100. We Are the Beatles

100. We Are The Beatles. Brad Meltzer. Illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [j biography, j nonfiction, series biography, 4 stars]

First sentence: We are the  Beatles. I'm Paul McCartney. One of my earliest memories is of lying on the floor and listening to my dad play piano. I didn't take fancy lessons--I learned by ear, just like him.
I am John Lennon. When I was five, I went to live with my aunt and got my first musical instrument, a harmonica. My aunt made me wait until Christmas, but getting that harmonica was one of the great moments of my life.

Premise/plot: Brad Meltzer's newest biography for children is a book called We Are The Beatles. Each Beatle's story is told--though not equitably divided perhaps--through color-coded panels. Each Beatles has his own color. Each is told in first person. So readers should pay attention to the color-clues for clarity. (I didn't need clarity because I might have read a couple dozen books on the Beatles.) Once the group is together-together, the panels are black. And it switches to first person plural--we. (Though the occasional color panel returns to tell individual details.)

The book is written FOR children. So the more adult stuff is left out. The story isn't evenly paced. Some periods of time are told in greater detail, others zoom by quickly. Blink and you miss it.

 My thoughts: I wanted to love, love, love this one. (After all, all you need is love.) However, I think my expectations were too high. I think for children, for those new to the Beatles, for those with a passing curiosity, for those who just looking to read a biography [like for an assignment] this one will suit just fine. It annoyed me, for example, that it starts with PAUL and not John. John is OLDER by several years. Lennon comes BEFORE McCartney in their song credits, I believe, and alphabetically as well. No matter how I look at it, Paul should not be the one getting the attention. (I'm not surprised, mind you.) I was also annoyed that not all the Beatles get equal treatment or perhaps equal respect. Ringo deserved better.

I also don't personally care for the illustration style of the whole series. Short, squatty bodies and big heads just doesn't thrill me as an illustration style. Not when all the other characters are drawn as normal looking adults.

That being said, I do love the Beatles. And I'm not going to complain if children are introduced to the Beatles at a younger age.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

95. Stitch

95. Stitch: Reimagining Frankenstein. Padraig Kenny. 2025. 208 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, mg speculative fiction, mg fantasy]

First sentence: Stitch wakes up, just as he always has done for the past five hundred and eighty-four days he has been waking up.

Premise/plot: Is Stitch a reimagining of Frankenstein? No. Yes. Maybe, a little. Stitch and Henry Oaf are the results of an experiment, though, whether their creator was 'mad' or not could be debated. Stitch is certainly fond of his Creator, Professor Hardacre. Henry is perhaps less so since he's been caged for being too clumsy and prone to breaking things. But the Professor has been "asleep" for many, many, many days. Stitch knows the rule of never waking him, so, he is slightly uncomfortable with how things are but not alarmed. When visitors--the Professor's nephew and a young girl, Alice--arrive, Stitch learns the awful truth. The Professor is more than sleeping. The good news? Henry can come out of his cage at last. The bad news? The nephew--who leans towards being a scientist of the mad, evil sort--is determined to experiment further on HENRY and STITCH. Can these two "monsters" escape the "monster" scientist? And will they find peace in the nearby village? With Alice by their side, these two stand a better chance than Mary Shelley's monster ever did.

My thoughts: I definitely enjoyed this intriguing read. I definitely came to care for the characters of Henry, Gregor, Stitch, and Alice. There were brief 'inspired-by' moments to the original Frankenstein, however, these were few and far between. The concept of electricity bringing the dead back to life is borrowed, obviously, but the story, the characters, the motivations, etc., everything is original.

I definitely appreciated the writing and the storytelling.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

92. Into the Bewilderness

92. Into the Bewilderness. Gus Gordon. 2025. 192 pages. [Source: Library] [graphic novel, children's graphic novel, 5 stars]

First sentence: One spring afternoon, deep in the woods, far from anywhere, friends Luis (the large furry one) and Pablo (the small furry one) are on their way home after a successful outing picking gooseberries. 

Premise/plot: Luis (a bear) and Pablo (a mole) are best, best, best, best friends. They live in the woods and have a great life. But Luis is a philosophizing bear who wonders about the world outside the woods. He's a bear that is considering leaving the woods to go on the occasional adventure. When Luis wins theater tickets for the Big City production of a play, the two leave for the City....but will the City live up to everything Luis has imagined it to be? Can their friendship withstand such a big adventure?

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. It was a delightful read. I loved the dialogue. I loved the friendship. I loved how they have so many nicknames for one another.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

90. Clara the Triumphant Rhinoceros

90. Clara the Triumphant Rhinoceros. Jane Kurtz. Illustrated by Claire Messer. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [nonfiction picture book, 5 stars]

First sentence: Clara was born in India in 1738. In the beginning, her life was anything but splendid. Only a few months old and she was already an orphan. One small rhinoceros in a big, terrifying world. 

Premise/plot: Clara the Triumphant Rhinoceros is a nonfiction picture book for young readers, or readers of all ages who happen to love HISTORY or animals.

My thoughts: Was I familiar with CLARA before reading this nonfiction picture book? No. Did I absolutely love learning her story? YES. I am curious. I love learning new things. I love a good story. Narrative nonfiction can be a delight! Such is the case with this book. I love this well-crafted story. It was a great read. Happy to recommend this one!

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

86. Pocket Bear

86. Pocket Bear. Katherine Applegate. Illustrated by Charles Santoso. 2025. 272 pages. [Source: Review copy] [5 stars, J fiction, J fantasy, animal fantasy, toy fantasy]

First sentence: The sign posted outside my lair read: OUR CAT IS A BURGLAR. PLEASE ACCEPT OUR APOLOGIES. Its very existence vexed like a tick in my tail. "OUR" implied ownership. But a feline can never be owned. Admired from afar, perhaps. Never owned. "CAT" brought to mind a spoiled, mewling ball of fluff. But I am not a mere cat. I am a tiger trapped in a kitty costume. I am pure stealth and sinew and swagger. I've lived nine lives and dozens more. And as for "BURGLAR"? Burglars merely burgled. I redistribute. I recycle. I rescue. I am the Robin Hood of felines, a force for good. I am Zephyrina, honorable thief.

Premise/plot: Zephyrina, our narrator, is a cat who 'rescues' unwanted toys and brings them to a new home to be given second chances. Pocket Bear, the oldest resident, is a bear who has SEEN and HEARD just about everything--he has been around since the first world war. The other toys come and go--as new chances bring new homes, new owners, and new opportunities for toys. But Pocket Bear and Zephyrina have a good thing going, right, a forever thing. She brings the toys and Pocket Bear leads them all.

The book opens with Zephyrina's newest discovery: Berwon. Berwon may just be as old as Pocket Bear. This extremely super special rare bear may just be the salvation for the owners of the shop--Elizaveta and Dasha. But at what cost? Every toy deserves a happy ending, right?! 

My thoughts: Katherine Applegate's newest book is a fantasy novel for young readers. Toys and animals are brought to life. I loved, loved, loved the narration of Zephyrina. I loved the stories of Berwon and Pocket Bear. It had plenty of adventure! There were villains and heroes. It was a satisfying, compelling read!

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

79. Moonleapers

 79. Moonleapers (Moonleapers #1) Margaret Peterson Haddix. 2025. [September] 320 pages. [Source: Review copy] [MG fiction, MG speculative fiction, 4 stars]

First sentence: "Maisie? Is that you?" Mom's voice floated down from her second-floor office as soon as Maisie pushed open the front door. 

Premise/plot: Margaret Peterson Haddix's newest book is MOONLEAPERS. Maisie, our heroine, feels 'behind' because she does not have a smart phone. The good news? She's about to receive a phone. The bad news? In return she'll be expected to babysit her brother and sister, Rufus and Dora. It is a hand-me-down phone from her GREAT-GREAT aunt. Great-Aunt Hazel is dying and the family is going to travel to visit her. Around the same time she's told of the upcoming trip, she begins receiving strange riddles on her new-to-her phone and is given a BLANK book. It seems that there will be mysteries to solve perhaps in the upcoming weeks. Mysteries that of course only deepen once they arrive at Great-Aunt Hazel's house. Two of those mysteries are a CAT and a DOG that seem more than just a cat and dog.

My thoughts: Margaret Peterson Haddix is known for her premise-driven middle grade books. I have loved, loved, loved, absolutely loved some of her series [and a few of her stand-alone novels.] I have rated many of Haddix's novels as 5 stars. I have LOVED. I have treasured. I have reread. It was impossible for me not to compare this one with previous books.

What I enjoyed: Moonleapers IS a premise-driven novel. I liked the premise. Moonleapers are people who almost transcend time and are able to communicate with the past, to influence the past and present, to reach out to other moonleapers, to make a difference. It isn't so much the idea of moonleaping that I liked but the idea of alternate realities and small changes making big differences.

I also enjoyed the magical cat and dog and how they were able to 'help' Maisie solve all the clues needed to save the day and change the world. Without the dog and cat....well....the book might have been less engaging.

What I didn't quite enjoy: I was not as impressed by the characterization as I was the development of the premise and the world-building. Not every book needs to be character-driven. This is very much a book about mysteries and puzzles.

I also thought the pacing was a on the slow side. This one had less suspense than most of the other Haddix novels I've read in the past. This one was lacking the INTENSE, engaging, compelling, suspenseful pace. There was not a strong need to keep turning pages, to read just one chapter more. It was interesting and entertaining, but it was not exactly thrilling.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

78. Snowglobe 2

78. Snowglobe 2 (Snowglobe Duology #2) Soyoung Park. Translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort. 2021/2025. 438 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, YA Fiction, YA Speculative Fiction, YA Mystery]

First sentence: At once, all the lights go out and the TV goes dead. On the dark screen, ghostly afterimages linger for another moment before they, too, dissipate, plunging us into darkness. 

Premise/plot: Snowglobe 2 is the sequel to Snowglobe. Jeon Chobahm, our main character, has exposed the corruption of which she is aware. But there are more secrets--more impactful and unjust--to uncover and possibly expose. This time she has a team of support. [She is still living with her fellow Haeri clones, even Serin (the cranky one). Then there's her brother, Ongi, her director-friend, Hyang, and Miryu, a former actress.] The novel starts perhaps a bit slowly, but she soon realizes that she's in great danger and that she may be one of the few people who can change the world dramatically even if it means taking a lot of risks. 

My thoughts: Snowglobe 2 has a completely different vibe. The story is definitely unique and different from the first story. I felt the first story definitely focused more on the television aspect--the actors and directors, the entertainment industry, etc. I think the second story definitely focuses more on the corruption of leaders and politicians. Both deal with socioeconomic injustices--the haves and have nots if you will. The cast of characters is LARGE and at times difficult to keep up with. However, I did reread the first novel a few weeks ago. It could have been trickier if I hadn't. I liked the first book a bit more perhaps. But this one was good.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

63. Dragonflies of Glass

 63. Dragonflies of Glass: The Story of Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls. Susan Goldman Rubin. Illustrated by Susanna Chapman. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture book, picture b ook biography, art appreciation]

First sentence: As a girl, Clara loved to draw every flower and weed on her family's farm in Ohio: daffodils, poppies, and wild carrot. She drew dragonflies and butterflies and even cobwebs.

Premise/plot: Dragonflies of Glass is a picture book biography of Clara Driscoll. In the late 1880s, she moved (with her sister) to New York City and found work at the Tiffany Glass Company. She became highly skilled and was super creative. Her works were largely inspired by nature. While she started out in stained glass, she became perhaps better known for her lamp work.

My thoughts: This isn't a subject I had much interest in...before reading. But I am always open to reading picture book biographies and learning. I thought this was a great read. Readers learn not only about Clara Driscoll but the other Tiffany Girls with which she worked. The book is great at putting things into context. I do wish the book had more photographs.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

51. Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated The Worlds of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien

51. Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Katie Wray Schon. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, nonfiction picture book]

First sentence: This little girl will grow up to draw pictures that will wing their way around the world, flying to faraway places. Her pictures will be held in millions of hands--maybe even yours. But who is she? And what will she draw? 

Premise/plot: This isn't the most traditional picture book biography. It is more a picture book biography with a pointed focus on how Pauline Baynes--artist, illustrator--came to illustrate for J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. 

My thoughts: I knew her as the illustrator of the Narnia books--the interior illustrations particularly. Her work isn't always used for the covers. (That's a whole other story. The Narnia books have gone through SO MANY covers.) I did not know that she also illustrated a book cover for Tolkien (paperback Lord of the Rings, one of the editions) and a map  of Middle Earth and a few of his lesser known books that are not connected to Middle Earth. 

I don't know that I absolutely love, love, love, love, love this one. But I do appreciate the story it tells. I did learn quite a bit by reading it. While picture book biographies exist for a LOT of writers/authors, fewer exist that focus on illustrators. (Unless they are author-illustrators). Illustrations are so important for stories and storytelling. 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

48. Death in the Jungle

48. Death in the Jungle. Candace Fleming. 2025. 346 pages. [Source: Library] [YA nonfiction, nonfiction, true crime, 5 stars]

First sentence from prologue: On Friday evening, November 24, 1978, CBS broadcast a special hour-long report: "The Horrors of Jonestown." 

First sentence from chapter one: The first time Jim Jones asked followers to play dead was on an autumn night in 1941.

 Premise/plot: The story of Jonestown and Jim Jones written for a slightly younger audience--young adult instead of adult. It is a heartbreaking, tragic, fascinating story--a story of how one man used charisma, manipulation, and fear tactics to build and lead People's Temple. This didn't happen overnight. He didn't step up to speak one day, one time and get a mass following willing to do anything and everything he commanded. It was a slow process, a long con if you will, that took decades. He started in a "Christian environment," using Christianese--using the traditions and vocabulary of the Christian faith--to gain his first followers. Influenced by the "faith-healers" and the more flamboyant Pentecostal style, he figured out what his audience wanted to hear, and played it up. He used tactics that allegedly some mediums and psychics use--from what I can tell--to "prophesy" messages to specific individuals. He was a showman. Everything was crafted for a certain purpose--to gain more and more power and prestige and acclaim. 

He may have started with a "Christian" message, a "Christian" prophecy, a "Christian" God, but it was a sham through and through. He began shedding the 'Christian' skin little by little by little by little--slowly but surely getting his audience used to his message. If he'd out and out stated clearly and precisely his views--especially at the start--his following would likely have left him recognizing him as dangerous. Within a decade--maybe a little more--he had abandoned the pretense. There was no God in the sky, only a GOD on earth, Jim Jones himself was GOD. He staged fake assassination attempts. Pretend to be shot. Pretend to be dead. And then have a pretend resurrection and come back to life. This lines up with his pretend miracles and signs. 

Another tactic was creating fear, building it up,  and hyping up this chaotic doomsday prophecy or forecast. Distrust everybody. Trust only him. 

The story is told through many perspectives--many of which were his followers [or former followers]. 

The tension builds throughout as the story nears its end.

My thoughts: This one was fascinating and horrifying. It is, of course, dark and horrifying. It isn't light reading material. But I do think it is an important story to revisit. 

Will today's YA audience be familiar with the story? That's a good question. Honestly I don't know the answer. But the story itself is fascinating and compelling. One thing that stood out to me--and I have no comparison to other books about it, since I never finished any (though there's a great one that I put down and never got back to)--is her emphasis that there was murder. There were signs that the tragic ending for some/many was NOT voluntary.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

41. Rebellion 1776

41. Rebellion 1776. Laurie Halse Anderson. 2025. 405 pages. [Source: Library] [YA historical; MG historical, 4 stars]

First sentence:  "Take away this puke bucket, girl, and bring me a clean one!"

Premise/plot: Laurie Halse Anderson's newest book is historical fiction--set during the American Revolution--in the city of Boston, Massachusetts. Elsbeth Culpepper, our heroine, is a maid. Her mother is dead; her father is otherwise occupied and it is not a bit unusual, I believe, for young adults to be either hired out or apprenticed out. Her current employer--a Loyalist--flees the city leaving Elsbeth scrambling to find a new job or perhaps a new employer in the same home. She finds work--again as a maid, but essentially all-servants-in-one maid--this time for the Pike family. But there's not much time for relaxation when there's a small pox epidemic in town....and your employer has seven children! 

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I did. This isn't my first book to read on a) small pox and b) the Revolution war c) inoculations controversy. Though it has been a while since I've read up on this particular sub-sub-sub genre. It was a good read. It is the kind of historical fiction I like. The type that immerses you in the time and doesn't try to manipulate the past into an indoctrinating sermon for today. Those tend to be both a) obnoxious and b) dated.

I am torn between four and five stars. I am. I found it a compelling read. I enjoyed the depth of the characters. I thought it did really well in world-building for this historical time period. There were some great relationships explored. I'm just not absolutely convinced that it is one I would want to read again and again. (Which is almost how I determine five star reads.) Still I would definitely recommend this one. And I might revisit the rating at some point.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

40. Once For Yes

 

40. Once for Yes. Allie Millington. 2025. 272 pages. [Source: Library] [magic realism, mg fiction, 3 stars]

First sentence: My beginning began with a brick. Might not sound like much, but hey. We've all got to start somewhere. Brick by brick by brick, until I became a big enough box to fit people inside. Wouldn't have been my first choice. Too bad no one asked me. Almost fifty years later, and I was still full of them.

Premise/plot: Once For Yes is narrated by several characters, one of which is the apartment building itself, The Odenburgh. Primarily the narration is between the building (The Odenburgh) and Prue (from apartment 4C) with only occasional additional perspectives. Two major stories essentially collide in this one: a) Prue is mourning the loss of her sister, Lina, who died about a year before--hit by a car; b) The Odenburgh (the building) is facing demolition. The tenants have been put on notice to move within a month. The building is going down, down, and nothing can save it. The building--of course--being magical tries to communicate with Prue--more receptive than the others in the building. The problem? Prue is convinced that it is the dead Lina reaching out from beyond the grave. Can the building be saved? Should the building be saved?

My thoughts: This one is from the author of Olivetti--a novel from the perspective of a typewriter. This one had all of the same magical realism elements as Olivetti. However, the themes and tones are different. I don't know why the building impersonating a dead Lina bothers me. But it does. For better or worse. I didn't dislike this one. I just didn't love it. There's nothing wrong with merely liking something.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

35. The Enemy's Daughter

 

35. The Enemy's Daughter. Anne Blankman. 2025. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Historical fiction, MG coming of age, MG fiction,  3 stars]

First sentence: Marta leaned back against the ship's railing as far as she could go without falling over the side.

Premise/plot: Marta and her father are Germans aboard the Lusitania--secretly. Though not spies, they know that using their own papers to travel would be problematic--to say the least. They had been in America visiting family and now with the war--World War I--they are having difficulty traveling back safely. The sinking of the ship coincides with their discovery. Soon, Marta finds herself in England on her own. Her father is imprisoned and/or detained. Somewhere. She has no way of knowing where he is or what steps to take to find out where. Essentially on her own in a foreign country with whom she has some biases. Germany and England are at war after all. Germany is right all the time, isn't it? So what's a girl to do to survive without her identity becoming known?

My thoughts: I wanted to love this one. I did. I wanted to feel swept up, up, and away. I wanted to feel it to be an incredibly compelling stories where I cared deeply about the characters. And there is a chance--since reading is subjective--that it may be exactly that for another reader. I felt strangely detached from the characters and the story. I don't know if it was all me or if the book perhaps is more tell than show. (As opposed to more show than tell). One thing I can still appreciate is that Marta's friendship comes through a shared love of books. With that I can relate 100%. Books can build bridges across cultures, etc. And a shared love of specific stories can help encourage friendship to bloom. 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

33. Sunrise on the Reaping

 

33. Sunrise on the Reaping. Suzanne Collins. 2025. 382 pages. [Source: Library] [audio book!] [4 stars, YA dystopia, YA thriller, YA fiction, series book]

First sentence: "Happy birthday, Haymitch!" The upside of being born on reaping day is that you can sleep late on your birthday.

My thoughts (preview): Is Sunrise on the Reaping a necessary addition to the Hunger Games series? Maybe. Maybe not. Readers will most likely come to the book knowing both a) how Haymitch's story ends (as revealed in the Hunger Games book series) and b) Haymitch's Hunger Games story (the 50th Hunger Games). At the very, very, very least they will know Haymitch was the victor for Twelve during his year. There remains no way to keep suspense in the story. 

Premise/plot: Readers who have [long] been fans of the Hunger Games will get Haymitch's backstory in greater depth. There are plenty of details to be filled in that haven't been revealed already. 

My thoughts: I am SO CONFLICTED.

On the one hand, this is set roughly twenty-five (twenty-four) years before the first Hunger Games book. Readers catch glimpses of what life was like in Twelve when Haymitch was a teen. They get to know him before he'd touched a drop of alcohol. Readers see how life in the Capital is as well. MAGS. MAGS. MAGS. (You might say I was thrilled to get to see Mags again). Readers also meet a VERY young Effie Trinket. Another familiar character is PLUTARCH and, of course, President Snow.

On the other hand, there is something futile and hopeless about Sunrise on the Reaping. There is no suspense. EVERYTHING we know about Haymitch in the "present" (aka Hunger Games trilogy) leaves no doubt that the book cover-to-cover will be futile, meaningless, hopeless. No possibility for a smidgen of happiness or peace. 

The plot itself is BRUTAL, brutal, more brutal, all bleak all the way. 

There are no surprises. I mentioned twice now how the book lacks suspense. I think this is the nature of the Games. ALL the books that feature Hunger Games are going to follow a set pattern, formula, rigidity. There is nothing new under the sun. What allows for more unique storytelling is before and after. And again, readers know how the story is going to end--Haymitch bitter, angry, disturbed, apathetic, drunk, a waste. But what the book does is strip away the possibility of a happier Haymitch AFTER the third book. Perhaps this is because this is something the movie gives him that the book never intended? Perhaps this is Suzanne Collins way of saying IGNORE THE MOVIES, Haymitch is *mine*.

Several things to note: FIRST it seems that there is nothing new under the sun. I wouldn't be surprised if every year of the Games there's a few kids [at least] who try to rebel against the system and break the games and make a stand and whatnot. Katniss was not the first. Just the last.

Second, the book's greatest strength will be in CHARACTERS and RELATIONSHIPS. Readers know that the game will be brutal, bloody, bleak, ugly, horrific, psychologically damaging, twisted. But it is in how the main character is in relationship with others in the arena that matters. 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

27. One Wrong Step

   

27. One Wrong Step. Jennifer A. Nielsen. 2025. 336 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, mg historical, mg action, mg survival, mg fiction]

First sentence:  It's been almost three years since my dad and I climbed Kings Peak, but I still think about the summer of 1936 every single day.

Atlas, our hero, loves climbing mountains--first with his parents, then with just his dad. However his relationship with his father has been strained of late since his mother's death. The novel is set on Mount Everest in 1939: the world is on the verge of war AND the mountain is on the verge of an avalanche.

Atlas and his new friend, Maddie, are left behind at Advanced Base Camp. Maddie has little to no experience climbing mountains--she is just along with her dad. Atlas has some climbing experience, but at 14 he's not deemed "reliable" and "wise" enough to include in the quest for the summit. For perspective, however, consider that in 1939, NO HUMAN BEING--male or female--had reached the summit. So it makes all the sense in the world why the leader--Atlas' dad--would decide NO. 

The book's adventure truly begins when they hear an AVALANCHE above them knowing that the group--including both their fathers--will be in great danger. After their sherpa, Chodak, is greatly injured, these two head out on their own to rescue the team. Against advice--mind you--but the very young do not always do what they are told...

My thoughts: This is an action-packed historical survival-themed coming of age story. I never set out to read a moderate amount of books about mountain climbing. It just happened throughout the years. This one was compelling. It was action-packed yet it had a lot of substance and depth. Atlas is going through a lot--emotionally, mentally, physically. This time on the mountain may just change how he sees everything.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

23. Happy Town

23. Happy Town. Greg Van Eekhout. 2024. [October 22] 208 pages. [Source: Library] [j fiction, mg fiction, j dystopia; mg dystopia, speculative fiction; 4 stars]

First sentence: "Welcome to Happy Town. We Make Happy." The cow-sized blimp sails over our new house, displaying the Happy Town motto in glowing letters. I still don't know much about Happy Town, but I do know that Happy Town doesn't make happy. Happy Town doesn't make anything. They sell everything, though: diapers, donuts, drones, phones, toilet paper, toothbrushes, lawn mowers, luggage, abacuses, applesauce, athlete's foot powder, art supplies, and thousands of other products. Happy Town is the biggest online shop in the world, and it's also my new home.

Premise/plot: Keegan is open to the idea of liking his new town, Happy Town, even though he's not thrilled with how often his parents are moving around. However, Happy Town may just have more secrets than it does products for sell. Fortunately, kids have a little safeguard in place--no imps just yet--but it may not be enough to protect them from zombie consumers...

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I didn't love, love, love it in an over-the-top gushy way. Yet it was all silly thrills and overall enjoyment. Keegan makes friends with Tank and Gloriana and the three of them may just have enough spunk to save themselves--and the clueless, mindless adults. The premise was fun. The characters were fun. Solidly enjoyable dystopia for younger readers.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

20. The House on the Canal

    

20. The House on the Canal. Thomas Harding. Illustrated by Britta Teckentrup. 2025. 56 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, picture book for older readers, 4 stars, nonfiction]

First sentence: In the middle of Amsterdam, next to a canal, stands a tall, narrow house. It was built almost four hundred years ago and has served as a home, a warehouse, a stable, and a hiding place. 

Premise/plot: The House on the Canal is a picture book for older readers. It is nonfiction picture book that is more abstract in nature which makes it perhaps more fitting for older readers. It is the history of a house--a specific place throughout the centuries. The book roughly spans five and a half centuries. [Though don't trust my math!] It is the place--which in the opening spreads is not even a physical building yet--that is front and center. It all leads up to the time when the house was a hiding place for Anne Frank and her family. The house was rich in history before it became a warehouse and hiding place. This book sheds light on the some of the more permanent things in life.

My thoughts: This book gives the "Here" treatment to the Anne Frank house. Though I wouldn't be surprised if the book was in the works long before the feature film, Here, was released. The text has an almost poetic--definitely artistic--vibe. The illustrations are quite artistic as well. Definitely detailed enough to give study for those interested in art or history.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

18. Scattergood

Scattergood. H.M. Bouwman. 2025. 320 pages. [Source: Library] [mg fiction, mg historical, 3 stars]

First sentence: A barn is almost the best place in the world to think, if you live on a farm and have nowhere else to go. 

Premise/plot: Scattergood is historical fiction set in 1941 in Iowa. Peggy, our heroine, is coming of age at a rough time. Her cousin/best friend, Delia, has been diagnosed with leukemia and given less than six months to live. The ever-logical-and-scientific Peggy is determined to cure her friend of her disease and prove the doctors wrong. Meanwhile, Peggy is absolutely SMITTEN with a Jewish refugee, Gunther, and has started hanging around with the refugees at Scattergood--something to do with Quakers taking in refugees. Likewise, Joe, a long-time family friend is absolutely smitten with Peggy. Gunther, in due course, is smitten with another girl. In all three cases of smitten-ness, it is one-sided. The ages of all vary, but Peggy is definitely the youngest just a few months shy of thirteen when the novel opens. (The guys, I believe are around sixteen.) As the months go by, Peggy dwells on anything and everything that makes life unfair and unbearable.

My thoughts: I wanted to enjoy this one. It is set at a time period I usually almost always enjoy reading. It is a coming of age story, historical fiction--both good indicators. I just found nearly all the characters a little off-putting. Though perhaps they were meant to be?

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

17. Becoming Real

   

 

17. Becoming Real: The True Story of the Velveteen Rabbit. Molly Golden. Illustrated by Paola Escobar. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, nonfiction picture book, book about books, author biographies]

First sentence: Long ago in London, there was a little girl who didn't go to school. Her name was Margery.
 

Becoming Real is a picture book biography of Margery Williams the author of THE VELVETEEN RABBIT. That in and of itself may convince some to pick it up. (It certainly was enough for me. I love and adore The Velveteen Rabbit. It is SO quotable, so meaning-of-life, so BEAUTIFUL, so memorable.)

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how quotes from the VELVETEEN RABBIT are spread throughout the text. I love how that book is the lens through which we see her entire life play out. (If that makes sense?) It is the story of how she came to write this classic. It is building up to that time. I also love how her story--and HISTORY--give context.

I love the narrative. I thought it was well done. I LOVE the illustrations as well. Both text and art complement each other perfectly. As a whole, it was a compelling read that I am already gushing about to anyone who will listen.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

9. Lost in the Empire City

  

9. Lost in the Empire City. Avi. 2024. [October 29] 304 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, j fiction, mg fiction, j historical, mg historical, immigration/emigration]

First sentence: The promise took a second to make but became the story of my young life. I made the promise in Italy in 1905. 

Premise/plot: COULD A BOOK BE MORE PERFECTLY PACED?!?!?! Seriously, Avi could teach a master class on how to make a book IMPOSSIBLE to put down.

The premise is simple enough, Santo, our hero, makes a promise to keep his family together always and forever. This promise becomes a challenge once the family immigrates to America. The family is separated at Ellis Island. Santo finds himself ALONE in a foreign country where he knows only the tiniest amount of English and he is essentially without resources. Every single day is focused on surviving--living long enough to keep that promise and reunite the family, somehow someway. This book chronicles that dangerous journey. 

My thoughts: I LOVED this one. I didn't know if I would or not. (Though Ms. Yingling's review led me to believe that I would.) I loved the pacing, the suspense, the characterization, the story itself. It was SO good.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews