easily distracted, she hates changes in her routine, and she has to go see a therapist while other kids get to hang out at the beach. It also means Frankie has trouble making friends. She did have one–Colette–but they’re not friends anymore. It’s complicated.

Then, just weeks before the end of seventh grade, Colette unexpectedly shows up at Frankie’s door. The next morning, Colette vanishes. Now, after losing Colette yet again, Frankie’s convinced that her former best friend left clues behind that only she can decipher, so she persuades her reluctant sister to help her unravel the mystery of Colette’s disappearance before it’s too late.

Tornado Brain by Cat Patrick was published by G. P. Putnam's Sons in 2020. I read an e-book from my local public library.

 

If you’re looking for another thought-provoking, or maybe funny, middle grade book to read, check out Marvelous Middle Grade Monday on Greg Pattridge's blog.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday – SPACED OUT by Stuart Gibbs

Stuart Gibbs is one of my favourite authors of middle grade books. I really enjoy his JUNGLE FUN mysteries as well as these MOON BASE ALPHA mysteries.

 

Description from the Publisher

There’s nowhere to hide on the world’s first moon base. After all, it’s only the size of a soccer field. So when Nina Stack, the commander of Moon Base Alpha, mysteriously vanishes, the Moonies are at a total loss.

Though he may be just twelve years old, Dashiell Gibson is the best detective they’ve got. But this confusing mystery pushes Dash to his limits. Especially since Dash accidentally made contact with an alien and has to keep it a secret. With the fate of the entire human race hanging in the balance, will Dash be able to solve the mystery of the missing Moonie?

Spaced Out: A Moon Base Alpha Novel was written by Stuart Gibbs and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers in 2016.

Why you want to read this book… 

It’s a great mystery and a well-paced story with lots of action as well as the usual middle grade problems with bullies. I really enjoyed all the details about living in space in the excerpts from The Official Residents' Guide to Moon Base Alpha included with each chapter. I also loved all the unique elements that add to the fun of a story set in space. For example, you've probably never read a book before where a toilet is used for self-defense!

“Slopes are difficult to navigate in low gravity, even when you’re not running for your life.”

If you’re a writer… 

This is a great example of a middle grade mystery with an interesting setting. I also thought the characters were realistically portrayed, and there’s a lot of humor in the novel through the main character’s voice in this first person narration.

“One of the most unnerving things about having an alien beam herself into my brain was how abruptly she could appear.”

If you’re a teacher…

This is a great option to offer students who might be a little reluctant to read for pleasure. If you're learning about space, students could look for details in this book about life in space and do research to see if they can expand on them. A fun activity would be to try to draw their own plan of how they envision the base based on reading the book.

“Something was definitely wrong with my suit. I was losing oxygen way too fast.”

Opening Line:

“If I hadn’t made the mistake of showing Star Wars to an alien life form, I never would have ended up fighting Patton Sjoberg with the space toilet.”

Other Info:

The first book in the Moon Base Alpha series is Space Case. The next book in the series Waste of Space, is schedule for publication in April 2018. Check out the new cover and description here (I can hardly wait for this one!)

Books in the Fun Jungle series by Stuart Gibbs include Belly Up, Poached, Big Game and Panda-monium.

Stuart Gibbs also writes the Spy School series, including  Spy School, Spy Camp, Evil Spy School, Spy Ski School. Spy School Secret Service is coming in October 2017.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday – HOWARD WALLACE, P.I. by Casey Lyall

If you're looking for a good, middle grade mystery, this is a must read. I'm sometimes cautious about mysteries, because they can be too far-fetched or too easy to solve, but this one hit it just right.

Description from the publisher:

“What’s with the get-up? Is that the company uniform or something?”

“This? All P.I.s wear a trench coat.”

“Dude, that’s a brown bathrobe.”

I shrugged and straightened out my sleeves. “First rule of private investigation, Ivy: work with what you’ve got.”

Twelve-year-old Howard Wallace lives by his list of rules of private investigation. He knows more than anyone how to work with what he’s got: a bathrobe for a trench coat, a makeshift office behind the school equipment shed, and not much else—least of all, friends. So when a hot case of blackmail lands on his desk, he’s ready to take it on himself . . . until the new kid, Ivy Mason, convinces him to take her on as a junior partner. As they banter through stakeouts and narrow down their list of suspects, Howard starts to wonder if having Ivy as a sidekick—and a friend—is such a bad thing after all.

Howard Wallace, P.I.  was written by Casey Lyall and published by Sterling Children’s Books in 2016.

Why you want to read this book… 

The clues for the mystery and the mystery itself were believable, with lots of neighbourhood adventure as Howard and his sidekick scoped out crime scenes and interviewed suspects. I liked the creative details, like Howard’s playground office. Social issues of middle school, such as dealing with friends and bullies, were nicely woven into the plot and I loved the growing friendship between Howard and Ivy.  

“One of the greatest investigative advantages is the opportunity to observe your subjects when they’re unaware of being watched. People behave more like themselves when immersed in their natural environment.”

If you’re a writer… 

Something to study here is how the author created the quirky, first person narrator. The novel has a strong, consistent voice.  Howard’s obsession with being a detective came through loud and clear through all his actions and dialogue, but we also got to see his sensitivity.

 “Telling her to buzz off was the most sensible thing to do, but I couldn’t bring myself to say the words.”

If you’re a teacher…

It can be hard to find contemporary mystery novels for kids in the 9-12 age group that have an age-appropriate mystery. It was nice to see that Howard was solving mysteries for other kids his age.  

Casey Lyall's website is very teacher-friendly and has lots of resources, a scavenger hunt for students based on Howard's rules for detectives  including:

Writing Prompt Ideas for Kids

Discussion Questions for Teachers

A Scavenger Hunt Challenge 

Opening line:

“She didn’t knock, just barged through the door like she owned the place.”

Other info:

Word on the street has it that Casey is writing a sequel – I hope so!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday - Agatha, Girl of Mystery: The Kenyan Expedition

I enjoy reading mysteries, and it was fun to find one that is suitable for younger readers. After a summer of vacations and erratic schedules, this is a good one for easing back into reading.

A rare species of white giraffe, worshipped by the Masai tribe, has disappeared from the savannah. So Agatha and her cousin Dash head to Africa on their next adventure to help solve the mystery. There, they join forces with a third cousin--a safari expert--to track down the poacher who has stolen the priceless animal.

Agatha, Girl of Mystery: The Kenyan Expedition by Sir Steve Stevenson, illustrated by Stefano Turconi, Grosset & Dunlop, 2015.

My Take:

This is a fun, straightforward mystery for kids who are just starting to become interested in reading mysteries and finding clues. I’ve never read any of this series before, but I liked the detective team of Agatha and her cousin Dash, and their sidekicks Agatha’s butler Chandler and the cat, Watson. Readers who are new to this series might be a bit surprised when the first chapter is about Dash, since Agatha is in the title. This one has the threat of danger and a time pressure to find the giraffe, which keeps the story moving.

As a writer, what I admired about this book was the liveliness and energy. I can see why it would be popular with young readers.

Opening Line:

“In a central-London penthouse packed full of high-tech devices lived Dashiell Mistery, an aspiring detective with a passion for technology.”

Quotes:

“…the shelves of her bedroom were stuffed with notebooks she’d filled up with curious details, plot outlines, and character descriptions.”

“His joke made them laugh so hard that all the birds perched in a nearby acacia took flight.”

“A small but ferocious feline launched itself into the middle of the thundering dust cloud, and the herd of large animals veered off and thundered away.”

Other Info:

Sir Steve Stevenson is the pseudonym for an Italian the pseudonym used by Mario Pasqualotto, an Italian writer who spent many years writing for Italian gaming magazines. His motto is “Every person is a beautiful story.”

The illustrator, Stefano Turconi, lives in Italy.

If you like this one, there are many other books in the Agatha, Girl of Mystery series.


For more middle grade book recommendations, visit Marvelous Middle Grade Monday on Shannon Messenger's blog!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Space Case

This is an absorbing read for kids who are fascinated by space and like mysteries. I was hooked on it and didn’t want to put it down. I discovered this book through the list of “new books” at my local library and put in a hold request. It was worth the wait!

Here’s the Amazon description:

Like his fellow lunarnauts—otherwise known as Moonies—living on Moon Base Alpha, twelve-year-old Dashiell Gibson is famous the world over for being one of the first humans to live on the moon.

And he’s bored out of his mind. Kids aren’t allowed on the lunar surface, meaning they’re trapped inside the tiny moon base with next to nothing to occupy their time—and the only other kid Dash’s age spends all his time hooked into virtual reality games.

Then Moon Base Alpha’s top scientist turns up dead. Dash senses there’s foul play afoot, but no one believes him. Everyone agrees Dr. Holtz went onto the lunar surface without his helmet properly affixed, simple as that. But Dr. Holtz was on the verge of an important new discovery, Dash finds out, and it’s a secret that could change everything for the Moonies—a secret someone just might kill to keep...

Space Case (Moon Base Alpha) by Stuart Gibbs, Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York, 2014.

My Take:

Dash is a character that would be fun to hang out with because of his realistic observations about the moon base, his persistence in wanting to solve the mystery and, most of all, his likable personality. This book was intriguing and funny at the same time. I especially liked the excerpts from a fictitious manual called “The Official Residents’ Guide to Moon Base Alpha” at the beginning of each chapter.

As a writer, I want to read this book again. There’s a lot to learn from here about the execution of an intriguing concept. The voice of the main character draws you into the story world and the mystery. Details unfold at just the right time to keep you wanting to read more.   

Opening Line:

“Let’s get something straight, right off the bat: Everything the movies have ever taught you about space travel is garbage.”

Quotes:

“It’s not like in the movies, where everyone just jumps into their spaceships and flies off whenever they want. Launching a rocket is immensely complicated. It’s, well…rocket science.”

“Unfortunately, even after six months I was still mastering low gravity. I flew much farther than I’d expected, crashed into the wall, and tumbled back down to the floor.”

Other Info:

Stuart Gibbs lives in Los Angeles, where he also writes for TV and movies.  

Space Case is the first in a series, so we can expect more space adventures with Dash. Stuart Gibbs writes two other series, the FunJungle series and the Spy School series. Can't wait to read all of those! I read Belly Up a few years ago and really enjoyed that one too.

On his blog, Stuart Gibbs talks about why he writes more than one series: “…there’s too much fun stuff to write about.  I love writing, but the idea of only doing one series over and over and over again isn’t that appealing…I like the idea of jumping around between worlds.”

For more, visit Stuart Gibbs’ website.