MMGM- The Bletchley Riddle and Side Quest

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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. 

Answers to Dog

Hautman, Pete. Answers to Dog
October 1, 2024 by Candlewick Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Evan Dunn has a decent life; his friend Calder and Kellan sit with him on the bus and dilute the attention of bully Adam, and his home life is calm. His father, a former lawyer, now carves exquisite wooden dragons, and his mother is very set in her ways, leaving the house only to go to her Quaker meetings, and cooking predictable dinners. Evan takes great comfort in running as well, and even comes to the attention of his gym teacher, Coach Riley. When a dog shows up at his house, Evan is intrigued. He eventually tracks down the dog to Happy Dog puppy mill, where he encounters the unpleasant Peter Grey who is mistreating the dog for having run away. Grey, an alcoholic, has recently been left by his wife, and he seems to be taking his disappointment out in the dogs. He does tell Evan that it would cost $5,000 to buy the dog, which is money that Evan doesn't have even if his mother would let the dog in the house. He starts talking to classmate Hana on the bus, and getting more information about  dogs. When the dog (whose point of view we see frequently) shows up at Evan's house and herds him back to Happy Dog, Evan finds Grey unconscious on the yard. He calls 911, and stays to feed the dogs. He even calls a veterinarian, who refuses to help because Grey is behind on his bills. Evan asks his father for help, and the two eventually find out Grey's status in the hospital and talk to Deni, Grey's wife. Deni hires Hana and Evan to take care of the dogs and tells them that the dog's name is Samarkand, or Sam, which is also Mr. Dunn's name. Coach Riley, who had had Ms. Dunn as a student, gives Evan shoes and requests that he comes to practice, since he is given to running six or seven miles. Sam the dog proves somewhat elusive, but eventually comes to live with the Dunns. 

Strengths: I love that Hautman was a fan of Jim Kjelgaard's dog books! My library copies of Stormy and the Big Red series finally fell apart, which was sad. Also, other than a puppy that dies off page, all of the dogs, especially Sam, are okay! Calder is portrayed as having alopecia and being a Trekkie, and I woldn't have minded knowing more about him. The thing that is really brilliant about this is the fact that Evan and Hana step in and save the day. There are so many stories in the news about puppy mills, and yet my students don't seem to know anything about them, so this will be a good introduction. Evan is a typical middle school boy, who doesn't quite know what he's doing or what he wants, so it's interesting to watch him discover running and to connect with the dog. The book is a good length, moves quickly, and has enough emotional punch to it that I foresee this being a popular choice for book projects. 
Weaknesses: There were just little things that bothered me that won't bother younger readers. Hana calls Sam on a landline, which didn't seem realistic. There seemed to be something wrong with Evan's mother (depression?), but it was never addressed. Considering that Evan's mother was a runner, it seemed odd that he would not have proper shoes, and I don't know how he would be able to continue to run after he damaged his feet running barefoot. Evan is reading Of Mice and Men for class, which I can't imagine any teacher these days assigning. Hana is portrayed as being on crutches and in a walking boot; at first Calder thinks this is because she has had surgery because of limb differences, but it just turned out to be a bone spur. That seemed like an odd pivot. None of these things really ruin the story, but had they been different, this could have been a much better book. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who can't get enough dogs books like Salisbury's Banjo, Hoyle's Millie, Ibbotson's classic A Boy and His Dog, and other books that combine realistic problems with the reassuring presence of dogs. I will definitely be purchasing a copy. 

Stranded

Smith, Nikki Shannon. Stranded
September 17, 2024 by Scholastic Inc.

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Ava is graduating from 5th grade, but not looking forward to the summer. Everyone else seems to be able to do what they want, like her brother Alex who will be going to basketball camp. Ava loves the outdoors, and wishes she could be like her Aunt Raven, who lives in the Adirondacks, so when her parents ask her what she wants to do, she asks if she can spend the summer with her Aunt. They reluctantly agreed, and soon Ava is learning a lot about what it means to live in the wilderness. Aunt Raven was left the cabin by a professor, so works only occasionally, and tries to live off the land. She and Ava's mother had a falling out when she moved, but mainly because Ava's mother missed her twin. Ava is glad to be in the wilderness and has a list of things that she wants to do, like climb all 46 larger peaks and swim in the lake every day. Unfortunately, Raven's lifestyle requires a lot of work, and there are chores that have to be done before winter comes. The two do go on some camping trips, and Ava gains a few skills, like cooking over a fire and being mindful of wild creatures. After a trip to town to get provisions and check e mail, Ava is inspired by seeing the local school to ask her parents if she can spend the entire year with her Aunt. All of the adults agree, and Ava is soon doing her home school work and mailing it in, along with weekly letters to her parents. When her Aunt has to go to California to help a friend with a conservation project, she e mails Ava's mother about this, and arranges for Ava to be picked up. Ava is very angry that her plans have been scuttled, so when her parents don't show up on time, she encourages her Aunt to go so she doesn't miss her plane. The next day, when her parents still don't show up, Ava realizes that her Aunt mistyped the address, and even though she knows her parents aren't aware of what's going on, she decides to stay on her own, more or less to spite them. For a while, things are okay. The power cuts occasionally, the roof leaks a bit, and Ava is too tenderhearted to kill any animals to eat. She gets a tick in her arm, which isn't great, but when there is a huge storm, a tree falls on the cabin and destroys it. She gathers the resources she can, and tries to stay in place for a while, but eventually walks north to get to the nearest neighbors. They aren't there, but she breaks into their cabin and gets some food. She stays there for a while, and finds a puppy under the house that she takes care of. She also kills a coyote with a bow and arrow, and cooks the rabbit that the coyote had killed. She eventually goes back to her aunt's and stays in the shed. Her arm is infected by the tick, and she is fevered. She takes a knife, sterilizes it, and cuts out the tick, but knows she needs to get help. There's a big snowstorm that traps her in the shed, but she manages to climb out and bring the puppy, Ronnie (for Adirondacks) with her. Luckily, she hears a vehicle on the road. Her parents have gotten a call from Raven, wanting to wish Ava a happy birthday, and come to rescue her. Ava is a little regretful that she put herself in danger, but is glad that she got to spend time in the wilderness. 

Strengths: I adored Aunt Raven, and feel like we didn't get quite enough of her story. She was very understanding to take in her niece and allow her to spend so much time in her small cabin with her. What patience! She does her best to teach Ava some survival strategies, and to teach her that being in the wilderness is not the vacation that Ava thinks it will be. The Adirondacks sound very beautiful and interesting, and it's no surprise that Ava, having been raised in New York City, is interested in being outdoors. I love that the author wanted to show a Black girl having an outdoor adventure; with the exception of the new Camp Twisted Pine by Burch, I'm not sure that there are any others. 
Weaknesses: There was not enough time spent with the puppy; if a dog appears in a survival book, it has to save the main character at some point in time! While Ava's survival skills and attitude will be perfectly understood by young readers, I recently reread George's 1959 My Side of the Mountain, and there where several points in time when I thought "Ava, you're no Sam Gribley." Again, Ava has few backwoods skills, but I wanted her to either repair the cabin and continue to live there on her own, or hike to safety (while fighting off the requisite bear, baking tree bark bread over a campfire, and surviving a snow storm with just a tarp) with Ronnie because I have read way too many outdoor survival books. 
What I really think: I will definitely purchase a copy of this because I love the idea that Ava is determined to fight the stereotype that Black people don't belong in the wilderness, and because this had some fresh twists on the outdoor survival story. Hand this to readers of Hashimoto's The Trail, Richards' 15 Secrets to Survival, or Wynne-Jones' The Starlight Claim. 

Agh! Scholastic has released this in paperback only, but at least Follett has a prebound copy. 

Make a Little Wave and Star Horse

Cerra, Kerry O'Malley. Make a Little Wave

1 October 2024 by Carolrhoda Books

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Savannah, or Sav, has recently moved from Orlando with her family to the smaller coastal town of Sandy Dune, Florida. She will miss her best friend Maizy, although the two plan to keep in touch. Sav, who was born with a hearing loss and had cochlear implants a few years ago when hearing aids stopped being effective, has some fear of the water. She doesn't care for the darkness, since she can't depend on hearing when she is in the water. She is also rather afraid of sharks and other marine creatures. She's met Tanner, who is going to be in her grade at school, on the beach, and when his family opens a new restaurant, he invites her. Sav also has a bit of social anxiety, and when she is nervous, has a tendency to forget words (e.g. calling "fishing" "ocean shopping"). She is uncomfortable in a skirt, nervous around all of the fancy people in the restaurant, and doesn't like sea food, so when she is served a bowl of soup with a chewy bit of meat in it, she is appalled to find out it is shark's fin. Predictably, she vomits all over the table. Luckily, Tanner's grandfather comes to her aid, gets her cleaned up, and helps her to summon her mother. He says that he is grateful that she saved HIM from having to eat the soup. Of course, videos of this hit social media; Tanner had previously posted a picture of him and Sav on the dock that he meant to be flattering. Sav is not only mortified, but horrified when she researches how the shark's fin soup is made. She tells Tanner about how the sharks are caught, definned, and left to die, and he said that he didn't know about it, but that his parents make a lot of money charging for the soup, which is considered a delicacy. Once school starts, Sav joins the marine environmental club, and makes friends with a girl who insists on being called Rav (her real name is Benedicta) and Belén. The two want to join Sav's fight against the people who are not necessarily violating local laws concerning the sharks, but are certainly not being ethical about gathering them, since they bring them from international waters. Sav also suspects that Tanner's father is heavily involved in their trade. To try to make her point, she and her friends protest outside the restaurant, but are told to move along. After that, Sav has Maizy send her live cockroaches in the mail, which her older sister Arbor notices. Sav, of course, says that it's something for a school project. Rav and Belén are supposed to help Sav release them in the restaurant, but are uncomfortable doing this. Even when they do, people don't make too much of a fuss. Still angry, Sav researches how to disable the boat that Tanner's family uses for expeditions, and is caught by Tanner and the local police filling the gas tank with water. This causes MUCH more damage than she expected, and she is forced to work off the thousand dollars in repairs helping Tanner clean the boat. Tanner is very understanding, but his parents (and Sav's) are not happy about Sav's actions. Seeing that her efforts that focused on Tanner's family weren't successful, she works with her teacher and the environmental club to stage a sit in at the office of a local government official who seems to be abetting the shark fin trade. Will Sav be able to educate her community and stop the horrible practice? 
Strengths: Sav was a realistically enthusiastic and sometimes misguided middle school character. She wanted desperately to save the sharks, but is okay with sending the roaches to their death in the restaurant. I liked that Tanner and others called her on this. The fact that she was hearing impaired was just part of her character and not a focus of the story; this author's Hear Me is more concerned with the hearing loss, so it's great to see a character going about her life with this difference in ability. I learned a lot about cochlear implants, so that was interesting! The family's move was well depicted, with the older sister enjoying making new friends, but Sav worrying more, even though she does find Rav and Belén. The relationship with Tanner is very sweet; you can't go wrong putting a light romance into a middle grade book. Climate and ecological activism is very important, and Sav manages to surround herself with people who are able to "make a little wave". 
Weaknesses: As an adult, I was very concerned that Sav's activism led her to some truly destructive behavior, and that she never seemed to understand the damage that she caused. Young readers are unlikely to replicate her release of roaches or sabotage of a gas tank, and this will sit differently with different readers, but I didn't care for it very much, because I am personally risk averse! 
What I really think: This will be a big hit with readers who are interested in marine biology and enjoyed Kelly's Song for a Whale, Berne's A Dolphin Named Star, Hapka's Heart of a Dolphin, Griffin's Manatee Summer, Dimopoulos's Turn the Tide, Baskin's Consider the Octopus, or Park's new Gracie Under the Waves. 

Nir, Sarah Maslin. Star Horse (Once Upon a Horse #3)
September 17, 2024 by Harry N. Abrams
E ARC provided by the author

Lori Allegria's mother Tess is a lawyer who works with the opera at New York's Lincoln Center, and has helped arrange a field trip for Lori's class to see behind the scenes of the production of Aida and to learn a bit about ancient Egypt. Lori and Tessa live on the family farm in Springs, trying hard to keep it afloat by taking on some equine boarders. Lori is amazed to find that productions of Aida usually involve a real horse, but the director is unable to find one. Lori volunteers her Norwegian fjord horse, Billy, and is soon in the theater with him. Billy turns out to be a natural. The play is seen by Marlowe Narang, a child celebrity and son of Fred Naranh, a famous agent, who decides that his next movie MUST include Billy! On his way back to California on the plane, Marlowe writes an entire screenplay entitled Once Upon a Horse, and gives it to his father, who thinks it's amazing. The movie rights are bought by a major production company, and Tessa is offered a lot of money for Billy to be in the movie... enough to save the farm. It's hard to send Billy out west to a ghost town in the Mojave Desert for filming, where he would be cared for by Julian Okwonga, but Lori understands. Fred, who is in a wheelchair and benefitted from equine therapy as a child, makes Billy feel at ease on the busy movie set. Lori tries to put on a brave face for her mother, but she misses her friend, and when she sees on the news that Billy has broken away from the camp after coming into contact with a mountain and is lost, she is distraught. She grabs her backpack, leaves a note for her mother, and takes off on a Greyhound Bus. Billy, meanwhile, ends up in a herd of wild donkeys. Getting off the bus at a food stand, she meets Aiyana, who is part of a group trying to help find Billy online. Aiyana, who is Navajo, was sent to live with her aunt while her parents are both deployed, and has a horse named Sǫ́-Sǫ́, and the two decide to ride the horse together to save Billy. Tessa, in a panic over Lori's disappearance, travels to the film set to meet with Fred. Marlowe also takes off to search for the horse, and runs into Aiyana and Lori in the wilderness, but has no luck in finding Billy. Settling in for the night, they bring out Granny Smith apples to eat... and their crunching is heard by Billy! The next morning, the three children make it back to the film site, and there's a change of casting; Sǫ́-Sǫ́ will take over the starring role, and Billy will go back home to Lori. Aiyanna is surprised, but glad that she will be involved with her horse on the set. 

Strengths: Lori's love for Billy is very clear, but her mother's wish to save the farm is understandable. Middle Grade readers are fond of celebrity, so they will enjoy Marlowe's experiences as a star actor and screenwriter. There is some southwestern flavor with the character of Aiyana and her horse Sǫ́-Sǫ́, and a satisfying adventure out in the wilderness. I had never heard of Norwegian fjord horses before, but my readers who love all things equestrian will be enthralled and want to research everything about them. This is a nicely short book, and I can see elementary readers taking their Breyer horse models and acting out the scenes! 
Weaknesses: This was quite different from the author's previous two books, which were more solidly based on real events; this was based on a real horse, but definitely more fictionalized, which just caught me by surprise. Since these books don't need to be read as a series, young readers who don't have this expectation will have no problem with it. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who want a horse adventure book like Farley's The Wild One, Lawrence's Winter Pony, Gratz's Two Degrees, or Gemeinhart's Some Kind of Courage, or who have enjoyed this author's other books, The Flying Horse and The Jockey and Her Horse. 

The Wish Monster and Never Thirteen

White, J.A. The Wish Monster

October 1, 2024 by HarperCollins

E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus

Hudson Causeway is pretty much invisible at school; even his teacher, Mr. Bishop, doesn't seem to remember his name. He just has one friend, Quinn, who is obsessed with the video game Blood Reign, and his mother is super overprotective. He has a well developed routine, stopping by Mr. Kazem's Hisana Market, saying hello to retired teacher and crossing guard Mrs. Beagle, and wondering about his father, who died before he was born. When he realizes that his neighbor and classmate, Violet, has a new dog, he's a little confused. He vividly remembers Midnight dying, and the students at school sending her cards, but when he mentions it to Quinn, his friend thinks Hudson is hallucinating. Violet, however, looks spooked when he mentions it, for good reason. After Midnight's death, she heard a voice calling to her from a cave in the park, and found the Wish Monster, who offered her three wishes. When she made one, and Midnight came back, it became apparent that in payment, the monster wants her to bring someone else to make a wish. Mr. Kazem's store is failing, and he's always wanted a bigger retail empire... which his wish brings him. It also causes Quinn to disappear, since the new store is built over where he lived. Mr. Kazem brings his friend, Mr. Bishop, who is still teaching at 68, who is offered the chance to be a noted historian, to bring back his deceased wife, or to be young again. He becomes himself at 12, but with all of his knowledge. Again, no one but Hudson seems to realize what has happened, although his mother knows something she's not telling him. Soon, the Wish Monster gets more and more people to make wishes, which has a horrible effect on the town, since every wish has unintended consequences. Why is it that Hudson and his mother are the only people who can remember what the world was like before the wishes? And what does the Wish Monster really want? There are too many delicious twists in this that I don't want to ruin!!

Strengths: White's Night books has been hugely popular in my  library, and this was even better! It is a rare middle grade book that surprises me, and this one even made me tear up a little. I love the secondary characters like Mrs. Beagle, who misses being able to help kids, and Mr. Bishop who is just... tired. Trust me, there are very, very few people over the age of 55 who are still teaching! Mr. Kazem's wish was completely understandable. I loved that Violet finally saw Hudson, and that the two became friends. The ending... whew. Lots and lots of action, but then a rather sad, philosophical ending. I feel like I should have Mrs. Causeway over to tea and tell her that while "every child is a wish that came to life", not all wishes end the way one would hope. 
Weaknesses: The cover isn't great. It's all a little too vague, and the green and purple don't say "super scary" to me. This might take hand selling, but readers of Nightbooks will pick it up for that reason alone. 
What I really think: While it would be great to be able to make wishes and have them just come true without complications, that just doesn't happen. This is why books like Whitesides' The Wish Makers, Snyder's Bigger Than a Breadbox, and Eager's Half Magic are so intriguing. What if wishes DID come true, but there were stringent parameters for getting just what we wanted? 
 

McAnulty, Stacy. Never Thirteen (The Evers #2)
October 1, 2024 by Random House Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Netgalley

**Probably too many spoilers! You've been warned!**

After Ivy's adventures in Forever Twelve, she has been recuperating at home, and has been allowed to return to West Archer Academy, although not as a second year student. She has a new roommate, Aurora, and is working with Abigail to find out a way to be made mortal again, but to retain her memories. Sadly, her great-grandmother Betty (need Grace) passes away, as does her dog, Biscuit, although Ivy makes him immortal! In the aftermath of Gigi's funeral, Ivy gets her journals that she wrote when she was Grace, hoping for some clue. Also, Este is approached by the woman who turned her into an Ever, who is now going by the name of Judith. Judith claims that any time an Ever is made mortal, it breaks the chain, and there are consequences. Meanwhile, Ronan is struggling with trying to figure out how his role as a seer works in a world where there are Evers, and his aunt is adamant that Evers (whom she calls "shadow people") are evil, and want to strip seers of their powers. Dom has decided that he really wants to be made mortal, and Ivy agrees to help him. He makes videos of himself to help him remember, but when he wakes up after Ivy's ministrations, he is confused and angry. We also get flashbacks of Este's early life, and learn more about her and why she is so committed to remaining immortal. There is a delightful scene where Ronan and Ivy kiss; this is a problem! Not only are there supernatural problems to consider, but they are also a little embarrassed and avoid each other. Sadly, there's an accidental tussle with Ronan's older brother, Dean, that ends with their aunt really having it out for Evers, especially since he and Ivy had also located a mall security guard who was immortal. Ivy manages to find some good information in Gigi's journal, and gets a tip from a very old friend that changes everything. Will the Evers and the seers be able to get along, and will the Evers be able to regroup after this latest round of challenges? With Ms. Strange retiring, they also will need someone new to help them out at West Archer. 

Strengths: First of all, OF COURSE Ivy makes Biscuit immortal. Wouldn't any of us do this? It also makes sense that Gigi dies, and this puts several things into motion that the Evers need to solve. The romance between Ronan and Ivy is great, and I love that someone references the horrible fate of Romeo and Juliet to them. Seeing Este's back story was interesting, and find a couple of other Evers, while a little unlikely, was intriguing. Dom's plight was heart breaking, but he did eventually regain some happiness; it was realistic that this would be a difficult process. 
Weaknesses: Weirdly, I could have used a little more information about what was going on in school, not that there was really time to do this, with so much supernatural stuff going on. I could have used a small reminder about how the Evers had money, kept cycling back to West Archer, and were aided by Ms. Strange, but this wasn't strictly necessary. There was a great recap at the beginning, which helped a lot. 
What I really think: Definitely purchasing, since the first book has been a popular choice in my library, and I'm glad that this is probably just a duology, although I think there is more to be told about Judith taking the librarian job at West Archer Academy! And what if Judith turned all of the Evers mortal, and they just forgot HER? Hmmm. It's a good book that makes you think! 

MMGM- Near and Deer and The Mythmakers

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

Liu, Sylvia. Near and Deer. 

1 October 2024 by Scholastic

Copy provided by the author

Sienna Chen's parents have recently moved the family from D.C. to the Virginia countryside to get away from the rat race and run a bed and breakfast. Sienna's grandmother (Nainai) has come along, and when the book starts, the two are running everything while the parents are away. Sienna is in charge of the baked goods, and everything is going well until her sheepadoodle, Jules, runs off. She goes after him and finds that he has discovered an abandoned fawn. The animal is adorable, and since a neighbor has said very threatening things about the local deer population, Sienna is concerned about it. She rushes home, but not soon enough to save the muffins, which burn and set off the smoke detector. This must be wired into the local fire department, because they are soon at the door, shooing the guests outside. Sienna is mortified, since her parents are trying to get a star accreditation to help the business, and this will not lead to good reviews. She manages to get the fawn to safety (coyotes are lurking about), and does some research to learn that she should contact a local wildlife rescue. Sadly, their phone mailbox is full. She finds out that she can feed the fawn milk from the family's goats, and struggled to do that. When her parents return, she doesn't tell them about the fire or the fawn. A woman who is studying local mushrooms, Dr. Klein, is staying at the B&B for a month with her son, Max, and her parents want Sienna to help entertain him. He's very energetic, but she eventually tells him her secret and enlists his services. She's named the fawn Persimmon, and micromanages Max when he tries to help. Jules seems to get along with the animal, but when the two manage to stumble into the house when the accreditors are visiting, Sienna's parents are furious! She still doesn't tell them that she's keeping the fawn in the shed, and continues to lie... and she's not entirely sure why. She and Max sneak out at night, and Max breaks his arm falling out of a tree. She still doesn't tell them. She even skips school to try to deal with Persimmon, and eventually ends up seeking help from Dr. Klein, since she just doesn't want to bother her parents, since the B&B is stressing them out so much. Dr. Klein takes her to the wildlife refuge to talk to Maite, who says it is best if Persimmon is away from people and hanging out with other deer, but Maite does allow Sienna to keep the deer for a while, if she and her father can build an enclosure. Feeling bad about the fact that her parents didn't get the star they were working for, Sienna e mails the accreditors and tells them her sad tale, and the grant a second chance. In the end, the family gets the star, Persimmon goes to the wildlife rescue with Maite, Max and Sienna keep in contact, and things are looking up. 

Strengths: To start, this cover will sell itself. A sheepadoodle befriending a fawn? Any young reader interested in animals is going to want this one! Sienna is a very well portrayed middle school character, with some facets of her personality that we don't always see. She's moved, but she's not whining about it. Her parents' business isn't going quite the way they want, but she is trying very hard not to add to their burden and help them out without complaining, even if she does make some missteps. She has some anxiety, with is on trend with the current middle school zeitgeist, but tries to handle it on her own. She's kind to Max, even if she micromanages him a bit, and does her best by the fawn. The fact that she doesn't tell her parents is quintessentially middle grade. My own daughter managed to hide a stray cat in her closet for two days in middle school, so I absolutely bought the fact that Sienna was able to hide the fawn in a shed! There's plenty of good information about why one shouldn't take animals from the wild, and Maite is kind but firm with Sienna about what needs to happen. This is a great realistic fiction novel that has a lot of appeal to a wide variety of readers. 
Weaknesses: Sienna's actions are absolutely true to life. Of course, she doesn't want to stress her parents out. But also, of course, she wants to keep the adorable fawn her dog has befriended. She is sure she can do everything she needs to do, but she really can't. This was frustrating to read as a parent, especially when Sienna is sort of rewarded at the end of the book. Young readers will think this is all fine, but the adult in me wanted to ground Sienna until she was 35. I did appreciate the author's notes about how trying to deal with wildlife on one's own is not a good idea at all! 
What I really think: I am hoping that Follett or Perma-Bound will offer this in a prebind, since paperbacks don't hold up very well in middle school backpacks! Readers who enjoyed this author's Manatee's Best Friend, Wood's Just One Wing, Hoyle's Just Gus or Millie, or other books involving animal rescue will enjoy this enDEERing tale! 

Hendrix, John. The Mythmakers: The Re

markable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien
September 24, 2024 by Abrams Fanfare
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

It's easy enough to find biographies of C.S. Lewis (although I don't have one in my library) or J.R.R. Tolkien (I like Doris Lynch's 2003 J.R.R. Tolkien : Creator of Languages and Legends), and, sure enough, there are quite a number of books about these authors and their relationship to mythology and to other writers at the time. These, however, tend to be rather long and academic sounding; tweens and teens are not really the demographic for these books. 

Teens and tweens are, however, the demographic for both Tolkien and (to an increasingly lesser extent) Lewis. Not a lot of teens and tweens, but the ones who take The Hobbit to heart get VERY serious about it. I have friends who have actually read (and can opine about) The Silmarillion, who dabble in Elvish, and who were SUPER excited when the live action movies came out and were better than the 1977 Rankin Bass Hobbit. My son-in-law is toying with the idea of a LOTR themed bathroom. These fans don't necessarily know much about the author of the book, and this is where The Mythmakers is a helpful resource. 

Hendrix, with his great artwork, introduces a Lion (representing Lewis' work) and a Wizard (representing Tolkien) and has them talk a bit, in graphic style panels, about myths, legends, and fantasy. There are even points in the narrative when it is suggested that we go to later pages ala Choose Your Own Adventure books, to get more information on certain topics. Once that intro has the reader hooked, we get some straight biography of both men, accompanied by pages illustrations. Tolkien was born in 1892, was just a year older than my grandmother, something I'd never considered before, and Lewis was born in 1898. They both lost their mothers, had some difficulties in childhood, got scholarships to Oxfors, had to fight in the Great War, and eventually met in 1926.

This is where the book gets interesting. The two bond over a love of Norse mythology, and have a group of other academics who meet up a couple of times a week to discuss stories over a pint. Both men teach, have home lives, and dabble in writing the kind of stories that they have enjoyed reading. Tolkien publishes The Hobbit in 1932, then spends a lot of time working on the Lord of the Rings series. Lewis publishes The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in 1950. The two had different opinions about what constituted a good story, and also didn't necessarily share their personal lives with each other. After Lewis got married without telling Tolkien, the pair's relationship became even more strained than it had been, and the two weren't in much contact. Lewis died in 1963, and Tolkien ten years later. 

It somehow seems fair that Lewis' Chronicles have more or less fallen by the wayside (at least in my library), while Tolkien's works have seen resurgence after resurgence. Lewis was much more famous during his lifetime; not only because of the Chronicles, but also because of his Christian writing (even I owned a copies of The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity in high school). Tolkien was less well known. 

I'm not the target demographic for this, but I found it fascinating. Half tempted to look up William Morris' 1896  The Well at the World's End, which influenced both men. Tolkien isn't my jam, but I have friends and family who are enormous fans. They will be tickled with the discussions of the lion and the wizard, nod delightedly at the biographies, and remember the 1960s and 70s counterculture affection for all things Middle Earth. Will this book get checked out constantly at a middle school or even a high school library? No. Will the readers who check it out adore it? Absolutely. Have I pre-ordered a copy for my son-in-law's Christmas present? You bet I did. 

Lola Reyes is SO Not Worried

Rodriguez, Cindy L. Lola Reyes Is So Not Worried 

September 17, 2024 by HarperCollins

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Lola and her mother are in Guatemala, at her Abuela Gloria's house for her father's memorial service. He passed away suddenly from a heart attack, but Lola's mother maintains that they will be fine, and Lola is surviving. She does snoop around in her father's childhood bedroom, and finds a set of worry dolls in a wooden box. She's intrigued by them, and brushes off the notes that they are "cursed", figuring that her father put that warning on them in the same way people out notes on diaries. She smuggles them back home, where she is ready to start 5th grade. Her neighbor, Chance, is her academic rival, and her mother is the principal at her school, where she becomes "Dr. Reyes". Lola is a little worried that her best friend, Ashlynn, is going to drop her in favor of Josie, but she has bigger worries-- the worry dolls have come to life. She asks Chance for help when they are running around her back yard, and they think they corral them into a gardening bench, but they escape. Lola and Chance try to track them down, since there was a note that said they would grow and then explode after six days, releasing the worries that they have absorbed back into the world. They manage to find Mateo in the laundromat, and comfort Sabrina, an 8th grader at their school who is struggling with relationship problems, and find Isabel at school, where Ashlynn is worried about the fact her mom has lost her job. Ricardo is found at the pool, where Josie is worried about her swimming career, Mercedes at Chance's house, since he's worried about having friends, and Carlos in the art room at school. On the night of the school Open House, which Dr. Reyes has to plan, a seven foot tall Zoraid is on the loose, fed by Lola, Ashlynn, and Josie's friend drama, as well as Lola's concerns about her mother's appearance of doing okay. Clearly, once all the dolls are gathered, Lola must figure out how to control them, and she manages to figure out that some apologies are necessary to put the past to rest.

Strengths: On the surface, this was a somewhat goofy, magical adventure with some deeper messages that teachers and librarians will appreciate. It's good to see Chance and Lola working together, although even that causes some very realistic tension with her friend Ashlynn. The Guatemalan cultural connections work well in the story, and I would have loved to see more of Abuela Gloria. One of my favorite fantasy books is Waugh's The Mennyms, so life sized, sentient dolls made sense to me! 
Weaknesses: This is one of those books that 6th graders will love, but 8th graders will not pick up because of the sentient dolls. If this had a different style of cover, and Lola was in 8th grade, it would find a lot more readers. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoy fantasy stories where a child deals with grief, like Grant's A Green Velvet Secret, Sugiura's Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind or Kelkar's That Thing About Bollywood.

On a personal note: Dr. Reyes is doing an astounding job keeping everything from unraveling, and she should be left alone. The only thing she might have done differently was to get Lola into grief counseling, which is one of those things that is done with today's younger generations. I'm still of the opinion that if people don't want to talk about their feelings, they shouldn't have to. Also, children do NOT need to know how their parents are feeling, as long as their parents are supportive and meet all of the children's physical and emotional needs. I'm not sure that the trend of encouraging children to share their worries with friends is that great an idea, but it's certainly a very widespread one. It's very apparent that I am from the "slap some dirt on it" generation. 

Saturday Morning Cartoons- Amazing Grapes and Dear Dad

Feiffer, Jules. Amazing Grapes
September 24, 2024 by Michael di Capua Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
 

In this graphic novel, Shirley, Pearlie, and Curly have a difficult life. Their father, Greg, never liked children, and walked out on the family. A year later, their mother, who is often remote, announces that they will be moving across the country to live on a mountain when she marries Lenny, who has three children, Penny, Benny, and Kenny. Just as they are about to load the van for the trip, a giant two headed swan swoops by and takes Pearlie and Curly away into the Lost Dimension. Shirley stays with their mother, who seems to recognize the swan. Pearlie and Curly have quite the madcap adventure, telling knock knock jokes to the swan, stopping at a bathroom in Meanyopolis, where all of the residents look like Greg, and being used as a plaything by the Police Hawks, who toss them in a game of drop ya/got ya over a pool of crocodile like creatures called akyaks. When the swan has to leave, the children have an emergency feather from the creature, just in case. Eventually, they meet Slirro, the Lord High Muckety Muck of Everything That Counts, who puts them in a dangerous party pit.  Back in our dimension, the mother can tell that her children are in danger. She sends Shirley to save the two, and opens the portal to the other dimension by singing and "Amazing Grapes" song. Three years have passed while Pearlie and Curly have been gone, although it doesn't seem that long to them. After meeting a baby monster, they take the Tower to Nowhere and meet an old lady without a head who gives them Kelly, a guide dog who is secretly a cat. Things get stranger and stranger, and eventually some light is shed on what's going on. The mother was the Empress Cornucopia of Trutopia, but left because she couldn't stomach the responsibility of running the kingdom with a war going on. She ended up in our dimension, and has always felt disconnected. How will Pearlie, Curly, and Shirley (along with her fiance, Earl) be able to save the kingdom and reconnect with their mother? 
Strengths: It's definitely not an every day occurrences to have a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist and satirist who contributed to The Atlantic, The Village Voice, and whose work was syndicated across the US turn his hand to a graphic novel. Feiffer (who is now 95) even had the first op ed comic strip in The New York Times for several years, and there was even a retrospective of his work at the National Archives years ago. It's like having John Cheever authoring an I Can Read book. This embraced his themes of anxiety and self reflection in a way that is accessible to younger readers, and has a lot of humor to boot. Of course, the real selling point is Feiffer's exuberant and eccentric illustrations. 
Weaknesses: This might be a bit challenging for younger readers to comprehend, although they will find the artwork appealing. There is a quirky, allegorical feel to this that readers might not have seen before.
What I really think: Readers will be glad to see Feiffer's classic style of artwork appear in this popular modern format, and will giggle at the vintage goofiness of this Daniel Pinkwater-style fantasy adventure. As a bonus for long time fans, this has more than a few nods to the classic The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, which Feiffer illustrated.

Patton, Jay Jay, Patton, Antoine, Valdez, Kiara, and Jenai, Markia (illus.)
Dear Dad: Growing Up with a Parent in Prison -- and How We Stayed Connected
September 17, 2024 by Graphix
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Jay Jay's father was in prison from time she was three until she was ten, but her mother made sure that the two kept in contact. The father earns a college degree in computer coding during his time inside. When he is released, he returns to the family home in Buffalo with Jay Jay and Jayden, her younger brother, but feels that he must move to Florida for a better chance. It is a few months until the rest of the family is able to follow him. It is sometimes rocky, with the father sometimes treating Jay Jay like she is much younger, but the two bond over coding. The father puts together an app called Photo Patch that allows children of incarcerated people to write letters and upload pictures, which Photo Patch then prints and sends to the parents, since there are very strict ways of communicating. This is based on the true story of the Pattons. 

This was very interesting, but the title was a little misleading. I've had several students with parents in prison, but only a very small part of the book was about dealing with that situation. There was a lot of information that could have been included but wasn't, and this left me wanting to know a lot more. The graphic novel format will appeal to many readers, but perhaps didn't give as many details as a regular novel might have. 

Rocky Road: Team Canteen #1 and The Long Way Around

Jahn, Amalie, Rocky Road (Team Canteen #1)

September 3, 2024 by Pixel+Ink
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

For several years, Tasha has snuck away from the end-of-season talent show at the Happy Hollow summer camp to eat ice cream in the freezer that is going to be thrown away the next day. This year, she has the company of three new friends, Claire, Billie, and Raelynn, who are all rising 8th graders. They've all struggled to find kindred spirits, and are glad to have each other. When Billie is almost caught by a counselor but manages not to be punished because he starts up a conversation with her about a pink boa that the group had found in a props box, the group decides that the boa must be magic, and vows to mail the boa around during the year to whomever needs its powers. There's some postage involved, especially to Billie who is in Canada, but it makes them all feel connected. We get to see each camper's school year during the course of the book, and the group has occasional group texts that are shared. 

Billie's father is very involved in his hockey career, as well of that of his older brother. Billie is not a huge fan of the sport, even though he is an excellent goalie, and wants to quit. When the advisor for the ice capades' Annie on Ice schedules rink time when one of Billie's practices was supposed to take place, he is enthralled with the production, and volunteers to be the set designer. In order to find time to do this, he tells his parents that he is helping with a hockey team for younger players. He has a great time, and when the skater playing Miss Hannigan breaks her wrist, Billie is asked to step in. He's thrilled, but worried about what his family might think. 

Claire returns home to the same difficult position she left before being a scholarship student at the camp; her mother is working as a full-time teacher and a part time clerk while attending grad school, since her father was injured in an accident and his disability has run out. When Claire needs new shoes, her mother takes her to Rag-o-Rama where she sees a pair of used, high end tennis shoes for $50. While she would love them, her mother gets a $10 pair of shoes instead, but the owner, Miss Birdie, offers to hire her so she can earn the shoes. On her way to the shop one day, she meets Sam, who is a big fan of the store, and the two refurbish discards together. After she works off the coast of the shoes, Claire earns money, and plans to use it for a retirement party for her mother, who is going to become a principal. The only problem? She has to do all of this without her father knowing, and she he finds her hidden money, she has to regroup. Will she be able to work with the school sewing group she's put together to make back the needed cash?

Tasha was excited to hear from her dads that there would be a new family member joining them when she gets home, but rather than the dog she expects, she is greeted by her cousin Jillian, who is in fifth grade. Jillian's mother has died after being "sick" for a long time, the dads are very solicitous of Jillian and her terror of a dog, Mortimer. Tasha starts to feel like her dads prefer Jillian to her, and she's angry when Mortimer destroys her poetry journal. When Mortimer destroys the family's Christmas presents and Jillian runs away, Tasha is worried, and goes to find her. The two start to work together, and take Mortimer to behavioral classes. The teacher's son, Gavin, has been giving Jillian a hard time, calling her "Killian Jillian", so Tasha tries to find a way to get back at him so he leaves Jillian alone. She also submits her poem to a children's literature magazine and waits eagerly to hear its fate. 

Raelynn struggles to deal with herr twin, Baylee, upon her return home. They aren't identical, and Baylee is the more mature, traditionally pretty one. Realynn is shy, and very into videogames, but when other players in the game she likes identify her, she is appalled that people know who she really is. One of the other players is Jamal, who comes to her defense when kids at school are mean to her. Raelynn is distraught when she thinks her sister is putting the moves on her crush. When Jamal asks her to the school dance, she would love to go, but it's on the same day as MegaCon. Since neither kid has bought tickets to either event, Raelynn asks Jamal to go to MegaCon, and he says yes. 

This was a fun look at a group of kids who have trouble fitting in, and find great comfort in being supported by friends. The boa isn't magical, but just the thought that it is empowers the kids to take chances and to try new activities and make connections with people. I had a few quibbles (Billie would have needed a permission slip and medical emergency form to be in the Annie on Ice production; Claire's mother wouldn't have retired from teaching after twenty years, she would have just gone on to be a principal so the party seemed odd), but this was a fun look at a group of kids trying out new things and finally feeling like they belong. This is a great choice for readers who enjoyed the drama, friendship, and activities in Arno's Molly in the Middle, Sumner's One Kid's Trash, or Libenson's Positively Izzy 

Random note: My own children, who were dressed entirely from the thrift store their whole lives, were aghast that Claire would consider $50 shoes, especially since for $10, you could pick up brand new shoes at Target on clearance, and for $3, you could get a decent pair of used ones at the thrift store. I did splurge when they ran cross country and got them $30 Asics at Kohls, because foot health is important! 

Nesbet, Anne. The Long Way Around 

September 10, 2024 by Candlewick Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Sisters Amy and Vivian, with their mother Judy, and their cousin Owen, and his father Mike, are all set for a hiking trip in Sequoia National Park. Amy, who is 8, is less thrilled with the hiking aspect than the other two (who are 11 and 12), but they are all looking forward to being out in nature, cooking over a campfire, and being together. Their first day goes well, and the kids get the chance to cook their own dinner and put up their tent a bit of a distance from the parents. When there is an earthquake in the middle of the night, the children are separated from their parents. Owen calculates how much food they have, and they figure out on the map where they need to go. It is, of course, the long way around because of damage on the trail. Amy isn't thrilled with the idea, and wants to stay put and wait to be rescued. The group runs in to problems endemic with back woods hiking, like seeing a bear, and falling in a stream, but make steady progress. Amy sees a golden bear several times, and thinks that it is magical bear. Owen is dealing with the emotional trauma of having been in a car accident with his friend Mateo, and seeing Mateo struggle with amnesia that is so bad that he doesn't remember Owen, and Viv is very worried about starting middle school, so at the end of the day when the hiking is done, these issues are often explored. The children take an unmaintained trail to save time, and run into some problems with that, including finding a man with a broken ankle who needs their help. Luckily, they aren't too far from a populated camping area, but the trail to it has been damaged. The kids decide to use the trail anyway, and are soon helped and reunited with their parents. 

Strengths: This starts with a helpful map showing where the children walked, and is based on the experiences of the author, which gives the story a lot of great details about what it is like to hike in the wilderness. It's good to see cousins who are friends, and I loved that aside from Amy, they didn't really complain very much; they just figured out what need to be done, and did it. This is on trend for discussions of children dealing with trauma as well. This is a bit of a break from Nesbet's historical fiction titles like The Orphan Band of Springdale, Cloud and Wallfish, and Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen, and she clearly has a love for the great outdoors! 
Weaknesses: The children seem a bit too unconcerned about what has happened to Just and Mike; when they finally meet a ranger, they don't even ask about them for quite some time. It also seemed highly unlikely that the ranger would have let the group hike to their parents after so many resources were used trying to find them. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoy outdoor adventures like Behren's Alone in the Woods, Lang's Out of Range, and Downing's Just Keep Walking. 

Stage Fright and Spy School Entrance Exam

Parris, Wendy. Stage Fright
September 17, 2024 by Delacorte Press
E ARC provided by Netgalley

Avery has moved from the Midwest to Philadelphia, and is glad to be going "home" for summer vacation. She's glad that she will be able to see her old friends and neighbors like Paige, Tyler, and Jaylen. Things get off to a bit of a rocky start when Paige doesn't meet her at the airport, especially when Paige has been off at the mall with Bethany Barnes, who bullied Avery when they were younger. Wanting to revisit the group's old stomping grounds, Avery suggests meeting at Tyler's treehouse, and is surprised that it has fallen into some disrepair. Her friends haven't been hanging out together, so they all try to think of an activity they can do together. Avery suggests their "Ridge Road Detective Club" game, but the others scoff that they are all too old for such nonsense, until Avery suggests breaking into the local Old Winter Playhouse, since it is the tenth anniversary of the death of the director's nine year old daughter. Sneaky out in the middle of the night is always interesting, and when the four get into the theater, there are some scary things that occur. There is a ghost light on the stage, and when they venture too far away, they see and hear eerie things. There is a skull that seems to follow them around, and after touching it, Tyler thinks that they are being surrounded by rats. Jaylen falls off the stage and breaks his ankle; of course, none of the children can get cell phone service. They hunker down to wait until morning, but Jaylen thinks that the walls are closing in on them. In between the spooky ghost manifestations, Avery gets caught up on some things her friends have been going. Paige and Jaylen kissed, even though the kids made a pact to always stay friends, and Paige is worried about her parents' pending divorce. Of course, the altered states of Tyler and Jaylen are even more concerning, as is being followed by menancing ghosts! When things get especially bad, there is a fire started, and the theater is badly damaged. The ghost is put to rest (I don't want to spoil some of the details!), the kids aren't blamed for the fire, and Avery is able to return to Philadelphia with the knowledge that even if she had stayed in her old neighborhood, her friendships still might have changed. 
Strengths: Friends changing in middle school and growing apart is definitely more scary (and more common) than viscious ghosts, and pairing the two popular topics is an inspired idea. While as a responsible adult, I can't condone children lying to caregivers and sneaking out in the middle of the night, there is a certain appeal to such activity when one is a tween. There's a good back story to the haunting of the theater, and a good variety of ghost menancing. This is a good length, and moves quickly, as any good killer ghost story should. 

Weaknesses: Like this author's Field of Screams, this is more gently scary than terrifying. Also, would people in Philadelphia make fun of a Midwestern accent? Aside from a friend from New Hampshire who once said I had a "nasal" accent (I mean, I did grow up close to Cleveland), I always labored under the delusion that the Midwest didn't have an accent. 
What I really think: This is a great choice for readers who have an interest in eerie books with theater connections and enjoyed Gonzalez's Fearless, Key's Twelfth, Schusterman's Olive and the Backstage Ghost or Freeman's Noah McNichol and the Backstage Ghost.

Gibbs, Stuart. Spy School Entrance Exam: A Spy School Book of Devious Word Searches, Clever Crosswords, Sly Sudoku, and Other Top Secret Puzzles! (Paperback)
September 24, 2024 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Clearly, this is not a book for a school library, given the amount of puzzles in it, but it would make an excellent gift for an avid SPY SCHOOL fan. In addition to the different puzzles, there is some introductory notes from the principal (heavily redacted, of course!), information about different characters, as they introduce a variety of puzzles, and a lot of illustrations in the style of the SPY SCHOOL graphic novels. I'm not a fan of puzzles, but they do have different levels of them, and they look fairly interesting. The one exception is the crossword puzzles. Creating proper crosswords is a difficult thing to do, and these are rather simplistic. There is also information about some codes. Answers and explanations are at the back.

I liked the explanation that the system had been hacked, so the school was going back to old school pencil and paper testing. If I had a paper ARC of this, I would have to have a contest for the winner, because I have a lot of readers who adore the series and would love to get their hands on this! This is 240 pages long, so not a short book, and worth the $11 price tag.