Really wonderful! Stick with this one – it starts slow, the main character seems arrogant and unlikable, and the setting familiar. As the book continues, though, it becomes apparent that this was all intentional, and the gradual revelations about the characters, their world, and the mystery at the heart of it are all masterfully done. The end result is something really special! Don’t miss the second half of the story in “Breath and Bone.”
Archives: Book Reviews
King and Kayla and the Secret Code by Dori Hillestad Butler
Fans of Emily Elizabeth and her lovable big red dog, Clifford, will fall in love with read-alike series King and Kayla, which follows dog owner Kayla and golden retriever, King, as they figure out mysteries that come their way. Unlike Clifford, this sweet, easy reader series, is told from the dog’s point of view. Whether your young reader is a dog person or cat person, this series is sure to find a spot at the foot of their bed.
Look for King and Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats (King didn’t take them, he promises!) and King and Kayla and the Case of the Secret Code (Someone dropped off a coded message for Kayla…who was it and what does the message say?).
Get it Together Delilah by Erin Gough
Get it together Delilah is an odd yet relatable coming of age novel with a down under setting. The story centers on a hard-nose and complex Delilah who can’t seem to “get it together” no matter how hard she tries. The homophobic girls at school scold her constantly because of her sexuality which forces her to drop out of school, her father who’s nursing a broken hear has fled to God knows where and left her to take care of the family business, her mom ran off with another man hence her father’s broken heart, her best friend is facing criminal charges for assault and well Del, Del cannot seem to find the courage to tell her crush how much she likes her all the while juggling everything else in her life. Delilah has a lot going on and she has this habit of pushing those who want to help her away. However, when her father’s business gets into financial trouble Del realizes that she can’t save it by herself. Will Del allow her fathers’ business to go under or will she finally put her pride and fear aside and allow others to come to her rescue? Erin Gough’s development of her character Del is both brilliant and refreshing as Del is a multi-layered character with a real story to tell. Get it together Delilah is a book that should be on everybody’s must read lists.
The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis
Stephanie Burgis’ exciting and funny fantasy for grades 4 and up is a coming of age story with a deliciously wild twist. Like many protagonists in middle grade novels, young Aventurine feels misunderstood by her family and longs for adventures beyond her years. But did I mention that she’s a dragon? After she slips out of the cave she meets a food mage who slips her some evil magic chocolate that turns her into a human girl! With her dragon nature still roaring inside of her, she discovers that she must work as someone’s apprentice in order to survive. Now in love with everything chocolate, Aventurine sets her sights on working for the town’s most ill-tempered chocolatier, a woman who terrorizes those who work for her…and even her customers! Can Aventurine prove that she has what it takes to become the best chocolate making apprentice ever? Will she ever be turned back into a dragon and be reunited with her winged family members? Packed with great characters and exhilarating action, The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart is a blast of energetic, tasty fun that should be read by any fan of humorous fantastical stories.
Chilling adventures of Sabrina. Book one, The crucible
Sabrina is about to turn sixteen and in order to become a full-blown sorceress, she finds herself having to make a huge decision: Choose her magical destiny or her non-magical boyfriend Harvey? And on top of that, an enemy, that Sabrina doesn’t even know she has, arrives in town with a deadly agenda. This is Sabrina the Teenage Witch like you’ve never seen her before! Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Robert Hack have created a comic that looks like it came out of Rosemary’s Baby or the Omen. Gory, intense, and fun.
Sofia Martinez: The Beach Trip by Jacqueline Jules
Looking for a new character for your young reader to become friends with? Look no further. Author Jacqueline Jules has created a charming early chapter book series revolving around Latina, elementary-aged girl, Sofia Martinez, and her adventures in and outside of the home! Standouts from the series are seasonally relevant, The Beach Trip, in which Sofia decides it’s more important to pack board games for the large family vacation that multiple changes of clothes, and the three story collection My Vida Loca (which includes the stories “Singing Superstar,” “The Secret Recipe,” and “The Marigold Mess”).
At the back of each of Jules’ Sofia books is a Spanish glossary of words used throughout the stories as well as questions to discuss with your reader afterwards.
Goldie Vance: Volume One by Hope Larson and Brittney Williams
Dust off your sleuthing skills and join writer Hope Larson and illustrator Brittney Williams as they introduce you to the mysteries that arise at the fictional St. Pascal, Florida Crossed Palms Resort during the 1960s. This fresh new graphic novel series named after likable, plucky teen protagonist, Goldie Vance, is a quick read sure to make you smile and remember another certain girl detective from yesteryear. In Volume One, Crossed Palms Resort’s detective, Charles, is given a new case by an anxious, German guest. A valuable necklace is missing! Volunteer detective assistant, Goldie, is soon on the case and pursues all avenues to get to the bottom of the mystery. Get it for the kids, and read it for yourself! Best enjoyed by grades 6 and up, due to romantic relationships and action sequences.
Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner (2017)
Megan Whalen Turner creates intelligent, intricate plots that twist with reversals, are filled with terrific rich characters and brilliant, detailed world building. Her fifth book in the Queen’s Thief series lives up to the rest of the series, which has already won the Children’s Mythopoetic Fantasy Award as well as a Newbery Honor. This book, starting with a minor character from a previous book, plunges the reader into a slave’s desperate escape from the palace of the brother of the king of Mede, the mighty kingdom that wants to capture the smaller kingdoms around it. Wouldn’t you want to read a book by an author who says, “I want to give the reader a piece of information at the end that changes their interpretation of everything that’s happened before.”? If you haven’t read the The Thief before, go back and start one of the best fantasy series in Children’s Literature. If you have read them all, enjoy Thick as Thieves. Guaranteed, you will love Eugenides (The Thief) even more than you did before!
Real Friends by Shanon Hale and LeUyen Pham
Who still has vivid memories of friend drama from elementary school? Me! And I know I’m not alone, because Newbery Honor author Shannon Hale, well known for the Princess in Black series as well as the Princess Academy series, has taken a page from her own life with her newest book for kids. Following in the autobiographical graphic novel footsteps of authors like Raina Telgemeier and Cece Bell, Hale achieves a balanced and heartwarming portrayal of the ups and downs of different friendships as well as family dynamics and how they shape different chapters of her life. At the same time, Hale is careful to recognize how her own choices and self perception lead to her literal and figurative shortsightedness at different points in the book: from believing she can’t write stories on her own, her rejection of her older sister Wendy, to forgoing her necessary glasses to look cooler, as well as neglecting a similarly bullied girl who could have been a good, albeit younger, friend. In Real Friends, Hale reminds the reader that being authentic and kind (to yourself and others), while seeking out others who are as well is really the better way to go. Get this book into the hands of as many 3-5th graders as you can!
The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
Get in on the ground floor of a new, epic fantasy series! Brandon Sanderson has created a unique world – rocky, swept by magical storms, and populated by unique people and animals adapted to their harsh environment. The story follows the lives of three different characters, whose lives are slowly converging due to forces beyond their understanding. Everything about this book is truly epic – the politics, the magic, the world, and the characters. Most of all, the ending – which shows you how much bigger the stakes are going to get! Also available as an e-book.