Hold the Flag High by Catherine Clinton and Shane W. Evans - ESSENTIAL

 Hold the Flag High: The True Story of the First Black Medal of Honor Winner by Catherine Clinton, illustrated by Shane W. Evans. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Katherine Tegan (Harper), 2021. $8 (paperback reprint from 2005). 9780060504304 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

William Carney was a soldier of the 54th Massachusetts regiment – an all Black Civil War company. During their most famous battle, Carney grabbed the flag when the flag bearer was shot and rallied the troops to protect it and keep fighting. 

Another nice dimension to stories of the Civil War of also of Black heroism. You should be proud to share this story with any age. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

After She Falls by Carmen Schober - OPTIONAL

After She Falls by Carmen Schober, 368 pages. Bethany House Publishers, 2021. $16.

Language: PG (7 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

25yo Adri wants to leave her mistakes behind when she moves back in with her uncle, but Sparta is too small a town to avoid those she knew before and the rumors running rampant now. As she starts boxing again and opens up about the last six years she’s been away, Adri makes a couple steps forward. However, the fear and mistakes that haunt her aren’t going away easily. Not without making Adri face her toughest fight yet.

On the one hand, Adri’s story is inspiring in that she chooses to go after her abandoned dreams even though they’re harder to reach now. On the other hand, I quickly got tired of the constant wishy-washiness of the main characters. They rehashed the same issue every other chapter, and I found it annoying. Setting the slow, repetitiveness of that issue aside, I liked how Adri’s story is as much about faith as it is about fighting. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, mentions of sex, and innuendo. The violence rating is for domestic violence and frequent MMA fighting.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Across The Desert by Dusti Bowling - ESSENTIAL

Across The Desert by Dusti Bowling, 310 pages. Little, Brown and Company, 2021. $17. 

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

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

12yo Jolene watches "Desert Aviator" a live stream of "Addie Earhart" who flies her ultralight across the Arizona Desert. Jolene wishes she could be an adventurer like Addie. But one day, Jolene witnesses Addie crash the ultralight, and as possibly Addie's only viewer/fan - it's up to Jolene to get help. But she doesn't know Addie's real name, and couldn't tell where the ultralight went down, only that it's in the Alamo Lake Area. With only vague details to go by, no one will believe her, and she has to be careful - she doesn't want to risk anyone coming to her house to check on her story - Jolene's mom is addicted to opioids, and Jolene is afraid of being put into foster care. So, once her mom goes back to sleep, Jolene sets off on an impossible rescue, to find her friend who is over 100 miles away, hurt and alone in the desert. 

Bowling captured me on the first page and I couldn't put it down. Not just a survival story, "Across the Desert" is also about friendship, and trust, and dealing with an addicted family member (one who should be taking care of you). Bowling has a great note at the end with a message of hope to readers who may be dealing with issues similar to Jolene's. I would love to know if she walked through the desert alone at night for research - because I was right there with Jolene, hearing all the sounds and feeling just as anxious. Definitely buying. 

Lisa Librarian

City of Illusion by Victoria Ying - ADVISABLE

 City of Illusion by Victoria Ying, 252 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Viking (Penguin Random House). 2021. $15

Language: PG (5 swears); Mature Content PG; Violence: PG 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

In the follow up novel to City of Secrets, 12yo Ever Barnes and Hannah Morgan have enjoyed three peaceful months after saving their beloved Oskars and activating the powers of their city’s Megantic. Peace ends quickly when Hannah’s father is kidnapped while they are visiting nearby Alexios, and the two companions have to fight a street gang and an evil villain to protect the city and those they love. 

Interesting premise of mysterious other-world protection. This is a unique steampunk setting mixed with themes of unity and friendship. The action should keep readers engaged and the story wraps up nicely. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Stretched Thin by Nadia Shammas and Nabi H. Ali - OPTIONAL

 Stretched Thin (Ms. Marvel) by Nadia Shammas, illustrated by Nabi H. Ali, 128 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Scholastic. 2021. $13

Language: PG (6 swears); Mature Content G; Violence: PG 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Kamala Khan (aka Ms. Marvel) has too much on her plate. She is trying to maintain her schoolwork, her fanfic writing, her friendships, family, and her super hero skills. Kamala has a hard time asking for help, but when a robot invades the Avengers Tower, she has to draw upon her skills and her friends to save the day. 

 I like that Kamala’s family is from the Middle East and that her family is so strong. That is refreshing in YW lit. This is a fun read that shows the power of friends and family, though the plot is predictable. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Artie and the Wolf Moon by Olivia Stephens - ADVISABLE

Artie and the Wolf Moon by Olivia Stephens, 256 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Graphic Universe (Lerner Publishing). 2021. $17

Language: PG (4 swears); Mature Content PG; Violence: PG 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

8th grader, Artie Irvin is being raised by a single mother and faces down bullies at school. Her photography keeps her going. One day her life abruptly changes when she is photographing the moon and sees a huge wolf shift into her mother. Finding that she comes from a line of werewolves is exciting to Artie and she wants to know everything she can about them. Artie’s mom takes her to a community of werewolves to help Artie process her new abilities. As Artie learns more about herself and her father, she discovers that wolves aren’t the scariest thing in the woods-vampires are. 

Artie is a strong, black female character. She comes from a supportive community and family that rally around her and her family story is revealed in stages, maintaining tension until the end of the story. The art and coloring add to the story. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Cardboardia: The Other Side of the Box by Richard Fairgray and Lucy Campagnolo - OPTIONAL

 Cardboardia: The Other Side of the Box by Richard Fairgray and Lucy Campagnolo, 108 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Pixel Ink (TGM Development Corp). 2021. $21. 

Language: PG (6 swears); Mature Content G; Violence: PG 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Pokey is turning six and she’s super excited. Her older brother, Mac, and his friends Maisie and Bird are in middle school. When they get weird tokens in their cereal boxes they are transported to a land made of paper and cardboard named Cardboardia. They have to navigate their way through the land while someone evil seems to be following them. 

The artwork is awesome and the premise of traveling to a parallel universe via cardboard box is great. The downside is that the story ended quite abruptly just when the plot was established. The reader doesn’t know what the kids’ special talents are and neither do the characters, so it was less than satisfying. Hang on for the sequel. 

Michelle in the Middle 

The Awakening Storm by Jaimal Yogis and Vivian Truong - ADVISABLE

The Awakening Storm (City of Dragons #1) by Jaimal Yogis and Vivian Truong, 240 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Scholastic. 2021. $13

Language: PG (15 swears, 0 'f'); Mature Content PG; Violence: PG 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

After her father dies, Grace moves to Hong Kong  with her mother and her new stepdad. She has to try and make friends in an unfamiliar place and to add to her problems, a strange old woman gives her an egg that hatches into a dragon. Grace and her new friends must protect the dragon and themselves from those who want to steal the dragon’s power. 

I like the setting and the dragon mythology. I also liked the diversity of the characters and how their different personalities interact. Though there is certainly a sequel in the works, the story wraps up well. If you like ancient Chinese stories worked into a modern setting, this might fit the bill. 

Michelle in the Middle https://amzn.to/3CGfUXo

What About Will by Ellen Hopkins - ADVISABLE

 What About Will by Ellen Hopkins, 384 pages. Putnam’s (Penguin), 2021. $18 

Content: G (undescribed drug overdose) 

 BUYING ADVISORY: MS – ADVISABLE; EL - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

12yo Trace and his 17yo brother Will have always been best friends – Will has never made Trace feel like a bothersome little brother. Bit 17 months ago Will was criticallly injured in a football game and has been dealing with the effects of severe brain damage. He broke up with his girlfriend and has isolated himself from all others who care for him. Plus. Trace discovers that Will has been self-medicating with drugs – consorting with a dangerous crowd to get the highs and lows he craves. What can a little brother do? 

Hopkins uses her free verse (not to be mistaken for poetry) to illuminate Trace’s inner turmoil as he deals with Will’s descent into darkness. Everything is handled thoughtfully, in a way that even 5th and 6th graders can relate to, without being unnecessarily graphic or coarse. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

The Unofficial Disney Parks Drink Recipe Book by Ashley Craft - ADVISABLE

The Unofficial Disney Parks Drink Recipe Book by Ashley Craft, 224 pages. Adams Media (Simon), 2021. $17

Content: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: GIFT - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Craft has written the perfect complement to her previous book – The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook – by giving a wide range of Disney drinks to round out your next gathering. I love the tidbits of history that accompany each recipe. If you drink your way around the park (with or without alcohol), you will very much enjoy not just reading about the various drinks, but also trying out the recipes - both with or without alcohol. I will caution – many of the drinks require what can seem like exotic ingredients. But ready-made syrups are available commercially and the effort to recreate that Disney touch will dazzle your family and friends. Throw on some Disney tunes, think back to those days at the Parks, and sip your cares away. 

 Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson - ESSENTIAL

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson, 400 pages. McElderry Books (Simon), 2021. $19 

Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13 (fighting against evil forces) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Artemesia is more than happy to be a Gray sister and help in their vital work to send the spirits of the dead to the other side before they can become revenants and need to be exorcised. She has the Sight, so she can not only see the spirits, but also hear them all. The most dangerous spirits have been confined in various relics, but Artemesia is near when an extremely powerful relic is broken and now she is sharing her body, wrestling for control, with that spirit – she is possessed, but in control. But that possession drags her to the attention of those who control her world and have ulterior motives for one who proves to be so powerful. 

Rogerson has written a very creepy horror book that will be sure to find a following among those who like their books with that edge of danger. Perfect for fans of Beth Revis’ Give the Dark My Love. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Castles in Their Bones by Laura Sebastian - OPTIONAL

Castles in Their Bones by Laura Sebastian, 528 pages. Delacorte (Ransom), FEB 2022. $19 

Language: PG (13 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: G (mild violence) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Daphne, Sophronia, and Beatriz, 16yo triplets, have been raised by their mother, the Empress Margaraux, as the perfect weapons. The day after their birthday the sisters are split up for the first time in their lives – each girl headed to their wedding with a prince of a different country, destined to become queens. Maybe. Because their mother has sent them with ulterior motives – send the countries to war to weaken them, so that the Empress can conquer them and bring them back under one rule. But the best laid plans of dictators may not survive the desire of the heart. 

Sebastian works on a slow build as we meet each girl, each country, each prince, and learn the back stories of the intrigue within each throne room, a big plus for readers who love character-driven novels and extensive world-building. The last third of the book brings us to the crisis of heart for each girl and events that bring deep betrayal from many sources. While I personally hard a hard time warming to the girls, I felt rewarded by the anguish-filled events that set up, hopefully, the sequel. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

So This is Christmas by Tray Andreen - ESSENTIAL

So This is Christmas by Tray Andreen, 368 pages. Viking (Penguin), 2021. 

 Language: R (83 swears, 6 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13 (some drinking); Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

After a disastrous first semester, 16yo Finley is ready to call it quits with the New England boarding school of her dreams. In a funk, she returns to her home town, Christmas, Oklahoma, to break the news to her parents. But she returns to even more chaos. Her mother went to visit her sister six weeks ago and hasn’t returned. Her ex-boyfriend is daiting her now ex-best friend. And her arch nemesis is working at her family Bed and Breakfast, so Finley has to see and interact with her every day. Anything else? Oh yes. Arthur, the boy that has seen her humiliated countless times at boarding school has arrived to the B and B with his aunt in tow for a traditional American Christmas in Christmas, Oklahoma, based on the town website that Finley bragged about (and maybe spruced up on the sly with events that don’t really happen). Cue the embarrassment. 

Romance lovers have a treat in Andreen’s first novel. It has the makings of a great Netflix Christmas movie with real heart. Or just balm for a reader seeking a happy ending. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Even and Odd by Sarah Beth Durst - ADVISABLE

 Even and Odd by Sarah Beth Durst, 288 pages. Clarion Books, 2021. $17 

Content: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Sisters 12yo Emma (Even) and her sister 11yo Olivia (Odd) have always known that they are not from Earth – they are from Firoth, a magical dimension. Their parents run a store for magical visitors and the girls are preparing for their level five exams at the Academy of Magic. Even is super excited and very worried, because her magic only works on even days. Odd’s magic woks on odd days, of course, but she isn’t even interested in the exams. Then on an even day when she is practicing her transformations, the magic stops – Even is stuck as a skunk. Even and Odd and the unicorn Jeremy sneak through the flickering portal to see if they can discover what is happening to the magic. Things in Firoth are jumbled indeed – actual pieces of land are moving out of place. It is only with determination and a kid’s ability to see through lies that the teens have a chance to save the families and their worlds. 

Durst, as always, has a deft hand with a new middle grade magical world. Her fount of creativity never seems to run dry. Even and Odd and Jeremy are heroic characters with a lot of humor and spunk. Keep adding to your Durst collection. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS https://amzn.to/3ETw6pd

The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg - ESSENTIAL

The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg, 400 pages. Scholastic, 2020. $19 

Language: R (100+ swears, 111 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG (suicidal ideation) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

April 17, 3:45 PM: Aaron Boroff has been staring at the Hudson River, flowing under the George Washington Bridge, when a sobbing girl rushes past him. Is she contemplating suicide also? What if she does and Aaron doesn’t – will he carry her memory with him? What if she doesn’t but Aaron does? How will lives left behind be affected if they both do? Is it possible they can save each other if neither of them do? 

Konigsberg looks at all four possibilities in this deep, rich novel that gives no easy outs for the reader. I found myself rereading each part to connect even more deeply with Aaron and Tillie’s choices. I didn’t even notice any of the content issues as I was reading, but the story is so emotionally charged. Very much a winner. The book is so compelling to read that I was surprised at the swears counts when I totalled them - I really didn't notice those word choices during the reading.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

See No Color by Shannon Gibney - NO

See No Color by Shannon Gibney, 192 pages. Holiday House, 2020. $9 (paperback). 

Language: R (40 swears, 14 ‘f’); Mature Content: R (on page sex); Violence: PG (racist names) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - NO 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Alex, 16yo, a biracial black girl, was adopted by her white family before her two younger siblings were born. Her baseball obsessed dad has raised them in the game – Alex and Jason join wholeheartedly, but youngest Kit wants nothing to do with the game. Alex has, of course, always known that she is a different color than her family, but they have done their best to protect her from other people’s cruelties. Now, however, Kit has uncovered letters that Alex’s birth dad wrote to her, complete with an address. And an intriguing ball player from a rival team challenges her lack of knowledge of her blackness. 

Alex’s sports-at-any-cost father is a distraction from Alex’s questions about her birth family and her heritage. He didn’t need to be portrayed as an emotionally abusive parent her Alex to be interested in her roots. And the quick slide from intriguing boy to ending up in bed is a real turn off for me, especially with descriptive parts. It’s too bad Gibney decided to obscure a very good story about a girl coming to terms with herself with the other questionable choices. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen = ADVISABLE

A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen, 336 pages. Razorbill (Penguin), 2021. $18 

Language: PG-13 (28 swears, 0‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Liza Yang, 12th grader, is always wary of the blind dates her tiger mom finds for her with “good” Asian boys. Liza’s dream is to go to culinary school and become the head baker in her mom’s bakery, but mom insists that she become an accountant - a better way to help their family’s Yin/Yang Bakery and Restaurant. When the time comes for Mom’s annual junior baking competition, Mom allows Liza to be the technical judge. When the morning of the competition arrives, every contestant is a teenaged Asian boy! Mom! Feeling like a contestant on the Bachelorette, Liza will still do her job well. But she can’t help noticing James, the hot, kind of annoying, new guy in town. 

 A fun romantic romp with a great baking competition framing. Liza’s struggle to get her parents to accept her love of baking, not accounting, will ring true for many young people as they also struggle to separate from their own parents.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

The Forgotten Memories of Vera Glass by Anna Priemaza - ADVISABLE

The Forgotten Memories of Vera Glass by Anna Priemaza, 304 pages. Amulet Books (Abrams), 2021. $19.

Language: PG (3 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

15yo Vera feels an unexplainable sadness. Everyday things like spaghetti and the number four make her cry, but there isn’t any reason for her pain. All Vera knows is that she isn’t the only one feeling it, which means it can be fixed, and nothing is going to stop her from figuring out how.

Magic is prevalent in Vera’s world, but the experiences of the characters with mental health are applicable for us in our magicless existence. Priemaza has expertly crafted a world that feels real to readers because of emotional connections despite the differing circumstances. After the emotional ride I went on with Vera, I could only sit and stare at the last page for a while. My heart broke and hoped with hers, not knowing how anything would turn out but praying for a happy ending -- for both her world and our own. The mature content rating is for innuendo and mentions of sex.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen 

Signs of Survival: A Memoir of the Holocaust by Renee Hartman and Joshua M. Greene - ESSENTIAL

 Signs of Survival: A Memoir of the Holocaust by Renee Hartman and Joshua M. Greene, 122 pages. NON-FICTION. Scholastic Press, Jan 2022. $18

Content: G (some Holocaust based violence)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

10yo Renee lives with her sister, 8yo Herta, and their parents in Bratislava. Renee is the only person in the family that can hear. The other three people are deaf. The family relies on Renee being their ears, and telling them in sign language everything that is going on. The Nazis invade Bratislava and quickly start mistreating the Jews. Soon they all have to wear yellow stars on their clothing. Renee is blond so the soldiers do not recognize her as Jewish. This helps Renee, with Herta by the hand, move around Bratislava. One day their dad moves them out of the city to a farm where he thinks they will be safer. He has to pay the farmer a lot of money every month to keep the girls. After several months the money stop coming and the farmer sends the girls back to Bratislava. They are unable to find their parents, but learn that they have been moved to Auschwitz. The girls, being the only Jews left in town are soon on their way in a cattle car, but to Bergen-Belsen. What they lived through there is horrifying. 

This book is from an oral history project on the survivors of the Holocaust. It reads much like an oral history and it is a fast and easy read. It is well written, and I could vividly "see" Renee and Harta and the trials they endured. When the war ended Renee was 12yo or 13yo, but she weighed less than a three year old. This is a must read, a really good book. It goes well with World War II and would be interesting to children studying that period of time. I highly recommend this book.

Ellen-Anita, Librarian 

Elephants: strange and wonderful by Laurence Pringle and Meryl Henderson - ADVISABLE

Elephants: strange and wonderful by Laurence Pringle, illustrated by Meryl Henderson. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Boyds Mill Press, 2021. $18. 9781635924794 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Pringle explores the anatomy, living conditions, and human interactions with all three species of elephants. 

The book is quite text dense – an excellent source of material for a report of any sort on the elementary level. It concludes with a warning to stop buying ivory in order to protect the few elephants left on earth. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS