Graphic Novel Spotlight - Nightmare in Savannah

 

Nightmare in Savannah by Lila Gwenn

Let's consider the opening scenario of this book: the new girl in town finds herself in the company of a crew of defiant and wild girls. This is a set up that screams of werewolves or vampires. Instead we're treated to lore that I've often said is a vastly under-explored source for stories: changelings. These are the fae that medieval people feared. They are self-serving and cruel. And the more they use their magic the stronger they grow. It also begins to control them more, like a drug addiction. The pacing is a bit rough, scenes jumping a bit more than I'd prefer, but it's a unique book worth reading.

More information: Nightmare in Savannah releases October 26 

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Non-fiction book review - Upstream, Downstream

 

Upstream, Downstream by Rowena Rae

I've said it before and I'll say it again: if you want to understand the basics of a complex idea read a book intended for children. Explanatory texts written for adults tend to be overly technical and rely on a lot of jargon. A book for kids will explain the idea in the simplest way possible with a number of clear examples. I can't say as I've ever really thought about watersheds, even when I was studying the water cycle. This book will solidly support those lessons we get in school and tie into our understanding of ecology as well.

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Book review - Alley & Rex

 

Title: Alley & Rex

Author: Joel Ross

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Endless Waiting by Matthew Swanson

                     Mr. Bambuckle: Rule the School by Tim Harris

Rating:

Summary (provided by publisher): Sixth-grader Alley Katz is innocently trying to help a bunch of kindergarteners when the burrito hits the fan. Literally. A burrito. A ceiling fan. A hail of beans. Now he has to get an A on his science test or he’ll be transferred to the dreaded Steggles Academy.
An A seems impossible! Alley is kind, intrepid, and well-liked, but for some reason he doesn’t get graded on any of that. So the principal assigns a peer mentor to help: Rex, a fourth-grade genius who wears a bunny suit.
Alley is totally in favor of both bunnies and fourth graders, but he doesn’t need Rex. He has his own foolproof plan to ace the test. Still, Rex is determined to fulfill his duty as Alley’s mentor—and he may need some help of his own. One boy needs to stay in school, the other needs to get through it. Can this odd couple save the day—and each other?

My opinion: Alley may be a sixth grader, but the reading and interest level of this book skews several years younger. This might make it a decent choice for reluctant readers. Alley's recklessness and wild imagination make it a highly entertaining read and the degree of misadventure is pretty appealing. It reads like a less cynical, more kind-hearted version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

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Book review - White Smoke

 

Title: White Smoke

Author: Tiffany D. Jackson

Genre: horror

Similar books: His Hideous Heart by Dahlia Adler

                     Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-Iyimide

Rating:

 

genuinely creepy atmosphere

Summary (provided by publisher): Marigold is running from ghosts. The phantoms of her old life keep haunting her, but a move with her newly blended family from their small California beach town to the embattled Midwestern city of Cedarville might be the fresh start she needs. Her mom has accepted a new job with the Sterling Foundation that comes with a free house, one that Mari now has to share with her bratty ten-year-old stepsister, Piper.
The renovated picture-perfect home on Maple Street, sitting between dilapidated houses, surrounded by wary neighbors has its . . . secrets. That’s only half the problem: household items vanish, doors open on their own, lights turn off, shadows walk past rooms, voices can be heard in the walls, and there’s a foul smell seeping through the vents only Mari seems to notice. Worse: Piper keeps talking about a friend who wants Mari gone.
But “running from ghosts” is just a metaphor, right?
As the house closes in, Mari learns that the danger isn’t limited to Maple Street. Cedarville has its secrets, too. And secrets always find their way through the cracks.

My opinion: Fear in a novel comes from two elements: atmosphere and danger. Jackson handles both of these elements well. From the moment the family arrives in town, to a house surrounded by abandoned buildings and a basement they are explicitly told not to enter, we can tell that something is wrong. This wrongness is aided by the neighbors that avoid them and the all white board gentrifying an historically black city with riots and secrets in its past. We have the standard creepy elements - threatening messages, things moved when no one is around - and real threats to their physical well being. There are some subplots that are never fully resolved. Overall, though, it's genuinely scary and socially aware.

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Picture books for everyone

 

How to Greet a Grandma by Donna Amey Bhatt

Like all of the best multi-age books, this one can be appreciated on multiple levels. We start with the word for a grandmother in another culture and the ways that a child might greet her. We also learn things that a grandmother and grandchild might do together in that culture. That's the surface level and certainly has value. A little discussion and thought, and you're talking with an older kid about the roles of elders in a culture. We can learn from these interactions how a culture venerates it's elders and the various family dynamics. 

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Non-fiction book review - Without Separation

 

Without Separation by Larry Dane Brimner

Most schools teach about segregation exclusively in lessons about the Civil Rights Movement and the end of Jim Crow laws. Because we learn it only in that context we can get the idea that it was an issue strictly of Black and White. We are not generally taught that, depending on the area, there might be a separate school for Asians, Natives, or Latinex kids. That fact alone makes this book an important one. We want our kids to understand the full context of history and that includes the full breadth of inequality in our country. The other vital point is how much of the action here was driven by youth. Not the parents but by Roberto himself. A solid example of youth activism, well supported by charming illustrations.

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Book review - The List of Unspeakable Fears

 

Title: The List of Unspeakable Fears

Author: J. Kasper Kramer

Genre: historical fiction

Similar books: Lord of the Mountain by Ronald Kidd

                      I Don't Know How the Story Ends by J.B. Cheaney

Rating:

 

gave me some pause, but paid off in the end

Summary (provided by publisher): Essie O’Neill is afraid of everything. She’s afraid of cats and electric lights. She’s afraid of the silver sick bell, a family heirloom that brings up frightening memories. Most of all, she’s afraid of the red door in her nightmares.
But soon Essie discovers so much more to fear. Her mother has remarried, and they must move from their dilapidated tenement in the Bronx to North Brother Island, a dreary place in the East River. That’s where Essie’s new stepfather runs a quarantine hospital for the incurable sick, including the infamous Typhoid Mary. Essie knows the island is plagued with tragedy. Years ago, she watched in horror as the ship General Slocum caught fire and sank near its shores, plummeting one thousand women and children to their deaths.
Now, something on the island is haunting Essie. And the red door from her dreams has become a reality, just down the hall from her bedroom in her terrifying new house. Convinced her stepfather is up to no good, Essie investigates. Yet to uncover the truth, she will have to face her own painful history—and what lies behind the red door.

My opinion: I had some concerns early on in this book. Mary seemed entirely too sympathetic. Her first scene showed her as a victim of circumstance, a person unfairly imprisoned by unfeeling officials. And her real history is morally complex. We're weighing personal freedom against public good, a situation with no easy answers. I was concerned also with the portrayal of Essie's fears. I was concerned that this was all being attributed to her father's death. So I appreciated when we saw back into the past and realized that she had always been anxious. Similarly, I appreciated that there were so simple solutions to her problems. Everything was a process. There were elements I didn't care for, some coincidental plot points. If you have an interest in history, though, it's a solid read.

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