Waiting on Wednesday: Spy School: the Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs

Image: Simon & Schuster

Spy School: the Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs. Illustrated by Anjan Sarkar. 296 p. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, February 1, 2022. 9781534455429.

Waiting on Wednesday features Spy School the Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs. While most of Stuart Gibbs' books are popular, this series is by far the most popular. I am eager to see how his fans respond as I have noted that many GN adaptations don't have the same appeal for some reason. Here's the publisher synopsis if you need it and if you click on the link to the image to visit the book's page on the publisher's website, there's a link to preview the art. I find it appealing. I'm psyched. 

Publisher synopsis: Can an undercover nerd become a superstar secret agent? The first book in Stuart Gibbs’s New York Times bestselling Spy School series is now a graphic novel!

Ben Ripley may only be in middle school, but he’s already pegged his dream job: CIA or bust. Unfortunately for him, his personality doesn’t exactly scream “secret agent.” In fact, Ben is so awkward, he can barely get to school and back without a mishap. Because of his innate nerdiness, Ben is not surprised when he is recruited for a magnet school with a focus on science—but he’s entirely shocked to discover that the school is actually a front for a junior CIA academy. Could the CIA really want him?

Actually, no. There’s been a case of mistaken identity—but that doesn’t stop Ben from trying to morph into a supercool undercover agent, the kind that always gets the girl. And through a series of hilarious misadventures, Ben realizes he might actually be a halfway decent spy…if he can survive all the attempts being made on his life! With action-packed, eye-catching art, join Ben Ripley as he survives his first year at the Academy of Espionage.

Teen Tuesday: Into the Bloodred Woods by Martha Brockenbrough

Image: Scholastic Inc. 

Into the Bloodred Woods by Martha Brockenbrough. 368 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc. November, 2021. 9781338673876. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Tuesday! Teen Tuesday features Into the Bloodred Woods by Martha Brockenbrough. Fairy tales were not originally children's stories. What do you think communities did before the age of television to entertain themselves at night? They gathered by the fire and told stories. Over the years they became diluted and "Disneyfied," but earlier, they could be dark and gruesome. Into the Bloodred Woods follows this storytelling tradition. While wholly original, the author has woven familiar fairy tale characters and motifs into this intense and gripping tale.

There was a kingdom surrounded by woods that was ruled by a king who was still mourning the death of his wife, the queen. The couple had two children, a boy and a girl. They were twins, but the girl was born first, making her the heir to the throne and her brother burned with jealousy. The girl, Ursula, wanted to rule and spent her childhood doing her best to learn everything she needed to know about ruling a kingdom. At night, she slept in a gilded cage. Why? She was a werebeast, she shifted shape and her animal aspect was a huge bear. Werebeasts were forbidden in the kingdom. If a child was born one, he or she was taken from their parents and the parents were thrown into the dungeon, never to be seen again. The children were locked into cages to entertain the villagers. They were reviled.

The prince, Albrecht, is obsessed with machinery and is constantly inventing and ingratiating himself to his father by besting Ursula when he tests them. He's furious that his sister was born first. He's conniving and cruel and despises the werebeasts.

The story shifts third-person POV between the twins as well as another brother and sister who live deep in the forest. Hans and Greta's parents are gravely ill and the two are caring for them the best they can, but death is inevitable. Hans promises his sister that he will always be there for her. He is a were and his animal aspect is a wolf. Hans also has a friend in the forest named Capella, who lives nearby with her mother. Capella only knows Hans in his wolf form.

Ms. Brockenbrough deftly weaves these four strands of story with an occasional fifth, that of a blind storyteller into a fast-paced, compelling tale. The writing is lush. The setting is vivid and the characters are keenly drawn. This is not a tale for the squeamish. There is disease, death, violence and plenty of gore. If you are a fan of traditional fairy tales undiluted by Disney, you will adore this book. This is one for the reread pile for me. Highly recommended!

Middle Grade Monday: Fast Pitch by Nic Stone

Welcome back! Did ya miss me? I took a week off of blogging last week. When I post here, I also post to my Library Group in our school's learning platform as well as our town's public library FB page. I didn't think anyone would notice that I went AWOL, so I was touched when students would stop by the library to ask where the book talks were. They were very understanding when I said I needed to take a short break. So sweet. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving break. Mine was quite hectic, but I managed to get some reading in. I hope you did too. 

Image: Penguin Random House

Fast Pitch by Nic Stone. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~3.5 hours. Read by the author. Listening Library/ Penguin Random House, August, 2021. 9780593413760.

Middle Grade Monday features Fast Pitch by Nic Stone. Shenice is captain of her fast-pitch softball team. The team is very good and so is she, but it is also the first all-black team in their Georgia League and not everyone is welcoming. The girls and their coach deal with microaggressions and blatant racism as they play their way to the championships.

Shenice's father played some serious baseball, as did her grandfather, but no one ever talks about him until she visits her great-uncle in a nursing home. Great-uncle Jack is elderly and somewhat forgetful, so it takes a while for Shenice to piece together the mystery, and once she does, she decides she's going to find the evidence to clear her grandfather's name.

This fast-paced story is a nice blend of sports and mystery. It depicts racism past and present and shows what little progress has been made. The history of the Negro Leagues and the slow integration of Major League Baseball was also well done. Shenice is an appealing character, thoughtful, bright and athletic. She takes her role as captain seriously and wants to be a good leader. 

Ms. Stone did a fine job narrating. She sounded authentically tween when depicting Shenice and she sounded appropriately adult while voicing the adult characters. The performance was engaging and well-paced.

If you enjoyed Ms. Stone's MG debut, Clean Getaway, which was featured here last year, or her YA novels, Dear Martin and Dear Justyce, you will enjoy Fast Pitch. 

#tbt: Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac

#tbt features another book by Joseph Bruchac. Skeleton Man is a modern retelling of the Native American legend. Sixth grader Molly awakens to learn that her parents are missing and an "uncle" she never met is now her guardian. He allows her to go to school, but locks her into her bedroom each night. She's terrified of this creepy man, but can't get an adult to believe her. How can she escape her bedroom, especially when she learns she's being watched by a hidden camera? More importantly, are her parents still alive?

Skeleton Man is a short, scary read. It was published in 2001 and was followed by a sequel, The Return of Skeleton Man in 2008. 

Fact Friday: What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Eldon Yellowhorn & Kathy Lowinger

Image: Annick Press

What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Eldon Yellowhorn & Kathy Lowinger. 136 p. Annick Press, November, 2019. 9781773213286. (Review of paperback borrowed from public library.)

Happy Friday! Forgive the short post ahead. I definitely did not do this important book justice. I must admit that I am still struggling with time, attention and energy.

Fact Friday features What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Eldon Yellowhorn & Kathy Lowinger. This slim volume presents an overview of significant events in the history of North American Indigenous Peoples who inhabited this land for 10,000 years before Europeans "discovered" it. 

Accessible and attractively designed, it is also packed with photographs and maps. Back matter includes a glossary, selected sources that includes websites, image sources and an index.

I don't know how I missed this back in 2019, but I'm adding it to my school library collection. Isn't that cover just stunning?

#tbt: Code Talker: by Joseph Bruchac

Image: Penguin Random House

#tbt features Code Talkers: a Novel about the Navajo Marines of World War II by Joseph Bruchac. This novel illustrates one of the great ironies in American history. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, parents of Native American children were "encouraged" to send their children to boarding schools for an excellent education and chance for a better life. These boarding schools were many miles away from the reservation and once the children arrived, their hair was cut, their clothing was confiscated and they were given uniforms. Most importantly, they could not speak their tribal language or practice their tribal religion. It was English only and the consequences were severe. Most also had to practice Christianity.

Ned Begay is the narrator of this emotionally resonant novel. He is a grandfather who is telling his grandchildren of his childhood, when he was sent to a boarding school. At the age of 16, recruiters arrived with an offer. The military were looking for Navajo speakers who could be code talkers in the Pacific Theater of the war. The Japanese military were very successful in cracking all the American codes and the military needed an unbreakable code. The soldiers were sworn to secrecy and unable to speak of their service and heroism until 1968, when the project was declassified.

The research behind the story was meticulous and the author shared extra information in an author's note along with suggestions for further reading on the subject.

Code Talker was published in 2005 and named to YALSA's Best Books for Young Adults list as well as the ALA Notables list.

Waiting on Wednesday: Worser by Jennifer Ziegler

Image: Author's Website

Worser by Jennifer Ziegler. 256 p. Margaret Ferguson Books/ Holiday House, March 15, 2022. 9780823449569.

Waiting on Wednesday features Worser by Jennifer Ziegler. Here's the publisher synopsis of the book, which is due out on March 15, 2022!

A lover of logic, words, and grammar, 12-year-old William Wyatt Orser acquired the annoyingly ungrammatical nickname “Worser” so long ago that few people at school know to call him anything else. Nor do they know about his Masterwork—an epic lexicon of words he’s carefully collected over the years.

When his widowed mother suffers a debilitating stroke that leaves her unable to speak, Worser’s world is completely upended. His aunt moves in along with her cats, art projects, loud music, and bright clothes, and home is not the refuge it once was.

Feeling lost, lonely, and overwhelmed, Worser searches for a new sanctuary just as the Literary Club run by his favorite classmate, Donya Khoury, needs a place as well. Worser finds a used bookstore that opens its doors to all of them, and he discovers—much to his surprise—that the key to making friends is for him to open up, too. Gradually, he finds himself sharing his thoughts, feelings, and sense of humor—and even pages of his treasured Masterwork.

But when change threatens his new refuge, Worser’s grief and frustration lead him to react in an extreme and destructive way, and he must make peace with the fact that nothing stays the same forever. In the end, it is up to Worser to turn the page on his own story.

TMS Library contains several books by Ms. Ziegler, Sass and Serendipity, an updated retelling of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, and three books featuring the Brewster triplets. I just love that cover, though the mom suffering a debilitating stroke strikes a bit close to home.

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Darling by K. Ancrum

Image: Macmillan

Darling by K. Ancrum. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~7 hours. Read by Angel Pean. Tantor Audio/ Tantor Media, June, 2021. (Review of e-audio borrowed from the public library.)

Teen Tuesday features Darling by K. Ancrum. Darling is a contemporary retelling of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. It is a dark and twisty thriller that mature teen readers will find hard to put down.

First, you may be wondering why, during Native American/ Indigenous Heritage Month, I am featuring a retelling of the Peter Pan story. Both Barrie and Disney treated the Tiger Lily part of the storyline very stereotypically. In Darling, the Tiger Lily character is called Ominotago, and she is fierce, independent and determined. But I'm getting ahead of the plot.

Wendy Darling has moved from the suburbs to Chicago with her overprotective parents. She's stifling under their rules, but recognizes that they love her. Her window doesn't close properly, but her father postpones fixing it, telling her to put a book in the opening. That doesn't deter the person who later breaks into the Darling home thinking that it's empty. That person is Peter Pan, a beautiful, charismatic boy. Nana, the Darling dog, ripped the sleeve off Peter's favorite jacket and Wendy sews it back on for him. Peter invites Wendy to come to a party with him and Tinkerbell. Tink is furious, but Wendy is intrigued. What could be wrong with going out with the boy who broke into your house for a night in a brand new city where you know no one?

Readers soon meet the Lost Boys, but new characters are also introduced, including Ominotago's football teammates. The two crews need to duck into a nightclub called "The Mermaid's Lagoon" to hide from the police, headed by a detective known as Hook. The cast of characters is huge but each is fully fleshed out and quite diverse. The Chicago setting, complete with a ride on the L, is vivid.

If you are a fan of thrillers, Darling is the book for you. I probably should've read this one with my eyes, in part because I can read faster, especially when the suspense is high, but mostly because I didn't love the narration. The narrator mispronounced quite a few words and that became a distraction. Also, her pacing was erratic and didn't match the mood. 

Middle Grade Monday: Living Ghosts & Mischievous Monsters: Chilling American Indian Stories by Dan Sasuweh Jones

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Living Ghosts & Mischievous Monsters: Chilling American Indian Stories written and selected by Dan Sasuweh Jones, Ponca Nation and illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre, Tongva. 166 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., September, 2021. 9781338681628. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Monday! We return to school today after what I hope was a restful long weekend. Middle Grade Monday features Living Ghosts & Mischievous Monsters: Chilling American Indian Stories written and selected by Dan Sasuweh Jones, Ponca Nation and illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre, Tongva. After graduating from college, Mr. Jones travelled the U.S. and Canada visiting tribal communities and listening to their stories, ghost stories in particular. He writes in his introduction that ghost stories were common no matter the region and that they fell into one of five categories-ghosts, spirits, witches, monsters and the supernatural. Mr. Jones is a filmmaker and bronze sculptor and storyteller himself. He compiled thirty-two of the stories he collected as a young adult in these five chapters. Each story contains an introduction describing the tribe, storyteller and context. Each story is illustrated by evocative pen and ink drawings, some creepy, some horrible.

If you love scary stories, you will love this collection.

What's New?

 "Stacking the Shelves" was a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It seems the blog is gone though, so I will just continue to post a "What's New? post whenever I receive new books. 

For Review:

Image: Candlewick Press

¡Mambo Mucho Mambo! The Dance That Crossed Color Lines by Dean Robbins. Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. unpgd. Candlewick Press, November, 2021. 9781536206081.

Publisher synopsis: Millie danced to jazz in her Italian neighborhood. Pedro danced to Latin songs in his Puerto Rican neighborhood. It was the 1940s in New York City, and they were forbidden to dance together . . . until first a band and then a ballroom broke the rules. Machito and His Afro-Cubans hit the scene with a brand-new sound, blending jazz trumpets and saxophones with Latin maracas and congas creating Latin jazz, music for the head, the heart, and the hips. Then the Palladium Ballroom issued a bold challenge to segregation and threw open its doors to all. Illustrated with verve and told through real-life characters who feature in an afterword, ¡Mambo Mucho Mambo! portrays the power of music and dance to transcend racial, religious, and ethnic boundaries.

New York City’s desegregated Palladium Ballroom springs to life with a diverse 1940s cast in this jazzy picture-book tribute to the history of mambo and Latin jazz.

Image: Candlewick Press

Africa Amazing Africa: Country by Country by Atinuke. Illustrated by Mouni Feddag. 80 p. Candlewick Press, November 16, 2021. 9781536205374.

Publisher synopsis: A Nigerian storyteller explores the continent of Africa country by country: its geography, peoples, animals, history, resources, and cultural diversity. The book is divided into five distinct sections—South, East, West, Central, and North—and each country is showcased on its own bright, energetic page brimming with friendly facts on science, industry, food, sports, music, wildlife, landscape features, even snippets of local languages. The richest king, the tallest sand dunes, and the planet’s largest waterfall all make appearances along with drummers, cocoa growers, inventors, balancing stones, salt lakes, high-tech cities, and nomads who use GPS! Atinuke’s lively and comprehensive introduction to all fifty-five African countries—a celebration scaled to dazzle and delight even very young readers—evokes the continent’s unique blend of modern and traditional. Complete with colorful maps, an index, and richly patterned and textured illustrations by debut children’s book artist Mouni Feddag, Africa, Amazing Africa is both a beautiful gift book and an essential classroom and social studies resource.

Discover the exhilarating diversity of the African continent in storyteller Atinuke’s kaleidoscopic nonfiction guide to the people, flora, and fauna of all fifty-five countries.

What's new with you this week?

Fact Friday (a day late): We are Still Here: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell

This was posted fairly late to my school's learning platform and out town's library FB page yesterday. I forgot to it post here. It was a tough day for me as Friday marked three months since my husband died. I had extra trouble concentrating and following through on tasks yesterday. My apologies.

Image: Charlesbridge

We are Still Here: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell. Illustrated by Frané Lessac. unpgd. April, 2021. Charlesbridge, April, 2021. 9781623541927.

Happy Friday TMS Readers! Sorry for the late post today. It has been a tough day for me. The weather is gorgeous though! I hope you are out and enjoying it.

Fact Friday features We are Still Here: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell. Illustrated by Frané Lessac. This is the book to read for a perfect introduction to Indigenous history, especially if you don't have the time or stamina to read Anton Treuer's, Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians But were Afraid to Ask (Young Reader's Edition), which was featured here on July 16, because I try to read diversely all through the year. The book is also a partner with Ms. Sorell's multiple-award-winning, We are Grateful: Otsaliheliga.

In We are Still Here, a class of Native American kids take turns presenting their "class project," which covers historical and contemporary facts about Indigenous life, culture, laws, struggles, and activism. Topics include forced assimilation, where Indigenous children were forced to attend boarding school and severely punished for speaking their tribal language; land allotment; termination of tribal nations; the Indian Child Welfare Act that protected the forced removal and adoption of Native children by white families. The text is concise and age-appropriate, aimed at introducing middle grade readers to history. Helpful back matter includes more detail about events in the book, a timeline and suggestions for further reading.

The folk-style gouache art is vibrant and depicts a variety of skin tones present in the community as well as activities past and present.

Closter Public Library's copy of We are Still Here is checked out, but their copy of We are Grateful: Otsaliheliga is available to check out. Of course, We are Still Here can be ordered in through ILL (Inter-Library Loan). Happy reading!

#tbt: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Image: LBYR

Happy Thursday! My students, colleagues and I have a long weekend because the NJ Teachers Convention is convening.

#tbt features The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie and illustrated by Ellen Fornay. This semi-autobiographical novel was the poet, screenwriter and novelist's YA debut. It landed with a splash in 2007 earning many starred reviews, the National Book Award, The Boston Globe/ Horn Book Award and was a New York Times Notable Book.

Budding cartoonist and angry teen, Arnold Spirt narrates and illustrates this frank, hilarious and heartbreaking story. Arnold, who goes by Junior, was born with hydrocephaly, or, water on the brain. This required several surgeries. He lives on an Indian reservation in Spokane, Washington with his extended family, many of whom are alcoholics. Junior is bright, artistic and also loves to play basketball with his best friend, Rowdy. He both recognizes and resents the poverty and hopelessness on the rez and wants out. His decision to leave the reservation school to attend a white high school twenty miles away causes a rift in his friendship with Rowdy. Even though his family members understand and are supportive, the rest of the tribe is not. He straddles two worlds, never quite fitting in in either one.

The book's frank language and frank depiction of poverty, addiction and racism brought many challenges by censors across the country, enough to land the title on ALA's top ten Banned/ Challenged Books more than once, most recently for sexual harassment claims against the author.

Waiting on Wednesday: A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger

Image: Levine Querido

Happy Wednesday! It is Wednesday, isn't it? See last Wednesday's post for context.

Waiting on Wednesday features A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger. Dr. Little Badger has a PhD in oceanography along with her undergraduate degree in Geoscience. She's tribally enrolled as a Lipan Apache. Her debut novel, Elatsoe was named by Time Magazine one of the 100 best fantasy books of all time! A Snake Falls to Earth was long-listed for the National Book Award and it's not out until November 23!

Here's the publisher synopsis: Nina is a Lipan girl in our world. She’s always felt there was something more out there. She still believes in the old stories. Oli is a cottonmouth kid, from the land of spirits and monsters. Like all cottonmouths, he’s been cast from home. He's found a new one on the banks of the bottomless lake.

Nina and Oli have no idea the other exists. But a catastrophic event on Earth, and a strange sickness that befalls Oli’s best friend, will drive their worlds together in ways they haven’t been in centuries. And there are some who will kill to keep them apart.

A Snake Falls to Earth is a breathtaking work of Indigenous futurism. Darcie Little Badger draws on traditional Lipan Apache storytelling structure to weave another unforgettable tale of monsters, magic, and family. It is not to be missed.

Teen Tuesday: If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Happy Tuesday! Teen Tuesday features If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth. Mr. Gansworth's YA debut, published in 2013, is set in 1975. The Beatles just broke up and Lewis "Shoe" Blake's world is rocked by this. The twelve-year-old just loves the Beatles and music. He also moves between cultures every day where he lives in abject poverty with his mother and uncle on the reservation and is the only Indian kid in his Gifted and Talented class. Add his wry and sardonic humor to the mix and Lewis is pretty much an outcast. Enter George Haddonfield. George grew up on military bases all around the world. He's used to moving and used to meeting people from diverse backgrounds. He also loves music and the Beatles and wants to be Lewis' friend.

Readers who like a leisurely paced story will love this story of identity and friendship and music. Readers who prefer a faster pace should stick with it, because it's just lovely. Here's a link to my review from 2013, where I pulled tons of quotes that resonated. I think I need to reread this one. 

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

Image: Penguin Random House Audio

Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~7 hours, 18 minutes. Read by Kinsale Hueston. Listening Library/ Penguin Random House Audio, January, 2020. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Happy Monday! I hope you had a fantastic weekend. I had a total of zero trick-or-treaters on Sunday. I'm also ready for our short week! NJ public schools are closed Thursday and Friday for Teachers' Convention Weekend. November celebrates Native American Indian/ Alaska Native Heritage month, so many of the books recommended this month will feature books by or about Indigenous North Americans (even though I try to keep the Daily Book Talks diverse all through the year).

Middle Grade Monday features Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse. This entry in the Rick Riordan Presents Imprint doesn't disappoint. Twelve-year-old Nizhoni Begay has dreams of doing something heroic - on the basketball court, at school or onine. She's just a bit distractable and seems to always mess things up because she can see monsters hidden in human disguises and one happens to be at her basketball game where she has the opportunity to win the game for her team. She ends up on the gym floor with a bloody nose instead, and she returns home to fine the man/ monster in her driveway! He's her dad's new boss and the reason the family will be moving from New Mexico to Oklahoma.

Turns out, NIzhoni is a monster-slayer and her brother, Mac, has powers as well. They are both descendants of the Hero Twins of Navajo myth and legend and now they have to rescue their father and save the world.

The story is fast-paced and peppered with moments of humor and Navajo words, for which there is a glossary. I am glad to have read this one with my ears to hear the words and names correctly pronounced. Memorable characters include a talking horned toad, a guardian of a mountain made of crystal and Spider Woman.

Readers who love fantasy adventure like the Percy Jackson books will love this one. Happy reading!