Category Archives: Magical Realism

Review: Secrets We Tell the Sea by Martha Riva Palacio Obón, translated by Lourdes Heuer

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Secrets We Tell the Sea by Martha Riva Palacio Obón, translated by Lourdes Heuer

Secrets We Tell the Sea
Martha Riva Palacio Obón
Translated by Lourdes Heuer
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published October 24, 2023

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About Secrets We Tell the Sea

The only good thing about Sofia’s mom sending her to live with her abuela is that finally Sofia and the sea will meet face-to-face.

The sea has always called to Sofia, even when she and her mom lived in a big city nowhere near its shore. That’s how Sofia always knew she was a mermaid–that, and the fact that the sea and its creatures are much easier to understand than people. Like her mother, who is sending Sofia away instead of her barracuda of a boyfriend; that’s a flying fish if Sofia’s ever seen one, spending so much time reaching for the sky she can’t see what’s going on below the surface. When Sofia meets her abuela, she knows she’s up against a sea fierce and guarded, but maybe not so bad when you’re the one she’s guarding. Still, Sofia longs to meet another mermaid, someone who understands her and the sea completely.

When Sofia meets Louisa, it seems like she’s found just that–until the sea betrays them both in one irreversible moment. Soon their town is overtaken by hurricanes and floods and emotions and questions so big Sofia doesn’t know what to do with them. Like, how do you catch a flying fish? How do you make friends with the sea again? And how do you calm the rough waters within yourself?

My Review

I loved the sound of this book and the beautiful cover, but I’ll confess that I wasn’t sure what to make of the back cover copy. Is Sofia truly a mermaid? Is it something she imagines? Does the sea actually speak to her?

The story has a very literary voice and really blurs the lines between what Sofia imagines and what is actually happening around her. Sometimes, it’s clear that things are in her mind. At other times, there are explanations for things that happen. For example, one night, she sees her grandmother walking on the beach and the sea and places where her grandmother’s steps are glowing. Sofia learns this is because of bioluminescence rather than some magic of her grandmother’s.

At other times, it seems like the magical/inexplicable things are supposed to be actually happening. For instance, a shell spurts water, vibrates, and changes color to express its thoughts/feelings.

I really liked the relationships between the characters in the story. I think all the major characters are female except one. There are some really heartbreaking dynamics between the three generations of women in Sofia’s family. I felt like the story read in an accessible way to kids, but it’s one where older kids or adults will pick up on a lot of things that happen between the lines, too.

This is a pretty short book. I think it’s less than 150 pages, so I read it in one sitting, and I really loved it.

I think readers who enjoy stories with strong female voices and especially stories about the sea or ocean will love this heartbreaking story of family bonds and the transformative power of friendship.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Characters are Brazilian and living in Brazil.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
A man signals sexual interest in Sofia by putting a hand on her arm. She avoids him as much as possible. Sofia believes that her mother is a nighttime circus performer after finding a photo of her in a “bathing suit” with her work friends. Later learns about her mother’s real job at a bar at night.

Spiritual Content
Sofia believes that humans start out as mermaids after she learns how a fetus grows in a liquid environment inside their mother.

Violent Content
See sexual content above. A woman tells her family she fell and was injured, but later it’s revealed that her partner hit her.

Drug Content
None.

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 SECRETS WE TELL THE SEA in exchange for my honest review.

Review: My Imaginary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadow

Book Review and Content, Historical, Magical Realism, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

My Imaginary Mary (Mary #2)
Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
HarperTeen
Published August 2, 2022

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About My Imaginary Mary

It’s aliiiiiiiive! The bestselling authors of My Lady Jane are back with the electric, poetic, and (almost) historical tale of the one and only Mary Shelley.

Mary may have inherited the brilliant mind of her late mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, but she lives a drab life above her father’s bookstore, waiting for an extraordinary idea that’ll inspire a work worthy of her parentage—and impress her rakishly handsome (and super-secret) beau, Percy Shelley.

Ada Lovelace knows a thing or two about superstar parents, what with her dad being Lord Byron, the most famous poet on Earth. But her passions lie far beyond the arts—in mechanical engineering, to be exact. Alas, no matter how precise Ada’s calculations, there’s always a man willing to claim her ingenious ideas as his own.

Pan, a.k.a. Practical Automaton Number One, is Ada’s greatest idea yet: a machine that will change the world, if only she can figure out how to make him truly autonomous . . . or how to make him work at all.

When fate connects our two masterminds, Mary and Ada learn that they are fae—magical people with the ability to make whatever they imagine become real. But when their dream team results in a living, breathing, thinking PAN, Mary and Ada find themselves hunted by a mad scientist who won’t stop until he finds out how they made a real boy out of spare parts.

With comic genius and a truly electrifying sense of adventure, Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows continue their campaign to turn history on its head in this YA fantasy that’s perfect for fans of The Princess Bride and A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue.

My Review

I really enjoyed both MY LADY JANE and MY CONTRARY MARY, so I was excited about getting into this book. The idea of a story about Ada Lovelace and Mary Shelley also intrigued me, so this sounded like a sure win.

I did enjoy the book, but not as much as the other two that I read. The other books had me laughing out loud more and had a lot more straight up absurdity that really worked for me as a reader. Plus I loved the cameo appearances by characters from MY LADY JANE in MY CONTRARY MARY.

What I think did work really well in this book was the pairing of Ada Byron (Lovelace) and Mary Godwin (Shelley). The science and writing/magic combo fit together well, and I liked the friendship that they shared and how it changed both of their lives.

I also liked the way Pan, created by Ada and Mary, inspired Mary to write FRANKENSTEIN. I thought that was a clever way to layer both a historical fantasy with elements from Mary Shelley’s famous book.

All in all, I’m still really glad I read this one. If you like reimagined history or stories inspired by a classic, I think MY IMAGINARY MARY is a great book to add to your reading list.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Ada has difficulty walking since being ill and uses a cane.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. At one point one character asks questions about the difference between men and women and Mary tries to discreetly tell him that they have different body parts.

Spiritual Content
Some people are Fae and can create things from their imaginations. This magic has a cost– matter cannot be created nor destroyed– so Fae are trained to create carefully.

Violent Content
A man uses chloroform to incapacitate others and kidnap them. He ties several people up and threatens them with being struck by lightning.

Drug Content
Ada’s father drinks wine and reveals secrets he shouldn’t when he is drunk.

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 MY IMAGINARY MARY in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade

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The Shadow Sister
Lily Meade
Sourcebooks Fire
Published June 27, 2023

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About The Shadow Sister

Sutton going missing is the worst thing to happen to Casey, to their family. She’s trying to help find her sister, but Casey is furious. And she can’t tell anyone about their argument before Sutton disappeared. Everyone paints a picture of Sutton’s perfection: the popular cheerleader with an entourage of friends, a doting boyfriend, and a limitless future. But Sutton manipulated everyone around her, even stole an heirloom bracelet from Casey. People don’t look for missing Black girls–or half-Black girls–without believing there is an angel to be saved.

When Sutton reappears, Casey knows she should be relieved. Except Sutton isn’t the same. She remembers nothing about while she was gone—or anything from her old life, including how she made Casey miserable. There’s something unsettling about the way she wants to spend time with Casey, the way she hums and watches her goldfish swim for hours.

What happened to Sutton? The more Casey starts uncovering her sister’s secrets, the more questions she has. Did she really know her sister? Why is no one talking about the other girls who have gone missing in their area? And what will it take to uncover the truth?

My Review

I love sister stories. I also love being part of the readership who discover a fantastic debut novel by an author who is sure to become a new favorite. It’s even better when those two things appear in the very same book.

First, let me say that the characters in this book are rich and layered. What they believe to be true isn’t always objectively true (happens to us all). I feel like writing a character who both comes across as genuine and genuinely wrong is really challenging, and Lily Meade makes it look absolutely effortless.

The rich themes of family, history, and reclaiming personal power are expertly threaded through the narrative of this book. I loved the way the characters explored family history and relationships. I also loved the elements of magical realism– again, something that I think is not easy to write in a way that feels believable and anchored in the real world. Yet it’s brilliantly done here.

I also really appreciated the author’s note and the care she takes in explaining her connection to some parts of the story. That only deepened my appreciation of the book, and I think added even more to the conversation within the text about intergenerational trauma and reclaiming power.

I’ve been super choosy about which books I’m adding to my shelves lately (my bookshelf runneth over!), but I will definitely be adding this one. I absolutely recommend this story for readers who, like me, love sister books or stories about family and the transformative power of love.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Casey and Sutton are biracial sisters. One minor character is a lesbian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used very sparingly.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Casey and Sutton’s family attends a local church that preaches, as one of the girls puts it, a “condescending prosperity gospel”.

Violent Content
Characters discover the decaying body of a murdered girl. A person admits to murdering someone and attempts to murder someone else.

Drug Content
Police suggest a recently missing girl was using drugs, even though her tests repeatedly show no drug use. An unconscious girl may have been drugged; it’s unclear.

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 THE SHADOW SISTER in exchange for my honest review.

Review: This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke

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This Rebel Heart
Katherine Locke
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published April 5, 2022

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About This Rebel Heart

A tale set amid the 1956 Hungarian revolution in post-WWII Communist Budapest.

In the middle of Budapest, there is a river. Csilla knows the river is magic. During WWII, the river kept her family safe when they needed it most–safe from the Holocaust. But that was before the Communists seized power. Before her parents were murdered by the Soviet police. Before Csilla knew things about her father’s legacy that she wishes she could forget.

Now Csilla keeps her head down, planning her escape from this country that has never loved her the way she loves it. But her carefully laid plans fall to pieces when her parents are unexpectedly, publicly exonerated. As the protests in other countries spur talk of a larger revolution in Hungary, Csilla must decide if she believes in the promise and magic of her deeply flawed country enough to risk her life to help save it, or if she should let it burn to the ground.

My Review of This Rebel Heart

The author’s note at the beginning of the book warns that Hungary’s revolution does not end in victory, so I felt like I read this entire book holding my breath, waiting for that shoe to drop. Which wasn’t a negative for me– just added a lot of intensity.

Csilla was my favorite character, but I loved the other characters, too. I loved the way that magic is woven into the story through Csilla’s relationship with the river. The way that color (or a lack of it) is used in the story, too, is really powerful and cool.

The way the story is written completely captivated me. I felt like I couldn’t stop reading, and like so many of the scenes were just aching– achingly beautiful or haunting or tragic. I feel like it struck something in me really deeply, a kind of connection with a book that I haven’t felt since reading THE BOOK THIEF years ago, where it made me want to call people and read them pages of the story.

I’m trying not to buy any new books right now because SHELF SPACE, but I really want a hard copy of this one. THIS REBEL HEART is the first book I’ve read by Katherine Locke, but obviously I need to read all their other books immediately. I absolutely loved it.

I think readers who enjoyed THE GIRL IN THE BLUE COAT by Monica Hesse or books by Ruta Sepetys would love THIS REBEL HEART.

Content Notes for This Rebel Heart

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Csilla is Jewish. Other characters are gay or bisexual.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Reference to a kiss between two men. Kissing between two boys. Kissing between a boy and girl. Two boys and a girl are in a romantic relationship together.

Spiritual Content
References to Jewish holidays and practices. One character is an angel of death.

Violent Content
References to genocide, some brief graphic references to death in gas chambers. References to torture and suicide. Brief description as a mob beats a young man to death. Soldiers shoot into a crowd of protestors, killing someone. Some battle violence and other situations of peril.

Drug Content
Characters drink socially at a community dance.

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 THIS REBEL HEART in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Insiders by Mark Oshiro

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The Insiders
Mark Oshiro
HarperCollins
Published September 21, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Insiders

San Francisco and Orangevale may be in the same state, but for Héctor Muñoz, they might as well be a million miles apart. Back home, being gay didn’t mean feeling different. At Héctor’s new school, he couldn’t feel more alone.

Most days, Héctor just wishes he could disappear. And he does. Right into the janitor’s closet. (Yes, he sees the irony.) But one day, when the door closes behind him, Héctor discovers he’s stumbled into a room that shouldn’t be possible. A room that connects him with two new friends from different corners of the country—and opens the door to a life-changing year full of magic, friendship, and adventure.

Three kids who don’t belong. A room that shouldn’t exist. A year that will change everything.

My Review

This book might break your heart. Not permanently. But. It follows Héctor, who’s just beginning at a new school in a new town. He becomes the target of a group of bullies. Though he’s usually pretty outspoken, he’s vulnerable– still trying to figure out how to find his footing in his new space. He has a supportive family, but worries they’ve got enough other things to stress over without needing to take on his troubles. He worries they’d be disappointed in him for not figuring things out for himself. Or for not standing up for himself or letting someone else’s behavior bother him so much.

His experience is so relatable. So raw and real. I love the gentle way the Room comforts and helps him. In some ways, the Room was my favorite character. Héctor is pretty tough to beat, though! I love his sense of humor and bold personality.

THE INSIDERS is one of those books that has a lot of things happening in the background in an understated way. One of Héctor’s teachers reacts to something he says or does in a way that made me think she knew about the Room, and maybe had her own experience with it herself. I love that it kind of stays ambiguous, too, because it hints at the Room being an ongoing force helping lonely kids without letting the story focus on an adult’s experience.

Some moments in the book were so achingly sad, but so many were also full of triumph and joy. This is a story that celebrates friendship, family, identity and food.

THE INSIDERS is the first book by Mark Oshiro that I’ve ever read, but I’m already thinking I need to go out and find all the other books they’ve written. I can’t wait to see more of their work.

I think readers who like HOW TO BECOME A PLANET by Nicole Melleby or FOREVERLAND by Nicole C. Kear will love this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Héctor is gay and Latino. He has several other close friends who are LGBTQ and/or BIPOC.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Reference to a homophobic slur. The word itself is not used.

Romance/Sexual Content
A girl asks another girl to a school dance and is asked not to DJ the event because of it.

Spiritual Content
A room appears to Héctor and a couple other kids when they need it most. It transforms into whatever they need, from a janitor closet to a library to a coffee shop to a nap space. Sometimes it hints at solutions to problems they face.

Violent Content
Some homophobia and bullying. Though Héctor is never in critical physical danger, he bears some pretty deep wounds from the way his antagonists treat him, and even begins to experience some depression.

Drug Content
None.

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 THE INSIDERS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Frankie and Amelia by Cammie McGovern

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Frankie and Amelia
Cammie McGovern
HarperCollins
Published October 26, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Frankie and Amelia

A heartfelt companion novel to the critically acclaimed CHESTER AND GUS about inclusivity, autism, friendship, and family, perfect for fans of Sara Pennypacker and Kate DiCamillo.

After being separated from his family, Franklin becomes an independent cat, until he meets a goofy dog named Chester. Chester is a service dog to his person, a boy named Gus, and Chester knows just the girl to be Franklin’s person—Gus’s classmate Amelia.

Amelia loves cats, but has a harder time with people. Franklin understands her, though, and sees how much they have in common. When Amelia gets into some trouble at school, Franklin wants to help the girl who’s done so much to help him. He’s not sure how, yet, but he’s determined to try.

This sweet and moving novel demonstrates how powerful the bond between pets and people can be, while thoughtfully depicting a neurodivergent tween’s experience.

My Review

One of the things that really struck me about this book is the decision to tell the whole story from Frankie’s (the cat’s) point-of-view. I think I expected it to have some scenes from Amelia’s perspective, but it doesn’t. I haven’t read CHESTER AND GUS, but it’s told from the perspective of the dog that Frankie meets in FRANKIE AND AMELIA, so if I had, I would have expected the viewpoint.

Frankie’s voice was fun and sweet and gave an interesting view into both Gus and Amelia’s families. I loved the way the story shows the healing power of relationships with animals– as a cat lady, I absolutely believe in that myself, and I loved seeing this positive cat rep– ha!

I don’t have the experience to speak to the authenticity of Amelia or Gus as autistic characters. They made sense to me as characters, though, and I definitely invested in their relationships with Frankie as well as with each other. I loved both Amelia’s and Gus’s moms too.

I think fans of FLORA AND ULYSSES or THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN will love this sweet, insightful story.

Content Notes for Frankie and Amelia

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Amelia and Gus have ASD.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Frankie learns that Amelia has scratched a girl at school during a conflict.

Drug Content
None.

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 FRANKIE AND AMELIA in exchange for my honest review.