Something Wonderful by Matt Ritter
There are plenty of picture books that introduce youngsters to the wonder of a seed growing. Usually these books focus on something as simple as a flower. Ritter's book, on the other hand, shows us something that most adults will be forced to admit is truly amazing. Starting with the moment that the fig seed lands in the branches of another tree and sends it's roots down to the ground. We see the whole process - the fig tree growing around and through the other tree, killing it; the leaves reaching the canopy and producing blossoms; those blossoms being pollinated by wasps and forming fruits around the wasp eggs; the fruits being eaten and the seeds spread by birds to start the process all over again. Even if much of the process is what we expect, that first stage of the roots growing down to the ground is truly wonderful.
More information: Something Wonderful releases April 22.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Title: The Green Children of Woolpit
Author: J. Anderson Coats
Genre: fantasy
Similar books: Impossible by Nancy Werlin
Estranged by Ethan M. Aldridge
Rating:
 |
| a serious journey |
Summary (provided by publisher): An eerie, spine-tingling fantasy about a young girl who discovers two otherworldly children—and an ancient bargain that threatens to destroy them all.
It is the autumn of 1160, and twelve-year-old Agnes is helping with the harvest when she hears a frightened voice calling from the nearby woods. When she goes to investigate, Agnes can’t believe what she sees. There, at the bottom of the deep wolf traps, are two children. They are shouting in a language no one understands—and their skin is bright green.
Agnes soon discovers that these are no ordinary children; in fact, they aren’t even human. They are of the Fair Folk, and they are here to take Agnes home to their world. Trusting that the Fair Folk cannot lie, Agnes agrees to venture underground. But she soon learns just how dangerous their world is—and what it will take to break the ancient bargain meant to keep her there.
My opinion: The tale of the green children has always struck me as inherently silly. Not Coats' version. This is a story that is taken entirely seriously. The beings involved here are not fairies; these are the fae. Immortal, joyless beings that have no care for humans. They make bargains and care only for their own desires. They take people as slaves, are cruel and capricious. It's more than just the cruelty of the faerie, though. It's the harshness of life in the feudal system. It's abandoned children living in a world that looks on them with suspicion and derision. These characters are under threat from the fae, from tha lord of the land, and from their own neighbors. Sure they take care of each other but they also sell one another out for advancement. This leaves us with characters learning to find satisfaction in daily life. There is no happily ever after, only minor victories.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
One of
the best things about fiction is the way that it opens up your world to
perspectives you wouldn't otherwise understand. It's even better when a
single book gives you multiple perspectives at once. Here are six book
published in the past six months that are presented from more than one
perspective.
6 new multiple perspective narratives
- We Used to Be Friends by Amy Spalding
- Don't Read the Comments by Eric Smith
- This Train is Being Held by Ismee Williams
- Junk Magic and Guitar Dreams by T James Logan
- The Edge of Anything by Nora Shalaway Carpenter
- We are the WIldcats by Siobhan Vivian
The Spirit of Springer by Amanda Abler
I've never been super into whales like some. They're cool and all but they never really fascinated me. Nor am I typically entranced by the orphaned baby animal story. This one really captured me though. Not so much specifically because of Springer. To my mind the interest is in the process. How they identified first Sprinter's pod and then her individually. Who'd have know that whales have specific dialects? And then all of the challenges of returning her to her pod: health complications; assuring that she didn't get too comfortable with people; the physical transport; and the difficulty of finding a while that would take her in. Its a quick, easy to follow read that packs a lot of facts into a short number of pages.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Title: My Life as a Potato
Author: Arianne Costner
Genre: realistic fiction/comedy
Similar books: Shine! by J.J. Grabenstein
Mr. Bambuckle: Rule the School by Tim Harris
Rating:
 |
| quite fun |
Summary (provided by publisher): Ben Hardy believes he's cursed by potatoes. And now he's moved to Idaho, where the school's mascot is Steve the Spud! Yeah, this cannot be good.
After accidentally causing the mascot to sprain an ankle, Ben is sentenced to Spud duty for the final basketball games of the year. But if the other kids know he's the Spud, his plans for popularity are likely to be a big dud! Ben doesn't want to let the team down, so he lies to his friends to keep it a secret. No one will know it's him under the potato suit . . . right?
Life as a potato is all about not getting mashed! With laugh-out-loud illustrations throughout, hand to fans of James Patterson, Gordan Korman, Jeff Kinney, and Chris Grabenstein!
My opinion: Let's be honest: the plot of this book is entirely expected. Ben is trying to find his place in his new school. He's thrown into a situation well outside of his comfort zone while also trying to capture the attention and affection of the popular girl. So of course the thing he finds embarrassing turns out to be to his benefit. The popular kids are mean, shallow, and no good fir him while the outsiders are the good people and where he belongs. This is all what we expect from a middle grade school story. What I didn't expect was just how entertaining it would prove to be. It's genuinely humorous. The little details, like a kid in a potato costume doing stupid dances and trying to do a hand stand is pretty entertaining. The little details like that make this a solid bit of entertainment and one I'd easily recommend.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
In my continued effort to highlight ladies I admire I made another four peg dolls. Included in this group: Dolly Parton, Evonne Goolagong, Greta Thunberg, and Ida B Wells.
Title: Silverworld
Author: Diana Abu-Jabar
Genre: fantasy
Similar books: Changeling by William Ritter
Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
Rating:
 |
| not entirely typical |
Summary (provided by publisher): Sitti, Sami's Lebanese grandmother, has been ill for a while, slipping from reality and speaking in a language only Sami can understand. Her family thinks Sitti belongs in a nursing home, but Sami doesn't believe she's sick at all. Desperate to help, Sami casts a spell from her grandmother's mysertious charm book and falls through an ancient mirror into a world unlike any other.
Welcome to Silverworld, an enchanted city where light and dark creatures called Flickers and Shadows strive to live in harmony. But lately Flickers have started going missing, and powerful Shadow soldiers are taking over the land.
Everyone in Silverworld suspects that Shadow Queen Nixie is responsible for the chaos, which is bad enough. But could Nixie be holding Sami's grandmother in her grasp too? To save Sitti and Silverworld, Sami must brave adventure, danger, and the toughest challenge of all: change.
My opinion: The tone of this book is not standard of a middle grade novel. Its a bit more contemplative and artful, does not use the shorter, punchier, and more modern language we usually see. This can mean that the characters don't fully read a believable kids. They feel a touch old-fashioned. On the whole, though, that tone shift is a positive. At least, the plot is engaging enough that most kids won't be put off by the tone. This is a mythology and approach to magic that we don't see often enough. That alone makes this an appealing read. The characters and their relationship to magic keeps us reading. A pretty cool story worth the time.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
