Creepy Treat

After so many young reader books, it was a real treat to read an adult novel. I was beyond excited to borrow an advanced reader copy of Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage from a friend.

Suzette is a stay-at-home mom to her seven-year-old, mute daughter Hanna. The story moves back and forth between Suzette and Hanna’s perspectives. Suzette struggles with her own state of health along with feeling ineffective as mother to her troubled daughter. She often thinks back to her own difficult relationship as a child with her own mother and the happiness of her life before children.

Hanna’s mind is a very twisted place. Hanna senses her mother’s discomfort and disdain of her. This drives her to continue a twisted game of trying to get rid of her mother. She is a perfect angel for her dad which creates additional conflict between her parents too. I couldn’t help be reminded of the movie The Omen while reading! This book is disturbing in a similar way to the movie.

I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next throughout the entire book. The ending (especially Suzette’s last statement to her daughter) made my jaw drop. There is even the hint of a sequel. Sign me up!

Into the Woods

This is a two in one post- Saint Louis Armstrong Beach and The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond are my last two reads; both are by Brenda Woods.

Saint Louis Armstrong Beach is Saint’s story of the time building up to and during Hurricane Katrina. Saint is an extremely enterprising kid (I think 11 year old?). He plays his clarinet along the Louisiana streets to make money and is saving for a new clarinet. He is an outgoing, helpful and extremely likable character. The book gets quite dramatic when Saint ditches his uncle and cousins to find his dog Shadow. He heads back to his home (even though the area has been evacuated). He ends up finding the dog and needing to weather the storm with an elderly neighbor, Ms. Moran. The storm descriptions are intense and the drama continues as Ms. Moran is diabetic and needs medical attention. Luckily, they are whisked away by helicopter in time. Saint is reunited with his parents at the end. They are so happy that he is okay that he seemingly gets away with everything.

The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond was my preference between the two. Violet is an innocent, and also outgoing eleven year old. She is not as street savvy as Saint. She is a biracial girl in a town that is primarily white. Her older half sister (different father) is a beautiful white girl. Violet questions herself and how she fits in. She has no connections to her African roots because her dad died when she was young and his family has no contact with her mom (or her). Until she reaches out to her grandmother. She is able to spend a couple weeks with her artist grandmother in California and learns more about her dad and herself in the process. This book has many deep, thoughtful points for a younger reader. Race is definitely one of these points, plus so much more. Family, life and death, forgiveness, understanding oneself, being inquisitive about one’s roots. I loved it.

Countdown

The book Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin (another 2019 Intermediate Nutmeg nominee) opens by recalling the weather. It was a beautiful day in which nobody could have possibly foreseen the tragedy about to occur. We sometimes talk about the weather when we are not quite sure what is the right thing to say. It is a fitting start to the horrors of 9/11; a day we will never forget.

Baskin does a phenomenal job of weaving together four very different characters. Their stories begin on Sept. 9th at O’Hare Airport. Sergio is an African American teen who is returning to NYC after receiving a special math award in Chicago. He lives with his grandmother in NYC. Naheed is a Middle Eastern Muslim girl from Columbus, Ohio. She is with her family waiting to pick up her visiting aunt and uncle. Aimee is transplanting from Chicago to California due to her mother’s new job. Will is a boy from Shanksville, Pennsylvania who is still healing from his father’s death one year ago. His family is just returning from a trip to Disney that was donated by their town.

The book moves everyone to their individual homes, with their own situations to work through. Timing is critical in that a couple of these characters almost lose loved ones to the events. Sergio’s newly met mentor is a firefighter who rushed to the scene to help. Aimee’s mom is scheduled to have a conference in the World Trade Center that very morning. The author captures the fear, chaos and heavy sadness of this day.

The characters come together at Ground Zero to conclude the story. The message that we are all connected is a powerful part of the book and one that touched me in the ending quite a bit (definitely some tears).

Fitting In

This is my first Intermediate Nutmeg 2019 read (well, slightly true, I already read Fuzzy Mud and A Handful of Stars with a mother-daughter book group a couple years ago)! This book, Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova, created a lot of buzz among the 4th and 5th grade students who previewed it during my year-end book tasting. The title itself is appealing! I knew I had to read this one first, and did so in one sitting during the afternoon of my last day of school.

Awkward is a graphic novel that immediately hooks you with its personable voice. The cardinal rules of starting school somewhere new are introduced and mentioned throughout the story; keeping it relatable. Peppi moved to a new school and manages to trip in front of everyone the first day. Then, she draws even more attention when the school “nerd,” Jaime, stops to pick up her books. She is so worried about being targeted by bullies that she pushes her only helper down and yells at him. She avoids Jaime at all costs after this even though she wants desperately to apologize.

The story goes on to show how she manages to find where she fits in: Art Club. Her friends in Art Club are the best part of her day. Meanwhile, Art Club and Science Club have an ongoing battle about who is best. They are competing against one another to earn a table at the school’s club festival. It turns out that Jaime is part of the Science Club. He is assigned to tutor her and they are in a group for a science field trip. A friendship begins to form as she finally makes amends, and they navigate through the turmoil between their two clubs together.

There are quirky characters who you can’t help but like. I found the frazzled art teacher pretty comical. The author enjoyed creating her characters (it shows), and her notes at the end of the book are worth reading. This book is a light, fun read for students and has some depth in its topics of belonging, doing the right thing, and speaking up.

Grave Life

Everlasting Nora by by Marie Miranda Cruz was aptly titled for me because the time it took me to read this book seemed everlasting! I don’t mean this in a mean way, but that it wasn’t a quick, light read. I started this shortly after going to the JLG Day of Dialog and just finished it this past week. It is a book rich in culture, family, friendship and the strength of the human spirit.

I think this book has a lot to offer, but might be a bit tough for some younger readers to get into without some background and enrichment along the way. As an educator, I see the ways that someone could delve into all these important topics. The author seems very conscious of teaching readers a lot of what she knows about Philippine culture. Food and language are two strong components which would be fun to pair with actual samples, along with strong visuals of the area and people.

The story explores the struggles Nora must face with her mom after losing her dad in a house fire. They are forced to make their home among the cities’ poorest folk in the cemetery shantytown right with her father’s tomb. This would be difficult enough, but Nora’ mother has a gambling addiction which matches her up with some terrible people. Nora, only a twelve-year-old girl, must stay strong through the ordeal that this creates and finds some true friendships along the way.

Overall, this is a well-written book with a lot to offer for a reader looking to learn.

Hello

I so enjoyed Erin Estrada Kelly’s book You Go First, that I had to read Hello, Universe (also by Kelly). This one is a Newbery Medalist.

The book started a bit slow for me, and then something started to happen. The ideas of fate and coincidence were introduced and I was hooked. Virgil is a lonely and very shy character. His only friends are a quirky psychic named Kaori Tanaka (and her sidekick younger sister). When he confides in Kaori about a crush he has on special education classmate Valencia, events start to tumble together in amazing ways.

Virgil is bullied at school by a mean-spirited (but also lonely) boy named Chet. Chet throws Virgil’s backpack (with his pet guinea pig inside it) down a well. Virgil climbs down to get it and becomes trapped. He must face his fears while a wonderful coincidence/fate leads his rescuers to him.

I enjoyed the story and loved the closing of the book; “Hello” is a powerful ending. This book is about making connections, being willing to take chances, and of course, about fate occurring at just the right moment.

Gone Baby

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena hooked me immediately. Marco and Anne are having dinner at their neighbor’s house. The night is not going well for Anne, who feels insecure around vivacious, flirty Cynthia. The night gets much worse when Marco and Anne return home to find that their baby daughter, Cora, is gone.

This story took me on a wild ride through the investigation into Cora’s disappearance, and all that it uncovers. Every character has something to hide and sharing their secrets gives too much away. Even though this book has some unrealistic aspects, I really enjoyed it! It’s one of the few books that warrants the comparisons to The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl.

Scrabble

For some reason, the board game (Scrabble) keeps popping into my life in weird ways. Most recently in two cases: as a clue in an adventure game I brought my daughter to for her birthday, and also in my latest book. The book You Go First by Erin Entrada Kelly was a quick read and a perfectly crafted story.

The two main characters, Ben and Charlotte, are opponents in an online Scrabble game. They never meet, and their only contact is their game play and occasional short phone conversations. Their stories are told in parallel format. Both are dealing with tough life situations. Charlotte is coping with her father being in the hospital after a heart surgery, while also being ditched by her lifelong friend Bridget. Ben’s parents are divorcing, which prompts him to start his sixth grade year by going for student office. Through this, he has no friends to support him and is bullied.

It drove me a bit crazy that they never shared their problems with each other. Yet, somehow I think it’s a realistic depiction of this age group. Their relationship is based on challenging each other through their gaming, but also to be the best version of themselves with one another. That point of contact gave them someone to reach out to who was removed from their personal drama.

My favorite part of this book is the characters. I love their quirkiness. Each of Charlotte’s sections starts with a “Rabbit Hole.” Her dad often used this saying to describe when she would get caught up in a topic. She shares many random facts in this way. She is strong and smart. Ben is my favorite. He has this odd way about him, but it is endearing to me. I enjoy his way of thinking, talking and reacting to others. When he gets ketchup smeared on him by a bully, he goes to the office to get a shirt. He asks for a medium even though he is a small kid. “Ben carried his shirt to the boys’ bathroom knowing the medium would be too big. But it’s not often that you’re given a choice of what you want to be, and Ben decided he didn’t want to be small” (152).

This story made me smile, get a bit misty eyed and is one I won’t forget. Triple word score.

Thirteen

13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough is a memorable read. I say that because I finished it almost two weeks ago and I still remember so much (unusual for me)! Let me try to do this review in 13 sentences:

Natasha is part of the most popular group in school coined the “Barbies.”
Natasha almost drowns and suffers amnesia after the incident.
Natasha questions her two “Barbie” friends; were they involved in her near-death accident?
She reaches out to a former, more trustworthy friend (Becca) for help.
Becca is willing to try being friendly with Natasha to help her.
Becca helps Natasha by hinting to the other girls that Natasha is getting her memory of that night back.
The girls are getting nervous and it seems they are guilty.
Meanwhile, Becca’s current friend is feeling left out.
Suddenly, another terrible accident occurs, and this time there’s a casualty.
Everything twists in an unexpected way!
I didn’t see it coming at all and I am not giving away spoilers on this one!
Becca proves to be a smart, strong person.
The ending is the only part that I just couldn’t figure out; it made no sense to me!!

Fighting for Life

Look for Me by Lisa Gardner is a page turner. It’s a criminal detective mystery to discover who killed a teen girl’s (Roxy) entire family. Roxy is the sole survivor of the attack who happened to be out walking the family dogs during the shooting. She is now missing and a person of interest.

The story offers Roxy’s background through multiple perspectives: excerpts from her 11th grade writing assignment entitled “What is the Perfect Family?”, female detective D.D.’s investigation, and Flora, a vigilante and founder of a survivors’ support group that Roxy had recently connected with. Readers get pieces of Roxy’s difficult past, with its most horrible moments beginning the year she and her younger sister Lola are put in foster care with two manipulative, abusive older teens. Her mother regains custody of her children giving them some reprieve, until she moves in with a new boyfriend in the same town as the foster home. Roxy and her sister are forced to face their horrible pasts all over again.

We get a little background information about D.D. and Flora along the way as well. The book starts with a prologue in which a college student, Sarah, witnesses the brutal murder of all her roommates. Flora seeks out Sarah in the aftermath of this attack to give her tools to stop living as a victim. Sarah becomes the point person between Flora and Roxy. Women in the story have endured horrible incidents, and are attempting to overcome their tragedies in different ways.

The dramatic ending in a community theater (fitting location!) surprised me, while the constant shift in viewpoint kept my attention through this story. I will keep Gardner on my reading lists.