Bad things keep happening to fourth-grader Benny and his family. His best friend moved away, and he hasn’t been able to find a new one. His dad’s still recovering from a brain injury (was it Benny’s fault?) His mom tells him to focus on being kind to others, and with a new kindness program at school, Benny’s trying his best, but no one seems to notice. As things get worse, Benny worries his family will never be able to recover, and nothing will be the same again.
Benny is quite possibly the most lovable boy in literature. He strives to be a good brother both to his oldest brother Martin, who has a girlfriend for the first time. He takes care of his brother George, who has autism. He even struggles through an unrewarding friendship with a pushy boy in his class. Inspired by the story of the Indian in the Cupboard, Benny creates his own movie using Lego minifigures to tell the story of heroes who wake to find themselves trapped in the life of toys. As Benny’s heroes learn to face the challenges fate brings them, so he also finds the courage to brave life’s scary unknowns, including the terrifying experience of a parent who may never be the same.
Benny’s mom is incredible. In the midst of overwhelming circumstances, she teaches Benny to pursue kindness, but she remains real and frank herself about her own worries. In one scene in which Benny’s dad’s condition is still pretty dire, she confesses, “You don’t think you could ever, in a million years, handle it, and then it happens and you do. You just go one day at a time, and suddenly you realize, here I am. I’m handling it.” It’s moments like these that make the simple truths in this story so powerful and moving. This is a wonderful story about very simple things: love, community, and kindness.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content Benny’s class studies the Zen short stories. He mentions one story and relates its lesson to what’s happening facing trials in his own life.
Violent Content Benny flies over the handlebars of his bike and crash lands on the track. When his dad tries to help him up, they bonk heads. Later, his dad collapses with a brain injury. Benny blames himself.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Irish Banana Tours Presents: The Door by the Staircase Tour
Today I’m participating in a book tour arranged by the beautiful Hannah at Irish Banana Blog Tours. Please check out the other stops on the tour (see below!) and enter the giveaway for a copy of The Door By the Staircase by Katherine Marsh. Also, check out Katherine Marsh’s top ten facts about Baba Yaga, a character from Russian folklore who inspired Madame Z in the book!
About The Door By the Staircase by Katherine Marsh
Twelve-year-old Mary Hayes can’t stand her orphanage for another night. But when an attempted escape through the stove pipe doesn’t go quite as well as she’d hoped, Mary fears she’ll be stuck in the Buffalo Asylum for Young Ladies forever.
The very next day, a mysterious woman named Madame Z appears at the orphanage requesting to adopt Mary, and the matron’s all too happy to get the girl off her hands. Soon, Mary is fed a hearty meal, dressed in a clean, new nightgown and shown to a soft bed with blankets piled high. She can hardly believe she isn’t dreaming!
But when Mary begins to explore the strange nearby town with the help of her new friend, Jacob, she learns a terrifying secret about Madame Z’s true identity. If Mary’s not careful, her new home might just turn into a nightmare.
Top Ten Facts about Baba Yaga of Russian Folklore from Author Katherine Marshall
Baba Yaga, a witch from Russian folklore inspired some elements of Madame Z in The Door by the Staircase. Today, Katherine Marshall joins me here to describe some of the lore surrounding this mythical character and gives us some hints about what we might see from the folk tales in her novel.
1. She eats children…but she sometimes also helps them.
If you’ve heard of Baba Yaga at all, you’ve probably heard that she’s a fearsome Russian witch who eats men, women, children or anyone else who wanders into her kingdom. But this is not completely true. Every once in a while, Baba Yaga helps someone. Often that someone is a child who lacks a mother and who is brave, kind of heart, and deserving of some magical intervention. This capacity for good makes Baba Yaga unique among fairy tale witches and is one of the qualities that attracted me to her.
2. She may be the oldest European folktale witch.
Baba Yaga has her roots in the pagan beliefs of the original tribes that populated Russia. Some even believe she originated as a Paleolithic nature goddess. In some tales, Baba Yaga has the power to control the weather; in others she is a protector of the forest and the animals who populate it; in yet others, she is a weaver with the power to spin the thread of life, somewhat like the Greek Fates. (In my book, she does versions of all three).
3. She doesn’t actually live in Russia.
This one is really a surprise to most people because she is known as a Russian witch! But technically, Baba Yaga lives in a magical kingdom next to Russia. In my book, this kingdom is mobile and can be parked next to other countries—such as America—as well. This way Baba Yaga can sample some international cuisine…
4. She has a frighteningly strong sense of smell.
In the folktales, Baba Yaga can tell when a hapless soul has crossed into her forest kingdom using only her very long nose. “Fie, fie, I smell the Russian scent,” she typically says. In my book, Baba Yaga can even smell a child’s fear, which makes running away from her pretty tricky.
5. She lives in a house on chicken legs.
Imagine living in a house with a personality of its own. Baba Yaga lives in a house on chicken legs that spins around and reveals its door on her command. In some tales, the house can even move around. In my version, it does some other things that a part-chicken, part-house might naturally do.
6. She has three pairs of magic flying hands that help her in the kitchen.
Long before the Adamms Family and their disembodied hand “Thing,” Baba Yaga was assisted in her daily tasks by three pairs of bodiless hands who she sometimes called my “soul friends.” Of course, I had to work these creepy magical servants into my book as well.
7. She bakes her meals in a giant oven.
For centuries, Russians did their cooking in an enormous multipurpose oven called a pech. The pech was at the center of the house and was used to prepare food, provide warmth and even as sleeping space (peasants would sleep on top of it, especially in winter). Baba Yaga’s pech is naturally just the right size to cook up anyone she might find appetizing.
8. She would never be caught riding a broomstick.
Unlike Western witches, Baba Yaga makes her nightly journeys not on a broomstick but in a mortar, which she steers through the sky with a pestle. She is not completely adverse to brooms though—she uses a birch broom to sweep the clouds and hide traces of her passage from human eyes. Driving a mortar, as you’ll find out in my book, is an acquired skill.
9. Her servants are not always faithful to her.
In addition to her magical friends, Baba Yaga has other servants—including a talking cat, a magic horse and, for a time, the wizard Koshchey the Deathless (all of whom play a role in my book). Sometimes they disobey her and assist her victims for purposes of their own.
10. She is a mother.
Well, actually, there’s some debate over this. Some tales claim Baba Yaga has a daughter named Marynka or Marina. But even if she is not a biological mother, she is a figure that represents the wisdom and power of women, even marginalized ones. In that sense, I always felt she had potential as a mother…if just the right type of child arrived at her door.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is a list of the hottest books on my To Be Read List for this spring. I’m not sure if this means books coming out this spring I can’t wait to read or books I am most eager to read in the next couple of months, so I’m going to include both, because I’m a rebel like that.
Books Actually Coming Out This Spring That I’m Crazy Eager to Read
1. The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater: This series is probably my guiltiest pleasure. I review a pretty broad range of YA here on The Story Sanctuary, but I don’t often make my way through every book in an entire series (notable exceptions: The Tales of Goldstone Wood by Ann Elisabeth Stengl and The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.) but Stiefvater’s writing has held me captive. Also, dude. I NEED Blue and Gansey to kiss. Seriously must have this. Except not keen on the part where he’s supposed to die after. So… fingers crossed for a loophole there! Also, Ronan. <3 <3 <3
2. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare: Okay, so I may have fallen disastrously far behind in reading The Mortal Instruments (see above note about series reading…) but I’m excited to get into this one. I’ve heard great things about it from other bloggers oh-so-fortunate as to get review copies, and I’ve already got me a glossy new ebook version which I can’t wait to get into.
3. The Siren’s Song by Mary Weber: Apparently I should take back my above comment about series reading, because here’s another series I might actually finish! Yay! I’ve enjoyed the story world and characters of the first two books, and I’m super excited to see how things play out in the final chapter. (Thanks, BookLook Bloggers for my review copy!)
4. King’s Folly by Jill Williamson: I’ve read several books by Jill Williamson, but this one is bound to be something special. It’s a return to a beloved story world Williamson created in the Blood of Kings series, which I read long long ago. Okay, maybe not THAT long ago. But long enough in the past to justify intense nostalgia. So I’m excited for this one.
5. Remember to Forget by Ashley Royer: This is a contemporary YA novel about a boy recovering from the tragic loss of his girlfriend. I’ve been on a bit of a roll with reading stories about grief and trauma lately, and apparently I just haven’t had enough. I’m a huge fan of Laura Anderson Kurk, and the premise of Remember to Forget reminds me a teeny bit of Glass Girl. I’m always nervous to compare a new author with a fav, so hopefully that goes well.
Books That I Want to Push to the Top of My TBR Pile When No One Is Looking
6. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys: Sometimes I feel like the only person who hasn’t yet read this book. I’ve seen SO. MANY. amazing reviews of this book. I wouldn’t list historical fiction among my favorite genres, but when I stop and think about it, I’ve liked almost every historical YA novel I’ve read, so I should probably reevaluate that.
7. Pax by Sarah Pennypacker: Don’t judge me, but seriously every time I see the cover of this book, I REALLY want to drop whatever else I’m doing and immediately start reading it. I’m not usually a huge fan of books told from the POV of animals (she said, despite the fact that she LOVED The Underneath by Kathy Appelt) but there’s something really compelling to me about this sweet story about a boy and his pet fox.
8. Bone Gap by Laura Ruby: This is another book that I feel like everyone else has read and raved about. I’ve got my very own copy, but it continues to languish while I read all these other books demanding reviews in a timely manner. Boo. Bone Gap, I will read you soon!!!
9. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas: Because I really can’t resist a good fantasy series, and I hear really good things about this one. I think I have both the ebook and audiobook versions of this novel, so I really have no excuse for not diving right in. Maybe this week…
10. Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky: If you’re not familiar, this was originally a serial fan-fiction in which Harry is a Ravenclaw from a Ravenclaw family. So his approach to problems stems from a much more rational, methodical outlook, and of course, that alters much of the story. You can read it here. My husband RAVES about this probably at least once per week. We once agreed that if he read my favorite book (To Kill a Mockingbird. Yep.), I would read this one. I still have time because he’s only actually read the first chapter of TKaM, and by read, I mean he listened to me read it to him. But still. Promises and such.
When tough circumstances force Kammie’s family to relocate, she’s determined to make the most of the change. She approaches the prettiest, most popular girls and attempts to join their group. Only what results is Kammie standing on a board that splits and sends her tumbling into a well. Trapped and slowly sinking further, Kammie begs her new “friends” to help her get out. As she waits for them to bring help (and wonders if they’ve simply abandoned her) she begins to think about the good times lost and the struggles her family currently faces. Then she begins to run out of air. Joined by hallucinations, some less than friendly, Kammie wonders if she’ll be rescued, or if her last view of the world will be the dark interior of the well and the small circle of sky above her.
At first I worried that a story about a girl trapped in a well would be sort of boring. I imagine it’s kind of the way people felt before seeing Rear Window when they learned that the whole movie was filmed on a tiny set about a man in a wheelchair. (Other than the scene in which he breaks his leg, we see the whole movie from his apartment. Crazy.) Anyway – this book was not as suspenseful as the classic Hitchcock film, but it never tried to be. Still, it was far from boring.
I liked Kammie pretty immediately. She’s a spunky narrator. You can feel how hard she’s trying to fit in and have a posse around her and how lonely and isolated she is since all the drama with her family has happened. You know she’s worth ten of each of the silly girls she wanted to be friends with, and she’s smart enough to realize it, too.
I thought her relationship with her brother was especially moving. I can’t think of a lot of stories with good examples of brother/sister relationships during that time of life when sibs sometimes grow apart, each seeking their own identity. I liked that this story captured that process so well, even if it was bittersweet.
Kammie’s memories of her life before falling in the well are definitely what keeps the story moving between rescue-related events. Rivers unwinds bits and pieces of this nameless tragedy that shattered Kammie’s life, and it was easy to chase those hints and flashes down looking for what really happened to this remarkable girl.
I thought the tone and the brief use of profanity made it a heavier read than most other middle grade books. Don’t get me wrong – I thought the story was great. See below for more specifics on content.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
One swear word is repeated several times in a sentence as Kammie realizes the dire situation she’s in. There are a few crude references to bodily functions.
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content Kammie thinks about her grandma, who has died, and wonders briefly if she’s in Heaven.
Violence Girls play a prank on Kammie which leads to her falling into a well. Kammie sustains serious injuries due to her fall.
Drug Content
Her father drinks alcohol.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Cleo wants to be just like her role model, Miss Fortune A. Davies, a famous businesswoman with a nightly TV show motivating young entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams. Cleo has lots of ideas to make money, from selling avocados off the tree in the back yard to her latest and greatest idea ever: a nearly painless tooth-pulling service. As Cleo’s business succeeds, she gets even more excited. Unfortunately, not everyone in her life is as thrilled as she is. Her best friend begins to withdraw, and Cleo has some owning up to do with members of her family after a few poor choices catch up with her. Cleo struggles to find the balance that even many adults find elusive: to balance passions with sensitivity to the important people in our lives. And her struggle happens in a lovable, believable way.
My Review
Though this is a pretty lighthearted story, it does deal with some heart issues. Cleo wrestles with some deep rejection stemming from her mother’s choice to place her for adoption as a baby. Cleo’s best friend struggles to accept her father’s new life with a new girlfriend, though her parents are only recently divorced. Cleo herself is an upbeat, passionate girl whose whole heart is in everything she does. It’s true that sometimes her passions carry her away, and her parents have to reel her in a bit. They do so with admirable wisdom, love and firmness. This is a great book for anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit or who wrestles with issues surrounding adoption and foster family membership.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Representation Cleo is Black and adopted.
Profanity/Crude Language Content None.
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content Brief mention of church.
Violent Content Cleo punches a girl after she says some really hurtful things. She’s disciplined for her behavior and has to apologize. She uses a nerf gun as part of a solution to remove loose teeth from consenting kids.
Drug Content None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
When Jam can’t recover from her boyfriend’s death, her desperate family sends her to The Wooden Barn, a boarding school for distraught teens. There Jam finds herself enrolled in Special Topics in English, an elite, invitation-only course. This year, Jam and her classmates will study the works of Sylvia Plath, and will write about their own experiences in special journals given to them by their fascinating instructor, Mrs. Quenell.
As Jam begins to write in her journal, she’s transported to a place where Reeve still lives, and they can be together. A place she calls Belzhar. As the semester winds down, and the pages of Jam’s journal fill, she knows her visits with Reeve can’t last forever, and the end of them will be like losing him all over again. But she can’t run from the truth forever. And this time, as she faces her beloved Reeve, she has to face truths about him and about herself before she can find healing.
I’m pretty sure I read about this book on a list of a blogger’s favorite books or something of that nature. I think at that point, I had recently read the Bell Jar, and I was even more curious about the story because it references Plath’s work. Since then, it’s been on my to-read list, and at last, I’ve finally read it.
Honestly, I was a little disappointed. There were definitely things I liked about the story – I loved the teacher and the other classmates in the Special Topics class, even if I felt like they deserved a little more airtime. Besides the span in which they told their own stories, I didn’t really feel like I got to know them very well. Which is okay – it really wasn’t the point of the story.
There’s a big twist that I won’t give away, but I had really mixed feelings about it. On the one hand I was really surprised when the truth was revealed. I didn’t suspect it, and yet when I evaluated earlier scenes in the story, it changed how I perceived them, which I think is a mark of a great plot twist. So that was impressive.
On the other hand, I felt like it kind of cheapened the story in a way. I’m not sure I really bought into the real story having the kind of weight I felt like it needed to have. I felt like it kind of took this big conflict and deflated it a little bit.
On the other-other hand, I think the way it played out also felt like a tribute to the way emotional trauma can be devastating and powerful. So I don’t want to downplay it too much.
There was also one moment in which a big thing happens, and Jam isn’t there. I really wanted her to be there for this one critical moment, and instead she hears about it third-hand. So that was a bit disappointing.
On the whole, I’m glad I read it, but it didn’t resonate with me the way some of my other recent reads have. If you’re looking for something that’s a much lighter version of Girl, Interrupted (I’m thinking the movie with Winona Ryder), then this is probably something you want to check out.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency. One character in particular has a bit of a foul mouth, but the language is kind of sprinkled throughout the story.
Romance/Sexual Content There’s some kissing between Jam and a boyfriend. They reach under each other’s shirts and touch each other. At one point they remove shirts and lie next to each other.
Spiritual Content Through writing in a journal, Jam is transported to a place she calls Belzhar. There, Reeve is alive, and they are together. The place has rules – she can only relive past moments, nothing new, and after a period of time, she’ll be booted back to reality.
Violent Content Brief mentions of a drunk driving accident which leaves a girl paralyzed, a boy who has been kidnapped, and a devastating fire.
Drug Content
Jam recalls going to a party at which several teens drink alcohol. Several mentions of smoking pot.
