Tag Archives: backlist

Review: Panic by Lauren Oliver

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Panic by Lauren Oliver

Panic
Lauren Oliver
HarperCollins
Published March 4, 2014

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Panic

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn’t know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

My Review

This is still my favorite book by Lauren Oliver. Her writing always strikes me, her stories and characters are always compelling, but there’s something about this particular one that just really sticks with me. I’m not sure if it’s the small town setting, the high, high stakes, the flawed, underdog characters, or the complicated romance.

The small town setting makes for an intimate backdrop. Everyone kind of knows everyone. It feels like there’s nowhere to hide. It feels like ALL THE RAGE or SADIE by Courtney Summers.

The game brings high stakes right away. I found myself getting sidetracked trying to figure out how these struggling kids could afford the $180 entry fee to play the game, but ultimately, that’s a small detail I found I could let go.

The ending doesn’t neatly wrap up all the character’s stories. In fact, a couple are left in awkward situations but seem to be fine. I loved so much of the rest of the story that this didn’t really bug me much either. As the game went on, I felt like I couldn’t look away and needed to know that the characters would find a way through.

Over all, I think fans of suspenseful stories set in small towns like those by Courtney Summers will really like this one. It’s more like Oliver’s VANISHING GIRLS than DELIRIUM.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Main characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme word choice, moderate frequency.

Romance/Sexual Content
A few crude references to sex, but no scenes depicting anything beyond kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Several times kids get beat up in connection with the game Panic.

Drug Content
References to smoking weed. Teens drink beer at a party. One teen girl sips whiskey before completing her Panic test. A girl walks in on her mother and other adults after they’ve been using cocaine.

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Summer 2024 Backlist Check-In and Life Update

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Summer 2024 Backlist Check-In and Life Update

This summer absolutely flew past me. My family didn’t have huge plans, but we had a lot of little things to do that kept us close to home and pretty busy. We managed to get most of those things done and still visit the beach a few times and see friends, so I feel like overall it was a successful season.

I also managed to read a pretty long list of backlist books. I listened to seven of these as audiobooks. Five of these titles are graphic novels and another two are heavily illustrated, which are also pretty quick to read. All of that combined to help me get more reading time in than I anticipated. During the months of June, July, and August, I read more than 80 books, and of those, 24 were backlist titles. I’m really happy with that progress.

A few of these titles had been on my reading list for a long time, so I’m super excited that I finally managed to read them. Most notably, those titles are Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. I also really enjoyed my reread of Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Keep scrolling for details about all the backlist titles I read this summer.

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Summer 2024 Backlist Check-In and Life Update

Dragon Slippers (Dragon Slippers #1) by Jessica Day George

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A girl and a dragon become close friends and help one another through danger and treachery. This is my favorite book in the trilogy.

Published February 1, 2011 (Orig. 2007) | My Review

Dragon Flight (Dragon Slippers #2) by Jessica Day George

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: The Dragon Slippers series continues with a new adventure in another country. I enjoyed the story and the chance to revisit the characters.

Published April 29, 2008 | My Review to Come

Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson and Ekua Holmes

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: The collage illustrations in this book are incredible alongside the thoughtful poetry that celebrates home, girlhood, and growing into your power. Loved it.

Published February 13, 2024 | My Review to Come

Desert Queen by Jyoti R. Gopal and Svabhu Kohli

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Absolutely breathtaking illustrations accompany the rhythmic, emotive poetry that tells the story of the Desert Queen of Rajasthan.

Published January 1, 2024 | My Review to Come

Rise of the Shadowfire (City of Dragons #2) by Jaimal Yogis and Vivian Truong

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: It picks up soon after the first book ends and takes Grace and her friends on a wild race through the Paris catacombs. Grace and her dragon’s relationship is one of the sweet highlights of this quick-to-read graphic novel.

Published October 17, 2023 | My Review to Come

Legends and Lattes (Legends and Lattes #1) by Travis Baldree

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: This was a really fun book to read. The cozy elements really worked, but I never felt like the story dragged or wasn’t interesting. The characters are fabulous. Definitely glad I read this!

Published February 22, 2022

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Total impulse read, but a good one. It’s only about 100 pages and goes through twenty things you can do when you’re worried about a fascist government.

Published June 4, 2024 | My Review to Come

Dragon Spear (Dragon Slippers #3) by Jessica Day George

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: The series finale. I struggled with this one. A character darkens her face to spy on members of a native tribe of enslaved people.

Published May 12, 2009 | My Review to Come

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Really rich storytelling in this graphic novel in which three storylines merge into one. This has some (purposely) uncomfortable moments that confront readers with the impact of racism, especially racist “jokes.” A powerful book.

Published September 6, 2006 | My Review to Come

Night and Dana by Anya Davidson

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A graphic novel set in a small Florida town about a girl who loves special effects make-up and becomes involved in a local environmental protest.

Published September 12, 2023 | My Review to Come

Baby Drag Queen by C. A. Tanaka

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: This one is a little over 100 pages with a larger font, so it’s a very quick read about a transgender boy who enters a drag contest hoping to win money to help his mom.

Published April 11, 2023 | My Review to Come

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehesi Coates

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: This one has been on my reading list for a while. I listened to the audiobook version read by the author. It’s so powerful. His explanation of how his understanding of history evolved when he was in college is incredibly poignant. He frames his experience in terms of bodily autonomy for himself and the people around him. I’m not sure I’ve read anything else that more clearly communicated the experience of being Black in America. It’s a must-read, for sure.

Published June 4, 2024 | My Review to Come

Garden of the Cursed (Garden of the Cursed #1) by Katy Rose Pool

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: I’ve heard a lot about this author, so when I got the chance to read this book, I jumped in with both feet. It was easy to get lost in this world of magic and mayhem along with a friends to enemies to lovers forbidden romance.

Published June 20, 2023 | My Review to Come

Flamer by Mike Curato

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: The story of a boy at Boy Scout camp coming to grips with his identity. Heartfelt and raw. I read this as part of a project to read the top ten most challenged books of 2023.

Published September 1, 2020 | Review to Come

Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human
Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A conversational, graphic novel-style book exploring topics related to sex, dating, identity, and relationships. The format makes the information very accessible, and the authors do a great job presenting basic information about a variety of topics. This is also among the top ten most challenged books of 2023.

Published March 9, 2021 | Review to Come

The Winnie-the-Pooh Collection by A. A. Milne and Ernest Shepard

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: I read Milne’s classic stories about Winnie-the-Pooh for the first time this year. They’re sweet and insightful tales about friendship and exploration.

Published August 6, 2024 | My Review

Skyriders (Skyriders #1) by Polly Holyoke

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Wings of Fire meets Skandar and the Unicorn Thief is a great descriptor. I felt like I was reading a book from an earlier decade in all the best ways.

Published March 7, 2023 | My Review

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: This was a reread for me, and it only made me realize how much I love this story. The insights into family bonds and celebration of imagination are fabulous. I’m so glad I got to revisit this one.

Published August 28, 2014 (Orig. 1908) | My Review to Come

A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: The story follows three orphans who need to find a guardian at the time that children were evacuated from London because of the bombing during WWII. This story was everything I wanted it to be. I have to read more by Kate Albus.

Published February 2, 2021 | My Review to Come

How to Write a Soundtrack to Your Life by Fiona Hardy

Kane Miller Website | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A shy, young composer must figure out who stole the music from her original song. This is an anthem for all shy, musically gifted kids. I loved this one.

Published August 25, 2020 | My Review

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: One of the most challenged books of 2023. Tells the story of Pecola, an eleven-year-old Black girl who prays for her eyes to turn blue so she will be beautiful. A powerful read.

Published June 24, 2007 (Orig. 1970) | My Review to Come

What did you read over the summer?

Did you do any reading over the summer? If so, what were your favorite books? Leave a comment and let me know, or let me know if you’ve read anything from my list.

Review: How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days by Fiona Hardy

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

How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days
Fiona Hardy
Kane Miller Publishing
Published September 1, 2019

Kane Miller Website | Bookshop | Goodreads

About How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days

‘How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days’ is the story of what happens when 11-year-old Hayley Whelan tries to bring her horror-movie vision to the big-screen over the summer holidays.

Friendships will be tested, the fake blood will flow, and the snacks budget will be well and truly blown in this wonderful, heart-warming reel of contemporary Aussie MG.

My Review

How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days is a companion novel to How to Write the Soundtrack to Your Life. I read the other book first, though this one takes place first. They’re only loosely connected, so I think you could read them in any order.

Truthfully, I think the other novel is more compelling. I found Murphy (the main character in How to Write the Soundtrack to Your Life) immediately resonated with me. I enjoyed Hayley as the main character of this book, but I guess I didn’t find her as moving. By the end of the book, I felt like I understood her and loved her, but it was a connection that developed more slowly for me.

One of the things I do love about this book is that it focuses on Hayley’s grief over the loss of her grandmother. The movie was a project that they talked about working on and planned out together, so finishing it is part of Hayley’s grief process.

Her grandmother sounds like quite a character, too. She had quirks and bad habits, but she supported Hayley’s interest in filmmaking and celebrated her ideas and successes. I like that Hayley’s memories of her include hard moments or moments when her grandmother was rude or abrasive. That made her character seem well-rounded, even though she never appeared on scene.

I also enjoyed the scenes that explained Hayley’s filmmaking process, from her film schedule to her finding locations and props to her editing process. There was enough detail to keep me oriented to what was happening, but not so much that it overwhelmed me or slowed down the story.

On the whole, I enjoyed the book and the fact that it followed a young filmmaker and a group of kids making a movie about a carnivorous, terrifying rosebush. It’s a fun story for middle-grade readers who enjoy making their own movies or summer adventures.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
A few characters are indigenous. One is Latine.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to characters dating one another. In one scene, a couple is spotted holding hands.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to bullying. A boy hurts his back and his ankle. A five-year-old is hospitalized with abdominal pain.

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

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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.

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Review: How to Write the Soundtrack to Your Life by Fiona Hardy

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How to Write the Soundtrack to Your Life
Fiona Hardy
Kane Miller Publishing
Published August 25, 2020

Kane Miller Website | Bookshop | Goodreads

About How to Write the Soundtrack to Your Life

Murphy Parker is going to be a songwriter. If she can summon up the nerve to play in front of anyone other than her dad, that is. When an unplanned keyboard performance at school goes well, Murphy wonders if maybe her dreams have a chance after all. Until her entire grade accuses her of plagiarism.

Someone out there is playing Murphy’s songs. But why? How did they hear her play? Desperate to clear her name and reclaim her music, Murphy makes an unlikely alliance with two of her classmates. Turns out, friendship might be even more complicated than tracking down a song thief…

From the up-and-coming talent behind HOW TO MAKE A MOVIE IN 12 DAYS comes a funny and moving mystery about family, friendship and finding your voice.

My Review

Oh, wow. I really identified with Murphy as the quiet kid in school. The way people treated her, where they assumed things about her and filled in the blanks about her life, really resonated with me. I totally understood how difficult it was for her to speak up, even when she had something to say. I remember having those experiences and being so frustrated with them.

Murphy has a family life that’s not often represented in children’s books. She has a close relationship with her dad, and he’s doing the best that he can and visits her a lot. She lives with her aunt, uncle, and cousins, though. This gives her a lot of stability and support. I liked her family members and the dynamics between them.

While the plot of the story centers around Murphy’s music and finding out who stole her songs, the true superstar in the story is in the relationships. In the beginning, Murphy considers two girls her best and only friends. As the story unfolds, the way she sees those relationships and others changes. She learns what it means to be a friend in addition to what it means to have one. The narrative balances the relationship and mystery elements really well while also giving readers a glimpse into life with a parent diagnosed with depression.

This is the first novel by Fiona Hardy that I’ve read, but I’m looking forward to reading her other book, How to Write a Movie in 12 Days, which follows one of the minor characters in this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Murphy’s dad has depression. Her mom is absent. She lives with her aunt, uncle, and cousins.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Other kids taunt Murphy and say mean things to her. She describes being bullied by a girl in the past. References to someone hospitalized for depression.

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: Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

Book Review and Content, Coming of Age, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Memoir, Nonfiction, , , , , , , ,

Gender Queer
Maia Kobabe
Lion Forge Comics
Published May 28, 2019

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Gender Queer

In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was the only thing e felt comfortable with strangers knowing about em. Now, GENDER QUEER is here.

Maia’s intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma of pap smears. Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, GENDER QUEER is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity—what it means and how to think about it—for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere.

My Review

I think what’s really cool about this book is that the author takes time to give clear, well-explored explanations of key moments in eir life when eir identity came into focus. Maia Kobabe diligently and openly explains eir relationship with eir body as a child, an adolescent, and later as an adult. Why did female pronouns feel so wrong for em? Why do sexual fantasies feel so much more satisfying to em than experiences do?

Having these conversations plainly and openly offers solidarity to others having similar experiences. It shows people who have similar questions that they’re not alone. They’re not the first ones to feel a disconnect with their bodies. It also provides a roadmap for people who do not identify as genderqueer. Reading a book like this, a story that details someone’s personal experience, allows readers to bring questions to a safe space where there’s no judgment or intrusion. Reading about Maia’s experience allows us to listen and cultivate empathy for others who may have a different life experience than we do.

Banning Gender Queer

One of the reasons I opted to read this book is because I hear it discussed so often in the context of being banned in schools. If you’ve been on my blog awhile, you probably already know that I’m not a fan of book bans, and it’s not a position I came to lightly. The core of the decision really is this: as a parent, my job is to be part of the decision-making about books my child reads. It is not my job to decide which books are okay for someone else’s child to read.

With that said, I think GENDER QUEER brings some important topics to the table for discussion. It does address some mature topics, so I think it would generally be more appropriate to older readers.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Maia identifies as genderqueer and uses Spivak pronouns (e/em/eir), which are a set of gender-neutral, grammatically singular pronouns. Some other people appearing in the memoir are queer as well.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to gay pornography. References to sex. In one scene, Maia very briefly outlines with a partner the things e would not feel comfortable doing sexually. One line later states that e and eir partner have made out and had sex. In one scene, Maia lists a snippet of a sexually explicit conversation e had with eir partner and the divergence of eir feelings about the fantasy of the experience versus the actual experience.

Maia is also very open about eir personal experience with arousal and masturbation. E explains these feelings as part of a larger explanation of eir asexuality and/or gender dysphoria. It didn’t come across as something meant to be sexy. Instead, it appeared to be a thoughtful examination of how eir body reacts to touch and visual stimulation and how that might differ from others’ experiences.

There are a few panels that show some cartoon nudity. One panel shows two men kissing from their hips upward. One shows two men facing each other, referencing a fantasy Maia had based on Plato’s SYMPOSIUM. A couple show Maia from the side, sitting on a toilet, after e has discovered the start of eir period. One page shows Maia undressing for an examination with a gynecologist. One panel shows em naked from the front.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Maia describes the pain of a gynecological exam as feeling like e has been stabbed through the abdomen. The illustration shows a torso without gender details with a blade stabbed through the abdomen. Another illustration shows a similar image, but from a side view.

Drug Content
None.

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