Review: Circus Mirandus

Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a book about a magical circus, which Micah's grandfather found years ago and is owed a miracle. However, it doesn't seem to be happening, so if Micah can find it, that would hopefully cause the debt to be repaid. He has a time limit though, because his grandfather is dying. Can Micah find the Circus Mirandus and save his grandfather?

This story is beautifully told and will hit you in the feels. The only character I found slightly unbelievable was Micah's great-aunt. Would she really have been so cold? And I did have a few questions about the ending, but I'm not interested in typing spoilers here, so I'll have to go search those out somewhere else.

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Review: Bone Gap

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Seriously, everyone ever should read this book. I have been very impressed so far with this year's National Book Award Nominee list for young people. Not many books lead me to jump around with excitement upon finishing, but this one did. Ruby's backlist is definitely one I'm going to check out when MSBA is over.

Finn is seen as dreamy by most of the town of Bone Gap. His brother, Sean, is his guardian after his mother ran off with that orthodontist. There was a girl, Roza, who lived with them, but she was kidnapped, and no one seems to believe Finn about it. People leave Bone Gap for all sorts of reasons. Finn is convinced that what he saw is truth. Can he make anyone else believe it?

That's all I want to say about this beautiful bit of magical realism. The less you know going into this story, the better.

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Review: X: A Novel

X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is an examination of Malcolm X's life, focusing mostly on late adolescence/young adulthood. It jumps back and forth in time, and his life slowly unfolds in front of you. I was not someone who knew a lot about Malcolm X, and this book, written by his third daughter, has definitely inspired me to learn more. I was intrigued by how this hustler would turn into the leader I think of him as. This book didn't do quite as well as I would have hoped in that regard. His prison transformation is glossed over at the end. I wish there had been maybe...five more pages further explaining why Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam appealed to this man so much. Still, it's a worthy addition to the National Book Award list.

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Review: Nimona

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Why did this book have to end? I immediately went online to see if I could find more, but alas, this appears to be it. I want more Nimona adventures.

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Review: The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence

The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence by Stan Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this one. It didn't move me as much as I would have liked. It definitely felt like reading a comic in novel form. I'd give it another book before I gave up on the series overall.

I guess my biggest complaint was that I felt like there wasn't a lot of backstory or fleshed out characters. The two epilogues made me feel like there might be hope in the future, but we'll see.

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Review: Challenger Deep

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Are you part of the one in three Americans whose family has been affected by mental illness? Then this book is for you. And even if you aren't, this book is for you. Shusterman has written a book that takes us down into the abyss with the narrator, Caden, and we stare at it, and wonder how we get back. If this wasn't MSBA reading season, I would start this book again, to follow Caden down and connect even more pieces. It is very deserving of it's place on the National Book Award Nominee list, and I will be thinking about it for years to come. I sat down and read it today, which was not necessarily what I was intending to do.

My own experience looking into that abyss is much, much milder than Caden's. I have seen it, and I have come back. Many of my friends have stared with me, and come back. I just, I want to pass this book on to so many people. I just felt it.

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Review: George

George by Alex Gino
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an important book, and it needs to be in libraries across the country. I love everything about George, to how she uses female pronouns even though they don't match the gender she was born with, how she has a name picked out that fits her better, how she has friends but is also picked on. I still see a long road ahead of George, but I have hope that she has a great support system to get her through. A must-read.

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Review: The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club by Phillip M. Hoose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the take of Knud Pedersen and his friends, who stood up to Hitler and the Nazi regime after Denmark peacefully let them occupy their country. Their tale of sabotage and standing up for what you want will resonate with kids, particularly because they were quite young when they started. I love the Hoose includes that he was able to interview Pedersen for the book, and that he wasn't able to write it right away due to publishing constraints.

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Review: Nightbird

Nightbird by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Twig lives with her mother on the edge of Sidwell, Massachusetts. Her family mostly keeps to themselves due to their secret. When a new family moves in next door, the younger daughter, Julia, wants desperately to be Twig's friend. Can she balance having a new friend with respecting her mother's wishes?

I'm not familiar with Hoffman, other than having seen movie adaptations of her work. I know this is Hoffman's first book for the middle grade audience, and it is a wonderful fairy tale. This is another book where I felt like the ending came on suddenly, but I was sort of racing at the end to beat sleep. I think this book will be excellent for your reader that prefers a bit of magic with their realistic fiction.

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Review: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1 by Ryan North
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Who doesn't love Squirrel Girl, and if so, why?

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Review: The Scorpion Rules

The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For my fellow Maine Student Book Award reviewers-- This book will not be like the Hunger Games, which can be YA and still fall on the list.

That aside, I feel this is an excellent start to a new YA series. Wars fought over lack of water seems very logical to me, especially with the melting of the polar ice caps. That children are kept as hostages by the UN so that war is prevented and there's a evil AI overlord is just icing on the cake. I personally was a big fan of Greta, our narrator, and her entire arc (from realizing the facade she's built for herself, to her romantic not-quite-a-triangle arc.) I am especially intrigued by the ending, which I will not spoil here. Definitely a sequel to look forward to!

I received a copy of the book from NetGalley in return for my review.

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