We Do Not Welcome Our Ten-Year-Old Overlord

Nix, Garth. We Do Not Welcome Our Ten-Year-Old Overlord
October 15, 2024 by Scholastic Press 

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

It's 1975 in Canberra, Australia, and Kim Basalt is living on an experimental farm with his sister and hippy parents who refuse to get a color television set. His best friend is Bennie, and both of them are twelve. They also both have ten-year-old sisters, Indigofera and Eileithyia, who bonded over their unual names. Kim is the dungeon master for the local Dungeons and Dragons games, and loves the Lord of the Rings books, and Bennie has been able to buy the supplies necessary to get them started. When the four are out one night, they find a glowing globe in the lake, and when they try to take it out of the water, it tries to take over Kim's mind. He manages to push it away, but it invades Eila's thoughts. She says it's fine; the spirit calls itself Aster, and wants good for the people of Earth. When Kim threatens to tell their parents, Eila points out that there is no plausible story he can construct for what has happened. It's a little alarming when he catches Eila sneaking out and standing on a hill of fire ants because Aster wants to study them, especially when they are dead the next day, but Kim also has things to do like read LeGuin's The Wizard of Earthsea and run errands for his mother up to Mrs. Benison's house. Their neighbor is 96 years old, has a daughter who is a police officer and lives in an old house that the neighbors would like to see torn down. Kim and Bennie are unable to get the globe away from Eila, and are even more concerned when Aster studies an injured kangaroo to find out how it's body works, and reduces it to a boneless mass of fur, and also when Aster accidentally kills two pet guinea pigs. Its influence is so strong over Eila, however, that she has it cure Mrs. Benison of her aches and pains, and convinces her parents to buy a television set. When it becomes clear that Aster is actually mounting an alien invasion, Eila finally sees the error of her ways and works with Kim and his friends to thwart this, helping them remotely through Kim's connection with the globe. They must get Aster out into the sunlight, but must first go on a harrowing journey. I won't spoil the twist at the end, or the explanation of who Aster is, but the title gives you a little bit of a clue. 

Strengths: While this is a science fiction fantasy tale at its core, there is also a good bit of Nix's personal past in the historical fiction nature of the book, and is dedicated to his younger brother Jonathan, who passed away. The geek references are strong; not only is there D&D and Tolkien, but also Dr. Who, and Geryhawk, although (oddly) not Monty Python. The foreword says this is set in an alternate Australia, but I couldn't quite tell what made it different. I liked the relationship between all of the children, and the fact that Eila is represented as knowing Latin, Greek, French, German, Italian, and Spanish! Australians have been very good about honoring the contributions of Indigenous peoples, and Nix not only mentions this at the beginning of the book, but I believe that the Benison's might be Indigenous. This was a quirky fantasy that the blurbs say will appeal to fans of Stranger Things. (Which I should probably watch.)
Weaknesses: The cover and title of this aren't great, and might cause my students to leave this on the shelves. Twenty years ago, this would have been an automatic purchase, but I don't have Nix fans or avid fantasy readers the way I used to. 
What I really think: This is more along the lines of Nix's middle grade The Keys to the Kingdom series or Troubletwisters than Sabriel and his young adult fantasies. I can see this being a good choice for readers who enjoyed Greenland's Scouts or Sedita's Pathfinders series. 

The Best Friend Bracelet

Collier, Nicole D. The Best Friend Bracelet
October 15, 2024 by HarperCollins
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Zaraiah Brown is the best friendship bracelet maker at Hurston Middle School, and gets the most likes for her creations on the school LookBook page, but can't seem to make friends of her own. Her father is a photographer/videographer who is on assignment, and her mother is busy with her travel agency and nursing school. Older brother Anthony often teases Zaraiah for her "occasional awkwardness", and she wonders if that's why she doesn't have friends. When her science teacher, Mr. Clearwater, assigns a group project, no one will work with her, until Theo, aka "The Dark Diva", says she'll work with Zaraiah if she's willing to come to Theo's house, so her mom thinks she has friends. When Zaraiah gets a commission to make a friendship bracelet for her former best friend, Naomi, she's conflicted. She goes to her favorite supply store, and talks to the someone odd proprietress, who sells her an intriguing item. Zaraiah makes a beautiful bracelet, and posts it on the Look Book for October 6, the day of the big homecoming at her school. Or at least, she thinks she does. Kids in her school see it, and think it is awesome. Kele puts it on, and suddenly acts like Zaraiah's best friend. She invites Zaraiah to sit with the "Dolls", the most fashionable clique in the school, but Zaraiah quickly tires of their superficiality. Is the bracelet magic? The next wearer of the bracelet is Alaia, and Zaraiah hopes that the two can hang out at the Pajama jam that she didn't think she'd have anyone to attend with, but she can't keep up with the dances that Alaia wants to do at the talent show that night. She gives the bracelet to Willow next, and the two have a great time hanging out, but Willow's best friend Carla feels left out. Not only that, but Zaraiah has been spending a lot of time with Theo, and the two have shared a lot of their hopes, fears, and secrets with each other. Has Zaraiah been able to make a best friend without the power of the magic bracelet?
Strengths: If I had to guess what the biggest tween fear was, I would guess it is not having any friends. Not dead parents, not being popular; not having someone to sit with at lunch and go to dances and events with. If there were a way to have magical powers and make people be friends with them, tweens would definitely use them! The craft store is just spooky and magical enough to be intriguing, and friendship bracelets seem to be having a moment of resurgence, perhaps because of Taylor Swift? This was constructed particularly well, and I liked how Zaraiah was trying out different types of girls to be her friends and finding out she really didn't have anything in common with them while slowly and steadily becoming friends with Theo. I also appreciated that Theo was being raised by her grandmother because her parents were unable to care for her; there are many of my students in this situation. 
Weaknesses: There were some aspects of the school that seemed odd to me. Middle schools don't usually have homecoming, although some may have sleepovers. Students at my school are definitely not allowed to sell things, cliques are not very pronounced (and we definitely don't have people obsessed with clothing), and the LookBook seemed odd as well. Perhaps these things occur at other schools. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Mlynowski's Best Wishes series, Greenwald's Fortune Tellers,  or other books with magical realism and friendship issues. 

Sophie: Jurassic Bark and Frankestein's Hound

Anderson, Brian. Sophie: Jurassic Bark (#1)

October 15, 2024 by Marble Press

Copy provided by the publisher

Sophie is a chocolate Labrador retriever who has a fantastic life with her humans... until baby Doug appears. He's smelly and takes a lot of attention away from her, which she does NOT appreciate. Still, Sophie ends up spending a lot of time with the tot, who is often in sitting up in a baby walker, right at Sophie's eye level. This leades to Calvin and Hobbes style fantasy adventures. Sophie styles herself as Indiana Bones, and has an adventure with the Temple of the Lost Cookie. Doug gets bonus points for being willing to share. There's a monster until the bed as the two "siblings" are snuggled in the crib, but of course the monster is misunderstood. He doesn't want to eat them; he's just there for the peanut butter. There is an adventure in the monster's world as well. Two rescue cats, Equinox and Chewy, are added to the family, and they are fashioned as evil felines who secretly (or not so secretly) want to take over the world. They have a hidden lair, a time travel machine, and are a big concern to Sophie. This doesn't stop Sophie from having flights of fantasy where she reimagines Star Wars (Commander Doug vs. the Labradorian), Yellowstone (Labstone, where they fight off the Binky Bandit Gang), and Batman (as the Canine Crusader and Cat Boy). Sophie also teaches Doug to get his own way by being adorable, but Doug goes supernova cute with his efforts, and the two are sucked into a cutesy cartoon world where Doug has to be convinced there is no percentage in being Lord Dimple Cheeks. 

Anderson, Brian. Sophie: Frankenstein's Hound (#2)
October 15, 2024 by Marble Press
Copy provided by the publisher

Sophie and Doug are back after their adventures in Sophie: Jurassic Bark, and are ready for more adventures loosely based on some popular stories. Doug is crawling now, and is a dangerous hugger! The two reprise their roles as Batman characters in The Bark Night, and are determined to thwart the efforts of cats Equinox and Chewy to dominate the world. For their part, the cats are consulting Cat Thulhu about how they should best conquer their home, and it's suggested that they must first endear themselves to be truly effective. Just when Sophie is used to the baby as well as the cats, a new challenge is introduced: the family takes in three foster puppies! James and Jenny are soon adopted, and Sophie is relieved to get them out of her space,  but James remains. He's sad that his siblings are gone, and Sophie not only consoles him, but tries to instruct the interloper on how to best snare a human. Even the cats are asked for help, but they of course have other evil plans to work on, like highjacking the smart speaker and trying to harness its technology. When Jack is also adopted, Sophie is glad because she got what she asked for, but soon realizes that she is actually sad, which is a hard situation to justify in her mind. Soon, though, there is another foster dog, Annie, who is a very large dog who is tired of everyone making assumptions about her personality just because of her size. This leads into a Frankenstein fantasy with Annie in the title role. There is also a plot by the squirrels to retrieve a flash drive from the cats, kidnapping by aliens, and an Alice in Wonderland style adventure. 

These books are compilations of Anderson's web comic, Dog Eat Doug, and based loosely on his own life with a small child and multiple pets. Like Schade and Buller's Scarlett: Star on the Run, McDonnell's Mutts books, or Dunn's Breaking Cat News, Sophie introduces us to intrepid animal characters (as well as an infant and then toddler who communicates solely through saying "Bak!") who have the kind of adventures we all imagine our pets have when our backs are turned. I, for one, am glad to see that my theory that cats are evil and are planning world domination was upheld by Equinox and Chewy's antics!

While I haven't taken a deep dive into the web comic on which this is based, I imagine that the episodes in the compilations are mostly based on the daily comics, but given chapter headings that tie together a series of strips on particular topics. This works well, and fans of Lincoln Peirce's Big Nate (who says this strip is "the perfect mis of heart, humor, and hilarity) will be glad to pick these up. 

I'm never  a huge fan of drawings where the characters don't have eyeballs, so I was a bit put off by the style of eyes, but there's always something about cartoon style drawings that distract me; at least the noses were perfectly fine, and the humans are rendered ala Peanuts; only seen off panel or from the waist down.

Middle school students today have a much different relationship with comics than I did. They don't read newspapers, so don't get a daily dose of dozens of favorite characters. They are more likely to pick up a collection of strips and immerse themselves in the world. As someone who read Funky Winkerbean every day for nearly fifty years, it makes me sad, but that's the way the world works. My students will pick up Sophie and be enthralled by her fantastical adventures with Doug.  

MMGM- They Saved the Stallions and Dinopedia

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

Hopkinson, Deborah. World War II Close Up: They Saved the Stallions

October 15, 2024 by Scholastic Focus

ARC provided by Young Adult Books Central

I am convinced that there is so much interesting information about World War II that books will still be published on the topic in 2095! It's still a popular topic with young readers, especially when undiscovered facets, such as the plight of the famous Lippizaner stallions in Austria, come to light. 

The action starts at a high point, with Alois Podhajsky's need to leave the Spanish Riding School in Vienna with the Lipizzaner stallions. He'd been keeping them safe for four years, but could see that the current rounds of bombing were  making it impossible to stay. How does one evacuate so many horses? But first, we flashback and find out how he came to be involved with this fabled institution, and how one of the horses, Nero, was responsible for all of the others being safe at the end of the war. 

Born in 1898 in what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina, Podhajsky moved frequently with his father, who was in the army. Because of the changing boundaries during the early part of the twentieth century, he learned many languages. He was very interested in equestrian pursuits, and joined the army in 1916, and his life was saved by one of the horses. In 1932, he started working for the Spanish Riding School, which allowed him to use his many skills at dressage. In 1938, Austria was annexed by the Germans, which meant that Podhajsky had to answer to them. He took it as his personal mission to keep the horses and the school safe. 

This was not an easy task. The stud farm, and the mares, had been moved to the relative safety of Czechoslovakia. As the war progressed, Podhajsky used the horses to haul the furnishing and memorabilia of the school to a safer area. He also found a castle in St. Martin, and got permission in 1944 to evacuate the horses to the stables there. This was no small task. It involved getting the horses onto trains, which were frequently attacked. Once the horses were in St. Martin, there were problems with their accomodations (the horses ate some of the new wooden enclosures!) as well as with the local residents, who thought that horse meat would be a good way to supplement their meager meat rations! Still, he was able to keep the horses safe. 

When the US troops arrived, he was able to get an audience with Patton, thanks to a horse named Nero who had been in the 1936 Olympics. Podhajsky asked Patton for special protection, as well as help in evacuating the mares to a safer place, since they were in an area upon which the Soviets were advancing. Patton was glad to provide both, and the groundwork was done by various soldiers who were fond of the horses. Operation Cowboy is one of those WWII initiatives that was unknown to me, but was utterly fascinating. 

Hopkinson always does excellent research, and there's a small example of how thorough she is. There's a brief description of deciding the date of one particular photo of Podhajsky and Patton that will gladden the heart of any historical researcher. I also loved the fact that fellow historican Candace Fleming makes an appearance, showing up the Spanish Riding School, to which she traveled. 

Neither WWII or horses is a hard sell in middle school, and this was a tremendously engaging book that will find a wide readership. It's right at home with other nonfiction books like Weintraub's No Better Friend but is a great companion for fiction books like Kerr's tremendous The Winter Horses, which covers the plight of Przewalski's horses in Ukraine during WWII, or Earle's When the Sky Falls, about animals in the London Zoo during the Blitz, as well. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to hunt down a way to watch Robert Taylor in The Miracle of the White Stallions (Disney, 1963)!

Jackson, Tom. Dinopedia: An Encyclopedia of Prehistoric Beasts
October 15, 2024 by Laurence King Publishing
Copy provided by the publisher

While I have never been personally that interested in dinosaurs, elementary and middle school students definitely can become obsessed with this topic and want more and more books about these prehistoric creatures! Titles like How to Survive in the Age of the Dinosaurs, and The Dinosaur Atlas are in steady, if not constant demand, and the one thing that I have learned about dinosaur books is that they MUST be current. Just one book on the shelves with a brontosaurus in it (back in the day; the name has been restored as a creature somewhat smaller than the apatosaurus) will lead to a very long conversation with an enthusiast who  needs me to actually care about these small differences!

Jackson's Dinopedia is a good overview of dinosaur facts, and is arranged in a sensible, chronological way. There are a handful of dinosaur predecessors for the Paleozoic period, and four dinosaurs from the Triassic. The Jurassic and Cretaceous period have the really cool creatures, and in between the two page spreads for each entry, illustrated in the same brightly enthusiastic colors seen on the covers, there is supplemental information about fossil hunters, what dinosaurs sounded like, how flight evolved, how dinosaurs moved, and even a brief description of the Bone Wars in the 1860s between paleontologists Edward Drinker ope and Othniel Charles Marsh. Let's just say that scientific practices have become much more ethical in the last 150 years! 

The text is very colloquial and conversational, and offerrs details about the various attributes of each dinosaur. These are a little sensational when it comes to descriptions of dinosaur methods of fighting and eating each other; what's the point of dinosaurs if not to read about them crushing each other and attacking with banana shaped teeth or pointy horns? 

There's a solid explanation of how dinosaurs died out, but a chapter of animals today that have some similarities to their bygone kin, and a brief note about the world today and the rise of humans. There is a nice glossary, although no bibliography or source notes, which librarians like to see, but young readers don't necessarily require. 

This would make an excellent gift for a young dinophile, since the bright pictures are very appealing, but would also be a good addition to a public or school library. The cover feels like it is either cloth or textured paper, so I'll have to see how well it survives without a dust jacket. 

Deer Run Home

LeZotte, Ann Clare. Deer Run Home 
October 1, 2024 by Scholastic Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this novel in verse, we meet Effie, who is Deaf and has a difficult housing situation. While her older sister Deja is supportive, her father is not. He does not know sign language, and is reluctant to take the time to write down what he wants to say, so he does not communicate with Effie. Not only that, but the trailer in which the three live is dirty, and Effie often doesn't get enough to eat, and often wears dirty clothes. She and Deja had lived with their mother and her stepfather Nick, but when the mother tired of dealing with Effie, she sent both girls away. School is also not easy, but there is a bright spot; Miss Kathy, Effie's interpreter. Effie is able to chat with her in a way that she can't with anyone else. Effie is a b it behind in school because she did not have adequate technology during the pandemic to keep up with her studies, but Miss Kathy is very good at helping her. Effie appreciates that Miss Kathy doesn't overstep, and leaves Effie plenty of autonomy in making choices. This is in contrast to Cait, who is in a wheelchair because of cerebral palsy; her assistant, Olivia, is pushy and doesn't give Cait the freedom she would like. Cait and Effie become friends, and Cait works hard to learn American Sign Language. Effie's teacher, Mr. Bart, also acknowledges that Effie's use of language is influenced by the syntaxt of ASL, and says that it makes her writing seem poetic. He encourages her to write more. Effie is very concerned about the local wildlife near her home, since new developments are going in, and the increased traffic brought by these new dwellings has resulted in the death of some deer. After a home visit, Miss Kay surprises Effie by asking if she would like to live with her for a while. The father agrees, and Effie enjoys having enough to eat, clean clothes, and a stable environment. After a month, Miss Kay tries to get custody of Effie, and the father fights. The mother does not, because some untoward things have happened between Effie and Nick, and with Miss Kathy's help, law enforcement gets involved. The mother also claims that Effie can hear a little and should be able to speak, but when the father refers to the girls in court as "the retards" (Deja has a learning disability) and claims that they treat it as a joke, custody is quickly given to Miss Kathy. This story is based, in part, of one that LeZotte read in the news in 1995. 

Strengths: Effie's plight is one that many readers will not have encountered; imagine the feeling of isolation and frustration if they people who cared for you as a child could not communicate with you. Effie's struggles are well portrayed, and it is a huge relief to see that she does have a support person in Miss Kathy. The neglect is realistically portrayed, and the abuse is mentioned in very matter of fact terms that don't go into a lot of details. Cait's attempts at learning sign language are good to see; there has been one deaf student at my school, but when she was enrolled, I had to buy several sign language books, because her classmates were very interested in learning ASL and communicating with her. There's a happy ending after Effie's many struggles, and her classmates even promise to help however they can with the problem with the deer. 
Weaknesses: While I applaud LeZotte's interest in preserving wildlife in developing suburbs, it didn't fit into the story that well. Since there are so few characters in middle grade literature with cerebral palsy, I would have loved to see more of Cait's story work its way into the narrative instead.  
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who were interested in the topics presented by Bradley in Fighting Words or Lowell's The Road to After, or who would like some insight into Deaf Culture. There are relatively few books on that topic, but I do recommend Cerra's Hear Me. 

Seal, Lauren. Light Enough to Float
publication October 8, 2024 by Rocky Pond Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus 

This Young Adult novel in verse follows the path of Evie, a fourteen year old struggling with anorexia. When her parents finally take her to the doctor for tests, it's determined that she is quite ill, and her mother takes her to a residential facility to be treated. The mother has not told Evie about this first, and Evie misses her dog, her sister Wren, and her best friend Darcy, whom she is not sure what to tell. For four months, Evie is in the facility, increasing the number of calories she consumes, being monitored for exercise, and undergoing both group and personal therapy. Along with the eating disorders, Evie struggles with self harm issues, and frequently scratches her head until it bleeds. She connects with several of the other residents. The others in her unit are from an array of personal background and suffer from a variety of eating disorders, and most are older than Evie. Evie does have some day passes, and has ups and downs as she tries to work through self image and control problems. Eventually, she comes to the realization that "food becomes glucose becomes energy becomes time for..." important things in her life like walking her dog Harlow or being a better sister. Eventually, she has changed her thoughts and behavior enough that she can return home, but still has access to therapy and she adjusts to being back home and dealing with her emotional issues instead of trying to hide them.

I appreciated that this started with a diagnosis and entry into a psychiatric program, and that, while Evie struggles for a long time, she eventually finds ways to control her eating. This is based on the author's own experiences.

A couple of things to note; there is not capitalization, and there are several uses of the f-word. This is very poetic in its language, even though the form is nonmetered free verse. It is very intensive, and does a good job of listing trigger warnings at the beginning. It's a good book to replace Levenkron's The Best Little Girl in the World in high school libraries. Depending on your collection development policies, it might be okay for some middle school libraries, but I will probably pass on purchase.

Cartoon Saturday

Venable, Colleen AF and Yu, Stephanie. 

The Purrfect Plan (Katie the Cat Sitter #4)

October 8, 2024 by Random House Graphic

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Katie is back after her adventures in Katie the Catsitter, Katie is still hanging out with the Moustress (Madeline Lang), who is still not wanting to be lauded for her activity at Cheesy Justice, even though there is a ton of fanmail that the cats are helping to manage. Katie also spends time with her mother, who is going to school and learning coding, and skateboarding with her friends in the Wheel-las. Madeline is still concerned about animals rights, fighting for cruelty free makeup as well as trying to get rid of the horse drawn carriages in New York City. A new evil has come up, however, and the Slim builds apartments are building very narrow apartments between buildings and blocking people's natural light. They have a lot of PR, which even includes a spectacular gala. Will Cheesy Justice and Katie (as her sidekick) be able to stop them?

This series has been very popular in my library; one of my 8th graders last year had the first book checked out constantly and did not want to bring it back. I found the storyline in this book to be a little more fragmented and hard to follow. I was also not particularly thrilled to see that Cheesy Justice was using AI to produce clips of the mayor saying things like "I just gotta shake my booty". I had a student debate with me WHY creating clips of people saying things they didn't say and posting them on line was wrong, and we finally came to the conclusion that it's lying. The cats in this are cute, and I like Katie's relationship with her mother, as well as all the girl power, but the series is not a personal favorite. 
 

Kendrick, Erika. Instafamous

October 1, 2024 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Lyric Whitney Houston Darby is bound and determined to be a famous singing star just like her mother Jade, and she's angry that her mother and father (who is a drummer in Jade's band) won't let her audition for American Rockstar which has been her dream forever. Since there is a requirement for the show to have professional experience, Lyric (also called Boogie) is determined to get the lead role in the school production of The Wiz, even though rival Stormy Jackson, who is a distant relative of Michael Jackson, wants the role as well. Lyric's best friends try out with her, and Georgia and Twinkie both get parts. They run into trouble, however, since Georgia doesn't pay attention in school (she gets in trouble for playing video games in class and isn't apologetic at all) and Twinkie's social anxiety makes it difficult for her to get up in front of people to perform. Lyric forgets her mother's signature on the American Rockstar Permission slip and sneaks out for the audition, but she's too late. She does, however, break into song, and is discovered by Bailey, a junior producer who says that Lyric can go on to the next round if she has 10,000 Instagram followers. This leads her to block her parents from her account and spend a lot of time posting content, which makes her late to practice. Since Georgia is still not doing her school work, the play director talks to Mr. Chang, and the two agree that for Georgia to continue acting, she has to go to have a parent meeting and counseling for her attention span problems. Twink also needs support, and when Lyric isn't there to provide it several times, the two have difficulties. When Lyric finally does show up, she admits that even though she has so many followers and is so famous and talented, she gets sad sometimes as well. She eventually talks to her mother about this, and the two resolve to do better. 

Like this author's Squad Goals and Cookie Monsters, Instafamous centers around a character at Valentine Middle School in California who is really invested in some of the questionable things that tweens are obsessed with. I did not particularly enjoy the extent to which Lyric lied to get her own way. She is late to practice so much that Stormy gets the lead role, but in the end, Stormy has an allergic reaction to Toto, and Lyric gets to be the star. She is still allowed on American Rockstar even though she doesn't have professional experience, just because her mother is famous. Not only that, but her mother and father even cave to her demands and get her an agent. I'm not one to quibble about characters lying a little bit, but Lyric has so few consequences for her actions that I was uncomfortable. Will tweens feel that way? No. 

Guy Friday- Take the Shot

Shah, Amar. Take the Shot (Play the Game #2)

October 15, 2024 by Scholastic Inc.

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

After his difficult summer in The Hoop Con, Raam is back home in Orlando, Florida, preparing for the first day of seventh grade. His best friend, Cake, is still obsessed with his social media presence, hoping to get more followers and to make his sponsors happy. The two aren't in any classes together, which normally would be High Drama in middle school, but Raam is pretty happy because his crush, Reena, is in his class, and his homeroom teacher, Ms. Roark, is very enthusiastic. The worst thing about the school year is that Raam's nemesis, Payton Newman, is now attending his school! Raam is trying to concentrate on his game, following his cousin Trina's advice to practice early in the morning, and plays whenever he can, whether it's before school, or playing a game of 3-on-3 for the neighborhood Fall Festival. There is some family drama going on that distracts him a bit; there is a new dance studio open in the area, and his mother is losing clients. Since his father quit his own 9 to 5 job to help with the business end of the studio, this is very unwelcome news. His grandparents, Usha Bha and Prakash Dada, are not happy when they find out about their son's "lack" of employment, but continue to enjoy having Raam over to their house, plying him with snacks from Costco and delicious Indian home cooking. Prakash Dada's 70th birthday is approaching, and Raam's father is planning a party, but he's worried about his parents' health, and many other things; the father's anxiety comes up frequently, but Raam is glad that his father is seeing a therapist and has coping strategies. Raam and Cake both take Gujarati classes at the temple their families attend, but it's becoming harder and harder for the boys to connect. When Usha Bha has a health scare around the time of team tryouts, Raam finds it somewhat hard to concentrate. Will he make the team? And how will his friendship with Cake evolve? 
Strengths: Raam has a lot going on in his life, but so do many middle school students. They've got to read Tuck Everlasting, but also might play a sport and have cultural or religious classes to attend. They are more attuned to problems that parents and grandparents might be having. Their grandparents might get to pick them up from school and hang out with them a lot, but those grandparents might also be suffering from the effects of extreme age (I just, but since Usha Bha is only about ten years older than I am, this hits a bit close to home!). There are crushes, friend drama, and people who are just mean to them for no particularly good reason. Things like team tryouts are nerve-wracking, high stakes events when one is in 7th grade. Shah does a good job of weaving these threads together with good humor, and making a complete picture of Raam as a middle grade character who just trying to figure things out. Of course, he also occasionally gets in trouble for chucking Lima beans at people, but that is also VERY realistic! 
Weaknesses: I found it hard to believe that Cake had sponsors and as many followers as he did, but perhaps the young are more adept at navigating social media than I am. It also seemed a bit unlikely that Payton would end up at his school. I hope that the next book in the series has a little more focused plot; this meandered a bit. 
What I really think: While I found the emphasis on celebrity culture and social media a bit much, my students will probably love this part. When the 6th graders do posters about what they want to be when they grow up, there are a lot who want to be sports professionals or influencers, so for 2024, this is perfect. I will definitely be buying this series, since my students cannot get enough sports books, and basketball is one of the favorites. Pair this with Stoudemire's Standing Tall and Terrific series or Khan's slightly shorter and younger Zayd Saleem, Chasing the Dream books. 

Freedom's Game

Tolin, Rosanne. Freedom's Game
October 8, 2024 by Reycraft Books

E ARC provided by the author
 

It's 1942, and Ziggy last saw his mother three years ago in Berlin, after the two spent time hiding in a neighbor's attic after his father was taken by the Nazis. He's not on his way with other Jewish orphans to Annemasse, France, near the border to Switzerland, since the German occupation of the south of the country has intensified. The group is accompanied by Georges Loinger, of whom Ziggy is highly suspicious. Once he arrives at the chateau, he is glad to be in a safe space, and likes his new teacher, Mademoiselle Bellegarde. This teacher is also a favorite of Elka, who has not seen her family for three years, ever since her father was taken and she fled, leaving her mother and sister Ruth behind in Dresden. Things aren't perfect at the school, and some students, like Jeannine, who's father, Captain Tremblay, is working with the Nazis, are not happy that the school is overcrowded with new students and she occasionally has to sit on the floor. The reasons for the new students usually center around things like the country air being prescribed for them to recuperate from conditions, and no one speaks about the fact that some may be Jewish, although it is always suspected. When Georges proposes a sports festival, Ziggy is excited at first, although he questions why resources are being funneled to this activity when the school has so many other needs. Ziggy enjoys playing soccer, even though one of his legs is weak because of a childhood bout with polio, so decides to play despite his reservations. Elka is the real surprise, as she tears up the field and is an excellent runner. Ziggy encourages her to train more and compete in the festival. She is leery of running, since that's what separated her from her sister, whom she was supposed to protect, but soon embraces it as a way to cope with her day to day challenges. Ziggy overhears Georges arranging a meeting, and follows him into town, where he eavesdrops on him and the mayor. He finds out that Georges IS a spy... but one working for the Resistance to the Germans. Georges is helping children escape, and is keeping a close eye on the children at the chateau; the festival is one way to encourage the children to remain in good physical condition in case they need to survive in the wilderness. During the field day, Elka races well, but at the end of the race overheats and hallucinates that she sees Ruth; Ziggy had made unkind but true remarks that it was unlikely she would see her sister again. It's a good reminder, however; not long after, officials knock on the door and ask the director for five students. The director pretends to read the names incorrectly and says he doesn't have any boys by those names; one of the names is actually Elka's. Knowing that the chateau is no longer safe, Georges comes up with an idea to smuggle the children out of France; there will be a soccer game, and a few of the children will leave and run into the woods, where they will be met with Marcel and taken across the border. When it's Ziggy and Elka's turn to go, Ziggy falls and hurts his ankle. Luckily, Elka helps him, and Marcel is able to carry him. A final chapter shows the two in 1945, after living with foster parents. The Germans have surrendered, and the ending is as happy as a book about the Holocaust can be. 

Strengths: This story is based on the actions of the real Georges Loinger, who saved over 300 children from the Nazis during World War II, and who worked with his cousin, the actor and mime Marcel Marceau, to do so! Tolin, who also penned More than Marmalade: Michael Bond and the Story of Paddington Bear, has clearly done her research and created a riveting story of survival, also incorporating some of her own family history into the characters. There have been many middle grade novels about children surviving in concentration camps over the years, but it's good to also see depictions of children who were hidden and who escaped to other countries. The idea that Georges encouraged the children to stay physically fit so that they could escape more easily is fascinating, and having a character who had had polio was not only interesting, but realistic as well. Including soccer and distance running makes any book better, and I appreciated that while both Ziggy and Elka suffered losses, there was a sense of hope at the end. I'll be interested to read whatever new books, fiction or nonfiction, that Tolin writes next. 
Weaknesses: I wasn't in France during WWII, but it seemed odd that Ziggy and Elka talked a bit openly about being Jewish. I would have thought that such conversations were frowned upon in order to keep children safe, but it does lead to a very sweet scene where Elka brings out a tallis that her tailor father was working on that was probably commissioned by Ziggy's father. Having the tallis also seemed like an unnecessary risk. 
What I really think:  This is a great fiction choice to go along with Greenfield's Hidden Children, and is an excellent addition to a collection of Holocaust books if that period of history is covered in your school's social studies curriculum along with Kessler's Codename Kingfisher, Skrypuch's The War Below, or Nielsen's Resistance.  The language arts teachers at my school used to have all of our 8th graders read Wiesel's Night and another similar fiction book in order to compare and contrast them, and this is the perfect choice for readers who would prefer sports books to history ones! 

Let It Glow and What Jewish Looks Like

Meyer, Marissa and Levy, Joanne. Let It Glow
October 1, 2024 by Feiwel & Friends

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
 

Aviva Davis loves visiting her Bubbe at her home at the Rowena Village senior living facility, and she's very interested in trying out for their holiday pageant, since she loves to perform, but she's a little irritated that the director wants her to sing Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel as the token nod to Hanukkah. She also doesn't feel very Jewish; after all, she's adopted, and her family is not observant. It also doesn't help that people question her brother's Jewish identity, since her father is Black. She decides that she would like to know more about this part of her family history. Holly Martin comes to Rowena Village when her mother wants her Gramps to visit; he suffers from arthritis and has recently had a fall. Her single mother is very busy with her work at the bank. Holly loves hanging out with Gramps, though, since he is a writer of adult mysteries, and she loves to write as well. During the tour, Holly is encourage to check out the pageant, and when she runs in to Aviva, they are shocked that they are not only identical to each other, but are both adopted and share the same birthday! Holly offers to help Aviva write something better to perform in the pageant, since it gives them an excuse to hang out and get to the bottom of their past. They eventually decide to switch homes for four days, so that they can learn about each other's families and prepare for a Big Reveal during the pageant. This has lots of rocky moments, since Holly hasn't practiced Hebrew and Aviva doesn't hit it off with Holly's cat Sherlock! There's also a charming scene where Aviva's younger brother is sure that his sister has been killed, and Holly is an alien who has taken her place! While this is all going on, Bubbe and Gramps start hanging out together, and Gramps starts to realize that Rowena Village is an interesting place to live. When he falls at the facility and there is a nurse right there, that also helps cement his decision to move. Eventually, of course, they have to come clean to their families and open letters that their birth mother left for birth girls, but first have to deliver a stellar performance for the pageant. 

Strengths: The only middle schoolers who don't want a twin are the ones who have one. There is something very intriguing about a built in friend and confidant at this age that is very appealing, and books about twins always circulate well. Books about holidays are also in great demand, and this takes a very realistic look at the relationship that many tweens today have with religious holidays. Aviva's desire to understand her heritage more is perfect. I really appreciated that there weren't any dead parents; Holly's mother has always been single, and the Davis parents run a busy dental practice and often don't have time to celebrate in the way that Aviva would like. The most brilliant part of this for me was the depiction of the grandparents. They are still active and engaged, although struggling somewhat with failing eyesight and mobility issues,  and Rowena Village is portrayed in a positive light. Grandchildren are even encouraged to be involved in the community events. This is very representative of the situation that many middle school students have with their grandparents. The fact that Bubbe and Gramps hit it off was the sour cream on the latke! 
Weaknesses: As a parent, I wasn't completely sold that the girls could trade places for two days, but that's what makes it fun. Tweens absolutely think they could pull this off. 
What I really think: Levy (Crushing It) and Meyer (Cinder) must have had a lot of fun writing this book together. It was an endearing tale that has a lot of staying power. The cover will help it fly off the shelves. I'm definitely looking forward to having a copy of this to put on display for the winter holiday season. 

Kleinrock, Liz, Pritchard, Caroline Kusin, and Gottlieb, Iris (Illustrator)
What Jewish Looks Like
September 24, 2024 by HarperCollins
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

This collective biography focuses on a wide range of Jewish people who have made their mark on the world and showcases the diversity and intersectionality of what this can look like. Starting with a map, the different subgroups from different areas of the world are briefly described, and the effects of the Jewish diaspora and colonization are briefly addressed. There are also a number of "big questions" that are useful before delving into the biographies. Unlike many collective biographies, which are usually organized by name or dates, this is divided by concepts like repairing a broken world, courage, the unique value of each person, and saving a life. What really makes this book stands out is the inclusion of figures from all over the world, not just the US, and the presence of some very young people. While there were a few better known historical figures like Emma Lazarus and Harvey Milk, there were many people of whom I have never heard, which is always interesting. Most of the individuals depicted had very intersectional backgrounds. The most interesting one to me was Bessie Moses, who worked with Margaret Sanger on mother's health and pregnancy planning services, since Judaism teaches that a fetus is part of the mother, which often leads to the support of abortion rights. 

In between the chapters, there are short descriptions of different Jewish organizations, like the National Council of Jewish Women, Camp Be'chol Lashon (which promotes diversity), the Jews of Color Initiative, Keshet (an LGBTQIA+ concern), and Kamochah (which supports Black Orthodox Jews). While these pages are brief, they are a great way to find out more about the wider Jewish community. 

There are also some fun facts sprinkled throughout the pages, like the information about many Christmas carols being created by Jewish songwriters, and there's even a page or two on Jewish culinary arts. 

The artwork is engaging, and I especially liked the patterns behind some of the title pages. This is one of those biography books that librarians will want to buy two of; one to circulate, and one to cut apart and laminate to use for bulletin boards. Add this to the 920s along with Faruq, Mumtaz, and Khan's The Wonders We Seek: Thirty Incredible Muslims Who Helped Shape the World, Bayne and Avelino's Black Trailblazers: 30 Courageous Visionaries Who Broke Boundaries, Made a Difference, and Paved the Way, or Calkhoven's Women Who Changed the World. 

Stinetinglers 3 and The Last Dragon on Mars

Stine, R. L. Stinetinglers 3
August 27, 2024 by Feiwel & Friends
Copy provided by the publisher

Alvin Schwatz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark has an unholy hold over many of my students; while I still have the first edition 1980s copies that were in my library when I started working there, I've had to buy new editions to keep up with demand. Along with Lubar's scarier than you would expect Lawn Weenies books, San Souci's Dare to Be Scared and Short and Shivery collections, and compilations of different authors edited by Stine, (Scream and Scream Again, Fear, Nightmare Hour) these books have been the most popular scary short story collections that I have. Until Stinetinglers. 

Stine certainly is a master of the scary book, from the Goosebumps goofiness of evil lawn gnomes and brothers who turn into birds, to the more serious, young adult You May Now Kill the Bride, which also has great historical details. My students know this, and have been recommending these books to their friends, which has been easy, since the covers are also scary! This latest book has a few stories that veer more towards concerning science fiction, but there may still be fights over who gets to check it out first when this book hits my shelves. 

Once again, Stine prefaces these stories with the inspiration for them, and it's fascinating that many of these instances date to when Stine was a tween himself. I especially enjoyed the stories about a girl who wants to hang out with the school "Wolf pack" because she is a werewolf as well, the vacation that two kids take to their collector uncle's house, and the treehouse that is haunted by the owners of the shack that is used to create it. The stories about a dog from another dimension, experimental fish, and a boy who creates his own superhero seem to fall more into the science fiction realm. A couple are more fantasy, like a magic show at a birthday party that goes wrong, a wizard who isn't very good at magic, and a boy whose parents buy him a disastrous dream for his birthday. The one that I think my students will enjoy the most is the story of Greta and Kylie who like to make two minute horror videos in the local cemetery until the dead Becka appears and just wants to borrow Greta's body for one last walk! 

Most of my Fear Street books finally fell into ruin, but there's no lack of fresh new titles for the newer generation of Stine fans, whose parents may well have a box of moldering 1990s paperbacks at the back of a closet somewhere! 

Reintgen, Scott. The Last Dragon on Mars
October 1, 2024 by Aladdin

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Lunar Jones was born on Mars, but the entire society is crumbling. His parents are both dead, so he lives in the Martian Relocation Clinic House, where he is the de facto leader for younger kids. He's had only the most rudimentary education, and spends his time trying to scrounge for wreckage to sell in order to get supplies for his young charges. This becomes even more challenging when there is communication from Earth that they are, once again, cutting of shipments to Mars for a month. When a storm promises to uncover more wreckage, Lunar prepares to head out with his friend, and is not happy to find that Trey is in jail and he's sent his brother, Will. There's a particularly good find that Lunar hopes the storm will unearth, and while it does, the two boys are attacked by Rhodes de Born and his group while trying to retrieve it. They manage to make it to a cave for safety, but find that they have stumbles into a secret enclave. While humans can breathe the air on Mars, everything seems destined to kill them, due to a curse put on the planet by Ares, the dragon of Mars. Lunar's whole world operates on the fact that each planet is run by a dragon, but Gaia, the Earth dragon, sacrificed herself in order to create humans. The moons of the planets also have dragons, and they are subordinate to the planet dragons. Ares was killed, although Demos and Phobos, from his moons, are still around. Dragons also power a lot of the travel; each has a dragoon that can ride on the dragon, and the coded technology can also create spaceships that the dragons power. The secret enclave is run by General John Poppy, but operates outside of the government. A new dragon, Dread, has been created, and Poppy is keeping him secret while amassing a crew to eventually save Mars. This young crew has been training for a long time, but Dread picks Lunar to be his dragoon, creating a lot of ill will. Even though things are desperate on the planet, Lunar spends nine months training before Poppy reaches out to the lead dragoon, Anna North, who is the unofficial military leader. She's appalled that Poppy has kept this new dragon a secret, even if Dread seems capable of reversing the curse of Ares. Before long, another dragoon shows up. Dav Robinson is considered somewhat evil, but claims that he works just as hard for Mars as Anne North does. When Lunar finally discovers Dread's true origin, he and his crew must flee in order to keep Mars from devolving further into chaos. Can they manage to save their beloved, if troubled, home planet? There's definitely another book on the way. 

Strengths: Dragons are always a draw for middle grade readers, and the fact that this was set on Mars will also ensure that science fiction fans will take a look. The world building was good, and Lunar's plight ona failing planet gave him a lot of motivation to have adventures. The interpersonal relationships were a little more nuanced than some I have seen in middle grade lit, which worked well for this book. Will became a trusted ally, and while Poppy's crew that had been training for a long time were naturally resentful of Lunar, they weren't unnecessarily mean, and eventually worked well together. I loved that Lunar was smart enough to bring the two most trusted trainees on as deputy dragoons. The construct that each planet had a dragon was interesting, and while it was explained well, also counted on our suspension of disbelief. The fact that Earth was very distant and disinterested in what was going on on Mars was a good reflection on how space colonizing might actually play out in the future. I will NOT be going to live on Mars, no matter what Buzz Aldrin says, thank you very much. 
Weaknesses: I really wish this had been a stand alone that told us a little more about life on Mars before using the dragons to save it. This is a bit lengthy (almost 400 pages), and series books of this lengths are such hard sells in my particular library. A series of three books that are around 200 pages each works fairly well, but most students' attentions spans are no longer up to a behemouth of a series like Harry Potter. 
What I really think: This is a good choise for readers who enjoyed Emerson's Last Day on Mars, Sylvester's Minrs, McDougall's Mars Evacuees, Swiedler's In the Red, Rodkey's We're Not From Here, Warga's A Rover's Story, or Strickland's Mars: Year One, or Holm's The Lion of Mars. 

             

MMGM- The Bletchley Riddle and Side Quest

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

Sepetys, Ruta, and Sheinkein, Steve. The Bletchley Riddle

October 8, 2024 by Viking Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In about June of 1940, we meet 14-year-old Lizzie Novis, who is in a difficult circumstance; her Polish born Jewis father died when she was young, her mother, who worked for the US embassy in Poland, is presumed dead, and her grandmother, who lives in Cleveland, is trying to get her to leave England. Lizzie doesn't want anything to do with her grandmother's posh life in the US, and suspects that her mother is still alive. She manages to evade Mr. Fleetwood, her grandmother's estate steward who is supposed to chaperone her to Ohio via ship, and goes to the address in London her older brother Jakob has given her. Jakob, a talented mathemetician, is working at Bletchley Park, and the address Lizzie has is a decoy. When she shows up there, Jakob has to come and retrieve her. He takes her to the Colonel at Bletchley, who doesn't give Lizzie a choice; if she has to stay with Jakob, she has to sign the Official Secrets Act, work as a messenger at Bletchley, and lay low. While this impedes her work finding her mother, she enjoys being at the top secret installation, and enjoys living with Jakob in his tiny room at the Shoulder of Mutton. Colin, the son of the owners of the inn, is a good source of information as well as a helpful ally. Jakob knows more than he has told Lizzie; his mother visited him, and left him a coded message; Lizzie is not telling Jakob that she has her mother's journal. Jakob is working on the Enigma machine with other cryptanalysts, and wonders if his mother is, in fact, working as a spy. The fact that an MI5 agent, Jarvis, is following him and asking questions, reinforces this view. Lizzie manages to befrienf Marion, who is one of the women working at Bletchley, and even manages to go to a US embassy party with one of her mother's coworkers, and tries to ask Ambassador Joseph Kennedy about her. She gets no information, and is angry when she finds that her grandmother has sent Fleetwood back to get her. She manages to flee through a clever ruse, and Jakob is suprised when she shows up. When the two talk about their mother and finally share what they know, they think she has left them a message that the need to decipher. It takes some time, and relies on a shared memory code involving goulash, but they eventually figure out a time, date, and location. When they get there, however, they don't find their mother. They do find out information about her, and realize that they have to keep what they know secret, just as all of the work they do at Bletchley must never be discussed. Due to her uncanny ability to notice things, Lizzie becomes an assistant to the Colonel, and doesn't have to go to Cleveland after all. 

Strengths: Even though I've said that there are too many middle grade World War II books, I have been waiting for a fiction book about Bletchley. Sheinkein and Sepetys both have strong research chops for this era, and they put together a well constructed, seamless novel that gets a teen girl involved at the site! There's a little light romance, some harrowing car trips, lots of clever code using articles from the newspaper, and good details about both spying and everyday life. There are even some pictures and reproductions of period ephemera like ration books and phone book listings that were a nice surprise. Of course, the writing is good as well, and I particularly loved this line (from the uncorrected proof): "The sky is blue, but the city is the color of war." 
Weaknesses: As an adult, it felt like Lizzie was taking too many chances and wasn't good about security. She does say, right up front, that she is not good about keeping secrets, but during the war, I imagine people were much more willing to keep them. Of course, there wouldn't have been as good a story if she had been careful, or nicer to Mr. Fleetwood. Since I am her grandmother's age and live in Ohio, maybe I just felt more a kinship with her! 

What I really think: It's high time there's a middle grade fiction book about Bletchley to go along with Fleming's Enigma Girls and Barone's Unbreakable: The Spies Who Cracked the Nazis' Secret Code nonfiction titles, as well as the huge number of adult books and television shows on the topic. This is definitely one of those books that would have delighted me as a tween; I suspect I would have tried to purchase my own copy, and would have reread it frequently, imagining myself in Lizzie's Oxfords. Definitely purchasing for my school collection. 

Sattin, Samuel and Steenz (Illustrator).

Side Quest: A Visual History of Roleplaying Games 

October 8, 2024 by Versify 

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

I am not the proper person to write this review. I hate playing games. Why? Well, this book told me. It said that society tells us that pretend play is something only kids should do, but games allow adults to engage in it. When I was a child, I was given tiny household implements like irons and Bissell brooms. Games were a waste of time, but I was allowed to sew, which is my version of gaming. 

I'm "game adjacent". My children LOVE games, and there were at least two different RISK sets in my house at some point. My students are always so sure that I can teach them Dungeons & Dragons. My college roommate routinely had friends over playing war games for something like fourteen hours at a time. I fed them and made everyone call their girlfriends at 8:00 pm.. I support games. Just do not make me play!

This epiphany does help me understand that when people love games, whether it's board games, role playing games, or video games, the emotions must be as equally ingrained in them. For game lovers, especially, Dungeons and Dragons aficionados, this is a must-have, complete history of Table Top Role Playing Games in the way that Brian "Box" Brown's The He-Man Effect is the best history of children's television I've ever read. Fans of Boyce's Dungeons and Drama should just buy a case of these to have on hand to give as gifts to everyone they know. 

The book itself is so packed with information about every facet of gaming. It talks about the influence of mythology and storytelling on the process of gaming, discusses a variety of games from various cultures, draws historic parallels between war and game strategy (with a side mention of the warlike competition of sports!), and mentions so many different game innovators from history that I just couldn't keep track of all of them. I can see this being a huge boon to a gaming obsessed kid who wants to do a history project on the 1950s game Diplomacy or Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson creating Dungeons & Dragons in 1974. 

The authors are characters in the book, and their insights into how games affective them personally are a great touch. This reminded me a bit of the History Comics, in that there were five new interesting facts on every page! This is an absolutely essential purchase for any middle school and high school library. There are always students who become interested in games at these ages, and crave all the information they can find on them. 

I feel compelled to mention that Mazes & Monsters (1982, starring a very young Tom Hanks!) is streaming on Tubi, because it pops into my head every time someone mentions D&D! 

The Girls of Skylark Lane

Benway, Robin. The Girls of Skylark Lane
October 1, 2024 by HarperCollins

E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus

Twins Jac and Aggie move from San Francisco to Los Angeles with the dad and papa, and try to settle in to a new routine before the school year starts. Jac is very concerned about her image, crafting just the fight outfit and trying to impress Finn, the brother of a classmate, on whom she has a crush. Aggie doesn't like change, and is worried about the new school, making friends, and everything else. She is glad to befriend Twink, who recruits her and Jac to play on her informal softball team. Since Finn is Jac's brother, it's easy to get Jac to come. The twins meet several new people at Tink's, including Dylan, whose mother is on one of the "Housewives" television shows, and spends a lot of time on social media trying to develop an income stream after a bitter divorce from Dylan's mother. Adriana is the CEO of a nonprofit fundraising lemonade stand and is consumed by spreadsheets and donating money to the local children's hospital in honor of a brother who died as an infant. There's also Taylor, who is homeschooled, and who tells Aggie that she just transitioned, and joined Tink's informal team because parents forced her off her Little League team after they found out she was trans. The twins have some difficulties with their own relationship, especially since Jac is happy to grow up, have a birthday party at Sephora, and embrace being a teen, but Aggie hates change and is not happy when she gets her period. To complicate matters, there is a wildfire in the area that causes the families on the street to evacuate. Jac and Aggie are glad that everyone is safe, and use the time away from their New home to evaluate what is important in life. This is even more clear when Tink's family loses their home to the fire, and the neighborhood rallies to help them out. 

Strengths: I loved Benway's note that there are lots of families that live in Los Angeles; having Dylan's mother be on a Housewives show was a fun thing to show! The big draw to this book will be the friend drama, and I was so glad that while Aggie and Jac had some reservations about moving, they weren't throwing fits, and they were able to find a friend group fairly quickly. This was very inclusive, and the fact that the twins had two dads, as well as Taylor's gender identity, were both addressed in very matter-of-fact ways. This is great representation for students who have similar life circumstances. There's enough softball to keep sports fans reading, a fun Halloween, and even some service learning, with Adriana and her nonprofit. I love the cover; it immediately puts me in mind of summer evenings being out playing with friends during the "golden hour". 
Weaknesses: I would have liked to have had a little more information about being evacuated during the fire, but I imagine that there are scenes like this that happen again and again in California. This was more of a character driven book than a plot driven one, which is a little easier to sell to a young adult audience, but still interesting for most middle grade readers.  
What I really think: Readers who are familiar with Benway's 2013 spy romp  Also Known As might be surprised at how domestic this title is, but her note at the beginning of the book explains that she was inspired by her own tweendom to explore the different ways that friendships play out during these years. This is a good choice for fans of Calin's The New Girl, Greenwald's Fortune Tellers, or Faris' Finding Normal. 

The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class

Messner, Kate and Fajardo, Kat (illus.) 

Emma McKenna, Full Out (The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class #1)
April 30, 2024 by Algonquin Young Readers

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Emma is excited to be starting Curiosity Academy, a brand new school in her Peppermint Falls community, where she will be in the third grade with the sneaker wearing Mrs. Zamora. Emma wants her new classmates to think she is interesting, so brings a lot of exuberance to the classroom... until she finds out that her nemesis from last year, Lucy, is attending the school as well. Emma has younger twin sisters, Abby and Mae, who are interested in daily celebrations like National Skyscraper Day, and Emma starts sharing these with her classmates. National Extra Dessert Day doesn't go well when she tries to give away a handful of gummy worms one at a time. People are understandably leery, and Emma ends up standing on a table to advertise her plan, which gets her in a little trouble, although Mrs. Z is very understanding and constructive in her reprimand. The school is trying to figure out a new mascot, with students researching different animals, and the third graders are all learning to play the recorder. One of their assignments is to play a song for other people. When the teacher announces a competition, with the student who has the most people listen winning candy, one student opines that this is divisive, and suggests that each student should play for ten people, and if the class meets their goal, everyone can get candy. Emma teams up with Rohan for the recorder playing, traveling around their neighborhood and serenading neighbors, but is apprehensive about getting up and giving a speech about her mascot choice, the capybara. Last year, in a disastrous talent show incident, she fell out with Lucy, who gave her the nickname "Bongo Butt" after a cheerleading wardrobe malfunction revealed bright yellow underwear with her dog's picture on them! Will Emma be able to overcome her anxiety and to come to an understanding with her former best friend?

This is an interesting start to a series that will be written by a wide array of early middle grade authors. It's definitely school based, and embraces the same kind of format as Mills' Franklin School Friends or After School All-Stars books, with each new volume concentrating on a new character. The big difference is that the authors show a bit more diversity, which is reflected in the character on which they are focused. I love that the end of these lists the author's favorite thing about third grade, which is, after all, an awesome year! 

Curiosity Academy is everyone's dream school, with student engagement and support, helpful teachers, and no evil administrators so far! We see just enough of Emma's family to understand her a little, which is important. Third grade is a time when children start to feel even more autonomous and develop personalities of their own. Still, family is critically important, so seeing the ice cream shop, Minnie's, that Emma's parents run, and her engaging four-year-old sisters, is helpful. 

Series books are always a popular choice with emerging readers, and this slice-of-life look at students at Curiosity Academy, with illustrations by Kat Fajardo (Miss Quinces), will be embraced by readers who like to follow the antics of their favorite characters like Prior and Kissi's Emma Just Medium, Sheth's Nina Soni, Harley's Charlie Bumpers, Calandrelli's Ada Lace, and Kelly's Ballpark Mysteries and Football Mysteries. 

LaRocca, Rajani, and Fajardo, Kat (illus.)

Rohan Murthy Has a Plan (The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class #2)
April 30, 2024 by Algonquin Young Readers

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

 

Mrs. Z. has some good news; the children at Curiosity Academy are going to be able to have a school garden. In order to get supplies, however, they will need to be able to raise some money. Rohan's mother, who is an artist, stops by to give the class some pointers on how to set up their own businesses. Wanting to be an entrepreneur, and to raise money for the garden, Rohan decides that he will start a dog walking business, since it fills a need in his community. His parents, however, are skeptical, since he has never had to take care of a pet. Before they okay the idea, they want him to gain some experience. He is able to take home Honey, the class guinea pig, for the weekend. He is less successful when trying to befriend his music teacher's cat, who once scratched him. Things don't go as smoothy with Honey as he had hoped. With the help of his friends in Mrs. Z's class, he realizes that he has much stronger drawing skills than pet care ones, and decides to work with a classmate who is baking animal cookies. He will draw sketches of peoples pets, and leave the dog walking to people with more experience. 

LaRocca has several books for older middle grade readers that include facets of this story; business skills in Midsummer's Mayhem and Indian cultural connections in Red, White, and Whole, and has recently moved into books for younger readers, like the recent The Secret of the Dragon Gems with Chris Baron, so it's good to see her take her turn with the new series. Rohan's enthusiasm for helping is tempered with his fear over pets, and he is able to navigate these complicated feelings with the support of parents and classmates. Gaining independence is a major accomplishment in third grade, and LaRocca does an excellent job of showing this process with nuance and understanding. 

Fajardo's illustrations are always fun to see, but this particular book had a lot of very cute pets, which will be an added attraction for young readers. 

Pet walking is a job that many young children can handle, and Rohan's attempts at setting his business up would put him in good company with  Faruqi Must Love Pets series and Fairbairn and Assarasakorn's Paws books. Early chapter book readers who liked Ahn's Pug Pals or Winston's Wednesday and Woof mysteries will also be interested to see another installment of adventures from Curiosity Academy.