Middle Grade Monday: Captain America: the Ghost Army (Original Graphic Novel) by Alan Gratz.

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Captain America: the Ghost Army (Original Graphic Novel) by Alan Gratz. Illustrated by Brent Schoonover. 176 p. Scholastic/ Graphix, January, 2023. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Happy Monday! I hope you enjoyed your weekend. We had torrential rain on Saturday and partial sunshine on Sunday. I was able to close my move ring despite the rain and crushed it on Sunday with almost twelve miles! Mowing my lawn needs about 1.5 miles of steps! The rest was walks with the Boo bear.

Middle Grade Monday features Captain America: the Ghost Army (Original Graphic Novel) by Alan Gratz. Mr. Gratz's many fans at TMS will be happy to know that he has written a graphic novel! It's historical fiction, of course. It's World War II and Capt. America and his feisty sidekick Bucky are in the fictional country of Transia on the eastern front. They're sent to help the British hold their position, but are struggling because they're outnumbered. Just in time, they hear the rumble of artillary, which sends the Nazi's running. It turns out, their saviors are just a few soldiers driving Jeeps, led by a Japanese-American soldier named Jim Morita. Morita's "Ghost Army" has been an effective tool, but little do they know that they will be facing an army of real ghosts that are immune to Capt. America's shield.

I am totally ignorant of the Marvel Universe myself and cannot comment about canon, but this was an engaging read. There's historical meat embedded in a quick-paced action adventure whose ending promises more to come. The art zings. 

Captain America: the Ghost Army belongs in all kinds of libraries. 

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

Image: Penguin Random House

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu. Unabridged e-audiobook. ~632 m. Read by Lauren Ezzo. Listening Library, March, 2020. 9780593155103. (Review of downloadable e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu. TMS's many fans of Ms. Lu's science fiction/ dystopian may do a double-take when they learn that this fantasy has its roots in history and veers more toward fairy tale and magic than science. It is the story of Nannerl Mozart, music prodigy and older sister to Wolferl. Their father hopes to gain the patronage of wealthy families and so, travels with his two children all over Europe. When Wolferl's talents begin to surpass his older sister's, Nannerl sees her father's attention wane and soon realizes that she will be expected to abandon music to marry and have children. She is, in fact, the more talented having turned to composing.

A pretend game the two play about an imaginary kingdom called Back comes to life and beckons both children. Here everything mirrors their own life and yet it different, slightly more sinister. A boy named Hyacinth sees into Nannerl's soul and promises her she will never be forgotten if... She must perform three tasks for him. Doing so may put Wolferl at peril. 

After a bit of a slow start, the world of 18th century Europe and the life of musical artists is brought to vivid life and infused with magic when melded with the mirror world. The complicated sibling relationship was well drawn. At times, I felt a bit of tell and not show poking through, but that might have been the narrator's fault. Otherwise, the narrator's quietly musical delivery was pleasing to hear and there was real tension and suspense. 

I'm very interested to see if the author's die-hard fans give this a go. I can't wait to share the title with my serious music students as well as fans of historical fantasy. Intriguing.

Middle Grade Monday and arc review: Sweep: the story of a girl and her monster by Jonathan Auxier

Sweep: the story of a girl and her monster by Jonathan Auxier. 368 p. Amulet Books/ Abrams, September 25, 2018. 9781419731402. (Review from arc courtesy of publisher.)

Oh! My, my, my, my, my! How much do I adore this book? I love it so much, I was ready to turn back to page one and begin again as soon as I finished it. I love it so much I plan to reread it with my ears as soon as the audio is released. Note to self: do not make this my car audiobook. Tears and driving do not mix. Neither do tears and reading mix. It is very hard to read through tears and the occasional sob.

Yes, reader, there will be tears, many tears. As a matter of fact, I thought that I would read this in one sitting, but could not because it hurt too much. I had to set the book aside a few times. But that does not mean it is not utterly engrossing. Just emotionally intense. 

Nan Sparrow is a chimney sweep and a good one at that. She learned from the best, her mentor and father figure, the Sweep; but he has been gone from her life for so long. She holds out hope that he will return, but no one else does. She carries very few possessions, one being a small piece of charcoal that the Sweep gave her. The other being his hat. She is now indentured to Mister Wilkie Crudd, one of the most vile and aptly named antagonists in children's literature.

Nan is admired by the boys in Crudds' crew but she holds herself apart, unwilling to invest in caring. She is rather unsuccessfully trying not to care about Newt, the newest, smallest and youngest sweep. She is the best sweep around, much to lead boy, Roger's chagrin. When she gets stuck in a chimney, she is horrified to learn that Roger is going to use "the Devil's nudge" to loosen Nan. This would've surely resulted in Nan's death except that the small piece of charcoal blazes to life and saves her.

She awakens in an attic burned but alive to find a child-sized soot creature watching over her. She names him Charlie. She is content to lie low, allowing everyone to presume she is dead. She knows that Crudd will search high and low for her when a body fails to be recovered from the ashes of the chimney fire. For now, she and Charlie are safe in the attic of an abandoned home. Eventually, she learns that Charlie is probably a golem and golems exist only for one purpose. When that purpose is served, the golem is no more. How much time do Nan and Charlie have? Will Crudd find her? How is it that society does nothing about the abuse of child laborers in Victorian England? 

The writing is perfectly gorgeous. The Victorian England setting is vivid and the characters are memorable. While the prose is sophisticated and nuanced, the story is accessible for readers who just want an adventure. Author Jonathan Auxier's storytelling is impressive. I loved Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, Sophie Quire and The Night Gardener. He has outdone himself here. 

Sweep is a first-purchase. Talk it up, share it widely and hope that the Newbery committee and all the other year-end "best books" committees are reading it.