Summer break is right around the corner and visits with family are about to begin. I thought this was a great time to break out the cousin adventure stories. Click on the titles to see my full review of each book including any content notes/trigger warnings. Have a great summer!
Beneath the Swirling Sky (The Restorationists, #1) by Carolyn Leiloglou, ill. by Vivienne To
In a nutshell: After his sister disappears into a painting, Vincent and his cousin Georgia have to enter the painting and find her discovering a world their family works to protect.
More info: Vincent and his adopted sister Lili are staying with a great-uncle they've never met before while their parents go on a cruise. Vincent is suspicious they've been dropped off there because Uncle Leo is an art restorationist, and ever since the incident Vincent has turned his back on art. Vincent is determined to ignore all the art stuff (which is a challenge since Uncle Leo's walls are covered with art) and just make it through the week. Lili is having a blast, and loves hanging out with their second cousin Georgia who is staying with her grandfather too. Vincent can't figure out Georgia; she's unlike any other girls he knows. On the first night, Vincent hears a strange sound outside his bedroom and goes to explore. He finds a previously locked closet open and accidentally falls into Van Gogh's "Starry Night" and finds Georgia in there. He quickly runs out again and the next day is convinced it was all just a dream. But the next night Lili goes missing, and there's clear evidence she went into "Starry Night" as well. And so Vincent discovers that everyone in his family can travel into paintings, but they thought it was a hereditary thing so the fact that Lili traveled is shocking. The family is in the business of protecting and preserving art, and call themselves the Restorationists. There's another group called the Distortionists who try to change art to influence people or steal it for power. While Vincent and Georgia try to track down his sister Lili through hallways of Van Gogh's paintings and museums, he gets a crash course in this world he never knew existed and figure out which side is on the right.
Extra thoughts: Leiloglou has created such an interesting world rich with art history. They can walk into a painting but only what is painted is in the world and then off each side they can go into these hallways that are a timeline of the author's works and they can hop into any of the other paintings of that artist. They can also jump from a painting into the real place where it is, so by hopping from Van Gogh to Van Gogh and then other paintings in a museum, the kids go all over the world in search of Lili. I liked that the author seamlessly incorporated elements of Christian faith when the kids go into paintings that feature Biblical subjects. There's an especially powerful scene when the kids go into Van Gogh's "Storm on the Sea of Galilee" and Jesus in the painting speaks to Vincent.
Target readers: Fantasy Fans, Art Lovers, Adventure Fans, Mystery/Thriller Fans, Middle Grade Readers
Death by Bubble Tea (L.A. Night Market Mysteries, #1) by Jennifer J. Chow
In a nutshell: Adult cousins from LA and Hong Kong set out to make a successful night market stand and stumble into a murder mystery.
More info: Yale has just recently found herself both without a job and unexpectedly playing host to her glamorous older cousin Celine from Hong Kong. Since they have the time, Yale's father has them running a booth for his restaurant at the pop up night market. Ba provides some cold eats from the dim sum restaurant and Yale makes bubble tea while Celine uses her social media influencer smarts to add some glam by having them serve the bubble tea in light bulbs. They seem to be a hit. But as Yale leaves the first night she runs into a body with her cart of supplies. And right next to the person is one of their light bulbs. The police soon are questioning Yale and Celine about what they put in the drink, because the deceased, a Jordan Chang, died from something she ate. Since they have some time on their hands and the police seem way too focused on them, the two cousins set out to do a little sleuthing on their own as to who would have wanted Jordan Chang dead.
Extra thoughts: Memorable characters and the setting among the Asian American community in LA make this cozy mystery stand out.
Target readers: Cozy Mystery Fans, Contemporary Fiction Fans, Asian Food Lovers, Adult Readers (though approachable to YA)
The Eye of Midnight by Andrew Brumbach
In a nutshell: Two cousins go on an unexpected grand adventure to rescue their grandfather in 1929 New York and beyond.
More info: Cousins William and Maxine have been sent to stay with their grandfather, Colonel Battersea, for the summer of 1929. Neither of them is sure what to expect, but they definitely didn't foresee Grandfather getting kidnapped by a secret society upon their arrival in New York City. Or meeting a strange courier from overseas with an artifact that secret society obviously wants very badly. They'll go places and see things they wouldn't have dreamed happened outside of books, and they'll learn more about themselves, their family heritage, and each other in the process.
Extra thoughts: There's 1920s mob fights, swashbuckling feats, discovery of secret tunnels in forgotten graveyards, family secrets, and loads of adventure. It's a high octane secret sleuthing in New York City just before the stock market crashed.
Target readers: Adventure Fans, Mystery/Thriller Fans, Historical Fiction, Upper Middle Grade Readers/Young Adult Readers
Mindy Kim and the Trip to Korea (Mindy Kim, #5) by Lyla Lee, ill. by Dung Ho
In a nutshell: Mindy is headed to South Korea to visit her grandparents and cousins.
More info: Mindy Kim is going to South Korea to visit her grandparents and cousins. Her dad's girlfriend, Julie, is also going with them to meet the family for the first time. Both of them are a little nervous. Julie wants to make a good impression, and Mindy is nervous about communicating with her grandparents and her cousins since her Korean is only so-so and their English is only so-so. Will this trip be fantastic, or a big flop?
Extra thoughts: Lyla Lee has included the most accurate description of modern international travel I've come across yet. You can tell she must have done it repeatedly. Mindy's worries are understandable, her time with her family both explores unique Korean things and educates readers on Korean culture (without you feeling like it is) while also highlighting elements relatable across cultures, and the ending is sweet.
Target readers: Travel Story Fans, Family Vacation Story Fans, South Korea Setting Fans, Contemporary Fiction Fans, Lower Grade Readers
Natsumi's Song of Summer by Robert Paul Weston, ill. by Misa Saburi
In a nutshell: Natsumi wonders if her cousin’s visit to Japan from America will be good or ruin her beloved summer time.
More info: Natsumi loves summer. She loves the insects that come out and the festivals that happen and her birthday. And this year her cousin Jill is coming to visit for the very first time. Will they get along or will the visit be awful?
Extra thoughts: The illustrations in this are adorable, and it is a sweet story of two girls from different cultures finding friendship. There’s also little educational bits about Japanese summer activities and cicadas, and it is written all in tanka poems.
Target readers: Contemporary Fiction Fans, Summer Story Fans, Friendship Story Fans, Japan Setting Fans, Cicada Studiers/Lovers, Poetry Fans, Art Lovers, Picture Book Readers
Revenge of the Horned Bunnies (Dragonbreath, #6) by Ursula Vernon
In a nutshell: Danny, his friends, and little cousin bond at camp over a jackalope rescue mission.
More info: Danny, Wendell, and Christiana are headed off to summer camp. Hooray! But this year Danny's little cousin Spencer is going too. Bummer. At least Danny thinks so. Spencer is just so annoying, and his mom says he has to keep an eye on him. But even an annoying little cousin can't spoil the wonders of summer camp. When the kids arrive, they notice some "Keep Out" signs on some buildings, a new addition. At first Danny thinks it might just be because of a certain bottle rocket incident last year, but when Spencer finds a mythical creature in the desert, the kids uncover a sinister side business being run by the head counselor and it's up to them to save a new species from extinction
Extra thoughts: Danny and gang are their usual quirky and hilarious selves. The adventure is great in that it helps Danny and Spencer work out a better relationship, and of course, there's dozens and dozens of jackalopes, always a bonus. The mixture of text and graphic novel elements make this a super quick read too, another perk.
Target readers: Reluctant Readers, Text/Graphic Novel Mixed Book Fans, Jackalope Fans, Mythical Creature Fans, Summer Camp Story Fans, Mystery Fans, Adventure Fans, Middle Grade Readers
The Secrets of Shakespeare’s Grave (The Shakespeare Mysteries, #1) by Deron R. Hicks, ill. by Mark Edward Geyer
In a nutshell: To save the family business, Colophon and her adult cousin Julian try to solve a family treasure hunt decades old.
More info: Miles Letterford started a highly successful publishing company, still in the hands of the Letterford family to this day. Colophon Letterford's father is the CEO of that company as the eldest in line, but his position has become a bit shaky after some weird accidents have hit the company recently. The family (heavily persuaded by cousin Treemont) has given her father until Christmas Eve to make three successful deals or he will have to step down as CEO. But Colophon's ancestor Miles Letterford didn't just leave the family a company, he also left them a mystery that supposedly leads to family treasure. And the key is supposedly the portrait of Miles that hangs in the family house. Colophon always just thought Miles an egotistical crazy man for insisting the family keep his portrait up, but on Thanksgiving she learns from her adult cousin Julian that it may hold the key to a treasure. Colophon starts putting her head together with cousin Julian on solving the treasure mystery and she puts her brother Case in charge of trying to help her Dad save the company (since Colophon suspects Treemont of sabotaging the latest deals). What follows is a high octane adventure with nary a dull moment, plenty of twists and turns, and a promise of more to come.
Extra thoughts: This is a sophisticated middle grade mystery that shockingly actually involves adults. Colophon and her brother actually worked with the adults to solve puzzles, get out of tough situations, and eventually save the day.
Target readers: Mystery Fans, Treasure Hunt Fans, Adventure Fans, Contemporary Fiction Fans, Middle Grade Readers
Summer Is for Cousins by Rajani LaRocca, ill. by Abhi Alwar
In a nutshell: A celebration of the fun cousins have together during their annual summer family get togethers.
More info: The nutshell says it all.
Extra thoughts: A lovely ode to cousins, bonding, and ice cream. This brought back lovely memories of my own summers spent having loads of fun with my cousins.
Target readers: Contemporary Fiction Fans, Summer Story Fans, Family Get Together Story Fans, Picture Book Readers
Tiny Tapir Trouble (Mango & Bambang, #3) by Polly Faber, ill. by Clara Vulliamy
In a nutshell: Mango & Bambang have 4 adventures and in the 3rd one Bambang has an adventure with a little cousin.
More info: In this book, Mango (a girl) and Bambang (her pet/friend tapir) go to the beach where at first Bambang feels unwelcome but then he and Mango become heroes. In the second story Bambang is sick and Mango must figure out how to help him feel better. In the third story Bambang starts to feel a little insecure when his rambunctious and lively little cousin Guntar comes for a visit. And in the final story Mango is participating in a chess tournament when Bambang notices something strange going on.
Extra thoughts: When’s the last time you saw a tapir as a character in a book? I love seeing the way these two friends look out for each other and help each other grow. Bambang has some tough lessons to learn about others in this book, but they are all really good things for kids to think about (and the stories are still fun, even if he faces some challenges).
Target readers: Read Aloud Story Fans, Unique Animal Character Fans, Friendship Story Fans, Life Lesson Fans, Lower Grade Readers
Wormwood Abbey (The Secrets of Ormwood, #1) by Christina Baehr
In a nutshell: An unexpected inheritance leads to numerous adventures in a Victorian family story with a touch of dragons.
More info: Miss Edith Worms is a bit miffed when her father inherits the familial estate of Wormwood Abbey in Yorkshire upon the untimely death of his brother. This traveling is going to wreak havoc with her writing schedule, and her publisher is expecting her latest mystery novel very soon. Hopefully she can find a quiet place once they arrive to get on with the deadline that only her rector Father and dear stepmother know about. To be fair, her father isn't super excited about it either. The family estate was never a happy place for him, except for a memory he isn't sure really happened. They are all hoping they can rearrange things so that their 3 female nieces/cousins can continue to live there and they can return to London. But when they inform cousin Gwendolyn of their plans she doesn't seem as excited as they hoped. In fact, Gwendolyn and her neighbor Drake have been acting quite reticent and standoffish since their arrival. Almost like they are hiding something.
Extra thoughts: This was a deliciously fun Victorian era romp with a good blend of estranged family dynamics to be worked out, plus a mystery to untangle, a delightful heroine to follow around, and just the right dash of dragons. The relationship between Edith and Gwendolyn and the other is just starting in this book. Future books in the series shows how they help each other grow into their best selves and are great friends/supporters of each other.
Target readers: Fantasy Fans, Dragon Story Fans, Reimagined History Fans, Mystery Fans, Family Story Fans, Young Adult Readers
