Bibi Blundermuss and the Tree Across the Cosmos by Andrew Durkin

May 4, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Bibi Blundermuss and the Tree Across the Cosmos by Andrew Durkin
Publisher: Yellow Bike Press
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Twelve-year-old Bibi Blundermuss is terrified of trees. Being around them makes her dizzy and sick to her stomach—even comatose. So, when her only to chance to find her missing parents means climbing a magic tree in the forest near her home, she almost doesn’t take it.

When Bibi grits her teeth and scales the trunk, the tree grows—so violently that she and her cat Eek are catapulted into another world. Here, she befriends a herd of elk, on the run from a pack of vicious white lions. And she discovers, to her amazement, that her mother is a witch who has been protecting the elk with a poison flower spell, which keeps the lions away.

Yet the longer Bibi stays in the world of the elk and lions, the less sure she is that her mother is truly on the elks’ side—or even on Bibi’s side. In the end, a dangerous journey into the lions’ lair and a reunion with both parents uncovers a secret that changes Bibi’s life forever. Drawn into an epic snowbound battle against an army of zombie trees, she must face her greatest fear to discover her greatest power.

Courage makes all sorts of things possible.

Bibi was a well-rounded and likeable main character. Her severe anxiety endeared me to her, especially when she was doing her best to face her fears despite how overwhelming they felt. I also enjoyed seeing how she incorporated her Zulu and Icelandic heritage into her everyday life. She loved both of her cultures and found all sorts of creative ways to honor them. Little details like this were what really made her personality come alive to me.

It would have been nice to see more attention paid to world building. For example, animals can talk in Bibi’s world and phobias don’t work the same way there as they do in our world at all. Both of these things were accepted at face value by all of the characters. I would have found the phobia storyline especially confusing if I were a middle grade reader because of how oddly Bibi’s hylophobia presented itself and how the resolution to that issue was framed. This is something I’m saying as a reader who loves fantasy and can easily suspend my disbelief when magical things happen. There’s nothing wrong with following a different set of rules, but not having clear explanations of why these things happened did prompt me to go with a lower rating than I would have otherwise chosen despite loving everything else about it.

The pacing fit the tone of the storyline well even though it did not always follow the same patterns. Some scenes worked best if they were savored, and others benefited from a quicker explanation of what was happening in them. It isn’t always easy to write a story that can make all of the adjustments necessary for this sort of pacing, so I commend the author for pulling it off here. He did a great job of preparing this reader to slow down and admire the glittery flowers of a magical forest filled with talking elk and then speed up again as pivotal scenes loomed on the horizon.

Bibi Blundermuss and the Tree Across the Cosmos was a wild ride that I’d recommend to anyone who loves adventurous fantasy.

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Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

May 2, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Publisher: Candlewick
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Romance, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Set in an incarceration camp where the United States cruelly detained Japanese Americans during WWII and based on true events, this moving love story finds hope in heartbreak.

To fall in love is already a gift. But to fall in love in a place like Minidoka, a place built to make people feel like they weren’t human—that was miraculous.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Tama is sent to live in a War Relocation Center in the desert. All Japanese Americans from the West Coast—elderly people, children, babies—now live in prison camps like Minidoka. To be who she is has become a crime, it seems, and Tama doesn’t know when or if she will ever leave. Trying not to think of the life she once had, she works in the camp’s tiny library, taking solace in pages bursting with color and light, love and fairness. And she isn’t the only one. George waits each morning by the door, his arms piled with books checked out the day before. As their friendship grows, Tama wonders: Can anyone possibly read so much? Is she the reason George comes to the library every day? Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s beautifully illustrated, elegant love story features a photo of the real Tama and George—the author’s grandparents—along with an afterword and other back matter for readers to learn more about a time in our history that continues to resonate.

Hope can sprout anywhere.

One of the most valuable portions of this story for me was how it gave concrete examples of how racism affected the daily lives of the two main characters and the other people they lived with. For example, the living conditions of the camp they stayed in were poor, and the narrator went into detail about how uncomfortable everyone was who lived there. These moments drove their points home in both subtle and overt ways.

I found myself wishing that the author had provided more details about why Japanese people were sent to incarceration camps in the United States during World War II and what their lives were like there. These are things that most adults are probably already aware of but that middle grade readers may not have been taught yet. I yearned to give it a higher rating as the subject matter is such an important one, but I wasn’t sure how interested kids would be in this tale if they didn’t already know the historical context of it.

I was delightfully surprised by how much hope the characters had for the future. The circumstances they were living under were incredibly difficult, and yet both Tama and George held onto the belief that better days could be on the way. That isn’t something that’s always easy to do, but it was the perfect addition to the other themes of the storyline as well. After all, life is often filled with mixtures of emotions like these.

Love in the Library was a thought-provoking read.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Magicians of Ysavar by Z.B. Lee

April 29, 2022 By Leave a Comment


The Magicians of Ysavar by Z.B. Lee
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Johan Finley dreams of being a warrior for his home, Center City, but he is devastated when his own arrogance costs him his dream. When all seems lost, a cheery little fellow comes knocking on his door. Johan could never expect the fantastic journey that awaits.

There is one problem: Blazer, an enchanted sword, has fallen into the wrong hands. A shadowy enemy seeks to use this powerful weapon to turn the tides in a greater war of good versus evil. Johan must find the strength to face down this sinister foe and take back the sword before it’s too late.

Under the tutelage of a wise magician and a battle-tested knight, along with the friendship of a courageous halfling, Johan is going to learn what it means to be a true hero in the Order of Ysavar. But when the fate of the world rests on his shoulders, will he crack under the pressure? Or will he rise to the occasion?

Sometimes adventure sneaks up on you when you least expect it to.

The world building in this novella was fantastic. It explained everything the reader needed to know clearly while still leaving ample room for a sequel to dive much more deeply into the history of Articus and what the various races in this world thought of each other. These were complex topics that Johan and the audience were just beginning to understand. The author did such a good job of explaining them and showing what life was like for the members of the Order of Ysavar that I felt as though I were walking alongside the characters every step of the way.

I would have liked to see more attention paid to character development, especially when it came to Johan. Other characters mentioned his faults a few times, but there weren’t enough opportunities for the audience to see whether their opinions of Johan were correct or how he grew as a result of his experiences in my opinion. Even a few extra scenes showing this would have been sufficient. This was the only thing holding me back from selecting a five-star rating.

The plot was fast-paced and exciting. I was intrigued by how it explored what happens after someone failed to accomplish a goal in one of the very first scenes. That wasn’t something I’ve seen discussed in quite the same way in most of the fantasy I’ve read, so it immediately piqued my attention. It’s always nice when authors play around with the audience’s expectations and keep us guessing like that. This is all I can say on that topic without sharing spoilers, but do pay close attention if or when the storyline veers away from what you assumed might happen next.

The Magicians of Ysavar made me yearn for more.

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Melissa by Alex Gino

April 19, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Melissa by Alex Gino
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Genre: YA, Middle Grade, Contemporary, LGBTQ
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

BE WHO YOU ARE.

When people look at Melissa, they think they see a boy named George. But she knows she’s not a boy. She knows she’s a girl.

Melissa thinks she’ll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte’s Web. Melissa really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can’t even try out for the part… because she’s a boy.

With the help of her best friend, Kelly, Melissa comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte — but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.

You have to be who you are, no matter what.

I loved this story. I did. I loved reading about Melissa coming into her own and finding who she was always meant to be. The writing was authentic and empathetic, too. I read this in one day and recommend it strongly.

Melissa was born George but she’s never felt like a boy. She feels like a girl. This is her story of coming into her own and being the girl she was always meant to be. This book won’t be for everyone, but it would definitely help a young person understand that the feelings they have—wanting to wear a dress or be a tomboy—isn’t bad. This is a young person’s story. It’s told like a young person would tell it. There are moments where things are awkward, where there’s acceptance and where Melissa shines. I loved the portrayal of Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web. That was the best.

If you’re looking for a book that explains how a young person sees themselves and how one young person born one way can feel another, then this is the book for you. I recommend it highly.

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Cruz Finds His Way by Anne van Gessel

April 11, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Cruz Finds His Way by Anne van Gessel
Publisher: Balboa Press
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Cruz the Crow is about to embark on the single most important journey of his whole life: his solo-flight! But there is just one problem! All those letters and numbers that the other crows can read: well he can’t. How will he ever find his way? A charming and inspiring tale that tells kids it is ok to be different, and that we all have our strengths.

Everyone struggles with something, and those difficulties aren’t always obvious at first glance.

I liked Cruz as soon as I met him. Not only was he brave, he was persistent as well. It can be hard for anyone to keep trying at a skill they know they struggle with, and this is even more true for young crows or humans. He was a good example of how to acknowledge the frustration that happens in these circumstances without using it as an excuse to give up.

There were times when I wondered whether this picture book was meant to be read by or to children who have dyslexia or other conditions that make reading difficult. Some of the vocabulary words seemed like they’d be difficult for a child who was already struggling to read, but the storyline itself was geared to this age group. If the intended audience had been made clearer, I would have happily gone with a five-star rating.

My favorite part of it by far was the ending because of its realistic messages about living with dyslexia and dealing with hard topics in general. The message it sent about alternative ways to think about this disorder or anything else someone might find difficult to do with was perfect. All of us have things we wish we could be better at, and nobody excels at everything. The way the narrator used these facts to speak to the audience made this a book I’ll be recommending to anyone who is looking for reassurance.

Cruz Finds His Way was a wonderfully empathetic tale.

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Geo by Topher Allen

February 25, 2022 By 1 Comment


Geo by Topher Allen
Publisher: Outside Voice Publishing
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Golem’s Hollow, the crystal city. For a rock like Geo, the beautifully familiar spires are the perfect place to be. They’re the only place to be. But what lies beyond the underground metropolis?

Geo always had questions, and ready or not, this is his chance for answers. Things didn’t go quite as planned, now he and his friends are stranded in a distant wilderness. It’s the adventure he always wanted. But survival is not guaranteed. Bizarre creatures roam these endless wilds dotted with odd, abandoned structures. What else is going on out here? Why does no one else dare to ask?

Unknown worlds are rarely safe and never predictable.

Adventures can be found anywhere.

The world building was well done, especially when it came to describing how Geo’s society was wildly different from anything humans have thought of for themselves. This showed up in subtle ways like the characters saying “for peat’s sake” instead of “for Pete’s sake,” but it also demonstrated to the audience cultural differences between rocks and humans that I never would have thought about in advance. Those moments are really best left for each reader to discover for themselves due to how surprising and wonderful they were. I don’t want to spoil any surprises!

There were some pacing issues. They were especially noticeable in the first third of this book which dampened my enthusiasm to keep reading even though I was highly interested in the idea of sentient rocks when I began. Unfortunately, the storyline moved so slowly in the beginning that it was a struggle for me to continue reading. It would have been nice to have more action in these scenes.

With that being said, my interest levels did increase again once Geo and his friends began their exciting adventure in the world outside of Golem’s Hollow, the crystal city where they lived. It’s one thing to see how rocks live on their home turf, but it’s quite another to see how they react to an unfamiliar and sometimes a little frightening outside world. Their reactions to these events renewed my interest in these characters even as I continued to wish the plot itself could move along a bit faster.

Geo was a creative adventure that should be read by anyone who has ever wondered what it might be like to be a rock.

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The Runaways by Brenda Barnes Clark

February 24, 2022 By Leave a Comment


The Runaways by Brenda Barnes Clark
Publisher: RBC Books
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Paranormal, Action/Adventure, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Review ed by Astilbe

What if Penny, an abused pony at a 1946 West Virginia county fair, runs away to eleven-year-old Billie Rose Tackett?

What if, through “think-speak,” Penny tells Billie that she was stolen and did not belong to the carnival or the horrible, terrible pony ride keeper? How can Billie prove the theft when no one in their right mind would believe that a horse speaks? In her quest to save Penny, Billie and Penny show amazing courage and tenacity to overcome seemingly impossible, life-threatening situations. In this fast-paced adventure story, Billie grows in confidence as she deals with prejudice, disability, bullying, family loss, compassion, and forgiveness while doing whatever it takes to save the runaway pony.

Empathy makes the world a better place.

The pacing was perfect. I ended up reading far longer than I was intending to because I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the page or wait to see what happened next. There simply wasn’t a good time to take a break. That’s the sort of writing I love to see, and it makes this first-time reader eager to see what Ms. Barnes Clark might come up with next. She couldn’t have made a better first impression with me.

Billie lost some of her hearing as a result of an infection she had as a child. The scenes describing her memories of that illness and how it affected her life as well as the lives of her mother and sister were written beautifully, and I’m saying that as someone who lives with a person who is hard of hearing. It’s rare to find characters who have partial hearing loss but who can still hear certain tones, so I was thrilled to see this topic covered here.

Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that included the mind reading between Billie and Penny. The paranormal elements of their adventures were subtle but unmistakable. That suited these characters nicely, and I enjoyed coming up with my own theories about why they could communicate telepathically. Not everything needs to be fully explained in a tale like this one, especially when there was so much else going on in their lives simultaneously.

I appreciated how descriptive this book was about everything from the physical appearances of the characters to what their homes, barns, gardens, and other settings looked like. The author did a wonderful job of fleshing out the world she was describing, and I found it easy to close my eyes and picture everything in my mind. What made this even better was how seamlessly she included all of the details in the storyline. The pacing of the plot never needed to slow down in order for her to describe all of the little but important details that created such a memorable read.

The Runaways was an exciting adventure that I’d wholeheartedly recommend to adults just as much as to the middle grade audience it was originally intended for!

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Chocolate Crossing: The Mystery of the Missing Chocolate Gold by Riya Aarini

February 21, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Chocolate Crossing: The Mystery of the Missing Chocolate Gold by Riya Aarini
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Sheriff Antoine and bank manager Quinn have their hands full when the chocolate gold suddenly goes missing from the Bank of Chocolate Currency. Suspicious grown-ups, including a hobbling witch and a wily magician, add mayhem to this mind-boggling mystery. Will the kids of Chocolate Crossing find the chocolate gold-and the thief who turns their town upside down?

There’s nothing sweet about stealing chocolate!

The spectacular world building made me wish I could be part of Chocolate Crossing. All of the children who spent time there had clearly come up with a clear vision of what they wanted their town to be like. I adored the little details that were included like the narrator’s descriptions of the unusual form of currency these characters used or why birthdays in this community were even more exciting than they would be in the world of teenagers and grownups.

I did find myself wishing for more character development in this novella. The setting was such a memorable one that it was a little surprising to me to see that the same attention wasn’t paid to the characters. There was a lot of space here for the audience to get to know them better, and I would have happily gone with a higher rating if that had occurred.

Trying to solve the mystery of who stole the bars of chocolate gold was a great deal of fun. There were exactly the right number of clues for a middle grade audience, and they were shared just often enough to keep my interest levels high, too. I liked the fact that the narrator presented multiple options to the audience, especially since I could see good arguments for why all of them might be the right answer.

Chocolate Crossing: The Mystery of the Missing Chocolate Gold was a lighthearted read that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys candy or chocolate.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Sparrow by Brian Kindall

February 1, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Sparrow by Brian Kindall
Publisher: Diving Boy Books
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A boy. A wish. A secret desire gone horribly wrong.

Timothy Sperling misses his mom and dad terribly. Left behind with his morose uncle while they’re off on an expedition to avert an environmental crisis, the bird-boned boy would give anything to see them again. But when he spies a shooting star, instead of wishing to be reunited with his parents, he falters and asks for snow… only to conjure up a blizzard that won’t quit!

As a town that never sees winter is buried in mountains of white, Timothy teams up with a wise explorer to figure out how to stop the relentless frozen flakes. And with all the blame being shoveled on his family, the clever kid’s connection to sparrows may be his one chance to pull the city out of its deep freeze.

Can Timothy undo his fateful wish and bring back the sunshine?

Sparrow is a high-flying middle grade novel. If you or your child like relatable characters, timeless settings, and high-stakes adventure, then you’ll love Brian Kindall’s feathered flurries.

Wishes can change the world, so be careful how you phrase them.

Some of the most memorable scenes were the ones that explored guilt and regret. Timothy’s uncle had made a terrible mistake many years ago that still haunted their family when this tale began. There were also some things that Timothy himself regretted doing, so uncle and nephew were on similar journeys to fix the troubles that they’d caused. It was fascinating to see how both of these characters approached the question of how best to do that, especially for the problems they were dealing with that didn’t seem to have easy solutions at all.

It would have been helpful to have a little more time spent on world building. I was intrigued by what was included, but there was never quite enough of it for me to feel immersed in the city of Candela or in the lives of the people who lived there. Having more details about this community in general and how it functioned would have gone a long way in giving me the opportunity to lose myself in their world. If this had been included, I would have happily chosen a five-star rating instead.

I adored the way magic was used in this book. Sometimes it flowed so quietly that it would have been easy to overlook it entirely. Other scenes included more obvious examples of how it worked, but even then it fit into the landscape so seamlessly that characters didn’t always necessarily realize just how special those experiences were. Occasionally, it was so blatant that no one could deny it, but in every case I loved seeing how the characters reacted to the existence of magic in their universe and how even the smallest choices they made could be magically amplified in all sorts of clever ways.

Sparrow was a delightful winter read.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Kingston and the Echoes of Magic by Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi

January 6, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Kingston and the Echoes of Magic by Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

In this duology’s finale, Kingston travels back in time and uses his growing magic to save the world.

Kingston might have saved Echo City but the victory is bittersweet without his pops by his side. The holidays are approaching and if Kingston could have one wish, it would be to have his father, who is trapped in the Realm, come home. But as new problems arise and blackouts blanket the city, Kingston begins to have a persistent feeling of déjà vu, as if he’s lived this same day before—and he has. Echo City living up to its name, is caught in a repeating time loop.

Maestro, his father’s old rival, has found a way to overwrite reality with an alternate timeline where he rules over all. It will be up to Kingston, Too Tall, and V to find a way to enter the Realm and travel back through time to stop him. But with a magic he still barely understands, Kingston will needs his friends’ smarts and their collective courage to figure out the mystery and find Maestro before Brooklyn as they know it is erased for good.

Kingston and the Echoes of Magic is Book 2 or a sequel to the first book, Kingston and the Magician’s Lost and Found. It’s as fast-paced and as easy a read as the first book. It might be a little quirkier, but I mean that in a good way. Kingston, his cousin V, and their friend Too Tall are stuck in a world that goes round and round. A sort of time warp that repeats the same day. Sometimes it’s good to know what will happen tomorrow and sometimes not. None of that will help Kingston find his pops.

There is plenty of magic or fantasy here and once again a cast of characters that most any young person can identify with. Winston and his pals are left with puzzle after puzzle to solve. It makes this book enjoyable to read but keeps the reader on his or her toes. There’s lots of fun here too. I enjoyed the plucky dialog and the interaction between the characters. I read Book 1 earlier. While either book can stand alone, I’m glad I read them in order. I think it gave me a better chance to know the characters and to understand the pace and flow of the story.

This was a good read. I was disappointed when it was over and wish there was a 3rd book on the way.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,
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