Night Frights: The Haunted Mustache

The Haunted Mustache

Joe McGee

Teo Skaffa, Illustrator

Aladdin, 2021

147 pages

Grades 2-5

Horror

Night Fright series #1

Every year on October 19th the good citizens of Wolver Hollow wear fake mustaches and stay in their houses. The reason dates back over one-hundred years to Bockius Beauregard, who was vaporized in an unfortunate gunpowder explosion, leaving behind his magnificent mustache. That same mustache gave a poor farmer a heart attack and killed the cemetery caretaker on the anniversary of Bockius's death. Since then, the town does not risk giving the mustache a place to land. Lucas and Parker, as sole members of the Midnight Owl Detective Agency, decide to track down the source of the town's fear and destroy it. Their first stop involves the library, where the creepy librarian lets them research the old original sources. Finally the dreaded night arrives and the boys sneak out, determined to break the hold the evil mustache has on the town. Much to their surprise, class tricky girl, Samantha von Oppelstein has joined forces with the team and is determined to help them out. Can the trio find and capture the evil 'stache before it's too late?

Horror is trending at all age levels right now and McGee is here to answer the call for more titles with this early chapter book offering. The storyline is simple and linear. Humorous situations (including the titled mustache) lighten the intensity. The characters are not particularly developed and I never really had a handle on which boy was which, yet they worked as a unit, so it really didn't matter. Samantha von Oppelstein was a bit more fleshed out and is a mystery in her own right. From her old-fashioned dress to her key that seems to fit all of the locks, it seems that this character has more to her story. Perhaps there will be a surprise concerning this character in a future installment in the series? It made me laugh that she is always referred to by her first and last name. I think we all knew some kids like that growing up. The library was super deserted, dusty and creepy with a similar librarian character. I found that to be a disservice to librarians and libraries everywhere, but maybe I'm just being sensitive. Besides the floating mustache the kids encounter rats, cockroaches. bats, and spiders, which will properly creep-out the intended audience. The black and white illustrations are plentiful and fun and complement the narrative. Although the text is large, I found the chapters to be a bit too long and some of the vocabulary too advanced for transitional chapter books readers. That said, kids will enjoy this slightly spooky and silly tale and will want to continue on in the series, which, I suppose, is the point: to keep kids reading.

George Washington's Socks

George Washington's Socks

Elvira Woodruff

Scholastic, 1991

166 pages

Grades 3-6

Historical Fiction/Fantasy

Matthew is the leader of his neighborhood Adventure Club and the gang is sleeping out in a tent at Tony's house. The problem is, Matt's younger sister, Katie is tagging along and is proving to be a pain. After Tony's parent's fall asleep the members of the club take a walk down to the lake, just as the scouts in George Washington's army did. A small rowboat on the shore beckons them all aboard and before they know it they are inside and being transported to the Delaware River with Washington and his troupes. The great general is surprised to see children in the company, yet generously lends Katie his cloak and assigns a young soldier to accompany the kids back to the safety of a near-by inn. While returning the cloak, Matthew finds himself swept up and into the ranks of the patriots, where he befriends a young soldier. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang has there own troubles as their guide falls ill and they must make there way on their own, dodging Indians and Hessians. Will the friends ever be reunited and make it back home?

Before there was Magic Tree House there was George Washington's Socks. At a slightly higher reading level, Woodruff uses a different conveyance (a boat) to transport a group of kids to the Revolutionary War. I have not read this book since it came out in my early days as a librarian and it has always proven to be an easy sell for the dreaded historical fiction assignments. A re-read thirty years later certainly shows the book's age. There is no apparent diversity within the group of boys and Indians, though treated as sympathetic characters, are still rather stereotypically portrayed. Soldiers are dying left and right, which would never happen in today's children's literature, and the language is a bit dated. That said, the adventure is great and the plot moves along quite swiftly. The kids are interested in history and read out loud historic events from a book with no technology in sight. The realities of war are demonstrated and the author shows the humanity of soldiers on both sides of the conflict. The American Revolution is grittier than idealized in history and the Adventure Club learns firsthand the suffering of those involved in securing our independence. Even though the book is a bit dated, it is still an exciting and worthwhile read and kids will learn a bit about the past as they experience their own imaginary adventures.

 

Show Me a Sign
Ann Clare LeZotte
Scholastic, 2020
288 pages
Grades 5-8
Historical Fiction

Mary has lived her entire life in early 1800's Martha's Vineyard. Although deaf, Mary has never felt out of place. In fact, in her part of the island a vast amount of residents are deaf and everyone, even those who can hear, speak in a sign language specific to their community. Mary and her family are deep in mourning over the loss of her beloved brother when a stranger arrives on the island. He is a scientist eager to study the community to try to discover environmental, cultural, or biological reasons for the significant cases of deafness. The community warily cooperates, though Mary soon discovers that the scientist has nefarious intentions and treats deaf folks as less than human. Unfortunately, the scientist also exhibits an obvious dislike of Mary and the book takes an expected turn as he will do anything to get what he wants, including her cooperation. Meanwhile, Mary is also struggling against the prejudice display by some of the community residents, including her best friends and even her mother, towards the local Wampanoag and black folks within their midst. How can Mary keep the peace, all while getting rid of the evil researcher and surviving his cruel plans?

Books featuring deaf characters are few and far between. This well-researched piece of historical fiction by an own voices author explores how the world perceived deafness in the not-so-distant past, as well as the treatment of native people and those of color. Mary's community on Martha's Vineyard actually did exist and they invented their own sign language. Deaf folks were considered "normal", as opposed to the view of the rest of the world, as Mary's experiences first hand. The book starts off predictable and slow. It felt a bit like reading Little House on the Prairie, but then takes off in a crazy turn and I couldn't put the book down. There are periods of violence that may disturb younger or sensitive readers, making the story more for older elementary or middle school. Great for a discussion on how race and physical differences were viewed in the past, readers will see that in many ways the "good old days" were not all they are cracked up to be. Mary proves to be a brave and resilient hero and will serve as an inspiration to all readers, hearing and non-hearing alike.

Willodeen

Willodeen

Katherine Applegate

Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, 2021

272 pages

Grades 3-6

Fantasy

Willodeen has never been the same since the fire that killed her small family and ruined her life. Now she lives with two kind former thespian ladies, who, though aging, share shelter, comfort, and love. Willodeen walks to the beat of her own drummer and would rather be in nature with her pet hummingbear Duuzuu. She rarely journeys into town, does not attend school, and shies away from humans. Always fascinated by the screechers, a nasty animal that omits a terrible gassy smell, she becomes concerned when noticing that they are being hunted to extinction. A first and unexpectedly like-minded friend, Connor, encourages her to attend the town meeting to attempt to cease the hunting. The town is more concerned with the disappearance of the hummingbears, of which there livelihood relies. No one seems to care about the screechers. When a baby screecher, appears seemingly by magic, Willodeen takes matters in her own hands and through trial and error and careful observation learns how to care for these elusive creatures--saving the town in the process.

Newbery winner of The One and Only Ivan fame pours her talents into an original folktale, that feels like the past, yet with modern sensibilities. Applegate spins her yarn, featuring an unexpected, yet sympathetic, antihero who must fight the establishment to save the day. Within the tale exists a fairly obvious agenda of animal rights, environmentalism, and the effects of "progress". Young readers will cheer for Willodeen and care about her plight. There is a mystery element as the town attempts to figure out what is happening to the hummingbears. Readers may get there before Willodeen, which will make them feel competent and gain ownership of the story. This is also a tale of friendship as Willodeen makes her first human friend and learns to trust her caretakers and allows herself to love the lot of them. Sweet black and white illustrations, contributed by Charles Santoso, enhance the text and help readers with a visual of the mythical creatures. The book reads quickly with large print and wide margins and would make an excellent read-aloud for both home and classrooms.

Ace of Spades

Ace of Spades
Faridah Abike-Iyimide
Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, 2021
415 pages
Grades 9-Up
Mystery

Alternating points of view tell the story of the only two black students at prestigious Niveus Private Academy. Both are made senior prefects. Chiamaka is not surprised. This is her fourth year as prefect and as the school queen bee it is simply another planned step on her path to Yale. Devon, who flies under the radar, is very surprised. He only has one friend and is often buried in the music that he hopes will carry him to Julliard. At the start of senior year unexpected events begin to happen. Anonymous texts, signed only by "Aces", are sent to the entire student body divulging Devon and Chiamaka's secrets one by one. Both have things to hide and find themselves dropping in status as their private loves and poor choices become public. As the teens try to save their reputations, they find themselves unjustly in trouble at school with consequences that could send their futures down the drain. Who is Aces and why are Chimaka and Devon being targeted? The two team up to find answers and make it stop before they have no future. As their lives spin out of control the shocking truth is slowly revealed and is worse than they could ever imagine.

Abike-Iyimide makes her writing debut with a powerhouse of a book. As much of a suspense/thriller as a mystery, it proves to be a book impossible to put down. The rollercoaster ride starts out typically enough with two unrelated kids getting cyber-bullied and then the twists and turns head off the rails as more layers are added to the story. I don't want to reveal any spoilers, because there are a few cool surprises, but this is definitely more than a mystery. There are powerful messages of feminism, entitlism, gay rights, and Black Lives Matter contained within the pages. Readers will witness systemic racism at its worst and feel for the young people as they have nowhere to turn for help and no one to trust. The mystery of the identity of Aces is revealed in a surprising turn and other little mysteries are cleared up along the way. Nothing is left dangling and a satisfying epilogue and ending will offer proper closure to teen readers. A fun and fast escape for the videogame generation with a lot of meat and social awareness between the crazy plot developments. An author's note discusses the personal journey and inspiration for writing the novel, lending a voice of authenticity and relatability.

How to Find What You're Not Looking For

How to Find What You're Not Looking For
Veera Hiranandani
Kokila/Penguin 2021
372 pages
Grades 5-8
Historical Fiction

Its the summer of 1967 and Loving v. Virginia has finally passed, allowing for interracial marriages across the nation. What does that mean for twelve-year-old Ariel? Her devoted older sister Leah is secretly dating Raj, a recent immigrant from India. Ariel's assimilated Jewish parents are fearful of Leah facing a life of discrimination and forbid the relationship. Leah runs away with Raj to New York City, breaking ties with her family and leaving Ariel to pick up the pieces of her shattered home. Meanwhile, Mom & Dad are facing financial troubles and may lose the family business. Ariel finds solace in school as she is at last "seen" by a new teacher. Although writing has always been a source of struggle, the teacher diagnoses her learning troubles as dysgraphia and allows Ariel to use a typewriter, encouraging her to become a poet.  All is not rosy as Ariel endures constant insults from a classmate for being Jewish and must learn to find her voice. Finally, Ariel takes the Leah situation in her own hands and decided to go to New York to find her sister. Can she navigate the big city and find Leah? And what can she do about the class bully?

Writing in the second person, which is rare in children's literature, Hiranandani presents an intimate glimpse into what life may have been like for her parents, who shared a similar experience as Leah and Raj. Very different from Newbery honor winning The Night Diary by the same author, Hiranandani proves that she can write in different styles and explores another component of her culture. Readers will be shocked to learn that interracial marriage was against the law in many US states until 1967. The lingering effects of Jim Crow did not just disappear with the legislation and folks who fell in love outside their culture found (and in some cases still find) it hard going. Ariel grows and matures throughout this novel thanks in part to a caring teacher. She learns that sometimes parents aren't always right and they may need help with the way forward. As Ariel becomes a poet, her poems are captured within the pages of the book, perhaps encouraging readers to try their hand at the same. The author leaves us with the message that love conquers all and can break any barrier. The book ends hopefully, though not perfectly and full closure is offered. An author's note includes more historical information, as well as the author's own family history in which the novel is based. One quibble: I wish the author included the recipe for the black and white cookies Ariel bakes. The author does lead readers to the website where she found the recipe and I have printed it to try out:)

Red, White, and Whole

Red, White, and Whole
Rajani LaRocca
Quill Tree/HarperCollins, 2021
209 pages
Grades 5-8
Fictional Memoir/Narrative Poetry

Thirteen-year-old Reha narrates her life growing up in a mid-western town in 1983 through narrative poetry. She is straddling two cultures: an American girl during the week, as she attends her private school and has fun with her school friends, and a devoted Indian daughter on the weekends, when her family gets together with the extended Indian community to share culture and support one another. It is not easy fitting in at her school, because of looking different from the other kids and living within her parents strict bounds. One day Reha's devoted, yet sometimes smothering, mother is feeling peaky. As the illness persists, she is eventually diagnosed with Leukemia. Reha must now battle her fears and guilt as she supports her mother, eventually learning to lean on her father. Both sides of Reha's life rally to her aid and through the devastating loss she learns how to merge both parts of her identity.

For folks looking for a book similar to the author's popular Midsummer's Mayhem, a blend of humor and light magical realism (of which I am a huge fan :), this book is much different. Quite serious in theme and mood, LaRocca delves into her past and delivers a carefully written account of her own fictionalized childhood. Conveyed fully in verse, the writing is beautiful and every word counts. By using this format the author is able to truly explore emotions that may not be adequately communicated through traditional narrative. Readers are sure to feel emotional by book's end, which is terribly sad, yet somehow hopeful. We know that not only will Reha be okay, but she has grown and matured significantly and has learned to appreciate and fuse the two sides of her identity. I work in a community that serves many bicultural kids and this book seems to really capture the experience and emotions. Although Red, White, and Whole is one of the best books I have read this year and is sure to win awards, it may struggle with connecting to its audience. I don't think the cover helps it. Educators and parents may need to do some hand-selling of this title, but once read by the right person, especially fans of Young Girl Dreaming, it could be a game-changer and is certainly a book that I will keep with me for a long time.