One Thousand Paper Stars

One Thousand Paper Stars
Susie Yi
Roaring Brook Press, September, 2023
240 pages
Grades 3-6
Graphic Novel

Yuna is tired of not fitting in. Her traditional Korean family will not let her go to sleepovers or have a cellphone. She feels forced to be alone with only her annoying younger sister for company. Her grandmother from Korea, Halmoni, told her that if you fold one-thousand paper stars you can make a wish and it will come true. In a fit of desperation Yuna wishes that her family could travel back to Korea for the summer and then maybe she would finally fit in. The next morning Yuna wakes to discover that Halmoni has passed away and the whole family must travel back to Korea for the services. Yuna feels responsible for her beloved grandmother's death, blaming it all on the wish gone wrong. Once in Korea Mom is sad and distracted. Yuna is with relatives that she can barely remember and still struggles with feeling truly at home. She is determined to make one-thousand more stars in order to wish Halmoni back and to make things right. The problem is, Yuna must complete the impossible task before Halmoni is fully laid to rest--and that is only twenty-four hours away. Will Yuna get the job done and find redemption?

The latest in the ongoing trend of memoir graphic novels, relative newcomer Yi has penned an own-voices tale set for a fall release. The story is heartfelt and will be relatable to many young readers. Certainly bicultural kids will find much to identify with in Yuna's struggle to feel fully at home. Other kids will be exposed and possibly more sympathetic to the plight of their classmates. Everyone will relate to feeling guilty and responsible for something that isn't ours. Yuna works through her grief and confusion and reaches a place of peace along with the rest of her family. The full-color illustrations, though comic and youthful, have a manga feel to them, which sets this book a bit apart from the pack and fits in with the current trend. I appreciate that an author's note at the beginning explains that different fonts are used for English and Korean languages, resulting in authenticity with less confusion. Yi sometimes slides into the past, changing the palette to a dreamy green hue, again helping readers along.  An author's note gives biographical context to the story. Yi also includes instructions on how to make a paper star, which I can see as an immediate connection to book group and classroom use and a natural hook to draw in young readers.

The Lost Library

Lost Library

Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass

Feiwel & Friends, August 2023

224 pages

Grades 3-6

Fantasy/Mystery

Multiple points of view examine life in a small town when a little free library pops-up in the place where the original library once stood before it burnt down to the ground. Al is an earnest library assistant from the former library, who now lives quietly with the senior librarian and an elderly patron in a historic museum/home. Something compels her to bring out the cart of books returned the day of the fire--and the last survivors--and start a little free library. Book-loving Evan is about to graduate from 5th grade and soon to start the fearful middle school. He is delighted to discover the little free library and surprised to see most of the books checked out to his father, except one which seems to have been checked out to his favorite. mystery writer. Is that even possible? Our third narrator is Mortimer the cat, a friend of the abandoned library crew and who is as terrible at catching mice as Evan's exterminator father. Mortimer wanders around town, goes by many aliases, and is the unofficial guardian of the new homegrown library. What is the story behind the library fire? Evan is determined to find out. Along the way he connects with the former employees and discovers his father's place within their story.

Two powerhouse authors combine forces for the first time since the 2018 release of Bob. A love letter to libraries and librarians, I had to read this book and was able to obtain an advance readers copy. With the soul of a fairytale, I found the story very readable and instantly fell into its pages. Young readers will also enjoy it and the short chapters and light mystery will keep them going. Al is a mysterious figure. Readers will want to know who she really is. Is she a ghost? Evan's character will give kids someone with whom to relate. Mortimer the cat is, well, a cat and that alone is enough to satisfy the intended audience. This is a story of redemption, forgiveness and finding peace. Readers will happily unravel all of the mysteries behind the library tragedy along with Evan and be satisfied with the conclusion. I could not tell who wrote what and will be interested in learning the backstory, which I'm sure will be discussed closer to publication. A cozy book that feels old fashioned in the best possible way.

Ghosts, Toast, and Other Hazards

Ghosts, Toast, and Other Hazards
Susan Tan
Roaring Brook Press, 2023
228 pages
Grades 4-7
Realistic/Horror-ish

Mo is new to town. She, along with her mother and younger sister, move in with Uncle Ray to a house in a small town next to the former dump. Mom is severely depressed since her husband left her and Mo also feels abandoned, losing the only father she ever knew, even though they weren't biologically connected. Mom can't seem to get it together and it is former musical engineer, Uncle Ray, who takes over the parenting and exposes Mo to the healing power of music. The sudden losses in Mo's life are heightening her anxiety and she is compulsively nervous about electronics, such as the toaster in the title, and fire. A strange white elephant starts to haunt her dreams and she suspects supernatural happenings stemming from the dump next door. Through a new ghost-hunting friend, Nathaniel, Mo learns about the legend of the circus fire that made her new town famous, and the elephant whose ghost is haunting her dreams. Mo and Nathaniel are determined to get to the bottom of the town's mysterious past and settle the soul of the tortured pachyderm. The investigation does not go smoothly, landing both sixth graders in a heap of trouble and secrets about all of the players are revealed. Will Mo and her family ever find healing and acceptance in their new home? And is there really an elephant ghost?

Scary stories are currently trending and this new title embraces this trend, all within the framework of a solid realistic family/friendship tale of healing. Mo is a likable and relatable character. Readers will identify with her hurt over the rejection of her stepfather and her efforts to take control of her situation by obsessing over electronics. Readers will be relieved that Uncle Ray is there to step-up as a functional adult. He helps Mo to heal the only way he knows how: through the power of music. None of the characters in the book are perfect, but they have good intentions and the story ends with a sense of understanding and onto the path to wholeness. The book never gets too scary, but the ghost hunting will satisfy thrill-seekers, all while giving them more substance than the average fare. The reader never knows for sure if supernatural happenings are afoot, but it doesn't matter. All of the players, including those long-dead, receive a satisfactory resolution. My only complaint with the novel is I would have like to see a playlist of the music featured within the pages of the story or, even better, a QR code, like Dan Santat recently did with his new graphic novel, leading readers to a playlist on Spotify. A creepy story with a great message of the power of friendship, music and the village it takes to help us grow up.

Falling Out of Time

Falling Out of Time
Margaret Peterson Haddix
HarperCollins, 2023
352 pages
Grades 3-7
Science Fiction/Adventure

Zola has a great life, or so she is told everyday. Her outfits appear in her Insta-Closet every morning and whatever she wants to eat is quickly served in her Insta-Oven. Now that it's 2193 all of the problems of the world, including environmental and social, have been solved. Zola attends school virtually with like-minded learners from all over the world. Then, one day, everything changes. A handwritten note appears in her Insta-Closet inviting all kinds of questions and doubts if everything truly is as it seems. Finally, a meeting with Mom in the Insta-Closet, the only private place without monitoring, reveals that she is related to Jessie, who escaped from Clifton Village years ago and now it is up to her to do the same.  A secret escape hatch in the Insta-Closet leads Zola to the outside world, which is the opposite of where she lives. In facts, it is a cautionary tale of what will happen if changes aren't made to the world in 2023. Tagging along with a school group reveals that Zola's life is completely false and, much like her ancestor Jessie, she must escape to tell the world the truth. Luckily, Zola makes a friend, giving her a partner in the endeavor, and the escape is on--all while "the powers that be" try to stop the young people in order to preserve their social experiment.

1995's first book by Haddix, Running Out of TIme is one of the most recommended books of my career. I love the premise of the story and the adventure keeps readers turning pages. Unfortunately, in later years it has become more of a shelf sitter, taking a backseat to some of the author's more highly profiled works, such as the Shadow Children series. Now with this long-awaited sequel, the original is getting a second life. Yay! With this new volume Haddix twists the basic idea, putting the character in the supposed future instead of the past. There are recurring characters from the original that fans of the first (such as myself) will be happy to see. Most of today's young people are not familiar with the original and it does not need to be read in order to understand the sequel. Zola has an independent adventure and the revelations that she encounters about her life are so cool that no knowledge of the first is necessary. As with all of Haddix's books I found this a "concept story" in that the concept is so unbelievably alluring that it carries the book along. After Zola figures out what is going on and runs away, I found the story a bit frantic, though young readers will like the dashing-around and will be happy with the way the story goes. A long-awaited sequel that made this long-time fan happy, yet, much like the first, lacks in execution while boasting an amazing concept. 

The Penderwicks

The Penderwicks

Jeanne Birdsall

Knopf, 2005

262 pages

Grades 3-6

Realistic Fiction

The Penderwicks series #1

The four Penderwick sisters, their widower father, and a giant dog named Hound arrive at the Arundel Estate, where they will be renting the cottage during summer vacation. Dad, a horticultural professor, is very interested in the local fauna and leaves the girls to their own imaginative devices. They meet the teenage gardener, on whom the oldest sister immediately develops a crush, and his two bunnies. Next they meet the housekeep at the estate mansion, who is not only kind, but a wonderful baker who likes to share. Best of all, they meet Jeffrey, who lives at the estate and longs for a friend and adventures. The girls and Jeffrey have a marvelous time-until they encounter Jeffrey's single mother, the formidable Mrs. Tifton. Mrs. Tifton is very proud of her social status and gardens and does not appreciate wild children running around. She is determined to send Jeffrey to a military boarding school, but he doesn't want to go and his mother won't listen. Can the girls do anything to help their new friend? Will they get through the summer without getting kicked out of their lovely vacation cottage?

After a year of reading problem-drenched novels, my middle grade book group needed a break. They begged me for something "not so depressing". The Penderwicks filled the bill perfectly as lighter fare and a grand entrance to summer. Though published in this century, the series has an old fashioned feel to it that is steeped in nostalgia. There are problems, necessary to move the plot along, but they are minor and fixed by book's end. All of the sisters are written distinctly and readers will keep them easily apart. The minor characters are also interesting and fleshed out. A bumbling and distracted, yet kind, father makes the kids feel secure, yet gives them the freedom to explore and have independant adventures. The conflicts in this story, mainly helping a friend deal with a helicopter parent, a first crush, and typical sibling drama, are presented humorously and readers will relate to the characters as they chuckle at the hijinks. Four more adventures follow in the series giving readers somewhere to go if they chose to spend more time with this unconvention, yet loving, family.

Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy

Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy

Angie Thomas

HarperCollins, 2023

351 pages

Grades 3-7

Fantasy

Nic's childhood is far from typical. She is being homeschooled and raised by her single father. Dad is an exiled "Remarkable", possessing magical talents, and must flee whenever an "Unremarkable" catches him performing his craft. This has made it tricky forging relationships, but things have been different in Jackson, Mississippi. Here has Nic has made a best friend, a preacher's kid named JD and she and Dad have plugged into the local magical community. As Nic turns twelve she knows that it's finally time for Dad to teach her how to wield her magic, only he puts her off yet another year. Why won't he teach her? Meanwhile, Nic and JD's favorite author is in town and she is forbidden to go to a local signing. Our fearless hero takes matters into her own hands, unleashing a series of events including hitting the road to fight the forces of evil and the discovery of Nic's true identity. Nic learns who to trust as she must use her reasoning skills and any resources she can muster to save the day and protect those she loves. Does Nic have what it takes to be a hero?

A magical story based on African-American folklore and history, this new trilogy starter has a lot to offer fantasy fans. The magical bits remind me of Harry Potter, yet the folklore element and non-stop action are more reminiscent of Percy Jackson. The dashing around and plot twists don't stop. I could have used a bit of quiet contrast to catch my breath, but it's not that sort of book and young readers will appreciate the adrenaline-induced plot. I liked the characters enough and found the magical creatures interesting. The book felt like it ran a little long and I started to get bored in places, but today's fantasy readers will not be deterred by length. Another negative for me was that I confused some of the words that Thomas uses (such as Msaidizi and Manowari) and thought that maybe a glossary would be useful. I applaud Thomas, who is a very successful young adult author, in spreading her wings and giving middle grade a try. I am sure that this book will find an audience and readership, it just didn't quite land with me. A cliff-hanging ending with some foreshadowing leads the reader to the second volume (yet to be released) in this projected trilogy.

Parachute Kids

Parachute Kids
Betty C. Tang
Scholastic, 2023
Grades 4-8
Graphic Novel

Feng-Li and her family travel from Taiwan to California for a vacation. They are greeted by friends and spend an exciting time traveling around and going to Disneyland. At the end of the vacation Feng-Li discovers that only Baba is returning home. The rest of the family will remain in the US and start school. When Ma's visa expires, she must also return to Taiwan, leaving the kids alone to navigate the new country. Teenage Sis is in charge and she takes care of all of the household chores, all while trying to succeed in school. Bro is slightly younger and having a hard time adjusting. He makes new shady friends and falls into some bad habits. Meanwhile, Feng-Li, who is now called "Ann", is struggling with English and fitting in. She is lonely and unhappy. Why is the only other Chinese-speaking girl in her class mean to her? What is going on with Bro and his secret life? Life goes from bad to worse as summer sets in and Ann is beyond bored. The financial situation of the small family changes for the worst and then a tragedy forces the kids to confess to their parents that life alone in America is as not smooth as they pretend.

I was not familiar with the term "Parachute Kids" (kids dropped into the US with parents still living in the home country) until I read this book. Inspired by the author/illustrator's actual experiences, readers will see the struggles of immigrating families who are desperate for a better life for their children. Some of the issues presented are intense, but Feng-Li/Ann remains child-like in her perceptions and the serious situations are balanced by humor. The kids find a way out of their problems, which is resourceful, and the story ends with a sense of hope and togetherness. The full-color illustrations will attract readers. I appreciate that Tang uses different color speech bubble/fonts to indicate if the characters are talking in English or Chinese. A author's note at the end of the volume will further educate readers about this experience and two photos of Tang during her youth are included. The story is set in the past (Feng-Li longs for a game boy and there are no cellphones), but feels like the present and young readers will relate to the characters. This story will find an audience, especially among fans of graphic memoirs and the uber-popular Front Desk series by Kelly Yang.