March Reading Recap
Did I find my favorite book of 2026?
March was a busy reading month…and also one of my favorite reading themes in the “booktube” community—Middle Grade March. I LOVE me some middle grade books. We are a homeschooling family and we have a ton of middle grade books piled up everywhere. Here are my stats:
14 Books: 10 middle grade books, 1 fiction, 1 nonfiction, 1 romance, 1 literary fiction
4 FIVE STAR BOOKS!!! YAY!
Tree.Table.Book. by Lois Lowry~5 STARS!! I adored this story. It is a beautiful story of friendship, no matter the age. *Highly recommend~especially good if your child is close to someone older with cognitive decline.
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman~5 STARS A tough read about life for many children in India. Written from a girl’s perspective and her will to survive. Highly Recommend! Heavier themes in this book, but incredibly important topics to discuss.
Wilderness Hacks by Joslin Brorsen~ 3 STARS Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy of this book. It came out March 31st of this month. I appreciated that the author included an autistic child, highlighting his strengths and how very smart he was. I also loved that it included mention of Celiac Disease and navigating a gluten-free household. **There were quite a lot of triggers in this book that I definitely think would be upsetting to the 8-12 aged audience. Overall, I just had a difficult time with the way the characters were written.
Little Pear by Eleanor Frances Lattimore~4 STARS This is the 3rd time I’ve read this book…this time it was a read aloud to my dauther. She was fully invested in the mischievous nature of Little Pear. Such a great read! *Highly Recommend*
Running on the Roof of the World by Jess Butterworth~4 STARS I loved this book so much! Focuses on China’s control of Tibet and the will & determination of a girl and her friend. So incredibly good! *Highly Recommend*
The Experiment by Rebecca Stead~3 STARS I am not quite sure what I read…the story was good, but it was just missing something. I was disappointed with this one, because I have enjoyed Rebecca Stead’s other books.
Karen’s Prize (Baby-Sitters Little Sister #11)~4 STARS My daughter and I came across this book in a little free library and really enjoyed it. I read the original Babysitter’s Club books, so I enjoyed reading this one to my daughter. This is the old school version, not the new graphic novels. *Go old school on these*
Starfish by Lisa Fipps~5 BIG GOLD STARS!!! Every kid & adult needs to read this book. The power words can have over others can be devastating. I absolutely found myself cheering for Ellie. Really related a lot to this story. *Topics are heavier in nature in this book, so do some research before you read to your 8-12 year old*
Tilly & the Bookwanders (Pages & Co., #1) by Anna James~4 STARS Really enjoyed the literary adventures of Tilly and the library and bookish setting. Really want to read the next book in the series now. *Highly Recommend*
Pool Party Puzzler (Nancy Drew Clue Book #1) by Carolyn Keene 4 STARS! My daughter & I read this in one sitting. It was so good! We immediately got books 2 & 3 on my Kindle so we can continue the story line.
Raising Worry-Free Girls: Helping Your Daughter Feel Braver, Stronger, and Smarter in an Anxious World by Sissy Goff~4 STARS This was my Non-fiction for the month and it was a much needed one. Really got some great tips on helping my daughter deal with her anxiety and worry. *Highly Recommend*
Just Friends by Haley Pham~3 STARS I love watching Haley Pham on YouTube and my kids love watching her husband (Ryan Trahan). So this book was a very anticipated read for me. I will preface this by saying…I don’t really enjoy romance books, but I liked the story, the clean romance and zero bad language. It just fell a little flat for me in places and I struggled to finish. Glad I gave it a shot and I wish her well in her author journey. It was a good first book.
Life, and Death & Giants by Ron Rindo~5 BIG HUGE BRIGHT STARS!!!! OH MY WORD…I believe I found my favorite book of the year. I read this through Kindle Unlimited and couldn’t put it down. I was immediately drawn in that it took place in an Amish community. The setting, the characters…*chef’s kiss* I absolutely bawled my eyes out the last quarter of the book and couldn’t stop crying. It has my heart. So incredible. WOW! A MUST READ
What did you read in March? Any epic 5 STARS I should check out?
Happy Reading,
~Wendy~