Category Archives: By Age Range

Review: Dog Trouble by Kristin Varner

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Dog Trouble by Kristin Varner

Dog Trouble
Kristin Varner
First Second
Published October 29, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Dog Trouble

From the author of Horse Trouble comes a graphic novel perfect for fans of PAWS and Allergic!

Ash is a good kid at heart. But his grades are slipping, and when he gets caught vandalizing an old building, it’s the last straw. It’s decided: Ash will spend some time away from the city, at his dad’s place on Ferncliff Island.

It’s bad enough that Ash has no friends on the island (just an annoying little stepsister), but his parents are also making him do community service! He volunteers at the local animal shelter, even though he’s not really a dog person. Dogs slobber! They smell! And the dogs at the shelter bark, bark, and bark. But as Ash bonds with the dogs―especially Cooper, a clever, fun-loving pointer that gives sloppy kisses―he starts to see that maybe his time on Ferncliff Island isn’t a total loss.

My Review

If a book had the power to make me a dog person, this one would probably do it! (I don’t hate dogs, but I’m solidly a cat person.)

The story follows Ash, a boy who must spend his summer volunteering at an animal shelter after getting into trouble with some friends. At the start of many of the chapters, a dog profile appears, introducing readers to a dog that will appear later in the story and giving some information about its breed and personality. Some terms related to the care of animals appear in bold in the text. Those are defined at the bottom of the page. I liked that format of keeping the panels focused on the story but continually making caring for animals accessible to inexperienced readers.

Ash makes a lot of mistakes, and sometimes, even when he’s doing the right things, accidents happen. I loved that his supervisor at the shelter responded calmly, acknowledged his anxiety, and helped him navigate whatever issue was at hand.

Ash also makes an unexpected friend and forms a closer bond with his stepsister than he imagined would be possible through his experience of staying with his dad for the summer. Having gone through some of the blended family challenges, I felt like the portrayal of those relationships made a lot of sense, and the evolution felt organic.

All in all, if you love dogs and/or stories about navigating family challenges or skateboarding, Dog Trouble is one story you won’t want to miss.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 9 to 12.

Representation
Ash’s parents are divorced. His stepmom and stepsister are Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to animal abuse or trauma. (Nothing shown on scene.) One of the dogs in the book dies (off-scene). The loss is unexpected and difficult for Ash.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

MMGM Review: Unsinkable Cayenne by Jessica Vitalis

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Unsinkable Cayenne
Jessica Vitalis
Greenwillow Books
Published October 29, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Unsinkable Cayenne

When her unconventional parents finally agree to settle down in one place, twelve-year-old Cayenne’s dreams come true—but the reality of fitting in is much harder than she imagined. Acclaimed author Jessica Vitalis crafts an unforgettable historical novel-in-verse about belonging, family, and social class for fans of Lisa Fipps’s Starfish and Jasmine Warga’s Other Words for Home.

Cayenne and her family drift from place to place, living in their van. It hasn’t been a bad life—Cayenne and her mother birdwatch in every new location, they have a cozy setup in the van, and they sing and dance and bond over campfires most nights. But they’ve never belonged anywhere.

As Cayenne enters seventh grade, her parents decide to settle down in a small Montana town. Cayenne hopes that this means she will finally fit in and make some friends. But it turns out that staying in one place isn’t easy.

As her social studies class studies the Titanic tragedy (the wreckage has just been discovered and her teacher is obsessed), Cayenne sees more and more parallels between the social strata of the infamous ship and her own life. Will she ever squeeze her way into the popular girls’ clique, even though they live in fancy houses on the hill, and she lives in a tiny, rundown home with chickens in the front yard? Is it possible that the rich boy she likes actually likes her back? Can she find a way to make room for herself in this town? Does she really want to? Maybe being “normal” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Unsinkable Cayenne is a character-driven novel-in-verse about family, friendship, first crushes, and fitting in. Set in the mid-1980s, this literary novel is for readers of Megan E. Freeman’s Alone and Erin Entrada Kelly’s We Dream of Space.

My Review

This is the first book by Jessica Vitalis that I’ve ever read, though Coyote Queen is already on my reading list! I saw nothing but high praise for that one and added it to my reading list immediately. If I wasn’t planning to read it before, I would definitely be planning to now.

I love novels in verse because it gives an author a chance to tell a story in which each word really counts. Delivering rich characters and vivid settings in just a few words takes really precise writing, and I can’t help but appreciate when it’s done well– as in this book.

Cayenne lives an unapologetically unconventional lifestyle. While she longs for the stability of a more permanent home and school experience, she understands how much her parents value the life they’ve crafted. She relates her experiences sans outside judgment. This is simply how her life is.

At school, her history teacher introduces a unit of study on the Titanic, which allows Cayenne and her classmates to think about the impact of classism through a really specific situation in which someone’s class dramatically impacted their likelihood of survival. Cayenne relates to the prejudice and classism described in the disaster as she tries to navigate relationships with kids whose families have fancier houses and clothes than hers.

It’s a thoughtful story filled with metaphors about birds and emotive descriptions of middle school moments that will still resonate today. I could see readers of Starfish or other thought-provoking novels in verse really enjoying this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Cayenne’s dad has depression.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to nudity.

Spiritual Content
List.

Violent Content
Cayenne learns about the Titanic disaster.

Drug Content
Cayenne’s dad smokes pot.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle with Greg Pattridge.

Review: Light Enough to Float by Lauren Seal

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Light Enough to Float
Lauren Seal
Rocky Pond Books
Published October 8, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Light Enough to Float

Deeply moving and authentic, this debut novel-in-verse follows teenage Evie through her eating disorder treatment and recovery―a Wintergirls for a new generation.

Evie has just barely acknowledged that she has an eating disorder when she’s admitted to an inpatient treatment facility. Now her days are filled with calorie loading, therapy sessions, and longing—for home, for control, and for the time before her troubles began. As the winter of her treatment goes on, she gradually begins to face her fears and to love herself again, with the help of caregivers and of peers who are fighting their own disordered-eating battles. This insightful, beautiful novel will touch every reader and offer hope and understanding to those who need it most.

My Review

I love this story’s novel-in-verse format. It really focuses on Evie’s emotions and experiences and keeps us in the present with her. The cover copy compares Light Enough to Float with Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. As I read the book, I thought of some moments in Wintergirls.

Whereas Wintergirls focuses on the relationship between two girls and their harmful impacts on one another, this novel stays more focused on Evie herself. Evie does have a relationship with another girl that leaves readers questioning the helpfulness of the friendship, but her own journey stays front and center.

Light Enough to Float feels as deeply personal as it is. Evie brings readers into the center of her anguish, fear, and shame. But she also draws readers forward into her hope and her journey toward healing. Those moments stay grounded, reminding us that there’s no light-switch fix, but they show what recovery can look like and leave us rooting for Evie every step of her journey.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Evie and other characters in the book have disordered eating. Evie also has dermotillomania, a condition that causes her to pick at her scalp, harming herself.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some swearing, including rare F-bombs, used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Descriptions of disordered eating and self-harm. Reference to a suicide attempt (happens off-scene).

Drug Content
Reference to a drug overdose (off-scene).

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Shape of Lost Things by Sarah Everett

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The Shape of Lost Things
Sarah Everett
HarperCollins
Published October 24, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Shape of Lost Things

From the award-winning author of The Probability of Everything, which has been called “one of the best books I have read this year (maybe ever)” (Colby Sharp, Nerdy Book Club) and “Powerful” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review),comes a heartfelt exploration of family and change as twelve-year-old Skye reunites with her older brother, Finn, after he spent four years on the run with their father.

Skye Nickson’s world changed forever when her dad went on the run with her brother, Finn. It’s been four years without Finn’s jokes, four years without her father’s old soul music, and four years of Skye filling in as Rent-a-Finn on his MIA birthdays for their mom. Finn’s birthday is always difficult, but at least Skye has her best friends, Reece and Jax, to lean on, even if Reece has started acting too cool for them.

But this year is different because after Finn’s birthday, they get a call that he’s finally been found. Tall, quiet, and secretive, this Finn is nothing like the brother she grew up with. He keeps taking late-night phone calls and losing his new expensive gifts, and he doesn’t seem to remember any of their inside jokes or secrets.

As Skye tries to make sense of it all through the lens of her old Polaroid camera, she starts to wonder: Could this Finn be someone else entirely? And if everyone else has changed, does it mean that Skye has to change too?

My Review

I was looking forward to reading this book, and then I read a couple of reviews about how great the story is, and I couldn’t wait to read it even more. My expectations were high, and they were met!

One of the things I noticed about this book is that it’s the first I’ve read that features a formerly kidnapped character in a nonwhite family. I think the other stories I’ve read about kidnapping have centered around white characters. So I am really glad to see new readers get to see themselves represented in a story like this.

While the characters’ race isn’t a huge component of the story, there are moments that it intersects with what’s happening in the story. I think the author did a great job balancing those instances and letting them have space but keeping the story accessible to young readers.

I loved Skye as a character. She is in the midst of middle school friendship transitions, and that’s compounded by the fact that her mom is in a new relationship, and her brother has returned home after a four-year absence.

Her reactions made so much sense. I especially loved the scenes showing her in therapy and how she was both guarded against being drawn out and yet so clearly needed a space to talk about her life that sometimes she opened up despite herself.

Her relationship with Finn is great, too. His behavior made so much more sense looking back from the end of the book. I thought the author also did a great job keeping Skye centered as the main character but making space for Finn’s trauma, too.

All in all, this is a deeply moving story about family trauma and sibling relationships. I highly recommend this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Skye’s family is Black. Her dad has an undiagnosed mental illness.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Skye has a crush on a boy in school.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Skye’s dad kidnapped her brother years earlier.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: In the Orbit of You by Ashley Schumacher

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

In the Orbit of You
Ashley Schumacher
Wednesday Books
Published March 19, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About In the Orbit of You

In the Orbit of You is a YA story of enduring love from acclaimed author Ashley Schumacher, where a personality test reunites two friends and makes them second guess their careful plans.

It’s been years since Nova Evans last saw Sam. She was too young then to understand why he had to move away―and what it had to do with the cuts and bruises he got from home and never wanted to talk about. All she knew is that they promised to find each other when they were older, something she thought was impossible thanks to her and her mom moving around constantly. Until she bumps into Sam in her new school, and realizes he has clearly forgotten their childhood promise.

Sam Jordan has a plan for his accept his college football scholarship, date his girlfriend Abigail, and―most importantly―hide how much he wants to do something, anything other than The Plan™ his parents and coaches have set before him. It doesn’t matter if sometimes he finds himself thinking about the new girl he met in the cafeteria, a girl who reminds him of a past that hurts to remember.

When a school-wide personality test reveals Nova and Sam to be each others’ top matches―not only that, but a match of 99%, the highest in the school―they begin to remember why they were such close friends, all those years ago. As well as the myriad of reasons this new-yet-familiar, magnetic, sparkling thing between them will never, ever work out.

In the Orbit of You is a story about the enduring and changing nature of friendship, of the strange struggle between who you are and who you want to be, and finding your voice after trauma.

My Review

I’ve been a huge fan of Ashley Schumacher’s novels so far, so I knew I was going to read this book as soon as I heard it announced for publication. I love the way she writes relationships. All the characters have really specific personalities and interesting ways of relating to one another. It makes the main characters’ friend cosmos seem very real.

This story addresses the trauma of childhood abuse and references Sam’s healing journey through therapy and his adoption into a family. I thought the author presented those sensitively but without romanticizing the harm that abuse causes. Nova recalls seeing bruises and injuries on Sam’s face and arms when they were little. She knew something was wrong but processed it much like a little kid would.

There’s a fair amount of romantic suspense and poor communication in this book. I know that’s a thing for some readers, so be aware if it’s something that would bother you. There are things that would end the story pretty early if the characters sat down and talked to one another.

The miscommunication tropes don’t usually bother me too much, so that wasn’t a hindrance for me. It made sense why Nova and Sam couldn’t be honest with others when they couldn’t even be honest with themselves. Also, weirdly, I think my favorite character was Sam’s girlfriend Abigail. She’s sweet and kind and doesn’t jump to conclusions. She invites Sam to communicate with her but she doesn’t hesitate to call him out when he’s wrong about things. I appreciated that about her a lot.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and its exploration of the gravitational pull between two people and what it means. If you like books with a more subtle, very slow-burn romance, this one will scratch that itch.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A few f-bombs. A few other instances of profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. In one scene, a girl asks for help with a dress she’s tried on. The zipper is stuck, and she needs a boy to help her. He focuses very carefully on keeping things totally normal and not making it weird.

Spiritual Content
Emphasis on the meaning/value of a promise. Is making a promise good? Bad? Does it cause harm? I liked the story’s exploration of this idea.

Violent Content
Several references to physical abuse, though it’s not shown on scene. A boy experiences a football injury (off scene). Someone falls out of a tree and lands on the ground pretty hard. A fire makes it difficult for someone to get safely out of their house.

Drug Content
Sam remembers his dad hitting him for not cleaning up his dad’s empty beer bottles fast enough.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of IN THE ORBIT OF YOU in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Review: The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones

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The Wild Huntress
Emily Lloyd-Jones
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published October 8, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Wild Huntress

Dive into a lush, standalone fantasy, set in the same world as The Drowned Woods and The Bone Houses, about a deadly competition—perfect for fans of Holly Black and Erin A. Craig.

Every five years, two kingdoms take part in a Wild Hunt. Joining is a bloody risk and even the most qualified hunters can suffer the deadliest fates. Still, hundreds gamble their lives to participate—all vying for the Hunt’s life-changing prize: a magical wish granted by the Otherking.

BRANWEN possesses a gift no other human has: the ability to see and slay monsters. She’s desperate to cure her mother’s sickness, and the Wild Hunt is her only option.

GWYDION is the least impressive of his magically-talented family, but with his ability to control plants and his sleight of hand, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his cruel older brother from becoming a tyrant.

PRYDERI is prince-born and monster-raised. Deep down, the royal crown doesn’t interest him—all he wants is to know is where he belongs.

If they band together against the monstrous creatures within the woods, they have a chance to win. But, then again, nothing is guaranteed when all is fair in love and the Hunt.

My Review

Well, this is one of those stories where my favorite character definitely got the short straw. That was hard.

However.

This is the first book by Emily Lloyd-Jones that I’ve read. I used to own at least one of her other books, but I haven’t gotten to it yet. I think it came in an OwlCrate box several years ago. Anyway. The writing and the lush, dangerous forest with its otherworldly creatures drew me into the story. There are monsters and other dangers. There’s a cat who is not a cat– my second-favorite character!

As I read, I knew I was heavily invested in the story. When I had about 100 pages left, I hoped it was a duology because I really didn’t want to be coming to the end of the story and the really imaginative world. As I got closer to the end, I dreaded learning it was going to be a duology because I didn’t want to have to wait a year or more to find out what happens to the characters who make it to the last page. (It’s a standalone, so no worries there.)

Even though my favorite character met with disaster, I wasn’t unhappy to follow the rest of the cast to the end of the book. It definitely takes you on an emotional ride. It’s one of those books that draws you close and quietly slips a knife between your ribs. It was really great, though? I feel like I’ll be thinking of those one for a long time, and may even have to go back and reread it.

If you liked The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert or Deep is the Fen by Lili Wilkinson, definitely check out The Wild Huntress.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Branwen has visible scars and an eye that can see magic and would make her a target or outcast depending on who discovers this. Pryderi survived kidnapping and abuse.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild swearing used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have magical ability. Some monsters have supernatural abilities. Characters participate in the Wild Hunt, which has magical rules and is governed by two kings, one human and one immortal/magical.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Graphic descriptions of monster attacks against people and animals. Attacks between humans.

Drug Content
Branwen spots enchanted food and drink while at a feast and avoids consuming any of it. She and her allies share a bottle of mead.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.