Teenage Lexicon

I haven’t been reading a lot of middle grade fiction lately, but Dawn Chandler reminded me of all I’ve been missing—innocent characters, whimsical settings, and a straightforward plot driven by an overarching moral of the story. Dawn Chandler beautifully checked each of these boxes and more. Warning: mild spoilers ahead! Eliza Noel, coming from a big family herself, wonderfully captures the blithe chaos of a large family with her natural, affable dialogue and leapfrogging focal points. The very first scene of the book was reminiscent of busy mornings—there’s a tangible energy among her words that allows the reader to be in the Jennings’ kitchen as they get ready for the day. These first few pages pulled me into the book. Noel has a knack for balancing a large cast of characters. Aided only by a list in the front of the book—a unique feature that reminded me of the old American Girl books, which, needless to say, I absolutely adored—she gives each character their own id...

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a book with such pure and innocent magic, as one finds in Lydia Green of Mulberry Glen . As we grow older, we tend to forget that fairy tales exist, but Lydia Green of Mulberry Glen , reminiscent of the leather bound storybook tucked next to the fireplace at my grandma’s house, restores a part of your heart you didn’t realize needed restoration.  Warning - Spoilers ahead! I found myself lost in Lydia’s world on every page. Millie Florence strikes the perfect balance between flowering poetry and compelling prose—she allowed the inventive imagery to exist without compromising the pace of her plot, an equilibrium I rarely find in middle grade fiction. I knew the language Florence was capable of after reading Honey Butter , her first novel, but the growth Lydia Green showcases is astounding. She takes you by the hand and pulls you straight to the heart of her mystical world. And her world-building is stellar. Without ever explaining the P...