The List of Unspeakable Fears, by J. Kasper Kramer

     Essie O'Neill is afraid of many things - electric lights, cats, and the red door at the end of the hallway in her new home. She keeps a list of her fears under her mattress so she can add to it at any time. Sometimes, adding to her list helps her fears seem less scary...sometimes. And sometimes she can cross things of of her list...sometimes.

    This historical fiction book takes place in New York in the early 1900s in the midst of the typhoid epidemic - not terribly different from our current Covid pandemic -  and during a time of racism and anger towards immigrants. In the story, Essie's new stepfather is German, and in charge of a hospital treating people thought to carry very contagious diseases, such as typhoid fever. One of the characters of the book is Typhoid Mary, a real person who is thought to have spread typhoid as a carrier and a cook in New York City. Essie is also reeling from the death of her biological father, who had gotten sick and died as well, while under the care of Essie, who feels responsible for his death. Her stepfather, meanwhile, is dealing with severe loss of his own, a daughter that Essie "meets" in her new home on the quarantined island where she and her mother move when her mother remarries. Together, Essie's fears, disease, bigotry, a new family, a very strange cat and ghosts make for a pretty good page-turner!

    Some reviewers write that this book is a combination of Coraline and The War That Saved My Life, two very good books that I recommend to you! I don't know if I would go so far as to say this was as good as either of those, but the story and characters have stayed with me, which I always feel is a very good sign! 

    In the author's notes at the end of the book she describes how closely Essie's story resembles her own, especially in light of what we have lived through in the last two years of Covid quarantines, illnesses, deaths and strong feelings about all of it. Having that background information made The List of Unspeakable Fears seem a little like the author's personal therapy session. That isn't a terrible thing all together, but seemed a tad self-serving. In all, this is a good story, somewhat spooky and quirky, which I enjoyed, but also a bit easy to figure out, which I was a little disappointed in. I think 4 paws is a good way to balance those thoughts, so that is what I'll give this one. Worth your time, but I wonder what Kramer will write next.

Linked, by Gordon Korman

     Has anyone written more books for young adults and teens than Korman? If so, I'm not sure who that would be...he has over 70 titles, and so many of them are good it's tough to keep up! In fact, anytime someone asks me for a recommendation of a good book, especially a funny one, Korman is the first writer I recommend! His books aren't usually "literature", in the sense of being classics that will last forever, like The Giver, for example. But titles like Schooled, No More Dead Dogs and Restart are really good, worth reading more than once even. 

    Linked is Korman's latest, and has a really interesting plot. Someone at a middle school in Colorado is painting swastikas around school property, bringing up a racist past that the town either pretends never happened or wants to ignore. At the same time, main character Lincoln discovers his grandparents survived the Holocaust, and he decides he wants to learn more about his Jewish ancestry. Perhaps only Korman can infuse humor into such a story, but he can, and he does. The story is told from multiple points of view, something Korman also does a lot in his writing, and it works pretty well. One of the narrators is even a TikTok star (in the story), which adds to the humor (and the meanness as well). To counter the hateful images appearing at school, the student body decides to make a paper chain link, representing all the Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis - all 6 million of them.

    It's a really good and unique storyline. Korman is a really good writer with a lot of experience. This book is already getting a lot of good reviews. But...I don't think it's his best work. I didn't like the way he decided to end the story. It seemed too easy and not very believable. I think the good reviews are based on the important story line, and I don't disagree with that. If the Holocaust and Nazi Germany appeals to you, give this a try. It's a different take on that world event that still has relevance today. If you just want to read something funny by one of the best humor writers in YA books, choose one of the titles listed above instead. Or at least try one of those after you read this one. 

    I give this 3 paws and a wag, for the important story line. Not bad, by any means, but he's written better.