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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