Book review - When Tomorrow Burns

 

Title: When Tomorrow Burns

Author: Tae Keller

Genre: realistic fiction

Age range: middle grade

Similar book: The Witching Wind by Natalie Lloyd

Summary (provided by publisher): Once there was a tree. For two hundred years, there was a tree. There was a tree. There was a tree. Until the tree fell in a forest--and then there was a book.

When best friends Nomi, Vi, and Arthur were younger, they discovered a book of prophecies. It was so very comforting to know what was coming. But as the kids grew older, they forgot about the book.

Until the final prophecy started coming true.

Now, as seventh grade tests their friendship and wildfires threaten Seattle, the final prophecy promises fire and destruction. Nomi tries everything to prevent calamity. The only problem? She needs help...but Vi's acting strange and Arthur stopped talking to her.

Vi can't tell Nomi, but she's been texting the coolest boy in school, and it's going well--until that boy makes an unexpected request, and she must decide who she wants to be.

Meanwhile, Arthur joined the cross-country team, but he can't outrun the real reason he ended his friendship with Nomi. The best he can do is try to hide it.

As the prophecy escalates, past and present intersect, fate and friendship collide, and secrets spread like wildfire. Together, Nomi, Vi, and Arthur must face the future...even, and especially when it's so uncertain.

What I liked: We're dealing with an excellent cast of characters here. The primary characters, of course, but secondary characters as well. Each one has a distinct, often complex, motivation and approach. While not always likeable, they are realistic. And while this isn't always a comfortable read, the messaging is important without being heavy-handed.

What I didn't like: There are brief scenes from the past that introduce the perspective of trees. While these moments add to the whole narrative, they break up the pacing in a way that can become tiresome.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

WWW Wednesday

 What are you currently reading?

When Tomorrow Burns by Tae Keller - Three kids hunt for a book of prophecy in hopes of stopping what could be the end of the world.

What did you recently finish reading?

Paradise Coast by Suzanne Young - In the wake of a storm and increasing unrest, a deeply stratified resort town must confront the secrets of it's past.

What do you think you'll read next?

The Magic of Someday Soon by Michelle Lee

Goblin puppet

 I set out to make a companion for my last puppet. I'm not sure that this one fits the bill but I do love it. I was going for a goblin sort of creature. The ears have a wire that feeds inside of the head so they can move around independently. Since the arms are tiny and purely decorative, the ears can wave and even "grip" things instead.

Book review - Hail Mariam

 

Title: Hail Mariam

Author: Huda Al-Marashi

Genre: realistic fiction

age range: middle grade

Similar book: Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte

Summary (provided by publisher): Sixth grade wasn’t supposed to be this complicated.

Iraqi American Mariam Hassan transfers to a local Catholic school and before her first day her parents remind her that she might be the first Muslim her classmates have ever met. No big deal, right? Just represent an entire religion while making new friends, keeping up with schoolwork, and figuring out who she is.

When Mariam’s younger sister, Salma, is diagnosed with a serious lung condition, her family faces endless doctor visits and sleepless nights. Mariam tries to lighten their burden and keep her own problems to herself—including the fact that she’s just been cast as Mary in the school’s Christmas nativity play.

Mariam wants to honor her faith and her new community, but she’s terrified of crossing a religious line. Can a Muslim girl be the lead in a Christian story? What will her family think? And why does she feel like every decision she makes represents all Muslims?

Mariam discovers that faith, much like friendships, isn’t about perfection—it’s about connection. As she leans on her family, friends, and school community, she begins to see the power of interfaith cooperation and learns she doesn’t have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders.

What I liked: Mariam is a strong character. She's responsible and does a lot to take care of herself and her sister, but she's also still a child and her characterization reflects that. Her understanding of the world is very one note and it takes the bulk of the novel for her to gain a more nuanced understanding and start seeing the world as more complex.

What I didn't like: Salma is a more one-note character. She falls victim to the role of a lot of younger siblings in books - she's cute and innocent and has no complexity of her own. She is only there to create conflict and complication for Mariam. While I like the conversation this book introduces about religion and culture, the depth is lacking.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book reveiew - Choir Grrrl

 

Title: Choir Grrrl

Author: Ashley Granillo

Genre: realistic fiction

Age range: middle grade

Similar book: Sofia Acosta Makes a Scene by Emma Otheguy

Summary (provided by publisher): Thirteen-year-old Alondra was born into a musical family.

Her dad, the former frontman of a famous alt-rock band, expects her and her sisters to follow in his footsteps. The girls have formed their own band, which will open for their dad during his comeback tour.

Despite secretly liking quieter music, Alondra is committed to preparing for the tour. She’ll do whatever it takes: Change the sound of her voice. Suppress her discomfort with some fans’ behavior. Act the part of a hardcore riot grrrl.

But when a classmate invites her to join a choir club, Alondra discovers a new way of making music. Choir lets her express herself in ways that the band doesn’t.

Afraid to upset the delicate balance in her family, Alondra secretly practices with the choir between shows with her sisters’ band―until her secrets are exposed. Will she be forced to choose between her two voices, or can she bring the different parts of her life into harmony?

What I liked: Typically when we have a book about a character with secret interests it's a sharp dichotomy. The parents want one thing for their kid who wants something completely different. I like that this book isn't so sharply defined. It's not that Alondra hates the music she performs with her sisters and only wants to do choir. This is a book that wants to reject rigidity and expectations and give kids space to explore themselves and their identity.

What I didn't like: This was an uncomfortable read for me since I struggle with characters lying and keeping secrets, knowing it's going to blow up in some dramatic way. Still, Granillo allows the mess to build in a natural way and similarly allows plenty of space for reconciliation. This can mean pacing is a bit slow but ultimately the strong characters make up for it. 

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?

Hail Mariam by Huda Al-Marashi - When her parents send her to a Catholic school, Mariam struggles with schoolwork, her sister's illness, and what it means to be the only Muslim in her school.

What did you recently finish reading?

Choir Grrl by Ashley Granillo - Alondra joins a choir club at school, keeping it a secret from her family who expect her to give her full attention to the alt-rock band she is in with her sisters, following in their father's footsteps.

What do you think you'll read next?

Paradise Coast by Suzanne Young

Pancake Tuesday

 I'm not Catholic. I've never observed Lent. But I love Pancake Tuesday. Who doesn't love an excuse to eat pancakes? This year I had the day off so I decided to make it an extreme Pancake Tuesday by having some form of pancakes at every meal.

Breakfast was mixed berry peanut butter pancakes.

Lunch was stir-fried vegetables with these Xi'an tofu and cabbage stuffed pancakes.

And to go with dinner I made zucchini fritters.

Non-fiction book review - Why Space Will Freak You Out

 

Why Space Will Freak You Out by Kimberly K. Arcand and Megan Watzke

Is the title of this book a bit extreme? Sure. It's certainly designed to play on a kid's fondness for the macabre. But the information it contains is solid. The actual text is informative without hyperbole. With photos and charts throughout there's plenty on each page to engage a reluctant reader.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

WWW Wednesday

 What are you currently reading?

Goodbye, French Fry by Rin-rin Yu - A Chinese-American girl navigates difficult classmates, what it means to be Chinese, and the possibility of having to move.

What did you recently finish reading?

Postscript by Cory McCarthy - Some of the last humans figure out how to live when the world is falling apart.

What do you think you'll read next?

Choir Grrl by Ashley Granillo

Book review - Space for Saffron

 

Title: Space for Saffron

Author: Rie Neal

Age range: middle grade

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar book: Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee

Summary (provided by publisher): Curious ten-year-old Saffron Speiser-Green loves science—unfortunately, her “experiments” tend to end in more messes than actual answers. (Just ask the broken alarm clock that’s still at the bottom of her backpack.) Saffron has a plan, though—a blue ribbon in her school’s Project Showcase will show the world she means business.

But when Saffron’s beloved volcano project ruins the walls at Mama’s job and gets her fired, Saffron will do anything to make things right—including helping Mama convince her other mom, Mimi, that they should move to the Silicon Valley to run Gran’s coffee shop. Mama’s dream job is worth giving up the blue ribbon. Right?

Luckily for Saffron, her new friends in the Silicon Valley are busy preparing for a STEM Expo, and Saffron is determined to find a project “smart” enough to show everyone she belongs there. But the coffee shop? No customers, no vision, and…tons of debt. And if it closes, Saffron’s family will have to move again. After a class trip to the STEAMology Museum in San Francisco, though, Saffron knows how to save the café—and what to do for her STEM Expo project. But she’s going to need a lot of help.

What I liked: Saffron is sort of the modern Ramona or Clementine. She's clever and creative but also impulsive to a degree that often gets her into trouble. She is, in short, realistic. And while Saffron is disabled, her hearing issues are not central to the plot. They inform some of her behavior but that's all. It's inclusive without being a capital I issue. It's a relatively quick and engaging read.

What I didn't like: The focus of the plot can be a bit scattered. And it lacks the humor that we often see in impulsive characters. There's not a lot of depth to the plot but it's accessible.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - 16 Forever

 

Title: 16 Forever

Author: Lance Rubin

Age range: teen

Genre: light magical realism

Similar book: Noggin by John Corey Whaley

Summary (provided by publisher): It’s the morning of Carter Cohen’s 16th birthday, and everything’s going his way. 

He’s psyched and ready to get his driver’s license, his little brother’s not hogging the bathroom, and, man, something smells good for breakfast…

But when Carter bounds downstairs, Mom bursts into tears. It happened again. It’s Carter’s 16th birthday—for the sixth time. Every time he’s supposed to turn 17, he loops back a year. His memory gets wiped clean, his body ages backward—the rest of the world moves on, just not him.

Maggie Spear, on the other hand, has been dreading this day ever since she and Carter started dating. When she spies him in the halls and he doesn’t seem to know her at all, it’s obvious that it’s over between them. She can’t be in a relationship with someone who is just going to forget her again and again. Since Carter doesn’t remember that they’re together, then it’s probably better if she just pretends that they never were.

Except Carter senses that there’s more to their story than Maggie’s letting on, and Maggie’s keeping secrets of her own—but in the process of trying to let the other go, they find themselves falling in love all over again.

With Maggie soon leaving for college and Carter’s birthday quickly coming around again, will they be able to find a forever that isn’t stuck at 16? 

What I liked: Essentially, this is a time loop story. While the details of this book are a little different the heart of the plot is the same - Carter must figure out what caused him to loop and correct it, leading him to self-discovery. At least, that's what we think we're getting. The set up certainly suggests that course. But Rubin allows this plot to become much more. Certainly we explore the choices that might have lead to Carter looping. The plot transcends the simple self-discovery though. There's a broader exploration of the importance of communication and the complexities of relationships that allows the plot to move beyond the expected. This is more than simple entertainment.

What I didn't like: Some of the issues in this book are over-simplified. Characters are not especially deeply explored. Really, though, those are minor annoyances. Overall this is a solid read.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Microgreens

 Every year we plant a big garden, a bulk of the vegetables we will eat. Since some of the things I like are a bit more obscure I order some of my seeds which has to be done in December or January. It's a bright spot in the depths of winter, receiving seed packets and making plans for the garden. 

It can also be a problem. Once you have the seeds in hand there's this itch to plant things, to watch things grow and to eat fresh vegetables. The solution - microgreens. Buy some cheap lettuce, spinach, radish, and other edible greens seeds and plant them in a shallow tray of potting soil in a window. The greens won't get very big but you can eat them. And it's a constant reminder that Spring is, in fact, coming.

Book review - A Scar Like a River

 Title: A Scar Like a River

Author: Lisa Graff

Genre: realistic fiction

Age range: middle grade

Similar book: Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston

Summary (provided by publisher): Fallon Little has a secret—and it’s not how she got the enormous scar that divides her face in two.

Thirteen-year-old Fallon has only ever told one person what really happened on the day she got her scar. Why would she? The truth is dark, and Fallon has much brighter things to focus on, like being cast as the lead in the school play, and hanging out with her two best friends, Trent and Kaia. But when Fallon's uncle Geebie dies, his funeral ignites a wildfire of events that Fallon can't manage to tamp down. The school play is spiraling out of control, Fallon's impossible Aunt Lune comes to live with them, and Trent and Kaia might just be so into each other that there isn't room for Fallon in their friend group any more. And when secrets even worse than the one about Fallon's scar threaten to come to light, Fallon might not have the strength to keep them buried for much longer.

What I liked: This could easily have been a book just about dealing with trauma. Certainly what happened to Fallon informs every decision she makes. But it's not the entirety of the plot. The focus of the book is as much on standing up for yourself, making your voice heard, as it is about trauma. It's also about discovering the consequences of protest. It handles each reveal sensitively and realistically.

What I didn't like: This isn't so much a thing that I didn't like as something to bear in mind when recommending this book. It talks frankly and plainly about abuse. While this is never graphic and doesn't dwell on details, it also doesn't hide what happened to a character behind metaphor or leave us to fill in blanks. It depicts the abuse and the emotional fallout plainly. So be prepared to discuss and help young readers process the events of this novel.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

WWW Wednesday

 What are you currently reading?

The Mighty Macy by Kwame Alexander - A verse novel about an anxious girl finding her voice and speaking up for things that matter to her.

What did you recently finish reading?

A Scar Like a River by Lisa Graff - Fallon has three big secrets that she's kept since the day she got her scar. Her uncle Geebie's funeral starts Fallon on a path of confronting her secrets and the changes in her life.

What do you think you'll read next?

Space for Saffron by Rie Neal

Book review - Winter White

 

Title: Winter White

Author: Annie Cardi

Genre: realistic fiction

Age range: teen

Similar book: Dust by Alison Stine

Summary (provided by publisher): Pia and her brother, Max, live on an isolated farm in rural Maine, and it’s the only life they remember. Their father says the only way for them to stay protected is to stay on the farm. Pia doesn’t question it. Pia’s entire world turns upside down when her father breaks his leg, and she must be the one to venture into town to make farm deliveries. And then she sees him. Felix, a boy who is both a stranger and somehow familiar, makes her question everything she thought she knew about herself, her past, and her family. But no matter how she feels about Felix, she must always obey her father, above all else.

But Pia's feelings are too big to ignore, and the more she engages with Felix, the more she begins to see that there’s promise for her beyond the isolated world to which she’s grown accustomed. And the more she dreams about a better life, the more she wonders if her father is telling the truth about their family’s past. Pia knows her father and his friend Anthony are hiding something, and soon Pia must reckon with the damage her father is doing to their community and the damage he has done to their own lives.

What I liked:  By basing this book on a lesser-known Shakespeare play (I don't know anyone who would mention The Winter's Tale) Cardi has a plot framework with plenty of room for interpretation. No one is going to be offended by the way this plot is modernized. And it leans heavily into modern issues - specifically the opioid crisis. Pia is a strong relatable character in a fairly believable setting

What I didn't like: While the plot is mostly strong, there are a few points that suffer from having to fit into the framework of the original play. If you don't have the familiarity with the original plot these plot points feel strange and unnecessary. Additionally, the climax of the book is somewhat over the top in it's theatrics. So while it's an interesting exercise and a fun read, I don't know that this book would top my list of recommendations.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley