Tag Archives: COVID-19

Holloway by Elana K. Arnold

Review: Holloway by Elana K. Arnold

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

Holloway
Elana K. Arnold
Clarion Books
Published May 5, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Holloway

“Elana K. Arnold paints prose like a master. A fascinating journey through time, love, and forgiveness.” – A.S. King, Printz Award-winning author of Dig

Award-winning author Elana K. Arnold returns with a boldly visionary, deeply felt story that crosses space and time to examine loss and love in a world on the brink.

It is the late summer of 2021, and a girl named Nora is on the Paris Metro.

Nora, whose mother loved her, even though Nora was broken.

Nora, who couldn’t help her mother when her mother needed her most.

Nora, from whom the pandemic has taken nearly everything, save the object she clings to: a cylinder containing her mother’s ashes.

With no family left, no friends to speak of, and no way to turn back time, Nora has come to France to keep a promise she never got to make: to spread the ashes in a place her mother never got to see. But instead, Nora finds herself on the run through a forest in the night, taking refuge in a dark holloway. And when she wakes, and tries to make her way back to something she recognizes, she realizes that is impossible. 

Because it is no longer 2021.

Questioning everything—including her own sanity—Nora sets out on a journey through a time and place completely foreign to her, and yet one that, much like the time and place she came from, is defined by death, loss, fear, and uncertainty. A journey in which she must find a way to honor her mother—and heal herself—in a world that feels irrevocably broken.

My Review

I read a short piece by Elana K. Arnold in the anthology, Banned Together. I’ve seen her name on banned book lists as well. Holloway is the first novel that I’ve read by her, though.

I think, weirdly, one of my favorite parts of the book is what happens after Nora is no longer in 2021. She reacts pretty reasonably to the news, first deciding someone is tricking her, then trying to evaluate whether she’s having some kind of breakdown, and ultimately wondering when to accept that the impossible has truly happened and she is somehow in another time.

I just really appreciated that Arnold put that whole mental progression on the page. More often, characters experience something unbelievable, like slipping through a portal to elsewhere, and they simply must accept it because the plot is moving forward. I am willing to suspend my disbelief and carry on, but I loved that this book made space for the protagonist to explore those questions and feelings.

Holloway is a bit dark, and it wrestles with some hard realities. Nora grieves both the loss of her mother, with whom she has a complicated relationship, and her grandmother, who cared for her in her mom’s absence and pressed Nora’s mom to make space for Nora’s neurodivergence. Nora’s mom says some ugly things about Nora’s need for extra processing or her stimming behavior. She also blames vaccines for causing Nora to have autism and frames the diagnosis as a negative thing.

Another thing I thought was really cool about this book is that having Nora experience two separate time periods gave the narrative room to explore how the broader cultural understanding of, and treatment of, neurodivergent people differs in each timeline. That exploration contains a lot of nuance and layers. Nora knows people in her present and the past who seem to accept her as she is without question. Other people in each timeline judge or restrict her in varying ways.

Initially, I wasn’t going to try to read this book this year because of the parental loss the story includes. It wasn’t actually too hard for me once I got into it. Nora’s experience with her mom was so different from my experience with my dad that I didn’t feel the same kind of connection to the book.

Conclusion

Holloway is a compelling, thoughtful read that I think fans of stories exploring complex relationships will enjoy. I’m really glad I read it, and I’ll definitely look for more books by Elana K. Arnold.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to sexual assault. Kissing. Nora unexpectedly notices two people making love.

Spiritual Content
Nora leaves one time period and steps into another.

Violent Content
Nora encounters prejudice for her autism. She compares the ways she was treated in 2021 to how people perceive and treat people with autism in the earlier time period.

Drug Content
At one point, Nora is sedated and taken to a facility.

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 Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner

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

The Trouble with Heroes
Kate Messner
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published April 29, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Trouble with Heroes

Bestselling and award-winning author Kate Messner takes readers on a heart-filling journey as a boy finds his path to healing.

One summer.
46 mountain peaks.
A second chance to make things right.

Finn Connelly is nothing like his dad, a star athlete and firefighter hero who always ran toward danger until he died two years ago. Finn’s about to fail seventh grade and has never made headlines . . . until now.

Caught on camera vandalizing a cemetery, he’s in big trouble for kicking down some dead old lady’s headstone. But it turns out that grave belongs to a legendary local mountain climber, and her daughter makes Finn an unusual offer…climb all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks with her dead mother’s dog, and they can call it even.

In a wild three months of misadventures, mountain mud, and unexpected mentors, Finn begins to find his way on the trails. At the top of each peak, he can see for miles and slowly begins to understand more about himself and his dad. But the mountains don’t care about any of that, and as the clock ticks down to September, they have more surprises in store. Finn’s final summit challenge may be more than even a hero can face.

My Review

This story is mostly told in verse with a few letters and articles mixed in. At first, Finn writes poems as part of an English assignment for school. The early poems are written unwillingly, so some of the things he writes are funny from the perspective of watching a kid try to weasel out of doing work. But as he keeps writing, he begins to appreciate poetry as a vehicle to process his thoughts and experiences.

The same is true of his hiking experience. At first, he’s only participating unwillingly. He knows his mom can’t afford to replace the headstone he broke, and this is an alternative way that he can apologize for his behavior and make it right. As he spends more time outdoors, he starts noticing more of the natural world around him and even forms connections with his hiking mentors.

That leads him to process his grief over losing his dad during COVID-19. As the story unfolds, he also learns about connections between his hiking life and his dad’s experiences. I loved some of those connections. One in particular really hits deep, so grab some tissues as you get to the end of the book.

I have enjoyed every book by Kate Messner that I’ve ever read, so it isn’t a huge surprise that I loved this one. I think this is the first novel in verse that I’ve read by her, and I think she did a fabulous job with it.

If you’re looking for a nature-centered book about hiking or a story about a kid who’s made some bad choices and has a chance to turn things around, you’ll want to check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Finn kicked over a headstone in a graveyard and broke it. References to September 11th. References to an injured person carried by a firefighter. The story includes brief memories of the COVID-19 pandemic. References to an animal attack. References to the death of a parent.

Drug Content
Finn’s dad struggled with alcohol addiction.

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: True Gretch by Gretchen Whitmer

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

True Gretch: Lessons for Anyone Who Wants to Make a Difference (Young Adult Edition)
Gretchen Whitmer
Atheneum
Published January 28, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About True Gretch: Lessons for Anyone Who Wants to Make a Difference (Young Adult Edition)

The young adult edition of the unconventionally honest, deeply personal, and sharply funny account from Michigan governor and rising Democratic star Gretchen Whitmer is packed with remarkable insights for young people wishing to make a difference in the world.

When Gretchen Whitmer was growing up, her beloved grandmother Nino taught her that you can always find something good in other people. “Even the meanest person might have pretty eyes,” she would say, a piece of advice that Gretchen carries with her today in her role as the governor of Michigan. (And one that resonated more than another her grandmother “never part your hair in the middle.”)

From navigating a kidnapping and assassination plot in which she herself was a target to facing monumental challenges during a global pandemic, Big Gretch (as she’s now known) shares the key pieces of wisdom that have shaped her trailblazing career and personal experiences in this often hilarious, always uplifting book. Along the way, she tells stories about growing up gutsy in the Midwest, the wild comments she’s encountered as a public figure, and how to neutralize high-profile bullies with a fearless sense of humor.

Told in her famously straightforward and slyly funny voice, this young adult edition of the governor’s story not only offers an intimate insight into the life of a politician with an astounding journey, but also affords extraordinary lessons for young people everywhere who wish to make a difference in the world.

My Review

I don’t often read memoirs by people in politics, and I didn’t know a lot about Gretchen Whitmer before picking up this book. It was a really entertaining read, though.

While I will say that it leans a little more memoir than advice or inspirational book, she does frame her experiences in terms of a lesson learned or the best advice she can offer on a particular subject.

I loved the stories she shared about her family, especially her daughters (who appear in a Q&A at the end of the book) and her parents. It’s clear that those are really meaningful relationships that have deeply impacted her life.

So much of the message that she imparts to readers is about being authentic and owning your mistakes. She reminds us that while we, individually, aren’t significant, the work we’re doing is important work. I like that she draws the focus to the work and making a difference and away from herself.

True Gretch isn’t a very long book, and it kept me engaged all the way through. I probably wouldn’t have sought this one out myself, so thanks go out to the publisher who gambled on sending it to me! I really enjoyed reading it.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used super infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to sexual assault. No details.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
See Romance. References to a plot to kidnap and murder Gretchen Whitmer.

Drug Content
References to adults drinking alcohol in social settings.

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: Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart

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Coyote Lost and Found
Dan Gemeinhart
Henry Holt & Co.
Published March 5, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Coyote Lost and Found

It’s been almost a year since Coyote and her dad left the road behind and settled down in a small Oregon town. . . time spent grieving the loss of her mom and sisters and trying to fit in at school. But just as life is becoming a new version of normal, Coyote discovers a box containing her mom’s ashes. And she thinks she might finally be ready to say goodbye.

So Coyote and her dad gear up for an epic cross-country road trip to scatter the ashes at her mom’s chosen resting place. The only problem? Coyote has no idea where that resting place is—and the secret’s hidden in a book that Coyote mistakenly sold last year, somewhere in the country. Now, it’s up to Coyote to track down the treasured book . . . without her dad ever finding out that it’s lost. It’s time to fire up their trusty bus, Yager, pick up some old friends, discover some new ones, and hit the road on another unforgettable adventure.

My Review

I have a friend who loves voicey middle grade with a southern feel to it, and this book immediately made me think of her. Coyote is an absolute wonder. She’s unconventional and a little wild, kind of a loner, and has such a huge heart. I really like Rodeo, her dad, as well. He’s got a very hippy sensibility and definitely wouldn’t be everyone’s pick for best dad, but his temperament really works with Coyote, and he works really hard to make sure she has what she needs.

This is a book about grief. It’s a book about saying goodbye to someone you’ve already lost, and how sometimes grief is a journey, and on that journey, you have to say goodbye more than once. Some of the scenes in which Coyote and her dad talk about or around their losses were so poignant. I cried more than once.

It’s also a story set during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, so it has an underlying uncertainty and loneliness to it. It doesn’t have to do with the pandemic at all, really, but the shutdowns and fears about the virus impacted different characters and scenes in ways that made me think.

The only thing I kept waiting for and felt like was missing from the story is more information about Coyote’s sisters. She lost her mom and two sisters in a car accident long before this book (and another about Coyote and her dad) takes place. While this book focused on the loss of her mom, I felt like it was a little odd that she never named her sisters or had any memories of them or longing for them specifically. I haven’t yet read COYOTE SUNRISE, so it’s possible her relationships with them are explained more fully in the other book.

On the whole, I loved Coyote’s powerful voice and the sweet and silly rituals she shares with her dad and the lucky people they bring into their lives. I can definitely see fans of Kate DiCamillo’s contemporary novels or fans of Gillian McDunn loving this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Coyote’s best friend is Latine American. Another character is Asian American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
See violent content.

Romance/Sexual Content
Coyote gets uncomfortable when she realizes her dad may have romantic feelings for a neighbor.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A white clerk threatens an Asian American customer, holding up a baseball bat and saying racist things.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of COYOTE LOST AND FOUND in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.