The Last Resort, Book 3: Ghost Light, Sara Farizan

     Scary title, right? Perfect for this time of the year! I'll admit up front that I did not know this was book three of an ongoing series until I had started reading. Normally I would not review a book in a series unless it was either the first one, or I had already reviewed the first one and wanted to read more. The Last Resort is being written like the older 39 Clues books were - a different author for each book, but tying together characters and situations from book to book. The first book in this series was written by Erin Entrada Kelly, whom I love and read everything I can by. This book was written by Sara Farizan, who I have not read before, but it seems she was picked by Kelly and Jasmine Warga, the author of the second book, so I was hopeful that Ghost Light would be good, scary fun!

    Ugh, was I wrong. I finished this, because it wasn't so terrible that I couldn't finish it - which rarely happens, but does once in a while. But part of why I finished it was because I really trust author Kelly, and kept hoping this book would get better. It didn't. It had scary characters, and scary scenes, but nothing, and I mean nothing, flowed in this story. I think I may have dozed off once. Or maybe I saw a squirrel out the window and lost my place in the story. Maybe twice. I know Farizan has other books, at least one of which has won an award, so I won't say I wouldn't give her another chance with another story someday. But I can't recommend this one.

    I'm giving this 3 paws, one for the fact that this series is tied to Erin Entrada Kelly. Otherwise, 2 paws is about as low as I go for a book I have actually finished. On to the next (hopefully) great read!

I Am A Good Dog, by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko

     What do you get when you pair Newberry Award winning author Katherine Applegate (Odder, The One and Only Ivan) with Newbery Honor winner Gennifer Choldenko (Al Capone Does My Shirts)? But wait! Add in one handsome robot dog as the protagonist (main character) and many other wonderful (non-robotic) animals (and a few people, too!) and what you have is a beautiful, heartwarming book told through the eyes of Metal Head, the robot dog that will keep you turning pages even after it's time to go to bed!

    Metal Head lives at the rescue shelter with many other dogs hoping to someday be adopted. But the cast of dogs in this story are on the lower floor, which is where dogs go when it seems they may not ever find their forever homes. When young human Esme begins visiting regularly, Metal Head does everything he can to get her to adopt him and take him home. But Esme has her sights on another dog - Ghost - who has one yellow eye and one blue eye. With the help of Mouse (who really is a mouse, not a dog) and a cast of two-legged and four-legged characters, Metal Head cannot seem to catch Esme's attention, until...

    If you've read anything by either of these authors, you may have already decided to give I Am A Good Dog a try! They are two my favorite storytellers, and this book does not disappoint. I found out that this is one of three books in the Dogtown books - maybe the third one? I will definitely look for the other two, especially if they are anything like this one! The writing is suitable for any age reader, although it is recommended for grades 3 to 7. A strong 2nd grade reader could manage this, and even younger readers with the help of an adult. I wagged my tail all the way through this story, and I think you will, too! 5 paws!

Nat Again, by Maria Scrivan

     Another book in a series that I had not heard of before, but quite cool and fun to read! Nat is a very normal girl, living a very normal life, doing normal things that young people do when they are young - going to school, hanging out with friends, joining clubs, and being left off the invite list of the biggest party of the school year! Wait - how did that even happen? Nat doesn't know, and as she checks all of her actions, words and thoughts that might have gotten her left off of the invite list for the party of the year, Nat learns about "thought traps" and the importance of checking for the facts in every situation. 

    Well written and drawn by Maria Scriven, Nat Again reminds me of some of the more popular graphic novel series that you probably already know, like Raina Telgemeier (Smile, Sisters, Ghost, etc.) and Victoria Jamieson (Roller Girl, All Faire's in Middle School). Books like Be Prepared and Four Eyes also come to mind. Nat Again is very good - maybe a step below Telgemeier or Jamieson, but that could just be my bias of these other classics. If any of the above titles make your tail wag, try Nat Again - you'll likely keep wagging! 4 paws and a wag (for being the author and the illustrator)!

The Very Cranky Bear, by Nick Bland

     Very cute picture book alert! The Very Cranky Bear is one in The Very Bear series by author and illustrator Nick Bland, but the first I have laid my paws on. If the front cover doesn't make you smile and remind you of someone you know or have seen in your life, no picture will! The artwork is wonderful, and along with the rhythmic story this book made me want to go right back to the beginning and read it again. In fact, I asked my human to get another book from the series just to see if Bland has a one-hit wonder here, or if I'm just behind in my "very cute picture book" reading! I'm predicting the latter - that I'm just behind - but I look forward to catching up! 5 paws!

The Hungry Forest, by Kaela Rivera

     From the author of the Cece Rios series comes this newest, and very scary, book from author Kaela Rivera. The first thing I did when I finished this was double check on the recommended age range for this book, because my human found it in the children's section of the public library, but neither of us thought it was a book for younger readers! I was surprised to see it recommended for readers as young as 3rd grade...I have to say this seems much more of a solid middle grader read to me. 

    The Hungry Forest is a place at the edge of the town where brothers Ryan and Teddy live, and where there father went...and never returned. When Teddy thinks he hears is dad's voice calling to him from the forest, he goes in, and shortly thereafter Ryan goes in to find Teddy. Is anyone getting out of the forest alive? It wouldn't seem like it!

    As we enter autumn, I love love love to read some good scary stories, don't you? Goosebumps are always fun, and scary but not too scary. The Graveyard Book and Coraline, both by Neil Gaiman are some of my all-time favorites, although the first chapter of The Graveyard Book is pretty scary as well. There are some other one-off books I love, like The House in Poplar Wood by K. E. Ormsbee being one, but mostly they are older elementary or solidly middle grade reads. I don't think I would recommend The Hungry Forest to a 3rd grader, or even a 4th grader. Maybe a 5th grader...maybe? If you like scary books, this one will do it for you! But beware; it's pretty scary, and the monsters and such may stay with you long after you close the cover...4 paws!

No Place on Earth, by Andrea Beatriz Arango

  The fourth book by award-winning Puerto Rican author Andrea Beatriz Arango, and a nice start to celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. I don't think this is the first book I've read by her, but I'll have to go back and check past blog postings to be sure. 

    There is a lot to like about this story, but some things that made me twist my head just a little and wonder why. No Place on Earth is the story of Gus, who moves with his mom and sister from Puerto Rico to Yellowstone National Park - a world of difference and change! His dad stays behind as his parents try to fix their marriage from the two very different places. Gus already had anxiety, but his anxiety doesn't get any better in this new place, surrounded by wild animals and cold winters. 

    Gus makes a friend, of sorts, in Kordell, an equally unique teenager who is facing his own serious level of anxiety and depression. Kordell has learned how to create his own dreams as a place to feel safe between real, awake times of his life. Somehow, Gus drops into one of his dreams, and the story really takes off.

    This is not an elementary level book, in my opinion, if you couldn't tell from the brief description above. Arango is a good storyteller, but the themes in this book just felt too intense much of the time. Anxiety and depression are real things and truly affect people of all ages, and it's good to learn more about mental health through stories like this one, but I was surprised at how the themes were presented. Kordell, in particular, recorded his dreamscape thoughts in a poetic sort of way that made me want to just skip those parts after the first few. And Arango's use of both English and Spanish, which I usually really like, seemed to require a higher level of understanding of Spanish than I possess. I love to learn more of a language through bilingual stories like this one, but there were many lines and phrases that were just too far from what I know to be able to translate, so I feel I missed some of the story there as well.

    So, in short, a good story, but intense. Definitely not for elementary readers - maybe more like 7th grade and above. A strong dose of Spanish written in, and most not translated for the non-Spanish reading reader. I really want to find out if I've read Arango's earlier stories, because I think I have, and liked them! But this one wasn't my favorite...3 paws.

Felix Powell, Boy Squirrel, by Erin Entrada Kelly

     Author Erin Entrada Kelly is one of my favorite writers for upper elementary and middle school fiction, and her books always rely on science in some form for their plot, which I find fun and unique! Felix Powell, Boy Squirrel is more elementary focused, and the science element comes in the form of nature - specifically, animals in nature. Main character Felix has a special ability to talk to animals, and with the help of a magical blanket, he one day turns into a...squirrel! But how do you survive as a squirrel, and how can he turn back into a human boy?

    Kelly weaves various themes into this delightful book, such as facing your fears and friendship, and her writing is always solid (she is one of the only authors of kid's books to win the prestigious Newbery Award more than once!). It appears that she has recently written a second book where Felix Powell is the main protagonist (main character) - Felix Powell, Boy Dog - and I look forward to reading that one as well! Who doesn't like a good dog story, right? I enjoyed Boy Squirrel, and it made me want to go back and re-read some of her longer books, such as the 5 paw We Dream of Space. This book lands a solid 4 paws!

Amari and the Night Brothers, by B. B. Alston

     Amari has been on my reading radar for quite some time now, as I come across rave reviews of this book series pretty regularly. I was finally able to get my paws on a copy of book 1, Amari and the Night Brothers, and I was excited to jump in. Amari is a young Black girl living in a tough part of town. Her brother has gone missing some months ago, and Amari and her mom are trying to live their lives without knowing what happened to him or if they will ever see him again. Then Amari receives a message from her brother to join a secret society of people fighting against ghosts, spirits, and many other non-human creatures. Does this mean Quinton, her brother, is still alive? And supernatural beings?!? What could that mean? It turns out, Amari has more in common with her missing brother than she thought, and she decides she needs to join this group to help find out what happened to him.

    B. B. Alston has created this other world of wonderful and sometimes scary creatures, with 13-year-old Amari being the main character - or protagonist - of the series. I believe the series will eventually be five books long, and book four has just been released, but I have only read this book, the first in the series, so far. This is definitely fantasy story telling, and I couldn't help but imagine the movie all the way through (perhaps it's a movie already, but I don't know...the book is always better!).

     If Hermione Granger from Harry Potter (smart, brave) met Holly Short from Artemis Fowl (smart, brave), with a storyline or background written by Sharon Flake or Jaquelyn Woodson you would have a good idea of what this book is like!  I enjoyed it, but having this feeling that Alston was trying to write a book that will quickly become a movie took just a little bit of my enjoyment away. I couldn't commit to a full 5 paws for this one, although a strong Black girl lead character is not as common as it should be (yet!), and I appreciate Alston creating Amari. But the movie thing bothered me a little, so 4 paws and a wag will hopefully convince any of you fantasy fans to still give this a try! Probably best for 4th graders or older, but if you read Harry Potter you would be okay with this long book as well.

Can Bears Ski? by Raymond Antrobus & Polly Dunbar

     This is one of several books my human purchased for the school library this year as he begins a new year at a new school, really wanting to emphasize kindness - something this world can always use more of, right? Can Bears Ski? tells the tender story of a young bear who thinks everyone around him is asking him if bears can ski? The more he hears that question, the more odd that question sounds - of course bears cannot ski! But doesn't everyone know that? Apparently not, but little bear keeps trying to understand the question anyway. Finally, his life changes when he realizes what people are really asking him, and why he wasn't hearing the real question all along!

    This is a wonderful picture book with a kind message. It reminds me of how books can be windows into other people's (or bears!) lives, or a mirror that reflects something about us that we might find in a story. For me, Can Bears Ski? is a window, and a useful one, as my human experiences the world the way little bear does in this book. For my human, this book is a mirror, and a wonderful way to share how he is different than some other people. Every creature in the world is unique in some ways, and the more we celebrate that, the kinder our world becomes! 4 paws!

The Summer Scrapbook, by Florence Migga

     The first book by new author Florence Migga reminded me a lot of an older series by Ann Breshares called The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Where Pants was meant for a slightly older audience (upper middle and high school), The Summer Scrapbook is written more for younger readers. In this book, three best friends are set to spend the summer before they begin high school in three different places, instead of together, like they usually do. Ava is going to London with her family, which she desperately does not want to do. Becca is being sent to a summer camp, something she desperately does not want to do, either. Cat is not going anywhere, facing a summer at home without her besties, to hang out with...who, exactly? Not the summer any of them wanted!

    Against this backdrop, author Migga writes three unfolding stories of self discovery, the strengths of friendship versus distance and time apart, and, of course, a little romance! All three girls find things about themselves and the world they didn't know before, which makes this a nice teen discovery book. However, unlike The Traveling Pants, there are no pants connecting the girls, and the overall story just didn't quite come together for me. I enjoyed the book overall, but also found myself wishing it were done as I wondered at times what I would read next. That isn't the sign of an award-winner, but it also doesn't mean you won't like this book, especially if you like a nice romantic story! It's a good first effort, but not life changing. Fun, but not a must-read. 3 paws and a wag, but not 4 or 5.