What are you currently reading?
Tales From Cabin 23: The Boo Hag Flex by Justina Ireland - After her mother's death a girl moves in with her father and grandmother in a trailer park where strange things are happening.
What did you recently finish reading?
With Just One Wing by Brenda Woods - A boy and his friend adopt a baby mockingbird that was born with only one wing. Learning about birds teaches him about himself.
What do you think you'll read next?
Picture a Girl by Jenny ManzerLast year I decided to experiment with growing birdhouse gourds and the results were ... startling.
I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out and I'm thinking about doing a more detailed how to if that's something you'd be interested in seeing. Let me know in the comments.
Author: Jose Pablo Iriarte
Genre: magical realism
Similar books: Call Me Iggy by Jorge Aguirre
Almost There and Almost Not by Linda Urban
Rating:
.JPG)
Summary (provided by publisher): After moving cross-country into his late grandfather’s Miami mansion, Benny discovers that the ghost of his famous trumpet-playing abuelo, the great Ignacio RamÃrez, is still there . . . and isn’t too thrilled about it. He’s been barred from the afterlife, and no one can see him except his grandson. But Benny’s got problems of his own. He’s enrolled in a performing arts school with his siblings, despite having no obvious talent.
Luckily, Abuelo believes they can help each other. Abuelo has until New Year’s Eve to do some good in the world and thinks that teaching Benny how to play the trumpet and become a school celebrity might be the key to earning his wings. Having no better ideas, Benny finds himself taking Abuelo's advice—to disastrous and hilarious results.
My opinion: With this book Iriarte takes a hard look at the mixed bag of fame and skill. We have the obvious lesson of Abuelo's fame and ego, the way he prioritized himself over everyone else in his life. But there's also the example of Benny's siblings who have always excelled, been the best in their art, and are struggling with finding their place. There's a focus on doing the things that you love, not just because you are good at them. Some of the attitudes are a bit of a mixed bag and the ending is perhaps overly idealized but for the most part it asks good questions for a middle grader to consider.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
One of the best things about fiction
is the way that it opens up your world to perspectives you wouldn't
otherwise understand. It's even better when a single book gives you
multiple perspectives at once. Here are six book published in the past
six months that are presented from more than one perspective.
6 new multiple perspective narratives
Title: A Game of Noctis
Author: Deva Fagan
Genre: fantasy
Similar books: Curse of the Night Witch by Alex Aster
Where the Lockwood Grows by Olivia A Cole
Rating:
.JPG)
Summary (provided by publisher): In the opulent, sinking city of Dantessa, the Great Game rules all. Pia Paro believes that so long as you follow the rules, you always have a chance at winning. But after her beloved Gramps is sentenced to a life of servitude, Pia accepts a dangerous offer and joins a team of players seeking to win the most perilous game of all: Noctis.
The Seafoxes—Pia’s new teammates—are unlike anyone she’s ever met. There’s brash, bold Carlo; macabre Serafina; kindhearted Pasquale; and their dashing ringleader, Vittoria. Each has their own reason for playing, and soon, Pia begins to question all her long-held beliefs. Maybe the rules Pia once trusted to lift her up have only been keeping her—and thousands of others like her—down.
As she struggles with these revelations, Pia must survive a gauntlet of clockwork soldiers, perilous underwater adventures, and even a game against Death herself. But with Pia’s grandfather’s life at stake, Pia must finally decide whether she’s brave enough to not just break the rules, but to change the very nature of the Game.
My opinion: There's a little bit of a slow start to this book, not because it doesn't jump into action but because it takes a little bit to understand how this world works. Once you have that under your belt, though, it's pretty engaging. The structure of games with high stakes is reminiscent of any number of dystopian novels but with an air of magic. And the exploration of the world digs deep into class systems and our often skewed story of history. While the conclusions are what you would expect, the conversation is worth having with a middle grade reader and the pacing is spot on.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
What are you currently reading?
Maybe It's a Sign by E L Shen - A girl looks for signs from her recently dead father, superstitions, and luck to direct her decisions in life while having increasing encounters with an annoying classmate.
What did you recently finish reading?
The Notes by Catherine Con Morse - A girl at a prestigious art school is influenced by a fascinating new teacher, exploring her abilities and taking on increasing pressures.
What do you think you'll read next?
And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps
Author: Gillian McDunn
Genre: mystery
Similar books: The Hike to Home by Jess Rinker
The Stars of Whistling Ridge by Cindy Baldwin
Rating:
Summary (provided by publisher): Simon's family is always on the move. Every few months, they load up their van, “Vincent Van Go,” and set off for a new adventure. According to his dad, you can't live an extraordinary life by staying in one place. But all Simon wants is to settle down, so he's hatched a plan: to make their latest apartment in the Tangerine Pines building his forever home.
When a priceless necklace is stolen, clues indicate the thief might actually be another neighbor. Simon worries he'll have to move again if the thief isn't caught. He usually doesn't go looking for trouble, but if retrieving the necklace means establishing home, Simon is willing to risk it. With the help of his neighbor Amaya, pet sitter, plant-waterer, and podcaster extraordinaire, Simon is determined to crack the case and finally put down roots.
My opinion: For a book focused on a jewelry theft this one manages to be surprisingly gentle. Which does not mean that it's only a surface read. Quite the contrary. The plot transcends a simple mystery. It digs deep into motivations both of thieves and other characters. Even more than a mystery, its an exploration of community and the depths of people and their relationships. It has the perfect level of complexity for middle grade readers and reads quickly.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
