Charlie Hernández & the Golden Dooms, with an interview by author Ryan Calejo

No MG sci fi/fantasy round-up today, as I am on vacation.  But I'm thrilled to have author Ryan Calejo visiting me here today!

Charlie Hernández & the Golden Dooms, by Ryan Calejo (September 13, Aladdin), is the third installment of the adventures of an ordinary kid who finds that all the many magical stories from the Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries his grandmother told him are true.  Not only that, but he has a starring role in an epic clash between order and malevolent chaos, he has the power to morph into animals, and he has no clue how to control his power or even, really, what he's supposed to be doing.  Happily, he has his friend Violet, a keen young journalist who more than pulls her weight figuring things out.  He also has the powerful witch Queen, Joanna of Castile (who you might know as Joanna the Mad), leader of the League of Shadows who try to keep the world from being overrun with monsters, on his side. 

If you enjoyed the wild ride of the first two books, full of mythical monsters that sent Charlie and Violet bouncing on perilous adventures, this one will not disappoint.   Its small, relatively mundane beginning in which Charlie is trapped by a skeletal girl begging for his help in the girl's bathroom of his middle school moves steadily on to its full blown mythologically murderous monster chaos of an ending, when Charlie and Violet must defeat a truly formidable foe in order to keep the border between life and death secure.  And all the while, in a rather endearingly clumsy middle school way, Charlie and Violet are falling for each other, Charlie's mother is going ballistic, and the reader gets a trip to Florida like no other!

Highly recommended to kids who enjoy mythological adventures, particularly because the myths and stories that come to life here I haven't seen in anywhere near so much detail and diversity in any other book series!

Not recommended to those traumatized by crocodilians....

And now it is my pleasure to welcome Ryan Calejo to my blog!

1. How did the idea for Charlie and his adventures first come to you?  Did you have any idea that this would be the start of a series, and if yes, how far into it could you see?

Folklore and legends have always fascinated me. I like to think of them as the original Latinx superheroes/supervillains. So that was where the inspiration came from. My idea for the series was basically to create a big superhero royal rumble—something like the Avengers movies. I wanted to bring together all the coolest legendary beings/creatures, and just let them run wild down here in South Florida, because I was really excited to see how a story like that would play out. And one of the main reasons the idea appealed so much to me is because most of these characters originated in different countries and at different periods in time, and almost all of them only appear in their own stories, meaning there’s hardly any crossover. So that crossover potential, the idea of these legendary characters running into other legendary characters and trying to one-up and outsmart one another, I thought would be a lot of fun. When the idea first came to me, I was very hopeful that it would be the start of a series. I knew there was just no way I could cram all these wonderful characters into a single book! I always had a loose outline in my mind of what the overall series might look like. But the more books I’ve written, the more concrete the ideas for the future books have become.

2. Did you yourself grow up, like Charlie, with stories of the folklore and legends of South and Central America and the Iberian peninsula? If yes, did you have a childhood favorite? Or one that terrified young you the most?

 As a matter of fact, I did! Growing up, my abuelitas (my grandmothers) taught me all the same stories that Charlie’s abuelita taught him. It was my grandmothers who helped cultivate in me a love of legends and folklore—and even of reading. See, back then I wasn’t exactly the most well-behaved kid on the planet. (I’m being generous here.) And the only way they could keep me from running wild was to entertain me by telling me stories—all these wonderful legends and folktales they’d heard as children. There were definitely some terrifying ones, like El Coco and La Llorona. But if I had to pick my absolute favorite, it would probably have to be El Cadejo. It’s a sort of guardian angel that takes the form of a huge dog. When I was little, one of my neighbors had this ginormous German Shepherd that my grandmothers managed to convince me was the actual legendary Cadejo. And the funniest part was that whenever I rode my bike around the neighborhood that dog would always follow after me like it was protecting me, which made it pretty difficult to argue against my grandmothers’ claim. 

3. Your descriptions are incredibly vivid, and I’m curious about how this ties in to your writing process--do you see it all in your mind's eye in advance?

Thank you so much! Yes, I do usually see the story playing out in my mind’s eye. I’ve always had a pretty vivid imagination. I was most definitely a day dreamer growing up! I can’t even begin to count how many times someone had to snap me out of a daydream in the middle of math class (math and me don’t really get along). But that’s always been a big part of the fun for me—seeing the characters and story in my imagination. 

4. Places that are the foci of legends and myths are immensely important in Charlie’s adventures.  I just paid an online visit to the ancient monastery where Charlie first meets up with the League of Shadows.  Was that near to where you grew up? Have you visited any other real world places that appear in your books?

 The monastery was kind of close to where I grew up. Maybe half an hour away. In fact, almost all the south Florida locations in the books are places I loved to visit or hang out at when I was about Charlie and Violet’s age. For example, in the latest book, Charlie, Violet, and a friend sneak into the Venetian pool, which is one of the coolest public pools on the entire planet, and one of my favorite local spots. I love it when I get a chance to include little bits of my childhood in my books. Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to visit all the Latin American countries that appear in the series, but I definitely hope to!

 5. What are you working on now?  And will there be more stories about Charlie and Violet?

 I’m thrilled to say that there will be more stories! Simon Schuster’s Aladdin imprint has always been one of my favorite imprints, and my editor is absolutely WONDERFUL! I love working with her. So get ready for new adventures!

 I’m also working on ChupaCarter, which is a super fun series I’m co-authoring with the one and only George Lopez. The story follows the adventures of a spunky 12-year-old boy named Jorge who discovers a chupacabra living on his grandparent’s farm. I hope readers will enjoy that series as well!

Thank you so much, Ryan!  I will look forward to your next books!

Lark and the Wild Hunt, by Jennifer Adam, for Timeslip Tuesday

I am always very appreciative when fate works in my favor, and I'm happily reading a middle grade fantasy I'd been looking forward to and it turns out to be a timeslip book and I finish it on a Tuesday! So today for Timeslip Tuesday I offer  Lark and the Wild Hunt, by Jennifer Adam (July 2022, HarperCollins).

Lark has grown up along the border of the Fae world, helping her mother raise strange, part Fae, shadowy horses that carry the human riders who are brave enough to join the Wild Hunt each year.  She's watched her brother, her sister, and her mother ride off  in the grand company of the Winter King of the Fae, following the White Stag along the boundary between worlds and driving back Fae who are trespassing on the human side.  But one hunt goes horrible wrong, and Lark's brother doesn't come back.

Lark is determined to bring her brother home.  First she must trust the Fae boy and his raven, who set her to work assembling a mysterious silver timepiece, while the border starts to fray and the land of the Fae falls under the rule of the malignant Briar King.  And then she must cross into the land of the Fae herself, pitting her wits against the entrapments and entanglements the King throws her way, to save not just her brother, but balance between the realms...

It is a good story, but a long one--480 pages, and I feel it could have been condensed somewhat, with a tighter focus on getting from one plot point to the next.  That being said, although I didn't read it in a single sitting, and it took a week of dipping in to it to finish, there were always beats to the story that kept my interest going, the atmosphere and growing tension were great, and the final obstacle that Lark has to overcome was excellent.  All the details hang together, many vivid descriptions stick in my mind, and I was also, of course, interested in the silver timepiece.  

It turns out that the flow of time doesn't work in the land of the Fae, and only time slipping in from the human world allows change to happen there.  Which would have been time slippish enough for my Tuesday purposes, but Lark also is able to use the device at a key moment in the story to actually go back in time.  I was pleased.

Give this to dreamy kids already hooked on fantasy....10 year old me, untrammeled by the outside world, would probably have loved it.

This week's roundup of middle grade fantasy and sci fi from around the blogs (9/4/22)

 Here's what I found this week!  As ever, please let me know if I missed your post.

first--the deadline to apply to be a Cybils panelist is September 9th at 11:59 p.m. EDT.  If you are worried about the reading load being too much, Graphic novels or Easy Readers/Early Chapter Books might be your thing! And if you want to learn a lot this fall--High School non-fiction is such an important category, which badly needs applicants

The Reviews

Amari and the Great Game, by B.B. Alston, at Ms. Yingling Reads

ChupaCarter, by George Lopez and Ryan Calejo, at Say What?

City of the Plague God, by Sarwat Chadda, at Kiss the Book

The Clackity, by Lora Senf, at The Zen Leaf

Cress Watercress, by Gregory Maguire, at Not Acting My Age

The Curse on Spectacle Key, by Chantal Acevdeo, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Dangerous Life of Ophelia Bottom, by Susie Bower, at Scope for Imagination

Daybreak on Raven Island, by Fleur T. Bradley, at Log Cabin Library and From The Mixed Up Files

Double O Stephen And The Ghostly Realm, by Angela Ahn, at Falling Letters

Empty Smiles, by Katherine Arden, at Pages Unbound

The Ink of Elspet (The Inkwell Chronicles #1), by J.D. Peabody, at Say What?

The Land of Fake Believe, by Laurel Solorzano, at Bookworm for Kids and Valinora Troy

THE LOST GIRL KING by Catherine Doyle, at Sifa Elizabeth Reads

The Marvelous Land of Snergs, by Veronica Cossanteli based on the original story by E. A. Wyke-Smith, at Book Nut

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun, by Tọlá Okogwu, at Book Craic

Ravenfall, by Kalyn Josephson, at The Bookwyrm's Den and Charlotte's Library

Relatively Normal Secrets, by C.W. Allen, Narrated by Ivy Tara Blair, at Sharon the Librarian (audiobook review)

Secrets of the Looking Glass (The Lost Wonderland Diaries #2), by J. Scott Savage, at Log Cabin Library

A Taste of Magic by J. Elle, at alibrarymama and Ms. Yingling Reads

A Time Traveler’s Theory of Relativity, by Nicole Valentine, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

The Treekeepers, by Kieran Larwood, at Book Craic and Books Up North

Which Way to Anywhere, by Cressida Cowell, at Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Two at alibrarymama--Wildseed Witch, by Marti Dumas, and Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun, by Tọlá Okogwu

Authors and Interviews

Angie Thomas (Nic Blake and the Remarkables) at Publishers Weekly

Other Good Stuff

What's new in the UK, at Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

A nice list of magic school books as Miss Print

Ravenfall, by Kalyn Josephson

Ravenfall, by Kalyn Josephson (September 6th 2022 by Delacorte Press), was a truly delightful read, reminding me strongly why I really really like middle grade fantasy!  Rather than do my usual plot summary followed by thoughts, here are all the things that made me a happy reader:

The titular Ravenfall, run as a guest house, but primarily a home, is a magical house with tons of personality, always paying attention to its residents.  I love place centered stories, and this delivered!  

It is protected by a guardian jabberwocky, who mostly takes the shape of a cat, who also has tons of personality.

And it is home to a magical family.  Anna is the youngest child, and her gift has just manifested--when she touches someone, she shares their memories of deaths they have witnessed.  I loved how she compares her magic to the various gifts of the rest of the family, and feels disappointed and less than, but grows to realize that it is actually much more of a gift than she thought it was.  Very relatable.

Another kid, Colin, arrives at Ravenfall alone, in terrible trouble.  I loved how he is welcomed and how his grief isn't played down, and is still there even as he finds comfort and a sense of belonging (and his own magic).  

It was great shifting between Anna's insider pov and Colin's newcomer pov; it really made the place, the people and the magic three-dimensional.

And I loved how the central antagonist, and the growing threat he brings to Ravenfall, is huge and awful, but not exaggerated to the point where it seems impossible that the two kids can play a central role in defeating it....

But they are totally and unconditionally not just backed up but directed by all the grown-ups and older sisters, because the kids couldn't have done everything alone.  This made the plot very solid and satisfying to grown-up me. And yet even the grown-ups make mistakes...figuring out what to do requires teamwork, admitting mistakes, 

And finally I liked very much (though this is a smallish thing that the target audience might not appreciate as much as me), is that Anna's mother doesn't actually want to have been stuck running Ravenfall, but does it with good grace.  A nice bit of real world grown-up-ness that was another thing that made everything feel really solid.

Even more finally, I liked (lots) how, after I read the satisfying, closure providing ending, I saw there would be a second book!

So in short, a lovely immersive read that I highly recommend!

This week's round-up of middle grade sci fi/fantasy from around the blogs (8/28/2022)

Good morning, all, and welcome to the last round-up of Summer 2022.  It was a summer in which I learned how to replace rotten siding on my house (sigh), among other never ending historic house ownership work, and I did not read nearly as many books as I wanted to!  Fall is much better for reading (kids are back at college and it gets too cold to work outside) which is why being a Cybils panelist in elementary/middle grade fiction (or another category) is a lovely thing!  The deadline to apply is September 9th. 

as always, please let me know if I missed your post!

The Reviews

Alliana, Girl of Dragons, by Julie Abe, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Dark Waters (The Small Spaces Quartet, Book 3) by Katherine Arden, narrated by Renee Dorian, at 

Hidden in Pages

A Dragon Used to Live Here, by Annette LeBlanc Cate, at Rosi Hollinbeck

Dread Wood, by Jennifer Killick, at Valinora Troy

Fear Ground, by Jennifer Killick, at Scope for Imagination

Fenris and Mott, by Greg Van Eekhout, at proseandkahn

The Fire Star (A Maven & Reeve Mystery) by A.L. Tait, at Log Cabin Library

Daybreak on Raven Island, by Fleur Bradley, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Ghostcloud, by Michael Mann, at Say What?

Ghostlight, by Kenneth Oppel, at  Say What?

Homebound, by John David Anderson, at alibrarymama

The Polter-Ghost Problem, by Betsy Uhrig, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Room of Shadows, by Ronald Kidd, at Intotheheartwyld 

Space Blasters-Suzie Saves the Universe, by Katie and Kevin Tsang, at  alittlebutalot

The Tale of Truthwater Lake, by Emma Carroll, at Scope for Imagination

A Taste of Magic, by J. Elle, at Cracking the Cover and Nerds & Beyond

The Time-Traveling Fashionista and Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile (The Time-Traveling Fashionista #3) by Bianca Turetsky, at Charlotte's Library

Trex, by Christyne Morrell, at Sifa Eliabeth Reads

The Vampire Slayer’s Survival Guide, by Katy Birchall, at Book Craic

Authors and Interviews

Susie Bower (The Dangerous LIfe of Ophelia Bottom), at Library Girl and Book Boy

Erin Petti (Thelma Bee In Toil And Treble) at From the Mixed Up Files 

Landra Jennings (The Whispering Fog), at From the Mixed Up Files

Fleur Bradley (Daybreak on Raven Island) at (teenlibrariantoolbox.com)

John David Anderson (Homebound) at Nerdy Book Club

Christyne Morrell (Trex), at  Middle Grade Minded and Literary Rambles

Greg Van Eekhout (Fenris and Mott), at Middle Grade Ninja

Juliana Brandt (Monsters in the Mist) at Flip Your Script 

Refe Tuma (Frances and the Monster) at  Teen Librarian Toolbox.

Other Good Stuff

On Science Fiction (Part II) – Children's Book Council 

When I saw "11 Middle Grade Series Updates for Eager Fans"  at SLJ, I thought I was getting continuations of Edward Eager stories...and was very surprised, but pleased...I am not, but there are still lots I'm looking forward too.

The Time-Traveling Fashionista and Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile, by Bianca Turetsky, for Timeslip Tuesday

The Time-Traveling Fashionista and Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile (The Time-Traveling Fashionista #3) by Bianca Turetsky (2013), fell victim to the fate that many books I actually buy--once I own a book I paid for, it's so easy for me to feel no urgency to actually read it.  But now I have (yay!) and it can go join the first to books in this fun middle grade series on my time travel bookshelf.

Louise, a young fashionista, has already travelled back twice in time, thanks to the mysterious Traveling Fashionista Vintage Sale (by invitation only).  She's tried on two dresses, one which took her to the Titanic and one which took her to the court of Marie Antoinette.  This time she slips into a lavender Grecian gown, and is plunged into the life of Cleopatra--with a twist.  She's now a worker in the costume crew for the epic Hollywood movie, staring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton!  But then she finds a necklace with a gorgeous pearl, and illicitly tries it on....and travels back in time again.

Now she's in the court of the real Cleopatra, a young woman fighting for power...and for her life.  Threats are everywhere, and soon Louise, now one of Cleopatra's handmaids, is wondering if she herself will make it home alive.  This isn't a time period I know all that much about, so I found nothing in the history to nitpick, and learned more about it in that graceful, pleasant way one learns history from reading fiction!

This is fairly easy time travel--Louise has an identity to fill in each different time, so language isn't an issue,  and although she has to keep her wits about her so as not to display her ignorance, she manages to muddle along well enough for her secret to be safe. 

It's a good story, with the magic of the time travel balanced by Louise's pragmatic thoughts. There's a touch of middle school angst in her real time that makes Louise seem very real and relatable...perhaps the bravest thing she does is to wear her vintage fashions to school.  

Something that really make these book stand out are the lovely illustrations by Sandra Suy-lovely dresses in particular!  And  of course the audience who will love this series most are the girls like Louise whose creativity uses fashion to flourish. This would not be me, but still I enjoyed them, and if there had been a fourth I would happily read it!

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this week's roundup of middle grade fantasy and science fiction from around the blogs (8/21/22)

Good morning and welcome to this week's round-up (this week with help from bloglovin for the first time in ages).  Please let me know if I missed your post!

First--the call for Cybils judges has gone out!  You have till the end of the day on September 9th.  It really is lots of fun, so do consider it!  Let me know if you have any questions. (I've put * next to the books included this week that are eligible for this year's Elementary/Middle Grade Cybils, which is books published in the US or Canada October 16, 2021 and October 15, 2022, to entice you to apply, and/or make a mental note that they can be nominated--anyone can nominate a book in each category starting in October.  Some are tricky because they are already out in the UK but not the US--as always, let me know if I've made mistakes!)

The Reviews 

*12 to 22: POV You Wake Up in the Future! by Jen Calonita, at Cracking the Cover

*Amari and the Great Game (Supernatural Investigations #2), by B.B. Alston, at Say What?

Anya and the Dragon, by Sofiya Pasternack, at Sonderbooks

*The Black Slide, by J.W. Ocker, at Ms. Yingling Reads

*Eden's Everdark, by Karen Strong, at Bookworm for Kids

*Fenris and Mott, by Greg van Eekhout, at Mom Read It

*Frances and the Monster, by Refe Tuma, at Say What?

*Goblin Market, by Diane Zahler, at A Backwards Story and Eli to the nth

Ghost Boys, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, at Colorful Book Reviews 

The Glen Beyond the Door, by Meta Mayne Reid, at Charlotte's Library

*Gravebooks (Nightbooks #2), by J.A. White, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Hatmakers, by Tamzin Merchant, at Leaf's Reviews

The Lost Girl King, by Catherine Doyle, at Book Craic

*The Lost Ryu, by Emi Watanabe Cohen, at Jean Little Library

Mia and the Lightcasters (*?), by Janelle McCurdy, at Book Craic

The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne, by Jonathan Stroud, at Rapunzel Reads

*Paola Santiago and the Sanctuary of Shadows by Tehlor Kay Mejia, at The Bookwyrm's Den 

*The Patron Thief of Bread, by Lindsay Eagar, at Pages Unbound 

*Ravenfall, by Kalyn Josephson, at Say What?

*The Secret Benefits of Invisibility (The Falinnheim Chronicles #2), by C.W. Allen, at Eye-rolling Demigod's Book Blog

*Secret of the Shadow Beasts, by Diane Magras, at Charlotte's Library

*Stinetinglers, by R,K, Stine, at Ms. Yingling Reads

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

*This Appearing House, by Ally Malinenko, Ms. Yingling Reads

The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1), by Jessica Townsend, at Simone and Her Books

The True Meaning of Smekday, by Adam Rex, at proseandkahn

*Wildseed Witch, by Marti Dumas, at Cracking the Cover

Wolfbane, by Michelle Paver, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

The Worlds We Leave Behind, by A.F. Harrold, illusrrated by Levi Pinfold, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

4 mini reviews at A Cat, a Book, and a Cup of Tea--Orla and the Wild Hunt by Anna Hoghton, The House of Shells by Efua Traoré, A Beginner’s Guide to Ruling the Galaxy by David Solomons, and  Mouse Heart by Fleur Hitchcock

Authors and Interviews

Greg van Eekhout (*Fenris and Mott) at Charlotte's Library

Rebecca King (Ember Shadows and the Fates of Mount Never), at Library Girl and Book Boy

Erin Petti (*Thelma Bee in Toil and Treble) at MG Book Village

J. Elle (*A Taste of Magic) at Middle Grade Ninja

Dan Poblocki  (*Tales to Keep You Up at Night) at From the Mixed Up Files and Ms. Yingling Reads

The Dragon Flyers | Chapter Book | ARC – A Dance With Books (wordpress.com)

Diane Zahler (*Goblin Market) at Teen Librarian Toolbox

Kate Gilby Smith (Olive Jones and the Memory Thief), at Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books

Marlo Berliner (agent) and Refe Tuma (author) (*Frances and the Monster), at Literary Rambles

Other News (not good stuff this week)

Barnes and Noble is cutting back hard on the number of hardcover mg books they'll have in stock, which is a blow to authors, especially debut authors. Here's a summary at Book Riot.  So now is a good time to order a book(s)....You can find lots (but not all) 2022 debuts here.

Fenris and Mott, by Greg van Eekhout (with interview!)

When my kids were little, we would talk about little baby Fenwis [sic] and how what he really needed was a Mama who loved him very much and gave good scritches....so it was rather delightful to see that flight of fancy come to life in Greg van Eekhout's newest book, Fenris and Mott (August 2, 2022, Harper Collins).

When Mott finds a scared little pup mweeping sadly in a recycling bin, her heart melts...dog's aren't allowed in her new apartment, but she can't just leave him.  But it turns out this isn't a puppy, but a wolf cub, who will need to be taken to live in the wild.  

The cub does not want to be leashed and taken into the wild, breaks free, and starts to bring about Ragnarok, the destruction of the world in Norse mythology.  The little mweeper is in fact Fenris, the fabled wolf who is fated to devour the sun and the moon....

And suddenly Mott's life becomes filled with Norse gods wanting to encourage Fenris, because prophesies are meant to come true. Fenris can't help the fact that the rune of annihilation is in his gut, and starts devouring on a (relatively) small scale--bits of city infrastructure and a famous actor disappear down his bottomless maw....Fortunately Mott and Fenris are found by Trudi, a Valkarie who is Fenris's protector, and the two of them join forces to try to stave off Ragnarok and save little Fenris.

It's an exciting story full of mythological mayhem crashing into the real world, balanced by the more quotidian story of a middle school kid in a new town with an absent father who doesn't' keep his promises and a best friend far away who's moving on without her.  It's also a fable of climate change (things can get plenty bad without a rune of annihilation on the loose) and so is extremely topical. The ending packs a zinger of a punch leaving my mind racing.....(nb-Fenris is fine in the end, and one hopes the moon will survive being slightly gnawed....). It's also sweet and funny and has an adorable puppy, so should be a huge hit with young fans of cute animals!  It's easy to imagine this one getting lots of love from its target audience.

And now it's my pleasure to welcome Greg here to my blog! I've been a fan of his since his very first book for young readers, Kid Vs Squid, which I reviewed back in 2010....

 

How did the idea for Fenris and Mott first come to you?

I thought it'd be fun to write a story about a kid who has to take care of some kind of cute and destructive creature. I didn't know if the creature would be an ordinary pet or an alien or a dinosaur or some kind of genetically modified beast or something else, but that was one of the seeds of an idea I first came up with. 

Was there anything that surprised you in the writing of it?

I didn't know the book was going to be in part about climate change, but you can't write about Ragnarök without writing about extreme weather, and to write about extreme weather without writing about climate change would have been weird and dishonest. 

 

This is your second Ragnorak book, the first being Norse Code, written for adults and published back in 2009.  Very different books, very different audiences….but as you were writing Fenris and Mott, did you have intrusive Norse Code flashbacks?

Not really. Norse Code and Fenris & Mott are such different books that it really wasn't hard to keep them completely separate in my head. Even when they have characters in common, like Loki and Odin and Hermod, they're very different versions of those characters. 

 

Will there be a sequel?  I can’t stop thinking about what Mott might do with her own pocket Ragnorak—nuclear waste cleanup, perhaps…..and will little Fenris be a good domesticated pet?

Oh, I would love to write a sequel! I had so much fun writing Fenris & Mott, and it'd be a blast to visit those characters again. As for Fenris as a pet, he'd be destructive and disruptive and a little bit horrible, just like my dogs!

And finally, what are you working on now?

I'm putting the final touches on a new middle-grade, The Ghost Job. It's about a crew of ghosts who do heists, and it's scheduled to come out next year.

Thank you Greg!  I will now proceed to start looking forward to The Ghost Job!

 

Greg van Eekhout is also the author of Voyage of the Dogs, Cog, and Weird Kid. He lives in San Diego, CA, with his astronomy/physics professor wife and two dogs. He’s worked as an educational software developer, ice cream scooper, part-time college instructor, and telemarketer. Being a writer is the only job he's ever actually liked. You can find more about Greg at his website: www.writingandsnacks.com.

 

The Glen Beyond the Door, by Meta Mayne Reid, for Timeslip Tuesday

A few weeks ago I joined a new Goodreads Group--"Forgotten Vintage Children's Lit We Want Republished!" and Meta Mayne Reid was one of the authors mentioned.  I'd never heard of her, and when I saw she wrote at least one time travel book, I was intrigued.  Fortunately I'd just earned an Amazon gift card with gas points (yay (?) for the high price of gas) that covered the cost of The Glen Beyond the Door (1968), and I was very excited to read it.  

Lisa's parents have just moved from Belfast to her grandfather's old home after his death.  She's recovering from polio, which has left her with a weak leg.  Soon her cousin Andrew comes to stay--his parents are off in America, and he's basically been dumped on them.  She's thrilled by the idea of having an almost brother, but Andrew is miserable.  Then, up in the attic of the house, where one wall is wood that burned in a fire centuries ago, the two kids find time travel magic.  

Together they explore the history of their family home, from the Stone Age up to the arrival of the Planters from Scotland, who took the Irish land for their own.  Each visit to the past gives them not just food for thought and wonder, but strengthening gifts--literally a stronger leg for Lisa, and a dog for Andrew, but Andrew is also helped make it through the bewildering mix of sadness and anger he's feeling.  And they are left with a tight connection to their family's home, where Planters and native Irish blended their lives together, and Andrew becomes officially welcomed into Lisa's family.

The time travel is the somewhat distant sort, in which the modern kids are mostly spectators, overlapping into kids from the past, but not changing what happened.  This made it feel more like a history lessons than part of a whole story (and I much prefer time travelers with independent volition), but it was not without interest.  Both the events of the past and the reactions of Lisa and Andrew were good (though not great) reading.  Andrew's present day emotional turmoil take center stage more forcefully than the past does, and although this too was good reading I was a little disappointed that Lisa becomes a secondary character.  

What I really liked was the layered past of this bit of Northern Ireland--there was a lovely sense of place.

So although I read it happily, and have added another of Reid's more affordable books, The McNeils at Rathcapple) to my Amazon cart, it might be a while before I use my hard won gas rewards points, Bing rewards, and Swagbucks gift cards for it.  I can actually afford to buy myself books with real grown-up money (and use this for new books), but I try not spend my wages on vintage books, because if it is too easy to buy them, I might well start buying too many.....and that way lies madness and penury.

Secret of the Shadow Beasts, by Diane Magras

I've read lots and lots of good books so far this year, but this past week, for the first  time in ages, I started one after supper (Secret of the Shadow Beasts, by Diane Magras), and read and read and then had an oh no moment when I realized it was almost midnight (usually I'm safely in bed at ten, and wake up around five thirty) and I hadn't quite finished the book yet....a terrible dilemma.  I finished it though because there really wasn't a choice, but sadly did not quite give the people of Rhode Island, for whom I work, my absolute shiny and alert best the next day.....(happily I have lots to do that isn't rocket science on which lives are depending, so it's ok, and I have no regrets).

This (very good, very gripping) book is set in a world where nightfall brings forth venomous shadow beasts, and everyone with sense huddles inside protected buildings.  The shadow beasts are slower to attack kids and some kids are immune, and these kids are taken from their families when they are little and trained to be beast fighters.  Nora could have been one of them, but her father wouldn't let her be taken. Now he has been killed by a shadow beast, Nora decides for herself that she will put the last few years of her childhood immunity to work keeping other people from the same fate.

And she goes off to get to trained, but there are far too few kids, and far too many shadow beasts, so when she shows unusual aptitude, she's quickly slotted into the Hawks, one of the fighting brigades comprised of handful of children, and sent off on her first two week mission.  Even immune kids can be killed by shadow beasts, if they are attacked enough times, and the Hawks just suffered the loss of one of their crew, Lucy. Nora is taking her place.  The Hawks are also kids taken from their families when they were seven or so, and so they have become a tight knit found family; it takes a while for Nora to be fully part of the group.  So things aren't exactly happy triumphant monster slaying.  

And the number of shadow beasts keeps growing....there's a sinister reason behind it (the titular secret), and Nora and her fellow Hawks might be the only ones able to survive the incredibly dangerous, almost insane, mission to set the balance right again.  (lots of interesting bits of plot here, that I shan't talk about for reasons).

bonus points for:

comfort reading for the characters!  there's one bit where the kids have some down time, and visit a bookstore to load themselves up with escapist material, and I loved seeing the different genres they liked.

an adult who adults!  The Hawks, and other brigades, don't go out alone; there's a grown-up with them to do the driving, help with game plans and emergencies,  and keep morale up. This grown-up, rather disturbingly, also acts as beast bait (kids being less likely to be attacked).  In any event, the Hawks grown-up is a good one, and I was really glad they had him.

trauma that was not splashed all over the place but dealt with in a moving, slow burn sort of way--these kids have been dealt a rotten hand, and are working through tough things, and Nora is something of a catalyst that helps with this.

NB--Secret of the Shadow Beasts (June 14th 2022, Dial Books), is eligible for this years Cybils Awards (in Elementary/Middle Grade speculative fiction).  Starting this Wednesday, the 17th, you can apply to be a panelist on for this category, or one of the others....here's a blog post of mine with more info.

this week's round-up of middle grade sci fi and fantasy (8/14/22)

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

The Reviews

The Blackthorn Branch, by Elen Caldecott, at Scope for Imagination

Castle of Tangled Magic, by Sophie Anderson, at alibrarymama

City of Speed (Battle Dragons #2), by Alex London, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Dark Days (Skulduggery Pleasant #4), by Derek Landy, at One Reading Nurse

David Massie and the Hidden Underworld, by Andrew M. Nehring, at Log Cabin Library

Daybreak on Raven Island, by Fleur Bradley, at Say What?

Dead Voices (Small Spaces # 2) by Katherine Arden, at Hidden in Pages (audiobook review)

Duet, by Elise Broach, at Reading Middle Grade

Fenris & Mott, by Greg Van Eekhout, at Log Cabin Library

The Green Ember, by S.D. Smith, at Valinora Troy

Lloyd, Natalie. Hummingbird, by Natalie Lloyd, at Ms. Yingling Reads, and Cracking the Cover

The Left-Handed Fate, by Kate Milford, at Colorful Book Reviews

Ravenfall, by Kalyn Josephson, at Log Cabin Library

A Reluctant Witch’s Guide to Magic, by Shivaun Plozza, at Glam Adelaide

The Tarnished Garden, by Alyssa Colman, at Charlotte's Library

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

Witchlings, by Claribel A. Ortega, at Lazy Day Literature

Authors and Interviews

Ally Malinenko (This Appearing House), at Middle Grade Ninja 

Shawn K. Stout (The Impossible Destiny of Cutie Grackle), at MG Book Village

Oanis Rawbone (Whippoorwill Lane), at Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books

Polly Holyoke (Skyriders) at MG Book Village

Andrew M. Nehring (David Massie and the Hidden Underworld) "Inspiring Kids Through Science Fiction" at Smack Dab in the Middle and Chapter Break

A.L. Tait (The Mapmaker Chronicles, Maven & Reeve Series and Ateban Cipher) at Log Cabin Library

Katherine Arden (Small Spaces series) at Publishers Weekly

Claribel A. Ortega (Witchlings) at Rapunzel Reads

 

Other Good Stuff

NEW MG & YA SCI-FI AND FANTASY, at Book Riot

Heather Kassner (The Plentiful Darkness) picks five  "magical middle grade novels woven with darkness and heart" at Shepherd

25 Books Starring Dragon-Loving Mighty Girls, at a mighty GIRL

and a reminder that starting August 17, you'll be able to apply to be a Cybils panelist! Here's why I think being a Cybils judge is a wonderful thing.

The Tarnished Garden, by Alyssa Colman

 

Here's my Goodreads review for The Tarnished Garden, by Alyssa Colman--"checks lots of my boxes--sisters, a garden, school story, magic, kittens......I enjoyed it very much!"  And indeed though I enjoyed the first book in the series, The Gilded Girl, lots, this was more to my taste, because of it having the garden and magical kittens!

Maeve has been reunited with her big sister, Izzy, after a traumatic stint of being a farmed out orphan out west.  The two are now pupils at a new school for magic in New York city; it is the Gilded Age, but with magic.  But Maeve and Izzy are having trouble reconnecting, Maeve's magic is wild and uncontrolled, there are those who think magic should be the exclusive purview of the privileged (with the sisters are most definitely not), and disaster is striking one magically built building after another, extinguishing the magic holding them together.  And on top of this, house dragons (basically cats with magic) are going missing.  In order to save their school, and the right of poor kids to spark their magic and learn to use it, the girls must figure out what is going on and put a stop to it.

So that's a fine plot, but what I really loved was how Maeve finds a secret magical garden, and makes it grow and come alive again with her magic, learning how to use just as much as she needs without it getting carried away.  And in the garden there are three little house dragon kittens, who are adorable, who's mother left them there under magical protection.....and a boy shut up in an apartment overlooking it, who's mother won't let him out lest he gains magic too.

A really delightful story, with the charming magic given weight by the sibling relationship and by the inequality of the society in which they live.  My enjoyment was heighted by my familiarity with The Secret Garden--there were lots of echoes that I loved.

This week's round-up of middle grade fantasy and sci fi from around the blogs (8/7/22)

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

First-- one of the things that most gladdens my middle grade speculative fiction loving heart is being part of the Cybils Awards, and spending my fall doing a deep dive (even deeper than usual) into all the elementary/middle grade books published in the past year (which for the Cybils is Oct 16-Oct 15).  You can be part of this too!  (in categories other than EMG spec fic too!).  Here's why I think being a Cybils judge is a wonderful thing, and new folks are enthusiastically welcomed. 

Call for Judges: 17 August thru 9 September. (I'll be sharing the link when it goes live)

Announcement of Judges: 21 September
Public Nomination period: 1 October thru 15 October.
Publisher/Author submission period: 17 October thru 26 October.
Finalists announced Jan 1, winners announced Feb 14.

The Reviews

Alex Neptune, Dragon Thief, by David Owen, at  Book Craic

Alliana, Girl of Dragons, by Julie Abe, at The erudite labyrinth, A Cat, a Book, and a Cup of Tea, and Charlotte's Library

Beast of Stone, by Linda Sue Park, at Colorful Book Reviews 

The Beatryce Prophecy, by Kate DiCamillo, at goodreadswithronna

The Blackthorn Branch, by Ellen Caldecott, at Magic Fiction Since Potter

David Massie and the Hidden Underworld, by Andrew M. Nehring, at Say What?

The Devouring Wolf, by Natalie C. Parker, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Fenris and Mott, by Greg van Eekhout, at Cracking the Cover,  alibrarymama, and Ms. Yingling Reads

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

The Girl, the Ghost and the Lost Name, by Reece Carter, at Scope for Imagination

A Girl's Guide to Love and Magic, by Debbie Rigaud, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Gravebooks, by J.A. White, at Say What?

Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation, by Sylvia Liu, at Say What?

I, Cosmo, by Carlie Sorosiak, at  Rosi Hollinbeck

The Monster in the Lake, by Louie Stowell, at Valinora Troy

The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne, by Jonathan Stroud, at Miss Print

Pilar Ramirez and the Curse of San Zenon (Pilar Ramirez Duology #2), by Julian Randall, at Say What?

Race to Fire Mountain (Future Hero #1), by Remy Blackwood, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Spark, by M.G. Leonard, at Scope for Imagination

The Treekeepers, by Kieran Larwood, at The Firebird's Bookshelf

The Way to Rio Luna, by Zoraida Cordova, at Colorful Book Reviews

What Lives in the Woods, by Linday Currie, at The Bookwyrm's Den

The Wizard in the Wood (The Dragon in the Library #3) by Louie Stowell, at Say What?

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, by T. Kingfisher, at The Book Nut

Authors and Interviews

Tom Huddleston (Flood World Trilogy) at Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books

Other Good Stuff

New in the UK, from Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books

10 MAGICAL WITCH BOOKS FOR MIDDLE GRADERS, at Book Riot

Alliana, Girl of Dragons, by Julie Abe

Alliana, Girl of Dragons, by Julie Abe (August 2, 2022, Little Brown), is a prequel to the utterly delightful Eva Evergreen series.  Though I very much enjoyed Alliana's adventures, I can't quite call it delightful--it's a Japanese-infused Cinderella story, and it was hard for me to read about Alliana being tormented by her stepmother and stepbrother.  They are truly awful to her, and she is trapped by debts she'll never be able to pay off, no matter how hard she works in the family inn.  Her one hope is to be chosen for the Royal Academy, but her stepmother will stop at nothing to keep her from leaving....

Alliana does have one person who loves her--the grandmother who lives up at the top of the inn, sewing tapestries and always ready with stories of myths and legends.  When the grandmother dies, Alliana's life seems even more hopeless, but magic is real in her world, and so are dragons....

Gathering plants as far as she can get from her stepmother, Alliana saves a baby nightdragon, and they form a strong and loving bond, though she can't possibly take it home with her.  And chance also brings her the friendship of a young witch, Nela.  And then chance pushes even harder at Alliana's life, forcing her to confront a magical danger that is threatening even the most powerful witches of the land.  She realizes, with the help of her friends, that she's a person of value, and is instrumental (along with the dragon) in setting things right.

Great for young readers who:

like kids in unhappy circumstances who not only get magical endings (this isn't a Cinderella story where the girl marries the prince, but the beautiful dress problem, which I always appreciated as a kid, is here!) but who also survive trauma and end the book starting to heal with the help of people who love them.

like stories of kids loving and caring for magical creatures

want to be friends with a witch their own age who will give them broomstick rides!

loved Eva Evergreen! (which I now want to reread* possibly then moving on to re-reading this one, which I will enjoy more than the first time around because of not being sad and anxious for Alliana. )

*I'm glad to have a solid tbr pile because there were dark years when I didn't have enough to read, but I also miss the re-reading I did back then.....

Disclaimer: review copy received at ALA

See You Yesterday, by Rachel Lynn Solomon for Timeslip Tuesday

See You Yesterday, by Rachel Lynn Solomon (YA, May 2022, Simon and Schuster) is a very entertaining and rather moving ground-hog day sort of time slip story.  It's Barrett Bloom's first day of college, and she is eager to put the heavy weight of high school behind her, and start afresh.  But she wakes up to find that she has a new room-mate--a girl she was once friends with in high school, who turned into an enemy.  And her day doesn't get any better--humiliated by Miles, a smart aleck boy in Physics class, flubbing her chance to get a position on the college newspaper, and culminating with setting a frat on fire.  Not the first day she wanted....but it isn't her only chance.

When she wakes up the next day, it is the first day all over again.  And Barrett can't do anything about it but try to do better (and successfully avoid the frat fire).  Then Miles seeks her out--he has also been stuck in a repeating first day loop, in his case for weeks already, and he's glad to have a potential ally in figuring out how to get unstuck.  Gradually Barrett and Miles, thrown together day after the same day, start to appreciate and trust each other, taking advantage of their situation to seize the day and do all sorts of fun and whacky stuff (like treating all 15 dogs in the shelter to a grand day out, wildly spending money on adventures and free ice cream for everyone on campus, and more).  And gradually they open up to each other, sharing their secrets and past traumas.  And as day follows the same day, they fall in love....learning each other, delighting in each other, treasuring each other.

But if time starts flowing like it should again, will their love last?

There's lots to like here.  Barrett isn't a standard sexy YA heroine--she's plus sized, abrasive, prickly, and impulsive.  A lot of the prickly and abrasive part comes from the trauma of her high school experience, which includes a really horrible episode in which the guy who asks her to prom, and then has (consensual, though not great) sex with her, turns that into a public humiliation nightmare for her. She wants to be someone different, but it turns out that Miles loves her for who she is, and she is just the right person to pull him out of his reserve into the flow of life and laughter. Barrett is Jewish, and Miles is Japanese Jewish, and their shared Jewish-ness is a part of their growing relationship, and Barret's mom is about to marry her girlfriend, which also makes this story have a nice outside the standard mold taste to it.

But mostly the fun and interest comes from Barrett and Miles making each new/same day different and extraordinarily, days in which they are able to grow and change.

I'm not sure it needed to be over 400 pages long, but I am sure that YA readers who want entertaining cute and introspection-provoking romance will not care.

A nice time travel touch was Barrett and Miles seeking out a physics professor who was basically forced to resign after her high level course on Time Travel outraged parents.  She wasn't able to give them a magic solution, but did nudge them toward the exit point of their loops, and I liked how the time travel was neither entirely fantastical or entirely scientific, but a bit of both.  I also liked the lost sock that was an important key to it all....lost socks are powerful, mysterious entities!

 

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.....