My Guardian Ninja by Tom Farley

Action and adventure with emotional growth. My Guardian Ninja is captivating and heartwarming all at once, showing Ethan’s journey of self discovery in the face of fear with Blue’s loving support.

I read this to my son as I went, so it took me a bit longer to get through than books usually do, and while he’s younger than the target audience, he loved it. Every night, he’d ask me if we were going to read the “spooky halloween monster book” (he’s a toddler and identifies things by visuals and the cover was “halloween spooky” to him). It’s a feat to keep him interested in much at his age and he consistently wanted me to read this to him.

Despite it being targeted at a younger audience, it does have enough to keep adults engaged as well. I enjoyed the story and kept coming back to it for more than just reading it to my son. It balanced action with sweet moments well.

I think this is a fantastic book for a young audience, and with parental guidance, great for younger than middle grade as well.