Millie (Best Friends Dog Tales #3) and Shadow Over Aetheria

Hoyle, McCall and Keele, Kevin (illus.) Millie (Best Friends Dog Tales #3)
March 5, 2024 by Shadow Mountain

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
 

Millie is a stray dog who lives on the street after a disastrous home experience where messing up the carpet and nipping at a young boy who was poking her with a stick got her driven out to the country and abandoned. She was befriended by Big Guy, who has disappeared, but has a companion in Little Pup, whom she is helping in the same way that Big Guy helped her; finding food and shelter for the younger dog. There is one alley near a bakery that is particularly nice, and Millie cautiously connects with a young girl, Tori. Sadly, Millie and the smaller dog are separated when Millie ends up in a shelter. She is very cautious, and the shelter despairs of placing her with a family. Luckily, Lee, who trains dogs and takes them to the local elementary school, sees the good in Millie and decides to take her home. She trains her along with another dog, Bella, and finally takes her on a visit to a school. Lee warns the students that this is Millie's first time, so they shouldn't approach her, but when Millie sees Tori and smells Little Pup on her, she is drawn to the little girl. Tori has problems of her own; she is living with her grandfather, who owns the bakery, because her mother is in rehab for a drug addiction brought on by a back injury. The grandfather doesn't want a dog, but Lee asks Tori to help train Millie. When another dog is brought into the shelter who needs help, Lee asks Tori's grandfather to take care of Millie for a few days. It goes fairly well, and Millie is glad that these new people are kind when she makes a small mess on the carpet. Little Pup lives not far away, and Millie sometimes sees her young friend. When Tori leaves one day, Millie follows her, and ends up having a terrible adventure after Tori shoos her away from the bakery. Eventually, Millie makes it back home. The two are so good for each other, and when Tori's poem wins a competition at an adoption event, her grandfather reluctantly agrees to adopt the dog. 

Strengths: I liked how Tori's mother's addiction was in the background, important, but not the point of the story. The grandfather was appealing; I wouldn't have minded seeing more of him and the bakery! Millie has a similar background to Tori, with humans who have done them wrong, but they are both resilient and learn to go on and to befriend new people. The tips on dog training are good, and the notes at the back with further information are a good addition. The cover is adorable, and I know this one will be picked up quickly. I appreciate that this is not connected to the author's other two dog books, so can be read in any order. 
Weaknesses: I would have preferred this more if it weren't written from Millie's point of view (why does Millie understand what bells are, but not what cell phones are?), but this won't bother my students. 
What I really think: Stella and Just Gus both circulate well in my library, and I like this one a bit better than the other two, so I will buy it. It's always a good idea to buy a couple of dog books and a couple of horse books every year. Even if I don't currently have as many readers who want books about dogs, there will be some in the future, and need to keep the collection fresh. (Just realized that Ibbotson's One Dog and His Boy is now as old as most of my students! Twelve years is a long time for a book to survive in a middle school library.)

Cube Kid. Shadow Over Aetheria (Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior #7)

March 12, 2024 by Andrews McMeel Publishing

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Runt seems like he knows everything that he could possibly need in order to vanquish illagers, villagers, and pillagers, but it's not enough! Along with Emerald, Ophelia, Stump, and Max he's heading off to the magical academy, where students receive training before they head off to save the kingdom, after meeting with the king and being assigned a job. The trip to the school is a long one, but luckily the group's bedrolls have a warming spell on them for when they are camping under the stars. There's a nice map of the kingdom, and the group finally arrives at Dawnsbloom, which is a good thing, because they run out of food. Eventually, they get to Dawnsbloom, which is very different from their village. At the school, Runt meets with an advisor who tells him he only has an MP of 3, but has some good skills. She also gives him some coins for the quest that he went on, which is a huge improvement from when he was a noob and had a single carrot. The dorm has a questboard, and Runt is super excited to be able to go on fairly safe quests in order to gain training, but he can't go quite yet. In true boarding school fashion, there is even a human who is very mean to him, Bayard. Runt often struggles to stay awake in class or answer questions, and gets very tired of always being with Emerald, especially when Stump and Breeze are away. When things start to go wrong in the kingdom, Runt learns about the evil wizard Herobrine, or the Eyeless One, who is causing destruction. He and Emerald learn that Otherworlders can be effective against him, and go in search of Mike and Steve, who are from Earth. They find Mike, but Steve has gone missing from the ruins under the city, most likely teleported far past the void by demons. Not only that, but Herobrine has a very evil plan involving monsters and experience points. Runt isn't able to solve that problem, but meets Elodi, the daughter of the King, and continues on with his education. It looks like his time at Greater Aetheria Academy isn't over yet, and I hope that we will see more adventures. 

Strengths: My readers who want Minecraft books usually want stories that read like playing the game. Given how much food is discussed, and how many times Runt and his friends talk about different skill levels or items they have to acquire, I'm going to guess that this will fill the bill. It is fun that Runt gets out of the village and learns information about the world around him. The school is very ornate, and has all of the elements that magical academies usually have, so fans of that type of story will appreciate the Greater Aetheria Academy. The art seems a bit different from the other books, and this is another full color, heavily illustrated novel with Geronimo Stilton type font that is larger when words and phrases are emphasized. 
Weaknesses: Runt still hasn't learned to think things through, so is goaded into doing silly things by Bayard the Bully. As much as he would like to be able to pick from the Questboard and increase him MP level, he doesn't seem to concentrate very well and use more discretion in his actions. I guess this makes him the quintessential middle schooler!
What I really think: I was sorry to hear that Cube Kid had experienced writer's block, but am glad to see him back. While these books are not my personal favorite (since I've never played Minecraft), my students enjoy them, and I'd rather have them reading the books than playing video games. They'll be glad to hear about this new volume. I always buy these in prebind, because they get a lot of use. 

Here are the reviews for most of the series: 
 

Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior (#1)

From Seeds to Swords (#2),

 Crafting Alliances (#3), Path of the Diamond (#4)

Ultimate Warrior (#5)

Forging Destiny (#6)

Tales of an 8-Bit Kitten

MMGM-The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry and Spying on Spies

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

Johnson, Anna Rose. The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry

March 5, 2024 by Holiday House

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In 1912, Lucy's father perished at sea a few years back, giving her a reasonable fear of water, and since her mother had died previously, she was under the care of Miss Mamie. When Miss Mamie also passes away, her friends are not quite sure what is to be done with the eleven year old. She's being cared for by Sarah, Miss Mamie's housekeeper, but when the will is read, it turns out that she is to be sent to Michigan, nesr the Keweenaw Penisula,  to be raised by the Martins, who share her Anishinaabe heritage. Mr. Martin is the keeper of the Harmony Lighthouse, and he and his wife are raising six children. Mr. Martin arrives to escort her "home", and is patient with her imaginative ways and her fears. The children, ranging from 15-year-old Maureen to two-year-old Orville, are less patient, especially when Lucy claims to be a princess of Acadia. Things at the lighthouse have to be kept in very neat order, since the lighthouse inspector is very strict, and Lucy has a bad habit of not paying attention when she is working. She drags laundry in the dirt, and even spills ink on the floor! She is also obsessed by a shipwreck from the 1880s that has some similarities to the one that killed her father. Her father claimed to have a note that he found in a bottle when he was young that had information about the wreck, and he always told Lucy that he wanted to find the ruby necklace that was supposedly in the cargo. The site of the wreck, Mermaids Corner, isn't far away, and Lucy even meets a mother and son who know two elderly women with a connection to the wreck. Lucy is devoted enough to her cause that she is willing to get on a boat to go and visit the women, but nothing goes smoothly. It's a very helpgul conversation, however, that leads her to uncover some surprising things. Unfortunately, this also causes some problems in the family, and the father's job is in danger. Luckily, the children all step up, and when people need help along the coastline, the family is able to rescue them and keep the lighthouse operating. While it's nice to have worked on her father's quest, the most important thing is that Lucy feels like part of the family, and is able to settle in to her new life with the Martins. 

Strengths: While many of the things that have happened to Lucy are sad, they are also very common occurrences for children in the early part of the 1900s. It was not unusual for children to be orphaned and left to others to be raised. Literature of the time period, like Fisher's 1916 Understood Betsy, often has these themes. Johnson does a great job of taking this classic format and infusing it with some Anishinaabe culture as well as a mystery, to keep modern readers interested. It's all upbeat, and the children, especially Frederick, all try to get along with Lucy, despite the number of "scrapes" she gets into. There's a lot of information about what it would be like to work at a lighthouse, and also about how important they were to coastal communities. 

Weaknesses: Modern readers, who don't have as much imagination as Lucy, might not quite understand her flights of fancy and claims of being a princess. Those of us raised on Langton's 1961 Her Majesty,  Grace Jones or Anne of Green Gables will recognize Lucy as a kindred spirit. 
What I really think: This is a great choice for readers who enjoyed this author's The Star That Always Stays or who want a bit of historical fiction that is fairly upbeat. A LOT of historical fiction is fairly depressing, so it's always good to read some that isn't. 

Moss, Marissa. Spying on Spies: How Elizebeth Smith Friedman Broke the Nazis' Secret Codes

March 12, 2024 by Abrams Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Elizebeth Smith was born in 1892, a year before my grandmother, so the challenges she faced in even obtaining employment were well known to me. What was impressive was Smith's drive to break free from her family and use her skills. Even though she didn't have any support, she put herself through college and set out to find a job in 1916. Through a bit of serendipity, she asked at a library about employment possibilities and was put in touch with an eccentric millionaire, Mr. Fabyan. Taking a huge chance, she drove with him to his estate, Riverbank, and learned about his many projects, one of which was solving a code that he believed proved that Francis Bacon wrote the plays of Shakespeare. Elizebeth wasn't keen on the project, but she needed the work. She learned a lot of good skills, and worked on a new field of study, cryptoanalysis, with William Friedman. The two didn't have much luck with the manuscripts, but found their decoding skills in great demand by the armed forces during WWI, and extended their partnership into marriage. Of course, William was treated much more fairly; at one point, Elizebeth was getting paid half what he was, just because she was a woman. Both ended up working various jobs that were so secretive that they slept in separate rooms so they wouldn't run the risk of revealing secrets in their sleep! Elizebeth was not only essential in WWI, but kept up her work during Prohibition, helping the Coast Guard and others figure out the messages of rum runners. WWII brought further challenges. Through all of this, Elizebeth raised her family, worked long hours, and loved the challenges that her work brought. Leery of publicity and bound by the secret nature of her work, not much was known about her until a few years ago, when some of the records of her career were declassified. 

Strengths: I've read that women were making inroads into the workforce starting in the 1920s, but the Depression made things difficult. The years that Smith Friedman was active make this a particulary interesting snapshot of feminine employment for me. The fact that she wasn't just a teacher, librarian, or secretary made this even better! There was a good mix of information about code breaking and what was going on in the world, and her own personal life and how it fit into those times. Moss' illustrations, at the beginning of the chapters, will make this easier to suggest to middle grade readers. This read quickly, and built on information I already knew about WWII, Bletchley Circle, and the Enigma machine. I'm just sad now that my math and puzzle abilities aren't any better, but if there's ever a need for me to dress up as a historical figure for a wax museum, I'm picking Elizebeth Smith Friedman!
Weaknesses: Smith Friedman was involved in so many projects it just boggles the mind, and now I feel like a miserable slacker who wasted the opportunities that the women's movement provided for me! 
What I really think: This is a great book for readers who enjoy nonfictional discussions about women's history and have read titles like Rubin's The Women Who Built Hollywood 12 Trailblazers in Front of and Behind the Camera, Maraniss' Inagural Ballers: The True Story of the First U.S. Women's Olympic Basketball Team, Blumenthal's Let Me Play, or my favorite, Dreilinger's The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live. There are also a growing number of books about women involved in various aspects of spying, like 

Purnell's Agent Most Wanted:The Never-Before-Told Story of the Most Dangerous Spy of World War II, about Virginia Hall. 

Coyote Lost and Found (#2)

Gemeinhart, Dan. Coyote Lost and Found (#2)
March 5, 2024 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Coyote thought that staying in one place after her adventures in The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise would be okay, but being new to middle school in the 8th grade is hard. She does have one sort-of friend, and the school librarian is nice ("There's a limit to how bad a school can be if it's got a library. That's just a fact."). While hanging out in Yager, the van they lived in for sevearl years, Coyote finds a box containing her  mother's ashes. She asks her father, Rodeo, about it, and he tells her that he hasn't had the heart to scatter them yet. Both her and her mother had written down where they wanted their cremains scattered in a copy of Mary Oliver's Red Bird, but Coyote is horrified to realize that she sold the book when they were traveling. When COVID shuts down her school for three weeks, she talks Rodeo into hitting the road. She doesn't tell him that she lost the book, but plots a course to revisit the shops where she might have left it during a small window of time. Of course, they are all over the US, but since Rodeo is very philisophical, he buys into the idea that the mother wanted the process to be a journey. Salvador, whom they met on their last trip, is invited along, but so is Candace, a neighbor whom Coyote likes, up to the point where she suspects the woman might be more than a friend to her father. Along the way, the group picks up Wally, a retired office worker who wants to travel but doesn't want to drive. His cultural background is Thai, and there is a racial incident because he is Asian and people are upset about COVID that mirrors so many of the horrible incidents that occurred during that time. The restaurants are only doing take out because of the pandemic, but the thrift stores are open. The book doesn't surface, and Coyote becomes more and more desperate. In Pittsburgh, the store is closed, so after some bowling, Coyote and Salvadore sneak out to try to break into the store. Coyote manages to break her arm, but the police and the store owner are kind about it after Rodeo pays for the broken screen door. Eventually, Coyote has to tell her father the truth about the book and the lack of plans for an exact place to scatter the ashes, and they realize that the picture of the book they've been referencing is actually of the very book that Rodeo had, and they manage to drive to the thrift store and talk to the owner. He's just given the book to a friend, but Doreen still has the book. They even ask her to continue back to the west coast to scatter the ashes over the family's favorite pond. While the trip doesn't go smoothly, it is an adventure. 

Strengths: It was interesting to see the pandemic portrayed in a book that wasn't ABOUT the pandemic. Life did go on in a limited way, so having Coyote on her journey during that time made sense. Candance was a reasonable addition, and Coyote's attitude toward her was very realistic; she liked her, but also resented her; she wanted to be kind, but struggled with actually acting that way. Coyote and Salvadore have to look at their relationship again as both have gotten older, and Wally and Doreen are reasonable travel companions. I liked the inclusion of books, and was glad to see that Coyote was a big reader. I was also glad that Yager didn't have any mechanical problems; during the pandemic, it might have been difficult to get it fixed! 
Weaknesses: During the pandemic, our thrift stores and bowling alleys were all closed, so that seemed unusual. Also, having had to deal with three sets of cremains recently, I would imagine that the ashes would have been delivered in a plastic bag, and it would be somewhat odd for Rodeo to pour them out of the bag into a box. 
What I really think: This is a great choice for readers who want to know what happened to Coyote and her father, for fans of Mary Oliver, or readers who enjoyed Lawrence's Fire on Headless Mountain or Burnham's The Infinite Questions of Dottie Bing.

I get Coyote's ambivalence about her mother's cremains; I do. My own mother is still in a cardboard box (and a bag) in my closet, and I always put my newest pair of shoes near her, which would make her happy. I haven't scattered the ashes because she said at my aunt's funeral in 1984 that the columbarium was nice because my aunt would always be warm. This book is a good reminder that I just need to stop being sentimental, move on, and put the ashes on my tomato garden. (A location okayed by both my late father and my brother. Mom was a big gardener.)
 

Saturday Morning Cartoons- Beak to the Future, Finder's Creatures

Angleberger, Tom. Beak to the Future (Two-Headed Chicken #2)

September 12, 2023 by Walker Books US

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central
 

The Two-Headed Chicken is back, and ready to travel in time. Using the AstroCap, they travel back into the Timestream (also referred to as "Tammy") to visit prehistory. They have been warned about the Butterfly Effect, but tell a knock knock joke when they travel back in time, therefore changing the world. They are now a duckter cuckoo, and spend a great deal of time trying to change the world and get back to the way they were. The AstroCap's 45 second charging time makes for some narrow escapes as they encounter some of their old nemeses, including Kernel Antler (who looks like a crocodile). They also get stuck in a time loop (or do they?), meet Emily Dickinson and Sherlock Holmes, enter a role playing game called The Magical Gathering of Dragons in Dungeons, and even fight book banners! Eventually, they are restored to their original incarnations, and use a book of poetry to inspire a young artist named Tom Anklebarker, or something like that, to create a comic book with a two-headed chicken in it. 

Like the first book in the series, this is a frenetic goof fest of crazy adventures and silly conflicts, illustrated in a hyperactive style. There are close up photographs of brocolli to illustrate the time stream,  Victorian clip art and sepia toned pages with information about Bangerter's Marvelous Time Cap, and a lot of brightly colored comic style illustrations that are heavy on bright blue, purple, red and yellow. 

I especially appreciated the fact that on one of the activity pages, it is mentioned that if the reader has a library book, there are printable pages at https://twoheadedchicken.wordpress.com.

Not surprisingly, Angleberger gives a shout out to Daniel Pinkwater's work like the 1982 The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, and this certainly embraces that stream of conscious style, replete with random characters, sight gags, and self referential jokes. This graphic novel would definitely be a good way to warm up younger readers for eventually picking up Pinkwater's 2007 The Neddiad: How Neddie Took the Train, Went to Hollywood, and Saved Civilization (Neddie & Friends, #1).

Readers who love Dav Pilkey's work or Green's Investigators will appreciate the frenzied art and nonstop jokes as the Two-Headed Chicken travels through the chronoverse getting into trouble. Things work out in the end, but who knows when further opportunities to POOOOOZB might occur! 

I thought it was interesting that while Bradbury's 1952 story "A Sound of Thunder" is one of the first instance of the "Butterfly Effect", but that the idea also appears in Norton Juster's 1962 The Phantom Tollbooth, when The Princess of Pure Reason says "whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, if even in the tiniest way. Why, when a housefly flaps his wings, a breeze goes round the world." 

Jones, P. Knuckle. Bog Gone! (Finder's Creatures #1)
August 8, 2023 by Penguin Workshop
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Finder is a frog in second grade who idolizes the detective Seymour Warts. Her best friends are a beaver, Chopper, and a turtle, Keeper. They all hang out together at the bog, but one morning they all wake up to find everyone GONE! They start their investigation with Big Al, an owl of whom they are all afraid. They know that since he is nocturnal, he might have seen something, and he gives them a hint: he saw headlights in the middle of the night. The trio also finds a carving on Al's tree, C.R.O.A.K., which stands for the Committe to Restore Order to the Animal Kingdom. The group believes in segregating animals, sort of like a zoo. They kidnap animals, lock them up, and leave a mysterious calling card. Their leader is the Zookeeper. Finder locates several clues, including a feather coated in goo, and a link to the Tickled Pink drink corporation. After meeting a variety of quirky characters, voyaging into suspicious basements, and having some fun during stake outs, will Finder and her friends be able to locate the denizens of the bog before it is too late?

This graphic novel is full of adventure and goofy hijinks. This has a whiff of film noir to it, especially when Seymour Warts, in his Sherlock Holmes' deerstalker cap comes on the scene. Finder is committed to solving the mystery, and her friends are along for the ride, even if they are not as serious as she is. There are lots of quirky supporting characters, like a mustachioed kangaroo covered in tattooes, Snapper, a local investigator who is a lizard of some sort, and Old-Lady Goose Liver. 

The colors are very bright, but with a darker palette suitable to the mysterious content. The outlines of the characters are in very thick black lines. I love how the illustrator can convey so much emotion even though the eyes are just dots! My one quibble is that the text is very wordy and in very small font. This makes it more of a middle grade novel, so I wish that Finder had been older than second grade. 

Green's Investigators, Kochalka's Banana Fox series, Eaton's Flying Beaver Brothers, Braddock's Stinky Cecil, and, of course, Blabey's hilarious Bad Guys books. 

Farewell Friday-- Freaky Friday

I feel like this book is one that people have fond memories of but haven't read recently. I certainly hadn't. Since I hoard older titles (although I have lots and lots of NEW books), it's not surprising that it was still in my library. But it's 52 years old. Ms. Rodgers is deceased. Does it hold up?

Probably not. But might I spend my Friday night hunting down the Jodie Foster version of the film?

Absolutely. 

Rodgers, Mary. Freaky Friday
May 2, 1972 by Harper & Row

(Former) Library Copy

**Spoilers ahead**

Annabel Andrews, of New York City, suddenly wakes up in her mother's body one day, and is surprisingly unshocked. She even has the realization that she was rather terrible to her mother, so this is no doubt pay back. She doesn't question how her mother could have done this, but instead glories in brushing her mother's orthodontia free teeth and donning a velvet pantsuit and lots of makeup after admiring her mother's body. She manages to get Mr. Andrews and young Ben (aka Ape Face) off on their day, and settles in to eat junk food and watch Little Rascals on television, complaining about the lack of good programming in the morning. Upstairs neighbor, 14-year-old Boris, stops by, and she entertains him for a while, trying to change his perception of Annabel, who is rather unpleasant to him. She does do a load of laundry, but adds too many things, and breaks the machine. When the housekeeper shows up, the two have some words, and Annabel fires the woman, partly because she drinks the family gin, and partly because she says nasty things about the state of Annabel's room. Heading to the liquor store down the street to buy an inordinate amount of liquor, she sees a hullabaloo on the street, which turns out to be Ben causing a fuss, since his mother has forgotten to pick him up after school. She manages to get him home without social services becoming involved and feeds him lunch. Mr. Andrews calls to remind her of her mysterious 2:30 meeting; it's at Annabel's school, to discuss her grades, and also tells her that he is bringing people home for dinner. She convinces Boris to babysit, and he also agrees to cook the dinner. She is late to the meeting, which discusses Annabel's poor performance in school, especially a very overdue English paper. After the meeting, Annabel finds out that while Boris has dinner ready, a "beautiful chick" has walked off with Ben! Annabel panics, complications ensue, and when her mother returns, Annabel finds out that her mother has spent the day shopping for new clothes for Annabel, getting her braces off, and having her hair done. Annabel has a new appreciation for her mother, has attracted the attention of her crush, Boris (really Morris; the vacillating stuffed up nose is never explained), and finishes her school work.

The most troubling portions of this book are the outdated, racist language. While Annabel's family is more liberal, the housekeeper makes the comment that "I'm not one of your colored", and when Annabel reprimands her, she replies "You call 'em black, right? Well I call 'em no-goodniks." The derogatory terms "spic" and "retard" are also used, and the television is referred to as "the boob tube". The ick factor with Annabel as the mother interacting with Boris, a 14-year-old, is quite high; he has a crush onher, but the whole incident is just glossed over. It doesn't help that the "new and improved" Annabel is objectified as a "hot chick".

There is some sexism as well; Annabel's mother does not seem to work outside the home, and must ask Mr. Andrews for money for the liquor. He complains about how she spends it, although the family must be very well off; Annabel wants to go to a summer camp that costs $900. At the time, my mother was probably earning $8,000 a year as a teacher. The teachers treat the mother in a way that I don't think we treat parents now.

 
Annabel is absolutely horrible to everyone; rude, slovenly, and very, very angry. She is cruel to her younger brother, who idolizes her. Ben even loves being called "Ape Face" and goes by that at school because no one else has a "cool" nickname, and his classmates also think Annabel is cool. While it seemed a bit clever for her mother to make Annabel go through the mother's day and attend her own meeting while the mother went out and "improved" Annabel, I couldn't help but thinking that the problems with attitude would not really be solved so easily.

I haven't seen the movie with Jamie Lee Curtis, which seems to involve a guitar, so much diverge from the original plot, and haven't seen the 1976 Jodie Foster version for ages (as of March 1, 2024, it looks to be available on Amazon Prime for 54 cents!), but I can only imagine they are somewhat more entertaining than the book. It's a clever idea, certainly, but the details don't hold up. Now that I have reread it, I don't feel comfortable handing it to modern children, so will be pulling it from circulation. There are only 2 other copies in my entire district, so it looks like it's time.

Call Me Al

Shah, Wali and Walters, Eric. Call Me Al
March 12, 2024 by Orca Book Publishers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Ali Khan is in the 8th grade, and struggling with several issues. His family works hard, and there is a lot of pressure for him to do well in school like his older brother, Osama, who goes by Sam. His father was a doctor in Pakistan, but drives a cab, and his mother, who was a teacher, is the manager of the apartment building where they all live. His grandfather was a well known professor of literature, but now works as a security guard. There's some tension with his longtime neighbor and best friend, Zach, who is hanging out with a well-to-do crowd of white students, and even leaves school for lunch at a nearby mall. Al wants to tag along, but feels guilty the whole time, especially when he runs into his grandfather. Al also has a crush on one of the girls in this group, Melissa, and is inspired to write a poem about her, which he keeps to himself. His teacher, Ms. McIntosh, encourages his writing, but does constructively criticize his work when he writes about what it is like to live in a ghetto: she wants him to use his own voice instead of trying to sound like a rap song. After Al's father helps deliver a baby in his taxi while Al is tagging along, Al has a lot of conflicting emotions about the way his father is perceived. When he, his mother, and his younger brother Danny are verbally and physically assaulted on their way home from the grocery store, Al has conflicting feelings about Zach, since his friend has made similar comments but brushed them off as "jokes". Emotions are running high as these events pile up during Ramadan. When a mosque in the US is the target of violence, Al finds himself turning more and more to writing poetry even though his father wants him to concentrate on his school work, since it is more important to learn skills so he can eventually deliver babies instead of writing about delivering them. Ms. McIntosh, as well as Al's grandfather, understand the importance of writing as a way to deal with events around him, but his father still is more interested in his academic progress. The Khans invite a larger number of people for their Eid feast, and include the wealthier classmates, some teachers, and others with whom they have interacted, as a way to increase understanding in the community. Zach surprises them by encouraging Al's classmates to fast during the day of the celebration so that they know a bit more about what the process feels like. At the end of the school year, Al is named the valedictorian of his class and encouraged to share his poetry, and his father makes peace with this after learning about Lazarus, the Detroit, Michigan based rapper, songwriter and physician of Pakistani descent. 

Strengths: Walters is a prolific Canadian author who has done interesting collaborations with a number of others, in this case the poet and motivational speaker Wali Shah. This is a good look at how a middle school boy might struggle with racism, microagressions, and family expectations, on top of other pressures of middle school like crushes and fitting in. The story moves along quickly, and has a nice mix of topics. 
Weaknesses: My students are not particularly fond of poetry, so I wish there had been a tiny bit more basketball in this to hook them, especially since Walters does such a good sports novel. I also wish there were more books about Muslim students who are of Somali descent, since that's the background of most of my students. There are a lot of books by Pakistani authors, but relatively few by Somali authors. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for students who like Grimes' Garvey's Choice and Baptist's Isaiah Dunn is My Hero.  As of November, 2023, Follett does not list a prebound copy for sale, and paperbacks do not hold up in my library, so I'll have to wait to purchase. 
 

The Voice Upstairs and Roses & Violets

Weymouth, Laura E. The Voice Upstairs
October 3, 2023 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Wilhelmina Price's life revolves around the Summerfield family in Thrush's Green, England not long after World War I. Her grandfather, who is the butler there, is raising her after the deaths of both of her parents. Her mother passed away under horrible circumstances (she drowned), and ever since Wil has been able to see the souls of people who are soon to die leaving their bodies. She's tried to intervene, but it rarely ends well, and when she sees the sould of a housemaid at the Summerfield's house, she doesn't say anything. Wil is also great friends with Edison Summerfield, whose older brother Peter died in the Great War, and whose spirit is haunting the house, destroying the nursery whenever Edison is home from school and forced to live in that wing. Since his sister Kitty is throwing a house party for her birthday, he is once again battling this ghost, and Wil has been unable to contact Peter and convince him to stop. Wil and Ed have always been friends, and know that their relationship would be tricky, Since things are changing for women, Wil has studied all of Ed's school texts, and has even earned money writing papers by mail for his classmates. She hopes to go to college herself, but after the latest death takes a job as a housemaid in order to earn some money and also get a better idea of what is going on. Her grandfather does not approve, but he doesn't approve of housemaids in general. Wil does a good job, and Abigail, who is now the head maid, is glad to have her help. Kitty's party is busy, but Kitty seems to be struggling with something big enough that she even talks to Wil about some things. When Wil sees Edison's spirit leaving his body, she panics, and tells Kitty. Kitty makes a cryptic comment that she will make sure her brother is okay... and then is found thrown from her horse. Clearly, something malevolent is leading to the deaths of all of these women, and Wil and Ed are even more motivated to find out after Kitty's demise. While Wil consults ghosts of the past, some ghosts that are more real surface and lead her to believe that both dark spiritual forces, as well as even darker human forces, are at work. Will she be able to combat them before even more deaths occur?

There's something comforting about an English country house, even if it IS inhabited by murderous ghosts! The cozy nooks, the servants' quarters downstairs, the hidden rooms, and palatial common spaces are something that most readers will never get to experience, so the next best thing is to be able to join Edison in his reading room! 

This had a fair amount of twists and turns, some of which were great surprises, and others which had been strongly suggested all along. We are never quite told why Wil has the ability to see ghosts, but the post WWI setting of this gives plenty of room for the belief in ghosts, as well as for a seance. The reasons for the ghosts are a bit dark, and while there is nothing graphic on the page, and the language is circumspect, the hinted history of sexual abuse and domestic violence might make this more suitable for upper middle grade or young adult readers. 

Readers who like historical novels filled with romance and mystery, like this author's A Treason of Thorns, Harvey's A Breath of Frost, Wallach's Hatchet Girls, or Johnson The Name of the Star series will enjoy the friends-to-lovers romance between Wil and Ed, the murderous ghosts, and the drama of the Upstairs, Downstairs social dynamics of  early 1900s. 

This could have used more period details; this could have been set today and been just as effective if the need for servants could have been spun a bit. There weren't any descriptions of the house, or many of the clothes, and fairly little about Wil's chances before she took a job as a maid. What had she been doing, other than selling papers? This was oddly unclear. 
 

Jensen, Gry Kappel. Roses & Violets

Translated by Sharon E. Rhodes

September 26, 2023 by Arctis

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Kirstine steals a letter from her father's desk, accepting her into Roseholm Academy. Even though she's too old to be in high school, she desperately wants to go, but her parents are very conservative Christians and don't want her to. Victoria also gets a letter, but since her mother is an alumna who works as a wise woman, she has  no problem. Chamomile's mother also attended the school, but Malou comes from a background of poverty and is distrustful of the others. Kirstine meets Jakob on the train to the school and thinks that he is also a student, but it turns out that he is a teacher. The school has a variety of tests that the students must take, and they are very odd. When all four girls pass, they find out that Roseholm is a school for magical arts, from blood magic to spirit magic, with some traditional Danish subjects thrown in. The girls are not supposed to consort with the boys from the school, since romance takes up too much energy, but this doesn't stop them from talking to Vitus and Benjamin, and jealousies are sometimes stirred. At a party on All Hallow's Eve, the girls have a seance after drinking a bit, and they find out about a girl named Trine who was killed back in 1989. Kirstine tries to coax information out of Jakob, and the girls do manage to find a little bit of information, which is crucial since Roseholm seems to be haunted in a particularly dangerous way. When another student, Anne, is attacked over Christmas, the investigation is continued, and comes to a climax during the spring dance in April. Will the classmates be able to solve the mystery before a tragedy occurs?

While this is clearly set in a country that is not the US, the translation is great, and most readers will not notice the difference. The cover is fantastic, and the shiny gold and dark purple will speak to readers who love paranormal romances. 

Told from each of the girls' points of view, we see a little of their backgrounds, and the different situations that brought them to the school. Kirstine's parents have thrown her out, Malou is suffering because the other girls are from more privileged backgrounds, and Victoria has the support of her mother. There's just enough romance to keep teens happy, and lots and lots of magical details. 

There seems to be a new trend in magical academies where the magic is rather dark. Even though the students at Roseholm are forbidden from participating in dark magic, they would be right at home with other magical schools like Aldridge's Deephaven and Alexander's Gallowgate. 
 

Pedal, Balance, Steer and Summer at Squee

Kirkfield, Vivian and Jay, Allison (illus.)

Pedal, Balance, Steer: Annie Londonderry, the First Woman to Cycle Around the World

February 20, 2024 by Calkins Creek

Copy provided by the Publisher

Since children's bicycles weren't available until 1920 (a fact I did not know until reading this book!), Annie Cohen, who was born in Latvia in 1870, wouldn't have pedaled her way around her neighborhood the way today's children might. It wasn't until 1894, when she needed money, that she decided to enter a contest to bike around the world and had to learn this skill! Bicycles were not as comfortable and ergonomic as they are today, and she started out her journey in the clothing of the time; long skirts, a corset, and all of the other heavy trimmings! Rethinking this, she set out again wearing bloomers, with scant supplies but an iron will. Along with undertaking the travel, she had to earn $5,000 along the way, which she managed to get through speaking engagements and sponsorships. She managed the arduous and dangerous journey with some help along the way, and managed to finish 14 days ahead of schedule! 

Jay's artwork, like her illustrations in Pitch Perfect and Persistent! has a nice folk art fel that adds a vintage vibe to the tale, and the robin egg blue and tan color palette nicely captures Annie's time outdoors. The details of the various destinations, as well as the vintage bicycle, are vividly represented as well. 

This really piqued my curiousity; Annie's best bet was to leave her three children at home and take off on a bicycle with just a change of underwear? This is similar to the set up of the real life journey that inspired Dagg's The Year We Were Famous or Speno's The Great American Foot Race:Ballyhoo for the Bunion Derby! but still seems.. not cost efficient? Thanks to Kirkfield's storytelling, however, I want to know more! 

Macy's fantastic 2011 Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way is for readers who are a bit older, but Pedal, Balance, Steer is a great way to get young readers interested in the history of bicycling, and a great lesson in resilience for young girls! Pair this with other books that showcase women's determination to travel despite the odds, like Rockliff' and Hooper's Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 miles. 

Wang, Andrea. Summer at Squee
March 5, 2024 by Kokila

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Phoenny Fang and her best friend Lyrica are super excited for the summer camp their mothers run,  Summertime Chinese Culture, Wellness, and Enrichment Experience (SCCWEE for short, pronounced “Squee”). It's always been Phee's happy place, where she can explore her Chinese culture and also do a lot of her favorite activity, sewing, but this year feels different. Her older brother is a Counselour in Training, and the girls who are usually in a group together are split up because there are some new girls. The new campers all seem to be cousins, since their Chinese names seem to match, but they are all cagey about their relationship, and one, McKenna is just downright rude. It turns out that the new campers have all been adopted by US families, and are a bit resentful. Phee loves speaking Mandarin, doing traditional crafts, games, and sports, and is hurt that the new girls don't necessarily want to participate. She's also crushing hard on Harrison, her brother's friend and fellow CIT who has just moved to the US from Hong Kong. He's only about a year older, and Phee thinks he might be interested in McKenna. There's a lot of stuff to do at the camp, and a final show to prepare for, but the campers have to also deal with online trolls who say racist things about the Squee posts on social media. Some on the counselors try to locate the perpetrators and bring them to justice, but the experience leaves everyone in the camp shaken. 

Strengths: There aren't a lot of books about adoptees from China (except for the 2012 Red Thread Sisters by Peacock), and I love the idea of a summer camp that is culture based. The camp is a huge amount of fun, but also has plenty of drama. Not only is there the rivalry with the angry McKenna and the crush with Harrison, but there are also other campers with different sexual identities who are trying to figure out their own crushes. The camp is located on a college campus, which is interesting for those of us who only went to camp out in the woods! Being the daughter of someone who runs the camp would be intriguing, and Phee's struggles during her last year as a camper with the changes that have occurred will resonate with childre who find that their own worlds are changing. 

Weaknesses: At 320 pages, this packed in a LOT of characters and a lot of activities on top of a wealth of information about Chinese culture as well as racism and prejudice. This was all good stuff, but it would have helped the story move more quickly if there had been fewer things like Phee's allergic reaction to a weasel bristle art brush and detailed descriptions of her sewing projects. 
What I really think: There's been a significant decline in the number of adoptions from countries outside the US; it seemed like we'd had fewer such children at my school, and statistics so seem to show that. This is a good choice for readers who liked this author's The Many Meaning of Meilan or camp books like Matson's Firefly Summer or Soderberg's Sky Ropes. 

Lin, Grace. Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods

September 12, 2023 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Public library copy

This larger format book (8.95 x 0.91 x 10.4 inches) is shelved in the 641 section (food) of my public library, but I would put a copy in the 398.2 section (folktales). There is information about the origins and history of a lot of different food, and then folk tales related to it, but no recipes, and the folktale sections far outweigh the food sections. 

This would be a great book if you needed more Chinese folktales, and is worth having for the food timeline alone. This would also be perfect for the campers in Wang's Summer of Squee! 

The Vice Principal Problem (The Blue Stars #1 Mission One)

Magoon, Kekla, Smith, Cynthia Leitich, and Murakami, Molly (Illustrator)
The Vice Principal Problem (The Blue Stars #1 Mission One)
March 5, 2024 by Candlewick Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Riley Halfmoon has lived most of her life in Oklahoma near her mother's closeknit Muskogee family. When her mother, Jill, gets a job in Urbanopolis as the City Hall press secretary and her father wants to go to nursing school, the three leave to move in with her father's mother, Gayle, who is a Black artist. At the same time, her cousin Maya Dawn has to move in with Grandma Gayle as well because her parents are in the military. Her father, Dave's brother, and her mother, who is white, can't take her to their latest post. Riley is apprehensive about her new living arrangements, but is looking forward to rooming with Maya, and has arranged to continue her gymnastics at a local gym. Maya is not happy to be away from her parents and takes it out on her cousin. The two start middle school and find activities to do. Maya is the only person in robotics club, but both girls decide to run for student body president. They are leery of Vice Principal Balderdash, who drives a very fancy car and is fond of sending people to detention. When the mayor's office announces that it will be delegating budgetary decisions to the school administrators, Jill Halfmoon knows that this is a veiled way of announcing budget cuts. Balderdash tells each of the three candidates that he will support their favorite activities (clubs, the library, sports) while secretly plotting to take all the money he can and build more detention facilities. The girls work together to expose the vice principal's evil scheme, luring him out of his office so they can place a bug, combing through hours of tape, and when they find him detailing his evil plans, playing a clip on the school screens. Will this be enough to scuttle his plans and save the programs that students really want?
Strengths: I love Maya's interest in science and technology, especially because this gives her many skills that are very useful to the girls campaign against Balderdash! The extended family living together and having Maya live with them while her parents are in the military is something that doesn't come up frequently in middle grade literature, but perhaps should. The girls have different interests, but they are able to both campain for student body president without fighting with each other, which was refreshing. The team of Magoon, Smith, and Murakami adds lots of diversity to the cast of characters, and the story is generally upbeat. I liked the note from the authors at the end about kids getting involved in their schools.  
Weaknesses: I'm not quite sure why the mayor would have anything to do with school funding; this isn't the way our districts are set up in Ohio, and cuts are made on a district level, involving the superintendent and school board, after a LOT Of discussion. It seemed odd that the vice principal would have any say at all, but perhaps this is the case in other cities. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who want a graphic novel similar to Varian Johnson's The Great Greene Heist or books with evil principals or school elections. There isn't much Native representation in graphic novels (Cohen's Two Tribes is the only one I can think of), so this was good to see. 

MMGM- Hoop Con and LeBron James: Beyond the Game

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

Shah, Amar. The Hoop Con (Play the Game #1)

May 7, 2024 by Scholastic Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Raam Patel is very interested in playing basketball, and takes every opportunity to play in his Orlando, Florida area community. At the end of 6th grade, he and his friend, Cake, are also into basketball celebrities, merchandise, and the Hoop Con that is coming to their area. Cake's parents get tickets for him, but since they cost at least $500, Raam's dancing instructor mother and father who works for a relative are reluctant to buy him tickets. They would rather he attend Spelling Bee camp at the community center, especially since they have already paid for it. Through a contact, however, Raam's mother manages to get entry level tickets that don't have the same level of swag as Cake's. They still include court time with the star, Aron Hardaway, but Raam has difficulty on the court when it comes to sportsmanship. He doesn't like to pass to others, even when it is best for the team, which has led to problems in his previous experiences. When he gets drawn into a competition with a celebrity tween player, things get ugly. He not only doesn't do well, but he embarasses himself on the court. His antics are caught on camera, the player he idolizes shakes his head at Raam, and the videos go viral. To add insult to injury, Cake shares the video and refuses to take it down when Raam asks, because having it on his social media platform results in many more followers. Raam doesn't want to leave the house because everyone knows of his defeat. His parents, who are having work and relationship struggles themselves, have no patience for his hystrionics. They make him go to the Spelling Bee camp, but eventually make a concession; he can go to California to spend time with an aunt, uncle, and older cousin (actually an aunt, but nearer his age) Trina while the parents take time to work through their difficulties. While some people in California have seen the video, it's not as bad as being at home, and he has the opportunity to explore California and hang out with Trina. When new opportunities for competition present themselves, will Raam be able to work out the issues that are holding him back from being a winner?

Strengths: Readers who are fascinated by sports AND social media will definitely love Raam's embarassing brush with internet fame, and enjoy all of the opportunities that Raam has to see celebrities and revel in designer shoes and swag. There is plenty of basketball as well, and the cover alone will sell this story. The family dynamics and history are interesting, and I especially liked the difficulties with Cake, since middle schoolers seem to lose at least one good friend. Having Trina also be interested in basketball gives this appeal to wider audiences. This is a great middle grade debut by Shah, whose background as a sports writer imbues this book with a lot of authenticity. This is like Fred Bowen's books, but with a sort of less traditional, social media feel to it.
Weaknesses: While I am decently knowledgeable with the sport of basketball, I am woefully deficient in knowledge of its celebrity culture and all its trappings of clothing, gear, and NFT. For me personally, Raam wasn't as sympathetic a character as he could have been, but perhaps we will see him become a better person in the next books. 
What I really think: Sports book are a fantastic way to teach the life lessons that many language arts teachers and librarians wish to impart to students. The difference is that sports book actually get read, while award winners (especially ones that don't take student affection for the title into consideration) gather dust on their shiny stickers. While I didn't personally like Raam very much, he is a very relatable character, and middle grade readers who like a little schadenfreude dusted on the basketball court will empathize with Raam's embarassment and root for his comeback. I am looking forward to the next two purported books in the series. (Take the Shot is slated for publication on October 15, 2024.)

Maraniss, Andrew and Hodge, DeAndra. Beyond the Game: LeBron James

March 5, 2024 by Viking Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

LeBron James is probably the number one reason many of my students think that they have a chance at a career as a professional basketball player, but I wish that they would read this book and think instead about the ways that James has tried to help other people. James' story is a well known one in my state; he was raised by a young mother with few resources, helped by a family who took him in during the week and gave him stability, and did well in school and not only on the basketball court. After joining the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he did very well for himself but also paid attention to issues of social justice, and decided to give back to his community by founding an I PROMISE program in Akron which guarantees college help for children who stay in the program. The end of the book has basketball statistics as well as suggestions for ways in which young readers can help change the world. 

Strengths: Anything with James' picture on it will be checked out in two seconds flat in my library. Add Maraniss' story telling skills and Hodge's great illustrations, and I should probably just give in and buy two copies right away. This is a good length for reluctant readers, and the pictures will add to the appeal. I'm looking forward to other titles in this series. 
Weaknesses: Since I don't follow sports, I could have used a timeline of James' basketball career. 

What I really think: This is an essential purchase for middle school and elementary school libraries in Ohio, right along with Wetzel's Epic Athletes: LeBron James and Andrea Williams' We Are Family. 

Louder Than Hunger

Schu, John. Louder Than Hunger
March 5, 2024 by Candlewick Press

ARC provided by Young Adult Books Central 

In this novel in free verse, Jake is struggling as middle school progresses. He views himself as "different", and kids in his school often give him a hard time about his interests or the way he dresses. He loves being with his grandmother, with whom he shares a passion for Broadway musicals, and would rather read to older residents of a retirement home than hang out with children his own age. He has a very loud voice in his head that tells him that if he doesn't eat, he will get smaller, and his problems won't be as bad, especially if he can manage to disappear. He has lost a lot of weight, and his mother, who struggles with depression herself, is worried. His grandmother is, as well, but has her own health struggles. He's managed to hide his weight a bit by wearing overalls with big sweaters over them, but when he finally visits a doctor, he is admitted to an in patient treatment facility. As much as he wants to disappear, he is not fond of being in the facility and losing his freedom. He doesn't want to talk about his feelings, and balks at having to eat anything, since he knows he will gain weight. When an exam reveals that his heart rate has been affected by his weight loss, he must stay in a wheelchair. There are a few bright spots, like meeting Kella, who is in the outpatient program. The two have some shared interests, and like to talk, but Kella is improving and soon doesn't come to the facility. Jake is intractable, and struggles with the doctors who want to see him improve. He is granted some day passes, but he still cannot deal with the challenges of having to eat food. His grandmother dies, and this is a devastating blow. He feels that there is no one else who really understands him, but he does have conversations in his mind with Frieden, a statue in a park near his grandmother's house. He eventually starts to find some things to look forward to, and his love of books, music, and the theatre give him a reason to fight for his own survival. Once he is released from full time treatment, it is still a process to become healthy again. 

Based on the real life experiences of educator and one time Scholastic ambassador John Schumacher ("Mr. Schu"), this is a timely exploration about one struggle with anorexia. Jake's mental state is well depicted by the sometimes choppy, frantic verse outlining his panic, self-loathing, and pervasive grief. The language isn't necessarily poetic, but just like in Fipps' Starfish (another novel in verse about body image), the fragmented format helps deliver the message. 

There is a note from the author about how his life unfolded after the events of this book, as well as a list of resources for anyone who might be struggling with similar issues. 

I wish there had been a little more of the book showing the descent into the eating disorder, instead of starting so close to the crisis point. The verse format made it difficult for me to understand the origins of Jake's problem, as well as how the connection to art was able to help him see a way out. The connection to the statue, Frieden, while possibly very important to Schu, also was a bit confusing.

There is no shortage of books about eating disorders, starting with Levenkron's  1978 The Best Little Girl in the World. There are even a decent amount of books about young men with anorexia, like Vrettos' 2006 Skin and Shahan's 2014 Skin and Bones, which are more Young Adult in focus or Pollan's The Year I Didn't Eat (2019). Any book with a medical tie-in should be reevaluated for currency, and it's important that books on these topics be fairly recent. Blume's Deenie, for example, offers outdated treatment and attitudes toward scoliosis. Add Louder Than Hunger to an updated list of books covering body image disorders along with Dee's Everything I Know About You (2018), Petro-Roy's Good Enough (2019), Gerber's Taking Up Space, Lerner's A Work in Progress, and the graphic novel by Edkins Smaller Sister.

Saturday Morning Cartoons- Animals

Stromski, Rick. Schnozzer and Tatertoes Shoot the Moon (#2)
February 6, 2024 by Union Square Kids
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

After their adventures in Take a Hike, Schnozzer and Tatertoes are having a lazy Saturday. Their television isn't working, and they decide to spend their time writing a story. Tatertoes has trouble coming up with ideas, and Schnozzer suggests that going to the Air and Space Museum would be both fun AND educational, two things that rarely happen at the same time. Soon they are hopping on a bus and visiting the museum. While there, they see lots of interesting things, but when Tatertoes drops something and accidentally gets himself stuck in the Apollo 11 command module, Schnozzer tries to get him out. Of course, they accidentally blast off, although the capsule has supposedly been disabled since 1971. (The Mr. Magoo-like custodian seems to be to blame!) The president of the US is alerted, and NASA is following their journey. Soon, they are crash landing on the  moon, where they find a golf club and a ball, and are greeted by moon creatures. Communication is difficult, but the moon creatures make it clear that they want our intrepid Barkonauts* to take all of the space detritus with them. They strap it to the capsule, and launch it back to Earth with, of course, a giant sling shot. On the way back, the space junk makes the capsule unsteady, so Tatertoes ventures out to cut it off with toenail clippers. In doing so, he gets stuck on a passing asteroid that NASA has determined is soon going to crash into the Earth. Tatertoes manages to disentangle himself at the last moment, and his interference manages to redirect the asteroid, and the Earth is saved! 

Strengths: The best part of this was the detailed exploration of the Air and Space Museum, which I didn't realize was getting a new facade and major renovation. This is goofy fun, in an easy to read graphic novel. Tatertoes is not quite as obtuse as he was in the first book, and shows some initiative when he and his friend get to the moon. It's an unlikely adventure, but one that will make young readers laugh.
Weaknesses: The moon creatures were a little stereotypical. I was hoping for a bit more innovation.
What I really think: The first book in the series is really appealing to my emerging readers because of the bright pictures and easy-to-read text. We have had more English Language Learners recently, as well as other students who are struggling a bit with reading, so I'll purchase this one to help them out a bit. 

This took me down a bit of a rabbit hole. I lived in the DC area in 1970-72, and have fuzzy memories of visiting the OLD Air and Space Museum, which was located in a 1920s era Quonset hut! This was torn down in 1975, the current museum was built, and I visited it with my high school orchestra in 1982! I've been several other times, and have been to the annex as well with our 8th grade Washington D.C. trip. Unfortunately, these visits were not as adventure-filled as Schnozzer and Tatertoes! 

*Apologies to Greg van Eekhout who uses this term in his 2018 Voyage of the Dogs.

Venable, Colleen AF, Stubbings, Ellen (illus.) and Colleen, Marcie. Kitten Ninja
February 27, 2024 by Andrews McMeel Publishing
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

This was a little younger for my students, but if Cat Ninja is popular in your school, this will get younger students primed to read those books. 

From the Publisher:

"Fans of comics, and heartwarming stories—not to mention cats!—will love Kitten Ninja, the origin story of the incredible Cat Ninja!

Before Cat Ninja grew up and became Metro City’s greatest defender, he was tiny, adorable Kitten Ninja and he battled...much tinier foes. (Hey, everybody has to start somewhere, right?)

In this spin-off prequel to the enormously popular Epic Original Cat Ninja series, our favorite feline hero takes on everything a kitten-size ninja has to battle on the way to his heroic a sun spot that won’t stay put, an irresistible ball of yarn, and—every cat’s archenemy—snow!"

Underhill, Scout. DnDoggos: Get the Party Started
February 27, 2024 by Feiwel & Friends
E ARC provided by Netgalley

If you have a culture of D&D at your school that is super strong, this would be a good choice. It presupposes a lot prior knowledge of the game. It's cute, but I don't have a lot of D&D fans, so will pass on purchase at this time. This is based on a web comic. (https://www.scoutunderhill.com/dndoggos)

From the publisher:
"Four adorable dogs are tail-waggingly excited to play their favorite role-playing game in Get the Party Started , the middle grade graphic novel debut from online comic creator Scout Underhill. They've picked their characters and favorite dice, and are ready to set off on the adventure their game master Magnus has created for them.

Pickles, a rough and tumble fighter; Tonka, a playful and fun-loving bard; and Zoey, a wise and caring cleric, are given a quest to fetch a magical dog collar from a nearby swamp. But when they triumphantly return, they soon find that the collar isn't the only thing that has gone missing from Tail's Bend. All the squeaky toys in town have disappeared and Squish, the mayor's young son, has set off on his own to find them.

It's up to the Doggos to rescue Squish, track down the missing toys, and save the day!"

February Statistics

Women's History Month- Skybound!

The lovely people at Calkins Creek sent me a box of picture book biographies to celebrate Women's History Month. What a great way to introduce young readers to all of the possibilities! 

Ganz-Schmitt, Sue and Bruno, Iacopo (illus.)
Skybound!: Starring Mary Myers as Carlotta, Daredevil Aeronaut and Scientist
April 16, 2024 by Calkins Creek

Copy provided by the Publisher

Not many girls born in 1850 were able to become scientists, but Mary Breed Hawley was fortunate enough meet and marry Carl Meyer, who shared her passion for engineering, science, and invention. He had an extensive library, and Mary studied aeronautics and meteoraolgy through his books. She even invented a better fabric for balloons, and helped make them. The couple hired an aeronaut to fly their newfangled vehicle, but when they needed someone to take scientific measurements as well as fly the balloon, Mary stepped in and volunteered. Choosing the stage name Carlotta, she traveled up in the balloon at various exhibitions and brought back data on the weather components of her journey. There were some close calls, but she continued her flights for a number of years. When she retired, she and Carl started a balloon manufacturing business, the Balloon Farm, in Frankfort, New York. 

Encouraging STEM studies in young girls is so important, and Mary's devotion to studying despite the strictures of her time are an inspiration. I loved that she wasn't just a daredevil, but wanted to make scientific contributions as well. She even managed to get a patent for her invention that helped her steer the balloon at a time when few women were listed as inventors. 

Bruno's illustrations capture the feel of the late 1800s well, with ornate fonts included in the text and great detail in the clothing and settings. The palette is heavy on brown and blue with touches of red, perhaps drawing from the one vintage postcard of the Balloon Farm. The outfits in particular are well researched, but there is plenty of scientific detail in the balloons as well as some of the instruments used in collecting data. 

In addition to Mary's story, there is an informative section at the end with more details about the Myers' foray into balloons, complete with a timeline and bibliography. This would make a great additions to  alouds that show that the sky wasn't a limit for women at all like Borden and Kroeger's Fly High!: The Story of Bessie Coleman, Bass and Williams' Me and the Sky: Captain Beverley Bass, Pioneering Pilot, Engle and Palacios' The Flying Girl: How Aida de Acosta Learned to Soar, Lang and Colón's Fearless Flyer: Ruth Law and Her Flying Machine, and Smith and Tavares' Lighter than Air: Sophie Blanchard, the First Woman Pilot. 

 

Poetry Friday- In and Out Window and Forsooth

Yolen, Jane and Peterslund, Cathrin. In and Out Window
March 12, 2024 by Philomel Books
Copy provided by the publisher

Jane Yolen has been writing for quite some time, and has enthusiastically embraced many genres and formats, from my favorite Young Heroes series with Robert J. Harris to her graphic nonfiction title Bad Girls with Heidi Stemple to picture books. She has also been writing poetry for a while, with several books like 1990 Bird Watch: A Book of Poetry as well as single poems in anthologies and magazines. 

In and Out Window combines some retrospective inclusions with newer poems, and range from very short rhymed couplets to longer, formal poems like "My Teacher". There is some free verse, but the vast majority of the poems embrace scansion and rhyme but play with it in innovative ways. Her formal verse is so good (like "Souble Up June's Black Belt Memories", and so few people write it, that I wished she had thrown in a sonnet or two!

The topics vary widely but do focus on the elementary school experience. Poems are thematically linked, with chapters headed "At Home", "Animals", "School", "After School", and my favorite, "Career Poems", with each chapter divided into "In" and "Out". This gives a nice feeling of organization to the book, although there is not a table of contents. 

I liked that this was the size of a fiction book; many poetry collections have more of a picture book format, that some middle school readers don't like. This reminded me strongly of collections I had as a child, although I would argue with the publisher's description that this was like collections by Shel Silverstein. Yolen's verse is much better. 

I've actually debated whether I will keep this for my own or put it in my library collection. It was really quite a nice collection that I very much enjoyed. We don't do much with poetry in language arts classes now, but since I thought it was a good idea to pursue writing poetry as a career when I was in college (not that majoring in Latin was a better idea when it came to gainful employment), I am reluctant to hand books of poetry to any future progeny who might contribute to my care when I am elderly. It's an excellent choice for public libraries, and for schools where poetry is studied widely. 

Matejek-Morris, Jimmy. Forsooth 
November 7, 2023 by Carolrhoda Books ®
E ARC provided by Netgalley

Calvin is best friends with Kennedy and Jonah, but things start to become problematic when he has a disastrous performance in Cinderella. Kennedy is Cinderella, and Jonah is the prince. Calvin is a footman who blows his lines (the titular "forsooth") and "ruins" the play. When Calvin sees Jonah and Kennedy kissing afterwards, it strikes him oddly, but the really upsetting thing occurs later, on the last day of school. When yearbooks are signed, Kennedy uses the opportunity to tell Calvin that she's leaving to move to New York City to live with her mother and go to a performing arts school. Calvin is devasted. In the wake of this announcement, he develops some new friends, including Kennedy's rival, Maia, and neighbor Blake. Calvin's mother makes him go to choir practice at the Catholic church, and Maia hopes to get the solo. After another disastrous occurrence, the priest gives the solo to Calvin. He keeps that information to himself, especially since Maia is helping him and Jonah put together a film that they hope will encourage Kennedy to move back. Calvin is anxious about many things, and Blake, whose father suffers from anxiety, teaches him some valuable coping skills. Calvin is attracted to both boys, but his Catholic upbringing makes him want to deny this. His older sister is dating a boy, and keeping it secret because the parents are so strict, so he knows he can't tell them, even though his father seems to be oddly understanding at several points in the book. Jonah is studying for his bar mitzvah, and trying to find a way to honor his deceased father at the ceremony. Calvin helps him, but also has moments with Blake. When Maia finds out about the solo, that new friendship is in danger of falling through. The whole summer is very tense for many reasons, and when Kennedy comes back to visit (after blocking both Calvin and Jonah from her social media after realizing they like each other), things get very dramatic. Will Calvin be able to figure out what it is that he wants from his family and friends so that he has the support he needs to be his authentic self? 

Strengths: This captured the progession of middle school romances in a very realistic way-- a whole lot of the process is just figuring out if the other person likes you, and if they do... what do you even do? Layering this on top of a theater background gives it some form, and the addition of friend drama is perfect, because losing at least one friend in middle school is almost guaranteed. There should probably be a few more middle grade books with families who are religious, but it is becoming increasingly rare for families to have religious affiliations. The interactions with Calvin and his parents and sister are quite interesting. The inclusion of Kennedy's social media "fame" will make this even more appealing to young readers. 
Weaknesses: This had a LOT of angsty drama. I wish that there had been more of an underlying plot that dealt with something other than Calvin figuring out his identity or his relationship with his friends and family. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked Better Nate Than Ever or Pancholy's Nikhil Out Loud.