Category: Tween Reads

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Percy Jackson RETURNS! Cover reveal is live!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

More Percy Jackson is coming, Rick Riordan fans! Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Chalice of the Gods has a global release date of September 26th, and illustrator Khadijah Khatib’s cover is gorgeous. Puffin Books put up their cover reveal a few days ago. Take a look if you haven’t seen it yet!

 

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Posted in Fiction, Graphic Novels, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads, Young Adult/New Adult

Hungry Ghost takes a deep dive into disordered eating

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hungry Ghost, by Victoria Ying, (Apr. 2023, First Second), $24.99, ISBN: 9781250766991

Ages 12+

Valerie Chu tries to be the perfect daughter. She’s studious and quiet; she’s an obedient daughter. Her mother’s obsession with food and being thin starts early, when she tells Valerie “don’t eat, just taste” a piece of her own birthday cake; she constantly monitors what Valerie eats. Val’s disordered eating mirrors most cases we hear and read about: she’s focused on being perfect, giving no one any reason to find a flaw. Val’s best friend, Jordan, has no such compulsion: curvy and confident, Jordan enjoys food and she enjoys life, earning Valerie’s mother’s quiet disdain. The two head off on a school trip to Paris where Valerie enjoys the taste of freedom, only to be called home for a family tragedy. As Valerie grieves, she has no time for perfection and her eating disorder is pushed to the side and gains her mother’s notice. Valerie must come to terms with her mother’s toxic ideas on beauty in order to move forward. Brilliantly written and illustrated with a haunting, ethereal beauty, Hungry Ghost is a heartbreaking look at the beginnings of body dysmorphia and how our families can create monsters within us. Back matter includes an author’s note and resources for eating disorders and recovery.

Hungry Ghost received a starred review from Kirkus.

Posted in Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Remy Lai’s Ghost Book weaves myth and fantasy

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Ghost Book, by Remy Lai, (Aug. 2023, Henry Holt & Co.), $22.99, ISBN: 9781250810410

Ages 8-12

You’d think July Chen was invisible, but she’s not – at least, she’s pretty sure she isn’t, even if no one can quite remember her. She can also speak to ghosts; they tell her she’s the girl with the “yin-yang eyes”. July lives with her dad – her mother died the night July was born – and he often seems too preoccupied to notice her, too. July makes her first friend when she saves a ghost named William from a Hungry Ghost, but William is not really a ghost: he’s a boy who lives between worlds because of something that happened the very same night that July was born. July’s and William’s stories are entwined in ways they could never have imagined, and as Hungry Ghost month begins – and the Gates of the Underworld open and dangerous ghosts swarm into the living world – July discovers that she may have to sacrifice herself in order for William to live. Inspired by Chinese mythology, Remy Lai’s newest shows a rich underworld; the ghost marketplace is a bustling otherworldly place where ghosts and human vendors interact; the two ghosts who collect souls are an amusing pair whose love of dumplings sets events in motion. A touching story of friendship and sacrifice, with a sensitive look at grief and loss as only Remy Lai can skillfully weave. Another win!

Want to learn more about Hungry Ghost Month? Check out Chinese American Family’s webpage on this year’s Festival; OFTaiwan has videos and photos, plus links to more resources.

 

Posted in Animal Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Middle School, Tween Reads

Reynard’s Tale breathes new life into a literary figure

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Reynard’s Tale, by Ben Hatke, (April 2023, First Second), $22.99, ISBN: 9781250857910

Ages 10+

Foxes have been tricksters in fairy tales and myths for as long as cultural memory can hold. Ben Hatke’s latest work, Reynard’s Tale, takes readers into a wonderful medieval setting to relate a new set of trickster tales starring Reynard the Fox, Isengrim the Wolf, and a series of memorable supporting characters. The short stories all link together: Reynard on the move, Isengrim on the hunt, and Reynard smooth-talking and outfoxing (pun intended) a series of love interests… but the last joke may just be on Reynard. There’s a playful sense of adventure in Hatke’s storytelling, and his ink artwork has a fairytale quality, with Reynard sporting a large hat, a cloak, and boots. If you have animal tale fans, give them this one.

Read more about Reynard at Britannica.com. Listen to audio, watch a dramatic reading, and learn to make a fox bookmark at Oxford’s Bodleian Library’s website.

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Young Adult/New Adult

Patricia Ward’s The Cherished – excellent YA horror

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Cherished, by Patricia Ward, (Apr. 2023, HarperTeen), $19.99, ISBN: 9780063235113

Ages 13+

Jo is a teen living with her very pregnant mother and her stepfather. She doesn’t see eye-to-eye with them or their social circles, so when a letter arrives, informing her that her grandmother has died and bequeathed her home and land to her, she sees a way to freedom: even if she has to wait until she’s of legal age for it. Her mother insists she must sell the home – despite Jo’s grandmother’s very firm assertions that she must never sell – and heads to the home, with Jo, to clean it up and prep for sale. Once there, she meets the tenants of her grandmother’s land: a gruff male househand and a childlike teenage girl. As Jo’s mother becomes sicker and sicker, Jo spends more time wandering the home and learns more about her father and the delusions that plagued him for his entire life… and she learns some truths that may be too incredible to believe, but are very real and very much a threat. Ward’s pacing is excellent, building the suspense to allow readers time to grasp the book tighter as they progress, waiting for answers. An excellent gothic horror novel for teens that enjoy dark fantasy.

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

Just Between Us journals open up conversations between daughters, fathers, and mothers

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Just Between Us: Father & Daughter – The original bestselling no-stress, no-rules journal, by Jonathan Jacobs & Sofie Jacobs, with Meredith Jacobs/Illustrated by Nate Padavick ,(Apr. 2023, Chronicle Books), $16.95, ISBN: 9781797216119

Ages 10+

Father-daughter team Jonathan Jacobs and Sofie Jacobs come together to tell some stories and provide thought-provoking prompts for dads and daughters to communicate. Suggested guidelines help set comfortable boundaries while encouraging open sharing, with pages set side to side for dads and daughters. There are fun prompts that call to mind those “how much do you know about me?” memes we’ve all done through e-mail and social media, and Free Spaces allow for journaling feelings, memories, or stream-of-consciousness writing. Fun illustrations encourage the writers to envision what they’d like to see about themselves on the front page of a newspaper or their social media pages. With Father’s Day coming up, this would be a great way to connect. Not suggested for a circulating collection, but a great suggestion to have in your pocket.

 

 

Just Between Us: Mother & Daughter – The original bestselling no-stress, no-rules journal, by Meredith Jacobs & Sofie Jacobs/Illustrated by Molly Baker, (Apr. 2023, Chronicle Books), $16.95, ISBN: 9781797222219

Ages 10+

Mother and daughter first collaborated on the Just Between Us journal over ten years ago; this revised edition allows for updated prompts and greater writing and creative space. Spaces like “a drawing of my dream outfit” let moms and daughters show their playful side, and “Things I would love for us to do together” breaks down the walls and allows for a wish list that mom and daughter can create together: and then act on it. I miss the playful illustrations that were in previous editions, but I appreciate the copious writing space to allow both writers to put their hopes, dreams, feelings, and ideas on paper. An excellent suggestion for summer journaling.

Posted in Realistic Fiction, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

While You Were Dreaming – Alisha Rai does YA!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

While You Were Dreaming, by Alisha Rai, (March 2023, Quill Tree Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9780063083967

Ages 13+

Best-selling romance author Alisha Rai released her debut YA novel, While You Were Dreaming, and it is so good! Sonia is a teen living with her undocumented sister, Kareena, after her mother is deported. Sonia lives in constant fear of her family’s circumstances being discovered, and she tries to make herself as invisible as possible. One day, when her crush, James, accidentally falls and is in danger of drowning, Sonia – in cosplay superhero costume – jumps in to rescue him, becoming a viral sensation. At the same time, Sonia ends up connecting with James’s family, who don’t realize that she’s the person who rescued their son. So is James crush-worthy, or are the sparks flying between Sonia and James’s older brother worth exploring? Readers who love Ms. Marvel and Sendhya Menon’s rom-coms will devour this delightful read. Sonia is a smart, relatable main character surrounded by an interesting, developed cast. Rai touches on the stresses of living undocumented in America by exploring Sonia and Kareena’s sometimes contentious relationship and through Sonia’s desire to remain invisible for her sister’s sake; the pain of living apart from her mother comes through loud and clear. Hand this one to your rom-com fans for sure; they will thank you for it.

Posted in Fantasy, Horror, Teen, Tween Reads, Young Adult/New Adult

Excellent Speculative Fiction: The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie, edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt, (March 2023, Blackstone Publishing), $18.99, ISBN: 9781665047036

Ages 12-17

An anthology that puts the science in science fiction, The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie brings together 20 stories by standout names – Jane Yolen, Scott Sigler, and Jonathan Maberry, to name a few – who spin dark stories about Nobel Prize winning physicist Marie Curie. Driven largely by the childhood losses of her mother and sister, the stories and poetry in Hitherto dream of scenarios that formed Curie. Set in her young adolescence, there are dark tales, supernatural tales, and straight-up unnerving tales, with several mainstays: Curie’s break with religion, the Russian occupation of her beloved Poland, and her dedication to science and learning. Stories are rooted in science, and many include Science Notes to clarify the divergence of fact and fiction. Run from the whimsical, like Alethea Kontis’s “Marya’s Monster”, where Curie confronts the literal monster under her bed with level-headedness, to the bittersweet, as with Seanan McGuire’s “Uncrowned Kings”, where Curie battles the disease-carrying beast that’s infected her town. Stories like Henry Herz’s “Cheating Death” take a turn into horror, where Curie’s obsession with halting Death leads her to disturbing experimentation, and Christine Taylor-Butler’s “Retribution” is a science murder mystery (minus the mystery).

Every single story here is an excellent read, with something for dark fantasy, horror, and thriller fans alike. Science fans will rejoice at having Marie Curie front and center in her own adventures (I know I did), and resources for further reading keeps the momentum going, with books about Curie, women in STEM, and websites to explore. An excellent choice for YA collections.

Posted in Fantasy, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Midnight Strikes: Groundhog Day meets Kill the Queen

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Midnight Strikes, by Zeba Shahnaz, (March 2023, Delacorte Press), $19.99, ISBN: 9780593567555

Ages 12+

Anaïs Aubanel is a 17-year-old member of a prominent Proensan family liviing in the Ivarean kingdom. Her people have been outsiders, considered the backwoods magic users of the kingdom, since the Ivareans colonized them, but her family presses her to make a good marriage match, bringing her to the royal anniversary ball to scope out her chances. At the stroke of midnight, bombs go off, killing everyone at the ball – and then Anaïs awakens in her own bed, sure it was a dream… until it happens again. Over the course of the novel, Anaïs must reconstruct each day and figure out how to stop the carnage before it begins; in doing so, she uncovers a nefarious plot with an unlikely puppetmaster pulling the strings. A rich fantasy, Shahnaz explores colonization and the intertwining roots of magic and faith. Anaïs is a character readers will cheer on; the supporting characters become more real with each moment revisited. A good choice for fantasy readers.

Posted in Non-Fiction, picture books, Women's History

Focus on Women’s History Month: Shakti Girls by Shetal Shah and Kavita Rajput

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Shakti Girls: Poems of Inspiring Women, by Shetal Shah/Illustrated by Kavita Rajput, (March 2023, Shakti Girls LLC), $17.99, ISBN: 9798986954509

Ages 5-10

Shakti is the Hindu word that refers “to the [female] power and energy that creates and maintains the universe”. Inspired by the concept of shakti, Shetal Shah created 13 poems about groundbreaking, inspiring Indian women. Women like author Jhumpa Lahiri, of whom Shah writes “Nilanjana, meaning ‘one with blue eyes’, / merges two worlds on the page (though it’s hard in real life” and freedom fighter Kasturba Gandhi, who Shah praises by writing “Inspired satyagraha (fair advocacy), / she resisted with peace and equality”. Shah includes arts and sciences, politics and sports, to spotlight how Indian women have been changemakers in every area: actress Mindy Kaling shares space with tennis star Sania Mirza, mathematician Shakuntala Devi, and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Full-page colorful illustrations bring these outstanding women to life for readers, and each portrait includes fun details that readers are invited to find. There is new vocabulary to discover, with new words defined on each page. Back matter includes a page for readers to illustrate their own shakti and a word search – if you’re putting this into circulation, photocopy these pages and have some ready to hand out. Visit Shetal Shah’s webpage for additional downloadable activities. A nice new voice with an interesting collection of poems, this is an additional purchase for strong biography collections.