Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi - OPTIONAL

Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes (Pandava Novel, #3) by Roshani Chokshi, 386 pages.  Disney Hyperion, 2020.  $17.  

Content: Language: G: Mature Content: G; Violence: G.  

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – OPTIONAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

Fourteen-year old Aru and her Pandava friends are on a quest to find the tree of wishes. At first they need to locate a clairvoyant Pandava and her twin sister, in an attempt to prevent the Sleeper from hearing her prophesies. Aru is convinced that in order to keep the Sleeper from causing a war, she needs to get to the tree of wishes and ask for help from the wish-granting tree.  Of course the quest is long and crazy with lots of hiccups along the way, but Aru and her band of friends have each other’s backs.  

Aru is an great heroine and her sidekicks have their own stories that make them equally as interesting.  I enjoyed the Sleeper elements to this story, as the Sleeper is Aru’s father.  As with the Pandava novels, there are a lot of names and a lot of little side stops along the quest that can get overwhelming, but the banter between the characters makes them easy to read and the characters lovable.  There is an extensive character glossary at the back of the book to help keep track of all the characters and terms.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson     

Aru Shah and the Song of Death by Roshani Chokshi - OPTIONAL

Aru Shah and the Song of Death (Pandava, #2) by Roshani Chokshi,  381 pages.  Disney Hyperion, 2019.  $17.  

Content: G  

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Aru and her best friend, Mini, are drawn into an Otherworld crisis when Aru is accused of stealing the God of Love’s arrow.  With the arrow, someone is turning human men into zombies and the only way to return them to themselves is to steal the arrow and pierce the heart of the thief.  Aru works with Mini, Brynne (another Pandava) and Aiden (Aru’s across the street neighbor) to follow the clues to the thief and stop the thief while clearing her name.  

I am torn on this review because I love Aru and think she is hilarious.  She has a younger feel to her, maybe twelve, and her humor and banter is laugh out loud creative and funny.  I’m not sure younger readers will be patient with the amount of names and terms constantly thrown out about Indian mythology.  It is hard to keep track of them and some of the characters have multiple names with multiple powers or other terms.  Also, Aru moves from adventure to adventure throughout the quest and sometimes it feels like too much crammed into one story.  Overall, I like the Aru Shah series, but I think it will take a determined reader to stay with the story.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson.     

Blood Heir by Amelie Wen Zhao - OPTIONAL

Blood Heir by Amelie Wen Zhao, 453 pages.  Delacorte Press (Penguin), 2019. $19. 

Content: Language: PG-13 (44 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: R.  

BUYING ADVISORY: HS – OPTIONAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

Ana is the princess to the Cyrilian Empire.  She has the magical affinity of blood which keeps all the magic in the land in balance.  When Ana is framed for killing her father, she has to escape the empire and find the killer.  What she finds along the way is Ramson Quicktongue, a notorious criminal.  Ramson and Ana have to work together to figure out who is behind the overthrow of the Cyrilian Empire and keep the magic in balance.  

So maybe the story idea isn’t a new one, but the characters are easy to love and I got caught up in the action.  The magical elements to the world are easy to understand, but Ana’s blood affinity is gruesome and pushes the book rating to optional.  I loved the banter between Ana and Ransom and their friends who join them along the way add to the fun.  I can’t wait to read more from this series.  The violence is death, blood and gore, murder and torture.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Between Burning Worlds by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell - ESSENTIAL

Between Burning Worlds (System Divine, #2) by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell, 670 pages.  Aladdin (Simon and Schuster), 2020.  $20.  

Content: PG-13 (14 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG-13.  

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ESSENTIAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH  

Three different characters are linked to the revolution brewing in Laterre.  Chatine is now a prisoner on Bastille but sees signs of revolt and a chance to escape her prison. Marcellus tries to help the resistance by spying on his grandfather, the general, but is found out and loses his position of government power, narrowly escaping death to later join up with the revolutionaries.  Alouette is hunting for the truth of who her mother was and who the women were who raised her, and the answers lead her to the resistance and to the knowledge of her father.  As all the characters find themselves joined in a common cause against the regime, they strengthen friendships and find romance.  

I adore this series.  If your readers liked the Cinder series by Marissa Myer they will eat this series up too.  I love all the characters, and the twists. This book has an open ending and I can’t see when the next book is going to be released, but I can’t wait.  The violence does include dead bodies, a beheading and people being manipulated to fight to the death.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson   

The One and Only Bob (The One and Only Ivan #2) by Katherine Applegate - ESSENTIAL

The One and Only Bob (The One and Only Ivan #2) by Katherine Applegate, 352 pages. Harper Collins, 2020. $19 

Content: G. 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

When Bob was just a puppy, he was abandoned along the side of a road. He found shelter and companionship in a mall with a lowland gorilla named Ivan and a baby elephant Ruby - who were the central exhibit in the arcade there. When Ivan and Ruby are finally moved to a zoo, Bob, who is perfectly capable of taking care of himself, finds a real home with Julia, whose father works at the zoo. This allows Bob to still visit his friends on a regular basis. But on one visit, rain turns into a hurricane, damaging the zoo, endangering the animals and separating Bob from Ivan, Ruby and even Julia. 

 I am so glad to see this sequel! Picking up a few months after The One and Only Ivan ends, Bob fills in the gaps, reminds us what we need to remember and then takes us on an exciting adventure. I listened to the audiobook expertly narrated by Danny DeVito and am also buying the audiobook for my library. Thrilling, touching and very funny I know my students who love Ivan will be waiting in line for my copies.

Lisa Librarian

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks - ADVISABLE

From the Desk of Zoe Washington By Janae Marks 304 pages. Katherine Tegen Books (Harper Collins), 2020. $17

Language: G (0 swears 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

While looking through the mail on her birthday, 12yo Zoe finds a letter from her birth father, Marcus. Her birth father! She isn’t even allowed to talk about him, he is in prison - serving time for murder and Zoe has never met him. She has a photograph which she hides in her journal, but she keeps this letter secret from her mother and writes him back. He seems so nice. When her grandmother finds out she’s sent 2 letters and received 2, she agrees to help. Grandma has a hard time believing he is guilty - he was such a nice and responsible boy, and when Zoe asks him, he tells her he is innocent. Zoe doesn’t know if he’s lying - after all, he is in prison, so she decides to try to find out the truth herself. 

I loved Zoe’s attitude - the stares she receive getting out of a car with her white step-father that elicit loud “Hey Dads” made me laugh. Loved her library search of print sources where she found some great information. "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" is a great read; timely, age appropriate and thought provoking. The kids baking championship subplot will appeal to many readers as well, they will enjoy the recipes and also learn something about racial inequality.

Lisa Librarian

Mermaids Fast Asleep by Robin Riding and Zoe Persico - ADVISABLE

Mermaids Fast Asleep by Robin Riding, illustrated by Zoe Persico. PICTURE BOOK. Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan), 2019. $18. 9781250076359

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Mermaids Fast Asleep is a bedtime story.  It reads like a lullaby—way down deep, way down deep, are there mermaids fast asleep?  A young girl wonders if mermaids down under the water have bedtime like humans.  And if so, do they count fish instead of sheep?  The illustrations are whimsical and colorful.

A perfect bedtime story for a mermaid enthusiast.  The illustrations feel soft and muted, like night is falling.

Diann, Media Specialist

Nature’s Light Spectacular by Katy Flint and Cornelia Li - ESSENTIAL

Nature’s Light Spectacular by Katy Flint, illustrated by Cornelia Li. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Wide Eyes Editions (Quarto), 2020. 9780711251977

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Flint and Li explore 11 natural light-based phenomenon. Li sets the scene with gorgeous illustrations; Flint embellishes with a case study from around the world, a simple scientific explanation, and some pop-out boxes with extra details. Any school that teaches Earth Sciences could use this easily.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

Investigators by John Patrick Green - ADVISABLE

Investigators by John Patrick Green, 208 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. First Second (Macmillan), 2020. $10.

Content G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL:  HIGH

Two sewer-loving alligators, Mango and Brash, are members of S.U.I.T. (Special Undercover Investigation Teams).  They go undercover at a bakery when world famous Chef Gustavo Mustachio goes missing just before the big reveal of his newest culinary masterpiece.  At the same time, the Science Factory is about to reveal their latest scientific breakthrough.  Why, yes, these seemingly unrelated events are related and it’s up to investiGATORS to unravel the clues.

If you think a mustache is enough of a disguise for an alligator to infiltrate a bakery and that a doctor can turn into a helicopter, you will enjoy this book.  If you wanted something more cerebral you wouldn’t have picked it up.  The plot kept adding in side stories like the helicopter/doctor or a Crackerdile, who wants to be remade after falling into a vat of radioactive dough, that sometimes made the storyline confusing, but the colorful illustrations compensate.

Michelle in the Middle

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins - ESSENTIAL

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (A Hunger Games Novel) by Suzanne Collins, 528 pages. Scholastic, 2020. $28

Language: G (0  swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13 (deaths same as other Hunger Games novels)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Coriolanus Snow, his grandmother, and his cousin are barely surviving in their penthouse apartment of prominence in the heart of The Capitol. Coriolanus has been chosen to be a student mentor of one of the tributes at the 10^thHunger Games. He hopes to make a name for himself and win a scholarship to the university – otherwise he has no chance to remain with the cream of The Capitol. However, he has been assigned the girl from District 12 – usually to be considered fodder for the others.  It will take a miracle for her to survive even the first day.

I am ever so glad Collins waited so long for another Hunger Games book.  I didn’t; think I wanted this book – who wants to have sympathy for President Snow for heavens sake.  But Collins lays out Snow’s strengths and weaknesses and deftly shows how his weaknesses and insecurities overcome any penchant he might have had to be more understanding or kinder. I listened to the audiobook – twice!

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

Becoming Muhammud Ali by James Patterson, Kwame Alexander, and Dawud Anyabwile - ESSENTIAL

Becoming Muhammud Ali by James Patterson and Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile, BIOGRAPHY 320 pages, jimmy patterson (Little, Brown and Company). 2020. $17

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (Boxing)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Cassius Clay grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. He had a bunch of great friends, including Lucky - who helps narrate this story.  Growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, Cassius wasn't allowed to hang out wherever he wanted, couldn't go to the cool amusement park with his brother Rudy, or even look at a new bike outside a shop in town without getting chased away by the owner.  More than anything, though, Cassius wanted to box - on TV.  Patterson and Alexander tell a gripping story of perseverance  and focus, as they recount the childhood of world famous boxer Muhammad Ali.

James Patterson's prose - the perspective of Cassius' best friend Lucky, and Kwame Alexander's poetry as the voice of Clay is outstanding. Even kids with no prior knowledge of Muhammad Ali will be engaged and excited as they watch this young boy focus everything on his boxing.  The illustrations are incredible, black and white drawings by The Crossover graphic artist Dawud Anyabwile capture the 1950's perfectly.


Lisa Librarian

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone - ESSENTIAL

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone, 240 pages. Crown Books for Young Readers (Penguin Random House), 2020. $17.

Content: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

When 11yo William (Scoob) gets suspended for fighting he is sent to spend some time with his grandma over spring break. Turns out, she has sold her home and purchased an RV, and she has planned to take Scoob with her on a road trip she and his grandfather took back in 1968. The original trip was fraught with trouble as grandma is white and her husband was black, and they had to use the Green Book to be sure they were staying in places that were safe - but as a mixed race couple, even those places weren't always welcoming. Scoob knows very little about his grandfather -his father has told him he was thief and spent the rest of his life in prison - but on this trip he gets a first hand account from his grandma about him.  Except, Grandma is acting very strange and is not answering his dad's phone calls. Might Scoob actually be in danger?

I loved seeing the civil rights era put into perspective with the Grandma's retelling of her first hand experiences with racism. Nic Stone's "Dear Martin" is popular and "Clean Getaway" will really appeal to the younger readers who aren't ready for the intensity of Martin. Fun cover picture, too.

Lisa Librarian

The Oracle Code by Marieke Nijkamp - ESSENTIAL

The Oracle Code by Marieke Nijkamp, 198 pages, GRAPHIC NOVEL, DC Comics, 2020, $17.

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content PG; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL:  HIGH

Barbara Gordon is a high school master hacker, but her life changes after a gunshot leaves her paralyzed.  She is sent to the Arkham Center for Independence for physical and mental therapy.  Barbara is less than thrilled by this, but she begins to notice that things are not all they seem at Arkham.  Strange noises and missing patients force Barbara to reach outside her limitations to figure out what’s going on.

If you like a graphic novel a bit on the dark side, this is for you.  I could not put it down.  Barbara Gordon is a great character.  Her frustration at being in a wheelchair and a sudden switch of circumstances and friends mixed with a creepy mystery makes for an engaging read.  The illustrations add to the feel of the book.  I’m hoping for book two.

Michelle in the Middle

Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey - ADVISABLE

Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey, 352 pages. Inkyard Press, 2019. $18.

Language:  PG-13 (46 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: ; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

17yo Darcy is counting the days until she turns 18 – not so that she can leave her home, but because then DCFS can no longer take her from her mother.  And she knows that they would if anyone from outside her very small circle of friend (yes, just one) ever saw their apartment – the apartment that is full of all the things her mother hoards. Darcy lives most of her life inside the books that she inherited from her long-absent father and even works in a secondhand bookstore. Then Asher starts coming into the store - the handsome recent high school graduate, who had a promising future as a pilot, only to have his dreams crushed when he was in a terrible car accident. As their relationship starts developing, Darcy has to decide how much of herself she wants to share – especially since there are parts of that story she only thought she knew.

I thoroughly enjoyed Namey’s look at a child living with a hoarding parent (though the books that I have read always have the mother as the hoarder). She adds more dimension to the psychology of hoarding and recovery from hoarding. Darcy is a sympathetic resilient main character and her ability to recognize and deal with her own problems is solid and satisfying. The romance is a nice addition and I love that is just that – not the focus of the narrative.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - ESSENTIAL

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, 384 pages. Little Brown, SEPT 2020. $18

Language: PG-13 (43 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (some danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Creeped out by her sister Libby’s boyfriend, 17yo Avery Kylie Grambs has moved back into living in her car. That is until the stranger appears at her school and tells she is mentioned in the will of a very rich man, Tobias Hawthorne – a man Avery has never met.  The reading of the will leaves more questions than it gives answers, especially because Tobias left very little to his actual heirs and the bulk of his $46 billion dollar estate to Avery. And Avery soon finds out that Tobias has also left Avery and his four handsome grandsons a game of riddles and puzzles – the kind the boys have grown up playing. Thankfully Avery is smart enough to hold her own, to help peel back the layers of mystery Tobias let behind, and kind enough to help heal the wounds that each of the boys carry – if she can survive long enough to see the game to the end.

I originally thought this might be similar to The Westing Game, but it so completely not.  Dangerous in parts and very intense, but instead it hits more at the heart. Barnes has woven an intense mystery that holds your attention all the way through. And while some questions will be answered, other questions will arise – so I deeply hope that book #2 is on schedule to be released next year! Sooner, rather than later. I will be rereading this one – probably more than once!

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

Born to Run by Jason Walz - OPTIONAL

 

Born to Run (Last Pick #2) by Jason Walz, 236 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. First Second (Macmillan), 2019. $18. 9781626728929

Language: G (1 swear); Mature Content PG; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: MS – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL:  AVERAGE

Twins Sam and Wyatt are separated by aliens.  Sam is kidnapped and taken to a distant galaxy, while her brother Wyatt is left with those whom the aliens thought worthless: the old, too young, and disabled.  Wyatt is working on a rebellion on earth, while Sam is caught up in an alien civil war where she is threatened from both sides. 

Last Pick’s strength is its diversity.  There is a deaf character who signs, crippled people, old people, different ethnicities and Sam and her friend Mia share a kiss.  The artwork is colorful and fun and the story dives right in.  However the storyline jumps back and forth from earth and Wyatt, to space and Sam pretty quickly so sometimes it’s a little confusing.  The storyline didn’t advance the story as much as I’d hoped, but that is the peril of middle books in a trilogy.  If you’ve always been pulling for geeks to triumph, this could be your book.

Michelle in the Middle

 

Twist by Sarah Cannon - OPTIONAL

Twist by Sarah Cannon, 293 pages. Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan), 2020. $17. 

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL:  AVERAGE

Three gifted middle school students are thrown together when their combined skills create a doorway from a magical world into their own.  Eli the writer, Neha the artist, and Court the tough problem solver, must protect 1983 Oklahoma from terrifying monsters that follow magical creatures through the gateway and still manage to complete a group presentation for school.

Though the premise was fun, after almost 300 pages, it was too drawn out.  If magical creatures were constantly making a mess in my house and eating my donuts, I’d be for getting rid of them, especially if no adults can see them.  There are so many weird creatures and monsters it’s as hard to keep track of them as it is Eli’s little sister Lisa. But at least in Oklahoma you can blame devastating monster destruction on the weather. 

Michelle in the Middle

Chirp by Kate Messner - ESSENTIAL

Chirp by Kate Messner, 240 pages. Bloomsbury, 2020. $17.

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG (sexual harassment); Violence: PG (mild self harm).

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

12yo Mia has moved back to Vermont with her parents so they will be closer to her aging grandma. Mia has recently recovered from a broken arm and has spent the last several months watching television, so she is not thrilled that her parents are making her enroll in 2 different summer camps. Mia is excited to help her grandma at her cricket farm, but it seems that someone may be sabotaging? Can Mia and her new friend Clover (who is in both of her summer camps) solve the mystery and save the farm. Mia is healing both physically and emotionally; while she hasn't shared what happened, Mia was subjected to a gymnastics coach's inappropriate touching and contact and is living with the secret.

I loved the #metoo aspect - not only was Mia's story there, so were the stories of other women - framed for a middle school reader. The content is perfectly appropriate - the harassment in gymastics as well as an experience of her friend Clover are related sensitively. I also appreciated the mystery - it was fun to try to spot the clues and red herrings. Some fun cultural references to books and Broadway show tunes makes this so easy to recommend to 7th grade girls.

Lisa Librarian

More Than a Game: Race, Gender, and Politics in Sports by Matt Doeden - ADVISABLE

More Than a Game: Race, Gender, and Politics in Sports by Matt Doeden, 64 pages. NON-FICTION. Millbrook, 2020. $26.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS  – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Divided into three chapters as suggested by the subtitle, this book introduces the reader to some historical and current events that illustrate how sports in the U.S. intersect with race, gender, and politics. The first chapter moves from the Great White Hope to Black Lives Matter, and includes some American Indian and Muslim stories too. The second chapter covers the fight for equality for women athletes, and also touches upon fights for equality for gay and transgender athletes, and issues related to the MeToo movement. The last chapter includes examples of sports being used as a platform both to protest against war as well as to express patriotism.

Current events can be challenging to understand. By using the lens of sports, a subject that many kids are familiar with and interested in, this author encourages readers to reflect on some complicated issues in our society. Though this volume is relatively thin, and thus only lightly touches upon some very complicated issues, it provides a place for students to begin. Some of the book’s topics may make it more appropriate for a middle-school setting. Interspersed among the text are many engaging full-page photos, and the back matter includes source notes, glossary, selected bibliography, and index.

P.K.Foster, MLS, school librarian

Posted by John David Anderson - ADVISABLE

Posted by John David Anderson 384 pages. Walden Pond Press, (Harper Collins), 2017 $17.00

Content: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

At Branton Middle School cell phones are banned.  This is no problem for Frost, he doesn't have a cell phone. He usually communicates with his buddies Bench, DeeDee, and Wolf with post it notes.  These four boys are their own tribe - each quirky enough that as a group they are generally left alone - except for a couple of bullies - boys on Bench's football team who can be pretty cruel. Rose, a new girl suddenly joins their lunch table and she fits right in - she's a gamer like DeeDee, gets along great with Wolf and even Frost finds her a great person to talk to.  When a teacher turns an assignment into posting affirmations on lockers, it's a lot of fun, until the affirmation turn into mean notes and this too, gets completely out of hand.  

It took a while to get to the story. There's a lot of family drama with Frost whose parents are divorced, and background about his nickname (he's a poet). I liked Anderson's use of nicknames - the boys each had one, Rose did not, but Rose is always talking about the names she'd been called in school, most of them mean.  Posted is a story about the power of words and the value of friendship. I can recommend this to the students who like "Wonder."

Lisa Librarian