A Work in Progress

A Work in Progress
Jarrett Lerner
Aladdin, 2023
368 pages
Grades 5-8
Narrative Poetry

Will's life changes in fourth grade when a school bully calls him "fat" in front of a hall full of kids. Suddenly, Will realizes that the accusation must be true and that he must be a disgusting human being. Will goes home and destroys all of his clothes so that his mother will take him shopping and he can get everything to be baggy on his frame. Will slowly distances himself from his friends and starts a spiral of depression, distorted body image, and disordered eating. Now in middle school, Will is lonely and paranoid, knowing that the world must think that he is a monster. One day, while eating lunch alone behind the school, a boy comes by to ride his skateboard. Markus keeps coming and eventually starts talking to Will and shares his story. Will listens, still reluctant to trust Markus with his own tale, and tries to keep him at arm's length. One day the constant starving himself catches up with Will and he passes out in the hall at school. Will Markus still want to be his friend? Will the other kids hate him even worse? Can Will keep living his secretly miserable life indefinitely?

This is a very sad fictionalized memoir based on the author's actual experiences that will appeal to readers who like this sort of thing. The poems are beautiful and sincere. Reader's hearts will break as they spend time in Will's shoes and will certainly empathize with his situation. Kids with similar troubles will find this book to be a game-changer and others will become more sympathetic to peers after reading. The plot is somewhat linear and clear-cut, making this book an easy, if difficult in content, read. The format is fun. The story appears to be Will's notebook with lined paper pages and sketches throughout drawn by Will. Because of the formating, the book reads very quickly, though packing a large emotional punch. I had to put the book down a few times because I was getting too upset by it, but finally had to finish the story to make sure that Will was okay. I found the parents frustrating for most of the story, but they ended up to be allies in Will's healing once they discovered the extent of his troubles. The ending is ultimately hopeful, though not perfect, and readers will leave with a sense that the troubled protagonist is on the road to recovery. This story will fill a much needed hole in school and library middle grade collections.

The World's Worst Time Machine

The World's Worst Time Machine

Dustin Brady

Andrews McMeel, 2023

185 pages

Grades 3-6

Fantasy/Humor

Liam finds a mysterious box tucked away in the corner of a disappeared neighboring mad-scientist's garage at a lawn sale labeled "the worst time machine ever".  Of course he forks over his last three dollars and brings it home. Liam hopes to connect with Thomas Edison so he can get out of reading his biography book report book. Surprisingly, the machine works! Liam does not go back in time, a historical figure is brought to him-and it is Thomas Edison, only not the right Thomas Edison. This teenager comes from 1933 and prefers to be called "Tommy Twinkles".  Tommy is a wanna-be gangster and tries to convince Liam to help him rob a bank of the future. The situation gets worse when Mom and Dad come down to the basement to investigate the noise and get sucked into time. Luckily, Liam's best pal Elsa is a genius and knows time travel. She runs over to help Liam sort this mess out. Unfortunately, more gangsters arrive and chaos ensues. Will Lia and Elsa be able to send all of the gang back to the 1930's without causing too much disturbance in the universe? And, ever more importantly, will they be able to retrieve Mom and Dad?

Non-stop mayhem and absurdity propel this new series starter right into the hands of reluctant readers. The author of the Trapped in a Video Game and Escape from a Video Game series has a new scenario that will lure in kids who think that they hate reading. Time travel is a cool concept that will intrigue the intended audience and Brady makes this adventure believable and possible. Infused with humor, the plot doesn't stop. Cliff-hanging chapter endings will keep readers moving along. The format is perfect for those struggling with reading. The font is large, the chapters are short, and lots of white space graces the pages. Cartoon-like illustrations are plentiful and will help to suck in the reader. This is a much needed series starter to hand to video-game kids who think they hate to read. It will also be useful for graphic novel readers who need to read something with more text and less dependence on illustrations. Especially since the pandemic, there is an increase in kids who have a hard time sitting still and concentrating on a book. This new edition might be just the thing to turn some of these kids into readers.

The Witch of Woodland

The Witch of Woodland

Laurel Snyder

HarperCollins, 2023

Grades 5-8

Fantasy

Turning thirteen isn't easy. Especially when your best friend is growing away from you and your mother decides that you must be Bat Mitzvahed, even though your family isn't particularly religious. Luckily, Rabbi Dan is a pretty cool guy and willing to work with Zippy, even though she has had no training in Hebrew and little knowledge in Judaism, beyond the high holy days. What Zippy is really interested in is witchcraft, forcing her into "weirdo" status at school. After finding a strange red book Zippy manages to cast a spell delivering a new friend with wings. Miriam is very kind and the two girls immediately hit it off. Is Miriam an angel? Rabbi Dan gives Zippy a book about magic creatures in Judaism to help her in figuring it all out. The friendship goes sour when Miriam seems to be zapping energy from Zippy.  Could she really be a dybbuk? Another piece of the puzzle is that Zippy suddenly understands Hebrew and become the star of her Bat Mitzvah class. What is going on? And what does Miriam do when Zippy is at school or at home? The mystery is solved, but not before Zippy is transformed in many ways and realizes that growing up is not as horrible as it seems.

Laurel Snyder is an unpredictable author. Her 2017 Orphan Island is one of my favorite books ever and she has proven to be an eclectic author who crosses genres and ages. I love this new offering in that it touches on a topic rarely seen in children's lit: Judaic mysticism. Readers will learn about all kinds of magical figures from Jewish folklore, all within the framework of a coming of age story. Realistic fiction fans will enjoy Zippy's struggles with her best friend and parents as she is navigating the choppy waters of puberty. Fantasy readers will love the magical bits and be interested to discover exactly what Miriam is. Zippy is not your normal protagonist. She feels a bit more Harriet the Spy than your average hero and is definitely someone that I would have loved to hang around with at that age. Kids interested in witchcraft will snatch this book up and want to break out some spells of their own. It was nice to see Judaism represented in a very relatable and contemporary way and will make many kids in my community feel represented. A heartfelt book featuring a new idea and a very readable plot that will appeal to the target audience.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
Holly Jackson
Delacorte, 2019
387 pages
Grades 9-Up

Mystery
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series

Connecticut high school senior, Pippa, is determined to get into Columbia and that means that she must have a stunning capstone project. She decides to research the murder of Andie Bell, a popular high school senior who was killed by her boyfriend five years previous. The convicted killer, Sal Singh, committed suicide days after Andie's disappearance, but Pippa is not convinced that he did the deed. For one thing, Pippa knew him as a family friend and he was just too decent a person. She starts her investigation with Sal's younger brother Ravi, who also is convinced of his brother's innocence and joins Pippa in her investigation. Pippa contacts many people connected with Andie Bell and discovers that the dead girl had secrets. Several suspects emerge, yet just when Pippa thinks she has figured it out, another piece of evidence points to someone new. As she pries deeper, Pippa receives threatening notes, eventually fearing for her own safety. How far is she willing to go to get to the truth? And what really happened to Andie Bell?

Who doesn't love a good murder mystery? A long-time resident on the bestseller list, this series starter reflects the current teenage mystery trend. We can't keep our four copies on the shelf and, in fact, every copy of all three books in the series are currently checked out. This mystery does not disappoint. There are red-herrings, danger, and surprises around every turn. The circumstances behind the murder are scandalous enough to delight teen readers and keep them turning pages. I did not figure out the scenario behind the murder, but it was gettable and the ending satisfies. I found it unnecessary that the original British book was edited and changed for an American audience. Today's kids are used to Harry Potter and can handle British phraseology. Keeping the main character's name as Pippa clues in the reader that it is a British book and some of the terms remain, making the Connecticut settling a little jarring. That said, teenagers probably won't care. They will love the quickly moving plot and the tenacity of the main character. The book feels a bit long, but reads quickly, as some of the content is in transcript form. The middle schoolers in my library are clambering for this book, but be aware that there are some mature situations involving sexual encounters and drugs, though it never gets too graphic.

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.