Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, by Kwame Mbalia

Wow, what a fun ride THIS book is! One of the new books being printed by Rick Riordan's imprint company, Tristan Strong is a action-packed adventure thrill-ride through African and African-American folklore, legend and mythology, very similar to the Lightning Thief series that Riordan is responsible for writing, among others, and which most of you know very well. If you are a fan of any of Riordan's books, you must read this one! You will love it, I promise!

I admit, about 1/4 of the way into the book I wasn't sure I would finish it. I had seen many great reviews for this release, and even went back and read a few when I was tempted to set it aside.  The reviews encouraged me to keep reading, to give it a chance. I am so glad I did! Soon after these uncertain moments of mine the story took off and never stopped - right up until the end. Will this be a movie? Probably! Will there be a sequel? Likely! Will you love love love it? Yes! The only thing keeping me from giving it 5 paws is the hesitation I had at the start...so a strong 4 paws - read this! You need it, and you'll be glad you did!

Jefferson's Sons, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Bradley wrote one of my all-time favorite historical fiction books, The War That Saved My Life, and Jefferson's Sons was sitting on my to-read list for a long time. Somehow to made it to the top of my list a couple of weeks ago, and I'm glad I have finally read it, although it is slightly less readable than The War book was.

Jefferson's Sons is the story of Thomas Jefferson, one of our nation's most famous presidents, and the children he fathered with one of his slaves. The book does not give any background information about his first wife, Martha, except in a timeline at the start of the story that shows she dies quite young, in her 30s. Sally Hemings was one of Jefferson's slaves and it appears (through years of research by many people since) that she birthed many children with him. The rub here is that as the president of the country, and the author of the Declaration of Independence - stating that all men are created equal - was not only a slave-owner but also father to several children with a slave he owned. 

So the book tries to tell the fictionalized story of these very real people, growing up on Jefferson's land, Monticello, and trying to come to terms with having your father know you, yet not be able to be a true father to you. As the child of a slave mother, you were still a slave, even though your father was a white man, and president of the country, no less.

The first half of the book is difficult to follow, especially as it seemed normal for two children to have the same first name. It's the second half of the book where the story deepens into a very satisfying one. Jefferson's slave-born children grapple with being Black and slaves until they turn 21 years old, at which time they are free - except that they can't proclaim their freedom. They are slaves until they turn 21, and then free to leave, but without the chance of returning - ever - to their home and family. They struggle with whether Jefferson is a good man, as a founding father of the nation, but also a slave owner who owns and sells slaves, like property, which is legally what Blacks are considered at that time. The end of the story is terrible and difficult, bringing a lot of the conflicts to a head.

This is an important story, and complicated, but not always easy to sort out or follow. If the topics mentioned here are of interest to you, read this. Bradley's writing is above average. If these topics don't really interest you, but you like historical fiction, try The War That Saved My Life. It is simply brilliant! 3 paws and a tail wag.

Ms.Bixby's Last Day, by John David Anderson

Another of this year's OBOB books, and one that comes with a lot of praise both from accomplished authors and reputable book sources, such as Booklist and School Library Journal. This one flies below the OBOB radar compared to more flashy books in this season's series of middle level books, but with all the positive reviews I was hopeful that this is a hidden gem that somehow I had missed along the way.

Anderson is the author of several other books, Posted being one that I have seen kids pick up often, although I have never heard any feedback about it to know whether it is liked or not. Sometimes the cover is interesting enough to grab your attention, and hopefully the story is worthy of all the attention it gets. Not having made the connection to Ms. Bixby, I was even more curious to read this one and maybe jump right to Posted.

This book starts a bit slowly, and does get more engaging about half way through. But this is not an action adventure book, so aside from one exciting scene in an alley with a man who steals money from the three main characters, this is mostly a tale told from  each of the main character's point of view. The three boys are 6th graders making a daring journey on a school day (which means they skip school) to visit their teacher who is sick and in the hospital. As the story unfolds, slowly, you learn how each of the boys has connected with Ms. Bixby, the teacher, and how she has connected with them. Some of the writing is predictable, as well as a bit oversimplified, but it does have heart.

As a complete book, Anderson does a decent job, but not an amazing one.  In fact, one of the reviews of the book on the back cover is written by author Gordon Korman, and this book is much like a Korman story, only not quite as solid. It's close, and if you like decent realistic fiction this may speak to you. It was good enough to finish, but I'm not sure I'd go looking purposefully for his other books like I would for, say, Korman. On the other hand, this book is getting so many rave reviews, perhaps I need to step back and ask you to read it, and tell me what you think?  For now, I'll give it 3 paws.

Disaster Strikes! by Jeffrey Kluger

A non-fiction book subtitled "The Most Dangerous Space Missions of All Time".  This book tells 12 short stories about U.S. and Russian space missions, separately and jointly, that had - or almost had - devastating results. Starting with the U.S. Liberty Bell 7 in 1961 and ending with the International Space Station in 2013, Kluger quickly, simply, but with a riveting writing style, describes the things that happened during these 12 space journeys that got lost between the more publicized successes. Some of these brief stories are truly heartbreaking, no matter what country of origin the pilots and crew are from. I can't say I'm anything more than a casual space exploration fan, but after finishing each of these stories I was torn between starting the next one immediately or giving my heart a break as I processed what happened in the just-finished tale. No matter what you might think about reading non-fiction, and/or reading stories about space exploration, you will not be able to read just one of these stories without reading the others, and you won't be able to forget the people and situations described within these pages.

Kluger is an award-winning writer, but not necessarily a master story teller, sometimes oversimplifying some of the details of the science behind flying.  But he knows what he is writing about, and he knows how to engage your emotions for every one of these events. This book will be hard to forget. 4 paws!