Review: Echo

Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is beautiful. It's beautiful in appearance and beautiful writing. I loved this one so much. It's intimidating in size and historical fiction, which is generally appealing to me, but not necessarily the general public. However, they should all pick this one up! It's the story of four people: Otto, Friedrich, Michael, and Ivy. Their stories end up connected by a harmonica and a love of music, eventually ending with most of the characters meeting. There's also a fairy tale aspect with three sisters interacting with Otto. Each story is heartbreaking. Friedrich is in Germany while the Nazi party is rising in power. Michael is an orphan trying to stay with his brother and find a family. Ivy is trying to deal with her brother being away in WWII and also being segregated from the local school due to her race.

This was a book I had a hard time putting down, and also a book that made me want to pick up my instrument and play again (or get a ukelele, or get a harmonica.)

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Review: The Island of Dr. Libris

The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this one quite a lot. Billy is spending the summer in a cottage on a lake with his mom. His dad is staying behind in New York. Little does he know that Dr. Libris has been plotting to get Billy to this house to test out his experiment--an island where things you read come to life!

I definitely enjoyed this read. It was quick, fun, and there's a cast of characters to enjoy. I did think it wrapped up a little quickly and sloppily, but to be fair, I was speed reading and tired at the time, so others may enjoy the ending more than I did.

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Review: We Are All Made of Molecules

We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this story so much. I was way more into Stewart's story than Ashley's. It took a while for me to catch up to Ashley. I wondered how her parents, while being so nice, could create such a self-centered, popularity-obsessed child. Stewart was so much easier for me to love. I felt like he was doing the right thing so often and Ashley was too obsessed with the way she looked and getting with Jared. However, she came around at the end. I really liked the dual story perspectives, because it did humanize both of them, even if I liked one of them better. I think kids will appreciate the perspectives of two different kids at the same school getting along, and I think the blended family aspect will speak to a lot as well.

It does contain scenes with underage drinking, and some talk about bras and sexual activity.

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Review: Listen, Slowly

Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Much like Lai's last book, I was captivated by this one. Mai (or Mia in school) is being forced to go to Vietnam with her father and Ba (her grandmother). Ba has been separated from her husband since THE WAR and has finally decided to go back to get closure. A detective has told her that he has had contact with someone connected to her missing grandfather. Mai is not excited about this trip at all. She's supposed to be on the beach with her friend, possibly interacting with the boy she likes (HIM). On the trip, though, she begins to learn more about where she is from, and what's important to her.

I thought Mai was pretty believable, with her devotion to family but also her desire to be on the beach and be a typical American teen. I also understood why she stopped speaking Vietnamese after going to school. Her growing acceptance and discovery of the land her parents came from and the culture she is connected to was believable as well. I think it had just the right amount of references to THE WAR. As an adult, I wished for a bit more about what had been happening in Vietnam, but I think for kids who might not have any background about the Vietnam War at all, it was the right amount. A beautiful story.

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Review: Nnewts: Escape from the Lizzarks

Nnewts: Escape from the Lizzarks by Doug TenNapel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once I got past my initial dislike of the double n in "nnewts," I really enjoyed this book. Hurk wants so badly to have strong legs and be able to be on land and water. His dad is a magician, who gets called away on a hunting raid. While he is gone, the lizzarks attack. Hurk escapes, but has no idea where to go. There's a lot of interesting points, some of which feel a bit expected to this avid fantasy/sci-fi reader but will surprise kids. I'm excited to see where this story goes.

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Review: Francine Poulet Meets the Ghost Raccoon

Francine Poulet Meets the Ghost Raccoon by Kate DiCamillo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another entry in the Deckawoo Drive series by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. This time it focuses on the animal control officer Francine Poulet, whose confidence is shaken by a screaming raccoon. I loved this story of her getting her confidence back, which I think will resonate with children.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in return for a review.

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Review: The Question of Miracles

The Question of Miracles by Elana K. Arnold
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Heartbreaking. Iris has moved to Corvallis, Oregon after the death of her best friend Sarah. She's gone from sunny California to rainy Oregon, and she's not happy. She sits with Boris at lunch one day, and slowly begins to become friends with him. She discovers that he is a medical miracle, and starts to wonder if she too can get a miracle, or why some people get miracles and others don't. My heart broke for Iris, who was there when her friend died, and her struggle to let others in. I enjoyed that she did befriend Boris and tried some new things that he liked, before moving on to teaching him things. I think this one will stay with kids for a long time.

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