All He Knew, by Helen Frost

     The newest book by veteran author Helen Frost, and what a beautiful and terrible story it is. The main character, Henry, falls ill as a very young boy and loses his hearing. Back when this story takes place, around the time of World War 2, most schools did not know how to work with kids with hearing loss, or those with Cerebral Palsy...anything outside of the "ordinary". They were labeled "unteachable" or "feebleminded".  So kids like Henry were often sent to institutions, which were often horrible places where the children were undernourished, emotionally and physically abused. Not a proud moment on our nation's history, for sure, and one that continued until fairly recently, sadly.

    Frost gives a fictionalized account of such a place but also weaves in the element of conscientious objectors, which were, and are, people asked to go to war but who refuse on moral or religious grounds. In All He Knew, as the regular staff gets drafted and heads to war in Europe, Conscientious Objectors, or CO's, take their place. One man, Victor, ends up at the place Henry has lived for several years, and together they create a lasting friendship, and much needed changes. 

    This story has a steady heartbeat to it, and once you start it will be hard to ignore. It will tear at your heartstrings.  You'll find yourself rooting for the good and crying for the bad.  Henry and Victor and the other characters will stay in your head long after you read the last page. That, to me, is the sign of a really great book! 5 paws!

My Year in the Middle, by Lila Quintero Weaver

     Another OBOB book in this wonderful season of really good books, and My Year in the Middle does not disappoint! A sort of fictionalized memoir of the author, who is Argentina-born but grew up in Alabama. The main character of this story is Lu, a middle school student from Argentina growing up in Alabama, navigating the tumultuous times of the South in the United States when the Civil Rights Movement was still fresh and racism was still a part of life for many people, especially in the South. Lu discovers her love of running, and this starts one of many themes woven throughout the story. In that sense the book reminds me of the Track series by Jason Reynolds, and also in its theme of race and race relations between people in Lu's life (Lu finds a best friend as the story unfolds, a Black girl named Belinda, who proves to be one of the nicest people in Lu's life but also causes some derision with her peers).

    Because this book mirrors author Weaver's life so closely, it is hard to point out anything that seems like criticism of the story itself. But it's not the story that keeps this book from having more paws, but the language Weaver gives her characters, particularly Lu. It seems very forced, very unnatural. Especially in the first half of the book, the frequent use of words like "golly" and "whippersnappers" make it seem like Weaver was trying really hard to put us into the early 1970s. I don't think those words were so wide spread in the 70s as they appear to be from this story.

    I did like the book much more past the half way point. But I couldn't help but wish during the first half that the story would either get better somehow or be a really quick book to finish. This is a really good story, but I didn't think it was the best version of what could have been an even better story. For that reason I give it 3 paws.

    If you want really good stories that delve into issues like race, diversity, and racism, especially in the United States, you could find exceptional books by writers like Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson, Gary Soto, Cynthia Kadohata, and more! I would be open to reading future books by Weaver, but I'm not sure I would go looking for them on purpose. Maybe you feel differently? If so, please let me know!

Almost American Girl, by Robin Ha

     Almost American Girl is another OBOB book for this season, and the second graphic novel! This is a memoir, which is a biography but about one portion of someone's life, versus their entire life. Author Ha moved from South Korea to the United States with her single mom at a young age, and then moved from Alabama to Virginia at the start of high school. This graphic novel tells (and shows) what this was like, and will really speak to anyone who has ever moved schools, towns, states, or countries before! If you have never moved, the stories Ha tells may seem overly dramatic. But as a pug who has moved many times with my humans, I can tell you that moving can be really, really hard.

    This story is really well told, and the artwork is even better! Drawing cartoons was Ha's passion growing up, and it helped her navigate and handle these life transitions along the way. And now, she has written and illustrated this book! What perseverance! What talent! This is one of many strong OBOB titles this year - if you are not part of OBOB yet, get involved! You will love the books! 4 paws!

Healer of the Water Monster, by Brian Young

    Author Brian Young is a playwright and screenwriter, but this is his first book for young adults and teens. He is Navajo, and Healer of the Water Monster is a tale that incorporates many of the Navajo stories that explain the world and all of its workings and wonders. Similar to a Percy Jackson book, which relies on Greek mythology to create a new fictional story, Water Monster uses Navajo tales to tell the story of young Nathan and his search for his own heritage and strength. This is Nathan's hero's journey, using native American folklore as the vehicle for the story.

     I stopped reading this book twice along the way. Both times I didn't think I was going to finish it, but I kept going back to all the strong reviews it was getting and trying to convince myself that the story was going to get better if I just kept reading. It did, and for that I am grateful that I continued on. This is a really important story in YA and teen lit. But the reasons I almost stopped reading is because the writing seems so robotic a lot of the time. I found the dialogue in the book really difficult to believe. For an author who is used to writing in other genres and for other audiences, I think he really needs more practice writing for teens. It seemed like he was trying really hard to write for a younger audience that his characters lost a lot of their personality along the way.

    Rick Riordan Presents is a newer imprint that is publishing fiction books by new authors telling stories of cultures other than the white, American mainstream. We Need Diverse Books is also a publishing branch that is doing the same thing, and Water Monster was printed with their help. This is really important work, and these stories need to be written and read by all of us! This book is one of a very few teen books written with Native American culture as its backbone, and for that it is a good book to read. But Eric Gansworth and Sherman Alexie write much better stories with these same themes. For that I give this book 3 paws and a wag.

    I hope Young continues to write, and the book leaves a sequel as a possibility, but his writing needs to be a lot better if he is going to be a mainstay in teen and YA lit.

Deep Water, by Watt Key

     Another of this season's OBOB books, and a really riveting adventure story that takes place almost entirely in the water! You know what that means...sharks, for one, right?! This is not the first novel for author Key, but the first I've read, and I confess that I will look to read more. One in particular, titled Alabama Moon, has gotten really good reviews, and would probably be the next one of his I would "dive into"...get it? 

    Deep Water is a story about Julie Simms, who helps her dad run a scuba business off the coast of Alabama. They take a father and son out for a very special, expensive dive, and things do not go as planned. This is a page-turner, with action right from the start! Fans of Anthony Horowitz (Alex Rider series) would love this, as might fans of the late Gary Paulsen, perhaps, as their is plenty of surviving that goes on this book!

    My only criticism of Deep Water, and it's only a minor one, is that it seems to get a little stuck about 2/3 of the way through. The adventure continues, but it takes a turn and in my opinion loses a little steam at the bend. But a strong story altogether, and another strong OBOB book for this season (which is turning out to be really good)! 4 paws!

The Blackbird Girls, by Anne Blankman

 The fourth novel by author Blankman, and a story about an event I have read about in newspapers but never in a book. That makes this book good already, right? The event is the nuclear disaster at the Russian Chernobyl Nuclear Plant in 1986. This real event was the first time a nuclear power plant had suffered such an extreme event, anywhere in the world, and the Russian government covered it up for a period of time. This cover up only made the effects of nuclear material floating in the air worse for the real people who lived near the plant, people like the two main characters of this story.

Oksana and Valentina attended school together but were not friends. Valentina is Jewish, and Oksana has been raised to think all Jews are cheaters, liars and thieves. The explosion of the power plant affects their immediate families, and they end up together, being sent out of their town, to a faraway place where the adults hope the nuclear toxins will not reach them. It becomes a story of survival, family, prejudice and friendship, and of trying to outrun and outwit a very real threat to all of us, then and now. 

The Blackbird Girls is written with a bit of coldness to it, much like the part of the world where the story takes place. I couldn't decide if this was on purpose, or because the author was new at this writing business and wasn't sure how else to make the story warmer (I since discovered that she has written three other books). But the basis of the story, the real event of the Chernobyl disaster, written into a historical fiction book, made it worth finishing. Normally I would give the writing and story 3 paws - decent but not great.  The added element of taking on this topic where no one else has before (to my knowledge), gives it another paw.   4 paws. An important story to read and know.

Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire, by John August

    Book 1 in a current 3-book series by screenwriter John August, and an OBOB book for the season! Arlo Finch moves with his sister and mom into his eccentric uncle's house in the woods. Nothing else will ever be the same, as Arlo joins the Rangers, which is a cross between the Boy Scouts and being in the Cullen family in the Twilight series of books! While there are no vampires in this book, there are plenty of weird and wacky creatures, all seemingly bent on destroying Arlo, although he doesn't know why. However, his Uncle may know a few things...

    For fans of Fablehaven, or perhaps Ranger's Apprentice, or any exceptionally good fantasy adventure, get this! Read it! And be prepared to move onto book 2, and then book 3, and if you're lucky, book 4 will be out by time you're ready! Very fun - 5 paws!

When Stars Are Scattered, by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

     Another OBOB book for the upcoming season, AND a graphic novel, AND a new book by the author and illustrator of Roller Girl and All's Faire in Middle School (both also graphic novels)! Wow! When Stars Are Scattered is a true story about the life of Omar Mohamed and his brother Hassan, who lost both parents in an ongoing war in Somalia, Africa. They escaped together to a refugee camp in Kenya, where they continue to watch for their mother's return. Days of watching and waiting turn into weeks. Weeks into months, and months turn into years. 

    This graphic novel is Omar's story about growing up in the Kenyan refugee camp, the struggles, the trials, and the friendships he makes there. The illustrations are clean and colorful, and the story is engaging and difficult to imagine. At the end of the book there are even a few photos of Omar and Hassan, but I don't want to spoil the story and tell you where or why these photos are taken. 

    If you like graphic novels, this is a good and informative one, similar to Eoin Colfer's Illegal, or maybe even John Lewis's March series - good non-fiction and historical fiction told through the graphic novel format, which really helps the story come alive for the reader! If you've read Jamieson's other books you'll know she is really good at this format, and Stars will not disappoint! A great addition to this season's OBOB titles! 4 paws!

The Ship We Built, by Lexie Bean

     A new book, and the first from author Bean, a self-described transgender writer and multimedia artist. The Ship We Built is a really important story, a sort of autobiography, but written as a fiction book. The book tells about a year in the life of Rowan, who was born Ellie, as they navigate their fifth grade school year trying to figure out who they are, and how to be that person in a world surrounded by unsupportive family, school mates, and even more dangerous areas of life such as sexual abuse. As Ellie navigates their transition in their own mind to Rowan, they use a series of letters, written to anyone who might find and read them, as a "ship" to communicate who they are and their journey of becoming. Each letter is tied to a balloon and sent into the sky, in the hopes that a friend will be made along the way, a desperately needed friend when they seem so hard to find.

     The story is important because there are not many books out there about transgender kids, or adults for that matter, and these voices need to be available for all of us to begin to understand and know. However, Bean has landed on one method of delivering the story, via the letter, and does not add to that in any way, keeping the tone of the story very constant, as well as the narration. What that means for you, the reader, is that a needed story loses a lot of its power in the monotony of the delivery. In other words, because the entire story is told in letters, and only from Ellie/Rowan, the themes explored in the book are pretty one-dimensional. They fall a little flat. I got bored with the story - not the storyline itself, but with the sameness of the delivery throughout. 

I think Bean has done a nice job of introducing us to transgender teens and what that means in today's world. I think future books by this author might get wider in their scope, and thus be better stories. I give Ship 4 paws, mostly for being so brave in offering us Rowan as a 10-year-old boy born a girl, something that probably exists more than we know in those around us. But outside of this needed theme, Bean still has some writing work to do to really take their story to another, better, level. 

To: Night Owl From: Dogfish, by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer

 One of my favorite books is called Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. It reminded me a lot of Wonder but I thought it was a bit better, maybe because it became less commercialized. So when Night Owl showed up from Sloan as one of this season's OBOB books, I was tail-wagging happy!

Unfortunately, my wagging didn't last long. This story, on the surface, is a good one. Two girls meet because their dad's have started dating, and things appear to be serious, and the girls, who don't know each other when the story begins, are determined not to become friends, and hope that this relationship their dad's are building won't work out. However, the entire story is written as emails back and forth between Night Owl and Dogfish. I admit I have a bias against authors who cannot come up with a better way to tell a story than through letters, or emails, or texts. This seems way too easy, as an author, to let a story unfold. I know both of these veteran authors can, and have, done better. But...ugh. 3 paws just because I love Counting by 7s, I guess, but you could probably find better stories than this, either in other OBOB books this season, or by either of these authors. Oh well, looking forward to another OBOB read!