I really enjoyed this middle-grade novel of love, belonging...and birds of prey.
The writing was engaging and I loved the characters. Rufus’s point of view chapters were a little uneven as far as the bird-ness, but I still enjoyed them.
4.5 STARS. I will certainly read more by Dayna Lorentz
It was a bit repetitive, and some readers might not find it exciting enough for them, but I really enjoyed it.
The cover is beautiful, and of course I loved the details about the birds, the quest to protect endangered wildlife, etc.
4 stars
I found a few little things silly or repetitive, but it wasn't a big deal.
The ending was satisfying.
Overall, a really great book about difficult issues.
4.5 stars
Newbery Award Winner, 2024:
With all books like this, it's sometimes hard to suspend my disbelief when, for example, a dog understands that stars are actually suns burning far, far away, but the same dog doesn't know what the mainland is. The dog understands all sorts of complex English words and scientific and culture concepts but does not know what art is? Yeah, it's a little hard to swallow. But if you can go with it, it's just fun.
And the pictures are beautiful.
This is the second book I've read this year with the same title! The first was The Last Human, by Zach Jordan, which started out really, really strong: amazing sci-fi world-building and creativity, very interesting characters. One of the characters was so culturally, mentally, anatomically, and ethically different from humans, yet the author made her very relatable, which is no small feat. Then the book turned metaphysical and fantastical and kind of lost me (thought others love it, so give it a chance if you feel inclined).
It was a cute book, by turns funny, touching, and exciting.
I loved the little bits of culture clash, of the robots and humans learning about each other, trying to understand each other, and learning about friendship.
I did find a few things unrealistic, like the sheer number of solar panel the main character and his two coworkers had installed (about 1.3 million, added to an already-large sea of solar panels) while still being able to conveniently walk to work. I also questioned whether any [logical] robot would design another robot to only use emojis. Sometimes his coworkers knew exactly what he meant, inexplicably extrapolating a great deal of info from a couple of little emojis. Other times they didn't know what he meant at all. It seemed very imprecise in a very unrobot-like way. [SPOILER ALERT] It also felt too easy how the three robots immediately believed and trusted Emma and dropped everything to help her, considering how they've been programmed and brainwashed. [BIGGER SPOILER ALERT] The ease of the solution at the end also felt too easy.
That said, there was a lot to like about the book. The adventure was good. The writing was engaging. I loved the characters.
A really fun read.
I look forward to more by Lee Bacon.
This is the time of year I have fun reflecting on my last year's reading list.
Books read: 50
But don't be too impressed: 36% were middle-grade and 12% were YA (which are no less valid, often very thought-provoking and well written...but generally shorter).
Nonfiction: 46%, my highest percentage ever
Of the nonfiction, I read a lot of biography/history/memoir this year. It actually beat my usual highest category: plants/animals.
Of the fiction, I read a good amount of science fiction/fantasy/spec, but the highest category was contemporary (non-thriller, non-mystery, non-romance)
Most
light-heartedly enjoyable speculative fiction for adults: Brandon Sanderson's The Frugal Wizard's
Handbook for Surviving Medieval England.
A bit repetitive in some parts, confusing in others, but the
guidebook entries were priceless.
Most
light-heartedly enjoyable speculative fiction for kids: Pip Bartlett's Guide to Unicorn Training by
Jackson Pearce and Maggie Stiefvater.
Not quite as darling as the first book in the series, but still great. And the guidebook entries were priceless. I think there's a pattern here.
Best
guidebook for how to die while hiking in the Grand Canyon: Tail of the Scorpion, by Mike Graf. The guidebook parts were informative and
seemed factually accurate. But the story
part should have been called How to Kill your Kids in Grand Canyon. You can read my whole rant on Goodreads, but
do NOT start on a major hike of the Grand Canyon at 3:00 pm in August. Just don't.
Best guidebook for how not to die while hiking in the Grand Canyon: Okay, so it wasn't a guidebook at all, but a quietly tense thriller which portrayed the canyon realistically: Getaway, by Zoje Stage.
Best relentlessly religious historical fiction book taking
place at the Grand Canyon (yes, there were a couple of themes this year): A Deep Divide, by Kimberley Woodhouse. I didn't realize when I put this on hold that
it was Christian fiction, but I should have, because there doesn't seem to exist
a genre of clean historical romances that doesn't ram religion down our
throats. I loved the locale and the
historical details, and if it hadn't been so preachy, I really would have
enjoyed it. But some people will enjoy
it because of all the talk of God and scripture.
Best book about nature:
Around the World in 80 Birds, written by Mike Unwin, illustrated
by Ryuto Miyake. Interesting little write-ups
of fascinating birds. Beautiful illustrations.
Author whose books I read the most of: Kathleen Krull. I got on a kick and read several of her books
of short biographies written for kids.
They're full of interesting, rapid-fire facts. Maybe not a lot of depth, but fun to read.
Best novel for kids: Across
the Desert, by Dusti Bowling. I love
Dusti Bowling. And the Arizona setting
doesn't hurt any. Check out her books!
Not sure if this counts, because I listened in audio, but…
Best mountain climbing survival book (yeah, this is a whole
genre I read/listen to a lot of): The
Climb; Tragic Ambition on Everest, by Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt. Like all of these books, it had its flaws—like
how I couldn't keep all of the characters straight—but it was really captivating. I would tell myself I was just going to listen
for 15 minutes before bed, and at the end of 15 minutes I'd set it for another
15 minutes…then another.
Best graphic novels based on historical events and people: ) Guardian of Fukushima, by Ewan Blain & Fabien Grolleau, about the man who defied government orders by staying in the irradiated zone to take care of abandoned animals after the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. They Called us Enemy, by George Takei, about the Japanese Internment Camps in WWII.
If you liked this, I absolutely recommend Applegate's The One and Only Ivan, which I thought was heartbreaking and beautiful. I haven't seen the movie based on it, but I've seen previews, and I advise you not to judge a book by its movie.
PS And the cover is adorable.
"Across the Desert" is a prose novel, and Dusti Bowling has shown that she can do both and do them well.
And yeah, maybe the premise is a little hard to swallow, but just swallow it. You'll thank me later.
I loved the characters. The writing was engaging.
I loved the setting. I'm an Arizonan who loves the outdoors, and it's nice to see our deserts represented in a kid's book. I'm not familiar with the Alamo Lake area, so I can't speak to Bowling's accuracy there, but she accurately portrayed the central Arizona summer heat (and didn't add to the myth of the summer desert suddenly plunging to freezing temperatures overnight). My main criticism of "The Canyon's Edge" was that some of the Arizona-ness of it seemed exaggerated to the point of inaccuracy, which made for a good story but kind of bothered me. In this book, I felt she painted a much more realistic picture of our desert and the real obstacles and dangers the main character would face.
The plot and pacing were good. The situation just kept going from bad to worse. I cared greatly (and worried about) what would happen to the characters.
All in all, a great read. Now I'm going to have to read everything else she's written.
More accurate rating—more like 4.5 (But a high 4.5)
I LOVED Regent Maximus' interaction with the baby unicorns. I loved Tomas' new favorite animals.
Here are more things I love in a middle grade novel (or any novel) and which this book delivers on. The story has conflict and tension not dependent on serious violence. Characters solve problems by thinking and working, not through violence. And…[SEMI SPOILER] the bad guy isn't really such a bad guy.
Overall, a very fun book.
More accurate rating: 4.5. It wasn't quite as charming as the first, but still highly enjoyable
This is another really cute instalment of the series. There's good friend drama, creative magic, peaceful solutions to problems, a cute pet, and more. I'm still loving the art, the characters, and the overall feel of the series.
4.5 stars
See my review of the first book here: Witches of Brooklyn.
[Sigh]
I LOVED this. Reading as an adult who loves animals (and invented animals) and light-hearted reads where violence is not the solution, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I even made myself ration it.
So, yeah, maybe some of the characters were a bit one-dimensional, and maybe I would have liked to know a little more about how all these creatures fit in (or didn't) in the wider world outside the story, and maybe the solution was a little too easy…but it was all so delightfully fun and charming and full of great imaginary creatures and really funny bits that I just didn’t care about any of its minor issues.
I highly recommend Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures. With some series I’m like, “Great. I have to read MORE?” With this one I’m like, “Yes!! There’s more!!!!” [Happy dance].
I rarely give 5 stars to novels. This is probably more like a 4 or 4.5 for the average reader who isn’t quite as obsessed with magical animals as I am, but for me: 5 stars, no question.
P.S. As a writer, I'm always curious how the process works when a novel has two authors. Whatever Jackson Pearce and Maggie Stiefvater did, it worked. Full disclosure: I listened to a YA novel by Maggie Stiefvater that I didn't love (Call Down the Hawk). Her talent was apparent, but I didn't particularly enjoy the book. This one, however, has all my stamps of approval.
Witches of Brooklyn was a charming read. The concept and characters were interesting. The relationships were fun to watch grow. The plot was unusual. The pacing was good. The drawings were great. Some of the dialogue was quite witty.
When I got to the end, I actually put the next book on hold at the library.
I would definitely recommend this, even to people like me who aren't huge fans (just tiny fans) of graphic novels.
More accurate rating: 4.5
Some scenes were drawn out just a tad too long, and I think some young readers might think it slow in those parts, but I really enjoyed it.
[SPOILER ALERT] I’m not sure how realistic the ending was, and the honest part of me almost wished it had gone a little more with the hard realities of these situations, but the optimistic part of me loved the ending. [END SPOILER]
I will read more by Laurel Snyder.
4.5 star
I found a few things unrealistic, and the whole setup with the book being written by a character in the book to a character in the book was a little clunky at times, but overall the writing was good.
The setting and situations were interesting and eye-opening—especially about the trash collecting. The main characters were lovable.
I would read more by Padma Venkatraman.
Warning: abuse and death. Parents might want to read along with kids.
This time I knew that the poems written about were in the back, and I read them along with the book, each at the appropriate time, and it really deepened my appreciation.
Highly recommended for reluctant poetry readers, aspiring writers, cat lovers…and pretty much everyone else.
More accurate rating: 4.5
Rating of cover: 2
Some parts struck me as quite unrealistic, especially toward the end, especially with the [SEMI SPOILER ALERT] plan that involved collecting money from various people. Several aspects of this plan seemed contrary to what would really happen and contrary to what certain characters would do. But if you can just go with it, you'll enjoy it.
The stories from Mia's family and from the various immigrants they meet are heart-breaking and eye-opening. The letters Mia writes and their outcomes are fun to read about. The relationships are interesting.
Overall a very enjoyable book. Don't skip the author's note in the back.
I'm so behind in my book reviews. Here's another book I enjoyed from 2021: The Seventh Wish, by Kate Messner
It got a lot darker than I expected, regarding the family crisis only alluded to on the book jacket, but it's an important topic and I think it was handled very well. Not glossed over. Not over-simplified. The emotions were real and not always flattering. The ending wasn't perfect, with everything fixed. But at the same time it was hopeful and full of love.
I liked the wishes-gone-wrong premise, though I would have enjoyed it even more if things could have gone a wee bit more wrong.
The writing was engaging.
I loved learning about Irish dancing.
Overall, a very good book. I'll read more by Kate Messner.
More accurate rating: 4.5 stars
WARNING: SPOILER
ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!! Triggers:
drug use / opioid addiction. I
think it's presented very well, but parents may want to be aware and/or open up
a discussion on the topic.
Continuing my book reviews from 2021:
I did wonder why it didn't occur to these desert-savvy kids to sleep under shelter during the hottest part of the day and walk all night. They were on a long straight highway, which would have been super easy to navigate in the dark. This would have conserved a lot of energy. More importantly, it would have conserved water in the form of sweat not lost.
That said, I was absolutely delighted that finally, FINALLY, someone wrote a desert novel that points out that the desert is NOT boiling hot in the day and freezing cold that same night. The temperature swings are bigger than most places, so a warm day can be quite chilly at night, and deserts can freeze….but not in the middle of summer! John set all his readers right. Yay!!! Thank you, J.L.Esplin.
Recommended for anyone, but especially those who love survival tales, kids working together against big problems, and stories of the love between siblings.
Now I have to read everything else by J.L. Esplin.
Absolutely five stars (and I don't give many five-star ratings to novels)
NaNoWriMo Rebellion Complete (sort of)
This year, instead of writing a 50,000-word novel from scratch, as is the traditional goal of NaNoWriMo (National Novel WRiting Month), I dedicated the same amount of time to revising the first part and reworking/finishing the second part of a middle-grade novel I wrote during another NaNoWriMo.
I just finished the time/word count this evening.
I still need to write a few more scenes and revise the second part (which will, of course, require more revision of the first part). But I'm pretty happy with how things have gone.
