About 37 Days at Sea: Aboard the M.S. St. Louis, 1939
In May 1939, nearly one thousand German-Jewish passengers boarded the M.S. St. Louis luxury liner bound for Cuba. They hoped to escape the dangers of Nazi Germany and find safety in Cuba. In this novel in verse, twelve-year-old Ruthie Arons is one of the refugees, traveling with her parents.
Ruthie misses her grandmother, who had to stay behind in Breslau, and worries when her father keeps asking for his stomach pills. But when the ship is not allowed to dock in Havana as planned―and when she and her friend Wolfie discover a Nazi on board―Ruthie must take action. In the face of hopelessness, she and her fellow passengers refuse to give up on the chance for a new life.
My Review
I think I expected this story to be more focused on the fact that Ruthie and Wolfie discover a Nazi on board and figuring out how to get him removed or something. I didn’t feel like that was really a focus for the story, though. It was certainly a cause of tension, though.
The thing that sticks with me most about 37 DAYS AT SEA is the moment when the captain learns they will not be able to dock in Havana as they’d been told before. Wolfie’s dad is on shore in Cuba, waiting for him. His mother, who is on board the ship with Ruthie and Wolfie, becomes so distraught that she can’t get out of bed or stop crying. (This is one of the most intense scenes in the book.)
I think the author does a great job presenting truths about Ruthie’s situation and the events of the time while tempering them for a young audience. Because we stay within Ruthie’s point-of-view, we are a little bit shielded from some of the harsher realities.
On the whole, though, I loved that this book brings us a well-researched novel in verse about real events. I don’t know if there are other books for children on the M.S. St. Louis and her passengers, but I loved getting to read this one.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Representation Ruthie and most other characters are Jewish refugees.
Profanity/Crude Language Content None.
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content Some reference to honoring religious practices.
Violent Content Ruthie remembers the Night of Broken Glass, in which her home was ransacked. She remembers other threats against Jewish people, including the threat to send them all to concentration camps if they return to Germany.
Drug Content None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.
Here we are, at the end of another year. A lot has happened this year, and more than ever, I’ve found myself grateful for the opportunity to read and talk about so many great books. In my 2022 Reading Wrap-Up post, I’ll focus on some overall stats and list a few favorite books I read this year.
I discovered that I enjoy finding out reading stats of other bookish people and reviewers. Mara at Books Like Whoa on YouTube is probably my favorite for this. I love the way she breaks down and shares her reading stats. I’d like to work reading stats into my wrap-up posts. Not an overwhelming amount, just a few key things.
With all that in mind, let me share some of the high notes from this past year, including a breakdown of what I read, what I loved best, and what my faithful readers love best. Here’s my 2022 Reading Wrap-Up.
205 Books Read
That’s a lot of books. In 2021, I read 139 books, obviously I read a lot more than that this year. In fact, that’s the highest amount I’ve read since I’ve been tracking my reading habits on Goodreads. I made a few changes to my reading habits that I think contributed to me reading more. Here are the big ones:
I read more e-books on my phone. Sometimes it was just a page or two at a time while I waited in a parking lot. Those minutes added up.
I read more than one book at a time. This is tricky for me, but I can do it successfully if I’m reading different genres and/or age groups in different formats. For example, a nonfiction audiobook, a paperback middle grade historical, and an ebook young adult fantasy. Usually I only read two books at a time.
I take more breaks from reading. This sounds counter-intuitive, but it has really worked for me. I’ve given myself a lot more permission this year to spend evenings in other ways besides reading. Sometimes I chat on the phone. Sometimes I watch TV or play a video game. I thought taking time away would leave me running way behind on reviews and super stressed, but I’ve found it to be the opposite. (Thanks due to THE GIFTS OF IMPERFECTION by Brené Brown.)
So I read 205 books. What kinds of books were they?
Breaking Down the Books By Age Range
Middle Grade: 67
Young Adult: 131
Other – mainly adult crossover or nonfiction: 7
2022 Reading Wrap-Up: My Favorites
Now, the good part: my favorites! Every time I read an amazing book, I try to decide if I think it’s the one that will top my list for the year. This year, I read my favorite young adult book really early. Despite lots of incredible books that came later in the year, this one remained my top favorite all year long. Other books were late arrivals to my reading list and immediately topped my list.
I’m including a favorite from middle grade, young adult, nonfiction, and backlist plus some other categories with standout books.
Favorite Middle Grade Book I Read in 2022
Ravenfall Kalyn Josephson Delacorte Press Published September 6, 2022
How I acquired the book: Review request from the author. ARC on NetGalley.
This book took me completely by surprise in all the best ways. I loved the sentient hotel. The cat-who-is-not-a-cat. The unpredictable magic. And the friendship between Annabella and Colin. It’s perfect and amazing, and I can’t wait to read more by Kalyn Josephson– I’ve already purchased her YA duology. Super excited about that!
Favorite Young Adult Book I Read in 2022
The Bone Spindle Leslie Veddar Razorbill Published January 11, 2022
How I acquired the book: ARC on NetGalley (I purchased a finished copy later.)
THE BONE SPINDLE is also one of my favorite books of 2022. It’s a gender-flipped retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and I’m so hooked on the story and characters. You’ve got Fi, the treasure hunter who accidentally forged a magical connection with a sleeping prince; Shane, the mercenary who carries a battle axe– don’t mess with her! And Briar Rose, the prince under a sleeping curse who hopes his magic combined with Fi’s wits can break the curse that’s kept him asleep for one hundred years. I cannot wait for the sequel, THE SEVERED THREAD, which comes out in February 2023.
Favorite Nonfiction Title I Read in 2022
Pirate Queens Leigh Lewis Illustrated by Sara Gomez Woolley National Geographic Kids Published January 11, 2022
How I acquired the book: received a finished copy from the publisher.
I kept seeing this book all over Twitter, so I was super excited when a publicist offered me a review copy. Before reading this book, I had NO IDEA there were so many powerful pirate ladies. I loved the exploration of history surrounding each pirate leader and the context which allowed me to compare what they’d done to other pirate leaders of their time (or any time). Another great thing about the book is that it doesn’t glorify the pirate life. Many times the book calls attention to how these pirate fleets treated others and the harm they did.
Favorite Backlist Title I Read in 2022
Cattywampus Ash Van Otterloo Scholastic Press Published August 4, 2020 (PB February 1, 2022)
How I acquired the book: pre-ordered the paperback version.
CATTYWAMPUS was another book that I felt like I saw everywhere when it came out in 2021, but I hadn’t had a chance to read it until this year. I picked up a paperback copy in one of Barnes & Noble’s pre-order sales, and loved every single page. It’s a wild, fun story packed with magic, mayhem, and heart. A total must-read.
Favorite Novel in Verse I Read in 2022
The Ghosts of Rose Hill R. M. Romero Peachtree Teen Published May 10, 2022
How I acquired the book: received a finished copy from publisher.
THE GHOSTS OF ROSE HILL is a novel in verse about a biracial girl (Latine and Jewish) who meets a ghost boy in a graveyard in Prague. She vows to break the curse that holds him, though doing so may mean losing him forever. It’s haunting, romantic, and unforgettable. I love the writing. In fact, there’s currently a quote from the book on my fridge.
Favorite Graphic Novel I Read in 2022
The Legend of Brightblade Ethan M. Aldridge Quill Tree Books Published March 1, 2022
How I acquired the book: purchased. Ethan Aldridge is an auto-buy author for me.
I’ve been a fan of Ethan Aldridge since I read THE CHANGELING KING, and this book only further cemented my admiration for his work. His worldbuilding is fantastic. I love the expressions on his characters’ faces. While this color palette is a lot different than his other work, I loved the way the colors worked in support of the story. Also, a band of bards fighting with magical music?! YES. As soon as I saw that premise, I knew I had to have this book. It’s so much fun.
Favorite Book Outside My Comfort Zone
It Looks Like Us Alison Ames Page Street Press Published September 13, 2022
I don’t usually read horror, but this one had me completely hooked. It’s set in Antarctica in a research station, so kind of a closed environment. An alien or infection begins infiltrating the group of teens doing a volunteer project there. They have to stop it in order to survive. I loved the relationships between the characters and the way those relationships were challenged by the thing infiltrating their group. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.
2022 Reading Wrap-Up: Your Favorites
One of the most fascinating things about blogging this year has been watching my statistics and tracking what my readers are most interested in. Here is a sampling of some of the most interesting data.
Your Favorite Review
You’ve Reached Sam Dustin Thao Wednesday Books Published November 9, 2021
YOU’VE REACHED SAM is by far my most popular review with more than 6,500 views this year alone. I don’t quite know how that’s possible. It’s my top performing post almost every month, which is pretty wild. I enjoyed the book, but it wasn’t a favorite of mine, to be honest. I liked a lot of things about it, though, and I’m excited to see Dustin Thao’s next book. WHEN HARU WAS HERE is supposed to come out until December 2023.
Your Favorite List
26 Stories Inspired by Asian History, Folklore, or Mythology
Originally posted July 23, 2020
I’m a little bit embarrassed about this post? I wrote it before I learned of the controversy surrounding the filming of a live-action Disney movie, so my first version celebrated the movie coming out and offered a list of books by Asian authors, inspired by Asian history, folklore, or mythology to read while waiting for the movie’s release.
After learning more about the filming and some comments made by actors, I updated the post so that it focused on reading these books as perhaps an alternative to supporting the movie. I still think the original title is… weird? Awkward? It doesn’t quite say what the list truly is.
At any rate, it’s been a really popular post with more than 5K views since 2020, and about half of those from this year. I’ve started an updated list that includes more recent releases, but there are SO MANY BOOKS to include (yay!) that I haven’t finished it yet. Probably it’ll need to be a two-part list, too, with middle grade and young adult posted separately.
Most Discussed Post on The Story Sanctuary
Top Ten Tuesday My Summer Reading List
(of backlist book titles)
Since I posted my list of anticipated summer releases a few weeks before the Top Ten Tuesday meme topic, I made this list of backlist titles that I wanted to read. At 25 comments, it’s the post that had the most discussion on my blog. I loved that people stopped to comment. It’s always fun to talk books with visitors and to see which books people have read and what their feelings about them are.
Most Discussed Post on Twitter
Best Middle Grade Books I Read in 2021
Over 9K Twitter Impressions. 9 Comments. 8 Retweets. 41 Likes.
I’m not very engaged on social media these days. It’s so much just keeping up with my blog, reading, and making sure reviews get posted when they should be. So these stats probably aren’t very impressive to someone with a regular Twitter plan, but they kind of blew me away. I have Middle Grade Twitter (my favorite twitter!) to thank for the love on this post.
2022 Reading Wrap-Up: Overall Stats and Goals for the Year
This past year was the best my blog has ever had. I more than doubled my visits and page views over my totals for 2021 with about 202K page views and 131K visitors for the year.
One of my goals was to post seasonal reading lists, which I did pretty consistently. Sometimes I posted one list with both YA and MG titles, and sometimes I posted separate lists, depending on how many books there were between both categories. This summer, I began doing recap posts, tracking how many books I read from my anticipated list and which books turned out to be my favorite. I loved doing that, so I’m definitely planning to continue that.
I’ll talk about my goals for 2023 in a Top Ten Tuesday post after the New Year, so more on that in the other post!
What’s in your 2022 Reading Wrap-Up?
Let’s talk about your favorites. Favorite book you read this year? Favorite post you read or wrote for your own blog?
Or feel free to tell me about your favorite part of my 2022 Reading Wrap-Up, too! I’m very much still experimenting with my recap format, so I’d love to know what parts you find the most interesting or things you wanted to know that I didn’t share.
Best wishes to you all as we head into the new year. May your bookshelves be full of fantastic chapters yet to be read. May you find the right book at exactly the right time. And may your journey be filled with great friends, both on the page and in your life.
An affecting and resonant YA novel in verse that explores family, community, the changing ocean tides, and what it means to fall in love with someone who sees the world in a different way.
It’s been five years since a hurricane ravaged Eliza Marino’s life and home in her quiet town on the Jersey shore. Now a senior in high school, Eliza is passionate about fighting climate change-starting with saving Clam Cove Reserve, an area of marshland that is scheduled to be turned into buildable lots. Protecting the island helps Eliza deal with her lingering trauma from the storm, but she still can’t shake the fear that something will come along and wash out her life once again. When Eliza meets Milo Harris at a party, she tries to hate him. Milo is one of the rich tourists who flock to the island every summer. But after Eliza reluctantly agrees to give Milo surfing lessons, she can’t help falling for him. Still, Eliza’s not sure if she’s ready to risk letting an outsider into the life she’s rebuilt. Especially once she discovers that Milo is keeping a devastating secret. Told in stunning verse, DON’T CALL ME A HURRICANE is a love story for the people and places we come from, and a journey to preserve what we love most about home.
My Review
I think this is my favorite solo novel by Ellen Hagan. I loved the descriptions of Eliza out on the water, whether she was swimming or surfing. Those felt so much like my own experiences when I’m out on the water and feeling connected to nature and what’s happening around me.
Another great thing about DON’T CALL ME A HURRICANE is the scenes showing the meetings to raise awareness and protect the island’s marshland. It gave a visual to Eliza’s activism– though we see that in lots of other areas, too. She makes conscious decisions to buy clothes from thrift stores rather than purchase fast fashion items. She bikes all over the island. She and her siblings compete to see who can take the shortest showers to save water.
Those things might seem extreme to someone who isn’t experiencing the effects of climate change in their community. But as Eliza grapples with rising tides and new construction devastating natural habitats, her decisions, her proactiveness make so much sense. (Not that it should take direct experience to make a change…)
Eliza’s story isn’t simply the story of a girl fighting for climate justice. It’s also the story of a girl wrestling with trauma from surviving a violent hurricane, and a girl falling in love for the first time. Her emotional journey through the pages of the story gripped me. I loved each triumph and rooted for her through each heartbreak.
Representation Eliza’s family is Sicilian American. Her best friend Isa is Puerto Rican. Another friend is nonbinary.
Profanity/Crude Language Content None.
Romance/Sexual Content Kissing between boy and girl.
Spiritual Content Eliza practices meditation to help manage her anxiety.
Violent Content Eliza revisits memories of the hurricane that destroyed her home and nearly killed a family member.
Drug Content Eliza and her friends get drunk and vandalize a home that’s under construction.
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 DON’T CALL ME A HURRICANE in exchange for my honest review.
For as long as they can remember, Aaron and Oliver have only ever had each other. In a small town with few queer teenagers, let alone young trans men, they’ve shared milestones like coming out as trans, buying the right binders–and falling for each other.
But just as their relationship has started to blossom, Aaron moves away. Feeling adrift, separated from the one person who understands them, they seek solace in digging deep into the annals of America’s past. When they discover the story of two Revolutionary War soldiers who they believe to have been trans man in love, they’re inspired to pay tribute to these soldiers by adopting their names–Aaron and Oliver. As they learn, they delve further into unwritten queer stories, and they discover the transformative power of reclaiming one’s place in history.
My Review
I was delighted to discover that A MILLION QUIET REVOLUTIONS is a novel in verse! Somehow I missed that when I agreed to review it, and as soon as I started reading the lines of poetry, I was immediately carried away by the story of these two boys.
I loved the connection between their present day lives and the things they read about Revolutionary War soldiers who may have been transgender. The story mentions reports of some women who dressed as men to fight and then continued to live as men after the war. There wasn’t language for those soldiers to describe themselves as transgender, and the author is clear to point out that we don’t know for sure what their intentions or reasons were. It made an interesting thing to think about and kind of pointed up the fact that being transgender, while the term may be relatively new, the identity isn’t.
The story flips back and forth between Aaron and Oliver’s points of view, relating things they experience and think about in sparse, emotive verse. Oliver’s parents are supportive of his identity, but Aaron’s parents are not. The journey through the experiences of both definitely communicated moments of pain and validation for each of them. I thought the relationships between characters, especially the boys and their families, felt real and layered.
On the whole, I very much enjoyed reading this book. I read the whole thing in one sitting because I really wanted to keep going all the way until the end of the story. I think readers who enjoyed JESS, CHUNK AND THE ROAD TRIP TO INFINITY or MUSIC FROM ANOTHER WORLD should check this one out, too.
Content Notes for A Million Quiet Revolutions
Recommended for Ages 14 up.
Representation Oliver is Jewish and Aaron is Puerto Rican. Both are transgender boys.
Profanity/Crude Language Content Extreme profanity used somewhat infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content– Trigger Warning for mentions of sexual assault. Kissing between boys. One scene references sexual touching and another shows some graphic sex.
Oliver and Aaron learn about another character who has been sexually assaulted and reports it to the police.
Spiritual Content References to Jewish celebrations and attending services. References to Catholic services and ceremonies.
Violent Content Some transphobic and homophobic comments.
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 A MILLION QUIET REVOLUTIONS in exchange for my honest review.
After twelve-year-old Maddie’s older brother vanishes from his college campus, her carefully ordered world falls apart. Nothing will fill the void of her beloved oldest sibling. When her parents fly out to Strum’s college to search for answers, Maddie is left in the care of her sixteen-year-old sister, who seeks solace in rebellion and ignores Maddie. Drowning in grief and confusion, the family’s musical household falls silent.
Though Maddie is the youngest, she knows Strum better than anyone. He used to confide in her, sharing his fears about the climate crisis and their planet’s future. So, Maddie starts looking for clues: Was Strum unhappy? Were the arguments with their dad getting worse? Or could his disappearance have something to do with those endangered butterflies he loved . . .
Scared and on her own, Maddie picks up the pieces of her family’s fractured lives. Maybe her parents aren’t who she thought they were. Maybe her nervous thoughts and compulsive counting mean she needs help. And maybe finding Strum won’t solve everything–but she knows he’s out there, and she has to try.
A brother’s disappearance turns one family upside down, revealing painful secrets that threaten the life they’ve always known.
My Review
When I started reading this book, I was super excited to learn that Maddie plays the oboe! You might remember from my review of AS FAR AS YOU’LL TAKE ME (another book featuring an oboist) that I’m pretty much surrounded by oboe players. I feel like it’s an unusual instrument to play, so I’m really excited that I’ve found two books that include the oboe.
EVERYWHERE BLUE is a novel in verse from Maddie’s point of view. She’s a hard working, super anxious girl who doubts her musical ability but also sees her life in musical terms. I loved her from the first page. Her family relationships are complicated. The person she’s closest to, Strum, her brother, has gone off to college. Her sister is angry and isolates herself from the family. Her father is angry and uses rules to control the household. Maddie often looks to her mother to comfort her and bring the family together.
I think I imagined from the cover summary that the story would be focused on Maddie finding the trail of breadcrumbs to learn what happened to her brother. And she does look for clues and wonder. But the bulk of the story focuses on Maddie and her processing what has happened to her family and her attempts to keep them together. I still enjoyed that a lot– this is a really rich emotional story. Maddie also processes a lot through her music, so I loved all the scenes that showed her practicing or listening to a piece of music that moved her. It made me want to find recordings of the music from the story to listen to.
Representation Maddie has a counting ritual that she uses to cope with anxiety. She’s not labeled/diagnosed in the story. Maddie’s best friend is Asian-American.
Profanity/Crude Language Content None.
Romance/Sexual Content In one scene, Maddie sees a girl sitting on a boy’s lap.
Spiritual Content At one point Maddie says something like, if there’s a god, she hopes he’ll keep her brother safe.
Violent Content None.
Drug Content Maddie’s older sister comes home smelling like pot. (Maddie doesn’t specifically identify the smell.) Later, Maddie sees her sister and her sister’s friends drinking beer.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of EVERYWHERE BLUE in exchange for my honest review.
Beatrice Miller may have a granny’s name (her granny’s, to be more specific), but she adores her Mamaw and her mom, who give her every bit of wisdom and love they have. But the summer before seventh grade, Bea wants more than she has, aches for what she can’t have, and wonders what the future will bring.
This novel in verse follows Beatrice through the ups and downs of friendships, puberty, and identity as she asks: Who am I? Who will I become? And will my outside ever match the way I feel on the inside?
A gorgeous, inter-generational story of Southern women and a girl’s path blossoming into her sense of self, Reckless, Glorious, Girl explores the important questions we all ask as we race toward growing up.
The co-author of Watch Us Rise pens a novel in verse about all the good and bad that comes with middle school, growing up girl, and the strength of family that gets you through it.
My Review
One of the great things about this novel-in-verse is how unpretentious it is. Sometimes reading poetry makes it harder for me to connect to a story, because I get lost in the rhythm of the words or have to stop to decode things, but RECKLESS, GLORIOUS, GIRL is really easy to read. It’s still got a lot of emotion and heart, it’s just also really straightforward, which I liked.
Sometimes Beatrice’s character felt a little shallow to me. Everything she felt made sense and seemed realistic. She focused a lot on her skin and how she looked and wanting to be cool– which are totally reasonable things for someone to think about. I guess it just felt like a lot to me, and I wanted her to hurry toward realizing that those things weren’t what was the most important.
Beatrice grows a lot through the story. I love how the story centers around women: her mom and grandmother, her two best friends, even other girls in Beatrice’s class. Her relationships with her mom and Memaw were my favorite. I love how they challenged each other and sometimes experienced friction, but always they loved each other.
Representation Beatrice is white. Her best friends are Latina and Black.
Profanity/Crude Language Content Mild profanity used maybe half a dozen times.
Romance/Sexual Content Beatrice attends a party where they play spin the bottle. She and a boy are matched up but don’t kiss. There is one kiss between a boy and girl.
Spiritual Content Beatrice’s grandmother is a very free spirited person and makes a vague reference to thanking the goddesses.
Violent Content None.
Drug Content None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of RECKLESS, GLORIOUS, GIRL in exchange for my honest review.
