A Loyal Friend

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor was recommended many times over in a library group that I follow. The author also wrote All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook, which is a 2020 nutmeg nominee that I recently finished. 

This book gave me a tough time for a bit.  I had this overwhelming feeling that something (else) bad was going to happen. There are a couple bullies in this book, Matt and Lance, and Matt is so rotten that I was afraid of what he might do. Mason is a kind and likable character with many tough obstacles to overcome.  I didn’t want anything else bad to happen to him!

Mason has been solitary since his best friend Benny passed away. He struggles in school with his only respite being in his special education teacher’s room, otherwise known as the SWOOF.  Here, he is learning to use the Dragon which is a machine to help him write his story.  Gathering his thoughts to write by himself isn’t a possibility, neither is reading. 

Mason befriends a new student named Calvin. They bond in their attempts to escape the school bullies and they have a project building a cool hideout. Things take a terrible turn when Calvin goes missing after an encounter with Matt and Lance. It turns out that Mason has been under investigation for his former friend’s death, and now eyes are on him again because of Calvin’s disappearance.  

Eventually everything is righted, but waiting for resolution is nerve wracking! Calvin and Mason’s friendship reminds me quite a bit of  the main characters in Freak the Mighty (a novel I enjoyed teaching in 7th grade ELA class). In both cases an unlikely duo find strength in each other. Their loyalty helps them to overcome the “evildoers” around them.  This book mixes positive and negative; and luckily, good prevails in the end.

Worlds Collide

Estranged by Ethan M. Aldridge is my final Nutmeg nominee!

This book is a graphic novel, telling the story of two boys switched between worlds at a very young age.  The Human Childe (no name) is raised by King and Queen of an underground fairy realm, while the fairy child Edmund, is raised by a human family.  Both struggle with fitting in.

Worlds collide when the evil Hawthorne breaks up a royal party to take over the throne.  She turns the king and queen into rats, and the Human Childe decides it is time to find his changeling.  He ventures into the world above with his walking, talking candle/paige named Whick.

The Human Childe sees what life would be like in the human world, having a short time with his parents and sister Alexis before the underworld creatures start looking for him.  He knows they won’t stop unless he is able to overthrow Hawthorne, and he knows he can’t do it alone.  The Human Childe, Whick, Edmund and Alexis go back underground to fight Hawthorne together.

They face challenging foes during their travels.  During their adventure, they realize what family really means and they find where they truly belong.

Making Music

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid recounts the rise and fall of the famous, seventies rock band of the same name told through a series of interviews.  The quick switches from one character to another threw me off a bit at first.  Once I settled into the format, it was as though I was watching a rock documentary, along with all the craziness and drama you would expect of a typical rock band.

The band is founded by brothers Billy and Graham Dunne as The Six, which included Warren, Karen, Pete and his brother Eddie.  Meanwhile, Daisy was making a name for herself in California.  Her incredible beauty and charisma gave her lots of attention in the music industry.  Once The Six move to California, their musical paths cross.  Daisy collaborates on a chart-topping song with The Six.  It’s at this point that they decide to combine their acts.

Seven people trying to work together provides the drama you would expect.  There are power struggles between multiple band members, sexual tensions along with drug and alcohol abuse.  Through all of this the band creates a groundbreaking, memorable album together.  Even though Billy is married to his long-time sweetheart Camila, the chemistry between Daisy and him is undeniable.  Readers will follow the roller coaster ride of this band, and find out what made them break up in the middle of an extremely successful tour.

The author perfectly captures the voices and essence of what it might feel like to be part of the music industry.  All the song lyrics at the end add an impressive touch.  This group and its members feel as real as can be.  Anyone into making and/or listening to music will enjoy diving into the lifestyle through this book.

Murder Mystery

Conviction by Denise Mina takes readers on a roller coaster ride of secret identities, murder and mystery.

Anna wakes up early to a “normal” day in which she engages her guilty pleasure, starting a new mystery podcast series called “Death and the Dana.”  The day quickly becomes abnormal when her husband Hamish and supposed best friend Estelle announce they’re in love.  The lovers immediately leave for vacation, taking along Hamish and Anna’s two young daughters.

Anna spirals out of control, with nothing but the podcast to keep her tethered to reality.  As it turns out, Anna has a personal connection to two people in the podcast.  One of the people, the rich and powerful Gretchen Teigler, already attempted to kill Anna when she was known as Sophie.

Estelle’s jilted husband Fin joins Anna as they embark on an odd adventure together.  Both are feeling hurt and angry by the sudden betrayal of their respective spouses.  Fin, a former rock star with anorexia, begins documenting their attempts to solve the podcast mystery.  In doing so, Anna’s secret former life is exposed.

Fin and Anna have several near death experiences while traveling to important sites and people from the podcast, before finally solving the Death and the Dana mystery.  Overall, this is an engaging read with some surprises along the way.

 

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.