Middle Grade Pick: Naked Mole Rate Saves the World

Naked Mole Rat Saves the Day
by Karen Rivers
Algonquin Books for Young Readers
2019
304 pages
ISBN: 9781616207243

Available: October 15, 2019

Naked Mole Rat Saves the World is just what readers expect of a Karen Rivers' book: quirky, funny,  and heartbreaking. kit (spelled with a lower case "k" because she's so small) is dealing with more than just "normal" middle school problems. Her mother struggles with mental illness issues. Her mom used to be a famous singer, but now she's so anxious, she can't leave the house. In fact, she's  so anxious that kit is named after her mom's tattoo: k.i.t. which means "keep it together," and kit turns to this phrase throughout the book.

kit's best friend Clem was injured after a fall during the show "The Most Talented Family in America," and now she's shut herself off from kit and their friendship. While Clem deals with depression, kit tries to navigate alone.

Young readers will empathize with the friendship between Clem and kit and the loss kit feels as she wanders. Rivers' characters are believable and lovable. kit will remain with readers long after they close the book.

This is one read with tons of heart and will likely lead to spirited discussions in middle grade book clubs about anxiety, depression, friendship, mental illness in families and how to seek help. I received the ARC of this book which did not contain phone numbers for depression or mental health helplines. The finished book is likely to include toll-free numbers and how to seek help. It would be a plus to include questions for book clubs as well.

Highly recommended for readers who enjoy great characters and value friendship and compassion. Recommended for any middle grade book club and whole class reads. Grade 5 and up.

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

High School Pick: Nice Try, Jane Sinner

Nice Try, Jane Sinner
by Lianne Oelke
Clarion Books
2018
436 pages
ISBN: 9780544867857

Jane Sinner is a character that most readers will never forget. She is at a crossroads when she begins writing her diary and readers learn that Jane has been asked to leave high school because of an "event" she refers to but doesn't share the details until much later in the book. In order to find herself, free herself from her family and her parents' constant hovering, Jane enrolls in a local community college and takes a psychology course. She also sees a chance to escape her house and her younger sister Carol. Jane is accepted into a campus low budget reality show that another student film maker is filming and posting to YouTube. The grand prize is a used car and one perk of the show is contestants share a crumby house for low rent. Jane's bedroom is a small mattress separated by a sheet from others. There is no privacy and cameras roll 24/7.

Jane is excited to be "free" and writes her feelings and the events of the house and competition in her diary. It is here that Jane shines. She is self-deprecating, snarky, intelligent to the point of genius level, and over the top competitive. Jane wants to win and because of it, she is dangerous. She sizes up her competition and when she sees a way to win she takes it. Her antics at the paintball competition are comic genius and will have readers laughing out loud. She pretends to partner with others, but shoots them in the back and pretends that someone else shot them. And better yet, she is able to get away with it.

Some of the entries are imagined conversations with Jane's fake psychiatrist. Her answers to him are downright hysterical and his pseudo-psycho babble are brilliant. Jane has not attended her real therapy sessions and it is probably not helping her through her transition from high school to college and her problems that caused "the event." Fans of reality television will compare this novel to "Big Brother" and "The Real World."

The novel is tagged as "Christian" by Amazon and Barnes and Noble, but if readers are looking for an uplifting experience about God, Nice Try, Jane Sinner isn't that book.

Highly recommended for grade 9 and up. American readers will probably like the book's setting at a community college in Canada. Some mental health topics, profanity, sex, drugs, drinking.

Creepy Pick: The Murmurings

The Murmurings
by Carly Anne West
Simon Pulse
2013
370 pages

Sometimes a book is so strange, so chilling and creepy, it stays with you. The Murmurings is that book. Be forewarned.

Sophie's sister Nell is found dead and Sophie knows it wasn't suicide. Nell kept hearing voices in her head before she was admitted for treatment to Oakside. She ran away  from the hospital and was found hanging upside down from a tree near an old ghost town. Sophie misses her once popular and beautiful sister; she worries that she might be going crazy, too. Sophie is starting to hear the murmurings and she can't concentrate or sleep.

Sophie wishes her mother would snap out of it. Since her sister's death, her mother has turned to alcohol and depression, rarely leaving the house, forgetting to eat, and barely existing. Sophie can't turn to her mother for help because her mother is not cognizant.  Evan, a football player from school, shows interest in Sophie--they study together and have a picnic; Evan reveals he has lost his cousin Deb; she was once a patient at Oakside, too. Evan and Sophie begin to investigate the hospital.

Just what is going on at that "hospital?"What secrets did Nell uncover? Did someone from the hospital kill Nell? Evan show Sophie a blog he's discovered online that explains the murmurings and exposes the hospital and evil Dr. Keller. Sophie decides to get answers, putting herself in grave danger and opening a door for the Takers. When Sophie realizes  the secret identity of a patient  known only as MM, she can't wait any longer. If she doesn't save MM right now, MM may die.

The Taker reminds me of Harry Potter's deatheaters, both in appearance and behavior--the Taker is horribly grotesque and evil. It feeds on the soul and kills its victims.

Recommended for readers who love creepy books grade 9-up. No sex. Some language. F-bomb. Mature situations. 

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)