Letters from Cuba

Esther's father has been living in Cuba and raising money to bring the rest of the family there from Poland.  The Nazi party is moving across Europe, and life is becoming dangerous for Jews in Poland and other countries.  When her father writes he has the money to bring one person, Esther begs to be the one.  Her father wants to bring a son, but Esther knows she can work just as hard as any boy.

Esther decides to record her journey in an old accounting ledger in the form of letters to her beloved sister.  When they are finally reunited, she will present the book to her sister.  

The journey is arduous, but Esther arrives in Cuba at last and discovers a whole new world.  Her wool dresses and stockings feel oppressive in the tropical heat, but Esther is eager to get to work.  At first, her father is surprised at Esther's success in peddling religious icons, but they are soon making more than double what he was alone.  

But it is Esther's gift with sewing that really makes the difference.  She begins to design and sew new dresses for the heat and humidity.  It is not long before her father is Esther's assistant instead of the other way around!  They save every cent they can to buy passage for the rest of the family.  The news from Europe is not good, and they are more desperate than ever to bring their loved ones to Cuba.

Esther and her father live in the countryside in Agramonte where Esther quickly begins to make friends despite language and cultural barriers.   While antisemitism does have a presence in Cuba, Esther's new friends make her feel welcome and valued.

Ruth Behar's new book is a story of hope and beauty in the midst of one of the greatest tragedies our world has ever known.  Though Esther is a refugee because of hatred and violence in her own land, she is often lifted by the kindness of strangers, many of whom become beloved friends.  This story is even more wonderful because it is based on experiences from Behar's own family history.  Be sure to read the author's note at the end.  Highly recommended.

The Circus of Stolen Dreams

Andrea's life changed forever when her brother disappeared three years ago.  Francis was her shadow and her friend.  Now she is left alone with her sorrow and her divorced parents who are trying to find a way to move on.  When they tell her it's time to get rid of Francis's old things, Andrea is devastated.  How can they get rid of her little brother's world?

Instead of digging through dusty boxes to find an object to remember him by, Andrea leaves.  That's when she finds the flyer for Reverie, a circus in the woods near her house.  It might be nice to have fun for just one night.  

The price of admission for Reverie is either one dream or one memory; it will be gone from her mind but live on in a tent in the circus.  That's what Reverie is.  Each tent is either a good memory or dream from a child who wanted to be able to relive it over and over again or a nightmare or bad memory a child wants to forget. And all of it is run by the Sandman.

At first, the circus is amazing.  She makes a new friend named Penny, and the two girls spend hours exploring amazing dream experiences like flying, but eventually, something begins to bother Andrea.  She knows she feels better without that memory she gave up, but she also feels like something is terribly wrong.  

Not everything in Reverie is fun and games.  There are also nightmares, and when Andrea experiences her little brother's recurring nightmare, she realizes the truth.  Reverie is a trap, and now she is caught in the Sandman's world, too.  

Lorelei Savaryn's novel is a creepy fantasy with a character coming to terms with her own grief.  Readers who like an edge of darkness to their fantasy will enjoy this tale of dreams and nightmares made real.  Recommended.

Cinders and Sparrows

Zita was raised in an orphanage.  All she knows of her past is she arrived covered in soot with leaves tangled in her wild black hair.  Now that she's twelve, she's moved on to be a maid for kindly, if somewhat absentminded, old woman.  It's not a bad life, but it is not destined to be hers.  

One day a scarecrow climbs over the fence with a letter informing Zita she has inherited a castle!  She's not sure how this can be true, but she also knows she's ready for an adventure.  She arrives at the strange Blackbird Castle to discover she is the last Brydgeborn heir, the last in a line of powerful witches.  Zita knows nothing about magic and is dependent on her new caretaker, Mrs. Cantanker, to learn.  Her guardian is beautiful but cruel, and she subjects Zita to dangerous situations when she pays attention to her at all.

The only other human residents of the castle are Bram and Millifer, the servants.  They give Zita a welcome reception, and she feels more comfortable with them given her life as an orphan and servant.  The castle is also peopled with all manner of strange creatures including the ghosts of past residents who are not all happy to welcome her home.

The more Zita learns about magic and the past, the more she feels something strange is happening in the castle.  There are rumors of secret societies and great and terrible witches from the past.  There is the forbidden blue staircase that roams about the castle, and there is also the strange binding on Bram and Millifer that prevents them from telling Zita too much.  All is not as it seems in Blackbird Castle, and Zita must choose her friends wisely and guard her back always because something bad is lurking on the horizon.

Stefan Bachmann's dark fantasy is perfect for those who like a creepy tale for a dark night.  There are some hints of Harry Potter, but there are also times when Zita seems completely alone in a horror landscape.  I also like that Zita's family tree includes not only her benevolent mother but also the disturbing big bad of the story.  Highly recommended.

I just have a small complaint about the cover.  It is beautiful, but Zita's hair is very specifically described as black and wildly curly.  Someone should have given the cover artist better character notes!

Becoming Muhammad Ali

Before he was The Greatest, before he was heavyweight champion, before he was Muhammad Ali, he was a skinny kid from St. Louis with a dream.  Cassius has always known he would be the best at something.  As a kid, he spent time playing around with friends and learning card tricks and history (including the history of his own name) from his grandfather, but he always knew something was wrong.

There are always parts of town where he and his friends were not allowed because they were Black, and there are always people who tried to make him feel small for the same reason.  He struggles with reading and writing in school, but he can remember everything he ever heard and captivate a crowd with his public speaking prowess.

One night he stumbles across a boxing gym, and his life changes forever.  He begins his training and is completely dedicated.  Cassius Clay wants to be the greatest, and he knows he's found his path.  Along the way, he never loses sight of his relationships with his family, especially his little brother who exercises with him every day, and his best friend Lucky.  

Lucky and Cassius seem like opposites from the outside.  Cassius is a boxer who struggles in school, and Lucky is so smart he got a scholarship to a fancy private school, but their relationship never waivers as the two friends support each other through victory and defeat.  

This new biographical novel by James Patterson and Kwame Alexander is told in the alternating voices of Lucky and Cassius, and both bring interesting perspectives to the narrative.  The bulk of the novel is written in Alexander's signature verse style, and he brings Muhammad Ali to life as an energetic and confident character.  Ali is a popular figure, and readers everywhere will enjoy this take on his life.  

Tune It Out

Lou's life feeling like a revolving door or small stages and small towns.  Her mother swears she has the voice of an angel and is convinced there will be a talent agent in the audience one day, but for now Lou sings at talent shows and coffee shops for donations and prize money.  The problem is Lou hates performing in public.  The crowds and noise make her feel overwhelmed, and if people are close enough to touch her, she just can't handle it.  Even the slightest touch sends her over the edge.  She's told her mother a million times, but it never sinks in.

When Lou gets into a car accident driving to pick her mom up from her waitressing job, the police have a lot of questions.  Why is a twelve year old driving?  Why are Lou and her mom living in the back of the truck?  Why hasn't Lou been to school in a year?  Suddenly Lou is separated from her mother and in a hospital room with bright lights, strange sounds, and people who don't know she doesn't like to be touched.  

That's how she ends up halfway across the country with her aunt and uncle.  Lou barely remembers Ginger and she's never met Dan.  It seems so strange to be far from her mother and living in a big house with her own bedroom and more than enough food to eat.  And now she's back in school again which isn't so bad since she has Well who seems determined to be her friend.  

Lou decides this is her opportunity to not be the weird kid, to hide all her sensitivities to sound and touch.  The counselor at her new school thinks she has a sensory processing disorder, but Lou can only hear her mom's voice in her head claiming there is nothing wrong with her.  As Lou begins to understand the truth about herself, she also begins to accept the reality of the life she had with her mother.  Now she has to find the courage to speak for herself and grab onto the best possibilities life has to offer.

Jamie Sumner's new book is sure to appeal to middle school readers who crave stories with pain and emotional depth.  This is also an interesting representation of a character who has a sensory processing disorder but who is not necessarily on the autism spectrum.  Recommended.

Closer to Nowhere

Hannah's life is pretty good.  She has two parents who love and support her, she's popular at school, and she's one of the best gymnasts on her team.   Everything has changed now that her cousin Cal is living with the family.  He's rude, he plays pranks that are just mean, and he freaks out for no good reason.  Hannah knows she should have sympathy for him because his mom died, and his dad's in jail, but it's really hard when it seems like Cal is legitimately trying to ruin her life.

Cal thinks his cousin Hannah is a spoiled princess.  She gets everything she wants, and she's never had to deal with anything really hard in her life.  Cal's mom is dead, and even before that his dad used drugs and abused him and his mom.   They ended up homeless and hungry.  That's something Hannah could never understand.  No one could.  That's why he keeps things to himself building walls out of crazy stories and running away when things get too hard.

Hannah's parents already have a strained marriage, and dealing with Cal's antics doesn't help, but everything comes to a head when their grandmother decides to visit for Thanksgiving.  She's never forgiven Cal's mom for dropping out of college to be with his dad, and she takes all her anger out on him.  

Can Cal and Hannah find a way to trust each other and save a family that is becoming more broken every day?

Ellen Hopkins's new book is a touching story about two kids learning to deal with some challenging situations and learning how to trust and rely on each other.  This book deals with the effects of physical and emotional abuse as well as the way drug and alcohol abuse has unintended consequences.  Readers will sympathy with both Hannah and Cal and cheer on their blossoming relationship.  Highly recommended.