Middle Grade Monday: The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Fusco Newton

Image: Penguin Random House

The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Fusco Newton. 368 p. Knopf Books for Young Readers/ Random House Children's Books, January, 2025. 9880593121771. Review of finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media. 

Middle Grade Monday features The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Fusco Newton. This historical fiction is set in 1930 and is narrated by Hurricane, a quiet tween who is familiar with loss. She lives with her nineteen-year-old sister, since her mother died of tuberculosis. Her father died in the Great War. She hates school and is convinced her teacher hates her as well, but she confides all this in her journal. She takes comfort in running with her dog along the beach and the fact that her sister, Bronte, will speak for her. Only Bronte has TB and needs to go to a sanatorium to recover and Hurricane must leave her beloved dog and beach to live in the city with great Aunt Claire. She is fussy and her house is unforgiving, but her chauffeur is kind and gets her. 

Hurricane's voice is achingly relatable as she navigates the uncertainties in her life. I highly recommend this gentle, first-person novel for tween readers. Absolutely lovely.

#tbt: Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

Image: Penguin Random House

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur. 216 p. Wendy Lamb Books/ Random House Children's Books, 2011. (Own)

Happy Thursday! #tbt features Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur. On Monday, I mentioned this book when I recommended Seven Clues to Home. Elise's mother died when she was born and her father died three years later. She has been living with her aunt and uncle on their farm. The second floor of the barn has eight locked doors, which Elise never wondered about until keys started appearing after her twelfth birthday. Middle school has been tough for Elise. She's being bullied, her best friend, Franklin, has become embarrassing and she's falling behind academically. What will she discover behind those locked barn doors?

Eight Keys was Ms. LaFleur's second novel and was published in 2011. Her debut, Love, Aubrey was published in 2009 and is one of my favorite books to give to readers who want sad books.

PS: I linked the cover image to the audiobook on the PRH website. This is the cover of the book in my library. I don't love the paperback cover. It's fine, but something about the original cover speaks to me. 

Middle Grade Monday: Seven Clues to Home by Gae Polisher and Nora Raleigh Baskin

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Seven Clues to Home by Gae Polisner and Nora Raleigh Baskin. 198 p. Alfred A. Knopf/ Random House Children's Books, June, 2020. 9780593119617. (Review of finished, purchased copy.)

Happy Monday! Today's rainy morning was perfect for hunkering down and reading! I had appointments earlier, but brought my current book with me for the waiting rooms. We had a run of beautiful weather here in northern NJ, so the rain was good. I forgot to shut the sprinkler off though.

Middle Grade Monday features Seven Clues to Home by Gae Polisner and Nora Raleigh Baskin. I learned about this book on a Twitter discussion about books that released during the pandemic, but didn't get the marketing they deserved despite good reviews, and thus, didn't do that well. I hadn't heard about it and am a fan of both authors! 

Joy and Lukas became bffs way back in second grade when Joy discovered that they both had summer birthdays within days of each other. She asked, "What are the odds of that?" Lukas endearingly tries to figure it out. He's a math guy. From that point on, they always celebrated together with a scavenger hunt to their gifts. But Joy is dreading the approach of her thirteenth birthday because it marks the first anniversary of Lukas' death. She has been grieving deeply for the past year and never did open the envelop he left at her house as her first clue. She decides to open it and set out on a belated scavenger hunt.

The nonlinear story shifts from the previous year to the present and POV shifts from the present day, present tense narration by Joy to Lukas' story of how he planned the gift and the hunt. They both reflect on their growing closeness and the fear that it might ruin their friendship if the other doesn't reciprocate. The story is moving and emotionally intense and perfect for middle school readers who love sad, sad books like Suzanne LaFleur's Eight Keys or Wendy Mass' Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life.

There was one nit that pulled me out of the story, but no tween reader will notice, nor will many adults, since most drive cars with automatic transmission. (I suppose not many who work in publishing even drives a car.) "The tires grind over the gravel; she steps on the clutch, flips the shifter into park, and shuts the engine." (p.107) As someone who has driven manual vehicles most of my adult life and whose four sons all learned on manual transmission (very painful with lots of rage, but gratitude now), let me just say, there is no park. You shift the car into first gear and put on the emergency brake. It pulled me right out of the story and made me wonder why that little detail of a clutch was even there. The sentence works without it. Again, small nit that most won't notice.

Waiting on Wednesday: Chaos Theory by Nic Stone

Image: Penguin Random House

Happy Wednesday! Nic Stone has another YA book coming! Waiting on Wednesday features Chaos Theory. This is being released on February 23, 2023 and here's the publisher synopsis: The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin delivers a gripping romance about two teens: a certified genius living with a diagnosed mental illness and a politician's son who is running from his own addiction and grief. Don't miss this gut punch of a novel about mental illness, loss, and discovering you are worthy of love.

Scars exist to remind us of what we’ve survived.

DETACHED
Since Shelbi enrolled at Windward Academy as a senior and won’t be there very long, she hasn’t bothered making friends. What her classmates don’t know about her can’t be used to hurt her—you know, like it did at her last school.

WASTED
Andy Criddle is not okay. At all.
He’s had far too much to drink.
Again. Which is bad.
And things are about to get worse.

When Shelbi sees Andy at his lowest, she can relate. So she doesn’t resist reaching out. And there’s no doubt their connection has them both seeing stars . . . but the closer they get, the more the past threatens to pull their universes apart.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone delivers a tour de force about living with grief, prioritizing mental health, and finding love amid the chaos.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Bluest Sky by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

Image: Penguin Random House

The Bluest Sky by Christina Diaz Gonzalez. 320 p. Random House Children's Books, September 6, 2022. 9780593372791.

Waiting on Wednesday features The Bluest Sky by Christina Diaz Gonzalez. Publisher synopsis: A boy and his family must decide whether to remain in Cuba under a repressive government or risk everything for the chance of a new beginning in this gripping story from the award-winning author of The Red Umbrella.

There are two versions of Héctor: the public and the private. It’s the only way to survive in communist Cuba—especially when your father was exiled to the U.S. and labeled an enemy of the people. Héctor must always be seen as a fierce supporter of the regime, even if that means loudly rejecting the father he still loves.

But in the summer of 1980, those two versions are hard to keep separate. No longer able to suppress a public uprising, the Cuban government says it will open the port of Mariel to all who wish to leave the country—if they can find a boat. But choosing to leave comes with a price. Those who want to flee are denounced as traitors by family and friends. There are violent acts of repudiation, and no one knows if they will truly be allowed to leave the country or not.

So when Héctor’s mother announces that she wants the family to risk everything to go to the United States, he is torn. He misses his father, but Cuba is the only home he has ever known. All his dreams and plans require him to stay. Can he leave everything behind for an unknown future?

In a summer of heat and upheaval, danger and deadly consequences, Héctor’s two worlds are on a collision course. Will the impact destroy him and everything he loves?

Christina Diaz Gonzalez's great-grandmother, great-uncle, and extended family came to the U.S. through the Mariel boatlift. She vividly remembers meeting them all for the first time in the summer of 1980 and is proud to share this part of her family's history.

I just now realized that this storyline is very similar to my "Middle Grade Monday" post. Total coincidence and there's room on the library shelves for similar stories. 

Happy reading!

Middle Grade Monday and Audio Review: The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told by his brother) by David Levithan

Image: Penguin Random House

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told by his brother) by David Levithan. Unabridged e-audiobook,~4 hours. Read by Everette Plen. Books on Tape/ Listening Library/ Penguin Random House, February, 2021. 9781984885517. (Review of downloadable e-audio borrowed from public library. Own the hc.)

Happy Monday! One week of summer break is in the books! How many books have you read so far? I've read five. I'm still a bit short of trying to get back to my book-a-day, but they were good books, and I spent lots of time in my garden, with my dogs and practicing yoga.

Middle Grade Monday features The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told by his brother) by David Levithan. In this first-person narrative, Lucas tells the story of finding his brother, Aidan in the attic six days after Aidan's disappearance. The attic had been searched several times. The entire town was out looking for Aidan and everyone wants to know what happened. Aidan says simply that he entered a world called Aveinieu through the doors in an old dresser. No one believes him, especially Lucas, because Aidan has a reputation for fooling him over and over. But Aidan sticks to his outlandish story despite the fact that everyone thinks he ran away and despite the fact that he's being bullied about it at school.

David Levithan, an award-winning author of YA books, makes his middle grade debut in this thoughtful, leisurely-paced mystery, which, at its heart, is a story about brotherhood and listening.

New-to-me narrator, Everette Plan sounded appropriately youthful and he delivered a thoughtful, well-paced performance. 

#tbt: The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

Image: Penguin Random House

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott. The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1. 376 p. Delacorte Press/ Random House Children's Books, May, 2007. 9780385733571. (Own)

#tbt features The Alchemyst by Michael Scott. When this book released way back in the spring of 2007, students would tell me that the author of this book "plagiarized" from J.K. Rowling, not understanding that Nicholas Flamel is a real person from history. He's a main character in this series, apparently having discovered the means to achieving immortality along with a host of other notable figures from history. He owns a book shop in San Fransisco and his wife, Perenelle, owns the coffee shop across the street. The two are working under pseudonyms. Fifteen-year-old twin siblings, Josh and Sophie each work for one of the couple. A mysterious man named John Dee, backed up by some golum goons, enters Flamel's book shop seeking The Codex. It is then that Josh realizes that his boss is not who he claims he is when he witnesses him using magic to prevent Dee from stealing the Codex.  

There are two problems with Dee stealing the Codex. One, Nicholas has to recreate the elixir every few months, or risk losing immortality and two, it will enable Dee to summon the Dark Elders and destroy the world.

Nicholas and Perenelle were in San Fransisco specifically to discover whether Sophie and Josh were the twins that were prophesied to be the world's saviors. 

Each book in this action-packed series takes place over one day and takes the reader around the physical world and the world of the gods and goddesses of a multitude of mythologies. 

Middle Grade Monday: Dear Student by Elly Swartz

Image: Penguin Random House

Dear Student by Elly Swartz. 296 p. Delacorte Press/ Random House Children's Books, March, 2022. 9780593374139. (Review of arc courtesy of publicist.)

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Middle Grade Monday features Dear Student by Elly Swartz. Autumn is about to start middle school and she is worried. Her best friend, Prisha, moved to California and Autumn's family needed to move into the apartment about her mom's veterinary practice to save money after Autumn's dad decided to join the Peace Corps. He video called her on the first day of school with the advice to seize the day and choose to get involved in one thing at middle school. She's equal parts mad and sad at his desertion. As if these first day worries aren't enough, Autumn tries to help her little sister, Pickle overcome her own. Then, they find a chameleon in the middle of the road. They're about to move it to safety when a boy who is barreling down the road on a bike runs over its tail! What a day this is turning out to be! Luckily, Autumn's mom is a vet, so the three take the poor lizard to her.

Autumn's earnest and thoughtful first-person narration quickly pulls the reader in as she navigates her first day without her best friend. Luckily, she meets Logan, who has moved to Cape Cod from Chicago and Logan seems eager to be friends. Later, she meets the boy on the bike, Cooper, who is also newly transplanted to Cape Cod. It also helps to have Mr. Logan for homeroom and LA. He runs the school newspaper and everyone is wondering who he will pick to write the "Dear Student" advice column. Autumn likes to write, but she's not confident that she could give advice.

Ms. Swartz excels at writing gentle novels featuring tweens coping with a variety of issues including mental health problems. She nails the dynamics and drama of middle school, and also manages to weave in some larger societal issues, such as animals rights in an engaging way. And who doesn't love whoopie pies? Recipe include! Readers will root for Autumn as she finds her voice.

Thanks to Wunderkind PR for the opportunity to read and review Dear Student. My dear students will love to meet Autumn. 

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. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Family of Liars by E. Lockhart

Image: Penguin Random House

Family of Liars by E. Lockhart. 320 p. Delacorte Press/ Random House Children's Books, May 3, 2022. 9780593485859.

I, for one, am very excited by this sequel! I loved We Were Liars!

Publisher synopsis: 

A windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts. A hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow.
A fiery, addicted heiress. An irresistible, unpredictable boy.
A summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes.

Welcome back to the Sinclair family.
They were always liars.

Waiting on Wednesday: Fast Pitch by Nic Stone

Image: Penguin Random House

Fast Pitch by Nic Stone. 192 p. Crown Books for Young Readers/ Random House Children's Books, August 31, 2021. 9781984893017.

Happy Wednesday TMS Readers! Waiting on Wednesday features Fast Pitch by Nic Stone. Ms. Stone's YA books are quite popular at TMS and recently, she made her MG debut with Clean Getaway. In just a few weeks, Fast Pitch will be released! Look for it in book stores and libraries on August 31. Here's the publisher synopsis: 

Shenice Lockwood, captain of the Fulton Firebirds, is hyper-focused when she steps up to the plate. Nothing can stop her from leading her team to the U12 fast-pitch softball regional championship. But life has thrown some curveballs her way.
Strike one: As the sole team of all-brown faces, Shenice and the Firebirds have to work twice as hard to prove that Black girls belong at bat.

Strike two: Shenice’s focus gets shaken when her great-uncle Jack reveals that a career-ending—and family-name-ruining—crime may have been a setup.

Strike three: Broken focus means mistakes on the field. And Shenice’s teammates are beginning to wonder if she’s captain-qualified.

It’s up to Shenice to discover the truth about her family’s past—and fast—before secrets take the Firebirds out of the game forever.

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Home is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo

Image: Penguin Random House

 Home is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo. Unabridged audiobook, ~191 minutes. Read by the author. Listening Library/ Make Me a World/ Random House Children's Books, March, 2021. 9780593343708. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features another verse novel about the Muslim immigrant experience. In Home is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo, fourteen-year-old Nima despairs of ever fitting in and grieves for a father she never knew. Her father died in a car accident back in Sudan (presumably, it is never named) before she was born. Her mother and her best friend, both pregnant, immigrated to the U.S., where Nima and Haitham were born. They live in the same apartment building and Haitham is like a brother to Nima. He does his best to protect her from bullies, but she's constantly picked on for her religion, her skin color, and her poverty. Nima wishes her mother had stayed in Sudan and named her Yasmeen. She's convinced her life would've been different.

In fact, she believes that she glimpses Yasmeen from time to time and this is where the novel veers into magical realism. After a series of crises, Nima gets to travel the road not taken.

This was an immersive read. I'm glad I read with my ears. First, I adore listening poets read their own work. Secondly, as mentioned in Monday's post, I love hearing the foreign language words and names pronounced correctly. 

Home is Not a Country should appeal to teens who enjoy verse novels, stories of the immigrant experience and stories about finding one's place/ belonging. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Pony by R.J. Palacio

Image: Penguin Random House

Pony by R. J. Palacio. 304 p. Knopf Books for Young Readers/ Random House Children's Books, September 28, 2021. 9780553508116.

Publisher synopsis: Twelve-year-old Silas is awoken in the dead of night by three horsemen, who arrive unannounced to take his father away. Silas is left shaken, scared, and alone, except for the presence of his companion, Mittenwool . . . who happens to be a ghost. But when a pony shows up at his door, Silas knows what he has to do. He will set out on a perilous journey across a vast American landscape to find his father—a journey that will ultimately connect him with his past and future, and the unfathomable mysteries of the world around him.

R. J. Palacio spins a harrowing yet distinctly beautiful tale about the power of love and the ties that bind us across distance and time. For readers who love the poignant depth of War Horse and the singular voice of True Grit, this is one of those rare books for readers of all ages with the makings of a modern classic.

Middle Grade Monday: Turtle in Paradise: the Graphic Novel by Jennifer L. Holm

Image: Penguin Random House

Turtle in Paradise: the Graphic Novel by Jennifer L. Holm and illustrated by Savanna Ganucheau. 256 p. RH Graphic/ Random House Children's Books, June, 2021. 9780593126318. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Middle Grade Monday features Turtle in Paradise: the Graphic Novel by Jennifer L. Holm and illustrated by Savanna Ganucheau. I had no idea this adaptation was even in the works, let alone out. Thanks to the children's librarian at my local library for displaying it! Sometimes, I can't keep up!

This graphic novel is adapted from Ms. Holm's 2010 Newbery Honor-winning novel of the same name. More on that in this Thursday's #tbt. It's June of 1935 and the country is in the middle of The Great Depression. Eleven-year-old Turtle has to travel to Key West, Florida to stay with an aunt and cousins she has never met because her mother got a job as a live-in housekeeper to a woman who "can't abide children." It seems Turtle arrived before her mother's letter and Aunt Minerva is none too pleased. Neither are her boy cousins, especially Beans, who has to give up his room for Turtle. Beans heads "The Diaper Gang" and no girls are allowed. They allow Turtle to tag along though and Turtle slowly comes out of her shell.

The art captures the Depression-Era Key West beautifully from the architecture through the clothing. The palette is decidedly beachy as well. Turtle in Paradise: the Graphic Novel should appeal to fans of Raina Telgemeier and Victoria Jamison, as well as fans of historical fiction and anyone who wants to fall in love with a girl with grit.

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: The Way Back by Gavriel Savit

Image: Penguin Random House

The Way Back by Gavriel Savit. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~10 hours, 54 minutes. Read by Allan Corduner. Listening Library/ Random House Children's Books/ Penguin Random House, September, 2020. 9780593286128. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library.)

Happy Thursday! I hope that you are enjoying your summer break and that books and reading are a part of that enjoyment. I wish the weather would improve.

Teen Tuesday features The Way Back by Gavriel Savit. This historical fantasy feels like a dark and ominous folk tale. Yehuda Leib and Bluma are young teens who live in the tiny shtetl of Tupik in eastern Europe in the 1800s. Bluma lives in comfort over the bakery her parents run. Her grandmother, whom we meet as a girl in the beginning of the book, resides on the top floor. Yehuda Leib lives with his mother and his life is less secure. He's scrappy and an accomplished thief. He longs to learn more of his father. The entire town whispers of him, but no one will share.

Each separately have an encounter with the Messinger of Death one fateful evening and they end up in the Far Country, a parallel universe just past the graveyard where the walls between the worlds are thin. The Far Country is filled with demons, Lilith and her followers and a grotesque army of the dead. At the center of it all is the House of Death, which is both Yehuda Leib and Bluma's destination. Though each are on separate paths, they cross from time to time. There is constant danger and trickery as a variety of demons attempt to ensnare/ enslave them to do evil things.

The setting is vivid and atmospheric. Some characters are nefarious; others are harmless. All are fascinating. Danger lurks everywhere, but there are many moments of humor to lighten the load. Be patient, as the story unfolds slowly and is richly layered and filled with Yiddish sayings and proverbs. Teen readers who enjoy complex storytelling will love The Way Back.

The Way Back is available at Closter Public Library and also in e-book and e-audio formats through eBCCLS. I read this one with my ears. It was narrated by Allan Corduner, a favorite, who, in addition to narrating Mr. Savit's earlier story, Anna and the Swallow Man, also narrated The Book Thief. The Way Back was a National Book Award Finalist last fall.

Picture Book Review: Indelible Ann: The Larger-Than-Life Story of Governor Ann Richards by Meghan P. Browne

Image: Penguin Random House

Indelible Ann: The Larger-Than-Life Story of Governor Ann Richards by Meghan P. Browne. Illustrated by Carlynn Whitt. unpgd. Random House Studio/ Random House Children's Books, June, 2021. 9780593173275. (Review of finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

Using a folksy conversational tone and effective repetition of the phrase, "Just wait, you'll see," author Meghan P. Browne paints the life of Dorothy Ann Willis as a tall tale. She was the only child of humble parents who worked hard. Ann had chores to do, but also loved to fish and run. She biked five miles each way to her piano lessons. When the second World War broke out, her father shipped out to California and it wasn't long before Dorothy Ann's mother packed up the car to join him.

In San Diego, she became part of a more diverse community than her small Texas hometown. She was also inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt. She did well in school and when the war was over she moved to Waco, Texas, where she attended high school, dropped Dorothy to become just Ann, and became active in speech and debate. Her talent earned her a trip to Washington D.C.

After college, she married and settled down to raise a family, but became involved in local politics, eventually becoming county commissioner. Her marriage did not survive her political rise. She remained committed to building a more just and equitable Texas government, first at its treasurer, then as its governor. Along the way, she reached national prominence when she delivered a speech at the Democratic National Convention in 1988. 

There's a good deal of political history packed into this accessible story. Bold, busy illustrations depict Ann at various ages always ambitious with clear, blue eyes flashing. Both the writing and art work well to bring this dynamo to vivid life. Back matter includes more information about Ann Richards, black and white photos and selected sources.

Indelible Ann will leave an indelible impression on young readers. I'm happy to be adding it to my sixth grade picture book biography unit. 

#tbt: Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur

Image: Penguin Random House

Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur. 276 p. Yearling/ Random House Children's Books, 2009. (Own.)

#tbt features the perfect book for readers who love sad, sad, sad. Love, Aubrey was author Suzanne LaFleur's debut and was published in 2009. Eleven-year-old Aubrey has had a lot of grief in her life. Her first-person narrative lacks details initially, leaving readers hooked and needing to fill in the blanks. She had been abandoned and was living on cereal and Spaghetti-Os until her grandmother arrived to take her in. This involved moving to Vermont, where she meets a caring counselor, makes a new friend and writes letters she never mails.

Waiting on Wednesday: Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

Image: Penguin Random House

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon. 304 p. Delacorte/ Random House Children's Books, June 1, 2021. 9781524718961.

Publisher synopsis: Evie Thomas doesn't believe in love anymore. Especially after the strangest thing occurs one otherwise ordinary afternoon: She witnesses a couple kiss and is overcome with a vision of how their romance began…and how it will end. After all, even the greatest love stories end with a broken heart, eventually.
As Evie tries to understand why this is happening, she finds herself at La Brea Dance studio, learning to waltz, fox-trot, and tango with a boy named X. X is everything that Evie is not: adventurous, passionate, daring. His philosophy is to say yes to everything—including entering a ballroom dance competition with a girl he's only just met.

Falling for X is definitely not what Evie had in mind. If her visions of heartbreak have taught her anything, it's that no one escapes love unscathed. But as she and X dance around and toward each other, Evie is forced to question all she thought she knew about life and love. In the end, is love worth the risk?

My students and I adored Ms. Yoon's first two books. We can't wait for this one.

#tbt: Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Happy Thursday! I hope you are enjoying watching the snow fall. My bird feeders are stocked and the birds are feasting. I hope to get a lot of reading done both with my eyes and ears.

Image: Penguin Random House

Before I Die by Jenny Downham. 230 p. David Fickling Books/ Random House Children's Books, 2007. 9780385751551. (Own).

#tbt features Before I Die by Jenny Downham. This was Ms. Downham's debut and was published in 2007. It was a book I read with my ears while shoveling snow in a blizzard and I recall being so immersed in Tessa's story that I cleared my driveway without stopping.

Tessa is a very unlikable character at first. She has a right to be. Shes just sixteen and has been battling leukemia for four years. She has just learned that her disease is terminal, so she has made a list of things she wants to do before she dies. That list contains some very risky behaviors. She's very hard on her single-father, who just wants to spend time with her.

This one's a tear-jerker for sure. I still have vivid memories of sobbing at the end. It's definitely a story for mature teen readers who like extremely sad books.

Before I Die was first published in the UK, where it was shortlisted for several prestigious awards, including the Carnegie Medal. It made a big splash here in the US, making several "Best" lists, including the YALSA Top Ten Books for Young Adults list. It was adapted for film in 2012 that was released with the title, Now is Good.

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!