Middle School and Other Disasters: Worst Love Spell Ever! by Wanda Coven and Anna Abramskaya - HIGH

Middle School and Other Disasters: Worst Love Spell Ever! by Wanda Coven, illustrated by Anna Abramskaya, 322 pages. Middle Grade, Simon and Schuster, 2023 .$15 

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

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY

Heidi is at Kettledrum Academy, a boarding school that caters to witches-in-training and nonmagical kids alike. Heidi is totally enamored with Hunter "McCutie" and wonders how she can cast a love spell to get him to notice her since she thinks of herself as boring and invisible. What could go wrong? 

True confession: I almost didn't get past the first few pages. There are so many words all in caps and an overabundance of exclamation points. However, if you can channel your inner middle school angst that most of us try to smother with a pillow, it's actually pretty relatable to the target audience. The book does bring up some real issues, like why being yourself is important and that perhaps all first crushes don't work out and that's ok. So while you can practically hear girl screams about boys in your head, it would actually be a fun read for tween girls. Culture or race is never specified. 

Michelle in the Middle 

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan - ADVISABLE

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan, 320 pages. Viking/Penguin Group, 2024. $25

Language: PG-13 (14 swears;  0 'f');  Mature Content: G (kissing); Violence: PG-13 (bloody death) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

15yo Sana moves into a decrepit large house in Africa with her father. The other residents say it’s haunted and this makes Sana curious. She asks the other residents questions about the house and its past and she explores everything and every place in the house. In the attic, Sana discovers a diary and she reads until the ending. What she finds, haunts her and she hopes there’s more of the story to unravel.

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years is slow and builds the setting and characters until the second half when the mystery piqued my interest and grabbed my attention. I found it fascinating that Sana was a conjoined twin but she’s the only one who survived and now Sana sees and hears her dead sister. I loved discovering the background of the haunted home that is the setting for this story. The ethnicity is Indian and African with some white. 

LynnDell Watson, DHS Library

Mission Manhattan by James Ponti - ESSENTIAL

Mission Manhattan (City Spies #5) by James Ponti, 423 pages. Aladdin Paperbacks, (Simon and Schuster), 2024. $19 

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

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY

Book five in the City Spies series shines some love on 13yo Rio, who is a skilled street magician on top of being one of the City Spies. The group of spies travels to Venice, Italy to protect a teen environmentalist during a demonstration and her speech to the UN conference. When Rio spots a bomb, he is hailed as a hero, but finds that there are a lot of sinister powers in play. 

Another engaging spy novel that will suck you in. There are a lot of characters to root for, and the Venice and Washington, DC settings make it even cooler. Yes, the young spies seem almost superhumanly gifted, but who wouldn't want to be them? Plus Cairo's mom, who seems to be the City Spies' enemy, is lurking in the shadows and figures to play a bigger role in the future. I shall anxiously await further missions! City Spies represent a variety of ethnicities. 

Michelle in the Middle 

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft - OPTIONAL

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft, 384 pages. Wednesday Books. 2024. $18

Language: R (25 swears 8 'f's); Mature Content: PG-13 (petting); Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

18yo Niamh is invited to the Avalon palace as head seamstress for Prince Kit’s wedding preparations. He’s as haughty and rude as ever and much more than Niamh expected. 19yo Kit is angry at the world but Niamh has no idea why. Sinclair, Kit’s lifelong best friend, is the first and only person that treats Niamh kindly and as a friend instead of some lowly servant. The three of them become friends and help each other break down the personal barriers they’ve put up but political pressure, intrigue and scheming threaten to crush everything they’ve gained. 

A Fragile Enchantment is full of interesting characters. The author approaches self care and mental health graciously. Political intrigue dominates the book and creates a nice mystery. Beautiful descriptions are found throughout the book. Humor is used perfectly. Ethnicity falls to white. 

LynnDell Watson, DHS Library

Mixed Up by Gordon Korman - OPTIONAL

Mixed Up by Gordon Korman, 244 pages. Middle Grade Scholastic Press (Scholastic), 2023. $18 

Language: G (no swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

12yo Reef and Theo are completely different people, living in different towns. But lately, their memories seem to be playing tricks on them. Reef has flashes of memories that aren't his, and Theo recognizes a school he's never been to before. As they gain new memories that aren't theirs, their own are fading. Reef can't bear losing his memories of his mother. Finding each other and a solution becomes a race against time before their memories slip away forever. 

Reef and Theo are both experiencing their own difficulties. Theo has an overbearing father who wants Theo to be something he isn't, and Reef is grieving the death of his mother and living with a family who has taken him in and their son who bullies him, so it has some heavy themes mixed in with the memory loss. As long as you can suspend your disbelief at the premise, it makes for an interesting read and begs the question of how important memories are, even the bad ones, and what you'd do to get them back. Characters default white.

Michelle in the Middle 

Blood! Not Just a Vampire Drink by Stacy McAnulty and Shawna J.C. Tenney - ESSENTIAL

Blood! Not Just a Vampire Drink by Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by Shawna J.C. Tenney. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Godwin Books (Macmillan), 2022. $19. 9781250304056

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

The Vampire walks into the smoothie shop for a little blood to end his day.  However, the server behind the counter tells him all about how important blood is for humans, instead. 

McAnulty has taken something as basic as blood and turned it into fun! I would have loved this as my text for any science class on any level! She has such a talent for turning information into something intriguing.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS

Of Princes and Promises by Sandhya Menon - OPTIONAL

Of Princes and Promises (Rosetta Academy #2) by Sandhya Menon, 310 pages. Simon, 2021. $20

Language: R (40+ swears, 7 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

After comforting Caterina at the winter dance, socially awkward Rahul really thought he had a chance with her.  Caterina, as snobbish as ever, even after humiliation, doesn’t see it happening. However, she needs a date for the very important Hindman Gala, so she takes Rahul under her wing. He is, of course, willing. It isn’t until they are fitting Rahul for his glam threads and the boutique owner gives Rahul a special (VERY special) hair gel that Rahul - or, please call me RC - emerges as a much closer to a prince. But are Rahul and Caterina relying too much on the RC character - could Rahul be losing his sense of self? Who does Caterina really want to spend her time with - the suave RC, or the endearing Rahul?

This one is much more loosely based on the Frog Prince tale than Menon’s first Rosetta Academy was to its fairy tale. The secondary story about Caterina and Mia, a new girl who enters her life and seems to glide past all of Caterina’s defenses is distracting. Not as strong as the first.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS

Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and His Glorious Book by Tonya Bolden and Eric Velasquez - ESSENTIAL

Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and His Glorious Book by Tonya Bolden and Eric Velasquez. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. HarperCollins. 2022. $18. 9780062967404

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE; ADULTS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

In the early 1900’s, traveling while black was a risky proposition. But with automobiles becoming more accessible, Blacks wanted to travel just as much as anyone.  Victor Green, a mailman in New York, saw the need for guidance - safe towns, good motels, welcoming restaurants - and created his first booklet in 1936 and it quickly grew to cover the entire US and even international destinations.

The beginning of the book is quite wordy and seems to try to be poetic. As a teacher, I would skip Green’s personal history and go straight to why there was a need for The Green Book.  The end also glosses over the fact that the Civil Rights Act didn’t actually end the need for The Green Book.  I am curious why the last Green Book was published in 1966 - seems to me its advice could come in handy even today.

Victor Greene and most of the other people in the illustrations are Black.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS

Of Dreams and Destiny by Sandhya Menon - OPTIONAL

Of Dreams and Destiny (Rosetta Academy #3)by Sandhya Menon, 261 pages. Simon, 2023. $20

Language: R (50+ swears, 25+ ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

DE (Daphne Elizabeth) is still reeling from her “break-up” with Alaric - she may have only been a “side piece” to him, but for DE the investment was real. When Xander arrives near the end of the year - a mysterious, new boy - her friend group tries to point her in his direction. Xander doesn’t have time for the beautiful, sad girl - he is only at Rosetta Academy to solve a decades old mystery that has brought only misfortune to his family. When students around the school start falling asleep, with no known way to wake them up, DE and Xander must combine forces to solve that mystery and Xander’s personal mystery, if there is any chance to save them all.

Definitely liked this one better than #2, but I was not amused by the amount of “f’-words thrown around - very grating. Not a single thing would have been lost from any of these books without the swearing. For the series as a whole, leave it for HS libraries with strong fantasy circulation.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS

Meet Me on Mercer Street by Booki Vivat - ADVISABLE

Meet Me on Mercer Street by Booki Vivat, 192 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Scholastic Press (Scholastic), 2024. $13 

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

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY

Kacie Sitthiwat is a soon to be 6th grader and an aspiring artist. Life seems as uneventful as ever in her boring neighborhood, but then things start to change. Her best friend, Nisha, and her family disappear and the adults in town seem on edge. Kacie decides to investigate with her sketchbooks and observational skills. 

Change affects all of us and can be overwhelming when it seems out of our control. Kacie is an engaging character and I found myself cheering for her and the residents of Mercer Street,. This is a delightful read with a great message, and the residents of Mercer Street represent a nice cross section of cultures. 

Michelle in the Middle

Those We Drown by Amy Goldsmith - NO

Those We Drown by Amy Goldsmith, 403 pages. Delacorte (Random), 2023. $19

Language: R (50+  swears, 10+ ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13 (lots of teen drinking mentioned) ; Violence: PG (undescribed deaths)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - NOT RECOMMENDED

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

17yo Liv and Will kind of thought it was a joke when they were both accepted into the exclusive SeaMester program - the chance to spend six weeks living and learning on a cruise ship just feels like a dream.  But from the outstart Liv feels that something is off about the whole cruise. When Will disappears, she can’t shake the bad feelings, but she also can’t find answers.  The only person who even kind of believes her is spoiled rich boy Constantine. By the time Liv finds actual answers, it will already be too late for several people on board.

I was actually bored with this book. The author spends so much time keeping the mystery shrouded from us and Liv - in fact Liv is clueless until 388 pages in. And then after wanting to get off the ship for so long she suddenly doesn’t want to leave it. You should read Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters by Emily Roberson  instead - a much better modern take on Mythology.  Or Hide by Kiersten White 

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS

Your Time Has Come by Magnus Myst, - OPTIONAL

Your Time Has Come (The Bad Little Book 3) by Magnus Myst, 171 pages. INTERACTIVE Delacorte (Random House), 2023. $11 

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

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

The Little Bad Book is back again and needs a reader who is gutsy enough to travel through time with him and possibly face down the Time Wolf. 

 The art really is stunning; it's vibrant and well laid out. As an interactive book, it is nonlinear and jumps around a lot. There are puzzles to solve that lead the reader to different pages. It's not an in-depth read, but it can be fun to solve the puzzles with the story. 

Michelle in the Middle

It takes Guts by Jennifer Gardy and Belle Wuthrich - ESSENTIAL

It takes Guts by Jennifer Gardy and Belle Wuthrich, 137 pages. NON FICTION. Greystone Kids, 2021. $20

Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (Just talks about what happens inside your body. There are no real pictures); Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS, ADULT - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Gardy walks you through step by step what happens in your body when you eat. First, it gave an overview of all the different organs that are in your digestive system. Then talked about how food moves through your esophagus. Then it explained how your stomach turns food into chyme. After, it explained the process of throwing up during a retroperistaltic wave. Lastly, it talked about the small and large intestine. 

I really like how clear Gardy made things and broke down the information. It also had good illustrations and diagrams. Lastly, I liked the author’s writing style.

Student Reviewer: SR, 9th Grader Reviewer

Shipwrecked! By Martin W. Sandler - ADVISABLE

Shipwrecked! by Martin W. Sandler, 144 pages. NON FICTION. Astra Young Readers, 2023. $25

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY:  EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Sandler explains many major shipwrecks from history. First, the Antikythera shipwreck was found by sponge diving. Next, the Cape Gelidonya shipwreck was found on the coast of Turkey. The Shinan shipwreck had lots of porcelain in it. The Mary Rose shipwreck was a ship used by King Henry VIII. It also told the story of the Sao Jose Paquete De Africa which was a slave ship taking slaves to be traded. It went on to explain lots of other shipwrecks and the technology that has been developed.

I liked that Sandler talked about a variety of shipwrecks and showed how the technology improved. I also liked all the pictures and diagrams that were included. One thing I didn’t love is how each wreck had a chapter, but at the end, there were a bunch of short excerpts of other wrecks but no conclusion.

Student Reviewer: SR, 9th Grade Reviewer

Maybe It’s a Sign by E. L. Shen - ADVISABLE

Maybe It’s a Sign by E. L. Shen, 240 pages. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Macmillan Publishing), 2024. $18.

Language: PG (4 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

13yo Freya’s dad died eight months ago, but the pain is still fresh—especially because Freya is struggling to enjoy playing her viola. Her dad loved that she played the viola. As she struggles to make decisions moving forward, Freya looks for a sign that her dad is still there. And he shows up—as a pair or lucky red birds.

Through Freya’s story, Shen tells readers it’s okay to not be okay. Another important message conveyed is that finding reasons to be happy and chasing new dreams while the world feels like it’s falling apart are good things. As humans, punishing ourselves for the sake of grief can feel like the right thing to do, even when it isn’t. Using support systems and moving forward with life helps more than self-punishment and guilt.

Freya and her family are Chinese, and Gus and his family are Korean. The violence rating is for mild description of blood and fantasy violence in a movie that triggers Freya, as well as some non-serious mentions of murder.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Dreaming in Code: Ada Byron Lovelace, Computer Pioneer by Emily McCully - OPTIONAL

Dreaming in Code: Ada Byron Lovelace, Computer Pioneer by Emily McCully, 164 pages. BIOGRAPHY. Candlewick Press, 2019. $10

Language:  G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (abuse mentioned, not described).; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

Ada Byron Lovelace grew up a very curious girl who loved adventure. Ada grew up without really having a connection with her mother and never knowing who her father was. She loved mathematics and science and she loved to read books and invent and try things such as flying machines . As she grew older she got married and had kids. She then started work with Charles Babbage on the Difference Engine.

I liked how McCully had a lot of detail in the book. It went through her life and really made me there and imagine what she would do and what it would look like if I were here. I struggled with the explanation of the machine she worked on as an adult. 

Student Reviewer: Sarah- 9th grade

Give by Jen Arena and Rahele Jomepour Bell - ESSENTIAL

Give by Jen Arena, illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell. PICTURE BOOK Alfred A. Knopf, 2023. $19. 9781524714994 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS, HS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

When a girl loses her hair ribbon, a boy gives her the ribbon from his gift box. The girl gives what she can to the next person who needs it, and on and on, creating a beautiful circle of giving kindness. 

The simple text and rich oil illustrations work together beautifully. For me, this was an impactful reminder to give, whether it's giving when someone has less or giving comfort. The children and adults were illustrated with diverse ethnicities. 

Rachel, Elementary Library Specialist 

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross - MANY

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. 368 pages. Wednesday Books, 2023. $12 

Language: PG (5 swears 0 'f'): Mature Content: PG (kissing and implied sex) Violence: PG-13 (grenade explosion in battle; bleeding from chemical weapons) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

18yo Iris works at a newspaper to help support her mother after her brother Forest was sent to war. She dropped out of college to work and she’s hoping for a promotion to columnist. 19yo Roman, Iris’ competitor for the columnist promotion, is rich and discovers that he’s been betrothed to a daughter of his father’s business acquaintance completely against Roman’s will. Iris and Roman have an unusual connection that he soon discovers but Iris is oblivious to. The mythological war soon takes over their lives and they have to fight to stay alive and get closer to the battle than they ever expected. 

I adore the slow burn romance. The fact that this book has very few swears is refreshing. I love Roman and Iris and enjoyed getting to know them and I also enjoyed the mystery of the letters. Falls to white and the Bed and Breakfast owner has light brown skin. 

LynnDell Watson, Delta High School Library

That's Not My Name by Megan Lally - OPTIONAL

That's Not My Name by Megan Lally, 304 pages. Sourcebooks Fire, 2023. $12 

Language: R (156 swears 83 'f');  Mature Content: G;  Violence: PG-13 (bloody hitting and bloody death) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY

A 17yo young woman wakes up in a ditch and has no idea how she got there. A police officer drives by, sees her, helps her and takes her to the police station where he questions her and realizes that she has lost her memory. She has a flashback of standing by a cluster of postal mailboxes and big hands grabbing her but she remembers nothing else. Soon after, a man arrives asking the police officer for help in finding his missing daughter. Alternately, a community is searching for a missing teenage girl that disappeared while walking home. Could this be the same girl?

The mystery kept me glued to the pages. The characters are an interesting and diverse set of personalities. The mystery unravels cleverly. The ethnicity falls to white. 

LynnDell Watson, Delta High School Librarian

Songs of America YRE by Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw - ADVISABLE

Songs of America YRE: Patriotism, Protest, and the Music that Made a Nation by Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw, 221 pages. Delacorte (Random House), 2019. $25

BUYING ADVISORY: ADULTS - ADVISABLE; HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Song has always been an essential part of human life and the birth of America and its history is no exception. Meacham, with a small assist from country star Tim McGraw, has created a wide ranging and insightful look at American history through its iconic songs. With more than 200 songs mentioned, Meacham has created a very satisfying panoply of music. 

Now I need to read the original version of this book!  While it is billed as Young Reader’s Edition, I don’t think many of our students will sit and read the entire book. But the adults around who teach American History will LOVE it! Buy a copy just to share with that whole department. The Hudson Public Library has created a playlist of all of the songs mentioned, some with several different versions, in the order the songs are presented in the book.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS

https://hudsonarealibrary.org/programs/adult-programs/nonfiction-book-group/playlist-for-the-book-songs-of-america-by-meachem-and-mcgraw/