Category: Book Reviews

Nikhil Out Loud

Nikhil Out LoudNikhil Out Loud by Maulik Pancholy
Published by Balzer & Bray/Harperteen on October 11, 2022
ISBN: 0063091925
Pages: 320
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Nikhil Shah is pretty famous, but most people don’t recognize him because he’s a voice actor for a very popular animated series. When his mom moves him to a small town in Ohio to care for his grandfather (whom he barely knows), Nikhil is less than thrilled. Once people discover who he is, he is given the lead in the school musical. There’s one problem — Nikhil has terrible stage fright and isn’t a very good singer. To make matters worse, a group of parents are protesting having an openly gay kid playing the lead role AND he wakes up to find his voice is cracking and changing. How can he do the job he loves without the voice that got him that job?

Though Nikhil is famous, he faces many of the same insecurities and fears that tweens and teens encounter daily. He’s grappling with his sense of self, his belonging in a new community, and complicated family dynamics. This book is engaging, funny, heartfelt, and real. Nikhil and his family are East Indian. Nikhil is openly gay, and though his mother is supportive, not all adults in his family and community feel the same way. The issues of bullying, homophobia, and racism are addressed in age-appropriate ways and will resonate with young readers. Hand this book to fans of Rebecca Stead, Barbara Dee, and the like. Recommended for readers 4th grade and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars

Big Truck Day

Big Truck DayBig Truck Day by Niki Stage, Rosanne Parry
Published by HarperCollins US on January 30, 2023
ISBN: 0063218860
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

It’s Big Truck Day, and the kids are so excited! They make their way to the library with all the sounds of trucks and engines along the way. This is a fun picture book that celebrates all things truck. The text rhymes and flows well, and the digitally rendered illustrations are colorful and add motion to the story. This is a great read aloud and a good book for story time. Recommended for readers 3 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

Rain Rising

Rain RisingRain Rising by Courtne Comrie
Published by HarperCollins on September 27, 2022
ISBN: 0063159732
Pages: 336
Genres: Mental Health, Realistic Fiction, Fiction in Verse/Poetry
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

This book is phenomenal. Rain loves her family—her mom and her brother are her constants, and they help keep her strong. She’s hiding a deep sadness inside her, though. When her brother is attacked during a college visit, all the feelings and emotions she’s been hiding for so long start to surface. Her favorite teacher, Miss Walia, invites Rain to an after-school circle group, and it’s here that she finds the courage to share her feelings and her struggles. She finds friendship. She finds safety. She finds trust. Through circle group and more formal therapy both Rain and her brother find healing.

This is a beautiful novel written in verse. It covers so many topics—difficult family relationships, racism, self esteem, self harm, and more. All of the difficult topics are handled in a very age-appropriate manner and with respect for the characters. The text is gorgeously written, colorful, poetic, and moving. This book is highly recommended for readers 5th grade and up and for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

five-stars

Narwhal the Arctic Unicorn

Narwhal the Arctic UnicornNarwhal: The Arctic Unicorn by Jo Weaver, Justin Anderson
Published by Candlewick Press on October 18, 2022
ISBN: 1536225126
Pages: 32
Genres: Animals
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
three-stars

This is a story of narwhals and their seasonal migrations. It is a picture book, but each page contains additional information about narwhals and their ecology. The story takes the reader through some of the challenges narwhals experience on their migrations — predators, shifting sea ice, etc. Near the end of the book, climate change and the effects on the narwhals is mentioned. The end pages include an index, and further information on the future for narwhals as well as a list of additional resources. The mixed media illustrations are dark, perfect for depicting the narwhal’s cold, underwater habitat. Recommended for one-on-one reading with ocean enthusiasts ages 4 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

Hardcourt

HardcourtHardcourt: Stories from 75 Years of the National Basketball Association by Fred Bowen, James E. Ransome
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books on January 18, 2022
ISBN: 1534460438
Pages: 112
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

This is a beautifully illustrated comprehensive history of the NBA. Basketball enthusiasts will love it. From the inception of the game in a YMCA gym in the late 19th century to the present day NBA, this book is full of great information. The detailed history of the sport and the NBA make this a 5-star book for readers everywhere. The watercolor illustrations elevate the book even further. The details, the emotions, the motion of the game — they’re all brought forward through Ransome’s art. Recommended for readers 9 and up and for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

five-stars

My life begins

My life beginsMy Life Begins! by Patricia MacLachlan
Published by HarperCollins US on November 30, 2022
ISBN: 0063116014
Pages: 128
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

Jacob is 9 when his triplet sisters arrive. He really wanted a litter of puppies, but instead he got “The Trips.” He begins chronicling their lives and the things that make them different from each other, and along the way, he decides he actually likes them a bit.

This is a gentle and sweet story about family, growing up, and helping out. This is a great book for new chapter book readers and would be a great bed time read aloud. There are some black and white illustrations throughout, but they don’t add a ton to the story. The text is widely spaced making this an accessible book for new readers. Recommended for readers 7 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

The Mermaid Moon

The Mermaid MoonThe Mermaid Moon by Briony May Smith
Published by Anne Schwartz Books on October 4, 2022
ISBN: 1984896563
Pages: 40
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
two-stars
I really wanted to like this book. It had friends from two different worlds, mermaids, and a whale that saves the day. However, in the end, it was just not very compelling. Molly, a real girl, and Merrin, a mermaid girl, are best friends. Merrin will magically be able to survive out of the sea and visit Molly’s home on the night of the Mermaid Moon. Borrowing the “be back in time or else” plot line from many other fairy tails, Merrin must be back in the ocean “before the moon’s reflection disappears from the sea.” You know where this is going! She nearly misses the deadline, but is saved by a whale whisking her back home to the sea. I wish I could say her delay was cause by something more interesting and exciting than needing to save Molly from falling out of a tree.

The illustrations are very dark in color. I suspect to try to capture the feeling of night time with moonlight, but they just come off as mostly dark. The faces of the girl are very delightful and I only wish they were rendered more in the light.

The book was just average and likely there are other adventure/ mermaid fairy tails that tell a better story with more compelling illustrations. Not an essential purchase for a picture book collection.

Reviewed by Kathy Bain, Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library

two-stars

the 9:09 project

the 9:09 projectThe 9:09 Project by Mark H. Parsons
Published by Delacorte on October 18, 2022
ISBN: 0593309758
Pages: 320
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars
Unlike many YA novels that deal with the loss of a family member, seventeen year old Jamison Deever’s family didn’t fall apart after his mother died of cancer. He and his sister and father have begun the journey towards healing in the two years since she’s been gone, each in their own way while supporting each other. But J still acutely feels his loss and so sets out on a project to honor his mother and their shared love of photography, while coping with his grief. Dubbed “the 9:09 project”, he takes random photos of strangers every night on the same street corner at 9:09 pm, the exact time she died. With the help of friends, he creates a website to upload the photos and shares his thoughts about what he sees portrayed in them. The website takes off and becomes wildly popular, with J eventually realizing how many people he is helping to recognize and express their own grief. Along the way, he truly starts to find his talent and his self confidence, makes some really good friends, and even falls in love. He also connects with his father and sister in a more meaningful way.

This is a beautifully written novel, with every chapter starting with a quote from famed photographer Dorothea Lange. There is a lot of technical photography jargon in the book, but it doesn’t slow down the pace of the story. Besides loss and grief, this is a great coming of age story for high schoolers, with J also finding his moral compass amid some dicey peer situations. A great addition to any YA section.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Lee Remick, York Middle School

five-stars

Blood Scion

Blood ScionBlood Scion (Blood Scion, #1) by Deborah Falaye
Published by HarperCollins US on June 1, 2022
Pages: 432
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
two-stars
Sloane, a fifteen year old who is searching for her mother’s body in the outskirts of her village, has just been drafted to become a child soldier for the enemy Lucis; she also happens to be a Scion. With ancestral magic coursing through her veins, she has no choice but to try to control the fire that burns within her – for if she fails she will be executed. Based on Yoruba-Nigerian folklore, this book is heavy on world building, violence, betrayal, vengeance and perseverance.

The plot initially sounds intriguing, but the world building is at times confusing, the pacing seems rushed, there was little background or character development for some of the major supporting characters and the ending left me even more confused. Most reviews list the grade range for this book as 8-12. Really though, this book reads more like an adult novel, and probably not a good use of funds as a purchase for a young adult section.

Reviewed by Lee Remick, York Middle School

two-stars

Where You’ve Got To Be

Where You’ve Got To BeWhere You've Got to Be by Caroline Gertler
Published by Greenwillow Books on September 13, 2022
ISBN: 0063027054
Pages: 288
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars
Where You’ve Got to Be is a lovely middle grade novel that introduces us to Nolie, a rising sixth grader who lives with her mom, dad and older sister Linden in a small, New York City apartment. The summer has ended on a bad note when the cousins’ week at her Grandma’s beach house is cut short due to her older sister Linden, a picture perfect ballet star, insisting on going back to the city early for a workshop. To make matters worse, when she tries to reconnect with her best friend Jessa, it seems another girl has seemingly taken her place, and they’ve moved on to another level of maturity that Nolie doesn’t feel comfortable with. When her sister Linden gets the starring role in the NYC Ballet’s Nutcracker, Nolie really starts to feel invisible. So she starts to take things that don’t belong to her, including a family heirloom from her Grandma’s house – telling herself it’s just temporary to make herself feel better. But it starts to spiral out of control and Nolie finds herself in an uncomfortable position of her own making.

This is a great middle grade book about navigating growing up, old and new friendships and sibling dynamics. Another great theme throughout the book is Nolie and Linden working to understand their Jewish faith, when Linden makes some hard choices while facing anti-Semitic comments at ballet.
Recommended Grades 5-7
Recommended for Cream of the Crop

Reviewed by Lee Remick, York Middle School

four-stars