Once Upon an Eid

 This anthology edited by S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed is a collection of 15 stories about young people celebrating Eid in different ways.  Eid is the celebration that follows a month of fasting during Ramadan and happens twice a year following the lunar calendar.  Most of the stories take place in the United States, but one takes place in a refugee camp in Greece where young Muslims try to celebrate despite the many hardships they face.

There are stories of kids struggling with sick or divorced parents and stories about kids just trying to figure out how they fit into their communities and families.  In every story, the characters feel joy in celebrating their faith with family and friends.  Some of the stories read a little young, and others feel squarely middle school. This book is a good place to start for those interested in learning about Islam and a welcome addition for young Muslim kids who may not see themselves reflected on library shelves.  Highly recommended.

Embassy of the Dead

 Jake Green is in a lot of trouble.  When a strange man approaches him and gives him a box, he thinks it's weird, but, hey, maybe the guy was a little off.  When he opens the box to discover a desiccated human finger, he knows he's in over his head!

The strange man was actually a ghost named Stiffkey who used to be an undertaker in life.  Now he works for the Embassy of the Dead, and he definitely wasn't supposed to give that finger to Jake.  According to the laws of the Embassy, they are both sentenced to eternity in the void, and a grim reaper is after them to carry out the sentence.  

Their only hope is for Jake to become an Undoer and help a ghost move on.  Once he's a licensed Undoer, he's legally allowed to handle such dangerous objects as the disgusting finger.  But that's not their only problem.  There's also some guy named Raborn after them who wants to steal the finger for his boss who wants to unleash a new reign of evil and terror on the earth.  So...yeah...no big deal...

Along the way, Jake befriends a teenage hockey player ghost and a fox ghost mourning for its lost owner.  Can the group of friends solve this problem before it's too late?

Will Mabbitt's new book caught me off guard.  I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did.  It's clever and charming with just the right amount of horror.  The story is tied up perfectly with a surprisingly heartwarming conclusion, and readers will be eager to read about Jake's further adventures with his new ghost friend, Cora.  Highly recommended!

The Sisters of Straygarden Place

 

Seven years ago the Ballastians left their three daughters alone at Straygarden Place.  They left a note telling the girls to stay inside away from the grass, and that's what they've done for all these years.  The house provides them with clothing, food, and companionship.  The youngest, Pavonine, doesn't really remember their parents, but Mayhap and her older sister Winnow do.  The three girls have been alone in the house with the exception of their droomhunds, doglike creatures that allow them to sleep.  Their family suffers from a peculiar malady that won't let them sleep without them.

Life continues on unchanged until the day Winnow goes out into the grass and returns changed.  She seems afraid of Mayhap, and she's turning silver.  The grass seems hungrier to enter the house than ever, and Mayhap doesn't know what to do.  She's determined to figure out how to help Winnow, but a mysterious figure called the Mysteriessa appears and tells her to leave Winnow alone and stop investigating.  

The more Mayhap investigates, the more she learns about the history of the house and how the magic inside works.  She's convinced the only way to help Winnow is to uncover the truth, but what if the truth is too heartbreaking to bear?

Hayley Chewins slim book is a dark gothic fantasy for fans who like their magic with a creepy twist.  Recommended!

The List of Things That Will Not Change

 When Bea's parents got divorced, they gave her a list of things that would not change.  This list has been a comfort to her over the years that have passed.  It's a reminder that her parents will always love her and each other.  It has been a little strange going from one apartment to the other all the time, but Bea's family has grown instead of shrinking.  Now she has her dad's boyfriend Jesse and Jesse's sister Sheila who stays with her sometimes when her parents have to work.  

When her dad announces he and Jesse are getting married, Bea is so excited!  She loves Jesse and Sheila.  Plus, Jesse has a daughter, too.  Sonia and Bea are practically the same age, and Bea has always wanted a sister!  She can't wait to meet her new soon to be sister!  

Bea has been seeing a therapist since the divorce, and Miriam has really helped her deal with some of her anxiety and process her emotions so she doesn't act out when she's frustrated or angry.  Sometimes she still does things even she doesn't understand like when she is so happy she kicks a broken bottle and cuts her foot.  Miriam warns her that Sonia may not be as excited as Bea to leave California for a long stay in New York.  What if she isn't happy about her dad remarrying?  

As the wedding day approaches, Bea learns to process her feelings about past hurts and guilt over things she's done to hurt others.  She also comes to the stunning realization that some people might not be happy about her dad and Jesse getting married.

Rebecca Stead's newest book is aimed at a younger audience than her previous titles.  It was good and emotionally resonant, but I couldn't help thinking Bea does get away with too much even if she does have anxiety.  You can't just go around pushing people or hitting them because you are anxious or frustrated.  Bea is in fifth grade, but she seems younger to me.  It's good but not my favorite. 

Maya and the Rising Dark

 Maya's father is always traveling for work, and when he returns he has fantastical tales of wild creatures and near disasters.  She used to believe these stories were true, but now she takes them as fairy tales.  She begins to reconsider when the world freezes and turns gray in the middle of math tutorials.  She also sees a strange man down on the street with dark tendrils and taunting words.  

When her father goes missing, she discovers the truth.  Her father is actually an Orisha, a powerful god who created a veil between the human world and the world of the dark.  The veil is beginning to tear, and the Darkbringers are trying to get through to start a war with the human world, and the Lord of Shadows has kidnapped her father.  That would be enough to take in, but many of the people in her neighborhood are Orishas, too, and Maya and her friends are godlings, half Orisha and half human.  They should have latent powers that will help in this battle.

The council wants to wait for reinforcements, but Maya decides she can't wait for anyone.  Her father needs help now.  She grabs her father's staff and her two best friends, Francie and Eli, and heads out to find her way to the Dark.  

Rena Barron's foray into African mythology is a fun adventure in the vein of Percy Jackson and other titles under the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.  I really enjoyed this one, but I wish it had a better climax.  Everything builds and then just kind of fizzles.  Still, I think this will be popular with mythology fans who will be eager to find out what happens next.  Recommended.

The World Ends in April

 Eleanor Dross loves her grandfather, but she's just not into his prepper lifestyle and the surprise drills he likes to pull on her and her younger brothers.  Of course, he has to do the drills when her dad isn't around because he does not approve.  After one of these annoying and embarrassing drills, she decides to go online to try to prove Grandpa Joe is overreacting.

What she finds instead is the website of a Harvard professor claiming an asteroid is headed to earth in just a few months.  Can this possibly be true?  All the research seems to be there, and it all looks legit.  Instead of proving her grandfather wrong, Eleanor has found new evidence that she should be prepping for a major disaster! 

She and her best friend Mack decide to start an End of the World Club at school, disguised as a nature club.  Eleanor wants to keep things small, but Mack keeps telling more people about it including her nemesis, Londyn.  Londyn has been torturing Eleanor since elementary school, and now she's part of the club.  Eleanor is taking this very seriously, and Londyn just seems to be a thorn in her side.  

Mack is also considering attending a school for the blind.  He's not just Eleanor's best friend, he's her only friend.  How is she supposed to handle life without him?  What if he's away at this new school when the asteroid hits?  

As April draws closer, Eleanor's anxiety ratchets up.  No one is really taking this as seriously as she and Grandpa Joe are.  How is she supposed to keep the people she loves safe when they won't listen?

Stacy McAnulty's new book isn't about a global pandemic, but it is about disaster-related anxiety.  This may be triggering for some people.  While it is interesting and stressful to watch Eleanor's descent into a complete anxiety meltdown, I'm not quite sure it makes sense from the emotional perspective the author was leaning toward.  She is trying to hint that this disaster anxiety is tied to the possibility of Mack moving away which I could buy if she had previous anxiety issues, but I'm not quite sure it works here.  Nice plug for credible sources, though!  Also, Grandpa Joe is kind of the worst.  His son told him to cut out the prepper stuff, and it's pretty obvious Eleanor was not doing well, but he just kept feeding into her anxiety.  I would recommend this one with the warning that it could trigger anxiety.

Thirteens

 Eleanor is looking for a fresh start when she moves in with her aunt and uncle in Eden Eld.  Her mother always warned her never to go to Eden Eld, but now she has no choice.  Her mother set the house on fire with Eleanor inside and then disappeared.  She doesn't want anyone to know the truth about that or about how her mother saw strange things.  Eleanor used to be able to see them, too, but when that stopped, she began to wonder if her mother was just seeing things.

Now that she's back in Eden Eld, she's seeing things no one else can see again, like a giant black dog with glowing red eyes.  But she's not the only one.  Her new friends Pip and Otto can see the wrong things, too.  Not only that, they suspect something dangerous is happening in the pristine world of Eden Eld.  Eleanor, Pip, and Otto also have the same birthday, Halloween.  

As they investigate clues hidden in Ashford Manor, where Eleanor lives with her aunt and uncle, and in a strange book of fairy tales, they begin to suspect they are at the center of this mystery and that their lives might be at stake.  

Every thirteen years, the mysterious Mr. January returns to Eden Eld to make sure the town upholds its part of a bargain made hundreds of years ago.  It's all thirteens, as Eleanor and her friends realize they can't rely on anyone else to save them.

Kate Alice Marshall's new book is the perfect spooky treat for October.  Fans of Neil Gaiman's Coraline and Stranger Things will love this one!  Highly recommended!

All the Ways Home

 Kaede's world was destroyed when his mother died in a car accident.  His lingering anger and grief have made him do dangerous things he would normally never do, things that have estranged him from his best friend. Plus, living with his grandfather is difficult.  The old man is not exactly warm and inviting.  Kaede is left feeling untethered and on the brink of failing 7th grade.

His only hope is to complete a summer project good enough to make up the difference for all his failing grades.  His topic?  Home.  He could do anything but that!  He doesn't even know what home is anymore.  When his estranged father invites him to spend the summer in Japan to reset, Kaede jumps at the chance.  He hasn't spoken to his father or his older half brother in years, but he is longing for connection.  

When he arrives, it's not his father but his brother Shoma who's there to greet him.  His hurt and disappointed his father took a photography job out of town rather than spending time with his grieving son.  He is happy to reconnect with Shoma who has made a life for himself as a music writer.  He doesn't want to like Shoma or connect with him because it will be just that much harder when Shoma disappears from his life like he did the last time.  Plus, he can't give up hope his father will return and actually want to be a father.  

As he explores Japan and the Japanese music scene with Shoma, Kaede works on his summer project trying to figure out what home means.  Can he feel connected to a family he thought he'd lost?

Elsie Chapman is Canadian and Japanese like Kaede and her love for Vancour and Tokyo come through in this book.  This is an interesting book because it's easy to feel compassion for Kaede, but then he keeps making horrible decisions.  There are a lot of readers who will identify with his contradictory desires for connection and self-preservation.  Recommended.

Saving Fable

 Indira Story's greatest wish is to become a character.  She's been waiting and hoping, and the day finally arrives when she is chosen to go to Fable and attend Protagonist Prep.  She's overjoyed until things go wrong from the start.  She fails her entrance audition and gets sidelines to the side character track, but she won't give up.  Her goal is to become a protagonist and bring her brother into a story with her.  

She attends classes taught by famous characters like Romeo Montague, Fitzwilliam Darcy, and Alice from Wonderland.  She also has her mentor, Brainstorm Ketty to help guide her along the way.  Indira actually thought she was doing well in her classes until she discovers she's failing.  Many of the assignments she worked so hard on have magically erased since she turned them in.  Now she's in danger of being demoted to a cameo!  

When people are attacked and some students go missing, Indira begins to think an antagonist might be at work in Fable.  With her two best friends, Phoenix and Maxi, Indira investigates the misdeeds.  It seems the very fate of Fable might be at stake if they can't stop the villain soon!  But who will listen to failing side character?  

Scott Reintgen's new book is a love letter to book nerds everywhere.  There's even a museum dedicated to great librarians throughout history!  I'm not sure reluctant readers will be interested, but avid readers will enjoy picking out all the literary references in the story.  Recommended.  

The Barren Grounds

 Morgan has been in foster care for so long, she can't even remember what her life was like before.  Her life has been a series of foster homes, some better than others, but it has always been clear she was never part of the family.  These new foster parents seem better than most, but she can't let go of her anger or the feeling that everything is temporary.

Her new foster brother, Eli, has only been there for a few days, but it's clear he's miserable.  He doesn't carry the same anger, but he is surrounded by an air of sadness.  They live with a white family now, but Eli grew up in a Cree community with plenty of opportunities to learn about his culture.  Morgan is older, but she knows nothing about her people other than what she's learned in school.

In an effort to connect with Eli, Morgan invites him to her secret spot in the attic.  It's just a quiet place where she likes to read.  Eli brings his drawing pad, and Morgan is amazed at his realistic drawings of frozen landscapes and fantasy animal creatures.  They are both shocked to realize the drawing is actually a portal to another reality.  

When Eli disappears, Morgan knows where he has gone, and she follows her protective instincts to cross over as well.  There she finds Eli living with Ochek, a fisher who can walk on two legs and talk.  Time moves differently in Misewa, and though Eli's only been gone a couple of hours, he's been there for two weeks.  Many years ago, a man appeared and stole all the summer birds leaving the land in perpetual winter.  The animal beings who inhabit the land are near starvation.

Morgan and Eli decide to go on a quest with Ochek and a squirrel being named Arik to defeat the man and return the summer birds to all the people of Misewa.  The journey will be long and dangerous, and they are short on time since Morgan wants to keep her promise to not run away.  Will they be able to restore life to the land in time or will they fall victim to the many dangers along the way.

This is the first book in the Misewa Saga by David Alexander Robertson, and I was pleasantly surprised.  The book is simultaneously grounded in modern reality and drifting on the wings of traditional tales. The Canadian author is a member of the Norway House Cree Nation, and he infuses indigenous culture into this fantasy tale centering Cree culture and the indigenous experience.  Morgan begins learning to control her anger by recognizing her own strength and through her desire to protect Eli and create a family.  Highly recommended for fantasy fans, particularly those who like animal fantasy.  

Turning Point

Mo and Sheeda have been best friends for years, but Mo's three week intensive at Ballet America this summer could threaten their relationship.  Sheeda loves dance, too, but it turns out she's just church good, not good enough for the Talented and Gifted program and school, and certainly not good enough for the BA intensive.  Mo feels like she's always competing with Mila who has a "dancer's body" and natural grace, but Mo has worked hard to earn her spot, and she's not giving it up.

Sheeda feels abandoned as Mo and Mila head off for three weeks.  That just leaves her with Tai, the fourth member of their group who she's never really hung out with alone, and her church friends.  The First Bap Pack is good for church, but they've never really been friends outside of church.  They go to a different school, and her other friends don't really get the church thing.  Sheeda lives with her aunt, and First Bap is her life.  Sheeda love her aunt, but there are so many rules, and it seems like she has to spend every waking minute at church.  She always feels guilty, like she can never be good enough.  

When Mo's older brother starts texting her, Sheeda isn't really sure how to take it.  Boys have never really paid attention to her that way, but she definitely has a crush on Lenny.  She's just not sure if he's really into her or playing games.  She also knows her aunt would definitely veto a boyfriend before she could even get the words out.  Plus, what about Mo?  What hanging out with her best friend's brother ruin their friendship?

Mo is so excited for three weeks of ballet, but as soon as they get there, she's thrown off her game by so many White people.  Most of the kids at school and in her neighborhood are Black, and she's not sure how much of the awkwardness is coming from her and how much is low key racism.  The dancing is exhausting, and Mo loves focusing so intently on it, but everything else is awkward.  Mila seems to fit in easier with her light skin and slim body.  Mo's skin is darker, and she's always appreciated her muscular thighs and butt.  They give her the power to do amazing jumps, but she's not sure Ballet America appreciates her body type or her opinions.  

Mo and Sheeda are still texting all the time, but they are both going through an intense summer that will change them and their friendship forever.

This is the third book in Paula Chase's So Done series, but it can be read as a stand-alone.  I loved the portrayal of female friendships and how they are affected by distance and romantic relationships.  Mo's story arch is compelling as she tries to determine how many of her problems are due to the nonacceptance of a White world and how many are due to her own perceptions.  I also really appreciated her conclusions about classical ballet which felt totally earned and realistic.  Sheeda's struggles with trying to be herself and find companionship in her lonely summer will resonate with readers, as will her insecurities about Lenny's attention.  I also appreciate the portrayal of a religious lifestyle as normal even if her aunt is a little overbearing.  Like Mo, she comes to some conclusions about herself and what she wants by the end.  There is one scene where a boy makes her feel uncomfortable by imposing her physically.  It is handled well and is an essential part of her personal growth.  Highly recommended.  

The Companion

 Margot is the only survivor of a car accident that killed her entire family.  The other orphans in the group home say she's lucky...lucky because she survived the accident and lucky to have her own room because of the screaming nightmares every night.  

She's also lucky because the wealthy Sutton family has plucked her out of the group home and decided to take her in.  They say her father once saved Mr. Sutton from drowning back when they were in law school.  Margot is just relieved to be out of the group home where everyone seems to hate her.  

But then she finds out the real reason she's there.  The Sutton's once vivacious daughter is still as beautiful as ever, but Agatha seems to be in some kind of nonresponsive haze.  She doesn't speak.  She just sits and stares, and Margot gets the feeling Agatha doesn't want her there.  But there's nowhere else to go.

They live in a mansion, but Laura Sutton expects Margot to live in the nursery with Agatha.  At least she can sleep in the adjacent nanny's room and close the door.  Agatha's strange blankness is disturbing at first, but as Margot spends more time with her, she begins to feel a connection to the mysterious girl.  And Laura is no substitute for her own mother, but Margot appreciates her nightly visits and the hours they spend together in the gardens.

Even as she begins to settle in, strange things begin happening--eerie messages scrawled on her bedroom walls, and she seems to be losing hours in what seems like minutes.  She tries to shake off the oddness of the old home, but there are secrets hidden in that house.  Maybe in the closed-off green wing?  Sometimes it seems like Agatha is trying to communicate, to warm Margot about something, but she can't figure out what.

When Agatha's older brother Barrett returns for a visit from boarding school, things really begin to change.  Is it because they are both isolated and lonely?  Margot doesn't know, but she is enjoying the company of a handsome boy in the house.  She also knows Laura wouldn't approve of the heir to the fortune dating the charity orphan.

The longer she's there, the more isolated Margot becomes, and the strange incidents happen more frequently.  Can she uncover the truth before it's too late?

Katie Alendar's new book is a modern gothic horror treat!  She nails the tone perfectly with rules and the isolation of a country estate to keep the modern world out, and the grieving orphan is a quintessential gothic trope, so happy to have a place that she overlooks all the warning signs.  It is perfectly claustrophobic and creepy!  I could have done without the romance since it didn't really seem relevant to the plot.  (It barely even comes back into play in the end.)  Still, highly recommended, and this could serve as a bridge to more classic gothic horror like Rebecca by Daphne du Marier.  

Every Stolen Breath

 Two years ago Lia's father was killed by the Swarm, a flash mob of teens who converge on a victim in public to beat him to death.  Everyone has given up on finding answers, the media, the police, but not Lia.  She's spent every free moment trying to figure out who is behind the Swarm and when they will attack again.

When she finally cracks their code and figures out the location of the next attack, she almost gets caught, and she's definitely on the Swarm's radar.  They returned her phone wiped of all the videos and photos she took that day.  But she's not willing to give in to their threats and intimidation even with her severe asthma and PTSD that leaves her struggling to maintain a grip on reality.  She's closer than she's ever been to discovering the truth.

But who can she trust?  Her best friend Adam is a computer hacker with the skills to access information.  What about Emmy Vega, a local news reporter with her eyes on a job at a national network?  There's also the mysterious guy who saved her at the attack on Navy Pier.  He seems dark and threatening, but he keeps showing up everywhere and seems to want to protect her.  Oh yeah, he also claims to have known her dad.  

Who is really pulling the strings behind the Swarm, what do they hope to accomplish, and how far will they go to achieve their goals?   Will Lia be the next casualty of the Swarm?

Readers will love Kimberly Gabriel's fast-paced mystery thriller inspired by real-life flash mob violence in Chicago.  While the central mystery is solved, there are definitely enough loose ends to inspire a sequel.  There is a light romance, but it is very clean.  Recommended for grades 7 and up due to scenes of mob violence.

Manning Up

 

By all appearances, Jack should be a confident guy.  He's a star football player with good grades and a supportive family.  But in reality, he's plagued by anxiety.

He's constantly studying his body in the mirror.  Are his muscles strong enough?  Is there too much fat around his middle?  He's become an expert at moving food around his plate to make it look like he's eating, and he's always at the gym lifting weights.  He doesn't want to let anyone down, not his coach or his team, and especially not his mom and sister who depend on him since his father died years ago.

Anyone else in his position would have no problem dating, but Jack doesn't have the confidence to ask anyone out, not even the girl who keeps leaving notes in his locker.

When he starts taking steroids, he feels invincible.  He's faster, stronger, and more confident.  He just has to put this new underlying temper out of his mind and ignore his pounding heart.

Is he on the verge of something great, or too close to the edge for safety?

This debut novel from Bee Walsh looks at eating disorders and body dysphoria in boys, which is a welcome addition to the YA world.  Even though Jack is a senior in high school, there is nothing in this book that would make it inappropriate for middle school.  Recommended.

A Place at the Table

 Sixth grade is not at all what Sara was hoping it would be.  For the last five years, she's attended a small Islamic school, but now she's at public school where being Pakistani American makes her feel like a target.  She withdraws into herself and only really enjoys art class.  Plus, her parents won't let her stay home alone while her mom leads an after school cooking club at her school.  Sara loves her mother, but she is sick of her life always being about her mom's catering business, and now it's bleeding into her school life, too.  What will the other kids say when her hijab-wearing mother tries to teach them how to cook Pakistani food?

Elizabeth is struggling to fit in, too.  She and Maddie have been best friends for years, but now Maddie only wants to hang out with Stephanie, and she seems to have lost her love for their favorite tv show, Doctor Who.  She's excited about cooking club because there is never anything good to eat at home.  Her mother has never done much more than heat up frozen stuff, but now she's fallen into a real depression since Elizabeth's English grandmother died over the summer.  She knows her mother misses England.  What if this is the last straw, and she decides she can't live in America anymore?

When the two are forced to partner up in cooking club, they begin a shaky alliance.  Sara is so worried about people bullying her for being a Muslim or the child of immigrant parents, she comes across as angry and gruff.  Elizabeth wants to be friends with Sarah, but she also doesn't want to let go of Maddie who clearly doesn't approve of her new Muslim friend.  They finally start to build common ground as religious outsiders.  Sara is Muslim, and Elizabeth is Jewish.  They soon discover they can make delicious food together if they are willing to let go of their assumptions and stand up to bullies, even if they are former friends.

This new book by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan is a sweet and gentle story about what can happen when we are willing to look for common ground rather than see people as "other."  Neither Sara nor Elizabeth has to give anything up to become friends, and they both gain a great deal through their relationship.  The authors try to look at all the characters with empathy, and even some of the worst ones are not so awful in the end.  Highly recommended.

Kent State

 In the spring of 1970 protests about the Vietnam war were reaching a boiling point all over the country.  Many believed the was unwinnable and that American lives were being unnecessarily sacrificed.  Others believed America had a duty to fight until the Viet Kong was subdued.  These differences of opinion often fell between the young and the old.  

Many young people were protesting a war they didn't believe in, and their elders were frustrated because the children wouldn't behave and respect authority.  In early May, tensions came to a head at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.  The National Guard was called in to control the university students, and four of those students were killed on May 4 by a military assault on unarmed young adults.  

Deborah Wiles explores the events of those few days through the voices of the students, the citizens of Kent, African American students, and the National Guard.  This is an interesting book written as a conversation amongst dissenting parties.  Each group has a different font for differentiation, and they rarely agree on the facts of that day.  

Wiles draws clear lines between the Vietnam War protests to the Black Lives Matter protests of today and emphasizes the right of the American people to peaceably assemble and protest.  Personally, I really enjoyed this book, and I appreciated the format and style; however, I think you would need to be a fairly sophisticated reader with at least some background knowledge to understand the perspectives and keep everything straight.  The different "characters" are never identified, and the changing fonts are the major clue to indicate the speaker.  Readers will need to sharpen their inferencing skills to stick with this one.  Additionally, there are several instances of profanity in the book that make it more appropriate for an older audience.  

The Brave

 Collin has always been an outsider at best and the target of bullies at worst.  His OCD manifests as counting letters.  Every time someone speaks to him, his brain tallies the letters and blurts them out of his mouth.  He can't control it, but he's always trying.  It's doesn't matter.  The OCD always wins in the end.

His parents were never together, and he's never even spoken to his mother.  When he was born, his grandparents wanted a grandson to continue the family line, so they raised him for a while until it became clear the counting wasn't going to go away.  He's been living with his father for several years now.  Collin knows he is a disappointment to his dad.  Bullies always make him a target at school, and he's no good at sports.  His father is drunk most of the time, and his only real friend is his therapy dog, Seven.

When yet another principal suggests this school just might not be the right fit, Collin's dad decides it's time for him to live with his mother.  Collin is shocked.  His dad always refuses to talk about his mother.  Collin knows nothing about this woman, and now his dad is sending him from California to Minnesota to live with a stranger!

Collin isn't really sure what he expected, but his mother is a total surprise.  He knows she is Ojibwe, but that is about all he knows.  She is instantly loving and affectionate, and the numbers don't seem to bother her or his grandmother.  And then there is Orenda.  She's the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, and he instantly wants to spend time with her.

Orenda isn't bothered by the numbers either, so even when kids at the new school begin to bully him, Collin still has his afternoons with Orenda in her treehouse to look forward to.  She wants to train him to be physically strong, and he obeys all her demands.  Orenda uses a wheelchair, and Collin notices her health declining, but all she will say is that she is transforming into a butterfly.  

Can Collin finally make peace with himself and accept the new family he has found?

After looking at most of the other reviews for James Bird's debut novel, I fear I am in the minority.  I always love magical realism, and the writing is beautiful in this book, but it just didn't land quite right for me.  First, we are supposed to believe a kid who has been abandoned by every adult in his life has no abandonment issues?  He's not angry at all with his mother who left him with a life of loneliness?  Especially after he sees what he's been missing?  I'm not buying it.  Also, his OCD is cured by a magical ceremony after he learns his lesson about self-acceptance.  Umm...no, mental health is serious.  I'm not saying immersing himself in the culture of the Ojibwe people wouldn't help, but therapy is important.  To suggest otherwise is harmful to those with mental health disorders.  

I only found one review online from a native person, and he objected to Bird's portrayal of Ojibwe life.  It all seemed a little too Magical Indian Experience to me, too.  I know the author has Ojibwe ancestry.  I would like to hear opinions from other native people.

Finally, this last thing is not the biggest issue, but it was very jarring for me as a reader.  As a person who grew up in peach country, there is no way there are peach trees laden with juicy succulent fruit in Minnesota in October.  Was this supposed to be part of the magical realism?  It just seemed like poor research to me.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend this book.  I was really hoping it would be good because there are so few Own Voices books from a native perspective, but it just isn't a success for me.  

Wink

 Ross wants 7th grade to be normal.  Too bad he has cancer.  In his eye.  The surgery over the summer means he's starting with one squinty tear ductless eye, and a scar on his forehead from the pellets they will use to direct the radiation.  The treatments?  A metal cage fitted over his head to keep him still while he's bombarded with radiation.  Plus, he has to stare at an X the whole time or his eye might explode or something.  Yeah...not normal.  At all.

His best friend Abby is still by his side adapting to all the weirdness with her usual crazy style, but the third leg of their trio disappeared when he found out about the cancer.  It seems like they were all pledging their eternal loyalty to each other one minute and the next Isaac has ghosted both of them.  

The radiation treatment may save his good eye, but the goo he has to use to calm his blistered skin is pretty gross.  And then he has to start wearing a cowboy hat to protect his skin from the light.  All the time.  Even at school!  Things only get worse when someone creates cruel memes about his situation and starts texting them all over school.

Frank, one of his radiation techs, decides to introduce Ross to "real" music during his radiation treatments, and he finally feels a connection.  As he learns to play the guitar, he can focus some of his anger and frustration into the music and find support from some pretty unlikely friends. 

Rob Harrell's book is based on his own experiences with cancer.  The book does justice to the indignities of cancer treatment, but it is also full of humor, and Ross has a good support network.  This is not a story about cancer but a story about a kid living his life who also has to deal with cancer.  Highly recommended.

Fighting Words

 Della and her older sister Suki have lived with Clifton for years, ever since their mother went to prison for making meth.  Clifton isn't their dad, but he was their mom's boyfriend.  Life with him wasn't good, but at least they were together.  He always warned Suki they would be separated if she ever told.

But one night Suki came home to find Clifton doing something he definitely should not be doing with Della, so they ran.

Now they are in foster care with Francine who is gruff and kind of ugly, but Della finds her no-nonsense, unflappable approach to life kind of comforting.  Things should be getting better, but they aren't.  Della's teacher hates her and judges her every action.  Suki is enjoying her new job, but it's not going to be enough to get custody of Della when she turns eighteen.

One night, their former friend and neighbor shows up, and just the sight of her dredges everything to the surface for Suki.  Suki has always been there for Della to love her and keep her safe, but now she's acting strange and having nightmares.  Della doesn't know the whole truth about life with Clifton, but now that they are safe, everything is coming to the surface for Suki, and it may be more than she can live with.  

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's newest book is inspired by her own experiences with childhood sexual abuse, and she emphasizes the importance of believing kids and destigmatizing this kind of trauma.  This is a book any adult who works with children should read and one that will appeal to many young readers.  Della is ten in this book, but I would be cautious with younger or more sensitive readers.  Child sexual abuse is a real issue, and I firmly believe it helps some survivors to see that other people have dealt with the same issues, but it is still a sensitive issue.

I appreciate that even though there are some truly terrible adults in this book, Della also finds many adults who want to help her like Francine, her therapist, the principal at her school, and even a woman from the grocery store where Suki works.  It's important for children who have been abused to know there are people they can trust.  The issue of consent is also deftly woven into the story through a subplot about a boy who tries to snap girls' bras.  Della even says it's not the same as what Clifton did, but it gives her a similar feeling.  

Suki's suicide attempt is difficult to read and not gratuitous in any way.  Once she has time to relax a little, the trauma of the past years comes back to her, and Brubaker Bradley illustrates the importance of therapy with both sisters.

This is more than just an "issue" book.  It is beautifully written, and Della feels like a real person with plenty of spunk and personality despite the terrible things people have done to her.  There were even a couple of moments when I laughed out loud at her narration.  Highly recommended.

The Inheritance Games

 Avery Grambs is pretty much at the end of her rope.  She's been living with her older half-sister since her mother died, but now Libby is taking her potentially abusive boyfriend back, and Avery would rather live in her car.  

That's when it happens.  Avery is pulled out of class and told she is in Tobias Hawthorne's will.  She's never even heard of Tobias Hawthorne, but she soon discovers he is a billionaire from Texas.  A billionaire!  And he's left his entire fortune to her!

Of course, his two daughters and four grandsons are not pleased about his.  All Avery has to do to inherit the money is live in Hawthorne House for one year with all of Tobias Hawthorne's angry relatives.  At least one person in the house wants Avery dead, but who is it?  They all have the same motive.

Avery can't understand why this has happened.  Why did he pick her?  The only explanation Hawthorne left was a letter that simply reads, "I'm sorry."  Sorry for what?  The old man also left behind a series of clues for Avery and his grandsons to unravel.  Will this puzzle explain things?  Or even change the outcome of the will?

Avery knows she shouldn't trust anyone at Hawthorne House, but those four brothers are so good looking and charming...when they want to be.  Plus, they were raised to solve puzzles.  She's going to need their help if she has any hope of solving this mystery.  But she has to be careful to keep her guard up.  Misplaced trust could end in murder.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes's new series opener is good fun for those who like a soapy mystery with plenty of twists.  The puzzles are fun to try and solve along with the characters, and readers will enjoy speculating with Avery about whom she should trust.  There is also plenty of drama among the wealthy elite for readers who enjoy it.  The love triangle is probably my least favorite part of the book, but I'm willing to overlook it for the mystery.  Recommended for grades 7 and up.

Con Quest!

 Cat and Alex are love Geekicon.  They attend all the cons with their parents, frequent panelists and creators of a cult favorite animated show, but Geekicon is the biggest and the best.  This year they are determined to win the Quest, an unofficial scavenger hunt with all kinds of crazy challenges.  The winning team gets a week doing charity work with the cast of a popular tv show and a possible mentorship with the show's art department.  Cat wants to hang out with the cast (and do charity work, too), but Alex wants the mentorship for his art.

Their older sister Fi is supposed to making sure they are safe and out of trouble, but they ditch her immediately.  Fi hates cons and all things geeky.  She only agreed to chaperone them to prove she is trustworthy and ready to go on a camping trip with some older kids from her soccer team and other kids from school.  The twins know their older sister will just slow them down, and they are determined to win.

As they race around the con having fun with the quest and meeting some of their heroes, their differences begin to create cracks in the relationship.  They may be twins, but they are very different people.  Cat is a take-charge girl who likes to be part of the action.  She knows her twin brother sometimes needs a push to get going.  Alex is on the spectrum, and as much as he loves Geekicon, it still causes sensory overload sometimes.  He is getting tired of Cat always making the decisions and assuming he will just follow her lead.

Fi is desperate to find those annoying twins and prove she's trustworthy, but she's having zero luck.  When she accidentally stumbles across a girl from school, she isn't sure if it's good luck or bad.  Rowan is clearly into the whole con thing judging by her outfit, and Fi is determined to move up the social ladder, not down.  She's tired of eating lunch alone.  Most of her friends are older and on the soccer team, so they don't have classes together.  When Rowan suggests they use the Quest app to track the twins, Fi thinks she might have a winning strategy.  

It's time to conquer this Con!

Sam Magg's debut middle grade novel is a tribute to all things geeky.  No real franchises and fandoms are actually named, but fans in the know will recognize their favorites from the clues and wordplay show titles.  This book is fun but exhausting.  I needed a nap almost as much as the characters after all the running around.  Cat and Alex have a sweet and realistic relationship that develops over the course of the story.  I'm not so sure about Rowan and Fi, though.  I think most people would have given up on Fi's negative attitude long before she has time to have a change of heart.  Recommended for geeks everywhere. 

City Spies

 Sara Martinez is a hacker.  Despite being shuffled around the foster system for years and only having access to the ancient computers in the school library, she somehow hacked the New York City foster system and her current foster parents' bank to prove they are dishonest cheats.  But now she's the one in trouble with years in juvenile detention and a computer ban hanging over her head.

That's when a man who calls himself Mother enters the picture.  Not only is she off the hook for juvie, but she's suddenly in Scotland working as a spy for MI6!  She's part of a covert team of juvenile spies, so covert only a handful of people at MI6 even know they exist.  Each member of the team takes the name of their hometown:  Rio, Paris, Cat (Catmandu), Sydney, and Sara become Brooklyn.

They have a high stakes mission in just a couple of weeks, so Brooklyn will have to learn fast.  The rest of the team isn't exactly ready to trust her after what happened with the girl she's replacing.  But no one really has a choice since the mission requires her hacking skills.  

Before she knows it, Brooklyn is in Paris with her new team at an international youth summit trying to do well enough to stay in the competition without winning, hacking a rival team's computer to do the same, and trying to prevent a villain from unleashing a deadly virus.  No big deal, for a team of elite spies, right?

James Ponti's new series promises to be good fun with an international twist.  Is it realistic?  Not in any way, but let that go and enjoy the ride!  Fans of Alex Rider and Stuart Gibbs will enjoy this, too.  Highly recommended!

The Girl and the Ghost

 The ghost has always served the witch, doing her bidding to harm and destroy others, but when she dies, he is left without a master, so he sets off to find her descendants.  He needs someone from her bloodline to bind himself to.

Suraya has never met her grandmother.  She and her mother live alone in a small house where her mother is severe and withdrawn.  She is the subject of ridicule at school and has no friends.  When the ghost shows up in her bedroom, she names him Pink and accepts him readily.  It will be good to have a friend.  

For a few years, it is just the two of them.  Suraya is the subject of bullies at school, and the other girls are too afraid to cross the mean girls.  Pink takes his grasshopper form and easily travels to school with her.  When Jing arrives at the school, Suraya sees an opportunity.  Pink even encourages her to try to befriend the new girl, but he soon becomes jealous.

Suraya has been able to control Pink's dark side all these years, but his jealousy overwhelms his desire to be obedient, and Suraya begins to see the truth of the ghost's dark power.  Will she be able to calm his rage before things go too far?

Hanna Alkaf's novel is based on Malaysian folktales and is a truly creepy read full of jealousy and secrets.  There is a poignant twist at the end that gives the book more depth and ties all the plot threads together.  Recommended for those looking for a good creepy read with dark magic.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn

 Soraya has spent her life in seclusion.  Due to her mother's actions, Soraya was cursed by a div so she is poison to the touch.  She has never touched another living person or even an animal in her life.  She has touched the occasional insect while working in her garden, so she knows the devastating power of her caress.  

Her twin brother is the Shah and hasn't bothered to even check on her in years.  Her mother and brother travel around the country in a yearly cycle, but every spring they return to the palace where Soraya lives alone with her roses and her books.  Now they return with news:  her brother is to be married to the only friend she ever had as a child.  Soraya is happy for them, but the impending wedding only emphasizes her loneliness.

When she meets Azad, his lack of fear mesmerizes her.  He knows the truth, but he still wants to talk to her, to touch a shoulder or an arm through the fabric of her clothing.  Though they've just met, it's like he knows her heart.  She is drawn to the way he seems to want to protect her rather than protect others from her and by his handsome face and graceful form.

Azad is an outsider, too, a commoner raised in station because he saved the Shah's life in a div attack.  That div is imprisoned in the dungeon right now.  Is it possible this div could know the cure for Soraya's curse?  Her mother forbids it, but Soraya can't help herself.  How could she live with herself if she didn't at least try?  

Pavenah is beautiful and enticing, and she holds the promise of knowledge.  But everyone knows divs never tell the complete truth.  Soraya thinks she has nothing left to lose, but she's about to find out how wrong she is.

Melissa Bashardoust's fantasy novel is a blend of epic fantasy and Perian myth.  The writing is beautiful, and the story is engaging.  I just kept getting frustrated with Soraya who has the worst addiction to insta-love I've ever read!  She falls in love with two different characters seemingly at first sight and never doubts either of them until it is too late to do anything about it.  Meanwhile, she's so consumed with her own guilt, she barely has the focus to blame other people for what they've actually done.  It was good but not great.  Recommended for grades 7 and up for violence and gore.

You Should See Me in a Crown

 Liz Lighty has always felt like she was too black, too tall, too...everything to really fit in.  Campbell is a small town, but there is a big divide between the rich and everyone else.  Liz has spent her whole life trying to be successful and simultaneously fade into the background.  She also has some serious anxiety issues and feeling "seen" by her peers is a major trigger.  Her mother died from complications due to sickle cell anemia, and her younger brother has it, too.  She has plenty of reasons to worry.

Everything went to the next level when her best friend Jordan came back from football camp the summer before 9th grade and very publicly blew her off.  Since then, she's just stuck to her core group of small friends, becoming valedictorian, and her clarinet.  Liz loves music, and she's pinned her hopes of attending her mom's alma mater on a band scholarship.

When that plan falls through, she vows to find a solution on her own.  She knows if she tells her grandparents, they will sell the house to get the money, and she definitely doesn't want that.  Her solution?  Run for prom queen.  It's totally out of character, but the queen and king each get a $10,000 scholarship.  That's almost exactly what she needs to make up the difference between her savings and her tuition.

But Liz has spent all her time trying to become invisible.  How is she going to pull this off against Rachel Collins, her academic rival and resident mean girl?  There's also the fact that she's not really out at school.  Her family and close friends know she's into girls, but it's definitely not public knowledge, and she knows the truth will take her chances of winning that scholarship to zero.

The problem?  Mack, a new girl at school who might be changing Liz's ideas about love at first sight.  As the race for queen puts Liz ever more in the spotlight, she feels like she has to present a false identity to win, but is the scholarship even worth it if she can't be herself?

Leah Johnson's debut novel is sweet and funny.  Is it realistic?  No way, but that's just part of the charm.  Suspend your disbelief, and enter this world of ridiculous proms and an unlikely queen taking control of her own life.  The romance in this book is sweet and clean, but there is some very well placed profanity about three-fourths of the way through that would bump it up to YA for my middle school library.  Highly recommended.

House of Salt and Sorrows

 Annaleigh and her sister's used to have a charmed life as the daughters of a duke.  Their days at Highmoor manor were happy, and they loved the salty air of the sea.  But shortly after the birth of her twelfth daughter, Annaleigh's mother died.  Then the lost one sister to the plague, one to an accident, and one...to madness.  They have been in mourning so long, the younger girls only remember life in somber black.

Their father's recent marriage to a much younger woman has stirred frustration in the older girls, but the little ones are happy to have a mother figure in their lives again.  Annaleigh isn't sure how to feel about Marella.  The young woman says and does foolish, even maddening things, but her heart seems to be in the right place.

When another sister dies, Annaleigh is shocked to discover the family doesn't want to observe another year of mourning.  Her father practically forbids it.  The villagers have been gossiping about the cursed sisters for years, but when they see the girls out of their mourning black, people are scandalized.  

In an effort to ease their minds, the sisters decide to search for a magical door from a story that will take you anywhere you want to go in an instant.  They are shocked to discover the door is real, and with the now oldest sister Camille worried she will never find a husband with all the mourning and gossip, they discover the portal will take them to a different sumptuous ball every night.  

Their father can't understand why they are wearing through their shoes so quickly and always exhausted every day.  She can't really explain it, but something about these balls doesn't seem quite right to Annaleigh.  

Then one of the little girls starts talking about seeing her dead sisters.  Annaleigh worries something is wrong with Verity, but then she begins to see the spirits, too.  They are terrifying specters who bear the marks of their deaths.  It is then that Annaleigh begins to suspect the last sister's death might not have been an accident.

Is Annaleigh uncovering a mystery, or is she going mad?  What is really happening at Highmoor Manor?

Erin Craig's new book is a gothic romance with a fantasy element thrown in, and it is good creepy fun.  I really enjoyed this book with all its twists and turns and gothic allusions to the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy tale.  It feels like a traditional English gothic tale, but the addition of the gods gives the story an interesting twist.  The romance was a little too instalove for my taste, but that is literally my only complaint.  This one is definitely for more mature readers for references to bedroom activities and some pretty horrifying revelations at the end.  Highly recommended for grades 8 and up!

Ikenga

 Nnamdi's father was a great police chief.  Kalaria is full of powerful criminals, and Nnamdi's father seemed like the only person who was willing to stand up to them until he was murdered.  When the Chief of Chiefs shows up to the funeral flashing a ring that looks suspiciously like his father's, Nnamdi is convinced the chief criminal of Kalaria killed his father.  

For a year Nnamdi stews in his anger.  Things have only gotten worse in Kalaria with criminals shamelessly doing business in broad daylight.  Nnamdi is frustrated and angry until the night his father's spirit appears to him and gives him the Ikenga.  The strange little carving allows Nnamdi to transform into the Man when danger is near.  He becomes tall and powerful with a shape darker than shadow.

Nnamdi thinks this is the solution.  He will clean up Kalaria and take down his father's murderer, but the local newspaper begins publishing stories that make the criminals look like victims and the Man look like the villain.  He can't believe it when he hears people agreeing with this nonsense.

The anger that fuels the man begins to spill over into Nnamdi's life and he nearly hurts his best friend.  Will he be able to master his anger, protect the people of Kalaria, and take down his father's killer?

Nnedi Okorafor's new middle grade novel is a superhero origin story with a Nigerian twist.  Nnamdi loves American comic books, but the story is firmly rooted in Nigerian culture.  I love the cast of villains with their creative names and abilities.  I will definitely put this book in the library and recommend it to kids, but the plot seems to meander aimlessly for a while, and Nnamdi's anger issues are never really addressed.  I kept waiting for things to go horribly wrong.

The Canyon's Edge

 It's been a year since the mass shooting that changed Nora's life forever.  Her mother is dead, and her father now has a limp from a bullet wound and a fear of other people.  He just wants to keep Nora safe, and the only way to do that is to keep her home with him all the time.  

Nora is still struggling with her own grief and anger, maintaining the walls she built to protect herself.  It's a lonely place to be, and she still doesn't feel safe.  The shooter is a rabid beast haunting her every step.

This trip is the first time they've gone rock climbing or even hiking since her mother died, and Nora's happiness is tinged with grief as she thinks about her broken family, reduced by one.  She's excited to explore the slot canyon her dad found for them to discover.  The narrow walls create shade in the Arizona desert and a whole new ecosystem to explore.

When a flash flood strikes with no warning, Nora is left alone and clinging to the side of the canyon as her father is washed away on a fast-moving current of water.  Her father is gone.  Her supplies are gone.  The desert is filled with danger, and the threat of dehydration looms over her.  

As Nora battles the desert for survival, she battles her own PTSD.  She will have to be strong and smart if she wants to survive.  

Dusti Bowling's book was a wonderful surprise.  It is a visceral story of grief and survival.  It's a verse novel told with few words, but the imagery and the emotions are real.  Anyone struggling with grief or PTSD will identify with Nora, and every reader will urge her on as she fights for survival.  Highly recommended!

Don't Turn Out the Lights

 This collection of short stories edited by Jonathan Maberry was created in tribute to Alan Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.  Fans of the original collections will be eager to read this new book.  It is good spooky fun!

Here are some of my favorites:

• "The Carved Bear"--A wooden bear gets revenge on the wicked boy who stole him.
• "The Neighbor"--A boy finds a new playmate in the forest, but nothing is as it seems.
• "Jingle Jangle"--Be careful what you wish for.
• "Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board"--A slumber party goes terribly wrong in this might-be-true tale.

Like the original collections, some of the stories have a moral, but the ones that are truly creepy do not.  Books written for kids are often predictable because readers have the comfort of knowing things will turn out ok in the end.  The good guys don't always win in this collection, and that's what makes it so deliciously creepy and unsettling.  Highly recommended.