Social Media

Rodkey, Geoff, Hart, Kevin, and Cooper, David (illus.)

Marcus Makes it Big (Marcus #2)

May 3rd 2022 by Crown Books for Young Readers

Public library copy

After his experiences in Marcus Makes a Movie, Marcus is riding high on his fame. He has been using social media, like MeTube and ClickChat, and has even been in contact with actor Tevin Bart, who liked the movie that he and Sierra made. His friends keep encouraging him to post things, but without Sierra's help, he struggles to develop content, although this doesn't stop him from trying to get 1,000 followers so that he can monetize his account. This ends up being harder than he imagines. It seems easy for Sierra, who has a lot of good ideas about the quality of the videos and the value of the content. When the two are interviewed on a talk show, Marcus makes a terrible mess of it, showing up in a moldy shirt, throwing up backstage, and arguing with Sierra in a way that makes him look particularly foolish. She's managed to navigate social media really well, and even has collaborated with friends, who are angry with Marcus because he is not including them on his channel... mainly because it's a hot mess, but they think he's keeping money from them. When his new Toothpick Man video looks like it belongs in the trashcan he's trying to use for the Hatebot 3000 costume, Marcus starts to despair. Will he be able to slow down and take the advise of those around him to focus on what is really important to his creative life?

Strengths: Remember Web 1.0 before social media? It's probably hazy; I've had a Twitter account for ten years, thanks to The Brain Lair's teacher vs. librarian summer reading smack down. I remember talking my daughter down from a Facebook bit of nastiness around the same time. Students are on social media, and many of them think they can be YouTube stars without understanding the work it takes to really become big. This is an excellent overview of the nuts and bolts of social media and creating and monetizing content. It escapes being didactic thanks to Marcus' goofiness and the plentiful page illustrations. While Marcus is rather over-the-top goofy, he is surrounded by cooler heads like Sierra and his father. Even Tevin Bart has some sage advice. I liked that Marcus had to deal with realistic problems as well, like doing chores and having an older phone with a battery that died frequently. Young readers will be attracted to Marcus' brush with fame, but find a lot of helpful information about using social media.
Weaknesses: I've thought about it a lot, and heave determined it is better if authors use the names of actual social media sites and other pop culture phenomena. Yes, MySpace is moribund, but MeTube instead of YouTube (and Flitter instead of Twitter) just sounds silly and will be every bit as dated if YouTube folds. Tevin Bart isn't fooling us, either.
What I really think: I'm not a huge fan of celebrity authors (usually because I don't know who they are), but Rodkey's writing is strong, and maybe my students know who Hart is. The first book has circulated well in my library. 

Kyi, Tanya Lloyd, Kyi, Julia and Rosas, Vivian (illus.)
Better Connected: How Girls Are Using Social Media for Good
May 17th 2022 by Orca Book Publishers
Public Library copy

Lloyd Kyi, who did the fantastic Lowdow on Denim (2011!), Mya's Strategy to Save the World, and Me and Banksy teams up with her teenage daughter to investigate how young women are using social media, how it affects them, and how they can use it to help the world instead. There are great illustrations, photographs, and interviews with a wide variety of people trying to change the world. I liked the sidebar #NoFilter where Kyi and her daughter discuss brief issues an offer differing generational perspectives. 

I'll buy a copy for my library, since I think my students will enjoy this book, but since I have zero interest in either changing the world or using social media any more than I am absolutely forced to (Young Adult Books Central posts the monthly Book Haul on Facebook, so I have to go on there, and the book promotion world seems to revolve around Twitter), I had trouble getting too invested in it. Reading it the last week of the school year didn't help. This is one that high school and middle school libraries need, so definitely take a look.

The online world has real dangers, but girls around the world are using social media to create positive change and practice good digital citizenship.

From the publisher:
You've probably seen media stories about the ways girls interact online, with headlines like "Depression in Girls Linked to Higher Use of Social Media," or "Half of Girls Are Bullied on Social Media." Better Connected focuses on the less-recognized and positive aspects of the online experiences of girls. From environmental activism to gun control, immigration policy to education access, girls are leading the way. They're showing up, teaming up and speaking up. With profiles of real changemakers and practical tools for getting started, Better Connected is an inspiring look at the amazing things girls can accomplish online.

#MGReadathon Titles

I read a lot because it is a good escape. Don't want to think about the Pandemic? Read. Recuperating more slowly than one would like from wrist surgery? Read. Irritated with demands of family members? Read. I love reading middle grade. I love being able to recommend books to students. I like being able to share books with gatekeepers on my blog. 

What has become difficult is reviewing. Back in 2006, when no one read my blog, I could honestly and kindly review books. If they weren't for my students, I could say so. Now, the cultural zeitgeist is so sensitive, often for very good reason, and I honestly never mean to offend someone. Saying that my students don't ask for books about animals sitting around the campfire exchanging philosophical stories (not a real book; just my worst nightmare!) doesn't mean the book isn't a good one. I have limited money and space. I read all the books so that I can use those resources to best help my students. 

I only buy about 30% of the books I read, even though I write plenty of seemingly positive reviews for books I will not be buying. There are a LOT of books coming out in September. There are 50 more books I need to read, and only four empty slots on my blog for the month. 

So! I'm using the #MGReadathon to clear the deck. I will buy some of these books; others I won't. Here's just a brief overview so you can decide if they are titles you wish to explore to meet the needs of YOUR students.

Noon: Fajardo, Anika. Meet Me Halfway 

September 13th 2022 by Simon Schuster

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

When Mattie moves from Minnesota to California after her  mother remarries, she is surprised to see a girl in her class that looks just like her. Mercedes is a popular girl, but the two soon realize that they have the same father, who lives in Colombia, and with whom they have never been in contact. When they find out he is teaching at a university their class is visiting, the scheme to sneak out and find him so they can ask him questions about their past and see how he fits into their future. 

1:00 p.m. Fullerton, Alma. Flipping Forward Twisting Backward
July 12th 2022 by Peachtree
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this novel in verse, we meet Claire, who is a great gymnast but who struggles in school. Her recently divorced parents exempted her from standardized testing, and since she works hard and doesn't cause trouble, she has been able to make it into middle school without learning to read. When she runs afould of her current teacher, Mrs. Rose, and keeps getting sent to the principal's office, the school finally addresses her learning difficulties. Loved seeing the sports woven into this one. 

2:00 p.m. Jarrow, Gail. American Murderer: The Parasite that Haunted the South

September 1st 2022 by Calkins Creek Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

It's hard to remember that there was a time when people didn't wear shoes or understand sanitation, but period photography and Jarrow's trademark excellent research show how very true that was! Like her Spooked, Blood and Germs, and Fatal Fever, American Murderer is an in depth look at the science behind hookworms, their impact on society, and how they were finally dealt with by doctors and public health officials. Great for fans of Jurmain's The Secret of the Yellow Death and Murphy's Invincible Microbe.

3:00 p.m. Moore Ramée, Lisa. Mapmaker

September 20th 2022 by Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Walter is sad that his parents have moved the family from California to Blackbird Bay, and would rather spend his time drawing maps than playing football, as his father wants him to. It doesn't help that twin sister Van is more sporty and outgoing, although she favors skateboarding. Quirky next door neighbor Ms. Wilhope thinks that Walt's maps are great, but he tries to hide his work from his father. Walt does meet neighbor Dylan, and when the three children go to the local convenience store, they meet Officer Canter and store owner Orsten who tell the children that Walt is a Mapmaker and he needs to help them fight Statica, who has destroyed some of the world that they love. When Walt, Dylan, and Van travel into Djaruba, the world Walt has created as a map, they meet Fenn and Heckett, his dragon. At first, Fenn seems to help, but he hands Walt back over to Canter. Walt has to fight Statica to get the magical worlds back in balance. 

4:00 p.m. Zahler, Diane. Goblin Market

August 16th 2022 by Holiday House

E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus

Lizzie and Minka live in a vaguely old-fashioned, Slavic town with their parents. Lizzie cansee words as colors, which can cause her some difficulties, so Minka goes to the market to sell the family's produce and bread instead. When she comes back telling Lizzie about Emil, a boy with whom she is in love and who has given her fruit, Lizzie is worried, especially since her sister has given Emil a lock of her hair. When Minka becomes sick, Lizzie and her friend Jakob try to talk to healers and the families of other girls who have become sick. Figuring out that Emil is probably a zdusze (a type of goblin) who wants to steal Minka's energy, Lizzie tries to keep her sister away, but is unsuccessful. When Minka has her own house in the goblin village a nd is set to marry Emil, will Lizzie be powerful enough to save her sister? 

5:00 p.m.Turnage, Sheila. Island of Spies

September 20th 2022 by Dial Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Stick, Rain, and Neb live on Hattaras island in 1942. There's a lot of concern about German U-Boats, and there are even some torpedoes that hit too close to home, some resulting in ships being destroyed. Stick, whose father is away fighting, runs the Dime Novel kids detective agency, so she and her friends try to solve mysteries. Rain and her mother live in an oversized barrel, and Stick's mother made sure that Rain could attend the local school even though she is part Black. Neb's father is poorly. The three suspect everyone on the island of everything; the new players for the baseball team, Austrian artists who seek refuge, and even eccentric neighbor Miss Agnes, who, after all, has a radio hidden just in case the Germans invade. Stick also likes to conduct science experiments. Will the Dime Novel kids be able to keep their beloved island safe? Some good details of life in 1942, and an interesting setting. 

6:00 p.m.Tokushige, Zoe and Naalchigar, Jennifer  (Illustrated by) 

Airi Sano, Prankmaster General: New School Skirmish 

September 20th 2022 by Philomel Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this notebook novel, we meet Airi, who is of Japanese American descent and whose military family moves to Hawai'i to be near her grandparents, since her mother has struggled since the birth of Airi's baby sister. Airi doesn't do well in school, unlike her brother EJ, so she acts out, thinking that if she is bad enough, the teacher will just leave her alone. This strategy doesn't work with Ms. Ashton, who hardly blinks when Airi puts sriracha sauce in cupcake frosting or questions whether the class should be reading The Secret Garden (a good discussion of how beloved books can have problems), but does get upset when Airi scares her young daughter at a Halloween party. Lots of fun details about Hawai'i and Japanese food, but Airi seemed younger than 6th grade, and does a lot of thoughtless pranks. 

7:00 p.m.Moore, David Barclay. Holler of Fireflies.

September 27th 2022 by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Javari Harris lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn with his parents, younger sister, and grandfather and loves all things STEM. There are issues with police brutality as well as gentrification in his neighborhood, and as Javari is going off to summer camp, the family gets an eviction notice. The STEM summer camp is held at Appalachian Ridge Christian College, which is owned by Uncle Billy's General Stores. There is a competition for the campers, and the prize is money that would be useful to Javari's family. Unfortunately, he has to deal with constant racism in the area. He sneaks out at night and meets Cricket, a local boy who is trying to draw attention to the fact the local water supply is polluted by coal mines. The two explore Horsewhip Holler by night, and by day Javari works with a virtual reality program to progress towards the prize. Like this author's The Stars Beneath Our Feet, this book has a lot of racial issues, a lot of use of the n-word, gay characters, and discussions of Black history. I know that Appalachian culture is problematic, but's it's also... somewhat protected(?) so I'm not sure what the policy on referring to people from that area as "rednecks" is. This is one I would suggest reading before buying. 

8:00 p.m.Yun, Erin. Pippa Park: Crush at First Sight

September 13th 2022 by Fabled Films Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss

Pippa goes to a private school, and in order to be popular feels that she needs to host the Christmas party even though her family can ill afford it. I liked the bastketball in Pippa Park Raises Her Game, and I have a couple of students who are waiting for the sequel, but the Great Expectations reimagining was completely lost on them. I really liked the South Korean representation, and it's interesting that Pippa's mother is living in that country while Pippa is in the US staying with a sister and brother-in-law. Plenty of romance and friend drama, but not enough basketball!

9:00 p.m.Ahmed, Samira. Amira and Hamza: The Quest for the Ring of Power (#2) 

September 20th 2022 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus 

There are so many good, new culturally based fantasies that I didn't buy the first book in the series, The War to Save the Worlds, even though I have lots of students named Amira and Hamza! You'll want to read the first book in the series to get a better feel for E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus Tweens saving the world, this time with an Arabic background of jinn, Peris, devs and ghuls. Great for fans of Rick Riordan Presents titles. Liked the inclusion of historical figures like Ibn Sina, Suleiman, and astrologer Abu Said Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Sijzi mixed in with the ones like Ahriman who have more supernatural backgrounds. 

 What can I say. I like sleep. Keeping focus is tiring! It's been a long time since I've read long enough to make myself woozy!

Starting Line- #MGReadathon!

Get ready to read! Simple instructions:

1. Sign up below with a link to your starting line post.

2. Read excessively.

3. Visit a few blogs or spend some time on Twitter with #MGReadathon to connect with other participants.

4. Visit Bit About Books to try their hiking themed Summer Reading Challenge! 

https://bitaboutbooks.wordpress.com/2022/05/23/summer-reading-challenge/

5. Check back on Sunday at the Finish Line. 

Happy Reading!

Guy Friday--Lumber-Jackula

Hegearty, Mat and Owen, Sam (illus.). Lumber-Jackula

July 19th 2022 by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

ARC provided by Follett First Look; E ARC provided by the author

As Jack nears the age of twelve, he must leave his inclusice Under School and choose what secondary school her must attend. His forest communityis peopled by Vampires and Lumberjacks, who led very separate lives until the invention of Sun Scream allowed the vampires to venture out into the daylight. While the two groups generally get along, Jack feels pulled to both sides of his identity, especially since his grandparents on both sides chime in with older opinions, even though they get along. His father wants him to attend Sorrow’s Gloom Vampire School, and his mother wants him to go to Mighty Log Lumberjack Prep. He visits both, and gets along with the students, but neither seems quite right. A chance meeting with the enthusiastic Plenty when he is dancing in the woods leads him to sneak off to explore Tip Tap Twinkle Toes Dance Academy on his own. He really enjoys the school, and lies to his family about his whereabouts, since he feels they won't understand this new venture at all. Jack wants to make his family happy, but realizes that he has to remain true to his own dreams. Will this be enough to encourage him to talk honestly with his family about where he wants to attend school?

Strengths: Lumber-Jackula had a definite classic comic book feel to it, if you're old enough to remember comic books like Harvey Comics' Richie Rich, or Dell Comics' Little Lulu. There was something about the illustration style, and the color conventions; the lumberjack world was predominately green and brown, the vampire world was rife with a blue-gray, and Twinle Toes  was like being dropped into a bucket of paint chip colors that kindergarteners wanted to paint their classroom. Jack is an appealing character who is loved and supported by his extended family and wants to make them happy and proud. I loved that even though his town hadn't been integrated for very long, the vampires and lumberjacks coexisted peacefully. Jack's love of dance wasn't understood by his family, who wanted him to follow in one of their paths, but it was good to see him find his people at the dance academy. The conflict is gentle, but realistically portrayed, and a compromise is eventually found. This has a much more philosophical view of the current sociopolitical trends than many graphic novels, but also is a fun and sometimes silly romp. 
Weaknesses: I would have liked a little more information about the variety of different creatures in the woods, especially the wide array of differt types at Tip Tap Twinkle Toes Dance Academy who don't seem to show up much in the town Jack frequents. I also felt like this required a lot more deep, philosophical thought than I was giving it. 
What I really think: Readers who enjoyed Steinke's Mr. Wolf's Class, Feuti's The King of Kazoo, Boothby's Sparks, or the bright colors and silliness of Kochalka's The Glorkian Warrior series will enjoy this innovative, inclusive look at finding one's own voice.

Shabbat Sabotage

Berne, Emma Carlson. Shabbat Sabotage

April 26th 2022 by Yellow Jacket

Public Library Copy
 

Maya is very anxious about going to summer camp, especially since she had a scary experience with a swimming pool the previous summer. Her parents made a deal with her that she had to go, so that she didn't spend the entire summer holed up in her room reading classic literature like Lord of the Flies, so she finds herself on a bus to Camp Shalom rather against her will. She has a run in with a mouthy girl on the bus (the two crack heads when Maya tries to help her pick up a bobby pin), and of course that girl, Yael, ends up being in her cabin with counselor Tamar and bunkmates Dani and Gracie. There are the standard challenges of camp, like keeping the cabin clean, eating in the mess hall, showering communally (although there are curtains, at least!) and missing home, but a lot of fun as well. When Tamar informs the campers that they will be in charge of the Shabbot and shows them the camp's sentimental silver kiddush cup andcandlesticks, the girls have a variety of reactions to performing publically, but when the items go missing, they band together  not only to find the items but to uncover the mystery of who stole them. Maya also relies on her cabin mates to help her learn to swim so she can pass the test and go on an overnight trip that requires strong swimming skills, and her experience with falling short of an expected skill helps her to be sympathetic when the shabbat thief is discovered. 

Strengths: While the author clearly has a love for the camp experience, given all of the great details, Maya is not a fan. Being away from home, living out of a duffle, being in the woods; modern children seem to balk at the things that my generation found to be tremendously appealing. It makes sense that this is a Jewish camp; when I was sending my children to camp twenty years ago, there were few other choices but religious camps, even though I preferred the Camp Fire Girls camp I attended. Sadly, Camp Kiwatani is now a residential subdivision!
Weaknesses: Given the older titles that Maya was reading (Animal Farm, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Outsiders, and the lack of discussion about cell phones, I thought this might be set in the 1980s until I saw Maya also brought the book Wonder with her. Thought way too long about whether I liked authors to mention older books that I might then convince them to read, or newer books by contemporary authors. Not sure what I decided. 
What I really think: This is a quick, gentle mystery with tons of camp details and some good cultural connections to Jewish life. I would have adored this in fourth grade, and it's the perfect book to read while sitting on the front porch in the summer with a glass of lemonade. Of course, my students would be more inclined to pick it up if the mystery involved the camp director being murdered by being drowned in a vat of bug juice, but I have particularly blood thirsty readers!

 

J.R. Silver Writes Her World

Dassori, Melissa. J.R. Silver Writes Her World 

July 19th 2022 by Christy Ottaviano Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Josephine Rose attends The Nichols School in New York City, and she and her friend Violet spend many happy hours at the Metropolitan Museum debating which bed the protagonists of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler would have used. When the new school year starts, however, Violet has made friends with Ava, and seemed very distant. J.R. misses not only her best friend, but her boisterous family.  There is a new language arts teacher, Ms. Kline, and J.R. is very excited about the writing assignments, since she likes to emulate writers like Linda Sue Park and Jacqueline Woodson, and has a quirky writing routine. When Ms. Kline shows the class her collection of the school Gothamite magazine that she got from HER 6th grade teacher, J.R. is particularly enthralled. When J.R. writes articles for assignments, she finds that the topics about which she writes seem to come true. When a local bookstore is about to lose its lease, will she be able to use her writing powers to change its destiny, or is that against Ms. Kline's rules?And will she be able to mend her relationship with Violet?

Strengths: This is on trend with so many current topics, including the "graphic novels are real books" issue; Ms. Kline offers El Deafo as a choice for a class read, as well as Born a Crime, which was used this year in our 7th grade. It's an interesting look at the power of writing, and has lots of good details about living in New York City, as well as a vintage Konigsberg or Danziger sort of feel to it. Note to Charlotte's Library: This is definitely a fantasy book. The Gothamite writing assignments have magic in them. 

Weaknesses: This seemed somehow young. Elementary students might be more willing to suspend disbelief, and the J.R./Violet/Ada triangle felt more like a 4th grade friendship dissolution than a middle school one. 

What I Really Think: This is a great choice for readers who like books like The Vanderbeekers, but also want a little magic. Sadly, the New York City setting is a hard sell for my students.

A Rover's Story

Warga, Jasmine. A Rover's Story

October 4th 2022 by Balzer & Bray/Harperteen

ARC provided by Follett First Look

Sophie's mother Raina works long hours in a lab that is designing and programming Mars rovers. There are two in production, Resilience and Journey. When Resilience comes online, we see how he "learns" things about the world around him, but also witness his emotions about the people and experiences that make up his world. Sophie is very interested in the rover, and when she is sad or anxious, writes letters to him. In parallel, we see Raina's notes to the rover, which talk about her progress through school, her mother's illness, and her good wishes for Res' success. Other characters include Xander, the other scientist who is involved in the design, Fly, a drone that goes to Mars with Res, and Journey, the other Rover whose eventual fate is not as happy as Res'. We follow Res for many years and see the development of the systems, the launch to and landing on Mars, the mission on that planet, and the attempts to bring the unit home when the mission is done. The Rover's progress mirrors Nasa's Opportunity, which "died" on Mars and has not been retrieved, and it's interesting to follow Sophie from elementary school into her thirties. 

Strengths: There are lots of good detailes about what goes in to designing, building, and prorgamming a robotic piece of equipment to send in to space. Most of the chapters are from Res' perspective, but the humans provide a good scaffolding to show the passage of time and the challenges that frail human bodies present. Warga must have done an enormous amount of research to get so many details about what it was like for Res and Fly to have missions on Mars. Sophie and Res certainly have very different voices, and the writing is very smooth, so that the story moves quickly. 

Weaknesses: This is a sentimental tale that evolved from one of Warga's children asking if a would be scared when it went into space. I'm not at all sentimental, and also don't assign emotions to inanimate objects, so I personally couldn't get emotionally invested in this. I'm in the minority; apparently a LOT of people were upset when the Opportunity powered down. For me, that's akin to mourning the microwave, but I can see a lot of people really enjoying this. 

What I really think: Science teachers are always looking for fiction to pair with their curriculum, and this would be a great book, especially since Ohio's 7th grade science curriulum covers Earth and Space. This book would make a great choice for comparing and contrasting against Pixar's WALL-E or Johnson's The Wild Robot. 

 

The Last Beekeeper

Cartaya, Pablo. The Last Beekeeper

July 12th 2022 by HarperCollins

ARC provided by Young Adult Books Central

Yolanda lives with her older sister Cami on the family finca in a much altered future world. Climate change has caused cataclysmic problems, and much of the world is uninhabitable. The girls' parents were taken away from the government, which is horrifically intrusive. Everyone must carry a V-Probe, and if it is not online, there are sanctions. At one point, the much older Cami was sent on Retreat, which is part social service and part punishment, and returned with a badly damaged hand that had to be robotically augmented. This experience is something that she never shares with Yolanda, and the two rarely discuss their parents, the government, or even the sire straits that there farm is in. They grow strawberries, and have to pay for robotis drones to pollinate them, but the fruit is still hard and unripe, making it difficult to sell for much of a profit. Yolanda really wants to take a virtual class in Advanced Neurolink, hoping to become a doctor who can install these high tech devices and to have a better standard of living. The mayor of the nearby town, Blackburn, offers Yolanda a scholarship when she finds out Cami can't afford the class. Cami warns her that she should not accept, but Yolanda goes behind her sister's back. Later, she finds out that the cost of her education will be going on Retreat herself. Yolanda has a friend, Arelis, but the two usually only connect online. Arelis' brother is having trouble, but it's hard to find out exactly what is going on without the government finding out. When Yolanda is curious about her abuelita and Cami won't tell her much, she does some digging and finds a book that her grandmother wrote about the bee population. All signs point to a hidden hive that could pollinate the strawberry plants, and also provide the girls with honey that they could see at a high price. One of the people willing to pay for this rare commodity is Hortensia Blackburn, the sister of the mayor. Dealing with the bees is dangerous on a number of levels. Will Yolanda be able to work with them in order to save her family and friends from the unlikely source of the serious threats?

Yolanda is a great character who wants to become educated as a way to get away from the grueling life of farming in a world badly damaged by climate change and strife. Her professor and fellow students try to sabotage her at every turn, but she is dedicated to learning more about technology so that she can help others, as well as herself. Cami's reticence is understandable, given the trauma in her past, but she eventually learns to communicate with her sister. The Blackburns are clearly villians in the most classic sense, but the Mayor is delightfully oily and seemingly nice, which always makes for a much scarier villian, in my opinion!

There are a growing number of middle grade science fiction books that center climate change, but even Bachorz's 2011 Drought talked about some of this! I have certainly been aware of the problems with bees ever since reading Burns' The Hive Detectives in 2012! This is a growing concern for children, and I have to say that the idea of drone pollinators made me feel a teeny bit better, although I will still keep my bee garden! I loved that Yolanda's gradnmother had been a scientist. This is definitely a dystopian book, but one that is less concerned with the world and more concerned with how the characters are reacting to it in order to make circumstances better. 

For some reason, this reminded me strongly of Perry's The Scavengers (2014), and had some tones of Burt's Cleo Porter and the Body Electric (2020). We're seeing more and more books addressing the future if critical issues aren't addressed, like Welford's prescient The Dog Who Saved the World (2021) and  Rosenberg's environmentally themed One Small Hop (2021). Since the end of The Last Beekeeper contains a surprise twist with one of the characters, I think we may look forward to a sequel to this one!

MMGM- The Star That Always Stays and Stitched Up

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at 

Teach Mentor Texts 

and 

Unleashing Readers

Are you ready for this Friday? I'll have the "starting line" up Friday morning, but you can chose your own 48 hour stretch for excessive reading this coming weekend. Since there are (EEP!) 43 more books coming out in September that I need to read, I will probably concentrate on books for which I might not write reviews. I only buy about 1/3 of the books I read, but I still like to have read as much as I can. Some things surprise me. Not writing full reviews will be a little vacation. 

Have to say that it's time to be wrapping up summer things and getting ready for school! Schedule pick up is August 2nd, and we're back on August 8th. This summer has been... uninspired. Need to concentrate on positive thoughts so the start of the school year has more energy to it!

Johnson, Anna Rose. The Star That Always Stays
July 12th 2022 by Holiday House

E ARC provided by Edelweiss
 

Norvia's family struggles in the early 1900s in Beaver Island. The father, who is Swedish, is very disappointed in his own life, and works on fishing boats. He is frequently gone, leaving Norvia's mother, who is of Ojibwe and Arcadian descent, to provide for her five children. After moving to Boyne City, Michigan, the parents divorce, and the family struggles to survive, with the older children as well as a grandmother and great-grandmother helping out. Norvia and her siblings are not happy when the mother meets Mr. Ward and agrees to marry him hastily. Mr. Ward is a widower and well-to-do blacksmith with two older daughters, Julia and Marquerite, as well as a sickly son, Vernon, who is Norvia's age. Norvia's brother Elton is especially concerned, since he is working and supporting the family, but younger Dicta thinks of it as an adventure, and Caleb is apprehensive. Mr. Ward seems very nice, as does Marguerite, and the children settle in fairly well. Norvia and Dicta have a very nice room, and Norvia is pleased that she will be able to go to high school, something girls could not automatically expect in 1914. Mr. Ward provides Norvia with books, and even lets her mother redecorate the house, since his wife has been gone for eight years. Vernon, who is taught at home, is not happy with all of the changes. The one difficult part of the family arrangement is that the children have been told to keep their Native American background secret from everyone. The fact that Norvia's mother is divorced also causes her a lot of problems; her best friend Helen's mother thinks that is will adversely affect her social standing to be seen with Norvia. After reading a Carolyn Wells Patty book, Norvia decides that she needs to be popular in order to be successful at school, so she tries to gain friends, take an interest in boys, and follow the fictional prescription for good social standing. This is difficult, because of the family's situation, but she tries. Mr. Ward ends up being extremely supportive and understanding, and soon even Vernon is enjoying their new family. 

Strengths: Johnson does an exquisite job channeling the structure and language of vintage girls' books while updating Norvia's story nicely. She is a character that would  be right at home in a Grace Livingston Hill book, except that her life is going pretty well. We do see some flashbacks to her life in Beaver Creek with her supportive grandfather who tries to tell her about her family's heritage despite her father's resistance to it. The updated twist is the fact that Norvia's mother is divorced; that can't have been too common at the time. (Although my children have a great-great-grandmother who divorced her husband in the 1860s because he was a drunkard. Of course, he then went into her millinery shop, shot and killed her, and their six children ended up on an orphan train from Wisconsin to Iowa. There's a middle grade novel in there somewhere!) I loved that Norvia was introduced to so many books; the Anne of Green Gables series would have been still coming out at this time! This was a fun, nostalgic tale that will make readers who enjoyed books like Albus' A Place to Hang the Moon really happy!
Weaknesses: While I was hoping for more information about Norvia's Native American heritage and possibly about her passing as white, I think the author did a good job at using the information she had about Norvia to craft a realistic portrayal of how Norvia's life played out. Being a huge historical fiction geek, I would have liked more details about daily life, product brands, etc., but there's plenty there for young readers who haven't spent as much time reading Project Gutenberg titles as I have.  
What I really think: There are relatively few historical fiction books set in the early 1900s, and this is a great story that might convince readers to pick up Anne of Green Gables or other contemporary titles, and it's always a happy day for me when that happens!

Cole, Steve. Stitched-Up

June 2nd 2022 by Barrington Stokes

E ARC provided by the author

Hanh is being held in a clothing factory, where she is forced to work grueling hours and live in horrific conditions. She got there because a man and woman came to her family and told them that she was wanted for an internship in Hanoi, working as a shop assistant. Since she wants to be a fashion designer, she's willing to take a year off school to do this, especially since her parents are offered a large sum of money. She is going with Tuyet, whose familiy she knows, and meets Ping on the bus to Hanoi. Immediately upon arriving in the city, the girls are taken to a factory and told they would be working there. The factory makes clothing, and one of the jobs the girls have to do is to sand blast jeans so they are distressed. They do not have masks, and the sand particles cause breathing problems, especially for Tuyet, who has asthma. Ping uses a sander on details, but since Hanh helped her mother with sewing, she has a slightly easier job embroidering flowers on the jeans. When Tuyet falls and injures her hand, she is not given medical help but sent to another factory to pick up waste fabric off the floor. This makes her breathing problems worse. Yen, who is a supervisor, is cruel to the girls, because if quotas are not met, the overseers are cruel to her. After Tuyet is injured, Hanh starts to think of ways to escape, inspired by a quote from Ho Chi Minh. She saves bits of fabric to make a banner to hang out a window alerting the outside world to the fact that there are slaves in the building that need help. Someone picks it apart at night, but she is eventually able to finish it. Hanging out of a window is treacherous work, and when the girls are interrupted, Chau falls out of the window. The girls fear she is dead, and of course are given no news of their friend. Soon after, repairmen are in the building fixing the sand blaster, which they say has been tampered with. One of the men taunts Hanh with a stick of gum and then throws the wrapper at her face, but it has a message written in it. He says that help is on its way, and the girls should find a way to stay in their room so they can be rescued. Other workers, who are trying to ingratiate themselves to the bosses, find out about this, and the rescue attempt happens earlier. It doesn't go well, but the man tries several times and finally succeeds. He is working with an aid society that helps children who have been trafficked. They close down the factory and help the girls get back home. Hanh finds out that her parents were never paid any more money, and if she hadn't been rescued, she might never have made it home. She is able to go back to school and hope for a better life. N.B. I thought that the E ARC was letting me take notes, but when I went to retrieve them, it was glitchy. I apologize for any mistakes with plot details and names. 

Strengths: If you've read Thomas' Fashionopolis, you know that the fast fashion industry has become a huge problem in the last forty years. Distressed jeans have always seemed like a bad idea to me, and the fact that people are so grievously injured in making them is something that everyone needs to know about. Barington Stoke is a UK publisher of books for reluctant and dyslexic readers, and their layouts are great. The font is san serif, there's a lot of white space on the page, the book is short, and there are even illustrations that really capture the dark mood of the book. Hanh is a great character who is trying hard to improve her own circumstances, even when they are dire. She tries to soothe tensions between workers and make a difference in their lives. Most importantly, readers in developed countries who are purchasing fast fashion should know the human cost of these clothes! I've bought all of my clothes at the thrift store ("charity shop" for readers across the pond) for about 25 years and now am very glad that I have! Middle grade readers will appreciate the fast pace and suspense of Hanh's fight to be free of her horrible environment. 
Weaknesses: It seems unlikely that I will be able to get a copy that would last in my library. It's only available in paperback, and only in the UK. Also, while Cole researched this thoroughly, it seems unlikely that he has ever had to work in such an environment. This doesn't bother me at all, but some people may not be as pleased. 
What I Really Think: Steve Cole, whose Z-Rex (2009) and Thieves Like Us (2006) are still popular in my library (although the entire Wereling (2003) trilogy fell apart!) is a prolific UK writer! More of his work should come to our shores! There are four books in this series, all of which deal with various environmental and social justice issues: Tin Boy, World Burn Down, and Welcome to Trash Land. I would certainly buy all four of these if they were available in the US, and my readers would love them. 

Next Door to Happy and The Hike to Home

Strout, Allison Weiser. Next Door to Happy

July 12th 2022 by Margaret Ferguson Books

E ARC provided  by the publisher

Violet is at loose ends the summer before 7th grade. She's done being a counselor in training at a summer camp, her best friend is still away, her father has taken a job out of town, and her mother does not often leave the house and doesn't interact with her very much, unless it's to ask Violet to make them dinner. When new neighbors move in next door, Violet is intrigued by the five active children and their at home mother (the father works a lot and isn't shown). TJ Walker, who is a high school baseball player, invites her over, and soon she is hanging out with quiet Reggie, slightly younger soccer playing twins Rose and Daisy, and second grader Chloe. Violet's presence evens out teams, and the twins in particular like having her over. Best of all, they don't ask to come over to her house, which is difficult because of her mother. When school starts, Mrs. Walker asks Violet to look out for Reggie. Even though his family encourages him to play baseball, he's not a fan, and is okay with sitting alone at lunch and spending quiet time observing the world around him. Violet is determined to watch out for him, and feels bad when he ends up not sitting with her and her friends at lunch. The two decide to build a treehouse in the woods near their homes, and tell Chloe that they are building one in the front yard so she doesn't ask questions. When Violet overhears Mrs. Walker telling Reggie not to go to her house because her mother is a bit odd, she tries to avoid the family, but it's hard. Her relationship with Reggie is complicated when she agrees to play soccer with her friends when a teammate quits, but she realizes that she would rather hang out with him than with them. When an emergency occurs, Violet's mother is able to step outside her comfort zone to help, which seems to open up the lines of communication between the two families. 

Strengths: Raise your hand if you wanted to be in a larger family when you were growing up. I call this the Brady Bunch Effect, because there is just something appealing about having a larger number of people who are supposed to understand you and be there for you. An added bonus with the Walkers is that the idea of having a twin is also appealing, and Violet fits right in with Daisy and Rose. This was an interesting look at a barely capable mother, although Violet's mother works from home, seems to go out to buy groceries, and is able to leave the house if necessary. There is never any official diagnosis of agoraphobia or depression, although the signs are there. Seeing how Violet navigates her relationship with her father, who sees her once a week, will speak to students who are in a similar situation, or are trying to understand how that works with their friends. Reggie, who is not diagnosed but seems like he might be on the autism spectrum, is at odds with this family that Violet so esteems, so it is interesting that she connects with him the most. This story moved along quickly for one that was built mainly on relationships, and was an intriguing read. 
Weaknesses: Given the zeitgeist of the times and the growing number of middle grade books that deal with mental health issues, I would have liked to see direct discussion of the problems that Violet's mother and Reggie were facing, and having therapy, coping skills, and maybe even medication mentioned would have been helpful. This ended a bit abruptly, and they inclusion of assistance for Violet's mother would have brought a feeling of closure to the book. 
What I really think:  Add this to a list of parental mental health books like Jones' Silhouetted by the Blue, Keller's The Science of Unbreakable Things, Pixley's Trowbridege Road, and Hiranandani's The Whole Story of Half a Girl. 

Rinker, Jess. The Hike to Home
July 5th 2022 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

When Lin comes to a Newbridge, New Jersey with her father to renovate a house, she thinks the summer will be boring, especially when her father enrolls her in a summer camp full of mean girls. She's used to traveling around with her parents, who have a YouTube presence, Moseying with the Mosers, but her mother has gotten a great opportunity to work on her film making and is spending the summer away from the family. Lin tries to film on her own to be closer to her mother, but is very angry and feels abandoned. Luckily, she meets Tinsley when she is hiding in the bathroom during camp, and the two hit it off. Tinsley's father also works on houses, but has been recently injured in an accident while working for the Sanders corporation, and now needs constant care. Joining the two is Leo, a quiet neighbor boy who is always reading, and whom Lin's father has agreed to watch in the afternoons so that hopefull he and Lin will become friends. Lin tries to be open to adventures in Newbridge, but is unused to talking to kids her own age, and ends up insulting Leo and the town. When she finds out abou tthe local legend of "The Castle in the Clouds", a long ago mansion built somewhere in the woods on a mountain, she gets Leo and Tinsley to try to find it with her. They find a surprising number of clues, but their progress is slowed by local bullies who have been targeting Leo, and who are, of course, related to the head of the Sanders corporation. When the camping trip goes badly wrong, will it even matter if they find the castle?
Strengths: I was absolutely enthralled by the idea of the family traveling around and renovating houses, although I was half expecting there to be a ghost. (The cover is too sunny for that!) The father is properly dad-like, and very open and friendly to Lin's friends and their activities. While she is given a good bit of freedom, there is realistic concern when the three are gone for too long while camping. Tinsley is an interesting character that we are seeing more and more; she wears costumes instead of drab clothing, and has a lot of artistic flair. Theo is shy, but rather helpful and definitely long suffering, with the way Lin treats him! The castle is a very cool idea, and the clues are laid out in a fairly reasonable way; meeting someone on the Appalachian Trail who helps them is intertwined well. For some reason, this reminded me of McCullough's A Field Guide to Getting Lost or Beasley's Tumble & Blue. The house renovation did not take the creepy turn like The Secrets of Goldenrod did. 
Weaknesses: There were a lot of coincidences involved in looking for the castle that were a bit of a stretch, and it was hard to believe that the kids would make so much progress when so many others had searched for the castle for years. I know, I know. I would have believed it if dragons had shown up, but realistic fiction has a different set of circumstances for credibility! The Sanders seemed a bit over the top. Are there still places where families "own" a town?
What I really think: While the cover art is a good style for middle school readers, and the adventure had its moments, there was something about this that struck me as more elementary. It might have been Lin's closeness with her mother. This is completely believable, since Lin has been homeschooled and traveled around without seeing many kids, but most middle school students want to put more distance between themselves and their parents, not less. If I have money left in February, I may purchase a copy. 
 

Hard Court (The Fifth Quarter #2)

Dawson, Mike. Hard Court (The Fifth Quarter #2)
July 12th 2022 by First Second

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Lori has made peace with some of her friends doing drama rather than playing basketball in The Fifth Quarter, and is still playing on a travel team. She and Elyse do well together, but still are relegated to the fifth quarter, when points aren't being scored. Her mother Rachel is still working long hours, and her father stays at home and drives her to her games, bringing along her whiny twin siblings. This changes, however; her father gets a new, full-time job, and her mother cuts back to part time. Because of this, she has time to coach Lori in a rec league. Lori isn't thrilled about this; her mother can be rather intense, and she'll HAVE to play on her mom's team, while Elyse is on another. In green and white flashbacks, we see the mother's experience playing soccer in the 1990s, and see how her growing up years mirror Lori's. She had a stepmother, her father coached her soccer team, and her step sister Miriam wasn't a good player, and Rachel bullied her a bit on the field. Things were rocky with her father's marriage, and he frequently complains about the stepmother's dedication to work and her inability to keep house properly. Rachel struggled to play soccer well in order to make her father happy. We see Lori trying to keep her own parents from fighting, especially when her father's new job is eliminated. Will Lori be able to balance her sports, friends, and family life?
Strengths: As a huge fan of sports books for middle grade readers, especially involving girls sports, I was very glad to see this one. There is even some information about Title IX at the end of the book, and there needs to be a lot more awareness about that legislation among young readers! The transition between Lori and Rachel's stories was particularly effective, and Rachel's childhood explains a lot of the dynamic in Lori's family. I did enjoy the conversation she had with her father about how he was dealing with his changes in employment. There aren't enough books that show how parental circumstances affect middle grade characters. The illustrations are colorful and easy to follow-- the different characters definitely have defining characteristics that make them easy to tell apart, which is a huge help. If you liked The Fifth Quarter, you'll definitely want to take a look at this continuation.
Weaknesses: Since I haven't seen a basketball game since about 1975, I struggled to follow the action on the court. The beginning of the book was rather frenetic in its attempts to recap the first book. While this story worked fairly well as a graphic novel, there were a lot of details that were missing or harder to follow because of the format. 
What I really think: I will definitely purchase this, although there is less basketball and more family drama. Because it has sports on the cover, a lot more readers will pick it up, but it will be most successful with fans of books like Knisley's Peapod Farm and Raina Telgemeier's Sisters.

Do people really cook dinner right when they get home from work? Before I slipped into my curretn, post children weird habit of eating a can of soup or tuna when I get home, I always had meals in the refrigerator that I put together on the weekend, and might occasionally boil the pasta after work, but generally just heated things up in the microwave. I do not have the brain power to think about cooking after work, but that features largely in this book. 
 

The Boy Who Failed Dodgeball

Sonnenblick, Jordan. The Boy Who Failed Dodgeball
June 28th 2022 by Scholastic Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this sequel to his elementary memoir, The Boy Who Failed Show and Tell, Sonnenblick explores his memories of his middle school years. He starts at an arts magnet school where he gets to play drums but only knows two other kids, and struggles with impulsive behavior that is fairly benign but gets him sent to the principal's office repeatedly. Since this is set in the 1970s, there are a lot of details about the sorts of daredevil type behavior in which children participated before there were safety innovations like helmets. Today's children, who are more likely to sprain their thumbs playing video games, will marvel at the slavish devotion to replicating Evel Knievel's stunts, but this was definitely something children did. Like the game of "hit the kid on the Green Machine", my brother and I defied death on a Big Wheel, and no one ever told us that perhaps we shouldn't put ourselves in such danger. I believe the parental reply to such things was "Don't come crying to me when you hurt yourself"! There are some good historical details, about the massive celebrations of the Bicentennial, and also a very poignant recounting of the death of John Lennon. Sonnenblick's description of school the next day was spot on, although in high school, about half of the students were zombies in the wake of his killing. The details about having to read Great Expectations (and fighting for copies that didn't smell!) were an intriguing dive into a time when children's opinions didn't matter in the least, and the budding romances with Coty and Vicky will speak to many readers who are looking forward to school dances. Sonnenblick survives, despite his significant struggles with asthma, and leaves room open for another memoir covering later middle school or maybe even his high school years. This is more anecdotal than the first book, and is a great way to introduce fans of Wimpy Kid books to Sonnenblick's terrific writing. 

Strengths: There are always a number of students who deal with asthma, but it is rarely depicted in middle grade literature. While some of the medications have changed, I'm sure that readers who have inhalers will definitely understand Sonnenblick's struggles. There are also a lot of details about being injured; in addition to his own bike accidents, he's hit on the head with a rock at school and gets a concussion. Yet, these were children who I am sure never ran in the hallways at school! I was impressed by Sonnenblick's memories of people and places, and suspect that he must have kept a journal; he's a bit younger than I am, and I can barely remember the names of my teachers. The cover is fantastic, and this is a humorous, quick pick for readers who enjoy memoirs like Scieszka's Knucklehead, Yelchin's The Genius Under the Table, Collard's Snakes, Alligators, and Broken Hearts: Journeys of a Biologist's Son or Page's Button Pusher. 

Weaknesses: Maybe I'm imagining it, but the first book seemed more like a novel. This definitely felt more like a memoir. I kept waiting for there to be more of a plot, but eventually realized that real life is pretty short on plot elements. Also, I'm not a huge fan of telling young readers that middle school is horrible. It wasn't great for me, but my own children rather enjoyed it, which I thought was surprising and just a little weird. (My one daughter was even weepy for days upon leaving!)
What I really think: It was fun to watch young Jordan progress through middle school, even though I had trouble believing that he was sent to the principal's office quite so much! I do feel like I should go find a packet of Fruit Stripe gum, though. 

Rip to the Rescue

Halahmy, Miriam. Rip to the Rescue

July 21st 2020 by Holiday House

Public library copy

Jack lives on the North side of London during World War II with his father, who lost a leg in the Great War, and his mother. Because his father is irascible to the point of being abusive, Jack spends a lot of time with his grandfather, who is starting to exhibit signs of dementia. He has also lied about his age and is working as a bike messenger to help with dispatches from the fire department and air raid wardens, since phone communication is often knocked out after a raid. He hasn't told his parents, and keeps his gear at his grandfather's. When he is injured on one errand, he is helped by Paula, whose father is a doctor. She makes sure that Jack gets stitched up, and helps him home. She hasn't been evacuated because her mother wants her close ever since her older brother was killed in the war. Paula has a younger sister, who has connections to a band of young thieves roaming the city. Paula's family is Jewish, and have a German aunt living with them who is fearful that should England be invaded, the family could be at risk. Jack finds a dog that they call Rip, who seems to have an uncanny ability to find people trapped in the rubble. Jack helps to rescue a young baby, and is determined to keep working despite the difficulties, since there is no school because of the disruption the war has caused. After a particularly horrible event with his father, he moves in with his gradnfather, whose mental state is rapidly deteriorating. Will Rip help Jack save others, and maybe save him as well?

Strengths: I have a huge need for books about World War II, and there's a subset of my readers who crave dog stories set during military conflicts, like Sutter's Soldier Dogs, Calkhoven's G.I. Dogs, and London's Dog Tags. For a fairly short book, this packed a real punch, and had some gruesome moments, like the fact that the father had Jack's cats put down when Jack was temporarily evacuated. The role of children in the city when bombs were being dropped, the damage to buildings, and the time people had to spend in air raid shelters is all vividly described and will speak to young readers who may be curious as to what is going on in Ukraine in 2022. Jack is a great character who perseveres in the face of adversity, and Paula is a great friend to him. 
Weaknesses: There's not as much about Rip in this as I would have liked. If I hadn't been expecting more of a dog story, this would have been fine. 
What I really think: Definitely purchasing, and know just the reader who will get this first in August!

A Perfect Mistake

Conklin, Melanie. A Perfect Mistake
July 12th 2022 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Max has been struggling in fifth grade. Between being very tall and dealing with his ADHD, he was glad to work with a therapist over the summer to develop coping strategies to help him be able to concentrate so that he can be more successful in school. Unfortunately, right before school starts, his friend Will is in a medically induced coma after he, Will, and their friend Joey went to an abandoned round house in the woods with Joey's brother Jared. Max got scared and ran home, leaving his friends behind, but Will ended up in the yard of a neighbor who had a lot of dogs. The police are asking lots of questions, but not coming up with all of the answers. Max is also dealing with his uncle Cal, who has shown up in his beat up van. Max's mother doesn't seem thrilled to see her brother, but agrees to let him stay for a while he earns some money. Max's father, who is struggling to find employment as well, arranges for him to do some cabinetry work at the local bakery, owned by the father of one of Max's classmates, Sam Bovella. He's never hung out with he before, but she is interested in what happened to Will, and he finds it easier to talk to her than to anyone else. Jared is weird, his mom cries a lot, and while it's good to talk to his therapist, she's not around every day. Sam and Max investigate what happened, and come to some startling conclusions. 

Strengths: For me, the big draw of this one was the depiction of Max's struggles with ADHD and being really tall. Middle school has such a wide range of sizes, but outliers do often feel very alone. There are a lot of students struggling with ADHD, but there are few depictions in the literature, especially ones that are as positive as Max's. I love that he has strategies, and that 504 plans are mentioned, and it makes sense that these strategies are interrupted by the problems with his friend. I loved his language arts teacher, and appreciate that Conklin is POSITIVE about her cat shaped buttons; all too often, "teacher dress" is derided. The best part of the book was Cal, with his van and his alternative lifestyle, and his own possible undiagnosed ADHD. 
Weaknesses: The cover is okay, but the title doesn't seem to have much to do with the story. 
What I really think: This isn't one that will fly off the shelf, but will be very successful with the right readers. It's much more interesting and upbeat than this author's other titles, Counting Thyme and Every Missing Piece.
 

Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation

Liu, Sylvia. Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation

June 21st 2022 by Razorbill
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Hana lives in a much changed Virginia in 2053. Now, corporations dictate the way society operates much more than politics, technology is everywhere and people's brains are "enmeshed", wired into the internet (some even use the term "Brain Jack", hearkening back to Falkner's 2010 title!), and because of the ascendency of the tech company I Ching, Chinese culture is widespread and popular. Hana's mother is a well regarded and powerful geneticist working long hours for I Ching, but her father was recently killed in his line of work as a hostage negotiator. Her older sister, Lin, is due to become enmeshed, and Hana worries that the two won't be as close afterwards. She makes one of her small automata to give to her, and has an interesting run in with a scavenger in the dump in the Bottoms. The girl gives Hana a scroll with sensitive information on it, and Hana has to go back and find her. Hana is excited about going to school at Start-Up, an elite academy for those who are hard working and determined. When she finds out that the year long program will be compacted into a summer, she's even more thrilled. Her grandmother, Popo, who is in the beginning stages of dementia because she was never enmeshed, voices her concerns about this procedure and warns her not to do it. Hana makes some friends at Start-Up, like Chuck (Charlene) and Tomas, but when students start becoming ill, she wonders if the work that her mother is doing at I Ching studying zombie ant fungus and DNA has something to do with it. Aided by Ink, the girl from the dump, and her mentor Wayman, Hana and her friends work to uncover what evil the corporations must have in store while trying to do well in the school competitions in virtual reality. 

Strengths: This was a brilliantly conceived futuristic society with lots of information and a fun and well explained Chinese flavor. The multiweb neural implants and widespread use of technology in the very near future (I could possibly still be alive, but I'd be 88), is incredibly detailed, and we get just enough background about the tech wars, the rise of corporations, and how society has changed since the grandmother was young in the 1990s. Start-Up is an intriguing school, and the classes and activities are ones that will appeal to my students, who are much more interested in virtual reality than I am. Hana is a well developed and likeable character who is not only facing realistic problems like her older sister's separation from her, making new friends, dealing with her father's death, and her grandmother's dementia, but also with saving the world from the evil corporations, one of which her mother works for. The Ghost Carb Nation is a group of concerned individuals who are opposed to the reach of technology, and Ink and Wayman make convincing arguments against the involvement of corporations and government into the lives of individuals. I'm siding with them and with Popo on that: stay away from my neural pathways, thank you very much. I don't even turn the WiFi on to my phone most of the time, and rarely carry it with me. We also have fun things like enmeshed cats with translators, a Ye Olde Shoppes mall where tech is blocked to recreate the 1990s, and reading old school I Ching. 
Weaknesses: I do so wish this had started out as more of a EUtopia, like Condie's Matched. I felt like Hana was exposed to the seedy underbelly of society way too soon, and the grip of the corporation would have been more wrenching had she been more absolutely thrilled with her world. Also, why does every vision of the future involve form fitting spandex? Is the original Star Trek to blame for the evils of running tights and leggings as pants? 
What I really think: I'll buy this one, because there haven't been a lot of good dystopian novels lately, but it's not going to be for the casual reader or ones who don't like science fiction. It's great for readers who are really interested in technology, and again, there aren't that many newer books about this (see also the aforementioned Brain Jack, Kincaid's 2012 Insignia, Dashner's 2013 Eye of Minds, or Klavan's 2014 Mindwar.) Hand to readers who enjoyed McCullough's Jinxed, Hautman's The Flinkwater Factor, or Korman's Masterminds.