To: Night Owl From: Dogfish, by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer

 One of my favorite books is called Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. It reminded me a lot of Wonder but I thought it was a bit better, maybe because it became less commercialized. So when Night Owl showed up from Sloan as one of this season's OBOB books, I was tail-wagging happy!

Unfortunately, my wagging didn't last long. This story, on the surface, is a good one. Two girls meet because their dad's have started dating, and things appear to be serious, and the girls, who don't know each other when the story begins, are determined not to become friends, and hope that this relationship their dad's are building won't work out. However, the entire story is written as emails back and forth between Night Owl and Dogfish. I admit I have a bias against authors who cannot come up with a better way to tell a story than through letters, or emails, or texts. This seems way too easy, as an author, to let a story unfold. I know both of these veteran authors can, and have, done better. But...ugh. 3 paws just because I love Counting by 7s, I guess, but you could probably find better stories than this, either in other OBOB books this season, or by either of these authors. Oh well, looking forward to another OBOB read!

Born to Fly, by Steve Sheinkin

 The newest book from my FAVORITE non-fiction author Steve Sheinkin! Several of his books have been OBOB books over the years - Benedict Arnold, Bomb, Port Chicago 50 - and if you've never read a book by him, do yourself a favor and read one now! Hey, why not this newest one?

Born to Fly tells the story of the first women's airplane race, which occurred across the United States in 1929. Names you may know, like Amelia Earhart, were there, but also were many names you might not know - but should! In larger part, this book tells about some of the best of the best in women's aviation history, when airplanes were new, pilots were few, and many people (men, mostly) believed flying was no place for a woman. Sheinkin points out that one hundred years later those feelings still hold true in many ways, which is a tragedy. It would seem society would have evolved past such ignorant sexism in the 21st century, but...we still have a long way to go.

The book started a little slow, and it was hard to follow all of the names as Sheinkin tries to introduce a few dozen of the women who would make up part of the Derby field. But if you are patient, and don't get too caught up in remembering who is who at the beginning, it really falls into place about halfway through, and from there until the end will hold you riveted!

I recommend any and all books by this author, and although this still isn't my all-time favorite of his, it is exceptional, and important, and part of our nation's history...and you should give it a try! 5 paws!

Genesis Begins Again, by Alicia D. Williams

 A debut novel by author Williams, and an OBOB book for the coming season as well. Genesis Begins Again is the story of Della, growing up with an alcoholic father and a mother who is trying to help her family stay afloat. The story is told by Della, and I don't know if I can remember reading another book where the narrator's voice was so real and strong as it is in this story. I feel like I know Della, and like I am Della, from almost the first page. She is wonderful and flawed all at the same time, and the situations she finds herself in leads to some decisions that don't always turn out to be good. She is very real, very human, and I could not turn the pages in this book fast enough!

The story reminded me of some of the best storytellers I have read - Sharon Creech, Kate DiCamillo, Jerry Spinelli, Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson, Kwame Alexander...because Williams is already that good! This may be my favorite book of the year so far, and is certainly one of my favorite books of all time! Read this! 5 paws!

Where the Watermelons Grow, by Cindy Baldwin

     I've been hearing great things about the realistic fiction story by this debut author Baldwin. Watermelon is the story of 12-year-old Della, who lives in a very hot and humid North Carolina town with her mom, dad and baby sister. Her mother has had bouts of schizophrenia since Della was born, and as her mom's symptoms amp up in the story, Della can't help but feel responsible for causing the disease, and thus somehow figuring out how to help cure it.

    I can't recall reading anything else that details schizophrenia so precisely, but this book did remind me of some other really good books about diseases and disorders that affect people, kids and parents, and make for heart-wrenching stories. Wonder and Crossover come to mind. The writing style of this book reminded me of some other good books, like Moon Over Manifest and most of Kate DiCamillo's books.

    So there is a lot that this book made me think of, and it was written well and carries important messages. But I couldn't help but think that some of the other books mentioned above are...well, just a bit better. Watermelons is a very good first book for Baldwin, and I would be interested to see what she writes in the future. This is a good read if you have an interest in schizophrenia. And it isn't a bad book, so if you just happen upon it and read it through I don't think you'd feel like you wasted any time. But it isn't great, and there are others that do this better. How's that for being noncommittal? 3 paws, and a wag for addressing a topic not seen often in YA or teen books.

The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge, by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin

 Sometimes I read a book that I don't know how to describe...in fact, I don't even know if I like it until I'm half way through and realize I can't wait to read the next chapter. The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge is one such book. It's Fablehaven on Red Bull. It's the book that the Monty Python group (ask your parents) would have written, had they written books for teens. It's whimsy and fantasy and reality all mixed together with striking artwork to help tell the story, like Hugo Cabret, perhaps. 

Anderson, who has written books such as Feed and Whales on Stilts, creates this world where elves and goblins coexist apart from each other, in their own kingdoms, but who also have a bloody history with each other that is thousands of years old. An elf is sent to the goblin world to make peace, but in reality has gone to kill the goblin king and finish, once and for all, the battle between the two civilizations. With strange art. And humor. And a bit of George Orwell thrown in. Confused? Yeah...you should read this, and when you are 50 pages in and are thinking about giving up because you don't know who is who or what is going on, keep reading. It comes together, and then you can't put it down. Wonderfully odd! 4 paws!

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, by Dan Gemeinhart

 What a great book title, right? It sounds like an old western movie or something....love it! Another OBOB book for the upcoming season, and not the first for author Gemeinhart. A few years ago his book The Honest Truth was also part of OBOB. In that season, Truth was possibly my least favorite book of the year, but kids loved it! In fact, even since then a few teachers have used that book in small book groups, and kids still love it! I, however, did not love it...I didn't even really like it. So when I saw that another book by the same author was part of OBOB, I was tentatively hopeful that this book would be better.

I was not disappointed. Early on this book reminded me a lot of Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons, one of my favorite books of all time! Moons is one of the few books I have read more than once, and every single time I get tears in my puggie eyes! I'm pretty stoic, so making me cry is tough to do, but every single read?!? Once my brain had made that connection between that book and this one, though, I was a bit skeptical that Gemeinhart would be able to reach that sort of high standard. 

He almost reached it...almost, but close enough for me to highly recommend this book to you. I didn't get teared up during this one, although he really, really tried! And Walk Two Moons is one of the best books ever, in my opinion, so although Coyote Sunrise didn't hit that level, it is one of the better books I've read this year! A wonderful story about a young girl Coyote, and her dad, Rodeo, a bus, a cat, and a few unexpected friends. Oh, and loss. Grief. But also a police chase, a goat, a runaway teen...tough to explain the entire plot, but let me just say that this is really good, and chances are pretty good you will shed a few tears along the way. Coyote is very hard not to be friends with...I think you'll count her as your friend by the time you finish the story. 5 paws!

It's Trevor Noah: Born A Crime, by Trevor Noah

 Another book in this coming year's OBOB season, Born A Crime is the autobiography of comedian Trevor Noah. Noah was born in South Africa of a White father and Black mother, which was an actual crime at that time and in that place. Born and raised in a system of legal racism called Apartheid, Born A Crime tells Noah's story of trying to exist between and among Blacks and Whites when he fell into neither category. Raised solely by his mother, he navigated childhood and teenage years like many kids do, but in a country that severely limited what certain people could and couldn't do based on their skin color. Sound familiar? The differences between where he and his mom could live, where they could go and when, what she could do for work, where he could go to school - every aspect of their lives was impacted by this terrible system of government, one that existed legally for about 50 years.

If you don't read many non-fiction books, including biographies, give this a try for something different. So much of what happens to Noah and his family will be difficult to believe, and then to think that he was able to rise out of that life and become the success that he is today is simply amazing! This book reminds me a bit of Hole In My Life, the autobiography of Jack Gantos (author of the Joey Pigza series), which is also incredible once you read his story of where he came from and where he was able to land. 

Another really good OBOB for the coming year...a tail wag for that! And 4 paws for this book!

Becoming Muhammed Ali, by James Patterson and Kwami Alexander

 This wonderful book was made even more wonderful by the fact that it was a gift from a student - thank you, Kai!

Written by two authors - James Patterson, known for the I Funny and Middle School, Worst Years of My Life series, and Kwami Alexander, author of one of my all-time favorite books, The Crossover, as well as Undefeated, Swing, and Booked. Two amazing, accomplished writers, writing together, can only mean one thing - an awesome book, of course!

Written both in verse and in chapter format, this book tells the story of Cassius Clay, who later became Muhammed Ali. In this novel you'll meet Cassius, and his friends, all growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, with a young Cassius already knowing that boxing was what he was meant to do, and being the greatest was what he was meant to be. If most people bragged on themselves like Clay did growing up, it would probably end badly. But for Ali, it was just...who he was! And it worked! He would go one to become a 3-time World Boxing Champion, and this book ends with this success. But it focuses mostly on Cassius as a boy and a teen, and along with Walter Dean Myers' The Greatest, one of the best books about Ali I have read. He was more than a boxer, for sure, and that is also touched upon in this book, although not in a heavy-handed or preachy way. 

A really remarkable American, one you should know about. This book is a great place to start! 5 paws!

The Rest of Us Just Live Here, by Patrick Ness

 Hi, Readers!

I'm so sorry that this month was so slow in postings...being a pug of many talents, I was helping write questions for next season's OBOB and it took me away from my regular reading schedule for a while. But, I'm back - more ornery than ever, sharing my pug wisdom about all things books with YOU, my favorite audience!

The Rest of Us Just Live Here isn't super new. In fact, it came out in 2015. But it's been one of those books that I keep hearing about and wanting to read, and, well, the time was right to read it! And, well...it was very...high school? The main characters are a few weeks away form graduating high school, but a group of kids in their school start to disappear. And it happened before, years ago. Not in an April Henry sort of way, but more of a slightly funny Twilight sort of way. Does that make any sense? No? It probably shouldn't because this book's story line was a lot like that, too.

It's not a bad book - in fact, when it was released it got oodles of starred reviews! But it's not a great middle school read. I don't even know if it's a great high school read, but perhaps kids that age are truly more angsty, so the angst throughout the book will resonate with them. It didn't really curl my tail. It was good, but not great. Would I recommend it? If you are 8th grade or above, and you really like sarcasm and teen angst, you would probably really like this! If that is not you for any of the listed reasons, you could find a better book. Pretty easily. 3 paws. Next!

Fighting Words, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

     Author Bradley wrote one of my favorite historical fiction books, The War That Saved My Life. It won a Newbery Honor, which is a very big deal in the book world. In Fighting Words, which I believe is her fourth book, she won yet another Newbery Honor. She is clearly a very talented writer!

    Fighting Words is a very important and powerful story. Brubaker writes in the author notes that she was abused as a child. Fighting Words is a story of abuse, so it is powerful and serious. The story of sisters Della and Suki, who have landed in a foster home after their addict mother nearly blows them up in a hotel room making meth, are trying to deal with the memories of abuse at the hands of their mom's boyfriend that lasted several years. It is not an easy road.

    But at times it is a healing road. And that part of the story is beautiful and full of hope. Both girls look hard for their power and their voice. In the mind of such a talented writer, their story unfolds, in all of its imperfections and pain...and strength.

    This is a very important book, and so honestly written. 5 paws, and a wag for Brubaker for her bravery!