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!