Tag Archives: Winter

Review: I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm by Mariama J. Lockington

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I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm by Mariama J. Lockington

I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
Mariama J. Lockington
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Published October 14, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm

When snow falls, sparks fly in this irresistible queer romance from Schneider Family Book Award and Stonewall Honor winner Mariama J. Lockington—for fans of She Gets the Girl and Jennifer Dugan.

High school senior Lyric has always found Christmas to be the hardest season. While other kids got presents and family time by the fire, she was in and out of foster care. An up-and-coming make-up influencer and aspiring cosmetology student who loves a bold lip, Lyric definitely isn’t looking for romance—not when opening up to someone feels a lot like asking to get hurt.

Christmas is Juniper’s favorite time of year. At least, it was, until her moms’ separation. They’re back together now, and Juniper hopes they’ll stay that way. Because if they’re happy, that means Juniper can leave for her gap-year trip after graduation (the one she has yet to tell her parents about, and can’t really afford without their help).

When a chance meeting brings these two opposite personalities together, they should clash . . . only they don’t. Instead Lyric strikes a deal with Juniper: pose as her fake girlfriend in a series of holiday-themed social media posts and they can split the money from her beauty sponsorships. But soon the lines between what’s real and what’s not start to blur. Could it be that sparks are flying both in front of the camera and behind it?

Told from dual perspectives, one in prose and one in verse, I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm is a cozy and modern love story from acclaimed author Mariama J. Lockington that’s perfect for the winter holidays or all year round.

My Review

This festive holiday romance hit all the right notes to start my Christmas season. I love the contrast between Lyric and Juniper as characters. Lyric is closed off and has difficulty trusting others, but she takes great care of her grandmother and works hard at her online beauty-influencer gig, saving money for her future. Juniper is sweet and more down-to-earth, though she’s quiet and reserved. She loves the holidays and romance. Her chapters appear in verse, which supports the romantic feel of her character.

Both girls have painful elements in their pasts that they don’t really want to talk about or acknowledge. For Lyric, it’s her history with her mom, who’s unwell and living unhoused. Juniper’s moms have recently reunited after a troubled relationship and separation. Both have dreams for the future that they’re not sure their families will support.

The girls begin fake dating because their photos and videos gain a lot of clicks on Lyric’s social media, generating some new sponsorship opportunities and income for both of them. They keep insisting they’re just friends and business partners, but sparks will not stop flying when they’re together, and it seems like everyone sees the relationship possibilities before they do.

I really like the balance of characters calling out issues with the main characters and the characters realizing things for themselves. Lockington leaves plenty of room for Lyric and Juniper to come to their own conclusions, but also shows the value of supportive relationships for helping us realize when we’ve missed the mark.

This is the first of Mariama J. Lockington’s books that I’ve read, but she’s won some huge awards for her other work in middle grade and young adult fiction. I’ll definitely be adding more of her books to my reading list.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. References to sex. (Not shown on scene.)

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Lyric recalls a time when she was a small child, and she had a high fever and a seizure. Some of the things her mom did to try to address the fever don’t align with current medical advice. References to anger outbursts when Lyric was younger. In one scene, someone punches a locker and regrets it.

Drug Content
An adult references a time she got in trouble because unbeknownst to her, her date was selling drugs, got caught, and got her in trouble, too. Teenagers sipped vodka from a flask before entering a school dance. (Happens off-scene.) In one scene, two teen girls swipe alcohol from a parent’s liquor supplies and get drunk. They have a rough time the next day.

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.

MMGM Review: North for the Winter by Bobby Podesta

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North for the Winter
Bobby Podesta
First Second
Published September 2, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About North for the Winter

From Pixar star animator Bobby Podesta comes a middle-grade classic holiday story about Virginia, a girl who must help one of Santa’s reindeer back to the North Pole before Christmas.

What would you think if you saw a reindeer fly? When this happens to Virginia, she isn’t sure what to do – she’s just lost her mom, she’s in a new city, and everything seems so hard. But when she reluctantly confesses what she saw to her neighbor, Benny, he’s convinced that flying reindeer can only mean one thing: this is Santa business.

In this stunning graphic novel debut from Pixar director Bobby Podesta, two kids and a lost reindeer go up against obsessive hunters, suspiciously convincing department store elves, and radar operators for the Continental Air Defense Command Center. No matter the odds, Virginia’s going to get Christmas back on track!

My Review

This sweet Christmas story begins with a girl and her father on a move from Arizona to Colorado. They’re moving in with Virginia’s aunt, her dad’s sister, to give them both some time to recover from her mom’s death in a car accident. On the way, they encounter a lost reindeer, who seems to form a special bond with Virginia.

Though the reindeer doesn’t ever speak, it licks Virginia’s nose and nods at her in answer to questions. She rides Donner into the sky to escape a trapper, something she finds terrifying at first, and then exhilarating.

Virginia’s relationship with Donner allows her to blossom. She invests in his return to Santa’s team and learns to depend on others and form a new community, too.

The inclusion of the military characters adds a funny note. They’re mystified by the presence of eight flight paths that appear to come from Canada every Christmas Eve.

If you’re looking for a snowy, feel-good Christmas story, put this one on your list!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Vague references to an adult swearing. One time this is represented by symbols in a speech bubble. A second time it’s just dashes and exclamation points.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Contains flying reindeer, elves, and Santa Claus delivering presents on Christmas.

Violent Content
A trapper pursues Donner, trying to catch him with a net. He fires the net from a launcher that looks a little bit like a gun. One perspective follows military personnel who track unidentified aircraft and send planes to investigate/potentially shoot down anything deemed dangerous.

Drug Content
An elf gives Virginia a powder that puts someone to sleep instantly. She uses this to incapacitate someone during a rescue mission.

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 Monday

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

MMGM Review: The Song of Orphan’s Garden by Nicole M. Hewitt

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The Song of Orphan’s Garden
Nicole M. Hewitt
Feiwel & Friends
Published January 21, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Song of Orphan’s Garden

Combining the gentleness of Miyazaki, the wintry wonderland of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and the whimsicality of Newbery winner The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Nicole M. Hewitt’s debut middle-grade novel, The Song of Orphan’s Garden, is an enchanting fantasy tale with all the makings of a new classic.

In an arctic world that’s getting colder every day, Lyriana’s only hope of survival is to get her little brother Zave and herself to the fabled Orphan’s Garden. It’s rumored to be the one place in the world not controlled by deadly Winter Spirits or ruled by the tyrant Giant king. In Orphan’s Garden, healing trees will melt away Winter’s pains, and Lyriana and Zave can live safely in the warmth of Spring. If the garden exists, they must find it. They won’t live much longer without it.

Brob, a Giant boy, also needs sanctuary. When the Giant king banishes his family to the Winter Blight, it’s a death sentence. Orphan’s Garden is his family’s only hope, and as far as Brob’s concerned, it belongs to him. After all, he was the one who accidentally used an ancient magic to grow the garden years ago. He has no intention of sharing his haven with pesky humans, who will just use up its magic and ruin it.

When it becomes clear that Orphan’s Garden is in danger of being destroyed, Lyriana and Brob are the only ones who can save it—but only if they can put the ages-old battle between Humans and Giants aside and find a way to work together.

My Review

I’ve heard so much about this book this year that I couldn’t wait to finally get my hands on a copy. I read this whole book in less than 24 hours. It’s written in verse, and alternates back and forth mainly between Lyriana and Brob’s perspectives. The lines in Lyriana’s scenes are very short compared to Brob’s scenes, which was cool. It kind of reflected their different sizes.

I kind of figured out what was missing from the magic very early in the book, but I loved watching the characters coming to those realizations. The way that the author uses music in connection with magic is also really cool.

I do wish there had been another young female character besides Lyriana. I think the group of kids has other girls in it, but they don’t contribute much individually. Several female characters sacrifice themselves to save the people they love, too. I think it would have been cool to have that not restricted to a role that women in the story played.

On the whole, though, this story captivated me from the first chapter to the last. I love that the author wrote this fantasy novel in verse and still created what feels like a rich story world and unforgettable characters.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Contains characters who are giants. Each season has spirits who help or harm depending on their natures. References to a deity called The Composer. Songs draw forth magic called Fermata. Some giants can use Fermata to make plants grow. A special tree has the power to heal those who climb into its branches.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to battles between humans and giants. Death of a parent. Appearance of death of a sibling.

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.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

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

Review: Puzzleheart by Jenn Reese

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Puzzleheart
Jenn Reese
Henry Holt & Co.
Published May 14, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Puzzleheart

Get ready to solve the mystery at the heart of this middle grade adventure about family—and a house with a mind of its own.

Twelve-year-old Perigee has never met a problem they couldn’t solve. So when their Dad’s spirits need raising, Perigee formulates the perfect road trip to Dad’s childhood home to reunite him with his estranged mother. There’s something in it for Perigee, too, as they will finally get to visit “Eklunds’ Puzzle House,” the mysterious bed & breakfast their grandparents built but never opened.

They arrive ahead of a massive storm and the House immediately puts Perigee’s logical, science-loving mind to the test. Corridors shift. Strange paintings lurk in the shadows. Encoded messages abound. Despite Perigee’s best efforts, neither the House nor Grandma will give up their secrets. And worse, prickly Grandma has outlawed games and riddles of any kind. Even the greatest of plans can crumble, and as new arguments fill the air, the House becomes truly dangerous. Deadly puzzles pop up at every turn, knives spin in the hallways, and staircases disappear.

The answer lies at the heart of the House, but in order to find it, Perigee and their new friend Lily will need to solve a long-lost, decades-old riddle… if the House itself doesn’t stop them first.

My Review

If a family drama escape room adventure was a book, it could very much be this one. This book has great moments between characters, family secrets, new friendships, and so many puzzles.

Putting puzzles (which often have really specific visual or spatial components to them) into a book without bogging it down with too many details has to be a big challenge. It’s so well done here. I felt like I could visualize the extraordinary rooms and intricate puzzles, but I never lost sight of the action and drama unfolding in the midst of trying to solve them.

The story also balances the emotional elements with fun and mystery elements. Lily has a cat and her litter of kittens in tow, and they never stop getting into trouble. The scenes alternate between scenes from Perigee’s point of view and the House’s perspective, which really emphasizes its sentience– another great element.

I think readers who enjoyed Six Feet Below Zero by Ena Jones (one of my favorites) or Deephaven by Ethan Aldridge should definitely check out Puzzleheart.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Perigee is nonbinary and has anxiety. Her dad has depression. (Maybe her grandmother, too.)

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
A sentient house.

Violent Content
A woman hits her head on a cupboard and is knocked out. The house rolls out some increasingly threatening puzzles or traps, including a floor of tiles that shock someone and a pit with spikes at the bottom.

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: Otherworldly by F. T. Lukens

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

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

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 Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich

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The Birchbark House (The Birchbark House #1)
Louise Erdrich
Hyperion Books for Children
Published June 3, 2002 (orig. 1999)

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Birchbark House

Nineteenth-century American pioneer life was introduced to thousands of young readers by Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved Little House books. With THE BIRCHBARK HOUSE, award-winning author Louise Erdrich’s first novel for young readers, this same slice of history is seen through the eyes of the spirited, 7-year-old Ojibwa girl Omakayas, or Little Frog, so named because her first step was a hop. The sole survivor of a smallpox epidemic on Spirit Island, Omakayas, then only a baby girl, was rescued by a fearless woman named Tallow and welcomed into an Ojibwa family on Lake Superior’s Madeline Island, the Island of the Golden-Breasted Woodpecker. We follow Omakayas and her adopted family through a cycle of four seasons in 1847, including the winter, when a historically documented outbreak of smallpox overtook the island.

Readers will be riveted by the daily life of this Native American family, in which tanning moose hides, picking berries, and scaring crows from the cornfield are as commonplace as encounters with bear cubs and fireside ghost stories. Erdrich–a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa–spoke to Ojibwa elders about the spirit and significance of Madeline Island, read letters from travelers, and even spent time with her own children on the island, observing their reactions to woods, stones, crayfish, bear, and deer.

The author’s softly hewn pencil drawings infuse life and authenticity to her poetic, exquisitely wrought narrative. Omakayas is an intense, strong, likable character to whom young readers will fully relate–from her mixed emotions about her siblings, to her discovery of her unique talents, to her devotion to her pet crow Andeg, to her budding understanding of death, life, and her role in the natural world. We look forward to reading more about this brave, intuitive girl–and wholeheartedly welcome Erdrich’s future series to the canon of children’s classics. (Ages 9 and older) –Karin Snelson

My Review

This book has been on my reading list for a super long time. I’m really glad I was finally able to read it. I own a hard copy of THE BIRCHBARK HOUSE, but I discovered the audiobook version is included in my Audible membership, so I listened to it through that app.

For the most part, this is a really gentle story– the same sort of tempo as LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, but focused on the lives of an Ojibwa family. Omakayas navigates feelings of envy, annoyance, and love for her siblings. She discovers a connection with a family of bears in the forest. A crow becomes a beloved pet.

I loved the moments of mischief and childhood fun. Omakayas hears stories from her father and grandmother. She forges connections with her youngest brother and with an older woman, a hunter who leaves gifts with her family and seems to have a special place in her heart for Omakayas.

It’s such a sweet story, and so beautifully told. THE BIRCHBARK HOUSE is the first in a series of five books. After reading this one, I think I’d enjoy reading the rest of the series. I would definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction, especially life in America in the 1800s.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Omakayas and her family are members of the Ojibwe tribe.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Omakayas briefly worries about what will happen when her older sister marries and creates a home of her own.

Spiritual Content
Omakayas sees her grandmother leave tobacco as an offering when she takes birchbark from a tree. She prays to the spirits for protection and safety for her family. They celebrate the coming of winter with other families in the tribe. Omakayas begins to dream and connect with the spirit of the bear, a healing animal. This means she will be a healer, like her grandmother.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some descriptions of illness (smallpox) and death.

Drug Content
Omakayas’ grandmother and other adults smoke tobacco in a pipe.

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