Review: A Mastery of Monsters by Liselle Sambury

Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , ,
A Mastery of Monsters by Liselle Sambury

A Mastery of Monsters
Liselle Sambury
Margaret K. McElderry
Published July 29, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About A Mastery of Monsters

Ninth House meets Legendborn in this thrilling first book in a dark academia fantasy series about a teen who’s willing to do anything to find her brother—even infiltrate a secret society full of monsters.

When August’s brother disappears before his sophomore semester, everyone thinks the stress of college got to him. But August knows her brother would never have left her voluntarily, especially not after their mother so recently went missing.

The only clue he left behind was a note telling her to stay safe and protect their remaining family. And after August is attacked by a ten-foot-tall creature with fur and claws, she realizes that her brother might be in more danger than she could have imagined.

Unfortunately for her, the only person with a connection to the mysterious creature is the bookish Virgil Hawthorne…and he knows about them because he is one. If he doesn’t find a partner to help control his true nature, he’ll lose his humanity and become a mindless beast—exactly what the secret society he’s grown up in would love to put down.

Virgil makes a proposition: August will join his society and partner with him, and in return, he’ll help her find her brother. And so August is plunged into a deadly competition to win one of the few coveted candidate spots, all while trying to accept a frightening reality: that monsters are real, and she has to learn to master them if she’s to have any hope of saving her brother.

My Review

I was really on the edge about whether or not to read this book. It’s almost 600 pages, and I tend to struggle with longer books like that. I had heard such great things about the author, though, that I decided to give the book a try.

Sometimes when I read a long book, I find myself skimming large sections and thinking the book could easily have been 100 pages shorter. I did not do that with A Mastery of Monsters. So. Much. Happens. In this book. It’s nonstop packed with action from start to finish.

August is such an intricately crafted character. She’s still reeling from grief over her mom’s disappearance, but she also has this (understandable) complex where she hyperfixates on fears of disappointing people. Those fears end up becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy as she self-sabotages again and again. Her distrust of others and lone-wolf mentality were so easy to relate to.

In the story, August becomes involved with a group called the Learner’s Society. It’s supposed to seem very high brow and elitist, and yet has these ideals of equity and inclusiveness. Right away, August has questions. It feels like a cult to her, and though she needs them to help her find her brother, she’s committed not to trust the organization. I loved that tension between her and the group.

I thought the ending was also well-balanced. It answers the questions that the premise promised and introduces a new conflict for readers to look forward to in the second book. If the next book is as long as this one, I don’t know whether or not I’ll continue with the series.

Conclusion

I enjoyed the story. I think the length was warranted. It’s just hard for me to commit that much time to one book at this point in my reading life, so we’ll see. I think contemporary fantasy fans will really enjoy this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used here and there.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Some characters transform into monsters. If they bond with a non-monster person, through a special ritual, the non-monster can help the monster retain control of their actions and change back into a human form. A select few have the ability to control any monster, even those they haven’t bonded with. Powerful items offer the ability to control monsters.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief graphic descriptions of monster-induced injuries. Brief graphic descriptions of combat.

Drug Content
The opening scene shows a drunk college girl leaving a club and heading for her dorm. August also gets drunk to escape heightened grief or overwhelm. A couple other scenes show college students sharing a glass of wine.

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 True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

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The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Avi
Scholastic, Inc.
Published October 27, 2015 (Orig. 1990)

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About The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle is excited to return home from her school in England to her family in Rhode Island in the summer of 1832. But when the two families she was supposed to travel with mysteriously cancel their trips, Charlotte finds herself the lone passenger on a long sea voyage with a cruel captain and a mutinous crew. Worse yet, soon after stepping aboard the ship, she becomes enmeshed in a conflict between them!

What begins as an eagerly anticipated ocean crossing turns into a harrowing journey, where Charlotte gains a villainous enemy . . . and is put on trial for murder!

After Words material includes an author Q&A, journal writing tips, and other activities that bring Charlotte’s world to life!

My Review

I first read this book in elementary school, and I decided to revisit it as part of the reading challenges I’ve committed to for this year. One of the challenges is to revisit a childhood favorite. I chose The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle in part because I remember loving it. I also wanted to revisit the work and think about the explorations of classism and sexism.

Twelve-year-old Charlotte embarks on a journey from England to the United States in 1832. Her family’s original plan is that two other families would accompany her on the voyage, but instead, she is the only passenger on a ship crewed entirely by men.

At first, the only person on the ship she feels comfortable with is Captain Jaggery, whom she takes to be a gentleman from the way he addresses her and his dress and such. She hears rumors from the crew and others that he is a violent man who can’t be trusted, and at first, she assumes these statements are exaggerated or just the kinds of complaints one might have if one works for a captain with high standards.

Then, she witnesses some of his cruelty. She listens to him malign the crew as if they are inferior men. At first, she doesn’t push back on his behavior. As the captain’s cruelty escalates, she begins to wonder if the crew members have been telling her the truth. She also gets to know several crew members and unpacks some of the classist statements the captain made. When she experiences prejudice herself, she further examines these ideas.

I had forgotten how tightly paced this book is. The tension builds, culminating in a murder mystery with Charlotte at its center.

The vocabulary in the book will be challenging for younger readers, but the concepts in the story largely stand the test of time. Charlotte and the crew’s lone Black man become unlikely friends. She learns a lot from him, and ultimately, she faces pivotal moments where she will have to believe him and support him in return or look out for her own interests.

Readers who enjoy a tightly paced murder mystery on the high seas or a historical novel about girls challenging gender norms and finding adventure will enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very briefly.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Charlotte reads Bible passages to the crew on Sundays. They pray over a crewmate who has passed away.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. One scene shows someone whipping a bound man. A man shoots another man in the chest. He dies soon after, and someone heaves his body overboard on the captain’s orders. References to a man who was beaten so badly that he lost his arm.

Drug Content
Mentions of alcohol on board and sailors drinking rum. (Drinking happens off-scene.)

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

Belated Spring 2025 Backlist Reading Check-in and Life Update

Young Adult/Teen 12-18

A Very Belated Spring 2025 Backlist Reading Check-in and Life Update

Yet again, life got in the way of my best blogging intentions. I meant to post this spring 2025 backlist reading update early in June, but some health issues got in the way. I was finally sitting down today (late July) to do some catching up, and discovered this unfinished draft. Yikes!

I read a lot of audiobooks last spring, which was lovely. A lot of them were shorter books because my attention span just wasn’t great. But you’ll see some pretty noteworthy titles on the list, including Monster by Walter Dean Myers, Nothing But the Truth by Avi, and Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo.

I’ve been trying to read a poem every day (something that the author Shannon Reed suggested in her book, Why We Read). It hasn’t been a 100% perfect success, but I am absolutely engaging with more poetry this year than in previous ones. In April, I finished reading the poetry collection Devotions by Mary Oliver, which I absolutely loved. If you spoke to me in April, I probably recommended that you read it.

At any rate, this is a long list, so I’ll wrap up my update here. We’re all here for the books, so let’s get to them!

Note: This post contains affiliate links that do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. Thanks for using them to do your shopping.

Spring 2025 Backlist Reading Check-in

Devotions by Mary Oliver

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: This volume of Oliver’s poetry (selected by the author) has been the soothing balm that I need at the end of the day. As a reading project, I’m reading a little poetry each day, and Oliver’s peaceful wisdom and celebration of the natural world make a brilliant way to end the evening.

Published October 10, 2017

If I Have to Be Haunted by Miranda Sun

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A fast-paced story about a girl who can see ghosts who stumbles into a dangerous spiritual plot. Enemies to lovers romance.

Published September 26, 2023 | My Review to Come

Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jairgirdar

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: I’ve read and loved solo projects by each of these authors, so I feel no surprise at how much I enjoyed this book. I loved the arc of the story and the way that community and art feature in the book.

Published June 4, 2024 | My Review to Come

The Wild Robot Protects (The Wild Robot #3) by Peter Green

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: My daughter and I loved every book in this series, and we’re both only sorry this is the last book. Roz continues her journey to protect the animal friends and family on her island from an environmental threat. And she becomes a grandma! So sweet.

Published September 26, 2023 | My Review to Come

Amari and the Despicable Wonders (Supernatural Investigations #3) by B. B. Alston

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Amari teams up with old and new friends in a race to defeat a group of magicians who would wipe out the Bureau and all magical creatures. This book continues the series nicely and gave me a chance to get to know more about Amari’s friends. I enjoyed reading it.

Published August 27, 2024 | My Review to Come

The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: I was unprepared for the ways in which this book parallels some things from real life. What I love is how hopeful, whimsical, and ultimately encouraging this story is.

Published March 8, 2022 | My Review to Come

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A tightly plotted high-seas adventure that explores classism and unexpected friendships and alliances.

Published October 27, 2015 (Orig. 1990) | My Review to Come

The Tea Dragon Society Series by K. O’Neill

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Greta discovers a shop that cares for tiny tea dragons, harvesting tea that grows on their heads or antlers. The series follows several characters’ adventures with tea dragons at different points in time. All are sweet stories with all the coziness O’Neill’s readers have come to expect from them.

Published 2017 to 2021 | My Reviews to Come

Thirsty: A Novel by Jas Hammonds

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Powerful storytelling about addiction and toxic relationships and the friends who stick with you through it all.

Published May 14, 2024 | My Review to Come

The Redemption of Daya Keane by Gia Gordon

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A sapphic romance and an examination of harmful faith and family relationships. Also, made me literally laugh out loud. Fabulous, unforgettable characters.

Published May 28, 2024 | My Review to Come

Hungry Ghost by Victoria Ying

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: This was another mood read for me. I have seen this book talked about in online bookish spaces, so it’s been on my list for a while. It’s one of those books where you can tell the author has a very deep personal connection to the work.

Published April 25, 2023 | My Review to Come

Witchwood (Ravenfall #3) by Kalyn Josephson

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: I am still working on getting current with this series! Still a huge fan of Max (the cat-who-is-not-a-cat) and Anna. I love that we’re seeing more of her coming into her own.

Published October 1, 2024 | My Review to Come

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Oof. This book hits hard. It made me think a lot about the justice system and how complex human relationships and events are.

Published May 1, 2001 (Orig 1999) | My Review to Come

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Some of the scenes are dated, but the soul of the book remains so relevant. Margaret’s anxiety about her body and her desire to make choices about her faith and her life will definitely still resonate today.

Published February 28, 2023 (Orig. 1970) | My Review to Come

The Night Country (The Hazel Wood #2) by Melissa Albert

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: I feel like The Hazen Wood is the kind of story that gets into your head. It took me a while after reading that one to get back to this story, but once I started reading, I realized how much I missed it. This one is packed with more dark fairytales and treacherous magic.

Published January 7, 2020 | My Review to Come

Keeper Chance and the Conundrum of Chaos by Alex Evanovich

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: I received an ARC of this book last year, but hadn’t been able to get to it until this spring. The voice is so silly and upbeat. I can easily see this series being a hit with young readers.

Published October 8, 2024 | My Review

City Spies by James Ponti (City Spies #1)

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: I’ve gotten a couple of the later books in the series in the mail from publishers, but didn’t know if I could dive into the series without starting at the beginning. So I finally got to the first book! This is a fun spy thriller starring a team of kids from all over the world.

Published March 10, 2020 | My Review

James by Percival Everett

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: I read this book for a local book club (and then missed the discussion meeting– boo!). It’s a reimagining of the story of Huckleberry Finn but told from Jim’s perspective. The balance of storytelling to inviting readers to examine social or historical ideas is perfect. James is the kind of story you want to chew on for a while.

Published March 19, 2024

I Shall Never Fall in Love by Hari Conner

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: One of the members of a group of KidLit bloggers that I’m in recommended this book, and I immediately put a hold on it at the library. This is the second LGBTQIA+ historical romance graphic novel that I’ve read this year, and I am loving them. This was such a fun book.

Published November 19, 2024 | My Review to Come

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: This book was recently banned in my school district (even though the school board acknowledged its literary excellence). I decided it was past time for me to read the book myself. Malinda Lo is amazing. What an insightful, powerful story examining the history of homophobia and the experience of Chinese Americans in the 1950s.

Published January 19, 2021 | My Review to Come

Nothing But the Truth by Avi

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Take a big breath before going into this one. Though it was written more than 30 years ago, it’s impossible to read this and not feel the echoes of today’s fervor for nationalism. It’s not a super long read, but it’s razor-sharp.

Published January 1, 2010 (Orig. 1991) | My Review to Come

On the Block: Stories of Home edited by Ellen Oh

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: I love when the stories in an anthology relate to one another in some way. In this collection, each story takes place in an apartment building. The individual stories are labeled with the apartment number. There’s a great lineup of authors represented here. Some I was familiar with, and others I immediately had to add to my reading list. If you’re looking for a great middle grade anthology about community, definitely grab this one.

Published October 22, 2024 | My Review

The Magic Fish by Trung le Nguyen

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: This was one of our book club picks for our Kidlit Book Club earlier this year. It was a reread for me, but one I delighted in. I love the way the author uses color to differentiate between the stories and the way the fairytales and their evolution reflects what’s happening in the story.

Published October 13, 2020 | My Review

Coming Back by Jessi Zabarsky

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: I have to have seen someone talking about this book online somewhere, but I can’t remember where. This graphic novel focuses on a village and their traditions about life, death, and rebirth. I loved the details in the illustrations and the soothing color palette.

Published January 18, 2022 | My Review to Come

What Did You Read This Spring?

Do you keep track of your spring 2025 backlist reading? What’s the best book you’ve read recently? Also, if you’re comfortable sharing, let me know how you’re doing. How’s your reading life? And life in general? Leave a comment and fill me in!

Review: White Lies: How the South Lost the Civil War and Rewrote History by Ann Bausum

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

White Lies: How the South Lost the Civil War and Rewrote History
Ann Bausum
Roaring Brook Press
Published August 12, 2025

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About White Lies: How the South Lost the Civil War and Rewrote History

This powerful and unflinching examination of racism in America by award-winning historian Ann Bausum deconstructs the warped history of the Civil War for teen readers, perfect for fans of STAMPED, JUST MERCY, and ACCOUNTABLE.

Warning: This is not your average U.S. history book.

After the Civil War, the Confederates may have laid down their arms, but they were far from accepting defeat. By warping the narrative around what really happened during and after the Civil War, they created an alternate history now known as the Lost Cause. These lies still manifest today through criticism of Critical Race Theory, book banning, unequal funding for education, and more.

This book sets the record straight and explains the true history of the Civil War, and its complex and far-reaching aftermath. Written by historian and award-winning author Ann Bausum, White Lies is an impeccably researched chronicle filled with photos, robust back matter, additional resources, and more that fans of Howard Zinn’s A Young People’s History of the United States will enjoy.

My Review

I grew up (and still live) in Florida. I was educated in the public school system, and have vivid memories of history lessons that romanticized the Confederacy. The Confederate battle flag still flies in places in my hometown. I see it less often today than I did in earlier decades, though. If I stand outside and throw a rock, I’ll very likely hit someone who believes the Civil War was about states rights.

All that to say that I went into this book already a believer in Bausum’s premise. I figured I’d probably be familiar with a lot of the propaganda in the book and probably not surprised by much. While I’d heard some of the information before, there were still some shocking revelations.

I really appreciate that Bausam covers the shifting perceptions about the American Civil War from wartime to 2023. Following the thread of history helped me connect the dots between historical events in ways that I was unsuccessful at before. For example, the text covers the shift in how Confederate graves are maintained/honored at Arlington National Cemetery, especially under the direction of U.S. presidents.

The book also highlights various Confederate statues and monuments. Brief acts about the monument’s creation, its location, and current status appear on a page with an image showing the statue or monument. Learning about those was interesting, too.

This is a long book. I wish there were more photographs or other formatting to visually break up the text. However, Bausum’s arguments are carefully constructed. There’s no rushing to any conclusions here. The backmatter is pretty extensive and includes a long list of sources, research notes, an author’s note, a timeline, and an index.

Conclusion

Overall, this is an incredibly helpful resource. I realized after I finished reading this that another of Bausum’s books (The Bard and the Book: How the First Folio Saved the Plays of William Shakespeare from Oblivion) is already on my reading list. I’ve added a few of her other titles about the Civil Rights movement to my reading list as well.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to marriage.

Spiritual Content
References to Chapel construction. Vague references to God in letters and quotes from historical figures.

Violent Content
References to warfare, human enslavement and trafficking. Brief descriptions of abuse of enslaved people. A few brief descriptions of murder. References to racism and hate crimes.

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: Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire by Don Martin

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Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire
Don Martin
Page Street Press
Published August 5, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire

Witch apprentice Verity Vox has never encountered a problem magic can’t solve. So when a cryptic note invites her to Foxfire, she goes.

With her apprenticeship limiting her services to a year, Foxfire will be her biggest challenge yet. The town has already lost its only bridge, and many loved ones have disappeared in dealings with a shady magic peddler named Earl—leaving the whole town wary of magic.

Even as Verity wins the townsfolk over, she realizes she may not be able to save them. Going after Earl only returns Tacita, the missing girl who summoned Verity, but no one else. And the fight costs Verity the ability to fly and draws her to the old dark magic beneath the mountain.

As Verity hones her powers and grows to care for Tacita, she must learn that not everything can be solved with strength alone.

My Review

One of the really cool things about this book is the personal connection to the author’s life and real U.S. history the story contains. In an author’s note, Martin reveals that the fictional town of Foxfire, where the novel takes place, is inspired by a real town that was cut off from outside contact when a bridge failed. As an Appalachian native himself, Martin pulled the character names from his heritage. I love knowing the personal connection an author has to their work, and in this case, I think it adds a special spark to the story, too.

The tone of the writing is very whimsical, which is fun. This is a book that begs to be read aloud. It also feels like the kind of story that you’d imagine someone sitting by the fire on a long winter evening and sharing with their family.

I love the main characters, especially Verity’s familiar, Jack, or Jack-Be-Nimble, if you’re being formal. What is it about a cat who is not a cat in a fantasy novel? I love them all. Jack reminds me a little bit of Max, the cat-who-is-not-a-cat from the Ravenfall series by Kalyn Josephson, so if you’re a fan of that series, and Max specifically, definitely add this book to your reading list.

The story is stepped in magic with a sinister villain. Verity has to figure out what’s driving the dealmaker holding Foxfire in his grasp and how to use her magic to protect them. This is a perfect book for readers to graduate into after reading the Witchlings series by Claribel A. Ortega or the Ravenfall series by Kalyn Josephson.

Conclusion

If you like fairytale-esque stories, there’s a lot to love about Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire. It definitely has that fairytale feel, but it offers a fresh story. Except for a battle scene toward the end and a couple of brief descriptions that teeter on body horror, it’s a very accessible story.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used super infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Characters attend a wedding.

Spiritual Content
Verity is a witch in training who can perform magic. A magician named Earl uses magic to bind people to deals. References to gods and powerful magical beings of old.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief descriptions of body horror in a few scenes.

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: The Sky Was My Blanket by Uri Shulevitz

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The Sky Was My Blanket: A Young Man’s Journey Across Wartime Europe
Uri Shulevitz
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Published August 12, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Sky Was My Blanket

From celebrated Caldecott Award–winning illustrator Uri Shulevitz comes the gripping and revealing true story of a young Polish exile fighting to survive in war-torn Europe.

Born in the tumult of World War I, a young Jewish boy named Yehiel Szulewicz chafes at the borders of his hometown of Żyrardów, Poland, and at the rules set in place by his restrictive parents. Brimming with a desire for true adventure, he leaves home at fifteen-and-a-half years old to seek his future elsewhere. Little does Yehiel know, he’ll never see his parents again.

His journey takes him beyond Polish borders, to Austria, Croatia, France, and Spain. With no money and no ID papers, he often sleeps under the stars, with only the sky as his blanket. But even wayfaring Yehiel can’t outrun the evil spreading across Europe in the years leading up to World War II. As the fascists and Nazis rise to power, Yehiel soon finds himself a member of the Spanish Republican Army and then the Jewish Resistance in Vichy France, fighting for freedom, his friends, and his very life.

Inspired by the true story of Uri Shulevitz’s uncle and stunningly illustrated by the author, The Sky Was My Blanket is a unique and riveting account of one man’s courage and resilience amidst one of the darkest periods in global history.

Don’t miss Uri Shulevitz’s acclaimed memoir, Chance: Escape from the Holocaust: Memories of a Refugee Childhood, which bestselling author Elizabeth Wein called “harrowing, engaging and utterly honest” (New York Times Book Review).

My Review

I really liked the way this book was written. Each part is broken into very short chapters, usually only a page or so of text, often accompanied by a drawing. This allows the story to focus on the critical moments of Yeheil’s journey. It feels exactly like the snippets you might get when you sit down to ask a relative to tell their life story.

It’s also the kind of information that you’d tell an interested child if you were relating your experiences, so it doesn’t delve too deeply into the horrors of war that Yeheil must have witnessed.

Many of the World War II stories that I’ve read following Jewish characters relate experiences in Concentration Camps, and those are critically important stories to tell. (Perhaps only more important now.) Still, this narrative reminds readers that those aren’t the only experiences of war survivors.

I haven’t read Uri Shulevitz’s memoir, Chance: Escape from the Holocaust: Memories of a Refugee Childhood but after reading his account inspired by his uncle’s life, it’s high on my reading list.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Reference to marriage.

Spiritual Content
Reference to Jewish faith and traditions.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Reference to ghettos and concentration camps.

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.