The Skull by Jon Klassen

October 5, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Skull by Jon Klassen
Publisher: Candlewick
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Holiday, Paranormal, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Jon Klassen’s signature wry humor takes a turn for the ghostly in this thrilling retelling of a traditional Tyrolean folktale. In a big abandoned house, on a barren hill, lives a skull. A brave girl named Otilla has escaped from terrible danger and run away, and when she finds herself lost in the dark forest, the lonely house beckons. Her host, the skull, is afraid of something too, something that comes every night. Can brave Otilla save them both? Steeped in shadows and threaded with subtle wit—with rich, monochromatic artwork and an illuminating author’s note—The Skull is as empowering as it is mysterious and foreboding.

Would you spend the night in a haunted house?

Otilla was a brave girl who I quickly grew to like. She was kind and sweet even when she was afraid. That’s not always an easy thing to accomplish, so it made me more curious to learn about where she came from and why she was running away from something that frightened her in the first scene. The more I learned about her, the more I wanted to know.

Some of the scenes in this picture book were pretty intense, especially since this was rated for ages 4 and older. I would be hesitant to read this with younger kids without first figuring out how much horror they can handle. Certainly some of them would love it, but I also felt that the talking skull’s biggest fear in life was much darker than what is typically written for preschoolers and elementary-aged readers.

Otilla’s friendship with the skull was sweet. Both of them had pasts they didn’t want to talk about and seemed to find difficult. It was rewarding to watch them figure out they had this in common and decide they were going to protect each other. Few things are better than having a friend who behaves so loyally!

I would have loved to see more character and plot development. The eerie setting had a nice Halloween vibe, but there weren’t a lot of explanations about who the skull was when it was alive and still had the rest of its body or how they were connected to the grand old mansion that was now slowly falling apart. As an adult, I was able to make certain assumptions about what the author might have meant based on subtle context clues, but I don’t think a lot of kids would necessarily pick up on enough of them to make sense of everything without help.

With that being said, I did enjoy the scenes that explained what the skull could and couldn’t do. For example, it could taste tea, but it could not keep tea inside of its mouth because it didn’t have a body or a stomach to digest it. There were multiple examples like this, and each one made me smile as I added more details to my mental file of what this character’s abilities and limitations were.

The Skull was a spooky Halloween read.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Will on the Inside by Andrew Eliopulos

August 18, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Will on the Inside by Andrew Eliopulos
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Inspirational, LGBTQ, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

After dedicated soccer player Will is sidelined from the season—and his friend group—due to complications from his newly diagnosed Crohn’s disease, he finds himself figuring out who he really is on the inside in this heartfelt and thoughtful middle grade novel that’s perfect for readers who love books by Maulik Pancholy and Christine Day.

Will loves playing center midfield on his middle school soccer team. This year, though, Will hasn’t felt like himself; his stomach has been bothering him, and he has no energy at all. When his new doctor diagnoses him with Crohn’s disease, Will hopes that means he’ll start feeling better soon and he can get back to playing with his team before the season ends.

But Will’s new medicines come with all kinds of side effects, Forced to sit out afternoon practice, Will finds himself hanging out with a kid at school, Griffin. This could be a real problem, seeing as Griffin just asked Will’s best friend to the spring dance. As in, guy friend. What would Will’s teammates say if they knew the whole story? Not to mention Will’s friends at church.

With all these changes happening faster than he can process them, Will knows that he has a lot to figure out about who he really is on the inside.

Andrew Eliopulos’s novel is a memorable, affecting story that will have wide appeal.

Growing up isn’t always easy.

What an achingly realistic depiction of middle school angst! Some of the most memorable scenes were the ones that explored how quickly things can change for kids that age. Will’s friendship group was evolving just as rapidly as his relationships with his parents and older sister were. No sooner did he think he had everything figured out than another growing pain would appear as he or someone around him tested the boundaries of what people their age should say or do. It was so interesting to see how Will showed glimpses of his younger, more playful self in some scenes and bursts of maturity in others. The author captured the preteen years wonderfully there.

I would have loved to see more attention paid to the dietary aspect of Crohn’s disease. When I was Will’s age, I was diagnosed with a different illness that includes food restrictions and know how difficult it can be for a kid to suddenly not be able to eat all sorts of dishes their friends and family members can still enjoy. Food plays such a major role in socialization and bonding that it can be painfully isolating to be left out of those rituals, especially if it’s due to something completely out of your control. Had Will’s food restrictions and his thoughts about what he could and couldn’t eat been given more attention, I would have chosen a full five-star rating.

This was one of the first, if not the very first, books I’ve ever read that include both inspirational and LGBTQ+ themes. While the main storyline was focused on Will’s difficult adjustment to his diagnosis and his struggles as a young athlete with a life-threatening illness, I enjoyed seeing how his faith and his questions about his sexual orientation shaped his life as well. People’s identities can be complex sometimes, and it was refreshing to see how much nuance was included every time these topics came up. There was no preachiness to be found anywhere, only honest questions about Will’s relationships with God and the people around him.

Will on the Inside was a hopeful, encouraging, and dare I say inspiring read.

Filed Under: Other, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Mario and the Hole in the Sky – How a Chemist Saved Our Planet by Elizabeth Rusch

August 14, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Mario and the Hole in the Sky – How a Chemist Saved Our Planet by Elizabeth Rusch
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The true story of how a scientist saved the planet from environmental disaster.

Mexican American Mario Molina is a modern-day hero who helped solve the ozone crisis of the 1980s. Growing up in Mexico City, Mario was a curious boy who studied hidden worlds through a microscope. As a young man in California, he discovered that CFCs, used in millions of refrigerators and spray cans, were tearing a hole in the earth’s protective ozone layer. Mario knew the world had to be warned–and quickly. Today Mario is a Nobel laureate and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His inspiring story gives hope in the fight against global warming.

Science is full of possibilities.

Mario had such a loving and supportive family. They even cleared out an unused bathroom in their house so he could perform science experiments when he was a kid! I smiled as I read about the many other ways they supported his interest in science even when it led to a few unpleasant mixtures of chemicals. That’s exactly the sort of home every child should grow up in!

This picture book didn’t seem to be written with a clear audience in mind. Some portions were lighthearted, playful, and seemed to be meant for preschoolers. Other sections were much more serious and complex and probably would be more appealing to middle schoolers or even adults. As much as I enjoyed learning about Mario Molina’s life and scientific achievements, I’d struggle to figure out who to share this with and how to simplify the science in it for kids who haven’t studied chemistry yet.

With that being said, it was so interesting to learn the history of who discovered that humans were causing the destruction of the ozone layer around Earth back in the 1980s and how he convinced the world to stop using products that were making this problem worse. It was inspiring to learn how everyone pulled together to solve this crisis, and it gave me a lot of hope for all of the current efforts to reduce pollution and slow down or maybe even figure out how to reverse climate change today.

Mario and the Hole in the Sky – How a Chemist Saved Our Planet was exciting.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

16 Words – William Carlos Williams and “The Red Wheelbarrow” by Lisa Rogers

August 2, 2023 By Leave a Comment


16 Words – William Carlos Williams and “The Red Wheelbarrow” by Lisa Rogers
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Non-Fiction, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

This simple nonfiction picture book about the beloved American poet William Carlos Williams is also about how being mindful can result in the creation of a great poem like “The Red Wheelbarrow”–which is only sixteen words long.

“Look out the window. What do you see? If you are Dr. William Carlos Williams, you see a wheelbarrow. A drizzle of rain. Chickens scratching in the damp earth.” The wheelbarrow belongs to Thaddeus Marshall, a street vendor, who every day goes to work selling vegetables on the streets of Rutherford, New Jersey. That simple action inspires poet and doctor Williams to pick up some of his own tools–a pen and paper–and write his most famous poem.

In this lovely picture book, young listeners will see how paying attention to the simplest everyday things can inspire the greatest art, as they learn about a great American poet.

Inspiration lives everywhere.

There were two layers to this tale. One was a simple exploration of the life of a famous poet, while the second one showed the audience the many different ways inspiration can show up in someone’s life even if their day job has nothing at all to do with the arts. I loved the fact that every scene could be interpreted either way and thought it made this something that could grow with a young reader as he or she slowly began to recognize the hidden messages here about creativity.

I found myself wishing that more examples of William Carlos Williams’ poetry had been included in this picture book. Adults will probably catch the references to these works in certain scenes, but kids may not. Given how important it was to understand why specific things like plums or fire engines were mentioned in connection to this poet, it would have been helpful to show young readers why they were relevant. This is a minor criticism of something I otherwise enjoyed quite a bit.

It was so interesting to follow the main character as he made house calls. This was a time in history when all sorts of medical procedures were done in patients’ homes, including delivering their babies and bringing them life-saving medications. The lovely contrast between this work and the poetry that turned those moments into something timeless made me wish I could keep reading forever.

What a beautiful story 16 Words was.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Pink Umbrella by Amélie Callot

July 31, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Pink Umbrella by Amélie Callot
Publisher: Tundra Books
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Historical, Romance
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Perfect for fans of Amélie, this is a charming story about the power of friendship, love and pink polka dots to turn rainy days into sunny ones and sadness into joy.

When it’s bright outside, Adele is the heart of her community, greeting everyone who comes into her café with arms wide open. But when it rains, she can’t help but stay at home inside, under the covers. Because Adele takes such good care of her friends and customers, one of them decides to take care of her too, and piece by piece leaves her little gifts that help her find the joy in a gray, rainy day. Along with cute-as-a-button illustrations, The Pink Umbrella celebrates thoughtful acts of friendship.

As Longfellow once wrote, into each life a little rain must fall.

Romance is rarely if ever included in middle grade books, so I was curious to see how the author was planning to incorporate it here. I appreciated Ms. Callot’s subtle and gentle approach to the subject. Younger readers might not even pick on this subtext at all, but it was sweet and perfectly appropriate for the storyline and for their age group if they do.

The plot was slow and meandering. There were scenes where I appreciated how much time it took to soak up the small, ordinary moments of life and other scenes where I felt restless due to that style of writing. If only the characters had faced more conflict during the course of their daily routines. I so wanted to give this a higher rating, but I couldn’t quite justify it.

One of the enjoyable parts of the storyline had to do with how the people in Adele’s community took note of her mental state and worked to make life easier for her when she was feeling sad on cloudy, rainy days. Their empathy was a beautiful thing to witness, and I thought it was lovely to see what appears to be a small town quietly banding together to make the life of one of their residents just a little bit easier.

The Pink Umbrella was one of those rare picture books that’s meant for older readers. It made me smile.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Bugs in My Hair! by David Shannon

July 25, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Bugs in My Hair! by David Shannon
Publisher: The Blue Sky Press
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

This book is guaranteed to make you laugh–and itch! From the opening picture of a happy, oversized louse appearing with his suitcases, you know these bugs are determined to stay, and Mom is about to go nuts! Nobody talks about them, but they are everywhere. (Some estimate 20 million children a year host them.) Oh the shame and humiliation of having bugs in your hair! But if you go to school, or have play dates, chances are good you might meet them someday. Maybe you already have! Lucky for you, the unwelcome bugs in this story are so funny you will be laughing aloud–even when Mom attacks them with battle-tested anti-lice weapons. Shannon peppers his hilarious scenes with fun, “nitpicking” facts about these “lousy” critters and pokes fun at common denial: “It’s probably ash from that volcano in Pogo Pogo. “Soon the party’s over–Bye bye, Little Nasties! Once again Shannon has created a fresh, highly entertaining read-aloud classic that begs to be read again and again.

Humor makes everything better…even lice.

I admired how much work Mr. Shannon put into making the itchy and embarrassing topic of head lice something fun. This is one of those topics that most people don’t even want to think about, much less turn into fodder for jokes. It takes a lot of creativity to make such a thing work, but he did a wonderful job of it!

It took me a little while to figure out the best age group for this tale. While the sarcasm in it will probably best be appreciated by older kids, the plot itself felt like it had a wide range of appeal due to the fact that people of all ages can catch head lice and be frustrated by the process of trying to get rid of those icky little creatures.

The ending made me laugh out loud. It fit the theme of this picture book perfectly, and it left lots of room for a sequel if one is ever written. I also enjoyed the way the author snuck in one last joke there for everyone who has had head lice or even been suspected of having it. Yes, I know I’m being vague here, but that final page is something every reader gets to be surprised by just like I was. It couldn’t have been better.

Bugs in My Hair! was a hilarious look at a serious subject.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Death Is Stupid by Anastasia Higginbotham

July 24, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Death Is Stupid by Anastasia Higginbotham
Publisher: Dottir Press
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Part of the Ordinary Terrible Things series, the new and expanded edition of Death Is Stupid is an invaluable tool for discussing death, exploring grief, and honoring the life of our loved ones.

When someone we love dies, adults often say things like, “She’s in a better place now,” or “I know how you feel.” You do not, one little boy thinks after his grandma passes away. Caught in the swirl of anger, confusion, and fear that accompanies grief and mourning, he doesn’t just think death is unfair—he thinks death is stupid. It takes him some time, but when he starts sharing cherished memories of his grandma and working in her garden, he starts to feel just a little bit better. Necessary, beautiful, and ultimately reassuring, Death Is Stupid helps make death a little less scary—for kids and adults.

The Ordinary Terrible Things series shows children who navigate trouble with their senses on alert and their souls intact. In these stories of common childhood crises, help may come from family, counselors, teachers, or dreams―but crucially, it’s the children themselves who find their way to cope and grow.

Everyone grieves differently.

Anger is something that I haven’t seen discussed in many picture books about grief. I adored the fact that it was included here. Sometimes losing a loved one can feel deeply unfair, and it can be difficult even for adults to handle the injustice of an early or tragic death on top of all of the other emotions that can be stirred up during the grieving process. The author did an excellent job of explaining such a complicated topic to kids who might feel embarrassed about some of their reactions to death.

Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that described silly things people say to someone who has lost someone they cared about. For example, telling a grieving person not to cry or that their relative is at peace now. I smiled and nodded along as the main character explained how these phrases can come across as irritating or hurtful instead of soothing. If only there had been a scene or two added with examples of what to say instead! The intentions behind these responses are good. I simply think that some folks don’t know what to say after a death and don’t realize how poorly their words can come across.

Ms. Higginbotham had a vivid imagination that worked perfectly well for this topic. This was my first experience reading one of her stories, and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what she comes up with next. She has a humorous and playful writing style that everyone should read for themselves.

Death Is Stupid was a refreshingly honest read.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Devin Drake and the Family Secret by R. M. Clark

June 27, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Devin Drake and the Family Secret by R. M. Clark
Publisher: Pen It! Publications
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Another day, another birthday, right? Not quite for Devin Drake. A few days after his twelfth birthday, he loses his new drone in the creepiest place on earth, a cemetery. While retrieving it, he realizes he cannot only hear, but see ghosts. Devin soon finds out that necromancy runs in the Drake family. However, before he can learn everything about his new-found power, a classmate begs him to find out why her deceased grandfather keeps contacting her through cryptic texts, random pennies, and birds of all things. Thinking it’ll be a quick case; Devin agrees to help her. However, he soon learns that spirits don’t always make things easy and just when he thinks he’s solved one clue, another one pops up creating at least ten more questions than the last. Will Devin get the hang of his new-found gift before time runs out? Or will Eva’s grandfather continue to lead Devin on what could be considered a wild goose chase?

Food brings everyone together.

Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that described all sorts of delicious Greek dishes. While I’ll leave it up to other readers to discover for themselves why it was important to include these passages, there were clues about that to be found fairly early on in the plot. They simultaneously made me hungry and made me wonder how they were connected to everything else that was going on. Figuring that all out was one of several reasons why I gave this a perfect five-star rating.

The mystery storyline was well written and exciting. I enjoyed coming up with various theories about why Dmitri’s spirit was trying to communicate with his granddaughter and what he might have wanted her to know or do. There were exactly the right number of clues to keep me guessing while still leaving plenty of room for plot twists later on.

Mr. Clark put a lot of effort into character development in this book, and it showed. Devin was such a quintessential twelve-year-old who was happy to play with his drone one moment and deeply irritated with his talkative and sometimes hyper eight-year-old sister the next. He felt like a real person to me, and I loved seeing him slowly mature as a result of his experiences. This was a pattern that was subtly repeated with a few of the people closest to Devin, too, in ways that were perfect for its tween audience, and it reminded me why middle grade fiction can be so rewarding.

Devin Drake and the Family Secret was one of the best mysteries I’ve read so far this summer. I highly recommend it to kids and adults alike.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Haycorn Smith and the Castle Ghost by John Kachuba

June 20, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Haycorn Smith and the Castle Ghost by John Kachuba
Publisher: Paper Angel Press
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A boy is in danger when he stumbles upon a crime committed by two prominent men of his town, but finds an unusual ally in the form of a castle ghost.

Twelve-year-old Haycorn may know all about ghosts of Ohio, but even he is stunned when he and his friend Budge encounter a ghost in a castle.

The boys witness a clandestine meeting there between two men involving a kick-back scheme, putting their lives, and that of Haycorn’s mother, in jeopardy.

But the ghost may have other plans for all of them.

Haunted places make the best hangout spots.

Twelve is a murky and delightful age. Haycorn and his friends were just old enough to start developing crushes, but they were also still young enough to be thrilled by imaginative play outdoors. I liked the way these characters seamlessly moved between their interests and thought the author captured this age nicely.

It would have been helpful to have more action scenes in this tale. There was plenty of attention paid to character development, but not as much to all of the adventures a kid could have on the site of an abandoned castle in the forest. Sometimes it was hard for me to stay focused on reading because of how many scenes were spent on conversations and descriptions instead of nudging the plot forward. If not for that, I would have happily chosen a higher rating.

This was a nice mixture of different sorts of storylines. It was interesting to see how the paranormal subplot interacted with the mystery one, for example, and that was one of several times that I was pleasantly surprised by how the author wove everything together. Middle grade novels in general tend to be playful about how they mix different genres together, and this one was a good example of how to do just that. Based on what I thought of my first taste of Mr. Kachuba‘s work, I will be keeping an eye out for what he comes up with next.

Haycorn Smith and the Castle Ghost was a fun summer read.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye

April 17, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye
Publisher: Puffin Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.) (6-11 yrs.)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Along with Wit, Charm, Health, and Courage, Princess Amy of Phantasmorania receives a special fairy christening gift: Ordinariness. Unlike her six beautiful sisters, she has brown hair and freckles, and would rather have adventures than play the harp, embroider tapestries . . . or become a Queen. When her royal parents try to marry her off, Amy runs away and, because she’s so ordinary, easily becomes the fourteenth assistant kitchen maid at a neighboring palace. And there . . . much to everyone’s surprise . . . she meets a prince just as ordinary (and special) as she is!

What a delightful story! It’s quirky, enchanting, entertaining and a wonderful fairy tale that was a true pleasure to read.

The style is third person narrative and Princess Amy is most often referred to as The Ordinary Princess for most of the book. It’s very reminiscent of Cinderella but it has a mixture of Snow White as well, what with the addition of Mr. Pemberthy and Peter Aurelious; they act as the prerequisite forest friends to the princess.

As in Sleeping Beauty, there is the one fairy that uses her magic to gift the baby Princess Amy with a very unexpected, unique and shock-worthy gift. It causes the Queen to have fits, and the King basically crowing “I told you so!” because he just knew something ghastly was going to happen. Everyone in the castle believed that it was a horrible thing, and that belief lasts until the very day the princess gets her happy ever after.

What I liked about this story was its easy style. It had an innocence to it that was refreshing, from the dialogue, the choices the princess makes and her relationship with Peregrine, the man-of-all-work. I enjoyed watching as they escaped the drudgery of their lives by visiting the forest when they had time off – a place they could be themselves without anyone telling them nay, or reprimanding them if they wanted to climb trees, get muddy or lay back among the flowers and watch the clouds drift by. I even thought the creation of The Birches was romantic in and of itself. It was a commitment of sorts, a foretelling of what could be because of how it was built. A romantic idea crossed my mind and the happy ever after wrap-up proved it true. It was sweet and adorable, and I could believe in the fairy tale – they lived happily ever after.

I found humor in the most unlikely places. The king and his flamboyant reactions to when he was pleased or displeased was one example. The wild and wacky dragon idea was worthy of an eye roll.

The one thing I noticed was the author’s clear descriptions about the environment, the jewels, the castle, how people dressed, descriptions of rooms – it’s quite easy to envision the scenes. The illustrations helped get some perspective on some of it, but there weren’t that many of them to classify this as a picture book. This is a story of words and ideas. It’s not flashy, loud or full of adrenaline. It’s a nicely written and well-told story of a girl meeting her forever sweetheart in a most unlikely fashion; of princesses, princes, kings and a crusty old fairy named Crustacea (kids will probably need help pronouncing that name plus some others in the story) who has a well-guarded marshmallow heart hiding inside all those shells and seaweed.

The Ordinary Princess is a treasure of a story and should be on anyone’s reading list who likes Cinderella, Snow White, any princess story you can name, or just fairy tales in general. Princess Amy is no ordinary princess. She’s special and readers will enjoy finding that out for themselves when they read it too.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »