Middle Grade Monday: Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega. 256 p. Scholastic, April, 2020. 9781338280128. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.

Happy Monday! There are just four Middle Grade Monday posts left in this school year! I've already added a sheet for summer through the next school year. 

Middle Grade Monday features Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega. Twelve-year-old Lucely Luna is not afraid of ghosts. Not only does her father run a ghost tour business, but she lives with them. Her extended family dwell in the willow tree in her backyard as fireflies or cocuyos. Sometimes they manifest in their human form. When the spirit of her grandmother dims, she and her best friend, Syd perform a spell to revive her. They accidentally unleash evil spirits, who threaten their town of St. Augustine, Florida.

This action-packed story is filled with humor, best friendship and suspense as our adorable tween ghostbusters try to kick some serious spirit butt. Ghost Squad is the author's debut and will appeal to middle grade readers who like horror that's just scary enough to thrill.

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros. Unabridged e-audiobook. ~3 hours, 35 minutes. Read by Anthony Ray Perez. Quill Tree Books, April, 2020. 9780062971852.

Middle Grade Monday features Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros. Efrén, our twelve-year-old narrator lives with his undocumented parents in a tiny apartment with his five-year-old twin siblings, Mia and Max. His parents work hard to support the family and are loving and involved. Erfén enjoys school and does well. All this changes when ICE raids his Amá's workplace and she is deported. Now Efrén's Apá has to take on more work and Efrén is tasked with increased responsibility while the family explores ways of bringing Amá home, for the U.S. is really home.

This timely and touching book is the author's debut and it has been getting a fair amount of award buzz. I wouldn't be surprised if it wins something next Monday. Mr. Cisneros paints a vivid picture of a working-class, poor immigrant family rich in culture and love who are hopeful and striving for a better life. Readers will empathize with Efrén as he attempts to balance school with caring for his twin siblings, one of whom has some attention and behavior issues and relate to his grief and fear for the well-being of his family. There are moments of heart-melting mushy joy that somewhat leaven the moments of tension and sheer terror.

Narrator Anthony Ray Perez paces his performance well and beautifully conveys Efrén's love and worry for his family. This is a book that belongs on all library shelves. Timely, relevant, important. 

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Image: Macmillan Publishers

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. Unabridged e-audiobook. ~13 hours, 48 minutes. Read by Avi Roque. Macmillan Audio, September, 2020. 9781250619129. (Review of downloadable e-audiobook borrowed from the public library.)

Teen Tuesday features Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. Sixteen-year-old Yadriel is a transgender boy who lives in a cemetery with his extended family of brujas and brujos. He is determined to become a brujo, even though his father does not acknowledge him as his son. He held a secret initiation ceremony with his best friend, Maritza. After his cousin is brutally murdered, the brujos set out to find his ghost in order to set him free. Yadriel hopes to find his cousin in order to prove himself to his father. Instead, he accidentally summons Julian, a bad-boy classmate who was also murdered around the same time. Julian has unfinished business and no idea who killed him. He teams up with Yadriel and Maritza to find out. 

This deeply nuanced and sparkling debut was such a surprise to me - suspenseful and laugh-out-loud funny as well as tear-inducing! I loved this book and highly recommend it to mature teen readers. The East LA Latinx community is vividly drawn. The magic is oh-so-believable. The characters are unique and memorable. I really did not want this story to end. I was happy to learn that the author might be working on a sequel of sorts. 

I must admit that I had to get used to the narrator's staccato delivery. I thought that I inadvertently upped the speed of audiobook. I soon got used to it. There's an absolutely adorable interview/ love fest between the narrator and the author at the end of the audiobook. 

The Cemetery Boys is a first-purchase for any collection serving teen readers. 

Teen Tuesday: Layoverland by Gabby Noone

Image: Penguin Random House

Layoverland by Gabby Noone. 304 p. Razorbill/ Penguin Random House, January, 2020. 9781984836120. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Teen Tuesday features Layoverland by Gabbie Noone. Our narrator in this superb debut is seventeen-year-old Bea, a snarky, prickly cynic who keeps everyone at arm's length and doesn't suffer fools lightly. She's ugly-crying in her car after a fight with her sister when she's hit head-on by another car. When she awakens, she's on a plane bound for...where now? She's wearing the unfortunate outfit she had on and her mascara is running but can't be wiped off. Turns out, Bea died instantly and is on board a plane headed for the afterlife. Only Bea has some unresolved issues and doesn't have a connecting flight to her final destination. She's stuck at the airport, has to sleep in an airport motel and all her food is encased in jello. She's been given a job and has to help thousands of souls find out what their unresolved issues are and help them move on before she herself can move on. To make matters worse, the dude who plowed into her is also stuck in Layoverland and it's Bea's job to help him move on. No way, Bea is determined to make him suffer. There's a problem though. He's very cute. 

So, this is a coming-of-age story even though the protagonist is dead. Hilariously funny and yet surprisingly deep and poignant. I just loved the voice in this sparkling debut. 

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

Image: Scholastic

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson. Unabridged e-audiobook. ~ 7hours, 39 minutes. Read by Alaska Jackson. Scholastic Audio, 2020. 9781338637625. (Review of finished audio borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson. This delightful first-person narrative is Ms. Johnson's sparkling debut. Liz Lighty is our narrator and she charms from the start with her wry, occasionally snarky observations about her prom-obsessed town in the midwest. One example I had to jot down is, "Derek's grand finale, I kid you not, is the lift...looks less like Baby and more like Simba looking over the Pridelands, but, whatever." I read this one with my ears. Had I been reading with my eyes, the entire book would've been flagged with post-its!

Not only is she too poor to be concerned about all things prom, but as one of few Black students, she has never seen anyone who looks like her on the prom court. Besides, music is her thing and she has a plan to get out of her small town - obtaining a scholarship to her dream school, playing in their orchestra and studying like mad to become a doctor. When the scholarship falls through, Liz is crushed until she realizes that the prom queen winner gets a scholarship. Hm. Should she put herself out there? While the book is often laugh-out-loud funny, thoughtful readers will contemplate timely issues like privilege, anxiety and identity. 

I just loved this one! New-to-me narrator perfectly embodied Liz and she had a nice range of voices and superb timing and pacing. I will look out for more books narrated by her as well as Ms. Johnson's sophomore offering.

Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: Get a Grip Vivy Cohen by Sarah Kapit

Image: Penguin Random House

Get a Grip Vivy Cohen! by Sarah Kapit. Dial Books for Young Readers/ Penguin Random House, February, 2020. 9780525554189. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Middle Grade Monday features a debut called Get a Grip Vivy Cohen! by Sarah Kapit. This is an epistolery novel. That means it's told in letters. In this case, it's letters as well as emails that Vivy writes to her favorite MLB pitcher, VJ Capello. Not only do they share initials, but VJ is famous for his knuckleball pitch and Vivy has a good one. Her older brother taught her how to pitch but it's getting harder and harder to get him to toss the ball with her in the park. A Little League coach spots Vivy pitching one day and asks her to join his Little League team. Vivy is interested even though the coach's son, who is a classmate, does not look happy. Neither is Vivy's mother, who worries that Vivy won't fit in. Not only will she be the only girl, she will be the only autistic player. Vivy is prone to having meltdowns when she gets frustrated. Vivy promises she will work hard with her therapist on her social skills if she's allowed on the team.

Readers get to know this feisty knuckleballer through her letters and emails to her hero. There's some good baseball in this story, but readers do not need to love baseball to enjoy the book. Vivy is trying to live her best life in a world that is often unkind to those who are not neurotypical.

Get a Grip Vivy Cohen! is a great addition to any collection!

Middle Grade Monday: Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley

Image: Penguin Random House

Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley. 216 p. RHGRaphic/ Random House Children/ Penguin Random House, May, 2020. 9781984896841. (Review of finished purchased paperback.)

Middle Grade Monday features Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley. This graphic novel is told from the point-of-view of Jen, who has had a lot of change in her life lately. She has recently moved from the city, where she saw her dad regularly to a farm her mother and new boyfriend just bought. So there are lots of chores to do, some of which she enjoys. But then there's the boyfriend, Walter, who is not great with kids and doesn't respect Jen's request to call her Jen. Oh, and he has two daughters, one of whom is snooty and perfect and not very nice herself. She embarrasses Jen at every mistake, especially when she learns that Jen is not great and math and giving change when they work family stall at the Farmer's Market. 

This is graphic novelist, Ms. Knisley's Children's debut and is autobiographical fiction. Her art is earthy and vibrant. The dialogue is snappy and occasionally humorous. The themes of moving house and fitting in are relatable. There's a delightful author's note and photos at the end. Stepping Stones is book one of the "Peapod Farm" series. Fans of Raina Telgemeier, Jennifer Holm, Svetlana Chmakova will find lots to like here. I can't wait to visit again. Highly recommended!

Happy Reading!

Fact Friday: The Pocket Change Collective from Penguin Workshop

Images: Penguin Random House

Fact Friday features a new series from Penguin Workshop called Pocket Change Collective. Since the four I was given to review are all around 64 -65 pages, I will talk about them together. These are mini-memoirs/essays written by young, passionate activists covering a wide variety of timely topics.

In Imaginary Borders, Xiuhtezcatl (pronounced shoe-tex-caht) Martinez talks about his climate change activism. He started when he was six-years-old and he's not yet twenty! 

In This is What I Know about Art, Kimberly Drew relates her journey from student at Smith College where, she was not only one of few Black people on campus but one of few art history majors. She went on to curate and write about making art accessible for ALL people, not just rich, white people. 

In Beyond the Gender Binary, gender non-conforming performance artist, Alok Vaid-Menon challenges the concept of the gender binary as being a Western construct that is not only narrow and limiting but needlessly punitive to those who do not conform. 

In The New Queer Conscience, community organizer and LGBTQ+ activist Adam Eli argues for kindness and compassion not only from those outside the LGBTQ+ community but also those within it. 

I found each of these tiny books absolutely fascinating and often found myself wanting more, wishing the book were longer. But that defeats the purpose of the collection. I did Google each activist and spent some time online reading more and watching videos. And that's the point. Read with an open, curious mind and set out for more information.

Two additional titles are releasing this fall: Concrete Kids by Amira León and Taking on the Plastics Crisis by Hannah Testa. All the books are illustrated Ashley Lukashevsky. 

Leading by example, these young activists and their messages are sure to resonate with teen readers. What a terrific way to inspire. 

Teen Tuesday and Arc Review: My Eyes are Up Here by Laura Zimmerman

Image: Penguin Random House*

My Eyes are Up Here by Laura Zimmerman. 344 p. Dutton Books/ Penguin Random House, June 23, 2020. 9781984815248. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Teen Tuesday features and wishes a happy book birthday to, My Eyes are Up Here by Laura Zimmerman. Fifteen-year-old Greer Walsh narrates this charming debut, which is at turns poignant and hilarious. Greer feels betrayed by her body, more specifically, her breasts, which have grown so large that she has named them - Mavis and Maude. She has also taken to wearing the baggiest clothes possible to cover them up and has zero interest in dating because boys tend to focus on Mavis and Maud exclusively. So she focuses on her grades and trying to find the perfect bra. She's pushed to try out for the volley ball team when she shows natural ability during a gym unit. She'd love to, but those uniforms are so skimpy! Then there's transfer student Jackson Oakes. She was tasked with showing him around by her mom, who is a corporate relocation expert. The two fall into easy banter and Greer finds herself thinking about him - a lot. 

There's some depth here, making My Eyes are Up Here more than a breezy romance. There are strong female friendships and strong female athletes who help Greer accept her body. This was a fun book with a reassuring body positive message featuring an appealing, whip-smart narrator. My Eyes are Up Here belongs in every middle, high school and public library collection. 

*There is an audiobook sample on the book's web page. 

Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: Shirley & Jamila Save Their Summer by Gillian Goerz

Image: Penguin Random House

Shirley & Jamila Save Their Summer by Gillian Goerz. 224 p. Dial Books for Young Readers/ Penguin Random House, July 14, 2020. 9780525552864. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Middle Grade Monday features Shirley & Jamila Save Their Summer by Gillian Goerz. It's the beginning of summer and Jamila and her family are new to town. Jamila definitely does not want to attend the science camp her older brothers went to. She wants to ball down at the basketball courts five blocks away. Her mother is having none of that. Shirley, who favors wearing trench coats and reading, is not happy to learn her mom signed her up for ballet camp. When the two meet at a garage sale both moms dragged them to, they click. Not because they were destined to become friends, but because they have a common problem. 

Shirley has an idea. They get their moms to agree that the two will spend time together instead of going to camp! Jamila dreams of basketball, but while Shirley has set up an "office" at the bball court, she always steers the pair somewhere else, especially after Oliver shows up with a case for her to solve. His gecko is missing. Shirley may not have any friends; but she is the neighborhood detective. The problem? Jamila is not going to play Watson to Shirley's Sherlock.

The art was uncolored in this arc, but had energy as did the panel layout, which sometimes challenged the eye (at least my old ones). I can't wait to see the finished art. The Toronto setting was appealing. The tween interactions were spot on and the mystery was intriguing. There is so much to love here. 

Just before the school building was shut down due to the pandemic, a student came into the library looking for a mystery. He had to read a new genre. As I book talked some TMS favorites, I could see he wasn't impressed. He suddenly asked, "Do you have any graphic novel mysteries?" Clever, clever lad to combine his preferred genre with one foisted upon him. Unfortunately, as we perused the section, there wasn't a gn mystery to be found! I realized that the collection really skews to fantasy and humor. I cannot wait to add Shirley & Jamila Save Their Summer! 

Audiobook Review: Birdie and Me by J.M.M. Nuancez

Image: Penguin Random House

Birdie and Me by J.M.M. Nuancez. Unabridged e-audiobook. ~6 hours. Read by Jorjeana Marie. Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, February, 2020. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library. Arc courtesy of publisher.)

This is an incredibly moving first-person narrative told by Jack, who, along with her much younger brother, Birdie, are still grieving the death of their mother in an accident. The book opens with them moving household. Again. They have been removed from freewheeling Uncle Carl, who never minded if the two skipped school to live with Uncle Patrick, who seems rather buttoned up and straight-laced. Indeed, Uncle Patrick insists not only that the two attend school daily, but also that Birdie change his wardrobe from a colorful, more gender-fluid style to totally boring boy-style. Uncle Patrick thinks the bullies will stop if Birdie looks normal. He doesn't see that he's telling Birdie not to be Birdie. But Jack does. Introspective and wise beyond her years, Jack is fiercely protective of Birdie. She resents Patrick's insistence that Birdie conform and the two run away. Or attempt to anyway. 

Jack's first-person voice captivates from page one. There's plenty of sadness here, but also tenderness and humor. The adults in Jack and Birdie's world are as at sea as they are, but they are trying to do the right thing. Though the two siblings miss their free-spirited mom terribly, readers slowly learn that life with her had their challenges.

Jorgeana Marie's narration captures Jack's determination and Birdie's free spirit in a well-paced, engaging performance. The press release says this title is great for readers who loved Counting by 7s. I absolutely agree. Hand Birdie and Me to readers who like sad books and/ or quirky characters who endear. 

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman

Image: Penguin Random House

The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman. unabridged e-audiobook. ~9 hours. Narrated by Kathleen Gate and Natalie Soudek. Listening Library/ Penguin Random House, March, 2020. 9780593155653. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman. This impressive debut is a historical fiction set in Ukraine and Russia in 1986. The narrative also flashes back to Ukraine during WWII. Contemporary students may or may not be aware of the Chernobyl nuclear accident that gripped the world in 1986. This story focuses on two girls, Valentina and Oksana, who are classmates and whose fathers both work at the power plant. Oksana is physically and emotionally abused by her virulently anti-Semitic father. She in turn bullies Valentina, who is Jewish. Both fathers were working at the plant when the cores melted, killing many and causing acute radiation poisoning to the rest as well as many residents of the town. Blankman vividly portrays the panic of the girls and their mothers as they try to find out the condition of their fathers/ husbands. 

The Russian government tried to cover up/ downplay the disaster. The girls and Valentina's mother attempt to travel by train to Leningrad, Russia but government imposed travel restrictions allow only two tickets. So the girls end up traveling by themselves to the city of Leningrad, where the grandmother Valentina never met will care for them until they can be reunited with their mothers. 

This character-driven story is intricate and layered as well as heartbreaking and infuriating. The flashbacks to WWII were interesting though a bit puzzling until the end. Descriptions of the meltdown aftereffects were incredibly vivid. Actually, many scenes were intensely vivid and evocative. My dislike for Oksana turned to pity as her story unfolded. There is just so much to love about this novel. The new-to-me narrators' performances were perfectly paced. 

I placed this in a "Teen Tuesday" post due to the sophisticated structure and intense themes, though any reader from fifth through eighth grade might appreciate the story. The Blackbird Girls is a wonderful addition to any collection. 

Arc Review: When You Know What I Know by Sonja K. Solter

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When You Know What I Know by Sonja K. Solter. 216 p. Little, Brown and Company, March 24, 2020. 9780316535441. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher/ ALAMW)

Happy belated book birthday to When You Know What I Know. It released yesterday and I had really hoped to get this review up before its release date but most of my energy has been spent trying to switch to virtual teaching these past weeks. My reading for this month sure has taken a hit as well. My apologies.

When You Know What I Know is a tough book to talk about. It'll be tough a book talk to have if/ when we return to school. But we must. The topic cannot be relegated to YA because children are victimized. Sonja K. Solter's debut, written in blank verse, is Tori's first-person account that begins immediately after her Uncle Andy molests her when he's supposed to be babysitting her. 

It's enough to know it happened without having the details of what exactly happened. It's enough to understand that she's terrified. Then the terror of what happened is compounded when She. Isn't. Believed! Her mom doesn't initially believe it and Tori feels betrayed. Her grandmother refuses to believe it and takes her son's side, causing a rift in an already fragile family. 

She's terrified. She's embarrassed. What if someone finds out? Her best friend senses something is wrong but Tori can't confide and that jeopardizes the friendship. Tori can't learn anything at school. Activities she's previously enjoyed, such as chorus, become unbearable. Memories invade constantly. 

The verse format lends itself well to portraying all the turmoil that Tori is feeling. The delivery is age-appropriate and accessible. She is resilient and, with support, takes steps toward healing. An author's note and resources follow. When You Know What I Know belongs in every library collection. We need to be having these uncomfortable conversations and we need to leave our hearts and doors open for these kids. 

ETA: Here's a link to an SLJ interview of Ms. Solter and another debut author, Mary Cecilia Jackson.

Middle Grade Monday: Turtle Boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein

Image: Penguin Random House

Turtle Boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein. 293 p. Delacorte Press/ Random House Children's Books/ Penguin Random House, May 5, 2020. 978059312573.

Middle Grade Monday features Turtle Boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein. Twelve-year-old Will Levine's receding chin isn't the only thing causing him to retreat to his room. Sure, there's that jerk, Jake, who never misses an opportunity to grab his chin and call him "Turtle Boy." And his best friend, Shirah is spending more time with her volleyball team, leaving him with Max, his super-hyper friend who's super into parkour. His turtles need him. His room is filled with terrariums and each one has a turtle he found in the marsh behind his school and "re-homed," including one he knows for sure is endangered. 

Will is also missing his dad, who died eight years earlier. He went into the hospital for a simple hernia operation and never came out. Will has been avoiding hospitals ever since. Now, his mom wants him to see a surgeon for a possible operation on his chin, which is causing some medical and dental issues. No way! As if it couldn't get any worse, Rabbi Harris has given him his Bar Mitzvah community service project - he has to visit a sick, possibly dying boy in the very same hospital where his dad died! 

It's basically dislike-at-first-sight when the two boys meet; but Rabbi Harris, who, is absolutely the best rabbi in the world, by the way, won't change his assignment. So R.J. and Will are left to work it out.

In addition to the bullying, friendship drama and community service disaster, is the fact that his beloved marsh is being eyed for development. If it seems there's a lot packed into this novel, don't worry. It works. Will's first-person narration endears. Sure the "help a dying child" thing has been done and done and done to death in children's literature. For some reason, I set my cynicism aside and was delighted. Maybe it was Will's voice; perhaps it was Rabbi Harris' comforting presence; perhaps it was his mom's support and tough love. I really don't know. It just worked.

It has been a while since I read a book through freely flowing tears. Turtle Boy gutted me in the best possible way. What an impressive debut!  I cannot wait to get this into the hands of my students. Turtle Boy should have broad appeal. It releases in May. Don't miss it!

Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: We Could be Heroes by Margaret Finnegan

Image: Simon & Schuster

We Could Be Heroes by Margaret Finnegan. 256 p. Atheneum Books for Young Readers/ Simon & Schuster, February 25, 2020. 9781534445253. (Review of arc courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

Middle Grade Monday features We Could Be Heroes by Margaret Finnegan. Hank Hansen isn't a fan of his teacher. She's reading a really, really sad book aloud to the class and it stirs up lots of emotion in Hank, who has some trouble processing strong feelings. When Hank gets into trouble for trying to set the book on fire in the boys' bathroom, his classmate, Maisie thinks that maybe Hank has the "meatballs" to help her on her mission - to free her neighbor's dog, Booler. Booler has seizures and spends his days tethered to a tree in the backyard of her elderly neighbor. Hank likes rules and doesn't like lying. But he also has no friends and Maisie offers the possibility of friendship. Plus, her mom and dad are geologists who keep cool rocks around their house and Hank's favorite thing is choosing three rocks from his collection to carry around in his pocket each day. 

There's a lot to like in this debut. Quirky characters? Check. Dog possibly in need of rescue? Check. Grumpy old neighbor? Check. Misunderstandings? Humor? Warm hearts? Check. Check Check. I just loved the dynamic between Hank and Maisie and found myself laughing out loud frequently. 

If your students like a great friendship story with humor and a small adventure, they will enjoy We Could be Heroes. One of the fifth grade LA teachers is always looking for read alouds that feature a hidden disability. I am passing this on to her. There is much to like here and I can imagine rich classroom discussion. 

Look for We Could be Heroes on February 25, 2020.