Format: Chapter Book Fiction

Al Capone Throws Me a Curve

four-stars

Moose reappears in this fourth book in the Tale from Alcatraz series. While his father is a guard on Alcatraz, Moose once again finds himself living on top of an adult correctional institution in 1936. This historic fiction/sports novel will transport readers to an entirely different time and reality. Moose’s passion for baseball is revealed in the first novel and continues through this the fourth title in the series. Choldenko has created a real character who has family relationships and community interactions that would challenge any adult.

Readers of at least one of the previous novels will support Moose as he navigates his way through the criminal system and society off island. Family members are well depicted and several friends help to draw in readers. This is a book that should be handed to historical novel and sport readers. Add to intermediate school media centers and to public libraries where the previous series titles are collected.

Reviewed by Jan Hamilton, retired youth services librarian

four-stars

Undercover Princess

Undercover PrincessUndercover Princess by Connie Glynn
Published by HarperCollins on September 4th 2018
ISBN: 0062847805
Pages: 448
Goodreads
three-stars

Undercover Princess is the debut novel of Connie Glynn, perhaps better known by her youtube name of Noodlerella. Glynn crafts a story of Lottie Pumpkin, a hardworking and kind orphan, who has received admission to the prestigious Rosewood Hall, a british boarding school for the children of dignitaries, lords, and other lofty personage. Her roommate is the mysterious and slightly punk-rock Ellie Wolf. A rumor soon goes around the school that one of the classmates is the princess of the small country of Maradova. Classmates think it must be Lottie, who plays along with the role, especially after she finds out that Ellie, who has become her best friend, is the actual princess. Drama of both the teenage and international variety unfolds in a plot that could ensnare Lottie, Ellie, and others in true danger.

This story for readers in 7th grade or higher feels much the same as watching a Disney Channel Original Movie: the characters are far too capable for their ages and the plot ends up feeling sugary sweet, like cotton candy. It makes for an enjoyable read, but not a substantial one. The characters, who are mostly 13 year olds, encounter adults more as obstacles on their way to defeat international abduction and assassination plots, and many problems come together a little too easily. Still, there are those readers out there who will devour the book and clamour for the sequels. A good effort, recommended for large collections or those in need of more fluffy sweetness for younger teens.

 

Reviewed by Sarah Cropley, Scarborough Public Library.

three-stars

Don’t Forget Me

Don’t Forget MeDon't Forget Me by Victoria Stevens
on February 13th 2018
ISBN: 0374305609
Pages: 360
Goodreads
four-stars

Hazel has recently moved from London to Australia to live with the father she just met. The night before she’s to start school there, she meets Red, a similarly troubled, kindhearted gay teen with whom she instantly bonds. School is difficult at first, but she is soon befriended by a duo of friends and starts to feel more comfortable.  However, she is thrown for a loop when she meets Red’s twin brother, Luca, who is withdrawn and angry and not only attends her school, but is also friends with her new friends.  She and Luca secretly develop a begrudging friendship as they bond over their similar grief, and friendship starts to turn to romantic feelings, which inevitably causes problems.  A look at teens dealing with grief and learning how to move past it, this book is a lovely read.  It would be especially great to add to collections for teens dealing with their own grief, but is a good selection for general collections as well.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook

four-stars

Lucky Little Things

Lucky Little ThingsLucky Little Things by Janice Erlbaum
on July 24th 2018
ISBN: 0374306524
Pages: 288
Goodreads
four-stars

Do you believe in luck? What if you received a mysterious note that told you your luck had changed for the better? Emma receives just such a note and $20 one morning. The note says ten lucky things will happen to her in the next 30 days, all she has to do is make a list of the things she wants to happen and keep it a secret. Emma could honestly use some luck, middle school is full of social anxieties between boys and mean girls and the recent death of her Aunt Jenny. Then her closest friend, Savvy, begins to hang out with the cool clique leaving Emma behind. Emma is not feeling so lucky until things that seemed unfortunate begin to turn and create new opportunities. This book is full of charm and caring characters. Readers will reflect on their own luck and contemplate their own role in creating opportunities for themselves. This is a solid choice for the Tween audience. Recommended for grades 7 and up.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Andersen, Librarian, Westbrook High School

four-stars

A Stitch In Time

A Stitch In TimeA Stitch in Time by Daphne Kalmar
on June 19th 2018
ISBN: 1250154987
Pages: 256
Goodreads
five-stars

Set in Vermont in 1927, Dorothy (aka Donut) never knew her mother and becomes an orphan at eleven when her father passes away. Her Aunt Agnes from Boston comes to take care of her, but Donut learns that her aunt plans to eventually bring her to Boston to live. Still grieving her father’s death, Donut cannot imagine life without her friends from her small Vermont town. Donut is feisty. She speaks her mind and acts on her impulses. She is Scout Finch from a different time. Before Aunt Agnes can pack her up for Boston, Donut runs away, but after a few close calls she returns home to a worried and grateful Aunt. The interesting imagery of taxidermy is woven throughout the story which adds a level of symbolism for readers to ponder. Overall, this a quiet novel of friendship, community, and family. It will transport readers away to a simpler time. This is a  great novel for a small group or classroom read! Recommended for grades 5 and up.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Andersen, Librarian, Westbrook High School

five-stars

Anna and the Apocalypse

Anna and the ApocalypseAnna and the Apocalypse by Katharine Turner, Barry Waldo
Published by Imprint on October 23rd 2018
ISBN: 1250318807
Pages: 272
Goodreads
three-stars

In television shows, movies, and books the adolescent high school experience is often a metaphor for all the horrors and pain of life. In the cult favorite, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” high school was the literal entrance to hell. This book provides a similar take on that experience. Anna has just turned eighteen and wants nothing more than to leave town after graduation, but she and her father have different ideas about where she will go. She tries to survive the monotony and frustration of her last year of high school when one day people in her town start to become zombies. With the background of the Christmas season, Anna and her friends and classmates attempt to save the town. There is blood, violence, bad puns, and plenty of dark humor. Readers will be laughing out loud, but there are also enough scares for everyone to keep the lights on when reading late at night. In Anna and the Apocalypse, Katherine Turner with Barry Waldo create an entertaining scenario of the end of the world based on the screenplay of the zombie Christmas musical movie of the same name. Recommended for grades 10 and up. 

Reviewed by Elizabeth Andersen, Librarian, Westbrook High School

three-stars

Shame Is an Ocean I Swim Across

ISBN: 9781250195890
Pages: 176
three-stars

Mary Lambert is the songwriter behind Grammy-nominated single “Same Love.” In this collection of poetry, she focuses on sexual abuse, mental illness, and body image. Readers will appreciate Lambert’s honesty; her anger and vulnerability are alive in the verse. Like Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey, readers will find these words to be a mirror, giving voice to their inner-thoughts and experiences. Lambert does not hold back; the heavier subject matter makes this book is for mature readers. Recommended for grades 10 and up. 

Reviewed by Elizabeth Andersen, Librarian, Westbrook High School

three-stars

The Opposite of Innocent

The Opposite of InnocentThe Opposite of Innocent by Sonya Sones
Published by HarperTeen on September 4th 2018
ISBN: 0062370316
Pages: 272
Goodreads
two-stars

Lily is a fourteen-year-old who’s been “in love” with her parents’ friend, Luke, since she was a little girl.  He’s coming back from overseas to stay with them for a while after two years away, and she hopes that maybe he’ll be able to see her as a woman now and not a girl.  Luke (age 29) does seem to return her interest, and seemingly innocent flirting leads to kissing, which leads to way more than Lily bargained for.  Sones’s novel in verse walks us through Luke’s seduction of Lily from inappropriate teasing to emotional abuse to rape.  This all takes place right under her parents’ noses.  There’s another adult in her life who makes remarks that seem to indicate that she knows what’s going on, but she never reaches out to Lily to help or step in to stop it.

While the book does an excellent job of showcasing how an older man could manipulate a young girl, it does miss the mark in a major way.  Sones gets exactly right many of the trademarks of pedophiles and emotional abusers, as well as naïve and obsessed teens.  But where she chooses to end the book is when Lily finally realizes that she needs to get help.  It’s great that Lily finally has that moment of clarity that she needs to go to someone else for assistance, but the reader is left not seeing how she does it, or the journey that she has to take to get out of the relationship.

The book is being touted as important and timely to the “me too” conversation, but for it to have any meaning in that regard, it needs to show how Lily got strong and fought back, and we aren’t shown any of that.  We do get a brief author’s note at the end stating that what Luke does to Lily is wrong and that when Lily asks for help, it starts a chain of events that will lead to Luke getting arrested and receiving punishment he deserves, which frankly, seems incredibly naïve on the author’s part.  That’s the goal, of course, but not always the outcome.  She does also include abuse organizations should readers recognize themselves in Lily’s situation and need to reach out for help.

Overall, though the book means well, I don’t think it accomplishes its goal, and I worry that it could do more harm than good.  I do not recommend this book for purchase.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook

two-stars

The Infamous Ratsos: Project Fluffy

The Infamous Ratsos: Project FluffyThe Infamous Ratsos: Project Fluffy (The Infamous Ratsos, #3) by Kara LaReau, Matt Myers
Published by Candlewick Press (MA) on October 1st 2018
ISBN: 1536200050
Pages: 96
Goodreads
four-stars

    Brothers! Sometimes friends, sometimes they ignore each other. In this episode, Louie spends a week during Poetry Month helping popular Chuck gain the attention of Fluffy. After several failed attempts, Louie’s dad gives him successful advice, and younger brother Ralphie is able to express his disappointment at being ignored all week.

    I had not read #1 & 2 in this series, so I found it confusing to have 8 characters introduced in the first two pages. Readers of the series will probably be OK with this. I am confused about Tiny – who is apparently a boy but throughout the book swoons over Chuck. The short chapters, quick action and double spacing with large font will attract struggling or new chapter book readers, or make a fun easy read for any reader.

   Black, white with grayscale sketches every other page or two help the reader see the humor and action.

    Readers may relate to the brother being ignored, feelings about writing poetry, or having a single dad.

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Old Town Elementary School Library, Old Town

four-stars

I want to be a Veterinarian

I want to be a VeterinarianI Want to Be a Veterinarian by Laura Driscoll
Series: My Community
Published by HarperCollins on October 2nd 2018
ISBN: 0062432478
Pages: 32
Goodreads
three-stars

This level one reader on Veterinarians, is part of a new series that introduces young readers helpers in the community.  A young boy and his Dad take their dog Gus to the animal doctor for his checkup.  As the female Vet examines his pet, the young boy says he would like to be a vet but he is allergic to cats.  She explains that there are different kids of Vets. He meets a large-animal vet at a horse stable, an aquatic vet at the aquarium,  a dairy-cow vet at a farm and learns about wildlife veterinarians at a national park.  Also learning about teaching vets and lab vets, the boy realizes he has many choices. Also included on the last page is a summary of all the different vets.  Simple sentences with lots of colorful illustrations, this early reader will be an interesting choice for young readers.

Reviewed by Terri Bauld, Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library, Kennebunkport, Maine

 

three-stars