Category Archives: Book Review and Content

Review: Joy to the World by Kai Shappley and Lu Bunker

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Joy, to the World by Kai Shappley and Lisa Bunker

Joy to the World
Kai Shappley and Lu Bunker (writing at the time as Lisa Bunker)
Publisher
Published May 9, 2023

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About Joy to the World

A young Dumplin’ meets Melissa in this joyful and energetic middle grade novel about a twelve-year-old girl living her life to the fullest, celebrating her love for sports and fighting for her right to cheer.

Joy, a twelve-year-old trans girl, just moved to Texas with her mother and older brother. Her family has accepted Joy as the girl she is early in her transition, with little fuss, leaving Joy to explore her love of sports, competition, teamwork, school spirit, and worship. But when she is told she’s off the cheerleading team, Joy wants to fight for her right to cheer.

As her battle with the school board picks up momentum, Joy attracts support from kids all around the country . . . she even gets the attention of her hero, trans activist Kai Shappley. Inspired by Kai’s own life, Joy, to the World is a timely story of living life to the fullest, celebrating and centering trans joy, courage, and resilience. 

My Review

I picked up this book because I want to read more fiction by and about transgender characters, especially trans girls. What I found here, though, is such a beautiful story about a family and community coming together to celebrate cheerleading and validate a young girl’s existence.

I imagine there are still a lot of places in which people don’t meet transgender kids. It’s not a super common thing, and some, like Joy, choose to live in stealth and not advertise their identities, for very understandable reasons. Books like this one offer readers a chance to read about the experience that a trans girl and her family might have. Joy is a sweet, friendly girl who loves cheerleading and enjoys spending time with her friends.

I really enjoyed the portrayal of Joy’s family unit. Her mom takes time to think things through, but she remains supportive of Joy and cares about her feelings. Joy’s older brother, Will, doesn’t always see eye to eye with her, and sometimes takes the opportunity to tease her in the way older brothers do. But when push comes to shove, he supports her and offers helpful insights into how Joy can speak up for herself.

Though in the story, Joy experiences hate and ignorance, the narrative remains positive and often very gentle. Joy relates a positive experience with her faith. She also loves cheerleading. These things challenge the tendency that we have to reduce people to one part of their identity.

This book is an essential narrative about the experience of growing up transgender. I highly recommend it for readers looking for a positive, uplifting story about living authentically, celebrating your interests, and building community.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Joy is a Christian and attends a LGBTQIA+ affirming church. She references finding comfort in her faith and closes each of her journal entries with a brief prayer asking God to bless others around her.

Violent Content
The book contains some transphobic comments, though these are often summarized or referenced rather than outright stated. Joy is misgendered a few times. She experiences hateful comments from people online. One person uses emojis to suggest that they would shoot a transgender child.

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: Keeper Chance and the Conundrum of Chaos by Alex Evanovich

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , ,

Keeper Chance and the Conundrum of Chaos
Alex Evanovich
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published October 8, 2024

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About Keeper Chance and the Conundrum of Chaos

For graduates of Percy Jackson comes the adventure-filled story of an average boy offered a life of villainy that’s about good vs. evil, mischief vs. mayhem, and making your mark on the world, by acclaimed author Alex Evanovich. 

If you’ve ever lost a sock in the dryer, it might have been the work of the Evil Villains International League, EVIL. And if your feet smell so bad, they keep you from making friends, good news! You might be invited to join.

After growing up in the care of his nagging grandmother and coasting through school with a mediocre GPA, Keeper Chance gets invited to try out for a spot in his local chapter of EVIL. Keeper’s not sure his unremarkable life makes him villain material, but things get more remarkable, and fast, when Keeper and another new recruit, Toby, face the chapter’s first test—and disasters begin to snowball.

As cookies and members of EVIL go missing, a mysterious girl named Y who doesn’t miss anything joins Keeper and Toby’s efforts. Despite the urgency of his mission, Keeper still can’t shake the question of why he was chosen for the league when he’s nothing special.

As Keeper races against the clock to save his new friends, nothing is easy, and nothing is ever as it seems. Can he uncover his true nature in time to ensure the survival of villainy—or does his true destiny follow a different path?

My Review

This is such a silly book. Though main characters Keeper Chance and his new best friends are sixteen, the lighthearted, caricature-ish story feels targeted to upper middle grade readers. The characters behave more independently than younger characters might believably act, too.

The story roams between points of view, taking readers into the minds of the villains and heroes alike, showing both adult and teen perspectives. Some of the characters, such as Keeper’s grandmother, are pretty cartoonish, but that feels like the vibe the story is going for, so it works.

I enjoyed how the plot seamlessly leads Keeper and Toby from one problem to the next. A search for cookies leads them to a lost dog and a kidnapping that’s part of a larger plot. This kept the story moving and balanced the danger and mischief elements while adding lots of fun into the mix.

Overall, this one is like The Incredibles, with the silliness dialed way up. I can see fans of superhero stories getting a pretty big kick out of this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to attraction between two characters.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have special superhuman abilities.

Violent Content
Situations of peril.

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 Floating World by Axie Oh

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The Floating World (The Floating World #1)
Axie Oh
Feiwel & Friends
Published April 29, 2025

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About The Floating World

From Axie Oh, the New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in this romantic fantasy reimagining the Korean legend of Celestial Maidens.

Sunho lives in the Under World, a land of perpetual darkness. An ex-soldier, he can remember little of his life from before two years ago, when he woke up alone with only his name and his sword. Now he does odd-jobs to scrape by, until he comes across the score of a lifetime—a chest of coins for any mercenary who can hunt down a girl who wields silver light.

Meanwhile, far to the east, Ren is a cheerful and spirited acrobat traveling with her adoptive family and performing at villages. But everything changes during one of their festival performances when the village is attacked by a horrific humanlike demon. In a moment of fear and rage, Ren releases a blast of silver light—a power she has kept hidden since childhood—and kills the monster. But her efforts are not in time to prevent her adoptive family from suffering a devastating loss, or to save her beloved uncle from being grievously wounded.

Determined to save him from succumbing to the poisoned wound, Ren sets off over the mountains, where the creature came from—and from where Ren herself fled ten years ago. Her path sets her on a collision course with Sunho, but he doesn’t realize she’s the girl that he—and a hundred other swords-for-hire—is looking for. As the two grow closer through their travels, they come to realize that their pasts—and destinies—are far more entwined than either of them could have imagined…

My Review

I’m not going to lie; this book had me at Final Fantasy. I may have been waiting my whole life for a book that gave Final Fantasy VII vibes so strongly, and in all the best ways. I may have hummed the Sephiroth theme out loud more than once while reading.

The story mainly alternates between Ren and Sunho’s perspectives. I loved both of them as characters. Sunho has memory gaps that add to the intrigue surrounding him. Ren remembers her past, but she actively avoids thinking about it. A third point of view appears now and then, and his scenes both raise new questions and tie things together.

The story world feels like something straight out of Final Fantasy. It has a clearly defined class system with a shadowy power structure. I loved piecing together what was happening in the mythril mines and figuring out the memories Sunho had lost.

I think this is the first part of a duology. The second part comes out in October and is called The Demon and the Light. I will definitely be reading that!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Profanity used rarely.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
One character has the ability to use magic. The story explores a myth about a goddess who lost her wings. Strange creatures referred to as demons attack and kill people.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battle scenes. A girl witnesses a murder.

Drug Content
Someone injects others with an experimental substance, sometimes without their consent.

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: Their Just Desserts by Tracy Badua and Alechia Dow

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Their Just Desserts (The Cookie Crumbles #2)
Tracy Badua and Alechia Dow
Quill Tree Books
Published May 13, 2025

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About Their Just Desserts

Perfect for fans of The Great British Baking Show and Clue, this enchanting and rollicking follow-up to The Cookie Crumbles follows two best friends caught up in a twisty mystery when jewels go missing at a high-stakes baking competition.

Baker extraordinaire Laila Thomas and budding journalist Lucy Flores are living it up at the top of the junior high food chain as eighth graders. But between busy schedules and kinda-boyfriends, these two best friends haven’t gotten to hang out as much. So, when Jaden, an ex-competition rival, begs the duo to step back into the world of cooking competitions and crime—the answer is yes.

Jaden is His father is accused of stealing prized jewels on the set of an amateur kids’ holiday baking show. The plan is for Laila to smash the competition while Lucy investigates behind the scenes—but their half-baked plan gets turned totally upside down when Lucy ends up in front of the cameras instead.

As the investigation and competition heat up, Lucy and Laila’s bond is put to the ultimate test. Can they solve this bakeoff mystery, or will they—and their friendship—crack under pressure?

My Review

Where do I even start?! What a fun book. I love all the references to the holidays. The story takes place near Christmas, and Laila and Lucy reminisce about their own treasured holiday traditions: watching holiday-themed murder mysteries and enjoying delicious baked treats. Can’t beat that! The movie descriptions are fabulous. They have that over-the-top holiday movie vibe. Definitely something I’d watch with a cup of hot cocoa and a holiday cookie.

One of the really sweet, subtle things about the book is the way that it explores loneliness. I remember being Laila’s age and having the loneliest time of my life, even though I was constantly surrounded by people. Laila notices her loneliness and struggles to voice her feelings. As she’s working through this, she notices loneliness in others around her, and that helps her see people in a new way. Some characters she viewed as arrogant or aloof actually turn out to be shy and lonely themselves, and recognizing that helpes Laila connect with them.

I also enjoyed the mystery element to the book. The girls race to find missing diamonds and uncover the identity of the thief before police charge a dear friend’s dad with the crime. Putting the baking show and the mystery together worked really well, as both eliminate suspects within a specific timeline. And the baking show added deadlines and pressure to the quest.

This book was an absolute joy to read. I think middle grade readers interested in mysteries or anyone who loves baking will want to check this one out.

Author Q&A with Tracy Badua and Alechia Dow

Don’t miss out on this fabulous Q&A with Tracy Badua and Alechia Dow that I posted last week. I had so much fun learning about some behind-the-scenes story information and the duo’s collaborative process. Be sure to check it out!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to attraction between characters. One character is excited about the possibility of starting a relationship.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to a thief stealing diamonds.

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: Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas

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Swim Team
Johnnie Christmas
HarperAlley
Published May 17, 2022

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About Swim Team

Bree can’t wait for her first day at her new middle school, Enith Brigitha, home to the Mighty Manatees–until she’s stuck with the only elective that fits her schedule, the dreaded Swim 101. The thought of swimming makes Bree more than a little queasy, yet she’s forced to dive headfirst into one of her greatest fears. Lucky for her, Etta, an elderly occupant of her apartment building and former swim team captain, is willing to help.

With Etta’s training and a lot of hard work, Bree suddenly finds her swim-crazed community counting on her to turn the school’s failing team around. But that’s easier said than done, especially when their rival, the prestigious Holyoke Prep, has everything they need to leave the Mighty Manatees in their wake.

Can Bree defy the odds and guide her team to a state championship, or have the Manatees swum their last lap–for good?

My Review

I’ve heard so many great things about this book– I’m really glad I finally had a chance to read it. Bree’s relationship with her dad is so sweet. When the story opens, they’re driving to Florida, where a new apartment awaits them. Bree makes new connections, from the neighbor who helps with her care, to a girl living in the apartment complex, and eventually, to a whole team of girls on the swim team.

As Bree explores her fears of the water and braves learning to swim, she learns some of the history behind why many Black Americans don’t feel safe at a public pool or have experience swimming. Her neighbor explains the impact of segregation. She talks about how it prevented people of color from accessing pools or beaches in the past.

I had never really thought about this myself until several years ago when one of the contestants on the show Survivor spoke about it. I just hadn’t put those pieces together, but as soon as the contestant explained, it made (awful) sense.

In light of that history, watching Bree claim ownership of her skills and find joy in the water as a swimmer and member of a competitive team is really moving. I also loved the way the relationships in the book are portrayed. I especially enjoyed those between the girls on the team, Etta and Bree, and Bree and her dad. The ending, which shows Bree sharing her expertise by helping someone else overcome a fear of the water, is absolutely perfect.

This is a fabulous choice for readers interested in swimming as a sport or looking for a graphic novel about friendship.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A few mean comments from one girl to another. References to segregation in America and how it affected Black citizen’s access to public pools. One page shows protests against segregation.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: You and Me on Repeat by Mary Shyne

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You and Me on Repeat
Mary Shyne
Henry Holt & Co
Published May 13, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About You and Me on Repeat

In this swoony and hilarious debut rom-com graphic novel, two former friends are trapped in a time loop together, repeating their high school graduation day over and over and over—for fans of Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, Pumpkinheads, and Groundhog Day.

Chris O’Brien has a genius plan: If he can share the perfect first kiss with his crush, Andy, then of course he’ll break free from the time loop that has him repeating graduation day over and over…and over.

Alicia Ochoa thinks Chris’s plan is doomed. Valedictorian and a total nerd, she knows it’ll take more than a kiss to escape the loop they’re trapped in together. Besides, Chris may be a hopeless romantic, but Alicia doesn’t think he has a real shot with Andy.

Once close friends, Alicia and Chris have history—lots of it. As they got older, the pair fell out after Chris ditched her for the “cool kids” and left her in the dust. But when you’re looping side by side, you never know if friendship might rekindle or what new feelings could spark along the way.

My Review

This story starts out in the middle, backtracks to the beginning, and then moves forward toward the ending. While it was a little confusing in the first few pages, it helps introduce a lot of elements, like Chris and Andy’s relationship, the time loop, the estrangement between Alicia and Chris, etc.

At first, some of the elements seem disparate. For example, Chris and the other kids on the swim team are mourning the loss of their swim coach, who died in a car accident. Alicia behaves oddly about something that later, once Chris puts the pieces together, makes a lot more sense.

I like the way that the story connects all these dots together. I also thought some of the things Alicia and Chris do during the phase in which they’ve given up on getting out of the time loop were pretty silly.

The time loop also gives Chris a chance to experience parts of Alicia’s life that she would probably have kept hidden otherwise, like her relationships with her siblings. Being so close to Alicia’s family gives Chris an opportunity to confront privilege that he didn’t realize he had. It also helps shed light on why the friendship between them ended and what their moms argued about.

Ultimately, I think this is a perfect book to kick off summer with. Read this while enjoying a bowl of ice cream or lounging by the pool. The story is a lot of fun, and it offers some thoughtful moments as well.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Multiple characters are stuck in a time loop and repeat the same day over and over.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to pranks and hijinks, such as stealing something, knowing that the timeline will reset and the items will return to where they belong the next day.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol and get drunk at a graduation party.

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.