Another GREAT beginning chapter book for kids starting to read on their own — and for all the rest of us who love a good book! Tales from Deckawoo Drive is a series of stories about Mercy Watson’s neighbors. (Mercy Watson is of course a pig.) This story focuses on Baby Lincoln’s big sister, Eugenia, who dislikes poetry, frivolity or anything with whoop-de-whoops. She’s just received an enormous package in the mail. Who could have sent it? What could it contain? What changes are in store for the residents of Deckawoo Drive? (A wonderful cameo by Mercy Watson herself adds to the fun.)
Archives: Book Reviews
Among Others by Jo Walton
This book is a love letter to anyone who grew up immersed in sci-fi & fantasy, who dreamed of Impressing their own dragon and finding their karass and going on their own quest, who felt completely out of sync with the “real” world, but ultimately wanted to find their own place in it. The framework for all of this is the story of a young woman, who may or may not have magical powers, escaping from a troubled childhood. She has trouble fitting in at a new boarding school, but finds acceptance with a local science fiction book club. The winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novel, and a really excellent read! (Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Discussion Group selection, May 2015)
I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest
May and Libby were childhood best friends and together they created a character called Princess X. May wrote the stories about the purple katana wielding Princess X and her adventures and Libby drew the pictures. All this comes to an end when Libby and her mom pass away in a car accident.
Fast forward a few years later, May is sixteen and wandering the streets of their old neighborhood when she finds a sticker of Princess X stuck to a store window. How can this be? Did someone find Libby’s Princess X drawings? May soon learns Princess X is a webcomic with a mysterious author. As she starts reading it, she finds details only her old friend could know. Is Libby still alive? If so, where has been all these years? May embarks on her own adventure to find out.
This book is intense! I don’t what I was expecting after reading the description, but it surprised me every step of the way. The mystery draws you in from the beginning and makes you want to race to the thrilling/slightly scary end. If you enjoy fast, paced and suspenseful stories, I Am Princess X will be right up your alley. Bonus: the book has illustrated comics between chapters. It is also great as an audiobook (available on Hoopla). Grades 7 and up.
The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud (2017)
This is the 5th & final book in the terrific Lockwood & Co series written by Jonathan Stroud. Lockwood & Co. is about an alternate Britain in which ghosts have been entering the world of the living. Whomever they touch dies; only kids & teens can see them. So all the ghost removal agencies are staffed by kids, but run by adults — except one: Lockwood & Co, run by the dashing young Anthony Lockwood, the scholarly and slovenly George Cubbins, Lucy Carlyle (our narrator) who can speak to ghosts and the marvelously organized Holly Munro! And what a stunning conclusion this book is: we find out the source of the The Problem AND bring the story of Anthony Lockwood and Lucy Carlyle to the brink of — (of course you’ll have to read the book)! If you haven’t already read the first 4 books, reserve a copy of The Screaming Staircase, the beginning of the whole adventure. (The BBC is shooting a TV show based on this book, so this will not be the last you hear of Lockwood & Co!)
The Night Garden by Polly Horvath (2017)
Franny, 12, and her parents, Sina and Old Tom, live a peaceful life on a farm on Vancouver Island during WW2. Their troubles revolve around the creative process (Sina is a sculptor and Franny writes.) and the seasonal work of the farm — until Crying Alice, their neighbor, arrives with an unusual request. She wants Franny, Sina and Old Tom to watch over her 3 kids while she tries to prevent her husband, an air force base mechanic, from doing something stupid. Supernatural events, crazy mysteries and very bad cooking ensue! Polly Horvath writes with such quirky warmth, and has such a multiplicity of odd mostly well meaning characters, that you won’t want to leave the world of the novel. Recommended for readers 9 – 12 as well as anyone who loves a good story. The beauty of the book lies in the willingness of some to sacrifice their greatest gifts for others to be able to hold onto family.
Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell
This poignant, near wordless tale depicts the bond that quickly develops between a brave young girl wearing a Little Red Riding Hood style jacket and a scared wolf cub separated from its pack on a cold, snowy day. With his striking pen and ink with watercolor art, Cordell serves up two linked storylines that merge as we cut back and forth between the huffing, shivering girl walking home from school and the little wolf who falls increasingly behind its elders. When the two characters meet on an unforgettable series of spreads, we see a bond form. And yet, we don’t get a cutesy revelation that the wolf wants to hang with humans. The reader knows, and the girl knows, that she must reunite the frightened animal with its pack. Cordell gives the work the feel of a timeless fable as the kid saves the creature from a variety of dangers, and is then rewarded later by the wolves who come to her aid. His masterful use of double page spreads deepens the tension of the unfolding events. And I love how he puts the girl (holding the cub) and an adult wolf parent in circular frames as they face each other–her eyes wide with terror as the baby wolf howls–they share a connection but nature separates them. This keeps the book from becoming too saccharine; there’s a sense of danger here. The humans in the story look stylized in their oversized coats, but Cordell renders the wolves more realistically, and the effect adds punch. Wolf in the Snow is simply one fantastic book, and will certainly make my list of the very best of 2017.
Bang
Guilt is a heavy thing. Sebastian doesn’t know if he can live with it anymore. At age four Sebastian picked up his father’s gun and accidentally shot and killed his baby sister. Sebastian and his family never fully recovered. Now as a teen Sebastian is planning out his last days. But, his plans are put on pause when new neighbors move in, including fellow teen Aneesa. Aneesa and Sebastian soon become besties, spending much of the summer launching a YouTube pizza making channel. But, Aneesa doesn’t know Sebastian dark secret and he’s afraid what will happen when she figures it out.
Brave by Svetlana Chmakova
In his daydreams, Jensen is the biggest hero that ever was, saving the world and his friends on a daily basis. But his middle school reality is VERY different – math is hard, getting along with friends is hard…Even finding a partner for the class project is a big problem when you always get picked last. And the pressure is on even more once the school newspaper’s dynamic duo, Jenny and Akilah, draw Jensen into the whirlwind of school news, social experiment projects, and behind-the-scenes club drama. Jensen’s always played the middle school game one level at a time, but suddenly; someone’s cranked up the difficulty setting. Will those daring daydreams of his finally work in his favor, or will he have to find real solutions to his real life problems?
This is a really sweet middle grade graphic novel that is so full of heart that it’s sure to leave you with a smile on your face. Jensen is one of my favorite protagonists of all time, I’ve never rooted for someone quite so hard! Be sure to grab our copy of this one, especially if you liked the companion novel, Awkward!
The Antlered Ship, written by Dashka Slater, illustrated by The Fan Brothers
Do you want to see a beautifully illustrated picture book? Open up The Antlered Ship and examine those panoramic illustrations rendered in graphite and ballpoint pen (and then colored digitally) by the gloriously talented Fan Brothers. In this high seas adventure, an inquisitive fox joins a crew of deer and pigeons on a ship bearing enormous antlers. Together these unlikely naviagtors sail to find an island that offers many delicious treats. Meanwhile, the sad fox simply wants to find other foxes who can answer his many questions about life and the world. Slater keeps the reader guessing as to what will happen next as the story unfolds. The Fan Brothers fill each page with memorable images of the ship being tossed at sea, amusingly dangerous animal pirates who try to sabotage the heroes’ quest, and of the beautiful island. Each turn of the page will make you say “wow” as you look at the beautiful, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking drawings. Masterful on every level.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
It may seem strange to say about a book in a series called “The Murderbot Diaries,” but this was just a whole lot of fun! It’s full of classic sci-fi elements like a stranded team on a hostile planet under attack from unknown sources, but tells the tale from the viewpoint of the team’s assigned security bot – a cloned human/robot hybrid (who has hacked its own controls and is now secretly a free agent, and refers to itself as “Murderbot”). The story behind the moniker, and the question of how Murderbot finds its place in the universe, add depth (and humor) to the action.