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!

Mark of the Thief, by Jennifer A. Nielsen

 Book 1 in the Mark of the Thief trilogy by Nielsen, and an OBOB book this season. Nielsen is a frequent OBOB author, having books such as The False Prince and A Night Divided on previous OBOB lists for middle grades. She is also semi-local to us here in Oregon, living in Utah but being a regular visitor to Oregon for OBOB-related events, such as Regional and State Tournaments as well as school visits.

I have read Nielsen's previous OBOB books, listed above, and enjoyed them. The False Prince is a good book 1 in The Ascendance series, and a good fantasy story. A Night Divided is historical fiction taking place around the building of the Berlin Wall that divided Germany in two during the Cold War era, and possibly Nielsen's best book, in my opinion!

Mark of the Thief is also fantasy, combining magic with an Ancient Roman setting. I love how she describes her decision to create this book and the trilogy...but that was about all I loved about this book. It was worth finishing, once I started, but not much more than that. I found this book to be pretty flat, and contrived, and several times it seemed to me that she was being interrupted a lot while writing this because it just seemed distracted somehow. It's not a terrible book, but nowhere near what she is capable of writing. 

If you like fantasy stories and magic, and even Ancient Roman settings, you will probably enjoy this to some degree. But if you want better fantasy, read the False Prince, which is quite a bit better. Or perhaps something by Brandon Mull or Shannon Messenger. I give Thief 3 paws, and in some part because it's an OBOB book. Meh.

Dear Martin, by Nic Stone

This is the first book by author Nic Stone, and I'm not sure how to describe it, exactly. It isn't completely what I expected, although I don't really know what it was I was expecting. The premise of the story is the main character, Justyce, writes letters to a no-longer-living Martin Luther King, Jr., to help understand the world around him, a world full of racial inequality, racism, classism, and violence. There is a romantic strand to the story and much of the story takes place at the high school Justyce attends. Many elements of a good, realistic fiction story that exists in the middle of what would have been a Black Lives Matter setting, had it been written more recently than 2017.

The language here is strong and realistic - not quite The Hate U Give strong, but stronger than most YA books I've read. The situations Justyce and other characters face are often very heavy, and they don't seem to let up - this is a pretty heavy book, especially for it's seemingly short and light stature. And it's a good story, to be sure, just...hard. But the characters stayed in my mind after I finished, which is a sign, to me, of a good book.

I would probably give this first effort by Stone 3 paws, but because the story has stayed in my brain I'm adding a paw, for a total of 4 paws. There is a second book out now called Dear Justyce that I can see myself reading, but I may wait a few books for that one. I'm not sure I can manage the weight of the subject matter again so soon after Martin.

Class Act, by Jerry Craft

 The newest book by Newbery Award winning author Jerry Craft, and a companion to New Kid. I do not read a lot of graphic novels, but I read the "big" ones, like Smile, Lumberjanes, Real Friends, and Brave, to name a few. But Class Act is my favorite graphic novel to date! I LOVE this book! It is laugh-out-loud funny, and not just once, but many times throughout the book! There are so many insightful elements placed within these pages, it will make you laugh, your parents laugh, maybe even your pet dog or cat, too! As soon as I finished I wanted to read it again because I know there are things I missed along the way. It is clear that Craft spent a long time thinking about every aspect of this book and story...it is the best graphic novel I have read! Not the only good one, but I have not enjoyed any other graphic novel any more than I enjoyed this one. You have to read this! 5 paws!

Before the Ever After, by Jacqueline Woodson

 The latest release by award-winning author Woodson, known for her adult books, picture books (Show Way), and YA/teen books (After Tupac and D Foster, Locomotion, Feathers). Ever After is a story told by narrator ZJ, the young son of an NFL star who has suffered too many concussions throughout his football career and now is becoming a shell of the person he once was, not very long ago. It is a very real look at the other side of stardom, in this case the stardom that comes along with professional sports in the U.S.  The book is written in verse, and like all that Woodson puts her pen to, it is written very well. She gives a very human voice to characters who live realistic lives. Her characters are often African-American, which gives readers a perspective not seen in enough YA books today (although that is slowly changing, thanks to Woodson, Jason Reynolds, Angie Thomas, Christopher Paul Curtis, and the late Walter Dean Myers, among a few others).

Ever After is a good story, and an important one, especially for readers who loves sports, as I do, and dream of one day becoming the next great sport hero. A worthy dream, but not one without possible life-changing risks. 4 paws.

Squint, by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown

 Another of this season's exceptional OBOB list for middle school! Squint is the story of Flint, who has severe eye troubles, and his friend McKell, who is navigating a new school and some severe family issues. Together they challenge each other to be better versions of themselves, someone that the other knows they can be, with a clearer vision (get it?) of themselves and the people and world around them.

Similar in some ways to Wonder, although not quite as eloquent, Squint is the second book by this writing duo, and a decent book. I found myself wanting to keep reading and find out what happens next, and occasionally I also felt like Disney had a role in this story (meaning the outcomes appeared to be too perfect, even though they all did not turn out that way, to the both author's credit). A little slow at times, a little sappy at times, but overall not too much of either, and a nice dose of empathy-building reality. Not great, but good, and worth reading, especially if a book like Wonder or Counting by 7s is what you enjoy! 4 paws!

Skyhunter, by Marie Lu

 Here are 5 things you should know about pugs, and me in particular: 

1. I am a loud sleeper - I snore a lot, even when I'm awake...it's a pug thing, and I'm proud of it. 

2. I'm not much for exercise, but as a protector of my humans, I'm top of the breed pile! 

3. I'm smarter than my brother in most ways, but not all - he is pretty cute, but I read and write, so...that's hard to beat. It's like being the sibling of Einstein, right? I mean, not an even playing field. For him, I mean.

4. Will work for food. Almost any food. Almost any work. Almost any time. 

5. Marie Lu is my favorite author of 2020!

Skyhunter is Lu's latest, and as much a page-turner as Legend or Warcross! I also read her historical fiction/fantasy story, Kingdom of Back, earlier this year, which is my all-time fave Lu book so far. So Skyhunter is good, but not Kingdom good...if Skyhunter was written by anyone else it would easily be 5 paws! But because Lu is so exceptional at storytelling, she starts at 4 paws, and only gets 5 when she exceeds even her own standards. 

Skyhunter, a futuristic, dystopian science fiction meets fantasy novel, is really good - a page turner! Not amazing like Kingdom was, but as good as her other really good books. She writes on the same amazing level as Leigh Bardugo, who I need to read more of, and better than Veronica Roth (who's also good, but not this good). Lu is as good as Suzanne Collins. As good as Holly Black. She knows what she's doing with a story!

Skyhunter is clearly the first book in a series, without question, based on its ending. If you haven't read her books before, this is a good one to start with. Or any, for that matter. She is an elite YA/teen author. Only because Kingdom of Back was SO good am I giving this 4 paws instead of 5. But if anyone else had written this, easy 5 paw rating. Read this!

Refugee, by Alan Gratz

 Another in the OBOB middle level series for this year, and what a strong list of books this year's seems to be! Refugee is no exception...I have seen Gratz's books before, and the covers are all done in the same colors and style, and his work is historical fiction, which I love, but I've never gotten started on one before...until now.

This book is powerful. Heartbreaking. Important. A page-turner! Maddening. Sad. Hopeful. Moving. Motivating. The story of three young people and their families, in three different times in history, all fleeing their homes and countries to survive the brutal conditions that are developing where they live. Escaping the Nazi's was not easy, or even usually successful, but that is what Josef and his family are trying to do. Escaping Castro's Cuba was equally difficult, as was trying to escape a war-torn Syria, but these three world tragedies happened, and in some cases are still happening, and Gratz does a great job of giving each a human face. Many human faces, actually.

This book will give you deeper insight to what is in the newspaper headlines each day. Headlines are easy to ignore...this book is not. I will definitely be reading his other books. 5 paws!

The Next Great Paulie Fink, by Ali Benjamin

 Another OBOB book this season, and one I was excited to read ever since seeing Benjamin's other book, The Thing About Jellyfish, on the bookstore shelves. That book looks really good, and I still can't wait to read it! Paulie Fink is decent realistic fiction with some of the usual themes that other YA realistic fiction books have: moving to a new town and school, fitting in, making friends, etc. This one has a few new twists to it, such as Paulie Fink, someone we as readers don't meet until well into the story. And the bullying that Caitlyn, the main character and narrator, did at her previous school. Something she grapples with and unwinds throughout this book.

Paulie Fink isn't a bad book, but it just never got going for me. The themes are mostly the usual, and none of them were dissected like they might have been to make this book really stand out. It's a good read, and a decent OBOB choice, and some of you may really like it. But for me, it was good but not great, decent but not stellar, and not bad but not my favorite OBOB book of this season. I still want to read Jellyfish, though, so apparently it wasn't so bad that I never want to read anything else my this author. If that's a positive, go with it. 3 paws and a wag (for being part of OBOB).