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3 engaging books for middle-grade readers

Three titles that would be good holiday gifts for middle-grade readers.

3. 'Chasing Augustus,' by Kimberly Newton Fusco

  • By Augusta Scattergood

Take one lost dog, add a determined girl, toss in a cantankerous grandpa, and you have another well-told story from an accomplished author of popular middle-grade novels.

Despite her lawyer mom’s leaving when she was a baby, Rosie’s life was pretty much perfect in her gritty (literarily!) hometown. Dad ran a donut shop, read books with her, and allowed Rosie’s big oaf of a dog, Gloaty Gus, to climb on the furniture. But when her dad has a stroke, Rosie must live with a grandfather who disapproves of everything she does. Her mother continually calls to convince her to move to California. But the worst part of Rosie’s new life is that she’s lost the “lumpiest dog you ever saw – one that pushed out screens and leaped out windows, he was so happy to see you.” Her life without Gus is “dull as paint and blank as paper.”

Of course, a scrappy girl like Rosie isn’t going to let that dog go. Convinced that he’s taken off to live on a farm belonging to the town’s outcast, she sets off, rain or shine, day after day, on a quest to rescue Gus. Eventually, Rosie begins to understand that sometimes life deals you a blow and sometimes it turns you upside down, but there will always be someone to catch you. A clever plot twist, Rosie’s distinctive voice, and an intriguing cast of characters make "Chasing Augustus" a delightful, often heart-wrenching, and not-to-be-missed story.

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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