Book Mail

I received an email from Tommy Greenwald last week telling me about his newest book, Right Call, and asking if I'd be interested. No brainer! Woot! It arrived Friday and I'm about to dive in. I've been a fan since reading Mr. Greenwald's debut, Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to (Not) Reading.

Image: Abrams Books

The Right Call: a Game Changer Companion Novel by Tommy Greenwald. 272 p. Amulet Books/ Abrams Books, April 15, 2025. 9781419772856.

Publisher synopsis:From award-winning author Tommy Greenwald comes a thrilling companion novel to Game Changer that explores the growing pressures in youth sports, and the lengths some parents will go to make sure their kid comes out on top.

Cal Klondike’s life revolves around baseball. He’s the Walthorne Baseball Academy’s star pitcher, and everyone from his coach to his dad to the town sports blogger is telling Cal he has an unlimited future in the sport. But with all this attention comes a lot of added stress, especially as the season kicks into high gear and college and pro scouts start to show up at the games. Inevitably, tensions that have been bubbling under the surface finally boil over, culminating in a confrontation that could change Cal’s relationship to baseball forever.

Told through a combination of transcripts, articles, texts, and emails, The Right Call is a gripping, fast-paced story for middle grade readers about our split-second decisions, facing the consequences, and the courage it takes to forgive.

Waiting on Wednesday: Partypooper by Jeff Kinney

Image: Abrams 

Partypooper by Jeff Kinney. Diary of a Wimpy Kid #20. Abrams Books, October 21, 2025. 9781419782695.

Wow! Wimpy Kid #20! I cannot wait! Here's the publisher synopsis: Over the years, Greg Heffley has chronicled his mishaps and misadventures in a series of diaries—make that journals—but book 20 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Partypooper, really takes the cake! Expect gobs of fun and over-the-top antics as Greg throws an epic birthday party for none other than himself. So come celebrate and laugh alongside Greg, his family, and the entire world of Wimpy Kid fans.

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Grief in the Fourth Dimension.by Jennifer Yu

Image: Tantor Media

Grief in the Fourth Dimension.by Jennifer Yu. Unabridged audiobook, ~8 hours, 45 minutes. Tantor Audio. Read by Tim Lounibos and Raechel Wong. July, 2024. Review of audiobook downloaded and borrowed from public library.

Kenny Zhou and Caroline Davison may have been classmates, but they existed in two completely different orbits. He, an introverted science nerd, worked in his immigrant parents' restaurant. She, an extroverted, popular athlete came from a life of privilege. When Kenny ends up in a stark, white room containing a chair and a huge, wall-mounted flat screen tv, any doubts that he has died are put to rest when the television broadcasts his funeral. 

Caroline, on the other hand, believes she's suffering from a fever dream, until the television shows her otherwise. Then, she believes the two are in purgatory - purgatory with a sense of humor as the room sends them cryptic notes and seems to grant them wishes. Of course, the two wish to communicate with their respective families, but communication is garbled. 

This intriguing speculative fiction made me think of a favorite book of mine called Layover Land, with its unique view of the afterlife, redemption and grief. Oh, and its snarkiness was quite amusing, but soon gave way to poignance as details unfold. 

The shifting POV between Kenny and Caroline kept me engaged and guessing. Supporting characters are beautifully rendered, especially Kenny's friend, Iris. 

Mr. Lounibos' narration gave Kenny such an achingly real vulnerability and Ms. Wong's portrayal of Caroline's journey from confident to angry to contemplative was well wrought. Many themes are explored here from privilege to mental health to justice through this story. 

Thoughtful teen fans of speculative fiction and the afterlife will adore Grief in the Fourth Dimension.

Middle Grade Monday: The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Fusco Newton

Image: Penguin Random House

The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Fusco Newton. 368 p. Knopf Books for Young Readers/ Random House Children's Books, January, 2025. 9880593121771. Review of finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media. 

Middle Grade Monday features The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Fusco Newton. This historical fiction is set in 1930 and is narrated by Hurricane, a quiet tween who is familiar with loss. She lives with her nineteen-year-old sister, since her mother died of tuberculosis. Her father died in the Great War. She hates school and is convinced her teacher hates her as well, but she confides all this in her journal. She takes comfort in running with her dog along the beach and the fact that her sister, Bronte, will speak for her. Only Bronte has TB and needs to go to a sanatorium to recover and Hurricane must leave her beloved dog and beach to live in the city with great Aunt Claire. She is fussy and her house is unforgiving, but her chauffeur is kind and gets her. 

Hurricane's voice is achingly relatable as she navigates the uncertainties in her life. I highly recommend this gentle, first-person novel for tween readers. Absolutely lovely.

Picture Book Review: So-Hee and Lowy by Anna Kang

Image: Amazon

So-Hee and Lowy by Anna Kang. Illustrated by Christopher Weyant. unpgd. Two Lions, April 22, 2025.  9781542036658. Review of fng courtesy of MB Communications.

So-Hee lives in an apartment with her mother and just longs for connection. She's chosen last for things at school and she has not friends. She's severely allergic to fur and the usual pets are off the menu. No friends, not pets, what's a lonely tween to do? Luckily, her local pet store has the answer! Her mom agrees to bring home a yellow python and So-Hee names it Lowy and the two soon become inseparable, until they aren't.

This sweet story works on so many levels. It's about loneliness and friendship and community. The warm illustrations add to the story by depicting lots of little details, both humorous and heartwarming about So-Hee's life. 

I'm a huge fan of Ms. Kang and Mr. Weyent's books. So-Hee and Lowy is a keeper. Loved it. It's a great addition to home and pre-school and elementary libraries. 

#tbt: X: a Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon

Image: Candlewick Press

X: a Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon. 384 p. Candlewick Press, January, 2015.  

#tbt features X: a Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon. Written in the first-person present tense, readers follow young Malcolm Little as he leaves Lansing, Michigan for Boston, hoping to make a new start only to find doors closed, but the streets welcoming. While Malcolm hustles, he flashes back to key moments of his childhood, like his father's death, a teacher's harsh words and seeing the body of a lynched man.

The novel ends when Malcolm converts to Islam while in prison, but an author's note adds historical context. X: a Novel won a Coretta Scott King Honor and the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children's Literature. Ms. Shabazz also wrote two other books about her father - a picture book and a middle grade novel, as well as a middle grade novel about her mother. 

Happy reading!

Waiting on Wednesday: Malcolm Lives by Ibram X. Kendi

Image: Macmillan Publishers

Malcolm Lives: the Official Biography of Malcolm X for Young Readers by Ibram X. Kendi. 400p. Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR. May 13, 2025.

I'm so excited for this biography. I'm a fan of Dr. Kendi. This news just inspired my #tbt post for tomorrow!

Publisher synopsis: In collaboration with the Malcolm X Estate, this powerful biography for young readers is a modern classic in the making, written by #1 New York Times-bestselling, National Book Award-winning author Ibram X. Kendi.

Published 100 years after his birth, Malcolm Lives! is a ground-breaking narrative biography of one of the most influential Americans of all time.

Dr. Kendi expertly crafts a propulsive telling of Malcolm X’s life—from birth to death. He provides context for both Malcolm’s choices—and those around him—not just painting an intimate picture of a famous figure, but of the social and political landscape of America during the civil rights movement.

Ultimately, Malcolm's true legacy is a journey toward anti-racism. Just like history, Malcolm lives.

With short, evocative chapters, exclusive archival documents, photographs from the Malcolm X Collection at the NYPL Schomburg Center, and extensive backmatter,this is a thoughtful and accessible, must-read for all Americans.