Teen Tuesday: The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman

Image: Penguin Random House

The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman. The Book of Dust, book 2. Unabridged downloadable e-audiobook, ~20 hours. Read by Michael Sheen. Listening Library/ Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, October, 2019. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

The last Teen Tuesday of the year/ decade features The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman, book #2 in the Book of Dust trilogy. Book one, La Belle Sauvage, told the story of Lyra as an infant. The Secret Commonwealth takes place about seven years after events depicted in The Subtle Knife. (The final book of the His Dark Materials trilogy.) 

Lyra is now a college student, and a rather arrogant one at that. She has come under the thrall of rationalists. She an her daemon, Pantalaimon aren't getting along. Pan believes she has lost her imagination. He witnesses a murder and discovers that this man and his daemon can separate when his daemon asks for Pan's help. The dying man entrusts Pan with a wallet that contains a key to a locker that contains a rucksack. Little do Lyra and Pan know that the secrets hidden in the rucksack have something to do with them as well as the location of a rare rose, one which the Magisterium is eager to locate. 

High fantasy at its very best, this sweeping saga will enthrall older fans of His Dark Materials as Lyra's story continues into adulthood.

Middle Grade Monday: White Bird by R. J. Palacio

Image: Wonderthebooks website

White Bird by R. J. Palacio. 224 p. Knopf/ Random House Children's Books, October, 2019. 9780525645535. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Middle Grade Monday features White Bird by R. J. Palacio. Did you know that Palacio is also a artist? She was an art director before she wrote Wonder and all its companion novels. She illustrated her picture book, We are All Wonders and makes her debut as a graphic novelist in, White Bird. Julian now attends a new school and must interview someone for a homework assignment. He chooses his beloved grandmère and asks her to tell him about his namesake, Julien. He was a classmate of Sara's who was afflicted with polio and a cruel nickname, "Tourteau," for the crab-like way he walked with crutches. 

Even Sara was complicit in this awful treatment of Julien. While she felt badly for him, she never stood up for him. In fact, she never learned his real name despite sitting next to him in class for years. That doesn't stop Julien from saving Sara when the Gestapo arrive at their school to round up the Jewish children. Julien's parents hid Sara in their barn at great peril to their own safety. 

If you loved Wonder, you will enjoy this graphic novel. Graphic novel fans looking for more serious fare will also enjoy White Bird.

Graphic Novel Review: Gender Queer: a memoir by Maia Kobabe

Image: Lion Forge

Gender Queer: a memoir by Maia Kobabe. 240 p. Lion Forge, May, 2019. 9781549304002. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Maia never felt comfortable in her skin. Though born to an accepting and rather unconventional family, she could never verbalize her feelings of disconnection. Assigned female at birth, she never liked to dress in a gender conforming way. She liked the freedom of boy clothes, yet didn't necessarily want to be a boy. She had crushes on boys as well as girls but the thought of being intimate grossed her out. Was she asexual then? This raw, honest, humorous and occasionally explicit memoir stuns in the best possible way. For questioning teens, there is comfort in knowing they are not alone in their confusion. For allies, there is much to be learned in order to be a better ally. 

The panels are easy to follow and the art, muted and earthy, fits the narrative, which is spare and down-to-earth. This is an important addition to high school and public libraries. I am on the fence about adding it to my middle school collection. It is a tad explicit for the age group; but would be an excellent book for questioning or gender queer kids who need a safe place to explore and find themselves. I am leaning toward adding it. 

Fact Friday: 1919: the year that changed America by Marin W. Sandler

Image: Bloomsbury

1919: the year that changed America by Marin W. Sandler. 192 p. Bloomsbury Children's Books, January, 2019. 9781681198019.

Fact Friday features 1919: the year that changed America by Martin W. Sandler. I think it somehow fitting that the last Fact Friday of 1919, of the decade feature a book about the momentous year that preceded the Roaring 20s one hundred years ago. Soldiers returned from WWI after making the world "safe for democracy," but Black soldiers returned to increasing racism. Prohibition was looming. A terrible flu epidemic continued to ravage the world. Fear of communism simmered and became known as the Red Scare. Workers began unionizing. Women finally won the right to vote. And, Boston experienced a massive molasses flood. These are just some of the events described. It's slightly oversized, allowing for plenty of white space. The text is helped along with many photos, timelines and text boxes. The volume closes with suggestions for further reading, source notes and an index. Your history buffs will just love this. 

#tbt: Judy Moody was in a Mood by Megan McDonald

Images: Candlewick Press

Judy Moody was in a Mood by Megan McDonald. Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. Judy Moody #1. Candlewick Press, 2000.

#tbt features a book and series that you won't find at TMS library but that might have a special place in your heart, as it does mine. It was twenty years ago this spring when readers were introduced to Judy Moody in Judy Moody was in a Mood. Judy Moody doesn't have high hopes for third grade or her teacher, Mr. Todd in book one. She remains a third grader in all fifteen books of the series and its spin-offs. Her little brother, Stink, even got a series of his own.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzie Lee.

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzie Lee. 464 p. HarperCollins Publishers, August 18, 2020. 9780062916013.

Merry Christmas and happy fourth night of Hanukah! Waiting for presents is hard! Waiting for new books to release is even harder, especially if it's a new book in a series you love! Waiting on Wednesday features The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzie Lee. This is book three of a series that began with The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue. This rollicking historical fiction series is recommended for mature readers with stamina. It is best to read them in order and each book weighs in at 450 - 550 pages. This installment, due out in August, is the third Montague sibling's story, Adrian, who is now sole heir to the Montague fortune but can't handle the pressure of his tyrannical father and goes in search of his missing siblings. Check out the HarperCollins page for a more detailed synopsis!

Teen Tuesday: Anthem by Deborah Wiles

Image: Scholastic

Anthem by Deborah Wiles. Sixties Trilogy #3. 480 p. Scholastic Inc., October, 2019. 9780545106092. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Teen Tuesday features Anthem by Deborah Wiles. Anthem is book three of The Sixties Trilogy. It takes place in 1969, at the height of the Vietnam War. Fourteen-year-old Molly's beloved older brother ran away after an explosive fight with their father. Word is, he's in San Francisco; but he has not contacted anyone. Now, his draft notice has arrived and her mother and aunt have concocted a plan to send her and her seventeen-year-old cousin on a cross-country road trip to find him. Molly, who likes order in her life has already mapped out the route. Norman, who summer plans with his yet-to-be-formed band are derailed, has a few stops he wants to make along the way. And what a road trip they have! As with the previous titles in the trilogy, this novel is documentary style. Though the page count weighs in at over 450 pages, many of them are filled with well-captioned photos and newspaper headlines that give readers historical context. Chapters are song names, which include a discography for each, so queue up some of the titles on Spotify and take a groovy road trip!

The point of view shifts between Molly and Norman effectively. The people that they meet along the way are brimming with life as they serve to help Norman gain confidence and upend everything Molly believes in. There are moments of hilarity sprinkled liberally as the reader watches both cousins grow and become socially aware. I did love each book in this trilogy, but this might be my favorite.

Highly recommended!