great characters – Peaceful Reader

Best Books 2023 #2

I read quite a few great middle-grade fiction this year and before the month is over I wanted to share the best of those plus a handful of banned books from a variety of different lists that are worth reading. If you have young people to buy or recommend books these titles will be wonderful.

A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus (2021) : This is my favorite historical fiction in 2023 because the story centers around close-knit siblings Anna, William, and Edmund after they are evacuated from London. They remember their deceased mother and wish for a permanent family in this small countryside village. The three of them make the best of it even during their hardest times, remaining true to their hopes for the future. I recently ordered another Kate Albus historical fiction, Nothing Else But Miracles, which centers on the Lower East Side of Manhattan during WWII.

The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat (2022) : This is a Thai-inspired fantasy with amazing world-building as 12-year-old Sai apprentices to the last mapmaker and ends up on a high-seas adventure to chart unknown lands. This story captured my attention throughout Sai’s journey. This author writes picture books, graphic novels, early chapter books as well as middle-grade novels.

Starfish by Lisa Fipps (2021) : In this realistic novel-in-verse Ellie is tired of all the fat jokes about her weight. She loves to swim and free float in her backyard pool. She has lists of rules she is not supposed to do like no eating in public. With the support of her father, and a new neighbor Ellie starts to feel comfortable with herself. This is a fantastic debut!

The Turtle of Michigan by Naomi Shihab Nye (2022) : This companion to The Turtle of Oman tells the story of Aref as he travels from Muscat, Oman to Ann Arbor, Michigan to be with his parents. He misses his grandfather back home yet he is excited about his new life. I loved both these stories and offer them up to students who want to learn more about other cultures.

The Midnight Children by Dan Gemeinhart (2022) : This book defies labeling; it’s part mystery, and realistic fiction, with a touch of magical realism. Ravani longs for neighbors and friends when one night as he looks out his bedroom window he sees a family move into the abandoned house across the street. Eventually, he is welcomed in by this mix of children and things begin to change for Ravani. I love Gemeinhart’s entire catalog of books!

Thirst by Varsha Bajaj (2022) : Minni and her family live in the poorest part of Mumbai where water from the pumps is often hard to get with long lines and shortages. When she takes over for her mother’s cleaning job in a high-rise apartment she is astonished to see water running freely from the taps for this other family. This is a very humbling book to show real economic disparity.

Rez Dogs by Joseph Bruchac (2021) : Set during the Pandemic this novel-in-verse tells the story of Malian, a young Wabanaki girl as she quarantines at her grandparents’ house on the reservation. She helps around the house, learns the old ways, and begins to communicate with an old stray dog. Bruchac does a wonderful job of weaving in the history of other pandemics the Native population has survived as well as government schools and reservation life. His WWII story, Code Talker, is one of my favorites.

School Trip by Jerry Craft (2023) : This beautifully done graphic novel is filled with micro-aggressions and life lessons like its predecessors New Kid and Class Act. The entire series should be required reading for humans. Riverdale Academy students Jordan, Liam, and Drew take a trip to Paris with their classmates. This would pair nicely with Dan Santat’s new graphic novel A First Time for Everything.

Along Came a Spider by James Patterson (2003) : Maggie Rose and a friend go missing from their private Washington DC school and Alex Cross comes in to work the case. This is the first in the Alex Cross series and I cannot find the banned book list I originally saw it on. It’s a gripping often gory tale.

Dry by Neal Shusterman (2018) : California draught causes teenager Alyssa to make life-and-death decisions for her family. This was intriguing and all too real.

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe (2019) : Autobiographical graphic novel about the author’s journey to understand more about their own gender identity. This was such a personally told story I was gripped with how difficult it is when young people don’t feel comfortable in the prescribed norms we’ve conditioned ourselves to be. Writing/drawing this was a true act of bravery for Maia made even more difficult by hateful backlash. Listen to the NPR interview.

Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman (#1-4) (2020) : Charlie and Nick fall in love in this sweet graphic novel. I can understand why this was made into a Netflix series because it is a heartwarming tale of friendship and love between two very different teenage boys. Highly recommend for all humans as well.

As a librarian and compassionate human, I will continue to read more from any current banned books lists, and even though I’ve put myself on a book-buying ban I’ve used Libby and our wonderful public library. Before the new year, I did buy copies of a few young-adult banned books to stick in my little free library.

Quick Best Books List

If you are looking for last minute book ideas for this holiday season I have a couple of suggestions for you!

Hat for Mrs. Goldman by Michelle Edwards (2016) – while not a new release this book is all about the spirit of giving. Mrs. Goldman knits for all her friends and family and little Sophia loves to make the pom-poms to top off the hats Mrs. Goldman creates. When Mrs. Goldman gives her own hat away Sophie takes it upon herself to knit a hat for her. I’ve read it to many classes in the last week to remind students that a simple act of kindness is gift – worthy. Directions to knit your own hat are at the end of the book.

Other children’s books:

Big Panda and Tiny Dragon by James Norbury (2020) – Quick little zen lessons from Big Panda and Tiny Dragon arise from their simple conversations. Beautifully drawn illustrations. Reminds me of Charlie Mackesy’s book, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse.

Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing (2021) – Great chapter book for 3rd-5th grade filled with a long-lost robot, Maya, and an interesting cast of school characters getting ready for this year’s science fair. I hope Ewing has more adventures planned for Maya!

Alone by Megan E. Freeman (2021) – Dystopian chapter book story of a young girl left behind in her small town after a state of emergency is called and her entire community is relocated including her family. She has to learn to survive on her own with her neighbor’s dog as her only companion. Written in verse with a strong female character.

Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs (2019) – This is a fast-paced mystery that features a smart young person who is forced to use their code-breaking skills to outsmart Einstein. This book is a favorite at school right now with all upper elementary students. There are two more in the series with a fourth one in the works.

Adult Choices:

We were Dreamers by Simu Liu (2022) – Simu played the son in Kim’s Convenience and went on to star as superhero Shang-Chi. His story as a Chinese immigrant brought to Canada by his parents is fraught with problems and trauma but also uplifting and filled with a lot of truth. I read this in one weekend.

The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson (2021) – I read this for book club and simply adored it. The story shares the struggle of a Dakota family attempt to preserve the old traditions. Rosalie is the last remaining relative in her family and raised by a foster family after her father dies. She learns later that she has living relatives and as she seeks them out she learns what she needs to about herself and her family. Beautiful written.

Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin (2017) – Years ago I read and loved The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by this same author and I wanted to read more of her books. This one has a lot to do with how women are treated by society, in social media, and the press. Jane Young is just trying to get beyond her past and a mistake she made years ago when the details slowly come out. Told through 5 different women each story connected and sharing with us the struggles we all face. I am currently reading her latest Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (2022) and two chapters in I know she’s written another favorite of mine.

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2022) – Competitive and uncompromising Carrie is a force to be reckoned with as she comes back to professional tennis after a short retirement. I love every book I’ve read of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s book with Daisy Jones and the Six another top choice.

Whether you buy this as gifts or get them from the library for yourself enjoy each of these titles as the weather here gets chilly and perfect for reading. Be merry and kind…

June book reviews for YOU (happy reading)

I’ve only read three books this month. They were really good books though. Technically I finished four but the Bill Browder book, The Red Notice, was a crossover from May. I’ll still tell you about it though.

1. The Red Notice; a true story of high finance, murder and one man’s fight for justice by Bill Browder (2015): Born into a communist-leaning family Browder grows up seeing what it is like to rebel against the norm but to rebel even further Browder chose a career path profession just to annoy his dad; he picks commerce. The first half of the book Browder tells his family story and how he rose to be the first major investor of Western money into Russia and the second half of the book deals with the downfall of this great plan and the imprisonment and eventual death of his friend and lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky. I enjoyed this memoir, even though I thought Browder wasn’t the greatest story teller. Reading this book gave me a clear mindset on why Putin felt the need to tangle himself into U.S. elections and will continue to torment and push buttons just because he’s found a way.

2. Eragon by Christopher Paolini (2003): Tristan read this years ago and devoured the series. I’ve always wanted to read it but who knows why? I didn’t pick it up until this summer after 2 teachers raved about it to me after a teacher meeting. They were shocked that I hadn’t read it; That was the push I needed so I brought it home that very last week of school. I loved it. I dig fantasy and this book was no exception. Eragon, Brom, Saphira, Murtagh and Arya were all interesting characters and I look forward to reading the next two in the series. Even though Paolini was young when he wrote this I think it stands the test of time.

3. The Girl who drank from the moon by Kelly Barnhill (2016): I loved this fairy tale {and that gorgeous cover art} in which Xan and Luna save themselves and change the world together. Centuries ago a world was created by evil people and the unwitting townsfolk believed the stories that were told to them about an evil witch who needs a sacrificial baby each year so as not to destroy the town. Xan is this witch but she rescues the babies and takes them to new families because she thinks they’ve been abandoned. And so it goes for many years until one family fights back and one mother doesn’t give up hope. A good reminder, from a fairy tale world, to not believe all that you are told! Read more great things about this book at NYT, EW, and the Washington Post.

4. American War by Omar El Akkad (2017): I read a NYT article about great new dystopian books and this one was at the top of the list. Like fantasy, I’m a big fan of the altered worlds created in good dystopian novels. This one lacks the gruesome gore of The Hunger Games but certainly lays out how a fight over energy and ravaged ecosystems could separate the North from the South in a way that causes longterm war within our own border. Read other great reviews here on NPR, SF Chronicle, and the Washington Post. I’m not quite finished with this one yet and plan to finish today.

In Madison I did purchase several books and I have stack of books to read for school. What are you reading this summer?

3 amazing reads all in a row.

1. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood ( 1998): You enter the sterile and odd world of The Handmaid’s Tale and you get an eery feeling like you should look over your shoulder. While this seems so far removed from our world now, it feels like it would only take about 2 steps backwards to be in Atwood’s world. For those that haven’t read The Handmaid’s Tale it relays the events of a woman, Offred, of child-bearing years who’s been pulled from her own life and inserted into another family in order to bear an older man’s child(ren). The change from one life to the next happens slowly but also in a blink of an eye. Imagine in your life time that you could live one moment with your husband and beautiful child; only to be repurposed in a retraining camp where you learn to surrender your will to this next family. There are so many details of this new life mixed with her memories of before. If you like dystopian or politics; this is a fantastic read. I stayed up way too late each night to read just a little more. Other days I slammed the book down in disgust. I am searching for the original movie with Natasha Richardson (it’s not on Netflix or Amazon Prime) before I start streaming the new Hulu series. Here is a great NYT article by Atwood herself discussing her novel.

2. A man called Ove by Fredrik Backman (2014): I am watching this one Amazon Prime. The book was an amazingly funny read. I laughed out loud many times and when I neared the end of this sweet tale I cried. I love a book that brings about that much emotion. Ove is a curmudgeon at best; an absolute old grump and yet we love him for it because he emerges a changed man. Even when he’s at his worst he’s an interesting character. Ove is ready to end his life, ready to join his beautiful Sonja in the afterworld. He even thinks about what he should wear so she’ll be happy when she sees him coming through the pearly gates. The unexpected happens though when a new family moves in next door and the wife pulls Ove into her own life. All the hype about this book is true.

3. This side of home by Renee Watson (2015): This is a delightful tale about two twins, Nikki and Maya, living in Portland with intellectual parents surrounding them with love. What is ever-changing though is their neighborhood which is being gentrified rapidly and their high school as well. The neighborhood, high school, friends and family all provide a wonderful backdrop to the life experience of Nikki and Maya as they learn to accept each other as more than just a reflection of each other. My one and only complaint is about the cover; neither girl has the loose hair of the girl pictured on the front. She’s brown-a good start-#weneeddiversebooks BUt it would be a reflection of the character if her hair was braided. Maya repeatedly talks about her hair in braids down her back; Nikki with pressed hair and sometimes loose and free. Neither girl is represented by the photo on the cover except by skin color. #rant

Now I’m reading Bill Browder’s Red Notice for book club. I’m not a fan of nonfiction but his tale of intrigue has me reading. I also just finished this short article about White Fragility that’s worth reading. Someone sent it to me to remind me of a conversation we had about Ta’Nehisi Coates’ book.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Like everyone else out there I loved Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor and Park (2013) and knew that I would want to read whatever else she produced. Then you get on with life and read a bazillion other authors because you have a pile to read. Then fast forward into my Christmas break and I came upon review or an online conversation about Rowell’s book Landline and how it takes place leading right up to Christmas. And just like that Rainbow was back in my life.

I need to keep up more as she is quite a prolific writer; four books in basically two years. Wow.

Landline (2014) is an amazing story of Georgie McCool, a television scriptwriter who has a major writing opportunity right before Christmas. In order to accept the gig with her hip writing partner, Seth, they have to put together several scripts over the holiday! This is a chance of a lifetime, Georgie tells her husband Neal. Neal, though, chooses to travel to his mom’s house in Omaha on his own with their two daughters, Namoi and Alice. She can’t believe he does but he does it and while she feels a little abandoned she puts in long hours with Seth working on the show.

The first few nights she can’t face going back to their house on her own she finds reasons to end up at her mom’s house. It is here in her childhood room where she fishes out an old rotary phone to call Neal one night. She has cell phone problems and it’s easier than going home for the charger. The phone makes a call to the past and she ends up talking to a young Neal, a college-age Neal. And the conversations are so wonderful that she gets pulled back to that time herself as they chat and flirt and remember all that was good.

A quote:

“Hi Mrs. Grafton,” Georgie said.
“Yes?”
“It’s Georgie.”
“Oh hi, Georgie. Neal’s still asleep. He must have been up pretty late. Do you want him to call you back?”
“No. I mean, just tell him I’ll call later. Actually, I already told him I’d call later. But-I was going to ask him something.” She couldn’t ask about the president; that would seem mental…”Do you happen to know who the Speaker of the House is?”
Neal’s mom hummed. “It’s Newt Gingrich, isn’t it? Did it change?”
“No,” Georgie siad. “I think that’s right. His name was at the tip of my tongue.” She leaned closer to the base of the phone. “Thanks. Um bye. Thanks.” She dropped the receiver onto the hook and stood up suddenly, taking a few steps away.
Then she dropped to her knees and crawled under the bed, reading for the telephone outlet and unclicking the plug. She pulled the cord away, then backed out from the bed and crawled to the opposite wall staring at the nightstand.
She had to deal with this.
It was still happening. (108)

If you haven’t picked this one up please do. I now have to wrestle Fangirl from my librarian friend Denise’s hands.