Waiting on Wednesday: When We Ride by Rex Ogle

Image: Norton

When We Ride by Rex Ogle. 334 p. Norton Young Readers, March 25, 2025. 

Waiting on Wednesday features. When We Ride by Rex Ogle. I've been a huge fan ever since I read his debut, Free Lunch. HIs latest releases on March 25. Here's the publisher synopsis:

Rex Ogle explores bonds of loyalty and friendship and how they’re tested by drugs and violence in this propulsive novel-in-verse.

Diego Benevides works hard. His single mother encourages him to stay focused on school, on getting into college, on getting out of their crumbling neighborhood. That’s why she gave him her car.

Diego’s best friend, Lawson, needs a ride—because Lawson is dealing. As long as Diego’s not carrying, not selling, it’s cool. It’s just weed.

But when Lawson starts carrying powder and pills and worse, their friendship is tested and their lives are threatened. As the lines between dealer and driver blur, everything Diego has worked for is jeopardized, and he faces a deadly reckoning with the choices he and his best friend have made.

Award-winning memoirist and poet Rex Ogle’s searing first novel-in-verse is an unforgettable story of the power and price of loyalty.

Middle Grade Monday: Popcorn by Rob Harrell

Image: Penguin Random House

Popcorn by Rob Harrell. 288 p. Dial Books/ Penguin Young Readers Group, September, 2024. 9780593697924. Review of book borrowed from public library.

It's picture day for seventh grader, Andrew Yaeger and he's anxious. It doesn't take much for Andrew to feel anxious. He even has a scale of anxiety, with a kernel of popcorn as the barometer for how anxious he feels. His mom is anxious as well. She wants a good school picture and has even gotten Andrew a new shirt. She's also starting a new job that day as well, one that pays better. Maybe the family will even be able to move to a larger apartment. Things have gotten a bit cramped since G., Andrew's grandmother moved in. He loves G., but sometimes she doesn't recognize Andrew and now he has to sleep on the couch.

This charming, touching, often hilarious novel is told from Andrew's POV and accompanied by spot art and comic panels that add humor to the narrative. It takes place during one school day. Andrew's voice is authentic and immediately relatable. His best friendship with Jonesy is changing, thanks to her being a star on the basketball team, but they are trying to keep things going. Thankfully, he has teachers and the school nurse around who notice and care. 

I can't think of a reader who wouldn't love this book. Popcorn won the Schneider Family Book Award for Middle Grade Fiction this past January. I think it will begin showing up on many state book lists soon. Highly recommend!

Picture Book FNG Review: That's Not Funny, David! by David Shannon

Image: Scholastic Inc.

That's Not Funny, David! by David Shannon. 32 p. Orchard Books/ Scholastic Inc., March 4, 2025. 9781546123187. Review of fng courtesy of publisher.

It's hard to believe that it will be 27 years this September, since boisterous, rambunctious little David burst on the scene in all his triangular-toothed glory. Has he grown either physically or emotionally? No. Is he still a perpetual motion machine? Yes. As the author/ illustrator notes in his introduction, humor is subjective. David definitely goes for low-brow and provocative. His antics will delight his fans.

Book Mail

Receiving book mail is always exciting! Thanks to Blue Slip Media for sending me this.

Image: Simon & Schuster

Spelling It Out by Margaret Finnegan. 208 p. Atheneum Books for Young Readers/ Simon & Schuster, May 13, 2025. 9781665930116.

Publisher synopsis: A rising seventh grader visits his grandmother in San Francisco for a whirlwind summer of spelling bee training, only to begin suspecting she has Alzheimer’s, in this witty and compassionate middle grade novel for fans of Al Capone Does My Shirts.

Ben Bellini didn’t mean to become a champion speller—after all, he’s not a nerd—but he sure does like spelling bee glory now that it’s found him. He might even be good enough for the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC! And what better way to prepare than to train with a professional spelling coach in San Francisco, where his nan lives?

Through his adventures, Ben gets to know the city—and competitor Asha Krishnakumar, who’s equally determined to spell her way to victory. But Ben also starts having odd interactions with his nan that leave him feeling like he’s missing something. Where is Nan’s forgetfulness coming from? And will anyone even believe him if he tries to get help?

Between showing up for his loved ones and pursuing his own dreams, Ben will need to spend this summer figuring out what he owes others…and what he owes himself.

I've enjoyed Ms. Finnegan's four titles for young readers and looking forward to reading this one.

#tbt: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Image: Scholastic Inc.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. 544 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., March, 2007. 9780439813785.

Hugo, a twelve-year-old orphan, lives in the Paris train station and works to keep the clocks on time. He also harbors secrets and is a thief. He steals items he thinks might help him repair an automaton. One day, he is caught by a grumpy, old toymaker and is brought to the man's home, where he meets, Isabelle, the man's goddaughter. It seems the toymaker has secrets as well, and Hugo and Isabelle work together to uncover them.

Selznick, no stranger to the Caldecott, having won an Honor for illustrating Barbara Kerley's The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins in 2002, turned the children's literature world upside down when this 500+ page book received the Award. 

This is a book I loved to give reluctant readers. Their eyes would widen with disbelief that they could ever get through such a brick! Then, once shown that it was mostly illustration, they happily checked the book out. 

The book was adapted for film and I was privileged to be invited to a screening, which included a talkback with the author afterwards. The film was gorgeous and quite faithful to the book. Selznick even had a cameo in the final scene. 

Waiting on Wednesday: North of Tomboy by Julie A. Swanson

Image: Simon & Schuster

North of Tomboy by Julie A. Swanson. 256 p. She Writes Press/ Simon & Schuster, September 25, 2025. 9781684633302.

Publisher synopsis:For fans of Kacen Callender, Lin Thompson, and Kyle Lukoff, comes a middle grade novel set in 1973 about a child who feels more boy than girl and is frustrated that people act blind to that when—aside for her stupid hair and clothes—it should be obvious!

Shy fourth grader Jess Jezowski turns the tables on her mom when she’s given yet another girly baby doll for Christmas. This time, instead of ignoring or destroying it, she transforms it into the boy she’s always wanted to be—a brave, funny little guy named Mickey. Making him talk, Jess finally lets the boy in her express himself.

But when Mickey evolves to become something more like an alter ego whose voice drowns out her own and the secret of him escapes the safety of her family, Jess realizes Mickey’s too limited and doesn’t allow the boy part of her a big enough presence in the world. She must find a way to blend him into her—so she can be that side of herself anywhere, around anyone.

Jess tries to wean herself from the crutch of Mickey’s loud, comical persona, and to get her family to forget about him, but she struggles to do both. What will it take for her to stop hiding behind Mickey and get people to see her for who she truly is? Based on the author’s experience growing up on Michigan’s rural Leelanau Peninsula in the ’70s, North of Tomboy includes artwork throughout.

Teen Tuesday and ARC Review: Run Away with Me by Brian Selznick

Image: Scholastic

Run Away with Me by Brian Selznick. 320 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., April 1, 2025. 9781339035529. Review of arc courtesy of publisher.

It is the summer of 1986, and our narrator is a sixteen-year-old lonely young man forced to move, yet again due to the nature of his single mother's rather esoteric job as a rare books expert. After wandering sullenly around Rome, he takes refuge in a cathedral to get out of the heat and falls asleep. When he awakens, he is struck by paintings of two angels seemingly staring at each other across the room. Haunted by these images, he resumes wandering and, at an intersection comes across a statue, which, unlike the many others in Rome, lacks beauty. As he turns away, he hears someone shout, "Wait!" and thinks for a moment that it is the statue. He finds a folded piece of paper jammed into the statue and upon unfolding it, finds that it is a map with a location circled. He makes his way to an elephant obelisk and meets the creator of the map, who looks exactly like the angel he just saw, and this angel speaks perfect English. Suddenly, Rome has become interesting. This mystery person names our narrator Danny, short for Dante, the sculptor of the elephant and Danny names his guide, Angelo, for the angel in the church. 

The next weeks unfold dreamily for Danny as he aches to reunite daily with Angelo, who is filled with anecdotes about Rome, not all of which Danny can believe. Angelo is secretive, but so is Danny, especially with his mother. 

Lies and truths intermingle in this intense story of first love, and identity. There are stories within the story that are utterly enchanting and heartbreaking. The narrative feels occasionally forced, especially when Angelo disappears and the cause is revealed. Sorry, the nurse in me is especially critical of medical stuff. This will not be noted by intended audience. 

The narrative is bookended by Selznick's signature pencil drawings that are so incredibly detailed they feel architectural and dreamy at once. 

Run Away with Me publishes on April 1. Mr. Selznick's YA debut is impressive. 

Middle Grade Monday: Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller

Image: Penguin Random House 

Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller. 160 p. Philomel Books/ Penguin Young Readers, April, 2024. Review of copy borrowed from public library.

Middle Grade Monday features Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller. Ten-year-old Magnolia does not have high expectations for her summer. Her only friend moved away and she wouldn't call the classmates that patronize her parents laundry, friends, especially, Austin. She doesn't mind though. She has created a "Lost Sock" display in the laundromat and is hoping to reunite the missing sock with their owners. Enter Iris. She and her mother just moved from California and Iris is not impressed with New York. The two team up to find the owners of the missing socks. 

This gentle read hits all the notes: relatable characters, humor, illustrations, and two kids on the loose in NYC. Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All was named a Newbery Honor, an ALSC Notable Book, a Kirkus and NYT Best Book. Happy reading!

Fact Friday: Call the Bee Doctor: How Science is Saving Honey Bees by Sandra Markle

Image: Lerner Publishing 

Call the Bee Doctor: How Science is Saving Honey Bees by Sandra Markle. 48 p. Millbrook Press/ Lerner Publishing, October, 2024. Review of copy borrowed from public library. 

Fact Friday features Call the Bee Doctor: How Science is Saving Honey Bees by Sandra Markle. In 2013, veteran science writer, Markle published a book called The Case of the Vanishing Honeybees. In it, she described how the honeybee population was threatened by something called Colony Collapse Disorder. In this update, Ms. Markle describes the work of apiologists, or, bee doctors in their search for a cure of CCD.

The photos are the stars here as they help readers further understand the rather technical prose. The glossary may also be consulted frequently. Ms. Markle details the process of scientific inquiry and highlights the highs and lows. She makes the connection between honeybees and their importance to agriculture and the effect of climate change and use of pesticides on their survival. She might even inspire some middle school students to become apiologists!

In addition to a great glossary, the back matter includes additional sources, making this book a valuable resource for young researchers. Long live the queen!

#tbt: Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar

Image: Penguin Random House

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar. 279 p. Dutton Children's Books/ Penguin Young Readers, July, 2005. 

#tbt features a favorite book of mine, Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar. Scott Hudson is entering high school. He thinks his bffs will be in his classes and help with the transition. Unfortunately, Scott is in honors classes, and his friends are not.  He's small. He's bullied. He's also suffering because of his older brother's less than stellar reputation. Then, there's Julia, an acquaintance from kindergarten, who has morphed into a goddess, so Scott joins everything that Julia joins with hilarious results. Scott thinks things can't get much worse until his mother announces that she is pregnant and Scott decides to write a user's manual - not a diary - to help his future sibling navigate freshmen year. 

I wasn't blogging in 2005, when I read it, but I have book talked this book whenever I had the opportunity, especially to eighth graders getting ready for high school. There is a companion novel, Sophomores and Other Oxymorons, which was published in 2015. 

This is the original cover, which I prefer. Happy reading!

Waiting on Wednesday: Huda F. Wants to Know by Huda Fahmy

Image: Penguin Random House

Huda F. Wants to Know by Huda Fahmy. 224 p. Penguin Young Readers, April 1, 2025. 9780593855614.

Waiting on Wednesday features Huda F. Wants to Know by Huda Fahmy. This is the third Huda F. graphic novel based on the author's experience growing up in Michigan, and I can't wait. 

Here's the publisher synopsis:In the hilarious and poignant follow-up to National Book Award Finalist Huda F Cares?, Huda's life and worldview is turned upside down when her parents announce they're divorcing.

Huda Fahmy is ready for junior year. She’s got a plan to join all the clubs, volunteer everywhere, ace the ACTs, write the most awe-inspiring essay for her scholarship applications. Easy.

But then Mama and Baba announce the most unthinkable news: they’re getting a divorce.

Huda is devastated. She worries about what this will mean for her family, their place in the Muslim community, and her future. Her grades start tanking, she has a big fight with her best friend, and everything feels out of control. Will her life ever feel normal again? Huda F wants to know.

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt. Unabridged audiobook, ~ 3 hours. Read by Zachary Roe. Clarion Books/ HarperCollins Publishers, December, 2021. Review of audiobook borrowed from public library.

Teen Tuesday features Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt. I first read this with my eyes back in August of 2016. It was published in fall of 2015. I was still giving stars to my GR posts and gave five with the comment: Okay, officially gutted. I swear, there are not many authors who can do what Gary D. Schmidt does in so few words. The economy, beauty, imagery and heart in his writing is astonishing.

After I read Jupiter Rising, I realized that I couldn't really remember the details of Orbiting Jupiter. It was, after all, about 2500 or so books ago, so I decided to reread it with my ears. 

This is the first-person narration by Jackson Hurd. A sixth grader who lives on a dairy farm with his parents, who have agreed to foster Joseph Brooks, a thirteen-year-old who has fathered a child, spent time in a juvenile detention facility and doesn't like to be touched or approached from behind. Jackson and his parents give Joseph the space and time he needs, but also chores, such as milking the cows, which he also needs. Unfortunately, other adults in the community, have prejudged Joseph, starting with the school bus driver, so Joseph and Jackson walk to school in the bitter cold.

As Joseph slowly thaws with the Hurds, they learn his story and are more committed than ever to helping him. All Joseph wants is to see his baby, who is in foster care since her mother, Maddie, has died.

This emotionally intense, character-driven novel packs a punch. Have tissues handy. The narrator was different than the one for Jupiter Rising. He was measured and fine, except he mispronounced the name of a character several times, which annoyed me. 

Orbiting Jupiter was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book, an ALA Notable as well as quite a few state award lists. It has become a TMS favorite over the years and a book I highly recommend. Happy reading.

Middle Grade Monday: Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston

Image: Bloomsbury

Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston. 304 p. Bloomsbury, January 16, 2024. Review of finished purchased copy.

Middle Grade Monday features Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston. Seventh-grader Sharkita, "Kita" Lloyd is reliable, dependable and devoted to her two younger siblings. Her eight-year-old brother, Lamar has special needs due to having fetal alcohol syndrome and her five-year-old sister, Lilli is spirited and curious. Even though her mother seems to be doing fine, it is Kita who gets her siblings ready for school, who makes sure there's food in the house and that the bills are paid on time. Kita never wants to be separated by the foster care system from her brother and sister again. Kita's mom even gives her permission to join the twirl team and Kita begins to feel like a normal seventh grader. But then, her mom begins to party again.

This emotionally intense, character-driven novel authentically depicts the experience of a child who assumes the role of parent and can't or won't reach out. It received many starred reviews, was named a Kirkus Prize Finalist and a Schneider Family Book Honor for Middle Grade Fiction. 

Fact Friday: Everywhere Beauty is Harlem: the Vision of Photographer Roy DeCarava by Gary Golio

Image: Astra Books/ Calkins Creek

Everywhere Beauty is Harlem: the Vision of Photographer Roy DeCarava by Gary Golio. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. unpgd. Astra Books for Young Readers/ Calkins Creek, January, 2024. 9781662680557. Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.

I have to open this review with an apology. I received this finished copy over a year ago, and while I read it immediately, posted it as a 2023 favorite and wrote, "perfect in every way," I never blogged about it. I set it aside with the intention of posting, but my health issues got in the way. Last weekend, I was sorting stacks of books, came across it, and sat down to reread. I wondered if it would get any Youth Media Award love and put it on my spreadsheet for today's "Fact Friday" post. Happily, E. B. Lewis received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor for his stunning illustrations this past Monday.

Writing in the present tense, using his signature spare and evocative language, Gary Golio describes a "day in the life" of photographer, Roy DeCarava. He worked a day job, but once work was over, "Roy's time is his own now." He loads his camera, he looks for subjects, and Harlem is brimming with them. Mr. Lewis' watercolor illustrations bring Harlem and its inhabitants to life. Each spread invites the reader to pause. 

Back matter includes further information about Mr, DeCarava, a black and white photo of the photographer, a timeline, a photograph of his camera and a photo of a Harlem street scene. A bibliography is included along with a list of museums featuring his photos. 

Everywhere Beauty is Harlem would be a terrific addition to my picture book biography unit and any school, classroom or public library. 

#tbt: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Image: Penguin Random House

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. 464 p. Ember in the Ashes series #1. Crown Books/ Penguin Random House, April, 2015. 9781595148032.

#tbt features An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. This thrilling dystopian grabs the reader from page one and doesn't let go. It is told in alternating viewpoints by Laia, a Scholar in the Marital Empire whose brother was imprisoned and who is reluctantly acting as a spy for the resistance, and Elias, an elite soldier, who is training to become an assassin in the notorious Blackcliff Academy. 

An Ember in the Ashes was Ms. Tahir's debut in 2015. It was named a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults as well as a Goodreads People's Choice and quite a few state book award lists. It has three sequels, A Torch against the Night in 2016, A Reaper at the Gates in 2018, and A Sky Beyond the Storm in 2020. 

Happy reading!

Waiting on Wednesday: Dear Manny by Nic Stone

Image: Penguin Random House

Dear Manny by Nic Stone. 244 p. Crown Books for Young Readers/ Random House Children's Books/ Penguin Random House, March 4, 2025. 9780593308011.

Waiting on Wednesday features Dear Manny by Nic Stone. Fans of the author's Dear Martin and Dear Justyce will be happy to learn of this sequel that is due out on March 4.

Here's the publisher's synopsis: From the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin comes the thrilling final installment of the series, set in college. Jared (white, Justyce's roommate, woke) is running for Junior class president. With his antiracism platform, he's a shoo-in. But he's up against the new girl, Dylan. Will Jared have to choose between his head and his heart?

Jared Peter Christensen is running for president (of the Junior Class Council at his university, but still). His platform is solid—built on increased equity and inclusion in all sectors of campus life—and he’s got a good chance of beating the deeply conservative business major he’s running against.

But then a transfer student enters the race and calls Jared out for his big-talk/little-action way of moving. But what’s the right way to bring about change? As the campaign heats up, feelings are caught, and juicy secrets come to light, and Jared writes letters to his deceased friend Manny, hoping to make sense of his confusion. What’s a white boy to do when love and politics collide?

New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone writes from a new perspective in this exciting final chapter of the Dear Martin series that examines privilege, love, and our political climate.

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Heir by Sabaa Tahir

Image: Penguin Random House

Heir by Sabaa Tahir. Unabridged e-audiobook. ~18 hours. Narrated by Vidish Athavale, Esme Lonsdale, Joe Pitts, Marco Young, and Rachel Perladwala. Books on Tape/ Recorded Books/ Penguin Random House, October, 2024. Review from e-audiobook borrowed from public library.

Teen Tuesday features Heir by Sabaa Tahir. This duology picks up 20 years after the events of Ms.Tahir's propulsive debut trilogy, An Ember in the Ashes. While it is a stand-alone, I enjoyed seeing where Elias, Laia and Helene ended up. 

Heir is told from three points of view and the timeline is nonlinear, which I found a bit confusing at first, but made for quite the plot twist later on. Quil is the reluctant heir to the empire. He is Helene's nephew and she has trained him well. Sirsha is an exiled Jaduna, who has been forbidden to use her magic on the pain of death. She has been hired to track a child killer and reluctantly binds herself to the job, increasing the chance that her people will find her. Aiz is an orphan living in extreme poverty, but under the gentle care of clerics devoted to Mother Div. She's a storyteller, entrusted by the clerics to tell the eight tales and she half-believes Mother Div will come and rescue the Kegari people.

As in the Ember series, the world building is rich and vivid and the characters are well-drawn. There's plenty of violence left in the empire, and the serial killings are quite brutal. The romances were a miss for me. They didn't feel organic. They felt convenient. Also, the detail and frequency of couplings made this series more appropriate for a high school, rather than a middle school audience. Still, it's a nit, which will not bother the intended audience, and I will definitely be reading the conclusion of the duology. 

I'm glad I read this one with my ears as the pronunciation of names and places wouldn't have been what I chose and was happy for knowing how the author intended them to be pronounced. The narrators all gave well-paced performances. 

Happy reading!

Miiddle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: Alebrijes by Donna Barba Higuera

Image: Recorded Books

Alebrijes by Donna Barba Higuera. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~10 hours. Narrated by Cisco Fernandez and Frankie Corzo. Recorded Books, October, 2023. Review of e-audio borrowed from public library. 

Thirteen-year-old Leandro and his nine-year-old sister, Gabi are Cascabeles, living in extreme poverty and at the mercy of the Pocateles, the ruling elite in what seems to be California in a post-apocalyptic world. What little food that can be farmed from the once fertile land, goes to the Pocateles. But, Leandro has grown up with stories about the once fertile lands and has a plan to get out with his sister. Unfortunately, that involves pickpocketing, and when Gabi gets caught, Leandro steps up to take the fall. Judgement is swift and severe - banishment outside the city, where wyrms burst from the soil to swallow any who walk there. But, Leandro has been given a reprieve, of sorts. If he agrees to leave his body behind, a doctor will remove his essence and implant it into the body of a hummingbird drone, leftover old-tech from the before-times. She wants Leandro to find and return her daughter. 

This dystopian adventure grabs you by the throat, lets up from time to time, but doesn't let go. Vivid world building and sympathetic characters kept me listening. The narrator sounded convincingly youthful and I appreciated the fluent shift to Spanish words that I would've butchered had I read with my eyes. I will reread it with my eyes soon, though. The physical book, which I have/ had in my library is utterly gorgeous, with its  intriguing die-cut cover and illustrations. 

Alebriges was a "Best of the Year" book for Kirkus, Booklist, New York Times and the Chicago Public Library. It was also named a Pura Belpré Honor Book. Happy reading!

Fact Friday: Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II by Candace Fleming

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II by Candace Fleming. 384 p. Scholastic Focus/ Scholastic Inc., March, 2024. 

Fact Friday features Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II by Candace Fleming. During World War II, the Axis powers sent coded messages that were very difficult to crack due to their use of Enigma machines. The British government sent telegrams to hundreds of young women from all walks of life, many of them teens to Station X at Bletchley Park. There, they were sworn to secrecy and embarked on work attempting to decode intercepted messages from the enemy. Ms. Fleming introduces the reader to ten of those extraordinary women in this intense and fascinating work of narrative nonfiction. Some of the women were skilled in mathematics and others spoke several languages. All worked tirelessly to turn the tide of the war. Their work was instrumental in the British Navy's defeat of the Italian Navy as well as during the planning of the D-Day invasion. 

The book is chock full of photos, side stories and information about codes and ciphers. Any new book by Ms. Fleming was an automatic purchase for my school library. This should have wide appeal and one I highly recommend. Happy reading!  

ETA: Here's a short video of the author talking about Enigma Girls. 

Book Mail

 We got the promised snow and extremely frigid weather here in northern NJ earlier this week. Son #3 was out for a visit last weekend and planned on staying through Monday, but the forecast promised a dicey return to NYC, so I took him across the GWB and dropped him at the Port Authority Sunday afternoon just as the snow began to fall. 

Boo is not a fan of the cold weather or the snow. All my other dogs loved the snow and would play outside while I shoveled. Not Mr. Boo. I think he's particularly bothered by either the cold or the salt, because he can't go far without stopping to lick one or more paws. He's also particular about where he does his solid business and has trouble finding a place in the snow. 

The frigid temps broke today and it was a balmy 28 degrees, so we took a longer walk. As we approached home, he spotted the UPS truck at the end of our block and began pulling me. One of the drivers once gave him a treat and is Boo's bff. When he doesn't have a treat, he will stop to say hi and doesn't mind Boo's jumping. The driver waved, but didn't make a move toward us, so I pulled him down the block to my house. He kept looking back as the truck came down to our end. There was a delivery for my cross the street neighbor, but also me, thanks to Blue Slip Media. No pets or treats for Boo though.

Image: Penguin Random House

The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Newton Fusco. 362 p. Alfred A. Knopf/ Random House Children's Books, January 21, 2025. 9780593121771.

Publisher synopsis: Hurricane is quiet while her Aunt Claire is a force of nature with very particular ideas–and a host of Latin sayings to back them up. When Hurricane gets stuck living with her, she retreats into herself…until a series of unexpected friends, including a mangy cat, help her find her voice in a whole new way.

A recipe for The World’s Most Comforting, Twelve-Layer Honeycake:

1 quiet girl named Hurricane, who runs like the wind along the Mighty Atlantic with her old dog Brody-Bear.

1 imperious aunt, who steps up when Hurricane’s world turns upside down.

1 kind-hearted boy, who helps wounded animals (and may smell a little of fish)

1 lonely and flea-bitten cat with a ragged ear and a crooked tail.

1 gentle chauffeur, who knows exactly what to say…and when not to say a thing.

Mix them all together in big, fancy house in the city. What you get might surprise you.

I will tell you right now, I love the cover! Happy reading!

#tbt: Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Image: Simon & Schuster

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. 336 p. Seeds of America #1. Atheneum/ Simon & Schuster, October, 2008. 9781416905851. Own.

#tbt features Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. This is the first book in the author's Seeds of America trilogy. Isabel is looking forward to being freed along with her disabled sister upon her mistress' death. Unfortunately, the woman's heir has other plans. He sells them to the Lockton family of New York City. They are Loyalists during the beginning of the American Revolution. Isabel meets Curzon, who is enslaved to a Patriot family. He wants her to spy for the Patriots. Isabel agrees, but does not agree with Curzon's belief that fighting for the Patriots will result in liberty for them.

This layered, character-driven novel has a strong sense of place and explores the multifaceted reasons behind the colonists' fight for freedom juxtaposed against the enslaved people's desire for freedom. 

Chains was a National Book Award Finalist and won the Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award. It was named an ALA Notable Book as well as a YALSA Best book and many state book awards.

The trilogy continued with Forge in 2010, and concluded with Ashes in 2016. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Rebellion, 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Image: Simon & Schuster

Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson. 410 p. Atheneum/ Caitlin Dlouhey/ Simon & Schuster, April 1, 2025. 9781416968269.

Waiting on Wednesday features Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson. I'm a huge fan of Ms. Anderson. Her contemporary realistic fiction books are gripping and intense, but her historical fiction novels are as well. I can't wait for this.

Publisher synopsis: From New York Times bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson comes an eerily timely historical fiction middle grade adventure about a girl struggling to survive amid a smallpox epidemic, the public’s fear of inoculation, and the seething Revolutionary War.

In the spring of 1776, thirteen-year-old Elsbeth Culpepper wakes to the sound of cannons. It’s the Siege of Boston, the Patriots’ massive drive to push the Loyalists out that turns the city into a chaotic war zone. Elsbeth’s father—her only living relative—has gone missing, leaving her alone and adrift in a broken town while desperately seeking employment to avoid the orphanage.

Just when things couldn’t feel worse, the smallpox epidemic sweeps across Boston. Now, Bostonians must fight for their lives against an invisible enemy in addition to the visible one. While a treatment is being frantically fine-tuned, thousands of people rush in from the countryside begging for inoculation. At the same time, others refuse protection, for the treatment is crude at best and at times more dangerous than the disease itself.

Elsbeth, who had smallpox as a small child and is now immune, finds work taking care of a large, wealthy family with discord of their own as they await a turn at inoculation, but as the epidemic and the revolution rage on, will she find her father?

Middle Grade Monday: Things in the Basement by Ben Hatke

Image: Macmillan

Things in the Basement by Ben Hatke. 240 p. First Second/ Macmillan, August, 2023. 9781250909541. Review of finished, purchased copy.

Middle Grade Monday features Things in the Basement by Ben Hatke. Milo has just moved to a new house and is bored and lonely. There are boxes everywhere, no friends and his mother's time and attention is monopolized by his twin baby sisters. When his mom asks him to find his sister's favorite sock in the basement, the simple trip downstairs turns into an odyssey, because a rat has stolen the sock and retreated into the dark recesses of the basement. Stalwart Milo follows, and follows and follows this rat into deeper and more mysterious sections of the basement. Will he ever return? 

The art in this evocative tale is truly mind-blowing; subtle, sinister, and yet, occasionally oddly soothing. Read it through for the story, but reread it for the art! TMS students love Mr. Hatke's Mighty Jack and Zita stories. This is totally different style-wise. I hope his many fans love Things in the Basement as much as I. Highly recommend! Happy reading and happy snowy day! It's a gorgeous day here in northeastern NJ. 

#tbt: Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Image: Scholastic

Smile by Raina Telgemeier. 213 p. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc., 2010.

#tbt features Smile by Raina Telgemeier. Smile, indeed all of Ms. Telgemeier's books are in high-demand at TMS. Smile is the memoir of Ms. Telgemeier's tween years, when an unfortunate fall caused tremendous damage to her teeth and resulted in dental work which impacted her socially and psychologically. 

Young readers respond to Ms. Telgemeier's humor, bold palette and dynamic panelling. Young Raina's situation is totally relatable. 

Smile was Ms. Telgemeier's Scholastic debut and won an Eisner Award as well as mentions in "Best Books" lists from YALSA and the Notable Books committee. It was also named a Boston Globe/ Horn Book Nonfiction Honor title. 

Waiting on Wednesday: The Cartoonist's Club by Raina Tegemeier and Scott McCloud

Image: Scholastic

The Cartoonist's Club by Raina Tegemeier and Scott McCloud. 288 p. Graphic/ Scholastic Inc., April 1, 2025. 9781338777215.

Waiting on Wednesday features The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud. Raina Telgemeier is a TMS favorite, but many graphic novel fans may not know about Scott McCloud and the influence he has on contemporary graphic novelists.

Here's the publisher synopsis: Makayla is bursting with ideas but doesn't know how to make them into a story. Howard loves to draw, but he struggles to come up with ideas and his dad thinks comics are a waste of time. Lynda constantly draws in her sketchbook but keeps focusing on what she feels are mistakes, and Art simply loves being creative and is excited to try something new. They come together to form The Cartoonists Club, where kids can learn about making comics and use their creativity and imagination for their own storytelling adventures!

Teen Tuesday: Light Enough to Float by Lauren Seal

                                     

Image: Penguin Random House

Light Enough to Float by Lauren Seal. 354 p. Rocky Pond Books/ Penguin Young Readers, October, 2024. 

Teen Tuesday features Light Enough to Float by Lauren Seal. Fourteen-year-old Evie is dying, though she is unaware, as are her parents, until they are not. She finds herself admitted to an in-patient treatment facility for her eating disorder, and she wasn't able to say goodbye to her sister, her best friend, or her beloved dog. 

This searing verse novel brutally depicts the hold that anorexics have, that prevents them from seeing themselves realistically. Evie hears voices that tell her she is fat, that she is a burden to her family, that she is unworthy. In treatment, she is weighed daily and is forced to eat. She wants to crawl out of her skin. But, she is also forced to attend group therapy sessions along with one-on-one sessions with a skilled therapist. 

This is a worthy addition to any middle and high school library and stands along side John Schu's Louder Than Hunger. Both are important novels for young people. 

Middle Grade Monday: Time to Roll by Jamie Sumner

Image: Simon & Schuster

Time to Roll by Jamie Sumner. Roll with It #2. 224 p. Atheneum Books for Young Readers/ Simon & Schuster, April, 2023.

Middle Grade Monday features Time to Roll by Jamie Sumner. I finally got to this sequel to Roll with It, which I loved!

It's the summer and Ellie's mom married her gym teacher. Yay! They are off on a month-long honeymoon in an RV and since Ellie's grandparents now live in a home, Ellie's dad steps up to spend the month in the trailer with his wife and sons. Boo! Ellie feels so weird around him because he treats her weirdly, plus, he's always on his phone!

Coralee decides to enter the Miss Boots and Bows pageant and Ellie and Bert go along for the ride. The pageant organizer takes one look at Ellie and wants her to sign up as well. Oddly, so does Coralee. Ellie doesn't think this is a good idea, but borrows the entrance fee from her grandmother. As expected, the pageant organizer treats Ellie as a commodity and tensions arise between the girls. 

As in the first book, Ellie's voice is unique and entertaining. This book continues exploring themes of disability awareness and rolls friendship issues, father-daughter issues and elder care issues seamlessly. Now, on to Rolling On, which released in October. Happy reading!

Book Mail!

 I was so happy to receive some book mail recently! I am looking forward to reading and reviewing these soon.

From Megan Beatie Communications:

Image: Amazon

So-Hee and Lowy by Anna Kang. Illustrated by Christopher Weyant. 40 p. Two Lions, April 22, 2025. 

Publisher synopsis: From the creators of Theodor Seuss Geisel winner You Are (Not) Small and Christopher Award winner Eraser comes a heartfelt story about the power of friendship.

So-Hee is lonely. She doesn’t have a brother or sister, nor does she have many friends. More than anything, she longs for a pet she can hold and love. The trouble is, she’s allergic to just about everything. When So-Hee meets a snake named Lowy, all at once, her life starts to change in unexpected ways.

From Scholastic:

Image: Scholastic

That's Not Funny, David! by David Shannon. 32 p. Orchard Books/ Scholastic Inc., March 4, 2025. 9781546123187.

Publisher synopsis: David is determined to get laughs out of everyone -- even from those who might not find his antics amusing! From cannonballs into the pool to slurping his spaghetti to telling funny jokes during class, David is a natural comedian. But David learns that not all of his tricks are funny... like sticking things up his nose! Still, this troublemaker will always have the last laugh and, of course, the enduring love of his mom.

Once again, David Shannon entertains us with young David's mischievous shenanigans in this lighthearted story that's sure to leave readers of all ages laughing. With millions of copies in print and five sequels, No, David! hit the ground running in 1998 and was a Caldecott Honor Book, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book, and a classic for over 25 years. Based on a book the author wrote and illustrated when he was five, David captures the timeless no-no's familiar to every child.

Image: Scholastic

Dog Man 13: Big Jim Begins by Dav Pilkey. 224 p. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc., December, 2024. 9781338896459.

Publisher synopsis: Get ready for another unforgettable book in the #1 worldwide bestselling series from acclaimed graphic novelist and award-winning illustrator Dav Pilkey. AND coming soon, the Dog Man movie from DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures!

For more heartfelt and humorous adventures, join Flippy and Li'l Petey in the Cat Kid Comic Club series. Have fun with creativity with the official coloring book, Dog Man with Love. And don't forget about the series that started it all: Captain Underpants!

Image: Scholastic Library Publishing

Afia in the Land of Wonders by Mia Araujo. 304 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., April 15, 2025. 9781338856729.

Publisher synopsis: Afia has always felt like half of a whole. Her twin sister, Aya, is perfectly happy with fulfilling their family's expectations of them. But Afia dreams of exploring the world beyond her secluded cliffside home of Dafra. She dreams of adventure. When she meets a charming shape-shifter named Bakame, who dazzles her with promises of a magical land called Ijabu, Afia decides to take her destiny into her own hands. Although it will mean leaving everything she has ever known behind, including her beloved sister, Afia follows Bakame into the forbidden forests surrounding Dafra, from which no one has ever returned. Filled with magical sights, a charismatic Queen and her intriguing court, Ijabu is everything that Afia has ever dreamed of. But she soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and this fantasy world demands a terrible price. With the help of a mysterious trickster, Afia must evade the Queen's hunters and the lost dreamers of Ijabu, who wish to pull her deeper into their web. Now, Afia must find the courage to survive while standing on her own--or risking losing herself completely to the wonders of Ijabu. Debut author-illustrator Mia Araujo weaves an extraordinarily luminous and beautiful story, inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/i, about what it takes to find your true self, even if it means facing your deepest fears.

Image: Scholastic Inc.

The Cartoonists Club by Raina Tegemeier & Scott McCloud. 288 p. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc. April 1, 2025. 9781338777215. 

Publisher synopsis: Makayla is bursting with ideas but doesn't know how to make them into a story. Howard loves to draw, but he struggles to come up with ideas and his dad thinks comics are a waste of time. Lynda constantly draws in her sketchbook but keeps focusing on what she feels are mistakes, and Art simply loves being creative and is excited to try something new. They come together to form The Cartoonists Club, where kids can learn about making comics and use their creativity and imagination for their own storytelling adventures!

Image: Runawaywithmethebook.com (Click on the link! It's so cool!)

Run Away with Me by Brian Selznick. 320 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., April 1, 2025. 9781546110224.

Publisher synopsis: Danny is sixteen and spending his summer in Rome. As his mother works all day in a museum dedicated to the preservation of books, he wanders the city’s ancient, lonely streets, not really sure what he’s looking for... until a voice calls to him, and a strange, beautiful boy steps into his life. Angelo.

Soon Danny and Angelo are spending all their time together. Danny has never felt anything like this—the electricity of attraction, the fear of abandonment, the sweetness of belonging. He’s in love for the first time, but he’s also painfully aware that when the summer ends, he’ll have to return to America. In the meantime, Angelo, who seems to know all of Rome’s twisting corners and hidden histories, delights in sharing its sights and secrets... even as he holds his own secrets just out of Danny’s reach.

Fact Friday: Urban Coyotes by Mary Kay Carson

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Urban Coyotes by Mary Kay Carson. 80 p. Scientists in the Field series. Clarion Books/ HarperCollins Publishers, August, 2024. 9780063271470. Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.

Fact Friday features Urban Coyotes by Mary Kay Carson. This is the latest in a favorite series of mine, the Scientists in the Field series. Since the early nineties, scientists in the Chicago area have been studying coyotes' incursion into more densely populated areas. Coyotes are often looked upon with fear and considered nuisances at the least and a danger to pets and small children. Scientists at the Urban Coyote Research Project set about studying the impact that coyotes had on the urban landscape. It turns out that coyotes are supremely adaptable and have a positive impact, since they prey on smaller animals, such as rats. 

Ms. Carson describes the migration of coyotes as well as the work of tracking, trapping and examining them in fluid, easy to understand text, accompanied by full-color, well-captioned photos that will fascinate. Back matter includes a glossary, sources and an index. Highly recommend! Happy reading!

#tbt: The Hunger Games

Image: Scholastic Inc.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. 374 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc. October, 2008. 

#tbt features The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This is the book that started it all. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12 in Panem. There used to be 13 districts, but after District 13 revolted and was ultimately destroyed, the Capital instituted annual games known as the Hunger Games, where two tributes from each district fought to the death, with the sole survivor winning food for their district for a year. Katniss' sister was chosen, but Katniss volunteered in her place. District 12's other tribute was Peetah, the baker's gentle son, who once saved Katniss from starvation. 

The world building is vivid and believable. The pace is fast and the suspense remains high. The Hunger Games is a consistent favorite of TMS students since its publication.

Waiting on Wednesday: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

 

Scholastic Newsroom

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. 400 p. A Hunger Games Novel. March 18, 2025.  9781546171461.

Waiting on Wednesday features Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. I recently stumbled on this news, which was somewhat happy-making, until I saw the price! $27.99! Whee-o, but book prices are climbing!

Here's the publisher synopsis: 

Sunrise on the Reaping will revisit the world of Panem twenty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the Fiftieth Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes. Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves. When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.