this week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (7/31/22)

I've finally accepted the fact that Bloglovin is no longer an option, and so much of morning so far has been trying to get all the blogs I regularly read onto feedly.  I am still working on this, so let me know if I missed your post!

The Reviews

Alliana, Girl of the Dragons by Julie Abe, at Bookworm for Kids

Asking for Trouble, by Sarah Prineas, at Puss Reboots

The Captive Kingdom, by Jennifer A. Nielsen, at Proseandkahn

Carnival of the Haunted, by Kieran Larwood, at Book Craic

Children of the Quicksands by Efua Traoré, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Crowns of Croswald, by D. E Night, at Herding Cats

The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities, by Rick Riordan, at Say What?

Dark Waters, by Katherine Arden, at Bookshelves of Doom

Etta Invincible, by Reese Eischmann, at Always in the Middle

Every Bird a Prince, by Jenn Reese, at alibrarymama

Fenris and Mott, by Greg Van Eekhout, at Say What?

Ghost Squad, by Claribel Ortega, at Colorful Book Reviews

Imaginary, by Lee Bacon, at YA Books Central

The Last Fallen Moon (Gifted Clans, #2) by Graci Kim, at YA Books Central

Mia and the Lightcasters, by Janelle McCurdy, at Scope for Imagination and A Cat, a Book, and a Cup of Tea

Misfit's Magic, by Fred Gracely, at Valinora Troy

The Ogress and the Orphans, by Kelly Barnhill, at Geek Dad

The Pennymores and the Curse of the Invisible Quill, by Erik Koester, at Mousereads

The Revenge of Zombert, by Kara LaReau, at Charlotte's Library

Small Spaces (Small Spaces Quintent, Book 1) by Katherine Arden, at Hidden in Pages (audiobook review)

Spellstoppers, by Cat Gray, at Book Craic

Team Chu and the Battle of Blackwood Arena, by Julie C. Dao, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Thirteen Treasures, by Michelle Harrison, at Sifa Elizabeth Reads

Witchlings, by Claribel Ortega, at Puss Reboots

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, by T. Kingfisher, at Bookshelves of Doom

Xander and the Dream Thief (Momotaro #2), by Margaret Dilloway, at Colorful Book Reviews

Two at The Book Search--This Appearing House, by Ally Malinenko, and You Only Live Once, David Bravo, by Mark Oshiro

Authors and Interviews

Gemma Fowler (City of Rust) at Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books

Greg van Eekhout (Fenris and Mott), at PB Monthly

Derrick Chow (Ravenous Things) at Literary Rambles

Darcy Marks (Grounded For All Eternity), at Writer's Digest

Jonathan Stroud (The Notorious Scarlett and Browne) at Library Girl and Book Boy

The Revenge of Zombert, by Kara LaReau

The Revenge of Zombert, by Kara LaReau (July 2022, Candlewick), is the third installment about a cat who escaped from torment in a lab and the girl who adopted him sees the two of them pitted in a final showdown against the evil corporation, YummCo, that's misusing science to take over the world.

Bert the cat escaped from the YummCo lab, in terrible shape and twisted past normal cat-ness by the experiments to which he was subject.  Mellie adopted him, and the two began to work together to uncover the dark secrets of YummCo.  It becomes an even more urgent crisis in this third book--YummCo. food products are turning everyone who eats them into zombies, desperate to consume more.  And a scratch from Bert's claw has infected Mellie with the same alterations that have made him super smart and super hungry....With the help of friends and some surprising allies, Mellie and Bert use their wits and determination to bring YummCo. down once and for all!

It's very good sci fi adventure for the younger elementary set (ages 8-10).  The cruelty of animals will fire up kids, and some might also appreciate the evil of the corporation so greedy for market control that it will stop at nothing.  The writing is brisk and to the point, capturing each moment in the adventure clearly, and dropping just information about what's really happening to keep readers on their toes.

I was very pleased indeed when this came in the mail so that I could finally find out how it all ended! When I read the first Zombert book book,  The Rise of Zombert (my review), I had the following comment:

"It was an abrupt shock to reach the end of this book only to find that we don't get the answers yet! I myself am suspicious of YummCo Foods, and their economic hold on the town....The sudden stop makes me want to read the next book, but it also was very harsh to be just left there with all the questions. This might annoy some young readers greatly."

Ha!  I was prescient re YummCo!  And now that all three books are out in the world, no annoyance is necessary, unless you read the first one and the other two are checked out or not purchased for you briskly enough....We are given a satisfactory ending, but there is room for more.....and I wouldn't say no!

disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher

Hello Now, by Jenny Valentine, for Timeslip Tuesday

 Although it's not always obvious (and doesn't always work) I do sometimes try to plan ahead and make sure I have time travel books read and ready to review on Tuesdays.  So I placed lots of holds last week, and have just finished one of them--Hello Now, by Jenny Valentine.  At about page 100, slightly more than halfway through, it started seeming familiar....and I checked Goodreads, and found I'd read it before.  Not very long before, either--February of 2021.  I wrote of the book then "Not to my personal taste."  And this conclusion still stands.  

What follows is a presentation of why it's not to my personal taste, as opposed to a nuanced, critical and level-headed review.  I'm going to spoil the story, so if you want to go read a book I don't really like without being spoiled off you go!

It's a story of a teenager, Jude (gender never specified), disgruntled at their mother for constantly choosing to move new places when things turn sour.  Another new house, another new town, although this one comes comes with an old man, Henry, living it, which is new  This was interesting; I enjoy people exploring old houses and Henry seemed like he had potential as a character (though I hadn't remembered at this point I'd read the book before).

Then Jude's life is transformed when a magical boy, Novo, who transcends time and space and the laws of physics (literally) appears on the scene (here's another personal thing--I thought the name Novo was silly).  It's basically him appearing, being all magical pied piper (babies stop crying when he smiles on them, etc.) and saying "hi I'm your magical soul mate come transcend the laws of time and space with me" and Jude going yes and being transcended into a pocket universe bubble of space time.  This was odd, and not very interesting, because Novo showed no signs of having any particular character trait other than being mesmerizing, and Jude had no thoughts that weren't about him.  I did not remember reading about Novo a year and a half ago.

Then Jude and Novo are in  their own little bubble of a private Now and it is heady, so heady, with love and lots of description.  Good description of cliff diving, but generally not very interesting to me, except I wondered why Jude wasn't surprised that they both suddenly had wetsuits.  Where did they get wetsuits? If Novo's magicness conjured them, why not conjure more things? Why stop at wetsuits?

We switch back to Henry for a bit, and he does have character and a backstory....and a sad love story of his own (this is where I started remembering!) Turns out he was a being like Novo, who also fell transcendently for a regular mortal, and instead of being content to spend what time  he could with her in a space time bubble, he stuck around until she got old and died, and ended up being trapped in an undying aged body with no ability to flow through doors of time and space anymore. Moderately interesting. 

In any event, Jude decides to keep Novo from getting stuck like that, and good byes are hard but Jude goes off travelling courtesy of Henry's squirreled away wealth and dispassionately observes people and places with no interesting thoughts about them (Jude's main thought is "good for me I'm not home on the couch"), almost as if the  Novo experience fried their brain with transcendentness.

Novo is back in an in-between space finding to find another door to go through.

But anyway, time is certainly slippery, and I've now written a blog post.

In fairness--if you like books with lots of description (nicely written description; it does make good pictures in the mind), that's full of Feelings and Young Love, you might love this.  The Kirkus reviewer liked it more than I did:  "The author deftly handles themes of living in the moment, embracing change, and moving forward after loss. While the conclusions drawn don’t necessarily break new ground, readers will nevertheless walk away with a lot to think about."  

I am still thinking about wetsuits, and how unromantic they are both to put on and take off.....

This week's roundup of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs

So I didn't get a single review written this week (too hot to concentrate in my old non-airconditioned house), but happily many of you did!  Bloglovin was once again no help this week, snarl, so do let me now if I missed your post; I had to rely on googling this week....

The Reviews

All The Queen’s Sons, by Elizabeth Kipps, at Hailey Huntington

Amira and Hamza: The War to Save the Worlds, by Samira Ahmed, at AMB 

Cavern of Secrets (Wing and Claw #2), by Linda Sue Park, at Colorful Book Reviews

Etta Invincible, by Reese Eschmann, at Jenjenreviews and The Bookwyrm's Den

Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation, by Sylvia Liu, at Semicolon

J.R. Silver Writes Her World, by Melissa Dassori, at Bit About Books

Jimmy Chartron and the Lost Keystone, by J.T. Michaels, at J.R.'s Book Reviews

The Journey Begins: Magic Hunters #1 by Jill and Brad Williamson, at Say What?

Last Gate of the Emperor, by Kwame Mbalia and Joel Makonnen, at The Bookwyrm's Den

Let the Monster Out, by Chad Lucas, at A Kids Book A Day

The Myriad Mysteries of Eartha Quicksmith (BK2), by Loris Owen, at Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Nightingale, by Deva Fagan, at A Blog of Books and Musicals

Nura and the Immortal Palace, by M.T. Kahn, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Problem With Prophecies ((The Celia Cleary Series #1) by Scott Reintgen, at Say What?

Solimar: The sword of Monarchs, by Pam Muñoz Ryan, at Our Sunday Project

The Umbrella Mouse, by Anna Fargher, at Sifa Elizabeth Reads

Two at alibrarymama--It's the End of the World and I’m in My Bathing Suit, by Justin A. Reynolds, and Valentina Salazar is NOT a Monster Hunter, by Zoraida Cordova

Authors and Interviews

M.T. Khan (Nura and the Immortal Palace) with agent Melanie Figueroa, at Literary Rambles

 Reese Eschmann (Etta Invincible) at Nine Bookish Lives

Frank L. Cole (The Die of Destiny), at Journey to Zenobia

Francesca May (Wild and Wicked Things), at Geeks Out

Gemma Fowler  (City of Rust) at Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Other Good Stuff

"Fun, Feel-Good, & Empowering Middle Grade and YA Science Fiction and Fantasy" at bookriot

"The best creepy dollhouse books for middle grade readers" picked by Katheryn Reiss at Shepherd

and it's just a few weeks now till the call for judges for this year's Cybils Awards will go out!  Do consider appling to be a panelist this year, and spend your fall reading and chatting about whatever kids/YA book genre you like best (perhaps elementary/middle grade speculative fiction!)  Here are my thoughts on why being a Cybils judge is a wonderful thing. Anyone can nominate in September, and in the meantime there are idea boards over at the Cybils website. It takes a bit of focus to add a book to the idea boards, but it's a great way to show love to your favorite books/authors! Of course, I could add 100 emg spec fic books I think should be nominated off the top of my head, but that's not really the point....

This week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (7/17/22)

Bloglovin was not accessible this weekend, so I'm probably missing lots of posts this week; please let me know if I missed yours!

The Reviews

The Button Box, by Bridget Hodder and Fawzia Gilani-Williams, at Charlotte's Library

The Diamond in the Window, by Jane Langton, at Semicolon

Festergrimm, by Thomas Taylor, at Scope for Imagination

A Flash of Fireflies, by Aisha Bushby, at Rosie Amber

Freddie vs the Family Curse, by Tracy Badua, at Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog

J.R. Silver Writes Her World, by Melissa Dassori, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Last Beekeeper, by Pablo Cartaya, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Lost in the Mushroom Maze (Dungeoneer Adventures #1) by Ben Costa & James Parks, at Say What?

The Mermaid Call, by Alex Cotter, at Book Craic

The Myriad Mysteries of Eartha Quicksmith, by Loris Owen, at Valinora Troy

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun, by Tolá Okogwu, at Geo Librarian

Orla and the Wild Hunt, by Anna Hoghton, at Scope for Imagination and Book Craic

Quintessence, by Jess Redman, at Colorful Book Reviews

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor, by Xiran Jay Zhao, at InkandplasmaReviews

Two at The Virginia Pilot--Healer and Witch, by Nancy Werlin, and The Last Mapmaker, by Christina Soontornvat

Two at Feed Your Fiction Addiction--Lia Park and the Missing Jewel by Jenna Yoon, and Spineless by Samantha San Miguel

MG Readathon Time!

 Ms. Yingling Reads is hosting a 48 MG readathon this weekend, and having completed my tasks for the day, I'm ready to plunge in!

I won't be reading for 48 hours, but I do hope to enjoy these books.

The ones I bought:

The ones I picked up at ALA and some review copies:

And two from the library:

This will make no appreciable dent in my tbr pile of course, but some progress is better than no progress...

The Button Box, by Bridget Hodder and Fawzia Gilani-Williams for Timeslip Tuesday

The Button Box, by Bridget Hodder and Fawzia Gilani-Williams (April 2022, Kar-Ben Publishing), is a lovely time travel story for upper elementary/younger middle grade readers (which is to say 8-10 year olds).  It entertains, it educates, it offers wisdom and promotes tolerance, and it has a cat...

Fifth grade is turning sour for Ava, who's Jewish, and her cousin Nadeem, who's Muslim, when a classmate starts bulling them about their religions.  When they tell their Grandma, instead of picking up the phone to talk to the principle, she tells a story about one of their Sephardic ancestors in 8th century North Africa, a girl named Ester whose family are spice merchants.  And she brings out a crystal button box, full of buttons cherished for generations.  Granny's cat, Sheba, somehow triggers its magic, and one of the buttons takes Ava and Nadeem back to Ester's time....

The two modern kids are recognized as the cousins whose visit was expected, and the time-travel magic provides them with appropriate clothes and language skills, so although they are a bit anxious about getting home again, it's not traumatic.  They are pretty sure that there's going to be something they have to do in the past, and sure enough, there is.

The Umayyad dynasty who ruled Syria has been overthrown, and one of the only surviving princes, Abdur Rhaman, aka Abd al-Rahman, is running for his life.  He's desperately trying to get to Spain, just a few miles across the water.  Ava and Nadeem know that he is responsible for a Golden Age where science and art flourishes, and Muslims, Jews, and Christians live peacefully together.  But from where they are standing in North Africa, with an mob trying to capture the prince to claim the bounty on his life, this future seems like it might never happen, which would mean that Ava and Nadeem were never born.

But Ester has a plan to save him, and Ava and Nadeem are in the right place at the right time to help her....

And as an added bonus for the two kids, Abdur Rhaman is able to share wisdom with them that will help them with their modern bully, and they in turn are able to give him the assurance he will need to lead his kingdom.

The past is vividly described, and I very pleasurably learned an important bit of history I was never taught (I have now done a lot of  further online reading and have quickly planned a trip to Andalusia, Spain).   It very thoughtfully offers a view of Islam and Judaism that's respectful and heartfelt, and holds wisdom for the receptive reader without being dogmatic or preachy. And it does all this in only 129 pages.

Please give this to the kid who has just outgrown the Magic Tree House books after reading them all, whose mind is ready to be stretched a bit! Or any other 8 or 9 year old you happen to have around.  Or if you are an adult willing to appreciate a book that might at first seem to young for you but actually isn't, give it a try!  

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This week's round-up of middle grade fantasy and science fiction from around the blogs (7/10/22)

Good morning from a lovely day here in Rhode Island, where I have far too much yard work to do and far too many books to read!  Here's what I found this week; let me know about anything I missed.

The Reviews

Alliana, Girl of Dragons, by Julie Abe, at Pages Unbound

Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes (Pandava #3) by Roshani Chokshi, at Colorful Book Reviews

The Dragon Flyers Book 1, by Cynthia Star, at Say What?

The Dragon in the Bookshop, by Ewa Jozefkowicz, at Book Craic and Sifa Elizabeth Reads

The Double Trouble Society, by Carrie Hope Fletcher, at splashesintobooks

Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation, by Sylvia Liu, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Impossible Destiny of Cutie Grackle, by Shawn K. Stout, at Log Cabin Library

Into the Vortex (Dylan Dover #1), by Lynne Howard, at Say What?

The Last Mapmaker, by Christina Soontornvat, at alibrarymama

Mars Evacuees, by Sophia McDougall, at The Fabric of Words

The Mermaid Call, by Alex Cotter, at Scope for Imagination

The Midnighters by Hana Tooke, at Book Craic, Readaraptor, and Magic Fiction Since Potter

The Mirrorwood, by Deva Fagan, at No Genre Left Behind

The Notorious Scarlett and Brown, by Jonathan Stroud, at Sifa Elizabeth Reads

Nura and the Immortal Palace, by M.T. Khan, at Utopia State of Mind

Rea and the Blood of the Nectar, by Payal Doshi, at Valinora Troy 

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud, at Proseandkahn

The Train to Impossible Places, by P.G. Bell, at Leaf's Reviews

Valentina Salazar is Not a Monster Hunter, by Zoraida Córdova, at Charlotte's Library

Authors and Interviews

Kerelyn Smith (Mulrox and the Malcognitos) at The Fabric of Words

Ewa Jozefkowiez (The Dragon in the Bookshop) at Scope for Imagination

Other Good Stuff

"Middle Grade Fantasy Series Your Kids Need Now!" at Happily Ever Elephants

Valentina Salazar is Not a Monster Hunter, by Zoraida Córdova

Valentina Salazar is Not a Monster Hunter, by Zoraida Córdova (June 28, 2022, Scholastic) is a fun new middle grade fantasy perfect, just perfect, for kids who have outgrown the elementary magical creature befriending books.  Here we have magical creatures galore, and even rainbow unicorn poop, but there are serious family issues driving the plot, and serious questions about ethical choices.  There's also a wild car trip in a very wild vehicle, a visit to an alternate world where magical creatures live, an evil powerful organization that must be infiltrated, and a kick-ass mom who gets to help (which I appreciated).

Val has grown up in a family of monster protectors, dashing across the country with her parents and three older siblings whenever they hear of a sighting.  Her father was raised to be a monster hunter, dealing with incursions by killing the monsters, but rejected that. Instead, he has taught his family to trap the creatures and send them back to their home world.  But when he's killed by an ora puma (a mountain lion with wings and a scorpion tail), her mother takes the family to a small town where they can have a normal life.  Andie, the oldest sister, leaves home almost immediately to join the monster hunters in a betrayal Val can't wrap her head around.  Lola and Rome seem to be cool with going to school.  But Val is a frustrated, miserable mess, and gets herself into heaps of trouble when she tries to deal with monsters she thinks she sees at school.

But on the last day of school, there really is a fire breathing lizardish chipmunk up a tree...and the situation that ensues not only gets Val one last detention, but it brings her and her siblings a little bit closer.  Then Val sees an online clip of a kid showing off his "dragon" egg, and recognizes it as an ora puma egg.  Determined to live up to her family's creed, she decides, in good middle grade fashion, that she will drive the family monster hunting van cross country to get hold of the egg, and send it back where it belongs.

Fortunately, Lola and Rome aren't going to let her go alone.  

And this is really where the book gets going!  Lots of adventures, new friends, narrow escapes, magical creatures, and more, and it is all most satisfactory. Val's determination and zeal might get her into trouble at school, but it is just what is needed to not only bring her family back together and hold them to the ethical standards by which they were raised, but also to take down a nasty organization that wants to profit from monsters, and will stop at nothing to do so.

Sweetening the pot for the target audience is Val's guilty secret.  She has befriended a cute little sugar loving monster instead of sending it home, and it is rather adorable.  

In short, lots of magical creatures and lots of heart! I enjoyed the whole ensemble lots, especially once the road trip started.

disclaimer: review copy received (aka snatched by my greedy little paws) at ALA for review.

 

This week's roundup of middle grade sci fi and fantasy from around the blogs (7/3/22)

 Good morning all!  Here's what I found this week; let me know if I missed your post!

Here's a reminder that being a Cybils judge is a wonderful thing with which to fill your idle hours this fall! Look for the call for panelists in mid August.

The Reviews

The Child of Fire and Earth, by Barry Ryers, at Books are 42

Dragon on Trial, by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland, at No Genre Left Behind

Epic Zero, by R. L. Ullman, at Valinora Troy

Forest of Wonders (Wing & Claw #1), by Linda Sue Park, at Colorful Book Reviews

Freckles: The Dark Wizard, by Jerry Harwood, at Fabulous and Brunette

 Gabe in the After, by Shannon Doleski, at Cracking the Cover

Lark and the Wild Hunt, by Jennifer Adam, at Say What?

The Last Cuentista, by Donna Barba Higuera, at Leaf's Reviews

The Last Mapmaker, by Christina Soontornvat, at Children's Books Heal

The Lonely Ghost, by Mike Ford, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Mapmakers and the Lost Magic by Cameron Chittock & Amanda Castillo, at Pages Unbound 

The Marvellers, by Dhonielle Clayton, at alibrarymama

The Midnighters, by Hana Tooke, at Cracking the Cover

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told by his brother) by David Levithan, at proseandkahn (audiobook review)

The Prince of Nowhere, by Rochelle Hassan, at Charlotte's Library

Ravenous Things, by Derrick Chow, at Say What?

Revenge of Queen Rose by Valinora Troy, at  Iseult Murphy

Secret of the Shadow Beasts, by Diane Magras, at The Bookwyrm's Den

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief, by A. F. Steadman, at Sifa Elizabeth Reads

Spineless, by Samantha San Miguel, at GeoLibrarian

Tamarind and the Star of Ishtar, by Jasbinder Bilan, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Twin Stars (The Coseema Saga #1), by Bridgette Dutta Portman, at Bookworm for Kids

Willa of Dark Hollow, by Robert Beatty, at The Children's Book Review

Wretched Waterpark, by Kiersten White, at Always in the Middle 

Two at The Book Search -- Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting by Roseanne A. Brown, and Fenris and Mott, by Greg van Eekhout

Two at Ms. Yingling Reads -- The Dollhouse, by Charis Cotter, and The Clackity, by Lora Senf

Authors and Interviews

Shawn Peters (The Unforgettable Logan Foster and the Shadow of Doubt), at MG Book Village

Shirley Vernick (Ripped Away), at Mom Read It

Shivaun Plozza (A Reluctant Witch’s Guide to Magic) at Better Reading

Other Good Stuff

Ten Science Fiction Books for Elementary Kids, at  Nerdy Book Club