Picture Book
The Wolf, the Duck & the Mouse by Mac Barnett, ill. by Jon Klassen
One day a mouse gets eaten by a wolf. He thinks surely this must be the most horrible day of his life...but maybe not. And so starts a tale that explains why wolves howl at the moon each night.
Target Readers:
- Light Suspense Fans/Humor Fans/Fans of Stories That Explain Natural Phenomena: I went into this knowing nothing about it other than that the author and illustrator are usually a hit together. I thought it might be one of Barnett's darker tales after the opening scene. So it was with a bit of surprise I found myself chuckling my way through the rest of the book. And I certainly didn't expect to close the book feeling slightly sorry for the wolf of all characters. It was most unexpectedly, delightfully fun. You have never read a book explaining why wolves howl quite like this. (And to allay any concerns, nobody gets seriously hurt and the wolf's insides defy science.)
Lower Grade Fiction
Rise of the Balloon Goons (The Notebook of Doom, #1) by Troy Cummings
Alexander Bopp and his dad have just moved to the town of Stermont. Just getting used to a new place has put Alexander on edge enough, but after breakfast at a diner he and his dad come out to find all four tires on their car flat. Not only that, but every single car on the street has flat tires. Weird. He has to walk to his new school and could swear some of those balloon things that are put outside car dealerships attack him. Things come to a head when his dad gets a bouncy house for his birthday party the next day.
Target Readers:
- Lower Grade Suspense Fans/Kids Who Think They Want a Scary Story But Really Don't: Cummings has come up with a way to write a "spooky" story for lower grades that won't leave them traumatized. The cover of this makes it look scarier than the story actually is. And lower grade readers seeking a little thrill in their pages should get that without any nightmares afterward. The monster is easily vanquished, and not in a gory way. The story is decidedly more humorous than anything but with touches of suspense. And the monsters are so ridiculous that even the lower grade kids this is aimed at will have an easy time sorting it into the fiction file and not real things that should creep you out and keep you awake file. During the adventure Alexander finds a notebook in the old abandoned school that is filled with notes on monstrous creatures. (All of which are delightfully creative and punny, like the Forkupine, a creature covered in forks and easily handled by distracting it with noodles which it likes to roll in.) All of the books in this series are similar. They will thrill without giving the creeps. For example in this one, the main character feels threatened, but shoe stealing and being bopped by a tough balloon and a balloon popping are the extent of the "violence." The illustrations aren't scary either.
Space Station Situation (CatStronauts, #3) by Drew Brockington
The CatStronauts must repair the Hubba Bubba Space Telescope, but asteroid showers are becoming more and more frequent making the work dangerous and difficult. Can they fix the telescope and find out why the asteroid showers are increasing without someone getting seriously hurt?
Target Readers:
- Light Thriller Fans/Scifi Fans/Cat Lovers/Graphic Novel Fans: This starts off as a challenging space repair and then turns into a huge asteroid is about to hit the Earth story. One of the CatStronauts faces some mental trauma because of an asteroid shower to add to the excitement. And down on Earth the President is putting serious pressure on the space program leaders since it is an election year and he doesn't want to look bad. Basically, this has all the drama you'd expect in a major motion picture but is boiled down into a middle grade graphic novel featuring cats and manages to stay fun.
Middle Grade Fiction
Vanished! (Framed!, #2) by James Ponti
The elite Chatham Academy has had a string of strange pranks. The headmaster is an old friend of the FBI director, so they ask Florian and Margaret to go in undercover as two week exchange students from Deal Middle School. Florian and Margaret feel like they have too many suspects and not enough leads, and that possibly this isn't as serious as they first thought. Are they just being led on a wild goose chase or is someone in serious danger?
Target Readers:
- Smart Mystery Fans/Thriller & Spy Fans/Contemporary Fiction Fans: I love the way that Ponti writes this series. The mystery keeps you guessing. Florian and Margaret are a great balance for each other and a lot of fun to hang out with. The FBI elements make it exciting and adventurous. But at the same time, Florian and Margaret feel very real with real middle school kid issues. They're still relatable, even if they are super smart and undercover FBI agents. Students at our school can't get enough of this series.
The Van Gogh Deception by Deron Hicks
When a tween boy is found in the National Gallery of Art with no memory of who he is, where he's from, or how he got there, he's put into child services under the care of foster mom Mary Sullivan. Mary also has a 10 year old daughter Camille, who is quite gregarious and good at drawing out the boy, who they're calling Art because of a name on his jacket tag. Seeing a famous painting on a mug, Art is able to not only tell them about the painting, but all about the man who painted it and the area of France surrounding the place it is displayed. So he's been to France. And he knows more about art than the average tween. But he still doesn't know if he likes pizza or spaghetti more, or what his favorite color is, let alone his own name. In an effort to jog his memory, Mary decides to take Art and Camille back to the National Gallery the next day. It soon becomes clear that someone is after Art, and he and Camille find themselves on one crazy chase around Washington D.C. trying to figure out who they can trust and what is going on.
Content Notes: Some nonlethal violence in the chase scenes.
Target Readers:
- Thriller Fans/Mystery Fans: This was a very smart thriller/mystery that seems a bit like a Jason Bourne adventure featuring a tween art genius instead of a martial arts specialist. It was exciting. You never knew what was coming next, and the twists and turns were both smart and thrilling. The characters at one point describe it as a chess game, and it is exactly that. A matching of wits to out maneuver and be one step ahead of the other, and Art and Camille do it all while trying to figure out why it is happening too.
- Reluctant Readers: This book is super popular with our middle grade readers right now. It's hard to not get sucked into the mystery. Also, so far it is not part of a series so there's no other strings attached.
- Art Lovers: As various pieces of art come up in the mystery QR codes are provides so readers can scan those and see the art. It's a fantastic way to introduce middle grade readers to classic art and not have them even realize they're learning some art history.
Young Adult Fiction
The Safest Lies by Megan Miranda
Kelsey Thomas has not exactly had a normal life up till this Junior year of high school. Her mother was abducted as a teenager, disappeared for about a year, and when she reappeared she was 4 months pregnant and had no memory of what happened to her while she was missing. She was a media sensation for several months until she changed her name, built a fortress and disappeared inside with her baby daughter. She has not stepped outside since then. Kelsey has been outside, largely on the urging of her mother's therapist, Jan. But Kelsey only started going to public school a few years ago, and she must follow a rigid set of rules so that her mother feels safe. Also, living with a very anxious woman has also made Kelsey a touch anxious herself. Kelsey's world gets turned literally upside down when a car runs her off a mountain road and she wakes up being rescued by her classmate Ryan from her upside down car dangling over the cliff's edge. The car accident brings Kelsey and her mother into the news and suddenly, it seems the past is repeating itself when Kelsey returns home one evening to find her mother gone. Her mother who has not willingly left the house in 17 years, not even when her daughter had a car accident. Soon, Kelsey finds herself and some friends in very real danger as they hunt for clues as to who has her mother and why.
Content Notes: Some swearing, some violence (click on title to see more detailed content notes)
Target Readers:
- Can't-Put-Down Read Fans/Psychological Thriller Fans/Mystery Fans: This is so engrossing I pretty much devoured this in one sitting and the first student I handed it to did the same thing. She then told all her friends they had to read it too. It was a tricky read in the best possible way for a thriller/mystery. (Things aren't 100% as they seem at first.) But definitely kept me interested and engaged. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going on and how Kesley, her mom, and her friends would fare. If you like psychological thrillers snatch this one up.
- Those Who Want to Understand Anxiety or PTSD: I felt like the portrayal of anxiety helps the reader get a better picture of how people who live with serious anxiety really think. And it also provides a good picture of the challenges for families with a PTSD sufferer.
Genius: the Game (Genius, #1) by Leopoldo Gout
Painted Wolf, Rex, and Tunde met online and though they're from different countries and cultures they bonded over their passion for tech and justice. When chatter on the web indicates that tech guru Kiran Biswas is going to be inviting teenage geniuses to a special competition in Boston, each of them is sure they're in. Which is important to Rex because he wants to "borrow" Kiran's supercomputer to run a new program he's coded to find his brother who walked away two years ago and hasn't been heard from since. His family can't go to the authorities since his parents came into the US illegally from Mexico. Tunde has to win the competition because if he doesn't do that and build the best GPS scrambler the world has ever seen, the local warlord of Nigeria is going to wipe out his family and village. Painted Wolf was going to opt out of the game since being seen in public and possibly identified is dangerous for her family in China thanks to her undercover ops that oust corrupt businessmen and politicians. But Tunde is like family, and she'll do anything she can to help him help his village. But despite their genius skills, is any of them really ready for what Kiran Biswas has in store?
Content Notes: Very little swearing
Target Readers:
- Action Fans/Thriller Fans/Smart Plot Fans: This an elaborate high stakes chess game worthy of Holmes and Moriarty but featuring teen geniuses. It was intense, exciting, and smart (as in they don't just talk about coding and making gadgets but include samples in the text/art), and oh boy does this plot line take off fast and keep you on your toes. I can totally see this being made into a TV series. If you like smart battles of minds between the good guys and bad guys, you definitely should try this.
- International Character Fans: I really liked the international main characters. Gout did a great job of creating authentic feeling voices for each person and book two involves a lot of travel to international locales. (Book three promises more of the same, but it isn't out yet.)
Double Down (Lois Lane, #2) by Gwenda Bond
Lois and her fellow staff members are trying to come up with new news stories. It's kinda hard to top the one that brought them into the city's spotlight, though. And Lois has a hard time doing little stories. But she's going to be a good civic reporter and follow up on the mural painting going on in Suicide Slum as an attempt to start revitalizing the area. Of course, Lois being Lois a simple news story puts her in the right place at the right time to stumble on a much bigger story. When she spots Maddy's twin sister Melody across the street in this bad part of town - and not looking so good - Lois smells something bigger than a mural. Melody evidently signed up for some kind of scientific testing and the building she's outside of was where the lab was. Only there's nothing there now, and Melody is acting pretty strange. She claims to be able to see through a strange man's eyes and these episodes leave her drained. She's super worried how this will affect her social status. Lois starts poking around only to discover that the building where the lab was is owned by the Boss. Metropolis' very own crime boss, though no one's been able to pin him with anything. And in the process of figuring out the building owner, she and Devin see Mayor Worthington outside City Hall. But he's on house arrest, isn't he? Lois smells something fishy. Because sure enough, James' father, former Mayor Worthington has been home all day. Furthermore, he's telling James he's always been innocent. But he never put up a fight before going to jail, the evidence was super convincing...but then again, so was the guy outside City Hall today. When pressed, Mayor Worthington says proving his innocence is too dangerous. If Lois has her way she's going to help both Melody and Mayor Worthington and get a story out of one of them that'll make the front page. Oh, and in her free time, she'll try and help her online friend SmallvilleGuy figure out who the new poster on Strange Skies is who's claiming to know the identity of the flying man.
Target Readers:
- Strong Female Character Fans/Scifi Fans/Thriller Fans: Bond provides a high action plot that will keep you turning pages. Technically, this isn't strictly speaking a superhero story. SmallvilleGuy keeps Lois in the dark about his identity and abilities, and they are separated by half of the USA. They talk a lot online, but he never makes an appearance. All the action and adventure rests solely on Lois's very human but plucky shoulders. And I mentioned it in my review of the first book in this series, but I'll mention it again. I'm not a Lois Lane fan in general. In the past I've always found her character needy, annoying, and stupid. And Superman is one of my least favorite superheroes. However, I am 100% into Gwenda Bond's Lois Lane and SmallvilleGuy. Lois is plucky and adventurous, but also very real. She is the first to admit she's trying to figure out how to be a good friend and what she wants to do with her life. She's dedicated to the truth, but she also is figuring out when to extend some grace. People do come before this Lois Lane's story. Meaning this Lois is very likable and fun and exciting to follow around. Definitely check out the entire series.
- Realistic & Positive Family Portrayal Fans: Lois is also trying to be a good sister and mostly a good daughter (though she and her General father may be too much alike not to butt heads once in a while). And can I just insert here how refreshing it is to see sisters working to keep their relationship on solid ground?! Hooray for Lois and Lucy!
Adult Nonfiction
Chief of Station, Congo by Larry Devlin
Larry Devlin was the CIA's man in Congo for some of the main years of unrest right after it gained independence from Belgium. At that time the Soviet Union was looking for a country to be their foothold in Africa, so Larry spent most of his years trying to keep Congo out of the hands of the Soviets. No small task when the country is in turmoil and power keeps changing hands.
Content Notes: Very minimal swearing, violence (click on title to see details).
Target Readers:
- Can't-Put-Down Book Fans/Thrilling Nonfiction Fans/African History Fans/True Spy Story Fans: This was a fascinating read. It gave some great insights into the Cold War power struggles in Africa, an eye-opening look at what a real CIA agent's life is like and Embassy life (not what you might always imagine), and a behind the scenes look at politics in a 1960s African country. This was hard to put down. It's very well written, and shockingly pretty clean. Highly recommended if you are interested in behind the scenes stories, African history, or any kind of thriller.
Killers of the Flower Moon: the Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
Back in the 1920s, the Osage tribe started becoming very wealthy, thanks to terms that made them the owners of all the stuff that came out from under their territory, including oil. And in the 1920s, there was a whole lot of oil coming out. But as the Osage grew wealthier, they didn't necessarily grow healthier and members of the tribe started dying at an alarming rate, and when two shootings happened, people started to realize that maybe all those deaths weren't so natural after all. But anyone who went in to investigate the murders seemed to end up in an early grave themselves. Local law enforcement wasn't getting any results, and the Osage's cries for justice eventually brought J. Edgar Hoover's new investigators on the scene. This is the story of horrible injustice and hatred was brought to justice despite a seemingly invincible web of corruption. And then the author relates how many other Osage likely were the victims of greedy people, out for a share of their oil money...any way they could.
Content Notes: Minimal swearing, lots of violence (click on title for more details)
Target Readers:
- Fans of History That Needs to Be Told/Social Justice Fighters/True Crime Fans/Engaging Nonfiction Fans: This is really a heartbreaking tale, but I'm glad that Grann is finally bringing it to the public. It is a crazy story, seemingly too crazy for even fiction to get away with. But it is real and true, and I find it shocking this story got so buried. It is good that it is getting out there again. It is good to be reminded what can happen to the world when justice is corrupted and greed is given free reign. I'm glad that Grann was able to involve many of the Osage descendants in this process so that they can get some sense of justice finally being voiced. That the victims of such horrible greed are finally getting a memorial and those who took advantage of them are getting outed for their crimes. For many the justice is much too late, but it is important for their descendants to know that their heartache is heard and the lives lost are valued and to acknowledge that terrible wrong was done. It really is sad to see how evil people can be for a bit more money in their grasp. But it is also good to be reminded that even the most devious and wealthy criminal can be caught and convicted, and even those who think they got away with murder, may be exposed by future generations. The man who was at the middle of this ring of death thought he was untouchable, but he was eventually behind bars. Others who were never tried, look obviously guilty based on the things Grann uncovered. Grann's writing is as engaging and readable as ever. I tore through this. It's an important book and put together very well.
- Wanna Be Writers/History Sleuths: I like that Grann includes some of his research process in the end of the story to give readers a peak at what happens before the page is written. It also helps the reader better appreciate just how much work and research goes into a book like this, at least one that is done well and incorporates extensive primary resources.
Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef with Ron Brackin
Mosab Hassan Yousef is the son of one of the original Palestenian Hamas leaders. He grew up in a family well-respected by the Muslims in Israel and high on the list of the Israelites' watchlist. Recruited at a young age to be a double agent for Shin Bet while being his father's right-hand man in Hamas, Yousef shares insider knowledge of what has really gone on behind the scenes in Middle East politics in the past 30 years, and why Western peace measures have often failed in that region. Yousef also shares along the way how he went from being a devoted Muslim to a Christian.
Content Notes: Violence (click on title to see details)
Target Readers:
- Behind the Scenes Fans/History Lovers/Those Curious about Middle Eastern Politics/Autobiography Fans: Yousef's behind the scenes stories of what was really going on Israelite/Palestinian relations during the 1960s-2000s is CRAZY. He also presents it in such a way that you get a better understanding of the cultures that are all squeezed together in this region of the world and why they butt heads so often. His personal stories of being a double agent and his religious journey are at times jaw-droppingly amazing and at other times cringe-inducing (his torture experiences and prison stints are not for the faint of heart). Definitely a riveting autobiography. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to better understand conflicts in the Middle East.
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