Series Pick: Nate Expectations

Nate Expectations
by Time Federle
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
2018
256 pages
ISBN: 9781481404129

The third book in the Nate series does not disappoint. Nate Expectations finds Nate Foster in high school and living back in his small hometown in Pennsylvania. After his Broadway show closes, Nate goes home. He's able to get through each day with the help of his friend and sidekick Libby. This theater kid cannot go home and forget about theater. That would be like forgetting to breathe.

Nate takes over the production of Great Expectations for his drama department in true Nate style. Even though he misses his new boyfriend and he's "out" to his friends, he's still not "out" to his parents.

Lighthearted, funny, and heart-warming, the Nate series is a series of books for every reader--whether they are into musical theater or not. It doesn't matter their gender or their preferences, Nate is such a winning character, everyone will love him. Rarely does an author capture the voice of a middle grade boy. Even though in the this book Nate is in high school, the book is great for middle school readers and up.

Highly, highly recommended for readers of the earlier books, and if you haven't read the Nate series, what are you waiting for. This series is a MUST READ.

Grade 7-up.

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

Storytelling Pick: The Marvels

The Marvels
by Brian Selznick
Scholastic Press
2015
672 pages
ISBN: 9780545448680

Available September 15, 2015

Brian Selznick continues to astonish, astound and amaze! The Marvels is a 672 page behemoth that tells the story of five generations of a theatre family, a shipwreck, and a beautiful house full of family secrets.

The first 300 plus pages are all Selznick's magical  art. The detail and beauty is astounding and the story tells itself. This part of the book had me enraptured and wonderstruck (ha, ha, a little Selznick humor there!) Visual learners and those who struggle with reading and budding artists will all love the story in pictures (and hey, who doesn't love a picture book?) The other part of the book, told in prose, was just not as compelling. It is like comparing apples to oranges, after all. Can one really compare a work of art to words on a page? Well, only if the words are truly genius: Shakespeare, Milton, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, Isabelle Allende.

The characters of Frankie and Joseph while sweet, were not as interesting as the story of a shipwreck and a surviving boy and his dog rescued by a ship and brought across the sea to England. Uncle Albert is the most interesting character in the second half of the book. I was a bit let down with the ending, expecting it to be more compelling and profound.

Still, The Marvels itself is a massive undertaking. It is a beautiful work of art and should probably be reviewed in that way. To review the second part as a book of prose does the work a true disservice. Enjoy the art, enjoy the storytelling and you decide.

Highly recommended for the art alone! Suitable for grade 4-up. Suitable for all libraries.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the "Sneak Peek" and the ARC 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)