Month: November 2020

School for Extraterrestrial Girls #1: Girl on Fire

School for Extraterrestrial Girls #1: Girl on FireSchool for Extraterrestrial Girls #1: Girl on Fire by Jamie Noguchi, Jeremy Whitley
ISBN: 1545804923
Genres: Science Fiction
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads
two-stars

High schooler Tara lives a predictable life with a steady routine and parents who encourage her to keep her head down and just get through.  After an incident one day, she discovers that her entire life is a lie.  Turns out, she’s not even human!  She’s an alien who has been kidnapped, which she discovers as she’s enrolled in the School for Extraterrestrial Girls.  There she mights plenty of other aliens, of all different kinds.  But can she adapt?

The art is creative and very inclusive.  When each alien is in their human form, there’s representation of all kinds: head scarves, myriad skin colors, differently abled, etc.  While it’s an interesting world to get into, the main character is really poorly behaved,  narcissistic, and slow to learn any better.  Students into science fiction and world-building will be interested in this first of a series. 

Recommended for ages 10-14.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library

two-stars

How to Pack for the End of the World

How to Pack for the End of the WorldHow to Pack for the End of the World by Michelle Falkoff
Published by HarperTeen on November 10, 2020
Pages: 320
Genres: Mystery, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Start with a boarding school, add a group of friends who all feel misunderstood, include a little bit of romance to the friend group, and finish it off with the darkest secrets of each group member being revealed to the whole campus by an unknown source. Falkoff’s novel reads like the love child of John Green and Maureen Johnson; a blend of Looking For Alaska and Truly Devious. Sent to Gardner Academy by her parents to help ease her anxiety about the crises facing the world, ironically, Amina meets a group of friends who form a group who make a game of how to survive the end of the world. Each member of the group takes a turn creating a scenario that the rest of the group must survive. As the competition and romance heat up between the friends, secrets about each of them are revealed to the whole campus. This is a timely read with references to current events that will resonate with many readers, particularly when Amina comments, “‘I mean the world kind of sucks right now…’” Despite contemplating the end of the world, the story never becomes overwhelming and leaves the reader with a satisfying ending. Recommended for grades 8 and up. 

Elizabeth Andersen, Librarian, Westbrook High School

five-stars

Great Escapes #1 Nazi Prison Camp Escape

Great Escapes #1 Nazi Prison Camp EscapeNazi Prison Camp Escape (Great Escapes, #1) by James Bernardin, Michael Burgan
ISBN: 0062860364
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Bill Ash was born in Dallas Texas and grew up during the Great Depression. As a young man he traveled the country. He read about Hitler and the Nazis. United States had not yet entered the war. He decided to volunteer in Canada and train as a pilot in the Royal Air Force. After training, he headed to England and ended up flying Spitfires, one of the world’s best fighter planes. He flew many successful missions, but on March 24, 1942 he was shot down over France. Eventually, he was captured by the Germans and sent to a POW camp. He met other prisoners as intent as he was on escaping. After thirteen attempts, transfers to other camps, and punishments upon capture, he finally made it. I highly recommend this informative and well written book for reluctant readers and others interested in this true story of courage and determination. There are black and white illustrations, an author’s note, bibliography, and map.  This is the first in the Great Escapes series.

Kris Zuidema, retired school librarian, Standish

four-stars

Emily Writes: Emily Dickenson and Her Poetic Beginnings

Emily Writes: Emily Dickenson and Her Poetic BeginningsEmily Writes: Emily Dickinson and Her Poetic Beginnings by Christine Davenier, Jane Yolen
Published by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) on February 4, 2020
ISBN: 1250128080
Pages: 40
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

The author imagines what Emily Dickenson’s early childhood was like growing up with a mother who often took to her bed in the afternoons and a stern father who only read on Sundays. Emily had a younger sister and an older brother. She was fascinated with writing, words, and nature. The colorful ink and watercolor illustrations add to the charm of this well written story. The author’s note offers much information about Emily and her family. After the author’s note there are short samples of Dickenson’s poetry and a bibliography. Yolen’s work about this famous American poet is creative and inspiring. Recommended for ages 5-8.

Kris Zuidema, retired school librarian, Standish

four-stars

A Pinch of Magic

A Pinch of MagicA Pinch of Magic by Michelle Harrison
Series: Pinch of Magic #1
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on February 7, 2019 U.K. /U.S. August 2020
ISBN: 0358193319
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

This is such a wonderful story. It is so well written from the beginning to the end. There are three sisters who live with their grandmother on the Isle of Crowstone. A family curse looms over them. They are not able to leave their island home. If they leave, they will die. Each sister is her own person with her own strengths and weaknesses. Betty is adventurous, Fliss, the oldest, is beautiful and flirtatious, and Charlie is full of energy and surprises. The grandmother is caring and intriguing. She makes frequent visits to the prison and has tried to protect her granddaughters. Betty is determined to get to the bottom of things. The three sisters make a great team on their quest to break their family curse. I highly recommend this fairy tale like story of full adventure, magic, and mystery. This is the first of three in The Pinch of Magic series originally published in the U.K.

Kris Zuidema, retired school librarian, Standish

five-stars

Albie Newton

Albie NewtonAlbie Newton by Ester Garay, Josh Funk
Published by Sterling on May 1, 2018
ISBN: 1454922583
Pages: 26
Goodreads
five-stars

Albie Newton has a very specific and important audience: siblings, classmates and parents of children with asynchronous development and it’s definitely time we have a book like this. For those living and learning with gifted children there will be an instant recognition of the difficulties involved in the uneven levels of maturity. I love that the book addresses how frustrating it can be for classmates to experience this but there’s no judgement involved and they all realize that he’s working toward something amazing. And even if it doesn’t resonate on the development level, kids will enjoy watching Albie misbehave and create machines at the same time.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

five-stars

Gamayun Tales I

Gamayun Tales IGamayun Tales I by Alexander Utkin, Lada Morozova
Published by Nobrow on March 10, 2020
ISBN: 191062067X
Pages: 184
Genres: Folklore
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads
five-stars

This book is fabulous. I tell everyone who asks about graphic novels to borrow this; I can’t stop gushing about this series. This collection holds three previously released graphic novels: The King of Birds; The Water Spirit and Tyna of the Lake. I can’t even begin to describe how beautifully it’s illustrated, and I would rate it five stars on the illustrations alone, but it also weaves three traditional Russian folktales together seamlessly. I would add a star if I could for the domovoy character, Fyodor. It’s accessible enough for fourth graders but sophisticated enough for high school so anyone looking to teach Slavic mythology should have this.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

five-stars

You Were Never Here

You Were Never HereYou Were Never Here by Kathleen Peacock
Published by HarperTeen on October 20, 2020
ISBN: 0063002515
Pages: 400
Genres: Mystery, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars
Cat has been sent back to her tiny Canadian hometown for the summer by her dad following an as yet unknown to us event in NYC.  She hasn’t been there since she left after sharing a kiss with her best friend, Riley, and seeing his deepest fear.  Turns out  Cat can see people’s fears and desires when she touches anyone’s skin.  She discovers that Riley has been missing for 3 months, and his brother assumes he’s dead.  His brother knows  Cat’s secret and asks her to help him solve the mystery.  Peacock sets us up for a well-paced thriller with plenty of twists and turns and a surprising ending.  Not just a mystery, Cat takes us along with her as she learns self-acceptance and forgiveness.  Recommended for grades 7+.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library

five-stars

A Place at the Table

A Place at the TableA Place at the Table by Laura Shovan, Saadia Faruqi
on August 11, 2020
ISBN: 0358116686
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars
Elizabeth and Maddy have been best friends forever, but when Sara joins their school and their after-school cooking club, things get a little more complicated. Sara is Pakistani, and her mother is newly teaching the cooking class. When Maddy ditches Elizabeth for someone new, Elizabeth and Sara become good friends, though not without some bumps along the way. Maddy and her family make some pretty awful and racist comments toward Sara and other Middle Eastern families, and Elizabeth feels unprepared to effectively confront Maddy. Throughout all the racial conflicts, Sara and Elizabeth are trying to come up with the winning and most original recipe for a local cooking contest. How will Elizabeth navigate the turbulent waters of racism with someone to whom she used to be very close?

This book is a quick read and will appeal to many young readers. The cooking references will delight fans of the myriad cooking shows, and the friend trouble/drama will resonate with middle grade readers everywhere. The discussion of immigration and racism is well done though the conversations feel a bit forced and unrealistic. Overall, it’s a good book, and I would recommend it for middle grade collections.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars

Carmen Sandiego: The Chasing Paper Caper

Carmen Sandiego: The Chasing Paper CaperThe Chasing Paper Caper by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published by Etch/HMH Books for Young Readers on October 6, 2020
ISBN: 0358380189
Pages: 144
Genres: Adventure, Mystery
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads
three-stars
Carmen Sandiego works to stop thieves, but most of the authorities think she’s still up to no good. Here, she’s trying to thwart an attempted theft of the Magna Carta when she encounters the thief — an origami master who quickly creates and deploys throwing stars at will. Will she be able to stop the thieves and get the Magna Carta safely back to the museum? This short graphic novel based on a Netflix series is a fun, quick read. The story moves quickly, there is some dry humor, and the plot flows well. There isn’t a ton of text so this would be a great book for struggling or newer readers who may feel overwhelmed by large swaths of text. The art is clean, crisp, not overly detailed, and definitely moves the story along. Recommended for 3rd grade and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars