Middle Grades Pick: My Top Secret Dares and Don'ts

My Top Secret Dares & Don'ts
by Trudi Tureit
Aladdin Mix
2017
261 pages
ISBN: 9781481469043

Guest Reviewer: Shanon Ortega, Library Media Specialist, Horizon Heights Elementary School, El Paso, Texas.

Follow Shannon on Twitter @SOrtega_HHES

Twelve year old Kestrel "Little Bird" Adams is looking forward to spending the summer before middle school with her best friends. That is until she learns her family has to travel to Vancouver, British Columbia, to bail out her Grandmother Lark's ski lodge.

The Blackcomb Creek Lodge was built from the ground up by Kestrel's grandfather and is her grandparents' dream. It is in danger of going bankrupt due to numerous online negative reviews. Kestrel can't believe someone would try and sabotage her grandmother's dream. Enter Breck, a cute boy who works at the lodge, a famous rock star, evil twins who try to thwart Kestrel at every turn and millions of tiny, endangered toads.

A fan of list making, Kestrel invites readers into her mindset throughout the investigations. Kestrel learns and grows in her appreciation of nature and family. This enjoyable read is full of heart and humor. This entertaining read will appeal to middle grade readers who love a spunky heroine.

Highly recommended grade 4 and up.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review nor did reviewer Shannon Ortega.

Southern Charmer: Tupelo Honey

 

Tupelo Honey
(Kindle)
Lis Anna-Langston
Mapleton Publishers
2016
247 pages

Now available as Kindle

Tupelo Honey will tug at your heartstrings and sing off the pages.  Set in the 1970s in a small Southern town, the story of young Tupelo begins with a picture of her daily existence. Tupelo's home life can only be described as broken and painful. Her mother is a wretched, broken, mean drug addict with a salty mouth and she shows Tupelo no motherly love but instead inflicting  intense abuse--both  physical and mental. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers. Mother's then boyfriend Nash is charming and sweet to Tupelo and believes in her. He becomes a constant in her life even though her crazy mother continues to push him away. Eventually Nash is lost to Tupelo when her mother grabs her and takes a "vacation" to California. Tupelo is homesick and using her wits figures out a way to trick a cop into sending her home. What Tupelo lacks in parents, she makes up in moxie.

Another coping mechanism is the existence of Moochi, Tupelo's imaginary dog/man friend who helps her out in tight situations. Tupelo is able to hold conversations with him and he gives her good advice and ideas.

Grandmother Marmalade does all she can for her granddaughter--taking her in when her own daughter has a bout with drugs or booze. Marmalade has her hands full with her two grown sons. Mental illness cuts a large swath in this family with both of Tupelo's uncles suffering from possible schizophrenia.

Readers will love Tupelo and empathize with her struggles to find a home and be loved. Through heartbreak, pain, fair, loss, desperation, Tupelo never loses her enthusiastic voice. Tupelo Honey is a wonderful book that teaches us  many lessons about love and family. It is a shame that it contains profanity which may keep it off of middle grade and middle school lists. I understand the use of the profanity. It is used primarily by Tupelo's drugged out, no good mother.

Readers will cheer for  Tupelo as she navigates the problem adults which seem to plague her life. When she sees Nash again I wanted to jump up and down for her! This is one book that proves that although  you can't choose your family, you can  choose where you belong.

Highly recommended grade 5-up with warning of profanity, drug abuse, violence.

Book In Verse Pick: Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings (A Memoir)

Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings (A Memoir)
by Margarita Engle
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
2015
189 pages
ISBN: 9781481435222


Enchanted, indeed! Readers will experience the sights and sounds of Cuba through Margarita Engle's triumphant YA book. Engle captivates and transcends decades and distance. Remembering back to her youth spent in Cuba before the Cold War, Engle describes an enchanted  island of sun, sea, horses, farms, fragrant flowers, bright colors, music and tropical fruit. The lime picked by her grandmother is the most fragrant lovely thing young Margarita has ever tasted.

When her family moves to smoggy Los Angeles, she is forced into a school where she's an outsider. As she looks at the other students, she realizes that she will never fit in. The girl longs for her other home, her island home. She misses her Abuelita and the enchanted air of Cuba.


April 1961 brings the Bay of Pigs, a failed U.S. attempt to control Cuba and Margarita is looked upon as the enemy by classmates. She is afraid that she may have to go to a war camp like Japanese Americans during World War II. The girl retreats into books where she can be free. 1962 is the beginning of the Cold War and American school children are taught to hide under their desks for nuclear drills. Grown ups whisper and people are visibly shaken. America is afraid of Cuba and the Soviet Union. America holds its breath as the President continues talks with Khrushchev. America closes its doors to Cuba.

Margarita's family may never see their relatives again.  Engle writes in the author's note, "While I was writing Enchanted Air, my hope was that normalization would begin before it went to press. That prayer has been answered....one of the closest neighbors of the United States is just beginning to be accessible to other American citizens."

Young Margarita lives for books and poetry, spending much of her time visiting the library. She writes, "Books become my refuge./Reading keeps me hopeful." How many readers  have escaped through books? The written word is powerful indeed, connecting a lonely child with a world outside her four walls and a country that does not welcome her. The "two wings" are the two countries: America and Cuba, her two lives so different yet both a part of her.

Readers will engage with the verse structure of the book. Easy and accessible to readers, even reluctant ones, Enchanted Air is a great addition to any multi-cultural studies collection or classroom.
Engle describes the historical incidents of the Cuban missile crisis and the Bay of Pigs from a child's point of view. It is powerful and poignant.

Highly, highly recommended grade 6-up. This is one book that has many teaching opportunities: history, sociology, English, poetry, and teach it for the love of literature!

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

YA Pick: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
by Leslye Walton
Candlewick Press
2014
301 pages
ISBN: 9780763665661

View the book trailer

Breathtaking, mesmerizing and stunning, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is a brilliant debut! The prose dazzles off the pages and reads like a lyrical musical score. It's as if Leslye Walton was able to sprinkle fairy dust throughout the pages. This book makes my top four books of all times joining literary tour de force novels: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Shadow of the Wind and The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry.

Twins Ava and Henry Lavender are born into a family of strong women who sadly make terrible and often tragic mistakes in love. Maman, the matriarch of the family line, comes from France to make her home and fortune in a new land. Arriving in Manhattan, she is disappointed to find crowded and dirty tenements. This is certainly not her American dream. She finally is able to move the family to the Northwest. Maman loses her husband and sisters, but they continue to follow her dogged steps as ghosts.  Her daughter Emilienne gives birth to baby Viviane and loses her husband shortly after. Because the town's people think she is a witch, she is unable to make a living at the bakery her husband cherished. Until a Native American woman named Wilhelmina shows up, that is. Wilhelmina sees herself in Emilienne. She says, "Death just seems to follow some of us, doesn't it?...It's easy to spot your own kind. That kind of sorrow you can't just wash away; it sticks to you." She shows Emilienne how to perform a cleansing ceremony at  the bakery and promises that business will explode. The next day, the bakery sells out.

Baby Viviane  grows up and becomes friends with Jack, her first and only love. It is Jack who moves the plot along throughout Viviane's life. She is heartbroken when he leaves for college and returns married to another woman. Viviane births  twins Ava and Henry. Both children are fiercely loved by their mother and Wilhelmina. They are sheltered at home and rarely leave the property. Henry develops late and is a strange child, avoiding people and speech. Ava has an even stranger trait that will prove her undoing.

Viviane is blessed with certain gifts. Her sense of smell is amazing. She can tell when a woman was pregnant or how a person was feeling just by her scent. "Happiness had a pungent scent, like the sourest lime or lemon. Broken hearts smelled surprisingly sweet. Sadness filled the air with a salty, sea-like redolence; death smelled like sadness." She also knows when rain is on the way or when one of her children is in danger.

The bakery is perhaps the most important place in the book. It is where Emilienne is able to work and feed her family. It is where Viviane grows up. It is where the town people go for sustenance. Emilienne's pastries are magical. The wedding cake of Ignatius Lux and Estelle Margolis was so delectable that, "After this wedding unmarried women woke in the night with tears in their eyes, not because they were alone, but because there wasn't any cake left."


Sorrow follows each generation of the Roux family. The females seem destined or cursed to choose the wrong man and the wrong man always shows up. My favorite quote of the entire book comes from wise Wilhelmina, "Just because love don't look the way you think it should don't mean you don't have it." In other words, love comes from your work, your friends, your world, and does not have to involve a couple. Love can be found in other things.

This is one book I absolutely will read more than once, just to savor its flavor. In one sitting, you simply cannot take in everything: the story, the sadness, the fantasy, the painted masterpiece of magic which soars off the page. The story builds to a cacophonous crescendo that you won't easily forget. This is the stuff dreams are made of.

I will not forget Ava Lavender and her strange and beautiful sorrows any time soon. It's a story that I continue to think about.

This novel gets the HIGHEST recommendation I could ever give a book. I simply LOVE it. Do yourself a favor, get this book today.

Suitable grade 9-up. Some mature content. Pre-marital sex.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Family Pick: My Bibi Always Remembers

My Bibi always Remembers
by Toni Buzzeo
Illustrations by Mike Wohnoutka
Disney Publishing Worldwide
2014
32 pages
ISBN: 9781423183853

Available September 2, 2014

My Bibi Always Remembers is a heartfelt homage to grandparents everywhere. Author Toni Buzzeo weaves a magical tale of an elephant family and their close relationships with one another. Captivating illustrations by Mike Wohnoutka capture not only the magnificence and majesty of the elephants but the nuances of playfulness, joy, love and belonging.

Tembo is the youngest in a family of elephants. Bibi is her grandmother and leader of her  family--in an elephant family, the oldest female is entrusted with keeping them all safe and remembering where to find food and water. Tembo is playful and forgetful, losing her way as she gets sidetracked by the sights. Each time she falls behind, Auntie or Bibi finds her. Bibi leads the family to the water where they drink and rest.

Tembo's expressions and childlike wonder for the world are palpable in each spread. Her sense of whimsy, joy, and fun are infectious and will captivate young readers and parents (and grandparents).
Repetitive phrasing calls for reading aloud and story times.

My Bibi Always Remembers would be a lovely gift for a new grandparent or grandbaby. Grandparents Day is celebrated September 7 this year, so get your copy when the book goes on sale September 2, 2014.

Highly, highly recommended for young readers and parents and grandparents everywhere.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the F & G from the author. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Magical Pick: House of Ivy & Sorrow

House of Ivy & Sorrow
by Natalie Whipple
HarperTeen
2014
362 pages
ISBN: 9780062120182

Magical, mesmerizing, melodious, and macabre, House of Ivy & Sorrow is a witchy, devilish good book!

Seventeen  year old Josephine Hemlock lives with her grandmother in a little house under the bridge guarded by magic. There are only two doors in and they are hidden to the outside world. Magic keeps Jo and her grandmother safe from the outside world and away from other witching families. Jo's mother Carmina died years ago, and her grandmother casts a number of spells to keep Jo safe. When a stranger from the past shows up, he brings an evil danger with him.

Jo's friend Kat witnesses her magic and it is agreed that the two girls be bound together with a binding spell. This will keep both of them from harm, they hope.  The evil is getting stronger and the girls are in a race against time to find something...anything in the Hemlock history that will help explain who might be after Jo.

Digging into a witch family's history is a arduous task. As they uncover ancestor after ancestor, new questions surface. How long can Jo keep her friend safe from danger? A witch can never love or marry; does it make sense for Jo to date swoon worthy and nice guy Winn knowing that she can never experience lasting  love?

Cover design with trailing ivy is repeated on chapter numbers and on page numbers throughout the book. I like the idea that magic exists in all things and that witches learn to control energy. The witches in this book aren't the sunshine-y witches of Bewitched; these witches mean business and they're not afraid of eye of newt or wing of bat.

Recommended grade 7-up. Some kissing. Magic. Spells.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Heaven Is Paved with Oreos
by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
2013
201 pages
ISBN: 9780547625386

Sarah Zorn and best friend Curtis have a mutually agreed upon plan: pretend they are a couple so everyone at their school will leave them alone. Only outspoken Emily Friend (not friendly at all! ) is onto them. She teases Sarah and says she knows that they're not a couple.

Sarah's quirky, hippie grandmother Z  asks Sarah to travel to Italy with her in the summer. After some discussion, Sarah's parents reluctantly agree. Sarah records her travels, trials and tribulations in this journal. When Curtis finds out Sarah is leaving for Italy, he is upset and they do not speak to each other before she departs.

In Italy, Sarah and Z visit numerous outdoor caffes (cafes) and drink delicious Italian coffees and eat gelato. They visit cathedrals, fountains and ruins. Sarah reports each place and how she would describe it to Curtis if she sent him a post card. She doesn't. Each day, the two travelers visit another church and are "pilgrims." Sarah can't believe how much walking they are doing. They fall into bed exhausted each night.

Grandma Z becomes sad on her birthday and Sarah doesn't know why. When a family secret is finally spilled, Sarah is shocked. This is the real reason they came all the way to Italy? On a whim....from the past? Returning home, Sarah and Z have to unravel the past to claim the present.

Z is fun and feisty; a free spirit from the golden days of hippie-dom. She tends to live her life in the moment--which is great--until it effects the people around you. Sarah is supposed to be fourteen and off to her first year of high school, but she seems quite sheltered and younger than fourteen years old.

Recommended for grade 7-up and anyone who likes a sweet read. Italy comes alive in the pages of Sarah's journal.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review. 

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Gift Book Idea for Mom: The Smartest Woman I Know

The Smartest Woman I Know
by Ilene Beckerman
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
2011
112 pages
Available September 27, 2011

A sweet little memoir wrought with pithy wittiness and poignant charm, The Smartest Woman I Know poetically sings the praises of Beckerman's Jewish grandmother Ettie Goldberg who settled in New York City and was wise beyond her third grade education. The author captures Etta's voice and mannerisms and the reader is transported to a tiny store on Madison Avenue brimming with colorful characters.


The Goldbergs opened a stationery store that sold office supplies, stationery, magazines, newspapers, and assorted sundries and they knew every customer and every customer's quirks. There was Mr. Arnold who always wore a straw boater hat, carried a cane, and was always in the company of a much younger man he called "darling." Ettie always made the pair feel welcome in her store saying that it wasn't her business to know what people do at home ( this was New York City circa 1930 or so).

A little book that bursts with humor, wise life lessons, quirky vignettes, and Jewish proverbs--as told by Etta. Its eloquent appeal makes me wish I had my own Jewish grandmother.

A great gift idea for anyone who knows a smart woman and anyone who has a Jewish mother or grandmother. For mavens, machers, and meshuggerners everywhere.

Recommended for gift giving and holidays.

Adult humor and wisdom. High school and up.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Chick Pick

Karma Bites
by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas
Sandpiper (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), 2010
340 pages

Franny Flanders is having bad karma: her parents are newly divorced, her kid brothers fight all the time, her friends belong to different cliques and she has to walk the minefield at school to avoid angering either clique, and to top it all off, her hippie grandmother has moved in with them and is practicing white magic, yoga, and zen Buddhism. When not in a trace or drinking yak butter tea, Granny is communicating with unknown spirits like the time she came home from Africa and brought back an angry presence who tore up the back yard. Franny is mortified and cannot bear her grandmother meeting any of her friends.

When Franny uses magic from a mysterious box in Granny's closet, things start to unravel in a very bad way. Middle school has never been funnier. Franny is a typical middle school girl trying to fit in and make all her friends get along, so what's wrong with using a little magic here and there?

It's called the Butterfly Effect and it states that if one little thing happens in the universe like the flutter of a butterfly's wings or a panda turning over in his den, it can trigger a ton of reactions that change the universe forever.

Franny is going to need her granny's help to sort out this chaos. The clique system goes awry and Franny has her first grown-up dance.

A totally charming, fun read for girls; appropriate for grades 6-9.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.