Bea Wolf

Come listen to the stories of the long ago kids, the improper, the fighters of fun-killers, gated for fame. Meet Tanya Treat-Taker, Shawn Peace-Shatterer and Sonya Foam-Slinger. But mightiest of all of these was Bea Wolf, shield maiden of Heidi’s Hold, sequin-wearing basher of lake beasts and Queen of Battle. Hear the story of how this flower-skirted fighter faced Grindle, the heartless killjoy who sought to end the bubble-blowing, gum-smacking celebrations in the fortress stronghold, Treeheart.

A hilarious adaption of the Old English epic, Beowulf, this graphic novel pairs the poetic feel and format of the original with a child’s dreams of epic misbehavior. The struggle of good vs. evil never before involved so much sugar and sparkles!

Notable Challenge Update #2

I’m definitely making progress reading through the list. But writing reviews for each book is probably overly ambitious. Going forward, I’ll only be reviewing my absolute favorites. But I will list all of the books I read and give a quick blurb. True to my original plan, this update is not picture books, but early readers with a Middle and an Older book.

EARLY READERS

Elena Rides. By Juana Medina. Illus. by the author. Candlewick Press

Elena is an elephant, determined to learn to ride her bike. Under the watchful eye of a friendly red bird, she tries and tries, only to wobble and bobble, until Ka-bang! Undaunted, she gets up and tries again. And again. Just when it seems she’s got it, Ka-rash! The frustration is too much for elena. But her small bird friend won’t let her give up. A bit of encouragement is all Elena needs to try again. And this time her perseverance pays off!

Delightful as this book is as a read aloud or to read together, it si also an excellent choice for early readers. Fonts are easy to read yet varied. The layout of the text helps convey meaning. The letters in the word “bobble” seem to bounce and bobble on the page. Large illustrations without too many words on one page make the text less intimidating and repeated words build confidence. A perfect combination of fun, engaging story with a great format for supporting emerging readers!

Fox Has a Problem. By Corey R. Tabor. Illus. by the author. Balzer+Bray – Geisel Award Winner

Fox has a problem. His kite is caught in a tree. It’s not the first time. But Fox’s ideas to solve his problem create new problems for the other creatures of the forest. Each idea creates yet another new and even bigger problem until the animals decide that Fox is a problem. But Elephant has an idea. Will it solve the problems?

This sweet story about friends working together to solve a problem won the 2024 Theodore Seuss Geisel Award for early readers. High-interest illustrations pair with short lines of text, well-suited to new readers who may find large blocks of text challenging. Repeated words help build fluency. Be sure to check out Corey R. Tabor’s other award-winning Fox books!

MIDDLE

Chinese Menu: The History Myths, and Legends Behind Your FavoriteFoods. By Grace Lin. Illus. by the author. Little, Brown Books for YoungReaders

What a delightful combination of two of my favorite things – food and folklore! Lin turns her considerable talent for storytelling to the history and legends behind many favorite Chinese dishes. Along the way we meet the inventors of chopsticks, learn the origin stories of different teas, enjoy the story behind the dish called “Buddha Jumps Over the Wall,” and much more, ending, like any good Chinese meal in America, with fortune cookies! Along the way, Lin, daughter of Taiwanese immigrants confesses that she doesn’t use chopsticks correctly. This book is a celebration of the variety of Chinese food and the rich tradition of stories behind the dishes you may see on your local restaurant’s Chinese Menu.

OLDER

A First Time for Everything. By Dan Santat. Illus. by the author. First Second

Middle School was a nightmare for Dan Santat, a series of humiliations that left him wanting to become invisible. As a result, he has low expectations of pretty much everything, including a class trip to Europe the summer before starting high school, a trip everyone else is excited for. In this graphic memoir Dan remembers the experiences on this trip that opened his eyes to the wonders around him and helped him regain his confidence. New experiences alternate with flashbacks to nightmare moments in Middle School. While kids today won’t believe that at 13 years old the students were turned loose in Paris with no adult supervision on their first day abroad, many will be able to relate to the humiliations and unpleasantness of Middle School. From first Fanta to first kiss, followed by first heartbreak, readers will find themselves cheering Dan on and laughing with him along the way.

Notable Challenge Update #1

Picture Books

Big. By Vashti Harrison. Illus. by the author. Little, Brown Books for YoungReaders, 2023.

Caldecott Medal Winner. What can I add to what has already been said about this book? The illustrations are amazing, capturing the transition from a time in a young girl’s life when being big was a good thing to the time her size begins to draw negative attention. Her isolation grows as she feels both exposed and invisible. She curls into herself, allowing herself to be defined by the words others use, words that wound and crush her until she decides to reclaim her space. She recaptures the positive words that had described her, words like creative, kind, and graceful. This book is a heart-wrenching look at how even well-intentioned words can carry judgments and prejudices that hurt. She doesn’t need help or to change. She’s already creative, imaginative, compassionate, and good.

Beneath. By Cori Doerrfeld. Illus. by the author. Little, Brown Books for YoungReaders, 2023

Poor Finn is in a horrible mood. He just wants to stay in bed, hidden under his quilt. He’s sure Grandpa won’t understand. Grandpa coaxes Finn into going for a walk and urges him to remember what’s beneath. As the pair walks through the forest, they consider the roots growing beneath the soil and animals in dens and fish under the water. Seeds hidden in plants promise new growth and a hollow tree can be home for an owl family. And Finn learns that beneath their appearances, people also have more to them. And maybe someone who looks like they won’t understand actually shares the same pain – beneath. Beautifully illustrated and evocative of the natural world, this book celebrates the diversity around us. There is more than you think beneath.

Cape. By Kevin Johnson. Illus. by Kitt Thomas. Roaring Brook Press, 2023

This cape is a young boy’s armor against pain that seems too much to bear. If only he can use it to block out the memories of his loved one, maybe his loss won’t hurt so much. But despite all his attempts to fly his memories to outer space or sink them in the depths of the ocean, the bittersweet memories break through. This book is an unflinching look at grief through the eyes of a child. “Memories make my swallow hurt,” he says. But as the memories close in, the illustrations brighten and the colors become more vibrant, a counterpoint to the darkness of grief. While focusing on the solace memories can bring, this book does not ignore or downplay the gray sadness of profound loss. This stunning book brought tears to my eyes.

My Notable Challenge

I have neglected reviewing and this blog woefully for a number of years now, much to my regret. But my move to full-time management of Children’s Library Services consumed all of my mental energy for 6 years before I finally decided the time had come to move on. One thing I felt I’d lost was my creative side – writing, quilting, etc. It’s been over a year, and I’m still figuring it out. 

I started by serving on the Virginia Library Association’s Cardinal Cup Award Committee. While I thoroughly enjoy the committee, my reading became mostly limited by the award criteria – American History, Historical Fiction or Biography/Memoir. I wanted a way to stay more engaged with a wide range on Children’s books. Enter the American Library Association’s 2024 Notable Children’s Books List! I’m challenging myself to read every book on the list and write a brief review or annotation for each. 

The list is LONG, so this will be a real challenge. It includes Picture Books, Middle Grade, and books for older readers – up to age 14. The list also automatically includes the Winners and Honor books for the Newbery, Caldecott, Belpré, Sibert, Geisel, and Batchelder Awards. I’m sure I’m being overly ambitious. And to avoid the temptation to just read through all of the Children’s books, never getting to the books for older readers, I’ll mix it up and read several from each category, ensuring that even if I don’t finish the list I will still have achieved my goal of reading a broad range of high-quality books!

Sophronia Is At It Again

Waistcoats & Weaponry: Finishing School Book the Third by Gail Carriger. New York, Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2014.

Sophronia has returned to Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. This year’s syllabus includes dancing as well as the fine art of defending oneself with a bladed fan. However their class attendance is interrupted when she and her best friend, Dimity, take over a train to help Sidheag, Lady Kingair, to deal with a family crisis with her werewolf pack back in Scotland. Of course there will be encounters with Picklemen and flywaymen. And Sophronia finally must untangle her feelings about her favorite sootie, Soap.

This installment in the Finish School series has more action and a stronger plot than book 2. Sophronia is really starting to come into her own. She’s a quick-thinking, brave, intelligent heroine and already a skilled intelligencer. But she is still learning and trying to figure out where her loyalties lie. Fans of the previous volumes will find much to enjoy in Book 3. But while readers could enjoy and appreciate the individual story arc of this book, I would recommend starting with Etiquette & Espionage to better understand the background and the overall conflict with the Picklemen.

I am definitely enjoying the series and look forward to the next installment. On a side note, I really want a Bumbersnoot of my own and wouldn’t mind one of those fans, either.

I received free access to a digital advanced copy of the book through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Questions of Faith and Forgiveness

Rumble by Ellen Hopkins. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2014.

Matthew Turner doesn’t believe in anything. Not family – his is falling apart around him in the aftermath of his younger brother’s suicide. Not God, because if there was a beneficent, all powerful creator, his brother would still be alive. And certainly not religion. After all, those who bullied his brother for being gay until he killed himself justified their cruelty in the name of religion. As he struggles to continue with his life, the one thing he can rely on is his relationship with his girlfriend. She urges forgiveness. But how an Matt forgive others when he can’t even begin to forgive himself? When Hayden seems to start drifting further away, choosing her faith over their relationship, Matt panics. He’s lost everything else. He can’t bear to lose her, too.

In Rumble, Ellen Hopkins explores the role of faith in people’s lives. This book tackles the difficult idea of morality versus religious faith. Matt, an atheist, is convinced that belief is not necessary to be a good person, and that religion is often used to give a veneer of respectability to evil actions. How can you call yourself good if in the name of your religion you torment a young teen to the point of suicide? Not that Matt’s behavior is without fault. He is quick to assign blame and lash out at former friends and family members alike.

Hopkins offers no easy answers, just a window on to the struggles of a teen-age boy trying to cope with tragedy in a world where his support systems seem to be crumbling around him. A series of personal and family crises force him to begin to face his loss and accept love and support in places where had been overlooking it.

That said, the final crisis seems just a bit too much, as if Hopkins decided the story needed a major, dramatic climax before the resolution could be complete, a crisis to set the stage for an epiphany that causes Matt to doubt his complete lack of belief. For me that cheapened his hard-fought steps toward healing, while sending the message that he can’t heal properly without that bit of belief. And once he accepts that, everything can come to a swift, neat conclusion.

But that is a personal quibble with an otherwise good book. Hopkins is a master of the novel in verse format and does not disappoint here. Because this book addresses important questions about belief, forgiveness, and religion, it could be an excellent choice for teen book discussion groups.

4 stars

I received a free advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The Girl With the Windup Heart by Kady Cross

The Girl With the Windup Heart by Kady Cross. Harlequin Teen, 2014

This fourth installment in The Steampunk Chronicles by Kady Cross focuses on Jack Dandy, the master criminal, and Mila, the part-human, part-automaton young woman rescued from The Machinist in book 3. In his efforts to protect Mila, Jack unintentionally breaks her heart. So Mila ventures out into the city seeking an independent life. Meanwhile Griffin King is still held captive in the Aethyr by The Machinist. Finley Jayne and the other members of King’s band of misfits fight to rescue him, drawing inexorably to dramatic showdown.

The premise behind these books is intriguing. King gathers around him a group of misfits, each with unusual special abilities. One of my favorite things about this series is that no one is the hero, saving everyone else. Everyone has to work together as a team in order to succeed. And the team grows with each book, with new members bringing unique talents and abilities to the group. In general, the romance is nicely balanced, only going a bit over the top in book 3. The Girl With the Windup Heart is another satisfying adventure in this fun series. I look forward to future books by Kady Cross.

I received a free digital advance copy through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

4 stars.

An Excellent Graphic Adaptation of a Wonderful Book

The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel: Volume 1. Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, adapted by P. Craig Russell. HarperCollins, 2014

This graphic adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Newbery Medal-winning novel, The Graveyard Book is likely to become as beloved as the book that inspired it. P. Craig Russell has captured the spirit of Gaiman’s story and enhanced it through his design of the graphic novel. Russell has collaborated with Gaiman before. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that his work on this title was so successful. The individual illustrators, Stephen B. Scott, Kevil Nowlan, Galen Showman, Tony Harris, and Jill Thompson, did a wonderful job of bringing Gaiman’s macabre world to life.

There is something about reading The Graveyard Book that conveys a real sense of Bod’s feelings of home and safety in the graveyard, that allows the reader to almost forget how horrifying his neighbors and guardians really are. I knew, intellectually, what sort of frightening creature Silas is, but it didn’t match Bod’s view of Silas as protector and safe haven. So my mind downplayed the monstrous side of Silas’ character. The reader of this graphic novel has no such luxury. One look at the cover image and it is clear how macabre the setting and characters really are. But Bod clearly feels comfortable and secure in their care. That contrast is a major theme in the novel. By making it even clearer through the illustration, this graphic novel actually enhances the story.

Russell not only scripted the graphic novel, he sketched and planned the layout for the entire project before sending each chapter out its illustrator. His unified vision coupled with careful choices of illustrators with similar styles gives the entire project a cohesion that ties the chapters together into a unified whole. But there is enough variation between the styles to give a real sense of each chapter being a separate episode in Bod’s story.

Volume 1 includes chapters 1 through 5 plus the interlude. I know Russell had to trim from the book to make it fit in this format. But he handled the adaptation so skillfully that I don’t feel anything is lacking. The story feels complete. I could go on, and on, gushing about how much I loved this book. It will have a far broader appeal than its target audience of ages 8 to 12 and is a must-have title for any library. I don’t anticipate our copy will spend much time on the shelf.

I received a free copy from the publisher in return for an honest review. I will follow my usual pattern of giving that copy to one of my teen patrons. But I will be buying another copy for myself and a copy of volume 2 when it is published this Fall.

5 stars! Can I give it more? 6 or 7 maybe? It deserves it. By far the best thing I’ve read this year!

Hexed by Michelle Krys

Hexed by Michelle Krys, Delacorte Press: 2014.

Indigo Blackwood is one of the popular students, a cheerleader who is dating the star of the football team. Her perfect high school life is only marred by her quirky mother, who owns an occult shop and insists that Indie work there, and a nerdy next door neighbor who keeps trying to be Indie’s friend no matter how many times Indie ignores her or treats her badly. Indie thinks her mom is slightly crazy because of her obsessions with conspiracy and magic and a paranoid concern for the protecting the old family Bible. But then the Bible is stolen, and Indie learns she is actually a witch. Add in a handsome, leather-clad, young warlock and things start to heat up. Soon Indie is caught in the middle of an age-old battle between sorcerers and witches.

This book sounds like a fun, paranormal story with a bit of romance that might appeal to fans of Rachel Hawkins. Instead, Hexed is a predictable story packed with the cliches. The dialogue seems like it is meant to be witty or snarky but just comes across as stilted and obnoxious. Indigo herself is not a likeable character. She’s very self-centered, more concerned with maintaining her social status at school than anything else, even the theft of the Bible, which is basically a death sentence for all witches. Since she’s a witch, she’ll die too. But Indie is more concerned with her lunch table companions. Her realization that the other members of the “In Crowd” aren’t really her friends but that the neighbor girl who sits at the “Losers’ Table” really is feels forced and fake. Why Paige would stand by Indie after the way Indie has treated her is beyond me. Even the romance fell flat for me. I never felt any chemistry between Indigo and Bishop.

As for the magic, it just seemed like window dressing. There are a few scenes of Bishop helping Indie learn to master her magic. But she never really uses it. The conflict between the sorcerers and witches is never explained. Saying the sorcerers are jealous of witches’ abilities is not a satisfying answer. The sorcerers are pretty ruthless enemies. But the witches aren’t exactly appealing allies.

This book is a mediocre rendition of typical high school drama with a thin veneer of magic. If I hadn’t gotten this book as a free digital ARC through NetGalley in return for a review, there is no way I would have finished reading it.

Free to Fall by Lauren Miller

Free to Fall by Lauren Miller. New York: Harper Teen, 2014.

Rory Vaughn happily lives her life guided by Lux, an app that makes most of her decisions for her – from things as simple as what coffee to order or what music she should like to larger questions like what school to attend and whom she should date. It’s easy and comfortable. Then she meets North, the handsome outsider who refuses to use Lux and finds herself drawn to him despite the fact he is the complete opposite type of guy from what Lux would suggest for her. As she begins to think for herself, she starts to find answers to puzzles in her family’s past, secrets that involve her new school and the computer giant, Gnosis, creators of Lux. What happens to those who blindly follow the guidance they get from a device. What if the organization behind Lux has its own agenda? Is there room for Independent thought?

Many of us are already on the path to something like Lux. Online maps guide us to the nearest coffee shop. Social book sites like Goodreads tell us what to read next. Review sites tell us where we should eat. It’s a short step to an all-in-one app like Lux. People can spend more time interacting with their device than with the people around them. Search engines and news feeds guide us to certain sites and information based on formulas we can’t begin to understand. What do we miss? What do we give up when we rely on apps to guide our choices? What happens if the corporations behind the apps manipulate the results for their own ends? Free to Fall explores these questions while following the growing romance between Rory and North.

As YA romances go, Free to Fall is refreshing in that there is no real love triangle. But that doesn’t mean the path to love is a smooth one. Rory has to learn to trust her friends and North. She can’t rely only on herself. The pacing is a bit slow, a series of consecutive puzzles for Rory to solve where each answer raises new questions. In that respect it reminded me a bit of Matched by Ally Condie.

Pros: Rory’s “Plato Practicum” class raises the complex question of how to place value on a human life. The title references Milton’s Paradise Lost where free will is also the freedom to fall, a literary allusion that adds depth to the story. The scenario is plausible, both the use of an app to guide decision making, and the questions about how decision algorithms, like those in search engines, prioritize options. Now they may guide you to targeted ads, but how might they be abused to guide your actual decisions? Another plus is that this appears to be a stand-alone book.

Cons: Some aspects of the plot are predictable. The rich and powerful are in a conspiracy to control everyone else. The handsome, dark “bad boy” is really the good guy while the golden boy is problematic. Miller goes a bit overboard on the bad boy stereotype for North. The beginning of the romance isn’t entirely believable. Rory is extremely cautious in everything but goes off alone with a guy she doesn’t know because of some nebulous connection she feels. The early attraction feels like a forced plot point. But then the romance grows in a more realistic manner, with the expected misunderstandings along the way. The pacing felt a bit slow for me, with little action until the end when everything wraps up very quickly and a bit too neatly.

All in all, Free to Fall is a solid book that should appeal to a broad audience. The future setting is near enough to appeal to fans of contemporary books with a bit of an edge that will appeal to fans of dystopian stories.

Three and half stars

I received a free advance copy of the book in return for an honest review.