Turtle Boy

Seventh grade is turning out to be as much of a disaster as Will Levine thought it would be.  The kids call him turtle boy because of a deformity in his chin and jaw.  That's nothing new, but things are getting worse, and the doctor says he will need braces and surgery to correct the problem.  He hates hospitals because his father died unexpectedly after a routine surgery when Will was little.  

Also, he kind of is a turtle boy since he's obsessed with herps.  He spent his summer sneaking into the wooded area behind the school collecting turtles which he now keeps in aquariums in his bedroom.  Then his former science teacher finds out and tells him he has to return all the turtles to the wild.   

Plus, his act of service for his bar mitzvah is going to visit a sick kid in the hospital.  And, oh yeah, Will hates hospitals!  At first, he's only doing the bare minimum and sneaking out as soon as possible, but it's not long before he actually starts to like hanging out with RJ.  That's when RJ shares his bucket list with Will:  ride a roller coaster, go to a dance, go to his favorite band's concert, swim in the ocean, etc.  It's a great list, but RJ is never getting out of the hospital.  He begs Will to help him out by completing the list for him.  

Will has always been the quiet kid, never wanting to draw attention to himself.  He hates his chin and the way it makes eating difficult.  Plus, he has acne.  Completing even one of these tasks will take him way out of his comfort zone, but it might be worth the risk for a friend.  

This new novel by M. Evan Wokenstein is a story of friendship and developing self-confidence.  RJ manages to become a real character rather than just an "inspirational sick kid," and the two boys develop a real and believable friendship.  Will's struggles with social and medical anxiety also feel realistic.  Information about turtles is well integrated into the plot.  Ultimately, readers will cheer for Will while they mourn for RJ and the end of a brief but beautiful friendship.

Gold Spun

Nor was just trying to make a little money to feed her brothers when she came across the bandits in the forest.  Everyone knows faeries are not to be trusted.  They are the enemy.  But she feels sorry for the bedraggled creature who is now subject to the whims of two brutal bandits.  In a split-second decision, she decides to help him escape.  In return for her help, the faerie, Pel, offers her a reward.  He fashions a gold bracelet and places it on her wrist.  He also creates gold thread that could buy food and shelter for her family for months.  

But Nor is a con artist; she doesn't have a choice.  Her parents died in the last war, and she and her brothers were left to fend for themselves.  They could use the gold to buy a few meals, but they could also use it to make a little more coin first.  Unfortunately, Prince Casper catches her in the act and is determined to punish her for her deceit.  

Casper is recently returned home after his older brother's death and is determined to establish himself as a strong leader.  He vows in front of the crowds that he will marry Nor if she can actually spin a room full of straw into gold.  The consequences of failure are unacceptable.  In her despair, Nor calls on Pel for assistance.

But now that she has completed the challenge there are consequences.  She is betrothed to a prince she doesn't know and doesn't particularly like.  She will have to learn how to navigate the court intrigues and figure out how to survive this new life among people who have never had to struggle to survive.  

With each passing day, her feeling for Casper change.  He is kinder than she first gave him credit for, and she begins to see a future with him.  But Pel isn't completely out of the picture.  The faeries are creeping ever closer and launching attacks on human villages.  Pel swears he is different, but Nor isn't sure she can trust him.  She is playing a dangerous game with her heart and her secrets.

This retelling of Rumplestiltskin by Brandie June starts out well.  The author makes Casper a more sympathetic character with some back story, and the set up with Pel works, too.  Once Nor is installed in the castle, the pace starts to slow, and the love triangle is a bit strained since she only meets Pel two or three times.  Nor starts as an active character but quickly becomes passive with only brief moments of temper.  She may have an opportunity to be more active in the second book.  This is an interesting read for those who enjoy fairy tale retellings.

The Kingdom of Back

Nannerl Mozart is a child prodigy.  She can play better than most men with more training and practice.  She has her father's attention as long as she is young and the best at what she does, but she knows everything will change as she gets older.  She can already feel the world restricting her because she is a girl.  She can bring glory to God and money to her family during her performances as long as she is perfect and still considered a child.

She and her younger brother, Wolferl have a close bond even though they are four years apart.  Wolferl is small for his age, but he, too, is enamored with the world of music.  His talent is obvious from an early age, and Nanerl sees the way her father's time and attention quickly shifts to her younger brother.  She sees her her change to be a musician and to be remembered slipping away.

Then one day a mysterious stranger appears with an offer to make her most beloved wish come true.  Nannerl will be remembered.  Hyacinth offers her entry to a magical world of fairies and other magical creatures.  He seems sincere if a bit dangerous.  He only wants her to complete a few tasks in exchange.  

Hyacinth may be able to grant her immortality in the guise of her music, but the cost may also be more dear than she could have ever imagined.

This work of historical fantasy by Marie Lu addresses the very real disparities between the treatment of men and women over time.  How many women, like Nannerl Mozart were silenced because of their gender?  Lu does an excellent job of balancing Nannerl's feelings of love for the boy who would become Mozart.  She loves him dearly, but she is often overcome with feelings of jealousy and despair at what she fears will be her fate.  Their father is set up as the true enemy here, and young Wolfgang becomes a would be collaborator with his older sister.  The parallel fantasy story set in the Kingdom of Back has all the hallmarks of a traditional fairy tale, and readers may realize the truth before Nannerl does.  This is an interesting story.  It's a bit slow in the beginning the but worth the attention in the end.  Recommended.

Follow Your Arrow

CeCe Ross and her girlfriend, Sylvie, are #relationshipgoals.  The have thousands of followers online and their social media accounts are so linked they might as well be joint accounts.  They are even headlining the Pride parade in a few months.  That's why CeCe is devastated when Sylvie breaks up with her out of the blue one day right after a live video where everything seemed fine.

CeCe is completely blindsided, but it seems like Sylvie has been ready to move on for a while.  She's kept CeCe in the dark about major projects, and it seems like only minutes before she's letting their fans know the relationship is over.  

CeCe's life is now publicly upended.  But now that she has all this extra time to think, she can't ignore the increasing anxiety she's felt about being her true self online and public.  When she first started her account she was a champion of deserving causes and shared her opinion on controversial and political topics.  Now she second guesses herself before she posts anything.

While she's still struggling to get over Sylvie, she meets Josh.  He's a brilliant street musician who barely goes online and doesn't have a single social media account.  She's known she was bi since it even occurred to her to think about it, but Sylvie is the only relationship she's ever had. She feels an almost immediate connection with Josh, and it's not long before the two of them are beginning a relationship.

Her online life is still a mess thanks to her public breakup, and Josh is not into social media, so she decides to just keep quiet about that part of her life.  When her online life catches up to her new real life relationship, everything implodes, and CeCe may lose everything that's important to her.

Jessica Verdi's novel has several interesting layers.  It's a breakup story, and while Verdi tries to keep Sylvie from being the villain, some of her behaviors do seem questionable.  It's also a love story with an attraction and eclectic love interest.  But it's also a meditation on the power of social media for good and ill.  Recommended for the social media obsessed and as LGBTQ representation.

Luck of the Titanic

Valora Luck is determined to leave her life as a servant in London behind.  Her English mother died when she and her twin brother were young, and her Chinese father finally died from his addiction to alcohol and lingering grief over his wife's death.  Now Valora is on her own and she's ready to make a new life for herself.

Her plan is simple.  Her brother Jamie has been working on passenger ships for two years.  She knows he's on the ship her employer planned to take before she unexpectedly died.  The tickets are already purchased, and Valora is getting on that ship one way or another.  She doesn't think she will have a problem since she has a ticket, and she can just tell the truth, that she is a maid to one of the wealthy ladies on board.  She doesn't count on being turned away at the gangway because she's Chinese.  

Now she has to stow away and spend half her time wearing a heavy veil and pretending to be a rich widow and the other half of her time pretending to be a boy and meeting Jamie's tight knight group of Chinese sailing friends.  Her real plan is even more complicated.  She wants to convince her brother to perform the acrobatic skills they learned from their father for a circus owner who just happens to be on the ship.  

Then the unthinkable happens, and the Titanic hits an iceberg.  Now, it's a race for survival as many of her friends will perish before the night is over.  Will Valora survive and have the chance to make her dreams come true?

Stacey Lee's new book is another willing tale from history, highlighting the prejudices against Chinese people and their struggle to work and survive.  Valora is a strong character with plenty of spirit and ingenuity.  Through the novel, she learns to see the world through perspectives outside herself and take advantage or opportunities (or make her opportunities!) when they appear.  Recommended.

Thanks a Lot, Universe

Brian has always struggled with social anxiety, but when his dad disappears to avoid going to prison from his secret criminal life, everything gets worse.  His mom goes into a depression and has to be hospitalized, and now Brian and his younger brother are in foster care.  He doesn't feel like he has anyone to talk to, and the pressure of his father's expectations to "man up" coupled with everything else has him on the edge.

Ezra has always been popular.  It's easy for him to make friends, and he's always included in social activities.  Lately, things have been changing.  His best friend has been hanging out with different guys and saying things that are not cool, things that are racist or homophobic.  There's also Brian.  He's never really been much of a talker, but he seems even more removed than ever.  Ezra wants to help him, but he's afraid if he does, the other guys on the team will realize he has a crush on Brian, and he's not sure they will continue to accept him.

Things come to a head when Brian and his brother run away from foster care.  Even though their friendship is in the beginning stages, Ezra may be the person who knows him the best.  And he may be the only one Brian is willing to reach out to in his distress.

This novel by Chad Lucas was a surprising gem.  Both boys are written with sensitivity and honesty.  Many people write off thirteen year old boys as having no depth, but these characters feel real.  The reactions of Lucas's friends when he comes out are realistic.  Some are accepting, but other are not.  Both Brian and Ezra realize they need to be honest about their feelings and accept help when it is offered.  Highly recommended.

The Blackbird Girls

Valentina and Oksana have never been friends.  In fact, Oksana has often tormented Valentina for her Jewish heritage even though her family is not religious.  The one thing they have in common is both of their fathers work at Chernobyl, the nuclear power plant in their town.

In 1986, disaster strikes, and Chernobyl explodes, the two girls find themselves together on a journey across Russia to stay with Valentina's grandmother, a woman she's never met before.  Both girls are grieving, but they will need to overcome their dislike of each other to survive.  Oksana has always been taught Jews are dirty cheats.  Now this Jewish girl is her only hope.  Valentina only sees Oksana as a spoiled rich girl, but there are painful secrets in her family.

In 1941, Rifka is on her own fleeing the German invasion.  She must hide her Jewish identity because Russians and Germans alike will kill her for it.  Leaving her mother and younger brothers behind is the hardest thing she's ever done, but she will discover new strength as she journeys across Russia in search of safety.  

The girls in both time periods must learn how to trust and find hope in the darkest moments of their lives.

Anne Blankman's novel of resilience links two disasters of the past, the German invasion of Russia and the Chernobyl explosion, with skill and Grace.  This is a powerful novel of friendship that will appeal to many readers.  Highly recommended.

Millionaires for the Month

Benji and Felix aren't friends, and Felix is horrified he has to spend their class field trip tied to Benji the troublemaker instead of enjoying the museum.  When the boys find a lost wallet in the park belonging to the uber-rich Laura Friendly, they want to return it, but they also think it might not be so bad to borrow $20 to buy lunch first.  Felix isn't so sure about the borrowing, but Benji thinks Laura Friendly is so rich so she won't even notice.  

Unfortunately, she does notice, but she makes the boys a deal.  If they can spend a little over five million dollars in thirty days, she will give them each $10 million to keep!  But there are some rules. They don't get to keep anything they buy in the thirty days, they can't donate to charity or give money to anyone, and they can't tell anyone, not even their parents.

What starts out as fun quickly turns into a complicated mess as the boys try to spend money at a furious pace.  Plus, their parents are upset and confused by their spending habits.  Benji's parents want him to invest, and Felix and his mom can barely pay the rent.  

Does more money mean more problems?  Felix and Benji are about to find out!

Stacy McAnulty's newest book is another unusual tale of unusual friends.  This is fun ride for the boys, and readers will surely by plotting how they would spend the money themselves.  Like Felix, I was really stressed the whole time about not telling their parents about the deal.  I don't think that would work out in reality, but this book is pretty much a fantasy with a realistic setting.  The boys overcome their differences to become friends and learn that money really doesn't solve everything.  Though, especially in Felix's case, it can solve a lot of things.  Recommended!