My name is Nicole Etolen. If you know me from my other site, Pretty Opinionated, then you know that I am passionate about literacy. I think that it’s absolutely vital to instill a deep love of reading in our kids. The best way to do that is to help them find books that they truly love.

Reading isn’t just crucial to their academic or future workplace success, it’s an incredible way to see the world without leaving home and to escape into a magical land when you need a break from reality. It helps us appreciate each other more because we can walk in another’s shoes through the words on a page. It really is the most important skill that we can teach our children.

I launched MGR when my son was just 13. Today, he’s 16 and beyond the middle grade reading years (he’s all about anime now), but I still have a passion for sharing amazing tween reads!