More Christmas Titles

Jones, Richard. Tis the Season: A Lift-the-Flap Advent Calendar Full of Christmas Poems
September 3, 2024 by Nosy Crow
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

This is a unique collection of poems , since it is also a lift-the-flap Advent calendar. Each page has two beautifully illustrated poems, each accompanied by a numbered flap. Sometimes these flaps are harder to find, disguised in trees or rushes, and sometimes they are logs or rocks. Most of the flaps open to reveal animals, given that many of the pages are outdoor scenes, but some uncover people or cars. The last flap, for Christmas Eve, has a large Christmas tree. The end of the book also revealed the reason for the ribbon that ties the book together; all of the pages fold out, and on the back there are larger versions of all of the items hidden by the flaps! I suppose if one had a very long mantle or a cabinet, this books could be unfolded and displayed for the Advent season.

The illustrations have a soft, chalk pastel feel to them that seems very modern and fresh. This might be in part due to the lavish use of a pale teal instead of an icy blue shade that older Christmas titles tend to employ. The people in the book a nicely diverse, although there are many more animals than people.

The selection of poems is generally good, and highlights include Russell Hoban's (Bedtime for Frances) Winter Ducks, Ogden Nash's Winter Morning, and J. Patrick Lewis' The Red Fox. There is a good sprinkling of traditional holiday verses like Jingle Bells as well. I wish there had been some more modern inclusions, although I know getting permission for those might be harder. Some of the poems will take some explaining, due to some unusual vocabulary. I did enjoy the fact that there were poems from a variety of cultures, and that permission was sought for the usage.

This is certainly an unusual book that could become an advent staple, so I would recommend opening all of the flaps before small fingers attempt them! It's a good idea to branch out from the omnipresent A Child's Garden of Verses by Stevenson when offering poetry to young readers, so Tis the Season is an interesting, holiday themed choice to have, along with Kooser, Wanek, and Jones' Marshmallow Clouds, Yolen's In and Out the Window, and Janeczko and Sweet's Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems.

Chapman, Jane. The Littlest Christmas Tree

September 3, 2024 by Tiger Tales
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Cubby and his Daddy go out into the woods with their friends, the badger and rabbit families, to cut down a tree for Christmas. Daddy helps haul everyone and all of the trees home on a sled, and the families get to work in their separate lairs to decorate the trees. The long suffering father bear puts up with Cubby's overly enthusiastic ways, untangling lights and saving cocoa from spilling as his exuberant son decorates the tree. Presents are wrapped, and Christmas festivities with their friends take place around the small but celebratory tree. After the holiday is over, Cubby is distraught to think that the Christmas tree has to be cleaned up as well, because he thinks putting the tree back outside will be the end of happiness. All three families plant their trees outside, even putting signs by them so they know who has which tree. The year passes quickly, and soon Cubby and Daddy have the little tree in their house again to celebrate Christmas.

Change is hard for children, and we forget that as adults. Christmas is a time of high emotions, and when Cubby equates his good times with the tree, he doesn't want to see it go away. My favorite part of this was the patience that Daddy had with his son; young readers probably won't pick up on this, but older readers certainly will see Daddy's exasperation!

Chapman does an excellent winter landscape, and the tree is adorable. There's something pleasantly classic about the illustrations that reminds me of the books that my own children read in the 1990s, which makes sense, since Chapman has been writing for almost thirty years! Nothing wrong with remaining true to one's style, which is reminiscent of Anita Jeram and Patrick Benson's drawings.

Since it's a lot easier to keep books than live pine trees, I'd put this book into an advent rotations with VanSickle's How To Decorate a Christmas Tree, Collins' We Disagree About This Tree, and Toht's Pick a Pine Tree to prepare little ones for the changes of the season. Wise parents, along with Daddy bear, might want to look into getting a copy of Aliki's 1991 Christmas Tree Memories to read with youngsters and get them to attach sentimental value to the ornaments rather than the tree, since digging up and replanting a tree EVERY year will quickly become unfeasible!

Rachel Friedman and Eight Not-Perfect Nights of Hanukkah and David Atherton's Christmas Cookbook for Kids

Kapit, Sarah. Rachel Friedman and Eight Not-Perfect Nights of Hanukkah

September 3, 2024 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus 

Rachel, fresh from her adventures in Rachel Friedman Breaks the Rules, is determined to prove that Hannukah is the BEST holiday, especially when one of her classmates, Mason, can't understand why she doesn't celebrate Christmas. Her best friend, Maya, agrees, and the two come up with a list of seven fantastic things they can do to make Hannukah even more spectacular. The other challenge Rachel faces is the fact that her older brother, Aaron, has decided that he isn't interested in the holiday at all. Since he is the one who masterminds the Lego Mennorah, Sarah's eight days get off to a rough start. When her father forgets the potatoes for latkes, it's looking even more grim. Aaron does step up to help with spinning dreidls, but they really are not as exciting as Rachel would like. She does get a sparkly leotard for a present, which is okay, but not as good as a race car for her doll. She has to make a snow Maccabee by herself, and when the family goes skating, she pulls at Aaron to get his attention, and he falls and breaks his leg! Since this happened in front of a girl he has a crush on, it's even more devastating, but gives some insight as to why he has been distracted. Aaron tells Rachel that it's okay to be jealous of Christmas, or curious about the competing holiday, and Rachel realizes that everything in life has good points and bad points, and not everything goes smoothly. Maya and her family come over for dinner and bring jelly doughnuts, and the girls are ready for their (hopefully!) next adventure. 

Strengths: I'm a big fan of holiday related books (starting with Taylor's All-of-a-Kind Family's portrayal of Purim), and in December there are a lot of requests for Christmas and Hannukah books. There are very few Jewish students in my school, so I can see Rachel's interaction with Mason resonating with many students. I enjoyed that Rachel and Maya were determined to have the best holiday ever and made plans for New and Exciting Things; this is something I would definitely have done when I was in elementary school. Of course, plans often go awry. Rachel's relationship with Aaron was realistic, and it was nice to see that they got along even if they disagreed. There's a happy ending, and Rachel has a better understanding of her own feelings about Hannukah and her Jewish identity as well as more insight into how others perceive the holiday. The page illustrations will appeal to readers as well.
Weaknesses: I wonder if Aaron should see a doctor about possible brittle bones. It seemed odd that he would break a leg the way he did, but then, one of my children broke a foot running across a field!
What I really think: There is such a good selection of early chapter books about elementary characters from different cultures going about their day-to-day lives now, so Rachel is in good company with Nina Soni, Ellray Jakes, Lola Levine, Jada Jones, Alvin Ho, and Bea Garcia.

Atherton, David and Cottle, Katie (illus.)

David Atherton's Christmas Cookbook for Kids

September 24, 2024 by Candlewick Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

I'm a huge fan of Atherton's books, and have copies of my own of David Atherton's Baking Book and David Atherton's Make, Bake, and Learn to Cook Vegetarian. This has slightly different illustrations than the other volumes, and they include a lot of red and green to go with the holiday. This is unapologetically about Christmas, and also very British. There are sausage rolls with cranberry sauce, mince pies, marzipan, scones and carrot cake with turnips or butternut squash instead of carrots. Atherton's work usually centers around healthier cooking, so there's some red and green cannelini bean hummus, and well as a Christmas tree pull apart bread that gets its color from spinach and pesto. For those who want to embrace British ways but can't stand an actual steamed pudding, there's a chocolate version, and also an iced crown cake. I'm not sure I'll buy this for my school library, but I had a lot of fun reading it! 

The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery

Frantz, Eva, Sandström, Elin (Illustrator), and Prime, Annie (Translator)
The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery
October 12, 2023 by Pushkin Children's Book 

Flora Winter and her mother, Linn, rent a cottage in the Swedish countryside for winter break in 1975. Ms. Winter is a writer, and since Flora's father has passed away, some quiet time to work in the country seems like a good change of pace. They are on the von Hiems estate, where the manor has been abandoned since a tregedy in 1925. Fridolf, who has rented the property to them, lives in the Washhouse. Flora is fascinated by the manor, and daydreams about living there as she investigates the property. There is even a garden labyrinth, and Flora asks if she would be able to clean the flower beds around the house as a project. She does here odd voices that seem to call to her, catches glimpses of shadowy figures, and befriends a local boy, Egon, who seems to come and go very quickly. After Fridolf slips on the snow and has to go into the hospital, Flora becomes more interested than ever in the history of the estate. She pokes around in the attic and finds a hatbox with a hat that fits her perfectly, and once again hears whispers. She finds out that the von Hiems family ran a local glassworks factory, and also that people in the town are interested in tearing the manor down in order to boost the areas appeal as a summer destination. We get to see some of the family history unfold in 1925, although Flora does not. Rigmor (called Riggy) was the gardener's daughter and nanny of the von Hiems' youngest child, and fell in love with the oldest son, Robby. He was supposed to marry the daughter of the rival Marton family. This is the same family trying to tear down the estate in 1975. Robby and Riggy continue their romance, and when Riggy is expecting, they know this will be quite the scandal. Flora, who doesn't know this, is researching the house at the local library, and runs into other girls who live in the town. There are rumors of a treasure hidden in the manor, and Flora, who has fallen in love with the place, is determined to find it. When information surfaces linking her family to the von Hiems, will this help Flora and her mother be able to give up their life in the city and settles in the country?

Strengths: In the 1970s, there must have been an inordinate amount of long abandoned houses, because I remember reading books that were very similar to this one. Curry's Poor Tom's Ghost, Arthur's A Candle in Her Room, McKillip's The House on Parchment Street, Snyder's The Ghosts of Stone Hollow-- there seemed to be a lot of books where there were ghosts, some time travel, family secrets, and general light creepiness. Helmersbruk Manor would have been right at home with these other tales, so I love the fact that it was set in 1975. Since this was written recently (and translated from the Swedish), it's not surprising that Flora's father had died, but this does give her a lot of opportunity to investigate the estate while her mother is writing. We get a lot of family history and some intrigue, as well as some ghostly time travel. There's also a bit of Christmas involved, both in the setting of the book and in the timing of the historical tragedy. I was drawn right into the book, and, like Flora, really wanted to investigate the manor! 
Weaknesses: This was fairly slow paced, and I'm not sure how middle school students are going to feel about the Riggy/Robby romance, and the resultant baby. My readers are most interested in murderous ghosts, and the ghosts in this book are all pretty tame. 
What I really need: This is a slightly eerie, atmospheric ghost story that will make fans of Chalfoun's The Treasure of Maria Mamoun, Bowman's Where the Lost Ones Go, or Burch's Finch House happy. 

MMGM- Swimming with Spies

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

Lucyk-Berger, Chrystyna. Swimming with Spies
December 3, 2024 by Scholastic Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Sofiya lives in Sevastapol with her father (Tato), who runs the local dolphinarium, in 2014. Her mother has left them, and is now living in Moscow, although they haven't heard from her. Sofiya, who is talented artist, often lets Ilya pay her to do his homework, since his family is well to do, and she's trying to save money for a ticket to Moscow. When she gets into a fight with Ilya at school, his father, Major Chaban, cuts a deal with the principal. Ilya shows up at the dolphinarium, and is supposed to work with Sofiya on several public outreach programs with the dolphins. Sofiya isn't happy, since being with her "pod" and especially her favorite dolphin, Colin, is where she feels comfortable after a grueling day of having to put up with people like Ilya! Still, the two manage to get along, even though Ilya seems scared of the dolphins. For good reason: Sofiya's Babushka, who was a marine biologist who worked with the Russian military in Soviet times, tells Sofiya about how Ilya's mother was killed after he fell off a boat his father was driving and nearly drowned. The mother was her mother's best friend, which is one of the reasons that Sofiya's mother left and went back to Moscow. The dolphinarium is struggling with funding, and Tato hopes to increase involvement with the community in order to raise funds. Currently, there is a dolphin therapy program attended by people with disabilities, but Sofiya is put in charge of setting up a summer camp for children, and Ilya is supposed to help with the web site. All of this changes when President Yanukovych flees Ukraine. At first, it is hoped that a better president will take his place, but instead, the Russians start to m over in to take over Sevastapol. There is a vote, and 97% of the residents apparently want Russian control, although the options on the ballot were limited. Sofiya has found out that the facility used to be used for Military Marine Systems, and Major Chaban has his eye on the facilities as well. She and Ilya are working with the dolphins and trying to teach them sign language, posting some of their progress on social media. Eventually, Tato is told that in order to keep his job, he will need to get a Russian passport and join the military, but he is concerned that if he does that, he will be sent to fight. Ilya doesn't agree with his father, and eventually agrees to help Sofiya with a daring plan; teaching the dolphins to follow boats, releasing them into the wild, and having rescue groups from Odessa save them and take them to a facility in that city. Will they be able to pull off this daring plan?
Strengths: There were a lot of interesting things about Ukraine, as well as the training of dolphins, in this book, and it was a good combination. Sofiya has a typical tween obsession with "her" dolphins and doesn't seem to quite understand how serious the situation is. Her relationship with Ilya is interesting, and watching them work together while learning about what the other's life is like will appeal to young readers. The idea of cultural identity is also dealt with well; Sofiya's father is Ukranian, and her mother is Russian, and at one point, she has to decide if she is one of the other. Most tweens aren't faced with such a stark choice. Since this area of the world has been in the news frequently over the last several years, this is an excellent title to have on hand. This author seems to usually write books for adults, but I didn immediately suspect as much, which is a good sign that she understands middle grade fairly well! 
Weaknesses: While I am not usually a fan of info dumps, I could have used a few lessons in Ukranian history from Babuska. The annexation of Crimea would have occurred when today's readers were babies, and Sofiya would have been born after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, so some background would have been helpful on several levels. 
What I really think: This is a great choice for anyone who enjoyed Alex London's Tides of War series (Blood in the Water and Honor Bound, 2014) or who wants more recent history about Ukraine. 

Pulled Under

Dalton, Michelle. Pulled Under
May 7, 2024 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Izzy loves living in Pearl Beach, and working at the Surf Sisters shop with her best friends, Nicole and Sylvie. When geeky Ben comes in to the shop, asking them to hang a poster for his employer, Parks and Rec, she is intrigued, even if he is wearing coaching shorts and white socks pulled all the way up. He's not from around the area, but is visiting for the summer from Madison, Wisconsin while his parents are embroiled in a bitter divorce. The two quickly feel a connection and start enjoying summer together; getting pizza at Luigi's car wash, taking surfing lessons, and hanging out at the beach. Ben even impressed Izzy's parents, who are both high school teachers, and Ben and Izzy's father bond over their shared love of cross country running, and even mention training together for an upcoming race. Izzy gives Ben a "beach makeover" so he doesn't look so ridiculous, and have long talks. Ben has just broken up with Beth, and Izzy feels that he can't really be interested in her, but he is. He tells her that she is unique, and wants to hear what SHE has to say. This leads to sweet kisses and a lot of time spent in each other's company. Ben even pushes Izzy out of her comfort zone a little and encourages her to enter a local surfing contest that determines the King of the Beach. Izzy is leery of her own skills, but Ben tries to show her how good she can be. There are a few rocky moments, but the two go to fourth of July celebrations together, and enjoy their fledgling romance. Ben has to go back home to deal with his parents right before the contest, but has the Surf Sisters shop design a custom surfboard for Izzy... inspired by her eyes. When he comes back, things are tense because he will leave forever all too soon. He manages to further cement himself in Izzy's good graces by saving the Surf Sisters shop from being bought out, and in the end has the best news: his mother didn't send him to Pearl Beach to escape the acrimonious fighting going on with his father, but because she wants to relocate to Pearl Beach and bring Ben with her. The two can look forward to a senior year filled with car wash pizza and sweet kisses along the sandy shore. 

Dalton's work is classic young adult romance at its best, with ordinary teens working, hanging out, and falling in love in fun locations, stressed only by questions about how long the romance can last before they are cruelly parted by fate. This makes books like Pulled Under perfect for today's middle grade readers, but may leave today's angst-ridden teens wanting more complications and more mature language and situations. 

I loved that both Izzy and Ben had jobs, and had to work seeing each other in around those obligations. It was also fantastic to see Izzy's parents in the picture, telling silly jokes and having embarrassing questions about American History with her new boyfriend. I would think that teenagers probably see more of each other's families, even today, than most books show. 

There are some things in this that seemed dated; one of Izzy's jobs at Surf Sisters is to help women pick out bathing suits that make them look comfortable, and the dialogue around this aspect of body image has changed very drastically since 2014. It's a short scene, and easily glossed over, but I would be curious to see what readers who were born when this was originally published would think about this. 

This would have been a favorite of mine when I was in high school. To me, aspirational romances go smoothly and are not beset by trauma and tragedy. Hand this to romance readers who want a great beach read that's not too different from the work of Kasie West or Jennifer L. Smith, and is less angsty than Blecher's Listen to This, Miller's Not if You Break Up with Me First, or Jones' Courtesy of Cupid. 

Cartoon Saturday- Fresh Start

Galligan, Gale. Fresh Start
January 7, 2025 by Graphix
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Rising seventh grader Ollie is just as glad to be leaving her international school in Frankfurt, Germany, especially after embarassing herself at a year end assembly, and falling out with best friend Rebecca. She and her sister, Cat, who is two years younger, are excited to be moving to Chestnut Falls, Virginia, with their father, who is a diplomat from the US, and their mother, who is originally from Thailand. The two siblings have an imaginary world that figures largely in their play, and Ollie is obsessed with the Quilly anime, and this sometimes causes Ollie to daydream and embarass herself. There are some things that are different in a US school, including the Pledge of Allegiance, state maps, and the English measuring system, and Ollie is on the lookout for possible friends, even drawing a "friend index" and making comments about the likelihood of making friends with various people. Nina is obviously too popular, so Ollie declines her invitation to eat lunch with her friends. Eventually, Zoe Kwon, who wears a lot of cosplay outfits to school, reaches out, and the two hang out together. Zoe's friends are willing to befriend Ollie, even though she thought that they wouldn't want to hang out with her. This includes Nina, whom Ollie discovers (at a sleepover at Zoe's) is part Thai. Their mother's bond, and soon Ollie is taking Thai language classes. After Ollie asks to be allowed to go to Anianicon to meet the group's idol, Sugar Rose, Ollie also finds herself roped into dance classes as well. There is growing tension between the parents and Cat, especially after Ollie is allowed to adopt a hedgehog. The parents don't ask Cat is she would like a pet as well. Ollie also gets a phone, and Ollie starts to feel that her parents aren't treating Cat fairly. The family is planning on staying in Virginia, and are able to visit the father's parents sometimes, but when Ollie makes Nine angry by giving her anime character a backstory different from the one Nina herself envisioned, Ollie starts to wish that she could move again and get another "fresh start". When Cat gets into a situation where her "friends" have created a fake social media account in her name, Ollie is able to see past her own problems to help her sister figure out what to do, and show her parents how they are not treating her sister fairly. 

Strengths: This is a fictionalized account of the author's own life, but brought into a more modern time. There are a not too many books about students who attend international schools (MacLeod's Continental Drifter and Matula's The No-So-Uniform Life of Holly Mei are the only two I can think of) and it's something I wish would see more of, along with characters who move a lot because of parents in the military. Ollie's obsession with anime, and her dislike of parental enforced activities, are both absolutely true to life. The typical tween concerns, like art club, sleepovers, and friend drama, have not changed all that much since the 1990s; I'm adding Galligan to the list of authors who could have been my students. (To be fair, the first students I taught are now 48 years old...)
Weaknesses: I shouldn't find the anime style star eyes and over the top emotions as annoying as I do, but Ollie's reactions to rival Misako's in the Bounce Back series. This is something that will probably not irritate actual tweens who are into anime. 
What I really think: This is a great choice for fans of this author (Freestyle, The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels), or of graphic novel style fictionalized memoirs like Bermudez's Big Apple Diaries,  Cook's Puzzled, Hale's Real Friends, Krosoczka's Sunshine, Martin's MexiKid, Mercado's Chunky, Ogle's Four Eyes.  Rodriguez and Bell's Doodles From the Boogie Down, Russo's Why Is Everybody Yelling, Santat's A First Time for Everything, Soontornvat's The Tryout, Todd's Timid, Xu's Alterations, and Yu's Lost & Found. 

Well, this graphic got out of hand. And yes, I know it doesn't include Smile. 

Wolves at the Door

Watkins, Steve. Wolves at the Door
December 3, 2024 by Scholastic Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Asta, her mother, and her younger sister Pieta leave Königsberg after the British bomb it in 1944, and go out to her grandparents'farm at the edge of the Romincka Forest to live. Her father is in the army, but they haven heard from him in a while. The grandparents have Wehrmacht guards who are supervising Allied prisoners of war who are working on the farm. As the war continues, the mother makes a plan to go to live with a cousin in Hamburg, and also shows the girls an abandoned cabin where they can hide if anything happens. One day, when the village is out hunting rabbits, the Red Army attacks, and the girls are glad to have the option. Their mother escapes and comes to get them, and tells them that their grandparents have perished. The three head north to get on a ship to cross the Baltic, and team up with Monika, her infant brother Riki, and father Herr Muller. They all secure tickets for the ship, and manage to fight the crowds to get on it. Sadly, the Wilhelm Gustloff is bombed by a Soviet submarine, and while the mother throws the girls onto a lifeboat, she perishes, like about 90% of the other people aboard. Along with Gerhard, a young boy who attaches himself to the girls, they are supposed to get on another ship, but head the other way and decide to go back to Königsberg. Since this is a good distance, Gerhard offers that his aunt and uncle have a farm near the Memel Forest, and after a lot of traveling, sometimes using abandoned carts, they manage to get there. The aunt and uncle are long gone, and there aren't many resources left in the house, but Pieta has suffered from frostbite, and having shelter is a boon. Asta and Gerhard hunt rabbits, bashing in their heads with rocks. They hide this from Pieta, because she is sensitive but really needs to eat. Gerhard is interested in the Lithuanian Forest Brothers, who are seen frequently in the woods around the farm, but they are no help when the Red Army attacks and burns down the house. They end up joining forces with a number of other children (the Wolfskinder), many of whom meet terrible ends. Eventually, Asta finds out from a soldier that Hitler is dead and the war is over, and she and Pieta decide to make the long journey to Hamburg to find their aunt. 

Strengths: Watkins has a couple books about war (Blood on the Road (2018) about Vietnam, and Sink or Swim (2017) about WWII), and brings an interesting twist to the stories. I haven't read too much about the war in the Baltics, but know that it was a particularly fraught situation. Asta and Pieta's experiences would have been all too common, and we see this from both of their perspectives. The way they interact with others on their journey and help each other gives a small spot of hopefulness in a very grim tale. There are several major historical occurrences mentioned, like the bombing of Königsberg, the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, and the children in the Memel Forest, which will be helpful in leading WWII enthusiasts to do further research. There are plenty of good details about life during this time period, and the message is very clear that war is not healthy for children and other living things. 

Weaknesses: I could have used more up front information about when this was set. I was able to look up when Christmas was on a Monday, and pin this to 1944. Even though I had a friend in the Wehrmacht and was in this general area, I still had to look up a lot of background information to help me understand what was going on. I also would have been just as happy to have the entire tale told from Asta's point of view, since Pieta was very young. 
What I really think: This is a very somber choice for older readers who like their World War II stories to have a survival aspect to them, like Nielsen's Lines of Courage, Skrypuch's Traitors Among Us, or Nannestad's We Are Wolves, which is also set in East Prussia. 

My So-Called Family

Gordon, Gia. My So-Called Family

November 12, 2024 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
E ARC provided by Netgalley

Ash Dalton has been in foster care since her mother was arrested and jailed for methamphetamine production when Ash was four. She had a number of placements, including one she hoped was going to be permanent, but which fell through when the parents were expecting twins. She has lived with Gladys, and even moved to a different house so that Gladys' adult son Jordan, his infant son Marcus, and Marcus' mother Renee could live there as well. Renee works at a local grocery store and is kind to Ash, but Jordan is volatile, fighting with Renee, sometimes hitting her, and yelling at Ash. In school, Ash is treated badly by classmates, who don't support her "masculine" style of dress. Some classmates, like Matt and Wiz, Photoshop offensive pictures of her and spread them around to other students. Luckily, she does have a friend in the quirky Gentry, whose mother passed away, leaving his father struggling with making sure Gentry had clean clothes, which led him to dress in things like bowling and old tuxedo shirts. Ash also is treated well by Joss, and isn't quite sure how she feels about her, although Gentry thinks Ash has a crush on the girl. Some of the teachers are more supportive than others; Ms. Moua and Ms. Kim seem to care about Ash, and even the gym teacher is understanding when Ash is late because she doesn't want to change in front of other people. In Mr. Mann's class, there is a family tree assignment, and Ash doesn't know what to do about it. Things continue to worsen at home, with Jordan cutting down trees on the property and making her watch Marcus when she should be doing homework. On a couple of occasions, she goes to Gentry's house, and his father Sam is very understanding, but also lets her know that he will be talking to her case worker. When Jordan becomes angry after Ash stands up to him, Ash calls the police, worried that Jordan will hit Renee or Marcus. After that, Gladys tells her to spend the night at Gentry's to let Jordan cool down, and Ash knows that she has to get help with her situation. She lets both Ms. Kim and her gym teacher know, and finds help from Joss, who is dealing with the fact that her "friends" are homophobic and say mean things about the fact that she has two fathers. One of Joss' fathers was in foster care as a teen, and with several adults reporting Ash's situation to social services, she finally gets the help she needs. 

Strengths: While there are a number of middle grade novels about tweens in foster care, they usually are depicted as having come from difficult situations, but having a much better experience when they arrive at their current placement. It's good to have a wide variety of experiences of foster care depicted, so that young readers don't see the experience as monolithic. Ash, who tries to wear very androgynous clothes, is not described as transgender, and again, this is a portrayal that I have not seen in books, although there have been a number of girls in my years of teaching who dress in more traditionally "masculine" ways. I loved that the teachers were keeping an eye on Ash, and that she had so many adults helping her out in the end. The friendship with Joss and Gentry were very sweet, and there was even some explanation of why some of the bullies were so particularly mean. 
Weaknesses: It always seems odd to me that teachers wouldn't be aware of bullying; Ash is treated very badly pretty openly. Also, eating lunch in the library does not solve problems. The teachers at my school long ago gave up family tree projects, and best practice for assigning projects is to give students a choice, which is especially important in the case of a project like this. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who found Moranville's Forget-Me-Not Blue or Carter's Forever, or a Long, Long Time interesting. It also reminded me a bit of Toalsen's Something Maybe Magnificent in that the home environment was problematic. 

#WNDB Chapter Books

While most of the books I review are most suitable for grades 6-8, I read a number of picture books and early chapter books for Young Adult Books Central. I love the range of cultures that we've seen represented in early chapter books since 2014. If you work with younger students, definitely check out some of these!

Fang, Vicky. Ava Lin, Best Friend

June 4, 2024 by Candlewick

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central 

Ava is a very 2020's kind of gal; she's impetuous, fearless, and often acts without thinking. Her family reacts productively to her most of the time, and keeps her worst impulses in check. It's interesting to compare characters from the history of early chapter books; Haywood's 1930s era B is for Betsy would be considered quite the prissy, too well behaved girl today, and Parks 1990s Junie B. Jones would probably have a diagnosis, medication, and a therapist! Ava is somewhere in the middle, and is a realistic, young character who is trying to figure out her life.

This is a very early chapter book, and perfect for readers who are the same age as Ava, and just starting to be able to hand more extended text. The black and white line drawings are expressive and help support text comprehension.

Ava would be a good friend to Hiranandani's Phoebe Green, DiCamillo's Bink and Gollie, and Manushskin's Katie Woo. I would love to read some of these with a first graders and see what they think of the different ways that children behave in books!

Good Points Ava is very excited to be starting first grade, especially since her cousin Nikki, who is in fifth grade, met her very best friend when she was that age. Ava is well prepared, with two lunch boxes and a dress with pockets. She is excited about Spaulding Elementary and her teacher, Ms. Montgomery. She sits next to Kushi, who seems friendly enough. At lunch, Kushi offers her a delicious looking crunchy snack, but having seen how her parents act when they are offered something to try, she declines, even though she is disappointed. Later, Ava finds a small, sparkly jewel stuck to her chair, and puts it in her pocket. Because Kushi has been so nice, she offers the jewel to her, and is sad when her new friend actually accepts it. Of course, this means that Ava is able to have some crunchy snacks until Ms. Montgomery reminds them that there is a very strict no sharing policy. Ava likes small, exciting finds like snail shells and anything sparkly, and these often end up in her pockets. So does a crayon, and her mother decides that Ava has to wear a dress with no pockets to school. Of course, Ava finds a sparkly stone while the class is doing a mosaic art project. To keep it safe, she puts it in her EAR. This results in Ava's mother having to come get her and take her to the doctor to have the stone removed. Ava gets to wear pockets again, and is now friends with Kushi. She has yet to fully bedazzle her notebook, but she's working on it, and will be able to progress further in Ava Lin: One of a Kind, which is being published in January of 2025. 

Vaughan, Aliya and Azzouz, Rakaiya (Illustrator).

Wrestling Against Anger: Sulaiman's Challenging Neighbour #4
June 18, 2024 by Kube Publishing Ltd
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Sulaiman lives in a housing estate with his mother, father, and young sister Hannah. He is glad to take more responsibility and to help out, so is glad to be asked to go to the local store to get bread and milk. However, there is a man who has been hanging out in the area, yelling at passersby. He is older and doesn't look particularly kempt, and he shouts his abuse at everyone. Sulaiman's mother reminds him to be kind, and the idea of patience and self restraint is repeated by his judo teacher. When the man, Mr. Cartwright, yells at Sulaiman's family when they are on their way home from the market, Sulaiman thinks that he might need to use his judo skills to protect his family. Instead, Mr. Cartwright falls and hurts himself badly. Sulaiman's father is passing by the market, and insists that they all wait until the paramedics arrive. The mother gets a blanket from their apartment, and even though the man is still angry and shouting, they all wait. When help arrives, Sulaiman's father wants to go to the hospital with Mr. Cartwright, in case he needs anything. The doctors think Mr. Cartwright has a broken hip, but it turns out to just be some high blood pressure and heart issues that could be helped by reining in his anger. He eventually warms to Sulaiman's family after it is apparent that his own family situation was unfortunate. They invite their neighbor to join them at a charity fair on Christmas, and he surprises them by cleaning up well and being friendly. Sulaiman's parents remind him that it is important to be kind to everyone, even those who seem to deserve it least.

This is the fourth in a series of books that includes A Race to Prayer (Salah): Sulaiman's Rewarding Day, Turning Back to Allah: Sulaiman's Caving Calamity and Learning to Deal with Loss: Sulaiman and the Tides of Change, and is published by a press that devotes itself to Muslim authors and issues. There are a lot of religious details that are worked into the story in a realistic way, and there are even quotes from religious texts to support the various ideals.

This has a definite British feel to it, but most of the story will be accessible to US audiences as well. I appreciated that Sulaiman was involved in judo, and had squabbles with his younger sister. The parents were both very supportive, even though they were busy working and taking care of the household.

There are full color interior illustrations that will appeal to readers who like pictures with their stories. Looking at the cover, I thought this might be a graphic novel, but it wasn't. The text is simple, and the book is only about 80 pages long, so this would be a good choice for emergent readers who enjoyed family stories with Muslim characters like Nuurali's Sadiq series, Faruqi's Meet Yasmin!, Khan's Zayd Saleem or Rauf's The Boy at the Back of the Class.

This was rather didactic in tone, and reminded me a tiny bit of either the Veggietales or Davey and Goliath videos, even those are aggressively Christian. Something about the combination of story and illustrations had me humming the Veggietales theme song to myself!

Lee, Lyla and Ho, Dung (illustrator).
Mindy Kim and the Mid-Autumn Festival (Mindy Kim #10)
September 26, 2023 by Aladdin
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Mindy'a father gets a call from Korea that his own father has passed away. After a hasty consultation with his wife, Julie, they tell Mindy that the family will be traveling back to attend the grandfather's funeral and celebrate Chuseok with the extended family. Mindy has good memories of her Harabeogi, but is excited to go back to Korea, and to see her Halmeoni (grandmother). First, they have to drive from Orlando to Atlanta, and it's a long flight. The extended family welcomes them, and the preparations for the funeral and the Chuseok celebration begin. Mindy is able to talk to her cousins, who miss Harabeogi even more than she does, and gets a lot of insight into the traditional ways that lives are celebrated. She helps with the shopping and food preparation, and is interested in the way that the feast is presented to the deceased ancestors before the living are invited to partake. The Kim family has a burial plot in the mountains. There's a lot of traffic, since everyone is celebrating, but the family plot is deeply historical, and Mindy learns a little about the 25 generations of her family whose ashes are interred there. The family also goes to a historical village so that Mindy and her cousins, as well as some of the aunts and uncles, can play traditional autumn festival games. Mindy knows that her Harabeogi would want the family to enjoy themselves for the holiday, and is glad that he is first and foremost in everyone's mind as the celebrate both the festival and his life.

Elementary school students often experience their first funerals around this age, and it is frequently a grandparent who passed away. Funerals vary from culture to culture, but books depicting funerals are a good way of helping children navigate both their grief and unfamiliar experiences.

It's very common for children to not know their cousins well or see them often, so it was good to see Mindy get along with her cousins, and to be able to hear their memories of her grandfather without being too jealous. I loved that she also got some insight into her father's younger years by talking to her uncle.

It is more common to find picture books about death and grief, and while this is certainly a major part of this book, it is more a book about being with family and celebrating together. Several other popular chapter book series touch on holidays and celebrations as well, so I would recommend Florence's Jasmine Toguchi: Mochi Queen, Saadia Faruqi's Marya Khan and the Incredible Henna Party, and Reem Faruqi's Anisa's International Day as titles to consider if you like this Mindy Kim installment.

The Empty Place

Cole, Olivia. The Empty Place
November 12, 2024 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Henry Lightfoot (whose real name is Henrietta), has struggled for a year after the disappearance of her father. If happened on her birthday, which adds another level of sadness to everything. He was an explorer, and a content creator for a YouTube channel who talked about having adventures. He went missing from the nearby Quivandel forest, which seemed very out of character. Henry has tried to come to terms with the disappearance, hanging out with her best friend Ibtihaj. When her father shows up, again on her birthday, Henry is glad he's back but has a hard time dealing with all of the emotions he return brings up. He gives her a necklace wrapped in a map, and doesn't have a good explanation for what happened. It would have been helpful if he had, because when she goes into Quinvandel to try to get away from the tension at home, she falls. She thinks it is a sinkhole, but it goes on for longer than she suspects it should, and when she lands, she is in a strange place, being pursued by monsters. She eventually runs into a boy who takes her to his community. Angie is the one who deals with newcomers to This Place, but even she doesn't have a lot of answers. No one does. There are a lot of odd things that happen; when new people come, their names appear over beds in the dormitory, and if they manage to leave, the name disappears. Javier cooks for everyone, even though no one really needs food. There's a concensus that time works differently , but no one seems to know how one can leave. Henry meets Wolfson, who was lost and came to This Place when he was very young, and who has only the vaguest memory that his mother and grandmother weren't nice. Ndidi, who is from Nigeria, isn't quite sure why she got lost, either. Things are becoming unsettled in the area, with animal attacks increasing, weather being odd, and time slipping about in even more unusual ways than it normally does. Henry works with Wolfson and Ndidi, who help out Angie, but also tries to follow her father's map and find clues to his existence in This Place. She talks to Christopher, the junk man, who has her father's compass, but he isn't helpful. She manages to get into the Small Place and meet Emma, who has managed to leave, but who has come back again. She manages to get to the fountain of truth, but it tells her that her father is a thief. When one of the women in the community house is bitten, the three children go on a quest to meet the witch, also known as the woman at the top of the world, to try to figure out a cure. Will they be able to figure out what is going on, and how to return to their homes? 

Strengths: The idea of slipping into another world is always amusing, and is always open to new interpretations. In titles as wide ranging as Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth (1961), Jones' The Dark Lord of Derkholm (1998), or Durst's Even and Odd (2021), there is something very appealing to middle grade readers about having adventures far from one's home. There are scary elements as well, since everyone wants to get home, but no one knows how. Henry puts in a good effort to discover facets about her father's personality as well as his visit, and attempts to use this knowledge to get home herself. This title explores the concepts of truth, being "lost", and discovering things that one must learn before being able to learn and grow. 
Weaknesses: Most portal fantasies have a little more action an adventure than this did. It was also a bit disconcerting that no one in This Place seemed to know much information about it, and we never really get a good explanation of what has happened to either Henry or her father. This has a bit of a young adult feel to the philosophical exploration. 
What I really think: This might be a good choice for readers who enjoyed allegorical fantasies like Britt's The Lost Track of Time or Malienko's This Appearing House. 

Brooks, Nick. Everything Interesting Keeps Happening to Ethan Fairmont

November 5, 2024 by Union Square Kids

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

While I really enjoyed Nothing Interesting Ever Happens to Ethan Fairmont, I can't get my students (who are apparently oddly fantasy averse) to pick it up. There's probably a children's literature PhD thesis in this; do my students tend to pick up realistic, humorous books about sports and confine their fantasy to murderous ghosts because we are a Midwestern, suburban environment? I don't know. If your students like science fiction and fantasy series, definitely take a look at this one. 

From the publisher:
Nick Brooks, award-winning filmmaker and acclaimed author of Promise Boys, presents the thrilling conclusion to the Ethan Fairmont trilogy in which Cheese the alien returns to Earth to warn Ethan and his friends of an impending alien invasion.

Before last summer, Ethan’s life was rather uninteresting. Now, Ethan can’t stop interesting things from happening . . .

After a small, six-eyed alien crash landed into his life, Ethan made a new otherworldly best friend. Now Cheese has returned to Earth, bringing his family and a warning of the Light Thieves’ plans to invade. Ethan is already reeling from the kidnapping of his beloved guinea pig, Nugget, and a dangerous reality sets in after one bold Light Thief sheds its disguise to attack Ethan on his front lawn.

Ethan needs his friends now more than ever, but as he and RJ continue to clash, tensions continue to rise within the group. On top of all that, he still hasn’t figured out how to deal with his feelings for Di. With an alien invasion on the horizon, and The Bureau for Weird Happenings indisposed, can Ethan and his friends work together to save Earth once and for all?

E.T. meets Stranger Things in the final chapter of this remarkable middle grade sci-fi adventure series, perfect for readers ages 8 to 12.

MMGM- The Ancient World

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

I noticed that our sixth grade social studies classes are now called Regions and Peoples of the Eastern Hemisphere, so I wonder if seventh grade will be changing anytime soon. For now, the curriculum includes ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, as well as the Renaissance. Since I taught Latin, I always look forward to when students have projects on ancient Rome. Here are some books you might want to look at if you share my interest in these topics. 

Sekaninova, Stepanka. 

Magical Museum: Ancient Egypt
August 06, 2024 by Albatros Media
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Opening this book awakens a sacred scarab and unleashes him on a museum of ancient Egypt. Never fear, for a mummified cat has also come to life, and promises to help the reader catch the scarab, encountering a lot of information about this fascinating ancient culture in the meantime. This starts with an explanation of the mummification process, which is kept brief and factual, although it does discuss the fact that people's internal organs were taken out and stored in canopic jars. Older elementary students will love the details, but it might be a bit much for younger ones. There's a nice array of mummies shown, with brief information about their dates and roles. Sarcophagi and tombs are also covered, and I even learned a few things, like the fact that before pyramids, people were laid to rest in smaller tombs called mastabas. I've studied the ancient world quite a bit, so if I learn something from a book, it's got to be packed with information!

I was expecting that this book would just talk about the pyramid and the mummy, but we also get to follow the scarab and cat into the museum cinema, and get quite a complete look at life in Egpyt as well! It discusses they ways that both the wealthy and the not so wealthy went about their days, and even has a brief discussion on the rights and roles of women. Furniture, art, food, fun and games, and clothing and makeup all are covered; it's not enough information for a school project on one of the smaller aspects of culture, but certainly has enough for a general report! I liked that there was both a table of contents as well as an index at the end of the book.

While the cat and the scarab (as well as a cadre of rats making snarky remarks in the footnotes) might seem a little goofy, they are an easy way to get younger readers interested in history. I would have adored this as a child, and certainly would have read and reread this book. It would also be a good accompaniment to some of the middle grade fictional tales set in ancient Egypt, like Moss' Pharoah's Secret, Napoli's Lights on the Nile, and Rubalcaba's The Wadjet Eye, which starts with the main character mummifying his mother. Magical Museum would be a great way to understand the starting chapters in that story.

The illustrations are very helpful, and do a good job of showing what the artifacts looked like, as well as the settings in which they were found and used. There are funny touches, like the mummified cat and the rats, who show up in unusual places, but in general, there is a real effort to replicate the museum setting and to use the illustrations in an informative way.

In my state, ancient Egypt is studied in the sixth grade social studies curriculum, but it's never too early to learn about different places in the world and their history. Shelve this book in the 932's (the Dewey Decimal System number for Egypt up to 640!) along with Berger's The Unofficial Guide to the Ancient Egyptian Afterlife, England's Mummies Unwrapped, or Honovich's 1,000 Facts About Ancient Egypt. For older readers who want more information, pick up Fleming's excellent The Curse of the Mummy: Uncovering Tutankhamun's Tomb, which does a great job of showing that there really WASN'T a curse!

Marx, Jonny and Prabhat, Chaaya (illustrator). 

Hide and Seek History: Ancient Greece
April 16, 2024 by 360 Degrees
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Young readers are fascinated by Ancient Greece and Rome once they are introduced to it; look at the success o f the 2005 The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, and all of the other books that have come out since. I was a Latin teacher many years ago, and my students loved to learn about the history of ancient civilizations as well as the language. It's not a surprise that this superb book was first published in Great Britain; if you want some excellent deep dives into Greece and Rome, there are a lot of fantastic titles published by the British Museum, and I even managed to score a CD of Deary's The Rotten Romans that came in a box of Frosties cereal when I visited London back in 2000.

This is a gorgeous book crammed with lots of facts, and the lift a flap format is constantly fascinating. This is more of an introduction that a systematic investigation of ancient culture, and centers nicely on the archaeology and what various finds have told us about the Greeks as well as mythology. One of my favorite pages was the Labors of Hercules, arranged rather like a clock, with a flap for each one of the tasks he completed. There's a nice spread on "Ancient Greek Geeks" which covers all of the various scholarly pursuits like literature, astronomy, math, zoology, and philosophy, and also one on war and combat. This finishes with an exploration of daily life that gives an updated view of slavery, as well as a timeline.

I was impressed with the depth of scholarship on the facts. The pages on archaeology included a brief biography of Spyridon Marinatos; I studied with his daughter, Nanno, who lead tours of various archaeological sites for some of my college classes when I lived in Athens. The fact that Homer might not have been one person is addressed, and this gets double bonus points for mentioning that Minoan bull jumping, widely depicted in the art on Crete, was probably not an actual thing.

Marx' illustrations have a lot of tradional red, black, and tan in them (think red figure and black figure pottery), but also have some lovely blues and violets that made me think of the Disney Hercules movie. There are a lot of flaps, sometimes two deep, that will entice children to spend a lot of time looking through this book. Some of these were a little hard to open; I would recommend going through the book with a think but blunt letter openener and opening all of the flaps before giving it to any children, to cut down on frustration as well as damage.

There are not a lot of picture books about Ancient Greece, and this would be fun for younger readers to page through, although the reading level is more suited to older children. If you need more than one book on the topic, I'd also look at Ancient Greece for Kids (Unfolding the Past, 2), DK's Eyewitness: Ancient Greeks, and (for readers who want more information and fewer pictures), The Thrifty Guide to Ancient Greece: A Handbook for Time Travelers by Stokes and Bonet.

Ruzicka, Oldrich and Tuma, Tomas (illus.) Ancient Rome for Kids
June 04, 2024 by Albatros Media
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

It is always more fun to fold out pages than just turn them, and this clever arrangement is put to good use in this fact packed overview of Ancient Rome. Starting with a plain map and basic history, we can fold the page up and find out more about food, the names of the Seven Hills, and other facts. Other pages include an exploration of the Roman Republic, with a timeline, sidebars about murex and different kinds of clothing, which folds up to have a nice discussion of architecture. The pages about the Roman Empire have various dignitaries like Caesar, as well as more information about the way society was structured. I really liked the map and the many different architectural innovations for which the Romans were responsible. The Roman military gets a lot of coverage, as do gladiators, which will be a huge selling point for young history geeks.

This has lots of information, and it's best to just let it wash over you, rather than looking for a systematic representation of all facets of Roman culture broken down into neat chapters. There are a lot of books like that, but they aren't nearly as interesting.

This nonfiction book is beautifully illustrated and offers a wide array of random facts about Ancient Rome. It would be a good way to get a young reader interested in this topic, and there is also a similar book about Ancient Greece and Egypt. There isn't an index, so it wouldn't be all that useful for research, but it is a fantastic book to introduce fun facts about Ancient Rome to young readers.

Help Wanted: One Rooster and Fergus and Zeke on the Farm

I always find it interesting when middle grade authors turn their hands to other things, so when I get a chance to look at books for younger children from some of my favorite authors, it's always a lot of fun!

Falatko, Julie and Stegmaier, Andrea. Help Wanted: One Rooster

June 18, 2024by Viking Children's Books

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Sheep and Cow are very invested in their busy, hardworking farm, but latelyl things have not been optimal; their rooster has been sleeping in, so all of the other animals are not waking up on time and getting work done. Cow sets off to find a new rooster, and interviews some interesting candidates. There is a rooster who seems suitable, but who would rather ring a bell than cock-a-doodle-doo. A chicken applies and suggests that she will wake the farm with the smell of fresh brewed coffee. A small bird wants the job, mainly so he can push a button and wake everyone, but there is no button! Finally, an insensible blob applies, but since it can barely be understood, it's glossed over. It turns out that the rooster has turned the farm into a successful rock moosic venue, and that's why he hasn't been getting up until 2 p.m. A compromise is finally made; the four applicants will be hired, but it is their job to rouse the rooster, assure his sunrise performance, and then let him get back to sleep!

I love Falatko's Two Dogs in a Trench Coat middle grade series, and have to say that I am not the most enormous fans of picture books. They're often just silly and twee, and when my own children were small, I was often guilty of rearranging the stories to make them more interesting to ME. Falatko does this for discerning adults who want to be able to chuckle at books that they have to read night after night, and I appreciate that. There are plenty of highfalutin' vocab words, too, which is excellent; my daughter was routinely using the word "ostensibly" by the time she was four!

Young readers will find plenty of out and out goofiness in the story, but it's also a good book to introduce conversations about applying for jobs! How could Cow have advertised the job more effectively? What qualifications would you want in a rooster? I loved how the Help Wanted sign was updated every day a candidate was deemed unworthy!

The illustrations go well with the text, and have plenty of bright colors and exuberant details in the background. I love Cow's topknot, and in her overalls, she looks a little bit like my paternal grandmother! Stegmaier successfully anthropomorphizes the animals so that I really believed they could be running the farm. The rooster's denim jacket is inspired.

Even as the world gets further away from our agrarian past, books set on farms hold their appeal. While there are plenty of versions of The Little Red Hen or Old McDonald's Farm to fill the need for traditional information about farms, there need to be books for those of us who want a little snark along with the traditional red barn. Herd Help Wanted: One Rooster into a pen with Donaldson's A Squash and a Squeeze, Cronin and Lewin's Click Clack Moo Cows That Type, Schertle and McElmurry's Little Blue Truck, or Shaw's Sheep in a Jeep series, which was always a massive hit in my house years ago.

Messner, Kate and Ross, Heather (illustrations). 

Fergus and Zeke and the Great Farm Field Trip

May 7, 2024 by Candlewick

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

In this sixth adventure of Fergus and Zeke, Miss Maxwell has a surprise for the students, and this mice are interested as well. She brings in apples, and asks the children where they grow. The next day, she brings in vegetables, and even pots and dirt in which the children plant beans. They make posters showing how different plants grow. Neela talks about the fact that milk comes from cows, and while some kids don't like milk, they DO like ice cream. Fergus and Zeke are fond of cheese, so rather interested in the whole process. Miss Maxwell's surprise turns out to be a visit to a farm, where the children will pick apples and be able to take a pumpkin home. The trip to the farm is very exciting, and of course the mice manage to stow away in a back pack. Once there, the children get to sample honey, which Zeke manages to spill. Covered in the sticky stuff and separated from the class, he offers to be the tour guide for Fergus. The two try to gather and egg, to no avail, and are also unsuccessful in trying to milk a cow. None of the other animals seem pleased to see them, but they do have a good time swinging on a rope in the barn and lounging on a sunflower. They miss the school bus, but don't seem too concerned, and Miss Maxwell comes back to talk to the farmer, so they just barely manage to sneak into her tote bag and make it home. Back at school, Fergus and Zeke are glad to listen to the students share with them all about the trip, even though they were there!

This is a great early chapter book series for readers, and I especially appreciated the information that was shared about how plants grow and the different food products that come from bees and cows. The illustrations about the mice trying to milk the cows was very accurate, and I'm not surprised they weren't successful. I've seen middle school students who think that strawberries grow on trees, so this is really essential for young readers to understand. I definitely remember going to a Christmas tree farm in kindergarten, but budget cuts may mean that fewer students get to go on field trips. A virtual outing is better than none at all!

This is a great length for beginning readers to process, and the story moves quickly and has a lot of humor. Fergus and Zeke are a bit goofy, so it's fun to watch their exploits.

The fact that this is a series will encourage readers to pick up book after book. Fans of Jarvis' Bear and Bird, Michalak's Frank and Bean, Cordell's Poppy and Cornbread, and Clanton's Narwal and Jelly, and other dynamic duos will be glad to join these intrepid mice on further adventures.

Unicornia- Learning to Fly

Punset, Ana and Vicedo, Diana (illus.) Unicornia: Learning to Fly
December 3, 2024 by Candlewick Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

 
Claudia has just moved to Unicornia, a magical, hidden city that was created to save the unicorns from going extinct. Her parents, who will be running a shop that sells magical food, have failed to let her know that she will be starting immediately at the Unicornia Academy of Magic. This is a bit of a shock, and since school is not her favorite thing, she is a bit apprehensive, even though the air in town smells like the cotton candy that fuels the vehicles. Claudia doesn't do well in her potions class, and in gym, she is supposed to fly, even though everyone else was born in Unicornia and has been flying for much longer. If she doesn't pass the exams, she might have to move down a class. She makes friends with Pippa and Sara who try to reassure her that it's not that bad, and that she just needs some practice and support. They help her bond with her unicorn at school, Chai, by showing her how to groom him, and visit a unicorn shelter with her to help her as well. It takes some work, but Claudia is able to ride Chai and do the tricks required for the exam. She now feels more settled in her new home, and is ready for her next adventure in A Magical Birthday, out in January of 2025. This Spanish series has seven books altogether. 

Strengths: This is a super cute early chapter book that will be required reading for younger elementary school girls who can't get enough of all things unicorn. (Like the headband shown.) This book is about 125 pages long, but heavily illustrated, and the print is large. There are fun maps, lots of pictures of unicorns, and many details about all of the fun things in Unicornia, like a roller coaster in the amusement park made out of strawberry chewing gum. It's good that Claudie makes friends, and that Pippa and Sara are helpful to her. 
Weaknsesses: While I understand that there has to be some tension to create a plot, I wasn't thrilled with the idea that Claudia didn't really like school and talked about her "least favorite subject". I get that middle schoolers have to hate everything in order to be cool, but I hate to see it slip down to the younger students. I LOVED school, and would have taken riding a unicorn as a challenge, not as an onerous task. 
What I really think: Looking at this, I thought it was a graphic novel about a unicorn world that might work for some of my students, but it was a bit too young. It would be great fun for early elementary readers, but I'm just not the target demographic for this one, and I found it a bit twee. For a proper level of middle school snark AND unicorns, you'll have to pick up Simpson's Phoebe and Her Unicorn. 

Poetry Friday- When the Mapou Sings

Pinede, Nadine. When the Mapou Sings
December 3, 2024 by Candlewick Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In 1935, Lucille is living in a small village in Haiti with her father, who is a woodworker, and her aunt Lila, since her mother passed away shortly after Lucille was born. Lucille can hear the mapou tree sing to her, and feels that her mother communicates with her that way. She attends a convent school run by Belgian nuns with her friend Fifina, for whom she has deep feelings. While the people of the village are happy that the occupation by Americans has ended, the new government is not particularly helpful. When Fifina's father, who runs a newspaper, runs afoul of the section chief, he is beaten, and Fifina is forced to become an "outside wife" to him. Lucille is devastated, and shortly after this, her mapou tree is cut down. She reports the tree as stolen to the police, and even takes them to the section chief's house to see that he has cut down the tree. Of course, this puts Lucille in danger. Her father and aunt arrange with her cousin, Phebus, for Lucille to go to the big city and live with Madame Ovide. She has to deal with the housekeeper, Celestina, but sells carvings and wood polish at the market to earn some money to try to get home. Madame's son, Oreste, is home from attending college in New York City, where he is involved with the NAACP. The two slowly fall in love, and when Celestina finds out, Madame Ovide sends Lucille to work in a house she is renting to an American. This American turns out to be Zora Neal Hurston, who is very sympathetic to Lucille. Through a visitor, Lucille finds out that Fifina might have run away from the section chief and lost a baby.  Eventually, Lucille helps Hurston with some of her research, but later gets embroiled in the political unrest, reconnects with Oreste, and even helps save his mother. 

Strengths: While there are a few books about life in Haiti (Danticant's Eight Days and Behind the Mountains) and books about Haitian immigrants to the US,  (Farrar's A Song for Bijou, Arnold's The Year I Flew Away, Rigaud's A Girl's Guide to Love and Magic), I haven't really seen anything about different historical periods in Haiti. This was a fascinating look at an area of the world that is still having many difficulties. Lucille was an interesting character, and seeing her interact with Zora Neale Hurston was quite interesting. 
Weaknesses: Novels in verse are beautiful to read, but often don't have the backgroud information necessary to understand concepts or background that are unfamiliar to young readers. I'm usually pretty good on world history, but even I struggled with putting this story into historical context. 
What I really think: This is similar to a more Young Adult version of Amal Unbound, when it comes to a young woman having to work in domestic servitude, and had a lot of intersting Haitian history in it, but would be better placed in a high school library than a middle school one.