The Book Search

There are some amazing new books coming out in the next few weeks.  If you are looking for something awesome to read, these might be up your alley! The first one came out in October and it is called Of a Feather by Dayna Lorentz.  It's a story told in two voices-one is Rufus, a juvenile great horned owl, who is struggling with confidence.  His mother is encouraging him to hunt on his own, but Rufus is afraid.  His sister is mean to him, which doesn't help.  His mother is hit by a car one day and Rufus ends up in a trap meant for a different kind of bird, which brings us to Reenie, the second story teller.  Reenie has been removed from her grandmother's care (Grandma has an abusive boyfriend) and her mom is in a mental health facility so Reenie ends up with a great aunt that she's never met.  Beatrice is a master falconer and keeps a red tailed hawk, Red, that Reenie is finds entrancing.  Beatrice tells Reenie that she would like to trap and work w...

 You know those books.  The ones that sit charmingly between genres.  Are they realistic because the characters SEEM like real people, if slightly (or extremely) exaggerated.  Are they speculative (or fantasy) because I really, really hope that things like this never really happen to kids or that there are people like this out in the world.  Here are two books that are just like that! The first one is called That Time I Got Kidnapped by Tom Mitchell.  It's about Jacob, who is 14 and a HUGE Marvel Comics fan, who has won a chance to be an extra in a new movie shooting in Hollywood, with all expenses paid.  So he's going from England to Hollywood, all by himself.  He has a list of things he should not do (like lose his passport or miss his connecting flight), so what could possibly go wrong?  For starters, there's a huge snowstorm in Chicago, which is his point of entry in the US.  And he misses the connecting flight.  So he decides t...

 There are some great new books coming out in the next few weeks, some you really don't want to miss!  These two magical tales should be right at the top of your list. The first one is called Root Magic by Eden Royce.  It's set in the low country of South Carolina in 1963.  Jezebel and her twin brother Jay are growing up on the edge of a marsh with their mother and their uncle.  Their dad disappeared quite some time ago and their grandmother has just died at the opening of the book.  It turns out, in addition to dealing with some of the racist attitudes of the time, Jezebel and Jay are starting to come into their powers related to root magic-a kind of magic that is connected to the Gullah culture and traces it's roots back to Africa.  Many people of the community are afraid of the magic, although some seek their family to receive the cures and treatments.  School is hard because the other kids are mean to Jez.  Jay is friendlier and has good ...

 OOOOOO, it feels SO good to have some time to read!  I found some really great science fiction this week in my Netgalley pile!  And guess what?  These two are on the SSYRA 3-5 list for 2022-2023! This one is called "The Lion of Mars" by Jennifer Holm.  I'm a big fan of Jennifer Holm-I love Turtle in Paradise and Babymouse and the Fourteenth Goldfish and Sunny.  The list is long and I'm so happy to see there's a new addition to the list!  The Lion of Mars is set on Mars.  The American government has sent a group of people to set up a colony there.  There are adults and children who grow their own food (with occasional resupplies from Earth) and make do with what they have.  There are strict rules about living in the colony and one is that there is no contact with the other colonies.  (Wait, what?  I hear you asking!) Yep, there is a French colony, a Finnish colony, a Chinese colony, and a Russian colony.  The Americans don...

Sometimes it feels like realistic fiction is just a little too real for me, especially, given the world in the last few months.  Luckily, there are some wildly talented writers how are giving us a lovely opportunity to walk in someone else's shoes just for a little while and see that might feel like. The first one is called On a Good Horse by Darby Karchut.  It's about Alex, who is going to New Mexico to live with his dad.  His dad has been largely absent from his life when his parents divorced when Alex was about three.  His mom had died suddenly and unexpectedly and Alex had been living with his aunt and uncle but they were going to NY to pursue a business prospect and were not allowed to take him with them.  So he goes to spend the summer with his dad, grudgingly, and unwillingly.   His dad is a farrier and is hoping that Alex will come with him and learn about his job.  Dad is also hoping that Alex will love horses as much as he does.  So he b...

 I love historical fiction.  Of all the genres, that's probably my favorite and these two new ones might show you why. The first one is called Ming's Christmas Wishes by Susan Gong.  It's about Ming, who has three Christmas wishes.  She wants to sing in the Christmas Choir, she wants to have a Christmas tree, and she wants to feel like she belongs.  But as the child of Chinese immigrants in 1930's California, discrimination was common and traditional Chinese families didn't really have Christmas trees.  Ming's dad takes her to into the mountains to visit an old friend and helps Ming accept who she is and who her family is.  The art work in this one is warm and luminous and really helps the connect the holiday feeling around the cold hard facts of discrimination and racism that many families feel.  This a good story to talk about our own family traditions and how we might be more accepting of others.   The second one is called Just Like That b...

 Wow, so I guess it's been a busy fall.  There was this little projec t  that kept me busy for awhile. Oh and school ... in the middle of a pandemic... and being available for a relentless amount of tech support to teachers trying to teach a hybrid model of both in person and online classes to 3, 4, and 5 year olds.  BUT this week, I actually had time to read some books!  YAY!!!  Here were two terrific ghost stories with great cultural connections.   The first one is called The Ghost in Apartment 2R by Denis Markell.  Danny is the storyteller.  He lives with his parents and his older brother in an apartment in Brooklyn.  It's a small apartment and his bedroom has always been in a closet.  That was all supposed to change when Danny's older brother, Jake, went to college.  Except that now, his parents decided, in an effort to make some extra money to help pay for Jake's college expenses, they are going to rent out the bedroom on ...