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Review: Candidly Cline by Kathryn Ormsbee

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Candidly Cline by Kathryn Ormsbee

Candidly Cline
Kathryn Ormsbee
HarperCollins
Published November 9, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Candidly Cline

A must-read for fans of Julie Murphy and Ashley Herring Blake, this queer coming-of-age story from critically acclaimed author Kathryn Ormsbee sings with heart, warmth, and hope.

Born in Paris, Kentucky, and raised on her gram’s favorite country music, Cline Alden is a girl with big dreams and a heart full of song. When she finds out about a young musicians’ workshop a few towns over, Cline sweet-talks, saves, and maybe fibs her way into her first step toward musical stardom.

But her big dreams never prepared her for the butterflies she feels surrounded by so many other talented kids–especially Sylvie, who gives Cline the type of butterflies she’s only ever heard about in love songs.

As she learns to make music of her own, Cline begins to realize how much of herself she’s been holding back. But now, there’s a new song taking shape in her heart–if only she can find her voice and sing it.

“Empowering, affirming, and sweet as all get-out.” –Lisa Jenn Bigelow, author of Drum Roll, Please

My Review

I tend to love stories about musicians, so I was intrigued when I heard about CANDIDLY CLINE. She’s a songwriter, singer, and guitarist, and she’s learning how music can give voice to things that are hard to say other ways.

Cline pretty much had me at hello. She’s sure in her identity. She also loves her mom and grandmother, who all live together. I loved the bold way she handles her conflict with Sylvie and the way their relationship develops after that rocky beginning.

As she figures out how to tell her mom how important music is to her and to speak about her identity, Cline finds allies, friends and mentors, sometimes in unlikely places. When a church event leaves Cline feeling judged and isolated, a woman she knows from the same church comforts Cline and tells her the way she was treated is wrong, and that it isn’t in line with what all Christians believe. I loved that even though Cline’s church experiences aren’t the center of the story, CANDIDLY CLINE made space for the fact that people observe faith in different ways. Some of those caused her a lot of hurt, but other ways made her feel loved and valued. I’m really glad that got explored on the page a bit in this book.

I also liked Cline’s complicated relationship with her mom. She knows her mom loves and supports her, but she feels like this huge part of who she is (her music) will never be acceptable to her mom. After she learns more about her mom’s history and the pressures she’s currently facing, she begins to realize that it’s not as simple as her mom disapproving of her. I liked that her relationship with her mom wasn’t as simple as her mom wanting something different for her life. It had a lot of layers, and those were presented gently and without dominating the story.

On the whole, I really enjoyed this book, and I think fans of BREATHING UNDERWATER by Sarah Allen or HURRICANE SEASON by Nicole Melleby will enjoy this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Cline is a lesbian. Her grandmother has Alzheimer’s. Her mom is a single mom.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used only once.

Romance/Sexual Content
Cline wonders what it would be like to kiss another girl. A girl kisses a girl on the cheek.

Spiritual Content
Cline visits church with her friend. She feels uncomfortable with some of the language about “the lost”. She wonders if her Christian friend views her as somehow lesser because she doesn’t believe in God/Jesus. The pastor preaches that same-sex attraction is a sin. However, another church member says she believes God loves everyone and has made them to be who they are.

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 CANDIDLY CLINE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

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Howl’s Moving Castle (Howl’s Moving Castle #1)
Diana Wynne Jones
Greenwillow Books
Published August 1, 2001 (Originally published 1986)

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Howl’s Moving Castle

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl’s castle.

To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there’s far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.

My Review

HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE is the first book by Diana Wynne Jones that I’ve ever read. I think that’s weird, considering how popular her books are and how much I read as a kid, but there you go. First time for everything, I guess.

I wasn’t sure whether I would like this book or not when I first started it. I felt like the author was kind of making jokes about fantasy as a genre, and I wasn’t always sure I was in on them? For instance, Sophie worries about being the eldest of three sisters, because it means there’s no likelihood that anything magical or amazing will happen to her. I wasn’t sure if that was something that was particular to her world or a joke about fairytales?

Anyway, once the witch cursed Sophie and she ran away, I got a lot more invested in the story. She’s smart and loyal, and I loved her from the first moment she rescued the dog stuck in the hedge.

I also thought it was clever to tell the story from the perspective of a girl under a curse that makes her look like an old woman. Normally I’m not a fan of children’s books written from the point-of-view of an adult, but Sophie wasn’t really an adult… she just looked like one. Which was an interested juxtaposition.

All the way through the book, new pieces get added to the mystery of Sophie’s curse and the story of Howl and why he is what Sophie terms, “a slitherer-outer”. I loved the book, and really want to read more stories by Diana Wynne Jones.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to Howl falling in love with lots of women and trying to make them fall in love with him.

Spiritual Content
Some characters use magic. Sophie is cursed by the Witch of the Waste. Howl has a contract with a fire demon.

Violent Content
Situations of peril.

Drug Content
Howl comes home drunk one night.

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

Review: The Prince of Nowhere by Rochelle Hassan

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The Prince of Nowhere
Rochelle Hassan
HarperCollins
Published May 3, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Prince of Nowhere

Roda isn’t afraid of the monsters that roam the wilds of the Aerlands. She’s safe in her small town, surrounded by a wall of freezing, enchanted mist that keeps the beasts away. So when Roda rescues an injured crow on the instruction of her secret pen pal, Anonymous – whose letters arrive without warning and correctly predict the future – she’s surprised to learn she’s brought one of the so-called monsters home. Because her crow is really a shape-shifting boy named Ignis.

Ignis doesn’t remember where he was going before he crashed. But Anonymous brought him and Roda together for a reason – and the only way to find out what Anonymous wants is to follow the trail of baffling clues in Roda’s letters. Their perilous journey leads them into the mist and beyond, to a mysterious place called Nowhere. But Ignis has secrets, and the farther they get, the more Roda doubts she can trust him.

As a nefarious force closes in, they’ll have to put aside their differences and work together. For they might be each other’s only defense against an enemy who threatens their past, present, and future.

My Review

One of the things I’ve been really interested in finding are books that bridge the transition between middle grade and young adult books. Every reader is different, and some leap forward into YA without looking back. Others take longer to make that transition, even though they may feel like middle grade books become too young for them. At any rate, I feel like this book is exactly the kind of thing I have been looking for in terms of still having some middle grade themes, but written in a more mature way that I think will appeal to older readers.

I loved both Ignis and Roda. Most of the story is in Roda’s point of view. She’s smart and determined and I couldn’t get enough of her. She and Ignis tend to bicker a bit, but it feels like the way you argue with a best friend or sibling, so I found it endearing.

The plot kept me turning pages and reading chapter after chapter. I really didn’t want to put it down. I read the whole book in less than 24 hours. Some of the things that happened were things I’d been hoping for– other things took me completely by surprise.

It looks like Rochelle Hassan’s next book (which comes out next year and is titled THE BURIED AND BOUND) will be a young adult novel. I definitely want to read that, but I hope she writes more middle grade, too.

Readers who enjoyed THE STORM KEEPER’S ISLAND by Catherine Doyle or SKANDAR AND THE UNICORN THIEF by A. F. Steadman definitely need to put this one on their reading lists!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Roda has pale skin. Ignis’s skin is gray.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Ignis can shapeshift into a crow. Other characters have the ability to use magic.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief battle scenes causing injury. Not graphically described.

Drug Content
A woman is apparently poisoned and unconscious.

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 THE PRINCE OF NOWHERE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Upstander by James Preller

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Upstander
James Preller
Feiwel & Friends
Published May 11, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Upstander

Girl bullies, internet bullying, and substance use are themes in this James Preller middle grade standalone companion to Bystander

Mary O’Malley is tired of keeping secrets. Secrets like her older brother, Jonny’s, drug use. Starting seventh grade is tough enough without the upheaval her brother is bringing to their family.

It seems the only person who might understand is Griffen Connolly, whose older sister runs with Jonny in the wrong crowd. Mary thought Griff was too cool, too popular for her. But now he wants to hang out with her, and listen.

When two girls Mary thought were her friends decide to slam another girl online, Mary tries to look the other way. Then the girls turn on Mary, and suddenly, she doesn’t have a safety zone. Her brother is out of control, her family’s energies are all spent on him. There is only one person she can turn to. But can she trust Griff? Or is he one of the bullies?

My Review

This book reminded me a little bit of MARY UNDERWATER by Shannon Doleski, which I absolutely loved. In addition to being a book about a girl named Mary, UPSTANDER is about a sensitive, smart girl battling the violence of bullying and trying to find ways to love her brother despite his drug use disorder.

Mary faces a lot of challenging relationships. First, two of her girl friends make it clear they want to exclude a third girl, leaving Mary to decide whether to follow along. Then, a boy Mary spends time with teams up with two other boys to bully neighborhood kids. Again Mary finds herself in the middle, and she has to decide whether or not to speak up.

As Mary’s brother’s addiction becomes increasingly destructive to her family, Mary faces the same challenge about speaking up in her own family. Does she stay silent when her brother and mom fight, or is there a way to intervene and let them know how she feels?

Mary wrestles with these big emotions and complex relationships, all the while seeking to be true to herself and her personal values of kindness and generosity. She doesn’t always make the right choices, but she never stops trying to learn or to find a way through that doesn’t cause harm to someone else.

I loved this heartfelt, powerful story. I haven’t read BYSTANDER, which is a companion to this book and was published first, but I definitely want to read it now. So, I would love to see more of the community around Mary and read more by James Preller.

Content Notes

Content warning for drug addiction and bullying violence.

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Some minor characters are Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
An adult talks about marring another adult. A boy moves in with his girlfriend. Mary discovers she has feelings for a boy at school. A girl talks about a boy asking her to send sexy pictures of herself. Later she mentions that she has sent him something, but isn’t specific what it is.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Instances of bullying. A group of boys harass another boy, squirting ketchup packets on him. They bully another boy, threatening to take his basketball. A group of boys beat up another boy.

Drug Content
Mary’s brother is addicted to drugs. He steals items from their home and argues with Mary’s mom. Off-scene, a girl experiences a drug overdose. A boy who was there describes it afterward.

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 Upstander in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Silvertongue by Charlie Fletcher

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Silvertongue (Stoneheart #3) by Charlie Fletcher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published April 7, 2009

Amazon | Goodreads

About Silvertongue

The city of London is in the middle of one of its most destructive wars in history. And yet most of its inhabitants don’t even know it. The battle between the statues and gargoyles of London rages on. The stakes are high, with the spits engaged in a struggle against the evil taints that will determine the fate of their very souls. Twelve year old George Chapman and his friend Edie are caught in the middle. A glint with the ability to “see” the past, Edie has become a crucial asset in the ongoing war. The Gunner, a statue of a World War I soldier, continues do his part to help them in their quest. But George knows that he is the one who must play the biggest role in helping to bring an end to the war.

With the Walker intent on forcing his evil designs on London and the world, George realizes that his destiny is inextricably tied to the Walker’s destruction. In the end, the most important soul he manages to save might just be his own. Filled with intriguing suspense, invigorating action sequences, and well developed characters, SILVERTONGUE is a thrilling conclusion to the international blockbuster Stoneheart trilogy.

My Review

I listened to the audiobook version of SILVERTONGUE, which is narrated by Jim Dale. He does an amazing job bringing the characters to life. Once I’d read STONEHEART, the first book in the series, I knew I would have to read the rest of it.

This book follows George and Edie a lot more closely than the last one. As they get ready for a final battle to banish the evil that slipped into this world at the end of the second book, they rally new allies and discover new enemies. The ever faithful Gunner (my favorite character) remains by their sides.

I feel like the first two books set up the conflicts in this one really well, so that I began this book with a lot of expectations for things I hoped would happen. Lots of those expectations were met or exceeded. I loved the way some of the storylines played out, especially with some of the minor characters like Little Tragedy, and even the snippets of Edie’s mom’s life from the past.

I think the first book in the series will always be my favorite, but I loved following George and Edie all the way to the end of their story. It had an awesome ending, something I didn’t expect but loved so much anyway.

I think fans of the Percy Jackson series would love these books. They’re perfect for readers transitioning out of middle grade and into lower YA.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Both the main characters are white kids from England. Other characters are statues.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
One of the statues is wrapped in a cloth that looks like only the breeze keeps it in place. Another wears only a cape. (No descriptions of nudity.)

Spiritual Content
Statues have come alive. Some characters called Makers can create or damage statues with power in their hands. Others called Glints can sense memories of events that stones have witnessed. An evil from another world has slipped into Edie and George’s world and must be stopped.

Violent Content
Battle scenes usually involving statues. Situations of peril and some references to torture involving George and Edie.

Drug Content
Edie witnesses scenes from the past in which her mother and other adults drink a lot of alcohol.

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

Review: The Big Dreams of Small Creatures by Gail Lerner

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The Big Dreams of Small Creatures
Gail Lerner
Nancy Paulsen Books
Published October 4, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Big Dreams of Small Creatures

From Black-ish writer and director comes a whimsical and heartwarming tale where two unlikely allies band together to protect and defend the insect world from the worst enemy of all…humans.

Ten-year-old Eden’s quiet life is upended when she saves a paper wasp nest from destruction and discovers, to her awe and amazement, that she and its haughty queen can talk to each other. This first conversation is the start of a grand adventure, leading Eden to The Institute for Lower Learning, a secret laboratory devoted to the peaceful coexistence of humans and insects. The Institute is more fantastic and idyllic than Eden could’ve imagined but hidden deep within its tunnels is an old secret that could spell the end for all insects on earth.

Nine-year-old August, an aspiring actor and bullied fourth-grader, is looking for that very secret after a few disastrous encounters have left him wanting to squash every annoying bug into oblivion. After all insects are small—he is big. And if there is anything he’s learned from the bullies at school—it’s that being bigger is what counts.

But in the world of the Institute where insects have a place of their own, both Eden and August discover being bigger isn’t necessarily better and sometimes the most courageous thing to do is to set out to make a new friend.

My Review

There are a lot of cute things about this book. I really liked the concept. The story follows four characters. There’s August and Eden and their quests to destroy or save insects. There’s also Atom, an ant who wants to save his sister. And we follow the queen wasp who first communicated with Eden.

The story has a lot of goofy and silly moments in it. Lots of them are improbable at best, but I think that’s part of the story’s charm. It doesn’t seem like the author meant it to be realistic fiction, but more an imaginative dive into what a world where insects and people could communicate with one another.

I liked Eden’s character a lot, and I appreciated the humorous moments in the story. Maybe the trickiest thing about the book is that thematically, I think it would appeal to younger readers, maybe ages seven to nine? But the book is about 350 pages, which I think is probably too much for a lot of readers that age.

All in all, this was a fun book to read and a really interesting concept for a novel. I think readers who like insects or enjoy books like DAISY WOODWORM CHANGES THE WORLD by Melissa Hart should check this one out.

Content Notes for The Big Dreams of Small Creatures

Recommended for Ages 8 to 10.

Representation
Eden’s mom is Jewish and her dad is Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some talk about bodily functions. A boy vomits on a teacher.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Eden learns to speak Wasp and communicate with a queen paper wasp. There are stories of other humans communicating with insects.

Violent Content
Augie experiences bullying by classmates. He also has some mishaps involving insects (a roach crawling on him, a fly accidentally getting in his mouth, and him walking into a spiderweb).

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 THE BIG DREAMS OF SMALL CREATURES in exchange for my honest review.