The Game Master: Summer Schooled

The Game Master: Summer Schooled
Matt & Rebecca Zamolo
HarperCollins, 2021
167 pages
Grades 3-7
Mystery/Adventure
The Game Masters series #1

Becca and Matt alternate chapters and points of view in a summer school off the rails. When students in Mrs. Gupta's sixth grade summer school class misbehave, she assigns them an extra day of class. When the day arrives only six students find themselves in attendance--and no Mrs. Gupta. As the students give up and begin to leave, a strange voice comes over the loudspeaker inviting them to play a game and the door is suddenly locked. To make matters worse, two student projects go missing, including Becca's grandmother's precious zoetrope. She must get the zoetrope back and the only way is to play the game--and win. The six formally independent students must work together to find clues and solve puzzles, leading them to the missing items. As the morning wears on they learn more about themselves and each other and begin to work as a team. At last the zoetrope is retrieved, thanks to teamwork and all of the kid's individual skills, and they head back home--only to find a brand new mystery requiring their attention.

Made worse during the pandemic, kids would much rather play video games than read. They often come to the library looking for a book featuring kids playing video games. I have been looking for books to recommend that feel like videogames--and this book is a great choice. It is adventurous, but about actual physical gaming and away from screens. Kids would love to participate in an escape room adventure in their own school and The Game Masters series will be an easy sell. There are a few pictures to lure readers in, yet the story is mostly text, challenging kids to go beyond graphic-laden stories. The length is perfect for reluctant readers and the fast plot will keep them going. The cliff hanger will lead naturally to the next adventure. Although he overall arch of the story is solved and the missing items found, the identity of the game master is not revealed, keeping the reader guessing and grabbing the next book (already released) for the final answer. The characters aren't particularly developed, but that is okay for this kind of story. This is a new series by YouTube gamers that will be an easy sell to the present gaming generation.

The Last Mapmaker

The Last Mapmaker

Christina Soontornvat

Candlewick, 2022

359 pages

Grades 4-8

Fantasy/Adventure

Sai is an apprentice to the best mapmaker in Mangkon. Her father is a poor criminal and she has a shady past. Posing as a young woman of privilege, Sai is determined to elevate her social status in her very status-conscious society. An opportunity to map the world beyond by traveling on an ocean expedition seems like the perfect ticket to advancement. Sai's boss is along and determined to maintain the captain's course, yet the crew is restless to take some chances. A contest is announced by the queen with a large monetary prize to the ship who charts the mythological Sunderlands, a place of dragons and treasure. Sai is faced with a dilemma: stay loyal to her mentor and play it safe or take a chance with a new upstart, possibly obtaining her wildest dreams, yet risking her very safety and betraying the man who gave her the skills to be there in the first place. New friends and fellow conspirators are made, lies are told, and loyalties are questioned as Sai takes on a new adventure and spreads her wings.

Eclectic Newbery honor author, Soontornvat, returns to the world of ancient fantasy infused with Thai mythology, as a young girl strives to rise up and out of her desperate station in life. The story is firmly set in this mythological fantasy world where social status if everything. Sai is willing to risk her very safety to escape the poverty of her childhood, including deceiving those who have helped her along the way. Readers will question what they would do under these circumstances as Sai is faced with several difficult decisions. The plot moves along quickly and the action and danger never flag. A few big plot twists will keep readers on the edge of their seats and move them through till the end. I felt that the last bit of the book was rushed and sewed up too neatly, but young readers will not mind. They appreciate nice neat endings and will be happy that the book ended without having to wait for a sequel. Being more adventure than fantasy, readers looking for magic will be disappointed, but there are fantastical elements. This new story will satisfy smart kids looking for their next great escape.

Little Monarchs

Little Monarchs

Jonathan Case

Holiday House, 2022

255 pages

Grades 3-Up

Graphic Novel

Our story opens in the year 2101, fifty-two years after the sun shifted and the terrible Sun Sickness wiped out most of the mammal population. Some underground mammals-and a few lucky humans who happened to be underground-survived. Now the remaining human population lives underground as "Deepers", that is, except Flora and ten-year-old Elvie. Flora is a scientist who discovered a thirty-six hour medication, extracted from monarch butterflies, that allows humans to be above ground. Flora is working on a permanent vaccination, but in the meantime she and Elvie travel the country following monarchs. Elvie's parents are presumed to be stranded in Mexico, where they left to find the migrating territory of the monarchs in order to extract large doses for the medication. Elvie's life is all wandering and science with only Flora for company when she finds a lone toddler. She leaves a secret note for Sito's people and he joins their little family. Sito's people find them--creating both community and peril. Will Elvie ever find her parents? Will Flora ever discover a vaccination? And most of all, will they survive this hostile environment?

Thinking that it's a contemporary beach story, this new graphic novel did not initially catch my eye. I picked it up based on the amount of positive reviews I kept coming across. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it's dystopian with relevant ties to the pandemic we are currently still living through. The story is adventurous and STEM related, while still pulling at the heartstrings. With feminist underpinnings themes include loyalty, don't judge a book by it's cover, and environmental warnings. Author/illustrator, Case's, full-color illustrations are a little more mature than the average fare for this age group. The panels scan well and the book will be easily read by the target audience. Elvie is spunky and courageous and readers will enjoy spending some time with her on this adventure. Extra historical and scientific information is added through the conveyance of Elvie's journal and doesn't overwhelm the storytelling. This is a high-quality graphic novel for children that is also a lot of fun. Pass it to readers to give them a much-needed respite from The Babysitter's Club or Dogman.

Mihi Ever After

Mihi Ever After

Tae Keller

Holt, November, 2022

240 pages

Grades 3-6

Fairytale/Fantasy

When Mihi's best friend grows away from her, leaving Mihi behind and feeling like a baby, she is not sure where to turn. She finds herself in the library with two other misfits, Savannah and Reese. The friendly librarian leaves the new group alone and they fall through a portal (via the library's mini-fridge) and into a fairytale world. Mihi is so excited: being a princess is her wildest dream! An all-business lady-in-waiting takes the girls under her wing to begin training as real princesses! The excitement dies away as training quickly becomes tedious and boring. Worst of all, the girls are training separately and must compete for the one open princess slot. Will Mihi ever find her own story? An unexpected encounter brings Mihi face-to-face with Sleeping Beauty, of who's castle the girls are staying, and she gets some great advice, as she also shares her own with the soon to be sleeping princess. Is being a princess all its cracked up to be? Will the girls stay in this fairy tale land forever or find their way's back home? And where is that portal back to the regular world anyway?

Princess-loving adventurers will enjoy this new frothy fantasy, perfect for fans of "Whatever After" and "The Land of Stories" from Newbery winner, Keller. Mihi must find her inner courage and use her ingenuity to navigate this strange and sometimes dangerous world. The story is plot-heavy and favorite characters emerge in both expected and unexpected ways. Mihi and her pals are not particularly developed and I had a hard time keeping Savanna and Reese straight. Since this is Mihi's story, readers won't care that her two sidekicks are fuzzy. Mihi does learn a bit about the realities of royal life and comes to appreciate that "there's no place like home". Mihi as Korean-American is not a traditional princess and girls of Asian ancestry will appreciate seeing someone of a similar culture represented as a princess in a European fairytale setting. Comic-like illustrations, contributed by Geraldine Rodriguez, will help reluctant readers keep turning pages. These three young princesses-in-training aren't afraid to try to solve their own problems and jump into any situation. Their adventures will ignite the imaginations of fellow princess-loving readers, who will clamber for the next installment in what is looking to be a projected series.

Sparrows in the Wind

Sparrows in the Wind

Gail Carson Levine

Quill Tree/HarperCollins, October, 2022

352 pages

Grades 6-8

Historical Fiction/Mythology

Cassandra is a favored and obedient daughter of the royal family of ancient Troy. After pleasing the god Apollo when she honors him in an important ceremony, he takes his admiration a step too far and she pulls the brakes on his advances. Apollo is not happy and, though he has already blessed her with the gift of foretelling the future, now piggie-backs the curse that no one will believe her. To complicate matters her evil twin was also given the gift of sight-only without the curse. Both Cassandra and her twin foretell the troubles that the beautiful Helen will bring to their beloved land. Cassandra tries to stop Helen from arriving, thus stopping the bloody and devastating Trojan Wars, while her twin, who people actually listen to, tries to bring about war for his own selfish reasons. Cassandra becomes friends and allies with a minor wind god, who tries to help her stop the madness. As the book continues another character is introduced: Rin, an Amazon warrior princess, who's fate intertwines with Cassandra's as they become strange colleagues and, eventually, friends.

This is the second book about the Trojan War that I have read recently and though for a younger audience and from the perspective of opposite sides, the two titles compliment each other. Although not released until October, I have already read reviews on this title and have been interested in reading it. It is meant for an elementary audience, but because of the violence and advances of Apollo I would recommend it for middle school. Readers will identify with the plight and frustrations of Cassandra and, though not under a curse, understand what is like to not have control over your own circumstances or have grown-ups listen to you. Levine offers many important themes in the book such as feminism, antiwar, beauty outside verse beauty within, and the true meaning of bravery. The two perspectives (Cassandra and Rin) are written distinctly and offer two contrasting, yet compatible, narrations of the proceedings. Thanks to Rick Riordan, there is a wave of mythological novels for today's readers and this title offers a different perspective on a classic tale that will find an audience.

Moonwalking

Moonwalking
Zetta Elliott & Lyn Miller-Lachmann
FSG, 2022
216 pages
Grades 5-8

Narrative Poetry

Two separate authors relate the intertwining stories of two urban narrators from the 1980's told through poetry. Polish-American JJ must move to a basement apartment in Brooklyn after his father loses his job as an air-traffic controller for inciting a strike and fighting for worker's rights. School is hard and making friends impossible, so he finds solace through listening to punk rock music and imagining a life for himself in a band. Biracial Pierre (Pie) also doesn't feel like he fits in anywhere. Because of his mother's mental illness he has caretaking responsibilities for his little sister and is still mourning a friend's death. Pierre's outlet is graffiti art and it is by tagging walls that he finally feels seen and in control. Somehow these two unlikely misfits find each other and a tentative understanding/friendship starts to develop. Even though they must battle racism, poverty, family strife, and loss of control over their own lives, they reach an understanding and begin to reach some healing. After an incident with the police where the two boys are treated much differently, it becomes apparent that they live in both the same-yet different-worlds and must separately find a way to move forward.

Elliott and Miller-Lachmann channel their youth's in this story set in Brooklyn in 1982. The gritty landscape that was New York in the 80's is felt within the pages of text and the lack of knowledge about mental health clearly puts the story in the past. The blatant racism from both authority figures and family members I would hope puts the novel in the past, but unfortunately has relevance still today. JJ has learning troubles and is on the spectrum, which is undiagnosed and undetected in 1982. We see through his eyes how hard and confusing the world can be to process. This book is well-written, though may go over the heads of the target audience, Thoughtful readers who appreciate an emotional journey will find much to savor, but the average tween/teen may not have the patience to persevere through the book. JJ's narrations are on a slightly darker paper, distinguishing between narrators, but it took me a while to catch onto this and I often had a hard time determining who was talking. Because of the harsh realities displayed within the pages of this book, I think it will be best suited to the teen section and would recommend to a mature middle school audience or for older classroom use.