Format: Chapter Book Fiction

Good Girl, Bad Blood

Good Girl, Bad BloodGood Girl, Bad Blood (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #2) by Holly Jackson
Published by Delacorte Press on March 2, 2021
ISBN: 1984896407
Pages: 416
Genres: Mystery, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Pippa Fitz-Amobi is back with more mystery in the sequel to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. We join Pippa about 6 months after the end of GGGM. After the last case took over and threatened her life, she has sworn off investigating. But her friend Connor has begged her to help find his missing brother, Jamie. After the police do nothing, Pip has no choice but to dive in. This new mystery includes a lot of familiar characters and introduces us to a few new community members. During the investigation, Pip finds herself ruminating on what makes a person good or bad and how to figure out who you truly are. During this case, her audience starts to turn on her, claiming she’s faking the missing person to get sponsorships for her true crime podcast. Alas, it’s all too real and Jackson takes us to a surprising and dark ending. Recommended for all teen collections. Best for ages 14+.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library

five-stars

The Boy Who Failed Show and Tell

The Boy Who Failed Show and TellThe Boy Who Failed Show and Tell by Jordan Sonnenblick
Published by Scholastic Press on February 2, 2021
ISBN: 1338647237
Pages: 224
Genres: Humor, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

The Boy Who Failed Show and Tell

 

How could anyone beat the show and tell narrative where Jordan’s classmate’s house was on fire and he had to jump into the firefighters’ net?  Jordan feels he is doomed and, besides this, his 4th grade teacher truly hates him.  Readers will laugh at Jordan’s exploits with his snake Hector, soon to be Hectoria when many baby snakes come into the world.  Between drum lessons, changing schools, Little League, finding homes for the snakes, and his asthma, 4th grade is not easy.  In this memoir Sonnenblick shows his resilience as readers sympathize with the many obstacles he must battle.  This book gives background to some of the topics covered in his books and is recommended for grades 3-5.

 

Reviewed by Ellen Spring, Oceanside High School, Rockland

four-stars

The Good Girls

The Good GirlsThe Good Girls by Claire Eliza Bartlett
on December 1, 2020
ISBN: 0062943103
Pages: 368
Genres: Mystery, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

The police chief’s daughter, Emma, is missing. She was last seen at Anna’s Run, a dangerous section of the local river. As the police work on the case, they focus on three teens: Claude the rebel slut, Avery the airhead cheerleader, and Gwen the vicious academic. The author keeps us on our toes, switching between third person accounts of each of the girls and diary entries, police interview logs, newspaper articles, and social media posts. The story feels fast-paced due to the constant switching of viewpoints, but we don’t start to discover any answers until very late in the book. But once we do, it’s a harrowing ride through to the surprising ending. With themes of sexuality, lgbt+, feminism, and relationships of all kinds, this is a revenge tale you won’t want to miss. Recommended for ages 14+.

Reviewed by  Kara Reiman, Maine State Library

five-stars

Concrete Rose

Concrete RoseConcrete Rose (The Hate U Give, #0) by Angie Thomas
Published by Balzer + Bray on January 12, 2021
ISBN: 006284671X
Pages: 360
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Angie Thomas is back with another winner of a book with this prequel to The Hate U Give.  This is the story of Starr’s parents.  Maverick is a 17-year-old living with his mother in the Garden doing his best to get by while his dad is in prison and his mom works two jobs to support them.  He’s doing okay in school, has a great girlfriend, trusted friends and family, and slings a little pot for the King Lords, his dad’s gang.  His life changes completely when he finds out he’s the father of a 3 month old boy, conceived during a brief breakup with his girlfriend.  Suddenly he’s taking full-time care of a baby, staying up all night, sleeping during school, and working after school to pay for baby supplies.  Not too long after that he loses his best friend and cousin.  This is an incredibly thought-provoking tale of the struggle between your past and your future, and decision-making and consequences.  By the end, it’s easy to see that Maverick is well on his way to being the incredible and responsible father that he is to Starr.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library

five-stars

Muted

MutedMuted by Tami Charles
Published by Scholastic Press on February 2, 2021
ISBN: 1338673521
Pages: 400
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Muted by Tami Charles

 

Denver and her bandmates are positively sure that they will be the next big thing.  So, when they go to a concert of their absolutely favorite singer, Mercury Ellis, and he hears their voices and encourages them, that’s all it takes for two of them to be ready to follow Mercury anywhere.  But soon his interest turns to control as he dictates their every decision in this excellent novel in verse.  They are kept separated, must wear clothes he picks out, and are treated horribly in this book that seems like it was pulled from the news headlines.  The narrative switches back and forth from what is happening to Denver with the concerts and being locked in her room, to Denver returning home on a plane with her father.  The ending will positively shock readers.  I was totally not expecting it.  This book is recommended as a Cream of the Crop nominee .

 

Reviewed by Ellen Spring, Oceanside High School, Rockland

five-stars

The Life I’m In

The Life I’m InThe Life I'm In by Sharon G. Flake
Published by Scholastic Press on January 5, 2021
ISBN: 1338573179
Pages: 336
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

The Life I’m In by Sharon Flake

 

For readers who loved Maleeka’s story of being bullied by Char in The Skin I’m In, this companion book is long overdue.  This realistic story is about what happens to Char when her older sister and guardian is fed up with Char’s actions and puts her on a bus to live with her grandparents out of state.

Char wants nothing to do with this, meets up with a girl with a baby and, when the mother leaves Char with the baby at a bus stop, Char’s world is changed drastically.   Characters come into Char’s life and, while some assist her on the way, others, like the man who pulls Char into being trafficked and forces her to call him “Daddy”, are horribly cruel.  But Char is a survivor, remains friends with Maleeka who has learned to stand up for herself, and in the end escapes and returns home to her sister with a new maturity.  This book answers the question of what happens next to Char and gets inside the head of a former bully to show her motivations.

four-stars

Millionaires for the Month

Millionaires for the MonthMillionaires for the Month by Stacy McAnulty
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on September 1, 2020
ISBN: 0593175255
Pages: 336
Genres: Humor, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

McAnulty knows how to spin an engaging story! This middle grade novel pairs up quiet, rule-following Felix with brash, daredevil Benji, two kids who are not friends and have nothing to talk about until they find the wallet of a billionaire. Benji borrows $20 from the wallet, which he reasons is like a penny to a billionaire, but that billionaire Laura Friendly counters that a penny can be powerful, especially when doubled every day. In fact, this would add up to $5,368,709.12 and so she challenges the boys to spend that amount. In one month. And they can’t give it away and they can only spend it on themselves and they can’t tell anyone about the challenge. McAnulty balances the action with situations that offer chances for Benji and Felix to think about money in a new way and to grow as people. The book is touches on philosophy, privilege, and friendship. Recommend for grades 4 -7.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth

Mermaid Moon

Mermaid MoonMermaid Moon by Susann Cokal
Published by Candlewick Press (MA) on March 3, 2020
ISBN: 1536209597
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

At 481 pages,”Mermaid Moon” by Susann Cokal is a bit of a tome. The main character is a mermaid, Sanna, whose mother was a human. The head witch of their mermaid group casts a spell on all the land people to forget that Sanna ever existed and the rest of the story follows Sanna learning magic so that she can find her mother.

The prose is very descriptive, beautiful, and graphic, and often feels like you are reading poetry. The plot occasionally lags and seems to get stuck for a while, so it might be a little much for readers who want a straightforward story. The author switches between first-person and third-person points of view throughout, which makes it choppy. Written for Young Adults, this book will appeal to those who enjoy lengthy fantasy, or love mermaids and are looking for something different.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook

three-stars

The Loop

The LoopThe Loop (The Loop Trilogy, #1) by Ben Oliver
Published by Chicken House on April 7, 2020
ISBN: 133858930X
Genres: Science Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

A government uses teens for their own needs and experiments, the teens come together to get out and survive. Inmate Luka Kane, 16, a Regular who was imprisoned for an undisclosed crime, is the protagonist who also narrates this first installment of a Sci/fi trilogy. The author does a wonderful job world-building this dystopian future with the use of detailed descriptions of the society’s culture. The book is action-packed and will hold the reader’s attention from start to finish. This is a great choice for a reluctant reader. The book ends with a cliffhanger that leaves you wanting the next installment. Recommended for ages 14-18.

Reviewed by Sophie Gagnon, Skidompha Public Library

three-stars

Under Shifting Stars

Under Shifting StarsUnder Shifting Stars by Alexandra Latos
on September 29, 2020
ISBN: 0358067758
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

Fraternal twins Clare and Audrey begin to separate and grow into their own after the death of their older brother, Adam. Audrey is having trouble coming to terms with her neurodivergence and Clare is figuring out her gender and sexual orientation all while dealing with a crush on a nonbinary student.
The writing was well done and easily brings the reader back to the uncertainness of growing up. The harassment of queer and neurodivergent students is not sugar-coated but does sh0w that being bullied in high school is not the end of the road to finding happiness. This book did a great job of shining a light on characters that tend to be kept in the background. Recommended for ages 14-18.

Reviewed by Sophie Gagnon, Skidmpha Public Library

three-stars