Book review - Finch House

 

Title: Finch House

Author: Ciera Burch

Genre: mild horror

Similar books: This Appearing House by Ally Malinenko

                      Mine by Delilah S Dawson

Rating: 

 

the right level of spooky

 

Summary (provided by publisher): Eleven-year-old Micah has no interest in moving out of her grandfather’s house. She loves living with Poppop and their shared hobby of driving around rich neighborhoods to find treasures in others’ trash. To avoid packing, Micah goes for a bike ride and ends up at Finch House, the decrepit Victorian that Poppop says is Off Limits. Except when she gets there, it’s all fixed up and there’s a boy named Theo in the front yard. Surely that means Finch House isn’t Off Limits anymore? But when Poppop finds her there, Micah is only met with his disappointment.
By the next day, Poppop is nowhere to be found. After searching everywhere, Micah’s instincts lead her back to Finch House. But once Theo invites her inside, Micah realizes she can’t leave. And that, with its strange whispers and deep-dark shadows, Finch House isn’t just a house…it’s alive.
Can Micah find a way to convince the house to let her go? Or will she be forced to stay in Finch House forever? 

My opinion: Let's start spooky season a little early with this middle grade story of haunting and mysterious happenings. We are presented with the standard neighborhood weird house, the place where kids dare each other and children are said to disappear. The plot is solidly tense and built upon a complex twisting supernatural structure. It isn't without flaws. If you think about the details too hard it doesn't follow much logic. Still, the atmosphere is strong and it might be a nice lead into more frightening reads as we head towards Halloween.

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Book review - The Ghost Job

 

Title: The Ghost Job

Author: Greg Van Eekhout

Genre: fantasy

Similar books: Grave Mistakes by Kitty Curran

                      What Stays Buried by Suzanne Young

Rating:

 

a quirky take on a heist story

Summary (provided by publisher): Zenith and her friends may be dead—but lucky for them, even getting ghosted wasn’t enough to tear them apart.
The four of them were thick as thieves long before an unfortunate lab accident sent them careening into the afterlife. So when they hear about a machine that could return them to the land of the living, they are determined to steal it.
Unfortunately, the magical device belongs to a dangerous necromancer who’s out for their ectoplasm.
Fortunately, they’re great at heists. Because pulling off the score of their deathtimes is no job for an amateur.

My opinion: Take a standard heist story and add some supernatural elements and you have this book. Our primary cast is a group of ghosts facing off against a man described as a necromancer but also accurately called an arch-capitalist. So yes, they are planning a theft but the victim is a "bad dude" so the theft is justified. The characters are reasonably complex for readers of this age group and the pacing is solid.

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Picture books for everyone - Kaboom!

 

Kaboom! A Volcano Erupts by Jessica Kulekjan

This is one of those books that you can appreciate on two levels. The primary text is narrated by the volcano itself. These are simple, declarative statements. "I am a volcano" "Something is stirring", that sort of thing. Each page also has commentary by a small bird. This bird provides more detailed, scientific explanations. Read the volcano's narration to very young children. It's an explanation of volcanoes that even small children can understand. The bird's text is the level of detail older kids are looking for when they look for a book about volcanoes. With cartoon style illustrations it's visually appealing too.

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Book review - Dogtown

 

Title: Dogtown

Authors: Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko

Genre: fantasy (ish)

Similar books: Duet by Elise Broach

                      Horace and Bunwinkle by P J Gardner

Rating:

 

solid plot

Summary (provided by publisher): Dogtown is a shelter for stray dogs, misbehaving dogs, and discarded robot dogs, whose owners have outgrown them.
Chance, a real dog, has been in Dogtown since her owners unwittingly left her with irresponsible dog-sitters who skipped town.
Metal Head is a robot dog who dreams of being back in a real home.
And Mouse is a mouse who has the run of Dogtown, pilfering kibble, and performing clever feats to protect the dogs he loves.
When Chance and Metal Head embark on an adventure to find their forever homes, there is danger, cheese sandwiches, a charging station, and some unexpected kindnesses along the way.

My opinion: Applegate's sensitive portrayal of animals and Choldenko's layered approach to atypical characters merge well in this story. Their styles work well together, telling a frank but sensitive tale. This is a shelter dog story, so there is straightforward talk of abandonment, longing, and ultimately of dogs being put down. The characters are strong and the plot is clear. It is a strong example of the dog narrative.

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Book review - Between Monsters and Marvels

 

Title: Between Monsters and Marvels

Author: Alysa WIshingrad

Genre: fantasy

Similar books: Orphans of the Tide by Struan Murray

                      The Vanquishers by Kalynn Bayron

Rating:

 

a solid blend of magic and morality

Summary (provided by publisher): Monsters are still lurking on Barrow’s Bay.
Dare Coates is sure of it. No drifter or ruffian could have killed her father, the Captain of the Guard, while he was on patrol. But everyone insists that monsters have been gone for years now. Dare’s mother. Her classmates. Even the governor, who swiftly marries her mother just months after her father’s death.
Dare’s suspicions grow even stronger when the governor suddenly ships her off to the mainland, away from any hope of uncovering the truth about her father’s death.
Or so she thinks. Soon Dare finds solid proof that monsters still exist and she starts to question everything she’s always known. Was her father who she thought he was? Who can she trust? Where is the line between good and evil?
The truth hides behind danger and deception. But with the help of an unlikely crew of cohorts and a stray beastie, nothing can stop Dare from finding out what happened to her father and exposing who the real monsters are.

My opinion: It's certainly not unheard of to have a middle grade story where characters discover that the world is not what they have been lead to believe. And when we're talking about monsters, we won't be surprised to find an exploration of the idea of "monster". Is a wild beast monstrous because it attacks? Who defines monster instead of just creature? And why would someone be covering up the existence of monsters? These are the questions that Dare finds herself picking apart and bringing the reader along with her. The messaging is a bit heavy handed but the exploration of morals is thorough and complex enough to make it worth a read.

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Graphic novel spotlight - Club Kick Out: Into the Ring

 

Club Kick Out: Into the Ring by Steph Mided

This is a scenario we see in books periodically - a school cuts funding to the arts and clubs in order to maintain the budget for sports. Our heroines, after a chance encounter with professional wrestling recognize it's potential: it's artistic, creative, dramatic, and most importantly, athletic. The set-up strains the willing suspension of disbelief and the characters are fairly one-note. Even so, this book is a fun read. It emphasizes communication, honesty, and safety about all else. It empowers young readers and encourages creative problem solving.

 

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Non-fiction book review - Mysterious Glowing Mammals

 Mysterious Glowing Mammals by Maria Parrott-Ryan

That cover alone is going to be enough to grab the attention of a young reader. Honestly, you want to know more about this book without any title or other information. Once you open this book you'll find a step by step exploration of a scientific study - from the first discovery of a question through the steps and limitations of the study that followed. It's accessible and compelling, and might encourage a young reader to look at their own environment through a lens of curiosity.

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Book review - Bee Bakshi and the Gingerbread Sisters

 

Title: Bee Bakshi and the Gingerbread Sisters

Author: Emi Pinto

Genre: magical realism

Similar books: Ravenous Things by Derrick Chow

                      Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

Rating:

 

a unique take on a familiar tale

Summary (provided by publisher): Bee wanted to spend the summer reading Betsy Chillers books and exploring the new spooky theme park with her best friend. Instead, she’s spending the summer trapped at Storm Lake with her too loud, too thrifty, and too Indian family.
Luckily, Bee finds a place to escape her embarrassment—a magical house across the lake that transforms her into the cool girl she always wanted to be. Maybe cottage life isn’t so bad after all! But strange dreams are haunting Bee, and there’s a chill in her bones she just can’t shake.
Bee follows her hunch—and the scent of gingerbread—to Lucas, the dorky boy next door. He thinks there are ghosts in the forest, but new friend Alina tells her what Bee has feared all along: There’s a witch at Storm Lake. And she’s coming for Bee.

My opinion: This books takes Hansel and Gretel as it's central premise but does a lot to make it unique. There are many elements here unique to this story. Yes, there is a witch who takes children. But there's also social pressure, magical loons, an abandoned house on an island, ghosts, and lots of magic. It's far more complex magic than we see in the original story. And it does a lot more to explore interpersonal relationships and motivations. It's perhaps a bit odd, a bit reliant on some peculiar details, but remains worth reading.

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Listen with me

 

Dust by Dusti Bowling

Take a real situation and insert a hint of the supernatural. If done right, it's a formula that can be amazing. If you've read Ingrid Law's Savvy you've seen it done right. And the same can be said of Dust. The key here is that the central problems are based in the world as we know it. Avalyn is an outsider in middle school, coping with chronic medical issues and constant bullying. These are standard, relatable issues. So, unfortunately, is abuse. That's a tough topic to introduce in a middle grade book but Bowling does not shy away from the difficult. While the discussion is not explicit it is certainly present. More important than the specifics of the abuse, though, are the emotions associated. We see the trauma of the abused child, of course, but also how the knowledge and sense of helplessness affects Avalyn. This is a cast of characters with complex emotions and depth that serves the plot well.

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Non fiction book review - The Mona Lisa Vanishes

 

The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day

This is a moment in history that I had heard about, though I suspect it is not something most will find familiar. Even with some familiarity, though, this book was a delight to read. Firstly, it talks about far more than the theft itself. We learn a great deal about Da Vinci, the history of the Louvre, art theft in general, news media, and the general social implications of the painting and it's theft throughout history. And the writing itself is charming. The tone is conversational with a solid dose of humor. It's easily digested and compelling.

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Book review - After You Vanished

 

Title: After You Vanished

Author: E. A. Neeves

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: We Told Six Lies by Victoria Scott

                     Paper Towns by John Green

Rating:

 

defied some expectations

Summary (provided by publisher): Teddy’s favorite place is Bottomrock Lake, where sunfish swim in their little saucer nests and lilypads edge the shore. She’s worked there as a lifeguard every summer, including last year, when her twin sister Izzy waded into the lake for a midnight swim and never came out. Now, Teddy can’t stop scripting stories for where she went. Izzy was an accomplished swimmer, so she couldn’t possibly have drowned. And if she did somehow drown, where’s her body and why is her passport missing?
When Toby, the gorgeous jerk who was with Izzy on the night she vanished, comes to Bottomrock to work as a lifeguard alongside Teddy, she can’t help but be suspicious. How many of her sister’s secrets does he hold? And how can Teddy unearth them—without falling for the boy who watched her sister disappear?

My opinion: (Alert - here there be mild spoilers) At first, this seemed like it was set up to be a standard missing person narrative. Teddy and Toby track down secrets and threads that seemed to stymie the police. We expect them to uncover a vast conspiracy. Or people desperate to cover up dark secrets. Some of their clues sure point in that direction. But that's not really what this book is about. It's a story about grief and personal secrets. About discovering who your sister really was and realizing that you never know everything about a person. It's about accepting truth. And also about accepting things that you can't know and finding a way forward. It becomes a more introspective and thus a more realistic story.

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Book review - The Dark Lord's Daughter

 

Title: The Dark Lord's Daughter

Author: Patricia C. Wrede

Genre: fantasy

Similar books: Dark Lord by Jamie Thomson

                      Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions by Sheila Grau

Rating:

 

a fun twist

Summary (provided by publisher): Kayla is just an ordinary girl . . . or so she thinks. When a day at the state fair is interrupted by the news that she’s the daughter of a “Dark Lord,” she and her family are quickly whisked to another world—one that’s chock-full of magic but lacking in technology!
As her family encounters fantastical creatures in place of their Earthly gadgets, Kayla must prepare for the unpreparable: meeting her father, the Dark Lord himself, for the very first time. All Kayla wants is to go home, but she must learn magic to do so. The catch? For the Dark Lord’s daughter, the road to mastering magic is filled with evil traditions.
As she ventures closer to her father, Kayla must decide whether to accept her birthright. Is she destined for darkness? Or can she become a new kind of Dark Lady?

My opinion: We read plenty of books about characters who find they are "the chosen one". But what if the thing you're chosen for is evil? That's the central problem at the heart of this book. In a turn not unlike Pratchett and Gaiman's Good Omens, though, Kayla has been raised by a "normal" family. Thus, she has pretty average and sensible approaches to what should be dramatic problems. She's also a girl after my own heart. When told she must do something her first reaction is to ask "why". And she's strong-willed enough to resist tradition and forge a new path. A fun story for fantasy fans and kids unafraid to forge their own path.

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Listen With Me

 

Dust by Dusti Bowling

I've read a couple of Bowling's books before and they're typically a solid narrative with reasonable characters. This one promises a blend of interpersonal issues and the potential for magical realism. Let's find out.

Book review - Bright

 

Title: Bright

Author: Brigit Young

Similar books: Fifty-four Things Wrong With Gwendolyn Rogers by Caela Carter

                     Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Rating: 

 

a solid read

 

Summary (provided by publisher): Marianne Blume has always known she’s not smart.

 After years of trying and trying at school, she’s mastered the art of getting by on a combination of luck, deflection, and her winning personality—that is, until she lands in the classroom of Mr. Garcia. Suddenly she’s at risk of flunking his class, repeating the eighth grade, and getting left behind by her best friend, Skyla. To receive much-needed extra credit and get into high school, Marianne makes the desperate decision to join her school’s Quiz Quest team, only to find out that her teammates have problems of their own—and that they need to win for her to get the credit.

Now Marianne will need to try—like, actually try—for the first time in her life, while also helping her teammates pull it together. Can Marianne learn to be smart? What does it mean to be “bright,” anyway? And will she be left in eighth grade forever?

My opinion: Young certainly isn't the first author to tackle the affect of labels on students. Even so, this book handles the topic well. Not only are we looking at the affect of other people's perception on behaviors, but the character's own self-labeling. We see how each aspect of the problem, especially years of falling behind, compound and create a nearly insurmountable school issue. While the ending is fairly predictable, the characters are dynamic and relatable.

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Graphic novel spotlight - Things in the Basement

 

Things in the Basement by Ben Hatke

If you are looking for artistic, adventurous graphic novels Ben Hatke is a solid, consistent choice. You can count on his books for odd adventures that explore a child's emotional development, that look at what it means to be brave, to be a hero. This book is in many ways typical of Hatke's work as seen in Zita the Spacegirl or Mighty Jack. This book is a little more sparse in the text, a little less action oriented. It's a simple quest but highly atmospheric. And it makes careful use of color and facial features. And each panel is so packed with details that you could leaf through the book a dozen times and not see everything.

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Book review - The Story of Gumluck the Wizard

 

Title: The Story of Gumluck the Wizard

Author: Adam Rex

Genre: fantasy

Similar books: Gnome and Rat by Lauren Stohler

                      The Famously Funny Parrott by Eric Daniel Weiner

Rating:

 

sweet without becoming saccharine

Summary (provided by publisher): Meet Gumluck the Wizard, the star of a new chapter book series by the inimitable Adam Rex!
This is a story about magic, if you like that kind of thing. It is also a story about a ghost with amnesia, an unpopular fairy, an ungrateful little town, and an extremely wise and helpful raven (who happens to be a pretty talented storyteller). But mostly, it is about a friendly little wizard who lives inside a big hill and really, really, really wants to be a hero. His name is Gumluck, and he is a bumbling noodlehead.
In this tall tale about a short wizard, celebrated author Adam Rex proves once and for all that the biggest heroes often come in the smallest nightgowns.

My opinion: This is, undeniably, a somewhat silly story. Young readers (or listeners - this is a book well suited to being read aloud) will giggle over misunderstandings and Gumluck's bumbling attempts at being helpful. Meanwhile, they will be absorbing messaging about honesty, kindness, and the harm in changing yourself in an effort to please others. The text is well supported by the occasional detailed illustration that makes this a solid choice for independent readers as well.

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Pick 6: new in town

 Moving to a new town or a new school is a classic set-up for a youth novel, and with good reason. Finding yourself in a new situation, adjusting to new schedules and a new peer group; these are a solid framework for addressing personal and family issues. Here are six books published in the last six months that feature kids who recently moved to new town, neighborhoods, or schools as a primary character.

 6 New books with characters new to town:

1. Ghosts, Toast, and Other Hazards by Susan Tan
2. Peculiar Woods by Andrea Cohmes
3. The Do-Over by Rodrigo Vergera
4. The Gray by Chris Baron
5. We Don't Swim Here by Vincent Tirado
6. Lo and Behold by Wendy Mass