Format: Chapter Book Fiction

STARFELL Willow Moss & the Lost Day

STARFELL Willow Moss & the Lost DayWillow Moss & the Lost Day (Starfell, #1) by Dominique Valente
Published by HarperCollins on January 28, 2020
ISBN: 0062879405
Pages: 224
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
two-stars

Advertised for grades 3-7

This Juvenile chapter book highlights a young witch and her journey and self-discovery of her magical powers.

A day is missing, and it is up to Willow, a finder of lost things, to find it.  This book has no illustrations and is not very easy to read.  It is also a tearjerker, as we discover the reason that day was forgotten.   Young, but advanced readers, might enjoy this magical tale.

I would not recommend this book.  It was not bad, but challenging to read and I do not expect a young audience to be able to rise to this challenge.

Reviewed By Irene Hall, Witherle Memorial Public Library, Castine

two-stars

Skyjacked

SkyjackedSkyjacked by Paul Griffin
Published by Scholastic Press on July 30, 2019
ISBN: 1338047418
Pages: 240
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Advertised for grades 7-9

This exciting, easy to read thriller tells the tale of 5 teens on a private charter jet that is hijacked and the teen intern at the National Air Traffic Investigation Center who helps solve the mystery.

This story draws on current history, reflecting on the 9-11 catastrophes and the possibility that this plane could be headed for a similar fate.  Each chapter is told from a different person’s voice, with a primer at the beginning of the book identifying the main characters.  The book flows easily, with suspense to the very end to solve the explanation for the skyjacking, and the possible scenarios that might be necessary to “end” the flight.

I enjoyed that the young intern on the ground uses her knowledge of social media to explore each character as they are trying to come up with possible motives. The teens on the plane use their ingenuity and “Macgyver” skills to fashion weapons and methods of escape. Be forewarned though, not all the teens and characters survive the ordeal.

Reviewed By Irene Hall, Witherle Memorial Public Library, Castine

four-stars

Superman: Dawnbreaker

Superman: DawnbreakerSuperman: Dawnbreaker (DC Icons, #4) by Matt de la Pena
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on March 5, 2019
ISBN: 039954965X
Pages: 336
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

The fourth installment in the DC Icons series of origin story tales, Dawnbreaker tells us of young Clark Kent’s discovery of his powers and struggles with how to use or not use them.  In Smallville, townsfolk have started to disappear. Clark and Lana are noticing a disturbing trend in that all the missing seem to be minorities. With the help of some familiar (paging Lex Luthor) and new characters, Clark and Lana go about trying to solve the mystery and set things in Smallville right again.  While perhaps not as exciting a tale as the other Icons stories, de la Peña does an excellent job of bringing Smallville into current times. Issues included are immigration, discrimination in the form of a potential stop and search law, genetic engineering, and small farmer hardships. Direct correlations between this story and current events are easily made.  De la Peña’s Luthor is given a unique role in this story as a side character who, while we’re waiting for him to show his true evil side, is actually helpful at times, and only slightly questionable. He’s more of a privileged rich kid than a mastermind. His introduction to Clark screams for a sequel. While not the strongest in the series, Dawnbreaker is eminently readable and will be of great interest to DC/Superman fans.  Recommended for grades 6-12.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library

four-stars

Blood Heir

Blood HeirBlood Heir (Blood Heir Trilogy, #1) by Amélie Wen Zhao
Published by Delacorte Press on November 19, 2019
ISBN: 0525707794
Pages: 455
Genres: Fantasy, Folklore, Horror, Romance
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

A YA fantasy set in a world that reminds me of historical Russia. The main characters are a princess and a con man who are both trying to hide from their pasts and their feeling towards each other. I would recommend this book to teens 14-19 who don’t mind a little bit of gore mixed in with their romance. If gore isn’t their kind of thing then I would steer them away from this choice.  Also, I would like to take a second to address the controversy surrounding this book. Before this book was published some reviewers found this book to be racists and posted online reviews saying as much. This led to people boycotting the book and partaking in online bullying of the author. I read this book and did not find it to be racist or offensive. This of course is just my opinion but I will definitely be adding it to the library’s collection.

Reviewed by Sophie Gagnon, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta

four-stars

Tito the Bonecrusher

Tito the BonecrusherTito the Bonecrusher by Melissa Thomson
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) on March 5, 2019
ISBN: 0374303533
Pages: 240
Genres: Humor
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

“Tito the Bonecrusher” is a standalone novel by Melissa Thomson. Oliver’s father is sent to jail and Oliver’s sister is very upset that he is breaking his promise to come to her graduation (since he’s incarcerated). Oliver and his friends come up with a wacky plan to get the attention of his favorite former wrestler/now action movie star, Tito the Bonecrusher, so that he can help Oliver break his father out of jail.

Humorous events occur while trying to bring his family back together. Themes of family, forgiveness, and grief follow throughout the novel. Oliver and his friends go through several unsuccessful schemes while trying to get Tito’s attention. By the end, Oliver and his family are closer and there is a satisfying and somewhat realistic ending.

Aimed at kids aged 8 to 11, “Tito the Bonecrusher” is a good purchase for large middle grade collections where humorous books are popular.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook.

four-stars

The Kingdom

The KingdomThe Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg
Published by Henry Holt & Company on May 28, 2019
ISBN: 1250293855
Pages: 352
Genres: Science Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

“The Kingdom” by Jess Rothenberg is a young adult science fiction novel set in the relatively near future (2096) at a theme park that sounds suspiciously familiar. The main character, Ana, is a hybrid human/animatronic princess who works for The Kingdom. The princesses, called Fantasists, are required to live their entire lives in the park, interacting with guests in prescribed ways and making their visits magical. Any aberration is met with re-education and rebooting or ultimately, destruction.

Ana is starting to have feelings and notices that she is becoming less content to live within the Kingdom forever under their rules. She falls for a Kingdom worker and then finds herself accused of his murder! The book switches between interviews with Ana during the trial, court documents, and the actual events of two years before the trial.

Written for ages 13-18, this interesting science fiction and mystery book is a good addition to young adult collections where science fiction is popular.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook.

four-stars

Homerooms and Hall Passes

Homerooms and Hall PassesHomerooms and Hall Passes by Tom O'Donnell
Published by Balzer + Bray on October 8, 2019
ISBN: 0062872141
Pages: 352
Genres: Fantasy, Humor
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

“Homerooms and Hall Passes” by Tom O’Donnell takes the idea of modern day people being transported to a fantasy world and switches it around. Five adventurers who live in a D&D type world are cursed and the next time they play their favorite game “Homerooms and Hall Passes,” a game where they act as middle school kids and have to roll dice to avoid traps like tests and detention, they are transported to a middle school and forced to live as their characters in the H&HP game!

The book is funny and works very well as a D&D parody. It’s amusing to see barbarians and magic users having to deal with the problems that middle school throws at you (popularity, visits to the principal’s office, and quizzes to name a few). Aimed at kids aged 8 to 12, this book will appeal mostly to kids who already play D&D, are interested in RPGs, or like humorous spins on fantasy. With the resurgence in popularity of D&D, I would say this is a recommended purchase if your middle grade humor and fantasy collections are popular.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook.

four-stars

The Monster Catchers

The Monster CatchersThe Monster Catchers: A Bailey Buckleby Story by George Brewington
Published by Henry Holt & Company on March 5, 2019
ISBN: 1250165784
Pages: 288
Genres: Fantasy, Humor
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
two-stars

“The Monster Catchers” by George Brewington is a middle grade fiction novel about a teen, Bailey, who helps run his family’s pet store (where they also keep mythical creatures in the back for special buyers). Bailey and his dad also run a “pest removal” business for monster pests. Bailey feels that monsters can have feelings and thoughts, but his father thinks of them as just pests and money makers. A monster shows up to purchase one of their favorite creatures (who has now become almost a family pet) and chaos happens.

The plot keeps moving along quickly and will keep the reader interested until the end, but the characters other than Bailey are very flat. Themes of family, empathy, and bravery are throughout the book, but overall the story feels underdeveloped. A supplemental purchase for libraries where middle grade novels about mythical creatures in modern times are popular.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook.

two-stars

The other, better me

The other, better meThe Other, Better Me by Antony John
Published by HarperCollins on October 1, 2019
ISBN: 0062835653
Pages: 272
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Lola has never known her father, but her mother has always been there for her. Her mom’s health declines, and Lola starts to feel the urge to find her father. A school writing assignment gives her the opportunity to do just that. How will this affect her, her mother, and their family? This is a short book, but it covers so many important topics — parental abandonment, econimic inequity, bullying, friendship, illness, death, and so much more. Despite the length of the book, it covers all these topics well and with grace. This book will appeal to many readers because there are so many opportunities for kids to relate. This is an excellent book for 4th-6th grade readers, and I’m recommending it for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

five-stars

Emmy in the key of code

Emmy in the key of codeEmmy in the Key of Code by Aimee Lucido
Published by Versify on September 24, 2019
ISBN: 0358040825
Pages: 416
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Emmy is at a new school, and she’s trying to find her way. Both her parents are musicians, but she just doens’t love music the way they do. She does, however, find the music in math and computer science she’s started studying in school. Navigating new friendships, difficult bullies, and a love for a new subject, Emmy finds acceptance and friendship where she didn’t expect it. A combination of poetry, code, prose, and music, this is a fun and quick read that will appeal to many. Hand this to reluctact readers as the short amounts of text on some pages may make it feel like an easier read. Best for 4th-6th grade students, this is a great introduction to coding while simultaneously being an entertaining read.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars