A Rover's Story

A Rover's Story

Jasmine Warga
HarperCollins, 2022
294 pages
Grades 3-6
Realistic Fiction

Resilience is a little rover who is trying to make sense of the world. His whole life takes place in a sterile environment with scientists working on him and sending code wearing hazmat suits. He calls the humans "hazmats" and they all are the pretty much the same except for two humans who become like friends. The one special human brings her daughter Sophie and alternate chapters consist of letters that Sophie writes to Resilience over the years. The rover makes friends with a neighboring rover named Journey and they assume that they will make the trip to Mars together. Resilience is surprised and saddened to discover that once he makes the trip, Journey is not there. Luckily he has his little drone Fly, who becomes a buddy, and eventually makes friends with the satellite that coaches him from above. Resilience has many adventures on Mars and makes several important discoveries, finally suffering a terrible accident and going offline. Were his discoveries important enough for NASA to retrieve him? Meanwhile, we see the highs and lows of Sophie's life and the connection that her family shares with the little rover with a big heart.

This story is a departure for Warga, who's other books for children concentrate on contemporary realistic Muslim experiences. She is an excellent Newbery honor winning author and manages to perfectly give a voice to a rover realistically and believably. I not only accepted Resilience's narration, but fell right into it, loved him as a character, and became emotionally invested in his mission. The Sophie character was a great addition. The human child added some levity to the story and gave readers someone to whom to relate. As the years pass for Sophie we understand how long Resilience is on Mars, as well as other context, and also become attached to her as a character. I found myself getting emotion in a couple of spots, which I did not expect in a children's book about a rover. Fans of the Wild Robot are the obvious choice, but it is a very different book. Though takes place in space, I would not call this Science Fiction because it is happening now. It is a perfect choice for kids interested in reaching for the stars and anyone who loves a good story. One of my favorite books of 2022!

A Duet for Home

A Duet for Home

Karina Yan Glaser

HarperCollins, 2022

358 pages

Realistic Fiction

After June's father dies in an accident, her mother can't get out of bed, let alone make it to work. The two of them, along with June's little sister, are evicted from their Chinatown apartment and sent to a homeless shelter in the Bronx. Alternating chapters relate the tale of Tyrell, a longtime resident of the shelter, who's mother is also barely functional. Tyrell's best friend' Jeremiah's mother lands a job through a training program at the shelter and they move to a permanent home. Tyrell and June become friends of convenience and find that they have more in common as they both love classical music. June, a longtime viola player, is hooked up with a neighboring professional string player, who agrees to give her free lessons. The neighbor also takes on Tyrell, showing him how to play the violin and giving him a newfound confidence and something to be proud of. Just as life starts to fall into a rhythm something terrible happens. An incentive to get the homeless out of shelters by the mayor is going into effect. Both Tyrell and June's small family could be rehoused into a situation that neither mother can maintain. It is up to the young people to find a solution before it's too late.

This new story from Glaser, known for the Vanderbeekers series, is a serious look at the homeless situation for families in New York City. An author's note explains the author's connection as a former employee of a homeless shelter in her earlier days. Kids who love "problem novels" will enjoy this story and suffer from a safe distance right along with June and Tyrell. Glaser does a good job demonstrating that there are both heroes and villains within the system and that there are no easy answers. The story also highlights kids who have to serve as advocates, translators, and grown-ups for their families and the stress that brings. I love that the book features the power of music, specifically classic music, and how listening to and playing an instrument can be a transforming experience. There is a list of featured pieces at the end, which could encourage readers to dive in. I felt that the music storyline could have been a bit more developed. I also felt that the ending was a bit unrealistic and thrown on to make the story end happily. Young readers need a happy and satisfying conclusion and they will be well pleased. An almost gritty story that shows a real problem close to home.

Best Books: The 2022 Edition

Picture Books:

Knight Owl by Christopher Denise

Does Little Owl have what it takes to be a real knight? Find out in this beautiful picture book that demonstrates that you don't have to be the biggest to be the bravest. Well-crafted and humorous illustrations pop off the page and have the feel of a classic.

Lizzy and the Cloud by Terry & Eric Fan

Who hasn't fantasized about having a cloud for a pet? It certainly is my second choice (after a monkey-but that is for another day:) and I envy Lizzy her opportunity. The story is refreshingly new, yet feels timeless. The illustrations are, as always with the Fan Brothers, amazing. Interestingly enough, I also particularly enjoyed Night Lunch, written by Eric Fan, but illustrated by someone else (Dena Seiferling)

Paradise Sands by Levi Pinfold

The is by far the strangest book I read this year and I'm still not sure I fully understand it. It not only got me thinking long after I closed it's covers, but spurred a heated discussion about what it actually means among the staff in my Children's Department. Isn't that the job of all good books to get people wondering?

Middle Grade:

Little Monarchs by Jonathan Case

The only graphic novel on my list in a crowded year, this was my favorite. Dystopian, cautionary, and adventurous, this book kept surprising me and had me at the edge of my seat for the whole journey. Moreover, it tugs at the heartstrings in the best possible way. A great story that would make a thrilling movie.

Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee

Maizy and her single mom spend a summer in a small town with her estranged grandparents while Grandpa is dying and her grandma is trying to keep the family restaurant operational. Grandpa shares the story of his ancestors, bringing another layer to the book, resulting in a winning combination of historical fiction, adventure, mystery, within the framework of a realistic family story.

A Rovers Story by Jasmine Warga

Alternating chapters tell a Rover's point of view on a mission to Mars and that of the child of one of his creators. Warga manages to give the reader a believable and sympathetic voice to Resilience, our Rover friend, all while offering an interesting and exciting plot with character development. This book really felt like something different.

Those Kids from Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly

A new girl moves to a small town and shakes up its young inhabitants. This story from a Newbery winning author shows the importance of community, which is a big topic in kid's lit these days. I love a story with a flawed hero and this novel demonstrates the complications of growing up and fitting in.

Teens:

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

This National Book Award winner is well deserving of the honor. Two timelines and narrators tell the story of a young woman in an arranged marriage moving from Pakistan to the United States and her son in the present day who must try to pick up the pieces after she loses a health battle. A third storyline relates the journey of the teen's best friend, as she tries to break away from a complicated relationship with an abusive uncle. Dark, hard to read, important, and beautiful.

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

Set in Communist Romania of 1989, this dark and atmospheric novel tells the tale of a teenage boy who is blackmailed into becoming an informant. In a year where the world is watching Ukraine's war with Russia to keep its independence and freedom, this story from behind the Iron Curtain feels that much more poignant. Historical fiction at its best, the suspense and constant danger of the lives of the characters had me holding my breath.

The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Blum

This little gem of a novel had me laughing and crying at almost the same time. I can't remember when I've been last so affected by a novel. The end of the story features a dramatic twist in both plot and mood and my heart squeezes still when I think of it now. In a world of growing antisemitism and hatred of other cultures, this is an important and all too timely story.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh
Robert O'Brien
Atheneum, 1971
233 pages
Grades 3-5

Widowed Mrs. Frisby is in trouble. Her son, Timothy, is very sick and they are unable to move from their winter garden home to the summer abode by the pond. The farmer is gearing up to plow the field--and Mrs. Frisby's house with it. A chance encounter with a crow leads Mrs. F to the nest of the wise old owl, who sends her to speak to a colony of rats living under the rose bush. At first the rats are reluctant to speak to her, obviously hiding secrets, but once they learn that she is the widow of Jonathan Frisby, they open up and share their tale. They came from a laboratory where a team injected them with a serum, making them smarter, bigger, and with a longer lifespan than average rats. The super-rats escaped from the lab and now have concocted a big plan to leave the farm and form their own independent colony. They are willing to help Mrs. Frisby, but she must do a dangerous deed of her own, in turn discovering intel that will save the lives of her new friends.

I have loved this Newbery winning book since my fourth grade teacher read it aloud after lunch in the 1970's. Wondering if it has stood the test of time and if I should continue to recommend it, I gave it another go. Yes-I still love it! O'Brien writes a tight, adventurous animal/fantasy that is a predecessor to Avi's Poppy series and perfect for readers not quite ready for the Warriors. It is a bit dated, especially in terms of female presentation, but Mrs. Frisby is a bold and fearless character and this could have gone worse. The story harkens back to a simpler time and makes farm life attractive (especially with no pig slaughtering as seen in Charlotte's Web). Animal lovers will be a natural audience and the story may make folks more sympathetic to rats, though this has never worked for me. The language is rich and begs to be read aloud, just like my teacher did over fifty years ago. A sweet and gentle classic that is just the right length, perfect for long winter nights.

My Aunt is a Monster/Seance Tea Party

My Aunt is a Monster/Séance Tea Party

Reimena Yee

RHGraphic, 2020/2022

250/336 pages

Grades 4-7

Graphic Novel

This new novel by a relatively new voice is getting a lot of love, inspiring me to check it out. The story starts tragically as blind Safia's beloved parents die in a fire and she is sent to live with a distant aunt. The aunt and her housekeeper/friend are kind, yet strange. Eventually it is revealed that the two adults were an amazing spy team, sent into seclusion after a terrible curse that turned the aunt into a monster. Now they are off on a redemption mission with Safia in tow, where she stretches her wings and makes a new friend. This full-color graphic novel is fun and exciting. I found it distracting that Safia wears clear glasses for most of the book even though she is fully blind, but maybe the gesture is symbolic? Sometimes I got confused as to what was going on, but it forced me to look a little closer and will encourage kids to be participants in their reading experience. The book has humor, adventure, mystery, and friendship, with subtle non-binary/queer representation. Extensive backmatter shows the creative process behind the finished product and the ending hints at a sequel or possible series. I liked it enough to go back and pick up Yee's first graphic novel for kids, which I ended up liking better.

Séance Tea Party is a very special book exploring the confusion that is seventh grade. Lora begins the new school year still a child, playing imaginary games with her friends. By Halloween everyone seems to be drifting off to teenage pursuits, leaving her out. Lora connects with a ghost-girl in her attic, who turns out to be her imaginary friend from when she was little. Alexa and Lora immediately click and spend time together, creating games and sharing secrets. Alexa doesn't remember her past, yet is content to live in the present with her human friend. A chance encounter unlocks the door to Alexa's human life, encouraging her to let go of her spirit form. Meanwhile, Lora finds the end of the school year much different, as she also begins to mature and reconnect with her pals. I loved this story and think it will give lonely kids hope that in the future they will find other humans who get them. Yee does a great job of demonstrating Lora's growth, physically and emotionally from the beginning of the year to the end. I was so moved by this story that it made me cry--probably the first graphic novel to do so. The illustrations are colorful and help convey the plot, setting and emotions. As with My Aunt, extensive backmatter reveals the behind the scenes process. A beautiful story for kids (and adults) who march to the beat of their own drummers and sometimes feel alone.

The Ogress and the Orphans

The Ogress and the Orphans

Kelly Barnhill

Algonquin 2022

392 pages

Grades 3-6

Fantasy

   Welcome to Stone-in-the-Glen, a little town where neighbors helped each other and the library, school, and businesses thrived. Unfortunately, that is in the past. Now the town's people are suspicious of each other, local business is withering, the school and library have been destroyed by a fire and the mayor, though charming, is reluctant to do anything about it. The town's orphanage is particularly desperate. They are overcrowded and underfunded. The two kind elderly people that run it are barely making ends meet. The oldest orphan is in fear of being sent off to seek her fame and fortune, since they no longer can afford to feed her. Something must be done. Meanwhile, a gentle ogress lives on the outskirts of town. She spends her nights baking for the townspeople and anonymously delivering goodies, as well as vegetables from her garden to the orphanage. The mayor wants to deflect responsibility for the sad state of affairs in the town and points a finger at the ogress, riling up the townsfolk to storm the ogress's farm. The orphans know that the ogress is a gentle and kind soul and that the mayor has something to hide. Can they help their new friend and get the town back on a civilized track?

  Newbery winner, Barnhill, pens a new story, set in a fairytale world, reflecting out current one. Readers will not help but notice the parallels to the current climate in the US, as politicians blame groups of powerless people for all of the country's woes. All kids love an orphan, so a whole house of them is certainly a draw. The story is decent, as the scapy and clever orphans figure out a way to keep their unconventional family together and finally figure out exactly what happened to the town. The ogress's storylines finally converge with those of the orphans, as they all become friends. The mayor's identity is cool and readers will figure it out before it is revealed in the plot. Barnhill's language and tone is perfect for the fairytale setting and will help the readers fall into the story. The setting is realized and I felt as if I really was in Stone-in-the-Glen in a fairytale past. My complaint is that the story runs too long and it gets a bit draggy. I liked the book, but it took me a long time to get through it. Give it to smart kids who want or need long books to keep them busy for a while. The plot is straight forward and not too convoluted or violent, so it is a perfect choice for those readers who love fantasy, but might not be ready for Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?

Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?

Leslie Conner

HarperCollins, 2022

322 pages

Grades 5-7

Realistic Fiction

Multiple points of view relate an incident in the life of two unconventional best friends. Aurora is about to start sixth grade. Every year since he moved next door in their rural Maine community and became her special person, Frenchie has been in Aurora's class and she helps him get through his day. Their families are close and live nearly communally. Frenchie is on the spectrum and is non-verbal. Quite the opposite, Aurora is shouty and impulsive. They both love tramping through the outdoors, though Aurora's special interest is rocks and Frenchie's is birds. Further changes greet the new school year as French is assigned a new teacher/partner and Aurora makes two friends for the first time in her school career. Everything seems to be clicking into place until a day in late September when Frenchie simply disappears after being dropped off at school. The whole town gets involved in the searching efforts. Aurora feels terrified and responsible. Where could Frenchie be? Clues come from unexpected places and it takes the entire community to ban together to find the lost boy.

Readers of emotional realistic fiction will find much to enjoy in this new book by a heart warming author. Though not as nuanced as The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle, Connor offers a thoughtful story that will pull at reader's heartstrings and contains her characteristically quirky characters. Readers will identify with Aurora and worry about Frenchie as he goes missing. I have seen this book described as a "mystery", but I don't think it really is. The reader always knows, more or less, where Frenchie is and that he's okay. There is suspense as the town must figure out the boy's whereabouts and then how exactly to get to him. Character growth is exhibited, particularly in Aurora, and the themes of the importance of community and embracing individual differences is front and center. I love that the book opens with a map (I'm a big fan of pouring over a map) and an author's note explains some of her inspirations for the tale. I felt that the book went longer than necessary for such a straightforward plot, but the right kind of reader won't mind. I enjoyed the brief forays into other folk's minds, including Frenchie, and feel that Connor writes the different narrators distinctly. Fans of the author's other works, Out of My Mind, Fish in a Tree, The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, and Because of Mr. Terupt will be the natural audience.

Aviva vs. the Dybbuk

Aviva vs. the Dybbuk

Mari Lowe

Levine Querido, 2022

171 pages

Grades 5-7

Mystery

   Eleven-year-old Aviva has lived in the little apartment connected to her community shul's mikvah, where her mother serves as caretaker since her father's death. Ever since Aba's passing five years before, Ema is reluctant to leave the safety of the apartment and mikvah, virtually fading before Aviva's eyes. Further complications arise from a mythological unsettled spirit or Dybbuk, who resides in the mikvah wrecking havoc. When the school's Bas Mitzvah celebration is changed to accommodate Aviva's Family situation, her classmates are resentful. A bitter encounter with former best friend Kayla forces the two girls to plan the Bas Mitzvah Bash together as punishment. Reconnecting with Kayla moves from awkward to fun, as the girls join forces to track down the Dybbuk, discovering secret areas of the shul. As the Dybbuk's behavior worsens, Aviva and Kayla try to expel him, which is not an easy task. The plot reaches a crescendo at the anticipated Bas Mitzvah Bash, when other forces demonstrate that the community has bigger problems to worry about than a mischievous Dybbuk.

   This title is another book that is showing up on a lot of "best of the year" lists. It is beautifully written, has well realized characters, and a great storyline with surprises along the way and themes of social significance. Unfortunately, it is another book that kids will not pick up on their own and will require handselling. Aviva is a relatable and sympathetic character who must deal with a agoraphobic and depressed mother, being a social piranha with her peers, and keeping a mischievous dybbuk out of trouble. It is a big load! Relief comes in the form of kind adults both from the community and her school and, eventually, reconnecting with a friend. Readers will wonder about the truth behind the Dybbuk and this plotline, as well as others, including the truth behind the death of Aba are satisfactorily answered. The importance of community is a big theme in current middle grade fiction and this title demonstrates it in a crucial way. The action takes a serious turn, as hate-crimes against Jewish communities are demonstrated, making me very upset as I read. It gave me pause to realize that this is the second book this year that I have encountered dealing with violence against Jews in neighboring New York State. Jewish terms are explained at the back of the book, making it accessible to those outside the culture. Though this was a very sad story and hard to read at times, it is ultimately hopeful, healing, and beautifully written.