Middle Grade Monday: Home Away from Home by Cynthia Lord

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Home Away from Home by Cynthia Lord. 224 p. Scholastic Inc. April, 2023. (Review of a purchased copy.)

Happy Monday! I am enjoying this break in the heat and HUMIDITY! It was a brisk 60 degrees here in northern NJ at 5:30 AM this morning as compared to 80 at the same time on Saturday! Crazy.

Middle Grade Monday features by Cynthia Lord. Eleven-year-old Mia is looking forward to spending her summer in Maine with her grandmother. She needs a break from her parents, who each have new partners and she can't wait to get out in nature and bird. She finds changes at grandma's house though. First, there's a stray cat named Miss Agatha, then, there's a boy, named Cayman. He's a little too chummy with Mia's grandmother and she's jealous. When the two set out to view the eagle's nest, they spy a large white bird of prey attacking the nest that they can't identify. Mia takes a picture of it and posts it to an online birding community, and soon their quiet village is inundated with birders eager to see the rare gyrfalcon. Some of the birders are less than ethical and actually endanger the bird and Mia realizes that her actions have put the bird in jeopardy. She also alienates Cayman and needs to set things right.

This thoughtful coming-of-age story features well-developed characters who struggle realistically with changes that life sometimes brings. The descriptions of the flora and fauna of the Maine coast are also vivid. Fans of the author will not be disappointed. Some readers might be inspired to grab some binoculars and head out to do some birding!

#tbt: The Good, the Bad and the Barbie: a Doll's History and Her Impact on Us (Unauthorized) by Tanya Lee Stone

Image: Author's Website

The Good, the Bad and the Barbie: a Doll's History and Her Impact on Us (Unauthorized) by Tanya Lee Stone. 130 p. Viking? Penguin Young Readers, 2010. 9780670011872. (Own.)

Happy Thursday! How are you keeping cool in this heat? Boo and I have to take our long walks pretty early to avoid the heat. It's pretty bad. 

In honor of the release of the movie, Barbie, #tbt features The Good, the Bad and the Barbie: a Doll's History and Her Impact on Us (Unauthorized) by Tanya Lee Stone. Published in 2010, this book is part biography of Ruth Handler, creator of the doll and of Barbie, the doll itself, but it also examines the impact that the doll and its popularity had on culture. There are lots of photos and personal anecdotes from girls and women reflecting on their love or hatred of Barbie. Back matter includes a note from the author, source notes and a bibliography.

The book was named an SLJ (School Library Journal) Best Book and won the Golden Kite Award. I enjoyed knowing this backstory a bit before watching the film, however, I realized I forgot a lot and decided to reread it. Very balanced and informative! Happy reading!

Waiting on Wednesday: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh by Mo Willems

Image: Union Square & Co.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh by Mo Willems. 40 p. Union Square Kids/ Union Square & Co., September 5, 2023. 9781454952770.

Happy Wednesday! Well yesterday brought quite a thunderstorm here in northern NJ! All that rain on top of me making a massive sprinkler mistake. I turned a zone on manually and didn't notice that the time was blank until an hour and a half later when I took the garbage out! Yikes! What a waste of water. I cringe every time I think about it.

Waiting on Wednesday features #nevertoooldforpicturebooks fun. I was skimming through the coming soon section on the BN site for inspiration and saw that a new PIGEON book is coming! Yes! I adore Pigeon! Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh is releasing on September 5! 

Here's the publisher synopsis: The holidays have arrived early! Everyone's favorite Pigeon is back ... and this time asking a very important question of us all. What's the reason for the season? It's driving a sleigh! Mo always delights, and for those yearning to celebrate the merriest of seasons, we can do it all year 'round. Ho-Ho-Hopefully you'll join the Pigeon and drive the sleigh!

From #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author and illustrator Mo Willems comes a new holiday classic.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—for driving a sleigh! ’Tis also the season—for driving a sleigh! Oh, and joy to the—driving a sleigh! The Pigeon has made a list and checked it once. Can his holiday dream come true? Or will The Pigeon be left out in the cold?

You’ll share some HO-HO-HOs and HA-HA-HAs finding out in three-time Caldecott Honoree Mo Willems’ ninth Pigeon book, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh!

What is your favorite pigeon book?

Middle Grade Monday: When Clouds Touch Us by Thanhhà Lai

Image: HarperCollins

When Clouds Touch Us by Thannhà Lai. 256 p. HarperCollins Publishers, May, 2023. 9780063047006. Review of finished copy borrowed from the public library.

Happy Monday! I hope you had the glorious weather we had this past weekend. Middle Grade Monday features When Clouds Touch Us by Thannhà Lai. This sequel to Inside Out and Back Again is also in verse. Hà has finally made a friend in Alabama and has been invited to an American birthday party. Her plans are dashed when he mother announces they are moving to Texas, a name that none of the family can pronounce, for a better job. Hà rallies her older brothers to outvote their mother, but one-by-one, they change their vote until it is Hà who is outvoted. Now she has to start seventh grade in a new place and most likely be the first or only Vietnamese student in her new school. The year is filled with firsts, some hilarious and some sobering. This moving and hopeful verse novel is told in first person. Fans of Inside Out and Back Again will root for Hà as she and her family try to make the U.S. their home.

#tbt: Gone by Michael Grant

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Gone by Michael Grant. 556 p. Gone #1. HarperCollins Publishers, 2008. 

Ugh! forgot to post this on Thursday. 

#tbt features Gone by Michael Grant. The promise of yet another boring day at Perdido High School vanishes along with everyone over the age of fourteen. One minute they were there and the next, poof, gone. At first, the baffled students were gleeful. Yes, no school! They all walked out. Then, reality hit. Cars were crashed in the streets and fires were burning. Who was in charge? How would they survive? Why couldn't they leave town? And, what was up with the powers that many survivors found themselves with?

This series is especially popular among eighth graders. Gone, weighing in at 576 pages is not for the faint-of-heart, but it's plot driven and full of action and suspense. It was published in 2008 and was followed by five sequels plus a "Season Two," which was a trilogy. Happy reading!

Waiting on Wednesday: Dust by Dusti Bowling

Image: Hachette Book Group

Dust by Dusti Bowling. 352 p. Little Brown Books for Young Readers, August 15, 2023. 9780316414234.

Waiting on Wednesday features Dust by Dusti Bowling. Ms. Bowling's books, especially Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus and The Canyon's Edge are quite popular at TMS. Her books have been firmly rooted in reality, but this one seems to have a touch of magic. Dust releases on August 15. Here's the publisher synopsis: A girl who struggles to breathe befriends a boy who seems shrouded in dust, in this unmissable tour de force from bestselling and award-winning author Dusti Bowling.

After Avalyn nearly died from an asthma attack, her parents moved her to the clear, dry air of Clear Canyon City, Arizona. And for the last ten years, she’s been able to breathe. That is, until Adam showed up.

Quiet and unkempt, Adam is an instant target for the bullies who have plagued Avalyn and her friends. As Avalyn gets to know him, she begins to suspect that the sudden, strange increase in dust storms around town are somehow connected to his emotions. She thinks his problems may be even worse at home, especially when massive black walls of dust start rolling in after the school day. Will she find a way to stand up for her new friend? Her life may just depend on it.

Dusti Bowling delivers a page-turning, powerful, and poignant novel of friendship, courage, and healing, perfect for readers of Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Lynda Mullaly Hunt, and Erin Entrada Kelly.

You can check out Ms. Bowling's other books while you wait for Dust. Happy reading!

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar

HC Image: Macmillan Publishers

The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaidirdar. Read by Priya Ayyar. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~8 hours. Dreamscape Media, June, 2023. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features an absolutely adorable romance called The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaidirdar. Seventeen-year-old Shireen Malick was born in Ireland to Bangladeshi parents who immigrated there and opened a donut shop called You Drive Me Glazy. They work hard at the shop and Shireen does not mind helping out as she loves to bake. Business hasn't been so great since there are a lot of donut shops around, including one down the block called The Bakers Dozen. Shireen's parents feud with the Hwangs over recipe stealing, so Shireen and Christine have kept their romance a secret until their recent breakup.

Shireen applied to be a contestant in a brand new baking contest featuring teen bakers, called The Junior Irish Baking Show. Shireen thinks she has as good a chance at winning as anyone and planned on entering. Then Christine asked her not to, saying that she was entering. Both girls hoped the exposure would help their family's business. Of course, both girls are accepted as contestants and of course, the two are paired in the very first bake-off. Of course, there's a cute girl from Dublin named Niamh (pronounce Neev) who seems into Shireen. Or is she? Drama much?

Shireen is out and unapologetically fat. She adores her supportive parents and misses her bff, who is spending the summer in Bangladesh. She also suffers from anxiety, but has methods of coping as she clocks the casual racism, fatphobia and Islamophobia she encounters, especially as she begins to do well on the show. Shireen is an endearing, hilarious narrator who loves a good pun. And the desserts! Yum! If you love to bake or have a sweet tooth, you will enjoy this book. Fun fact: a TMS graduate won a baking show as an eighth grader some years back. The entire school was rooting for her and it was such a treat to receive a sample of her baking.

I always enjoy Ms. Ayyar's performances. She imbued Shireen with zing and sass with a dash of uncertainty.