Werewolves and Selkies: Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf and The Selkie’s Daughter

Posted on July 17, 2024 by Katy K.

I was recently part of a discussion of favorite mythical creatures. While I’m often drawn to dragons, another true answer is that I’ll listen to or read any well-told tale about any mythical creature. Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf is a contemporary story of magic, Judaism, first crushes and anxiety, while The Selkie’s Daughter is a historical story of identity, family, and survival.

Benji Zeb is a
Ravenous Werewolf

by Deke Moulton

Tundra Books, 2024

ISBN 978-1774880524

Read from an ARC.

Things Benji Zeb loves: Being a werewolf, and the joy of being in his wolf form. The beauty of Judaism. His community in the werewolf kibbutz and wolf sanctuary where he and his family live. When his classmate Caleb used to smile at him and be friendly with him. Also the particular shade of amber that Caleb’s eyes are.

Things Benji Zeb worries about: Not being able to memorize his parsha before his bar mitzvah. Letting down his family by doing anything about his bar mitzvah wrong. Caleb bullying him, especially in gym class. Possibly being gay. Accidentally shifting into his werewolf form (no full moon required.) Why Caleb’s stepfather is driving around the wolf sanctuary with a gun. The increasing hostility in town towards the wolf sanctuary.

I really loved Deke Moultons Don’t Want to Be Your Monster last year, so I was thrilled to snag an ARC of this at PLA this March. I was immediately sucked into Benji’s intimate first-person narrative, which clearly reveals the anxious circles his mind turns in even as they don’t bog the story down. And Benji has a lot going on, all of it complicated by the way his words and thoughts freeze up in front of everyone, even his family. As you might guess by it being set in a kibbutz, Judaism is an important part of Benji’s life, the music and rituals a great comfort to him, even though he struggles to prioritize his bar mitzvah prep as he feels that their existence in the community is under threat – the ranchers and the wolf sanctuary had to compete to be the focus of the community fair. The wolf sanctuary won, but now the ranchers feel that their best option is to attack the sanctuary.

When Caleb, the stepson of the chief opponent, turns up at the sanctuary, Benji has a lot of educating to do – both about werewolves (the myths are mostly wrong) and about Judaism (ditto) – even as Caleb, a Chinese-American, knows a lot about the historical and current discrimination against Asian-Americans. There’s a lot, but it worked for me as it’s perfectly relevant to the story and the tensions between the differet elements in the community feel all too real. The budding feelings between Benji and Caleb are a sweet counterpoint to the tensions, and the resolution of the story is absolutely perfect.

I went looking through my archives to find other books about werewolves and was a surprised not to find any other middle grade books about werewolves. For older readers, though, Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver trilogy and Gail Carriger’s long-running series beginning with Soulless remain classics. If you have any favorites, be sure to let me know in the comments!

Cover of the Selkie's Daughter by Linda Crotta Brennan

The Selkie’s Daughter
by Linda Crotta Brennan

Holiday House, 2024

ISBN 9780823454396

Read from a library copy.

Brigit lives with her parents and younger brother in a tiny isolated cottage, separated even from the rest of the tiny fishing village in 19th-century Nova Scotia. They’re surrounded by the beauty of the sea, and the inside of the cottage is made beautiful with the ballads they sing and the tunes they play and dance to. But Brigit’s webbed fingers betray her family secret: her mother is a selkie. Brigit has always tried to hide this, regularly having the webbing cut and wearing extra-long sleeves to hide them. The book opens with a startlingly hard scene of Brigit’s aunt cutting the finger webbing apart, and there are other very hard things in the book, softened only slightly by the gentle retelling.

Then comes change: a new boy, Peter, whose white-blond hair reminds her of the stories of Finn MacCoul. Her cousin Margaret no longer letting Brigit push her away. A deadly diptheria outbreak. And Margaret’s father and older brothers hunting what they think are baby seals, but which are really baby selkies, bringing famine and storms to the village as the selkies enact their revenge.

With all of these events, good and bad, Brigit is drawn out of her isolation, pulled to stand up against cruelty and make friends for the first time in years, both among the humans and getting to know her selkie relatives for the first time. The story takes a while to build, but the language and scenery are beautiful, as is Brigit’s realization of her own power and the will to use it.

The only other middle-grade book with selkies I can recall is The Turning by Emily Whitman, though I also really enjoyed the adult duology beginning with The Golden City by J. Kathleen Cheney

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2023 Cybils Young Adult Speculative Fiction Finalists

Posted on June 30, 2024 by Katy K.

I always like to see what my counterparts on the Cybils young adult speculative fiction panel have chosen as finalists! I started listening to these first thing in January, and only realized when I went to start writing reviews that I’d missed the one book. Here at last is the epic compilation of my short takes on all seven books.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. Read by Rebecca Norfolk and Alex Wingfield. Wednesday Books/Macmillan Audio, 2023. Listened to audiobook on Libby.
What 18-year-old Iris Winnow wants more than anything is for her older brother to come back from the war – where he was called by the song of a goddess – and for her mother to stop spending all their money on alcohol, as she’s been doing since her brother left. But since neither of those are in her control, she needs to get the position as the full-time columnist for the Oath Gazette, where she currently writes obituaries. Unfortunately, she has a rival in the wealthy and well-educated Roman Kitt, already the publisher’s favorite. Iris types letters to her brother on her typewriter and slips them under her wardrobe door… and after a long period of silence, starts getting letters back. The drama intensifies as we learn who the letters are coming from, and the publisher becomes adamant that there is no war, even as more and more young people go off to fight, never to be heard from again. The suspense and the romance are both dialed way up in this novel with World War I feels. Dual narrators work very well to bring both Iris and Roman to life. If you have strong feelings about cliffhangers, be sure to have the sequel, Ruthless Vows on hand as well. Major characters read as white.

Fault Lines by Nora Shalaway Carpenter. Running Press Kids, 2023. ISBN 978-0762480999. Read from a library copy.
Isolated 17-year-old Viv spends a lot of time in the tree stand her recently deceased aunt built, the only place she can still feel her energy. When the tree sinks into the ground, that energy leaves, and Viv is convinced it has to do with the fracking that’s been making increasing inroads into their rural Appalachian community. Dex has just moved to the community for his mother’s job on the pipeline – the first job in a long time that will pay for them to have a place nicer than a run-down apartment. Though they’re on opposite sides of the environmental issues, Viv and Dex are drawn to each other in this sensitive and nuanced story. Viv and Dex read as white, while Viv’s best friend is Black and Dex’s Latine.

The Half-Life of Love by Brianna Bourne. Read by Pete Cross and Stephanie Willing. Scholastic, 2023. ISBN 978-1338712667. Listened to audiobook on Libby.
In this alternate present-day world, most people have a seizure exactly halfway through their lives, letting them and everyone around them know exactly which way they will die. Flint had his when he was just 8, and is now quite reluctantly spending his last 41 days in a rented house with his divorced parents, who are trying to get along and have cheerful family bonding moments for their last days. September lives in this small town, home of the Half-Life Institute, where she is interning. Ever since her own little sister died, she’s wanted to find a cure for the half-life, and she wants this even more as she and Flint fall in love. This is a tender exploration of familial, friend, and romantic love, as well as the value of science and life itself. The narrators highlight Flint’s gradually softening cynicism and September’s hopefullness and grief. Major characters read as white.

Isles of the Gods by Aimee Kaufman. Read by Nikki Patel, Homer Todiwala, Donnabella Mortel, Vidish Athavale, and Steve West. Listening Library, 2023. ISBN B0BF7NY8CR. Listened to audiobook on Libby.
Teen sailor Selly really wants to find a ship to take her to find her father, who should have been back from the Northwest Passage a month ago. Instead, she finds herself on another ship in her father’s fleet – secretly chartered to carry the disguised crown prince to the Isle of the Gods to complete the sacrifice he should have completed years ago. Unfortunately, since he’s put it off so long, it will take a bigger sacrifice to keep their kingdom safe. Doubly unfortunately, their rival kingdom is determined to prevent the sacrifice to awaken their long-sleeping god and bring their kingdom back to ascendency. The world-building mixes technology of different time periods, with sailing ships, magic, Greek-like gods, and electricity all mixing. As you can tell by the long list of narrators, the story is told from multiple different perspectives, including some from the opposite side, all interesting and mostly sympathetic. As I’ve come to expect from Aimee Kaufman (see Illuminae, Ice Wolves, and Aurora Rising) this is a high-action, swashbuckling adventure with a side of romance. Characters have a variety of skin tones, sexual orientations, and economic backgrounds. Book 2, The Heart of the World, is due out September 17, 2024. I’m looking forward to it!

The Q by Amy Tintera.Crown Books for Young Readers, 2022. ISBN 978-0593486177. Read from a library copy.
17-year-old Maisie Rojas has grown up in the Q, as the quarantine zone that used to be Austin is called. It’s divided into area controlled by different ruling factions, and Maisie is in a high position as part of the ruling family. When teen Lennon, the son of the President of the United States, is kidnapped and dropped into the Q, she’s able to give him a vaccine that will keep him safe from the disease that everyone in the Q has – but only for 48 hours. After that, he’ll be susceptible to the disease and stuck in the Q for life. It’s a battle for their lives as they journey through multiple territories trying to escape enemies and rivals. Lennon and Maisie are both learning more of the reality of life on the other sides of the borders that have separated them – and meanwhile, losing their hearts to each other. Can there be a happy ending for them?? Maisie is described as Latine, while Lennon is white.

Revelle by Lyssa Mia Smith. Narrated by Taylor Meskimen and Kirt Graves. Balzer + Bray, 2023. ISBN 978-0063239265. Listened to audiobook on Libby.
Luxe Revelle is the star of her circus-style family’s show on the magical island of Charmant, just offshore from New York City. But it’s the 1920s, and Prohibition is threatening her family’s livelihood – how can they make a living when they can’t get the alcohol they need to draw people in and them tempt them to pay for magical experiences in gemstones. So when the younger son of the current mayor, part of the wealthiest family on the island, offers to help her family out of its bind – including giving them a permanent building instead of the collapsing tent they’re all living in – Luxe can’t refuse. Then she meets Jamison Porter, who’s just arrived on the island and finds it startlingly familiar. He’s an orphan who’s been traveling with some of Luxe’s family, who introduces them. Sparks fly immediately – but their attraction must be kept a secret while Luxe is officially dating someone else, and there are layers and layers of secrets with the power to hurt multiple people. Meanwhile, there are random but recurring attempts on both their lives with no apparent motive. All the drama, feels, romance, and impossible choices are here in a glamourous 20s setting. Luxe and Jamison both read as white, though some of Luxe’s cousins/best friends are Black. Once again, the romance and mysteries are shown to good effect through the use of dual narrators.

Threads that Bind by Kika Hatzapoulou. Read by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. Razorbill/Listening Library, 2023. ISBN 978-0593528716. Listened to audiobook on Libby.
The world in which we find ourselves feels something like the 20s or 30s, but seems to be a post-apocalyptic world, (is it just me who tries to figure out when and where the story is set?) the descendants of the Greek gods pass their powers on to their descendants – at least those who have the correct number of siblings. Io is the youngest Ora sister, and she and her older two sisters have the powers of Fates to weave, draw, and cut the threads of life. Even though it’s a gift of the gods, Cutters are feared rather than respected, so Io keeps her skill as secret as possible in her work as a private investigator. Then she finds that someone is cutting the threads of women, leaving them not dead but in a zombie-like state – and those women then go on to commit murders. Her effort to solve this mystery leads to her finally meeting the man that she’s bound to with a fate thread – who is an assistant to the dreaded Mob Queen – and to the highest and lowest depths of society. The world is vibrant and multi-cultural, with one of Io’s older sisters in a sapphic relationship. Though I enjoyed all the finalists, I could definitely understand why this one won the award. The story is definitely not over by the end of this book – Hearts that Cut, the second book in the duology, came out earlier this June.

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Interview with Illustrator Bea Jackson: Creating Joyful Art for SUMMER IS HERE

Posted on June 22, 2024 by Katy K.

Read on for an interview with Bea Jackson, the illustrator of the gorgeous new book SUMMER IS HERE by Renée Watson (of Piecing Me Together and Ways to Make Sunshine), as well as the best-selling PARKER LOOKS UP!

As you all know, especially since my own children outgrew pictures books (as much as one can outgrow them), I’ve been focusing this blog on middle grade books. Even then, I have difficulty keeping up with reviewing all the books I read. So when an unsolicited picture book for review arrived at my house a bit ago, I was a little bit chagrined. Then, I opened the book – Renée Watson!! Bea Jackson! The lyrical text that economically and yet perfectly describes a perfect summer day! The realistic yet magical illustrations! Well, I might not have time to do the book justice with my own review, but I still wanted to share it with you. Happily, Bloomsbury’s publicity director Faye Bi was able to connect me with Ms. Jackson, and the picture book librarian at my library, Ms. Nicole, came up with questions for her. We all had a great time picking out our favorite spreads!

Summer is Here
by Renée Watson
and Bea Jackson

Bloomsbury, 2024

ISBN 9781547605866

Review copy kindly sent by the publisher

Can you tell us a little bit about how you came to work on SUMMER IS HERE,
and what the art process was like?
When I heard about Summer Is Here, I was immediately excited to work
on it. I love books that focus on joy, friendships, and fun experiences.
After reading Renée Watson’s words, the images came to my mind
effortlessly. It was a very nice flowing process with a lot of creative
freedom, which I love!

    A spread from Summer is Here by Renée Watson and Bea Jackson featuring four children having a water balloon fight.

    Did you always want to be an artist? How did you start working on children’s
    books?
    When I was younger, I loved to write and draw, but I veered more toward
    being an artist as I got older. I first started working in children’s books in
    high school. A friend of mine told her aunt that I liked to draw, and her aunt
    put me in contact with my first publisher. Children’s books, from then on,
    helped me get through some of my college education.

    What do you love to draw? Are there any recurring motifs in your work that have
    special meaning to you?
    I love to draw fantasy and magic! Even a story isn’t based in fantasy, I try
    to incorporate a sense of magic in ordinary settings, mostly through the
    use of vibrant colors and leaving little speckles in my work.

    A spread from Summer is Here by Renée Watson and Bea Jackson featuring children and families buying ice-cream from an ice-cream truck.

    What was your favorite image/page/illustration that you made for SUMMER
    HERE?
    My favorite page to illustrate was the spread with the bubbles. It was fun
    to work on the details of the character’s face and hair, and all the colors I
    got to splash into the bubbles.

    A spread from Summer is Here by Renée Watson and Bea Jackson featuring a girl blowing bubbles.

    What do you love about summer? What’s your fondest summer memory?
    What I love about summer is the free time it gave me, especially when I
    was a kid. Once we kids were out of school, we could play from sunup to
    sundown. It’s hard to pick a fondest memory since there were so many
    great experiences, but I would say the night all the neighborhood kids
    decided to go swimming in the pool!

    A spread from Summer is Here by Renée Watson and Bea Jackson featuring three girls floating in a pool.
    Photo of illustrator Bea Jackson.

    About the Illustrator:
    Bea Jackson creates to encapsulate a moment in time, challenging herself to combine her boundless imagination with experiences and emotion and capture the result on paper. A lifelong collector of both picture books and comics, she admires art’s ability to speak perfectly on its own and translate ideas without words. As a digital painter using textures that mimic pastels, oil paints, and watercolor, she pursues the rainbow in her palette, seeking to add a touch of childhood magic to her work. From one of her earliest illustrated picture books, Hair Like Mine, to the New York Times bestselling Parker Looks Up, Bea explores themes that unify rather than divide.

    Thank you so much, Ms. Jackson!

    SUMMER IS HERE is out now, available at your local library and wherever books are sold.

    Posted in Books, picture books, Print, Realistic | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

    The Cookie Crumbles by Tracy Badua and Alechia Dow

    Posted on June 11, 2024 by Katy K.

    I’ve really enjoyed books by both Tracy Badua (Freddie vs. the Family Curse) and Alechia Dow (Just a Pinch of Magic), so when their publicist asked if I wanted to read their new co-authored book, the answer was absolutely yes. In this closed-building mystery, two best friends must work together to identify the criminal behind an attempted murder before one of them is unjustly blamed for it – or the would-be murderer strikes again.

    Cover of The Cookie Crumbles by Tracy Badua and Alechia Dow.

    The Cookie Crumbles
    by Tracy Badua
    & Alechia Dow

    Quill Tree Books, 2024.

    ISBN 9780063254589

    PDF kindly sent by the publisher for review.

    Laila and Lucy have been best friends since kindergarten. But 8th grade might be their last year at school together – unless they can both win scholarships to the prestigious nearby boarding school, Sunderland, which neither of their families can afford. Laila has won a spot at the Golden Cookie Competition the school is hosting, which offers the winner a full scholarship, while aspiring journalist Lucy is coming along to beef up her portfolio in hopes of winning a journalism scholarship.

    The cast of characters: Laila, the only child of a struggling single Black mother. Lucy, from a large Filipino family. Rich white girl Philippa Willingsworth, “future debutante”. Cute plant-lover Micah Dae, who helps out in his parents’ Korean restaurant. Chemistry whiz and thrift-store fashionista Maeve Issawi. Green-eyed Jaden Parker, son of two indie filmmakers, who still holds a grudge against Laila for winning the pie competition they were last in together. Competition organizer Noah St. John, assistant to Chef Remi Boucre. Television personalties and judges Chef Remi Boucre, known for his cruelty towards aspiring chefs, and Chef Polly Rose, with a sweet Southern grandma personality.

    The competition begins immediately, despite being cut off from the rest of the world by a storm. Then Chef Remi, who is refraining only from cursing, not from insulting the kids’ baking, collapses just after eating one of Laila’s cookies. Even though he has a heart condition, nearly all the other competitors are primed to blame Laila, the poorest of the kids there. The competition carries on – but Laila needs to clear her name, and Lucy sees the whole incident as the perfect showcase for her investigative journalism skills. Their friendship starts to crumble under the strain, even as they need each other more than ever. Everyone present (except for Lucy) has a reason to hold a grudge against the unlikeable Chef Remi. But would they really go so far as attempted murder?

    The Cookie Crumbles is an appetizingly cozy mystery for the middle grade set, with the bonus of the rare-for-the age group actual attempted murder. Chef Remi is despicable and won’t be mourned, but his removal gives the story an edge of real danger. Meanwhile, the kids must balance the fact that they’re competitors against the need to cooperate to solve the mystery – and figure out how much they can trust the other adults there. There are rivalries, crushes, and confronting of prejudices. All of this in a setting almost entirely cut off from contact with the outside world and filled with descriptions of lots of luscious cookies. This is a story to savor!

    For more middle grade mysteries, take a look at my post 12 Mysteries for Fans of Enola Holmes.

    Posted in Middle Grade, Mystery, Print, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

    Cybils 2024 Summer Reading: Join the Middle Grade Speculative Fiction Panel!

    Posted on June 9, 2024 by Katy K.

    In case you missed it, there will be Cybils summer reading again. This year, I’m excited (and a bit nervous) to be the chair of the middle grade speculative fiction panel! Just picture how fun your summer will be, reading the latest and greatest books in your favorite genre, discovering new authors, and discussing them with fellow enthusiasts! You just need to be someone who loves reading books for kids and is excited to talk about them online.

    You can apply and read just for the summer, read in the summer and continue on to the full reading in the fall, or apply now to figure out if it’s for you or not. There are just a few more days to apply, and I’d love to read with you!

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    Puzzleheart by Jenn Reese

    Posted on May 31, 2024 by Katy K.

    A sentient escape house tries to trap its guests in a blizzard, while the kids must keep the adults from making things worse, all complicated by a litter of adorably curious kittens.

    I have enjoyed many of Jenn Reese’s books, including Every Bird a Prince, A Game of Fox and Squirrels, and The Above World Trilogy, so you can bet I was thrilled to be asked to review their latest book.

    Cover of Puzzleheart by Jenn Reese

    Puzzleheart
    by Jenn Reese

    Henry Holt, 2024.

    ISBN 9781250783479

    Review copy kindly sent by the publisher.  

    12-year-old Perigee is traveling to their grandparents’ puzzle house with their father for the first time.  Perigee’s dad and grandmother haven’t been close since Perigee’s grandfather died in an accident before their passion project ever opened.  But Perigee hopes that they can help rebuild their family relationships and explore the fabulous-sounding “Eklunds’ Puzzle House” themself – a whole house dedicated to puzzles, built long before escape rooms became popular.  

    When they arrive, Perigee and their dad are trapped in the house by an unseasonable storm together with Lily, a girl Perigee’s own age, and the litter of inquisitive kittens she’s caring for. And Perigee’s careful plan falls apart almost immediately – their father and grandmother are frosty to each other, and the house makes it clear that it will open all the windows to the storm outside if the group doesn’t make an effort to solve its puzzle.  At the same time, Grandma is convinced that the house is being “childish” and will improve its behavior if they just refuse to solve any puzzles or play any games at all.  

    This wasn’t at all what Perigee had in mind – but he and Lily are determined to solve the puzzles, even as the house makes them more and more difficult, changing them from entertaining to life-threatening along the way.  In the outside world, Perigee has been surviving by keeping everything to themself – but inside Puzzleheart, they’ll need to be honest with themself and with those around them to make it through.  

    There is so, so much to love about this book!  I loved Perigee’s earnestness, and the way their being nonbinary is just a casual fact through the book, not a source of big trauma or discussion.  The puzzles – and the house’s efforts to up the game to meet its own goals – were great fun.  Perigee’s journey includes  learning both how to be a better friend to Lily and the limits of their responsibilities towards their father, without ever feeling like the puzzle-solving part is just metaphor or allegory.  And while I’ve never been to an escape room, visiting a historic bed and breakfast with beautifully designed and shifting puzzles sounds entrancing.  This is definitely one of my favorites of the year so far. 

    Posted in Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

    BLOG TOUR! Keep It Like a Secret by John David Anderson

    Posted on May 21, 2024 by Katy K.

    It’s time to celebrate John David Anderson’s latest book, KEEP IT LIKE A SECRET! Read on for more about this sensitive sibling story.

    Cover of Keep It Like a Secret by John David Anderson


    Keep It Like a Secret
    by John David Anderson

    Walden Pond Press, 2024

    ISBN 978-0063279315

    Review copy kindly provided by the publisher.

    About the Book

    From the first moment Morgan can remember, Claire has always been there. Big sister and little brother. Cat and Mouse. They’ve always understood each other, saved each other, seen each other. And they stuck to their own personal code, unwritten but understood, that siblings were inseparable, that they had each other’s backs, no matter what.

    At least, they used to.

    Somewhere along the line, things between them shifted. Claire started fighting more with Mom, storming out of the house, spending more and more time away, and Morgan felt his sister and best friend slipping away. Now he spends nearly every night sitting awake in his room, waiting for the sound of her key in the lock.

    It’s a sound he hasn’t heard in nearly a week, ever since her and Mom’s worst fight ever. So when Claire finally calls and tells Morgan she wants to spend the day together, just the two of them, he knows this might be his only chance—not just to convince her to come home, but to remind her how good things used to be, and could be again.

    But Claire has her own plan for the day. One that will mean that, no matter what happens, things between them are going to change forever.

    About the Author

    John David Anderson author photo

    John David Anderson is the author of more than a dozen beloved and bestselling books for kids, including the New York Times Notable Book Ms. Bixby’s Last Day, Posted, One Last Shot, Stowaway, Riley’s Ghost, The Greatest Kid in the World and many more. A dedicated root beer connoisseur and chocolate fiend, he lives with his ever-patient wife and two ornery cats, MJ and Parker, in Indianapolis, IN. You can visit him online at johndavidanderson.org.

    My Thoughts

    As has been made clear with so many of his previous books, John David Anderson is a master of writing books about serious topics that have all the feels without being unbearably sad. Here, we’re looking at a family that’s been falling apart, even as our narrator Morgan tries to pull it back together again. Claire read to Morgan when he was a child, tucked him into bed, taught him how to walk to school, to draw comics, and to do flips on the trampoline, and explained the rules of their Sibling Code. Now Morgan is in middle school and Claire a senior in high school, and her increasingly upsetting arguments with their mother, are tearing apart everything that kept the family together. (As a parent myself, I found myself really wanting to recommend some coaching for the family – Sanity School for the mother, probably dialectical behavior therapy for all – but this is a novel and not a parenting book, so I will concede the point.)

    Flashbacks tell the story of the first time Claire took the two of them on a secret adventure of their own, as Morgan and Claire go out for a day of adventure with what turns out to be very different goals. The adventures – shown in snapshots on the cover – are fun and wild, illuminating both their strong sibling bond while contrasting Claire’s over-the-top whimsy and desire to experience it all against Morgan’s caution. Both of them find themselves exploring the limits of the Code and sharing secrets they’d kept from each other despite it – the reasons for Claire’s running away; the pressure Morgan feels trying to bring the family together. I was rooting for both of them, my heart aching early on knowing that Morgan’s dreams couldn’t come true. The ending is bittersweet, leaving both Morgan and Claire wiser and still with room for future growth. Recommended for readers who want to smile while having their heartstrings tugged at.

    Blog Tour Stops

    15-MayNerdy Book Club@nerdybookclub
    16-MayTeachers Who Read@teachers_read
    17-MayLit Coach Lou@litcoachlou
    20-MayMaria’s Mélange@mariaselke
    21-MayA Library Mama@alibrarymama
    22-MaySatisfaction for Insatiable Readers@grgenius
    26-MayBluestocking Thinking@bluesockgirl

    Teacher’s Guide

    keep-it-like-a-secret-educators-guideDownload
    Posted in Books, Middle Grade, Print, Realistic, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

    A Game of Noctis by Deva Fagan

    Posted on May 4, 2024 by Katy K.

    I’d been taking an unplanned break from middle grade fantasy when Ms. Fagan emailed me to ask if I’d like to review her latest book.  As I really enjoyed some of her past books, including her 2021 superhero story Nightingale and 2022 Cybils winner The Mirrorwood, I of course said yes. Still, I was a little afraid that I’d just lost my taste for my longtime favorite reading niche. I needn’t have worried! This book is a delight, including ratcheting tension and deep thoughts about the social order in a game-drive atmosphere.

    Cover of A Game of Noctis by Deva Fagan

    A Game of Noctis
    by Deva Fagan

    Atheneum Books, 2024

    ISBN 9781665930192

    Review copy kindly sent by the author. Ebook and audiobook available from Libby.

    All of her twelve years, Pia Paro has been proud to be a citizen of the beautiful city of Dantessa with its tall towers and watery streets. She loves that its society is built on games – play the games well, and even the lowliest of citizens can in theory earn their way to the top. There are games of luck, games of dexterity, and games of skill, including Pia’s favorite, Noctis (more on this soon).

    A tingling swept through me, like the bubbles in the cider we used to drink on holidays. A fizzy sweetness that lifted me up, tickling my skin, almost but not quite painful.
    The gamescript spiraled over me into a single bright word: WINNER! The letters burst apart in a shower of stars that transformed into segna as they fell, clinking into my outstretched hands.”

    A Game of Noctis by Deva Fagan, p 31

    Orphaned Pia has been raised by her grandfather, who’s taught her everything he knows of the ever-changing games. However, as his eyesight fails, he loses first his job with a high-ranking household and then more and more games, leaving him unable to afford the spectacles he’d need to win. Even worse, his player status – displayed floating in the air over people’s outstretched palms – finally sinks down to 0, so that he is removed from Dantessa and sent to another island as a lowly pawn.

    Now Pia is on her own, trying to win enough games to pay the enormous ransom to get her grandfather back again – winning she also now needs for food and rent. So when a mysterious player clearly from a class above hers challenges her to the board game of Noctis – two teams with chess-like pieces, plus Death, the enemy of them both – Pia can’t refuse. And this leads her to an invitation to join a team for the annual live Game of Noctis. Here, the players are the pieces, with unpredictable magical challenges, and the role of death, rather than being an inanimate piece or stand-in human, is played by Lady Death herself, with deadly consequences for the loser.

    Usually competing teams are all from the highest levels of society – but the Seafoxes are a motley bunch of players, mostly from the lower circles of the city, and all with their own intense reasons for playing. Pia’s been on the defensive since being dropped by her former best friend, the son of the wealthy man who fired her grandfather, but she will need to be close to her teammates for them to have any hope of winning. (Pia is described as pale with red hair, while her teammates and those on other teams are described with a variety of skin tones and genders, including one trans teammate.)

    As they see the competition – fully funded with special tricks or “boons” that can be bought ahead of time by people who have the game credits – the Seafoxes see how very much the game is rigged against them. This leads to questioning the whole nature of the games of Dantessa. But can Pia and her team be clever enough to beat not just the opposing teams but the very Game itself?

    With a setting that feels like a cross between Renaissance Venice and a video game come to life, a great surface challenge, and the shadowy puzzle of how the games work, I was drawn in right away. Pia’s first-person narration is immediate and personal. While many kids will likely want to play the games themselves, Pia’s struggles with friendship – both betrayal and building from scratch – resonate, and her team’s efforts to learn about the system will hopefully prompt some thinking about the systems we take for granted in our own world.

    This would pair well with many of the books on my 12 Middle Grade Books for Fans of Role-Playing Games list, especially Frostborn by Lou Anders, which also shares a board game come to life with potentially lethal

    Posted in Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

    Cybils Middle Grade Fiction Finalists

    Posted on April 27, 2024 by Katy K.

    I have slowly been working my way through the Cybils finalists by category (my favorite categories, besides the one where I’m a panelist.) I’ve finally finished the middle grade fiction finalists, and am including my brief thoughts here. The Cybils website will have bigger blurbs on all of them!

    I expect finalists to be good, given the love it takes for a book to get nominated in the first place and the effort that goes into narrowing them all down. This did not disappoint! All of these books made me think and cry, and many of them made me laugh as well. What more can you ask?

    Farther than the Moon by Linsday Lackey. Roaring Brook Press, 2023. ISBN 978-1250205209. Read from a library copy.
    13-year-old Houston and his younger brother Robbie have long-standing plans to go to space together. It’s part of that shared dream for Houston to go to Space Camp, but Robbie, whose cerebral palsy makes him nonverbal and keeps him in a wheelchair, is left behind. Once at Space Camp, Houston is challenged to find a way to include Robbie without his being there, while at the same time making friends with the various people in his team, from a girl who read to me as autistic to a boy whose arrogance instantly raises Houston’s hackles. He also looks into the history behind why his astronaut grandfather and his mother are no longer talking to each other. There’s a lot to dig into here, with deep emotions especially around Houston and Robbie’s loving relationship balanced against the competition and teamwork of space camp projects.

    The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla. Read by Gail Shalan. Quill Tree Books, 2023. ISBN 978-0063268791. Listened to audiobook on Libby.
    Maudie has always loved her summers in California with her easy-going dad more than the school year that she spends in Texas with her mother and now her new husband. Her mother wants to make Maudie’s autism “better” by training her to cover it up, and the new boyfriend seems to think he can punish the weirdness out of her. This summer starts off with extra difficulty, though, as wildfires block off their home. After a very challenging night in a shelter – a nightmare for a kid with autism – Maudie and her dad travel to an old friend’s campground where they can stay in an old camper. There, close to the beach, Maudie makes friends for the first time, finds calm and confidence in learning to surf, and works to build up the courage to tell her father just when she wants so desperately to live with him full time. Though I’ve certainly read books by autistic authors before, this is the first book I’ve read explicitly about an autistic kid from an author with the same life experience, and this makes Maudie shine as a character who knows her needs and limitations and is just starting to learn her strengths. This was also the middle grade winner of the 2024 Schneider Family Award.

    Hands by Torrey Maldonado. Read by the author. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2023. ISBN 9780593323793. Listened to audiobook on Libby.
    12-year-old Trevor has loved drawing since he was small. Now, though, he’s having nightmares as his mother’s abusive boyfriend is about to get out of jail. Surely if he learns to use his hands for fighting, he’d be better able to protect his mother and sisters. His best friend is happy to learn with him, but his willingness to use violence attracts teens who’d like to use him as an example and frightens those close to him. Can he find a way to be strong without violence? This novel packs a punch in just 135 pages and excels in showing both the challenges and the tight community relations in Trevor’s underprivileged neighborhood.

    No Place Like Home by James Bird. Feiwel & Friends, 2023. ISBN 978-1250877628. Read from a library copy.
    Years ago, Opin and Emjay’s mother left their abusive father with nothing but a car. Though she’s done her best to earn a living, working as a waitress or dancing by the side of the road, nothing has ever been enough for them to afford their own apartment. Emjay has always resented this, frequently running away, stealing and more in his attempts to escape, while Opin tries to stay away from him while helping their mother. Opin’s mother draws on their Ojibway heritage in trying to keep their language alive and in viewing their scavenging for abandoned food through fast food restaurants and grocery stores as hunting. When a lost and wounded puppy finds him, Opin is more determined than ever to for them to find a real home. Based on the author’s own childhood experience, this poetic novel shows the resilience and hard work it takes to survive being homeless and the help it takes to get out of it. I really enjoyed the clever use of strikethroughs in the chapter titles, and the hope and good humor underlying all the hard times shown.

    Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow. Read by Will Collyer. Disney Hyperion, 2023. ISBN 978-1368082853. Listened to audiobook on Libby.
    In a scenario that prevented me from picking this book up for a year after it came out, Simon and his parents have fled to the tiny town of Grin and Bear It, Nebraska, after his surviving a school shooting made him horribly famous. Grin and Bear It has the enormous advantage that cell phones and internet are banned, so that no one here knows Simon’s story. His father runs the too-large Catholic church, which is soon experiencing trouble with a “Jesus squirrel” and his mother takes over the funeral home and its attached residence, which comes with an attack peacock. Simon is able to make two new friends, one of whom decides that the scientists who run the big radio telescope that requires all the radio silence would really be much happier if they heard from some aliens. This already hilarious conceit is made even funnier with the addition of alpacas and pregnant goats on the nearby farms. And of course Simon’s attempts to keep his trauma secret from his friends will cause some problems. One of Simon’s friends (the one who lives on the goat farm) introduces herself as autistic, and I loved that she is shown that way without explaining things like that she doesn’t do small talk and takes everything literally, while still being a great friend. I am so glad I finally read this book. It made me laugh and cry and warmed my heart, and I was absolutely gobsmacked at how Bow was able to put all of this into a cohesive, believable story (okay, maybe except for the Jesus squirrel.) It won the Cybils award for this category as well as Newbery and Schneider Family Award honors and was a National Book Award finalist, all well deserved.

    Tethered to Other Stars by Elisa Stone Leahy. Read by Almarie Guerra. Quill Tree Books, 2023. ISBN 978-0063255487. Listened to audiobook on Libby.
    Wendy Toledo is starting seventh grade at a new school, since her family has moved from their neighborhood in the city to a run-down house in a smaller town, where she’s aggrieved to find out that her attic bedroom has a large hole in the middle of the floor. Both Wendy’s best friend and her teen brother Tom’s girlfriend had been taken by ICE, and they don’t always take time to check papers, so her family has moved to be safer. (This first part felt so dystopian that it took me a bit to realize that it was contemporary realistic fiction.) While she misses her friend and the close-knit neighborhood, astronomy is the love of her life and she’s thrilled to be going to a magnet science school and have the chance to learn more and perhaps earn a scholarship to an astronomy conference. However, animosity towards non-whites is present here, too, and things are challenging both at school, where some students think she couldn’t really have earned her spot, and at home, where the church that backs their house is sheltering an undocumented woman from ICE, putting ICE perilously close. Though she’s always been taught to lie low and fit in, Wendy will have to stand up for herself and her beliefs if she’s going to shine like a star rather than being pulled into a black hole. With plenty of friendship issues and some school injustice that made me literally shake with rage, this is a wonderful sliding glass door of a book that is both broadening and relatable.

    What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski. Read by Kirby Heybourne and 8 others. Quill Tree Books, 2023. ISBN 9780063213098. Listened to audiobook on Libby.
    It’s extra tough to make friends when you’re starting a new school in eighth grade. Anna is struggling both with this and with missing her grandmother, who’s back in Poland. When she sits down with the one girl who always eats lunch by herself and is told not to both by the girl and by other students, Anna wonders what could have happened – Rachel is pretty and smart and there’s no obvious reason that she should be so conspicuously left out. Against advice from her teacher and her older sister, Anna decides to use a school podcast assignment to research what happened to turn Rachel from a popular girl to a pariah. Along the way, she discovers a lot about herself, middle school dynamics, and the far-reaching effects of patriarchy and gender expectations on kids her age. Can one forbidden podcast make a difference? This one would pair well with Barbara Dee’s Maybe He Just Likes You.

    Posted in Audiobook, Books, Lists, Middle Grade, Print, Realistic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

    My Top 12 Posts 3-1: LGBTQ+ MG Fantasy, Back to Magic School, and Winter Fantasy

    Posted on April 19, 2024 by Katy K.

    We have reached the end of this journey through my most popular posts of the past! Thank you for coming along with me, and do let me know in the comments if any of my posts are personal favorites of yours.

    In the number 3 spot, we have a list that I put out just last April. It’s gotten 210 views in that time, and I’m so happy both to be able to spotlight these excellent and much-needed books, and that it seems to be filling a need for kids who, like my own, are hungering to see themselves reflected in books.

    LGBTQ+ Middle Grade Fantasy Book List

    The #2 post is even newer, published in September 2023. It’s gotten 191 hits since then, which if it keeps up, will put it at 382 hits by its first birthday. What magic-loving child hasn’t dreamed of going to magic school themselves? This list has a range of options – and there are even more in my first list on the topic, Magical Middle School.

    Back to Magic School: a Middle Grade Book List

    Drumroll, please – the one you’ve all been waiting for – the number one post – my list of winter-themed fantasy books. This one has gotten 1,194 view since it was posted in December of 2020, for an average of 398 views a year. I’m so happy to find other people who love winter as much as I do, even if I am secretly a bit puzzled at its year-round popularity.

    8 Winter Fantasy Books for Middle Grade Readers
    Posted in Books, Lists, Middle Grade | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments