Tag: environmental issues

REVIEW: The Sherlock Society by James Ponti

REVIEW: The Sherlock Society by James Ponti

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Aladdin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Alex and Zoe Sherlock have decided to live up to their last name. Instead of babysitting or mowing lawns for money, they start a detective agency. With their friends, Lina and Yadi, and their grandfather serving as Director of Transportation and Logistics, they are ready to take on their first case.

After a couple of false starts, the Sherlock Society stumbles onto an environmental case. The kids use the reporting skills they learn from Alex and Zoe’s grandfather to start looking for a suspect. They also use Yadi’s film experience and drone skills to look for clues. Zoe’s understanding of people comes in handy, as does Alex’s understanding of the law and Lina’s grasp of the big picture, when their case literally explodes out of control.

Review

This is so fun! There’s great balance between the kid pieces – friendships, family conflict, learning to investigate – with  the case pieces. There’s tons for readers to learn – about investigating, about Al Capone, about Florida, about videography – and it’s all modeled by the characters in the book. It’s “showing, not telling” at it’s best.

The kids and the family feel authentic – conflict, confrontation, support, teasing, and teaching, all on a foundation of love. And the case is grounded in some details real middle schoolers would or could do. This is a terrific series kick off from a tried and true middle grade mystery author, James Ponti. His fans should not miss this one. Mystery lovers, kids who care about the environment, and readers who like ensemble stories should pick this one up, too!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver

REVIEW: Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver

Posted on by Jaymie

[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.]

Summary

When Willow (AKA Detective Duck) and her friends hear a splash in the pond, she is on the case to discover the cause. Once she puzzles it out, she’ll have two more mysteries to solve – how to get the thing OUT of the pond, and what to do with it next?

Review

This is a cute transitional chapter book with a fun cast of animal characters. I can still hear Henry Winkler’s voice as he first described the series concept on a late-night talk show. It was fun to get to read the first book in the new series.

Willow is both industrious and compassionate. She uses her Stuff Box in her efforts to address the problems, and she looks out for how the problem will impact her community. She also invites community members to help. I liked that Willow gets to work on essentially 3 “mysteries” or puzzles/problems with her friends. It gives the reader something to look forward to once they know what caused the mysterious splash.

Willow is a clever and determined main character, and her adventure here is so fun. Many readers will appreciate the strong environmental message in the book, too! I recommend this one for parents/grandparents as well as teachers and librarians. Kids are going to enjoy this new series.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great!

REVIEW: Running by Natalia Sylvester

REVIEW: Running by Natalia Sylvester

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Mariana Ruiz’s father is running for president. He’s been in the state legislature before, and he’s currently a US Senator for Florida. Mariana knows what politics means for their day-to-day life. But she hasn’t really registered that his run for the Republican nomination means this election is at a whole new level.

Joe, her father’s assistant, is dictating her comments for TV spots and interviews. Her bedroom gets made-over like an elementary school classroom, complete with motivational posters, against her will because reporters are going to be seeing it. The whole family will be interviewed. No matter how many times Mariana asks to be left out of things, no one listens. So she disappears before the interview and goes to a friend’s house. That’s the first time Mariana pushes back. But it won’t be the last.

Review

This was excellent! No only does the book look at big issues like politics and the environment and activism, but it also drills down to interpersonal issues like family unity, teenage autonomy, family obligations, and political identity. For most of Mariana’s life, politics was just what her father did. It was background noise like other parental jobs might be for teens. But her father’s run for president amps up all the pressure over appearances and media scrutiny. Mariana’s discomfort starts there.

Then, a school assignment converges with a friend’s personal issues and raises her awareness about real life factors – things that impact people she loves. Things that used to just be political talking points. Mariana connects with students at her school who are more politically aware and engaged. She sees her father’s voting record, and it doesn’t line up with what he’s always said he believes. The more she learns, the more the idealized picture of her father fractures.

There are no easy answers offered, which I loved. This is Mariana’s coming-of-age story where her assumptions are torn down and what she rebuilds is a new comprehension of not only her family but also the larger world. And she realizes she has a place in it, and she has a unique platform where her voice can be heard. I loved this! (Language, LGBTQ+, TW: gaslighting)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ – I loved it! Would re-read.

REVIEW: 10 Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon

REVIEW: 10 Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Simon Pulse in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Samir had been so excited about this internship at a major DC law firm. It was prestigious. He was one of their top candidates. And it got him away from his helicopter mom for the summer. He loved her, but after she beat cancer, she became so smothering. He needed this summer away. Then, on his first day, he found out the internship fell through.

Pinky was spending the summer on the East Coast with her cousin Dolly and their families as usual. And as usual, Dolly was the perfect child while Pinky always earned the side eye. If anything went wrong, everyone assumed it was Pinky’s fault. She was sick of being the outcast and the problem child.

When Pinky hears about Samir’s internship woes, she makes him a deal. Pretend to be her boyfriend for the summer – he’s exactly the kind of guy her parents would love – and she’d get him a new internship with her mom’s law firm.

But if they keep fighting all summer, it will be more likely they’ll kill each other than they will convince anyone they are a couple!

Review

This was a fun addition to the series, following When Dimple Met Rishi and There’s Something About Sweetie (♥♥♥♥½). I loved Samir. He shows Pinky that a guy can be attractive AND fun and loyal and decent. Just because he’s stable and polite, and already knows what he wants to do with his life, doesn’t mean he can’t be boyfriend material.

Pinky was harder to like. She’s defensively abrasive, something Samir calls out when he sees it. She has a big personality, naturally, but she’s learned to also use it to get attention or to rebel. Once you see where some of her behavior comes from, she’s easier to like and root for.

Samir, Pinky, and Dolly get caught up in an effort to save a butterfly habitat from developers. This adds a plot to the story beyond the fake relationship, and it also gives Pinky’s toughest relationships – with Samir and with her mother – something to interact with. I didn’t enjoy that part of the story as much as I loved the back and forth of Samir and Pinky figuring out their feelings. The relationship parts of this were especially rich.

Fans of the previous books should definitely pick this up. I don’t think these have to be read in order, though, to be enjoyed.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: We Didn't Ask for This by Adi Alsaid

REVIEW: We Didn’t Ask for This by Adi Alsaid

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Every year in April, Central International School holds a lock-in for their senior high students. It’s the highlight of the year, something students plan for and think about all year long.

On that night:

  • Amira is waiting for the decathalon to begin. She’s ready to take on all comers, boys and girls, to be named best athlete in the school.
  • Omar is probably her biggest competition. But his mind is focused less on the basketball competition and more on looking to see if Peejay is in the stands.
  • Celeste, a new student at CIS, is hoping the lock-in will help her finally connect with someone at this school.
  • Kenji is trying to steer kids to the improv room for his favorite activity (even though his dad thinks it’s a waste of time).
  • Peejay is responsible for planning the secret “party” space in the school, a role of immense importance given to one student each year. His brother’s turn was legendary, and Peejay is hoping to live up to that legacy, especially after the accident.
  • Joy, Malik, Eli and Lolo are chaining themselves to the doors and locking everyone in while Marisa, their leader, is leading them in stating their manifesto. The doors will stay chained until the students, teachers, and community agree to her list of ecological changes and demands.

This lock in is NOT going to be anything like previous years.

Review

This was fascinating! I don’t know that I’ve read many books like this. It reminded me of school shooting stories like This Is Where It Ends (Rating: ♥♥♥♥) in that the story moves to different characters and different parts of the building as the story moves forward. But the tension in this is lower because it’s less violent – a protest with unthreatened hostages as opposed to armed assailants – and has lower stakes.

The writing was fantastic. The point of view changes almost from paragraph to paragraph, third person, but each character shares from his/her perspective (third person omniscient). It took several chapters to get used to this, but it was brilliant for conveying urgency and the vast experiences and perspectives in the group. There’s a large cast in this, and this style helped with that, too, once I was used to it. It helped the reader understand what prompted some students to be part of Marisa’s original group as well as understand why some of the other students either became protectors as the story went on or antagonists.

While there were a TON of things going on inside the school – and in the world around the building – regarding the protest, there were tons of “little” things going on too. Friendships and potential romances developed. Parent/child relationships evolved. Teachers made choices on where they stood on the issues. Some kids leaned into their gifts and interests while others became more informed about environmental issues. The whole thing was really woven together well.

The romantic relationships between primary characters – both same-sex – felt heavy handed at times to me. Everything else in the book moved so quickly, but in at least one relationship it felt like time slowed when one character was exploring her developing feelings. This might be because it was going to be a huge cultural issue for her, which makes sense. It just felt like it slowed the story down to me.

If you love YA stories that dig into contemporary issues like the environment; books with a large and diverse cast of characters; or stories where all the characters are stuck somewhere, forced to deal with their feelings, experiences and limitations, do not miss this one! (Language, underage drinking, LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½