Ryka Aoki's Light from Uncommon Stars is full of many of my favorite things from both life and literature.There's music and an exploration of genius. There are alien refugees. (Actual aliens, not "illegal aliens.") There are demon contracts.And did I mention the donuts?Or the dozens of fabulous Asian dishes I…
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron reminds me (in all the best ways) of the Ramona books I loved as a kid.
TJ Young & The Orishas is an exciting new fantasy series by Antoine Bendele. If you like coming-of-age magic stories, read this for sure. I have actually only read the first one--The Gatekeeper's Staff. (Oh--and also a little short story that you can get when you sign up for Antoine…
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! surprised me. First of all, it's not fiction--at least, not exactly. It's a series of brilliant, connected, historical, one-person monologues. Apparently, it came out of a research seminar that a library was doing for young people on middle age life. The final project was meant to be…
Elizabeth Lim's Spin the Dawn is an amazing book full of many of my favorite things. There's magic (cool, unique magic, unlike magic systems I've seen before.) There's political intrigue. There's a young woman trying to make it in a man's world. There's a focus on an artist who is…
I wouldn't have guessed that Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book was my kind of book. I'm not usually into the macabre or horror. But it is. It really is.I like the strongly developed characters in here. They're quirky, but not so quirky that they seem flat or impossible.I also like…
Clare Vanderpool's Moon over Manifest immerses readers in a small town where a new girl is discovering herself and her roots all at once. Abilene Tucker wants to ride the rails with her father. Unfortunately, he has sent her to Manifest for the summer (or maybe longer). He seems to…
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko is such a good book. Really. Go out and get it if you haven't read it yet. (From the library works--that's what I did.) The book is about Tarisai, who is beautiful, intelligent, talented, strong, and immune to fire. She can also read (or steal) memories…
I’ve been meaning to read Jade City for a while, and I don’t know what took me so long.Once I finally got into it, I found this book totally lived up to its hype. It’s a brilliant story, with intricate plotting and rich world-buildingThe real stars, though, are the characters.…
Mazie, the newest book by Melanie Crowder, is a great story about one young woman’s journey toward Broadway.As a small town girl from Nebraska, Mazie doesn’t know any professional performers (unless you count her dance teacher). In many ways, she’s aiming for something that seems utterly unreachable. It’s a powerful…
If you need a fun, quick read that’s delightfully magical and laugh-out-loud funny, Flora & Ulysses is a great pick.Flora is a wonderful character. Smart and cynical, she nonetheless manages to be be sweet. Also, her ability to accept the incredible (but true) is refreshing.I wonder, in fact, if that…
Marie Lu’s The Kingdom of Back surprises with its mix of fantasy and historical fiction. I expected a fantasy, but at first, got nothing but a tale of Mozart’s forgotten sister.As a historical tale, this story immerses me in a world of rich detail, patriarchy, ambition, and music. Then, just…
The Crossover, by Kwame Alexander, is a gorgeous novel in verse. In lyrical language it sings…and seduces…and transports. In fact, The Crossover is a bit magical. I know that, because partway through reading it, I imagined I actually wanted to get out and play basketball.Anyone who knows me will understand the…
I have loved The Girl Who Drank the Moon since I first read it when my daughter picked it up for a contest back when she was in fifth grade. So, several years, now.Like all the best fantasies, this one immerses me in a world that feels both familiar and…
In Merci Suárez Changes Gears, Merci lives in las casitas–three pink houses in a row in Florida that she shares with not just her immediate family, but also her extended family.Lolo and Abuela live in the middle house, and much of this book is about Merci’s relationship with Lolo. Just…
New Kid, by Jerry Craft was 2020’s Newbery award winner. Like other Newberys, it is incredibly well-written, and rich in detail. It has well-rounded characters and a tale that tugs on my heartstrings. Unlike any other Newbery I’ve read, it is also a graphic novel. The artwork is gorgeous, and…
I’ve read A Christmas Carol before, of course. When exactly, I can’t remember–perhaps it was for school.Reading it again, I’m impressed by the wealth of detail. The world comes alive with the meager coal in Bob Cratchit’s fireplace, the door knocker that morphs into Marley’s face, and the pictures of…
Marissa Meyer has written another fabulous book with Cress. Book Three of The Lunar Chronicles lives up to the high standard set by Cinder and Scarlet. (My daughter would say it surpasses it. Cress is her favorite.)Like the two previous books, this one is a fairy-tale retelling–in this case of…
I read Bridge to Terabithia once long ago, and my memory of it was fuzzy–only that it was a very good book, and that it made me sad.When a student needed to read it for a class, I was glad to pick up a copy and read along. And, having…
I’ve been rereading Little Women the past few weeks, and I’m reminded what a wonderful book it is. I started reading it for a The Enchanted Book Club, but I’m way behind, and haven’t been able to participate in the discussions. Maybe I’ll do better with next month’s selection.Moral Pap…
I became interested in Enola Holmes when I saw the movie (on Netflix) titled with her name. I loved it, and her, and so did my husband and daughter, who watched it with me.But, of course, Enola Holmes lives in a book, too. A set of books, really, by Nancy…
This book has been on my shelf for quite some time, and somehow I never felt like picking it up. Maybe the cover was too bland. Maybe the Newbery sticker faded into the sand. I don’t know.This weekend, though, I picked it up off the shelf, and wow.I like Stanley…
If You Love Me, Call Me Dorrie is a nostalgic read for me…a book that someone gave me when I was in late elementary school.It love the characters here, and the Parent-Trap-like machinations of the teens are both funny and heartwarming.I loved and still love the way Dorrie finds her…
I picked this up from the library after a friend recommended it on Goodreads, and it’s every bit as good as she said it was. I’m probably going to want to get a copy of my own of this stunning little gem at some point.When Binti leaves home to attend…
This is book 2 in The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, and it’s every bit as good as Cinder. The story continues, with great new characters taking center stage. I love Scarlet’s loyalty and tenacity and Wolf’s fight to hang onto the good parts of his humanity. Thorne is fun,…
As you can probably see from the picture, Boxers & Saints is a graphic novel. (Really, two graphic novels.) Now, I’m not usually a graphic novel person, but every so often I run across something amazing. This is one of those things.This is a story ripped from the pages of…
My fourteen-year old has been begging me to read this one for at least a year now–and it’s spectacular. I love the world-building. Everything from Cinder’s cyborg parts to her stall in the market is shown in beautiful detail that makes the story come alive. And, of course, fairy-tale retellings…
Wow.Sometimes I read a book, and it’s so good, that I’m a bit in awe. This one is like that.I didn’t know what to think, at first, of a book narrated by death. But it grew on me. And seemed so appropriate–Death telling a story about World War II–a time…
Like all my favorite stories, Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give introduced me to a whole new world. Except, however foreign it feels to me, Starr’s world exists. It's in places I can drive to–even if they’re hard for me to see, given that I’m a white girl. My world…
It’s easy to see why Hello, Universe won the Newbery this year. The kids in this story are quirky, delightfully complex, and easy to believe in and sympathize with. Even Chet, the stereotypical bully, is not nearly so stereotypical as he first appears.Don’t get me wrong. He’s still a bully,…
This collection of essays about making a living as a fiction writer had me laughing out loud and reading extended sections (when I could get them out without cracking up) to my critique group and long-suffering husband. Besides being a healthy dose of fun, these essays were practical and encouraging. …
Dragon of Ash and Stars was a Bookbub title I picked up for free, but it was worth so much more than the nonexistent price I paid. This is one of only a couple of ebook titles I’ve read that I may try to obtain in actual paper (the others…
I pre-ordered this book months ago when I first heard it was coming out in part because I’ve met Emily France, and she’s lovely, but mostly because I had seen or heard just a bit of the story at some RMFW event and was longing to read the rest. It…
My kids and I have been reading through the Harry Potters together for several months, and have just finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. We started this set because the kids are getting pressure from classmates to read and discuss the books, but I don’t want my…
Savvy is a fun little book by Ingrid Law. I enjoyed every minute--from meeting Mibs Beaumont and her unusual family all the way through to the semi-sweet (my favorite kind) finish. In the middle, I also loved seeing the crisis that befalls them and the swashbuckling adventure Mibs undertakes to…
I adore Pride and Prejudice. I'm sharing this one with my daughter, so it’s even more fun than usual.2021 Update--We never finished. So sad. Because I adore Elizabeth for her wit and her loyalty (especially to Jane), and for the way she stands up for herself in a time when…