Book review - The Okay Witch

Title: The Okay Witch
Author: Emma Steinkellner
Genre: magic/graphic novel
Similar books: Haphaven by Norm Harper
                      The City on the Other Side by Mairghread Scott
Rating:

a solid read

Summary (provided by publisher): Magic is harder than it looks.
Thirteen-year-old Moth Hush loves all things witchy. But she’s about to discover that witches aren’t just the stuff of movies, books, and spooky stories. When some eighth-grade bullies try to ruin her Halloween, something really strange happens. It turns out that Founder’s Bluff, Massachusetts, has a centuries-old history of witch drama. And, surprise: Moth’s family is at the center of it all! When Moth’s new powers show up, things get totally out-of-control. She meets a talking cat, falls into an enchanted diary, and unlocks a hidden witch world. Secrets surface from generations past as Moth unravels the complicated legacy at the heart of her town, her family, and herself.
In this spellbinding graphic novel debut, Emma Steinkellner spins a story packed with humor and heart about the weird and wonderful adventures of a witch-in-progress.

My opinion: There are a lot of things I like about this story. Yes, there's magic. But it's magic with rules. Moth doesn't just do magic. She has to learn and overextending her abilities has a cost. So does her mother attempting a large spell after years of denying her magic. It's implied that magic takes a toll on the body unless you are acclimated. I also like that the villain isn't straight up evil. We're dealing with inter-generational feuds, a mayor who has been raised on the idea that magic is inherently evil. In another book he'd be totally hard nosed, ready to burn them alive. He's able to see the light, though. Away from the influence of the ghosts, he can be made to see their perspective. A solid story with unique elements and absolutely charming art.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Pick 6: adoption and foster care

Fiction provides us with an opportunity to explore a variety of family and life situations, to understand a perspective apart from our own. Especially poignant are stories about adoption and foster care. These stories help us to explore what family really means. Here are six stories about adoption and fostering published in the past six months.

6 new stories about adopted or foster kids

1.  How to Make Friends With the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow
2. Extraordinary Birds by Sandy Stark-Mcginnis
3. Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos
4. Hotel Dare by Terry Blau
5. Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia
6. I Have No Secrets by Penny Joelson

Book review - Some Places More Than Others

Title: Some Places More Than Others
Author: Renee Watson
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: The Other Half of Happy by Rebecca Balcarcel
                      Amina's Voice by Hena Khan Rating:

pretty lovable

Summary (provided by publisher): All Amara wants for her birthday is to visit her father's family in New York City--Harlem, to be exact. She can't wait to finally meet her Grandpa Earl and cousins in person, and to stay in the brownstone where her father grew up. Maybe this will help her understand her family--and herself--in new way.
But New York City is not exactly what Amara thought it would be. It's crowded, with confusing subways, suffocating sidewalks, and her father is too busy with work to spend time with her and too angry to spend time with Grandpa Earl. As she explores, asks questions, and learns more and more about Harlem and about her father and his family history, she realizes how, in some ways more than others, she connects with him, her home, and her family.

My opinion: As I read through this book, I was initially unimpressed. The exploration of family secrets is fairly standard. In fact, it has some notable plot failings. There are moments that don't make much sense. Even the inciting incident - Amara's mother is insistent that she is too young to visit New York. Then suddenly, without explanation, she not only changes her mind, she expects Amara to help mend the rift between her father and grandfather. And for a rift that has lasted over a decade, it's resolved quickly, with a calm conversation. I'd also complain that her dad is very dismissive of Amara's feelings regarding her relationship with her mother. Amara says that she feels like she doesn't live up to her mother's expectations, the very thing that lies between the father and grandfather, but the father waves this away. Even with all of these concerns, I still love this book. I love the exploration of the ways that a place make us who we are, that we are more than just our experiences. We are generations of history. And that is a beautiful idea to contemplate.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - More to the Story

Title: More to the Story
Author: Hena Khan
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: The Other Half of Happy by Rebecca Balcarel
                      The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James by Ashley Herring Blake
Rating:

not as good as I wanted it to be

Summary (provided by publisher): When Jameela Mirza is picked to be feature editor of her middle school newspaper, she’s one step closer to being an award-winning journalist like her late grandfather. The problem is her editor-in-chief keeps shooting down her article ideas. Jameela’s assigned to write about the new boy in school, who has a cool British accent but doesn’t share much, and wonders how she’ll make his story gripping enough to enter into a national media contest.
Jameela, along with her three sisters, is devastated when their father needs to take a job overseas, away from their cozy Georgia home for six months. Missing him makes Jameela determined to write an epic article—one to make her dad extra proud. But when her younger sister gets seriously ill, Jameela’s world turns upside down. And as her hunger for fame looks like it might cost her a blossoming friendship, Jameela questions what matters most, and whether she’s cut out to be a journalist at all...

My opinion: The plot of this book didn't really head any of the places I expected it to go. On the one hand, I like having my expectations subverted. On the other hand, it feels like the plot changed lanes without warning. There were plot elements that were introduced but never resolved. Reading that this was inspired by Little Women certainly adds some context to the plot, but without that background all we have are plot holes. Now, there is some messaging that has a lot of value. Khan introduces the reader to microagressions, to the right way to talk to a seriously ill or grieving person. They'd be better if they'd been integrated naturally into the plot rather than being relayed as instructions by characters.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Picture books for everyone

Light a Candle by Godfrey Nkongolo

Bilingual picture books are a solid experience for all readers, especially books like this one with a heavy cultural influence. While most of us don't have much call to learn Swahili, the sheer existence of and exposure to another language is important in and of itself. While an American child may not immediately relate to the plot (a Tanzanian boy following the men of his tribe up the side of Mount Kilimanjaro) with the guidance of the adult reader kids of all ages will find parallels to their own experiences: societal expectations, proving yourself, finding your strength, etc.

More information: Light a Candle releases October 1.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Non-fiction book review - Debunk It!

Debunk it by John Grant

Books like this one are of vital importance We absolutely need to empower young people to recognize the validity of information they encounter. They need tools to evaluate headlines and news stories. Grant breaks it down in three sections: recognizing warning signs, verifying sources, and well know cases of misinformation. He makes it a point to differentiate between misleading data, bad science, and outright lies. He also provides the reader with ways to find the original study and evaluate the science that lead to the conclusion. If we find an error in one element, we know to be more suspicious of the rest of the steps. Personally, I could have done with fewer case studies, but the information in the first half is valuable enough that I'm still eager to get this book to young readers.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - Rebel Girls

Title: Rebel Girls
Author: Elizabeth Keenan
Genre: historical fiction
Similar books: Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu
                      Goose by Dawn O'Porter
Rating:

well intentioned with some troublesome issues

Summary (provided by publisher): When it comes to being social, Athena Graves is far more comfortable creating a mixtape playlist than she is talking to cute boys—or anyone, for that matter. Plus her staunchly feminist views and love of punk rock aren’t exactly mainstream at St. Ann’s, her conservative Catholic high school.
Then a malicious rumor starts spreading through the halls…a rumor that her popular, pretty, pro-life sister had an abortion over the summer. A rumor that has the power to not only hurt Helen, but possibly see her expelled.
Despite their wildly contrasting views, Athena, Helen, and their friends must find a way to convince the student body and the administration that it doesn’t matter what Helen did or didn’t do…even if their riot grrrl protests result in the expulsion of their entire rebel girl gang.

My opinion: I like a lot of the over-arching themes of this book. Yes, Athena and her friends are getting involved in riot grrrl culture. But this is not shown as an easy or natural development. They are constantly struggling against societal norms and their own habits. They are constantly questioning what it means to be a feminist and how they should be fighting for their rights. Keenan makes it a point to show that there is no one right way to live, that each person should be able to make their own choices rather than having things dictated by any sort of governing body. The broad strokes are excellent. I struggled with a number of the details. Those problematic plot points hung me up to the point that they detracted from my enjoyment of the book on the whole. Those failings took what could have been a great book and made it just good.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.