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: Stuntboy, In the Meantime by Jason Reynolds.

Image: Simon & Schuster

Stuntboy, In the Meantime by Jason Reynolds. Illustrated by Raúl the Third. 272 p. Caitlyn Dlouhy Books/ Atheneum/ Simon & Schuster, November, 2021. 9781534418165. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Middle Grade Monday features Stuntboy, In the Meantime by Jason Reynolds. Portico Reeves has an active imagination and a lot of anxiety about things he has no control over. His parents are arguing, he's dealing with a bully and cares immensely for the residents in his apartment building aka the castle. The pace of this graphic novel hybrid is fast, with the action broken into ten "episodes" of his life as a superhero along with "commercial breaks" which offer sage advice. 

There's plenty of heart and humor in both the prose and the illustrations. Fans of the author & the illustrator will be delighted by this collaboration. More please. 

Arc Review: Once Upon a Camel by Kathi Appelt

Image: Simon & Schuster

Once Upon a Camel by Kathi Appelt. Illustrated by Eric Rohmann. 326 p. A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book/ Atheneum Books for Young Readers/ Simon & Schuster, September 7, 2021. 9781534406438. (Review of arc courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

Zada is an elderly camel who lives in the desert in Texas with her found family headed by kestrels, Pardo and Perlita. She's awakened abruptly one morning by a hysterical Perlita babbling about an approaching mountain. Turns out, that mountain is a dust storm, a haboob (Yes, I had to look that up), and it's heading toward the cottonwood tree the family have made their home. What's more, Pardo and Perlita have two unfledged chicks in their nest that need protecting! 

The frantic kestrel parents entrust the care of Beulah and Wims to Zada before they are blown upwards into the windstorm. The two chicks nestle down into the hair on top of Zada's head and the trio sets off to the Mission. While Zada has made the trip to the mission many times, never has she done so in the middle of a windstorm and never on such achy legs and certainly not with two fidgety chicks balanced on her head! But she is an honorable camel and a fine auntie and will not Pardo and Perlita down. But what to do to keep Wims and Beulah occupied? She tells them stories.

This is when the narrative flashes back from 1910, West Texas to Smyrna, Turkey in 1850. Do the math, Zada is old! Together with Asiye, Zada was born into the Pasha's racing stables and are destined to race for him. Under the tutelage of gentle Teodor, the two camel best friends thrive and strive to be their very fastest in service of the Pasha. How then, does Zada end up in America? You'll need to read this luscious, atmospheric story-within-a-story to find out. 

And, did you notice in the publication information up top that the book was illustrated by Eric Rohmann? This was the whipped cream and cherry on top of your favorite sundae! Here's a photo of one particularly arresting bit of art among many:

I'm a huge fan of Ms. Appelt. Her books are basically automatic purchases for me. I love her unhurried storytelling. It's rich and lyrical and perfect for reading aloud. She must've done a tremendous amount of research. I spent a fair amount of time looking up unfamiliar words, including the pronunciation of Asiye's name. Young readers' vocabulary will be enriched as Ms. Appelt steeps the reader in two countries/ cultures. 

There are moments of danger and suspense. There will be tears but there are many moments of humor, much of it laugh-out-loud. I closed the book with a satisfied sigh and cannot wait to reread it with my ears. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds

Image: Simon & Schuster

Look Both Ways: a tale told in ten blocks by Jason Reynolds. 190 p. A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book/ Atheneum/ Simon & Schuster, October 8, 2019. 9781481438285.

Publisher synopsis: This story was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school bus falling from the sky. But no one saw it happen. They were all too busy—

Talking about boogers.
Stealing pocket change.
Skateboarding.
Wiping out.
Braving up.
Executing complicated handshakes.
Planning an escape.
Making jokes.
Lotioning up.
Finding comfort.
But mostly, too busy walking home.

Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and brilliantly weaves them into one wickedly funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life.

My students and I are huge fans of Jason Reynolds! We cannot wait for this!

Picture Book Review: Max Attacks by Kathi Appelt

Image: Simon & Schuster

Max Attacks by Kathi Appelt. Illustrated gby Penelope Dullaghan. unpgd. Caitlyn Dlouhy Books/ Atheneum, June 11, 2019. 9781481451468. (Review of finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

Max is a cat who attacks. This furry, frenetic feline has his sights set on a bowl full of fishes. It's a good thing for the fishes that he's easily distracted, though not good for the dog. Each time he's drawn back to the fish after leaving a path of destruction in his wake, he discovers there's something new to attack. 

The jaunty rhyme is accompanied by energetic acrylic, charcoal and digital illustrations that add humor. Cat lovers will take to this like catnip, but so will anyone else with a pulse. Great for story time read aloud. Max Attacks is a fantastic addition to any school or public library serving the very young.

Teen Tuesday and Review: What I Leave Behind by Alison McGhee

What I Leave Behind by Alison McGhee. 200 p. Caitlyn Dlouhy Books/ Atheneum/ Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, May, 2018. 9781481476560. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher)

I am intrigued by books written under unusual constraints, like Chris Crowe's Death Coming Up the Hill. This slim novel is told in one hundred, hundred-word chapters. It is the story of sixteen-year-old Will who grieves his father's suicide. He tries to get through each day as best he can. He walks the neighborhood day and night; but avoids certain areas. He observes. He enjoys watching "Little Dude" who has an obsession with butterflies. He has a job in a dollar store where he buoys his boss, the socially inept owner. He tries to replicate his father's cornbread and gives his failures to Superman, the local homeless man. He also feels guilty for the sexual assault of his good friend, Playa. He left the party where it happened early. Had he only stayed, perhaps... 

Each of the "chapters" are numbered in Chinese and McGhee makes the most of her hundred words. Each chapter is a thumbnail sketch of a moment in Will's day. The writing is precise and incisive. Though the reader may yearn to know more, we are given what are given. In some ways this replicates Will's need to know why his father chose to end his life. He was given what he was given.

YA readers who love thoughtful and sad books will appreciate gentle Will's journey.

Waiting on Wednesday: Lu by Jason Reynolds

Lu by Jason Reynolds. 192 p. Track series #4. Atheneum/ Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, October 23, 2018. 9781481450249.

Jason Reynolds released the cover of the final book in his Track series on social media on Monday. Honestly, these books are never on the shelf and I've had to replace Ghost twice already because it was "borrowed" without being checked out and never returned!

Publisher synopsis: Lu must learn to leave his ego on the sidelines if he wants to finally connect with others in the climax to the New York Times bestselling and award-winning Track series from Jason Reynolds. 

Ghost. Patina. Sunny. Lu. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team—a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves.


Lu is your quintessential pretty boy athlete, complete with fancy cleats, sunglasses, and a lot of attitude. The kind of guy you either hero-worship or want to PUNCH. He runs the most loved race—the 400 meter dash—and is crazy talented. He should be—he’s been running track since he was small; because he’s albino his parents got him involved in sports to help with his confidence. But it sort of backfired—now Lu has confidence to spare, and the swagger hasn’t earned him any friends. As in none. Plus, his dad, who also shares his son’s penchant for being flashy, has gotten caught up in some type of illegal activity. The Newbies on the team (Ghost, Patina, and Sunny) don’t put up with Lu’s shining around, but they also don’t avoid him like everyone else does. They call him out on his BS, but include him in the horseplay. Will they be the first kids to crack through his armor and see more to him than the cloak of peacock that hides his lack of color?

Middle Grade Monday: As Brave as You by Jason Reynolds

As Brave as You by Jason Reynolds. 432 p. Caitlyn Dlouhey Books/ Atheneum/ Simon & Schuster, May, 2017. 9781481415910.

Middle Grade Monday features As Brave as You by Jason Reynolds. This novel won a Coretta Scott King Author Honor, was a Kirkus Prize Finalist and won the Schneider Family Book Award. It tells the story of two brothers, Genie and his older brother Ernie. They have to spend several weeks with relatives they have never met so their parents can travel to Jamaica to try and save their marriage. Brooklyn, New York is way different than the rural Virginia town their father grew up in. He barely speaks to his own father and the boys are left to puzzle through a myriad of family secrets during their time spent down south.

Waiting on Wednesday: Sunny by Jason Reynolds

Sunny by Jason Reynolds. Track series #3. 192 . Atheneum/ Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, April 10, 2018. 9781481450218. 

Publisher synopsis: Sunny tries to shine despite his troubled past in this third novel in the critically acclaimed Track series from National Book Award finalist Jason Reynolds.

Ghost. Patina. Sunny. Lu. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. Both they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team - a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics. They all have a lot to lose, but they all have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves. Sunny is the main character in this novel, the third of four books.

Sunny is just that - sunny. Always ready with a goofy smile and something nice to say, Sunny is the chillest dude on the Defenders team. But Sunny's life hasn't always been sun beamy-bright. You see, Sunny is a murderer. Or at least he thinks of himself that way. His mother died giving birth to him, and based on how Sunny's dad treats him - ignoring him and making Sunny call him Darryl, never "Dad" - it's no wonder Sunny thinks he's to blame. I seems the only thing Sunny can do right in his dad's eyes is win first place ribbons running the mile, just like his mom did. But Sunny doesn't like running, never has. So he stops. Right in the middle of a race.

With his relationship with his dad now worse than ever, the last thing Sunny wants to do is leave the other newbies - his only friends - behind. But you can't be on a track team and not run. So Coach asks Sunny what he wants to do. Sunny's answer? Dance. Yes, dance.

This series is quite popular at my school. We cannot wait for this installment.

Arc review: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. 304 p. Caitlyn Dlouhy Books/ Atheneum Books for Young Readers, October 17, 2017. 9781481438254. (Review from arc courtesy of publisher.)

Will lives on the seventh floor of an apartment building where he shares a bedroom with his brother, Shawn. Make that shared a bedroom. Shawn has been murdered. Gunned down in the street while he was running an errand for his mother. Shawn has been killed as revenge for his killing of another and now it's Will's turn to step up. His turn to avenge Shawn's killing. Because there are just three rules in Will's world: 1. No crying. 2. No Snitching and 3. Take revenge.

Will knows where Shawn's gun is. He knows what he has to do. It should be a short elevator ride down from the seventh floor, but it stops at every floor. This would be annoying except that Will simply cannot believe who gets on at each floor. 

First, let me rave about that cover. THAT COVER! It's brilliant! I love it. Next, the design! The spattered pages, the elevator gates bookending the book, the chapter breaks. All ingenious! 

Now, the story. Intense. Gripping. Gritty. The language? The imagery? Gorgeous. 
     
   How do you small-talk your father
     when "dad" is a language so foreign
     that whenever yo try to say it,
     it feels like you got a third lip
     and a second tongue? (p. 205)

Reynolds' many fans will be tripping over each other to grab this title. Give it to your readers who want an intense, emotional read, readers who enjoy verse novels and readers who want to think. It is small wonder that Long Way Down was chosen for the NBA longlist. Expect to see it on all the year-end "Best" lists. Long Way Down is not to be missed.