I almost forgot how much FUN middle grade books are!

I'm normally an adult sci fi/fantasy reader with forays into YA, nonfiction, and other genres, but I picked up Scarlet Morning from the bookstore with the intent of making sure it was a good fit to pass along to one of my nieces.

And holy crap, I'm having SUCH a good time. Partly this is because it's a good book! But partly because it's just giving me those 5th grade adventure vibes, when I was reading A Tale of Time City, or The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm, or Alanna: The First Adventure. Kids are always the underdogs in these books, and they're always underestimated by the adults around them, but they use their kid smarts good hearts to save the day in the end. No waiting for the other shoe to drop and wondering if there's going to be a tragic ending.

Which is not to say they're never scary or sad! Kids have Big Feelings in these books, because that's what it's like being 10-14. Friends and siblings have fights, adults do awful, inexplicable things, the world is big and confusing and sometimes lonely, unjust, or sad. But there's always an undercurrent of hope.

Maybe it's just me looking for escapism, but it's so nice to get back to that every once in a while. I read a lot of dense, challenging books. But it's nice to get sucked into the kind of story that would get my name written on the board for reading under my desk when I should have been paying attention, you know? No matter how "serious" of a reader you are, don't sleep on middle grade. There's some great stuff there.