Book review - What Stays Buried

 

Title: What Stays Buried

Author: Suzanne Young

Genre: light horror

Similar books: Spirit's Key by Edith Cohn

                      The Mesmerist by Ronald L. Smith

Rating:

 

well balanced

Summary (provided by publisher): Twelve-year-old Calista Wynn will lose her ability to speak with the dead on her thirteenth birthday.
And with only a few weeks left, children have started going missing.
When Calista meets The Tall Lady—an angry spirit with a grudge against Calista, her family, and the entire town—she knows she’s found the ghost responsible for the disappearances.
It’s up to Calista, the only one who can see The Tall Lady, to stop her. If she doesn’t, Calista won’t just lose her powers… she’ll lose everyone she has left.

My opinion: Young has given us a solid read here. There are rules provided from the start for the psychics - who can interact with ghosts and when. Their other "gifts" are a bit more nebulous and undefined which would be my primary criticism. Now, those rules are so solid that it makes the plot a bit predictable. Or to put it more positively, the ending is inevitable. We might hope for things to work out differently but we accept the resolution because it's fair. It follows the rules. There aren't a lot of complex child characters but the ones we get are solid. It's a compelling read and a solid example of the genre.

More information: What Stays Buried releases March 7.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Graphic novel spotlight: The Snowcat Prince

 

The Snowcat Prince by Dina Norlund

If ever there was a book that you should judge by the cover, it's this one. There's a lot going on in that cover image alone. We see two worlds, red toned and blue; a glowing eyed, long fanged beast; a crown that glows with power; and most importantly, a cute, large-eyed cat that radiates innocence.  All of these elements play an important role in this plot about power, family, history, and duty. The plot is strong and the art is even stronger. Even better, this is a book that you can read several times and take something different away with each read.

 

More information: The Snowcat Prince releases March 7.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Non-fiction book review - Total Garbage

 

Total Garbage by Rebecca Donnelly

If I had to guess, I'd say most of us have only the barest idea of what happens to our garbage. We know that it goes to a landfill but do we really know what that means? Well, if we read this book we do. Donnelly presents the full picture of waste disposal in a clear and concise way with accessible vocabulary. None of this goes into a great deal of depth but each part of the process is presented along with benefits and concerns, both immediate and long term. And it doesn't stop with landfills. We also learn about waste water treatment and recycling. And the impacts explored are environmental, political, racial, and economical. I'd call this a must read for a family trying to better understand their individual impact on the world and the environment.

More information: Total Garbage releases March 7.

Advance Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Leeva at Last

 

Title: Leeva at Last

Author: Sara Pennypacker

Genre: humor

Similar books:  Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath

                      Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts by Esta Spalding

Rating: 

 

funny, with heart

 

Summary (provided by publisher): What are people for?
That’s the burning question on the mind of Leeva Spayce Thornblossom.
Fame! says Leeva’s mom, the mayor of Nutsmore.
Money! says her dad, the town treasurer.
With the help of an orphaned badger, a risk-averse boy in a hazmat suit, and the town's librarians, Leeva sets off to discover her own answer—setting off a chain of events that will change Nutsmore forever.

My opinion: It is inevitable that this book will be compared to Matilda. The two books share the same bones, afterall. Both Matilda and Leeva are bright young girls, largely self-sufficient, who are caring and compassionate in spite of their terrible parents. Their encounters with kind townspeople allow them to bloom into more complete members of society. Pennypacker gives us a very different set of details than Dahl did and they work together just as well. At turns funny and charming, this is a pleasant read that may fit the modern sensibility a bit better than some of Roald Dahl's more dated ideas.

More information: Leeva at Last releases March 7.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Listen with me

 

The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He

The set-up here is a solid one. We get two perspectives. Cee is alone on a deserted island, her only companion a robot without conversational skills. She remembers little, only that she is searching for her sister. Kasey lives in a futuristic city in the sky, protected from the increasing dangers of climate change, coping with the isolation that comes with the disappearance of her older sister. As the book progresses the two narratives begin to approach one another and we get hints of the larger story that is going on in both places. 

Putting in it frankly, this story is a bit strange. It's sci-fi to be certain. Characters use stasis pods, virtual presences, brain-computer interfaces, even gravity reversal fields. But that's challenging part, I think. It's the plot. Through most of the book we are headed in a pretty clear direction. There is some exploration of privilege, social stratification, and ecological responsibility. Then, without getting into any spoilers, at a point where I thought I could see how the book was going to end, the plot shifts significantly. And the final chapters focus on an entirely different message. It was a bit jarring and means I would hesitate before recommending this book to other readers. 

 

Book review - Junkyard Dogs

 

Title: Junkyard Dogs

Author: Katherine Higgs-Coulthard

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson

                     Too Shattered for Mending by Peter Brown Hoffmeister

Rating: 

 

gritty and atmospheric

Summary (provided by publisher): Josh's father has gone missing without a trace, and Gran's ready to call social services. If Josh wants to keep himself and and his little brother, Twig, out of the system, he'll have to take to the streets and track down his dad. But when Josh digs too deep, his dad's old accomplices catch up to Josh and plunge him into a dangerous underground where putting his trust in the wrong person could number Josh in a growing pile of bodies.
This chilling portrayal of a teen desperate for food, shelter, and safety  barrels the reader through an emotionally-charged journey as Josh discovers that blood doesn't always make family—and some bonds can be broken forever.

My opinion: Higgs-Coulthard paints a vivid picture of a family in the act of collapsing. The mother is dead, the father drifting in and out of the picture as he works "jobs". It takes much of the book to get a real sense of what these jobs are but only a few chapters to realize that they probably aren't above-board. They aren't even really getting by, only putting up the most basic of appearances. And that's this book's strongest point. We are really living Josh's life with him, seeing his lack of choices and opportunities. So when he makes questionable decisions they seem rational in the moment, the decisions that will help pay a bill or buy a meal. It's a book less about plot, which is surprisingly slow paced, but about the relationships you have from childhood and those you build. It's a bit rough at moments but nothing too traumatizing. Worth reading and reflecting upon.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Mittens

 Since I live in a cold climate I've learned to value outerwear. I'm especially fond of mittens since my hands are always cold and mittens keep my fingers a little warmer. Several years ago I knitted myself a pair of mittens (one of the first projects I posted about on this blog!) that has been a mainstay of my winter wear. When they wore thin, I darned them. And then I darned the new hole that developed. Now that the right mitten is almost more darned spots than original knit, I figured it was time for a new pair. I use the basic mitten pattern from my vintage Coats and Clark Learn How Book.

 

if you can get your hands on one of these they're well worth it

I knitted my mittens with superwash wool so they will be sturdy and warm but a little less itchy than traditional wool.
 

What about you? Are you a mitten or glove sort of person?