What are you currently reading?
Morbid Curiosities by S. Hati - A girl attending an elite science academy discovers there is more to the school, it's experiments, and the strange happenings in the surrounding communities.
What did you recently finish reading?
Auntie Q's Golden Claws Nail Salon by Van Hoang - After getting in trouble a girl is sent to work off her debt at her estranged aunt's nail salon.
What do you think you'll read next?
Harper Sharp, Kid Detective by Jarrett Williams
Title: Eureka
Author: Victoria Chang
Genre: historical fiction/verse novel
Age range: middle grade
Similar book: One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Summary (provided by publisher): The year is 1885. San Francisco is dangerous for Chinese immigrants like twelve-year-old Mei Mei. She must venture on her own, without her family or friends, to Eureka, California, where it is supposedly safe.
But 300 miles from home, Mei Mei misses her Ma Ma's kindness, helping out in her Ba Ba's store, and playing hide-and-seek with her best friend, Hua Hua. Despite her fear and the increasing violence against her community, she finds hope in an unexpected friend, the giant Redwood trees, and a new dream: learning how to read in English. As the world around her grows more scary, Mei Mei discovers her own power, as well as the joy of found family, the importance of courage, and the nature of freedom.
What I liked: Oftentimes a verse novel focuses only on a character's thoughts and emotions, leaving us with little action or setting. This book manages to balance description with reflection. The resulting text is sparse but meaningful. It is able to reflect dangers and cruelty without becoming exploitative.
What I didn't like: The problems and solutions are a bit over-simplified and the exploration is, necessarily, fairly shallow. This is the sort of book you might use in conjunction with other, more in depth, information about racial violence in the 1880s.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
I've long been a fan of survival stories, so this book about sisters stranded on a mountain during a volcanic event sounds right up my alley. Let's give it a listen and see if it lives up to it's promise.
What are you currently reading?
Where Ella Went by Laurie Morrison - When their friend and soccer captain leaves town without warning, a group of middle schoolers dig into what happened and why she left.
What did you recently finish reading?
Penelope Positano Sees it All by Katie Cotugno - Penelope is finally allowed to get a dog. She doesn't know what her perfect dog will be, just that she'll know it when she sees it.
What do you think you'll read next?
Coyote Queen by Jessica Vitalis
