Arc Review: The Witching Wind by Natalie Lloyd

Image: Scholastic

The Witching Wind by Natalie Lloyd. 368 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc. September 17, 2024. 9781338858600.

I can't believe we are staring down the end of July and August begins tomorrow! I hope you are enjoying every moment of your summer.

I featured The Witching Wind by Natalie Lloyd for Middle Grade Monday in my Library Links group in our school's learning platform and forgot to post here. This dual narrative is told by eleven-year-old Roxie, who was looking forward to starting middle school and Grayson, who has moved in with yet another foster family and about to be the new girl yet again. 

Roxie was humiliated at the sixth grade swim party and is thrilled when her beloved grandmother offers to take her on tour with her folk band. Grayson uses a walker due to the fact that her bones are brittle and she is prone to fractures. She thinks that this newest placement, as nice as they are is just temporary, since her beloved sister, Beanie, promised to become her legal guardian when she turns eighteen, which is soon.

Then, the witching winds come and boy, they are fierce this year! They take what folks love most, so when both Granny and Beanie go missing without a trace, Roxie and Grayson team up to track them down, even if it means facing the witch who sends the winds.

This work of magical realism is filled with endearing, quirky characters, a lush southern setting and mystery. Fans of Natalie Lloyd will not be disappointed. I loved this and just might reread it with my ears if it's released in audio format. 

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: The Storyteller by Brandon Hobson

Image: Scholastic Inc.

The Storyteller by Brandon Hobson. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~6 hours. Read by Curtis Michael Holland. Scholastic Audio/ Scholastic Inc. May, 2023. (Review of downloadable e-audio borrowed from public library.)

Middle Grade Monday features The Storyteller by Brandon Hobson. Cherokee sixth grader, Ziggy lives in Poisonberry, New Mexico with his father, grandmother and older sister. He suffers from anxiety as well as grief over the disappearance of his mother ten years earlier. He sees a therapist who helps him cope when the anxiety becomes too much. He doesn't like the fact that Native American women disappear all the time and "no one seems to do much about it." When Alice, an oddball classmate who happens to wear a hearing aid tells him about the Nunnehi, mischievous shape-shifting spirits who are said to dwell in the caves in the desert just outside of town, Ziggy is convinced he can find answers about his mother there. Ziggy and Alice, together with Ziggy's best friend, a white boy named Corso and his sister set out after midnight to explore the caves. They encounter a series of magical beings, each with a story to tell on their quest through the desert.

The magical realism of this layered story is mind-bendy. Ziggy's anxiety and his methods of coping with it are authentically portrayed. He and his extended family are close and supportive. He is especially close to his grandmother and relies on her stories as guidance. New-to-me narrator, Curtis Michael Holland delivered a quiet, well-paced, thoughtful performance. 

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~10 hours, 45 minutes. Dreamer Trilogy #2. Read by Will Patton. Scholastic Audio/ Scholastic Inc. 9781338672923. (Review of downloadable e-audiobook borrowed from the public library.)

Happy final Tuesday of the school year! Phew, I am running out of steam! The travels of this past weekend added to my general end-of-school exhaustion. Last night was the TREP$ Marketplace from 4:30 - 8. Tonight I'm chaperoning the eighth grade dinner dance and I'm attending graduation tomorrow. Then there's the grading to do. I enjoy it all, but it's tiring. 

Teen Tuesday features Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater. This is book two of the Dreamers trilogy, which is a companion trilogy to the Raven Cycle books. Confused yet? Since this is a second book, I will be purposely vague in my description so as not to spoil anything from book one, Call Down the Hawk.

Dreamers Ronan, Hennessey and Bryde are on the run with the Moderators hot on their heels and committed to destroying them. This intricately plotted story features compelling characters and so many twists, readers will get whiplash. While this trilogy stands alone, readers who have read The Raven Cycle, will appreciate Dreamers a bit more. If you are a reader who enjoys magical realism, these are the books for you. I cannot wait for Greywaren, which is due out on October 18. I'm sort of glad I missed the publication of Mister Impossible last May, because my wait for the finale is shortened.

I've listened to most of these two series and have really enjoyed Will Paxton's growly performances. I didn't here. His British accent was inconsistent and just...weird. There were a number of times when a word was pronounced incorrectly and that took me out of the story. I might read Greywaren with my eyes. 

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman

Happy Presidents' Day! I hope you are enjoying your break and finding time to read! 

Image: LBYR/ Hachette

The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman. Unabridged downloadable e-audiobook. ~3 hours, 52 minute. Read by Simon Vance. Hachette Audio, September, 2020. 9781549106743. (Review of downloadable e-audiobook borrowed from the public library.)

Middle Grade Monday features The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman. This is Mr. Grossman's middle grade debut. He usually writes for a YA audience.

Kate is about to turn eleven. She's facing a ho-hum birthday thanks to her busy parents. She writes a letter to her Uncle Herbert, whom she's never met because he's very, very rich and very irresponsible. He shows up on her birthday with a locomotive called, The Silver Arrow. This is not a toy, but a real locomotive that Kate and her brother, Tom, later learn is sentient. It communicates with them through printed messages and soon whisks them off to the railyard where the two need to choose train cars for their journey. Kate, a book lover, chooses a library car and Tom chooses a candy car. At each stop on their journey, animals bearing tickets board the train. Kate and Tom learn of the plight of each and try their hardest to get the animals to their destinations, but it might be too late for the polar bear.

Simon Vance is a favorite narrator of mine. He has a variety of voices for each animal. The voices he chose fit their personalities and adds a level of enjoyment. There's a definite message, but an important one. If you enjoy magic and adventure, this eco-fable is for you.

Middle Grade Monday and Review: Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead

Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead. 224 p. Feiwel & Friends, May, 2018. 9781250304148. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher)

Can you imagine waiting five years for a friend to return? A friend that didn't even say goodbye? Waiting in a closet? In a chicken suit? Middle Grade Monday features Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead. Both authors have lots of fans at TMS and they teamed up together to write Bob, which was illustrated by Nicholas Gannon. 

It has been five years since Livy has visited her grandmother in Australia. She lives in Massachusetts and is returning to Australia for another visit. Bob is delighted to see her, but is quickly dismayed because she doesn't remember him! He has been waiting five long years for her to help him find his way back to his home! 

This is a short, sweetly touching story of being lost and then found. The characters are endearing. The mystery intrigues. It is perfectly paced. The soft, sepia toned illustrations are just lovely. TMS' copy is signed by Rebecca Stead!