Maya and the Rising Dark, by Rena Barron

  The Oregon Reader's Choice Award is one given out to the book voted best of the year in three age categories, much like OBOB. Unlike OBOB, ORCA books are chosen by readers, young and old, who must read at least two of the ORCA books in any age category before voting for their favorite (or the best book!). It's another Oregon reading promotion program, like OBOB, but doesn't require teams or competition to participate.

    There are 8 books in this season's ORCA list for middle school, and Maya and the Rising Dark is one of them. Author Barron tells the story of Maya, a young girl living in Chicago who starts to see weird beings around her town - werehyenas, for example. She quickly finds herself trying to survive, and eventually save her father, from the collision of two worlds - hers, and the Dark. Similar to a Percy Jackson adventure, or any of the newer adventure stories on Rick Riordan Presents label, Barron creates an adventure-filled story that ties African mythology to the modern day.

    Unfortunately, it didn't work very well for me. I don't want to say the same would happen for you, because this book gets really good reviews all over. But I have to admit I found the writing a little inexperienced, meaning the story idea was solid, but the writing at times jumped without offering enough details about why it was jumping, or where, or tying it to the overall story in a satisfying way. I don't want to give you the impression that you shouldn't read this, and that you will probably enjoy it. It's not that I didn't enjoy it - I did. Just not a lot, and not as much compared to some of the other titles I mentioned. I imagine author Barron getting better with more writing, but for this one, a middling           3 paws is all I can offer. This book is okay, but there are stronger books you could read.

Wink, by Rob Harrell

    Wink is one of this season's ORCA books, and a really good read! Harrell tells the story of himself, or a fictionalized version of himself, as a younger boy when he was diagnosed with cancer...in his eye. The author writes a story that is funny and real at the same time, something not easy to do with such a serious subject. One of the beautiful things about books is that they can act as windows, allowing you, as a reader, to experience things that you might not have to experience in real life. In this case, cancer. Books also act as mirrors, so that if you read a story that describes something you know or or living through, it connects you to others and let's you know it's okay, and that there are other people trying to manage the things in life that you may also be trying to manage. 

    All that is to say Harrell does a nice job with a very serious subject. His humor reminds me of Gordon Korman, who is a master at laugh-out-loud funny stories. But Harrell is also able to convey how serious real life can be - he creates a really good balance between the seriousness of life and the humor as well. It's nice to be able to laugh at ourselves at times, and of course, we sometimes cry, too.

    The usual parts of a 7th grader's life are written into this story, such as crushes, bullies, and family challenges. It just so happens that main character Ross also has a rare cancer, too. I really enjoyed this story, laughed out loud in several places, and missed Ross and his friends as soon as I completed the last page. 5 paws!

Girl in the Blue Coat, by Monica Hesse

    This book checks a lot of boxes for me...OBOB book this season; check! Historical fiction (my favorite genre!); check! A good love story, but not in the traditional sense; check! I finished the book but can't stop thinking about the story and the characters; check!

    I haven't read any of author Hesse's other books, but I sure will! Girl in the Blue Coat is the story of Hanneke, a teen girl living in Amsterdam at the start of World War 2. Germany has invaded Holland and Jews are being rounded up and sent off to concentration camps. Hanneke has grown her own black market business, providing goods for people around town because the Nazis have taken control of every aspect of life, including necessities like food and clothing. Hanneke uses the people she knows to find wanted items and get them to those who are in need. In this way she helps her family survive, but it's a very dangerous business...if she gets caught, she would likely be killed. In the midst of this part of the story, Hanneke is asked to find a person, something she has never done before. She quickly learns of others who are secretly helping Jews escape right out from under the noses of the invaders. Even more risky than her usual "job".

    This book has romance, danger, intrigue, history, friendship, family - all as elements of a well-written, high intensity book. Without having read anything else by Hesse, she is definitely one of my favorite authors, and this is one of my fave books of the year! Along the lines of Rita Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin, Hesse is the real deal in historical fiction. You need to read this! 5 paws!