Timeslip Tuesday- Saving the World

Welford, Ross. The Dog Who Saved the World
December 22nd 2020 by Schwartz & Wade Books

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Georgie and her friend Ramzy enjoy hanging out in their seaside English town, romping with Georgie's rescue dog, Mr. Mash, who has a gas problem. When her father's girlfriend, Jessica, turns out to be allergic to dogs, Mr. Mash finds himself on the way back to the St. Woof's dog shelter, so Georgie volunteers there so she can still spend time with him. When the dog runs off with an older woman's bathing cap, the two friends meet the strange Dr. Pretorious. She invites the two to meet her at the Spanish City, and they are introduced to her impressive laboratory and her multisensory virtual reality (MSVR) machine! There are a lot of bugs in it (as well as a scorpion), but Dr. Pretorious enlists the two as coconspirators, and the adventure begins. When a dangerous disease, CBE, starts effecting dogs and threatens to kill them all off, Georgie and Ramzy must rely on Dr. Pretorious and her dubious technology in order to save the world. 

Like this author's The 1,000 Year Old Boy (2019), What Not To Do If You Turn Invisible (2018), and Time Traveling with a Hamster (2016), The Dog Who Saved the World incorporates charming English settings, beloved pets, and children who must venture beyond their comfort zones to deal with threatening situations. I love the MSVR, and the fact that it is still a work in progress with which Georgie and Ramzy must assist. Bonus points for not only having the female Dr. Pretorious, but for also having Jessica involved in biology and researching the CBE. 

The thing that I enjoy most about Welford's work is the feeling of adventure. Sure, you may be a little scared to make a time travel machine out of a bathtub and an old laptop, or if you turn invisible, but what an opportunity these situations present for children to venture out of their comfort zones in order to make positive changes in the world. The upbeat attitude in the face of adversity is always refreshing in middle grade stories, especially in speculative fiction, which has a tendency to turn a bit grim. Adding a farting dog goes a long way to brighten things up. 

This was published in England before the COVID-19 pandemic, but has an extra layer of believability now that we have all seen how diseases can spread and have devastating consequences. This is an interesting mix of time travel and dystopia, and there's a growing list of plague dystopian novels to which this can be added, along with Lu's Legend, Chadda's City of the Plague God,  Hirsch's Eleventh Plague, Ford's Z, and  Burt's chillingly relevant Cleo Porter and the Body Electric.

Wilson, S.G. Enough About Me (Me vs. the Multiverse #2) 

August 17th 2021 by Random House Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Meade Macon and all of his alter egos are back after Pleased to Meet Me, where Meade learned how reality splits and new versions of him are created. His arch nemesis, Meticulous Me, is also back. Meade is currently in the County Youth Development Center because of the crime spree that the other Me's went on, but is approached Meticulous, who is on a mission and so conspires to get Meade out. Understandably wary, Meade reluctantly agrees to help when he discovers Meticulous' plan. There is a Rip in the universe that is threatening not only our world, but many others, and Meticulous has a repair he calls the Stitch that he thinks will help before the Rip makes all of the worlds like Earth Zero. The problem? Meade no longer has any "fizz", and None of Me is working against them and must be found. There are lots of complications, including running into Prez, who doesn't seem to be quite on their side, and encountering various versions of Twig and Nash. None of Me turns out to have a surprising identity, and the quest for the Stitch doesn't end there. The Rip is agitated, so even if the crew finds the Rip, they might not be able to use it. How will Meade and Meticulous be able to work together to repair the universe and get all of the various Me's back to their respective worlds?

Strengths: With the science fiction feel of Kirby's The Spell Robbers and the humor (and page decorations) of Seegert's Sci Fi Junior High, Enough About Me pits Meade not against an adult super villain but against... himself, or at least a version of himself. Sure, there are a few adults in the picture, like Meade's Dr. Who loving parents who program his MeMinder to do annoying things like identify good deeds, but this romp to save the world rests squarely in the sometimes slimy hands of the Me's. While saving the world is a serious business, there's lots of fun to be had along the way. It's good to see several of the more prominent Me's learning to work together, and of course, saving the universe is always a good plan. 
Weaknesses: There are a LOT of Me's, and if I thought too hard about why they existed, my brain hurt. 
What I really think: There should be more speculative fiction duologies. One book is not quite enough to completely develop a world and be a digestible size (200-300 pages), but two books of that size work quite well. This seems like Meade's story is wrapped up, so I will be interested to see what early morning jog inspired stories Wilson comes up with next. 

So, a lot of my household furnishings have been retrieved from other people's trash, and I will take hand-me-downs from just about anyone. This is apparently a completely transparent part of my personality that people can sense even if they don't know it for sure. 

Our choir director, a young man a bit older than my daughters, came into the library and said "This is a really weird question, but my mom asked me to drop some of her old clothes off at Goodwill, and I looked at them and thought 'Ms. Yingling would like some of these.' Would you be offended if I brought them to you?"

Of course not, dear boy. Especially when it means a cool jacket like this magenta beauty that I can wear with a black Chaps dress from 2012 and a pin from my friend Linda's 1990s work wardrobe!

MMGM- Hope Springs

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at 

Teach Mentor Texts 

and 

Unleashing Readers

Berry, Jaime. Hope Springs.

August 10th 2021 by Little, Brown Book for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Jubilee is used to moving from place to place with her Nan, and has a set of rules and procedures to help her transition. She takes a lot of comfort from watching Arletta Paisley's crafting show, and emulates her with all sorts of projects. Her father, Nana's son, passed away when Jubilee was four, and her mother has been working in the music industry with just enough success to keep her going. She's currently touring with a country artist and her longtime friend and manager, Wynn. When her grandmother once again seems itchy to move, Jubilee schemes to get her to pick Hope Springs, Texas, which is Arletts Paisley's hometown. Nana, who works in nursing homes and never has trouble finding a job, agrees, and soon the two are moving into an all pink rental house and getting to know their small town. The mayor's daughter, Abby, wants to make friends, and while it's against Jubilee's policy to make attachments, she can't help but be drawn in to Abby's enthusiasm for fishing (even if she would rather not!), her loan of a bike, and her help in getting to know the town. Of course, Jubilee wants to work some magic on the house decor, which takes her and Nana to the Fabric Barn, a disheveled treasure trove run by Holly. Holly is not a fan of Arletta or the store that sponsors her, SmartMart. SmartMart is supposed to open a branch in Hope Springs, which would put a lot of local concerns, including Holly's, out of business. Jubilee manages to wrangle herself a job with Holly, which is helpful when Nana falls while trying to take down pink drapes and cracks a rib and puts a hairline fracture in her ankle. She's not able to report for work, but Abby's mother uses her mayoral power to get casseroles delivered to the family and some help from Miss Esther, the former middle school librarian. Jubilee doesn't want to tell her mother, but when she is forced to, her mother visits. She is, of course, too busy to stay and help, but she leaves Wynn until Nana is back up and running. Jubilee introduces Abby to Arletta's show, but the two soon realize that something must be done to try to keep SmartMart from coming to town. How will Jubilee reconcile the comfort that Arletta has brought to her life with the damage that might be done to her new home? And how will she convince Nana that staying put isn't so bad? 
Strengths: This would definitely have been a book that I tried to hunt down and buy when I was in middle school. The involved grandmother, crafting, and go-getter attitude that Jubilee has would have ticked all the boxes in books I wanted to read! Middle school readers will also enjoy Jubilee's pragmatic adaptation to moving, her reluctance to make friends, and the kid power shown by Jubilee, Abby, and their friend Colton whose family owns the local hardware store when they try to stop SmartMart. There is also some emotion when Jubilee is dealing with the separation from her mother and the difficulty of frequent moves. What a great, upbeat story about Kids Doing Things and Changing the World, all while wearing freshly pressed t shirts and homemade skirts! 
Weaknesses: Well, I have to bring my own expertise in sewing out here and be picky, right? Holly puts together a quilt for a show in a WEEK? I mean, possible, but not probable. Denim pieces in a Dresden Plate quilt? Also, Jubilee's mother doesn't understand her daughter's love for making her own clothes, but I don't think ANYONE makes clothes today because it is cheaper. Forty years ago, that might have been the case, but it's a lot MORE expensive to make clothes now. Seriously, I appreciated a book that included crafting. There are not too many out there. These are quibbles.
What I really think: This makes me want to go back and reread Shihab Nye's 2005 Going, Going! Even the cover of this one shows a refreshing, happy main character. I'll be glad to get this into students' hands, and will try to match it up with some of my craft books that don't circulate all that well.

 

Today I'll see the sixth graders who didn't come last week. The lesson will just be an introduction to the library.

Coral Liz Baker jacket I've had for a number of years and a navy lace Chaps dress. I like jackets for the air of authority... and the pockets! I often have old page a day calendars with notes from ten years ago in my pockets. I wish there were more women's dresses with sleeves. This is sleeveless, but we are fortunate enough that our school has air conditioning. 

The sparkly pin was my grandmother's (Anna Clark, 1893-1988)-- she always wore dresses, and would wear costume jewelry for special occasions. Since I have 38 cousins on my mother's side, it's one of the few things of hers that I have. The elephant necklace is one I've had for twenty years and is a student favorite.

Athena: Goddess of Wisdom and War

Greenberg, Imogen and Isabel. Athena: Goddess of Wisdom and War
August 9th 2018 by Bloomsbury Children's Books

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

This graphic novel showcases several stories about the ancient Greek goddess Athena. Beginning sketches introduce us to a variety of characters who appear later, and give details about their backgrounds. We learn the story of Athena's birth from the head of Zeus, her battle with Poseidon for the sponsorship of Athens, and a story about Erichthonius, son of Hephaestus, for whom she cared for many years. The latter was a story with which I was unfamiliar, so that was an interesting inclusion. The famous story of Arachne is conveyed, as is the Medusa saga, and several chapters cover the various aspects of the Trojan war and its aftermath. 

The illustrations throughout are in an orange and black palette, reminiscent of black figure pottery, with touches of yellow and gray. The cover has some lovely shiny gold embossing, which makes it really pop. There is copious use of the Greek key design for borders around text and illustrations, which is a nice touch. The text is on the small side, done in all capital letters, which eyes younger than mine will find easier to read than I did. 

The stories are retold in a fairly straightforward interpretation, although there are touches of humor that lighten the stories a bit. These bits are often delivered in speech bubbles next to characters; we have a headless Medusa asking where her head has gone and Athena musing that Medusa's head "looks fearsome on my shield".

There are plenty of compilations of Greek myths, from the 1855 Bulfinch's Greek and Roman Mythology: The Age of Fable to Hamilton's 1942 Mythology to  D'Aulaires 1962 Greek Myths, but that's the beauty of these stories. They were meant to be retold and adapted, and new and improved versions are always becoming available. Donna Jo Napoli's 2011 Treasury of Greek Mythology is a great choice for more text-heavy tales, but I would love to see the Greenbergs collaborate on collections of stories about other members of the Pantheon. 

Shark Summer

Marcks, Ira. Shark Summer

May 25th 2021 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central 

In this graphic novel, we meet Gayle, who has moved to Martha's Vineyard from Boston so that her mother can open up an ice cream store. She had been the star of her local soft ball team, until a bad play caused her to be injured and to be at odds with her new best friend, Alex. It's summer, and with her arm in a cast, Gayle is not in a good mood. Her mother, however is. There is a major feature film being produced in their seaside town, and her mother thinks she will get a small role in it that will pay well. While she is trying out, Gayle tries to paint their new storefront, but isn't having much luck. She does run into Elijah, the son of a reporter covering the filming, with whom she attended school in Boston. He is a budding cinematographer himself, and under the pretense of getting material for his father, asks Gayle to take him around the island. He has a moped, and the two cover a lot of ground. It turns out that Elijah's father doesn't pay a lot of attention to him, and Gayle's mother gives up the idea of opening her business for the chance to earn a decent income at the local hotel... where Elijah is staying and which is owned by Alex's mother. When Elijah finds out about a contest for young filmmakers with a large cash prize, he and Gayle want to enter, but struggle to find a topic for their film. Aided by a special effects guru working on the film and eventually by Alex and other friends, Gayle and Elijah investigate a local mystery that not everyone in town wants uncovered. 

Graphic novels sometimes don't have very involved plots, but there is plenty going on in Shark Summer. There's friend drama with Alex, a travel guide with Elijah, a historical mystery, and a new friend. Add movie special effects, family financial circumstances, and the fact that this seems to all take place in the mid 1970s when movie cameras took actual film, and it all adds up to an interesting graphic novel not unlike Michael Beil's Summer at Forsaken Lake, albeit on Martha's Vineyard instead of Lake Erie. 

Of course, the inclusion of a Jaws- like film will draw readers to this immediately, but the Atwood Terror, and the myriad reactions of the local residents to this historical figure being discussed gives this a deeper plotline. Even though the text is not super dense, the story is well developed, and we get a good feel for the town, the characters, and the importance of rapidly fading local history. 

Readers who like mysteries that delve into the past like Chalfoun's The Treasure of Maria Mamoun , Korman's Notorious, and Cummings' Trace will enjoy this graphic novel mystery, adn may even be motivated to go hunt down some elderberry ice cream to go along with it. 

 

Being Clem

Cline-Ransome, Lesa. Being Clem

August 3rd 2021 by Holiday House

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this companion to Finding Langston and Leaving Lymon, we meet Clem, whose family is struggling after the death of his father in the Port Chicago disaster. His mother is holding on to hope that there will be some monetary compensation from the government, but when this does not materialize, tries to go back to work as a secretary. She has gone to college and worked in Washington, D.C.,where family still lived, but is unable to find similar work in Chicago, and ends up taking work as a maid for the Franklin family. Older sisters Annette and Clarissa try to help out around the house,, but Clem is told to concentrate on his studies. He is a bright student, and even though he is on the smaller side, is advanced a grade. He runs into some trouble from bully Curtis, but has a friend from his apartment building, Errol, with whom he hangs out, and meets Lymon, who is new to the school. Clem's mother prevails upon her employers to let Clem take swimming lessons along with their son, before the pool opens. This is a great opportunity that the mother secures by playing up her employers sympathy for the death of her husband, and unusual because Blacks and whites were often not allowed to use the same pool. Unfortunately, the lessons make Clem extremely anxious, thinking about the death of his father, and he claims illness until the lessons are canceled. The children spend some time visiting relatives, and another attempt at swimming lessons doesn't go any better. When a new boy, Langston, comes to the school, Lymon calls him "country" and gives him a hard time, but Clem finds an unexpected connection with the quiet, book loving boy. After watching a swim meet at his sisters' high school, Clem approaches the coach about his fear of swimming, and gets lessons from one of his sister's friends. 

Strengths: I love all of the details of family dynamics in this series, and the Chicago setting during the Great Migration. Visiting relatives in other cities, hearing about the mother's experiences growing up, and seeing how Langston is perceived by his classmates during the late 1940s is kind of fascinated. There's also a lot about family dynamics; not only is Clem's family struggling with the wartime death of the father, but Errol's father is abusive. More importantly, they are all books about young boys navigating their way through school and friendships, and this really resonates with my readers. Including Clem's attempts to master swimming will add to the appeal, and the cover is fantastic! The short length makes them appealing to those who normally don't pick up historical fiction. I'm looking forward to recommending this series to my students, and can't wait to see what Cline-Ransome writes next. 
Weaknesses: These are short books, so I could have used even more details about daily life at the time. More food, more exploits at school, and more descriptions of the apartment and what Clem wore. I was oddly fascinated by the bathing suit that his mother bought him! Lymon's story is secondary, and while he does spent time in the juvenile detention system in his own book, it seemed a bit abrupt when it happened in this book.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing, and am glad to have this book to entice readers to pick up more historical fiction. Also, I sort of want to read Enid Blyton's Famous Five series, like Clem does!

All of the students are back today! Hooray! Only two classes scheduled, but hope to see a lot from study halls. 

Petite Sophisticate (RIP 2009) jacket in Blendon Blue, and another Lands End Knit dress in black. I like to think I'm average height, but at 5'1", I am average only in a middle school setting.

Feel particularly clever with my Aesopian choice of jewelry today!

While my mother was a fan of heels, I wear Clarks loafers almost exclusively, since I inherited the foot problems from my father's side of the family. I could run a 5k in my usual outfits, and some days, it feels like I do!

 

Dog Squad

Grabenstein, Chris. Dog Squad

May 11th 2021 by Random House BFYR
Ohio Digital Library copy

Fred once had a good home with Susan, but when she got engaged, he ended up in a shelter, and then with Tony Bomboloni, who just wants to train him as a vicious guard dog and sell him for big money. Fred's one joy is watching the television show Dog Squad, starring Duke, Nala, and Scruffy as dogs who help fight injustice and save the day. When he runs afoul of Tony, however, he is kicked out. He runs into tough dogs Dozer and Petunia, and eventually ends up in a shelter. When he and a chihuahua put on a little dance, he comes to the attention of Jenny Yen and her niece Abby, who are looking for dogs with a bit of a spark to include in a Broadway production. Fred is thrilled to be chosen and meet his idol, but the play doesn't go as he hoped. Duke has broken a leg, and since Fred is a ringer for him, he goes to a grocery store opening posing as the Dog Squad member, and manages to save the day in more ways than one. He ends up standing in for Duke in a lot of episodes, and Jenny and the producers as pleased because he does a better job than Duke, who is fairly unpleasant most of the time. Another dog is added to the show, Tater Tot, and Fred mentors. When Duke breaks two more legs, it's decided that Fred will take over permanently. Duke doesn't like this, and enlists the Chow Cha-Cha to sabotage Fred's performances, and causes Fred's competence to be called into question. When the Dog Squad faces real danger, will Fred be able to save the day?
Strengths: My favorite thing is some of the philosophy that Fred learns, such as: FEAR can either stand for Forget Everything and Run or Face Everything and Rise, and there's a lot of talk (as the dogs have to do things that are scary, even if they are the film version of scary) about courage being doing what needs to be done even when one is afraid. Of course, Jenny and her Second Chance Ranch full of rescue dogs with special talents is fantastic. Fred's story is compelling, and there are a variety of interesting characters, both dogs and humans, in the story. I like the comparison to Bolt (2008), although I doubt that anyone remembers that movie anymore. 
Weaknesses: At first, I thought this would be something like Katt vs. Dogg, which just rubbed me the wrong way. I'm glad that this ended up being better than I expected! I was a little disappointed in the slight stereotyping around Tony. 
What I really think: Definitely purchasing, since this has a good mix of dogs, television production, and mystery. It's great that Fred is based on Grabenstein's own late dog, Fred, who came into his life because of a trainer who picked up strays for use in stage productions and then rehomes them! 

The 6th graders start today so they can learn about lockers, understand the cafeteria, and work with Where Everybody Belongs (W.E.B.) leaders on team building activities. The library is usually a stop on the scavenger hunt, and at least two classes are coming to check out books.

I would normally wear a jacket, but the heat index is supposed to be 105 tomorrow, and I expect it will be toasty even in the air-conditioned building.

$4 in this outfit- I won the necklaces, which is beads made from rolled up magazine pages. Want to say it was from From the Mixed-Up Files site, but not sure. They have a lot of fun content, so you should check them out!

The Great Destroyers

Richmond, Caroline Tung. The Great Destroyers

August 3rd 2021 by Scholastic Press 

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this alternate history, Josephine Lindner is an excellent mecha fighter, but in the early 1960s, it's hard for girls to excel in this sport. She would love to play in the Pax Games that were instituted after WWII, but since she lives in a poorer neighborhood, her school team has never brought her to prominence. Her late mother was Chinese, and her repair shop owner father is white, which has led to some prejudice, although Jo is often able to "pass" and gets comments that perhaps she has some Mediterranean ancestry. In order to get money for her family, she participates in an illegal mecha fight, but that is raided by the police, and she loses the money she earns for it in her flight from the law. When Senator Appleby, who has recently taken over for her husband after his passing, shows up, Jo is worried, but it turns out that the senator was a mecha coach and also wants to champion the accomplishments of girls and women. When a competitor for the US team is injured, Senator Appleby offers a position to Jo! Soon, she's whisked off to Washington, D.C. for the games, but the don't go smoothly. There's Cold War tension, discrimination because she is female, and then problems with competitors being attacked! Jo is close to a couple of the other fighters before they are indisposed, and comes under scrutiny. She works with her teammate, Sam, whose family is very wealthy, to improve her fighting. Even though each country has a team, the competition is individual, which helps Jo when her background finally comes to light, just as she is the only US team member left in the fight. Will she be able to bring home the victory for the US team, and solve the mystery of the sabotage as well?
Strengths: Alternate history is a great way to bring attention to modern issues in a historical context, and adding a Mid Century Modern Steampunk feel was very fun. Jo's economically disadvantaged background contrasts nicely with Sam's privileged one and brings focus to inequities. I loved Senator Appleby, and her background as a mecha coach. Her rise into office makes sense for the time period, and certainly by 1963, things were starting to change a bit for women. (A couple of years later, my mother refused to quite her teaching job because she was pregnant, and was successful in staying in her position even after my brother and I were born.) Certainly, after WWII, there was even more prejudice against people from Asian countries than there is now, and I appreciated that Jo is able to work in a lesson with her coach about not using "Oriental" to refer to people. The sabotage and the mystery surrounding it made the pages turn quickly, and showcased a lot of the fears during this era. 
Weaknesses: I could not for the life of me envision the mecha fighting... suits? This made some of the battles hard to follow. I would have needed a diagram, I think! Also, this would be more engaging for students who have a little background in the Cold War, which in Ohio isn't usually studied until high school. 
What I really think: This is a bit on the long side, but there is a growing interest in the Cold War with my students, especially those taking the compacted 8th grade history class. This won't circulate wildly in my library, but it will be a big hit with the right readers. It's a good combination of Zhao's Last Gamer Standing, Chen's Ultraball, and Blackwood's Year of the Hangman. Richmond has a number of other war and alternate history titles, like The Darkest Hour. 

Wang, Andrea. The Many Meanings of Meilan

August 17th 2021 by Kokila

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Meilan Hua's family is struggling after the death of her grandmother, and the family business, the Golden Phoenix bakery, is a major article of contention. Although Meilan's father, Bàba  runs the bakery and employs several other family members, they suspect there is more money than he is letting on, especially after Meilan tells her younger cousin a story about gold coins. Finally, the family sells the bakery, and the Huas take off to visit a variety of friends and relatives, with her grandfather,  Gōnggong in tow. Eventually, they end up in the small town of Redbud, Ohio, where several signs, including a job as a pastry chef and a small house to rent, lead Bàba to want to settle there. Meilan is less convinced, especially once her mother takes her to register at the school. The principal, Mr. Reynard, is very offputting, and even suggests that Meilan is too foreign a name, and that she should go by Melanie. The teachers are not very sympathetic, either, with some exceptions. Meilan misses her family in Boston, and is determined to fly under the radar in her new school, where some bullies, like Liam, try to make her feel unwelcome. Liam's twin brother, Logan, is quite nice, even though Meilan doesn't trust him at first. There are a couple of school projects; reading The Wizard of Earthsea is enjoyable, but the Veteran's Day project is uncomfortable. Meilan wants to interview Gōnggong , who was in the military during the Vietnam Conflict, but he doesn't want to talk about the past. Meilan makes a plan with Logan to introduce the school report, but Liam gets in the way. When a courtyard at school is vandalized, Meilan is blamed and suspended, although Liam did it. On the anniversary of her grandmother's death, things are still in turmoil, and her grandfather is missing just as a tornado approaches the town. Even if she finds her grandfather and keeps him safe, will the new town ever feel like home? 
Strengths: This had a level of family controversy I've not seen in middle grade fiction, but definitely happens in real life, especially when it comes to money and inheritance. The closeness of the extended family, as well as the extensive cultural background, was fascinating and great to see. There's a lot of transliterated Mandarin, and a nice list of sayings at the back of the book. While the principal was quite prejudiced, and Liam was most unpleasant, there are other characters who interact in a variety of ways. Logan really tries to understand, but there are very few Chinese people in town. He doesn't want to offend Meilan, but he still does. I'm glad that the Veterans' Day project works out, but I'm glad that we no longer do one at my school. Lots of timely and current issues are addressed. 
Weaknesses: I wish this were set in Anytown, USA, in order to give it a more universal feel. These kinds of issues don't happen only in small town Ohio. It did seem odd that a teacher would assign The Wizard of Earthsea (1968), but since we're slowly weaning teachers after The Outsiders (1967), I guess I shouldn't be surprised. 
What I really think: This is a good title about family and racial issues to include along with Bajaj's Count Me In, Colbert's The Only Black Girls in Town, Yun's Pippa Park Raises Her Game, and Meija's Paola Santiago series. 

Another teacher work day. I figure that the teachers will all have realized what needs fixed in their rooms, so I will be crawling on the floor AND on top of things, hence the rare appearance of Lee jeans (2019, $3). 

The upcycled vest was a summer project, and has a pocket for my phone. During the school year, my phone lives in my backpack, so teachers should know not to text me, but the vest has a pocket for when I need to carry a phone. I love Lands End shirts, but have a strict $2 limit on them. The quilt pin is from a friend. 

Mission Multiverse

Caprara, Rebecca. Mission Multiverse
May 11th 2021 by Harry N. Abrams

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

In the near future, Dev's family has moved from California to Conroy, Ohio because of the problems being caused on the coast by climate change. Ohio is not immune, but Dev is struggling to adjust to his new school. Luckily, the marching band is a safe space filled with students who share his interests. When the band goes on a field trip to NASA's Gwen Research Center, where his father is the head interdimensional physicist, Dev thinks the worst that will happen is that his father will embarrass him. Tessa thinks that she'll spend the day being mistaken for her fashion-challenged twin, Zoey. Isaiah, whose father passed away when he was a baby, is very anxious about all of the seismic activity going on. Maeve has had to deal with graffiti on her school locker as well as an abusive, addicted mother, and Lewis has to deal with a very competitive, sports obsessed father. Little do they all know that those things will be the least of their worries! When an earthquake threatens the NASA facility, the children take shelter in an area that turns out to be a portal to another dimension, and soon meet with the Multiverse Allied Council, which is made up of a variety of life forms from across the galaxy. The band  members find that Earth is on the brink of destruction, and they are being tasked with saving it! Will their marching band flossing skills and generally geeky bents allow them to save their planet from certain annihilation?

The diverse cast of characters meets up with an even more diverse group of space inhabitants, including Duna, who hails from a nonbinary people and uses the pronouns they/them. The Earthlings struggle a bit with meeting creatures who look like giant caterpillars to them, but soon realize that they must learn to work with people different from themselves in order to reach a common goal. 

There are lots of funny moments, and the Multiverse Allied Council has great expectations of the children-- they were supposed to be seven highly trained adults who were to arrive with state-of-the-art equipment. The children have to deal with alien cuisine that looks like starfish and slugs, and get to see a variety of intergalactic creatures in the Menagerie. There are alien video games, cumulo-bunks, and a child from the planet Klapproth who is unable to speak until introduced to some of the band instruments. I loved all of the details of the council's quarters, and the children's reactions to the new environment show equal parts amusement and curiosity.

It's not easy to find great space adventures, but this is a good one to recommend along with Slivensky's The Countdown Conspiracy, Levy's Seventh Grade vs. the Galaxy, and Kraatz's The Moon Platoon. There are not many middle grade books about marching band, either, and I can't help but think the marching band gives a little shout out to Jude Watson's Horizon book three, A Warp in Time. Loved The Cubtones in that one!

It's a teacher work day, so I need to be prepared for crawling on the floor, fixing computers. Washable Lands End knit skirt I've had at least six years and a Kohl's t shirt. In the interest of sustainable fashion, I try to buy as few NEW clothes as possible, but when you've got 40% off AND a $5 birthday credit, it's hard to resist. The skunk pin was given to me in 1974 as a reward for losing five pounds. Yep. This is why I have issues. 

Professional Development- 100 Great New Books 2021

It's the start of a new school year! This means professional development, two work days, 6th graders on Thursday and everyone else on Friday. The beginning of the year is always my very favorite part. 

If you have any issues with accessing this presentation, let me know in the comments. 

August 2021 - 100 Great New Books

MMGM- Ghosts!

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at 

Teach Mentor Texts 

and 

Unleashing Readers

Rissi, Anica Mrose. Hide and Don't Seek

August 3rd 2021 by HarperCollins/Quill Tree Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

While short story collections don't circulate well in my library, SCARY short story collections do. Hide and Don't Seek is an excellent addition to titles like Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Lubar's Lawn Weenies tales (which are downright chilling!), San Souci's Dare to Be Scared volumes, R.L. Stine's compilations like Fear and Beware, Scholastic's Midnight Library books, and the 2020 tribute to Schwartz, Don't Turn Out the Lights.  

Yes, I'll be glad to wait while you go add those to your list of books to purchase. 

The upside is that this book is so awesome that I even approve of the scary poems, and I am notoriously picky about anything in verse. The downside is that I find it very difficult to review short story collections. The format of this struck me as very similar to the Scary Stories books, down to the illustrations at the start of each tale, but these were much more chilling. 

Chilling in what way? That's the tough thing to put my finger on. I'd say that these all address fears I didn't even know I had, and made my stomach drop on the last paragraph. If these were told around a campfire with a flashlight strategically placed under someone's chin, the last paragraphs in most of these entries would elicit lots of shrieking and burying of heads into pillows! 

My favorite story is probably the one from the point of view of the family dog, trying to keep his child safe from the wiles of the cat. DON'T PUT THE DOG INSIDE THE GATE! KEEP HIM WITH YOU! Well, I saw that one coming, but it was still petrifying. 

I knew this author from her sweet and charming Anna Banana series, but Hide and Don't Seek proves that she has some serious horror writing chops. Just be very careful if those chops are coming from a shovel that is aimed at YOU!

Williams, Dinah. True Hauntings #2: Battlefield Ghosts

August 3rd 2021 by Scholastic Nonfiction

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Maybe my students are unusual, but when I saw this, I KNEW that it would be a worthy successor to True Hauntings: Deadly Disasters. I have long accepted that my readers love war books (and persuaded concerned parents that this is not a concerning phase) as well as killer ghost and murder books. Sometimes even the children express concern that they want to read those books, but I reassure them that it is a well-defined developmental stage. To combine the two is rather brilliant. Here's why. 

I have a friend who was one of the little war mongers, even though he is generally a kind and peaceable fellow. He was obsessed with the Civil War and WWII as a child, and even now reads weighty tomes on those conflicts. When I mentioned True Hauntings to him and asked "Would you have read this?", he replied "No, probably not." Then he launched into long descriptions of the Weird War Tales that his mother would get for a dime with the covers ripped off at the local drugstore. (He did not know that this was not quite legal!) He recounted several of these, then told me about a book his second grade teacher had given him that was somewhat similar. Clearly, these books had a big impact on him, so when he finished, I said "So you WOULD have read this book?"

With its wide variety of battles and ghosts throughout history and around the world (starting in 1185 Japan and ending in Okinawa in 1945, but heavy on US battles), this has a great formula of telling about the military conflict, giving us some good scenes, then picking up the thread of the subsequent ghost hauntings. There are a good number of illustrations and pictures included, and the print is just the right size and doesn't crowd the pages. 

I really liked that additional information needed to understand the setting is included right in the story, but there are a few sidebars as well. I also thought the tone was perfect: not too sensational, but sympathetic to the pain that war caused. It doesn't hurt that the stories end with a feeling of suspense. 

The only downside of the e edition was that the pages turned very slowly, since book design includes a lot of all black pages, or pages that look like crumpled paper. Since most readers will pick this up in paperback at a Scholastic book fair and carry it around with them until the pages really ARE crumpled, this won't matter. Follett does has this available in a prebind for library use, and I definitely have it on my list to purchase for the new school year.

Before the pandemic, I was posting my outfits for no particularly good reason. When I didn't see students in person, it was hard to get myself motivated to wear anything but jeans and sweaters. To make myself accountable, I'll post my daily outfits, unless I get complaints!

I wear a lot of skirts, mainly because I think it honors my fore mothers, who managed to accomplish a lot without ever wearing slacks! My mother, who retired in 1995 after 38 years teaching elementary school, ALWAYS wore suits or dresses with heels. 

She was a little leery of my thrift store shopping, but came to appreciate it later. She'd be pleased that this Lands End dress and Ann Taylor jacket were $3 each, and the Liz Claibourne scarf $2 years ago. The ribbon broach is from a friend, but the tiny "Y" pin is also a thrift find. Since I am now "pre-elderly", I can rock necklaces AND pins, just like the Queen!

ALL the picture books

Hale, Shannon and Pham, Leuyen. Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn

March 23rd 2021 by Harry N. Abrams

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

In the endpapers, Kitty creates a wonderful, glittery, rainbow striped unicorn horn, and when she puts it on, she KNOWS that she is a unicorn! When she looks in a mirror, a unicorn gazes back at her. Her friends Gecko and Parakeet, however, are not convinced. Instead, they tell Kitty again and again that she is most decidedly not a unicorn. Undeterred, Kitty continues to strut her unicorn stuff despite her friends objections... until a real unicorn appears. Faced with the undeniable majesty of a purple-maned, golden-hoofed unicorn, Kitty feels "no bigger than a ball of lint" and is ready to give up her horn and her identity. Seeing her dejection, the unicorn compliments Kitty on her fuzzy ears and silver whiskers, and pulls out a headband of fuzzy kitten ears. Wearing these, he declares that he is a Kitty-corn. The two rejoice in their kitty-corness and have a good time, ignoring the naysayers. In the endpapers, Gecko and Parakeet try to make their own unicorn horns, with mixed results. 

Full of feel good, on trend themes of identity, friendship, and "you do you", Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn shows how thoroughly some young readers embrace an identity, only to have others deny their claims. Kitty loves his unicorn horn and has practiced all of the characteristics important to being a unicorn, only to have his friends cut him down with belittling names like putty-pie and fuzzy-heinie. Luckily, unicorn is a more supportive person who sees Kitty's sadness and makes attempts at solidifying Kitty's unicorn identity. 

I've loved Pham's illustrations ever since they appeared in Snyder's 2009 Any Which Wall, and her Princess in Black collaboration is also wonderful. Princess in Black addresses similar issues of identity, always with a strong, positive spin. It's good to see that even though Gecko and Parakeet don't help at first, they do come around. 

There is a lot of white space on the pages; the characters float in it, without any background. This makes the characters really pop, and Kitty's vibrant pinkitude will appeal to readers who love that color. Unicorn's purple mane works well with this, and the text incorporates the colors as well. 

There are just not enough unicorn books around; I'm a huge fan of Simpson's Phoebe and Her Unicorn series, and I've picked up any number of picture books, including one I swear had BUNNYcorns, but which I cannot remember. Fans of Rosenthal's Uni the Unicorn, Blaby's Thelma the Unicorn, and Murray's Unicorn Day will appreciate Kitty bringing unicorn happiness to the youngest of readers. 

 

Cartoon Saturday- Blades of Freedom

Hale, Nathan. Blades of Freedom. (Hazardous Tales #10)

November 24th 2020 by Amulet Books

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales have always struck me as an Americanized version of Deary's 1990s Horrible Histories, which were later made into a television series on Children's BBC. As someone who once bought an enormous box of Frosties while on holiday in London just to get the CD of The Rotten Romans that was included in the package, I'm always glad to see new books from this author.

Hale is great at highlighting aspects of history that have not previously been in the forefront of study; in this case, he looks at the Louisiana Purchase from the point of view not of Thomas Jefferson, but from the point of view of enslaved Blacks in the Caribbean and peasants in France, and bringing Napoleon and his policies into play. One of my quibbles with the way history is studied in school has long been that timelines from different areas of the world are often presented in isolation, so I enjoyed how this book explained how these things were all interrelated. Most US histories do not talk about Haiti and its abolition of slavery. This is a convoluted story, with lots of sidebars of information, but Hale does a good job of tying things together.

The pictures help, especially since this is a historical period that looks very different from the modern day. Students, whose eyes are much better than mine, do not seem to mind the small scale of the pictures and the tiny font of the text. There is a lot packed into the pages, and I wouldn't mind if these books were produced in a larger, more picture book sized version rather than the slightly smaller than 6" by 8" format being used. There are so many details in the pictures, and quite a lot of information in the text as well.

As in previous books, Nathan Hale, along with the Hangman and Provost, take us through the history, giving snarky asides and sometimes explaining things. This gives the reader a break from the more serious aspects of the history, and also provides background. Because Hale is telling the story of the enslaved Haitians, its good that he also uses Bill Richmond, a BIPOC character.

There's a "Louisiana Purchase Wheel of History" slot-machine; this is a helpful device to introduce new topics and to help keep them all straight. There are all sorts of side topics-- mosquitoes who brought yellow fever chime in, Queen Luisa of Spain has her say, as done Napoleon's sister Pauline, and even Thomas Jefferson, although he does not come off as well as he does in some other histories!

Readers who enjoyed the Franklin Watts' You Wouldn't Want to Be books, or whose interests include both history and graphic novels, will find the continuation of this series to be a welcome way to learn some interesting history that hasn't been covered as much as it should.

Like many graphic novels, these smell really, really bad, and do not hold up to frequent use. Buy in a prebind instead of the publishers paper over board when possible. 

A Time of Fear

Marrin, Albert. A Time of Fear: America in the Era of Red Scares and Cold War 

March 30th 2021 by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Starting with Vladimir Lenin's evolution in the early 1900s, Marrin gives a really complete overview of Communism and the reaction to it in the world and in the US specifically. Starting with the parameters and role of Communism in the USSR, it then covers the spread of the political belief in the US, and its involvement in the racial problems of the 1930s and 40s. Stalin and World War II are covered, giving a lot of background for the biggest part of this book, the Cold War. The Red Scare and the devastation caused by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in Hollywood are covered, along with the fear of atomic bombs and spies. Special attention is given to the Rosenberg Spy Ring as well as Joe McCarthy's investigations. There is a lengthy epilogue covering history from Stalin's death to the present, and addressing how the history of Communism comes into play even today. 

The book has extensive end notes as well as a lengthy list of selected sources for further investigation, picture credits, and a complete and helpful index. 

Like this author's other middle grade and young adult nonfiction books, Flesh & Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy(2011), Uprooted: The Japanese American Experience During World War II (2016) and Very, Very, Very Dreadful: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 (2018), A Time of Fear is a great book that addresses real concerns about current political situations through the lens of history. 

This is a complete and well-researched volume on Communism in the 20th century and is an excellent reference for any investigation students might want to do for school projects or personal enlightenment. There are plenty of period pictures, as well as maps, documents, and newspaper articles to support the text. It's a bit lengthy and very dense, but readers who are very interested in this time period will soak up every word. 

It's been hard to find nonfiction books about the Cold War to go along with excellent fiction titles like Rosengren's Cold War on Maplewood Street, Holbrook's The Enemy, Elliot's Suspect Red, and Kidd's The Year of the Bomb. This is an excellent overview, and might even lead readers to pick up Brimner's Blacklisted! : Hollywood, the Cold War, and the First Amendment, which gives even more information about how the Red Scare affected Hollywood and its actors. 

Books for Younger Readers

I try to keep the focus of this blog books for readers in grades 6 through 8, but I occasionally get distracted by other things. One thing I personally adore is beginning chapter books, and I am an absolute sucker for anything involving illustrations of dogs. Here are some great choices for elementary aged readers. 

Higgins, Cam. Home is Where the Heart Is (Good Dog #1) 

December 15th 2020 by Little Simon

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

In the first book in this charming new early chapter book series, we meet Bo, who lives on a farm with his humans, Imani and Wyatt, and their parents, Jennica and Darnell Davis. Bo is still a puppy, and still figuring out how he needs to behave on the farm. He gets some help in this from Nanny Sheep, a very kind and patient older ewe, but is often abetted in his puppyish ways by friends like Zonks, a pig with whom he rolls in the mud. While Bo knows that mud is absolutely delightful as a frolicking medium, he also knows that his humans like him to be clean, so he is patient when he has to be bathed. After his latest bath, however, he realizes that his identification tag, a gift when he was adopted, is missing! Using techniques he has learned to alert humans that he must go outside, Bo ventures off into the farmyard to investigate. He follows clues from Zonks to the chickens, who think the sheep might have it. After pouncing on the sheep because they look soft like clouds, Bo finds that they don't have the tag, either, but think that perhaps Blue the bluejay might have it. He doesn't, but after meeting up with his friend Scrapper and searching for monsters Scrapper is sure are in the woods, he returns home to continue his search. There, he meets the evil barn cats King and Diva, who send him to the attic. Luckily, friendly spiders look out for our small investigator and lead him to his tag. Will Bo be able to alert his humans to its whereabouts?

Young readers who have finished Butler's Kayla and King mysteries will love Bo's adventures. He's an adorable dog who means well, and is surrounded by a fantastic supporting cast of animals and humans. The Davis family is Black, and their small farm has a traditional complement of animals. While the cats might be a bit stereotypical, Nanny Sheep is quite level headed. Scrapper, who was born with three legs, is obsessed with monsters and wants Bo to help him locate monsters. Imani and Wyatt are caring and gentle with Bo, who is generally well behaved, if a bit rambunctious. 

I can't say enough about how adorable the black and white pencil illustrations are! Bo's facial expressions are animated and priceless, and his eyes convey so much emotion!The barnyard comes to life with all of the classic Old MacDonald animals.  Combined with the smaller trim size (5.5" x 7.5") and the bright covers, I can see these books becoming quite the favorite of an animal obsessed youngster. 

This is a great US version of farm life, similar to the UK Jasmine Green series, but more from the dog's perspective. Give to readers who enjoy a light mystery like Robert Quackenbush's Henry the Duck or Sherlock Chick. 

Higgins, Cam. Raised in a Barn (Good Dog #2) 

December 15th 2020 by Little Simon

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

It's a beautiful day, so Bo and his new friend, the colt Comet, decide to have a race. Comet gets distracted, and Bo wins, exulting just a little too much. Nanny Sheep takes him to task about being a good winner, and Bo apologizes. He also thinks that he should help more around the farm, so in order to make amends with Comet, he decides that he will show Comet how to be a "good horse". Of course, Bo knows little about being a horse, so he shows Comet things like rolling in the dust, which is not helpful, especially when Imani and Wyatt have to take Comet to a pony parade and have just groomed him! He also teaches Comet to chase off the evil squirrels, which ends up NOT to be a good thing. Comet's parents step in to let the two know that while Bo's teaching might not be great, Bo IS a fantastic friend. When Comet gets to the pony parade, some of the lessons from Bo end up being helpful in surprising ways. 

The illustrations by Ariel Landy capture the young animals' joy in racing around the farm yard, dealing with pesky squirrels and cats, and in doing a good job at the pony parade. There are illustrations on every page, which leads to the text being formatted in a great way for emerging readers. Each page has four to five sentences in 18 point font, and there's plenty of white space, which means the pages turn very quickly-- something young readers like to see!

Bo is such an enthusiastic and kind friend; when Nanny Sheep points out to him that he isn't kind about his victory, he really takes to heart how he treated Comet. While not all of his ideas work out, he always tries to do better and listens to people and animals who know more than he does, and adjusts his behavior accordingly. 

Readers who have enjoyed other heavily illustrated animal tales, such as Dr. Kittycat, will enjoy reading about Bo and his adventures, and horse enthusiasts will want to add this book to add this to a list of horse books that includes Potter's The Sea Pony, Hapka's Ponies of Chincoteague, and Haas, Jessie. Bramble and Maggie. 

Higgins, Cam. Herd You Loud and Clear (Good Dog #3) 

December 15th 2020 by Little Simon

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

It's shearing time at the Davis farm, and Bo really wants to be helpful with the sheep. After playing hide and seek with his friend Puffs and always winning, the two have a little disagreement, which they solve by deciding to play a game that Bo has never played before, so he won't have an unfair advantage. Bo has started to have some chores around the farm, and makes sure that he helps Wyatt and Imani out the next day. Darnell asks Bo to help round up the sheep to be sheared, but they won't listen to him! Bo struggles with trying to do his job until Nanny Sheep steps in and gives him some pointers. This helps, but when Puffs goes missing, Bo must use all of his skills to help find his friend and get him back home. 

This early reader series has so much to recommend it-- great characters, fun story lines, and the most appealing animal illustrations! Bo is an enthusiastic puppy who sometimes gets himself in trouble but always tries to learn how to be better. 

I went to the Sheep and Wool festival in Rhinebeck, New York a couple of years ago, and this book would be perfect for young readers to see before going to that! There's lots of good information about shearing (the Baa Baa Shop-- ha!) sheep as well as herding them, although Bo never does find out why the sheep can stay so fluffy while he gets bed head after a brief nap! 

This series is perfect for readers who aren't quite strong enough for Klimo's Dog's Diary books or Mile's Puppy Place series, but want to know more about working dogs and have liked Stier's A Dog's Day. I really enjoy the fact that the books are all a little different, and not formulaic; the first book in the series is a mystery, the second a good friendship tale, and this third book shows Bo working. Three additional volumes are being released in October 2021, and I am looking forward to Fireworks Night, The Swimming Hole, and Life is Good, which involves a snow day!

Miller, Kirsten. Everything You Need to Know When You Are 10

January 26th 2021 by Harry N. Abrams

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

My daughter recently reminded me that I once told her the best day of your entire life is the first day of summer vacation when you are ten. This isn't entirely wrong. Ten year olds are just about human, and are tall enough to complete most tasks around the house. They are still excited to learn new things and take on more responsibilities. I would have loved this book when I was ten, because I would have doggedly worked my way through every activity in this. Today's children often crave more direction when they are not involved with screens, so this would be a good book for actual ten year olds as well!

This starts with a list of things every ten year old needs, like a library card, a calendar, and a key chain, as well as teaser items like crickets and some vegetable soup. My favorite pages involved doing useful stuff; laundry, cooking, and making a backyard salad (my mother would NOT have been thrilled with that one!). There is also a lot of information that can be filed under social emotional learning, like what to do if someone has a crush on you (which I wouldn't have put first in the book), what to do if you don't like your name, and how to be a really good friend. My favorite section was the one on finding a secret lair; even though I was lucky enough to have my own room growing up, I was particularly fond of hiding out under the built in desk in my room, with a blanket strung across the drawers!

From an educational perspective, I sort of wish there had been a table of contents and an index, and that the book had been arranged into chapters of broad categories; life skills, food and cooking, emotions, outdoors, etc., because learning to use those parts of a book is yet another skill children need, but young readers will be fine with the way the information is arranged. 

The sections on cyber safety, being at home alone, and what to do if you are followed are handled in an age appropriate way that won't scare young readers, while gently making them aware of being careful. There are a couple of brief explanations of pulling pranks that I, as an adult, didn't much care for; if my children had wasted perfectly good vegetable soup pretending it was vomit, it wouldn't have ended well. In general, though, this is a graphically pleasing compendium of interesting stuff. 

This would make an excellent gift for someone turning ten, along with a box with some of the more exotic supplies that parents might be less likely to provide, like drink umbrellas, deodorant, a black light, and even some baked or fried crickets! (Or cricket based snacks, like those from the authors of Project Startup, Chirps. 

Wish Upon a Stray

Méndez, Yamile Saied. Wish Upon a Stray
August 3rd 2021 by Scholastic Paperbacks

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

María Emilia enjoys her life in Mendoza, Argentina, hanging out and taking an after school English course with her cousin Violeta, playing with her cat, Estrellita, and talking to her beloved grandmother, Lela. When her mother gets a job teaching Latin American history at a university in Utah, the family must relocate. Estrellita is left behind, and her grandmother gives her a binder of letters written by her own mother, Celestina, when her family moved from Italy to Argentina. The process of coming to the US isn't as difficult as Celestina's (although her luggage gets lost), especially since María Emilia has a US passport, since she was born in the country when her parents were visiting. Utah is very different, and María Emilia must get used to a new house, neighbors, and not being able to walk as many places. She is put into an English Language Learner class at school, even though her English is quite good. There are some people who are mean to her because of her background, but she does make a few new friends, especially Tirzah, whose grandmother immigrated to the US and who has always tried to help others with the transition. María Emilia misses her cat dreadfully, so when she finds a lost dog, she takes her in and names her Estrellita as well. The dog ends up belonging to a classmate, Donovan, who has named the dog Cookie. The two come to an agreement about the dog, and María Emilia also is invited to sing in a band. While life in the US isn't the same, María Emilia slowly becomes more accustomed to it. 

Strengths: I have a lot of students who come from other countries, and many times they are quite homesick! It's a lot more common to have stories of second generation immigrants in middle grade stories, so it was interesting to see the procedures involved in coming to the US, and to see María Emilia's struggles with school and a new way of life. The end notes indicate that this is somewhat autobiographical, which would explain why the details are so good. I very much appreciated that while María Emilia is sad about some things, she also tries to make the best of her new life. 
Weaknesses: Judging from the cover and title, I thought this would be much more centered on the dog, much like this author's Random Acts of Kittens. 
What I really think: The WISH novels are hugely popular in my library, but this book doesn't quite fit into the mold of that series. I still think it will be very popular, though! Readers who enjoyed Weeks and Varadarajan's Save Me a Seat, Faruqi's Unsettled, and Dumas' It Ain't So Awful, Falafel will enjoy this look at what it's like to not only move to a new house, but to move from a completely different country. 

The THIRD book in several series

While I try to read all of the fiction books before I buy them, when the series is a hit, I might buy a book before reading it, then snag it from the order before the students get to it.  An order came in at the end of June, so I read the following. 

Lerangis, Peter. Out of Time (Throwback #3)

March 23rd 2021 by HarperCollins

Library copy

After Throwback and The Chaos Loop, Corey has transpeciated and is now a wolf, even though he hasn't traveled in time quite as much as other Knickerbockers who have transformed, and he is a Throwback, someone who can change history. This has had limited success in the past, and things are not working out well right now! Leila is very concerned, and manages to track Corey down at his Papou's house in the current timeline. Sure enough, Wolf Corey is there, but in the current timeline, he has remarried after the death of his wife in 9/11, and Corey has not been born. Instead, he has a grandson named Gregory who died when he was young. Leila has managed to come across Bee, another Knickbocker, who is helping her out. They visit the old headquarters, which is hidden in Central Park by Frederick Law Olmstead, the park designer. At the time, the Federal government was secretly studying time travel! Leila is not sure if she is a Throwback, and the Knickerbockers start to study her, but she knows that it is up to her to save Corey. This involves traveling back to World War II Germany to see if she can indeed affect history. I don't want to spoil the ending of this delightfully brain-bending series, but it is a happy one!

Strengths: I really liked the concept of Trackers, people who can understand and remember more than one time line at once. This is why Leila can remember Corey even though he didn't exist, and Flora and Smig don't remember him. Papou is still my favorite character, and while we don't see quite as much of him, the glimpses into his alternative timelines is interesting. Leila is the real hero in this one, since Corey is stuck as a wolf. There are just lots of clever twists, but I can't really explain them without ruining them. This is a tight, cohesive, time travel series that a really great purchase for a middle school library. The books are all a good length, include some fun history, and move quickly. This was a worthy ending. 
Weaknesses: I could have done without the details of Wolf Corey needing to fart and eat squirrels. Middle grade readers will enjoy that a lot more. 
What I really think: The best time travel books are enjoyed when one just takes a deep breath and tries not to think too hard about where certain objects come from. This was that kind of mind-bending time travel. Bonus points for the cover being the red that I had predicted. 

Bell, Jennifer. The Deadly Omens (The Uncommoners #3)
January 28th 2020 by Crown Books for Young Readers
Library Copy

I adored the first book in this series, so it would have been hard for anything to live up to that first book. It's a great book to hand to readers who zipped through Black and Clare's Magisterium series or Hannibal's The Lost Property Office. Weirdly sad that they changed the fabulous British covers and slightly odd titles. This was originally called The Frozen Telescope. (The second book was published as The Smoking Hourglass in the UK, and as The Shadows of Doom in the US. Boo.)

Quinn, Spencer. Bark vs. Snark (Queenie and Arthur #3)

Published October 6th 2020 by Scholastic Press

Library Copy

I enjoyed Ruff vs. Fluff and Paws vs. Claws, especially since the first one was a murder mystery. As I've said many time, my students are a weirdly blood thirsty lot, and always want more murder mysteries. There were a few years where dog books saw a bit of a resurgence, and these, with their alternating cat and dog viewpoints, were a hit with that crowd. This volume goes back to the traditional "someone is stealing pets for nefarious purposes" trope, which is less popular with my students. I did enjoy Arthur's competition with a bacon soaked Frisbee, and Queenie gets to be the hero of her own story as well as fabulous, but I'm not as big a fan of books from animals' perspectives. There's some family issues going on that would add a lot to Bro and Harmony's story if they weren't filtered through the pets' perspectives. This doesn't seem like the last book in the series, so there may be another one coming. The Bowser and Birdie series is just three books, so I was thinking this might be the last. Did not know that this author also has an adult series, Chet and Bernie, that is 12 books long.