We're in last-minute craft fair preparations, trying to top off our inventory as we have a couple of sales coming up. With that in mind, I made a couple of these peg doll tins: a little peg doll figure in a house made out of an Altoid tin. These are my favorites.
Author: Emma Steinkellner
Genre: fantasy
Similar books: Unfamiliar by Haley Newsome
Spell Sweeper by Lee Edward Fodi
Rating:
Summary (provided by publisher): To everyone else, the Magical Land of Gumbling is something out of fairy tales. But to Nell Starkeeper, it’s just home. Sure, the town community center might be a castle, her dads run a star farm, and her best friend Myra is a fairy, but Nell is much more interested in finding out if she’ll get the seventh grade apprenticeship of her dreams with world-famous artist Wiz Bravo.
She’s pretty sure her entire life has been RUINED when she’s instead matched with boring old Mrs. Birdneck in the town archives. And of course her perfect rival Leabelle gets to work with Wiz, and mean girl Viola won’t let Nell forget it. Meanwhile, suddenly Myra seems more into hanging out with Leabelle and saving the town from some weird strangers who keep talking about turning Gumbling into a fancy resort than being friends with Nell anymore. Can Nell find a way to save everything that makes her world magical, while figuring out where she belongs in it?
My opinion: Gumbling may be a magical place full of fairies, pixies, and other fantasy beings, but it's also surprisingly normal. Nell and her friends deal with bullies and unrealistic expectations. They have dreams for their futures and face challenges in the way of societal requirements. They are jealous and petty at times, say cruel things when they are upset. In other words, they are normal kids. They aren't perfect. They make bad choices. But they ultimately recognize where they've gone wrong and find their way towards fixing it. The plot here is inventive in the specifics but relatable in the broad strokes. There's enough humor to keep it from becoming heavy. A solid read for a middle grade audience.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
If you're like me, you find plagues fascinating. A book that breaks down historical plagues teaches us about science, history, and sociology and this volume does all three of those things well. Fitzharris and Teal break down everything we know about each disease historically: when it first appeared or was identified; historical cures; it's deadly impact; what science learned at the time; it's general treatability; what we know now. This is perhaps a bit of a niche interest but if you have any interest in history or epidemiology this is a solid choice.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Author: Jeanne DuPrau
Genre: dystopia
Similar books: Please Return to the Lands of Luxury by Jon Tilton
Falling Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Rating:
Summary (provided by publisher): WELCOME TO THE FUTURE.
There are no cars, planes, television, or smart phones. Climate change wreaked havoc on Earth hundreds of years ago, and now people live a simpler life.
Then thirteen-year-old Keith uncovers a secret. It’s a mysterious mission known only as Project F. It’s advanced, it’s scientific, and it’s going to change the world. It’s exactly the kind of adventure Keith has always longed to be a part of.
And what is adventure without a little danger, right? But how much danger is Keith willing to risk? For himself? For his family? For his community? For the entire world…?
My opinion: There is no denying that this book asks important questions. It wants the reader to look at sacrifice for the greater good. The problem is, it's too blunt about it. It doesn't lead the reader to conclusions; it shoves them in our face. It tells us what we should think about the world of the book. We aren't experiencing the plot with Keith. We're viewing it through a lens, through emotional distance. While middle grade readers may need some guidance in interpreting what they read this doesn't mean that the messaging needs to be a blunt instrument. With characters that are generally unrealistic and one-dimensional, there isn't much driving the reader forward.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Author: Diana Rodriguez Wallach
Genre: horror
Similar books: It Will End Like This by Kyra Leigh
The Violent Season by Sara Walters
Rating:
.JPG)
Summary (provided by publisher): When Mariella Morse accuses her boyfriend, Vik Gomez, of murdering her wealthy parents with an axe, the town is quick to believe her. It doesn’t help that Vik is caught standing over her parents’ bodies with blood on his hands, unable to remember anything about the night in question.
But Vik’s sister, Tessa, knows that Vik would never be capable of such a gruesome crime. Haunted by the mistakes she made that led her family to move to Fall River, MA in the first place, she sets out to prove her brother’s innocence.
Tessa’s search for answers will lead her into a sprawling, notoriously cursed forest, where she and Mariella must face a darkness that has lurked within their town since before the days of Lizzie Borden—the original axe murderess of Fall River.
My opinion: The Lizzie Borden case has been subject of plenty of speculation, so it's ripe for a re-imagining. Rodriguez certainly takes an interesting tactic, exploring motivations and influences, asking us to consider guilt and responsibility. The book makes overtures towards questions of racism and classism but these concepts are not explored in any true depth. Vik, as we meet him, is too sympathetic. Mariella is too manipulative. There's no nuance to the plot that has us wondering.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Let's be frank - this book suffers a bit from a bland title. But with a description that promises missing teen, drastic personality shifts, and the stratified world of elite prep schools and a solidly creepy cover image I'm ready to give it a shot. Let's listen together and hopefully have a couple of scares for spooky season.
October means it's time for my annual list of horror stories. Who doesn't love a good scare in October? It's almost required to prepare for Halloween by scaring yourself silly. Here are six horror books published in the last six months.
Six new horror stories:
