American Street by Ibi Zoboi

Summary from Goodreads:

The rock in the water does not know the pain of the rock in the sun.

On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie—a good life.

But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola’s mother is detained by U.S. immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins, Chantal, Donna, and Princess; the grittiness of Detroit’s west side; a new school; and a surprising romance, all on her own.

Just as she finds her footing in this strange new world, a dangerous proposition presents itself, and Fabiola soon realizes that freedom comes at a cost. Trapped at the crossroads of an impossible choice, will she pay the price for the American dream?

Review:

This was so different from the other work I read by Zoboi. It’s her first book, so I guess I’m reading things all out of order. It wasn’t what I was expecting. It was rough, raw, and emotional. But, it was also this whole new perspective for me. Right away, I loved Fabiola. How hard it must be to immigrate here, lose your only family member at the airport, and then be thrust into this harsh Detroit reality. Between culture clashes, reality checks, and high school, this was a dramatic read.

It’s about perspective and learning that things are not always what they seem. America is not what it seems. Your family isn’t always what they seem. Love isn’t what it seems. And then the big one: you aren’t always who you think you are. Fabiola learns what she’ll risk things for, what’s worth the risk, and what isn’t.

There are so many tough subjects in here. And I like that this book isn’t exactly about them. They take the backseat to family and to Fabiola growing into herself. They are important, sure. How can drug dealing, violence, domestic abuse, police brutality, etc not be important? But in a way, they are just so much part of the norm for these characters that they can’t take center stage. I wished some of the characters were able to get more help. But, maybe that was point too. This isn’t a book where everyone has a happy ending or even where the happy ending is clear for each character.

Some of the things that happened even had my gasping out loud in shock. I was taken aback by one plot development. It was so sad. I had tears in my eyes at the end and I genuinely had no idea what was going to happen at the very end. Then ending was insane. I loved the suspense, the characters, the tidbits about Haitian culture, and the drama. I found this to be a very strong and relevant book. But, it was also very emotional and intense. It took me longer than normal to read the whole thing. I had to space it out over time and read it all at once. I give it a 9/10. I’ll definitely be looking for more to read by this author.

Lockwood and Co: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

Summary from Goodreads:

When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .

For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.

Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.

Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humour and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again . . .

Review:

So we actually listened to another audiobook first on our trip to Chicago. We listened to Jackaby by William Ritter, but since I’ve already read and reviewed it on this blog I figured I’d skip to the next book in my pile…I’ve fallen a bit behind in my blogging and my book pile is threatening to fall over.

Sadly, I got rid of most of my Children’s audiobook collection this past year at the library. They just weren’t circulating. I set a few aside for the long road trip that I thought my husband and I might both like. This was one of them. A ghost story with sword fighting on the front cover? Why not? Sometimes I can be so right with my book suggestions it’s frightening. Not only did Nick and both love this book, but we are already about to begin book 3 at home (not even in the car). I had no idea there were 5 in the series! We also both loved Jackaby. But, this book just ended in such a spot where we had to keep going….

I also have to give props to the narrator: Miranda Raison. She is fantastic at voices, dead and alive. If not for her remarkable narration skills, we would have had a much worse road trip! 17 hours is no joke.

Anyway, this book is amazing! I cannot believe I have not read it until now. What an amazing read-alike/fantasy middle grade book for fans of Rick Riordan, JK Rowling, Shannon Messenger, and Jessica Townsend. The story is a little bit spookier than some of these other books, but just as suspenseful. And the characters are just as good. Oh, and the cliffhangers! The cliffhangers kill me.

The only thing that kind of annoys me about the books is I’m never sure on the time period….Things like donuts and comic books come up, but there are no cell phones or other modern pieces of technology. Is it a total fantasy world version of London? Or is it decades ago, but with ghosts? Will this ever get explained? Maybe.

The characters in here are unbelievable. You feel like you know them by the end. The ghosts are so spooky. The world is insane. Only kids can deal with the ghosts. It’s kids that fight the supernatural because adults can’t see them. And often kids die fighting them….There’s swords, chains, talking ghosts jars, secret rooms, literal screaming staircases, not so helpful police, rival investigative societies, and so much more. I give this first book a 10/10. I can’t wait to keep reading.

The Lost Language by Claudia Mills

Summary fro Goodreads:

The quest to save the words of a dying language - and to find the words to save what may be a dying friendship - lies at the heart of this exquisite verse novel.

Sixth grader Betsy is the one who informs her best friend, Lizard, that thousands of the world's languages are currently threatened by extinction; Betsy's mother is a linguistics professor working frantically to study dying languages before they are lost forever. But it is Lizard who, gripped by the magnitude of this loss, challenges Betsy, What if, instead of WRITING about dying languages, like your mom, you and I SAVED one instead?

As the girls embark on their quest to learn as much as possible of the near-extinct language of Guernsiais (spoken on the Isle of Guernsey, off the coast of France), their friendship faces unexpected strains. With Lizard increasingly obsessed with the language project, Betsy begins to seek greater independence from her controlling and charismatic friend, as well as from her controlling and charismatic mother. Then tragedy threatens Betsy's life beyond what any words can express, and Lizard does something unthinkable.

Maybe lost friendships, like lost languages, can never be completely saved.

Review:

I had a bit of a back and forth relationship with this book. At first I loved it. 2 friends want to save a dying language? What precious children are these? And then it gets a bit intense with mean girl/middle school drama. And it’s not that the drama is bad….it’s actually really good and believable. I think part of my problem is it made me think of my own middle school mean girl drama that was weirdly similar. This is no fault of the book. Actually, if anything, it speaks wonders for how accurate this book writes about young girl friendships.

It actually reminds me a little of the young girl friendship from My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. It’s crazy accurate how this author gets it. I guess it just was unexpected for me. The book started so light. And then when I finally feel like I understand the direction things are going, and I’m accepting this book for what it is, I kind of get sucker-punched again…

This is not an easy novel to read. Betsy’s mother does something that again threw me for a loop. What she does is first kept from Betsy, and oh my God, I was so upset how everything was revealed and handled. And again, I related to this book too much (not because of my mother, but because of another family member)….And, I had to stop reading for a while.  This was again a subject that hit close to home for me, and I’m an adult. I can imagine how it might affect young readers.

I did pick the book back up. Everything is written beautifully. It’s written in verse, which I tend to be a big fan of. I feel like authors who can write this way tend to be able to express things in a strong way. Mills certainly could express grief, sadness, anxiety, and the feeling of a being a young girl really well. I guess my major issue is just how unexpected everything was for me. I wish I had more of a hint that such intense subjects were coming. I really thought this was going to be much lighter. Though, the blurb does mention a coming tragedy. The kids just seem so innocent in the beginning that the juxtaposition of it seemed so intense.

Overall, I did think this was a good book. Kid books are allowed to be dark. It was more intense than I knew it would be. The subject was certainly darker than I knew. Girl friendships were the core of the book, but family matters were certainly important as well mental illness. I’m not sure I’d recommend this to just anyone, but I guess I’d recommend it to the right reader. I give it an 8/10.

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King the Graphic Novel by Natalie Andrewson

Summary from Goodreads:

Natalie Andrewson brings E.T.A. Hoffmann’s surreal and fantastical story to life like never before in this vibrant graphic novel adaptation of the beloved Christmas classic, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.

Of all the gifts under the tree on Christmas Eve, only one captures Marie Stahlbaum’s heart: a humble nutcracker.

He’s a curious little man, with kind eyes, sweet red cheeks, and a friendly appearance.

And as midnight nears, he comes to life, revealing a fairy-tale world of magic and wonder, wicked princesses and fierce battles . . . and an ancient curse that can only be broken with the help of a true friend.

With the evil Mouse King looming and her dream world threatened, Marie will have to find the strength to stand up for her nutcracker—no matter what it takes.

Review:

I love the story of the Nutcracker. I love the ballet. When I was a little girl I loved Christmas time when all the cartoons did Nutcracker episodes and I could see different versions of the story. I pretty much jump at the chance to read whatever version of it can. I’m not familiar with many graphic novel versions so I was happy to see one.

That being said, I didn’t super love the art style of this. It did remind me too much of little kid cartoons. It had a very “Rugrats” or Nickelodeon feel. It is a kids graphic novel. So, I guess it is meant for a kids audience…And I do think kids would like the illustrations more than me. For some reason though for me personally, I just didn’t love it. And it was hard for me to get into the style. By about the halfway point I finally kind of “forced” myself to adjust the style.

I did like this interpretation of the story. It read more like a retold folktale or fairytale than a Christmas story. And I’m okay with that. In fact, I think part of my disconnect with the art is that it just didn’t read fairytale or folk tale. It read so juvenile and cartoon. I wanted something more fantastical or folksy. I did like how Marie kept going back and forth between the worlds of the nutcracker and and her own. I loved the side-by-side stories. It reminded me a little of the Princess Bride in this effect. I also loved the characters. The parents and the brother seemed believable.

All in all, I still read this super quickly. And art is definitely subjective. I think it’s just my personal view of it that threw me off. I definitely think kids would love this version of the Nutcracker and I can see it being an excellent holiday gift when that season comes along again. I give it a 7/10.

Eva Evergreen and the Cursed Witch by Julie Abe

Summary from Goodreads:

Eva Evergreen has fulfilled her dream of earning the rank of Novice Witch, and discovered the chilling truth behind the mysterious Culling -- the violent magical storm wreaking havoc across Rivelle Realm.

Revealing the truth, however, proves to be a difficult task and soon the culprit is at large. To make matters worse Eva learns what might be the horrible truth behind her pinch of magic and her mother's own mysterious connection to the Culling and rogue magic.

With her spirits at an all-time low, Eva must muster up the courage to prove her mother's innocence and learn to believe in her own magic, if she wishes to put a stop to the Culling once and for all.

Review:

I saw this book going through the delivery at my library and I hadn’t realized it had already come out! I really enjoyed the first book. I even attended a virtual library panel and watched the author do a reading from this sequel. I was super excited for it’s release. And then all of a sudden it surprised me! I of course ordered it right away.

The first book was like a sweeter version of Kiki’s Delivery Service mixed with Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and a little bit of Pokemon. It just made me feel good. I wish it was a Netflix series I could binge. I remember thinking the sequel would probably be a cute companion or I’d probably enjoy it just as much or maybe not quite as much. I was wrong. I liked it more!

This one has all the sweetness and fluff of book 1. But, it’s also deeper! There’s more darkness. There’s more bravery and rescue to this one. It’s more about saving people then about saving the world and I know this doesn’t like it, but it felt more dramatic. The characters were more developed. The world felt more real. There becomes a point, about half way through, when it’s just impossible to put this story down. You have to know what’s going to happen! The stakes are just so high.

All in all, I loved this. Julie Abe is an author to keep your eye on, for sure. I can’t wait to read more from her. I give this one a 10/10.

A Good Week in Books (228)

 

I don’t do a lot of these posts any more. But, I’ve recently received a lot of books to review, thanks to Hachette and my favorite independent bookstore in Chicago. I took a trip back there for the first time since the pandemic started. And stepping into my favorite bookstore for the first time in 2 years, after learning that some of my old libraries and other bookstores had closed for good, was like re-connecting with family members. I also purchased one signed book while shopping.

My husband, my puppy, and I also listened to a lot of audiobooks on our 2 day road trip to Chicago, and then our 2 day road trip back to MA. I didn’t do a ton of reading on my vacation, but I’ve been a reading a lot since. And I can’t seem to get out of the audiobook trend lately. I go in and out of loving them.

Here are all the lovely new books accumulated over the last few weeks:

All My Rage (signed) by Sabaa Tahir
Alliana Girl of Dragons (ARC 8/22) by Julie Abe

The Song that Moves the Sun (ARC 6/22) by Anna Bright

Outlaw Saints Book 1: Ballad & Dagger (ARC 5/22) by Daniel Jose Older

Aru Shah and the End of Time the Graphic Novel by Roshani Chokshi

Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl by Julie Kagawa

Alone Out Here by Riley Redgate

I can’t wait to dig into them!