Middle Grade Monday: City of Dragons: the Awakening Storm by Jaimal Yogis and Vivian Truong

Image: Scholastic Inc.

City of Dragons: the Awakening Storm by Jaimal Yogis and illustrated by Vivian Truong. City of Dragons #1. 240 p. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc., September, 2021. 9781338660425. (Review of a finished ppb courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Monday! The dogs and I survived the bomb cyclone. Well it kind of bombed in my area. We only got 5 inches and it sure was cold!  Son #1 is south Jersey got 9 or 10 inches. Son #4 in the Boston area got over a foot. Yesterday was such a sparkly winter day though! We went out often for short periods due to the cold, but they love the snow. 

Middle Grade Monday features a graphic novel series starter called City of Dragons: the Awakening Storm by Jaimal Yogis and illustrated by Vivian Truong. Grace is bi-racial. Her Chinese father died three years earlier and her white mother has recently remarried. They are set to move to Hong Kong, where her step-father works for a tech company. She is about to attend an international school. She's fine with all that. She even looks forward to the challenge.

She's given a challenge she never expected on a field trip. An elderly woman hands her an egg. Shortly afterward, it hatches and it's a dragon! She soon learns it's very difficult to keep a baby dragon a secret. She's also well-versed in Chinese mythology thanks to her father and grandfather and knows she must keep the dragon safe. Sure enough, there are beings both human and magical that are after the dragon, and, maybe, even Grace.

The energy of the palette as well as the varied panel layout add to an already cinematic plot and keeps the pace fast. Grace and her diverse group of friends are likable and that baby dragon is a hoot. Your graphic novel fans will gobble this one up and pant for the next installment!

Fact Friday: New on Earth: Baby Animals in the Wild by Suzi Eszterhas

Image: Simon & Schuster

New on Earth: Baby Animals in the Wild by Suzi Eszterhas. 352 p. Earth Aware Editions/ Simon & Schuster, March, 2021. 9781647221423. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Happy Friday! The weather buzz is all over the place as we hunker down for anything from a blizzard to zero snowfall here in northern NJ. Fact Friday features New on Earth: Baby Animals in the Wild by Suzi Eszterhas. Ms. Eszterhas' name should ring a bell among careful readers of The Daily Book Talk. She's a professional wildlife photographer and I have featured her books on Fact Friday often. This book features, well, baby animals from all around the world. The photos are well-captioned, containing bite-sized tidbits of information about the animal and or the photographic techniques used to get the shot. There are baby bears in Alaska, baby tigers in India, cheetahs in Africa. The photos are all stunning and many just tickle the "aw, so cute!" button.

If you love animals, this is the book for you. If you are interested in conservation, this is the book for you. If you are a budding wildlife photographer... As an additional point of interest, the author is donating 30% if the proceeds to the Wildlife Conservation Network. I have a wait list for the book in my library already. It's sure to be a crowd pleaser. 

#tbt: Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy

Image: Author's Website

Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy. 234 p. Marshall Cavendish, 2006. 9780761452775. (Own.)

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. #tbt features Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy. This first-person verse novel tells the story of Syvia Perimutter, the author's aunt, who was four when she and her family were relocated to the Lodz Ghetto in Warsaw, Poland in 1939. She lived there until she was ten and the ghetto was liberated. Of the 270,000 people who were forced into the ghetto, only 800 survived and just 12 of those survivors were children. She and her siblings were hidden in cellars when the children were to be deported to concentration camps.

The author chose to tell her aunt's story in free verse as a work of historical fiction instead of a more distant informational voice. While it is fiction, every word is true. It's a short, but powerful book. Suspense is high and there will be tears. An extensive author's note in the back matter details the lives of the survivors in the post-war period.

Yellow Star was published in 2006. It was named a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, a Sydney Taylor Honor, an ALA Notable Book, and an SLJ Best Book. It's audio version won a "Headphones Award." I read this one with my ears, but don't recommend listening while driving. I had to pull my car over to cry.

Teen Tuesday: Always by Morris Gleitzman

Image: Penguin Australia

Always by Morris Gleitzman. 302 p. Felix and Zelda #7. Viking/ Penguin Australia, November, 2021. 9780143793243. (Review of purchased, finished paperback copy.)

Teen Tuesday features Always by Morris Gleitzman. Felix Salinger's story comes to an end in this seventh book of a very powerful series. Readers may be a bit confused at first, because this is a dual-narrative. All the others have been narrated by Felix. Wassim begins the book with his search for Felix Salinger. He lives in an unnamed eastern European country with his Uncle Otto since the deaths of his parents, but their existence is threatened by a neo-Nazi gang called the Weasels. Wassim, who is mixed race is often their target. Wassim's grandfather knew Felix from their work in the Resistance

Felix has retired from his surgical practice and after bidding his granddaughter, Zelda good bye at the airport, wonders how he will fill his days and avoid loneliness. When Wassim shows up on his doorstep with a note written by Wassim's grandfather over seventy years earlier, Felix knows he needs to offer Wassim "good protection." But how can an elderly man protect a young child in the face of unbridled hate?

Always is best read by those who have read the entire series. As in the earlier books, each chapter starts with the title word, in this case, "always." Knowing that this was my last visit with Felix, I had decided to read the book slowly. I soon realized that I had to frequently put it down due to the peril Felix and Wassim were in. The world doesn't seem to have changed much since the 1930s and 40s. It takes a lot of courage to stand up to hate- courage and hope for a better world.

This was a beautiful and perfect ending.

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan

Image: Disney

Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~11 hours. Read by Soneela Nankani. Disney Hyperion, October, 2021. 9781368078511. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from the public library.)

Happy Monday! I hope you enjoyed your weekend. Son #3 came to visit for the weekend, so I got to cook and bake and feed him up, and also had leftovers to send him back to the city with. Unfortunately, the shower faucet decided to break while he showered and the water wouldn't turn off! I grabbed a screwdriver and tried to turn the little screw that holds the handle on, but that didn't work. I left a message on my plumber's machine and looked up how to turn the water off to the house. Found the spot and turned the water off. The good n news is, the shower isn't running. The bad news is, nothing is. I can't tell you how many times I went to turn water on! Yikes. The luxury of running water! Hopefully, the plumber will call me back this morning. 

In other news, the Youth Media Awards are being announced later today. My reading took a hit this year, so I have no real handle on many of the books receiving buzz. I also continue to have mixed feelings about the awards in general. And yet, I will tune in with my class at nine.

Middle Grade Monday features Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan. What if Jules Vernes' sci/fi classics, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island weren't works of fiction, but based on real events? That's the premise for Uncle Rick's latest adventure. It feels like a series starter, but there's talk online that it's a stand-alone. Regardless, it was optioned for a movie before it was even published!

Ana Dakar attends an elite five-year high school called the Harding-Pembroke Academy, where students are trained extensively in all things maritime and graduate to become marine biologists and naval officers. She and her classmates are on their way out to sea to take a test that will determine their course of studies, when their seaside school is attacked by submarines and destroyed. Presumably, everyone on campus, including Ana's adored older brother are dead. The students' chaperone informs them that the culprit is most likely their rival school, the Land Academy. They change course and head to a secret island which was the place where Ana's parents were killed on a secret mission some years earlier.

As with any Rick Riordan book, the cast of characters is huge and diverse; the world-building is unique and the action is fast. He just might inspire a new generation of children to dust off Jules Verne as well!

I went into this book only knowing that it was a new RR book. I didn't know about the Jules Verne connection, so that was a reveal as I listened. I also didn't realize that it was narrated by one of my least favorite narrators. I just find her voice annoying and whiney and her performances a bit too over-the-top, so I probably should've read this one with my eyes. I'm guessing it must be me, because her audiobooks are consistently praised. Decide for yourself. 

This audiobook also contained sound effects and mood music which also drove me bonkers. I don't need music to cue me into feeling suspense, thank you very much. I found them distracting and irritating. 

Fact Friday: Vanishing: the World's Most Vulnerable Animals by Joel Sartore

Image: Author's Website

Vanishing: the World's Most Vulnerable Animals by Joel Sartore. 400 p. National Geographic, September, 2019. 9781426220596. (Review of purchased copy.)

Happy Friday! Fact Friday features Vanishing: the World's Most Vulnerable Animals by Joel Sartore. National Geographic photographers are among the best in the world, capturing stunning images of both humans and animals in all sorts of situations, from grave danger to unbridled joy. Vanishing is part of the Photo Ark series and focuses on animals that photographer Sartore feels will most likely disappear in the next ten years, as well as a few animals that are already extinct. This hefty coffe-table book weighs in at 400 pages and contains 375 full-color, often full-page photos. The thought that any of these animals might someday be gone forever is heartbreaking. 

#tbt: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Image: Macmillan Publishers

Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Lunar Chronicles Volume 1. 400 p. Feiwel + Friends/ Macmillan Publishers, January, 2012. 9780312641894. (Own.)

Happy Thursday TMS Readers! #tbt features Cinder by Marissa Meyer. As I wrote up my review of Gilded for this week's Teen Tuesday post, I happened to look up Cinder to check to see if I was remembering correctly that it was Ms. Meyer's debut. I saw that it was, and has been out for ten years ago this month. Easy to plan #tbt this week!

Cinder is the best mechanic in New Beijing, hands down, but she's also a cyborg and they are shunned and discriminated against. No one treats her worse than her own stepmother and one of her two stepsisters. She's flustered when Prince Kai brings his broken droid into her stall for repair. He's under pressure to marry Levana, queen of the Moon as his father negotiates with her for a cure to Letimosis, a dreaded plague. Kai and Nainsi have been searching for the Moon's lost heir, Princess Selene when Nainsi malfunctioned.

This sci-fi, Cinderella mash-up is quite enjoyable. It's fast-paced, there's quite a lot of intrigue and a little bit of romance in a vividly created world. It ends on a cliff-hanger, but luckily, readers can move right on to the second installment, Scarlet, without waiting. Happy reading!

Waiting on Wednesday: A Perfect Mistake by Melanie Conklin

 

Image: Hachette Book Group

A Perfect Mistake by Melanie Conklin. 288 p. Little, Brown Young Readers/ Hachette Book Group, July 12, 2022. 9780316668583. 

Waiting on Wednesday features A Perfect Mistake by Melanie Conklin. Ms. Conklin's two previous books, Counting on Thyme and Every Missing Piece are popular at my school. Here's the publisher synopsis: A moving novel about friendship, responsibility, and fighting against unfair expectations, for fans of Rebecca Stead and Erin Entrada Kelly. 

Max wishes he could back in time to before he was diagnosed with ADHD, before he grew to be the tallest kid in his class, and before he and his best friends went into the woods in the middle of the night. Max doesn’t remember what happened after he left his friends Will and Joey and the older kids who took them there. He’s not sure if he wants to remember. Knowing isn’t going to make Joey talk to him again, or bring Will out of his coma.

When the local authorities run out of leads, Max realizes that without his help, they may never know what really happened to Will. Charged by the idea that he may be the key to uncovering the truth, Max pairs up with classmate and aspiring journalist Sam to investigate what really happened that night. But not everyone in the community wants that night to be remembered.

A Perfect Mistake publishes on July 12. 

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Gilded by Marissa Meyer

Image: Macmillan Publishers

Gilded by Marissa Meyer. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~16 hours. Read by Rebecca Soler. Macmillan Young Listeners/ Macmillan Audio, November, 2021. 9781250810588. (Review of downloadable e-audiobook borrowed from public library. HC purchased.)

Happy Tuesday! Dress for the weather this morning, it's windy out there! I hope my students had a wonderful three-day weekend. We teachers had a satisfying professional development day yesterday.

Teen Tuesday features Gilded by Marissa Meyer. Ms. Meyer gave Cinderella a sci-fi mash-up with her impressive debut, Cinder in 2012. Careful readers of the Daily Book Talk might remember that I featured Gilded in a Waiting on Wednesday post not long ago. In Gilded, she reimagines Rumplestiltskin. Now, Rumplestiltskin has never been a favorite of mine. So misogynistic! But, this! 

Serilda Moller is the miller's daughter who lives with her father in the village of Marchenfeld where she is known for her wild tales/ lies and her unusual eyes. Her father claims she is god-blessed. She feels it's more like god-cursed because the villagers basically shun her-all except the children. The children adore her stories and always ask for more. She also knows to remain indoors at the full moon when the Erlking and his hunting party of ghouls and hellhounds scour the countryside. On the night of the Cold Moon, Serilda saves two Moss Maidens from the Erlking, but then is discovered herself. When he questions why she is out on such a night, she says that she needs to harvest straw so that she might spin it into gold. He allows her to live, but returns at the next full moon, abducts her and brings her to his castle, where he locks her in a dungeon filled with straw and orders her to spin.

Serilda, to her credit, does try to spin the straw, but it's hopeless and she knows it. Suddenly, she's not alone in the dungeon. A redheaded boy appears. He says his name is Gild, he has no memory, and he's willing to spin the straw into gold-for a price.

If this summary doesn't quite fit your memory of Rumplestiltskin, you would be right. The bare bones are there, but Ms. Meyer has crafted her own spin on the yarn, one that is infinitely richer and more ominous than the traditional tale. The fairytale king and his court are truly hideous and terribly violent. The Moss Maidens she rescued, while grateful in their own way, viewed the act as a transaction.

Well-drawn characters and a vivid setting, especially the undead castle captivate readers from the start. I usually avoid reading too many reviews, and so did not realize that this is a series starter. I disagree that the story got a little slow. I just loved the world building. 

Gilded, weighing in at ~16 hours of listening (512 pages), with its depiction of ruthless fey politics, is best suited for a more mature teen reader, but highly recommended.

Middle Grade Monday: A-Okay by Jarad Greene

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

A-Okay by Jarad Greene. 240 p. HarperAlley/ HarperCollins Publishers, November, 2021. 9780063032842. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Happy Monday. We had some weather last night! Phew! I hope you are all warm, safe and dry! I have skylights in my bedroom and watching that fierce wind whip around a hundred-year-old American Beech tree in my yard was nerve-wracking.

Middle Grade Monday features A-Okay by Jarad Greene. When thirteen-year-old Jay starts eighth grade with a few pimples, he's not too concerned. He's more concerned over the fact that he has zero classes with any of his friends, including his bestie, Brace. His nemesis, Aaron still has it in for him as well. Then, the pimples multiply. Jay's parents take him to a dermatologist, but none of the medications he prescribes works, so Jay starts Accutane, a drug that has some serious side effects, but works on bad acne. So now Jay has to watch his diet, check for side effects while worrying about why Brace and his other friends are ghosting him. He does make two new friends, Mark and Amy, both of whom seem to show some romantic interest in Jay, but Jay just likes both of them as friends. Is there anything more he can worry about?

This graphic novel is based on the author/ illustrator's own experience with acne as an eighth grader. The art is bright, uncluttered and easy to follow. Flashbacks are purple-hued. Jay is likable and relatable, including his concern over not having crushes on any of his classmates.

Graphic novels are so popular in my library, especially GNs about friendship and crushes. A-Okay is a welcome addition to any graphic novel collection. This won't sit.

Picture Book Review: Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast by David Ezra Stein

Image: Candlewick Press

Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast by David Ezra Stein. unpgd. Candlewick Press, November, 2021. 9781536207781. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Chicken is back, up way too early on a Saturday morning and hungry for cookies for breakfast. Papa just wants to sleep in, but perks up when Chicken announces that she has brought him breakfast in bed! It's cookies. Cookies are not breakfast food!

Denied her wish, Chicken presses for her second wish, to snuggle in Papa's bed and be read a book. Can our irrepressible, interrupting Chicken manage not to interrupt Papa's reading?

   "Papa be nimble, Papa be quick, Papa read to your little chick."

    "That's what I'm planning to do," said Papa.    

    "Well, don't let me stop you," said the little red chicken.

As fans of Interrupting Chicken and Interrupting Chicken: the Elephant of Surprise know, story time with Chicken can be...challenging. True to form, Chicken interrupts every other fairy tale to suggest cookies. So. Much. Fun!

The illustrations continue to delight and surprise. Scenes in Papa and Chicken's cozy house are textured and filled with warm colors and sweet details, like a stuffed elephant on the floor of the kitchen. Scenes from the book of nursery rhymes are washed out pastel hues, except where Chicken bursts on the scene with her edited rhymes. 

Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast is a must-purchase for all libraries serving young readers. Sure to be a story time hit.

Picture Book Review: Ada and the Galaxies by Alan Lightman and Olga Pastuchiv

Image: Candlewick Press

Ada and the Galaxies by Alan Lightman and Olga Pstuchiv. Illustrated by Susanna Chapman. unpaged. mitKids Press/ Candlewick Press, September, 2021. 9781536215618. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

I am a terrible book reviewer! I read this gem back in September and, while I noted my love for it on Goodreads, never got around to reviewing it here. So sorry.

Ada lives in the city where light pollution impedes her view of the stars. But after the winter is over, she and her mom make the trek out of the city to Maine to visit her grandparents, Ama and Poobah. Ada cannot wait to see the stars, but first, it needs to get dark and there's plenty to see on the island until then. There's kayaking and beach-combing and an osprey nest to observe. Ada is still impatient for the stars to come out. Poobah points to a big rock, telling Ada that when it's covered with water, it will be dark enough to see the stars. Only the fog rolls in, foiling their plans. Poobah tries to distract Ada with pictures of galaxies in a book, which only help to feed Ada's vivid imagination. When Ada asks to visit the fairy house before turning in, she sees that the fog has lifted and the stars are out. 

An afterword tells readers that the photographs of the stars in the book were taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and that all the information that Poobah gives to Ada is scientifically accurate.

What a beautiful story of the value of being out in nature, of a grandparent's bond and of nurturing a young imagination and sense of wonder! The illustrations are absolutely luscious. I just got lost in each and every one. This is one for the reread pile-inspirational to young and old alike. I loved it.

Fact Friday: Africa, Amazing Africa: Country by Country by Atinuke

Image: Candlewick Press

Africa, Amazing Africa: Country by Country by Atinuke. Illustrated by Mouni Feddag. 80 p. Candlewick Press, November, 2021.9781536205374.

Happy Friday! Fact Friday features Africa, Amazing Africa: Country by Country by Atinuke and illustrated by Mouni Feddag. I am often dismayed at how many people think Africa is a country. It is a vast continent comprised of 55 countries rich in culture and history. Nigerian storyteller, Atinuke, makes her first foray into nonfiction writing with this colorful, slightly over-sized overview of Africa. 

The author shares everything she loves about her home continent and acknowledges in her introduction that she only had room for two or three favorite things per country, making this browseable book a wonderful impressionistic overview rather than a source for many facts. That said, it's a wonderfully energetic and colorful overview! 

Starting in Southern Africa, the book wends its way up to East Africa to West Africa to Central Africa before ending with the countries comprising North Africa. Readers learn how to say "Welcome" in each of the countries, two maps show the area both close up and inside Africa as a whole. The illustrations are as exuberant as the writing and add appeal. Don't skip the back matter for information on further reading, as readers will definitely want to learn more about this "amazing" continent.

Africa, Amazing Africa is a lovely introduction to any library. 

#tbt: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Image: Penguin Random House

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. 320 p. Dutton Books/ Penguin Young Readers Group, January, 2012. 9780525478812. (Own)

I saw online recently that The Fault in Our Stars ten-year anniversary was January 10. While not my favorite John Green book, nor my favorite cancer kid book, it is a perennial favorite among my eighth grade students over the years, especially after the movie released. 

Waiting on Wednesday: The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim

Happy Wednesday TMS Readers! While searching for the cover image for Six Crimson Cranes yesterday, I came across some information about the sequel. According to author, Elizabeth LIm's website, it is called The Dragon's Promise and it's due out in August. There is no cover image yet, nor is there a synopsis to be found. Needless to say, I am excited and I have already put it in the fall book order for my library! Happy reading!

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

Image: Penguin Random House

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~13 hours. Read by Emily Woo Zeller. Listening Library/ Penguin Random House Audio, July, 2021. 9780593398876. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library.)

Happy Tuesday! I hope you dress for the weather today! It's COLD out there (in northern NJ)! Teen Tuesday features Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim. I admit that I'm partial to fairy tale retellings and boy, have I been on a tear lately, each one better than the last. It wasn't hard to discern from the title, which fairy tale the author retold, The Wild Swans is one of my favorites. I learned from the publisher's page for the book that it also weaves in elements of Cinderella as well as two tales that are new to me-Tale of the Bamboo Cutter and the legend of Chang E.

Shiori-anma is the youngest of her father's seven children. She's the only girl and his favorite. She's a pampered princess in every way, always getting her own way, until her father decided whom she will wed when she turned seventeen. Shiori wants nothing to do with this barbarian prince from a northern province. She's also hiding a secret. She has magic and her father has forbidden magic in his kingdom. So far, she has been able to keep her talent hidden, despite the close call with the paper crane she brought to life. When she loses control on the day of her betrothal ceremony and runs into the lake, she catches the eye of a water dragon, who rescues her and changes into his human form to talk to her. Her icy step-mother, whom Shiori believes possesses magic, curses her six brothers-by day, they inhabit the bodies of crimson crane and change back into their human forms only by night. Shiori is banished, cursed to wear a bowl on her head and warned that if she speaks, one of her brothers will die for each word she utters. And so, penniless, voiceless and with only her secret paper crane as company, Shiori sets out in search of her brothers and a way to break the curse.

Weighing in at more than 450 pages and 13 hours on audio, this story is epic! It's also the beginning of a series and I cannot wait for book two! The writing is wonderfully rich, but man, the pace is fast! The setting is quite vivid and the characters are all well-developed and complex. I loved the stories within the story as well. 

Emily Woo Zeller is becoming a favorite narrator. She paces her performances well and has a wide repertoire of voices. 

Book two, The Dragon's Promise doesn't have any info or cover yet. It's due out in August. 

Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna by Alda P. Dobbs

Image: Sourcebooks

The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna by Alda P. Dobbs. 288 p. Sourcebooks, September, 2021. 9781728234654. (Review of arc courtesy of the author.)

Happy Monday! I hope you enjoyed your weekend! We had a snow day here on Friday, so the weekend felt luxuriously long. Students have a scheduled long weekend next weekend for MLK's birthday. Teachers have a PD day.

Middle Grade Monday features The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna by Alda P. Dobbs. This historical fiction set in 1913 during the Mexican Revolution is based, in part on the author's family history.

Twelve-year-old Petra Luna gathers wood to sell in her village each day. She doesn't go to school. Neither she nor her father nor Abuelita read, but she longs to. Her mother died giving birth to her brother and her father has been conscripted by the Federales, who are brutally hunting down and quashing the revolutionaries. She promised her father that she would look after her grandmother, younger sister and baby brother until they could be reunited, but now the Federales have burned their village to the ground the the family are refugees heading north to the border and the U.S. How can she shepherd her remaining family across the desert on foot, with little money and scant knowledge of life outside of her village?

Readers will instantly root for the resilient Petra and become immersed in her dangerous trek. Though the Mexican Revolution happened over a hundred years ago, the continued plight of refugees all over the world makes this a timely novel to read today. There is an immediacy in Ms. Dobbs' writing, so much so that I often had to put the book down to take a break from the emotion that it evoked.

The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna is the author's debut. I recommend it highly-for fans of historical fiction and for any reader wishing to become more empathetic. Happy reading!

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

Ear Worm! by Jo Knowles. Illustrated by Galia Bernstein. unpaged. Candlewick Press, January 25, 2022. 9781536207835.

Publisher synopsis: A musical treat for the ear and eye, this antic tale of a worm on a mission doubles as a cozy bedtime book.

One summer day, as Little Worm heads out to play, he discovers he has a song stuck in his head. “What’s that you’re singing?” Owl asks, but Little Worm can’t say. He wriggles past, determined to learn who filled his head with “Shimmy shimmy, no-sashay.” Owl flaps along with a song of his own, and before long Chipmunk, Bunny, and Fox fall in line, each contributing an ear worm to the joyful cacophony. Amid all the singing and dancing, Little Worm forgets his musical mystery until later when—surprise!—Papa Worm tucks him in. Hip, vintage-inspired illustrations and whimsical typesetting meet movement, sound play, and comic, cumulative delights in a picture book that will charm media-savvy children and their parents alike.

Purchased: 

Image: Penguin Random House AU

Always by Morris Gleitzman. 320 p. Felix and Zelda #7. Viking/ Penguin Random House Australia, August, 2021. 9780143793243.

Publisher synopsis: The much-anticipated final journey in the story of Felix, hero of Morris Gleitzman's multi-award-winning Once, Then, After, Soon, Maybe and Now.

It’s fifteen years since readers were first introduced to Felix in Once and across six celebrated books, our brave young hero has survived many unforgettable and emotional journeys. Now comes the seventh and final part of Felix’s story, bringing to a powerful climax a series that countless young readers around the world will remember – Always.

I can no longer remember how I came to discover Once, but I was instantly smitten and it has been my go-to book for any student (especially younger ones) wishing to read a Holocaust historical fiction. Right now, I have two eighth grade boys working their way through the first six. One actually finished and is eagerly awaiting this final installment. 

My most memorable success with this book happened about seven years ago when a severely dyslexic, utterly sweet eighth grade boy came into the library stating that he hated reading, but he had to read a book and to give him a short one. I handed him Once  and I think it was the first book that he ever read cover to cover. He asked if there were any more and proceeded to plow through the series.

What's in your mailbox this week?

Fact Friday: African Critters by Robert Haas

Happy Friday TMS Readers! The snow sure is pretty here in NJ. We were supposed to have a delayed opening, but the call came through changing it to a snow day a little before 7. My dogs are excited by the snow, that's for sure. And they will be happy to have me home. I feel bad leaving them each morning. They both look at me so mournfully. The shepherd is almost 8 and the lab is 2. My husband retired when the shepherd was 9 months, so neither dog is used to spending much time without a human. I run home each day during my lunch period to run them out and say hello. They are both fully capable of holding it and would probably adjust to the new schedule, but we are all still mourning our loss and it gives me comfort to see them.

African Critters by Robert Haas. 96 p. National Geographic, 2008. 9781426303173. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

I found this gem while reading my library's shelves! Fact Friday features African Critters by Robert Haas. Mr. Haas is a wildlife photographer for National Geographic. He compiled and sometimes collaged his photos from a handful of his assignments for Nat Geo. His first-person accountings give readers insight into the natural world on the continent of Africa. He and his crew had to figure out where a mama leopard hid her cubs, then they had to set up their cameras and wait patiently for her to go out hunting and for them to emerge. They recorded images of elephants protecting a calf from predators and a pack of wild dogs stalking a herd of antelopes, among others.

The bite-sized bits of information are fascinating, but the images are mesmerizing. Back matter includes an author's note, glossary, index, references and recommended reading of other Nat Geo titles. If you love animals, you will definitely want to check this book out.

#tbt: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Image: Candlewick Press

The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo. 274 p. Candlewick Press, August, 2003.  9780763617226. 

Happy Thursday! #tbt features The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo. Despereaux Tilling is an odd little mouse with big dreams of being a hero. He was born with his eyes wide open, which was notable since mice are born blind. He also loved to read and had a crush on Princess Pea. When he does have the opportunity to speak with her, he is led out of the room because mice are closely related to rats and rats are outlawed in the kingdom. Unfortunately for Despereaux, speaking to humans is outlawed among the mice and he is sent to the dungeon to die. He is saved by the jailer thanks to the power of storytelling. Unfortunately for Princess Pea, there is a rat, Roscuro, who vows revenge.

This charming tale of a mouse with a big heart was published in August of 2003 and won the 2004 Newbery Medal. You may recall that Ms. DiCamillo's debut novel, Because of Winn Dixie, won a Newbery Honor in 2000. She won her second Newbery Medal in 2014 for Flora and Ulysses: the Illuminated Adventures. The Youth Media Awards will be announced on Monday January 24. If Ms. DiCamillo wins the Newbery Medal for The Beatryce Prophecy, she will be the first author to win three Newbery Medals.

Waiting on Wednesday Student Post: Rise of the School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Rise of the School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani. 368 p. HarperCollins Publishers, June 7, 2022. 9780063161528.

Waiting on Wednesday features a guest post by an eighth grader: As you all probably know by now, I am a HUGE fan of Soman Chainani's books and love (and maybe own) every single one. Well, TMS readers, I have very good news! About two weeks ago, Chainani announced that he wrote yet another book, and I was beyond excited! How could I resist asking to write a Waiting on Wednesday recommendation? Due to release on June 7th of 2022, Rise of the School for Good and Evil will tell the events prior to Agatha and Sophie's adventures. featuring iconic characters, fairy tales, and key elements from the first series. The book will act as the first of many in a prequel series to The School For Good and Evil. Beyond this, I will refrain from saying any apparent details, because they will spoil the first series if you're looking to read it. We don't want that, do we? So, here is the publisher synopsis:
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The battle between Good and Evil begins. Two brothers. One Good. One Evil. Together they watch over the Endless Woods. Together they choose the students for the School for Good and Evil. Together they train them, teach them, prepare them for their fate. Then, something happens. Something unexpected. Something powerful. Something that will change everything and everyone. Who will survive? Who will rule the School?

The journey starts here. Every step is filled with magic, surprises, and daring deeds that test courage, loyalty, and who you really are. But they only lead you to the very beginning of the adventures that are THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL.
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I am so excited for this book to release! Have a great day, TMS readers!

*As you may know, Lia is the one who kept recommending The School for Good and Evil to me. I am embarrassed to admit that it took me a long time to finally do it, but I'm so glad I did. Thanks to Lia for both the initial recommendation and the heads up on the prequel!

Teen Tuesday: Among the Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston

Image: HarperCollins 

Among the Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~8 hours. Balzer + Bray/ HarperAudio, October, 2020. 9780063025899. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Happy Tuesday! I hope you dress for the weather today because it's finally winter cold! It was a brisk 19 degrees at a little after 5 this morning when I took the hounds out for a walk. It was in the 50s over the weekend! Crazy.

Teen Tuesday features Among the Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston. Cerys lives in the kingdom of Aloriya under the protection of a king who wears a golden crown that was gifted to his forefather hundreds of years earlier by the Lady of the Wilds. Her father is the royal gardener, a job she is content to inherit. Her talent for it is helped along by a bit of secret magic she possesses in her blood. If she adds her blood to plants, they grow and thrive instantly. Her best friend, Princess Anwen, is about to be coronated, but just as the magical crown is placed on her head, she is transformed into a vile creature as the woodcursed leave the dark forest to attack the kingdom. Cerys grabs the crown and dashes into the dark forest accompanied by a strange young man who may or may not have been the fox that she rescued from a trap. The two set out through the dark woods in search of the mythical city of Voryn hoping that they will help to break the curse.

This fantasy has the dark, grim feel of an old fairy tale. The forest is positively creepy and filled with danger. Cerys feels ill-equiped to be the hero and Fox is disgruntled in his clumsy, vulnerable human form and just wants to turn back into a fox. Luckily for them, the two team up with Bear, who has the strength and smarts to guide them.

The POV (point-of-view) shifts between Cerys and Fox. There's a good deal of humor to lighten the suspense and there's plenty of gore and evil creatures to create the gore. The story stands alone, but there's enough left unresolved for a sequel or companion novel.

Teens who love fantasy or fairy tales will eat this up and ask for more. 

Middle Grade Monday: The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo

Image: Candlewick Press

The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. 256 p. Candlewick Press, September, 2021. 9781536213616. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Monday! I hope you had a healthy and restful holiday filled with a lot of great books. Today was my first day back from break and it was quite interesting. Lots of kids on the quarantine list due to either testing positive or exposure to Covid, or travelled and are unvaccinated. I'm in a 5 - 8 middle school and until recently, fifth graders were too young for vaccination. There were a few staff members out as well. Taking attendance was a bit more involved and then there were the late-comers on Zoom. Sigh. It's good to be back though. 

Middle Grade Monday features the very last book I read in 2021, The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Sadly, I'm woefully behind in all my reading and it took me forever to get to this gem. I must say though, reading it as my last book of 2021 was lovely.

Brother Edik illuminates manuscripts in a monastery while he awaits visions, which he reports to the his superior, who then writes them down in The Chronicles of Sorrows. His other job is caring for Answelica the goat, a being so ornery that she strikes fear in everyone. Imagine his surprise then, when Brother Edik discovers a little girl, curled up, asleep in Answelica's stall holding the goat's ear! The girl is dirty, bloody, and running a high fever. She remembers nothing about how she got to the monastery. She only remembers her name, Beatryce.

Gentle Brother Edik convinces the monks to nurse the child back to health. As he cares for Beatryce, he uncovers a secret. The girl knows how to read and write! It is forbidden for girls and women to read and write in the kingdom! As Brother Edik ponders the danger of this, he remembers one of his earlier prophecies, "There will one day come a girl who will unseat a king..." Could Beatryce be this girl?

This book is getting a lot of Newbery buzz. Ms. DiCamillo builds a dangerous world, unfolding it slowly in spare and concise language. Readers will instantly care for Brother Edik, Beatryce and later, Jack Dory, all three are so pure and vulnerable in this harsh world. It is a rare thing to possess a true moral compass. 

Answelica's antics lend humor and her devotion to Beatryce is endearing. The author packs a lot of adventure and suspense in this rather short book. The black and white illustrations are well-placed and lovely.

Fans of Kate DiCamillo will not be disappointed. Fans of Adam Gidwitz's The Inquisitor's Tale will likely enjoy The Beatryce Prophecy, though there's no magic here, just the magic of the powers of friendship, love, courage and storytelling.