Tag Archives: friendship

Review: Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry cover shows a girl's face in the top left corner and silhouettes of trees across the bottom. Unspooled threads are scattered across the whole cover.

Gathering Blue (The Giver Quartet #2)
Lois Lowry
HMH Books for Young Readers
Published September 25, 2000

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Gathering Blue

Lois Lowry’s Gathering Blue continues the quartet beginning with the quintessential dystopian novel, The Giver, followed by Messenger and Son.

Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. She fears for her future until she is spared by the all-powerful Council of Guardians. Kira is a gifted weaver and is given a task that no other community member can do. While her talent keeps her alive and brings certain privileges, Kira soon realizes she is surrounded by many mysteries and secrets. No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world and see what places exist beyond.

My Review

I thought that I’d read this book before, but either I did and have zero memory of it, or I’m mixing this one up with a different book. At any rate, I decided after listening to THE GIVER on audiobook that I would try to read the whole series this year. GATHERING BLUE is the second book in that series, though it doesn’t appear to connect to THE GIVER in any obvious way.

The first few chapters have some intensity to them. Kira has just come from a grief ritual honoring her mother, who has died. Upon her return to her village, she learns a powerful woman named Vandara intends to have Kira put to death so she and the other village women can have the land where Kira and her mother lived. Kira expertly navigates a conflict with Vandara, turning what could have become a violent confrontation into a visit to the elders for counsel.

I liked Kira’s character. In addition to being smart, she’s artistic and kind. Her mind whirs with patterns and ideas for embroidery. She takes care of a young boy named Matt and his little dog. I enjoyed the scenes getting to know her.

The Series So Far

The only issue I have with the book is kind of the same issue I had with THE GIVER. There’s a point in the story in which a minor character reveals something super important to Kira. She’s a passive observer. I wish that she uncovered that knowledge herself somehow, instead of waiting quietly and wondering.

The book kind of ends in a weird place, too. It’s unclear what Kira will do with her new knowledge. The third book in the series, THE MESSENGER, tells the story of the boy Kira cared for, though he is older at the start of that story. I’m hoping that book will address some of my unanswered questions.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Kira was born with a twisted leg and walks with a limp. She has chronic pain from her leg. Disability in Kidlit posted a review about how the story handles her disability..

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Kira carries a small scrap of fabric that she has embroidered in her pocket. The scrap seems to have a kind of magic to it– warning her before something bad happens or reassuring her when things will work out okay.

Violent Content
A group of women surround Kira, several holding stones, in a tense confrontation that teeters on the edge of violence. Kira worries about the woods and field where beasts prowl. Her mother and a village elder told Kira her father was killed by beasts on a hunt with the other men.

Drug Content
Kira wonders if someone was poisoned.

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Review: Deadlands: Survival by Skye Melki-Wegner

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

The Deadlands: Survival (The Deadlands #3)
Skye Melki-Wegner
Henry Holt & Co.
Published April 2, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Deadlands: Survival

Wings of Fire meets Jurassic Park in the thrilling finale of this action-adventure series about five outcasts ― and former enemies ― who are the only hope to save their warring dinosaur kingdoms from impending doom.

As bloody battle rages between the two surviving dinosaur kingdoms, Eleri and the other young exiles―including a peppy stegosaur, a stoic sauropod, a testy triceratops, and a mysterious spy―have temporarily thwarted the Carrion Kingdom, a conniving cabal of carnivores, and destroyed their secret stronghold.

Fearing that their cunning enemies will soon regroup and seek vengeance, the exiles must risk their lives by returning home to unite and lead the war-torn herds that turned their backs on them into one final, all-out battle for the very future of the land of Cretacea. Will they convince their kingdoms to follow them into battle against the true enemy, or will Cretacea be overrun by an army of predators?

My Review

I can’t believe this series has come to an end! This has been one of the most enjoyable MG series I’ve read in quite a while. I love the characters and how much personality they have. Eleri, an oryctodromeus, is thoughtful and loves stories and the power of storytelling. Tortha, a triceratops, is a salt-of-the-earth warrior girl. She’s pragmatic and fierce. Sorielle, an ankylosaur, is endlessly curious, especially when it comes to math and science. She’s an inventor. Tiny, timid Zyre, an anurognathid, uses her abilities to fly and to hide easily to listen and gather information. She may be easily frightened, but attack one of her allies, and she will fight back.

The steady pacing kept me reading just one more chapter long past when I planned to quit. The chapters seemed pretty short, which makes it so easy to read one more. So much happens in this book that it felt like a new danger or uncertainty was always springing up. I loved seeing how much the characters have grown through the whole series.

Readers who enjoyed the Warrior series or Wings of Fire will definitely want to pick up this series. Do start at the beginning of the series, as the books build on each other. If you like books featuring animal characters at all, absolutely check these books out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Major characters are herbivore dinosaurs. One character is very scientifically and mathematically minded, which made her an outcast in her herd.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
One instance of mild profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Consuming glowing shards give dinosaurs extra strength or stamina for a short period of time. Eleri has been exposed to a large amount of starmist, produced by a large shard, and he has some lasting impact from the exposure.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Mentions of warfare. In one scene, raptors tear another carnivore dinosaur apart.

Drug Content
Eleri collects thorns that can tranquilize dinosaurs.

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.

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: Compass and Blade by Rachel Greenlaw

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

Compass and Blade
Rachel Greenlaw
Inkyard Press
Published March 5, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Compass and Blade

This world of sea and storm runs deep with bargains and blood.

On the remote isle of Rosevear, Mira, like her mother before her, is a wrecker, one of the seven on the rope who swim out to shipwrecks to plunder them. Mira’s job is to rescue survivors, if there are any. After all, she never feels the cold of the frigid ocean waters and the waves seem to sing to her soul. But the people of Rosevear never admit the truth: that they set the beacons themselves to lure ships into the rocks.

When the Council watch lays a trap to put an end to the wrecking, they arrest Mira’s father. Desperate to save him from the noose, Mira strikes a deal with an enigmatic wreck survivor guarding layers of secrets behind his captivating eyes, and sets off to find something her mother has left her, a family secret buried deep in the sea.

With just nine days to find what she needs to rescue her father, all Mira knows for certain is this: The sea gives. The sea takes. And it’s up to her to do what she must to save the ones she loves.

My Review

This reminded me of another at-sea, oceanically gifted protagonist story that I enjoyed. It’s not the same story as the other. The characters and motives are really different than the other book. But it definitely delivered on the adventure-on-the-high-seas kind of vibe I hoped for.

It feels like a series opener. I’m not sure what will happen with it now, though, since Inkyard Press has closed down. I’ve heard that the authors have been transitioned to HarperCollins, so maybe the series will continue under a new publisher? I don’t know how all of that works. At any rate, I hope the story continues– I’d love to know what Mira does next.

Dangerous Romance

Only two things tripped me up a little bit, and one is absolutely a personal preference thing that I’m only now realizing is the case for me. You know those stories where there’s instant sexual attraction between two characters for no reason or even against good reason? I’m discovering that makes for a difficult protagonist for me to connect with. I find it really hard to buy in, especially when she’s in real danger from him, a stranger. Not saying that someone couldn’t have those feelings. But because I don’t react to danger that way, I find it pulls me out of the story or makes me question the narrator’s reliability.

Totally a personal preference. I enjoyed the book despite that element. It really only comes up a small number of times.

The other thing that challenged me was the magic system. I think the story moved so quickly that sometimes I wasn’t quite sure I understood how things fit together in the larger world. For instance, the blood of magical creatures can be harvested by witches and given to an apothecary to make a powerful potion that can, for example, heal a bad wound. Beyond that mention, we never learn anything about witches. Are they people who have a natural magical ability? Is Mira a water witch? Do they perform magic or are they magic hunters? This doesn’t really come into play in the story, so it doesn’t require a deep explanation, but I found myself wishing that some of the peripheral magical elements were better explained.

Conclusion

I truly enjoyed the chapters on the water, whether Mira was swimming out to a ship or joining a crew and sailing off somewhere. Despite our differences in how we approach romance, Mira’s loyalty to and love for her people made her an easy character to root for, and I’m invested enough to watch for the release of a sequel. I think readers who like stories at sea or characters with a strong connection to the ocean or readers who swoon at star-crossed love will enjoy COMPASS AND BLADE.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
The larger cast of characters includes characters of different skin tones and identities.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used pretty infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. In one scene, two characters have sex, but it isn’t graphically described.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have a special (magical?) ability in the water. They can swim better, hold their breaths longer, etc. Magical creatures, such as wyverns, exist in the story world. Blood from magical creatures can be harvested by witches and used to make powerful potions. (I’m a little fuzzy on the magic system, but I think that’s how it works.) One character can do some kind of shadow magic. A promise between two characters can have a magic binding to it, depending on who’s involved.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some descriptions of battles between two opposing sides with serious injuries, including gunshot wounds.

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 COMPASS AND BLADE in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Review: Walkin’ the Dog by Chris Lynch

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

Walkin’ the Dog
Chris Lynch
Simon & Schuster BFYR
Published March 12, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Walkin’ the Dog

“Lynch is back and better, smarter, and funnier than ever.” —Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award Winner

A boy learns how to be a friend from man’s best friend in this funny and moving middle grade novel about humans being able to change and dogs changing us from acclaimed author Chris Lynch.

In a family of strong personalities with very strong points of view, Louis is what his mother lovingly calls “the inactivist,” someone who’d rather kick back than stand out. He only hopes he can stay under the radar when he starts high school in the fall, his first experience with public school after years of homeschooling.

But when a favor for a neighbor and his stinky canine companion unexpectedly turns into a bustling dog-walking business, Louis finds himself meeting an unprecedented number of new friends—both human and canine. Agatha, a quippy and cagey girl his age always seems to be telling two truths and a lie. Cyrus, a few years his senior, promises he’s going to show Louis how to be a better person, whether Louis wants him to or not. And then there are the misbehaving border terriers, the four (possible stolen) sausage dogs, the rest of Louis’s charges, and a mysterious white beast who appears at a certain spot at the edge of the woods.

Dogs and human alike all seem to have something they want to teach Louis, including his menacing older brother who keeps turning up everywhere. But is Louis ready to learn the lesson he needs how to stop being a lone wolf and be part of a pack?

My Review

The most surreal thing about reading this book is that the last book by Chris Lynch that I read is INEXCUSABLE, which is a pretty heavy book. So, it’s been a while since I’ve read any of his books, and this is a really different one than the last one I read.

I think my favorite part of this book is the voice it’s written in. It feels young and smart, and you can feel Louis being sneaky at different moments in what he chooses to share and not share. He’s also pretty chatty and a bit of a rambler. Sometimes, the rabbit trails drew me away from the story, but often, they revealed things that put what was happening in a new perspective.

I also appreciated that the book included a few dogs with disabilities or health problems. One dog has a wheelchair for his back legs, and another is missing one front leg. I haven’t seen that very often in other books, so it was a cool thing to include here.

The characters have a lot going on, but the story doesn’t always center around those issues. For instance, Louis’s mom is in a rehab program after a knee injury led to her addiction to painkillers. We see her only in a few scenes as Louis visits her. She appears sober in all of his memories of her at home.

As Louis builds a business walking dogs, he forges unexpected relationships with other kids and confronts some elements of his relationships with his family members. I love that the story is really framed around him walking dogs. There’s one F-bomb early in the book that seems to come out of nowhere, though. I felt like it really jumped out there without warning and without reason? So that may discourage some readers from picking up this dog story.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 to 14.

Representation
Louis’s friend Cyrus and his mother are Haitian American. A couple of the dogs he meets have disabilities.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
One F-bomb. I think there are maybe one or two other swear words.

Romance/Sexual Content
Louis may have a crush on a girl in the book. It’s not the focus of the story, and it isn’t totally clear how he feels.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Louis mentions his brother getting into a lot of fistfights in high school. He has scarring on his face that affects the way he speaks. Louis sees a dog that has died (unknown cause). Later, he sees another dog that has died, apparently from being hit by a car.

Drug Content
References to addiction to painkillers following an injury.

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 this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Review: The Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

The Baker and the Bard: A Cozy Fantasy Adventure
Fern Haught
Feiwel & Friends
Published March 5, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Baker and the Bard: A Cozy Fantasy Adventure

Author-artist Fern Haught weaves an enchanting, gentle fantasy tale of friendship, determination, and respecting nature in their debut graphic novel.

Juniper and Hadley have a good thing going in Larkspur, spending their respective days apprenticing at a little bakery and performing at the local inn. But when a stranger places an unusual order at the bakery, the two friends (and Hadley’s pet snake, Fern) set out on a journey to forage the magical mushrooms needed to make the requested galette pastries.

Along the way, Juniper and Hadley stumble across a mystery too compelling to ignore: Something has been coming out of the woods at night and eating the local farmers’ crops, leaving behind a trail of glowing goo. Intent on finally going on an adventure that could fuel their bardic craft, Hadley tows Juniper into the woods to investigate.

What started as a simple errand to pick mushrooms soon turns into a thrilling quest to save some furry new friends―and their caretaker, a soft-spoken little fey named Thistle―who are in danger of losing their home.

My Review

I feel like I’ve seen this book compared to or recommended for readers of the Tea Dragon series, and I can absolutely see that connection. The characters have a very fantasy-based appearance. One is a fawn, and others have the pointed ears of fae with a wide variety of skin tones.

I loved the main characters, Juniper and Hadley (and Fern, the snake!), and their comfortable relationship. It’s clear that Hadley is the impulsive, wilder one, while Juniper thinks things through more slowly and keeps them from doing anything too dangerous.

While the two face decisions and deadlines, the stakes never get anywhere close to life-threatening, and nothing frightening happens, keeping the story well within the cozy fantasy bounds it promises. I think it would make a great transitional book for readers who are aging out of middle grade books but not quite ready for some of the intense themes or situations more common in young adult fiction. The finished copy also includes a recipe for a mushroom galette. Yum!

Fans of THE MOTH KEEPER by K. O’Neill or THE LEGEND OF BRIGHTBLADE by Ethan Aldridge will enjoy the nature-themed storyline and strong fantasy elements.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Representation
One character is nonbinary.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
In one image, the two main characters appear to be kissing. They might just be leaning their foreheads against one another.

Spiritual Content
Some characters can use magic.

Violent Content
None.

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 this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Review: Strike the Zither by Joan He

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,

Strike the Zither (Kingdom of Three #1)
Joan He
Roaring Brook Press
Published October 25, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Strike the Zither

The year is 414 of the Xin Dynasty, and chaos abounds. A puppet empress is on the throne. The realm has fractured into three factions and three warlordesses hoping to claim the continent for themselves.

But Zephyr knows it’s no contest.

Orphaned at a young age, Zephyr took control of her fate by becoming the best strategist of the land and serving under Xin Ren, a warlordess whose loyalty to the empress is double-edged—while Ren’s honor draws Zephyr to her cause, it also jeopardizes their survival in a war where one must betray or be betrayed. When Zephyr is forced to infiltrate an enemy camp to keep Ren’s followers from being slaughtered, she encounters the enigmatic Crow, an opposing strategist who is finally her match. But there are more enemies than one—and not all of them are human.

An epic YA fantasy about found family, rivals, and identity from New York Times and Indie bestselling author Joan He, inspired by Three Kingdoms, one of the Four Classics of Chinese Literature.

My Review

I’ve read both the other young adult novels Joan He has written, and I loved them both. In one, the main character has the same first name and spelling as I do– the first time I’ve ever seen that– and the other absolutely blew me away.

I can see why this book has been criticized for having an arrogant protagonist. If STRIKE THE ZITHER had been the first book by the author that I’d ever read, I would have felt more discouraged by that. Instead, I kept waiting for the commentary or consequences or plot twists that I’ve come to expect from the author, and wow, she totally delivered again.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Zephyr’s character at the beginning of the book, but I was fascinated by her. The plight of a smart woman in a world that values brute strength even while it benefits from her expertise really resonated with me. It was easy to begin to see Zephyr’s arrogance as a carefully crafted wall between her and everyone else and that being right was kind of her only safe space.

I love Ren and Cloud, too: the honor-bound leader and her sworn sister general. As the story unfolds, we learn about connections between characters we wouldn’t expect. Alliances shift and buckle, and new ones emerge. While the story is truly about relationships between characters and the power of loyalty and honor, one of the things the author delivers so expertly is in the way she manages all the pieces she’s placed on the gameboard of the story. The tension rises in the right places

I think DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE is still my favorite book by Joan He, but I truly enjoyed this one, too. I’m definitely going to keep following this series.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
The characters are Chinese. One minor character is in love with another woman.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Vague references to sex.

Spiritual Content
A pantheon of gods exists, and they’re forbidden from interfering with human affairs. When gods misbehave, a leader god punishes them.

Violent Content
Battle violence. Descriptions of torture and execution. One of the warlordesses is particularly cruel in how she treats those she perceives as enemies.

A man makes threatening comments toward a woman, referencing his desire to assault her.

Drug Content
Characters consume alcohol at feasts or in celebration. Some characters become drunk and do regrettable things.

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