Category Archives: News and Fun

Review: Not Nothing by Gayle Forman

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , ,
Not Nothing by Gayle Foreman

Not Nothing
Gayle Forman
Aladdin
Published August 27, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Not Nothing

“The book we all need at the time we all need it.” —Katherine Applegate, Newbery Award–winning author of The One and Only Ivan In this middle grade novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Gayle Forman, a boy who has been assigned to spend his summer volunteering at a senior living facility learns unexpected lessons that change the trajectory of his life.

To say Alex has had it rough is an understatement. His father’s gone, his mother is struggling with mental health issues, and he’s now living with an aunt and uncle who are less than excited to have him. Almost everyone treats him as though he doesn’t matter at all, like he’s nothing. So when a kid at school actually tells him he’s nothing, Alex snaps, and gets violent. Fortunately, his social worker pulls some strings and gets him a job at a nursing home for the summer rather than being sent to juvie.

There, he meets Josey, the 107-year-old Holocaust survivor who stopped bothering to talk years ago, and Maya-Jade, the granddaughter of one of the residents with an overblown sense of importance. Unlike Alex, Maya-Jade believes that people care about what she thinks, and that she can make a difference. And when Alex and Josey form an unlikely bond, with Josey confiding in him, Alex starts to believe he can make a difference—a good difference—in the world. If he can truly feel he matters, Alex may be able to finally rise to the occasion of his own life.

My Review

In some ways, this book reminded me of Tree. Table. Book., which came out earlier this year. In that story, a girl befriends an elderly neighbor and learns of her experiences during the Holocaust.

Not Nothing also depicts a close bond between a child and a Holocaust survivor. This time, though, the 107-year-old man narrates the story as if he’s telling it to his lost love, Olka.

The narrative is poignant and gentle even as it tells of hard things: a boy losing his mom when he’s placed in foster care; a family losing their business during the Nazi occupation of Poland; a man separated from his love; and a girl dealing with a parent recovering from a serious illness.

We rarely see main characters, especially in middle grade fiction, who have made terrible choices and now must face the consequences of those choices. This is a brave story that’s also a little bit unsettling. It reminds us that people aren’t one thing. It reminds us that when we judge someone by the worst mistake they’ve made, we miss so many opportunities for good things.

I really appreciated the author’s note that explains why she wrote this book and what inspired the narrative choices she makes in the text. This book offers a lot to think about. I think it also includes a cameo of one of the main characters from Frankie & Bug, also by Gayle Forman.

While this is a heavy story in some places, it’s also hopeful and brave.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Josey is a Jewish Holocaust survivor and the story’s narrator. Several minor characters are queer. Maya-Jade has two moms and is adopted. She is also Jewish. Alex is in foster care. His mom has untreated mental health issues.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
References to slurs and antisemitism/homophobia.

Romance/Sexual Content
A man and woman kiss and become engaged. A couple marries in secret.

Spiritual Content
Alex celebrates Shabbat with Maya-Jade’s family. References to other Jewish holidays and celebrations.

Violent Content
References to World War II and a brief description of the invasion of Poland, destruction of Jewish property, and increasingly oppressive laws under Nazi rule. Brief descriptions of a concentration camp.

Josey references waiting to die several times in the book.

Brief references to Alex’s home life before he was placed in foster care. (He was underweight and not well-cared for.) Brief description of a violent attack against a boy.

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.

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: Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool

Blogger's Favorites, Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Garden of the Cursed (Garden of the Cursed #1)
Katy Rose Pool
Henry Holt & Co.
Published June 20, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Garden of the Cursed

In this thrilling YA fantasy/mystery duology from award-winning author Katy Pool, cursebreaker Marlow Briggs reluctantly pretends to be in love with one of the most powerful nobles in Caraza City to gain entry into an illustrious—and deadly—society that holds clues to her mother’s disappearance. Perfect for fans of Veronica Mars, These Violent Delights, and Chain of Iron.

Since fleeing the gilded halls of Evergarden for the muck-filled canals of the Marshes, Marlow Briggs has made a name for herself as the best godsdamn cursebreaker in Caraza City. But no matter how many cases she solves, she is still haunted by the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.

When Adrius Falcrest, Marlow’s old friend and scion of one of Caraza’s most affluent spell-making families, asks her to help break a life-threatening curse, Marlow wants nothing to do with the boy who spurned her a year ago. But a new lead in her mother’s case makes Marlow realize that the only way to get the answers she desperately seeks is to help Adrius and return to Evergarden society—even if it means suffering through a fake love affair with him to avoid drawing suspicion from the conniving Five Families.

As the investigation draws Marlow into a web of deadly secrets and powerful enemies, a shocking truth emerges: Adrius’s curse and her mother’s disappearance may just be clues to an even larger mystery, one that could unravel the very foundations of Caraza and magic itself.

My Review

This book hooked me from its early pages. I love the gritty world of the Marshes and the magic system, which uses spells contained within cards. The city reminded me a little bit of where Kaz lives in Six of Crows. The magic system and main character being a fish-out-of-water reminded me of Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody, which I also enjoyed.

Once I got to know Marlow and Adrius, I could not put this book down. Their past relationship was a little different than I thought from the back cover description, but that was because I made some assumptions that I didn’t realize I made. They’re both great characters. Some of the side characters, like Swift, Silvan, and Gemma grew on me as the story went on. Silvan is Adrius’s best friend and seems sullen and angry, but he’s fiercely loyal, and he has a pet snake that is always with him, which is somehow endearing.

Swift is another great character. He’s Marlow’s best friend. They have a super close bond, too, from past adventures together. I also love Marlow’s cat, Toad. She’s great.

The blend of fantasy and mystery elements really worked for me in this book. The magic system is unusual, and it gets used in interesting ways. The chemistry between Marlow and Adrius keeps their relationship sparky in more ways than one.

This is the first book in a duology. It has a satisfying conclusion that opens up a whole new set of problems for book two. As soon as I finished reading Garden of the Cursed, I bought and started reading the second book. I have to know how this story ends.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Main character is white. One minor character has had same-gender romantic relationships. Another might be queer. Other characters’ race is ambiguous.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A few F-bombs. Other profanity used pretty infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to a romance between two girls.

Spiritual Content
References to gods. Cards contain spells or curses and can be activated by saying a magic word.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to torture. Threats of torture. Harmful magic such as hexes and curses. A character tries to kill another character with a knife.

Drug Content
Characters drink alcohol.

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: Skyriders by Polly Holyoke

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , ,

Skyriders (Skyriders #1)
Polly Holyoke
Viking Books for Young Readers
Published March 7, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Skyriders

An Amazon Best Book of the Month!

Wings of Fire meets Skandar and the Unicorn Thief in this epic fantasy adventure set in a world where human and skysteed share a deep bond of friendship and love.

When monsters emerge to attack the empire, it’s up to Kiesandra and her beloved winged horse N’Rah to prove to herself and the imperial army that she has what it takes to lead them to victory . . . and survival.

Thirteen-year-old Kiesandra’s best friend isn’t human, but that doesn’t stop her from sharing jokes and secrets with her winged horse, N’Rah. She, like every other person with a skysteed, can communicate with N’Rah through her mind. Their bond is critical when one day, monsters from long ago reemerge to ravage a nearby village. No one knows how to fight the fearsome chimerae except Kie’s uncle . . . and now Kie.

Injured in the battle, Uncle Dug makes her promise to bring his attack plan and weapons to the capital. Kie reluctantly agrees. At the palace, she and N’Rah attempt to gain the trust of the royals and train the army in Dug’s lessons. But how can a young girl and her skysteed convince anyone that only they know how to defeat the deadly monsters?

Buzzing with action, heart, and friendship, this first book in the Skyriders series show that kids can achieve the impossible—especially with flying horses on their side.

My Review

This book made me feel like I was reading fantasy from an earlier decade (but in a really good way). Some of the language was a little nostalgic. For example, Kie refers to her skysteed (winged horse) as “Dear N’Rah” in some intense moments.

While Kie is a great fighter, her passion is for her work as a courier and running her family’s apple farm back home. So when she has to drop everything and journey to the capital in a desperate bid to get generals to change battle tactics for fighting the chimerae, which everyone believed to be extinct, she’s not very happy about it. Especially since she has to leave her injured uncle and his skysteed behind.

A lot of the critical characters in the book are skysteeds, which I enjoyed. They had slightly different ways of thinking about things or approaching things than the human characters. I liked that the bond between skyrider and skysteed had to be continually nurtured. It felt like a real relationship, and the issues between skysteeds and skyriders highlighted the importance of communication and relationship-building.

The only thing I wish was different about the book is the pacing of the ending. A lot happens in the last forty pages or so, and it’s a really important chain of events. It felt a little bit rushed, since so much happened in so few pages, and I wish things had unfolded a bit more slowly. I felt like rushing through made the events seem smaller or less crucial than they were.

That said, I’m still really looking forward to reading the second book, which I also have on my shelf, so look for that soon! This is definitely a series for fans of Wings of Fire or Skandar and the Unicorn Thief.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Characters are from a variety of (made up) races.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Brief references to gods and goddesses worshipped in the world. Long ago, a powerful mage helped forge the agreement between humans and skysteeds. Skyriders can communicate telepathically with their skysteeds. Humans called Scourge Masters control the chimerae, possibly through some dark magic. Chimerae are created to destroy humans.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief battle violence. Kie’s uncle and others close to her get severely injured, and she isn’t immediately sure whether they’ll recover.

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: The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , , , , ,

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman
Gennifer Choldenko
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published June 11, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman

Readers will be rooting for a happy ending for Hank in Newbery-Honor-winner Gennifer Choldenko’s gripping story of a boy struggling to hold his family together when his mom doesn’t come home.

When eleven-year-old Hank’s mom doesn’t come home, he takes care of his toddler sister, Boo, like he always does. But it’s been a week now. They are out of food and mom has never stayed away this long… Hank knows he needs help, so he and Boo seek out the stranger listed as their emergency contact.

But asking for help has consequences. It means social workers, and a new school, and having to answer questions about his mom that he’s been trying to keep secret. And if they can’t find his mom soon, Hank and Boo may end up in different foster homes–he could lose everything.

Gennifer Choldenko has written a heart-wrenching, healing, and ultimately hopeful story about how complicated family can be. About how you can love someone, even when you can’t rely on them. And about the transformative power of second chances.

My Review

This book is as good as everyone says it is. Every review I’ve seen has raved about how full of heart and unbelievably fabulous this book is.

Well. It really is! Oh my gosh. Hank’s relationship with his little sister Boo is the absolute sweetest. He takes care of her so attentively. They have these little rhymes or songs they do together, rituals that he uses to comfort her or help her settle.

After he takes Boo to a family friend’s house to wait for his mom to return, the story really kicks into high gear. Hank has a challenging relationship with his new caregiver, who keeps referring to him (age eleven) as a teenager in a way that leaves no doubt she’s got some baggage or past trauma somewhere in there. Their relationship makes so much sense, though. Sometimes Hank does kid things, and she reacts as if he’s deliberately trying to be hurtful. It’s not all bad, though. She is an excellent caregiver for Boo and helps Hank regear their relationship into one more appropriate to siblings rather than child and caregiver.

Hank is awesome, too. He draws pictures, plays basketball, and skateboards. I could see him being a really relatable character at a lot of levels.

I thought the story did a great job showing some of the big feelings that kids experience in a family in crisis and some of the layers to those feelings. Hank shuts people out, not wanting to connect since he doesn’t know how long he’ll be with his caregiver. He holds his anger close. Because his ability to trust adults (starting with his mom) has been broken, he has a really hard time trusting the other adults in his life. His behavior felt pretty realistic.

I can easily see why so many people love this book. I felt like I flew through the pages and could not stop reading. If you enjoyed Kyra Just for Today by Sara Zarr, definitely check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Hank enters the foster care system shortly after the book begins. His mom is an alcoholic. He has a diverse group of school friends and is close to a Latine family.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to someone getting a divorce in the past. References to Hank’s mom’s past boyfriends.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Someone has gotten in a car accident (off scene), and the car shows the damage still. A toddler sits in the back seat of a car without a car seat. A drunk person attempts to operate a vehicle with children inside it. A caregiver abandons children at a store.

Drug Content
Hank sees his mom drink alcohol. In one scene, she’s very drunk. At one point, he tries to reconcile her behavior and her statements about it. He rationalizes that every adult drinks sometimes. It doesn’t mean his mom has a problem. It sounds like he’s regurgitating things that his mom has said about her drinking. He can’t escape the knowledge that when she drinks, she doesn’t take care of him or Boo very well.

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: Mama’s Chicken and Dumplings by Dionna L. Mann

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Historical, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , , ,

Mama’s Chicken and Dumplings
Dionna L. Mann
Margaret Ferguson Books
Published August 6, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Mama’s Chicken and Dumplings

Growing up in segregated 1930’s Charlottesville, ten-year-old Allie is determined to find a man for her mama to marry— but not just any man will do!

Allie’s life with Mama isn’t bad, but she knows it could be better if Mama would find someone to marry. Allie’s worst enemy, her NOT-friend Gwen, has a daddy, and Allie wants someone like that—someone to fix things when they break, someone who likes to sing, and has a kind-smile.

So Allie makes a plan—her super secret Man-For-Mama plan. She has a list of candidates with a clear top Mr. Johnson, who owns the antique store. Best of all, Mr. Johnson went to school with Mama, and he wants to get reacquainted! The battle’s half won, and Allie is sure that when he tries Mama’s yummy chicken and dumplings, he’ll be head over heels.

But someone else is interested in Mr. Coles, Allie’s teacher, who’s also Gwen’s uncle! Mama can’t marry him—no way is Allie going to be related to Gwen. On top of it all, Allie’s best friend is moving to Chicago; Allie keeps getting in trouble; and everyone seems to think she’s jealous of Gwen, for some reason. Nothing is going how she planned, but Allie is determined to get things back on track toward the life she knows she and Mama both deserve. . . even if Mama doesn’t agree yet.

My Review

Earlier this year, I read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, and it made me realize how little literature I’ve read set before the Civil Rights Act written by Black authors. It seems wild to me now that I’ve noticed it. When I saw this novel, I decided reading it would be a great opportunity to add some more perspective.

I love Allie’s voice. She’s precocious and smart. Her friendship with Jewel is incredibly sweet. The girls support one another and share such a close bond. It was easy to empathize with Allie’s grief when Jewel moves away.

I think the story also has great layering in terms of showing the difference between Allie’s perspective on what’s happening and making the larger picture, or what the adults see going on, available to readers to pick up between the lines. Some of those moments made me laugh. A few were pretty poignant.

One of the things I enjoyed a lot is that Allie is a musician who plays the flute. She also often describes her experiences in terms of sounds, so the story contains a lot of onomatopoeia. The sounds were well-described, so I knew exactly what the descriptions meant. I thought that was a cool way to showcase Allie’s connection to sound as a musician and add a fun element to the story.

All in all, this is a delightful debut. I am really excited to see what Dionna Mann writes in the future. I have a feeling I’ll be picking up any subsequent novels she writes as well as recommending this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Major characters are Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Allie is trying to start a romance between her mom and a local businessman.

Spiritual Content
References to attending church. A couple of scenes take place after the service.

Violent Content
Two girls get into a fistfight after one swipes a toy belonging to the other.

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.

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: Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
Little, Brown, Books for Young Readers
Published March 10, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You

A remix of the National Book Award-winning STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING for ages 12 and up.

A timely, crucial, and empowering exploration of racism–and antiracism–in America.

This is NOT a history book.
This is a book about the here and now.
A book to help us better understand why we are where we are.
A book about race.

The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. This is a remarkable reimagining of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING, winner of a National Book Award. It reveals the history of racist ideas in America and inspires hope for an antiracist future.

STAMPED takes you on a race journey from then to now, shows you why we feel how we feel, and why the poison of racism lingers. It also proves that while racist ideas have always been easy to fabricate and distribute, they can also be discredited.

Through a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative, Jason Reynolds shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas–and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.

My Review

First, the summary description of the book as “gripping, fast-paced and energizing” is totally accurate. I listened to this book as an audiobook twice in a row. There’s so much information packed into such a short span of pages. It is a lot to take in, so I’m sure this won’t even be the last time I read it. I have a hard copy that I’d like to go back to and highlight certain passages in as well.

So, the summary also says this isn’t a history book. Yet, it talks a LOT about history. It looks at history from the perspective of racism and relationships between black and white people in America. It looks at the beginning ideas about our differences and how those ideas evolved (or didn’t) as history played out.

One of the things I like a lot about the book is that it gives a survey overview of a lot of moments but zooms in on some critical places and familiar people as well. There’s quite a bit of discussion about Thomas Jefferson and the things he believed and where the contradictions are. I found that really helpful to clarify and explain some of the things I already knew about him. It definitely filled in some blanks for me.

I think in school, because we’re looking closely at certain parts of history, I sometimes had a “can’t see the forest for the trees” experience. In this book, Reynolds shows us the forest. We kind of get to see the whole of how the relationship between black and white people developed and changed, the rise of different ideas, and why they were harmful or helpful. I liked that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen dots connected in this way. It actually made me feel like I wish we had more books like this– conversational and easy to understand– about other topics. Give me this, but with the history of the United States from an indigenous perspective. Or from the perspective of women’s rights. LGBTQIA+ rights.

I’m sure some of those books already exist, which is awesome because now I’m hungry for them.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
The book references and briefly summarizes the lives of many people, predominantly white men and women and black men and women.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
One instance of mild profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to rape and claims of rape. For example, the book references a movie called Birth of a Nation in which an actor in blackface plays a man who rapes a white woman. No graphic descriptions.

Spiritual Content
Some discussion of the Puritans and early Christian colonists and their views about indigenous people and African people. Some discussion of a church leader and prolific writer who wrote a book that spread fears about witchcraft.

Violent Content
No graphic descriptions of violence, but mentions of enslavement and enslaved people being punished by being whipped. Mentions of people being lynched. Mentions of war.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.