The Curse of Eelgrass Bog, by Mary Averling

My first debut middle grade fantasy of 2024--The Curse of Eelgrass Bog, by Mary Averling (Jan 2, 2024, Razorbill)! And it was a good one.

Kess's life is focused on keeping the family's Museum of Unnatural History afloat until her parents return from their expedition investigating unnatural creatures in Antarctica.  It's falling to bits around her, and no-one visits, and her older brother Oliver spends all his time shut in the library, not helping.  Her only friend is a sunken head in a jar, one that actually talks to her; otherwise, she's on her own, desperately hoping that she can make some grand discovery that will revitalize the museum at the edge of the magical, and completely forbidden, Eelgrass Bog, home to witches, demons, and more. It's not much of a life for a 12 year old.

Then a visitor comes to the museum-- Lilou, a girl who's just moved to town.  Lilou's grandfather has left her a cryptic note--

    Beware the witches.

    Break the curse.

    Save the society.

And Lilou enlists Kess's help.  The two girls decide to venture into Eelgrass Bog....and there they do indeed find strange and twisted magic, and clues that start them on a journey to the dark depths of this dangerously warped place.  But the curse isn't what either of them expected, and what they discover upends Kess's world.

It's pretty clear from the get-go that things are Not Ok for Kess, and as the story progresses, Kess herself becomes increasingly trouble by the sense that she's forgetting something, something bad (she isn't wrong).  And though it takes a while for the secrets to all unfold, Kess's hunt for answers, and her journey towards her first friendship (or more than friendship) make for good reading leading up to a satisfying conclusion.

I love books that make pictures in my mind of strange and magical things, and this does not disappoint!  I also was glad to have another book to add to my LGBTQ middle grade list--Kess and Lilou are clearly on their way to a relationship, and Lilou has two dads.  

Give this one to the young reader who loves fantasy mysteries, secret societies, and neglected protagonists ending the book un-neglected.  I'm looking forward to seeing what Mary Averling writes next.

Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh, by Rachael Lippincott for Timeslip Tuesday

A YA sapphic love story for this week's Timeslip Tuesday--Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh, by Rachael Lippincott (August 29, 2023, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers).

Audrey is in a depressed holding pattern--dumped by her boyfriend and waitlisted by her dream school, the RI School of Design, she puts in the motions of working at the family corner store in Pittsburgh.  If she can send RISD the additional art they asked of her, maybe she'll get in, but she's not feeling any creative spark at all.  But then a regular customer, a curmudgeonly old man, sends her back to England in 1812.  Which turns out to be just the unsticking adventure she needs!

Back in 1812, wealthy and lovely Lucy is also stuck--her father is planning to marry her off to a much older man who is an awful piece of work.  Then Audrey pops into her life.  Lucy takes Audrey in hand, molding her as much as possible into a proper regency young lady, albeit one who's American upbringing can be used to try to explain all the bits of Audrey that refuse to be molded, and there are lots of these.  

Audrey figures out that she has 24 days in the past, and figures that she needs to find her spark again to get home.  So she casts around at the local eligible young men for love....  And Lucy, talking all this over with her new friend, yearns for a spark of her own.  

And then they realize it is each other that is making sparks fly....

It's a charming enough romance, and there's considerable humor in fish out of water Audrey back in 1812, and considerable sympathy evoked for poor trapped Lucy.  But the story didn't go beyond "charming enough" for me into any sort of moving, gripping reading experience.  It's pretty clear what's going to happen romance-wise, so it was more a waiting for the inevitable to happen than a what will happen next story.  Also the only Pride and Prejudice tie in was the time period, which disappointed me.  If you want a bit of escapism with two girls falling sweetly in love, and if you like your Time Travel to be a diverting bit of plot device, it will do nicely, but if you want more, not so much.

Vivian Lantz's Second Chances, by Kathryn Ormsbee for Timeslip Tuesday

Today's Timeslip Tuesday, Vivian Lantz's Second Chances, by Kathryn Ormsbee (middle grade, June 2023 HarperCollins) is a Groundhog's Day style repeating the same day over and over again.  In this case, Vivian is stuck repeating the first day of  8th grade.  And her track record of truly horrible first days is not broken by the many misfortunes that befall her, with every do-ever day bringing fresh distress.

Vivian isn't thrilled about starting 8th grade without her best friend Cami who has moved away.  But she's determined to do it right, and so she writes a to-do list in her new journal to help her have a great experience.  She does not.  Slipping in the mud, accidently bringing a bag of dog poop to school, destroying the class fish tank, and getting her first period (and first period stain) in the cafeteria at lunch is just some of what happens.  

And when she wakes up the next day, she gets to do it all again (but this time without the poop and with a pad...)  She starts figuring out some of the social dynamics that she'd missed before--the boy she was crushing on is a jerk, the queen bee girl is a viper, and Gemma, who used to be tight in that circle of friends, has had enough of them, and is (maybe) ready for a new friend....as of course is Vivian.  Maybe even more than just friends.... (though there is explicit attraction, it is not acted on, which makes sense because although Vivian gets to know Gemma through 8 or so days, Gemma keeps meeting Vivian for the first time....)

But there's more going on in Vivian's life than just school. That first day is when her 17-year-old brother leaves with no warning, to go off travelling with his band. She and their dads have to somehow come to terms with this; Vivian feels angry and abandoned.  So a few of her repeat days are spent with her brother as her main focus, which is a nice change from middle school awful-ness, and she tells her brother what's been happening to her, and though he has no answer about how to stop the time loop, he does give her food for thought.

Back at school, Vivian keeps messing things up in her quest to have a perfect first day, and is getting fed up.  She tells her best friend Cami all about it, and Cami's insights blend with her brother's.... Instead of trying to have a Perfect Day, Vivian is going to simply live it authentically.  And miraculously, that works!  It isn't, in fact, a perfect day, but it's far from being a disaster.

So reliving a horrible 8th grade day is not exactly fun reading, but it was fun seeing how things played out differently each time. The magic is explained more or less satisfactorily, and the ending is such that there's a teasing though that it might come into play again, which I'd be up for!   And though I wanted to shake Vivian at times, I was glad she was able to do some quick growing up.  I'm sure this will resonate with many of its target readers, and perhaps even give them food for thought as well.

Glad to have a new one to add to my LGBTQ middle grade fantasy list!  (as well as Vivian's crush on Gemma, who is explicitly identified as gay, there are Vivien's two dads, a nice discussion she has with one of them about how he realized he was gay, a brief reference to how they weren't allowed to marry for years, and Vivian's own reflection that she didn't have to choose either/or boys/girls).

NB.  This one has been safely nominated for this year's Cybils Awards, but there are lots and lots of great books still waiting to be picked.  Please show a book the love it deserves by nominating it before the deadline at the end of the day on the 15th!  Here and also here are some (though by no means all) of the books you could pick, and here's where you go to nominate.

You Only Live Once, David Bravo, by Mark Oshiro

I really loved The Insiders, Mark Oshiro's 2021 queer, magical, middle school story (my review).  So I was very happy when You Only Live Once, David Bravo (September 2022, HarperCollins), got nominated for the Cybils and was a time slip book--reading it was three birds (1 pleasure, 2 happy duty), with  two curled up sit-downs.  It is also a queer, magical, middle school story, but with time travel!

David Bravo and his best friend, Antoine, are starting middle school together.  But they are on different schedule tracks, and 15 minutes of lunch together, plus cross country practice, is all they get.   His first assignment also discourages him greatly--a presentation about family culture and heritage is fraught when you are adopted, and complicated when you are Latinx, your dad is Mexican Brazilian American, and your mom Japanese American.  And he feels he really messed it up.  But worst of all he causes Antoine to have an accident that keeps him from running.  Antoine's father is set on making him a world class runner, and now David has derailed this, and maybe ruined their friendship.

So all he wants to do is just lie on the floor at home forever, wishing he could restart middle school. 

His wish is granted, in the shape of an annoying talking dog who says she's been sent by the powers that be to help him undo whatever mis-step it was that wrecked everything.  Fea (which means ugly in Spanish), sets right to work.  But each do-over just seems to make things worse.

Then it occurs to Fea that maybe it's not the past that needs fix, but the future that needs saving. Fea wasn't always an pushy time travel guide--she was once a young woman, back in the mid 20th century, who blew her own future.  She takes David back in time to see it  happen--the day Fea couldn't bring herself to say yes to the love of the girl who was her own best friend, and ended up with a broken heart.  And maybe if David realizes he'll only live once, it will give him the courage to acknowledge a truth--that Antoine too is more than just a friend.

There was a lot that awfully sweet here.  David's parents are just the best in so many ways.  Fea, who annoyed me lots at first, became someone to care about.  And David and Antoine are loveable (grown-up perspective), and relatable (mg school kid perspective)--both are figuring out who they are, in Antoine's case being honest with his dad about not actually wanting to be a world class runner, and in David's case, questioning his identity as an adopted child).  And of course figuring out what they feel for each other.

Since this is a time slip Tuesday post, I feel compelled to note that the time travel was very satisfactory and coherent, and was made even more enjoyable when Antoine got included.  I liked the trip back to the far past of the mid 20th century best, because it was such a nicely contrasting use of Fea's abilities (and also because it was a fresh scene, that added depth to the story).

The ending has a surprising and joyful twist as an added bonus (although I thought it was perhaps a bit too much of a good thing....like extra frosting)

The Insiders, by Mark Oshiro

I still have a backlog of review to write for many excellent books read for this year's Cybils Awards; there were so many good ones that I read last fall but the reading was more important back than then the reviewing....and so this evening I offer The Insiders, by Mark Oshiro (September 2021, HarperCollins), is an affirmative portal fantasy that was pretty much a read-in-a-single-sitting for me.

Hector's family has moved to a new town from San Francisco, where he was happy and confident as a gay Mexican American theatre kid, with a tight group of friends and a taste for style and thrifting. Things go badly for him at his new school, when he's targeted by a truly cruel boy, Mike, and his crew of bullying lackies.  The school staff are no help, refusing to believe Mike is a problem.  Miserable and desperate to escape his tormentor, Hector finds a door in the school hallway that opens into a room that shouldn't be there.  It is retreat designed just for him, and though no time passes when he's inside, when the door opens again, the hallway is empty.

Soon he finds that two other kids, from schools in different states, have also found the room.  One is girl whose principal is about to tell her mother she is gay, the other a lonely non-binary kid. They too need an escape place, and the three become supportive friends.  But the room, though magical, is still a room, and Hector must come up with his own plan for exposing Mike and getting justice.

I have to say that the bullying part is hard reading.  It hurts to see Hector being treated so badly, and becoming sad and diminished, and this might well be painful reading for kids, especially gay kids, in similar circumstances (I am glad that although Mike's reasons for being such a homophobic monster are hinted at, we aren't given a redemption arc for him--that would have been too much to swallow).  The magical room part, and the friendships he builds both there, and, with a bit more effort, with other "misfit" kids at his own school, though, makes for warm and friendly reading.  And it's lovely to see Hector's supportive family (and maybe it's shallow of me, but I also appreciated the delicious Mexican food that was eaten along the way....)

It's great that a very gay magical-portal fantasy is out there in the world, and I hope that the kids (straight and queer) who need it find it, even if they can't get into the wonderful room.

disclaimer--review copy received from the publisher for Cybils Awards purposes.

For Pride month--middle grade sci fi/fantasy books with young LGBTQ+ characters

I would like to have a long list of middle grade books (mg being those marketed to 9-12 year olds) with young LGBTQ+ characters to offer. Instead, I have a short list.  Please let me know of any I missed! (I'm not including graphic novels, because I don't read them widely enough to know all the books).

Middle grade fantasy/sci fi isn't really a place where sexual relationships flourish, because these are kids, not yet teenagers for the most part, caught up in wild adventures. But still, there are plenty of moments of heterosexual attraction, and it would be great to see more LGBTQ+ characters too! (links go to my review, where applicable, or to Goodreads).

Vivian Lantz's Second Chances, by Kathryn Ormsbee   (2023) Time looping helps Vivian (who has two dads) realize that she wants to be Gemma's friend, or even more than friend.

The Insiders, by Mark Oshiro (2021) Héctor Muñoz  wonders if there's a place for a gay theater kid at his new school.  Magic makes it happen.....and spills over into real life.

Too Bright to See, by Kyle Lukoff  (2021) A beautiful ghost story with a young trans protagonist

Jane Doe and the Cradle of  All Worlds, by Jeremy Lachlan (2018)
Jane has a very natural (in the sense of a sudden sharp realization of physical attraction such as is natural for older kids), very much unacted on as yet, feeling for Violet, the other main girl character.  A quick skim through Goodreads reviews suggests that either the moment this is made explicit is subtle enough so that many readers don't register it, or else it hasn't had much of a US readership....(sigh).  I myself am looking forward to the sequel!

Cattywampus, by Ash Van Otterloo (2020), a truly fun real-world fantasy, has an intersex main character (which of course isn't the same as being queer, but still deserves mention here, I think.)

And also by Ash Van Otterloo,  A Touch of Ruckus (2021)  

Lintang and the Pirate Queen, by Tamara Moss (2019 in the US)

One of the crew of the pirate ship is a trans boy, whose gender identity is so unquestioned that he, like any other boy, is in danger from the lure of the siren.

Anya and the Nightingale, by Sofiya Pasternack (2019)

An important supporting character is a bisexual boy, who has a sweet crush/budding romance with another boy.

The Curse of Eelgrass Bog, by Mary Averling (2024)  

A girl struggles to keep her family's Museum of Unnatural History going, not realizing she's a victem of curse until a new girl comes to town on a mission to break it....and they fall in (middle school appropriate) love.

 

Wings of Fire series, by Tui T. Sutherland

There are lots and lots of dragon characters, and I didn't make notes about all the relationships.  Apparently there are 8 clearly identified LGBT dragons....Darkness of Dragons has, I think, the first-- two young girl dragons, Anemone and Tamarin.. They are minor characters in this book, and their relationship is an aside rather than a plot point, but it's there. Having just gone and looked at the Goodreads reviews, it displeased a lot of people that some dragons being gay is a taken for granted thing in this dragon world (another sigh).  

Sundew, the pov protagonist of the Poison Jungle (who is more older teen than a 9-12 year old), is in a relationship will another girl dragon, Willow--"And you're still the only dragon for me, too, Willow, light of my life, I promise I will never fall for a beautiful SilkWing and leave you."  (Poison Jungle, p 118).  I just read, with considerable interest, the Wings of Fire fandom conversation about this, and recommend it for a look at what the fans think about it; the biggest controversy is whether Sundew should be called lesbian (cause she could be bi or pan, and gay would also apply, and Sapphic was offered as a useful alternative), and it lead to the creation of an LGBTQ support group thread, which just goes to show that positive representation in books kids enjoy reading is a good thing for gay (or lesbian or pan or Sapphic kids).

And then there's Rick Riordan, who has a number of LGBTQ+ characters in his books....

And the Rick Riordan Presents imprint is also adding a bit to this list (thanks Jenna and Hallie for reminding me of these two!)--

Sal & Gabi Fix the Universe, by Carlos Hernandez.  Sal, the main character, is aro

Dragon Pearl, by Yoon Ha Lee, has an important secondary character who is a non-binary goblin (with a snack conjuring fork....)

And two I haven't reviewed yet -- Juniper Harvey and the Vanishing Kingdom, by Nina Varela, 2023, and Alex Wise vs. the End of the World, by Terry J. Benton-Walker (2023)