Mostly the Honest Truth

Little, Jody J. Mostly the Honest Truth
March 12th 2019 by HarperCollins
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

After Jane injures her hand when her father is passed out drunk, she is sent to temporary foster care for the fourth time, this time with Officer D, whom she befriended previously. Officer D lives in a collaborative community called Three Boulders that is far from town and has a kibbutz like system for jobs and caring for the young. After making friends with G and the other children in the community, Jane is still counting the days (12, total) until she can be with her Pop again. Questions arise about how the injury really occurred, however, and after being visited by a social worker, Jane manages to get to town and visit her father. There are problems with Three Boulders as well, since the elderly founder wants to sell the land to pay for his end-of-life care. Jane is desperate to get back together with Pop, although she starts to realize that it might not be in her best interest to do so. With the help and support of Officer D and the other members of Three Boulders, Jane starts to put together a new expectation for normal.
Strengths: I was really intrigued by the idea of temporary foster care, and the idea of a commune type community in the modern day. Officer D is a supportive and caring foster parent, and hearing about former placements Jane had was interesting as well. It was good to see Jane make a friend right away, and realistic that she wanted to get back to her father as soon as possible.
Weaknesses: The Three Boulders community was interesting but a bit odd, and I kept expecting something else to happen with it, like the residents were all really space aliens. They weren't, but something about the whole set up put me on edge. Jane's injuries had a hidden, horrific cause that might be traumatic for students younger than fifth grade to read about.
What I really think: I prefer Galante's excellent Strays Like Us is, and I also have a number of other books with character in foster care, including One for the Murphys, Gill's Scarlet Ibis, Carter's Forever, or a Long, Long Time, Davis' Peas and Carrots, Every Shiny Thing, and Little Bits of Sky.  This had an odd vibe to it, so I may pass. I have a decent number of students who are themselves in foster care, but I usually never know this until they leave, so I try to be careful about the books I have depicting variations of this experience.

Because of the Rabbit

Lord, Cynthia. Because of the Rabbit.
March 26th 2019 by Scholastic Press
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Emma's father is a game warden, and when she accompanies him on a rabbit rescue, she falls in love with the adorable honey colored rabbit they find. It's not a wild rabbit, and the local shelter has not had anyone searching for an animal that matches the description, so Emma keeps Lapi. The name is short for Monsieur Lapin, the name of a character in stories that her grandfather had told her. Emma has always been homeschooled, but is starting public school for the first time. Her older brother has enjoyed it, but Emma isn't keen on the idea of not having free time after her lessons and having to deal with trying to make friends. She approaches school with the right mind set-- try to fit in, be friendly and nice, approach people cautiously-- but her attempts aren't too successful. She tries to get her project group to come to her house, but the two girls she would really like to befriend don't come. Jack does. Jack is on the autism spectrum, so has some moments when he is difficult for Emma to work with, and he does not help her social standing. They work well, together, however, and Jack even tries to get over his fear of animals in order to pet Lapi. Emma hopes that if she can take Lapi to school for her project, the girls in her class will warm to her, but Lapi might have owners that could claim him. Emma manages to figure out school and eventually feels more comfortable there.
Strengths: Lord uses her own personal background to good effect in this latest book. Her son is on the autism spectrum, she homeschooled her children, and the family fostered rabbits. She consulted with her daughter about the difficulties she faced when entering public school, so this is very effective.
Weaknesses: This was just a little young for my demographic.
What I really think: I would definitely buy this for an elementary school library, but I have a number of similar books that don't circulate much, so I will pass for now.

Nikki on the Line

Roberts, Barbara Carroll. Nikki on the Line
March 5th 2019 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Public Library Copy

Nikki is looking forward to playing on a competitive travel basketball team, especially since her friend Adria is also on it. It's a struggle for her single mother to afford the fees, but basketball is what Nikki really loves. In order to help out, Nikki offers to babysit her high-energy younger brother after school. School is a bit of a struggle for Nikki, so she hopes to be able to have time to fit everything in. When her science teacher assigns a family tree project, she is upset for another reason; her mother had both children through artificial insemination and she doesn't want anyone to know. Another student, Booker, also doesn't want to do the project because his parents were drug addicts who abandoned him, and his kindergarten teacher adopted him. Nikki has a very motivated teammate, Kate, who has a very pushy father who wants to see Kate get a college scholarship. When Nikki overhears the two talking about Kate's lack of height and wondering why she is wasting everyone's time, this undermines her confidence and she starts to back off from taking shots. She starts to think that maybe she should add different skills to her game, and decides that the team could use someone who can make good three point shots. She doesn't want to tell Adria about this, since Adria's father has always coached her, so she asks Booker for help. When her grades drop, her mother threatens to make her go back to a county league. Nikki struggles with the challenges of balancing school work, team activities and friendship, as well as her new knowledge about her father, in this fast-paced, valued-added sports novel.
Strengths: My rule of thumb for a great sports novel: are there enough details about the sport that I don't quite understand all of it? Then there are enough details for the readers who play those sports! This had basketball galore, but also important middle grade issues like personal identity, friendship diffictulties and school/life balance. I actually know a 6th grade boy whose biological background is similar, and I may recommend this to his mother. Nikki's reactions to everything are spot on, her struggles with her younger brother relatable, and her slight romance with Booker really charming. I also adored Booker's father and the fact that Booker has a lot of chores. There are never, ever enough books about sports for children, especially girls' sports, and this is just perfect.
Weaknesses: Sure, Nikki's mother is a college research librarian and likes to read, but she went to a lot of trouble to have her children, and when she wanted to finish a book rather than play basketball with Nikki, that didn't seem right! She seemed oddly disconnected from the children. Will young readers notice this? No. But I know I made a point to always drop everything for my girls, and they went to haircuts and the grocery store with me, as well! They are both away from home now, so that may be why I found this disconcerting. Just miss them!
What I really think: Can I justify buying two copies?? Yes. Yes I can.

Reader Request

Ms. Ahart commented "Can you write up a post about how you maintain such amazing reading volume and speed? I just hit 350 books a year last year (not counting picture books) and I can't imagine breaking through that book a day barrier without staying up all night. I also feel like my recall really suffers at this rate; I remember the feel of the book and maybe certain key moments, but almost never a single character name after a week or two!"

Certainly, Ms. Ahart! My students ask about this all the time, and my easy explanation is that I am like a marathon runner of reading. If you read for 50 years so excessively it alarms your family, you too can acquire the ability to read three to five books a night!

In reality, I don't know. I have always read a lot, and while I've never taken any speed reading courses, I can scan a page in about five seconds and tell you about what is going on. I read Rich Wallace's Roar of the Crowd in 20 minutes and got a 100% on the Accelerated Reader test. On a good day, a 200 page middle grade novel takes me an hour to read, and I remember enough details to write a review. When it is not cross country season, I get home about 3:30, run, read the paper, eat dinner, etc. and start reading books about 5:00. I read until 9:00. I even read while I'm walking the dog! I don't read a lot of picture books or beginning readers, although I read some, but I also don't read a lot of 400+ page books. It adds up.

It sometimes takes as long to write the reviews as it does to read the book! I tend to write those in the mornings. While I am rubbish at remembering character names and how books end, I do have a good file in my brain with one sentence on each book ("It's about a giant killer mosquito whose venom liquidizes its victims and the mosquito's psychopathic serial killer handler!" Man, was I sad when both copies of Dean Carter's Hand of the Devil fell apart, but how could they not?), as well as read alikes and a general feel for which books are a good fit for which students.

I can tell really good writing from bad writing, but honestly, my students are not picky about that. They are more concerned with topic, pacing, and whether or not things blow up. Am I occasionally blown away by Sonnenblick or John David Anderson's turns of phrase? Of course. I also don't read self published books, and by the time a book makes it through agents, publishers and editors, the writing will be decent. Honestly, some of the best writing I've seen recently is "Coco Simon's" Cupcake Diaries. So smooth, so easy to read, so effortless. Is it brilliant? No. Not going to win prizes. But it's like aloe on a sunburned brain at times.

For the past couple of years, though, I've been having a lot of trouble focusing. If the book is the fourth in a series, I may read it but not review. Sometimes, I don't read any books at all, but watch BBC murder mysteries. Unlike middle grade novels, where people are always ending up dead when they absolutely should not, I KNOW that murder mysteries will be sad! Plus, most British actors are just as wrinkly as I am!

Picky Reader in Ireland

This summer, my goal is to get back on track. For now, I'll blame Empty Nest Syndrome (Nell is having a great time in Ireland, but I miss her!), dealing with aged parents, some weird health issues, and a whip lash sort of school year that started with the threat of a new building that would mean possibly losing my collection and having to walk eight miles a day to commute! The immediate threat is gone, but it still feels possible.

So, Ms. Ahart, thank you for the kind words. Writing a blog is, to quote Don Marquis, "like dropping a rose petal down the Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo," and it's always encouraging to know that there are people who benefit from my reviews!

How High the Moon

Parsons, Karyn. How High the Moon
March 5th 2019 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Copy provided by the publisher

Ella is being raised by her grandparents in small town South Carolina during World War II, since her mother long ago went to Boston to pursue a singing career and is now also working as a shipfitter. Her grandmother took in Myrna after her mother showed up wanting help from a midwife and died after giving birth. Along with Henry, her best friend, Ella enjoys church socials and playing outside, but doesn't enjoy the mean girls in town who make fun of her for being light complected. When her mother finally agrees that she can spend Christmas in Boston, Ella is very excited and hopes to remain with her mother indefinitely. The way that African-Americans are treated in Boston is very different from how they are treated in the South, and Ella is pleased not to have to use "colored" water fountains and to hear her mother being treated with respect. Her mother is as beautiful and fashionable as ever, but her apartment is small and dingy, and she has a roommate, Helen, who is also a shipfitter. Ella's mother is very busy with work, and Ella is supposed to spend her days in the apartment reading, which gets to be boring. The group spends a nice Christmas together, and Ella hopes that she will soon start school, but when her mother gets the opportunity to sing in New York City, Ella finds herself suddenly delivered by a friend of her mother's back to Alcolu like a package. Ella still wants to know about her father, and neither her mother nor grandparents will give her any information, leading her to speculate that everyone from celebrity Cab Calloway to local store owner Mr. Parker might be her father. When local teen George Stinney is arrested for the murder of two young girls, Ella's friends and neighbors are all fearful of the outcome, and rightly so. The 14-year-old is framed and executed, and the community struggles to deal with this injustice while World War II is challenging everyone.
Strengths: This had some intriguing things to do: children being raised by grandparents, life in the South, traveling on the train, life in Boston (somehow Christmas was particularly charming), and the real life connection to the accusations of George Stinney. The inclusion of Henry's father off fighting was good, and there could be an entire book about Henry and his father's experiences.
Weaknesses: The details of daily life are a bit weak; at one point, paper plates are used at a church picnic, which seems unlikely. No, young readers won't be at all bothered, but I always like a bit more period feel in the small details. There was also a somewhat confusing moment where Ella comes across Helen and her mother cuddle up in bed-- I thought we were going to find that they were in a romantic relationship, but nothing else was ever discussed.
What I really think: Glad to have for both the World War II and Civil Rights historical tie ins, and I love that the title is from a song from this time period.

And... well, when DON'T we all need some Ella Fitzgerald?

Stand on the Sky

Bow, Erin. Stand on the Sky
March 5th 2019 by HMH Books for Young Readers
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Aisulu and her brother Serik are out looking for his horse when a summer snowstorm hits the mountain where their Kazakh nomadic family lives. They manage to make it home, but see an injured eagle on their way. Their uncle, who has raised eagles and used them for hunting, can't save the mother, but Aisulu hunts for the nest and manages to save the eaglet. In her culture, it is the men and boys who raise eagles, but Aisulu is bound and determined to enter a competition with Toktar, especially after Serik does not return from the hospital after their snow storm ordeal. Serik's leg had been bothering him, and he begged Aisulu not to tell, but when he has his injury treated, they find out he has an osteosarcoma, and his leg must be amputated. Entering the competition could mean money to help her brother, so Aisulu raises and trains the eagle, finding unlikely allies her uncle Dulat, his wife, and a retired eagle trainer. She is afraid that even if she wins, she will lose Toktar when her family is forced to live in the city, but things have a way of working out, and Aisulu is able to remain true to her hopes and dreams.
Strengths: The details of what it is like to live in a ger are very complete. Food, clothing, shelter, daily life, work, school-- these things are all very different from life in the US, and there's just the right amount of detail. There is also a lot of girl power, with Aisulu wanting to buck tradition and getting support from most of those around her. My favorite was the grandmother of one young man who gave Aisulu a hard time because she was a girl-- the grandmother makes the young man give Aisulu a pair of boots he has outgrown! The aunt, who is from another tribe, has a different outlook on life, and teachers Aisulu some valuable skills. Their relation ship is my favorite.
Weaknesses: This is not an #ownvoices book, but the research is very thorough, so until a woman raised in a nomadic Kazakh family writes a middle grade book about her experiences and it's available in English, I am VERY happy to have this book!
What I really think: There are so many good things about this book, and since I've been able to get students interested in Butterworth's Running on the Roof of the World, I have high hopes for this one!

Seventh Grade vs. The Galaxy

Levy, Joshua S. Seventh Grade vs. The Galaxy
March 5th 2019 by Carolrhoda Books
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

It's the last day of school for PSS 118, a space ship school orbiting Jupiter. Because of living conditions on the planet, it's cheaper to have school on a space ship, and even then, it's a rather run down place. Jack is glad for the year to be done, since his father, a science teacher at the school, was fired a few months back for ostensibly sabotaging the engines. After some epic gravity free dodge ball games, Jack and his friend Ari are suffering through the principal's end of year speech when all of the power goes out in the ship. No phones, no lights, nothing. Nothing, except for a bunch of texts from Jack's father directing him to go to the engine room. Jack thinks it is a bad idea, but Ari encourages him. They are joined by Becka, a tall, super-good athlete on whom Ari has an enormous crush. The three are making some headway on fixing things (using Ari's modified nanobot producing PENCIL), but when they go back to the bridge, everyone is gone. Their ship has been captured by the Minister of the Elvid System for a parking violation, and since they are unable to pay the fine, the entire school is imprisoned. Seeing no other way out, Jack and his friends trick their guard into thinking they have a highly contagious disease, the medicine for which is located on their impounded ship. He takes them there, but they manage to take the ship, with plans to perhaps head to Earth to get help. Of course, things don't go smoothly-- the need to get more fuel, have trouble at intergalactic customs, get sidetracked by alien video games, and end up back with their school mates to seek more help in righting the situation. There is still work to be done, but the students and faculty of PSS 118 plan to work together to solve their situation.
Strengths: A lot of good things going on here. The beginning of the books was SNAPPY. It just clicked right along, with the dodgeball game and then the power outage, and then fixing the engine and running into Becka, then the other students disappearing. Whew. Talk about a great start to get readers halfway through the book! The number one complaint my students have about books is that "nothing happens". This cannot be said of this book! I really enjoyed the three main characters, and appreciated that the father was disgraced but still responsible and keeping tabs on Jack. I also really liked the school staff, the brief bit that we saw of them, and am hoping they are more involved in the sequel. The principal was a bit bumbling but pulled through, and there was a scene where the staff are described as circling the students protectively that was really touching. The adventure made sense, the world building was strong, and the end left me wanting to know more!
Weaknesses: The pace slowed down in the middle a bit, when they were looking for fuel and hanging around. Sure, Ari wanted to play alien video games, but this is not the time!
What I really think: Definitely purchasing and will be glad to have this for the fans of space adventure books like Fry's Jupiter Pirates, McDougall's Mars Evacuees, Kraatz's Space Runners,  Emerson's Last Day on Mars, and King's Incredible Space Raiders from Space.

MMGM- We're Not From Here

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Always in the Middle and #IMWAYR day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday.

Rodkey, Geoff . We're Not from Here 
March 5th 2019 by Crown Books for Young Readers
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Lan, Ila and their family live on Mars in a colony of under 3,000 people who escaped Earth after it was made uninhabitable. However, the supplies are dwindling quickly, and life there is unsustainable. There is the possibility of terraforming another planet, but there's no time. Luckily, the group receives an invitation from the residents of Choom, which is conducive to human life. Only about half the residents want to go (the other half return to Earth), so they take off for Choom. It takes 20 years in suspended animation, and when the ship arrives, there is trouble. There has been a change in administration, and the current rulers don't want humans, as they are considered too violent. The ship is attacked by angry mobs of Zhuri (who look like large mosquitoes), but eventually, the government allows one reproductive unit-- Lan's family-- for a trial period. Leeni, of the Immigration Division, gets the family settled into a heavily protected home, enrolls the children in school, and gets the parents jobs. Of course, since humans are deemed violent and not intelligent, the parents end up working at the morgue and in garbage collection, where things get off to a rocky start. Luckily, translating computers make communicating easier, although the minority Krik accent is not translated. School is not much better, although Lan's teacher, Yurinuri, is very kind. The classmates are very fearful, which Lan can understand because the Zhuri emit a smell like sour milk when they are afraid. This is considered very rude; Zhuri have a partial hive mind and "everyone agrees" that all emotions are bad and rude. Lan makes a friend in Morf, who is the only Ororo (a people who look like giant marshmallows, are 7,000 times smarter than humans, and are keen to make a buck!) student in the school. Marf adjusts the translator to understand Krik and invites Lan's family for dinner, where the parents produce a salve to help the father's wounds from being attacked by venom spewing Zhuri at work and send them home with food. The government starts sending propaganda to the news to persuade the population that "everyone agrees" that humans should not stay. Ila becomes very depressed, since she had a career as a singer and actress on Earth. Lan realizes that making the Zhuri laugh might be the only way to turn the tide, but when he sees the effect of his sister's music on the group, he knows that might help as well. After some small experiments at school, things become dire, and Marf helps Lan overthrow the government peacefully so that the rest of the humans can be settled on Choom.
Strengths: As in Tom O'Donnell's Space Rocks, humans are the aliens here, and this is used to HUGE advantage! The destruction of Earth is set up in a believable way, the Mars colony is quickly dispatched, and the description of Choom is perfect for setting up this allegorical tale of  immigration. It's perfect that most of the story centers around Lan (whose gender is never mentioned-- do you know how hard that must have been to write?) and the experiences at school, since that is where young readers' concerns would be. The use of language was particularly effective and made it sound like actual translation from Zhuri-- body garbage, midday nutrition, human animals-- it's hard to describe but well done. Normally, odd language irritates me, but this was spot on. The difficulties in the changes in government, plus the reason for the changes, was thought provoking. Lan and Marf were great characters, and it was great to see how people with completely different backgrounds can bond, even if it's over slapstick comedy.
Weaknesses: From an adult perspective, this is pretty heavy handed in its message, BUT it is also plenty goofy. Kids will enjoy the comedy and friendship, but also not be able to miss the message about being welcoming to people who are different from you.
What I really think: I am very impressed. I will definitely recommend this to 6th and 7th grade teachers for use as a class novel. It could start some great discussions!

Sweeping Up the Heart

Henkes, Kevin. Sweeping Up the Heart
March 19th 2019 by Greenwillow Books
E ARC from Edleweiss Plus

Amelia lives a quiet life in a college town with her introspective father and kindly neighbor Mrs. O’Brien, who looks after her and provides her with delicious baked goods. Amelia's mother died when she was two, and she never really misses her, but she wishes her father were a bit more fun. When she is stuck in town during spring break, she spends a lot of time making clay creations at Louise's pottery shop, and befriends Louise's nephew Casey, who is spending his spring break with his aunt while his parents go on a marriage retreat to try to improve their troubled marriage. The two work on some clay projects and also spend time eating lunch in town and making up elaborate stories about the people they see in the street. Casey makes up a story about a woman he sees, and tells Amelia that it is her mother. It isn't, of course, but it IS the woman her father is dating. Her father is going to break up with Hannah, thinking that Amelia would not like such a drastic change in her life, but Amelia starts to realize that she would like a mother figure in her life, so she connects with Hannah and her father's relationship is given a new chance. Casey must return home, and his parents decide to separate.
Strengths: This reminded me a lot of the novels of Sarah MacLachlan or Cynthia Rylant's Rosetown-- short, quiet, and introspective. They all deal with a variety of sad things in a gentle way, and the children involved have a strong support network of caring adults. This book even references Emily Dickinson (the title is from one of her poems). I can see this being used as a class read aloud.
Weaknesses: This is very slow and sad.
What I really think: If this author's Olive's Ocean and Junonia do well in your library, I'd definitely purchase. I just can't see my middle school students finding this to be very intriguing.

Cartoon Saturday- The Breakaways

Johnson, Cathy G. The Breakaways
March 5th 2019 by First Second
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Faith is very shy, but when she starts her new school, the popular Amanda asks her to be on the soccer team. As a fifth grader, she is excited to play with older students, but isn't pleased when she ends up on the "C" team. A lot of the girls are mean, but she is befriended by Maria and Sodacan, who tell her about the quirks of her teammates and watch out for her. Between school, home, and soccer, Faith has plenty to keep her busy, and she also draws a medieval themed, manga style comic featuring a knight named Mathilda who talks Faith through difficult trials. At one point, Sodacan asks Faith to help steal a chicken from Maria's house, there is a long time friend who moves away to be with a grandmother, Maria befriends a girl who later comes out to her as gay, and Maria starts a relationship with Sammy, who was born a girl but who identifies as male. In the end, Faith thinks that she might want to have her soccer team win for a chance, but when the team plays hard but still is losing, they all decide to leave the game and go hang out at one of their houses.
Strengths: This has a diverse cast of characters, appealing drawings, and realistically portrayed tween drama concerning friendship. Faith's desire for friends, and her difficulty making them, will speak to many students. The characters are well defined by differences in hair and facial expressions, so it wasn't hard to keep them straight. Books with girls playing sports (with any students playing sports!) are always in high demand.
Weaknesses: Faith's team doesn't really like soccer, which will put off some die-hard soccer players who pick this up. There were a lot of characters, so it was hard to follow what was going on sometimes. The inclusion of the LGBTQ+ characters was great, but they are really just introduced and not developed.
What I really think: I'll buy it, but I would have liked it more had there been fewer, more well-developed characters and a more substantial plot.

The Automobile Girls in Newport

Crane, Laura Dent. The Automobile Girls at Newport: Or, Watching the Summer Parade (The Automobile Girls #1)
September 5th 2017 by Laboratory Books (first published 1910)
E Book from Project Gutenberg

Barbara and Mollie are minding their own business at their little cottage in Kingsbridge, New Jersey where they live with their struggling but hard working mother, when an out-of-control horse carriage careens down their road! Since "Babs" is fearless, she easily manages not only to control the carriage, but to take it back to town to the hotel where her cousin Gladys and her two friends Ruth and Grace are staying. Her plan is to come back with the driver of an automobile. Ruth's father, a well-to-do businessman who is summering near Kingsbridge, is so impressed with Barbara's skill that he asks Barbara and Mollie to accompany Ruth, Grace, and his sister Sallie to their summer resort in Newport, Rhode Island. Even though this means an incredible outlay in funds for summer clothing at the resort, the girls' mother agrees, and even agrees to feed Ruth's father so he doesn't have to eat hotel food during his stay. Soon, the girls are off, but traveling around 200 miles at that point in time was fraught with peril! There are all sorts of problems with finding food, even if they do end up staying in the Waldorf once they hit New York City. Once settled in Newport, the girls make the acquaintance of many young me, but there are jewel thieves abounding! Barbara and Mollie are taken under the wing of a lovely young woman after one of them points out a lost piece of jewelry to her, but they are clearly not quite the same class as Ruth and Grace. Still, their spunky, can-do attitude makes them many friends, and they manage to solve the mystery of the jewel thief. Their adventures continue in The Automobile Girls In The Berkshires; or, The Ghost of Lost Man's Trail.
Strengths: For a book that was written 119 years ago, this holds up decently well. Mollie is 14, which would make hera few years younger than my grandmother, who was born in 1893! This has recently been reissued in a hardcover with an attractive new cover that also has the original cover underneath it, much like the Ruth Chew titles! We have a 7th grade class that does a unit on historical fiction, and this is just brilliant for that. The small details of travel, daily life, clothing, and social mores abound; my favorite part was when Aunt Sallie (who, with her white hair and violet colored wardrobe is probably all of about 45!) admonishes the girls "I beg of you, don't vote in my lifetime! Girls, in my day, would never have dreamed of such a thing!" Ruth replies "I wouldn't worry about it now. Who knows when I may have the chance to vote?" (But really, Aunt Sallie: Pish. If Babs can stop a runaway horse carriage, Babs will most certainly vote when she gets the chance!)
Weaknesses: There are a lot of dated phrases and a bit of a hackneyed plot, and readers who are not interested or dedicated might find this hard going.
What I really think: I will purchase this title for my library, since it was written before women got the right to vote and is a great companion to Sue Macy's 2017 Motor Girls. I will not purchase other titles, since they are available through Project Gutenberg, even though I personally want to read the next book. Plus every single Grace Harlowe book ever written by Jessie Graham Flower. I also really would like to investigate the Dick Prescott series by H. Irving Hancock. As much as I try to keep very current books in my school library, I have a real weak spot for vintage literature!

Friday Blather

Here's a picture of Sylvie. Take some deep breaths. Hug someone if the idea of touching other people isn't deeply repugnant to you. 

You know, I didn't have a good day yesterday. The problem? I work with people. People have problems. And then, when I'm foolishly upset about the problems, I have to continue talking to people and be pleasant and unperturbed. It's tiring. It takes the walk home to remember that being upset is utterly without purpose.

But you know what made it worse? When I went home to snuggle with Sylvie and take my mind off things by reading, I looked at five books. In those five books, there were 8 people who died, 15 if you could the seven astronauts in the Challenger Disaster.

And we wonder why students are anxious and depressed?

I managed to read one. This is an observation from that review: "[this] strikes me as the sort of book that teachers recommend to students rather than the sort they request from me. This is an ongoing dichotomy that I just don't understand, but which probably exists because tweens are not the ones who purchase books, their parents, teachers, and librarians do. If we asked tweens what they wanted and published accordingly, all that would hit the market would be humorous sports-oriented graphic novel murder mysteries. Surely, there is a happier medium!"

So. Happy Friday. Being upright, at work, and fully dressed is half the battle. Go, you!

The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane

Nobel, Julia. The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane (Black Hollow Lane #1)   March 5th 2019 by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Emmeline (Emmy) has bounced around from private school to private school since her mother, a child psychology guru, has accepted different jobs. Now that her mother has a television show in development, her mother decides to ship her off to a boarding school in England! Emmy isn't given any choice, so she soon finds herself arriving mid term at Wellsworth, angering her new roommate and being forbidden from playing her beloved soccer. She also has to take Latin, and her house mother, Madame Boyd, arranges for her to join the Latin Society to get help. Emmy does at least make new friends in Lola, who is on the school football (soccer) team, and Jack, whose brother is a big wig in the Latin Society but who is not a member himself. Emmy starts to realize that her long dead father attended the school, and that the medallions she found hidden in her house might be related to the Latin Society... and that the society might not be a force for good. She lets several people know her suspicions, including school caretaker Jonas, and before long she and her friends are embroiled in a mystery that involves a lot of secret passages in old buildings as well as a growing sense of danger. Some mysteries are solved, but even more are uncovered and will be addressed in a yet-to-be titled sequel.
Strengths: I will personally read ANYTHING set in a British boarding school, like Kerr's The Girl with the Glass Bird and Stevens Murder is Bad Manners. This had a sort of a National Treasure feel to it, with an evil society and various clues to its existence. The inclusion of soccer is always great, and I was glad when Emmy finally got to play. Lola and Jack are great friends, and the adults are all supportive until the turn out to have ulterior motives. Very fun, and a quick read even though it was a little longer.
Weaknesses: Are the British really this mean to each other in boarding schools? Why!? Also, I'm not entirely sure that Latin is taught even in boarding schools in England anymore! But, if you have to have a secret society, I imagine that one relating to Latin is just as likely as anything else.
What I really think: I do have one student who wants to read what he calls "academy books", set in schools for witchcraft, spies, etc. I think he would like this, and it did have a good mystery. I would like to know how many books are in the series-- my readership could support three, but more than that would probably gather dust.

One Speck of Truth

Carter, Caela. One Speck of Truth
March 5th 2019 by HarperCollins
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Alma has been raised by her single mother since the death of her Portuguese father when she was young. Her mother had attended college in Lisbon, where the two met, and has steadfastly refused to answer any questions about Alma's father. She won't even say where he is buried, which has led to an obsession with finding this out. Alma's best friend Julia always sticks by her. Recently, the mother has split from Adam, her husband, who was very fond of Alma but will not tell her why he is no longer living with them. Since Julia is Adam's niece, Alma manages to get a little information. Alma's mother is not doing well, working from home a lot, dropping Alma off at Julia's, and selling the furniture piece by piece. When Alma is not registered for the school bus on the first day of school, her mother finally tells her that they are moving to Portugal to meet her grandmother. Alma is a bit scared, but also glad that her questions might finally be answered, since she often "talks" to the idea of her father. When the two get to Portugal, Alma gets to meet a cousin, go to school, and checks the cemeteries to no avail. Perhaps the reason she can't find a grave for her father is because he is still alive.
Strengths: Like this author's Forever, or a Long, Long Time , the writing is strong. Alma is a self-sufficient character who is raising herself in the face of very bad parenting. It's good that she has a support network in her mother's parents and in Adam, who won't answer questions but reassures her that she is loved and that he will be there if there is a problem. The brief glimpses of life in Portugal are fascinating.
Weaknesses: I have a lot of students whose fathers are not in the picture, and Alma's obsession with her father seems a bit unusual. The treatment of the mother by her parents and the shame over Alma's birth seemed very odd-- she would have been born in about 2006. I wish more had been addressed about the mother's mental health-- clearly, something is very wrong, and Alma needs even more support.
What I really think: Not sure about this one. Debating.

The Secret of Vault 13

While I don't have a planning period and seldom get lunch (since it would require leaving students in charge, even though the library adjoins the cafeteria and adults can check through the glass wall), I do have odd snippets of work time during my day. When I am not helping students, I investigate book reviews, work on lessons for teachers, pull together collections and displays, and do general maintenance and repairs. Since my library helpers are often people who love books, we do have some conversations about, well, Geek American interests.

While my own personal fandom is more Little House on the Prairie/BBC murder mysteries, I tend to attract a Tolkien/Star Wars/ThinkGeek sort of crowd who also often run cross country. This year, I have a 6th grade helper who is VERY enthusiastic amount many of these topics (he's the one who jumped up and down when I handed him the Nimoy biography, and for whom I purchased the Star Trek Visual Dictionary). He's the reason I've seen the movie trailer for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and we may have broken into a chorus of Weird Al's Christmas at Ground Zero around the holidays. We have also had lengthy conversations about why I should finally break down and watch Dr. Who, what series I should start with, and why the Doctor Who Annual is not more of a thing in the US. That annual lead us to discover (along with Little Golden Books Star Trek volumes!) the following middle grade novelization.

Since our district is starting to be heavily invested in Social Emotional Learning, I figure that this kind of student interaction fulfills all my duties concerning "making relationships with students", right?

Solomons, David. The Secret of Vault 13
November 6th 2018 by Random House Books for Young Readers
Library copy

Doc, along with sidekicks Yaz, young Ryan, and Ryan's grandfather Graham, manages to defeat an evil Space Lord by reprogramming his robotic army. Before long, though, Graham's begonia has a message for them that leads to an adventure with the Gardeners. They feel the Galactic Seed Vault is under attack from a long ago plot, and the Time Lord and her helpers rush to a wickedly cold planet to try to save the day. Most of the vaults have been destroyed when they arrive, but Vault 13 may hold the key to saving the world.
Strengths: Lots of references to previous Dr. Who episodes (I think. Other reviewers mentioned it, and there were a lot of things I didn't quite get, so that's my suspicion. I did get the reference to the fourth doctor's scarf, because that was the doctor my friends liked.), the new doctor, and an easy to understand and follow plot, even if you don't know the series. I particularly enjoyed that we had Ryan and his grandfather. I could see this being the first in a series, although there is no indication of one.
Weaknesses: Nothing super fresh or new in the plot, but that's not the point. Admittedly, my review is weak because I was just not very interested in the doctor.
What I really think: Reading this did not make me want to rush out and watch the television program (honestly, I probably never will), but I've had enough Dr. Who fans recently that this was definitely worth purchasing. I expect another happy dance from my helper when he gets to check this out!

MMGM- Lety Out Loud

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Always in the Middle and #IMWAYR day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday.

Cervantes, Angela. Lety Out Loud
February 26th 2019 by Scholastic Press
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Lety is very excited to be doing a summer camp at the local animal shelter. A group of students from her school are learning about working with the animals and are assigned various jobs. Lety signs up to write animal profiles, but is self-conscious about her English language skills, since her family has recently come from Mexico and she is still in the ELL unit at her school, along with her friend Brisa, whose family has come from Bolivia. She hopes to follow in the footsteps of Gaby, from Gaby, Lost and Found. Hunter, a grumpy classmate, also wants to be the profile writer, and challenges Lety to a competition. Whoever writes five profiles and has the most pets adopted gets to be the writer, and the loser has to work the stinky pet food repackaging job. To make things even harder, each writer has to work in really hard words, like cerise and supersonic, into the profiles! Lety hopes to win, and is also very interested in one of the dogs, Spike, who has a problem with acting wild at his new homes and getting returned to the shelter. At first, Hunter is just a pain, but as she gets to know him, she finds out that his father has left his family, they've moved in with a grandmother, and the father has given Hunter's dog, Gunner, away to an uncle. There is a dog that looks a lot like Gunner, and he is sad when that dog is adopted. When Lety and Brisa and her pregnant mother are accosted at a local pharmacy and told they should only speak English because "they are in America", Brisa drops out of the program and returns to the school ELL program where Lety's younger brother Eddie is spending his summer. Lety misses her friend, so talks to the director and starts a program where the ELL students can read to shelter dogs. This gets the attention of the local news. Lety also asks for help in locating Hunter's dog. By the end of the summer, the ELL students have been more welcomed by the rest of the school population, and Lety is glad to have helped a lot of animals find homes.
Strengths: There are not too many books that address the concerns that ELL students have. This did a particularly good job. It was also nice to see that while Lety's family struggled a bit, Brisa's family was well to do. Realizing that Hunter was grumpy because of something that had happened in his life was also a good thing for students to read. As in Sonnenblick's The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade, it's good for students to realize that they should"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
Weaknesses: It's sad to see that the ELL students are not more integrated into school life. Perhaps this is more the case in elementary schools-- our ELL students are in mainstream classes most of the time and meet with an ELL teacher for support. Also, Kansas City news must be really slow if so many news programs feature this animal shelter!
What I really think: Definitely purchasing. This author's book circulate really well in my library, since they have a great combination of students struggling to fit in and animal welfare projects!

Lion Down (Fun Jungle #5)

Gibbs, Stuart. Lion Down (Fun Jungle #5)
February 26th 2019 by Simon Schuster Books for Young
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Teddy and Summer are trying to get the fish cannon for the penguins under control and hoping to avoid being dragged into another mystery when... they are dragged into another mystery! Lily is back in the states and has had a complaint from the local Department of Fish and Wildlife that something not quite right is going on at local celebrity Lincoln Stone's house. His beloved dog, King, has been murdered, and he is sure a mountain lion is responsible. Teddy doesn't buy it, though, especially since Stone wants to use this as an excuse to have open season on mountain lions. Things are up at FunJungle as well-- the giraffes are having explosive diarrhea, which isn't the best thing for a zoo, and JJ McCracken puts summer and Teddy on the case to try to figure out who is feeding them something they ought not to have. There are run ins with the principal at the school, who is a friend of Stone's, an anniversary celebration at the park, and run ins with Marge and Nick as well. Teddy manages to solve the giraffe mystery, the death of the dog (which is unfortunate but realistic), and still spend quality time with Summer.
Strengths: Gibbs has a HUGE fan base at my school, and when Author Study projects were assigned, I thought there would be blood shed over the books! I can see why-- they are reliably funny and well-written, with reliable chase scenes that cause Teddy to save the day. I know and love the characters, and the mysteries are not overly gory or scary. King might have been an adorable Bichon Frise, but apparently a very nasty one.
Weaknesses: Marge and Nick get a little better with each book, but are still unlikable characters. I'm also not a fan of ridiculously bad principals.
What I really think: This book will check out within five minutes of hitting my library. I adore the covers and am glad that they have retained the same delightful style. That said, five books is the ideal length for a series, and I know that Mr. Gibbs has lots of good ideas, so I will be ready to say goodbye to Teddy after the next book. Which I feel should involve a penguin.

Summer of a Thousand Pies

Dilloway, Margaret. Summer of a Thousand Pies
February 26th 2019 by Balzer + Bray
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

After the death of her mother, Cady's father has found it hard to keep a job, stay away from alcohol, and to provide Cady with a stable home and supervision. He has enrolled her in a very good school, and her teachers are understanding and supportive, but when she gets in trouble for defending another student and her father shows up to the office inebriated, Cady ends up with children's protective services. They locate a sister of her mother's Cady didn't know about, and soon Cady is whisked away from San Diego in the country to live with her aunt Shell and her companion Suzanne. Cady would love to cook and has a cookbook of her mother's, so she is enthralled that Shell has a pie shop. She meets Jay, the son of a woman who works for Shell, and they start hanging out at the shop and doing some baking. Cady misses her old school and Jenna, her first grade reading buddy who has various health issues including celiac disease but is glad to be in a house with a steady source of food. She also is glad of some connection to her mother. The pie shop is not doing well financially, and along with learning how to bake, Cady and Jay try various ways to help the shop, such as new flavors and marketing techniques. It's important to Jay, because his family is undocumented, and they survive because they live in Shell's housing and work at her shop. They eventually realize that there aren't many gluten free pies in their area, and do a cost-benefit analysis with a helpful older shop patron and realize that, with his help, the business can expand and succeed.
Strengths: I loved the small town setting and the involved townspeople. The intricacies of running a small business are well addressed. Jay and Cady have a very nice friendship. Cady has a difficult life but manages to move forward, while still reminiscing about the good things in the past.
Weakesses: While all of the different issues are handled realistically and well, there are a lot of them. There's same sex parenting, drug and alcohol issues, immigration problems AND financial insecurity. And, to be on-trend with my least favorite trope, yet another father so bereft that he can't function. It's a lot of heavy topics to have in one book. The more heavy topics there are, the less seriously any one of them can be dealt with.
What I really think: Even though this had a lot of sad things in it, it was still fairly hopeful. Since Kids Who Do Things is a always a popular topic, and the cover of this is adorable, I'll buy it for my readers who like a good cooking story.

Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat #1

Marciano, Johnny, Raymond, Emily, and Mommaerts, Robb  (Illustrations)
Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat #1 
February 26th 2019 by Penguin Workshop
ARC provided by publisher

Raj is unhappy that his family has moved from Brooklyn, New York where he had lots of friends and things to do, do rainy Elba, Oregon. Even more unhappy is Wyss-Kuzz, the deposed Lord High Emperor of Planet Lytterbox who is exiled to Earth... and ends up on Raj's doorstep. Raj is hoping to finally get his parents to agree to let him have a pet, and Wyss-Kuzz (who is renamed Klawde by Raj's dad) just wants to get out of the rain and have a space space from which he can plan his return. Raj gets sent to a survival camp for the week, where the participants spend a lot of time in the woods chewing on cattails and trying not to get hopelessly lost, and Klawde spends his days eviscerating toasters for parts to build the equipment he needs to communicate with his planet and make his way back there. He tries to befriend local felines, who are ridiculously stupid, and eventually takes Raj into his confidence, since Raj has opposable thumbs and can help with building things. Raj manages to survive his wilderness experience, and Klawde makes contact with his home planet, and perfects the teleporter, but all is not good when he makes his way back to Lytterbox. Can Raj save his friend in volume two?
Strengths: I really enjoyed Raj's experiences of moving and having to spend time at camp, but the hook of this illustrated novel is definitely the evil Klawde. There are lots of laugh-out-loud moments in both storylines, and the juxtaposition between Raj's real life problems and Klawde's out-of-this world ones is fun. This is a fairly short tome that will appeal to fans of O'Donnell's Hamstersaurus Rex, Blabey's Bad Guys, and Brockington's Catstronauts.
Weaknesses: To be more appealing to the Notebook Novel fans, I would have included even more pictures. I am never a fan of cutesy word play like Lytterbox and Wyss-Kuzz, but that's just me.
What I really think: Also a good choice for readers who liked Winnick's Hilo and Braillier's Last Kids on Earth and are not overly concerned that cats are going to kill us all.

Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat: Enemies #2 (Klawde #2)
Johnny Marciano, Emily Raymond, Robb Mommaerts (Illustrations)February 26th 2019 by Penguin Workshop
Copy provided by the publisher

From Goodreads:
Klawde is not your basic cat. He's an emperor from another planet, exiled to Earth. He's cruel. He's cunning. He's brilliant... and he's also Raj Banerjee's best friend.

Klawde and Raj are back! As summer turns to fall, our favorite warlord cat remains in his pitiful exiled existence. But Raj has an even scarier prospect than cosmic exile: starting at a new school.

And if things didn't seem complicated enough, both cat and human are confronted with two figures from their past they did not expect to pop up in Elba, Oregon...

Heavily illustrated, with a hilarious, biting voice that switches between Raj's and Klawde's perspectives, this is the story of an unlikely friendship that emerges as two fish out of water continue to find their footing in strange new worlds.

The Light Jar

Thompson, Lisa. The Light Jar 
February 26th 2019 by Scholastic Press
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Nate and his mother leave their home in the middle of the night to get away from Gary, an emotionally abusive boyfriend. At first, Nate thinks that they are going to stay with his grandmother, but she and his mother are not on great terms. The two end up in a very run down cottage belonging to a deceased friend of the grandmother's, far off in the woods. Nate settles in, and his mother goes to get some groceries. It takes her longer than he expects, and the imaginary friend from his childhood, Sam, shows up and is rather helpful. He also meets Kitty, who lives in a the large manor house on the property. Kitty is trying to solve a treasure map that her aunt was not able to solve because she had a fatal asthma attack as a child. Nate's concern over his mother grows as the time passes, but he talks to Sam about his life with his father (who left when he was small) and Gary. He also helps Kitty with the search for the treasure, and manages to feed and warm himself in the chilly cottage. Just when Nate's worry motivates him to go to contact his grandmother, secrets about his own life and Kitty's emerge, and he is able to save the day.
Strengths: This had some very intriguing moments. It has the abusive step parent so prevalent in British tween literature, which my students find fascinating, but also has abandonment in a cottage, a historical secret, and an interesting take on imaginary friends. I'm not usually a fan, but Sam really worked well in this novel. Kitty's plight had deeper and deeper layers, and I don't want to ruin the fantastic twist at the ending. The happy ending also had a lot of supportive family. Really enjoyed this one!
Weaknesses: A few slow bits with Kitty's family mystery and with Sam, but I think that the way this starts, coupled with the nicely creepy cover, will entice students to pick it up and move them quickly through it.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing and think it will do well with readers who like Currie's The House of Shady Street, Oh's Spirit Hunters, and Hahn's The Girl in the Locked Room.