Title: Orbiting Jupiter
Author: Gary D. Schmidt
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Kinda Like Brothers by Coe Booth
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
Rating:
Summary: 14 year old Joseph is not easy to live with. He comes to Jack's family as a foster child, having spent time in a juvenile facility for attempting to kill a teacher while high. He doesn't like physical contact and panics when approached from behind. All of his focus is on reuniting with his baby daughter, Jupiter. As Joseph begins to adjust to his new life on a Maine farm, his father reappears and makes his life difficult.
My opinion: Gary D. Schmidt remains one of my all-time favorite authors. He's yet to write a book that I did not enjoy. He has this amazing ability to draw the reader emotionally into a story. Orbiting Jupiter is only 180 pages long and in that brief length we come to care very deeply for Jack and Joseph. It is clear from his books that Schmidt cares about kids who haven't experienced much in the way of love. Whether their parents are emotionally distant or downright abusive, these characters learn to form relationships and attachments and live full lives. A brief warning: your best bet is to budget time to read this book all in one go. Once I got started, i didn't want to put this one down.
More information: Orbiting Jupiter releases October 6.
Advance Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
Alison Dare: Little Miss Adventures by J. Torres
Alison Dare is a 12 year-old who has rejected the "normal" life her parents have planned for her in favor of danger and adventure. To be fair, her parents did not send her to a girls' school out of some antiquated notion of what a girl should be but rather for protection from the dangers she may face as a result of their careers (archaeologist/adventurer and superhero). While these adventures follow a more traditional comic book path, they're noteworthy since they feature such a strong young female character without making an issue out of it. They're like the feminine alternative to Tintin.
Title: Dream On, Amber
Author: Emma Shevah
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Secrets of Selkie Bay by Shelley Moore Thomas
All the Answers by Kate Messner
Rating:
 |
| nice |
Summary: Amber has never had close friends. Going into middle school, she's afraid making friends will be harder than ever. She's Japanese Italian, very short for her age, has a "ridiculous" name, and her cell phone is seriously outdated. She's beginning to feel her father's absence in a big way, especially now that her sister, Bella, expects their father to show up for her birthday. It's up to Amber to solve their problems.
My opinion: The first year of middle school is a great source for material in middle grade novels. sixth grade tends to be when many things change: new classmates, new school, new expectations, new pressures. Kids start looking at themselves and others differently. Shevah handles this deftly, showing us a girl beginning to take on new responsibilities while still responding to situations and stresses in a child-like way (she does, after all, invent an imaginary dad to talk to). And like many young people, she does her best to work through her problems without adult involvement. With a largely realistic ending, this is a book I can easily see giving to young girls.
More information: Dream On, Amber releases October 6.
Advance Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
Title: I Crawl Through It
Author: A.S. King
Genre: magical realism/surrealism
Similar books: There Will Be Lies by Nick Lake
The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgewick
Rating:
 |
| so very odd |
Summary: Meet four teens who are barely coping with the stress and pain in their lives. Stanzi feels like two people. She wears her lab coat all of the time and dissects frogs daily. Gustav is building an invisible helicopter so he can fly somewhere his genius will be appreciated. China has swallowed herself. The only voice she has is her poems. After all, it is difficult for a stomach or a tongue to speak. Lansdale lies constantly causing her hair to grow, sometimes feet every day. Is there any way for them to make it through testing, bomb threats, and interactions with their distant parents?
My opinion: Seriously, guys, this is one weird read. Don't get me wrong; King pulls it off. The last few chapters make the previous 300 pages of weirdness completely worthwhile. Just know that it is a long, strange road and that weirdness is likely to be too much for many readers.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
Retellings seem to be a perennial feature in youth lit. It's a trend that I wholeheartedly support. I read every one I can get my hands on. Here are six books published in the last six months
that are either direct retellings or in some way directly influenced by
classical literature.
6 new classically influenced novels
1. Spelled by Betsy Schow (inspired by the Oz books among others)
2. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas (a retelling of Beauty and the Beast)
3. Baba Yaga's Assistant by Marika McCoola
4. Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell (a retelling of Cinderella)
5. Fable Comics edited by Chris Duffy
6. The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents Romeo and Juliet by Ian Lendler
Title: Secret Coders
Author: Gene Luen Yang
Genre: graphic novel/sci-fi
Similar books: March Grand Prix by Kean Soo
How Lunchbox Jones Saved Me From Robots, Traitors, and Missy the Cruel by Jennifer Brown
Rating:
 |
| pretty cool |
Summary: Hopper has just started school at Stately Academy and things are not going well. Her efforts to be accepted by the basketball players have fallen flat. She seems to get into trouble at every turn. And something strange is going on with creepy birds and mysterious numbers posted around campus. Hopper and her new (maybe) friend Nikhil are determined to find out what is really going on at Stately Academy.
My opinion: The plot of this graphic novel introduces kids to coding and programming. It is a very basic introduction, but by representing these concepts visually, with real world actions, a very abstract concept is made more easily understood. My favorite feature of this novel is the end of each chapter where the action pauses and encourages the reader to problem solve and work out the coding for what the characters are doing. I look forward to seeing how the plot develops with future volumes.
More information: Secret Coders releases September 29.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
Hi friends. I wanted to let you know that my presence on this blog will be spotty for a while and is likely to stop entirely for a couple of weeks at the end of October and into the beginning of November. I am currently preparing for an out of state move, so my blogging time is limited and I will be without internet for at least a couple of weeks. I hope to return to blogging again full time towards the end of November.
