The Parker Inheritance

Years ago, Candice's grandmother was run out of Lambert, South Carolina, after using city resources to destroy a tennis court.  It wasn't just pointless destruction, she was a quest to solve a set of clues that would lead to treasure.  No one else in Lambert believed the treasure was real, and the destruction of the tennis courts was the last straw.

Now Candice is twelve and staying with her mom in her grandmother's old house in Lambert for the summer while their home in Atlanta is being remodeled to go on the market.  Candice isn't happy about being away from her dad and her friends for the summer, she isn't happy about selling the house, and she certainly isn't happy about being stuck in Lambert.

But one day she finds a box in the attic with her name on it.  Inside is a letter full of clues.  Candice instantly realizes the letter is the same one that led to her grandmother's downfall, but she starts to investigate anyway.  What if she can solve the clues and find James Parker's money?  She could save her home in Atlanta and maybe bring her parents back together.

With the help of her neighbor, Brandon, Candice begins to unravel the clues and delve into Lambert's past to a time when schools were segregated.  They can't find James Parker at first, but they do discover the story of Siobhan Washingston, her father, and secret tennis match played at night with white and black high schools facing off against each other.

The more Candice and Brandon discover about the past, the stronger their friendship becomes, but will they run out of time before they can find the treasure!

Varian Johnson's new book reminds of Blue Balliet's mysteries and draws its own comparisons to The Westing Game.  It's a nice puzzle mystery, but it will take a smart and dedicated reader to follow this trail to the end.  Recommended.

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

Morrigan Crow is destined to die on her 11th birthday.  She is a cursed child, born at the stroke of midnight on Eventide.  She and the other unlucky children are widely considered to be the cause of any number of problems from a failed math test to a broken leg to ruined crops.  To make matters worse, her father is a wealthy politician who is angry and ashamed of his only daughter.

Just before she is supposed to die, a strange man named Jupiter North appears offering Morrigan an escape from her horrible family and from her impending death.  Pursued by a terrifying and ghostly hunt, Jupiter and Morrigan escape to the secret and magical city of Nevermoor where Morrigan learns Jupiter has selected her to try for a position in the prestigious Wundrous Society.

She'll have to pass a series of difficult tests to make it, but the alternative is to be deported back to her terrible family and certain death.  Morrigan has more than just her pride and a desire to make Jupiter North proud on the line.

During her year of trials and preparation, rumors that the deadly Wundersmith has returned after more than one hundred years.  How can this be true?  And what does it mean for Nevermoor and Morrigan Crow if it is?

Jessica Townsend's series opener is a delightful fantasy romp with wonderful world building and fabulous characters.  I especially enjoyed the Magnificat, a giant (large enough for a person to ride on her back) grumbling feline.  The story is reminiscent of Harry Potter in some ways but quite original in others, and the issue of an illegal immigrant fleeing certain death is timely in the real world.  Highly recommended!

The Glass Town Game

Charlotte, Emily, Branwell, and Anne have created a world in a small upstairs room of the parsonage where they live.  Their toy soldiers go to battle every day led by Wellington and Napoleon, but no matter how the game goes, everyone comes back to life at the end of the day. 

The game is an escape for the four siblings who have lost their mother, and their two oldest sisters contracted a fever and died at the boarding school where Charlotte and Emily are destined to return.  On the Beastliest Day, the day of that return, Branwell and Anne are escorting their older sisters to meet the coach that will carry them away when they see the strangest thing--a man made out of words and paper, a magazine man!

The children follow this man into a world they can hardly believe.  Not only is it beautiful and strange, but it is Glass Town, the very world they created in their own little room.

It all seems like great fun at first, but when Branwell and Anne are kidnapped, Charlotte and Emily must use all their wits to rescue their younger siblings and escape back to their own world.

Catherynne M. Valente's newest book is pure delight!  Any fan of the Bronte siblings' creative work will enjoy this dive into their childhood world filled with Easter eggs referencing the future work of the children and child size versions of Jane Austin, Lord Byron, and even Queen Victoria.  The girls' early version of feminism also butts up against Branwell's more masculine (and appropriate to the period) view of the world, and they begin to develop a more complex view of warfare as it is not entirely clear which side is in the right by the end.  There is even discussion about theoretic physics!  This is just a delightful book, but it's not for the faint of heart.  It is lengthy and the language is in the style of the Brontes' own time.  The plot does drag in a couple of places, but the philosophy more than makes up for it.  Give this book to fans of classic fantasy.  It may be a smaller audience, but this book will be a real treat!

Chasing King's Killer

Beginning with a botched assassination attempt early in King's career, this book traces the events leading up to and following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Swanson provides a brief description of life in the Jim Crow south and traces the civil rights movement through 1967, the year prior to King's death.  He then switches gears to paint a picture of James Earl Ray and his escape from prison.

In great detail, Swanson recounts the events of King's last day and the subsequent manhunt for his killer.  Students who are interested in Dr. King or in true crime will devour James L. Swanson's newest offering.  It is perfectly paced and packed with details to make the people and events real to the reader.

Swanson concludes with a meditation on what Dr. King might think of the situation in America today thus giving contemporary context to events that may seem long ago to young readers.  Highly recommended!

Harbor Me

I got the ARC for this book at TLA, and I couldn't wait to read it!  There's no cover art yet, so I'll just put this snap of my copy here to make you jealous.  :)

It all starts with six kids in the ARTT (a room to talk) on Friday afternoons.  They are in a "special" class, but their teacher Ms. Laverne insists they are smart.  Haley lives with her uncle because her mom died, and her dad is in prison.  Her best friend Holly is there, too, with her constant wiggling and honest heart.

Amari is becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of racial profiling, and Ashton is dealing with a recent move and bullying.

But Estaban's heart is broken.  His father never came home from work one day because he was picked up by ICE.  Estaban and his siblings were born in the United States, but his parents weren't.  He is worried he won't see his father again.  What will happen to his mother?  Will the family be broken apart?

Six kids, six struggles, and a place to talk.  This could be the safe harbor they all need if only for a little while.

Jacqueline Woodson's new book will tug at your heart.  some readers will get a window into another world or struggle, and many others will see themselves reflected in these characters. Harbor Me is a beautiful story about friendship and understanding. Highly recommended.

Long Way Down

Fifteen-year-old Will is full of grief when he gets on the elevator on the 7th floor of his apartment building.  His older brother Shawn is dead, murdered in the street.  Will knows the rules; Shawn taught him a long time ago.  No crying.  No Snitching. Get revenge.

The gun is weighing down the waistband of his jeans that morning as will sets out to take care of number three on that list, but the elevator doors open on another floor to admit someone from the past.  Buck used to look out for Shawn after their father died, so why isn't Will happy to see him?  Buck is dead.

As Buck's cigarette smoke fills the elevator, he talks to Will about how and why and he died.  At first, he's terrified, thinks maybe he's crazy.  But then the doors keep opening admitting more ghosts from his past, victims of gun violence.

As he listens to their stories, he begins to doubt his resolve, and a pattern of revenge based gun violence becomes clear.  The only question now is whether Will will join these ghosts.  It's one minute from the 7th floor to the lobby.  One minute to make the decision of a lifetime.

Jason Reynolds's Newbery and Prince Honor book is a painful and revealing look at the causes and traps of gang violence.  This is an excellent book for discussion.  Recommended for grades 8 and up because of language.

The Journey of Little Charlie

Charlie Bobo is the son of poor white sharecroppers in 1858 South Carolina.  After his father dies in a shocking accident, Cap'n Buck, overseer of the Tanner plantation, shows up saying Charlie's father owes him $50 for an advance the Cap'n paid on a job.  Charlie and his mother swear they've never seen the money, and they have no way to pay it back.  Even if they sold everything they own, it wouldn't equal $50.  None of this matter to Cap'n Buck who is known to all as a cruel and merciless man.

Even though Carlie is only twelve, he is bigger and stronger than most full grown men, and Cap'n Buck decides to take him in his father's place on a journey to catch a gang of thieves.  As they journey from South Carolina to Detroit, Charlie is treated to the real Cap'n Buck whose ideas on "darkies" are disturbing and cause Charlie to start examining his own perspective.  He's also treated to the rank odors of a man who never seems to bathe.

When they arrive in Detroit, Charlie realizes the thieves are escaped slaves.  From this point forward, Charlie is at war with himself.  Will his continue to believe the things he's always been taught, or will he come to a new enlightenment?

Christopher Paul Curtis's newest book is about a character on the road to enlightenment and is a powerful testament to the value of broadening one's horizons.  It is the third book in the Buxton cycle, but readers don't need to be familiar with the other books to read this one.  It is filled with Curtis's customary humor and adventure, and readers will connect with Charlie even if they can't always agree with his opinions.  This book does not shy away from the horrors and despair of slavery and makes several references to "cat hauling," the Cap'n favorite form of torture.  Highly recommended for middle school students, but be careful with more sensitive readers as there are disturbing descriptions of torture.

I had the honor of meeting Mr. Curtis at TLA last week, and he was a true a gentleman as one could only expect from a man who routinely creates such sensitive and thoughtful characters.

Aru Shah and the End of Time

Aru likes to tell stories about the fabulous vacations she's had and all her adventures.  Unfortunately, the truth is not so glamorous.  While the other kids at her private school actually do travel the world, Aru lives in an attic apartment in of the Atlanta Museum of Indian Antiquities, and she spends more time than she would like waiting for her mother to return from archeological expeditions.

When three of her classmates show up at the museum to catch her in a lie about a cursed lamp, Aru is desperate to find a way out.  It couldn't hurt to light the lamp for second even though her mom has warned her not to touch it.  Unfortunately for Aru, the lamp is actually cursed.  When she lights it, she releases the destroyer and sets off a curse that freezes time and everything it touches.

But that's not all, Aru also discovers she has the reincarnated soul of a Pandava, a group of heroes from ancient Hindu legend, and she has a sister, Mini, who is paranoid about everything.  How can these two girls and an annoyed pigeon possible save the world?

Roshani Chokshi's series opener is the first book on the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, and Percy Jackson fans will love it.  It's a fun mix of humor, adventure, epic battles, and mythology.  Recommended!

My campus was lucky enough to get an author visit with Chokshi provided through the publisher and Blue Willow Bookshop here in Houston.  She was engaging and hit just the right notes for the middle school crowd in her presentation.  My kids are reading and enjoying the book!