Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, by Kwame Mbalia

Wow, what a fun ride THIS book is! One of the new books being printed by Rick Riordan's imprint company, Tristan Strong is a action-packed adventure thrill-ride through African and African-American folklore, legend and mythology, very similar to the Lightning Thief series that Riordan is responsible for writing, among others, and which most of you know very well. If you are a fan of any of Riordan's books, you must read this one! You will love it, I promise!

I admit, about 1/4 of the way into the book I wasn't sure I would finish it. I had seen many great reviews for this release, and even went back and read a few when I was tempted to set it aside.  The reviews encouraged me to keep reading, to give it a chance. I am so glad I did! Soon after these uncertain moments of mine the story took off and never stopped - right up until the end. Will this be a movie? Probably! Will there be a sequel? Likely! Will you love love love it? Yes! The only thing keeping me from giving it 5 paws is the hesitation I had at the start...so a strong 4 paws - read this! You need it, and you'll be glad you did!

Jefferson's Sons, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Bradley wrote one of my all-time favorite historical fiction books, The War That Saved My Life, and Jefferson's Sons was sitting on my to-read list for a long time. Somehow to made it to the top of my list a couple of weeks ago, and I'm glad I have finally read it, although it is slightly less readable than The War book was.

Jefferson's Sons is the story of Thomas Jefferson, one of our nation's most famous presidents, and the children he fathered with one of his slaves. The book does not give any background information about his first wife, Martha, except in a timeline at the start of the story that shows she dies quite young, in her 30s. Sally Hemings was one of Jefferson's slaves and it appears (through years of research by many people since) that she birthed many children with him. The rub here is that as the president of the country, and the author of the Declaration of Independence - stating that all men are created equal - was not only a slave-owner but also father to several children with a slave he owned. 

So the book tries to tell the fictionalized story of these very real people, growing up on Jefferson's land, Monticello, and trying to come to terms with having your father know you, yet not be able to be a true father to you. As the child of a slave mother, you were still a slave, even though your father was a white man, and president of the country, no less.

The first half of the book is difficult to follow, especially as it seemed normal for two children to have the same first name. It's the second half of the book where the story deepens into a very satisfying one. Jefferson's slave-born children grapple with being Black and slaves until they turn 21 years old, at which time they are free - except that they can't proclaim their freedom. They are slaves until they turn 21, and then free to leave, but without the chance of returning - ever - to their home and family. They struggle with whether Jefferson is a good man, as a founding father of the nation, but also a slave owner who owns and sells slaves, like property, which is legally what Blacks are considered at that time. The end of the story is terrible and difficult, bringing a lot of the conflicts to a head.

This is an important story, and complicated, but not always easy to sort out or follow. If the topics mentioned here are of interest to you, read this. Bradley's writing is above average. If these topics don't really interest you, but you like historical fiction, try The War That Saved My Life. It is simply brilliant! 3 paws and a tail wag.

Ms.Bixby's Last Day, by John David Anderson

Another of this year's OBOB books, and one that comes with a lot of praise both from accomplished authors and reputable book sources, such as Booklist and School Library Journal. This one flies below the OBOB radar compared to more flashy books in this season's series of middle level books, but with all the positive reviews I was hopeful that this is a hidden gem that somehow I had missed along the way.

Anderson is the author of several other books, Posted being one that I have seen kids pick up often, although I have never heard any feedback about it to know whether it is liked or not. Sometimes the cover is interesting enough to grab your attention, and hopefully the story is worthy of all the attention it gets. Not having made the connection to Ms. Bixby, I was even more curious to read this one and maybe jump right to Posted.

This book starts a bit slowly, and does get more engaging about half way through. But this is not an action adventure book, so aside from one exciting scene in an alley with a man who steals money from the three main characters, this is mostly a tale told from  each of the main character's point of view. The three boys are 6th graders making a daring journey on a school day (which means they skip school) to visit their teacher who is sick and in the hospital. As the story unfolds, slowly, you learn how each of the boys has connected with Ms. Bixby, the teacher, and how she has connected with them. Some of the writing is predictable, as well as a bit oversimplified, but it does have heart.

As a complete book, Anderson does a decent job, but not an amazing one.  In fact, one of the reviews of the book on the back cover is written by author Gordon Korman, and this book is much like a Korman story, only not quite as solid. It's close, and if you like decent realistic fiction this may speak to you. It was good enough to finish, but I'm not sure I'd go looking purposefully for his other books like I would for, say, Korman. On the other hand, this book is getting so many rave reviews, perhaps I need to step back and ask you to read it, and tell me what you think?  For now, I'll give it 3 paws.

Disaster Strikes! by Jeffrey Kluger

A non-fiction book subtitled "The Most Dangerous Space Missions of All Time".  This book tells 12 short stories about U.S. and Russian space missions, separately and jointly, that had - or almost had - devastating results. Starting with the U.S. Liberty Bell 7 in 1961 and ending with the International Space Station in 2013, Kluger quickly, simply, but with a riveting writing style, describes the things that happened during these 12 space journeys that got lost between the more publicized successes. Some of these brief stories are truly heartbreaking, no matter what country of origin the pilots and crew are from. I can't say I'm anything more than a casual space exploration fan, but after finishing each of these stories I was torn between starting the next one immediately or giving my heart a break as I processed what happened in the just-finished tale. No matter what you might think about reading non-fiction, and/or reading stories about space exploration, you will not be able to read just one of these stories without reading the others, and you won't be able to forget the people and situations described within these pages.

Kluger is an award-winning writer, but not necessarily a master story teller, sometimes oversimplifying some of the details of the science behind flying.  But he knows what he is writing about, and he knows how to engage your emotions for every one of these events. This book will be hard to forget. 4 paws!

Renegades, by Marissa Meyer

The first book in the trilogy, and another book that was loved by a Briggs teacher...so I thought I'd give it a try! Washington-born Meyers is the author of the Lunar Chronicles series, which started with Cinder...a book I tried three different times and just could not get past the first chapter! I love the premise of those books, but cyborg Cinderella? Um, sorry...too far away from what my pug brain is ready to accept to be able to get into it (although I know many of you have read it and loved it!).

I was able to make it through the entire book of Renegades, which is no small feat, as it's over 500 pages long. A few times along the way I wished it were shorter so I could finish it and move on to something else. At the same time there were moments where I couldn't help but move on to the next chapter to find out what was going to happen next! So, a good read, a fun story, not amazing, but better than average. Not Marie Lu or Leigh Bardugo, but better than...well, better than Cinder.

If you like any part of superhero or fantasy stories, you should give this a try! Don't let the number of pages keep you from reading it - in most places it reads very quickly. There is a lot of action and plenty of twists in the plot to keep you moving ahead. I rarely read further into a series, and I'm not sure I would move into the second book or not...I'll have to see if these characters stay with me into next week. They may, and I may dive into the book 2. But whether or not that happens, I would recommend this to you if you enjoy fantasy and/or superhero stories. It's fun! 4 paws!

A Girl From Yamhill, by Beverly Cleary

This biography by the author of many, many wonderful children's books (Ramona Quimby, Dear Mr. Henshaw) was published in the late 1980s, and has been an OBOB book in the past, but for some reason it never made it into my reading pile until now. It finally made it thanks to rave reviews from Mr. Morton, who is reading it out loud to his 6th graders this month - thanks, Mr. Morton!

Beverly Cleary, now 103 years old, was born in McMinnville, grew up in Yamhill and then Portland, in the 1920s and 1930s. This book is her story as she navigates life through high school living in Oregon, a descendant of several prominent people in Oregon history and, of course, herself being one of Oregon's most recognizable names in children's literature. In addition to being a very interesting romp through Depression-era Oregon, this book is like a long conversation with a really good friend. Cleary's writing is easy, direct, insightful without being too introspective or personal...a great blend of who she is, who she was, and her relationship with her parents, school, friends, adolescence, and the world as she knew it, which was very small and simple in sometimes painful ways. I'm sorry I waited so long to read this, but I'm very happy to have read it now. I recommend it! 5 paws!

The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day, by Christopher Edge

A new book to the library this year, and one I've been wanting to read, but also hearing mixed or mediocre reviews from students who are checking this out, so I've been hesitant. What to expect?!? A short book, and I don't know if I have anything to compare this to...perhaps the best comparison would be too one of Edge's other two books, but I have not yet read either of them...yet.

The Infinite Lives tells the story - well, two stories, really - of ten-year-old Maisie Day, who, in alternating chapters, is living a normal kid's life with her mom and dad and sister, and in the other chapters is being swallowed up by the vastness and blackness of the universe. As in; the Big Bang Theory, atoms and protons and neurons (and electrons), Einstein, the source and direction of everything ever from a science viewpoint...very interesting, very different as far as teen and YA book subjects go, and...not bad. Edge weaves these alternating chapters and versions of Maisie's life pretty well, with a plot twist at the end that I promise you will not see coming! Mixed in with it all is a lot of scientific theory and explanation. The author does it in a fairly smooth way, but I'm not sure how incredibly smoothly anyone could work in the Big Bang Theory without coming across as dry or instructional. Edge does as well as anyone, probably, but there are still times where I felt like I should stop and watch the Bill Nye video on the universe for additional background information.

Good enough for me to want to read at least one other of his books, but not so good I could give it all 4 (or 5) paws. If you love science, you will enjoy this more than most! And that plot twist...wow!
3 paws (and an extra tail wag for doing something new in kid lit!).

Operatic, by Kyo Maclear and Byron Eggenschwiler

A new graphic novel from two Canadians, getting rave reviews, and rightly so! I don't read a lot of graphic novels, but I have never read one where I finished and immediately wanted to go back and read it again. This is quirky, extremely well illustrated, and captures several aspects of middle school life so well that it's almost scary...but really amazing! I can't get this book out of my brain, and in fact I am going to read it again...as soon as I post this!

This story is a little jumpy, in that it will be taking you down one character's line of thoughts and the next page jumps to something completely different. But then you realize that it is reading just like a teenager is thinking, and then you can't stop turning pages! This book is about music, friends, the awkwardness of being a teen, romance, more music, fitting in, not fitting in...read this! And then read it again...you'll love it! 5 paws!

The Novice (Summoner Book 1), by Taran Matharu

Another OBOB book for this season, and getting really good reviews from students! A fantasy story which reminded me a lot of The Ranger's Apprentice...only not quite as strong. I really enjoyed the author's notes at the end of the story, describing his journey into writing and publishing and the creation of this book. If I remember correctly, The Novice started as an online story and then became a published book. Matharu began writing this when he was a teenager, ala Christopher Paolini, and this book reminded me also of Eragon. Now for a bit of a disclaimer...I tried reading Eragon three different times, and with no success. I just couldn't get into the flow of the writing. The Novice was the same way. I started, and then I stopped. I started again, and then stopped for about a week. Then I picked up where I left off, determined to get through it all, since so many kids have enjoyed it. But it just left me wanting more...honestly, wanting to re-read something better written. It's not a bad story, overall, but little things along the way hinted at the newness of Matharu as a writer, and these little things bothered me, added up, and...well, I can only offer this 3 paws.  I would give it 2 paws but I think you may like it more than I did, and so the extra paw is to encourage you to give it a try. Me? I'm moving on to something else...maybe some Stephanie Meyer?

Bob, by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead

Bob is the latest release by two authors who have many good and known books for young adults and teens between them. Mass wrote one of my all-time favorite books, A Mango-Shaped Space, and Stead will be known to anyone who has enjoyed OBOB in recent years as the author of Liar & Spy as well as the Newbery Award-winning When You Reach Me. Two very capable authors creating a magical book together!

Bob is a creature from a book of fairy and folk tales read by Livy when she was very little. In this story she returns to her grandmothers house in Australia 5 years after her last visit, and subsequently finds Bob, her childhood friend - who happens to be short and green and dressed in a chicken suit - still waiting for her in her bedroom closet. Livy finds out that not everyone can see Bob, and as the story progresses we wonder if Bob is real, or the presence of something serious that Livy is afraid or unable to face from her past. We don't really know until the end, when happily we discover that Bob is not a way for Livy to cope with a trauma, but a way for both Livy and Bob to build on an imagination that children often have but seem to lose as they get older.

Perhaps the most wonderful part of the story is how Bob finds his home and family, Livy loses but then finds Bob again, and all of the magic is then passed on to another child, a neighbor of Livy's whom is also drawn into the same story from the book. This is a pretty quick book to read, and reminds me a lot of DiCamillo's Tale of Despereaux of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.  This is a light, fun story that will bring a little warmth to that child within you, no matter who or how old you are! 4 paws!