Brooks Benjamin

Brooks Benjamin lives in Tennessee with his wife and their incredibly spoiled dog.

Benjamin's new novel is My Seventh-Grade Life in Tights.

Recently I asked the author about what he was reading. His reply:

I've been on a serious Middle Grade kick lately, barreling through some books that have definitely rocketed to the top of my favorites list. Some of the recents are Swing Sideways by Nanci Steveson, The Distance to Home by Jenn Bishop, and Howard Wallace, P.I. by Casey Lyall. All three of these have something in common that I crave every time I open a book: incredible characters. Nanci's book features two girls who form an unlikely friendship that, for me, rivals the ups and downs of MG relationships found in Bridge to Terabithia. Bishop's story is told through the eyes of a strong-willed young girl baseball player with chapters that alternate between current day and a year ago. And Lyall's main character, the titular middle-school detective, is about as hardboiled and hilarious as it gets. I can't wait for these characters to find their ways into the hands of kids, teens, and adults. And I also can't wait to see what's next from these outstanding authors.

Visit Brooks Benjamin's website.

The Page 69 Test: My Seventh-Grade Life in Tights.

--Marshal Zeringue