SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About TLT
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • A to Z Book Lists
    • Book Review Policy
  • Teen Issues
  • Middle Grade Mondays
  • Programs
    • TPiB
    • Tech Talk
  • Professional
    • Teen Services 101
    • Things We Didn’t Learn in Library School
  • MakerSpace
  • Projects
    • #SVYALit
    • #FSYALit
    • #MHYALit
    • #Poverty in YA Lit

August 3, 2015 by Robin Willis

Middle Grade Monday – Diary of a Mad Brownie (giveaway)

August 3, 2015 by Robin Willis   1 comments

9780385392471Angus is a brownie (mythical creature, not chocolate dessert treat) living under a curse. Due to some mischief his father caused, the brownies of Angus’ line are bound to serve the McGonagalls, and to bring a curse upon the males of the household in which they live. So far, this has worked out well for Angus. He (as all brownies do) needs to serve someone, making sure their dwelling is both tidy and clean as well as performing minor mischief to keep his family on their toes. For many years Angus has lived with and served Sarah McGonagall, who conveniently lived alone and therefore Angus has not visited the second half of the curse on anyone in many years. Alas, humans do not live nearly as long as brownies, and at her death Angus’ services are transferred to the youngest female in the McGonagall line who is of age, who happens to be the American tween Alex Carhart. Not only is Alex unfamiliar with the concept of brownies, she doesn’t want any help cleaning her disastrously messy room (or her desk at school.)

Much of the humor and heart of the story comes from the conflict of personalities and the clash of cultures experienced by Angus and Alex. Both of them could use some anger management skills, but they manage to work through their differences and come to genuinely value each other. The reader watches Alex grow in her appreciation of Angus’ talents as their friendship blossoms. Unfortunately, Angus has also brought the other part of the curse to Alex’s household. Because he has been so long serving in a household without any males, he is hopeful that this part of the curse has died out. Unfortunately that is not the case, and both Alex’s father and brother are seized by the undeniable urge to create poetry (or write songs, in her father’s case.) Not just any poetry, but appallingly, laughably bad poetry. In order to break the curse, Alex and Angus must work together to return what was lost to the queen of the fairies. The many threads of the story weave together into a solution to this problem at just the right moment.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

I have long been a fan of Bruce Coville’s writing. While humorous and engaging, his work also has a genuine and caring heart to it. This book more than lived up to my expectations. The fact that it is written in varying formats (diary entries, memos, letters, etc.) adds greatly to its charm. It is a good addition to any collection serving 8 to 11 year old readers, and would even be a good read aloud for a younger audience.

I have one hardcover copy of this title (provided by the publisher) to give away (within the US.) Please enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed under: Middle Grade Monday

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Robin Willis

After working in middle school libraries for over 20 years, Robin Willis now works in a public library system in Maryland.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

September 2015

Middle School Monday - The Shrunken Head (Curiosity House #1)

by Robin Willis

September 2015

Middle Grade Monday - Changes

by Robin Willis

September 2015

Middle Grade Monday - Confessions of an Imaginary Friend by Michelle Cuevas

by Robin Willis

August 2015

Middle Grade Monday: There’s always next year: Things I’ve learned coordinating middle school volunteers (a guest post)

by Robin Willis

August 2015

Middle Grade Monday Book Review - School for Sidekicks by Kelly McCullough

by Robin Willis

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Sydney Taylor Blog Tour: THE TOWER OF LIFE by Chana Stiefel and Susan Gal

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Abecedarian Movement and Dance: A Q&A with Corinna Luyken About ABC and You and Me!

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Akim Aliu Dreamer | This Week’s Comics

by Lori Henderson

Heavy Medal

What’s Coming in 2023, A Feedback Poll, and Goodbye for Now…

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Writing Trans Joy in Spite of Everything, a guest post by Edward Underhill

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

A Book 25 Years in the Making: Marla Frazee Visits The Yarn

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

12 YA Titles Publishing in 2022 That Feature Asian American Protagonists

Best Young Adult Books 2020 | SLJ Best Books

Four Breezy YA Summer Reads for Fans of 'Along for the Ride' on Netflix | Read-Alikes

8 Pitch-Perfect Manga for Music-Loving Teens | Mondo Manga

Summertime Stories: 8 YA Rom-Coms, Thrillers, and Other Beach Reads

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. ICYMI: 'Trollhunters,' 'Love, Lucas' & 'Diary of a Mad Brownie' says:
    August 26, 2015 at 7:03 am

    […] what Robin Willis at School Library Journal […]

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023