Middle Grade Books to Add to Your TBR List from Sky Pony Press!

Books provided for feature/review consideration

Canned and Crushed by Bibi Belford asks the question, "How much trouble can one kid get into when he’s just trying to help his little sister?" 

When Sandro Zapote finds out his little sister needs heart surgery, he is determined to help his parents raise the money they’ll need to help her get better. Sandro’s dad is in the states illegally and must work two jobs to support the family. For one, he picks up roadkill for the Department of Streets and Sanitation and gets paid by the carcass. For the other, he collects scrap metal to recycle for cash. Sandro helps his dad with some of the scrap-metal heavy lifting, and one can collecting. Save the environment. Save his family. Maybe even save some spending money for the fabulous, fast new bike he’s been coveting.



Well-meaning and with funny inner monologue, Sandro is the kind of person you can’t help but cheer for. He’s a boy who loves drawing, soccer, and his little sister. And whether he’s fishing a fuzzy, dust-coated turtle out from under his sister’s bed or organizing a school-wide can drive all by himself, Sandro is a smart, self-aware hero who makes just a few mistakes along the way.

Canned and Crushed, by first-time author Bibi Belford, gives Sandro a funny, relatable, readable voice, while being fresh and original. It’s a story that will open its readers’ eyes, dealing with issues of illegal immigration, unemployment, racism, religious persecution, bullying, and more—carefully and with a light and often humorous touch. This is a cross between The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and it’s a book no kid will want to miss.



Sky Pony Press paperback, also available as an ebook
ISBN: 978-1-5107-1661-2
208 pages | Price: $7.99 | Ages 8–12
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--> Lisa Fowler, author of Snakes and Stones, called Back on the Map by Lisa Ann Scott  a “...heartwarming tale of one girl’s hope and determination, spotted nicely with acceptance and just the right amount of secrecy, {that} will be an inspiration to readers of all ages.” 

--> With their mother long dead and their father unknown, eleven-year-old Penny Porter and her twin brother Parker have been bouncing around foster homes for as long as they can remember. Inspired by the historical figures in her favorite book, Penny likes to imagine who she could be related to. Sacagawea? Her genes would be good ones to have. Or maybe Gandhi, or Harriet Tubman. There are endless possibilities!

But while Penny embraces the question marks in her family tree, she and Porter are both ready for a real home. Living with their aging, ornery Grauntie isn’t easy but it’s better than other places they’ve been, and they don’t want to get moved again—or worse, split up. Penny believes the key to keeping them from being bounced to another new home is getting their town of New Hope, North Carolina, back on the state map. And what better way to do that than to spruce up and sell New Hope’s finest—an old orphanage that was supposed to reopen years ago as the best attraction ever, but never did.

She’s got the creativity and the gumption to do it. And maybe knowing who you are doesn’t matter so much as knowing what you can do. But will that be enough to finally keep her and Parker in one place for good?

Sky Pony Press hardcover, also available as an ebook
ISBN: 978-1-5107-1353-6
320 pages |Price: $15.99| Ages 8–12

Until next time...