The Stars Beneath Our Feet, by David Barclay Moore

     "We often feel that we must say what we must say. It's also crucial, however, to listen to other voices. Listening, I think, is the best way to learn about those who differ from you. Reading is a form of listening."

    From the author's notes at the end of this book, and what a great, powerful message. Stars is the debut novel from author Moore, and this story of 12-year-old Lolly, growing up in New York City and trying to navigate life, choices, friends, enemies, family...all in the course of about a year. At times I found Moore's writing a little jumpy, as he wrote to mimic Lolly's thoughts, which don't always flow from one topic to the next smoothly. But this jumpiness was infrequent, and didn't take away from my understanding of Lolly or his story. 

    One of the author's praising the book wrote that the characters will stay with you, and they do. A very strong first book by a talented author. I look forward to reading more of Moore's books in the future. Not yet a Walter Dean Myers, Jason Reynolds or Jacqueline Woodson, he may well be headed that direction - a good voice in the diversity of teen books that is still so desperately needed.

I give this a strong 4 paws!

D-Day: The World War II Invasion That Changed History, by Deborah Hopkinson

Hopkinson is a Portland author, someone I've met a few times and who I enjoy talking to about her latest work. At least one of her books has been in OBOB (maybe more), and I was excited to read this newest non-fiction offering from her. The book goes very in-depth of the invasion of Normandy, France in 1944 as part of the United States's efforts to stop Hitler and spread of Nazi Germany as well as the other Axis Powers (Italy and Japan).

D-Day offers a lot of personal stories and voices, which is the strength of the book. For me, to hear a a story of a specific event or time in history told from the people who experienced it is the most powerful way to understand and appreciate what it was like at that moment in time. That is why I like a good historical fiction book - when an author can create characters and events that tell of a true period in history so that I can feel what it was like to be there and why certain things did or didn't happen, that creates a connection for me that is hard to beat! Hopkinson uses a lot of personal stories to describe this historical event and I liked "getting to know" a few of the people she relies on often to tell the story of this WWII invasion.

The book is divided into sections, which I found a little disruptive and broke the flow a bit. I would have also liked more maps so that I could really place the events that her sources were describing more clearly in my mind. She does include a lot of actual photos from the invasion period, which helps deepen my understanding and picture what things looked like then.

My last criticism of this book is that several times Hopkinson slips into a  promotion of the people who served in the war, and in this invasion in particular, which is warranted on the one hand, but she occasionally sounds like an advertisement for the armed forces rather than an author telling a story by laying out the facts and details. I think that World War II may have been the only large-scale war worth fighting in the modern age, due to the terror that Hitler and the Nazis were creating and delivering to the world. But that cause does not make war less terrible, nor does it make those on the right side of the fight all good. She mentions that Blacks were not treated as equals in the armed forces, and that women's roles were limited as well, but that both made important contributions. More of both of these aspects of the story would have helped the story feel more balanced, perhaps. In her warranted appreciation for the sacrifices thousands of people made for this cause, there was an occasional promotion of war in general, I thought, and that bothered me a little bit. I was hoping she offered something more thorough and thoughtful, perhaps, and a little less "hawkish".

In all, I enjoyed this book, and learned a lot about D-Day and this chapter of WWII history. If you are a fan of war history, particularly World War II, you may also find this book really interesting. If your interest is more casual, you may find this book bogs down a bit along the way, as it did for me at times. I don't think this is Hopkinson's best work so far, but it's decent. I'll always look forward to her next offering! 4 paws!

Queen of the Sea, by Dylan Meconis

A graphic novel book by a Portland, Oregon author and cartoonist, Queen of the Sea is a book that I really enjoyed! Spending a few days at the Oregon coast with my humans, what better title than this to read while listening to the surf pound against the beach all day? Meconis tells and draws a tale very loosely based on the Tudor family of 1500s England, with King Henry VIII, "Bloody" Mary and Elizabeth I - "loosely" to the point where I probably wouldn't call this historical fiction, but it IS a very good read!

Margaret is the main character and narrator, and after arriving as an orphaned baby on an island run by nuns, her life and story unfold as she becomes a teenager and other people and events shape her world. Friendship, romance, mystery, history, deceit all work together to create a graphic novel that is more dense than most, but, in my pug opinion, really really good! In fact I finished this book in three days, in between watching out the window for passing whales and fishing boats, eating, and sleeping - that ranks this one right up there with some of the better books I've read!

Well written, especially if you want something more like a chapter book or novel in content, and well drawn, this is a different graphic novel than most I've seen, and I like it! 5 paws!




Side note...look into author Carolyn Meyer if you want good teen chapter books about this era, and others, in history...she writes great historical fiction, among other genres, including the era covered in this graphic novel!  :)

Prairie Lotus, by Linda Sue Park

Prairie Lotus is the latest offering by Park, author of A Single Shard - Newbery winner and one of my all-time favorite books! Her writing is not action-oriented, so at times it may seem slow or plodding if you aren't used to her style. But I enjoy her work a lot! Her characters are always very well developed, and the stories she tells are deep, thorough, and interesting. I was excited when I saw this new release, and it's a pretty quick read!

Prairie is the story of Hannah, a half Chinese/half White girl living with her father in 1880s North America. They arrive in a town in South Dakota, one of many places they have lived, and through Hannah, Park tells of many of her own experiences growing up Asian in the United States. Set in the 1880s the bigotry Hannah faces takes many forms and comes from many people - not unlike the modern day, according to Park, and perhaps not very surprising to many of you. Hannah shows a lot of courage and growth as well as anger and sadness at what she experiences, as any of us would. Prairie is a wonderful story of late 1800s American expansion, our collision with native Americans then, and the ongoing trouble we, as a country, have reaching the "liberty and justice for all" that our nation aspires to. Park writes in her Author Notes of the influence the Little House on the Prairie books had on her as a young person, and how she has always wanted to tell a different version of that idealized prairie life, from the point of view of someone beside a White girl in a White family.  Prairie Lotus is a good, steady story that I recommend! 4 paws!

https://lindasuepark.com/

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, by Suzanne Collins

The newest addition to the Hunger Games series...awesome, right?!?  I was happy to get a copy of this so soon after its release, and it was a page turner! It's been a few years since I have read the first Hunger Games book, but it has stayed with me through regular check outs and, of course, the movie versions of the series - and because it is so darn good! This newest installment will not disappoint. This is the story of Coriolanus Snow as a teen - barely surviving member of the Snow family living in the Capitol ten years after the war between the Capitol and the Districts that resulted in the creation of the Hunger Games.  Coryo, as he is called by a few close friends, becomes a mentor for the latest Games recruits, and ends up in a romantic relationship with his District 12 recruit. Of course, that isn't easy, and it often doesn't go well. Add to that a friend who is bent on seeing the Districts overtake the Capitol, some weird snake creations, songbirds...a very intricate weaving of stories into one good book!

Collins has delivered another strong story and an alternate perspective into the Hunger Games world than the one previously viewed from Katniss' life and story. I will add that I felt the ending of this new book seemed rushed and slightly contrived, almost as if Collins had written Coryo into a corner and she didn't quite know how to get him out of it. That or she just needed to end the book and wasn't exactly sure what that looked like. But that could simply be my own take on a book that otherwise was difficult to put down. If you have had any liking of the Hunger Games series or stories, at all, read this - Collins is exceptional at what she does, and this one will not disappoint! 4 paws and a tail wag!

Two Can Keep A Secret, by Karen McManus

The second murder mystery by author McManus, Two Can Keep A Secret is reminiscent of April Henry, and fans of Henry's books will find a lot here to like! McManus's first book, One of Us is Lying, is a best seller, but I have not yet read it. This offering is good, full of twists and turns  - and plenty of murders taking place in a small town over a period of years - but not amazing. I found the number and names of characters to be a little confusing throughout - who is a sibling of whom, names of different characters that are very similar to other names, etc. - and a couple of times it seemed like the author had written herself into a corner and the solution was a little contrived, or written to get her out of the jam rather than in the best interest of the overall mystery. In all, if you're a murder mystery fan and cannot find enough new titles to keep you reading, you will like this book - and author! If you only want to try this genre to see what it's like, April Henry is the current reigning queen of the genre!  3 paws.

The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown

This is the book adapted for young readers from the adult version...and I believe it may have also been made into a movie (but I'll have to check that). This is a non-fiction book that tells the story of the young men who made up the crew from the University of Washington who went on to win the gold medal in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany.

The story largely focuses on one young man, Joe Rantz, who at age 10 was kicked out of his house by his stepmother who decided she didn't want him around anymore. This cycle would repeat a time or two before getting Joe manages to get himself enrolled into the University of Washington as a student...that alone is an incredible feat, based on his background! Joe and the other group of rag tag boys he surrounds himself with find themselves in Hitler's Nazi Germany just before the start of World War 2, rowing a racing boat in the Olympics.

This is a really good, powerful, amazing story that reads like any good fiction book would, except that this really happened! Reading this made me want to find the adult version of the book, which I am guessing is longer and offers more detail, and read that as well. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are not a non-fiction reader usually - you'll find this to be a riveting story! 5 paws!

Monstrous Devices, by Damien Love

The first book (of two in this series so far) by Damien Love, and if I told you what it was about you would probably never consider reading it. But you should, especially if you like mysteries matched with action, blended with a hint of blood and bones, followed by hints of soul-stealing - kind of a April Henry meets R.L. Stine...kind of! Due to my humans moving from one house to another during my reading of this particular book, it took me much longer than usual, and there was a gap of about one week where I didn't have any time to read at all. This was just before the middle of the story. I mention that because I may have liked the book a little more if I hadn't broken the flow of the story...or perhaps that didn't matter. I will say I don't know if I've read any other book quite like this one, in mostly good ways. The subtitle of the book, below it on the front cover, reads, "Beware of things that go click in the night."  Referring to the robots that populate the story. The same ones that try to kill some people, and protect others...see? Would you have read the book if I had led with robots? 4 paws!

Amina's Voice, by Hena Khan

I just finished re-reading Amal Unbound, reviewed in this very blog last summer, and jumped right into Amina's Voice.  Both are OBOB books for next year and both are similar, realistic fiction stories about girls from different cultures trying to navigate life as both an American teenager and part of something outside of the American mainstream culture. Now, one could easily argue that there is no 1 "American culture", and I would agree. But in the case of Amina, she is from a Pakistan-born Muslim family living in Milwaukie, Wisconsin, which, according to the story, is very supportive of the Muslim community there. The cultural differences for Amina and her family are manageable but persistent throughout the book, but come to a head near the end when a tragic event strikes the community.

Before that happens, Amina is a new 6th grade girl trying hard to navigate middle school for the first time, along with changing friendships, boys, feelings, emotions...all the things teens deal with..as if I need to tell YOU, right? The book is easy to read, well-written but simple, not terribly long, but pretty good! A good OBOB choice, especially for those of you who don't like the fantasy and sci-fi genres as much...both Amina's Voice and Amal Unbound are good reads! I'll give Amina 4 paws...better than average, yet not amazing. For most Briggs readers, this story is a window, not a mirror, into another culture - one we are sharing with those around us right now, even if we don't always recognize it. Windows, like this book, are ways for us to "put ourselves into other people's shoes", to experience a life other than our own. It builds empathy, something we can always use more of! One reason I love realistic fiction so much...

Let me know what you think of Amina once you've read her story!

Small Spaces, by Katherine Arden

I had high hopes for this scary book, book 1 in a short series by an author I'm not yet familiar with other than Small Spaces. The back cover has quotes from authors of scary books I love, like Jonathan Auxier of The Night Gardener and R.L Stine, author of the Goosebumps books! However, I also know that sometimes awesome reviews from authors means the publisher is really trying to get the book to sell...and rightly so, as that is where they make their money.

Anyway, Small Spaces is touted as a super scary book, and although it's fun, and scary like Goosebumps books are scary (meaning fun-scary, mostly, and not going to keep you awake at night), it's not amazing. It was worth finishing, and good if you want "scary-lite", but if you want really scary, or even really well-written, you have many other options; April Henry, Katie Alender, Jonathan Auxier, Peg Kehret, even Robert Cormier or Stephen King, for more mature options.  If you love Goosebumps and want more like it, give this book a try. If you want truly scary, go to one of these other authors, who write truly scary material and write it very well! 3 paws.