Menu

Out of Place – Middle Grade Fiction

out of placeOut of Place is a middle grade fiction about an unlikely hero. Miriam Mermelstein is the recipient of unexpected magical fairy gifts from her half magic cat Tefnut, she now journeys to the mermaid world to see her adopted grandparents (who she thought her parents made up!).

Serial kidnapping was not part of the itinerary for Miriam Mermelstein’s first underwater trip. She will need to be really creative about how she uses her magic gifts if she is going to escape. Out of Place is a humorous middle grade fantasy about choices. Miriam’s most important life choice may have been co-opted by her cat, but there is still plenty of room for her to mess up.

By: Susha Golomb

Sample Text from Out of Place

CHAPTER 1 WING POCKETS

The minute I unfolded my left wing, the ocean wind, obviously confusing me with a kite, grabbed it and pushed. I was reduced to hopping all over the road just to keep my balance while Mom and Dad zigzagged along behind trying to catch up.

“She’s headed your way, Ben,” Mom, called. “Quick, grab her.”

“Hang on, Miriam,” he hollered. He grabbed. The wind changed. Dad missed and landed on his tush, while I was blown, spinning and bouncing, like a badly launched kite, in the opposite direction.

“Open your other wing, honey,” Mom, already huffing and puffing, wheezed out, “so we can catch you.”

True, two wings would be better. At least I would be pushed in a straight line. But, this wing thing was still new to me. For sure, with both wings open, I would be blown up and away like a lost umbrella.

“Miriam. Sit.” Dad’s insight came from the fact that his recent effort had left him in a similar position.

I sat. Mom grabbed me and helped me tuck my wing back in. Then we all walked over to the car, propped me against it facing into the wind and started over.

This time I spread the wing out against the side of the car and let the wind blow all it wanted while I took Mom’s necklace out of the left wing pocket. Wing pockets don’t have zippers. They keep things in by being very tight. It’s never good to be in a hurry to get something out of a wing pocket.

I had two fingers in and could just feel the chain with the tip of one finger. A little further in and I had it hooked. Using my free hand I stretched the pocket a little wider — not too much, or it hurt —so that the delicate charm wouldn’t be damaged as I pulled it out.

“You know,” I said when I finally got it out all in one piece. “There’s a reason that whoever invented wing pockets isn’t famous.”

Hanging from a silver chain was my ticket to the Twilight Zone, disguised as an ordinary fish scale. Out of the water, it looked thick and dull. It was a part of the ocean. A place where I didn’t belong. But I was going there anyway.

My first big trip away from home. Am I going to Grandma’s on a plane? Off to summer camp on the other side of the country? Nooo, nothing so ordinary for me. I’m going to go and play with the fishies. All by myself.

“Let me, dear,” Mom said. I handed over the necklace and pulled my wing back under my shoulder blade where it stayed nicely hidden. Mom got behind me and straightened the back of my t-shirt while I pulled my hair out of the way. She put the necklace around

my neck and closed the catch, finishing with a reverse hug, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and nuzzling my hair. I could feel wet tears soaking through to my scalp.

“Now, you remember how to use the necklace?” she sniffed. “Do you need me to show you again?” I wiggled free of her damp embrace.

“Mo-om! I remember.”
Dad went right into high-speed lecture-mode. A sure sign of parental distress. “Don’t forget,” he said. “You’ll be perfectly safe as long as you stay under the water.

Fairies, including mermaids, are not on the food chain and that’s exactly what everyone will think you are. Oh, and don’t say ‘mermaid’ when you get there. It’s not considered polite. The preferred term for double breathers is `Sky’. Don’t forget. And don’t forget to give your grandparents the photos we gave you. And call,” he added. “Whatever happens…Don’t…Forget…To Call.”

<End of Chapter 1 – Page 1>

If you Enjoyed Out of Place, read more from The Fairy Gifts and Susha Golomb here:

See more books by Susha Golomb

 

The night the tooth-fairy didn't come The Night the Tooth-fairy Didn’t Come – pre-teen fiction - The Night the Tooth-fairy Didn’t Come is a humouous middle-grade fantasy adventure with two BFFs about finding the tooth-fairy and a way home. The last sleepover of the summer for BFFs Bea and Chum was also the weekend that Bea’s last baby tooth finally came out. Maybe because it was the last one. Maybe that’s ...
pisu's revenge MG fantasy cover Pisu’s Revenge – Middle grade fantasy chapter book - Pisu’s Revenge is a middle-grade fantasy novel about the adventures of Tefnut, a reluctant heroine and DFOA (dominant Female Over All), also a cat. Tefnut is required to keep order in a place called Ailuria (The Kingdom of the Cats), a difficult task when the cats, obligate carnivores, are not allowed to eat anyone. Pisu’s ...
Hazmats Middle Grade Fantasy Free Book for Download Invasion Of The Hazmats – Middle Grade Chapter Book - Invasion Of The Hazmats – Anyone who can eliminate their enemies by eating them is a formidable foe. Anyone would be the Hazmats, insaniac shape shifters whose mindless greed is threatening the continued existence of the Abyssmal Cities. Is Miriam Mermelstein doomed to follow in their footsteps? Miriam Mermelstein is changing and it’s not puberty. ...
out-of-place-mermade-middle-grade-fiction
out-of-place-mermade-middle-grade-fiction
magic sucks middle grade fiction Magic Sucks – Middle Grade Fiction - Every kid wishes for magic, but not Miriam Mermelstein, for her magic sucks. She firmly believes her parents’ fairy stories are just that, and she’s too old to be told stories. She wished for something real, what she thought was missing, but what she got was far more than she expected. Magic Sucks is a humorous ...

Check Out More Chapter Books:

 

See more books about Fairytale below

 

Goldilocks – What Ever Happened to Her? - A very cute beautifully illustrated rhyming tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Gabriel Rosenstock has given life to this classic tale, illustrated by Beatrice Dvilnsky. Suggested age range 4 to 8 years. Text from Goldilocks – What Ever Happened to Her? Who goes there? It’s Mommy Bear, Daddy Bear, and Baby Bear. They often ...
Make Your Own Fantasy Book – MYOB Series - Instead of just reading books together at bedtime, aspiring young authors can now make their own book and share it! Spark imagination with the most popular children’s book genres and learn about story structure and creative writing. In this book, Write your Own Fantasy Book, there are beautiful prompts of fairytale castles, dragons, unicorns, fairies ...
Going to Bremen Town - A group of friends travel to Bremen Town, finding many adventures along the way. See what happens when four the travelling musicians meet Captain Hook. Will they recover the gold he has plundered? Did you know that Puss in Boots can play the fiddle? See his origin story as he and the other animals battle ...
A Fairytale About Climate Change - Many, many, years ago, in a land far, far away, there lived a beautiful princess that loved ice bears. Everything in the land was perfect, because the citizens respected the laws of nature. That is until one day a wicked witch cast a spell over them so that they no longer cared about the environment. ...
More Classic Tales – CKLA Supplemental Reader Grade 3 - Core Knowledge Foundation is back with more classic tales, this time tailored for Grade 3 reading levels. This classic tale compilation features The Frog Prince, The Fisherman and his Wife, Rumpelstiltskin, The Queen Bee, Rapunzel, Hanzel and Gretel, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Paintbrush, The Tiger, the Brahman, and the Jackel, and A Christmas ...
Lion Queen – An iPop! adaption of three bears - Lion Queen is a super adaption of the classic tale of three bears. IPop! Labs include whimsical phrases and cute characters with a twist at the end to make this a fun rendition of the favourite tale. Sample Page from Lion Queen Read the full book by selecting one of the buttons below the post. ...
Classic Tales Grade 3 Reader - Classic Tales Grade 3 Reader is designed for Grade 3 level readers, covering three classic tales, Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, Alice in Wonderland, and The Open Road from Wind in the Willows. The book has many supplementary exercises that go with it available here: https://www.coreknowledge.org/free-resource/ckla-unit-01-third-grade-skills-classic-tales/  Sample Text From Classic Tales Grade 3 Reader Aladdin ...
pixie and the green book mystery Pixie And The Green Book Mystery – Early chapter book - Pixie And The Green Book Mystery is the first in a series about the adventures of Pixie from Coraline Grace. The Purple Mystery, and The Yellow Mystery are up next. Author – Coraline Grace Magic is alive at The Rocky Point Library. It’s an apple disaster day for Pixie, a second-grader at Rocky Point Elementary. ...
classic stories bedtime stories Classic Stories – Big Book for Early Grades and Kindergarten CKF - The Classic Stories Big Book from the Core Knowledge Foundation includes condensed versions of ten famous classic stories or fables, each includes beautiful illustrations, perfect for reading to kindergarten or early grade children, and suitable for early reading by early grade developing readers. This book is designed for the US preschool / pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) syllabus ...
the frog prince picture book The Frog Prince – Classic Fairytale Picture Book - This is a beautifully illustrated picture book version of the classic fairytale The Frog Prince, and includes reading comprehension questions at the end. The classic fairytale also has a teaching guide with lesson plans available for Grade 1 students, and reading comprehension questions available at the end of the book. This illustrated eBook and read ...

Sponsored Links:

Note – if you sign up through these links, it doesn’t cost you any extra, but FKB receives a small donation, which helps us with our project to buy more FREE Hardcopies   for kids who need them


All our posts are checked by Grammarly, the FREE online grammar checker (We still receive a donation even if you only sign up for the free account :-):

 
Spread the love

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

....