Book review - Midnight Strikes

 

Title: Midnight Strikes

Author: Zeba Shahnaz

Genre: fantasy

Similar books: Seeker by Arwen Elys Dalton

                     No True Echo by Gareth P Jones

Rating:

 

interesting take on the time loop

Summary (provided by publisher): Seventeen-year-old Anaïs just wants tonight to end. As an outsider at the kingdom’s glittering anniversary ball, she has no desire to rub shoulders with the nation’s most eligible (and pompous) bachelors—especially not the notoriously roguish Prince Leo. But at the stroke of midnight, an explosion rips through the palace, killing everyone in its path. Including her.
The last thing Anaïs sees is fire, smoke, chaos . . . and then she wakes up in her bedroom, hours before the ball. No one else remembers the deadly attack or believes her warnings of disaster.
Not even when it happens again. And again. And again.
If she’s going to escape this nightmarish time loop, Anaïs must take control of her own fate and stop the attack before it happens. But the court's gilded surface belies a rotten core, full of restless nobles grabbing at power, discontented commoners itching for revolution, and even royals who secretly dream of taking the throne. It's up to Anaïs to untangle these knots of deadly deceptions . . . if she can survive past midnight.

My opinion: At first blush this seems like it's going to be a fairly standard fairy tale type story. After all, we have a teen girl from an outsider family pressured to make a good impression at a royal ball. These are pretty familiar elements. But Shahnaz takes a hard left turn, introducing the time loop element at the end of the first chapter. We loop over the same events over and over, each version failing for different reasons as Anais learns more about her country, her peers, the royal family, and the nature of magic. It takes a bit of patience to wade through which details are actually going to matter but it's no less interesting for that.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Non-fiction book review - A Star Explodes

 

A Star Explodes by James Gladstone

When we think about significant events in space, things that would have been noted historically, we tend to think of comets and eclipses. Especially when it comes to an event as far back as 1054. I guess it had never occurred to me that a supernova had ever been observed by people. This is an event that was never mentioned in any of my history or science classes. While my own knowledge of space and things observable in the night sky is pretty limited I was pretty fascinated by this quick book. I don't know that it will be enough to induce an interest in astronomy in a child but for those already into space this is a must read.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - A Bit of Earth

 

Title: A Bit of Earth

Author: Karuna Riazi

Genre: magical realism/retelling

Similar books: The Tigers in the Tower by Julia Golding

                      Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan

Rating:

 

most interesting in comparison

Summary (provided by publisher): Growing up in Pakistan, Maria Latif has been bounced between reluctant relatives for as long as she can remember—first because of her parents’ constant travel, and then because of their deaths. Maria has always been a difficult child, and it never takes long for her guardians to tire of her. So when old friends of her parents offer to “give her a better life” in the United States, Maria is shipped to a host family across the world.
When Maria arrives on Long Island, things are not quite what she was expecting. Mr. Clayborne has left on an extended business trip, Mrs. Clayborne seems emotionally fraught, and inexplicable things keep happening in the Claybornes’ sprawling house. And then Maria finds a locked gate to an off-limits garden. Since she’s never been good at following rules, Maria decides to investigate and discovers something she never thought she’d find: a place where she feels at home.

My opinion: I wasn't sure that a modern retelling of The Secret Garden would really work. So many of the plot elements of the original story aren't really relevant any more. But the bones of the story are here - a disagreeable child sent to live with people who don't really know what to do with her; a boy who doesn't want her around; the restorative power of working in the earth. There are significant differences, of course, but I think those changes work in this book's favor. They make Maria's story a bit more universal. We all have moments where we don't feel like we belong in the place where we've found ourselves. There are some plot elements that are underdeveloped, especially the role of the two Mrs Claybornes but overall I think it's an interesting read, especially for a kid who has recently read the classic original.

More information: A Bit of Earth releases March 14.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Granny square hat

 I realized recently that even though I've been crocheting since I was a kid, I've never made granny squares. So when I found a pattern for a granny square hat in this booklet I figured it was time.

The process is pretty simple - crochet six squares and one hexagon.

Connect them with a slip-stich join and add a single crochet band.

Book review - Eb & Flow

 

Title: Eb & Flow

Author: Kelly J. Baptist

Genre: realistic fiction/verse novel

Similar books: Hazard by Frances O'Roark Dowell

                      Hidden by Helen Frost

Rating:

 

compelling reading

Summary (provided by publisher): Two kids. One fight. No one thinks they’re wrong.
Flow
I don’t even hit girls . . . is what I’m thinking.
I roll my eyes, turn them to my shoes.
Shoes I’ma wear every day till they fall off my feet.
Eb
It was all just an accident!
Nobody was trying to mess up
his Stupid Ugly Shoes.
Now I’ve got my third suspension of seventh grade.
Ebony and De’Kari (aka Flow) do not get along. How could they when their cafeteria scuffle ended with De'Kari's ruined shoes, Ebony on the ground, and both of them with ten days of at-home suspension? Now Eb and Flow have two weeks to think about and explain their behavior—to their families, to each other, and ultimately to themselves.

My opinion: Like all good verse novels, this one sets a fast pace. Yes, we're spending a fair amount of time reflecting on the characters feelings. But Baptist also paints a solid picture of the lives of these kids. We see how they interact with their families, the weight of expectations and disapproval, of responsibilities. They are also, in many ways, standard middle grade kids. They make snap decisions, react emotionally, without fully considering what might happen as a result. This leads to the fight that starts the narrative, of course, but has larger consequences later in the book as well. The messaging is easily grasped and the plot easily followed. A solid choice for most middle grade readers.

More information: Eb & Flow releases March 14.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Pick 6 - books about books

 Normally I use my pick 6 posts to feature a list of recently published books. But it's March and that means reading month so I thought I'd do something a little different. I want to share with you some books where books are vital to the plot. Some are focused on book banning and the power of reading to change a person's life. Others have books that are magic or clues to a mystery. Most of these books were published more than six months ago but maybe don't get as much attention as they deserve

Six books about books

1. Answers in the Pages by David Levithan
2. Property of the Rebel Librarian by Allison Varnes
3. Here Comes Mr. Flat by Jaume Copons
4. Ban This Book by Alan Gratz
5. Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
6. The Most Frightening Story Ever Told by Philip Kerr 

Bonus - my favorite picture book - We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems 

 

happy reading

Non-fiction book review - The Brilliant Calculator

 

The Brilliant Calculator by Jan Lower

I certainly had never heard of Edith Clarke before this book. I had also never considered the high level math that is involved in running electrical wires. At picture book length this book clearly doesn't get into the math or theory involved in what Clarke accomplished. We are simply given the sense that it was very complicated and that Clarke sat down to use her passion for math to simplify that task and reduce the risk of arithmetic errors. What results is a book not so much about math and engineering as it is about perseverance and following your passions in the face of disapproval. If you're looking for a new face to introduce to your young readers for women's history month, consider Edith Clarke.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley