Pure Protectors

The Blood Guard by Carter Roy offers some quirky humor, fantasy and plenty of action. This is another 2018 Intermediate Nutmeg nominee.

Ronan discovers that his mom is a member of the Blood Guard. This is a secret group whose mission is to protect the thirty-six Pures throughout the world. This is an important job since the world as we know it would be overcome with evil if too many Pures are ever killed. To achieve their task, Blood Guard members have unique abilities, such as super speed, incredible “Matrix”-type fighting skills and for some, eternal life.

Ronan’s dad has disappeared, and his mom sends him off with a Protector (Jack) from the Blood Guard. Their directive is to head to Washington D.C. Early in the trip, Ronan ends up joining with a girl from his old neighborhood named Greta. Throughout their journey they face many life-threatening situations as they come across the Blood Guard’s enemy, the Bend Sinister. This group is determined to kill every Pure, and they are close to accomplishing their goal.

Ronan discovers a lot about his own capabilities (and more about his dad) in the process of arriving in D.C. and reuniting with his mother. The story leaves off with understanding that there will be a sequel. I’m not one for sequels normally, but I may have to look for this one.

Role Models

The Best Man by Richard Peck is another 2018 Nutmeg nominee I can check off my list.

The plot revolves around main character Arch. The story connects two weddings that he is in, beginning with his first at six years old. This first wedding introduces him to Lynette Stanley, who becomes a friend of sorts (even though she’s a girl).

Lynette’s mom becomes their long-term substitute teacher during their fifth grade year. Overlooked paperwork also gives their class the very handsome, enigmatic Mr. McLeod as a student teacher. They have quite a school year, becoming the envy of the sixth graders, and ending with the revelation that Mr. McLeod is gay.

Throughout the year, and the next couple years which whiz by, Arch discovers that his Uncle Paul is also gay. As you can guess, the final wedding is between his uncle and former student teacher. Arch has taken cues about being a good man from his beloved grandfather (who passes away during the story), from his dad, his uncle and his teacher.

The choppy narrative style and plot made this a slow read for me. It is a coming of age story (of sorts) with some decent lessons, but overall not appealing to my tastes.

Shivering Dolls

Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell was a recommendation from my daughter. I consider this book both creepy and confusing.

It starts with a Ouija scene between Sophie and her friend Jay. Anything with a Ouija has an automatic creep factor for me! Sophie mentions her dead cousin Rebecca, and it seems that in doing so she brings Rebecca’s spirit into their world. Unfortunately, the Ouija also predicts that Jay will die that night (SPOILER- he does).

Shortly after this, Sophie goes to stay with Rebecca’s family (who she hasn’t seen in years), while her parents are on vacation. Her uncle hides away most of the time with his art and sorrow, her aunt is in a hospital for mentally disturbed patients, and Rebecca’s remaining siblings (Cameron, Piper and Lilias) seem weary of Sophie’s presence. It turns out that their home has been haunted/cursed by Frozen Charlotte dolls ever since the house was formerly an all-girls school.

Sophie makes it her mission to figure out more about Rebecca’s death. In the process, more and more strange violent events occur at the hands of these bizarre dolls which are kept in a case in Rebecca’s old room. Piper also wears a necklace of their body parts (weird, right??). It turns out that friendly, perfect Piper isn’t at all what she seems. Sophie and her cousins almost lose their lives due to Piper and the dolls.

The confusing points: why would Rebecca (who was killed and wants to share the true story of her death) injure an innocent waitress when she first appears and seemingly predict Jay’s death? Why are there so many of these little possessed dolls all over the place? How did they get possessed in the first place? Is Piper evil all on her own, or is it because of the dolls? Why hadn’t anyone gotten rid of them a long time before all this (instead of embedding them into the walls of the house)??

Since the creepiness started to get a bit muddled for me, I would say I can’t give this book quite as high of a rating as my daughter. But I can definitely see how it would appeal to teen girls who don’t mind creepy and somewhat gory subject matter.

Winding Tracks

I am so glad that I finally read Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline.

This is actually two stories in one. One belongs to seventeen-year-old Molly in present day Maine. She has been shuttled from one foster family to another for years. She is caught stealing a library book, Jane Eyre, and her boyfriend manages to finagle a way for her to earn community service hours as her punishment. She will help clean out the attic of his mom’s employer, Vivian. This experience begins a relationship between Molly and Vivian, who have more in common than realized at first glance.

Vivian begins telling Molly her life story for one of Molly’s school projects, beginning with her family’s immigration from Ireland. When a fire erupts in her NYC apartment, Viv’s family is killed. Nine-year-old Viv (then named Niamh) is placed on an orphan train along with other family-less children. These children end up in Minnesota, and are lined up and signed away to a new life. Vivian’s experiences begin with families looking for cheap labor and nothing more. She finally ends with a kind couple that own a store. This store becomes her business and she does well with it. There is additional heartache in her life, but I don’t want to give away all the details!

I loved the links between Molly and Vivian, down to the detail of both keeping a cherished item from their pasts (the claddagh from Vivian’s grandmother and the charms from Molly’s dad). Their pasts have hardened them, yet they are open to each other. In fact, they have provided each other with an important change in life. Their connection is one of several in this story in which events twist to bring the exact right person along at just the right time. I think this is true in real life too.

This story ended with tears of the best kind, and for me, is story telling at its finest.

Breaking it Down

A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi joined my “must read” list after seeing the author speak during a panel discussion at Day of Dialogue in NYC (Spring 2018). This is a love story, a story of racial tension, and … break dancing.

Main character Shirin is of Iranian descent and wears hijab. The story’s post September 11 setting creates a lot of racial cruelty toward Shirin. She endures people’s ignorant, cruel comments on a regular basis, and even incidents of physical aggression. This treatment has hardened her to creating relationships, which isn’t helped by her parents constant moves to achieve a better neighborhood/life for Shirin and her older brother Navid.

Shirin is partnered with Ocean; a boy who seems genuinely interested in getting to know her. This creates a lot of inner turmoil for Shirin. She needs to decide if “dating” the school’s basketball star will be worth the trouble it may cause for both of them. For me, the story reads like a teenage girl’s diary. You feel the excitement and nerves associated with a first major crush. You also feel the outrage at the comments made by kids and adults.

A fun twist to the story is that Shirin and her brother have been obsessed with learning to break dance ever since watching the movie Breakin’ (Remember it well! Loved it!). Her brother starts a break dancing club at school. Hanging out with her older brother and his friends becomes her outlet and her way to make a mark on her school (talent show). Break dancing events show her that there are places/events where people of all races can be together with a common passion without judgement. She is able to let her defenses down.

Unfortunately, Shirin’s treatment isn’t just part of a story set during a sensitive time. My daughter told me (days after I finished this book) that a new student at her school wearing hijab was rudely asked by an older student, “What’s that on your head??” Stories like Shirin’s are necessary for erasing these behaviors by building cultural awareness and empathy.

Small and Strong

Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech brought back memories of teaching fourth grade poetry (a LONG time ago). Back then, I used Creech’s Love That Dog as one of our mentor texts, and Creech’s voice/style remains consistent in this newer publication.

This is a simple, yet meaningful little story. Louie’s dad brings home a baby miniature donkey that doesn’t seem long for this world. Louie gives all his love and caring to nurture the donkey, named Winslow. His optimism is contrasted by his neighbor Nora, who lingers on the edges, trying not to care too much for fear of getting attached to a sickly little animal that may die. (There’s more in the story about why she is so pessimistic.)

There are other pieces to the plot which lend to the overall story. One is Louie’s brother Gus’s absence. He is overseas in the military. His family dearly miss him and cherish their sporadic letters from him. Also, Louie’s neighbor can’t stand Winslow’s braying as it wakes her baby at all hours. She starts the complaints that will force them to get rid of Winslow.

An uplifting ending brings everything together, and shows that little Winslow has become a strong protector.

Note: Title is categorized Intermediate, but I think it would most appeal to grades 2-4.

Last Day on Earth

Ms. Bixby’s Last Day by John David Anderson follows three friends on their journey to give a final farewell to their beloved teacher, Ms. Bixby. This is one of the 2019 Nutmeg Nominees.

Friends include Steve, a brilliant student living in the shadow of his “perfect” older sister. There’s Topher, the creative-minded artist of the group, and Brand, the “tough guy” with a challenging family dynamic that he keeps to himself. Each boy has his own reason for loving Ms. Bixby, and these individual reasons become apparent throughout the story.

Ms. Bixby shares her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer with her sixth grade class. She ends up hospitalized before her scheduled last day which pushes the boys to take matters into their own hands. They strive to give her the perfect last day by skipping school to gather all the things she loves. This journey becomes the bulk of the story, as they eventually get to Ms. Bixby and enjoy a final special moment.

There is no doubt that Ms. Bixby is a special teacher and these characters create an unlikely and entertaining friendship. Despite the positive Bixbyisms (motivational quotations) and some comical moments, this story left me feeling depressed. I am curious to hear kids’ opinions after reading this, as I think it will affect each reader very differently.

Quest for Truth

Endling the Last by Katherine Applegate is a wild quest. In a land ruled by the horrible Murdano family, there are five ruling classes: humans, dairnes (walking, talking dogs that are able to glide through air), felivets (fierce, multi-colored wild cats), terramants (huge bugs – ewww), and huge flying birds (I’m forgetting their official name because I gave the book away! It’s veloci-something). The Murdano is responsible for killing off all the dairnes, and then staging a huge funeral for the species.

Byx is the last living dairne after watching her family’s horrific murder. She was always the runt and the underestimated member of her pack. As the sole survivor, she must attempt to discover if there are more of her kind hidden on a floating island of legends passed down in her family. To add to Byx’s depth, it turns out that dairne are natural lie detectors. This adds an interesting element to the story.

Byx meets up with a wobbyk (a rabbit or rodent-like creature with three tails), a girl Khara and others they meet along the way (both good and bad). Khara brings Byx to a trusted scholar, but he betrays Khara’s trust by ordering Byx’s death. They manage to escape, but when they are seen at the funeral ceremony it begins a race for their lives.

This book is full of action. There are epic battles and fiercely unique characters. Despite that this isn’t my typical read, I couldn’t help but become immersed in this world and these magical characters. This is a series, so the ending leaves you hanging. Great storytelling!

Chickens and Chess

I’m going to keep this one short and sweet, just like its title. Bob, by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead, is a cute story about almost eleven-year-old Livy. It’s been five years since she last visited her grandmother in Australia. She can’t remember much from her stay, until she walks into her old room. This is where she finds her long forgotten little green friend, Bob.

At first it seems like Bob is an imaginary friend, except the story is partly told from his point of view. The years he spent waiting for Livy involved hiding in the closet and reading the dictionary. He still wears the chicken costume that Livy made for him back then.

Together, they work to unravel his true home, and are ultimately able to get him back to where he belongs. But not without leaving a lasting imprint upon one another.

Miny Moe

This last read, Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge, should be a favorite; it has all the elements I normally love about a story. There are twists, suspense, a little gore and drama, but for some reason it was tough for me to get through. End of summer timing with back to school and work prep may have been a big factor in messing up my normal reading pace.

Anyway, the story revolves around a crazy murder case in which two people are abducted and then imprisoned without food or water. A gun and the instruction that once one is killed the other will be set free is their only way out. Desperation, starvation and extreme thirst take their toll until eventually a murder takes place. The “survivors” then have their own demons to face in the aftermath of such horror. The case is all the more odd because it is a woman who is responsible.

The detective on the case is another strong, focused woman, Grace. She begins to notice that each pair of abductees has some connection to her own life. Her secret past and the demons she hides come to light as the story draws to close. Through the investigation there are side plots involving corruption within the squad too.

Ultimately, Grace is able to figure out the case, but not until the lives of many people are horribly changed or finished.