What are you currently reading?
Hometown by S A Fanning - An offhand comment in the wake of a riot at a football game puts a teen at the center of controversy in his small town.
What did you recently finish reading?
Dark Parts of the Universe by Samuel Miller - An app leads a young man to uncover dark secrets in his town.
What do you think you'll read next?
The Mystery of Raspberry Hill by Eva Frantz
This book deftly combines science and history. It takes us step by step through the discovery of an ancient forest, from the initial mapping of the site to the complications of exploring to what the scientists learned from the exploration. The text is clear and easy to understand, well supported by plenty of photos and charts. This could have been a dry topic but Swanson makes it interesting.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Years ago I made headbands with a t-shirt flower attached and somewhere along the line I got out of the habit. I decided to try it again but attach them instead to bobby pins. And for an extra flourish, I've added some rhinestones to the center.
There's something appealing about a trickster. Anansi. Loki. And Monkey King. They give us the opportunity to cheer for borderline wicked behavior. We get to see them misbehave but sometimes redeem themselves and usually get their comeuppance. This book introduces the reader to not only Monkey King but a world in which all mythologies exist simultaneously. Monkey King is on a mission to get the gods to see him, a beast, as valuable and powerful. Along the way he crosses paths with all sorts of mythological beings. His mischief both helps and harms his quest. The simplicity of the story and the art makes this easy for young readers to follow and stay engaged.
This is a situation that we see sometimes in fiction - a child or someone else unexpected and atypical suddenly thrown into a leadership position. Usually it's played for laughs but ultimately comes to the conclusion that the unconventional leadership style is to everyone's benefit. That is somewhat the situation here, but in larger part our protagonist is following the example of her father. She leads with compassion, recognizing problems and finding practical ways to help. That's the strongest benefit of this book. It teaches children how to lead by example, how to affect practical change. With charming, dynamic illustrations that use rich colors this is a book worth reading.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
What are you currently reading?
Where the Rhythm Takes You by Sarah Dass - A young woman in Tobago trying to hold onto life running a hotel while her best friend readies to leave the country and and her ex-boyfriend, now an international pop star, is back in town.
What did you recently finish reading?
The Kill Factor by Ben Oliver - A mash up of dystopian fiction, teen convicts, and influencer culture.
What do you think you'll read next?
War of the Wind by Victoria Williamson
Author: Carol Fisher Saller
Genre: mystery
Similar books: A Case of Grave Danger by Sophie Cleverly
The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass
Rating:
Summary (provided by publisher): She was the first baby born at the new millennium, and a local TV station wants an interview. But when the reporter uncovers the dark history of Lainie's great-grandmother Maddie, who was executed for murder, the interview takes an alarming turn.
Determined to clear her ancestor's name, Lainie and her two best friends embark on a thrilling race against time. Following clues left by Madeleine herself, they unravel a shocking mystery that has been buried for decades.
My opinion: Saller has done a clever thing here, having her character investigate an historic murder. We get the importance of a murder mystery without the danger and direct threat. It matters for the characters. They are motivated to find the truth. But there is no danger to them. This one does suffer a little from emotional disconnect. The characters have little development. But it plays with the idea of ghosts in an intriguing way. Not a book that everyone will enjoy but one that will likely find an audience in a particular subset of middle grade readers.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
