Book review - The Secret Astronomers

 

Title: The Secret Astronomers

Author: Jessica Walker

Genre: realistic ficition

Age range: teen

Similar book: Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas

Summary (provided by publisher): When a recent transfer student starts keeping her diary in the oldest textbook at the Green Bank High School library, the last thing she expects is to receive a response. Thus begins a sweeping tale of unlikely friendship and long-buried secrets between two secret pen pals at a rural West Virginia high school.

Copernicus is adrift and searching for answers after the sudden death of her mother, and leaving her cosmopolitan life in San Francisco behind. Kepler is a small-town girl with straight A's and big plans to be the first person in her family to go to college, despite her family's modest means. The two girls are so different from one another but united in their goal to solve a mystery that has riddled Green Bank for decades.

What I liked: At face value, this is a book about two very different teens trying to find out the secret in their town's past, but ultimately that mystery plays only a small role. Mostly this is a book about teens who are able to be truly honest with each other and be their genuine selves. Their interactions reveal their prejudices and blind spots and their anonymity allows them to be bluntly honest. The junk journal style allows for new discoveries on every page.

What I didn't like: While the format is novel and the pacing is quick, the back and forth can be a little tiresome and the moralizing a bit heavy handed. The final section, where the mystery finally takes the forefront, is a bit of an abrupt tonal shift and relies a bit too much on coincidence.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Toothless

 I've been known to occasionally do some painting. I'm not especially skilled, but when I'm inspired it's kind of fun. I had a small canvas in my supplies and some acrylic paints that I used to make this little close-up of Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon. 

Graphic Novel Spotlight - Dogland Rescue

 

Dogland Rescue by Martin Lloyd

This book combines the adventure and playful nature of The Wind in the Willows with the more serious societal themes of Watership Down. Add in an element of mystery and that could easily become too much to follow. Lloyd handles it well. We have a complex society of different kinds of dogs. There is no big info dump, just a slow meting out of information as it is necessary for the plot. The art is a bit rustic but it works well with this plot.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Non-fiction book review - Why is Ramyeon Soup So Delicious?

 

Why is Ramyeon Soup So Delicious? by Lee Duckhwan and Seok Wonkyung

Like most people I took a chemistry class. But it never meant much to me. While I could understand in broad strokes that chemistry helps us understand the world, it didn't seem particularly applicable. Maybe I'd have felt differently if I'd had books like this one. Duckhwan and Wonkyung break down the science behind everyday things. We learn the chemistry of receptors and hormones, of how different chemicals interact with our bodies. The text is easily understood and can be read in big chunks or in small doses.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

WWW Wednesday

 What are you currently reading?

Escape Room by Maren Stoffels - Four teens keeping secrets attempt to survive a killer escape room.

What did you recently finish reading?

Bittersweet in the Hollow by  Kate Pearsal- When a girl turns up dead in the forest, Linden gets caught up in finding out what happened to her and how her death connects to town legend, a years old missing persons case, and her own family's magical abilities. 

What do you think you'll read next?

Gaslit by Megan Davidhizar

Non-fiction book review - Science Comics

 

Computers: How Digital Hardware Works by Perry E. Metzger, Penelope Spector, and Jerel Dye

When it comes to understanding the science behind basically everything, it's hard to go wrong with the Science Comics series. While each volume takes a different approach information is always central. I'm especially fond of this one. For one thing, it doesn't try too hard to create a narrative. The science of computers is intimidating and trying to force it into a story would be too much. Instead we have a dynamic narrator who is simply focused on teaching us the science. Each concept is carefully relayed with plenty of real life examples to reinforce concepts. While the information remains dense it's more digestible in this format.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Knitted bag

 I've been trying to use up some of my yarn stash so I collected three balls of cotton yarn to make this knot bag. I used dice to determine a random stripe pattern. The overall effect is almost tropical. It reminds me a little of rainbow sherbet.