The book I was going to review today was a total bust for me, so I don’t have something new to post.
But in preparation for Friday’s review of Gina and the Big Secret, here’s a link to the first book in this new story arc for the delightful Hilo graphic novel series for kids, Gina: The Girl Who Broke the World.
[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Edelweiss and Scholastic Graphix in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Lucas is a football player. But after a significant concussion – his third in 2 years – his parents decide he shouldn’t play any more for his own safety. But Lucas decides to appeal to his “Uncle” Benny. Benny is Lucas’s dad’s best friend at the firehouse. Benny stepped up and helped Lucas’s family when his dad was hurt in a fire. He got Lucas into football in the first place. So Lucas cuts school on the morning of September 11, 2001 to talk to Benny.
While Lucas and Benny are near the firehouse, talking, the first plane hits the World Trade Center. As the firefighters head to the site and Lucas watches the news at the firehouse, the second plane hits. Lucas is alone at the station. He can’t get a call out to either of his parents. What should Lucas do next?
This is excellent! The story is full, giving context to Lucas being in the city on a school day as well as giving football book-ends to the more serious pieces of the story. The basics of 9/11 are covered honestly, straightforwardly, with details that are appropriate for young readers.
The author includes her 9/11 story, told in comic panels at the end of the book. Other information about 9/11 and the aftermath is included in the backmatter. The artwork is stellar! Easy to follow, conveying the details of the scenes well.
September 11th, 2001, changed everything. And kids today were born into that changed world. They have questions about what happened that day. With the 20th anniversary coming up, this will be a great resource to answer some of their questions. I highly recommend this one for graphic novel fans, fans of the I Survived series, and kids curious to know more about this significant historical event.
*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!
This week my sabbatical posts will be links to the books that earned a five star review from me. Today my focus will be on books for kids. This list will include picture books as well as middle grade and older middle grade books that I adored. Some of the reviews you will find in the full list include outstanding books that didn’t make it into a Year in Review post like these:
Madeline Finn and the Library Dog
Solving for M
Wedgie and Gizmo
Mabel Opal Pear and the Rules for Spying
Sidetracked
Framed
Here’s the full list: Five Star Reviews for Kids
[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
When Thea’s best friend, Charlie, died, Thea stopped speaking. Going back to school was excruciating, so her mom homeschooled her to finish out the year. But her parents decided that the family needed a change, so they moved to a new town.
On top of a change in location, Thea’s dad promises her younger sisters that the family will also get a dog. Thea has no interest in a puppy, especially as her frequent nightmares shift to start including a puppy she can’t save. But at the shelter, Jack Jack reaches a paw out to touch Thea, and she is converted. He picked her – just like Charlie once did. And that’s only the first of many examples of how special Jack Jack is.
Oh, this was lovely! I was immediately drawn in by Thea, and I loved her on every page. I loved her whole journey – with Charlie, with Jack Jack, and with the folks she meets in her new home. But Jack Jack was the star of the story. He was exactly what Thea needed – but not just Thea. His story was so much bigger.
There’s a great epilogue here that goes farther into the future than you usually get in a middle grade novel. It was the cherry on top of this terrific story!
I loved every moment of this – and I cried through several of them. This is another hit from Rob Buyea – do not miss it!
*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!
[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kids Can Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Arnold’s superhero family keeps waiting for him to get a super power of his own. In the mean time, he answers the phone at headquarters and takes down messages in his very neat penmanship.
When an emergency call comes in and all of the heroes are busy, Arnold dons a mask and cape to see if he can save the day. Arnold’s hero-ing may not look like what his family expects, but to the people he helps, he’s a super-ish hero!
DARLING! This is a such a fun story! This would be a great read-aloud. It has a fantastic message about heroic acts of everyday kindness and helpfulness. The illustrations are excellent. This is the sort of book kids will enjoy hearing, but will insist on exploring up close time and time again.
I think this would be perfect for classroom, story time, and bedtime reading. If your little reader(s) love(s) hero stories and/or you are looking to launch a discussion about kindness, helpfulness, or everyday heroes, be sure to give Arnold a try!
*♥♥♥♥♥=Outstanding!
[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kids Can Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Burt the june beetle learns all about the special skills of different bugs. And he starts to wonder what is special about june beetles like him.
What if the answer is… nothing?
ADORABLE! Another delightful book by the spectacular Ashley Spires! (I included her in a list of my favorite illustrators a few years back. You can read that post here. ) This is funny, and full of awesome bug facts as well as a fantastic story starring an endearing character. It take something special to make a BUG an endearing character!
Spires writes such fantastic stories, but her illustrations are really what make her books memorable for me. This is the sort of book that kids – and adults – are going to want to read up close so they can really enjoy the pictures and the humorous little side comments. Even the end papers are not to be missed!
If you aren’t familiar with the author’s work, some of my favorites are: The Most Magnificent Thing (♥♥♥♥♥), Binky the Space Cat (♥♥♥♥♥) and the whole Binky graphic novel series. Do not miss her work, especially this delightful book starring Burt.
*♥♥♥♥♥=Outstanding!
[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Amulet Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
On the morning of Brian’s 13th birthday, his dad disappears leaving only a cryptic note, and his mom overdoses and is rushed to the hospital. Before the day is over, Brian and his little brother are in foster care. The pressure starts mounting, Brian’s anxiety starts growing, and he starts pushing back at everyone around him. He strikes back at his bully. He runs away from his foster home.
Ezra is one of the only guys at school who treats Brian like a friend. But as Brian starts to spiral, Ezra realizes that he’s never stood up for Brian to his other friends. Lately it seems like Brian might need a buddy to lean on, and Ezra is the one person he might trust enough to help him. The complication is that Ezra has a crush on Brian. And he’s not quite sure what to do with those feelings.
I adored this! Brian and Ezra will quickly become kids you want to hang out with – and hug. There are so many exceptional character pieces in this – Brian’s evolution through the story, Ezra’s fierce desire to help Brian, Gabe – my favorite character – and Brittany, Brian’s family dynamics… It’s all perfection. I quickly became attached to these characters. And I would have happily kept reading another book’s worth of pages with them.
There’s a lot of heavy content in this one – the overdose/suicide attempt, Brian’s panic attacks and social anxiety, some of Brian’s choices in the story, Ezra working through his understanding of his sexuality and the impact of it on his friendships, grief and loss – which is why this is an older middle grade story for readers 10 and up. All of the content is handled beautifully. But it’s still a lot, especially when you remember that Brian and Ezra are only 13. (The story reminds me of A List of Cages in some of the content, although more “mild” in some ways for the younger audience.)
This would be a great book for discussion with kids – both to help them process some of the more serious pieces of the story, but also because it’s such a rich and meaty story with great characters and an engaging plot. I think kids will love Brian and Ezra (and Gabe!). And the story here will leave readers with lots to think about. (LGBTQ+, TW: Panic attacks/anxiety, suicide attempt, bullying)
*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!
[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Bea Embers is about to start middle school, but that’s only one of a series of changes she’s experiencing all at once. Bea’s mom has just gotten married, the two families have moved into a new house together, and Bea’s mom is going to have a baby. On top of all that, one of her new step-brothers, Bryce, is a “bully-follower” in her homeroom. Bryce’s friends always pick on Bea’s best friend, and Bryce goes along with it and even joins in. How will she ever think of someone like that as family?
Complicating Bea’s life even more is the soccer situation at school. Bea’s always been a leader on her past teams. (Usually they were boys’ teams that “allowed” the girls to join. But they often sat on the bench and rarely received any credit or encouragement for their contributions to the team.) But her new neighbor is going to be some stiff competition. Even worse, the middle school soccer coach (who is also the principal) is dismissive of every girl who wants to play. And he’s a constant obstacle to their desire for a team of their own.
But Bea Embers is as feisty and fiery as her name would imply. She and her friends – and her new family – aren’t going to put up with any misogynistic “bullsharky” this year. They’re going to stand tall and push back.
This was so amazing! This exemplifies why I love middle grade novels:
There’s so much heart here, I wanted to hug the book. This is the perfect blend of a story that has you tearing up one moment and wanting to stand up and cheer the next. It’s delightful!
Bea had to grow on me for a few chapters while I waited to get a feel for her. At the same time, though, I feel like in those early chapters, Bea is trying to get a feel for herself in all of these new roles and settings. I was captivated by her story and her circumstances from the start. I loved the kids, their teachers, and their families. I loved how the characters grow over time – and not just Bea. Bea’s experience with Bridge to Terabithia was a fantastic part of the story. My favorite part, though, is getting a peek into Bea’s thinking about all of the things happening in her life – the changes in her family, the soccer situation, her friends at school, her feelings about Bryce, how she relates what she is reading to what she is experiencing, etc..
There is SO MUCH here to love. Do not miss the latest book from the author of Right as Rain (another book I wanted to hug after reading). This would be a fantastic read-aloud, but would also work well for book groups and book clubs. (Includes a few excellent uses of the word “badass.”)
*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!
[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Roaring Brook Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Emmanuel Acho is the creator behind the video series and book titled Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man. This book takes some of the questions and topics from the adult content and formats them for kids 10 and up. Each chapter introduces a concept with a question. Then some history is given (“Let’s Rewind”) and the talk gets frank (“Let’s Get Uncomfortable”). Finally there are suggestions for what to do to take action about a particular concept (“Talk It, Walk It). Topics include things like the N-word/language, history of Blacks in America, bias, “color blindness,” privilege, the Confederate flag, systemic racism, and “reverse racism.”
The tone is conversational; I could actually hear the author’s speaking voice as I read. He never talks down to readers and often adopts a coaching tone, which I loved. But because of the seriousness of the topic, some of the material is heavy and intense. Struggling readers may need some assistance – reading chunks at a time, discussion groups/family conversation – to push through all of the material. And it is absolutely worth pushing through! This is an exceptionally good resource for kids, teens, and adults, including school personnel, pastors, youth workers, and helping professionals.
There are no citations in the text for some of the history and statistics the author gives, but there are references listed in the backmatter. There are also suggestions of other materials – books, documentaries – to go deeper. This is a starting point resource, not the be-all-end-all discussion of race and racism. But the history and context given makes this an excellent foundation to build on. As an adult, I found the history enlightening (and alarming), and the conversation frank and helpful. When I talk about race and racism with other adults, there are common refrains from those who do not believe racism is still an issue, those who want to “move on.” This includes terrific talking points and responses for people of all ages looking to grow in their understanding and practice of anti-racism.
* ♥♥♥♥♥+++ = Best of the best!
[I received a free electronic review copy of this from Netgalley, but by the time I was approved, I had already bought a print copy of the published book. I read the print version for this review. All opinions are my own.]
April and her friends are settled in at Winterborne House. Gabriel Winterborne has been “found” and is famous again. April and the other kids thwarted a lot of dark, ugly schemes that could have hurt a lot of people (Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor) and lived to tell the tale.
But Izzy has disappeared and Smithers, the butler, is away, leaving Gabriel in charge of five kids and the house. Things are pretty chaotic when the case worker arrives. Then, a swordsman breaks into the house. And Gabriel goes missing.
Now the kids are dodging the case worker who wants to take them away from their home and from each other. They are searching for Gabriel, afraid he’s hurt or dying – or that he’s just abandoned them. And they are running from guys with guns, desperate to preserve their found family.
WOW! This was fantastic! I squeezed in a quick re-read of book one so the story was fresh in my mind when I started this. And I am so glad. I was able to pick up the action and the characters right away, which was important. This book jumps right into the action! This is definitely a read-in-order series.
While this is April’s story, I adore the full ensemble cast. The kids have really gelled into a team – and a family – by this book. I love them even more this time around.
The story was captivating from start to end. There are a ton of things going on here, but the author never loses the reigns on her story. I flew through this in one breathless sitting because I had to know what happens for everyone. I have my fingers crossed that there will be more stories for these characters in the future. But this book ends solidly with no major cliffhangers.
Fans of book 1, fans of Ally Carter, and fans of middle grade mysteries should NOT miss this excellent series. I’d say the target audience would be older middle grade readers – 10 and up – due to the violence of the story. While not at all graphic, there are sword fights and bullet wounds and stabbings and peril that might not be a good fit for some young readers.
*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!
