A medley of middle grade reads

Little Christmas Carol

Joe Sutphin
Moody, 144 pages

Illustrator Joe Sutphin reimagines the classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge’s redemption by depicting the characters as woodland creatures in Victorian-era top hats and waistcoats. The book doesn’t veer much from Charles Dickens’ original, and Sutphin (who helped edit the text) kept many of the references to human characters, especially for the most quotable lines. The book, with wide, picture-book-style pages, is formatted for reading aloud. Families hoping to add it to their list of traditions should know that Sutphin doesn’t shy away from depicting some of the ugliness of Scrooge’s heart. While younger children may find the illustrations of hungry rabbits and Scrooge kneeling before his own grave a bit frightening, parents might welcome the conversations that the book’s more haunting pictures prompt. Ages 5-12

Gracie Under the Waves

Linda Sue Park
Allida, 176 pages

Gracie loves snorkeling and hopes that she’ll one day visit the Maldives, which has some of the best snorkeling spots in the world. For now, she’ll settle for a family trip to Roatán, Honduras. Gracie has everything planned out. Everything, except how her annoying little brother will completely ruin the whole trip. A leg injury forces Gracie to rethink her attitude toward both her brother and the ocean itself. Written by Newbery medalist Linda Sue Park, the story lays the climate change narrative on pretty thick. Still, readers might learn a thing or two about coral reefs. More important than her discoveries about the ocean, Gracie learns sisterly compassion, even though she sometimes blames her bad behavior on needing better boundaries. Ages 8-12

Knight Owl and Early Bird

Christopher Denise
Christy Ottaviano, 48 pages

Owl is captain of the Knight Night Watch, and it’s his job to keep the castle safe. He has a quiet, uninterrupted routine of snoozing the day away and looking after the castle each night. That is, until Early Bird shows up and annoyingly begs to be shown the knighthood ropes. Early Bird keeps Owl awake when he should be sleeping, so he doesn’t have energy to do his job. After losing his temper with Early Bird, Knight Owl begins to appreciate the differences in their strengths. Children will enjoy the clever wordplay and the hilarious illustrations, including those of a medieval-looking owl nursing a cup of coffee, and readers of all ages might benefit from the exhortation to patience. Ages 4-7

The Sign of the Five

Ali Standish
HarperCollins, 320 pages

Arthur Doyle and his posse have returned with another daring adventure that begins only days into their winter term at Baskerville Hall. This time, the lives of their beloved professors hang in the balance. Allegiances are tested as Arthur and his friends pool their creative energies to stop the mysterious Green Knight. This plot, however, warrants parental caution: Although her first book in the series incorporated some supernatural elements, Standish now takes things further. One of the characters invents the Ouija board, and occult rituals like séances and new moon ceremonies are casually included. While ghosts and spirits often prove to be figments of characters’ imaginations in many detective stories, Standish doesn’t explain away her book’s frequent inclusion of communication with the other side. Ages 8-12