The Traitor's Game

The Traitor's Game
by Jennifer A. Nielsen

From the publisher:

"Nothing is as it seems in the kingdom of Antora. Kestra Dallisor has spent three years in exile in the Lava Fields, but that won't stop her from being drawn back into her father's palace politics. He's the right hand man of the cruel king, Lord Endrick, which makes Kestra a valuable bargaining chip. A group of rebels knows this all too well - and they snatch Kestra from her carriage as she reluctantly travels home.The kidnappers want her to retrieve the lost Olden Blade, the only object that can destroy the immortal king, but Kestra is not the obedient captive they expected. Simon, one of her kidnappers, will have his hands full as Kestra tries to foil their plot, by force, cunning, or any means necessary. As motives shift and secrets emerge, both will have to decide what - and who - it is they're fighting for."

It took me a while to get into this book because I didn't really like the main characters very much for a while. I did learn to like them, and the plot was exciting (if predictable) and the world building was cool. I liked that the 2 main characters knew each other as children, but why Simon would ever even think of liking her again is hard to believe. The antagonist in this story is incredibly evil in a Voldemort-y sort of way, but even Voldemort was scared of Dumbledore, and Lord Endrick seems pretty much indestructible and horrible. Quite frankly, I'm not sure how that will pan out in the 2nd and 3rd books. I did like some of the twists at the end and felt very satisfied with the overall experience when I finished. I think middle schoolers will love it.

Areas of concern:
*Very evil person who enjoys inflicting pain, torture and death on anyone and has killed countless people.
*A very dysfunctional family dynamic.
*Many tense moments with death imminent.
*Mild romance.

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+

School Library Journal - Grades 6-8

Begone the Raggedy Witches

Begone the 
Raggedy Witches
by Celine Kiernan

From the publisher:
"When witches kidnap her dad, Mup is swept up in a wild tide of magic that carries her to another world. Can she reunite her family and find her way back?

On the night that Aunty dies, the raggedy witches come for Mup's family. Pale, cold, and relentless, the witches will do anything for the tyrannical queen who has outlawed most magic and enforces her laws with terror and cruelty -- and who happens to be Mup's grandmother. When witches carry off her dad, Mup and her mam leave the mundane world to rescue him. But everything is odd in the strange, glittering Witches Borough, even Mam. Even Mup herself. In a world of rhyming crows, talking cats, and golden forests, it's all Mup can do to keep her wits about her. And even if she can save her dad, Mup's not sure if anything will ever be the same again. First in a new trilogy by Irish author Celine Kiernan, this tale of family and forbidden magic charts a fresh path through the landscape of beloved fantasy tradition -- and promises to bewitch any reader in search of stories to love."

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did I enjoyed it. It had a kind of A Wrinkle In Time vibe to it. The main character, Mup, was incredibly courageous and loyal - just how I like my main characters to be. Her little brother, Tipper, was adorable. I enjoyed the world that the author created and all the different variations of magic in that world. Actually, this book brings to mind a number of different classic children's books because the evil queen is very reminiscent of the White Witch of Narnia. I found the evil queen in this book even more disturbing, though, because this queen is a mother and grandmother trying to kill her own offspring. I had a student tell me she really loved this book, so I hope the word spreads, because I'm not sure the cover will sell this well.

Areas of concern:
*I only noticed 2 uses of the "d" word, but another reviewer said there were 6 instances of cussing.
*There are two really awful mothers who hurt their own children and try to or do kill their fathers. 

Suggested Ages:

Booklist - Grades 6-8

Kirkus Reviews - Ages 8-12

The Benefits of Being an Octopus

The Benefits of Being
an Octopus
by Ann Braden

From the publisher:
"Some people can do their homework. Some people get to have crushes on boys. Some people have other things they’ve got to do.

Seventh-grader Zoey has her hands full as she takes care of her much younger siblings after school every day while her mom works her shift at the pizza parlor. Not that her mom seems to appreciate it. At least there’s Lenny, her mom’s boyfriend—they all get to live in his nice, clean trailer.

At school, Zoey tries to stay under the radar. Her only friend Fuchsia has her own issues, and since they're in an entirely different world than the rich kids, it’s best if no one notices them.

Zoey thinks how much easier everything would be if she were an octopus: eight arms to do eight things at once. Incredible camouflage ability and steady, unblinking vision. Powerful protective defenses.

Unfortunately, she’s not totally invisible, and one of her teachers forces her to join the debate club. Even though Zoey resists participating, debate ultimately leads her to see things in a new way: her mom’s relationship with Lenny, Fuchsia’s situation, and her own place in this town of people who think they’re better than her. Can Zoey find the courage to speak up, even if it means risking the most stable home she’s ever had?

This moving debut novel explores the cultural divides around class and the gun debate through the eyes of one girl, living on the edges of society, trying to find her way forward."

You know it's a good book when you are just taking it out of the box, getting it ready for check out, leafing through it, and suddenly you're hooked and read it all in one sitting. I have a lot of students who will love this book if I can just get them to check it out. The cover is not very conducive for check out, unfortunately, but the story is lovely. The main character has way too much to deal with in her short life. I felt very connected to her even though my childhood couldn't have been more different from hers in the socio-economic sense. Like Zoey, I was very shy and just wanted to blend into the background in Jr. High/Middle School. Getting up in front of people was a huge deal for me. I think students can connect to this character on many different levels. I appreciate the glimpse into a different lifestyle, it reminded me of some of the things our students live with every day. Thankfully there was a concerned adult (Ms. Rochambeau) who really tried to bring our main character out of her shell and aim her towards a better life. I did feel like a lot of things were left unanswered at the end of the book and that our heroine was still in a precarious position, but such is life.
(And am I the only one who chanted, "We rendezvous with Rochambeau, consolidate their gifts" over and over in my head while reading this? And once Hamilton gets in your head, it doesn't leave.)

Areas of concern:
*A very dysfunctional family situation.
*Emotional abuse/control
*Bullying
*Discussion of gun control - pros and cons 

Suggested Ages:

Book List - Grades 4-7

School Library Journal - Grades 5-8

A Curse So Dark and Lonely

A Curse So Dark
And Lonely
by Brigid Kemmerer

From the publisher:
Fall in love, break the curse.

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she's pulled into a magical world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

I have to admit that I have taken a break from Young Adult books because I was so tired of the insta-forever-love, incredibly beautiful teenagers, bad language, sexual situations, and on and on. However, I did enjoy this book- whether I had taken enough time off, or it just didn't have as many of the tropes that I hate, I'm not sure. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a Beauty and the Beast retelling.

This book begins in modern day Washington D.C. with our heroine (who has cerebral palsy but it just affects one leg) standing guard for her brother who is an "enforcer". Things happen and she is whisked away to another world with a prince, a castle, a beast and an evil sorceress. I found the characters very interesting and I liked them (well, except for the evil sorceress, of course). The world building and story telling are gripping. It hooks you from the very beginning and doesn't let you go until you finish and start waiting for the next one in the series. I will admit that I didn't realize this was going to be a series when I started. There was quite a bit of closure at the end, but you can see where a new one will be heading. This book may have one of the most perfect titles ever - it is a very dark and lonely curse our poor prince is suffering through. But this is no Disney prince, he has a lot of faults and growth to achieve. If I can tear students away from graphic novels for 2 seconds, I think they would really like this one.

Areas of concern:
*They somewhat frequently use a phrase that is their cuss word "silver hell", but other than that I think there was one use of the "d" word and nothing else.
*Quite violent. The beast kills many, many people, there is a war with battle scenes, a sadistic sorceress who loves to inflict pain, and also talk of a brother doing violent things to people as an enforcer.
*Sexual content is very low - a couple sleeps together but nothing happens and there is a gay couple. 

Suggested Ages:
Booklist - Grades 7-10
Kirkus Reviews - Ages 12+
School Library Journal - Grades 9+

House of Dreams: The Life of L.M. Montgomery

House of Dream: The Life
of L.M. Montgomery
by Liz Rosenberg

From the publisher:
"An affecting biography of the author of Anne of Green Gables is the first for young readers to include revelations about her last days and to encompass the complexity of a brilliant and sometimes troubled life.

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Maud who adored stories. When she was fourteen years old, Maud wrote in her journal, "I love books. I hope when I grow up to be able to have lots of them." Not only did Maud grow up to own lots of books, she wrote twenty-four of them herself as L. M. Montgomery, the world-renowned author of Anne of Green Gables. For many years, not a great deal was known about Maud’s personal life. Her childhood was spent with strict, undemonstrative grandparents, and her reflections on writing, her lifelong struggles with anxiety and depression, her "year of mad passion," and her difficult married life remained locked away, buried deep within her unpublished personal journals. Through this revealing and deeply moving biography, kindred spirits of all ages who, like Maud, never gave up "the substance of things hoped for" will be captivated anew by the words of this remarkable woman. "

I can't say that I enjoyed reading this book because it was very painful through a lot of it, but it was highly interesting. Why do artistic brilliance and mental illness generally seem to walk hand in hand? I've always wondered that. What a sad, sad life our Maud had. I'm glad she had dreams that she could write about. I will always be thankful for her amazing books and wish that her life could have had the happy endings she wrote about. 

Even though this was an interesting and enthralling read (I read it in a day), I wasn't thrilled with the writing. It lacked cohesion, jumping around and then going back. Many stories were repeated in different sections of the book. The author kept pointing out Anne's similarities to Maud and yet almost wholly ignored the much more pronounced similarities of Emily of New Moon to Maud. I can't remember the source, but I do remember hearing that Maud herself said that Emily was much more autobiographical than Anne, although she used situations from her own life in the Anne books.

This book is marketed as "for young readers", yet there are some serious life issues brought up that might make young readers feel ..... not necessarily disappointed, but maybe just saddened that her life is so different that what we all imagined from reading her books. I'm not sure how well this will circulate once the avid L.M. Montgomery fans get through it, but I still think it is worth it having it available to those readers. 

Areas of concern:
*Abandonment
*A couple of swear words
*Mentions of sex and passion (nothing terribly graphic)
*Much discussion of mental illness
*A family member infects his wife with a venereal disease.
*Drug misuse (not blatant, just ignorant)
*Possible suicide
*My biggest concern is that some readers will wish they hadn't read it because they would rather have the picture they have built in their minds of this much loved author.

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10+
School Library Journal - Grades 6+

Hello, Universe

Hello, Universe
by Erin Entrada Kelly

From the publisher:
"Winner of the 2018 Newbery Medal 

In one day, four lives weave together in unexpected ways. Virgil Salinas is shy and kindhearted and feels out of place in his loud and boisterous family. Valencia Somerset, who is deaf, is smart, brave, and secretly lonely, and loves everything about nature. Kaori Tanaka is a self-proclaimed psychic, whose little sister Gen is always following her around. And Chet Bullens wishes the weird kids would just act normal so that he can concentrate on basketball. They aren’t friends -- at least not until Chet pulls a prank that traps Virgil and his pet guinea pig at the bottom of a well. This disaster leads Kaori, Gen, and Valencia on an epic quest to find the missing Virgil. Through luck, smarts, bravery, and a little help from the universe, a rescue is performed, a bully is put in his place, and friendship blooms."

Once again, Newbery Committee, I would just like to say, "What. The. Heck?!" How about instead of only picking books that teach kids diversity, you pick a book that teaches kids about strong parent-child relationships? Or maybe kindness and compassion? Every parent in this book was completely idiotic, and yes, that includes you, Lola, the grandmother. Filling Virgil's head with thoughts of boys being eaten by everything from rocks to crocodiles? Isn't traumatizing him just as bad as calling him Turtle? You may have loved him, but I'm pretty sure that is not how to deal with an ultra-sensitive 11 year old. In my opinion this was a mildly enjoyable book with a lot of flaws, so if this was the best we had in 2018, than it is a sad commentary on children's literature that year. It wasn't horrible, just very underwhelming. I rarely agree with the Newbery Committee, but I haven't felt this upset at the committee since The One and Only Ivan won and Wonder didn't even get an Honor.

Will middle schoolers like it? One of my main concerns is the cover. It makes it look very young. I have had this on my main display since September and it has only been checked out 3 times. I would say this book might work better for elementary. The main characters are all quite quirky, so I'm not sure how that will go over, either. 

Areas of concern:
*A bully who almost kills someone and has zero repercussions.
*11 year olds who are gone for hours at a time and their parents have no idea where they are.
(Does it sound like my rant is continuing? There are not many areas of concern here.) 

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 8-12

School Library Journal - Grades 3-7

The Amulet of Samarkand

The Amulet of
Samarkand
by Jonathan Stroud

From the publisher:
"Nathaniel is a boy magician-in-training, sold to the government by his birth parents at the age of five and sent to live as an apprentice to a master. Powerful magicians rule Britain, and its empire, and Nathaniel is told his is the "ultimate sacrifice" for a "noble destiny." 

If leaving his parents and erasing his past life isn't tough enough, Nathaniel's master, Arthur Underwood, is a cold, condescending, and cruel middle-ranking magician in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The boy's only saving grace is the master's wife, Martha Underwood, who shows him genuine affection that he rewards with fierce devotion. Nathaniel gets along tolerably well over the years in the Underwood household until the summer before his eleventh birthday. Everything changes when he is publicly humiliated by the ruthless magician Simon Lovelace and betrayed by his cowardly master who does not defend him.

Nathaniel vows revenge. In a Faustian fever, he devours magical texts and hones his magic skills, all the while trying to appear subservient to his master. When he musters the strength to summon the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus to avenge Lovelace by stealing the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, the boy magician plunges into a situation more dangerous and deadly than anything he could ever imagine. "

I really struggle with books when I don't like one of the main characters (ie - Artemis Fowl), and while I enjoyed Bartimaeus, I definitely did not like Nathaniel. So much so that I almost stopped reading this. I also found the constant footnotes obnoxious and distracting and there are not many middle school children in the world who will take the time to read them. It also seemed quite long. However, Bartimaeus kept me going with his boasting and quick wit. There is plenty of action, even though it seemed to drag sometimes, and I'm sure the remaining books in the series will have just as much. 

It is odd that this author's Lockwood and Co. series is very popular in my library, but I can't get the kids who loved that series to read this one. If I find a good author I have to get my hands on everything they have written, but apparently there is something off-putting about the cover or synopsis that isn't catching the middle schoolers attention. Now, just because this wasn't my favorite doesn't mean the kids won't like it if they once get into it. After all, they love Artemis Fowl, so I'll still recommend it to the students who love mythology, mythological creatures and magicians.

Areas of concern:
*Violence between mythological creatures and magicians
*Sad death of a loved character
*A character is killed by a young boy

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10+

School Library Journal - Grades 5-9

The Harry Potter Series

Harry Potter Collection 1-7
by J.K. Rowling

From the publisher:
"Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone -- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets -- Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban -- Harry Potter and the goblet of fire -- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -- Harry Potter and the half-blood prince -- Harry Pottter and the deathly hollows. Presents all seven books of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, which follows the boy wizard through his years at Hogwarts as he tries to stop the evil Lord Voldemort with the help of his friends.
The Harry Potter series has been hailed as "one for the ages" by Stephen King and "a spellbinding saga' by USA Today. And most recently, The New York Times called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows the "fastest selling book in history."" 

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the first book coming out, and because I haven't read them in years, I just did a marathon re-read of all 7 books.  Once again, I am struck with the genius of J.K. Rowling.  These books are classics that will stand the test of time and be around forever.  The characters will be loved and revered for generations.  The plot is amazingly cohesive and well thought out from start to finish.  The world of wizards and Muggles seems practically real.  Many, many children who didn't care about reading have been and will be hooked by these books (one of my own daughters is one of them).   I love them.  Since I haven't read them in many years, but have seen the movies a zillion times, I was so struck by how much is changed or left out of the movies.  Don't get me wrong, I am not a Harry Potter movie hater - I love the movies - I just have to divorce the movies from the books in my mind when I watch them.  However, I was reminded of a lot of important moments that I love and have missed in the movies.  Oh, I love these books!  

Now, are these books for everyone?  Of course not.  We all have different tastes.  I may have a hard time understanding why someone would dislike them, but we all have different opinions.  I do get concerned when I hear of children reading Harry Potter too early.  Some of the plot lines are quite complex, and each book gets darker and darker with really intense and scary things going on.  So much sadness, so much death.  Much has been said about the witch and wizard aspect of these books and they have been challenged many times over the years in school libraries.  But ultimately these books are about good triumphing over evil and there are many lessons about character and moral virtues.  I recommend them to everyone starting about the 4th grade (or older).   

Areas of concern:
*There is a little bit mild of cussing throughout the series, but not much.
*Dramatically intense situations
*Many incredibly sad deaths
*Some torture of children by adult wizards

Suggested ages (I'm using Deathly Hallows for this - earlier for the first 3 books):
Booklist - Grades 6-12
School Library Journal - Grades 6+
(If you have sensitive children.... I had a friend who let her kids read the first 3 books when they were the same age as Harry in the books - then they could finish at their own speed.  I love this idea!)