Leeva at Last

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by Sarah Pennypacker
First sentence: “Leeva Thornblossom flew outside the instant she heard the Nutsmore Weekly thunk against the door.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There is some exceptionally bad parentingbordering on neglect and abuse, but if you’re reading Roald Dahl, this one will be fine. It’s in the Middle Grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore.

Last week my 17-year-old daughter and I watched the movie version of Matilda again. It had been a while since we had seen it, and we were in the mood for something fun and familiar. We talked the whole way through – about how horrible the Wormwoods were (and how much fun Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman were having playing them) and how despicable Miss Trunchbull was. We talked about how Dahl loved to write terrible adults and sometimes terrible children, but how there’s always one good adult to help the good children through. 

I know it sounds odd to begin a review about Pennypacker’s book this way, but that’s what I thought about quite a lot while reading Leeva at Last. Leeva Thornblossom is the good child, self-educated (not magical though), smart, and kind with absoutely despicable parents. Her parents are obsessed with Fame and Money, so much so that they make Leeva do everything else. Her mother is the mayor of the town, and is practically a facist dictator. Her father is the town treasurer, and is embezzling money (or rather, having Leeva do it becuase she’s Good at Math) becasue he’s obsessed with having it (yes, he is storing it all in boxes in the attic). One day, though, Leeva sneaks out through the hedge, discovers the libary and the kind librarian and her nephew, and her life changes for the better. 

I kept comparing it to Matilda because it felt so much like it, from the plot and the characters to the illustrations done by Matthew Cordell (which felt very Quentin Blake-y). It evoked the spirit of Roald Dahl, and yet… I’m not sure it quite succeeded. Dahl is not a kind writer. He is not a sweet writer, and he doesn’t pull any punches. Miss Trunchbull is, simply put, evil. And the children in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are atrocious. There is nothing redeemable about them, and there is something quite terrrifying. Pennypacker got the unredeemable bits about Leeva’s parents – in the end, while they don’t get their comuppance, they are not redeemed – but they’re not terrifying. They’re just silly. And kind of annoying. Which, if you’re trying to channel Dahl, kind of misses the mark. 

Even so, Leeva was a fun little book, and I think it’s admirable that Pennypacker attempted to write something that tried to be like Dahl. I’m sure there will be many people over the years who come to thoroughly love this one. 

Audiobook: Check & Mate

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by Ali Hazelwood
Read by Karissa Vacker
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is swearing, including multiple f-bombs, talk of sex, and off-page sex. It’s in the Teen section (grades 9+) of the bookstore.

Mallory Greenleaf was once a chess prodigy. Her grandmaster father would take her around to tournaments, and she would play. And win. But then, four years ago, when she was fourteen, she quit. Since then, her father left the family and then died in a car accident, her mother deals with a chronic pain condition, and Mallory has been keeping everything together by working as an auto mechanic. 

Then, her best friend badgers her into playing at a charity tournament, and she inadvertantly beats Nolan Sawyer, the number one player in the world. From there, Mallory gets sucked back into the world of chess, winning a paid fellowship, and she begins winning again. The difference this time? She and Nolan are like magnets. Sometimes repelling each other, but also inexplicably drawn together. 

This one was super fun. I don’t know how it is in Hazelwood’s other books, but she does younger siblings really well. Mallory’s sisters were a lot of fun, and I found myself laughing aloud several times. I liked all the chess stuff (I really enjoyed watching The Queen’s Gambit a couple years ago) and Hazelwood can write tension really well. I like that she’s tackling things like sexism in the chess world, as well as blaming yourself for the mistakes of others, and learning how to let go of having a super strict control on your life. Mallory and Nolan’s relationship was a good one – a lot of push-and-pull, and some great banter, with a really good resolution. 

And Vacker’s narration – she read When In Rome – was absolutely delightful. I do need to listen to her read more books, because I thoroughly enjoy listening to her. 

In short: it was a quick read that was tons of fun to listen to. 

What Happened to Rachel Riley?

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by Claire Swinarski
First sentence: “Ms. O’Dell, I hope that you’re having a good winter break.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There is harassment by middle school boys. It’s in the Middle Grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore. I read this book for the Cybils, and this reflects my opinion and not that of the whole panel.

Anna Hunt is the new girl at her middle school in Madison, Wisconsin, and she’s noticed something odd: no one talks to Rachel Riley. Not a word. This is weird because Anna’s discovered – through the miracle of social media – that Rachel used to be popular. So, Anna – nominally as part of an application to a podcasting camp – decides to get to the bottom of why no one will talk to Rachel anymore.

Everyone seems reluctant to talk about what happened at the end of 7th grade. But as Anna digs deeper, what she finds might just shake up their 8th-grade year as well.

I love a good story told through found documents, and this one was fun. There were some prose sections, so it wasn’t entirely found documents, but much lot of it was. And it’s a smart story as well. I liked how Anna had to piece things together, and how the reader was never too far ahead, so I never felt like I was waiting for Anna to catch up. I loved the dynamic of Anna’s family, and how she slowly made friends at her school – moving right before 8th grade is hard, and I liked how Swinarski portrayed that.

When I finished, my takeaway to my kids was “Middle school boys are the worst”, to which they said, “You just now figured that out?” Which is sad in its own right. Still, I like a good book where girls stand up to the harassment that is ignored in middle schools and hopefully, make their school a better place.

A good story.

Audiobook: The Puppets of Spelhorst

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by Kate DiCamillo
Read by Allan Corduner
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: It’s a short book, and there isn’t anything objectionable. It’s in the Beginning Chapter section of the bookstore (grades 1-2) but it could go older.

Once upon a time, there were five puppets: A girl, a boy, a wolf (with very sharp teeth), an owl, and a king. They were happy in the shop of the puppet maker, but they longed to go on adventures. Then one day, an old man saw the face of his lost love in the eyes of the girl puppet, and the toymaker would sell just her, so they all were bought. From there, they had adventures, first at the old man’s house, then with the junk man, after the old man died, and finally in a home with two young girls who put on a play with the puppets.

That’s it for the plot. And yet, because it’s Kate DiCamillo, it’s a lovely fairy tale, one I enjoyed listening to, even as an adult. Much like The Tale of Despereaux or The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, it’s a story to be read aloud, to be enjoyed together. It’s a simple story, but there are profound moments, silly moments, and tender moments. It’s probably not my favorite DiCamillo out there, but it is a lovely one that will delight many children (and their parents/guardians/teachers).

The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn

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by Sally J Pla
First sentence: “I learned this great calm-down trick recently.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There is on-page physical abuse by a stepparent as well as neglect and shaming by a parent. It’s in the YA section (grades 6-8) of the bookstore, but I’d give it to some 4th and 5th graders. I read this book for the Cybils, and this is a reflection of my opinion and not that of the whole panel.

For Maudie’s whole life, she has spent summers with her Dad in his cabin in California and the rest of the year with her mom in Texas. But her mom recently go remarried, and her stepdad, Ron, has an explosive temper. So much so that he hurts Maudie, whom he doesn’t seem to want around. And her mother isn’t doing much to help. Especialy since Maudie has autism and needs more time and allowances to get things done. But her mother told her not to tell her dad, so she’s keeping the secret.

This summer, though, there’s a wildfire in the mountains around her dad’s cabin, and they have to flee. They’re left with nothing, so they head south to the beach to stay with one of her dad’s high school friends. There, Maudie discovers surfing, makes friends, and gains confidence. Will she have enough to tell her dad the secret and to tell him what she really wants: not to go back to Texas at all?

I really liked the autism representation in this. I liked the way Pla described what Maudie was feeling, and the sensations that made her anxious and unsettled. She had panic attacks and meltdowns, and the author described them just as if they were parts of life, which they are. I liked that her dad was also neurodivergent. And I liked that Maudie found something she could focus on in the surfing, and that the community was so welcoming.

Things were unsettling though. I disliked Maudie’s mom, who didn’t care about what Maudie needed to thrive, but more on what she (the mom) wanted. I think one could blame it on Maudie’s mom being a teenager when she had Maudie, but maybe not. She was horrible, her new husband was horrible, and Pla leaned into that. I also wondered about the representation. I liked that the town was populated with all sorts of people, but some of it felt stereotypical. Maudie’s dad is half Venezuelan, and his mom died soon after Maudie was born, so he doesn’t really have a connection to that. His friend is Latine, and they meet an Indian/Pakistani (assuming from the name, there’s nothing that gives it context) woman who runs an alternative school for neurodivergent kid. And Maudie’s surving mentor is Etta Kahuna, who is Black? Polynesian? Her only defining feature is her gray “dreadlocks” which is a big red flag.

That said, I did like how the overall message was trusting yourself and believing in (some of) the adults around you. And I did like watching Maudie learn to surf. I’m just not sure it’s that great with representation.

Monthly Round-Up: October 2023

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Signs you know it’s #Cybils season: I’m blogging more, and I’m reading a ton of middle grade.

My favorite though is this one:

Godkiller

I listened to some very smart people on Instagram and was ahead of the BookTok curve on this one. It’s an excellent book, too!

As for the rest:

YA

Vengeance of the Pirate Queen (audiobook)

Adult Fiction:

Stars in Your Eyes (audiobook)
Legends & Lattes (audiobook)
Expiration Dates

Middle Grade:

You Are Here: Connecting Flights
The Gray
The Greatest Kid in the World
Eagle Drums
Not an Easy Win
Hands

Graphic Novels:

Hooky, Volumes 2 and 3
Gender Queer

Nonfiction:

Making It So (audiobook)

What was your favorite this month?

Audiobook: Vengeance of the Pirate Queen

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by Tricia Levenseller
Read by: Krissi Bohn
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Release date: November 7, 2023
Others in the series: Daughter of the Pirate King, Daughter of the Siren Queen
Content: There is a lot of violence, including some that is directed against women. It will be in the YA section of the bookstore.

At the end of my review, for Daughter of the Siren Queen, I mentioned that I wouldn’t mind spending more time with Alosa and her crew. Which is precisely what Levenseller delivered. Sorinda is Alosa’s – who is now the Pirate Queen – assassin, spending her time in the shadows, taking care of the evil men who wish Alosa and her band of woman pirates ill. But, Alosa’s next assignment for Sorinda is different: captain a crew to sail north, looking for spies they haven’t heard from in too long. 

Sorinda reluctantly takes the position – she is much more used to the shadows than the spotlight – and sails north. But what they find is a lot of trouble – first, a beastie that is intent on destroying the ship, and then a hostile people who have been protecting the undead King of the Undersea – who also controls the undead – from being woken for a thousand years. Of course, Sorinda (accidentally) awakens him, after which he is intent on making her his mate. Of course, that won’t happen; Sorinda is much too fiercely independent for such things. But it’s an absolute ride getting there. 

The only real complaint I have about the book is the fact that Sorinda is a Black woman. I get being inclusive, but Levenseller isn’t Black, and even if it’s a fantasy world, it doesn’t mean she gets to write a Black main character. That said, I did like Sorinda as a character: she was fierce and capable, and solved her own problems. The undead king was a LOT for a villain – I thoroughly hated him and was super happy with the end he got. The romance was a bit meh, but I wasn’t reading this book for the romance. Bohn was an excellent narrator, which definitely helped with my enjoyment of this one. 

It’s not a bad continuation of a good series.

Expiration Dates

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by Rebecca Serle

First sentence: ” The paper is blank save for the name: Jake.” 

Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Release date: March 19, 2024Review copy pilfered off the ARC shelves at the bookstore.

Content: There is some off-page sex, and swearing, including a few f-bombs. It will be in the Romance section of the bookstore. 

Since high school, whenver she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with a name and a number on it – the exact amount of time that she will be with the person. Sometimes, it comes before the meeting. Sometimes, a ways after. Either way, when the time on the slip is up, inevitably, there’s a breakup. Then one day, she receives a slip of paper with just a name. No date. Does that mean this is “The One”?

I’m still pretty new to Serle’s way of storytelling, so I don’t know if this is typical for her. I really liked the way the story unfolded, though. It’s got some twists and turns, and is a bit of a love triangle, but not really. It’s exploring the idea of destiny and how we make choices based on expectations and the information we’re presented. I adored the characters, and I thought it was fascinating as Serle presented Daphne’s history with men and with the mysterious papers.

It’s not a typical romance, though it does have a hopeful ending, but I really enjoyed my time with it.

Hands

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by Tony Maldonado
First sentence: “You promise?”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There is violence, domestic and fist-fights. It’s in the YA section (grades 6-8) of the bookstore, but I’d give it to a 5th grader. I read this book for the Cybils, and this is a reflection of my opinion and not that of the whole panel.

Two years ago, Trevor’s stepdad was arrested and sent to jail for beating Trevor’s mom. On his way, he said that he would come back for her, and Trevor’s been on edge ever since. Now at 12, his stepdad is about to get out of jail, and Trevor is determined to become the sort of person who could protect and defend his mom and sisters. Which means he needs to be stronger, better at fighting.

But, in his quest, he discovers that maybe there is more to, well, everything than he thought. There are other ways of using your hands. There are other ways of confronting the bad things in his life, his neighborhood. And that “promise” means a lot of things.

I really liked this one. Maldonado captures not only what it’s like to be 12, and have to grow up before you’re quite ready, he captures the spirit of a neighborhood and a family. It felt real, and yet it was hopeful at the same time. There was violence and danger, and yet there are Other Ways that may be better. I liked the inner conflict that Trevor had: he wants to be a Man, and protect his family, and yet he really is just a kid and he wants that, too. And a bonus: Maldonado didn’t use extra words: The short book packs a powerful uch.

Quite a remarkable small book.

Not an Easy Win

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by Chrystal D. Giles
First sentence: “Expelled.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There is some fighting. It’s in the Middle Grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore. I read this book for the Cybils, and this is a reflection of my opinion and not that of the whole panel.

Nothing has gone right for Lawrence since his dad left and his mom moved the family from Charlotte to her small hometown in rural North Carolina. He got into Andrew Jackson middle school, where most of the white kids go, but didn’t seem to fit in. That’s an understatement: he gets expelled for getting into fights (which he didn’t start). His grandma says “A man that don’t work, don’t eat”, so Lawrence needs to figure out what to do with his days. Enter neighbor Mr. Dennis, who helps run a rec center in town where the Black kids go after school. He lets Lawrence come along and work (for free), hang out, and eventually, teaches him chess.

I liked this book a lot. I am always in for a good metaphor, and I liked the way Giles used chess not only to teach non-violence, but also how to be patient, think, and connect with people. I liked Lawrence, and his growth arc, from being an angry 11-year-old kid, to learning and being one of the better chess players. I also really like that Giles didn’t give the book a Hollywood ending: while the kids make it to a chess tournament in Charlotte, it doesn’t magically solve Lawrence’s problems, and they don’t come away winning the whole thing (sorry: spoiler there). But it gives the book depth and makes it more realistic. A really solid story.