Stay by Bobbie Pyron. 320 p. Katherine Tegen Books/ HarperCollins Publisher, August 13, 2019. 9780062839220.
Synopsis via the author's website: Piper needs something to hold on to. Her family just moved into a homeless shelter in a whole new city. And her life may never be normal again! But Hope House brings new challenges and new friendships, including Firefly troop 423 and a sweet dog named Baby.
Baby feels lucky. He gets to live in a park with his person, Jewel. A pack of two. But Jewel isn’t well, and there’s only so much her Baby can do to help her.
Piper makes Baby feel like he’s got another heartbeat on his side. And Baby makes Piper feel like she matters—even if it’s just to one little dog. So when Baby and his person are torn apart, Piper knows she’s the only one who can help. But that means learning to trust her new friends—and herself—before Baby gets taken away for good.
Told in the alternating perspectives of Piper and Baby, this heartwarming friendship tale proclaims the importance of hope, the power of story, and the true meaning of home.
Learned of this via a FB post by Barbara O'Connor, who praised it to the heavens.
Pride: a Pride and Prejudice remix by Ibi Zoboi. Unabridged audiobook on 6 compact discs. 6.5 hours. Performed by Elizabeth Acevedo. HarperAudio, September, 2018. 9780062855046.
Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorites. I try to reread it every few years, usually with my ears. Ms. Zoboi's 2017 debut, American Street was a favorite book of 2018. So when I learned of this remix, I was excited! I got the book and then learned that the audio was not only available, but performed by Elizabeth Acevedo, who knocked my socks off with Poet X. What could go wrong?
Absolutely nothing! This was a pure delight from beginning to end. Fans of the original will love discovering how the author modernized and adapted the classic. Readers who have not read Pride and Prejudice will enjoy the romance and setting.
This book is a love letter to Brooklyn in general and Bushwick, in particular. The setting is so vivid; as is Zuri's fierce love for her neighborhood and its culturally diverse denizens. The story is narrated by aspiring poet Zuri Benitez, the second eldest of the five Benitez sisters. She's upset by the gentrification of Brooklyn, and especially upset by the Mcmansion that was recently constructed across the street from her apartment. She already hates the rich family about to move in. The feeling is reinforced when she meets the Darcy brothers, especially Darius. She is dismayed by her older sister's instant infatuation with Ainsley. Themes of race and class are explored here as Zuri and Darius trade barbs as each resists attraction to the other.
Acevedo brings Zuri's fierceness to life in a terrifically paced performance. Read Pride with your ears or your eyes; but just read it. It's wonderful!
The Hidden Witch by Molly Knox Ostertag. 208 p. Graphix/ Scholastic, Inc., October, 2108. 9781338253757. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
In this sequel to The Witch Boy, Aster is happily training along side the girls in his family and they are accepting. His best friend, Charlie, who attends regular school has befriended a new girl, Ariel and is excited to play in her first basketball game. During the game, Charlie feels like something has taken over. Indeed, magic has interfered and only the reader is aware. Meanwhile, Aster's grandmother asks for his help in healing her brother. This is a difficult ask, since it was he who nearly killed Aster in The Witch Boy.
There's lots to love here. The art is vibrant. The characters are likable. Themes of friendship and jealousy are relatable.
Fans of The Witch Boy will gobble this sequel up and ask for more.
The Hyena Scientist by Sy Montgomery. Photographed by Nic Bishop. 70 p. Scientists in the Field series. May, 2018.9780544635111. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
Anyone who reads this blog with any regularity knows of my love for this series. Certainly my seventh graders do as the series is a huge part of the selection of scientists at work books they have to choose from for a unit on narrative non-fiction. Sy Montgomery has written quite a few of the books and Nic Bishop has photographed quite of few of them as well. They have outdone themselves here.
Montgomery was the morning keynote at SLJ Basecamp in Boston this past August, where attendees received copies of the newly published book. I never thought I would come to appreciate hyenas, but did first after hearing her speak and then again reading this superb book.
The reader gets up close and personal not only with the hyenas but with the team of scientists, led by Kay Holekamp, who has studied spotted hyenas in Kenya for thirty years. Each scientist who works at camp observing and recording data about the hyenas gets a page of biography. Montgomery and Bishop got to go out on observations and Montgomery even got to tend to a male hyena who was darted in order to be tagged and studied! The photos Bishop took reveal hyenas in all their glory as well as other animals in the ecosystem.
Backmatter includes fast facts about spotted hyenas, books and websites for further reading, acknowledgments and an index. I expect to hear it winning something come January as it has garnered three starred reviews, popped up on many year-end best lists and was named a CYBILS Middle Grade Non-fiction Finalist on January 1.
The Hyena Scientist is a first-purchase addition to any library collection!
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt. 240 p. Henry Holt & Company/ Macmillan, October, 1999. 9780805061161. (Own)
#tbt features When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt. This October will mark the twentieth anniversary of the publication of this book. It won the National Book Award the following month and was adapted for film in 2003. Zachary Beaver is billed as the world's fattest boy. He arrives in a trailer and the townsfolk of Antler, Texas are willing to line up in the summer heat to pay to view him. Toby, the story's narrator is coping with quite a few changes in his life and wants to learn more about Zachary. This quiet coming-of-age story is perfect for introspective readers.
The Lost Heir (Wings of Fire Graphic Novel Series #2) by Tui Sutherland. Illustrated by Mike Holmes. 224p. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc., February 26, 2019. 9780545942201.
Publisher synopsis: The lost heir to the SeaWing throne is going home at last.
She can't believe it's finally happening. Tsunami and her fellow dragonets of destiny are journeying under the water to the great SeaWing Kingdom. Stolen as an egg from the royal hatchery, Tsunami is eager to meet her future subjects and reunite with her mother, Queen Coral.
But Tsunami's triumphant return doesn't go quite the way she'd imagined. Queen Coral welcomes her with open wings, but a mysterious assassin has been killing off the queen's heirs for years, and Tsunami may be the next target. The dragonets came to the SeaWings for protection, but this ocean hides secrets, betrayal -- and perhaps even death.
This series suddenly got popular at my school and I don't have the first five books! I enjoyed the graphic novel adaptation and am looking forward to catching up with the series via the gn series.
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland. Unabridged e-audiobook, 10 hours. Narrated by Bahni Turpin. HarperAudio, April, 2018. 9780062822956. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)
Now, I don't like horror in general and zombie stories in particular. Except when I do. I force myself to read it because I have students who love horror. When I do read horror, it's usually been well-reviewed. I'd been hearing a lot about this one so when it popped up on the "new" list of audiobooks on Libby, I gave it a try. Bonus points for Bahni Turpin narrating.
I will try to give a synopsis of this alternate history/ zombie mash-up; but I won't do justice to the world that Ireland has built. Zombies rise during the battle of Gettysburg derailing the efforts to abolish slavery. We don't know much about Jane McKeene except she's a crack zombie fighter training to become an elite attendant who will protect Baltimore's wealthy, white elite from zombie attacks. Plans go awry and Jane, her nemesis and her ex are shipped out west.
I loved Jane's voice from the start, smart and sarcastic, brash and bold. Of course she gets in trouble thanks to her mouth! The story is fast-paced and suspenseful. Events are totally believable! There are a fair number of social parallels to today as well. I was unaware that this is the first of a duology and cannot wait for the next installment.
As usual, Bahni Turpin turned in another flawless performance.
