Category: Book Reviews

The Pioneer

The PioneerThe Pioneer by Bridget Tyler
Published by HarperTeen on March 5th 2019
ISBN: 0062658069
Pages: 357
Goodreads
five-stars

Jo has trained her whole life to be a rocket-ship pilot and hopes to one day find a new home now that Earth is failing due to all the damage done by humans. An accident before they leave for their new home, kills her brother and permanently injures her leaving her unable to fly. When they arrive at their new home, on planet Tau Ceti e, she is stuck with construction and kitchen duty. After working to construct the school building, she asks the computers to download information on the advance team and discovers that they never left for their next scouting mission. She and her friends set off on a quick exploration and end up meeting the planet’s inhabitants and discover what happened to the advance team. Things are not always what they seem in this stunning sci-fi debut.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Karen Sandlin Silverman, Mt. Ararat Middle School, Topsham

five-stars

Since We Last Spoke

Since We Last SpokeSince We Last Spoke by Brenda Rufener
Published by HarperTeen on April 2nd 2019
ISBN: 0062571087
Pages: 292
Goodreads
four-stars

Aggi and Max were always destined for each other — growing up next door to each other, sharing a driveway, spending summer hours on the lake, hanging out with Max’s dog and their older siblings. Their dads even worked together. Until one day Aggi’s sister spun out on the ice and the accident killed Max’s brother. Kate took her life a few days later when the guilt became too much. Now, a year later, Aggi and Max are not allowed to see each other because their dad’s are suing each other and everyone is miserable. One night Aggi and Max’s best friends decide the two need to talk. Will they get back together? Will their families stop feuding? Will Aggi’s little sister get the help she needs? This modern-day tragedy/romance is the perfect YA book. 

Reviewed by Karen Sandlin Silverman, Mt. Ararat Middle School, Topsham

four-stars

Lizzie Flying Solo

Lizzie Flying SoloLizzie Flying Solo by Nanci Turner Steveson
Published by HarperCollins on April 16th 2019
ISBN: 0062673181
Pages: 336
Goodreads
five-stars

Lizzie and her Mom move to a homeless shelter (Good Hope: A Home for Families in Transition) after her father is arrested for embezzlement. Lizzie is embarrassed and not sure if her father is guilty or not and is sad to leave her home behind. At her new school, she avoids making new friends for fear they might not like her because of her family situation — even convincing her teacher to let her work alone on a group project. Despite Lizzie’s reluctance to make connections, she ends up working at the stable, making friends at the stable, helping her friends, and devoting herself to working with a troubled young pony who she dreams of owning. Lizzie eventually does come to understand that she has no reason to feel shame for what her father may have done and the importance of sharing with friends. Author Nanci Turner Steveson discusses homeslessness in America and her own brush at almost-homelessness in the author’s note.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop

Reviewed by Karen Sandlin Silverman, Mt. Ararat Middle School, Topsham

five-stars

Ransacker

RansackerRansacker (Berserker #2) by Emmy Laybourne
Published by Feiwel & Friends on January 29th 2019
ISBN: 1250134145
Pages: 448
Goodreads
four-stars

Norse mythology meets the American Wild West in this sequel to Berserker. The Hemstad siblings all possess magical powers, Nyette, passed down from the Norse Gods. Sister Hanne is a Berserker — she goes into a murderous rage when she senses a loved one is in danger. In Berserker, the Hemsteds fled Norway for Montana in the 1800s. In Ransacker, the siblings have settled into a simple, frontier life. They are trying to lay low as brother Knut is wanted back in Norway and Baron Fjelstad is searching for them in hopes of luring them back to Norway to join forces with other Nyette. When their farm is ruined by a forest fire, they separate to earn money. While living in town, youngest sister Sissel discovers her Nyette. She is a Ransacker, able to find precious metals. With the Baron and the Pinkerton men he has hired after them, this quickly evolves into a page-turning adventure. A fun mash-up!

Reviewed by Karen Sandlin Silverman, Mt. Ararat Middle School, Topsham

four-stars

The Cerulean

The CeruleanThe Cerulean by Amy Ewing
Published by HarperTeen on January 29th 2019
ISBN: 0062489984
Pages: 496
Goodreads
four-stars

“The Cerulean” is a Young Adult fantasy novel by Amy Ewing. It starts out by introducing us to the Ceruleans, who are an all-female people with silvery skin, blue hair and magical blue blood. They live in a city on a cloud that is magically tethered to the planet below. Every couple hundred years, the Ceruleans leave the planet they are tethered to so that they can travel through space to find a new planet. Sera, a teenaged Cerulean, feels like she does not fit in with everyone else. She is chosen by their god to be sacrificed so that the tether can be broken. When she jumps off of the cloud and falls to the planet below, she is supposed to die, her blood magic sacrificed to destroy the tether. She does NOT die and has no idea what happened. The Ceruleans above must figure out what went wrong, while Sera must find a way back to her city.

Fantasy, mystery, and potential betrayal make this book a quick read, though the parts set in the Cerulean city were more interesting than the parts down on the planet, which at times felt pretty slow. A must-buy for Young Adult collections where fantasy is popular.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook.

four-stars

Heroine

HeroineHeroine by Mindy McGinnis
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on March 12th 2019
ISBN: 0062847198
Pages: 419
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

Mickey’s life is full of competing pressures; she’s a high-performing high school athlete, she’s not quite sure how to fit in socially, and she was recently in a car accident that’s left her sidelined.  Her doctors prescribe her pills to ease the pain from her injuries and surgeries, and Mickey begins to notice life feels easier when she takes the pills.  The rough edges dull and she feels good.  Soon enough, it’s not just that Mickey wants the pills.  She starts to need them.  More of them.  More often.  Every day.  And soon she’s no longer in control.

While the story paints a fully developed picture of a character in turmoil, her drug use is romanticized to the point where this book might not be appropriate for all readers. Recommended for high school and above.

Review by Noelle Gallant, Saco Middle School

Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America

Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in AmericaBlack Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America by Ibi Zoboi, Tracey Baptiste, Coe Booth, Dhonielle Clayton, Brandy Colbert, Jay Coles, Lamar Giles, Leah Henderson, Justina Ireland, Varian Johnson, Kekla Magoon, Tochi Onyebuchi, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Liara Tamani, Renée Watson, Rita Williams-Garcia
Published by Balzer + Bray on January 8th 2019
ISBN: 0062698729
Pages: 416
Goodreads
four-stars

This short story anthology edited by Ibi Zoboi features works from all of today’s most acclaimed authors, including Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Lamar Giles, Justina Ireland, and more.  Each story tackles motifs of acceptance, individuality, identity, and more as the authors explore what it means to be black in America.   This diverse collection would be an excellent addition to any library or classroom library and would be easy to recommend to fans of any of the individual authors.

Review by Noelle Gallant, Saco Middle School

four-stars

Good Morning, Snowplow!

Good Morning, Snowplow!Good Morning, Snowplow! by Deborah Bruss, Lou Fancher, Steve Johnson
Published by Arthur A. Levine Books on October 30th 2018
ISBN: 1338089498
Pages: 32
Goodreads
three-stars

In Good Morning, Snowplow!  by Deborah Bruss, rhyming text tells the quiet story of a snowplow driver working with his dog in the cab throughout the night to clear the roads. Paint, pencil, pen, and collage by Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson bring beauty and texted illustrations to this mood piece.  While there are many picture book stories about snowplows, this one features an Asian American plow driver and a female driver in another truck. This will be appreciated by adults who hope to settle children down or who are looking for a quiet book that matches the peaceful feel of a snowy day. For action and a storyline, readers will want to share Katy and the Big Snow by Burton.

Recommended as a quiet mood piece by Margy Soule, Coffin Elementary School, Brunswick, Maine 

three-stars

Cool Indy Cars

Cool Indy CarsCool Indy Cars by Jon M. Fishman
Published by Lerner Publications (Tm) on August 1st 2018
ISBN: 1541519922
Pages: 24
Goodreads
three-stars

Cool Indy Cars by Jon M. Fishman is just what many k-2 students want, clear colorful photographs and just a little text. A table of contents at the beginning and diagram of an Indy Car, facts,  and  index at the end will be welcomed by educators who are teaching young children how to read informational books. Each page has a photograph , two or three sentences,  and often an inserted caption for the photo to break up the reading. Beginning researchers and young racing car fans will increase their  knowledge about a popular subject with this book.

Recommended by Margy Soule, Coffin Elementary School, Brunswick, Maine 

three-stars

Sincerely, Harriet

Sincerely, HarrietSincerely, Harriet by Sarah Winifred Searle
Published by Graphic Universe (TM) on January 1st 2019
ISBN: 1512440191
Pages: 176
Goodreads
four-stars

It is summer and Harriet is stuck in a hot apartment in Chicago. Her family has just moved there and has not made friends. With a lot of time on her hands, Harriet’s imagination begins to run wild. Is the house haunted? Is the mailman evil? When Harriet starts to visit Pearl, the elderly owner of the building, she begins to find constructive ways to use her imagination. Pearl provides reading material for Harriet and encourages her to create stories in her journal. Searle’s large graphic panels are simple and colored in muted berry colors. This story also addresses “invisible disabilities”, particularly  Multiple Sclerosis and Post-Polio Syndrome. The theme of chronic illness is not addressed until the end of the story and feels overshadowed by Harriet’s feeling of isolation. The author does provide resources for further reading about disabilities at the back of the book, but overall it feels like a missed opportunity to fully explore this issue. Recommended for Grades 5 and up. 

Elizabeth Andersen, Librarian, Westbrook High School

four-stars