The International House of Dereliction

Davies, Jacqueline. The International House of Dereliction

July 18, 2023 by Clarion Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
 

Alice Cannoli-Potchnik is being raised in a small college town where her mother is a professor and her father is a building inspector. The college provides housing, and because the father is so good about renovating properties, the family is shuttled from one decrepit domicile to another. Alice is "unschooled", which means she is left on her own to pursue her own passion projects, checking in with the college library when she needs resources. When another move approaches, Professor Cannoli decides that moving so frequently is bad for Alice, and that the family will not renovate the property. While investigating her new surroundings, Alice notices that the property next door has been condemned. Still intrigued, she goes inside and notices that lovely fire place with Delft tiles. As a new project, she decides to replace the tiles and refurbish the woodwork, skills she has acquired helping her father. She also uses some windfall from a family garage sale to replace crystals in the chandelier. There are odd sounds in the house, and she soon hears voices. The house is pleased with her and gives its blessing to her projects, something she learns from a variety of spirits who dwell within the house. There's Ivy, a six year old who passed aways suddenly before a big trip; Mugwort, a Revolutionary War era soldier who fought with George Washington but died in his bed; and Danny, a computer science major who died in 1972 without letting Jenny, the love of his life, know of his emotions. They teach Alice about all of the ways that spirits can be trapped and unable to move on, and Alice helps them figure out what is holding them back. She finds computer punch cards, gets help retrieving the love poems from them, which she manages to deliver to Jenny, who happens to be a visiting professor at the college, in the nick of time. Danny moves on. She uncovers information about Mugwort's history, and directs him to make amends for his wartime profiteering by donating money to a Soldier's Home as well as the local cemetary. Ivy has a library book that wasn't returned, and just as Alice is about to search for it, word comes that the house is going to be torn down. Ivy thinks the book might be in the attic, but there is another spirit in the house, The Fury, who doesn't want to let Alice and Ivy investigate the attic. Alice needs to fight the spirit, who has an intriguing connection to her own family, and send Ivy on her way before the house is demolished, and also find a way for her family to stop being moved to different residences. 

Strengths: I rather enjoyed reading this one since I'm a fan of old houses and their history, and the ghosts and the mission to send them to the light were well developed. Alice's sense of ability and agency is great to see, even if it hurt my feelings that all of her hard work to restore bits of the house was undone! The ghosts are all a bit scattered, but manage to retrieve important information about their backgrounds in order for Alice to help them move along, and her dedication to them was heartwarming. The bits of history, especially about the computer punch cards, were fun. There's a lot of figurative language and rich descriptions in this, which I don't remember from Davies' other books like Nothing But Trouble (2016) or The Lemonade War (2007) series. 

Weaknesses: This had a quirky, almost British feel to it, something like Raskin's The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel). Also, I'm pretty sure that small colleges don't operate the way that this one does and that the Cannoli-Potchniks wouldn't have survived very long in their almost condemned house. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like a quirky, house-centered story like West's The Shadows or O'Reilly's The Secret of Goldenrod. I'm not sure that my students will pick it up, since they are adamant that ghosts should be murderously gory. More astute and nuanced readers who would themselves be successful at unschooling might enjoy this more. 

Hope's Path to Glory

Nolen, Jerdine. Hope's Path to Glory: The Story of a Family's Journey on the Overland Trail

February 7, 2023 by Simon Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Hope (who was named Clementine by the woman who owns her family) is somewhat fortunate to belong to the Barnetts. She is still with her mother and father, and has an indoor job, training to be a lady's maid for Elizabeth Barnett, who has even taught Hope to read and write. Things are tough on the farm now that Elizabeth's seafaring husband has died and she has remarried his brother, who is not taking good care of the farm. To bring in some money, he has decided to sell Hope's family, but is willing to let them be together. However, the oldest son, Jason, has decided to travel out to the California gold fields in 1849, and says he needs help along the way. Soon, Hope and her mother and father are packing a wagon and making their way across the US via the Overland Trail. They are as prepared as they can be, and have been fortunate along the way, stocking their wagon and finding decent oxen to pull it. They are with a fairly prepared wagon train, and aside from a few catastrophes (like oxen being killed by lightning, the elderly and small children taking ill and dying, and Jason becoming ill with cholera for a bit), are quite fortunate. Hope has read the poetry of Phyllis Wheatley, since Elizabeth Barnett gave her one of the poet's books, and has thought about the status of enslaved people quite a bit when back in Virginia. Once the family reaches California, will they be able to carve out a life of freedom for themselves?

This felt a lot like a book in the turn of the millenium Scholastic series, Dear America. Hope keeps a diary, and details not only what life is like in Virginia, but all along the Overland Trail as well. There are lots of details about the food stores necessary to get a group across the US and safely to California, and even though I have read a lot on this topic, I learned several things! It makes sense that the flour was heat treated so it didn't spoil, and I hadn't known about the alkaline water that killed cattle. I feel like I would be much better prepared to play Oregon Trail now! 

Even though I loved Carr's Children of the Covered Wagon (1934) when I was young, there are not a lot of newer titles about Westward Expansion. Philbrick's Stay Alive does cover the disastrous Donner Party, which is mentioned in Hope's Path, but I wouldn't mind seeing more titles. It was definitely interesting to follow the exploits of Black members of a pioneer group, and while there were several instances when they met Native Americans, there's not too much discussion about the problems that the pioneers caused. 

I was briefly confused; the cover is so similar to Daley's If the Fire Comes: A Story of Segregation During the Great Depression that I thougth this was another of Jolly Fish Press' I Am America series. Even the format is somewhat similar, and there's a nice time line of Westward Expansion events at the end of the book, and a fantastic source list. Definitely hand this to fans of either the Dear America or I Am America series, or readers who enjoyed Nolen's Eliza's Freedom Road: An Underground Railroad Diary (2017). 

Hope in the Valley

Perkins, Mitali. Hope in the Valley

July 11, 2023 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux 

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Pandita Paul lives in the Silicon Valley in the 1980. She lives with her father, who is a professor, and her two older sisters, but is struggling since the sudden death of her mother sevearl years previously when the family was visiting relatives in India. She and her mother frequently snuck into a derelict house that was part of a farm that is no longer active that is across the street from her house, and she still spends time on the porch, reading her mother's letters. She's an anxious child, who isn't into theater or social activism like her sisters, so she is not happy when her father tells her that he has enrolled her in a summer theater program so that she gets out of the house. This is especially horrible because the town wants to tear down the old farmhouse and develop the farm into affordable housing, since the tech industry is booming and there are not enough apartments and houses that teachers, police, and other necessary workers can afford. The one saving grace of the program is that Leo, whom she has recently met because his mother is a nurse in a senior facility Pandita visits, is also enrolled. His family is from the Philippines, and thinking of moving out of town to a less expensive apartment. Pandita gets involved with the local historical society to fight the demolition of the house, in part because her beloved public librarian is a member. It doesn't help that one of her sisters is pushing for the apartments, and is as much involved in fighting for the apartments as Pandita is involved in fighting against them. Pandita loses her mother's letters when the farmhouse is cleaned out, and when she discovers that the historical society may have them, she volunteers to go through many boxes of papers, hoping to find them. What she does find is information about the owners of the farm (an orchard) who have a fascinating story that ties into some social justice issues. It's a losing battle, though, just like the one she is secretly fighting with her father. He has never felt comfortable talking about Pandita's mother, so she and her sisters have never discussed her, and now he is dating a brash, talkative Bengali woman, Dr. Shom. Pandita doesn't like the thought of her mother being displaced, although Dr. Shom is generally kind and helpful. It's an uncomfortable summer filled with all manner of things that Pandita doesn't like. Will she be able to survive theater camp, her father's dating, the loss of the country feel to her neighborhood, and the general forward motion of life?

Strengths: Turning 13 seems like it would be a good thing, but Pandita finds out, the way many of us do, that life doesn't really stop to consider what WE would like. Especially in the 1980s, little consideration was given to tweens feelings, especially ones that were considered "sensitive". I can't imagine the building that would have gone on in the Silicon Valley at this point in time, since even in Ohio there was a ton of new construction in the middle of cornfields, none of which really took into account any properties of historical or emotional significance. Perkins does a good job of capturing some of the feel of the time in a way that addresses universal concerns, and throws in some great references, especially to the classic children's literature that she loves. (If you are a "kindred spirit" don't miss her 2021 Steeped in Stories: Timeless Children’s Novels to Refresh Our Tired Souls.) Her family is supportive and present, but want her to do things that THEY want her to do. She manages to make some new friends, and the historical research she does, even though it doesn't help save the farm, adds another layer of interest. Hope in the Valley is a refreshing and engaging look at an underrepresented time period. 
Weaknesses: This story could have been told without the death of the mother, although I appreciated the inclusion of the father dating. I was never a fan of change when I was a tween, and was furiously upset when a house was built on a vacant lot across the street from my house. Pandita would still have felt connected to the farm house and been angry about its demolition even if her mother were alive.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Dilloway's Five Thing About Ava Andrews, Giles' Take Back the Block, or even Yee's Maizy Chen's Last Chance (with the history in the background). 

MMGM- When Things Go Wrong

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at 

Teach Mentor Texts 

and 

Unleashing Readers

Temporelli, Max, Gozzi, Barbara, and Innocente, Agnese (Illustrations)
When Everything Went Wrong: 10 Real Stories of Inventors Who Didn't Give Up! 
Publication May 2, 2023 by Andrews McMeel Publishing
E ARC provided by Edleweiss Plus
There's always a place for reading abotu inventions in middle school. Might go years without a teacher interested in Invention Convention, then there's somebody who is all in AND wants all the students to read about inventors. This new title is an interesting mix of text and graphic novel style panels, and is centered around the theme of making mistakes that sometimes lead to the answer really needed. 

Just enough information about the person's life is given to make this handy for a report or for a starting place for research, but the real draw here is the information about the invention process. While we all know a little about Edison's quest to create a filament for his lightbulb, we get even more of a breakdown here. I found Jan Matzeliger's work on machinery for manufacturing shoes much more interesting, but I wish there had been more about his Dutch Guinea background. Marconi, Dyson, Steiff, and Goodyear all have names that sound familiar thanks to the products they created, but more attention should be paid to Spencer (inventor of the microwave), Kwolek (Kevlar) and Pemberton (Coca Cola). Most interesting to me was Greatbach, who created the pacemaker.

Like the graphic nonfiction Yummy: A History of Deserts or A Shot in the Arm, When Everything Went Wrong will appeal to students who like to consume information with lots of pictures, and who are very dedicated to the format. I was a little irritated by the style of noses; I don't understand why a large number of illustrators like to make the noses a darker color than the rest of the face, but not everyone is as distracted by that as much as I am. This is available from Follett in a hardcover, which is most likely paper over board, so might not hold up very long. 

Parsons, Karyn. Clouds Over California

July 11, 2023 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Stevie (aka Stephanie) lives in Santa Monica, California in the 1970s with her mother, who is very glamorous and was the top of her class at the Barbizon School of modeling even though there were few Black models at the time. Her father is white, and used to work for the CIA, but now runs a vending machine business with his brother. He is very old fashioned, and doesn't think that her mother should go back to college, because he is able to provide for his family. The parents often go out to fancy restaurants, sometimes bringing Stevie with them. Stevie is struggling to fit in to her new school. Even though she likes her teacher, Mrs. Quakely, there are kids who are rude to her and make fun of her hair, although she does play tetherball with Ally and tries to embrace her new environment. There are changes at home, as well. Her older cousin Naomi has been sent by her mother to live with Stevie's family because she's been "a problem". She wears tight flares and polyster shirts, and brings her Chaka Khan albums with her, and is interested in the Black Panther movement. She looks "like a Soul Train dancer"! Stevie is enthralled with her cousin, but is also worried about her mother. There have been phone calls from a man, and Stevie sees her mother at the library with Clarence. Her mother is secretive, and Stevie finds a recording device in a crawl space, so she figures it won't be long before her father figures out what her mother is doing. Will this mean that her parents will get a divorce? How can Stevie navigate all of the changes in her life? 
Strengths: Young readers will be confused as to why Stevie's father is against her mother going back to school, and that's the great thing about historical fiction-- things were not always the way they are now, and children need to see this. Stevie's classmates and teacher find her hair to be exotic (and there's some good information about not touching people's hair!), and she mentions that she doesn't know anyone else who is biracial. Naomi is an interesting character; "problem" teens in the 1970s were much different than problem teens today! There are lots of good details about ordinary life, and plenty of pop culture is mentioned. There was an uptick in the number of divorces during this time period, and I think it was a fairly common worry for children. Pair this one with another 1970s, California-set title, Amos' Cookies and Milk, for an even better understanding of this decade. 
Weaknesses: I cannot pin down a year for this one. Probably 1974, even though Bubble Yum didn't come out until 1975. At one point, people are going to see American Grafitti and Cleopatra Jones, but those wouldn't have still been in the theaters in 1974. I also wondered about the fact that Stevie didn't consider it Christmas unless she saw It's a Wonderful Life on television; I don't remember that ever being on television until after the 1977 Marlo Thomas It Happened One Christmas, and even then I had to stay up and watch it at midnight. Okay, I guess I AM a little too picky about historical details, but having read Magoon's Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party's Promise to the People, I was a bit confused about Naomi's involvement with the Black Panthers, who weren't nearly as active in the 1970s. If you can just take a deep breath and view this as set in a vague 1970s setting instead of looking for clues to things you remember happening in your own childhood, you'll enjoy this a lot more!
What I really think: This is an interesting snap shot of life in the 1970s, and since there isn't a lot of historical fiction set during that time, I will probably purchase it. Fiction from that time, like Blume's Blubber (1974) hasn't held up well, but I appreciated all of Parsons' shout outs to literature from that time.  

A Season Most Unfair

Coats, J. Anderson. A Season Most Unfair
June 20, 2023 by Atheneum

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Living near Cambridge, England in Medieval times, Tick has a decent life. Although her mother died when she was young, her father remarried a woman named Elly who is quite kind to her, and Tick has been able to help her father, a chandler, with his candle making operation. One big down side of this is that rendering tallow (beef fat) to make the candles is quite odiferous, and some of her contemporaries give her a hard time. Her two best friends from earlier days are busy taking care of brothers and sisters, and aren't as keen to hang out with her since she smells bad. There are some advantages to being older, and she hopes to be able to finally be able to make the beeswax Agnes Dei charms that she and her father, whose eyesight is failing, sell at the Stourbridge Fair, and to be considered a full apprentice. Of course, this is not something that girls at this time did, but Tick is surprised when her father takes on the son of a family friend, Henry, as his apprentice and doesn't allow Tick to do work any more. Elly tries to explain that it looks bad to the community if Tick does the candle making, because it means her father can't afford an apprentice, but this is little consolation. Tick knows that Henry isn't particularly happy to leave his family, and tries to be supportive, but she is so mad that she isn't allowed to do work she does well that it's hard. Instead, she's expected to help Elly take care of the house. It doesn't make her feel any better that Henry isn't as good at the job as she is, especially when it comes to the painstaking work on painting the charms. When Tick finds out that her father isn't even going to let her go to the fair this year to help sell their wares, she comes up with a plan. She's made many of the charms on her own with the help of her friends (including some of her own design, honoring her namesake Scholastica on them), and tells Elly that her father forgot them. Knowing this is a big source of income, Elly lets her walk to Cambridge, and once there, she tries to stay with Henry's family, since the mother runs a guest house. She manages to obtain a permit to sell, and to elude her father, but eventually there are complications. Rival candle maker's son Simon hatches a plot to buy Tick's father's candles and resell them, which is illegal, but Tick is the one who almost gets her father in trouble. People are paying more for her charms, and her father is accused of trying to game the system. Once her presence is found out, she does get in trouble, but also gets an opportunity to learn how to run a boarding house from Henry's mother, which is one of the few ways women are allowed to participate in business. 

Strengths: There are very few books set in the Medieval period, and since it is covered in our 7th grade social studies classes, I often have students looking for these stories. Tick's emotions are realistic, and I was glad that she had enough empathy to be fairly kind to Henry even though she saw him as a usurper. Elly was also a well drawn character; it would make sense for a woman who was lame to be willing to marry a man with a very small child, and it was good to see that she thought of Tick as her own, having raised her from infanthood. She also moderated Tick's tantrums well, and explained society's views of women to her while also finding her an opportunity. The information about making candles was interesting; there were so many kinds of trades, and I'd love to learn more about different ones. 
Weaknesses: I could have used more details about food, clothing, and daily living, as well as a firm date when this took place. Also, I now really want to go to Cambridge!
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like historical fiction that involves girls who think outside of the prevalining social climate, like Cushman's Matilda Bone, Bunce's Myrtle Hardcastle series (Victorian era) or Lowry's The Windeby Puzzle. 

Cartoon Saturday- Teacher's Pet and Nancy Wins at Friendship

Andelfinger, Nicole(Adpt.), Aguirre, Claudia (Illus.), and Pascal, Francine

Teacher's Pet  (Sweet Valley Twins Graphic Novels #2)

June 27, 2023 by Random House Graphic

Copy provided by the publisher 

Continuing in this graphic novel adaptation of the original 1980s books, the Best Friends twins Jessica and Elizabeth are heavily involved in the recital that their ballet class is putting on. Jessica complains about everything; there is an extra practice when she could be out at the beach, the teacher likes Elizabeth better than her for no reason, Elizabeth is also involved in writing the program for the performance, so how dare she also want to try out for the lead? The ballet is Coppelia, and both girls try out for the lead role of Swanhilda. Jessica tries all manner of tactics to get the teacher to notice her, including standing next to the worst dancer in the studio, but Elizabeth points out that this may not work in her favor. She arranges for the two to help this dancer, but Jessica blows her off to hang out with the unicorns. When the try outs are moved up suddenly, Jessica does bring Elizabeth's bag to the studio but neglects to inform the teacher that her sister is coming, and instead makes comments that maybe her sister is not longer interested. It makes no difference, and Elizabeth gets the part, even though when rehearsals begin, it looks like Jessica may in fact be the better dancer. She does give Elizabeth some pointers that seem to help, and Elizabeth recognizes that Jessica really does dance well. She decides to fake an injury so that Jessica can sneak in and perform the role, and the teacher apologizes for not recognizing how talented Jessica is. 

Strengths: Like The Baby-Sitters Club, the Sweet Valley Twins series has a lot of fans in the original target demographic, and when I checked out the first book from out public library, one of my eighth graders begged to borrow it and loved it. Friend and family drama is always popular with my students, and we have that in buckets here, with the snooty Unicorns supporting Jessica and adding dollops of their own drama, some of it involving cute boys. The angst is visible in the eyes of the characters; Aguirre is a past master of the starry-eye, and using very exaggerated facial expressions. From what I can determine, this adaptation is very close to Pascal's original story line, but replaces notes that the girls write with cell phone messages. 
Weaknesses: Jessica is a very self-involved young lady who is unable to have any empathy or understanding for her sister, and while we are not allowed to refer to characters as unpleasant, she certainly is not an example of good behavior. 
What I really think: This will be hugely popular with readers who like graphic novels like Libenson's Invisible Emmie, Hale's Real Friends, or the angst ridden tomes of Raina Telgemaier. Older readers might have bad flashbacks to the 1980s when this sort of sisterly behavior was accepted! 

James, Olivia. Nancy Wins at Friendship

May 16, 2023 by Andrews McMeel Publishing

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

My students do not understand the concept of daily comic strips. Sure, they could go on the GoComics website and read a wide variety of comic strips, but I don't think they do, if their reaction to the Sunday comics that I bring in from home is any indication. Many are fans of Big Nate, and a few like Phoebe and Her Unicorn or Peanuts, but they don't come in to the library and ask specifically for things like Mutts or Crabgrass. They just read any comic compilation they can find, without having a deeper understanding of the history of the strip. 

I read the comics religiously, but only after I read the rest of the paper. Since I'm old enough to have read Funky Winkerbean for most of its fifty year run, and am still a little crushed that it's no longer published (Crankshaft is equal parts comforting and disappointing), I picked up this reboot of Nancy with some apprehension. Nancy was my cousin's favorite comic. I never really vibrated to it, but appreciated the retro feel to the illustrations. I was intrigued that it was being reworked for modern times; Sluggo's whole existence no longer makes a lot of sense, although the fact that Aunt Fritzi is raising Nancy does have a new validity in the modern age. 

This collection is okay. Since I haven't read the strip in forty years (the Youngstown Vindicator was the last paper I got that ran it), I certainly didn't remember much of the original. The artistic style is updated, although Nancy retains her iconic polka dots and hairstyle. It felt like it might be drawn on the computer; I'm sure most things are now. This is fine, and younger readers won't care, but like auto tuning in music, the drawings felt a little like they were drawn by robots. The colors worked quite well; nice and bright with a bit of a nod to a 1930s pallet, which I appreciated. 

The storyline covered the pandemic a little, with Nancy and Sluggo participating in online learning, but most of the strips were just single topic gags. Nancy still tries to steal cake and frequently makes messes, there is an elusive dog who shows up once or twice, and she and Sluggo have some set pieces. I was a bit confused about the other characters. There is very little text for each strip, so names are not frequenty mentioned. If I read the strip all the time, I am sure that I would be up to speed. 

Knowing that James also wrote The Chronicles of Deltovia makes a lot more sense now. This was worth reading, and if I got a copy for review, I would put it in my library. It would get checked out about as much as Red and Rover or Pastis' Pearls Before Swine collections. Apparently, there are some fans who really liked Bushmiller's Nancy interpretation who aren't happy with James' version, but it seems like a perfectly fine reboot. I'm just a little confused at whom the target audience is supposed to be. Disaffected hipsters who grew up reading Nancy but now appreciate the change in an ironic sort of way? 

Anyone else read Nancy lately? Opinions? 

Haru, Zombie Dog Hero

Oh, Ellen. Haru, Zombie Dog Hero

July 11, 2023 by HarperCollins

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
 

Luke lives in Painted Lake, Virginia where his parents run Sun's Deli and Grocery.  He has two good friends; Max Cole, and his older brother, Ben. The three like to wander in the woods, building forts and having picnics. They always bring Luke's beloved dog, Haru Haru, whom he rescued as a puppy. Haru Haru is an excellent dog, and even saves Max from a rabid raccoon, which requires a stay at the vet, and some unpleasant shots. Around this time, there is a fire at the suspcious and harmful Sinclair Industries, which used to make vials and syringes, but has been doing secretive biotechnology research using only nonlocal staff, and has been accused of polluting the local waterways. The fire burns for a long time, and there is concern about the environmental fallout. The animals in the area are endangered, people have to stay indoors, and Luke rescues a cat that has been covered with a tarry substance after having a close up view of the fire. Penny, the cat, talks to Haru Haru about what has been going on at the site, and none of it is good. They are apparently experimenting on dogs and discarding and burning the bodies. Somehow, Sinclair always gets away with this, and the fire is blamed on a worker who died. Sinclair's cousin, Mrs. Sinclair-Greene, owns the building where the Sun's deli is, and decides to increase their rent dramatically, in part because they are "foreigners" (they aren't; they were all born in the US but of Asian descent). She hates Haru Haru and complains that he attacked her. In order to buy time to work things out legally, the Suns surrender Haru Haru to animal control, but through some snafus, he ends up at the Sinclair Industries "death dungeon". The other dogs warn him of the dangers; there's been experimenting with radiation on animals in order to develop various products. Haru Haru is experimented on and near death, but manages to get back to Luke. As the fallout from the Sinclairs' evil ways starts to infect many other animals in the region, and since they are losing their lease, the Suns try to flee and get to relatives in New Jersey. Will they be able to make it out of Virginia? And what exactly has happened to Luke's beloved dog?
Strengths: Luke and Haru Haru have such a great relationship, and it's good to see that the two are able to enjoy the wilderness in their small, rural town. This started out with a lot of information being presented from Haru Haru's point of view, and seemed like it would be a furry, feel good tale, but that changed very quickly. The boys throw themselves into an investigation of what happened with the fire, and even provide information to the Coles' mother, who is a local reporter. There are some strong themes of race relations and social justice that are timely and well thought out. One of the best characters is Penny, the cat that Luke rescues, who was a lot of insight into what is going on with the Sinclair Industries site. Penny is a wild cat, but it is endearing to watch Haru Haru bond with her. 

Weaknesses: The ending of this was a bit abrupt, with the Suns on the run and trying to get out of Virginia, so I'm wondering if this is just the first book in the series. 
What I really think: There is a lot of very clear cut evil in play in this book, and the treatment of the dogs might upset younger, sensitive readers, so just be aware of the content. This is not a humorous zombie dog romp in the vein of O'Donnell's Hamstersaurus Rex or Greenwald's A Zombie Ate My Homework. This has more in common with Lang and Bartkowski's Whispering Pines or Short's Mutant Mushroom Takeover. With the recent train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, (where my mother taught 5th grade) and the serious ecological fall out from that, I wish this have been a more realistic look at this sort of disaster. 

The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle

Souders, Taryn. The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle

July 11, 2023 by Sourcebooks Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Grady and his father, a cabinet maker, live outside of the small town of Gifton, Georgia and are trying to make do after the death of Grady's mother in a car accident. When local eccentric "Kooky" Klinch dies, there is a lot of interest in her property (as well as her funeral, complete a meal afterwards provided by the local cooking club). Grady and his father are suprised to find out that they are distantly related, and in the absence of other relatives, are left an antique sampler that is rumored to be a treasure map. Never mind that her money has been left to take care of her abnormally large collection of cats! That would have been useful, since Grady's father is struggling to make ends meet and is almost certain to lose their house. When Grady finds this out, he enlists his friends Thad and Clemmie to help him solve the riddle of the sampler, and hopes that finding a treasure will allow him and his father to remain in Gifton. When someone breaks into their home and trashes the place, Grady suspects the thief is looking for the sampler, and when the local antiques store is also robbed, and one of the elderly owners is killed, he is sure the sampler will lead to a lot of money. Utilizing the local library an church resources, the children think they have a location and start to dig, only to find that things have changed a lot in the last 250 years, even in Gifton. 

Strengths: Gifton was an amusing small town with a collection of inhabitants that were quite amusing. There's a diner, an antique store, library, and church, and these all play a good role in the mystery. It's a small enough town for Grady and his friends to be able to travel all over, but has resources to help them uncover the mystery. Their digging, but literal and figurative, meets just enough resistance to make things interesting, and the look back at history and how it affected Grady's ancestors was appealing. Thad and Clemmie are good foils, and there's even a town dog, Ophelia. This is about as close to a "cozy" mystery as I have seen for middle grade readers-- I think it's the antique store that really helps!
Weaknesses: The death of the mother was unnecessary to the plot. Reading about young people processing grief slows down middle grade books, and my students, who well may be different from other middle school students in other schools, don't enjoy this element. It used to be that they would ask if the dog died in the book; now they ask if the parents are still alive. I'm not a fan, either, although Grady's father was mostly functional.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed McDonald's Pepper's Rules for Secret Sleuthing, Johnson's The Parker Inheritance or Strong's Just South of Home as well as Souders' 2020 Coop Knows the Scoop. 
 

Ajay and the Mumbai Sun

Shah, Varsha. Ajay and the Mumbai Sun

July 4, 2023 by Chicken House

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Ajay was abandoned by his mother at a Mumbai railway station and makes his living selling The City Paper newspaper. His dream is to become a journalist, and when he gets a chance to meet its editor, Mr. Gupta, to ask for a job, he's very excited. He goes to buy ink at the market, and spills some on Mr. Raz, a renowned environmentalist, who allows him to purchase the supplies he needs to write an article to give to Mr. Gupta. Sadly, Mr. Gupta informs him that the paper is laying off staff, and definitely not hiring ten year olds. Ajay does find an old printing press that the paper is getting rid of, and with the help of some friends, takes it to the equipment room at the railway station where his friend Saif is an apprentice engineer. He starts to look for articles to write, and manages to find pink waste paper to print on, and old t shirt dye from his friend Yasmin's workplace to use as ink. He sees groups of threatening looking men putting up signs, taking photos of them, and then taking them down. The signs are notices that the slums are going to be cleared, which means that people will lose their homes. He published that in his Mumbai Sun newspaper, but no one seems very interested. Realizing that people like sports stories, he arranges an interview with a local cricket player, and does sell more copies. He also finds out that the factory where Yasmin works has had some code violations, and investigates. Yasmin is angry when the article comes out, because her factory is shut down and she has no job. When she goes to talk to the boss, the building (which Ajay heard the boss saying was unsafe) collapses. Yasmin narrowly escapes with Ajay's help, and her boss is killed. This launches Ajay and his friends into a full investigation, which uncovers shell corporations with untraceable origins. They manage to get documents from a lawyer handling some of the cases with the help of Lata, an intern, and even realize who is running the corporations. Will they be able to convince the local politicians that clearing the slums and relocating the residents is not in their best interests, but rather the work of villains?

Strengths: This balances descriptions of daily life with social justice issues very nicely, and is a fast-paced look at children who see a problem and want to solve it. Ajay may not have all of the advantages of the private school they approach to play a match against the street children, but he has grit and determination, and puts his desire to become a journalist into practice. His friends include not only Saif, who is learning to fix equipment of all sorts, but also Vinod, who is an excellent cook, and Yasmin, who is a champion for workers' rights. The investigation takes Ajay to all manner of interesting places, like the address of one of the shell corporations inhabited by a three year old who is supposedly the president, and the fancy legal offices of Mrs. Pain. There were some interesting things about Indian culture that I learned, like the fact that caste discrimination has been illegal for 60 years, and a twist at the end that I should have seen coming and didn't. This was an interesting look at a happier version of life for children in India than Venkatraman's The Bridge Home.  
Weaknesses: My students may not understand why Ajay and his friends don't have parents taking care of them, so there could have been a bit of explanation for readers who are not familiar with Indian culture. Also, this had a decidedly British feel to the characters, and the names were a bit quirky. One of the shell corporations has the acronym FISHY. This makes the book seem a little less serious than it is. 
What I really think: This is a must have for fans of Bajaj's Thirst, and a great example of Children Doing Things. While it seemed a little unrealistic to me taht Ajay would have had such an impact, I wish my students had a thimblefull of Ajay's gumption. Definitely purchasing, and am looking forward to handing to students next year. 

Mustang Moon (Phantom Stallion #2)

During the school year, I talk to dozens of chidlren a day about what they want to read in exquisite detail. What topics? What kind of characters? Happy or sad? Modern or historical? How many pages? What size font? Then I try to read ALL THE BOOKS. This year, in particular, I have  noticed that there is a huge discrepancy between what my students ask for and what is actually published. Sometimes publishers get it right-- Scholastic's publication of many K.R. Alexander horror books has been perfect, and I've bought three copies of each title. Certainly, graphic novels about anything are popular. Any book about sports is immediately popular. But all of the dead parents and the children processing their grief? My students won't even take an ARC they can keep forever. The multiple retellings of The Secret Garden? I've actually gotten eye rolls describing these to students. 

Sometimes, my students have very specific requests, which I love. I had several sixth grade girls who take riding lessons and wanted more books about horses. This is a long standing area of mild interest, and I try to buy a few equestrian related books every year. My current readers, however, want books about WESTERN style riding. These are harder to find, and one of my readers was so excited to see this reboot of Farley's Phantom Stallion series that she actually bought the first book. 

It's nice when what is published aligns with what I need to purchase for my students. Also on the bright side; even though my budget was cut a lot because our district opened a new school and our enrollment dropped, I'll still be okay because there have been so few books that I've wanted to buy this year!

Farley, Terri. Mustang Moon (Phantom Stallion #2) 

July 4, 2023 by Aladdin

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

After raising Blackie from a foal, Sam fell from him, was badly injured, and had to spend two years in San Francisco with an aunt. Now recovered, she is back at the River Bend Ranch in rural Nevada, ready to start high school. She's still friends with Jake, who is a talented horseman, but doesn't know anyone else at school except for the super smart Jen, who had previously been homeschooled. There's another problem; Blackie is most likely wild now, and known locally as The Phantom. Local wealthy ranch owner Slocum had wanted the Bureau of Land Management to let him adopt the horse, but they wouldn't let him. Sam sees a horse out and about at night, but it doesn't seem to be The Phantom, whom she also calls Zanzibar. This other horse seems to be taking mares from local farms, including Slocum's, which angers him and makes him suspect that Sam is somehow behind this. His daughter, cheerleader Rachel, is running for class president and also seems to bear a grudge against Sam. When Sam tries to get in the running for the school newspaper and attempts to take photos with a borrowed school camera, Rachel purposefully damages the camera, which Sam then might have to pay for. Luckily, Jake's mother is also a teacher at the high school and sees Rachel in action. Since she is also a photographer, Sam is able to borrow a camera from her, and manages to get a picture of the horse who is stealing mares. Will this photo be enough to help the BLM find the rogue horse, and will Slocum fulfill his promise of a cash reward to whoever helps solve the mystery of his missing mares? 

Strengths: This was like reading a football book; I take it as a good sign that there were some horse things that I didn't understand! This definitely had the much needed Western setting that my students have been requesting, and a lot of intrigue as well as details about ranch life. There is a bit about high school that is great, since it gives it an upper middle grade feel, but would also be fine for actual high school students. I haven't read the first book in the series, so was confused about a few things. 
Weaknesses: This series was first published 20 years ago, and there are a few things that feel dated, like Sam's concern about her clothing and hair for high school. The subplot with the camera also doesn't feel quite right, since most students probably shoot photos for the school web site with their phones. It's not a deal breaker, but if the rest of the series is going to be reissued, more attention should be paid to updating things like this. 
What I really think: These books will be an excellent addition to my equestrian collection, but I don't know that I will be able to buy all 24 titles. I'll have to see how many are reissued and what the readership is before deciding how many to purchase, especially since both the local library and the Ohio Digital library have these in their collection. 

Farley, Terri. The Wild One (Phantom Stallion #1) 

March 21, 2023 by Aladdin

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Copy loaned to me by a student I'm so glad to see that this series is being reissued, especially since the student who loaned me this book wants tales about Western riding rather than English riding. There's a lot of adventure in the US West that is very intriguing, and Sam is a great character who is dealing with some issues beyond the horse related ones. Not too many issues; the horses certainly come first, and there isn't much romance, which my student didn't want.

I do sort of wish they had made a few tweaks in the text; this was written in 2002. While I noticed things like watching movies in theaters, wearing a bathrobe, and writing on purple stationery (all things few young people would do now), my student only noticed that there were some things she didn't quite understand, so it's not all that critical.

I did have some questions about the wisdom of going on a ten day riding excursion after being away from horses for two years, but I can't argue with the descriptions of the landscape of the West, and the allure of the wild horses!

MMGM- Light Comes to Shadow Mountain

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at 

Teach Mentor Texts 

and 

Unleashing Readers

Buzzeo, Toni. Light Comes to Shadow Mountain

July 11, 2023 by Holiday House

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Cora lives with her family in southeastern Kentucky in 1937 in the mountain town of Spruce Lick. Her father is working with the Civilian Conservation Corps, and her pregnant mother has her hands full with Cora and her toddler twin brothers as well as her work as an herbalist. Their small community is close knit and has everything they need, but Cora is excited to learn that electricity may be coming to her area. Her father even takes a new job with the Southeast Counties Rural Electrical Cooperative Corporation, organizing supplies and equipment to install this network. Her mother, who has suffered the loss of her parents as well as Cora's older sister to the flu, thinks that electricity will disrupt their quiet way of life, and is against it. Cora and her best friend, Cielly (whose parents both died in a house fire, and who now lives with a great aunt), want all of the benefits of electricity, and are especially excited to bring it to their school. Unfortunately, there have to be a certain number of subscribers to have the lines put in place, and it is expensive. The school would have to have the initial $5 to join, and would then have to pay $3 a month for service, which is money that the school doesn't have. Cora and Cielly organize a pie sale, asking neighbors to donate pies, and selling them to raise funds. After a poor start, this does bring in the needed funds, but their teacher tells them the board still won't agree. Cora's cousin Glenna has just moved in with the family from Michigan, and there are some hitches in the girls' relationship, but they do try to get along. Cora is vaguely aware that Glenna has been abused, and has sought shelter in Spruce Lick. When one of the twins is badly burned in an outdoor fire, he must spend weeks in the hospital fighting an infection, and the money is used for that. Glenna is very helpful when Cora tries to sell embroidered handkerchiefs to replace the money for the school. Cora's mother goes into labor prematurely, and the baby arrives in need of help. Will Cora be able to get the baby to the hospital for needed intervention, and will the hospital's use of electricity convince her mother of the importance of this new technology?

Strengths: There's so much to love in this book, and I have had more students asking for historical fiction lately. The Great Depression is quickly slipping away from collective memory, and I am glad that this book does such a great job of showing readers what life was like during this time. At the beginning, there is a brief mention that even in October, Cora is still going barefoot instead of wearing "expensive shoes"! Cora likes her small town, but wants to experience life outside of it. I loved the feeling of community, with the women (who probably have very little) willing to donate pies to help out the school. The fact that Cora's sister died of the flu and Cielly's parents are also gone is sadly common for this time period. There is some interesting information about the role of herbalists in mountain communities, and there are some helpful notes about several topics at the end of the book. The cover by David Dean is fantastic!
Weaknesses: This is all a ME problem: I was so utterly captivated by the premise of this (Rural electrification! When my mother would have been just three!) that I had hoped there would be a bit more about the process, thinking we would see Cora's home as they got lights and maybe an electric range or washer. This took a little different direction, with the drama surrounding the birth of Cora's sister. Students will probably prefer that, and the episode made a very strong case for the usefulness of electricity, but after thinking about it all day (I kid you not!) I had hoped to see Cora marveling over an electric toaster. I'm always grateful for modern conveniences like indoor plumbing, but my students have no concept of a world without electricity, and I wanted to be able to hand them a book that showed them that sort of wonder.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing, and I would love to see another Depression era book from Ms. Buzzeo, especially as we approach the 100th anniversary of the stock market crash of 1929. There are also few books set in Appalachia (Watts' On Snowden Mountain is set during WWII.), and since Columbus is not far from that area, I would love to see more on that are in middle grade literature.

Borrow My Heart

West, Kasie. Borrow My Heart
June 13th 2023 by Delacorte Press
E ARC provided by Netgalley

Wren likes hanging out with her friend Kamala, who likes hanging out on the beach near their West Coast town than Wren does. While Wren is waiting for Kamala to get off work at the coffee shop, she sees two guys their age come in. Asher has arranged to meet Gemma, a girl he has met online, at the shop, but it doesn't look she is going to show up. This delights his friend Dale, who is filming Asher's humiliation and has made a bet with him that if Asher is being catfished, he will have to do something embarassing at Dale's birthday party. Even though she is usually cautious and has a lot of rules for her own behavior to guard against disappointment, Wren jumps in and pretends to be Gemma. This causes a little confusion, since Wren doesn't have any idea what Asher has said in online conversations, but it works well enough to keep Dale quiet. The guys are on their way to another meeting, and Wren is concerned that Asher won't know where to find her again (since she won't be answering "Gemma's" DMs), but since she had mentioned working at a dog shelter, he's able to hunt her down. Wren likes working, since it takes her mind off her somewhat strained home life; her mother left the family, her father is stuck in a routine and not treated well at his work, and Wren is processing some trauma from her mother's behavior. There is one dog who has been at the shelter a long time. Bean is a good dog, but difficult around many people, so despite her best efforts, Wren can't seem to get Bean adopted. Asher volunteers at the shelter, and is soon helping Wren with the social media posts. The two hope that by featuring Bean in some fun videos, there will be some interest in him. Wren keeps trying to tell Asher that she isn't the same person that he met online, but every time she tries, someone interrupts them. Complicating matters is the fact that Wren's coworker Chad, on whom she had a bit of a crush, is more interested in her now that she and Asher appear to be dating, Kamala and Dale's flirtation, and also the fact that her mother wants Wren and her older sister Zoey to visit her for the Fourth of July. Wren is very uneasy about many aspects of personal relationships, but will she be able to set aside her reservations and connect with Asher?

Strengths: I enjoyed the fact that Wren had a job with a decent amount of responsibility; when someone drops off a box at the shelter over the weekend, her boss calls her to go check, since she is closest, and she also has the password for the social media sites. Her devotion to Bean is good to see, and it was realistic that her father wouldn't let her bring a dog home. The fact that she and Asher don't go to the same high school is realistic, and makes them find other ways to hang out. There's just enough about the mother and Bean to forward the action of the book and keep the romance from getting boring. West is really good about keeping the romances light and keeping everything PG. This book seemed a little shorter than some of her other titles, and the cover will immediately appeal to me readers. 
Weaknesses: While this is much less whiny than most Young Adult romances, there are still a lot of misunderstandings and misgivings about who knew what when and why people were keeping secrets from each other.  Couldn't Wren have just told Asher right away that she wasn't Gemma and have moved on from there? It would still have been a good romance with the side stories of her mother and of Bean. 
What I really think: If a Kasie West book has a cartoon style cover, it must be a Trend in Young Adult, since her previous titles always had photographs! Hand this to readers of the Scholastic WISH books that include pet shelters, like Girls Just Want to Have Pugs. 

Ginny Off the Map

Hickey, Caroline and Murphy, Kelly (illus.) Ginny Off the Map
June 20, 2023 by Christy Ottaviano Books
E ARC provided by Netgalley

Ginny's family is in the process of moving from Fayetteville to Silver Springs, Maryland after school is out, but this is complicated by the fact that her father is going to be deployed to Afghanistan right after the move and will be gone until Christmas. As a military family, they are used to these moves, and her mother's job as a freelance copyrighter can be done anywhere. To keep Ginny and Allie occupied while she works on a new job, their mother enrolls both girls in summer camps. Allie quickly makes friends in their neighborhood, but Ginny is both anxious and laser focused on geography, and finds it hard to connect to other children. Her father always helped her out with transitions, but he is in Afghanistan and not able to call very frequently due to work and bad WiFi. When the geography camp is cancelled for lack of enrollment, Ginny is put into a jewelry making camp with a neighbor, Supriya, whose brother Rihan has been hanging out with Allie. She dislikes it so much that she convinces her mother to let her stay home. So she's not just sulking in her room, Ginny tells her mother she will start her own geography camp and have neighbor children meet on the porch. Allie agrees to help so she won't be expected to go to camp herself. When Ginny gets a few neighbor children, she sets up her camp more like school, and people are quickly disinterested. She's at loose ends again, worrying about her father incessantly, and concerned that she won't be getting into a math and science magnet school in the fall but will instead have to go to the regular school full of obnoxious kids. At the same time, her mother is trying to get a freeland job done, and neither girl is helping around the house. Can the family, especially Ginny,  find a way to settle into life in their new community and continue on until their father gets home?
Strengths: I would like to see more books about children who have to deal with parents being deployed, but there are relatively few books about military families. The moving that they do is unusual to the general population, and I'd like my readers to see a variety of depictions of this. This was also fascinating, because I wonder what children today DO in the summer when parents are working. There should also be a lot more books describing various summer day camps, like Vrabel's Caleb and Kit (although they do bunk off from camp!). This also had a good description of moving house that did NOT involve any ghosts or hauntings! 
Weaknesses: Ginny had several traits that made me wonder if she was on the autism spectrum, but this was never specifically addressed. Allie tells her to ask new people she meets what they like to do, and Ginny opines that she really doesn't care. She's also very obsessed with geography facts and doesn't really understand that other people don't share her interest. It was not surprising that her first camp wasn't successful.
What I really think: How were children in the 1970s able to put together fund raising "carnivals" (I'm apparently not making this up; read Backyard Carnivals for Charity!)? I know that when I was Ginny's age, I was babysitting a neighbor's four and six year old from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. three days a week in the summer because the mother worked as a nurse and the father was traveling for business! It was good to see Ginny and Allie trying to do things on their own, but it was completely realistic that they struggled with it. Elementary students will love this one. 

June Statistics

That's 470 full reviews out of the 579 books I've read this year. 81% is a B-. I'm okay with that. 

Guy Friday- Food Fight and How to Stay Invisible

Davis, Linda B. Food Fight
June 27, 2023 by Fitzroy Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Ben is excited about entering middle school with his friends Nick and Josh, especially since he has gotten on a travel soccer team. However, there are challenges when he enters the Wild West of middle school-- the lunchroom. Josh is usually a well liked kid, but he's determined to put together a "squad" of at least ten kids so that there is some social protection or cool factor attached to them. Ben would fit right in except for one thing; he only eats ten foods, and his lunch every single day is a plain bagel, mini pretzels, and piece of chocolate. When Darren, who is a dirty soccer player and didn't make the team, gives him a hard time about it, Ben tries to laugh it off, but Darren is relentless. It doesn't help that Ben's own father has given him problems for years. It's not that Ben just doesn't like food, he gags if he is even around certain strong smells like coffee. His father makes frequent comments that he needs to "snap out of it", and even tries to get Ben to eat a simple chicken and rice dish for dinner instead of buttered pasta. Ben's mother is more understanding, but very concerned about an upcoming school field trip to the historical Abner Farm. She makes a deal with Ben that if he attends two counseling sessions to try to find ways to cope with his food avoidance, she will try to get his father to back off. Ben finds out that he probably suffers from ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder), but would rather just keep things under wraps instead of letting everyone at school know. The Abner Farm trip looms large. In addition to living in tents, students will be eating historical food like succotash, and there's no way that Ben can eat that. At first, he thinks he just won't go, but then there is Lauren. He has a huge crush on her, but so does Darren. Darren is constantly picking at Ben. When the kids hang out, he notices that Ben doesn't eat pizza. He makes fun of him and Olivia, Ben's lab partner and super smart student who has an unfortunate past. Olivia is kind to Ben, and even helps him take a "supertaster" test. He even causes a brief rift between Ben and Lauren when Ben decides to run for vice president and Lauren runs for president of the sixth grade. Deciding that he can't let Darren and Lauren go to Abner Farm without him, he decides to go, and even leaves the granola bars his mother wants him to take behind. He figures that the flapjacks on the menu are close enough to the pancakes he will eat, and plans to survive on those. It's harder than he thinks, although he manages to help out with meals and avoid most of the foods that trigger him. He manages to get by, and the wise Olivia even brings him a granola bar, but Darren keeps finding ways to bother him. When a bag of candy bars is found in Ben's duffle and he faces being thrown out of camp, he finally admits that he has a severely restrictive diet, thus the food cannot be his. Darren's antics come to light, and Ben's friends are able to be a little more understanding of his condition. 

Strengths: This was an excellent blend of realistic school concerns and a health problem, and contains the absolute finest writing about bullying I have ever seen. Bullying is not necessarily fights and swirlies and wedgies. It's kids picking at each other under their breath, "joking around" with nicknames, and manipulating people around them to also look askance at another student. The lunchroom and science class scenes are perfect, and we all know kids like Olivia who just don't quite understand students around them and don't temper their actions, and get treated poorly as a result even though they are good kids. There are some really excellent scenes, like Lauren oversalting fries to the point that Ben can't eat them, and then offering them to Darren saying "They're terrible. They would be perfect for you." Ben offers Lauren his travel soccer warm up when Darren bumps Ben and spills food on Lauren: there's SO MUCH in that scene! Modern children have a lot of anxiety about overnights with other children even if they don't have identified disorders, so the trip to Abner Farm is a great inclusion, even though I haven't seen an overnight trip (other than the 8th grade D.C. one) in a middle school in 30 years. The framework of this, with standard middle school circumstances that are completely impacted by how Ben is treated about his eating, is quite brilliant. The best part? Ben isn't really bothered by eating just ten things. He is bothered that other people are bothered. Isn't that most of middle school in a nutshell?
Weaknesses: This is only available in paperback. I'm hoping there will be a prebind available after publication, because paperbacks usually only last about three years in a school library, if that! 
What I really think: Having dealt with students who will only eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chocolate chip granola bars, chocolate milk, and bananas, I know that Ben is an absolutely true to life character. I do sort of wish there had been more about the counselor, as well as some coping strategies (is Ben at least able to take vitamins?), but this is still very well done. I will purchase this in paperback and tape the heck out of it if I have to. 

Rudd, Maggie C. How to Stay Invisible
June 27, 2023 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Raymond's parents have never been very reliable, and since moving to River Mill, North Carolina, they haven't improved. He's been in a children's home in the past, and they've certainly left him alone, but this time, they haven't even left him a place to live when they take off. They've turned in the keys to their trailer, so Raymond and his dog Rosie find a hollow tree in the woods behind the school that they live in. With a few changes of clothes and a bar of soap, Raymond tries to keep himself clean as best he can. He gets meals at school, and soon realizes that there is a lot of discarded packaged food in dumpsters that he can get to feed himself and Rosie. School work is a bit of a problem, and his grades do drop a little, but he does his best. He makes a friend in Harlin, whose mother has been in prison and whose father has left him with his grandmother. The two enjoy each other's company, and help each other out; when the two manage to get to a school carnival, Harlin wins tickets to an event, but trades them for a sleeping bag Raymond is eying, which helps make the winter more bearable. When school is out for winter break, survival becomes even harder, and when Rosie is attacked by a coyote and has an infected cut on her leg, Raymond takes her to town to try to find help. Nothing is open, but a kindly older man, Stigs, picks them up and takes them to his cabin, where he fixes Rosie's leg. He was an army surgeon who has had a hard life, and has lost both his wife and his son. He knows that Raymond needs help, and lets him wash up, eat, and sleep in comfort while Rosie is healing. Having survived a rough childhood himself, Stigs doesn't ask questions or make demands, but just offers what help he can. When school resumes and Rosie is better, he lets Raymond go with a bag of supplies and the offer to meet up on Saturdays to fish. The coyote seems sorry, and even brings Raymond a rabbit. Raymond names him Hank, and he watches over the boy and his dog. At school, Raymon develops a nice friendship with Lexi, with whom he is working on a project, and the two enjoy each other's company. Raymond even asks for Stig's help to borrow some of Stig's son's old clothes and get a hair cut so he can go to the school dance. When Raymond is bitten by a snake, however, his attempts to stay invisible fail, and he finally gets the help he needs. 
Strengths: There is something about being twelve that makes surviving on one's own seem really appealing. Frequent readers may remember that my own plan to run away involved living in the woods near my aunt's house, because I knew she kept food in an unlocked garage. My daughter liked to read about chidlren who were mistreated because it made her life seem more reasonable, and I think that's part of the appeal of Raymond's story. His life is awful, but he is resourceful and resilient, and manages to survive decently for a very long time. He takes good care of Rosie, keeps up in school, and learns new ways to take care of himself, like fishing and skinning small animals. Others have mentioned it, but there is a strong My Side of the Mountain feel to this one, although it's easier to be sympathetic to Raymond than to Sam Gribley! I adored Stigs, and felt that his character had good reason to steer clear of social services, even though I wanted them to be called right away. The ending was a bit of a twist, but very realistic and well done. 
Weaknesses: While the teachers are portrayed as helpful and kind, it was a bit surprising that no one tried to contact home. It's a small quibble with an excellent book, and it did make me feel better that a local charity, Neighborhood Bridges, keeps me supplied with toiletries so that my students can get toothpaste, soap, and hairbrushes if they need them. I will now be more attentive to anyone who constantly smells like wood smoke, however!
What I really think: Like Walter's The King of Jam Sandwiches, this was a hard but interesting look at the life of a child who hasn't received the care that he should. I'm definitely purchasing for fans of survival books like Wallace's The Wilder Boys or Hashimoto's The Trail. 

Conjure Island

Royce, Eden. Conjure Island

June 27, 2023 by Walden Pond Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
 

Delphinia, who would rather be called Del, is used to living with just her grandmother and her father, who is in the military, since her mother died giving birth to her. The family moves frequently, and while it isn't great, Del loves to be with her grandmother (who, byt the way, is 63 years old). The latest transition, however, happens when her father is deployed, so she and her grandmother have to make the move on their own. They have a system, and clean the house and unpack the needed boxes, but the grandmother is uncharacteristically tired. Del is concerned, and rightly so. Her grandmother collapses and ends up in the hospital. Her father can't come home, and since her grandmother needs surgery and will need time to recuperate, she is sent to South Carolina to her great grandmother Rose whom she has never met and didn't even know existed! Rose runs a school on a small island where she teaches conjure magic to kids Del's age who have family connections to powers. There are any number of unusual things, from a tame crocodile, to buildings that appear run down but are really palatial, to a ghost butler! Why was Del never told about all of this? Why has her grandmother never returned to the island? While Del makes friends with fellow student Eva, she keeps the fact that she has family connections to the school secret from her. Eventually, secrets are revealed and the girls find a hidden room with many clues to her grandmother's course of action. Will Del be able to repair hre family's rift and also embrace her family and cultural connection to magic?
Strengths: This had a good magical academy vibe, but for the summer, which seems more realistic than going to a Hogwarts type school! I enjoyed the quick peek at Del's life with her grandmother, and the information about the family's military life. Eva knows a lof more about how the magic works, and is a good friend to have, especially when she saves Del from quicksand. The island setting, especially the house and the library with the unseen librarian, were great fun. Fans of this author's Root Magic will be glad to see another magical book set in the South. 
Weaknesses: Did the mother have to be killed off? Such a common trope in middle grade books, especially fantasy, and it might have been more interesting if both women had just sworn off magic. Also, the grandmother seemed a bit young tobe incapacitated so long, although I did appreciate that it was a more minor health crisis and not, say, a heart attack. 
What I really think: This is a great choice for readers who liked Scott's School of Charm or Dumas' Wildseed Witch.

The Braid Girls

Winston, Sherri. The Braid Girls

June 13, 2023 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Maggie and Deija are best friends. While Maggie has a father  and mother who are around to support her and her younger brother Taz (who likes to act like a robot), Daija's mother Kiki is raising her without as much involvement from her father. Deija is very interested in ballet, and knows that she will have to come up with money for private lessons on her own if she hopes to do well enough to make the cuts for an upcoming show. She has a plan to braid hair, which she and Maggie do very well, and raise the money over the summer. When Maggie gets a surprising new family member, Deija is jealous and is cautious about accepting her. Maggie's father had been in the navy and was in a relationship with Clover before he met Maggie's mom, and Callie is Clover and the father's daughter. Clover never told him about his child, but when she passes away, Callie's relatives contact him. Maggie's mother is understanding, and so Callie moves in. Maggie is welcoming, clearing out space in her room, and willing to hang out with her new sister. Deija is not at all happy when Callie comes to the summer camp where she and Maggie are supposed to be craft counselors. It makes perfect sense that they will try to get the children at the camp to get their hair braided after the camp is over, and earn money that way. Callie is also a talented braider, as well as a jewelry artist, and is more than happy to help. When the girls in charge of the Paradise Camp start to poach the girls' clients, they are not happy, especially since their braiding skills are substandard, and Lorilee and Angela are plain mean. With fellow counselor Keith's help, they manage to get some incriminating video of the Paradise Camp girls being rough with their customers' hair and post them on social media, where they go viral. There are some relationship hitches with Maggie, Deija, and Callie, but try to work through them. When they hit a particularly rough patch, will they be able to find a way to stay friends?
Strengths: I loved the supportive extended family, and the fact that there are family activities like going out for ice cream and having picnics portrayed. There are not enough of those in some middle grade books. The issue with Callie is addressed in a very age appropriate fashion, and it was nice that Maggie was very accepting of Callie, and that Callie, while she missed her mother, was glad to get to know her father and have a new family. The friend drama is completely on point; three can be a crowd in middle grade friendships. The addition of Keith as a light romantic interest for Maggie is fun. I would think that a lot of tweens are looking to earn money for various reasons, even though that is harder to do than it was when I was twelve and we were allowed to babysit infants for a dollar an hour!
Weaknesses: I never really felt that Deija was all that interested in ballet, and it seemed unlikely that the summer camp would be pleased with the girls trying to make money off campers; $25-$40 for hair styles seems a bit expensive. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked McDonald's Twists and Turns or Boles' Little Divas (that has a somewhat similar cover!), or who like Strong's other titles like President of the Whole Fifth Grade or Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution.