Time Out

All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor is my ninth Nutmeg nominee, and my first completed book of our mandated school closing. Perry is born and raised in a co-ed correctional center by his mom and foster parent (the facility’s warden). Perry is a happy-go-lucky kid who is quite settled in his “prison” life, until someone finds out about his unique living experience.

The new D.A. in town decides that he must save Perry by getting him away from his mom and his correctional family. It turns out the D.A. is also responsible for the warden losing her job, and he is trying to hold up his mom’s parole eligibility. The only positive is that the D.A.’s stepdaughter is also Perry’s best (and only) friend at school, Zoey. Perry attempts to get through his time with the Van Leer/Samuels family, while still trying to stay connected to his mom through scheduled visits.

Perry decides to devote his school project to sharing the story of the inmates at his mom’s facility, including his mother’s. Each character adds a unique flair to the story. Working on the project makes Perry aware that there is more to his mom’s jail story than she previously led him to believe. Readers will find out more about Perry’s mom (Jessica’s) story, and whether or not the D.A. gets his way to keep her incarcerated.

Despite the setting, this is a story of hope and patience. It describes the need to stay positive and count one’s blessings, even in the most difficult of times. This is a fitting message in light of my current reality.

Keep Reading

Ban This Book by Alan Gratz was a fun surprise. As a teacher/librarian I should have been itching to read this book-focused Nutmeg nominee, but (embarrassingly) I held off thinking it might be dull. I was so wrong!

Amy Anne is completely distraught when a classmate’s parent overrides school board protocol to ban a number of books from the school library (including her absolute favorite book). Along with help from a couple friends, she starts the B.B.L.L. (banned book locker library). They secretly build a collection of banned books with phony book covers to check out to interested students. Her locker library is a hit, until the principal discovers it.

Amy Anne is suspended, but the whole experience helps her to find a voice to back up her beliefs/actions. Amy and her friends develop a plan to get the books (and the fired school librarian) back to where they belong. This book is full of well-developed characters, and Amy Anne is an amazing one. She is quietly witty and a great kid.

This book made me laugh out loud several times; it also made me angry and sympathetic. It’s about knowing when to speak up, friendship and giving people a chance. This is my favorite of this year’s Nutmeg nominees so far. Two more to go …

Metamorphosis

The Butterfly Girl by Rene Denfeld is equally disturbing and captivating. Private investigator Naomi and homeless twelve-year-old Celia have a lot in common. Both have been through horrific abuse as young women, and both have left behind a younger sister in order to escape that abuse.

Naomi hasn’t stopped searching to find her younger sister, despite not remembering her name or where they were held captive. The focus on her search has almost jeopardized her marriage.

Meanwhile, Celia worries about her younger sister, who still lives at home with Celia’s sexually abusive stepdad. Life on the streets is very challenging, including the constant hunger and need to stay safe. The challenge is even more harsh with the string of young homeless girls disappearing before showing up murdered. Celia’s only escape is to recollect her only positive memory before her mom turned into an addict- the beauty and light of butterflies. Meanwhile, Celia’s stepdad is starting to turn his attentions toward her younger sister. She needs to face this monster again, while also needing to escape the attention of the mystery person going after the homeless girls around her.

Naomi and Celia’s paths connect as Naomi digs to find out about her own sister’s whereabouts, while also working the case of the missing/murdered girls. The two cases connect in a shocking way.

The abuse referenced throughout the book is horrific to imagine, but the hope for a positive resolution for Naomi and Celia and punishment of the perpetrators kept me going. The author accomplished both.

Growing Up

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid is a slice of reality in its portrayal of characters and life events.

Emira is in her mid-twenties struggling with career goals. Her friends are all employed full-time, while she is a part-time babysitter and typist. While babysitting three-year-old Briar one night, she is discriminated against in an uppity grocery store. A bystander happens to videotape the episode, but she does not want to pursue any legal action. She does end up in a relationship with the videographer, who is a slightly older white male named Kelley.

Meanwhile, her employer Alix (Briar’s mom) is having her own career struggles. She received fame for her feminist movement, but a move to Philadelphia for her husband’s job has her feeling unmotivated and lonely. She becomes obsessed with Emira. She peaks at her phone every chance she gets, and desperately wants to bond with her.

It turns out that Kelley and Alix have more in common than their fondness for Emira, adding another element to the novel. Alix becomes desperate to keep Emira employed with her family. Readers will have to see how far she is willing to go to make this happen.

I appreciated Emira’s cool vibe and loved her interactions with little Briar. Briar is a unique and innocent voice throughout the book. This is a thoroughly engaging read about life, relationships and needing to make difficult choices throughout the process.

Art’s Amnesia

The Van Gogh Deception by Deron Hicks is my sixth Nutmeg nominee read. A twelve-year old boy, aptly named Art, wakes up in the National Gallery in Washington D.C.. He has no memory of who he is or how he got there.

He is placed with a temporary foster parent Mary, and her ten-year-old, spit-fire daughter Camille. The trio return to the National Gallery the next day in hopes that it will help jog Art’s memory. In doing so, they begin to realize that Art is being hunted by a pack of very determined people led by mastermind Dorchek Palmer. It becomes clear that Art has information proving a forgery which would stop a multi-million dollar Van Gogh sale from occurring. Art and Camille lead their followers on a crazy adventure as Art tries to put together the pieces of who he is.

Sadly, I was the first person to check out this book from my public library. I think kids will enjoy the book too, if they could get past a bit of confusion in the opening chapters. This is not only a book for art lovers, but one for those who enjoy mystery and adventure. There are QR codes throughout the book which link to the art being discussed too. Overall, it’s a fun and engaging read.

Bottled Memories

The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister is an adult fairy tale. Young Emmeline is raised by her dad on a remote island. One wall of their cabin is devoted to her dad’s passion- storing scents as one would store images with a photo. He uses a special machine to capture scents on small pieces of paper and then rolls and seals the papers into small glass bottles. She has a gifted sense of smell as well, and is raised to hone it even more. She is content with their life, until realizing that her dad has been untruthful. This catapults her into rebellious action, ultimately ending in her father’s accidental death.

Henry is a friend of her dad’s who finds her deeply in mourning and takes her off the island. Together with his wife Colette, they raise Emmeline within their beach resort. Emmeline struggles with school and friendships, until meeting Fisher. He is the only person accepting of her unusual sense and is broken from his life experiences too. Their attempt to run away together ends poorly, and Fisher leaves Emmeline behind to escape his violent father.

Eventually, Emmeline ventures out to look for Fisher and her mother. She finds both and manages to build a relationship with her extremely successful mother. There are two sides to the tale of her parent’s failed relationship. Emmeline must come to terms with where she fits in, and the type of person she wants to be.

The concept of this book is so unique, and there is much more detail beyond my quick summary. Reading people and places, whether through gestures or scents, is the gift possessed by characters in this book. Scents tell a story as they tie all of us to certain moments and people, which is the premise of this book.

Once Upon a Time

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert will be a quick review for me, mostly because I am feeling extremely time crunched lately!

Alice always dreamed of meeting her famous grandmother, Althea Prosperine, who is the author of a rare book titled Tales from the Hinterland. Alice has never personally read the book. In fact, it seems that her mother is determined that Alice have nothing to do with her grandmother or her book. Alice and her mother Ella constantly move as if trying to escape something. This “something” finally catches up with them when Alice discovers her mother is missing. Alice ventures to find her grandmother’s estate in hopes of finding her mother. In doing so, she enters a fairy tale realm where she learns more about herself than she ever could have imagined.

I enjoyed a lot about this story, including the writing and discovering who Alice really is. The fairy tale element slowed me down quite a bit though, as it’s not my preferred type of story. My daughter highly recommended the book to me, so there is definitely an audience out there!

Troubled Lives

Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham shares the parallel points of view of Cyrus, a psychologist, and Evie/”Angel Face,” a troubled teen.

Cyrus provides his medical insight to friend and police detective Lenny in the murder case of a teen-aged girl named Jodie. Meanwhile, he is involved in the rehabilitative efforts of Evie. It turns out that as a child, Evie was rescued from a hidden room after the brutal murder of her abductor. There is no knowledge of her true identity, family or age and she has never revealed her story to anyone. Ever since being rescued, she has lived in failed foster care situations, until ending up in a secure group home for other troubled teens.

Cyrus goes out on a limb by offering to provide foster care to Edie. This living situation creates its own set of conflicts. Meanwhile, the murder investigation is ramping up. One “sure” suspect is taken in while signs point to there being another person involved in Jodie’s death. The investigation reveals that Jodie had a secret life. Evie crosses paths with this secret life, which is how everything ultimately comes to a head, and the answers to Jodie’s death are finally revealed.

This is a great read, which slowly but satisfyingly releases tidbits of information to keep you guessing until the very end.

New Family

Greetings from Witness Protection! by Jake Burt is my fifth Nutmeg read (halfway there)!

I really enjoyed this one! Nicki’s mom abandoned her as a baby, her dad was in jail, and her grammy passed away. These events led to her being in numerous foster families, and honed her skills as a kleptomaniac and an overall tough cookie.

U.S. Marshals choose her to be part of a special project to hide witnesses. The family she is asked to join is on the run from a notorious mob family- the Cercatores. The mom, “Harriet,” was a key witness against her brother’s countless murders. Now her family (husband “Jonathan” and son “Jackson”) must relocate after receiving special training to help them assimilate. They become the Trevor family along with their new daughter, Nicki/”Charlotte.”

Charlotte is a pretty amazing character. Cool enough to take on the challenge of fitting in while not becoming too popular, maintaining a B- average and managing an extremely bitter, angry new brother. Things seem to be going pretty well, until they find out that Harriet’s brother has been acquitted on a technicality. They know they are being hunted, and with social media errors, it’s only a matter of time before they are found.

This story really appealed to me! It has a great pace, likable characters and realistic events that kept me entertained until the very end!

A Foxy Fiend

The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken is my fourth (of ten) Intermediate Nutmeg Nominee reads. Needless to say, I need to get going on these!

The story follows Prosper and the fiend/demon Alastor who lives in him, and is slowly gaining control of him. Long ago, Prosper’s family made a contract with Alastor to ensure their own success. Years later, the contract was broken and Alastor is looking for revenge. He is on the brink of getting such revenge as Prosper’s thirteenth birthday draws closer.

Prosper is taken by an uncle and cousin who appear invested in helping him properly rid himself of Alastor without losing his own life. His cousin, Cornelia, is an aspiring witch. She puts a glamour spell on Prosper so that he can attend school with her as a means of protection. This is a new start for Prosper, who is used to not fitting in at school.

Meanwhile, Alastor is working to find out which member of his own family betrayed him. In the end, there are not too many trustworthy characters.

This story will appeal to kids who love tales of other worlds, creatures, witchcraft and adventure. I enjoyed the book, but was bummed that I will have to read Book 2 to find out what happens next.