Dairy Queen, by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

 My human (your librarian!) handed this book to me Friday afternoon, and asked if I wanted to read it. It is an older realistic fiction title, and book 1 of a 3-book set. But I always love the idea of a strong female protagonist (main character in the story), and in this book, DJ is a perfect lead - smart, strong, independent, and flawed...I loved her right away in this book!

DJ lives on a farm in Wisconsin, and due to family circumstances (that many of us can related to), she spends most of her awake time working the farm and going to school. She has little time for anything else, until the quarterback for the rival high school football team shows up one day wanting to "help" work the farm. His coach has sent him to get back in shape for the upcoming football season. Girl meets boy - she's a farm girl, he's a popular athlete, they attend rival high schools - things happen! Until DJ discovers that 1. She enjoys football, and 2. She's good at it! So, SHE decided to try out for her high school team!

If you like sports themes in a book, there is enough here to satisfy your love of sports. If you love a good romance, like a Jenny Han book, for example (To All the Boys I've Loved Before), you'll enjoy this as well! If you like strong, independent girls (or boys!) in your stories (like I do!), you'll like this also! 

This is Murdock's first book, and the first of three in this set. The author writes DJ perfectly - sarcastic, smart, caring, trying to navigate a dysfunctional family, romance, school, life...the characters in this book have stayed in my brain long after I finished reading. That, to me, is the sign of a really good book! Read this! 4 paws and a wag!

Nowhere Boy, by Katherine Marsh

 My first OBOB book from next season, and this was wonderful! Marsh is also the author of several other books, The Night Tourist being the one I remember seeing but not yet reading. Now that I have read Nowhere Boy, I look forward to reading Tourist, and perhaps more of her work!

Nowhere Boy tells the story of two boys, Ahmed from Syria and Max from the United States. Two teen boys with much in common but also with many differences. Their paths cross in really well-told ways, with credit to Marsh and her beautiful storytelling abilities. I hesitate to explain too much of this story as it sounds like an Alan Gratz book in some ways (which is a good thing), but outside of refugees being a large part of this book as well as some of Gratz's books, the writing style is very different between the two. Gratz tells a tense, fast-moving story, and does it very well (see my previous blog about Refugee). Marsh tells a tense, fast-moving story with more heart, somehow...it really worked for me as few other books have. This story and these characters will stay in my head and heart for some time. That is the sign of an exceptional book (and author)! 5 paws!

Kind of a Big Deal, by Shannon Hale

    One more dog blog post on this last day of March...author Shannon Hale, of Real Friends and Best Friends (graphic novels) fame, writer of one of my all-time favorite books, Princess Academy, released this latest chapter book about a young woman who drops out of high school early to pursue her dream of performing on Broadway.  At high school, Josie Pie is such a talented actress that the drama teacher urges her to go to New York and audition for a Broadway show. Things don't turn out exactly as she had hoped or planned, but the rest is where this story goes in a million different directions...all at the same time!

    Hale has been writing for a long time, and book 1 in the Princess Academy series really is one of the best teen book I have ever read! And I've read a lot of books, dawg! But Big Deal is anything BUT a big deal. I finished it, so there is THAT, but only because I was hoping she somehow brought this story together in one brilliant finish. The ending did get better, for a little while, but then dissolved again into a "what else could I be reading?" kind of book.  

    Some of Hale's books are brilliant (those mentioned above, minus this new one), so make a point of checking something out that she has written. But unless you are a thespian (and if you know what that is you probably are one, which is a good thing!), you could spend your time better on any number of other stories. 3 paws, and only because it's Shannon Hale!

When You Trap a Tiger, by Tae Keller

    The newest Newbery Award winner When You Trap a Tiger is a wonderful blend of folktale, magic, and realistic fiction, told by sophomore writer Keller (that means it's her second book). I read this in bits and pieces - not on purpose, it just worked out that way - and I think that took away a little of the power of the overall story. Even with that element of distraction the story was really good, reminding me of some of my favorite stories by the likes of Kate DiCamillo and Linda Sue Park - two very good storytellers who could make almost anything super interesting!

    Tiger is the story of Lily, her sister and mom, and their move from California to Washington to live with their ailing grandma. Lily navigates her Korean culture as well as her American side along with the move to a new state. She is very close to her halmoni (grandmother), and seems to share her intuitions for magical things. After spotting a tiger, Lily tries to strike a deal with this mythical creature to cure her grandmother. Does it work?

     I can see why this was chosen for the Newbery Award - it has the elements of past winners. It also brings Korean culture into mainstream storytelling, which still does not happen as often as it should. Hopefully that will continue to evolve. While chopping through the early parts of this book I imagined giving it 4 paws, but once I settled into the last half of the story, it is a 5 paw book for sure! Check this out!

No Fixed Address, by Susin Nielsen

 The last of my OBOB books to read for this season, and a pretty darn good one at that! This is Nielsen's 6th book, I believe, and although this is the first one I have read so far, it was good enough to make me want to read some others. That is one sign of a good book, right?! 

No Fixed Address is the story of Felix and his mom, Astrid, trying to live their lives as best they can while living out of their Westfalia van. The further into the story I read, the better the story got. By the end, I could hardly wait to finish my kibble so that I could continue with the story! A realistic look at homelessness, and Nielsen does a good job of telling that story from a teen's point of view, as well as getting into character's heads really well. The dialogue, although occasionally uncomfortable, was very real. I liked that about this book, and the reason I would read more of her writing. The only reason I didn't give this a full 5 paws is because I have the feeling she can do better than this, or perhaps already has. I can't wait to find out! 4 paws and wag!

We Dream of Space, by Erin Entrada Kelly

 My first 5 paw rating of 2021! Finally! This new book by Newbery Award-winning author Kelly (Hello, Universe), is a slow, steady heartbeat of a book. The story of three siblings, two of them twins, navigating a difficult home life during the winter of 1986. That year is important because NASA was sending the space shuttle Challenger into space that year, and Bird, one of the protagonists in the story, fancies herself a NASA scientist one day. 

The three siblings are as different as can be, and all floating in their own space, in their own ways, sometimes crashing into objects that interrupt their paths along the way. I know, this is pretty cryptic, but trust me, Kelly weaves a wonderful, heavy, heartfelt tale that will have you plugging yourself into the story and feeling for the characters and each of their lives. A better-than-average realistic fiction story, perfect for fans of Sharon Creech or Jerry Spinelli. Space won a Newbery Honor this year...two Newbery's for one author is rare air. This story is worth your time! Enjoy! 5 paws!

Moving Target, by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

 Another title on this season's OBOB list for middle school! Gonzalez is the author of Red Umbrella, which I have seen, always wanted to read, but haven't gotten to yet. Like many books, it's on my "want to read" list! Perhaps you have one, too? Moving Targets is book 1 to Return Fire, which came out in 2016, the year after Moving Target did. So it's not a super-new book, but being an OBOB selection puts it on my radar.

And...meh. I tried to love it, but only liked it. And only liked it a little. It wanted to be a good action/adventure book, and almost got there a couple of times, but then the writing got really predictable, the characters never turned into people I cared about, and the next plot twist was handed to the reader on a platter, as if we couldn't figure some of it out on our own, if allowed to. This might be a good mystery for a younger reader, maybe 4th or 5th grade? But for most middle graders, there are SO many other good action/adventure/mysteries out there, you could skip this one and not really miss out on anything. Try Alex Rider, or Ranger's Apprentice, or authors Blue Balliett, Caroline Cooney, or Shannon Messenger. Life's too short to read a mediocre book. Read this if you want, but you were warned... 3 paws (and only because it is an OBOB book).

The Erth Dragons: The Wearle, by Chris D'Lacey

 I finished this book last week and just couldn't find the time to put my paws to the keyboard. As a pug, I don't officially hibernate, but this cold weather sure makes me want to sleep a lot! You, too? 

Anyway, the first book in the most recent series by dragon-writer D'Lacey, author of the Last Dragon Chronicles (The Fire Within, etc.) from a few years back. You've heard of that, right? A very, very popular series for the last several years...if you read dragon stories, you've probably read some or all of that series already!

The Erth Dragons starts off really slowly, I think, but pretty quickly finds its footing and takes off. A fantasy story, of course, of dragons and humans interacting, not usually very well, and the results of their interactions. Let's just say more than one person gets burned by dragon fire!

If you are a die-hard dragon fan, you will likely enjoy this book and series. I admit to never having read Wings of Fire (yet, but I will some day!), but I do know a couple of dragon books that are awesome. Dragon's Milk by Susan Fletcher and Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede are two of the best, in my opinion. Erth Dragons was good, but not as good as these two. If you like dragon books, you will probably like this, and other D'Lacey titles. If not, go find Dragon's Milk or Dealing with Dragons first...they are both wonderful! 3 paws.

Our Castle by the Sea, by Lucy Strange

    The second book by author Lucy Strange, and the first one by her I have read. The cover isn't super attractive, and the title isn't either, I have to say, but the book is worth getting past both of those speed bumps. Our Castle by the Sea tells the story of young Petra, who lives with her sister and parents on the southern English coast managing a lighthouse. Outside of the lighthouse stands four giant stone pillars that have folklore about them, a story that goes right to Petra's bones. The first time her father tells her the tale of the giant stones Petra feels a connection to the four girls the stones represent, guardians of the sea. The book's setting is 1940, and the start of World War 2. Petra and her family are tangled in the web of the war, but from very different angles than you would expect in a typical WW2 story. In fact, one of the things I most like about this book is the interesting angle Strange takes on the war.

    The other thing I most like about this book is the constant hum of tension that Strange manages from the very start of the story. As I read each page my body just wouldn't fully relax...there was a hum of tensions, like a guitar string tied a little too tightly, throughout the story. I loved it, and the book is quite well written!

    What kept this from being my first 5 paw book of the year was the ending. It was good, but suddenly it seemed the author didn't quite know how to bring all the elements of the story together, so she did it somewhat quickly, and a little too easily, I think. Not a terrible ending, and the rest of the book was strong enough to still give this a very good rating. But her ending needed a bit more thought...or at least I thought so! I will definitely ask for the first book by this author to read and add to the library collection. And that is high praise, indeed! 4 paws!

Sal & Gabi Break the Universe, by Carlos Hernandez

    Another of this season's OBOB books, and the 2020 winner of the Pura Belpre Award for Latino/Latina/LatinX literature, Sal & Gabi is the fantastical story of two universe-bending teens navigating life in and out of middle school. It is one of several Rick Riordan Presents projects.  The book begins with a Riordan introduction and the book cover quotes him glowing about the book as well. Due to the Belpre Award as well as the other rave reviews from teen book sources, I ignored the self-gratifying intro and front cover quote by Riordan, which seemed a little suspect, since his publishing company was responsible for the book...kind of like an author writing their own glowing book review and printing it on the front cover along with the title. 

    The narrator of this story, Sal, is sarcastic. Very sarcastic. More so than many adults I know, especially so for a teen.  I was 200 pages into the book before I was finally able to settle into this sarcasm as the way the story was going to be told. Sarcasm, to me, is a poor way to hide either insecurity or feelings of superiority, which comes back to someone feeling insecure, in my opinion. I don't do sarcasm well, nor do I usually spend any time around anyone who uses sarcasm as their source of humor or dealing with people and the world around them. Needless to say, author Hernandez chose this as the voice of his narrator. It often came across as the author himself trying to be funny for his teen readers but not knowing exactly how to do that, so guessing (wrongly) that sarcasm was the right choice. Wrong.

    The underlying storyline of Universe wasn't bad, and in fact in someone else's hands it might have been done much better. I loved the LatinX characters, language, and viewpoints about life, school especially. But the sarcasm was SO prominent I had to force myself to finish this book. By the time I got to the end, I only wanted the book to be done so I could go find something less sarcastic to read. I think Universe won the Belpre because of its LatinX setting and characters. That part I enjoyed. But that was not enough to save the rest of the book. I know there is a second book in this series, and I hope Hernandez has changed his approach to writing. I don't think I'll be finding out, unless one of you shares with me how great it is. I give this book 3 paws, and 1 of those is only because of the OBOB listing and the Belpre Award. 

If you want good LatinX writing, try anything by Pam Munoz Ryan, or Merci Suarez Changes Gears, or even First Rule of Punk...all much better than this book. Onward to my next great read!