The Unteachables

The Unteachables
Gordon Korman
HarperCollins, 2019
279 pages
Grades 4-8
Humor/School Story

Multiple points of view tell the tale of the worst class at Greenwich Middle School. They are called the "Unteachables" because this merry band of misfits has disrupted and underperformed their entire middle school careers, finally landing them in a self-contained classroom for eighth grade. Fifty-five-year-old Mr. Kermit is assigned to be their teacher in an effort by the superintendent to push him out. A teaching scandal in 1992 has followed Mr. Kermit since the '90's, costing him his zest for life, passion for teaching and his fiancé. The year starts out predictably quiet. Mr. Kermit passes out worksheets and hits the crosswords, until a new teacher, the daughter of his former love, shakes things up for his class. And then his nemesis, the boy who caused the cheating scandal who is now a successful car dealer, takes the class under his wing to make amends. Something slowly wakes up inside Mr. Kermit and he rediscovers his love of both his students and the profession. The class starts excelling and the Unteachables begin to learn and care about their teacher. The problem is: the superintendent is determined to get rid of Mr. Kermit before he becomes eligible for early retirement at the end of the school year. Can this re-energized teacher's job be saved?

Gordon Korman is super reliable. All of his books will appeal to readers of all stripes, including the reluctant variety. Not sure how I missed The Unteachables upon it's release two years ago, but glad I discovered it now. A great book choice to read aloud to a class or give to a reader for the beginning of the school year, it is a school story filled with heart and humor that demonstrates that all students have potential. The alternating points of view allow the students and the principal to give their side of the story and, thanks to the identification at the chapter heads and clear writing, readers will not be confused who is speaking. The students range from a boy with anger management to a large girl who everyone believes is violent. Their antics include roasting marshmallows over the trash can, stealing one-thousand whistles for spirit week, and setting the car on fire that is meant to win the science fair. The book gets a little unrealistic in parts, including having the former student from the car dealership serve as a unsanctioned substitute, but readers won't care-and, frankly, I didn't either. I fell into the story, rooting for all of the characters, and even cried a little at the end. Let's hope that Korman keeps churning them out for another fifty years.

Another Kind

Another Kind
Trevor Bream, Author

Cait May, Author/Illustrator

HarperAlley, Oct. 2021

288 pages

Grades 4-Up

Graphic Novel/Fantasy

Meet the Irregularities. They are a gang of kids with "other-worldly" DNA who live in a government facility called "The Playroom", where agents monitor their abilities and keep them hidden from the general public. They include various cryptids such as a yeti, selkie, will-o-the-wisp, sea creature, shape shifting bear, and a lizard/alien. An agent-turned-bad takes the irregularities and plans to turn them over to an eccentric rich collector. The gang realizes what is happening and escapes. What follows is a harrowing cross-country journey as the team seeks to find sanctuary. On the way they meet all kinds of interesting folks, some friendly, and some not to be trusted. The group grows closer and becomes more of a family than a friendship group and work together to fight the bad guys and obtain their freedom.

This is a different kind of graphic novel that will quickly find an audience in today's market. Horror books are trending and although this is not strictly horror, it features what society traditionally thinks of as monsters. That said, the young "monsters'" are lovable and misunderstood. Readers will easily identify with them and root for their safety. The book is extremely adventurous and will keep readers turning pages. Plot twists abound as loyalties shift and secrets are revealed. The story ends with a big climatic battle--and then a cliff hanger as the reader realizes that the Irregularities are safe from the present danger, but still on a quest for a home-base. Sequels are sure to follow, which will please new fans. The panels are easy to scan and the comic illustrations are well done. My only quibble was that there are weird circles on the character's noses (both human and cyprid), which I found distracting. Overall, an original and thrilling series that will please a variety of readers looking for comics that are a bit less silly than Dogman, yet not as intense as the biographical memoirs coming out in droves.

Fable

Fable
Adrienne Young
Wednesday/St. Martins, 2020
353 pages
Grades 9-Up
Adventure/Fantasy

Fable has been stranded for four years on the most dangerous island of her world, filled with thieves and murderers. Her only defenses are the survival skills and life rules that she learned from her despicable ship-captain father and the ability to decipher gems and work as a dredger, skills she learned from her deceased mother. Now at age 17, Fable has stored away enough coin to escape this treacherous place and locate the father who abandoned her. She pays a young captain, West to take her to a nearby island and to-hopefully-her destiny. West's ragtag crew are less than thrilled to have her on board and consider Fable to be a bad luck charm. She must prove herself to the crew and establish her place among them. Finally Fable locates her father, only he is even more successful and harsh than she remembers him. Worst of all, he wants nothing to do with her. How will she survive in this dangerous world and navigate her way through it? Meanwhile, the crew of the Marigold has secrets of their own and they must find a way to trust Fable for them all to survive the dangerous seas--and its ruthless inhabitants.

I was drawn to Fable by its beautiful cover. The intriguing young, yet fierce, woman on the cover holds up among the pages of this thrilling read. Teens drawn to pirate stories and adventurous, light fantasy in alternative worlds will find much to enjoy in this exciting duology. Fable, the novel's main character, is both ruthless and vulnerable. Readers will empathize with her immediately and root for her as she seeks security and fortune. It is hard to know at first which secondary characters to trust, yet it all shakes out and Fable's new found family, the crew of the Marigold, will become endearing to the reader as well. The book reads exceedingly fast, party due to its breakneck speed, and proves hard to put down. There are moments of excessive violence, horrible living situations, and sexual moments, making this a book for older teens with a strong stomach. The story ends on a crazy cliffhanger, practically begging readers to pick up the second volume, Namesake, thankfully, already released.

Ophie's Ghosts

Ophie's Ghosts
Justine Ireland
HarperCollins, 2021
325 Pages
Grades 4-7
Historical Fiction/Fantasy/Mystery

Ophie is awakened in the middle of the night by her father, who is now a ghost. He instructs her to grab his secret stash of cash and her mother and flee to Pittsburg to live with elderly Aunt Rose. Ophie does as suggested and finds herself part of the great migration, trying to survive as a young black girl in 1920's, who can now see ghosts--everywhere. Aunt Rose reveals that it is a family trait to see haints and instructs Ophie in how to deal with them, before she suddenly dies. Ophie and mom must move into Daffodil Manor, where they both work as maids. Ophie is seeing ghosts all over the manor as she serves as a companion to elderly racist Mrs. Carruthers. Boredom leads to a friendship with a ghost who was formerly also a servant with a more personal connection to the family. Aunt Rose says that ghosts can't ever be trusted. Should Ophie allow herself this one friendship even though Clara has her own agenda? And how did Clara die in the first place? No one in the Carruthers family seems to know. Ophie gets to the bottom of the mystery, all while learning to survive in her new life and deal with her cranky old employer.

YA author, Ireland, makes her middle grade debut with this winner of a paranormal mystery set firmly in the past. This is a book that ticks a lot of boxes, but does so without feeling too busy or disjointed. The setting places the story in a dark place for African Americans and racism runs deep throughout the context of the book. After Dad's racially motivated murder and their house is burnt to the ground, Ophie must work as they cannot afford for her to go to school and she and her mother have very few prospects for employment, even in the more liberal north. The mysteries behind Clara, who she was and her murder, are all satisfactorily solved. The culprit is getable, yet not too obvious, and I enjoyed speculating on who it could be. The ghosts who run through the story are unsettling, yet not too creepy. Kids who love a little paranormal shiver will enjoy this element, yet it is not the stuff of nightmares. Ireland easily makes the transition to middle grade and doesn't talk down to her readers or write over their heads. This book is spot-on for the target audience and will find a readership. Ophie's Ghost is one of my favorite books of the year so far and it is sure to win lots of accolades for combining substance with great entertainment.

Pony

Pony

R.J. Palacio

Knopf, 2021 304 pages

Grades 5-8

Historical Fiction/Fantasy/Adventure

Welcome to the wild west! Silas Bird witnesses the kidnapping of his beloved father by counterfeiters and outlaws to secure dad's early photography skills. Even though Dad tells Silas to stay put, a beautiful horse, whom he names Pony, returns from the kidnappers to lead him to the hide-out. Accompanied only by his best friend Mittenwool, who happens to be ghost, Pony leads them down the trail. Eventually they meet an elderly sheriff who shares the mission to find the outlaws for his own-and very personal-reasons. Silas's journey is filled with new experiences, leaving his comfort zone, and finding the inner courage he didn't know he possessed. Meanwhile, family secrets are revealed, including the truth behind his father's past, information about his late mother, and Mittenwool's backstory. Eventually the outlaws are discovered, but the encounter does not go as planned and a massive gunfight ensues. Who will survive?

One thing I have to say about R.J. Palacio is that she is a true Renaissance woman. Having hit kid-lit stardom with Wonder, she created a graphic novel, utilizing her graphic arts background. Now, Palacio is exploring her love for photography in this departure from anything else she has created. I haven't seen a true western for kids come out in many years. This is classic to the genre in many senses beyond setting in that there are proper heroes and villains and a big shoot out in the end. An added layer is that Silas can see ghosts and is accompanied by Mittenwood, a ghostly best friend. This was an interesting element and while I was reading I had to figure out if Mittenwool was really a ghost or an imaginary friend. The only fantastical element of the story are the ghosts, placing the title more in the world of magical realism than flat-out fantasy. There is also a mystery element as Silas searches for his father and slowly untangles the threads of his past. A few surprises crop up along and way and strange coincidences. I felt that it ran a little long and could have ended soon after the shoot-out instead of following Silas into adulthood, but actually the last bit was so satisfying and delicious, that I'm glad the author indulged us readers. Chapters are introduced by haunting daguerreotypes, adding another interesting dimension and perfectly tieing into the story. A carefully crafted gem of a book.

March Book 1,2, & 3

March Book 1, 2, & 3
John Lewis & Andrew Aydin

Nate Powell, Illustrator

Top Shelf, 2013, 2015, & 2016

Grades 7-Up

Graphic Novel/Non-Fiction

March Trilogy

Congressman John Lewis relates his journey from a poor, southern farm boy growing up in the Jim Crow South to leading the Bloody Sunday March of 1965 in Selma, all within the context of Barak Obama's inauguration in 2009. We see the discrimination faced by Lewis and his loved ones and the motivation to join the civil rights movement. Though always a disciple of Martin Luther King and a great proponent of peaceful protest, he went on to help found and eventually lead the student movement called SNCC. Standing up for the rights of African Americans in the south did not come without a price. Lewis was repeatedly beaten brutally and countless lives were lost. Through it all, the reader learns about the brave men and women of the movement and the differences between the organizations, who both had their differences, but ultimately worked together to create a place where everyone can vote, regardless of skin color. Lewis is there every step of the way from the early events of the movement to speaking at the March on Washington to finally being present as President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

With the recent death of Congressman and Civil Rights hero, John Lewis, and the release of a continuing trilogy titled Run last month, I felt that it was finally time to read the trilogy that started it all and won countless amounts of awards. I was not disappointed! The books are fantastic and should be part of every school and public library. We see Lewis's struggle as the narrative flips back and forth between the past and Obama's inauguration, demonstrating how far the cause has come. The alternating time periods never are confusing and young readers will understand the intent. The illustrations are stark and amazing, perfectly capturing the mood and conflict of the times. Because of the graphic nature of the material and the persistent violence endured by the protestors, including deaths, this is not for young readers. That said, it is an important story and older youth should know of our country's troubled struggles. Especially in light of current events, it is important to know that discrimination is not a new problem and equality is a goal for which all Americans need to stand up. This trilogy should be required reading for all teenagers. I thought I knew about the Civil Rights movement, but after reading these books I realized how little I actual did know. Because of the graphic format, it reads quickly and painlessly, yet the serious message or historical accuracy of events is never diluted and the graphic format allows readers to personally experience Lewis' struggle in a very tangible way.

The Unforgettable Logan Foster

The Unforgettable Logan Foster

Shawn Peters

HarperCollins, January, 2022

Grades 3-6

Science Fiction/Adventure

Logan Foster series #1

Told in first person in the form of a letter to a mythological "brother", orphan Logan relates his experiences surviving a devastating earthquake while meeting a potential forever family. The family, couple Margie and Gil, take him on despite-or maybe because of-his highly functioning nero-divergent brain with its photo-memory capabilities and no filters. Even though social cues go over his head, Logan suspects right away that something is "off" about Margie and Gil. They don't appear to eat or sleep, disappear for hours at a time, and much of the house is locked-down. They seem eager to please, though, and Logan starts to feel at home. With the help of his new next door neighbor and first friend, Logan stumbles on the truth behind his new parents. Could they be superheroes in disguise? When an evil villain crashes into a movie theater and Margie and Gil leap into action, Logan knows that his suspicions are correct. He gradually learns more about the superhero world and his foster parent's place in it. The danger for Margie and Gil escalates and it comes down to Logan and his new friend to save the day. Are they up to the task? How can a mere boy take on a supervillain?

Debut author, Peters, presents a new series sure to attract superhero fans and any readers who appreciate a fast page-turning plot. The action starts right out of the gate and never stops. Little mysteries are solved along the way and readers will often guess at the truth before Logan gets there. Logan is a likable and sympathetic character and readers will cheer for him as he wades through new territory, defeating bullies of both the human and superhero variety. Perfect for reluctant readers, the book is designed with them in mind. There will be illustrations, though I did not see them in my preview copy, and judging from the positioning they are meant to enhance the experience and will not overwhelm the text. This is a new "Incredibles" for a modern age and kids will be looking at their parents and possibly wondering about them as well. Many of the plot lines are sewn up, yet the reader still does not know the identity of the mysterious "brother", leaving something for further volumes in the series to explore. A great escape read that reads like a movie and will appeal to a large cross-section of readers.

The Ghost of Midnight Lake

The Ghost of Midnight Lake

Lucy Strange

Scholastic, 2021 323 pages

Grades 4-7

Mystery/Horror

Twelve-year-old Agatha has a privalidged life in a country manor house in turn-of-the-century Britain, that is, until her parents pass on and a horrible cousin inherits the entire estate. Agatha is sent to live with a poor goose farmer, now said to be her real father, while her biological mother remains unknown. At he funeral of who Agatha thought was her father, she meets orphaned Bryn and makes her first friend and ally. Agatha discovers that she was meant to inherit two precious jewels, only they are both cursed and missing. Cousin Clarence desperately wants to get his greedy hands on the jewels and will stop at nothing to get them. While on a lonely island at the stroke of midnight at the dawn of a new century, Aggie sees a hazy girl in the distance. Is it a ghost? Who is she and how is she connected to Agatha? All of these answers and more are discovered as the two new friends dodge Cousin Clarence , seek Aggie's inheritance, and see that justice is served.

I like Lucy Strange a lot. She writes classically British stories with excellent plots and wonderful fully-developed characters. I was very excited to see that she has a new title and was not disappointed. The Ghost of Midnight Lake has a gothic vibe with a dreary British setting and a creepy ghost who pops up at unexpected moments. Readers love a rags-to-riches or in this case riches-to-rags story and this has the heart of The Little Princess, where the pampered rich girl becomes a humble goose girl. Aggie is a feisty and resourceful character who readers will both be inspired by and find relatable. The mystery is solve-able and readers will get there before Aggie does. Horror stories are currently trending, so the ghost in the title will certainly draw-in readers. There is more mystery than actual ghost, which may disappoint, and the scariest character turns out to be human. A comforting and satisfying escape perfect for a rainy afternoon with a cup of tea.