Tag Archives: family

Review: Trouble at the Tangerine by Gillian McDunn

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Trouble at the Tangerine by Gillian McDunn

Trouble at the Tangerine
Gillian McDunn
Bloomsbury
Published April 2, 2024

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About Trouble at the Tangerine

Award-winning author Gillian McDunn pens a delightfully quirky mystery that examines the meaning of home, perfect for fans of The Vanderbeekers series.

Simon’s family is always on the move. Every few months, they load up their van, “Vincent Van Go,” and set off for a new adventure. According to his dad, you can’t live an extraordinary life by staying in one place. But all Simon wants is to settle down, so he’s hatched a to make their latest apartment in the Tangerine Pines building his forever home.

When a priceless necklace is stolen, clues indicate the thief might actually be another neighbor. Simon worries he’ll have to move again if the thief isn’t caught. He usually doesn’t go looking for trouble, but if retrieving the necklace means establishing home, Simon is willing to risk it. With the help of his neighbor Amaya, pet-sitter, plant-waterer, and podcaster extraordinaire, Simon is determined to crack the case and finally put down roots.

My Review

I’ve read all the books Gillian McDunn has published so far, so I knew when I saw this one, that I had to read it. Her books are so great!

This one is a little different than the others. Maybe the one it’s most like is HONESTLY ELLIOT. I think TROUBLE AT THE TANGERINE reads a little bit younger than her other books, but I’m second-guessing that now. I’m not sure. That was my sense as I read the book, but I could be wrong.

TROUBLE also follows a mystery, which is something a little different. It’s also a story about making friends and being the new kid, so maybe it’s really half mystery, half new kid making friends. I liked the balance between those two things, and it made the mystery seem less intense, which I think is good.

I thought the story definitely had some very lighthearted, very upbeat Rear Window vibes. It’s not scary or tense at all like that movie, but it’s about a kid in an apartment building with a broken leg in the summer solving a mystery and observing his neighbors. So, there are a few similarities. (There are no hatboxes or scary things buried outside, though.)

On the whole, I think this will be a really fun summer read. It’s a perfect vacation or beach book or great for reading on a lazy, hot day.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
List.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
List.

Romance/Sexual Content
List.

Spiritual Content
List.

Violent Content
List.

Drug Content
List.

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 Mondays

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays. Check out other blogs posting about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle with Greg Pattridge.

Review: Winnie Nash is Not Your Sunshine by Nicole Melleby

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Winnie Nash is Not Your Sunshine
Nicole Melleby
Algonquin Young Readers
Published April 2, 2024

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About Winnie Nash is Not Your Sunshine

In this powerful new novel by award-winning author Nicole Melleby, 12-year-old Winnie Nash is forced to live with her grandma for the summer and finds herself torn between her family’s secrets and the joy of celebrating Pride.

Winnifred “Winnie” Nash is not a senior citizen, despite what anyone thinks of her name. And she is definitely not excited to live with her grandma in New Jersey for the summer. Not only are they basically strangers, but Winnie—who’s always known she’s gay—has been pushed into the metaphorical closet by her parents, who worry what Grandma will think. So Winnie keeps quiet about the cute girls she befriends; plays card games with seniors, which she does not enjoy; and dreams of the day she can go to the Pride Parade in New York City—a day that can’t happen when she’s hiding the truth from Grandma.

Meanwhile, her mom’s latest pregnancy is approaching its due date, and Winnie is worried it might end like the ones before, with Winnie still an only child. As she tries so hard to be an agreeable, selfless daughter, getting to NYC for Pride is feeling more and more like her only escape from a family who needs her to always smile. Winnie Nash is not your sunshine—and maybe it’s time to show the world who she really is.

My Review

I had forgotten that this book includes a character with pregnancy losses, which is something I’m still really tender about. It’s also about a girl and her relationship with her grandma, which I absolutely love—and unexpectedly made me miss my grandma so badly it hurts. (Which is great news in terms of the power of the storytelling! Just not great news for, like, Kleenex preservation.)

Every Nicole Melleby book I’ve read so far has been spot-on with its exploration of complex emotions, especially anger, anxiety, and sadness. Those are such huge things that kids feel, and Melleby relates those emotions with unflinching honesty and genuine tenderness. She’s brilliant. I think that’s all there is to it.

Another thing that is so beautiful about this book is the evolution of the relationships in it. At the beginning, Winnie doesn’t feel close to her grandmother. It seems like they mostly get on each other’s nerves. But as the story progresses, Winnie begins to see and understand more about her grandmother, and her grandma’s understanding of Winnie grows, too. They find ways to connect. And then, when Winnie finds herself in an emotional freefall, her grandma is able to meet her there in unexpected ways.

I also loved the friendships between Winnie, Lucía, and Pippa for somewhat the same reason. Winnie grows so much as she gets to know these girls. She learns a lot about friendship and trust. She learns about opening up. It’s so cool.

While the story doesn’t focus on Winnie’s mom’s past miscarriages, and Winnie isn’t even living with her mom for most of the book, some of the snapshots of memories focus on her mom’s feelings of depression afterward and Winnie’s fears about her mom and the baby. I found that to be a super emotional reading experience because of my own experience. I don’t know if it would be helpful for kids who’ve had parents experience a pregnancy loss to read Winnie’s experience or not. It could help give kids a way to articulate some of the things they’re feeling about a really hard situation.

On the whole, I gotta say Nicole Melleby did it again. This is another deep and powerfully told story that welcomes young readers into some of life’s painful places with grace and gentleness and offers respite in the representation of safe, loving adults and the unexpected gift of a good friend.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Winnie is a lesbian. Another friend is also queer. A couple of adults in Winnie’s life are queer as well. Winnie’s mom has had depression.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
A girl kisses another girl on the cheek. Winnie reflects on the first time she kissed a girl (preschool).

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
This isn’t violence so much as trauma. Winnie’s mom has lost several pregnancies. The book isn’t super specific on how far along in the pregnancies she was, but it does refer to them as miscarriages. When the story begins, Winnie’s mom is about six months pregnant, and both her parents have a lot of anxiety about it. Winnie has some big feelings, too. See spoilers below.

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.

SPOILERS

Winnie’s mom has to go to the hospital, and there are a tense few scenes where Winnie doesn’t know if her mom is okay or has lost the baby.

Review: Otherworldly by F. T. Lukens

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Otherworldly
F. T. Lukens
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published April 2, 2024

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About Otherworldly

New York Times bestselling author of SPELL BOUND and SO THIS IS EVER AFTER.

Seventeen-year-old Ellery is a non-believer in a region where people swear the supernatural is real. Sure, they’ve been stuck in a five-year winter, but there’s got to be a scientific explanation. If goddesses were real, they wouldn’t abandon their charges like this, leaving farmers like Ellery’s family to scrape by.

Knox is a familiar from the Other World, a magical assistant sent to help humans who have made crossroads bargains. But it’s been years since he heard from his queen, and Knox is getting nervous about what he might find once he returns home. When the crossroads demons come to collect Knox, he panics and runs. A chance encounter down an alley finds Ellery coming to Knox’s rescue, successfully fending off his would-be abductors.

Ellery can’t quite believe what they’ve seen. And they definitely don’t believe the nonsense this unnervingly attractive guy spews about his paranormal origins. But Knox needs to make a deal with a human who can tether him to this realm, and Ellery needs to figure out how to stop this winter to help their family. Once their bargain is struck, there’s no backing out, and the growing connection between the two might just change everything.

My Review

I read SPELL BOUND last year, which was the first book by F. T. Lukens that I’d ever read. I absolutely loved it, and I knew I wanted to read more of their books. When I saw that OTHERWORLDLY was coming out this year, I jumped at the chance to read it.

Just like SPELL BOUND, OTHERWORLDLY takes us to a world much like ours, but with the addition of some magic and a pantheon of gods and goddesses. Ellery lives in what feels like a small midwestern suburb not too far from his family’s farm. The whole area has been stuck in an unending winter for the last five years, though.

The book follows four characters pretty closely. The chapters alternate from Ellery and Knox’s points of view. Ellery’s cousin Charley and her girlfriend are also in a lot of the scenes. I love the fun, closeknit community the four of them make. The relationships between them feel really natural. I found it easy to imagine what life looked like before the story begins.

Honestly, I can’t think of anything I didn’t like. I think readers who enjoy low fantasy with a slow burn romance will definitely want to try this book. I’m pretty sure it’ll be in my top ten favorites for the year.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Ellery is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. Their cousin, Charley, and her girlfriend are in a romantic relationship.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a nonbinary person and a boy.

Spiritual Content
The world is governed (spiritually) by three gods/goddesses who rule the sky, ocean, and otherworld, a place souls pass through on their journey to the afterlife. These deities have children and grandchildren who are minor gods and goddesses. They also have creations, such as familiars or shades, who serve them.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief battles between Knox’s allies and enemies. In one scene, a monster stabs someone. A couple of characters use magic to throw back enemies.

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 Second Favorite Daughters Club: Sister Sabotage by Colleen Oakes

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

The Second Favorite Daughters Club: Sister Sabotage
Colleen Oakes
Pixel + Ink
Published April 2, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Second Favorite Daughters Club: Sister Sabotage

For fans of Sisters and Netflix’s The Baby-sitter’s Club, a contemporary series for the siblings who always come in last.

Santana Barnes is tired of playing second fiddle to her ballet protégé, honor student older sister Victoria. Casey Hammond is sick of her cute-as-a-button, adventurous little sister Sage, who steals all of their dad’s attention.

When the girls meet in their middle school library, they learn they have a lot in common: they both love reading, hate after-school activities, and most important, are clearly their parents’ second-favorite children.

Together, they create the Second Favorite Daughters Club. The members? Just the two of them. The mission? To become their parents’ favorite children by undermining their love-hoarding siblings. But is it possible to cheat your way to becoming your parents’ favorite kid?

Bestselling author Colleen Oakes’s middle-grade debut, SISTER SABOTAGE is a celebration of friendship and family in all its challenging forms, and a reminder that there’s no one way to stand out.

My Review

I love sister books. Sister relationships can be complex and challenging, but sometimes, even when it’s those things, there’s no one who defends you like a sister.

One of the things that I really appreciated about SISTER SABOTAGE is that Casey has an annoying younger sister but is the oldest herself, while Santana is the youngest, and annoyed by her older sister. That leads to the girls sharing some observations with each other about their siblings. For example, when Casey complains that her younger sister goes through her stuff, Santana sympathizes but also gets a little wistful and points out that that’s just what little sisters do.

I also enjoyed getting to see the friendship between the two girls take off. They were both so lonely before they met. I remember feeling that way and how I felt meeting a girl who would become one of my closest high school friends. Finding someone who gets you and really wants to be friends is such a huge thing. I loved that this book celebrates that.

The plan to sabotage the sisters made me a little nervous. I worried that especially the pranks played on the younger sibling would make it hard to like Casey. I thought the author tackled that part of the story in a way that let the girls’ feelings about the sabotage efforts evolve organically to a satisfying conclusion.

All in all, I think this is a really sweet book about sisters and best friends. I am really interested to see where the series goes from here.

I think readers who enjoy books by Kate Messner and Gillian McDunn will like the friendships and family challenges in this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A girl throws cupcakes across the room while angry. Two girls get into a fight in the auditorium of a theater.

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: Salt Magic by Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Historical, Middle Grade 8-12, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Salt Magic
Hope Larson
Illustrated by Rebecca Mock
Margaret Ferguson Books
Published October 12, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Salt Magic

When a jealous witch curses her family’s well, it’s up to Vonceil to set things right in an epic journey that will leave her changed forever.

When Vonceil’s older brother, Elber, comes home to their family’s Oklahoma farm after serving on the front lines of World War I, things aren’t what she expects. His experiences have changed him into a serious and responsible man who doesn’t have time for Vonceil anymore. He even marries the girl he had left behind.

Then, a mysterious and captivating woman shows up at the farm and confronts Elber for leaving her in France. When he refuses to leave his wife, she puts a curse on the family well, turning the entire town’s water supply into saltwater. Who is this lady dressed all in white, what has she done to the farm, and what does Vonceil’s old Uncle Dell know about her?

To find out, Vonceil will have to strike out on her own and delve deep into the world of witchcraft, confronting dangerous relatives, shapeshifting animals, a capricious Sugar Witch, and the Lady in White herself–the foreboding Salt Witch. The journey will change Vonceil, but along the way, she’ll learn a lot about love and what it means to grow up.

My Review

I’ve had this book on my radar for some time. The idea of a fantasy set in 1919 Oklahoma definitely intrigued me, and I couldn’t wait to get into the story to see what it was all about.

Honestly, I thought the setting and fantasy elements really complemented one another. I liked the way they were connected and how they impacted the characters’ stories. I loved Vonceil as a character, and especially enjoyed the author’s choice to tell the story from the perspective of a young girl rather than telling the story from Elber’s point-of-view, which might also have made sense.

The color palette in the book was really engaging, too. I liked the way different pages had very different color schemes, and how only a few pages pulled all the colors together to create these vibrant, impactful scenes. I thought that was really cool.

SALT MAGIC is another book that I’d looked into thinking about my nephew and niece, and I think it will be one I recommend to them. I have a feeling the fantasy elements and unique setting will appeal to at least one of them. If the words “western fantasy” excite you at all, definitely check out this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Representation
Major characters are white living in Oklahoma.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to romance between men and women as minor characters. Vonceil does not have a romantic arc to her story.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic.

Violent Content
References to domestic violence and abuse of an elderly person. Vonceil sees the scars her brother carries from when he was shot in Europe as a soldier in World War I. Vonceil hears about a weird situation in which animals attacked someone en masse.

Drug Content
Vonceil stumbles onto a moonshine still in a barn.

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

Review: Breathing Underwater by Abbey Lee Nash

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

Breathing Underwater
Abbey Lee Nash
Holiday House
Published March 5, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Breathing Underwater

In this slice-of-life, sensitively written novel, a teen girl grapples with a sudden epilepsy diagnosis, all while figuring out a new crush and an uncertain future.

Seventeen-year-old Tess Cooper lives by three train hard, study hard, work hard. Swimming is her best chance at a college scholarship. It’s what her parents, her coaches, and even her best friend expect from her—and Tess can always deliver.

Until tragedy strikes. Tess has a seizure, and her world suddenly becomes one of doctor visits, missed practices, and a summer job stuck behind a counter—not sitting high in the lifeguard chair like every year before.

Instead, her spot goes to new guy Charlie. Sure, his messy hair and laid-back demeanor sends Tess’ heart racing, but this isn’t really the time. She’s got to focus on getting back in the pool—regardless of what her doctor or anyone else says.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.

My Review

Okay, so some of the things I liked about the book are kind of spoiler-y, so I apologize if some of my statements are vague.

I don’t know much about competitive swimming, and what I do know is mostly from other books, like FLIP TURNS by Catherine Arguelles, so I can’t weigh in on the accuracy of the swimming components. They were engaging, though, and I liked the way the author used metaphors about swimming to show when Tess was feeling overwhelmed or anxious.

Tess has a complicated relationship with some of her teammates, at first because she feels like another girl is stealing her best friend and later because a few girls on the team witness a traumatic moment in Tess’s life. Those relationships felt pretty real to me. The conflicts felt like the kinds of things that I experienced as a teenager. It was super relatable.

I can’t speak to the accuracy of the representation of Tess’s seizure and diagnosis, but I was really moved by the things Tess felt and went through. Her anxiety about getting back in the water. Her frustration with her parents over their fear and shifting boundaries. All that resonated with me.

Her relationship with Charlie was maybe the weakest pull into the story for me. I enjoyed the relationship between them, and I especially liked the lightness it brought. It just didn’t add the value to the book that I expected, I guess? I don’t know if that makes sense. I liked the arc of the relationship, though.

All in all, I liked the book. I think readers looking for books about sports, especially girls in sports, or books featuring a main character with a disability should check this one out.

Content Notes for Breathing Underwater

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Tess has a seizure and later receives a diagnosis.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A girl nearly drowns during a swimming race.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol at a party. Tess takes a sip and decides she doesn’t like the alcoholic drink. She spends the evening with a boy who wasn’t drinking either. Later, she helps a drunk friend get home safely.

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 my own.