Book review - The Mulberry Tree

Title: The Mulberry Tree
Author: Allison Rushby
Genre: fantasy
Similar books: A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
                      The Lost Boy's Gift by Kimberly Willis Holt
Rating:

Not as spooky as I expected

Summary (provided by publisher): Do naught wrong by the mulberry tree, or she’ll take your daughters . . . one, two, three.
Ten-year-old Immy and her family have run away from their storm cloud of problems to a tiny village in Cambridgeshire, England, where her depressed physician father can take a sabbatical and get back on his feet. Luckily, they find an adorable thatched cottage to begin a new life in. But their new home comes with one downside: in the backyard, there is an ancient, dark, and fierce-looking mulberry tree that has ceased bearing any fruit. There’s a legend that the towering tree steals away girls who live in the cottage on the eve of their eleventh birthday, and villagers even cross the street when they pass by the house. Of course, Immy thinks this is all ridiculous. But then she starts to hear a strange song in her head. . . . In a page-turner perfect for middle-graders, Allison Rushby folds themes of new-school travails, finding friends, being embarrassed by parents, and learning empathy into a deliciously goose-bumpy supernatural mystery.

My opinion: For a curse plot to be strong, it has to follow a strict rule structure. That's the strength of this novel. The curse follows a very specific pattern. So, then, does the plot: strange occurrences lead to the discovery of the curse, leading to specific steps being taken to break the curse. This book has a long lead in, devoting far more time to revealing the curse than to the curse breaking. This imbalance, though, allows for more development of the characters and their relationships, the subplots of mental illness and the ways we treat each other. The stakes are actually pretty low so it's not especially spooky. Still, an interesting exploration of the way a single action can have long ranging consequences.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - Burn Our Bodies Down

Title: Burn Our Bodies Down
Author: Rory Power
Genre: sci-fi/horror
Similar books: Engines of the Broken World by Jason Vanhee
                      The Glare by Margot Harrison
Rating:

more frustrating than frightening

Summary (provided by publisher): Ever since Margot was born, it's been just her and her mother, struggling to get along. But that's not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she may have just found the answer: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Only, when Margot gets there, it's not what she bargained for.
As soon as they see her face, everyone in town knows who Margot belongs to. It's unmistakable--she's a Nielsen. And when a mysterious girl who could be Margot's twin is pulled from a fire, Margot realizes that her mother left Phalene for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect Margot from what's still there?
The only thing Margot knows for sure is there's poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she's there, she might never escape.

My opinion: I'm a fan of the combination of sci-fi and horror. To me, speculation about technology is far more frightening than the supernatural, so long as the science makes sense. And that's the source of my struggle here. I couldn't reconcile how this all worked. The atmosphere is eerie and uneasy, to be certain. That's the strongest part of this book. The major characters are reasonably developed but secondary characters are quite flat. And the resolution didn't work for me at all.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Picture books for everyone

It Happened on Sweet Street by Caroline Adderson

Adderson sets up a simple pattern, making the plot easy for a small child to follow. We see Sweet Street in it's normal state, meet a character who disrupts things, and return to uneasy stasis. This pattern escalates to a breaking point, exploding in a massive food fight that will amuse most children. Attributing the resolution to a small child empowers young readers to see the change they can make in the world. And the illustrations are brightly colored and whimsical without becoming riotous and overwhelming. It's a charming story with an accessible message.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - The Voting Booth

Title: The Voting Booth
Author: Brandy Colbert
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: This Train is Being Held by Ismee Amiel Williams
                      36 Questions that Changed My Mind About You by Vicki Grant
Rating:

raises some interesting issues

Summary (provided by publisher): Marva Sheridan was born ready for this day. She's always been driven to make a difference in the world, and what better way than to vote in her first election?
Duke Crenshaw is so done with this election. He just wants to get voting over with so he can prepare for his band's first paying gig tonight.
Only problem? Duke can't vote.
When Marva sees Duke turned away from their polling place, she takes it upon herself to make sure his vote is counted. She hasn't spent months doorbelling and registering voters just to see someone denied their right. And that's how their whirlwind day begins, rushing from precinct to precinct, cutting school, waiting in endless lines, turned away time and again, trying to do one simple thing: vote. They may have started out as strangers, but as Duke and Marva team up to beat a rigged system (and find Marva's missing cat), it's clear that there's more to their connection than a shared mission for democracy.
Romantic and triumphant, The Voting Booth is proof that you can't sit around waiting for the world to change?but some things are just meant to be.

My opinion: I assumed, at first, that the plot of this book would be primarily focused on voter suppression. While that issue is addressed, it's actually only tangentially present. It's not the main theme. There's quite a lot going on here: the assumptions people meake about teach other; the ways our parents influence our decision making; how we respond to finding out we were wrong; determining which issues are worth standing up for. All of those ideas hold equal footing in this plot and it's almost too much. It would be if these ideas weren't divided between two perspective characters. We see two sides to most issues, most events, giving balance to the plot. We see how their different experiences, privilege, and racial backgrounds influence their view of events and their responses to conflict. It's a lot of plot packed into a single day of book time, providing us with just a slice of life. The ending is left open, allowing us to contemplate what the future might hold for these characters. A solid choice for a group read, as it might prompt some solid discussion.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Mask

Protective masks have become a part of our every day lives. I have a fabric one I've been using when I have to be in public but having to wash it regularly is getting to be tedious. And there's always the concern that you'll forget to clean it. So this weekend I made a second mask. My first mask was just woven cotton with elastic bands. I had long term comfort in mind with this mask, so I lined it with flannel and made the ear bands out of t-shirt strips.

 

Book review - Part of Your Nightmare

Title: Part of Your NIghtmare
Author: Vera Strange
Genre: horror
Similar books: Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll by Thomas Kingsley-Troupe
                      The Fearsome Foursome by Amicus Arcane
Rating:

pass

Summary (provided by publisher): Eleven-year-old Shelly Anderson just wants to be popular. Her parents have split and she has to start over at a new school with different classes, a brand new swim team and an unfamiliar social scene. So what if she just wants the cool kids to like her? Is that really too much to ask? So when Shelly finds a mysterious nautilus shell that summons the infamous sea witch, Ursula, she jumps at her chance to make a deal that will solidify her as one of the coolest girls in school. But when Shelly's wish quickly goes belly-up, she must figure out how to back out of the witch's deal before it forever binds her fate.
Grab your night-light, dear reader, and prepare to be CHILL-ed!

My opinion: Let's be frank: I found this a failure across the board. It fails to create  complex characters, a frightening atmosphere, or a compelling plot. Shelly is a middle grade trope: a girl trying to be popular and willing to abandon all of her interests and beliefs to achieve that end. This might work if she were at all conflicted with her decisions. But she's not. She throws it all away without a thought. And the secondary and tertiary characters are no better. They have no depth, no complexity, no reality. There is no real tension in the progression of the plot, no threat that puts us on edge, no shivers or eeriness. The plot follows a predictable pattern up until the final chapters, each element telegraphed well in advance. This makes the ending that much harder to accept. It doesn't really resolve the plot. It just ends. If you're looking for a kid friendly scare, I'd look elsewhere.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Pick 6: Sci-fi

There are many levels of science fiction, from mostly realistic with some mild sci-fi elements to tales entirely set in a fictional world. While my personal tastes lean more towards the former, I try to read novels that fit all over the spectrum. Luckily, there are some really good sci-fi novels being written for young people these days. Here are six sci-fi novels, from beginning readers to teen novels with a special emphasis on graphic novels, written in the last six months.

6 new sci-fi novels:

1. Subject A36 by Teri Polen
2. Samurai 8 by Masashi Kashimoto
3. Alien Nate by Dave Whamand
4. GenPet by Damion Campanario
5. Once Upon a Space-Time by Jeffrey Brown
6. Nowhere on Earth by Nick Lake