#tbt: Redwall by Brian Jacques

Image: Penguin Random House 

Redwall by Brian Jacques. 352 p. Philomel Books/ Penguin Random House, 1986.

I learned recently that Redwall turned 40 earlier this year and that Penguin Young Readers released a special edition a few weeks ago. A tenth anniversary edition sits on my home book shelf. It is beautifully illustrated with color plates and my second son, who was ten at the time devoured it and asked for more in the series. The entire series sits on my shelf, though the last few books were not read by my son, who was by that time in medical school.

Brian Jacques (pronounced Jakes) was a milkman. A school for the blind was on his route and he began reading to the children. He found the literature uninspiring and hand wrote Redwall. His descriptive style made it easy for the children to imagine. He wrote twenty-one more books in the series as well as several other short series. 

This animal fantasy takes place during Medieval times. An abbey inhabited by mice is under siege by a rat named Cluny the Scourge. All appears to be lost until a timid young mouse named Matthias volunteers to go on a quest to find Martin the Warrior's lost sword.

Here's a pic of the 40th anniversary edition. I might just pick it up because it does look beautiful. Happy reading!

Image: Penguin Random House

Waiting on Wednesday: Half-Court Shot by Tommy Greenwald

Image: Abrams Books

Half-Court Shot: a Game Changer Novel by Tommy Greenwald. 240 p. Amulet Books/ Abrams Books, April 27, 2027. 9781419791123.

Tommy Greenwald announced this a few weeks ago and I'm just now getting around to featuring it here because I've been a bad blogger. I first learned about Tommy Greenwald when Ms. Fraser brought her fifth grade class to the library way back in the fall of 2011. They were all clamoring for Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to (Not) Reading, a book I had never heard of. Ms. Fraser was reading it aloud and it was such a hit that nearly every one of her students wanted to read it! Well, I got right on it and was hooked. I have read each new installment of CJJ as well as the other books in the Game Changer series. 

Here's the publisher synopsis: (the books are all stand-alones)

From award-winning author Tommy Greenwald comes a thrilling companion novel to Game Changerabout a star basketball player and the anonymous social media account that builds him up . . . then breaks him down.

Told through a combination of narration, journals, posts, and more, Half-Court Shot is a gripping, fast-paced story for middle-grade readers about the power of social media, the pressure of youth sports, and the courage to stand up for what's right.

To shy, lonely Emerson Crick, Sawyer Kane seems like the kid who has it all. He's popular, charismatic, and—as the freshman star of the high school varsity basketball team—a Walthorne sports hero in the making. Emerson, a sophomore who is the biggest basketball fan in town, writes about the team on his anonymous blog under the pseudonym Hoopstar. At first, Hoopstar is Sawyer's number one supporter, but when an ill-fated face-to-face encounter leaves Emerson humiliated, the once super-fan blog turns on its favorite player.

As the social media firestorm gets inside his head, Sawyer's season begins to fall apart. To get things back on track, Sawyer sets off on a mission to find the anonymous blogger and put a stop to his posts . . . before Sawyer has to give up basketball for good.

Happy reading!

Teen Tuesday: Anger is Only a Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Anger is Only a Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo. Unabridged audiobook narrated by the author. ~6 hours. Quill Tree Books/ HarperCollins Publishers, September 15, 2026. 9780063574236 Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.

I have been a fan of Elizabeth Acevedo since her brilliant debut, The Poet X in 2018. It landed with a splash, earning her a National Book Award, a Printz Award and a Pura bel Pré Award. I vividly recall book talking the book to my eighth graders and sharing a YouTube video of the poet performing. Since then, I've read and enjoyed almost everything she has published.

Anger is Only a Shadow is told from seventeen-year-old Liliana Teicuh Pantaleon-Ortiz's point of view. She is incarcerated after stealing and crashing her mother's food truck. She admits that she is impulsive and may or may not be a bad influence on her two besties. Before she is released to the custody of her parents, she is impressed by a session with a poet in residence.

Her parents are supportive and hardworking, but Lil has a hard time resisting her impulses. This is especially difficult when she realizes that her beloved brother, Aldwin, might be struggling with mental illness at his college.

This story is immediately immersive. Readers will cheer on Lil's devotion while simultaneously groaning over her choices. Her voice is raw, intelligent and unrelenting.

Anger is Only a Shadow is a first purchase for school and public libraries. Highly recommended!

Arc Review: Traitors' Nest: a Novel by Frances Hardinge

Image: Abrams Books

Traitors' Nest: a Novel by Frances Hardinge. Amulet Books/ Abrams Books, September 8, 2026. 9781419794148. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

This review is long overdue. It is because each time I sat down to try and synopsize this lovely, layered, utterly engrossing fantasy, I came up short. I will quote the publisher's blurb: "Lovely War meets Howl's Moving Castle." I loved both books, especially Lovely War, so I was sold at the publisher preview. 

Fifteen-year-old Burr has lived with his father and sisters in the shadow of a castle that always held the possibility of moving and being replaced by a new one, but that hadn't happened in a very long time. When it does, the new lord is ruthless and orders the villagers to turn all of their harvests to him, leaving them to face starvation come winter. Burr's father leads a rebellion and is caught and hanged, leaving Burr as head of the household.

So, who is behind this cruel game? How come the castles are suddenly being moved rapidly? How can Burr protect his sisters and help the villagers? 

The world building here is just fantastic. The many characters are wonderfully complex. The suspense is almost unbearable and kept me turning pages. And finally, the writing was gorgeous. I am so eager to reread this with my ears. 

Hand this multifaceted gem to young fans of fantasy and adventure. This might be my favorite Hardinge book yet. 

Middle Grade Monday: Absent by Rex Ogle

Image: WW Norton

Absent by Rex Ogle. Illustrated by L-J Baptiste. 304 p. Norton Young Readers, September 1, 2026. 9781324124894. (Review of arc courtesy of author giveaway.)

Three boys are given three weeks detention for skipping class, and they couldn't be more different. Manny lives with grandparents since his father was incarcerated and doesn't see the point of attending class when his teachers don't care. Calvin is given a lot of responsibility at home, which includes getting his unruly brothers to school before getting to his, a prospect made worse when his bike is stolen. To make matters even worse, art, his favorite class is first period. Liam is a straight A student, but his encounters with his bully are escalating, and he prefers to spend his school days studying in the library storage closet.

When the three eye each other on the first afternoon of detention, they assume that they have nothing in common, so Manny writes his rap lyrics, Calvin draws and Liam studies under the jaundiced eye of Coach, who is strict and no-nonsense, and whom the boys soon learn, farts. A lot. 

Hybrid novels are not new, but this one grabbed me from the start. It has heart, authenticity and humor. The three voices and format weave together seamlessly and readers will grow to care about each boy. 

I am a huge fan of the author's Free Lunch, Punching Bag,  and Abuela Don't Forget Me. They were quite popular with my students. So were his graphic novels, which I, unfortunately  never got around to reading. I loved Absent, and am slightly sorry that I'm retired and won't be at school to press this gem into students' hands. I left the library in good hands though, and  my replacement also won an arc because giveaway entrants were required to tag someone. We are two lucky school librarians. 

Absent will have broad appeal to a variety of readers. Make sure to put it on your shelf.

Waiting on Wednesday: Run the Play by Geoff Herbach

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Run the Play by Geoff Herbach. 320 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc. 9798225052140

I'm a real fan of Geoff Herbach's books. I absolutely loved his Stupid Fast trilogy, Cracking the Bell, and Fat Boy Vs. the Cheerleaders. so I was really psyched to learn about his newest sports novel, which will be in Scholastic Book Fairs this fall. I'm definitely going to check out my former school's Scholastic Book Fair for this one!

Publisher synopsis: 

Who makes a team great?

In Eden Valley, football is everything. And the face behind this historic program is the beloved Coach Douglas. With the title of the winningest active coach in the state, he is celebrated as a local hero and accredited for the town's unbeatable reputation. And yeah, everyone knows that some of his tactics are . . . a bit unconventional, and maybe at times, explosive . . . unsavory, even. But in football, discipline is important. And that's just the price of greatness. Right?

Now, it's star quarterback Xavier Smith's turn to uphold this legacy of not only his coach and his team but his whole town. And with the dream of getting attention from the top recruiters this season and making it out of this small town, he can't afford a single fumble.

But with Coach Douglas becoming more impossible by the day, his mood swings are giving the whole program whiplash. And when a clear line is crossed, the team is faced with a choice: to continue on or to reclaim this season as their own. Yes, discipline is important. But what could be more important than the players on the field?

Waiting on Wednesday: When the World was Happy by Benjamin Alire Saénz

 

Image: Simon & Schuster

When the World was Happy by Benjamin Alire Saénz. 416 p. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, September 29, 2026. 9798347104055.

When I read the obituary of the author last week, I learned that he has two upcoming books, one YA and one picture book.

Here's the publisher synopsis: A “heartrending yet beautiful” (School Library Journal, starred review) tale of twins and their group of friends who are forced to navigate life, relationships, and grief after their world is turned upside down from New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Benjamin Alire Sáenz.

CheChe knows that he and his twin sister Emma lead an unusual life. They enjoy spending time with their parents and grandparents, love to read, and don’t have a huge circle of friends—and they’re happy. Then, just a few months after they turn seventeen, three gunmen show up one morning at their El Paso, Texas, high school, and everything changes.

CheChe loses a leg, and both he and Emma have friends who die. Suddenly, the world feels like a very different place. But what they find hasn’t changed—or has only gotten deeper—is their love for their family, their close friends, and one another, and as they begin to heal, they create their own little community, one that wields the power of humor, kindness, and hope.

CheChe finds himself doing all kinds of things he never expected from his junior year: relearning to walk, falling in love with the boy he’s nursed a longtime crush on, making friends with a kid he always found intimidating. By the end of this life-changing school year, none of them will be the same, and many of them will have found their voices in ways they never imagined.