Review: Ms. Bixby's Last Day

Ms. Bixby's Last Day by John David Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't have a chance to read this during MSBA pre-season, so I read it now. It's funny, because I wasn't a huge fan of Anderson's Sidekicked, but I really enjoyed his two more recent stories. This one is about three boys who want to give their teacher her ideal last day, after she leaves school due to cancer treatments. It's funny and sad all at once, and if you are an educator, it reminds you of the impact you can have on student lives. An excellent choice for the list.

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Review: My Lame Life: Queen of the Misfits

My book club picks a lot of different books. We've read middle grade poetic biographies, YA fantasy, adult literary fiction, and non-fiction. One time we picked a book called People I Want to Punch in the Throat by Jen Mann. I laughed so hard at her book, and immediately went and asked her to be my friend on Facebook, which she graciously allowed me to do. Ever since, I have been enjoying her thoughts there and on her blog, and hope to read her other books soon.

My Lame Life: Queen of the Misfits is Mann's first foray into the field of young adult literature. Plum Parrish, our narrator, is about to move from New Jersey to Kansas because of her father's job transfer. She is not excited about the move, but it is a chance for her to start over. In New Jersey, she has two friends, and one of them is her French teacher. Can Plum find her tribe in a new state?

I laughed just as hard at this book as I did at People. Mann has realistically captured the teen experience, from the self-centered way they view the world, to the horrors of gym class and having a "cooler" sibling. I loved the journal format, and the way Plum had a list of people or things that she wanted to punch after each entry. The way that Plum's friendships and relationships with her family change over the course of the novel felt natural too. Additionally, I have a fear of bats, and the scene with Plum, the bat, and her family had me laughing and cringing. If I had a daughter with a bat in her hair, I'm not sure I would immediately jump to help either.

I immediately added to the YA collection at the library I work at. I did receive a free copy of the book from the author in return in for my honest review.

Review: Saving the Whole Wide World

Saving the Whole Wide World by Judd Winick
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this one because it was the only nominee for the Children's Book Award in the middle-grade category that I hadn't read yet. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the first book in the series. Hilo is pretty cool, and the ending is quite a cliffhanger.

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Happy Book Birthday, Quest for the Golden Arrow!

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the second Time Stoppers book, Quest for the Golden Arrow, from the author, Carrie Jones. However, it came during peak Maine Student Book Award reading season, so I was unable to read it until recently. I decided that I would post the review in time for its birthday, so that I could help drum up excitement for the book on its publication day.

The book picks up the morning after the first book, Time Stoppers, ends. Annie Nobody wakes up happy, but soon realizes something is off. As her friends rejoin her in Miss Cornelia's house, they realize that the beloved woman is missing. From there, Annie and her friends go off on an adventure in hopes of rescuing her. Bloom, Jamie, and Annie learn lots of things about themselves on the journey, and it ends on a perilous note that will make readers anxious for the next book.

One of the things I love most about this series is how well I can hear the voice of the author. I know not everyone is lucky enough to know authors and hear things in their cadence, but I don't even need to try hard for this. I hear Carrie telling me this story in my head, just as I did in the first Time Stoppers book. This makes sense, as the story was created as an oral story years ago, but I love that it hasn't lost that flavor through the years. The other thing I love about this story is that Aurora and Bar Harbor feel like the real places they are. The book does travel beyond these towns, and I hope it is just as realistic there, as it is in Maine.

There were still moment when I got annoyed that Annie was so hard on herself, but when I think about myself, I realize that I react similarly. So maybe it's one of those situations where things hit home too closely? I also really felt for Jamie. In this book, he's still struggling with whether or not he will become a troll, and people don't always react well to that.

There are a few new characters I love. I don't want to spoil much of the book, but my favorite has multiple legs that can be used for different things at the same time.

Recommended for juvenile fantasy readers or realistic fiction readers that can cross over to fantasy from time to time.