The Invisible Parade, by Leigh Bardugo & John Picacio

     A new picture book from the author who brought us wonderful fantasy books like the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows books. Leigh Bardugo is arguably one of the best, and best known, fantasy writers working today. Her books are written mostly for young adult readers, but she also has some adult books, and now, with The Invisible Parade, a picture book!

    John Picacio is an award-winning artist who specializes in science fiction, fantasy and horror art. Together, he and Bardugo have created a delicious picture book around the theme of Dia de los Muertos. Main character Cala has recently lost her grandfather and is not at all interested in helping her family prepare for the coming Dia de los Muertos. She goes along with the celebration, but is in no way part of the fun or meaning of the holiday. She gets separated from her family in the cemetery and meets four mysterious riders who help her find her true self again.

    It's a picture book, so it isn't very long. Bardugo is more than capable of creating a wonderful Dia de los Muertos story, which was the reason this book was added to the school library collection. But Picacio's artwork is the superstar here! The art is dark, and dreamy, and smooth, and moody...it is wonderful, and fits the story perfectly! In fact, the artwork makes this book amazing! As soon as I finished it, I started over again, so that I could really take in the art and how it creates the perfect mood for the writing and overall tale.

    A picture book may not be what you want to add to your personal book collection, being that you are probably in your teens by now, or close to it (or maybe just past it!), but go find this book at your library, check it out and take it home. One time through is not enough to appreciate what this book is...give it several read throughs, and give the artwork time to take your imagination on the wonderful journey that awaits you here! 5 paws!

A Snake Falls to Earth, by Darcy Little Badger

     The third book by author Little Badger, a member of the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, but the first I have read by her. A Snake Falls to Earth won a Newbery Honor as well as appearing on many best books of the year lists, and getting starred reviews in Booklist (one of my favorite book review magazines, and one I trust very much). All that said, I was really excited to read this book, especially as a small way to celebrate Native American Heritage Month (November)!

    However, I also have to write what I feel about this book, now that I've finished it. I liked it, and some of the characters have stayed on my mind since I read the final page. At the same time, I found the story to be very, very confusing, until I got to about page 120. That's a lot of pages for someone to read before the story starts to make any kind of sense, right? I'm glad I stuck with it, because it was a good book. But I also found myself looking forward to finishing so I could start something new...that isn't a very good sign.

    So, I my canine advice is to trust the reviews, to some degree, but also prepare to get pretty far into the book before things start to come together. Here is something that will help (and it's not a spoiler!); the chapters alternate between a girl named Nina, who begins the book as a 9-year-old but grows older each time we hear from her, and Oli, a cottonmouth snake who can also appear as a human. Knowing that Oli was a snake who could transform into human form early in the story would have helped me understand a lot more a lot sooner! I hope it helps you, too. In fact, in the Cottonmouth chapters, Oli and his friends are all animals that can become humans when needed. It is a cool part of the story as it goes along, but it took me a long time to figure that out. Maybe it's me...I'm a pretty literal reader!

    There are not enough teen and young adult books by and about Native people, and this book is a nice addition. However, not the easiest to navigate nor is it my favorite. If you'd like some amazing books in this genre, check out anything by Peter Bruchac, Sherman Alexie (although his books are mostly for older teens and adults, or one of my favorite books from last year, The Firekeeper's Daughter, by Angeline Boulley (also for older teen readers, but really good). I may give one of Little Badger's books a try in the future, but I will need a break after this one for a while. 3 paws and a wag.

Rhythm & Muse, by India Hill Brown

     My human met Ms. Hill at a conference two weeks ago, and from the sounds of it, she is very much like this book of hers - very nice, approachable, smart and funny. Rhythm & Muse is not her first book, but she is still a new-ish author and I have not yet read any of her other stories. I don't know why if they are anything like this one, which I found really engaging and easy to read!

    Rhythm & Muse is a romance story about two teens, Delia and Darren, who attend the same high school and who know each other, but only casually. Delia has a weekly podcast that seemingly everyone listens to and loves, and she is popular, beautiful, and has no trouble attracting romantic attention. Darren is a quiet kid, with a singing voice like non other, but he would rather live inside his own head than put himself out there for the world to critique and judge. So he keeps his talent mostly to himself, and doesn't allow Delia to know she really has his attention. That's where Darren's friends come in, and the book unfolds with a wonderful blend of romance, honesty, humor, reality, and of course, music!

    I liked the book until I was about half way through it, then I found myself not wanting to stop reading! I couldn't wait to find out if or how Darren was going to finally let Delia know how much he likes her...or if he was ever going to! As a total package, I wouldn't say this book is "amazing" and it may not win a lot of awards...but as a romance book goes, it's wonderful! Usually when I want a good teen romance I go straight to Sarah Dessen - she has been writing  romance novels for a very long time, and definitely knows what she's doing! Even Jaquelyn Woodson has some very real and honest feeling relationships in all of her books. India Brown holds her own in the romance department, and I would recommend this book to anyone open to a nice, fun, real romantic book! 5 paws!

When We Flew Away, by Alice Hoffman

     The Diary of a Young Girl is the real life journal of a Jewish girl named Anne Frank. The book is famous for her simple, beautiful and terrifying account of her two years spent in hiding with her family while the Nazi's of Germany systematically searched for and moved Jewish people to labor - or concentration - camps, where 6 million of them would eventually die during the course of World War 2.

    Veteran author Alice Hoffman's latest release, When We Flew Away, is the fictionalized account of Anne Frank in the few years leading up to her capture by the Nazis during World War 2. Hoffman tries to create Anne's world in the years they go into hiding in Amsterdam. The Frank family fled Germany when Anne was four years old to live in the Netherlands in an attempt to evade the growing Nazi threat to Jews and others deemed "less than". When We Flew Away attempts to create the setting of Anne and her family in the two or three years leading up to their hiding in an attic to survive the growing Nazi hatred.

    Hoffman shares in the author notes at the end of the story how she is a member of a Russian Jewish family who had successfully fled Nazi persecution to land in New York City, and how reading The Diary of a Young Girl at the age of twelve had changed her life. She recommends that every person read that book, and I second that feeling - if you have never read Anne Frank's diary, you should read it at some point. It is life changing. But for all of Hoffman's good intentions, and for the importance of this story being told and retold and remembered by all of humanity so that it never happens again, When We Flew Away misses the mark. Not in the sense of the urgency and horror  - and the hope - of the overall story, and the fact that this really happened, not all that long ago, and that we need to be vigilant, all of us, so that it never happens again. Even though all of this is imbedded in the story, Hoffman really seems to stumble over what to write and how to bring Anne's pre-story to life.

    Before Anne Frank received the infamous journal for her 13th birthday and began writing what would become The Diary of a Young Girl, not a lot is known of the details of her everyday life. She wasn't famous or anything, so there would be no reason to know the in's and out's of her every day living. In trying to create that world, Hoffman repeats a lot of thoughts and sentiments, to the degree that I wondered while I was reading if anyone edited her book before publishing it. It's like she knew what she wanted to do with Anne's story but had little idea how to do it. Which was surprising as Hoffman has authored many books.

    When We Flew Away is a good story, but more so because Anne's story is so important. I recommend reading Diary of a Young Girl. If you are moved by it - and you will be - read Hoffman's book if you want to explore Anne's life further. But don't be disappointed if you come away just wanting to the read her diary again. I give this book 4 paws, because the subject matter is so critical to all of us and a story every person (and dog!) should know. However, with different subject matter, the best I could offer this surprisingly clunky book would be 2 or 3 paws. A great idea for a book, but disappointing in its completion.