Scholastic school days: a week many of us lived for when we were in elementary school. Well, except for me. Why? Because I had a scholastic book warehouse all to myself. Well, it wasn’t actually ALL to myself, but it was a warehouse that sat behind my great uncle’s house out in 
Rankin county.
There were rows and rows and rows of books that I was allowed to peruse and pillage. It was a dream come true. I am not sure how or why he had the warehouse as he was a judge. Also, I am not sure how I was able to get whatever books I wanted without paying a single penny for them; all I do know is that I found some really cool books to read!
A series of books that I particularly fell in love with was the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. My uncle had so many of the series in his warehouse because many of the schools had “banned” the books from their library shelves. My school, a small private academy, was one of the many schools where this series was banned; so I felt special and a bit like a rebel for being able to have the series. One day at school, I sneaked The Subtle Knife into my 7th Grade study hall, and read it within the pages of my Bible. No one ever knew the difference.
Recently, as I remembered those days of reading Middle Grade series like His Dark Materials, I thought it would be great to read a middle grade book again. One of our managers, Hannah, pointed me towards a book entitled, The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove. As I read the cover and some of the reviews, Philip Pullman’s name kept being invoked. I knew that this was the book I was supposed to be reading; and I sure am glad that I read it.
The novel itself is a new and fresh take on time travel, adventure, mystery, all the while talking about map-making. I could not put it down. It was nothing like the His Dark Materials trilogy in the narrative; however, the feeling I got while I was reading The Glass Sentence was the same feeling I had when I read The Northern Lights for the first time. Reading The Glass Sentence also renewed within me a love for middle grade books.
Young Adult books are good, but middle grade books are the best at telling stories and weaving together captivating narratives that leave the reader wanting more. As and adult, it is important for me to read these kinds of books because the stories are deep and thoughtful without delving into adult situations and problems. In middle grade literature, I get lost in the adventure, the narrative, and my imagination takes off into the wonderful world of fantasy. I actually think for every four or five books an adult reads, one needs to be a middle grade book.
S.E. Grove’s The Glass Sentence is only the first book of the Mapmakers Trilogy, and I cannot wait till next fall when book 2, The Golden Specific is released.
Written by Justin
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