Book review - I'll Tell You No Lies

 

Title: I'll Tell You No Lies

Author: Amanda McCrina

Genre: historical fiction

Similar books: The Killing Code by Ellie Marney

                      Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse

Rating:

 

too scattered

Summary (provided by publisher): New York, 1955. Eighteen-year-old Shelby Blaine and her father, an Air Force intelligence officer, have just been wrenched away from their old life in West Germany to New York’s Griffiss Air Force Base, where he has been summoned to lead the interrogation of an escaped Soviet pilot. Still in shock from the car accident that killed her mother barely a month earlier, Shelby struggles with her grief, an emotionally distant father, and having to start over in a new home.
Then a chance meeting with Maksym, the would-be defector, spirals into a deadly entanglement, as the pilot’s cover story is picked apart and he attempts to escape his military and intelligence handlers—with Shelby caught in the middle. The more she learns of Maksym’s secrets, including his detention at Auschwitz during the war, the more she becomes willing to help him. But as the stakes become more dangerous, Shelby begins to question everything she has been told, even by her fugitive friend. Allies turn into enemies, and the truth is muddled by lies. Can she trust a traitor with her life, or will it be the last mistake she ever makes?

My opinion: This book starts with a solid premise - a girl already on the outside crossing paths with a defector and potential spy trying to find out the truth. It asks solid questions about where our loyalties lie and what things influence us. Not to mention shedding light on life inside of the USSR during the Cold War era. These were the elements that drew me in. The reality was far less compelling, mostly because it was too hard to follow. I can certainly understand how the lies inherent in the world of military intelligence would complicate every interaction. But a single conversation in this book asserts wildly different "truths". We have no time to rest in a story, to accept it and start believing it, before a character tells us that it is all lies. Nothing can be trusted and it changes so quickly that we don't form attachments to anyone or any thing. Without any consistency it's too hard to engage with the plot and characters.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Non-fiction book review - Stuff Kids Should Know

 

Stuff Kids Should Know by Josh Clark, Chuck Bryant, and Nils Parker

If you're at all familiar with the podcast "Stuff You Should Know" then you have a pretty good idea of what you'll find in this book. In their typical humorous and conversational tone Clark and Bryant dig into the history of everyday items and events. The topics are all over the place but remain appropriate for a young audience. The vocabulary is careful and well explained but never talks down to it's intended audience. This is a great assortment of random information that will inform and entertain.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book Review - The International House of Dereliction

 

Title: The International House of Dereliction

Author: Jacqueline Davies

Genre: supernatural

Similar books: Ghosts, Toast, and other Hazards by Susan Tan

                     Almost There, Almost Not by Linda Urban

Rating:

 

A pleasant read

Summary (provided by publisher): Ten-year-old Alice is moving for the eleventh time.
She’s lived in so many houses, each more broken than the last, that home to Alice is nothing more than a place you fix and then a place you leave. After all, who needs a permanent home when you’re a whiz at fixing things?
But when Alice arrives at her new home, she can’t take her eyes off the house next door, the stately dark house that hulked in the dimming light. The once-grand mansion, now dilapidated and condemned, beckons Alice; it's the perfect new repair job!
As Alice begins to restore the House to its former splendor, she senses strange presences. Is there a heartbeat coming from the House’s walls? Is someone looking at her? Soon she realizes she’s not alone. Three ghosts have been watching, and they need Alice’s help to solve their unfinished business.
Will Alice be able to unravel the mysteries of the House and find her forever home . . . before it’s too late?

My opinion: It may seem odd at first, but there is certainly a place in middle grade fiction for books about ghosts that aren't scary. Her quest to help ghosts is a chance for Alice to act independently, to problem solve and discover her limits, but also to recognize when something is too big for a ten-year-old to handle on her own. This book presents us with four distinct reasons a person might become a ghost. It gives us rules for ghosts - where they can go, how much they can interact with the physical world, and how much they can remember. The quest has a clear set-up, a time frame limitation, and a solid complication. As one would expect from a ghost story, the messaging is primarily about living without regrets, finding a home, and being honest about your needs. It conveys these messages clearly but with finesse. An overall pleasant and engaging read.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Pick 6: mythological beings

Goblins, elves, unicorns. Is there anything more fun to speculate about than mythological creatures? I mean, Harry Potter got a whole school subject about them. Authors often incorporate them into their stories, even when they don't really explore magic. Here are six books featuring mythological beings published in the past six months.

Six new books with mythological beings

1. Meesh the Bad Demon by Michelle Lam
2. Squire and Knight by Scott Chandler
3. The Unicorn Legacy by Kid Toussaint and Veronica Alvarez
4. Brick Dust and Bones by M R Fournet
5. Cat's Cradle: the Mole King's Lair by Jo Rioux
6. The Bawk-ness Monster by Natalie Riess
   

Book review - Brick Dust and Bones

 

Title: Brick Dust and Bones

Author: M.R. Fournet

Genre: fantasy/horror

Similar books: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

                     Jackaby by William Ritter*

Rating:

 

solid world building and spooky atmosphere

Summary (provided by publisher): Marius Grey hunts Monsters. He's not supposed to. He's only twelve and his job as a Cemetery Boy is to look after the ghosts in his family's graveyard. He should be tending these ghosts and–of course–going to school to learn how to live between worlds without getting into trouble.
But, Marius has an expensive goal. He wants to bring his mother back from the dead, and that takes a LOT of mystic coins, which means a LOT of Monster Hunting, and his mother’s window to return is closing.
If he wants her back, Marius is going to have to go after bigger and meaner monsters, decide if a certain flesh-eating mermaid is a friend or foe, and avoid meddling Demons and teachers along the way. Can Marius navigate New Orleans’s gritty monster bounty-hunting market, or will he have to say goodbye to his mother forever?

My opinion: The world building here is pretty ingenious. It's a sort of magical realism. The setting is our own world just with magical elements. A sort of magical shadow culture that the uninitiated can't perceive. So there is no need to waste time with huge amounts of culture and history, just a little bit of lore. The main thing that needs explaining is Monster Hunting and that is naturally integrated into the plot. While we don't understand everything Marius does in the moment we get explanation soon enough. It's action oriented and his time constraints drive the plot forward. The characters aren't especially deep but that's not uncommon for a middle grade novel. Especially in a book that, as with this one, feels primed for a sequel. The Louisiana setting is strong and the monsters are used to full effect. Especially impressive is the use of lesser known monsters - things like boo hags and rougarous. It has scary moments but isn't a total fright fest so it shouldn't be too much for young readers.

*Jackaby is probably appropriate for an older audience than this one, but the child who enjoys this one will grow into the other series.

Non-fiction book review - Astonishing and Extinct Professions

 

Astonishing and Extinct Professions by Markus Rottmann

The construct for this book is a solid one. Rottmann introduces us to the basics of a job, it's role in society, and the technological or sociological influences that lead to it's decline. While there isn't a great deal of depth to any of these descriptions, we do get more than just a handful of factoids. It might not be the most compelling book that a kid will read but is a curiosity that can easily be enjoyed in bits and pieces. For both fans of history and those who find it "boring".

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Well hello again!

 Hi friends. I guess I sort of disappeared on you for a while there.

It seems I let life get away from me. But I'm back now and excited about some changes I'll bringing to this space soon. Thanks for sticking with me and reading. I hope you're as excited to talk books as I am.