Author: Tasha

Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

| Tasha

a curse so dark and lonely by brigid kemmerer

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer (9781681195087)

Prince Rhen has been cursed along with his entire kingdom into repeating the same season over and over again until a girl falls in love with him. At the end of each season, he fails and turns into a monster who slays his own people. Now he is left with a single guardsman, Grey, who has pledged to stay at his side. Each season, Grey transports himself to Washington, D.C. and steals a girl to try to break the curse. Then one year, he steals Harper, a girl who was not his chosen one but instead one who tried to attack Grey and save the girl he was attempting to kidnap. Harper may not have been Grey’s choice, but now she is the only chance they have at breaking the curse since the sorceress who placed the curse has declared this the final season. As Harper steps into the role of princess, she refuses to conform to expectations. She is intent on making a difference to the suffering people of the kingdom even if they underestimate her due to her cerebral palsy. But will it be enough to end the curse? Will love come?

I approach every retelling of a fairy tale with trepidation. There are few that can really transform the tale into something new and fresh. Kemmerer does exactly that with her retelling of Beauty and the Beast. She creates two amazing male characters, each compelling in their own way and with their own special bond with one another too. She adds one of the nastiest sorceresses around, Lilith, who is willing to provide endless pain to Rhen, Grey and anyone else she can. Kemmerer then laces this story with the psychology of reliving the same year again and again, with immense failure, slaughter, remorse and despair. The result is a dark rather than dreamy story, filled with pain, blood, battles and strategy.

Harper is an incredible heroine. Her having cerebral palsy is interwoven into the story, not as an aside but as a part of her life experience that gives her context for helping others and seeing beyond the surface to their potential. She is honest and forthright, and yet willing to use subterfuge and lies to make a positive difference for those she cares about. She is entirely complicated and every inch a princess and heroine.

A great retelling of Beauty and the Beast, this book stands on its own merits. Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Bloomsbury.

Review: The Bell Rang by James E. Ransome

| Tasha

the bell rang by james e. ransome

The Bell Rang by James E. Ransome (9781442421134)

This new book from a Coretta Scott King Award winner is a stunning look at slavery and freedom. Told over the course of a week, the book depicts the monotony and toll of the grueling work that never changes or abates. On each day, the bell rings to wake them and the narrator’s older brother indicates that he is going to leave and run away to freedom. Each touch of his hands says it, he says it aloud and he leaves her a gift. When he does run, the days become even harder, being unable to eat and unable to stop crying because he is missed and he is in danger. When the other boys who ran away with him are brought back and whipped, he is still free. And another week begins.

Ransome is a master storyteller and his skill is evident the verse in this picture book. Told with a spareness that allows readers no ability to look away or take solace in niceties, the book lays bare the human cost of slavery and what it takes to escape to freedom. The book is abundant in family love with all of the family taking time to be kind to one another and love one another through difficult and impossible situations.

The illustrations are just as powerful as the text. They illuminate the lives of this family, focusing on the people who are enslaved. Many of the scenes are filled with love and grace. But they are all shadowed by slavery and lack of freedom.

A harrowing look at slavery and freedom, this picture book reveals the truth of our American history. Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Reviewed from copy provided by Atheneum.

2019 USBBY Outstanding International Books

| Tasha

USBBY

The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) has announced their annual list of the most outstanding international books for young people published during the calendar year. Here is their 2019 list:

GRADES PreK-2

Africville Auntie Luce’s Talking Paintings

Africville by Shauntay Grant, illustrated by Eva Campbell

Auntie Luce’s Talking Paintings by Francie Latour

A Case for Buffy (Detective Gordon #4) A Drop of the Sea

A Case for Buffy by Ulf Nilsson, illustrated by Gitte Spee

A Drop of the Sea by Ingrid Chabbert, illustrated by Guridi

Farmer Falgu Goes to the Market 35959973

Farmer Falgu Goes to the Market by Chitra Soundar, illustrated by Kanika Nair

I Really Want to See You, Grandma by Taro Gomi

Marwan's Journey Me And My Fear

Marwan’s Journey by Patricia de Arias, illustrated by Laura Borras

Me and My Fear by Francesca Sanna

On the Other Side of the Garden The Patchwork Bike

On the Other Side of the Garden by Jairo Buitrago, illustrated by Rafael Yockteng

Patchwork Bike by Maxine Beneba, illustrated by Van Thanh Rudd

Stories of the Night Tomorrow

Stories of the Night by Kitty Crowther

Tomorrow by Nadine Kaadan

Up the Mountain Path

Up the Mountain Path by Marianne Dubuc

 

GRADES 3-5

After Life: Ways We Think about Death Astrid the Unstoppable

After Life: Ways We Think about Death by Merrie-Ellen Wilcox

Astrid the Unstoppable by Maria Parr, illustrated by Katie Harnett

The Colors of History: How Colors Shaped the World Eye Spy: Wild Ways Animals See the World

The Colors of History: How Colors Shaped the World by Clive Gifford, illustrated by Marc-Etienne Peintre

Eye Spy: Wild Ways Animals See the World by Guillaume Duprat, illustrated by Patrick Skipworth

From the Heart of Africa: A Book of Wisdom Go Show the World: A Celebration of Indigenous Heroes

From the Heart of Africa: A Book of Wisdom by Eric Walters

Go Show the World: A Celebration of Indigenous Heroes by Wab Kinew, illustrated by Joe Morse

The House of Lost and Found Missing Mike

The House of Lost and Found by Martin Widmark, illustrated by Emilia Dziubak

Missing Mike by Shari Green

Peace and Me The Sound of Freedom

Peace and Me by Ali Winter, illustrated by Mickael El Fathi

The Sound of Freedom by Kathy Kacer

A Story Like the Wind Too Young to Escape

A Story Like the Wind by Gill Lewis, illustrated by Jo Weaver

Too Young to Escape by Van Ho & Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Vacation What a Wonderful Word

Vacation by Blexbolex

What a Wonderful Word by Nicola Edwards, illustrated by Luisa Uribe

 

GRADES 6-8

Dodger Boy Ebb and Flow

Dodger Boy by Sarah Ellis

Ebb & Flow by Heather Smith

The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle The Island at the End of Everything

The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle by Victoria Williamson

The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Mary, Who Wrote Frankenstein No Fixed Address

Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey, illustrated by Julia Sarda

No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen

Small Things Swallow's Dance

Small Things by Mel Tregonning

Swallow’s Dance by Wendy Orr

Voices from the Second World War: Stories of War as Told to Children of Today

Voices from the Second World War: Stories of War as Told to Children of Today

 

GRADES 9-12

Skating Over Thin Ice Troublemakers

Skating over Thin Ice by Jean Mills

Troublemakers by Catherine Barter

We Kiss Them With Rain

We Kiss Them with Rain by Futhi Ntshingila

2019 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers

| Tasha

Young Adult Library Services Association

YALSA has announced the books on the 2019 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers. The list identifies nonfiction and fiction books of high quality that will appeal to teens who don’t enjoy reading. This is always one of my favorite lists to explore since it includes many titles I’ve missed during the year. They have a Top Ten List:

#Murdertrending (MurderTrending, #1) Amal Unbound

#MurderTrending by Gretchen McNeil

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed

Animal Zombies!: And Other Bloodsucking Beasts, Creepy Creatures, and Real-Life Monsters Game Changer

Animal Zombies!: And Other Blood-Sucking Beasts, Creepy Creatures, and Real-Life Monsters by Chana Stiefel

Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald

Hey, Kiddo The Poet X

Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

The Prince and the Dressmaker Sadie

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Speak: The Graphic Novel Sunny (Track, #3)

Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Emily Carroll

Track Series (Sunny and Lu) by Jason Reynolds

Review: Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu

| Tasha

eventown by corey ann haydu

Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu (9780062689801)

Elodee’s family faced a tragedy this year and had trouble recovering from it. Elodee is always angry and her twin sister, Naomi, is getting quieter. Given those circumstances, moving to Eventown seemed like the best plan. The family had vacationed in Eventown and had great memories of being there. When they move into their house that is just like every other house in town, they discover a life filled with hikes into the hills, no cars, walking to school past a waterfall and woods, and rosebushes everywhere. Their lives find a comforting rhythm there. But things are a bit too perfect: there are no clouds in the sky, no rainy days, and ice cream doesn’t melt down your wrists. When the twins are sent to the Welcome Center, they are given a chance to tell six stories of their lives, days of their greatest sorrows and joys. Naomi goes first and tells her stories, but Elodee’s session is interrupted. Naomi is quickly fitting into the town while Elodee remembers more of their life before and starts to ask questions about their lives in Eventown.

Haydu’s novel takes a deep look at grief and pain and its purpose in our lives. It looks at what happens when bad memories are removed and perfection is put in their place. It is a limited perfection, one with no books to read, only one song to listen to, no cell phones, no Internet and no television. It is idyllic and eerie, a Stepford version of childhood. Horror is sidestepped neatly here, instead becoming a book about empowerment and making your own choices while asking important questions.

Elodee is a great main character. The fact that she is a twin is an important element in the book as it focuses on everyone in Eventown being the same but even then Elodee and Naomi are very different from one another. The twins make an interesting counterpoint to the entire town, with Elodee and her vivid anger, big questions and willingness to be different making an ideal person to expose what is really going on.

Filled with magic and mystery, this book is a compelling look at the price of perfection. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Katherine Tegen Books.

2019 LITA Excellence in Children’s & YA Science Fiction

| Tasha

SF Notables logo

The 2019 Excellence in Children’s and Young Adult Science Fiction Notable Lists have been announced by LITA. The list includes three age categories with books in each. Here are the books:

GOLDEN DUCK NOTABLE PICTURE BOOKS

35297565 35143905

Bitty Bot’s Big Beach Getaway by Tim McCanna. Illustrated by Tad Carpenter.

Breaking News: Alien Alert by David Biedrzycki.

Doll-E 1.0 If You Had a Jetpack

Doll-E 1.0 by Shanda McCloskey.

If You Had a Jetpack by Lisl H. Detlefsen. Illustrated by Linzie Hunter.

Little Robot Alone A Place for Pluto

Little Robot Alone by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest. Illustrated by Matt Phelan.

A Place for Pluto by Stef Wade. Illustrated by Melanie Demmer.

 

THE ELEANOR CAMERON NOTABLE MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS

CatStronauts: Robot Rescue The Jamie Drake Equation

CatStronauts: Robot Rescue by Drew Brockington.

Jamie Drake Equation by Christopher Edge.

Margot and Mateo Save the World Mega Robo Bros (The Phoenix Presents)

Margot and Mateo Save the World by Darcy Miller.

Mega Robo Bros by Neill Cameron.

A Problematic Paradox Quantum Mechanics

A Problematic Paradox by Eliot Sappingfield.

Quantum Mechanics by Jeff Weigel.

Sanity & Tallulah The League of Lasers (Star Scouts, #2)

Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks.

Star Scouts: The League of Lasers by Mike Lawrence.

Stuck in the Stone Age (The Story Pirates Present) Too Much Space!

The Story Pirates Present: Stuck in the Stone Age by Geoff Rodkey.

Too Much Space! (Beep and Bob) by Jonathan Roth.

Voyage of the Dogs Waste of Space (Moon Base Alpha, #3)

Voyage of the Dogs by Greg Van Eekhout.

Waste of Space by Stuart Gibbs.

The Wild Robot Escapes (The Wild Robot, #2)

The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown.

 

THE HAL CLEMENT NOTABLE YOUNG ADULT BOOKS

A Conspiracy of Stars (Faloiv, #1) Cross Fire (Exo #2)

A Conspiracy of Stars by Olivia A. Cole.

Cross Fire by Fonda Lee.

The Future Will Be BS-Free Honor Among Thieves (The Honors, #1)

The Future Will Be BS-Free by Will Mcintosh.

Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre.

Ignite the Stars (Ignite the Stars, #1) Impostors (Impostors, #1)

Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan.

Impostors by Scott Westerfeld.

Pitch Dark Skyward (Skyward, #1)

Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda.

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson.

The Spaceship Next Door A Spark of White Fire (The Celestial Trilogy, #1)

The Spaceship Next Door by Gene Doucette.

A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna.

Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful This Splintered Silence

Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful by Arwen Elys Dayton

This Splintered Silence by Kayla Olson.

Unearthed (Unearthed, #1) Your One & Only

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner.

Your One & Only by Adrianne Finlay.

This Week’s Tweets

| Tasha

Here are the tweets I shared this week:

plume de poule: BLEXBOLEX

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

The Best Tweets from the 2019 Youth Media Awards — 100 Scope Notes

Book Riot – 50 Must-Read Books For Beginning Readers

Full list of honor books and award winners!:

Grace Lin’s “Call” Story: https://twitter.com/MrSchuReads/status/1090981969838641153

Horn Book Magazine Starred Reviews, March/April 2019 — The Horn Book

The Most Anticipated Children’s and YA Books of Spring 2019

‘We need to talk about children’s books in a grown-up way’

When They Got the Call: PW Speaks with the 2019 Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz Winners

LIBRARIES

The Nashville Public Library is a thing of beauty and importance.

YA LIT

All the Young Adult SFF Books Coming Out in February!

Vermont Author M.T. Anderson Wins Lifetime Achievement Award For Young Adult Literature

2019 Rainbow Book List

| Tasha

The Rainbow Book List has announced their 2019 picks. The list focuses on books wit significant LGBTQ content for children and youth, ages birth to 18. The list includes 107 titles and also has a top ten selected that follows:

Darius the Great Is Not Okay DeadEndia: The Watcher's Test

Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

Deadendia: The Watcher’s Test by Hamish Steele

Girl Made of Stars Girls of Paper and Fire (Girls of Paper and Fire, #1)

Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

Hurricane Child Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts)

Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender

Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) by L.C. Rosen

Let's Talk About Love Odd One Out

Let’s Talk about Love by Claire Kann

Odd One Out by Nic Stone

34204247 Sewing the Rainbow: The Story of Gilbert Baker and the Rainbow Flag

Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack, illustrated by Stevie Lewis

Sewing the Rainbow: The Story of Gilbert Baker and the Rainbow Flag by Gayle E. Pitman

Review: Let ‘Er Buck!: George Fletcher, the People’s Champion by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

| Tasha

let 'er buck! george fletcher, the people's champion by vaunda micheaux nelson

Let ‘Er Buck!: George Fletcher, the People’s Champion by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by Gordon C. James (9781541541801)

George Fletcher moved to Pendleton, Oregon, a place where there weren’t a lot of African-Americans. He made friends with the children from the Umatilla Indian Reservation and learned how to train horses with gentleness. George started riding in competitions at age 16, though he was often shut out of competitions because of the color of his skin or judged unfairly. He got his chance to really show off his skill at the 1911 Pendleton Round-Up, the biggest rodeo in the Northwest. He made the top three finalists for the Saddle Bronc Championship. He outrode the other two competitors, and when the white person was named champion the crowd booed. One man in the crowd decided it wasn’t alright and sold small pieces of George’s hat to the crowd for $5 each. He turned the money over to George and it ended up being more than the grand prize. George was crowned the “People’s Champion” that day.

Nelson writes with a lovely western twang in this nonfiction picture book. She captures the spirit of the west in the words she uses and in particular in her metaphors. George took to the ways of the Umatilla tribes “like a wet kitten to a warm brick.” Ranching suited George “like made-to-measure boots.” These are just two examples of the vivid way that Nelson uses language to firmly place her book in its setting. She also creates a compelling portrait of Fletcher and faces the inherent racism of the system head on.

The illustrations by James are full of color and motion. Created with oil on board, they are a stunning mix of movement, depth and history. One can almost see the action playing out from the lines he uses. Stunning

A strong picture book about racism, horses, rodeos and heroism. Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Carolrhoda Books.