Jupiter Rising, by Gary D. Schmidt

     Jupiter Rising is the latest book by author Gary D. Schmidt, notorious for having the worst looking book covers ever. Fortunately, a few of his latest releases seem to be improving on the book cover thing, which is very exciting, because I love his stories, but the covers usually make it tough for me to convince anyone else to read his books!

    Jupiter Rising is a relatively short story (201 pages) based on characters from a previous Schmidt book, Orbiting Jupiter, which was also a pretty short and really good book. It's been a while since I read Orbiting, but I'll admit I nearly teared up twice while reading Jupiter Rising, and I challenge you to read it without having the same reaction. In Jupiter Rising, protagonist Jack is living on his family's farm in rural Maine, helping to raise 3-year-old Jupiter, a child born to Jack's sort-of-step brother Joseph, who has passed away. Jupiter's wealthy grandparents enter the picture and decide they want Jupiter, and a custody battle ensues. Along the way Jack is navigating 8th grade, which by itself qualifies for it's own story - bullies, homework, teachers, principals, possibly the track team, and of course working on the farm and helping to raise Jupiter. 

    That's the gist of the story minus the emotions and feelings of it all. However, under the masterful writing of Schmidt, the short book is full of emotions and feelings, and most of them are so believable that it is impossible not to be immediately drawn into Jack's world. In fact, I would say Schmidt is one of the best storytellers I have read, and he writes character voice as well as anyone I've read!

    Before the book ended it seemed as though several subplots of the story were not going to end well, meaning happily. I was happy about this - in the real world, everything doesn't end happily every time! - but also a little afraid of this - I wanted Jack to get all the good things he seemed to deserve. I won't tell you which way Schmidt went (you'll have to find out for yourself), but it got just a little too unrealistic, which is why I am giving this book 4 paws instead of 5. But that's the only reason...it's still really good realistic fiction that I recommend you read!

The Many Assassinations of Samir, Seller of Dreams, by Daniel Nayeri

     From the author of Everything Sad is Untrue, this second book by Daniel Nayeri is a blend of folktale, picture book, and fable - with a lot of humor thrown in! Thanks in part to the wonderful artwork of Daniel Miyares, Seller of Dreams reminds me of some of the books I would read as a young pup, the sorts that had pictures on the oversized spine and came in bright oranges and greens. I always read a new book with one eye on who I think would enjoy this story, and I have to admit I was a bit baffled throughout most of the book. But the end of the story was unpredictable, and a real treat for sticking with it until the end (there were a few times during the book when I wasn't sure where this story was going, or if it was worth finding out), like the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop! 

    Samir is a traveling salesman as well as a wonderfully enthusiastic teller of stories. His story is being told by a young boy who has many of his own stories to tell, but when the boy's life and Samir's come together, the boy is being chased by a mob of rock throwing monks, and when Samir trades some of his possessions for the boy's life, he gives him the name Monkey (monk-ey!). And so the story begins. Samir and Monkey are part of a traveling caravan of merchants and nomads traveling the Silk Road in the early 11th Century. Author Nayeri shares in his notes at the end of the story that he has always had a fascination for the Silk Road, and from his notes and the story he creates in this book it is easy to see why. That "road" of hundreds of miles is where trade between the East and what was then the West was focused, but I don't think many of us know a lot about it. Samir and Monkey travel this trail throughout the book, and experience many wonderful adventures along the way!

    I think you would like this book if you are open to reading something different than what you might normally read...if you are open to a whimsical tale where adventure and humor are woven together to create a life like you may not have ever imagined. I mentioned that during my reading I often wondered where this story was going, and if you wonder the same thing but stay to the end, I think you'll be very satisfied with where the entire book takes you! Seller of Dreams did win the Newbery Honor last year, so you know it's a better-than-average story. I hope you'll stretch yourself a bit and give this a try...and then let me know what you think in the comments! Happy New Year, and happy reading! 4 paws!

Lunar New Year Love Story, by Gene Luen Yang & LeUyen Pham

     The latest from graphic novelist Yang (Dragon Hoops, American Born Chinese) and artist Pham, and as always, a good story with a lot of layers to it! Lunar New Year Love Story is narrated by Valentina, a Vietnamese American high school girl trying to balance her romantic side with the realities of life and family. You know that when families are involved the story gets messy most of the time, and this is true of Valentina's family as well. Her mother left her father and her when she was young, yet she still grew up in love with a very romanticized idea of love. Her favorite holiday is Valentine's Day, and she spent hours each year crafting Valentine's Day cards for everyone she knew (and even people she didn't know). 

    At the same time, she is visited by the spirit of Saint Valentine, who tried to help her avoid the heartbreak that she feels is her fate by accepting her heart for all time, to keep it protected. Valentina also learns truths about her family that she finds hard to understand, all the while navigating her culture and...romance, of course! It is a "love story", after all!

    I don't know that I've seen Pham's work before, but I have read several of Yang's books, and have always enjoyed them! Love Story is perhaps one of my favorites! I am a romantic dog at heart, you know, so love stories always interest me...and I also love Valentine's Day! I also celebrate Lunar New Year, which moves each year based on the cycle of the moon, but which falls close to the end of January or early February - close to Valentine's Day - so this element of this book also added some fun and depth to the story. All of these elements are woven together quite well by Yang and Pham, and I would recommend this to anyone! A strong story, wonderful artwork...and romance - what's not to love? 5 paws!

I Was An Alien Fashion Model, by Ivy Hamid

     My human was walking down the hallway at school when a teacher handed him a book that she was just given by her neighbor. Turns out her neighbor had just written this, her first, book, and she wanted one copy to go into the school library. Naturally, my human and I both read it first, even though the title and cover art weren't something that would normally catch our eyes. My human doesn't read - or bring home! - a lot of fantasy books, and a fantasy book with fashion in its title probably didn't make it any more likely that this one would have been read by him (or me) at all...unless someone hands it to you, and says their neighbor wrote it!

    So we read it, and...it was pretty good! Sometimes first books are the best an author will ever do, like they had this brilliant idea that they turned into a wonderful book, and kept writing more books because they had written a successful first one, but they really didn't have anything else to write about. However, sometimes first books are okay, at best, but the author keeps working at their craft, really paying attention to their strengths and weaknesses, and their second and third (and fourth!) books are better and better!

    I Was An Alien Fashion Model is Richmond author Hamid's first book, and although it wasn't amazing, it wasn't a typical first book, either! The story is about a middle school girl named Kat who is not as thin as the other girls on her school volleyball team so is the "butt of every fat joke" - not just of the team but of the entire school! In her attempt to avoid the team photo in her new (but too small) volleyball uniform, Kat walks into an alien theft of clothes from the uniform store, and quickly finds herself on a spaceship! Traveling to another galaxy! Surrounded by...giant spiders? 

    Habib explores our society's definition of beauty, especially as it relates to a persons weight and stature, but in a way that makes the reader think about what we (collectively) as a society find beautiful, and how we miss so much of people wearing such a narrow filter. The book is written for middle school girls, I believe, but Habib does a nice job of creating an alternate universe that is creative and fun, but not often predictable or stale. A book that should be enjoyed by all genders and as young as late elementary school. Again, the title and cover made me predict not really finishing (or liking) the book, but I was wrong, and happy I started  - and finished! - the story!

    I appreciated that Habib's created universe was not predictable but also not impossible to follow. I don't like reading a book when I have to continuously flip to the front few pages to see who's who and what planet or species they belong to. In Kat's new world, there are "aliens" from many planets and galaxies, and I never had trouble knowing who was who. This isn't a life changing book, perhaps, but worth a read, and better than the title and cover let on. I give this a happy 4 paws!

 

Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow, by James Sturm & Rich Tammaso

     A new graphic novel to our school collection, but not a really new book. Still, in about 80 pages, the Sturm and Tammaso do a wonderful job of putting the reader right in the middle of baseball in the United States, from the early 1900s to the 1960's, when at 59 years old Leroy "Satchell" Paige was still pitching professionally, then for the Kansas City A's. 

    Being a big baseball fan, I know that modern day players do not play professionally into their 50s...ever! Few players continue on in the sport at all, as managers or coaches, at that age, but none go that long as a player. And, Paige did this mostly in the Negro Leagues, as they were called then, when Black players were not allowed to play in the White professional leagues. Not only that, they were not allowed to stay in the same hotels, travel on the same trains, eat at the same restaurants, or receive the same pay, all while dealing with often-times overt racism at games. Yet, Satchel Paige, perhaps the greatest man to ever play professional baseball in the United States, was a star - among people of all colors. His is an amazing story and accomplishment!

    This graphic novel is short but really well written and drawn. As a baseball fan I can truly appreciate Paige's impact and importance to the game, for players of all races over all time. This book won't take you long but the story itself is worth your time. 5 paws!

The Year We Fell from Space, by Amy Sarig King

     Author King used to write using the initials A.S. King, but has since started to include her full name. No matter, she is - paws down! - my favorite realistic fiction writer! I have not read every one of her books, but more than half, and I have never, ever, finished one of her books and not been sad to see the story end! Ever!

    The Year We Fell from Space is not King's newest book, but one I happened to come across this school year, and it is good! The overall theme is divorce, which isn't groundbreaking in teen books, but this story really dives into divorce from the perspective of one 6th grade girl, Liberty. And as a rescue dog, I have never been married or divorced, obviously, but I know how it feels to be on the outside of a relationship, right? Kind of like I was divorced from my family at some point (which turned out well for me, because I am in a new and awesome family now!).

    As usual, King weaves many different elements into the story, including the stars and space, where the title comes from. What she does as well as anyone I have ever read is writes just like a person would think (and act). Every character in her stories, even minor characters, are so real and believable...by the time I finish a King book I am disappointed  that my new friends are now "gone".

    This may not be her all-time best book, but it is as good as any other, which means it is better than most realistic fiction books you'll probably ever read! Do yourself a favor, and treat yourself to a Amy Sarig King book soon (this one?)! And then let me now what you think...I think you'll give it 5 paws, too!

Happy Thanksgiving!

     It is Thanksgiving Day, and I wanted to take a moment and share some thankful thoughts with you, readers of young adult books and friends to this blog! 

    I enjoy this holiday because it reminds me to reflect on the many things I have to be thankful for...not all rescue dogs get rescued, so I'm especially thankful to have a warm bed in a nice home where two humans truly love me! Being a uber-smart dog, one who reads and writes this blog, also makes me thankful for all of the wonderful books my humans give me access to, as well as the libraries that provide all of us with free reading material! What a gift they are!  Whether they are school libraries or public libraries, they work hard to keep us all reading, and give us choices in what we read! I am hopeful this continues into the future.

    I'm thankful for you, fellow readers young and old (and dog lovers), supporters of this dog's thoughts and opinions on books available to you at school! I'm also thankful for Harry Potter (and author J.K. Rowling), for starting this avalanche of writing for children, teens and young adults that has resulted in thousands of new authors and books since we all first met Harry and Hogwarts!

    I hope you have something to be thankful for today, my friends, even if it something small. Always remember that the only constant in life is change, so bad days turn to good days eventually, and sometimes good days don't last as long as we'd like...but they will change! Keep reading good books, and this blog, and I look forward to the next wonderful year between the pages!

💓 Zelda