Book review - The Next New Syrian Girl

 

Title: The Next New Syrian Girl

Author: Ream Shukairy

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Saadia by Colleen Nelson

                     Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian

Rating:

 

solid combination of elements

Summary (provided by publisher): Khadija Shami is a Syrian American high school senior raised on boxing and football. Saddled with a monstrous ego and a fierce mother to test it, she dreams of escaping her sheltered life to travel the world with her best friend.
Leene Tahir is a Syrian refugee, doing her best to adjust to the wildly unfamiliar society of a suburban Detroit high school while battling panic attacks and family pressures.
When their worlds collide the result is catastrophic. To Khadija, Leene embodies the tame, dutiful Syrian ideal she's long rebelled against. And to Leene, Khadija is the strong-willed, closed-off American who makes her doubt her place in the world.
But as Khadija digs up Leene’s past, a startling and life-changing discovery forces the two of them closer together. As the girls secretly race to unravel the truth, a friendship slowly and hesitantly begins blooming. Doubts are cast aside as they realize they have more in common than they each expected. What they find takes them on a journey all the way to Jordan, challenging what each knows about the other and herself.

My opinion: This book could easily have become a trite exploration of privilege and identity. And those are certainly big elements of this story Khadija is undeniably privileged. Not just compared to Leene but compared to the average American teen. This is where the weight of expectation comes into play. Everyone makes assumptions about who she is and what motivates here. The result is two complicated characters, both damaged by the past in unique ways. While Khadija is not always very likeable and Leene is perhaps a bit idealized they are complex enough to be interesting and keep us engaged with the plot.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Coat pins

 At Christmastime I made a sheep pin for my coat and was surprised by how much I loved it. I'm not usually into decorations on my outerwear but I loved that sheep to the point that I left it on my coat well into February and felt a bit bereft when I finally removed it. I figured the solution was to add a more all-seasons pin to liven up my coat until warmer weather. I was inspired by old decorative medals to take a bit of ribbon and add a charm. Since it is reading month, I thought I'd make a little felt book. The results were ... underwhelming.

I had just about given up on the pin idea when I found some little decorative glass bottles at my dollar store and was reminded of a bit from one of Disney's oft forgotten gems - "The Emperor's New Groove". A felt scrap and a bit of plain white sticker with some marker was all it took to replicate the poison vial. 

 

The poison. The poison for Kuzco, the poison chosen especially to kill Kuzco, Kuzco's poison. That poison?

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