Waiting on Wednesday: Amulet 9: Waverider by Kazu Kibuishi

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Amulet #9: Waverider by Kazu Kibuishi. 256 p. Graphix/ Scholastic, Feb. 6, 2024. 9780545828659.

Happy Wednesday! Waiting on Wednesday features Amulet #9: Waverider by Kazu Kibuishi. This concluding volume in the popular Amulet series has been ten years in the making and will release on February 6, 2024. 

Here's the publisher synopsis: After her confrontation with Ikol, Emily finally understands the stone's power and what she must do to defend Alledia from the shadows. As she travels to Typhon to help her mom and Navin, Prince Trellis returns to the Kingdom of the Elves to save his countrymen — and confront the fraud who has seized power in the absence of a king. The threat of darkness follows all Stonekeepers closely, and it will take the strength of both new friends and old foes to conquer it... and survive.

TMS Library owns the first eight books in the graphic novel fantasy adventure series, so there's time to reread or get into the world. Happy reading!

Middle Grade Monday: Picture Day by Sarah Sax

Image: Penguin Random House

Picture Day by Sarah Sax. Brinkley Yearbooks #1. 288 p. Knopf Books for Young Readers, June, 2023.  9780593306888. Review of finished purchased copy.

Another late posting, sorry. Middle Grade Monday features Picture Day by Sarah Sax. Seventh grader, Viv is dreading picture day and having to wear a mom-approved outfit and hair style. She's also an aspiring influencer, and so, she chops off her hair, dyes it blue and makes a statement with her outfit. This gains her fans who also hope to be their true selves, but Viv gets a little carried away with Internet fame and her crazy ideas. This almost costs her her friendships with her long-term bffs.

The pleasing palatte, uncomplicated panels and diverse range of characters are sure to appeal to fans of Telegemeier, Miller, and Chmakova. Picture Day is a series starter and I'm looking forward to reading more from Sarah Sax.

Middle Grade Monday: The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown

Image: Hachette Book Group

The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown. 288 p. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Sept. 2023. 9780316669412. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Sorry for this late posting. Too much going on health-wise. It'll all settle out eventually. Middle Grade Monday features The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown. Roz is busy protecting her island home and its denizens and awaiting the return of her son, Brightbill, when news reaches the island of a new menace, the poison tide. When Roz not only learns that she is waterproof, but immune to the poison tide, she sets out north on a treacherous journey to the source of the poison.

The first two books in this trilogy are TMS favorites and this installment was much anticipated. So far, I've received mixed reviews from fans, some love it and some are a bit disappointed. I personally loved it. I adore Roz and her unconditional love for all things. Either way, if you've read the first two books, do yourself a favor and finish the trilogy. Happy reading!

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: The Many Assassinations of Samir, Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri

Image: Levine Querido

The Many Assassinations of Samir, Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~4 hours. Read by the author. Listening Library/ Books on Tape, March, 2023. Review of e-audio borrowed from the public library. Own the finished hard cover.

Teen Tuesday features one of my favorite titles of the year, The Many Assassinations of Samir, Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri. I absolutely adored Mr. Nayeri's debut, Everything Sad is Untrue, which was published in 2020 and won the Printz Award.

His sophomore novel is narrated by Omar, a twelve-year-old monk in training, whom Samir and his caravan happen upon just as Omar is about to be stoned by his fellow monks. Samir talks the monk into releasing Omar to his custody in exchange for several bolts of silk. During their journey to Samarkand on the dangerous Silk Road, Omar, renamed by Samir as Monkey, comes to realize that Samir is basically a con man who has angered many people, some of whom vow to kill him.

This face-paced adventure is often laugh-out-loud funny, but also layered and gorgeously written. Mr. Nayeri is a top-notch narrator. I would listen to him read the phone book. That said, I did spend some time with the book. It is beautifully designed with terrific jacket art, and each chapter features an illustration. I've noticed that books published by LQ have heft, unlike the trend nowadays toward flimsy paper and bindings. 

Highly recommended! Happy reading! 

Middle Grade Monday: The Sun and the Star: a Nico Di Angelo Adventure by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro

Image: Disney Books

Sorry for this late posting of Middle Grade Monday! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving break and didn't eat too much. This is going to be a busy week at my school with Student Led Conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday and our author visit on Thursday.My students are excited to meet Dusti Bowling? Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus was our One Book, One School read last month.

Middle Grade Monday features The Sun and the Star: a Nico Di Angelo Adventure by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro. It's hard to believe that this stand-alone novel is the 17th book that takes place in the PercyVerse. The Lightning Thief, Mr. Riordan's debut was published in 2005, and 2023 saw two new books published by the former seventh grade teacher. This and The Chalice of the Gods, which is about Percy Jackson and his attempt to be a normal high school student.

Moody and dark Nico Di Angelo has lost a lot in his life, from his mother and sister to his best friend, Jason, but he's crazy in love with Will Solace, his bright light, his Care Bear. Only he's plagued by dreams and a voice in his head begging him to travel to Tartarus to rescue someone. When he consults with Rachel Dare, he learns of a prophecy and is convinced he must travel there though his father has forbidden anyone who is alive from traveling to the Underworld, let alone Tartarus, the absolute pits. He's both gratified and upset that Will, the son of Apollo insists on joining him. How can the son of light possibly survive in the depths of the Underworld?

Fans of these series will not be disappointed!

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

Image: Kobo Originals

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~7 hours. Read by Meegwun Fairbrother. Kobo Originals, March, 2018. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library.)

Happy Tuesday! Teen Tuesday features The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline. This sci/fi dystopian in set in the future, in Canada. Human-caused climate change has resulted in an apocalypse. Not only has the physical landscape changed with rising sea levels, but people have stopped dreaming and this has resulted in mass madness. Government officials realize that Indigenous people seem to be immune and continue to dream, so "Recruiters" have been tasked with rounding them up and bringing them to "facilities" called schools, where they are never heard from again. Our narrator, Frenchie, is a sixteen-year-old orphan who has been part of a bonded band of mostly youth, led by an elder named Miig for the past six years. Surviving in the wilderness is rough and requires constant vigilance. This riveting story is believable and the writing is layered and lovely. Frenchie's story is honest and raw. 

The narrator's performance was well-paced and engaging. Teens who enjoy dystopian literature will find much to admire here. The Marrow Thieves was published in 2017 and won the Kirkus Prize for Young People's Literature and also made the School Library Journal Best Books List, as well as the YALSA Best Fiction list among other honors. A sequel, Hunting by Stars was published in 2021 and I need to read it. Happy reading!

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review : The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Image: HarperCollins

The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~3 hours. Read by Imani Parks. HarperAudio, May, 2023. (E-audio book borrowed from public library. HC purchased.)

Happy Monday TMS Readers! Middle Grade Monday features The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate. And now, it's Ruby's turn to tell her story. Fans of The One and Only Ivan and The One and Only Bob will be thrilled to hear Ruby's story. While she is now safe in a sanctuary with room to roam, a herd of doting elephant "aunties," and Ivan in the enclosure next door, Ruby is unsettled about her upcoming tuskday, a ritual her aunties insist is necessary. After Ruby is visited by an important person from her past, memories of her life in Africa come flooding back. Ruby's narration, told in blank verse, with grey toned illustrations make for a satisfying sequel.