Book review - It's Boba Time for Pearl Li

 

Title: It's Boba Time for Pearl Li

Author: Nicole Chen

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Dream On, Amber by Emma Shevah

                      Sofia Acosta Makes a Scene by Emma Otheguy

Rating:

 

a cute story with some depth

Summary (provided by publisher): Pearl Li is ready to spend the summer before seventh grade hanging out with her two best friends, crocheting the cutest amigurumi dolls, and frequenting her favorite tea shop, Boba Time. Its quirky owner, Auntie Cha, is the only adult Pearl can confide in about her art—if only her tech-obsessed family would understand her love of crafts!
After Pearl learns of Boba Time’s financial troubles, she decides to sell her amigurumi to raise money for the shop. But as she navigates the ups and downs of running a business, Pearl realizes that monetizing her passion is more complicated than she could’ve ever imagined. Will she be able to stop Boba Time from closing and prove to her parents that her passion for crochet is worthy and serious?

My opinion:This could easily have been a story about following your passions in spite of parent's disapproval. Chen doesn't stop there. While there is certainly an element of that Pearl's story is as much about paying attention to other people as it is being true to yourself. Sure, Pearl learns to stand up for herself and express her frustrations with her parent's dismissal. She also has to learn to look beyond her own desires. She's developing her identity but also needing to recognize that other people have needs and concerns and that her actions impact others. And on top of all that we get a solid illustration of the difficulties of running a small business. An engaging read populated by believable, flawed characters.

More information: It's Boba Time for Pearl Li releases February 28

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

 

Picture books for everyone

 

Beware the Blue Bagoo by Karl Newson

The first thing I have to note about this book is that it rhymes. If you've followed my blog for very long you know that I have a fraught relationship with rhyming picture books. They tend to be awkward to read. But Newson handles the structure well. There is no labored text, no lines that sacrifice understanding for the sake of a rhyme. The plot is pretty straightforward, our protagonist searching for the Blue Bagoo in order to prove how dangerous it is since there are warnings about it all over town. Of course, we discover that the Blue Bagoo is nothing like the rumors, proving that assumptions are harmful. The highlight is the illustrations. They remind me somewhat of the Moomin characters. They're a bit odd but in a good way. I could see this one going over well with a wide range of kids.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - No Matter the Distance

 

Title: No Matter the Distance

Author: Cindy Baldwin

Genre: realistic fiction/verse novel

Similar books: Knockout by K.A. Holt

                     Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly

 Rating:

 

well done

Summary (provided by publisher): Penny Rooney has cystic fibrosis, which means she has to do breathing treatments to help her lungs work. Some days, it seems like her CF is the only thing Penny knows about herself for sure.
From her point of view, everyone around her can make sense of their place in the world. So why can’t Penny even begin to write a poem about herself for school?
Then during spring break Penny spots something impossible in the creek behind her house: a dolphin, far from its home. Penny names the dolphin Rose and feels an immediate bond, since the dolphin is also sick.
But as Penny’s CF worsens, she realizes that Rose needs to return to her pod to get better. Will Penny be able to help guide Rose back to the ocean, even if it means losing her friend?

My opinion: Given that this is a verse novel, the primary focus of the narrative is emotional. We get a fair amount of exploration of Penny's feelings: about her CF, about her relationship with her friend and her sister, about her connection to this dolphin. Even so, Baldwin is able to include a surprising amount of biological information about CF, treatment protocols, infection concerns, and life expectancy. While the near mystical connection between a child and an animal is not my favorite thing I can't deny that it works quite well here.

More information: No Matter the Distance releases February 21 

 Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Amigurumi

 Reading It's Boba Time for Pearl Li (see my review later this week) left me itching to do some crocheting. It's been years since I made amigurumi but I found some patterns I loved online and set to work. The best thing about amigurumi is you can easily make little adjustments to personalize your dolls. For instance, the pattern for this triceratops doesn't have a tail but ot was easy enough to add one to mine.

I left the legs off of the goat . 

And for both I used fabric paint instead of plastic safety eyes.

Book review - Lasagna Means I Love You

 

Title: Lasagna Means I Love You

Author: Kate O'Shaughnessy

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Sizzle by Lee McClain (note: this one skews a little older but the themes are remarkably similar)

                      The Truth About Twinkie Pie by Kat Yeh

Rating:

 

charming

Summary (provided by publisher): Nan was all the family Mo ever needed. But suddenly she’s gone, and Mo finds herself in foster care after her uncle decides she’s not worth sticking around for.
     Nan left her a notebook and advised her to get a hobby, like ferret racing or palm reading.
     But how could a hobby fix anything in her newly topsy-turvy life?
Then Mo finds a handmade cookbook filled with someone else’s family recipes. Even though Nan never cooked, Mo can’t tear her eyes away. Not so much from the recipes, but the stories attached to them. Though, when she makes herself a pot of soup, it is every bit as comforting as the recipe notes said.
     Soon Mo finds herself asking everyone she meets for their family recipes. Teaching herself to make them. Collecting the stories behind them. Building a website to share them. And, okay, secretly hoping that a long-lost relative will find her and give her a family recipe all her own.
     But when everything starts to unravel again, Mo realizes that if she wants a family recipe—or a real family—she’s going to have to make it up herself.

My opinion: The plot to this one is a bit predictable but I found that it didn't really matter. Because Mo is a charming, believable protagonist. She makes real kid mistakes, has difficulty relating to the adults in her life and seeing things through their eyes. And the book does acknowledge degrees of privilege. Yes, Mo is in foster care. But she's a cute white kid who gets places in a wealthy foster-to-adopt situation almost immediately. We also see the difference between wealth and care, between material needs and emotional connection. Because that's really what Mo is hunting for throughout this book - a connection beyond physical needs. Some of the plot elements are fairly idealized and there are things that come far more easily than they should but the positives outweigh the negatives.

More information: Lasagna Means I Love You releases February 21.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Listen with me

 

The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He

 I debated whether to read this one for a while. I kept concluding that it "looked boring". And I wasn't sure where that opinion was coming from. I'm usually far more motivated by title and description than cover. I've concluded that it reminds me of this cover:

A book that was recommended to me by at least two teachers in middle school and that I should have enjoyed since I was really into survival stories at the time but that I always put down after a chapter or two.

Once I was able to dismiss that random association, I felt like I was ready to take on this story of a missing teen, memory loss, a mysterious island, and a near future city desperate to save the world from climate change no matter the cost. 

Listen along with me if you can. And let me know - should I give Julie of the Wolves another chance now?
 

Book review - The Red Palace

 

Title: The Red Palace

Author: June Jur

Genre: historical fiction/mystery

Similar books: Empress in Disguise by Amanda Roberts

                     Queen of Someday by Sherry D Ficklin

Rating:

 

interesting history combined with a decent mystery

Summary (provide by publisher): To enter the palace means to walk a path stained in blood...
Joseon (Korea), 1758. There are few options available to illegitimate daughters in the capital city, but through hard work and study, eighteen-year-old Hyeon has earned a position as a palace nurse. All she wants is to keep her head down, do a good job, and perhaps finally win her estranged father's approval.
But Hyeon is suddenly thrust into the dark and dangerous world of court politics when someone murders four women in a single night, and the prime suspect is Hyeon's closest friend and mentor. Determined to prove her beloved teacher's innocence, Hyeon launches her own secret investigation.
In her hunt for the truth, she encounters Eojin, a young police inspector also searching for the killer. When evidence begins to point to the Crown Prince himself as the murderer, Hyeon and Eojin must work together to search the darkest corners of the palace to uncover the deadly secrets behind the bloodshed.

My opinion: I'll be the first to admit that I know almost nothing about modern Korean culture, much less about history. So this novel is a pretty interesting look at the larger world. That was, to me, the real selling point here. The mystery is fine. But the investigation introduces the reader to the intricacies of culture, to taboos and social rules. The roles of women and the careful class structures. The characters are decent and the plot wraps up in a neat and satisfactory way.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley