Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

In less than a month my husband accepted a job across the country, we prepped and staged our house, sold our house, packed all our belongings, drove from Florida to Idaho with three kids in a small car, and lived slightly homeless for a week. We've been living out of suitcases, and we finally got all of us stuff two days ago. So now I sit among boxes and stuff unpacked from boxes that I'm not sure where it should go. I've had very little time for reading and zero time for blogging.

But amidst it all, I managed to read Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo. I saw it on the Indie Bound Summer 2016 List and knew I had to read it. It's by one of my favorite authors and it's set in Florida. I was trying to focus on going local in my reading. (Anyone know of any good books set in Idaho?) Though I lived there less than four years, Florida is such a unique place that you can't help but be changed by it and I loved reading a book with those familiar elements. It had a touch of the Southern Gothic about it.

Raymie is a great character and this book is my new favorite DiCamillo book (which is hard to do because I really love her books). It's a sweet and funny coming-of-age story. Though so many of her books have had at least a touch of fantasy, DiCamillo is apparently also really good at understanding children and how they think (much like Beverly Cleary). I would have loved this book when I was younger, I loved it as an adult, and I recommend it to anyone middle grade or up.

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Raymie Nightingale
By Kate DiCamillo
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Year: 2016
Ages/Themes: Middle Grade Books, Coming-of-Age

Indie Bound's Summer 2016 List

As I've mentioned before, Indie Bound is one of my go-to places for book recommendations. They have a new list of adult books every month, and a seasonal list of children and YA recommendations. Here are a few books from their Summer 2016 Kids' Indie Next List that I've put on hold at my library:

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo. I would read anything by Kate DiCamillo. I honestly can't choose a favorite. My kids love reading her Mercy Watson series and I love The Tale of Despereaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and The Magician's Elephant, among others. You can count on memorable characters, fun stories, beautiful illustrations, and often lovely tales when you read Kate DiCamillo. I'm even more excited to read this book because it is set in Florida, where I live right now. I've been wanting to read more books set here. 

Reviews of Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk have compared it to one of my favorite books of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Though that's a tall order to fill, it intrigues me enough to check it out.

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes is a middle grade novel that tackles the difficult topic of 9/11. As someone who was an adult when it happened, it's hard for me to make sense of. And as a parent, I have no idea how to talk to my kids about it. This book has been praised for opening up a dialogue about this turning point in American History with children who weren't even born when it happened. It's recommended for teachers to use in their classrooms, but I'm looking forward to reading it as a parent.

These are the books I'm most looking forward to from this summer's list. What new releases would you add to it?

For some adult recommendations, check out this NPR List.

Newbery Books Worth Reading: Holes by Louis Sachar

I graduated high school the year Holes by Louis Sachar won the Newbery Award--and I was one of its biggest fans. I was first in line to see the movie with my brother. And I think it's one of the rare instances when the movie is almost as good as the book and you really should experience both.

Holes is a good book for anyone to read, but it's a great book for boys. And there are some interactive features to the book on Louis Sachar's website. That's where I saw this awesome new cover:

I'm usually pretty loyal to the original cover art, but I think this new one is pretty cool too.

Have you ever read Holes? Have you seen the movie? If not, this summer is a perfect time to fix that.
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Holes
By Louis Sachar
Publisher: Francis Foster
Year: 1998
Ages/Themes: Middle Grade, Newbery Books, Books for Boys, Movies

Guest Review: A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

Guest reviewer Katie is a fantasy writer, avid reader, violinist, and high school student who is happy to be on summer break so she has more time to read. Here she reviews A Tale of Two Castles by Newbery-winning author Gail Carson Levine.
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A Tale of Two Castles is written by Newbery Winning author Gail Carson Levine, who wrote Ella Enchanted. I’ve read many of her books and have loved them all. This one in particular is a favorite. The second time I read it I had forgotten the entire middle of the book so it was a familiar brand new story to me.

A young girl named Elodie decides to set out from home and go to the capital city where she hopes she can aspire to be a mansioner or an actress. Through a series of events instead of a mansioner, she becomes a dragon’s apprentice. Sent to spy for her Mastress, Elodie must figure out who is plotting against a shape-shifting ogre. Is it the greedy king, the giddy princess, the handsome cat trainer, or is it the dragon?

I loved how unique the tale is and the different personalities of each character. I think that this book would be great for girls in middle school and older.

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A Tale of Two Castles

By Gail Carson Levine

Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher

Year: 2011

Ages: Middle Grade Books, Young Adult Books, Fantasy, Fairy Tales

Newbery Books Worth Reading: The Graveyard Books

One of my favorite Newbery winning books is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. If you know anything about Neil Gaiman, you know that his books are often strange and a little bit dark. But if you like that kind of thing, Neil Gaiman is the very best. And this is the very best of Neil Gaiman.

It's about a boy who's the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised and taught by its ghostly residents, the boy eventually has to face one of the terrors of the real world. It's surprising and magical and enchantingly different than most middle grade books out there.

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The Graveyard Book
By Neil Gaiman
Publisher: HarperCollins
Year: 2008
Ages/Themes: Middle Grade Books, Newbery Winners, Newbery Books Worth Reading

Calamity by Brandon Sanderson

I find I have more time to read when I do it on my Kindle. I read while I'm putting my little one to sleep or before I go to sleep at night and don't have to worry about lights. (That's why I love the Kindle Paperwhite--no harsh lights.) I've been on the ebook waiting list for Calamity for a few weeks. But when I saw the paper version sitting on the shelf of the library, I snagged it and thought maybe I'd start reading this one and then pick up when I got the ebook.

Well, I'm still on the waiting list for the ebook version and I finished Calamity last night. Turns out I find time to read better when it's a page turner, which the entire Reckoners series is. It's an entertaining, fun, adventure. Now that I've started to get to know this author, I have a lot more on my TBR list!

The Reckoners series is great because it takes a well-loved theme, superheroes, and gives it a fresh look. The characters are interesting and the story keeps you guessing. The content is clean and appropriate for any kid old enough to read the books, As entertaining as the book is, it's more than that. I'm still thinking about the ending and contemplating what some of it might mean.

Have you read any Brandon Sanderson books? Which ones are your favorites?

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Calamity 
By Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Year: 2016
Ages/Themes: Middle Grade Books, Young Adult Books, Science Fiction, Adventure, Series, Books for Boys

Newbery Books Worth Reading: Island of the Blue Dolphins

I can't remember the first time I read Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. It was published in 1960 so it was already an old book when I got my hands on it. But I do know that I read it over and over again until my copy was falling apart.

Adventure and survival books with female protagonists may be common now, but not so much when I was growing up. Karana in Island of the Blue Dolphins is left on an island and survives alone for 18 years. It was a remarkable story to read as a young girl because I could not conceive of surviving alone, and at the same time, Karana helped me imagine that I could.

Sadly, my childhood copy has not survived. But Newbery books often stay in print and my research shows that a 50th anniversary edition was printed in 2010. I plan on putting it on my list of books to buy for my daughters.

What are some of your favorite adventure books for girls?
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Island of the Blue Dolphins
By Scott O'Dell
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Year: 1960
Ages/Themes: Middle Grade Books, Books for Girls, Adventure, Diverse Books, Newbery Books

Newbery Books Worth Reading: Princess Academy

I'm sure you've heard that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover (though as every book marketer and seller will tell you, people do it all the time). Well, I sometimes judge a book by its title. And that's why it took me a few years to give Princess Academy by Shannon Hale a chance.

I actually love fairy tales and their many retellings, but for some reason having the word princess in the title kept me from reading this book. But I changed my mind after reading it. It's certainly not for everyone, but middle grade girls will likely love the story, and lovers of young adult and middle grade books (like me) will likely enjoy this book as well. I don't think it's Shannon Hale's best, but it's still a good one. (Book of a Thousand Days is her best if you're wondering.)

Are you a Shannon Hale fan? Which book of hers is your favorite?
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Princess Academy
By Shannon Hale
Publisher: Bloomsbury Books for Children
Year: 2005
Ages/Themes: Middle, YA, Fairy Tales, Fantasy

Firefight by Brandon Sanderson

For a few years I happily read and followed along with many of the most popular YA trilogies. I read the Hunger Games, Divergent, and Matched trilogies. But over time, I got really sick of trilogies. I've started some YA series and not moved on to the second book, because I'm weary of the books never ending. I really got sick of it with the Maze Runner series. I found the first book entertaining, but I think that the second book could have told the story in a couple of chapters and been part of the third book. It seems that authors have this great idea for a longer story and they know the ending, but since trilogies are a thing now, they have to come up with something for the middle.

Well, Brandon Sanderson has broken that stereotype for me. I really enjoyed Steelheart, so I was eager to read the second book, Firefight, despite my misgivings about trilogies (and the second book in particular). Firefight continues the story of the Reckoners, but it stands alone as a good story, and has a complete ending along with anticipation for the conclusion. It had important plot developments and character growth. I really can't wait to read the conclusion, but the second book's conclusion left me with a sense of completion that so many second books just don't do anymore.

So, the point of my long rant about trilogies and second books comes to this: read Firefight. It's just as good as Steelheart. It has adventure and humor and great storytelling.

What is your favorite trilogy? Is there one you think could have skipped the second book?

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Firefight
By Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Year: 2015
Ages/Themes: Young Adult Books, Middle Grade Books, Fantasy, Adventure, Science Fiction, Series

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

I came late to reading all the Harry Potter books, and so am just now getting around to reading the companion book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I love Harry Potter, but I don't think I would have read this book if it weren't for the movie version coming out in November.

The book is small and as a pretend text book, it would read a bit dry if it weren't for the bits of humor added throughout, both by the "author" and by the pretend notes written in it by Harry and his friends.

This book is definitely for Harry Potter fans, and would make a good gift for a child who already had all the Harry Potter books. The movie trailer looks really good and I'm interested to see the plot they attach to a book with no plot at all.

What about you? Are you a Harry Potter fan? What level of obsessed are you?

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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
By Newt Scamander (aka J.K. Rowling)
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Year: 2001
Ages: Early Reader, Middle Grade Books

Summerlost by Ally Condie

"It is possible to be different and still belong to your family. For them to love you like crazy."

I grew up on books like A Taste of Blackberries and Bridge to Terabithia where a best friend of the protagonist dies near the end. I feel that sometimes books like that end where they should begin because they don't spend much time dealing with how a child copes with loss.

Enter Summerlost by Ally Condie. Condie is the author of the best-selling Matched trilogy. Summerlost is the story of a summer that Cedar spends with her mother and brother in a new home a year after they lost their father and another brother in a car accident. Another important topic that this book talks about is what it is like to have a sibling with special needs. It captures the love and the frustration and the guilt.

Now that I've made it sound like a book to read just to learn a lesson, it also has a really great story with great characters. I recommend it to any middle grade reader.
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Summerlost
By Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Children's Books
Year: 2016
Ages: Middle Grade Books

You can find this book on Amazon (affiliate link), at an independent bookstore, or at your local library.

Steelheart (The Reckoners) by Brandon Sanderson

Superhero movies and books are abundant these days. There are even superheroes with dark sides. But what if there were people who gained superhero powers, but none of them were good? What if the world was filled with super villains but there were no good guys with super powers to stop them?

I was in the middle of reading two other books when I started reading Steelheart, the first book in The Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson. I abandoned those and finished this book as quickly as I could. The premise is intriguing, the story was fast-paced and fun, and its full of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I'll probably reread it someday to see if there's foreshadowing that I missed. The good news is it's part of a series, so there's more to read.

I recommend this book for anyone who likes superheroes, adventures, or alternate worlds (I hesitate to call it a dystopia, but the world is certainly a grimmer place with villains controlling everything). This would be a great book for teenage boys.

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Steelheart
By Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Year: 2013
Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Books for Boys

You can buy this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent library).

Newbery Books Worth Reading: The Blue Sword

Robin McKinley was one of my favorite authors growing up. She writes retellings of classic fairy tales, including two different versions of Beauty and the Beast. And she writes some original fantasy books. The Blue Sword is one of them and it was a Newbery Honor book in 1983. 

McKinley wrote strong female leads before there was so much emphasis on making sure girls read books with strong female leads. In The Blue Sword a young orphaned girl is destined to wield a legendary sword and become the king's rider. I loved reading it as a young girl and I still love it. It's a great book for girls, but there's plenty of action and adventure for boys to enjoy too. And it's definitely a Newbery book worth reading.

You can buy this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent book store.
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The Blue Sword
By Robin McKinley
Publisher: Greenwillow
Year: 1982
Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult
Themes: Newbery Honor, Fantasy

Go, Go America by Dan Yaccarino

My first grader just finished a school project called State on a Plate. She chose a state, researched it, and then made her presentation on a paper plate. (She chose my home state, Utah, which we visited last Christmas so it was fresh in her memory.) We researched by talking to her cousin who lives in Utah, looking things up on the internet, and getting books from the library.

One fun book we found is Go, Go America by Dan Yaccarino. A fictional family travels through all fifty states and each page includes interesting and out of the ordinary information about that state. (Did you that Utah has the highest literacy rate in the U.S.? I'm not surprised. Reading is a big deal there.) This book has been a favorite for night time reading as well as day time perusing. One of our favorite features is the table of contents.

My girls flip open to it and say, "Where do we want to visit next?" I love how it sparks their imagination and gets them interested in all the different places that make up our country.

Early readers will enjoy this book because the information is given in small bits, so they can read as little or as much as they like. The facts are funny and strange enough that this book would entertain even up to a middle grade reader.

So, where do you want to visit next?

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Go, Go America 
By Dan Yaccarino
Publisher: Scholastic
Year: 2008
Ages: Young Children, Picture Book, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books
Themes: Nonfiction, United States, Geography

The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill

I think I heard about The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill through Indiebound's list of recommendations from independent booksellers.

I've tried to describe the story, but I keep coming up short. I loved this book instantly and have recommended it to anyone who likes books that are a little different, a little dark, a little mystical. It's full of magic, unexpected heroes, tragedies, triumphs, family secrets, fantasy, and adventure. It's like reading a fairy tale--not a sparkly princess fairy tale, but a real fairy tale.

This book is great for middle grade readers, but I recommend it for young adults and adults too.
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The Witch's Boy
By Kelly Barnhill
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Year: 2014
Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult

You can buy this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent bookstore.

Alcatraz versus the Scrivener's Bones by Brandon Sanderson

I recently reviewed the first book in this series, Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson. I wasn't going to review this one too because they are very similar. The plot is different, but many of the characters are the same, the writing style is fun, and it's a little bit ridiculous but funny.

I was an English Lit major and so I don't think of myself as a prude when it comes to what I read, but I do want to be careful about what my kids read and what I recommend to other people. I used to rely on Young Adult literature to be free of sex, drugs, and language. But more and more this is not the case.

I read Alcatraz versus the Scrivener's Bones right after I started and had to stop reading four different young adult books because of content. So I really appreciated this book, knowing that it was clean, and that I could recommend it to anyone to read. Alcatraz might not be for everyone, but I can recommend it to anyone.

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Alcatraz versus the Scrivener's Bones
By Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Scholastic
Year: 2009
Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult Books, Books for Boys

You can find this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent bookstore.

Two Beauty and the Beast Tales

Before there was Shannon Hale, there was Robin McKinley. She was my favorite writer of fantasy and fairy tales when I was a teenager, and she remains in my top five.

One of the most interesting things about her books is that she wrote two different versions of Beauty and the Beast.

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of the Beauty & the Beast was published in 1978. It's a beautiful and simple retelling. I've reread it many times over the years. It's easy enough and appropriate for kids as young as 10, possibly younger if they're an advanced reader.

Have you ever reread a book many years later and found that it was a very different book? Robin McKinley went a step further and revisited Beauty and the Beast to write a completely different story almost 20 years after her first one. I love Rose Daughter as much as I love Beauty, but for different reasons. Rose Daughter is for an older audience (though still completely appropriate content-wise). The writing is at a more advanced level and the story is deeper, more mature, and more intriguing.

I've always loved the story of Beauty and the Beast in its many forms. Is there a classic story you return to over and over again in different tellings?

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You can find Beauty and Rose Daughter on Amazon (affiliate links) or at your local independent book store.

Guest Review: The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

I've had this book on hold at the library for weeks, and finally got it today. I'm excited to start reading it, especially after hearing about how great the series is from Katie*, who wrote this review:

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New York Times Bestseller, The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen, is my current favorite book. I read it within a week and then had to read the second, followed by the third. The Ascendance Trilogy is filled with action, lies, friendship, and a hint of romance.

The first book features four orphaned boys who are collected by a man named Conner. His plan is to install one boy on the throne to impersonate the long lost prince of Carthya. Forced to go along with his plan of treason, the boys each must decide whether to lie or to face death.

All three of the books have nice short chapters that help the story move along quickly without dragging it out. I would recommend this thrilling series of books for middle school aged kids and up.

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The False Prince

By Jennifer A. Nielsen

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Year: 2012

Ages: Middle School and older

*Katie is a fantasy writer, avid reader, violinist, and high school student.

Find this series on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent bookstore.

Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

Alcatraz has a talent for breaking things. It's part of the reason why he moves from foster home to foster home so often. Then one day he finds out that the world he knows is a lie. The world is run by a group of evil librarians--they control all the information after all. He teams up with others like him (with talents like always being late and speaking gibberish) to retrieve his stolen inheritance. Oh, and there are miniature, talking, British dinosaurs.

Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians is a fun and funny book that would be appropriate for ages 10 and up. The protagonist speaks directly to the reader, sometimes even about the writing itself. It reminded me of the style of the Series of Unfortunate Events books, so someone who likes those books would probably enjoy this one.

After reading this book I wished that my tendency to drop things could be construed to be a talent, but I just haven't found it to be yet.
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Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians
By Brandon Sanderson
Published by Scholastic
Year: 2007
Ages: Middle Grade, YA
Themes: fantasy, adventure

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

The 2016 Newbery Award winner and honor books have been announced. More than ten years ago when I was working in a middle school library, I made a goal to read all the Newbery Award books. I finished that goal a few years back and eagerly look forward to reading the new winner each year. Since I only have to read one book a year to keep up the goal, I often read the honor books too. And sometimes I like them even better than the winner.

The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradely earned a Newbery Honor nod this year. I already had this book on my TBR list and I'm glad that gave me the extra push to read it. It's the first full book I read in 2016 and it was a good start.

It's the story of young Ada and her little brother Jamie who leave London to live in the country during the bombings of World War II. Narrated by Ada, it's a powerful story of overcoming hardships. Despite that rousing description, it's a book I would have loved when I was young. It talks about difficult times and difficult issues, but in an age appropriate way. Much better than a ten-year-old reading The Hiding Place. Which I did. Anyway, good book. You should read it or give it to your Middle Grade reader.

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The War that Saved my Life 
By Kimberly Brubaker Bradely
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Year: 2015
Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult
Themes: WWII, England, disabilities
Awards: Newbery Honor Book