25. The Nazi Conspiracy

25. The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill. Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch. 2025. 384 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, mg nonfiction, ya nonfiction, world war II]

First sentence: The President is hiding.

Premise/plot: This is a young reader's adaptation of adult nonfiction. It is historical nonfiction focusing on the Second World War. Spies. Intelligence. War. History. It is an interesting, mostly fascinating story. It is about the long process of setting up a meeting between the 'big three' the Allies--Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill. Setting up a meeting between two at a time, was perhaps easier, getting them ALL ready to meet and agree on how to plan ahead for the war, much more difficult.

My thoughts: I enjoyed reading this one. I did. I have an interest in World War II. I like history. I like nonfiction. I think it's good to adapt books for younger readers to make them more accessible. You can be greatly interested in a subject and still need it to be written more for your age and/or reading level. It was relatively easy to follow the main people.

One thing--for better or worse--is that the book ends by saying that the 'secret plot' has mystery surrounding it. Was there truly a "secret" plot? Was it fabricated? Was it a manipulation tactic? Was it exaggerated? How 'real' was the danger? Was it just head-games by politicians? BUT the majority of the book treats it as true, historical, documented fact. And then it throws ambiguity into it--if I was reading the last bit properly?!?! So I'm not sure how to feel about it.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

22. A World without Summer

22. A World Without Summer: A Volcano Erupts, a Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out. Nicholas Day. 2025. 304 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, nonfiction, middle grade nonfiction, history]

First sentence: The only way to understand is to have been there. The world loud isn't loud enough. The word hot isn't hot enough. The word-- None of the words are enough. The only way to understand is to have been there. But if you had been there, you would be--well, you would be dead. So we will do the best we can.

Premise/plot: Nonfiction. History. Nature. Science. This is the story of the eruption of a the volcano Tambora in April 1815 and how it impacted the world for several years. YES, years. The book's title might mislead you into thinking it was a short span of time the world's global climate was changed by this volcanic eruption--and all its aftermath. But it was in fact several years before things began to stabilize and 'return' to 'normal.' Of course, that's not quite the whole truth. For that generation there would always be some effect. (For example, the malnutrition--starving or nearly so--of those growing up would leave a forever impact on their bodies whose growth and development would remain stunted.) 

The book is equally fascinating and bleak. It is impactful. For sure.

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved much about this one. What I didn't love--well--I hated. The book doesn't allow much for subtly messaging the reader, allowing the reader to connect dots between the past and present. (IF in fact there are any dots to be connected between the past and the future.) The author is all about hitting readers over the head with a hammer. Perhaps with both hands holding a hammer. While I would say most of the book can be read and enjoyed, the agenda is so heavy-handed and extremely not subtle that it becomes obnoxious. There's a right way and a wrong way to get your message across. Sometimes less is more. Sometimes being subtle is more effective. Let readers reach their own conclusion and trust them a bit more.

 

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

21. Bittersweet

21. Bittersweet: Based on the True Tale of the Berlin Candy Bombers. Christy Mandin. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, nonfiction picture book, history, world war II aftermath]

First sentence: A bitter war was over. But for Hilda, the war didn't end when the bombs stopped falling. The war raged on in her belly, a rumbling hunger that never seemed to go away. Her too-tight shoes pinched her toes. Rubble piled up where buildings once stood. Neighbors waited in long lines for little bits of food. Hilda's country was broken into chunks like a wheel of old cheese, each part controlled by a different military.

Premise/plot: This picture book tells of the Berlin Candy Bombers and how one man's act of kindness started it all. It is set in Berlin after the Second World War. While it uses Hilda as a main character, the story is true, or true enough. I believe it is classified as narrative nonfiction.

My thoughts: What a great story! I'd read a little about the Berlin Candy Bombers but not in such a kid-friendly format. I thought it was a great story. Nonfiction that reads as easily as fiction. I would definitely recommend this one for elementary ages.


© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

20. All The Blues in the Sky

20. All the Blues in the Sky. Renee Watson. 2025. 208 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, Newbery, verse novel, grief, problem novel]

First sentence: I didn't know
best friends could die.

Premise/plot: After Sage's best friend, Angel, dies, Sage begins attending a grief counseling group with those her own age. She feels that some understand because the people they lost died suddenly, but she's angry that others in the group are included because the people they lost didn't die suddenly. Her logic is that losing someone through hospice isn't the same, couldn't ever be the same. Or losing a grandmother is one thing but losing a best friend another. She rolls her eyes when others share knowing that her pain is greater, better. That's her logic at any account. By the end of the novel--after Sage rages a bit--Sage will have an opportunity to rethink her logic when she learns that her great-aunt is dying.

My thoughts: All the Blues in the Sky was the Newbery this year. It is a verse novel. It was a quick read. It is an emotional read. It checks a lot of the boxes for award winners. It just does. But that doesn't always mean it's a great fit for kids. Not that there's anything objectionable or inappropriate. I just mean kid-appeal. The greater the number of tears shed the better the chances for adults to LOVE it and want to give it all the awards. I'm not sure kid logic works quite like that. THOUGH again if this one is read and loved by kids, that's great.

I personally didn't love Sage's logic. It felt slightly obnoxious. BUT it might be extremely authentic. I do wish that the book focused more on Sage's whole life--and not just her attendance of grief counseling. But again, it's never, never fair to review the book you want instead of the book that is.

Note: I'm not sure if this is a children's book or lower middle grade. But there is a boyfriend and kissing. Which I'm not sure many Newbery medals feature a romantic element.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

19. Jella Lepman and Her Library of Dreams

19. Jella Lepman and Her Library of Dreams. Katherine Paterson. Illustrated by Sally Deng. 2025. 112 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, middle grade nonfiction, books about books, aftermath of world war II, biography]

First sentence: Everything about the flight was miserable. Of course, it wasn't meant to be comfortable. The man and the woman were on a military transport build during World War II to ferry troops and armaments to the front.

Premise/plot: Katherine Paterson has written a biography of Jella Lepman.

My thoughts: I am not often speechless about the books I read. Though nonfiction sometimes isn't the easiest to review. What can I say about this book? It is oversized. Don't be fooled by its picture book appearance or the fact that it is illustrated. It is for children. If I had to guess I'd say ages eight or nine plus. That might be a little young. The subject matter perhaps is best matched with older readers. The format presents a bit younger.  It doesn't feature chapters like many nonfiction books for older readers.

I found it a fascinating read. It covers decades but roughly begins in 1945 after the end of the Second World War. Jella Lepman is being sent to Europe, to countries still overwhelmed and struggling with the aftermath of war. Her 'job description' if you will is to 'repair' or 're-educate' the women and children of those countries. To repair or mend the lives of the most vulnerable--women and children--from the long-term damages of war. She seeks to do this through books. YES, books. She wants to create a large--extremely very large--collection of books written in many, many, many, many languages to bring together the children of the world. She imagines a space of safety where children can thrive--books are a part of her message, but creativity is also encouraged--think art: drawing, painting and the like. It won't be an easy sell, but, Jella Lepman is determined.

One thing I think the book desperately, desperately needs IS a timeline.


© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

11. The Experiment

11. The Experiment. Rebecca Stead. 2025. 288 pages. [Source: Review copy] [j fantasy, j fiction, mg fantasy, mg fiction, j mystery, mg mystery, j science fiction, mg science fiction, 4 stars]

First sentence: Nathan had spent the morning re-reading comics in bed before sliding into a long nap that ended when his dad tapped twice on the door and called out, "Are you conscious?"

Premise/plot: Nathan, our young hero, is disgruntled. Just because he grew a tail over vacation and may no longer be able to conceal his alien-ness, life as he knew it is threatened. Several of his other alien friends have already vanished--did they grow tails too???? It is just a matter of time, he feels, until they come for him. His parents--also aliens--do not want to be separated from him, but, how much say will they have when it's time to return to the WAGON?!?!

Over a short period of time--a week, two weeks????--Nathan wrestles with EVERYTHING he knows to be true. Who he is, who his parents are, who are the good guys, who are the bad guys, who is telling the truth, his very reality. And his closest friends may just be his tail--whom he names TUCK--and his best friend, Victor.

My thoughts: I am incredibly conflicted. I am. The Experiment is speculative fiction that does keep you guessing. It isn't that Nathan is an unreliable narrator--far from it. Nathan is just about one or two steps ahead of the reader in what he knows. But both Nathan and the reader are "in the dark" as to what is really going on. Nathan and the reader find things out at almost the exact same time for most of the novel. It is slightly a mystery, but, not a mystery with clues for readers to find. Not really. So there isn't much predicting exactly and precisely what may happen next. Life with all its uncertainties are unfolding one moment at a time.

It IS a coming of age story with plenty of fantastical elements.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

3. Into the Fire (Westfallen #2)

3. Westfallen #2: Into the Fire. Ann and Ben Brashares. 2025. 384 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, series book, mg speculative fiction]

First sentence: IF at first you don't succeed, cry cry again.

Premise/plot: Into the Fire is the second book in the Westfallen series by brother-and-sister authors, Ben and Ann Brashares. The premise is AWESOME. Three friends from the present (2023) "meet" three friends from the past (1944) and history is changed FOREVER-forever. (Or is it?!?!?!) Henry, Lukas, and Frances were at one time best, best, best friends though in recent years they've grown apart--far apart. Alice, Lawrence, and Artie are friends as well. These six friends become connected by a radio.

In the first book, loose lips from the future changes the past. They make an attempt to fix it for sure, but, that attempt is unsuccessful. America [and the Allies] lost the Second World War. Bad news all around.

The six kids working together--though NOT by magic radio--try time and time and time again to change the future by changing the past. That is the kids from 2023 are searching for clues in a future where they are strangers--strangers in a strange land if you will--to see WHAT events in 1944 led to this terrible, horrible future. IT is a mystery. The kids in the past are trying their best to look for clues too. To be careful and observant. To look for anything off--signs of treason within their neighborhood. WHO is it among them that would communicate with the BAD bad guys.

Will the future be changed? Almost four hundred pages of MORE attempts...is there any progress?!?!?!

My thoughts: I read the first book TWICE. It was awesome. It was thrilling and chilling. Did not disappoint. This second book is equally intense. Same premise BUT with an added layer of dystopia. The world-building IS intriguing--and terrifying. I do think some readers--perhaps older readers???--will piece together clues before the kids in the story. I did want to shout at the characters a few times. Did I expect a cliff hanger ending? I didn't. And that's probably all my own fault. I read this book in two or three sittings BECAUSE I thought at last, at last, at last RESOLUTION. There is no resolution. WAS it a great read? YES for the most part. At least as good as the first book. Perhaps I'm more invested for the second book. I want the third book NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW.


© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

120. A Time Traveler's Masquerade

120. A Time Traveler's Masquerade. (McQuivey's Costume Shop Romance). Sian Ann Bessey. 2025. 296 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, historical romance, time travel]

First sentence: Isla Crawford stared at the email on her screen and frowned.

Premise/plot: Isla was supposed to dress up as Wendy (from Peter Pan) for the costume party. However, the owner of the costume shop, Miss McQuivey, insists she tries on another costume first. She is quite insistent not taking no for an answer. As soon as the costume is on and she steps out of the dressing room, Isla finds herself in 1605 just in time to "save" England from Guy Fawkes' deadly plan. She also obviously has to fall in love. Part of saving England is pretending to be engaged to Simon Hartworth (Lord Bancroft). So obviously they have to fall in love for real.

My thoughts: I was disappointed. I will try to explain why. Time travel is one of my favorite sub-genres. Whether it is intentional or unintentional, I tend to enjoy the genre. SO my expectations were high. This is not like any time travel novel I've read. She is ALL about telling anyone/everyone that she is a time traveler from the future. She not only tells about the future in great detail, she tells about the present time (1605) in detail as well. She not only tells about the present she interferes with the present. Almost every 'rule' that accompanies time travel is broken intentionally in this one. The time travel didn't feel fleshed out as such, it seemed like a flimsy plot device. I also didn't care for how the point of view would switch to Guy Fawkes and co-conspirators randomly. I thought those were unnecessary. I did appreciate that it was clean romance. And the romance was enjoyable enough. But I didn't "need" it to be about Guy Fawkes for it to work as a romance.


© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

118. Dear Miss Lake

Dear Miss Lake (Emmy Lake Chronicles #4) A.J. Pearce. 2025. 304 pages. [Source: Review copy] [historical fiction, historical romance, world war 2, 4 stars, series book]

First sentence: Guy Collins was a man of some talents, but until now he had kept motorcycle mechanics under his hat.

Premise/plot: Dear Miss Lake is the final book in the Emmy Lake series by A.J. Pearce. The novels are set in England during the Second World War. In many ways the series is character-driven. It isn't so much that there is an exciting, thrilling, compelling plot and you have to keep reading to find out what happens next...as it is the characters hopefully become friends and you like spending time with them even when nothing much happens. The series features a large cast of what you might think of as 'side characters' but after four books even the side characters have been developed.

So what is the fourth book about? Emmy's husband, Charles, goes missing in action and is taken prisoner of war by the Germans. She's not alone. There are many families missing husbands, brothers, fathers, etc. Answers aren't always quick to coming. And life is difficult because of the war, sacrifices must continually be made by everyone all the time always. Emmy takes pleasure in her work writing an advice column, but, the letters she reads and responds to are dealing with difficult, complex issues.

My thoughts: I like the series overall. I do. I don't know that I enthusiastically love the series. But I think if I read all four books within a period of two or three months, I might have. I remember enjoying the first book a good deal, being slightly disappointed by the second, and enjoying the third and fourth books. So overall, I would say that IF you enjoy historical fiction, women's fiction, a series that focuses on friendships and relationships, then this series might be a good fit.


© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

115. The Teacher of Nomad Land

115. The Teacher of Nomad Land. Daniel Nayeri. 2025. 192 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, historical fiction, world war II, family]

First sentence: Baba was a teacher. Dead now. Babak sits in the courtyard of their house cradling the slab of stone that will mark his grave beside Mama, already dead. He is thirteen. Sana is eight, standing behind him. She says, "That was our last parent."

Premise/plot: The Teacher of Nomad Land is historical fiction set in Iran--1941 to be precise--in Iran. Long story short, Babak is determined that he and his sister, Sana, will survive--someway, somehow--and that they'll stick together no matter what. But how are two kids on their own to survive? Babak thinks he might like to be a teacher like his dad--but will teaching others to read and write--or to speak another language be valued enough that others will give them food and protection? Maybe. Maybe not. Their lives are complicated a bit when they join with a Jewish orphan (Ben) who is being chased by a lone Nazi, Vulf. Soon all three are being pursued...

My thoughts: The Teacher of Nomad Land isn't so much a book you enjoy-enjoy as it is a book you experience. My experience was complicated by the fact that I had to check it out several times and wait on holds to start it up again. I think this book is best experience over two to three sittings. But I would definitely recommend this one!

Quotes:

Stories emerge everywhere like flowers from a grave

Everywhere, Babak can see the need for a teacher, and in himself the desire to be one. But he doesn't know what to say. What should he say to a kid committed to being this unpleasant? What is there to say that is true all the time?

Life if full of such lessons, and with so few fathers to teach them.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

113. Standoff (Kidnapped from Ukraine #2)

113. Kidnapped From Ukraine #2 Standoff. Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch. 2025. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [realistic fiction, family, drama, war] [5 stars]

First sentence: The bed moved. I squinched my eyes shut and flipped to my side. Smack. Something hit my head. Was Dariia doing one of her silly tricks again? I reached over to push her away, but her side of the bed was empty.

Premise/plot: Standoff is the companion novel to Under Attack. Under Attack was the story of what happened to Dariia (and her mom). Standoff is the story of what happened to Rada (and her dad). The focus of both books is primarily on these twin sisters--Dariia and Rada. This family is literally torn apart, separated by the sudden onset of war. Since Rada's father is fighting in the resistance or army, she's in the care of neighbors at the shelter  at the Azovstal plant. Many have taken shelter, but, it's a hard, desperate struggle to survive. So many unknowns. Each day a struggle to survive--for food, for water, for warmth, for health. Will these sisters ever find one another again?!

My thoughts: Both books are intense and compelling. I do recommend both books. They are companion books. I think they could be read as stand alone books. I think they could be read out of order.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

110. A Bitter Wind

110. A Bitter Wind. (Billy Boyle #20) James R. Benn. 2025. 379 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, world war II, mystery, historical fiction]

First sentence: The body was still warm.

Premise/plot: Billy Boyle (and friends) are back for their twentieth mystery. It opens on Christmas Day 1944. With a literal cliffhanger. Billy and a newly deceased man are quite literally in a precarious situation atop a ledge on a white cliff facing the English channel. Soon, Billy has a couple of murder cases to solve. So he is loaned out for a bit. While solving these crimes, he's forced to go to a war-torn Europe in search of one man who may hold the key to the murders he's trying to solve. The man he's in search of was a prisoner of war but has now escaped and is on the run. It won't be easy to find him, to rescue him, to get OUT and back to England. Many close-calls. Many new allies. Same old enemies. Perils abound. 

My thoughts: I didn't love this one as much as I usually love Billy Boyle mysteries. I do like that each one is different, unique, focusing on a little known fact of history. I do like that each book is based to a certain degree on real history--be it a person, a place, a battle, etc. This one has Billy Boyle traveling from place to place. By the time he returns to the original murder mystery, it feels like the pacing is a bit off.

All that being said, I do love the characters. And I do enjoy the series.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

109. Lost Evangeline

109. Lost Evangeline. Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Sophie Blackall. 2025. 160 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, j fantasy, j fiction]

First sentence: There was once a boy who longed to go to the sea.

Premise/plot: An unhappily married man--a shoemaker--finds a little girl the size of a thumb. Together these two dream of going to sea. Perhaps one of them or even both of them believe it. His wife--remember how unhappily married he is--despises the girl, Evangeline. She sells Evangeline as an oddity to a rich neighbor. Evangeline escapes via a cat. (She convinces the cat that sea life is the best life.) By the time she returns home, her father has gone. Gone where? To look for her. So she sets off in search of him who is searching for her. Will anyone who is searching find the person they are looking for?

My thoughts: I did not like this one even slightly. As a kid, I would have despised it. It was weird--which could be good or bad depending on the reader's perspective. If this one wasn't Kate DiCamillo would anyone give it a great review? I'm not convinced. Would it be selling as well as it has? Probably not. It isn't that the writing is poor. It's not. That's why three stars. But the plot is just all kinds of weird. And the whole book is just absurdly whimsically melancholy.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

107. Dream

107. Dream. Barbara O'Connor. 2025. 256 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Fiction, J Fiction, realistic fiction, 4 stars]

First sentence: The last place I wanted to be in the middle of July was the laundromat. 

Premise/plot: Idalee Lovett is the song-writing heroine in Barbara O'Connor's newest children's book, Dream. Idalee Lovett loves, loves, loves writing songs and playing on her guitar. Her mom is trying her best to be a country music superstar. But she has a hard time getting gigs even at bars and such. Idalee is not giving up on her mom's dream or her own. There's a song writing contest and Idalee is determined to win it. The winner will have his/her song played on the radio performed by a country singer.

While her mom is "on tour" with her band, Idalee is left behind at her family's boarding house. She makes new friends--some that live in town, some that are from out of town. Her best friend is "stuck" in town since his dad's car [truck, van, whatever] broke down. As big as her dreams are, she finds herself stuck and out of inspiration. 

My thoughts: This is a companion novel to Wish. I wish I'd reread Wish. I do. My advice to you is reread Wish first. Unless Wish is a novel that you've reread a few times already or perhaps read aloud to your class. Charlie and Howard are side characters in this one.

I liked this one. I did. I think if I'd reread Wish and been immersed in that world--that town--I would have appreciated Dream more. I think if I'd sat down and read it in one sitting I would have appreciated it more. I read it over two weeks. It was good. But I wanted it to be amazing and wonderful.

 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

106. Echoes of the Sea

106. Echoes of the Sea. Sarah M. Eden. 2025. 320 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, adult romance, adult historical, proper romance, clean romance, time travel]

First sentence: Tennyson Lamont's death was proving increasingly inconvenient. That Kipling had lost his job as a result of that ill-timed demise was particularly annoying.

Premise/plot: Echoes of the Sea is the second novel in the Storm Tide series. Both novels are stand alone novels. They share a premise--stormy seas, green lightning, travel through time--but not characters or time periods.

Kipling Summerfield, the time-traveling hero, is an actor--an out-of-work actor, perhaps, but an actor all the same. His friend, Malcolm, points him in the direction of a new job: working as an actor at an estate as a historical re-enactor. But before he can arrive as his new job, he experiences being lost at sea--quite literally--and lost in time. Though he is SLOW, SLOW, SUPER SLOW in realizing that he's traveled from the 2020s to 1803!

Amelia Archibald, our nineteenth century heroine, is a "dependent," "poor" relation that has been "raised" by her uncle. Now that her grandfather has died, there are conditions for her inheritance, and these conditions are quite disagreeable. She'll have to stay at the family's estate on Guilford Island--an island that is surrounded by stormy seas and known for its peculiar nature. She will have to 'prove' that she can manage the estate and make considerable improvements on it. The problem? Well, she can't physically leave the island. And the island residents may number four or five--and some of those are children. So how is she to find anyone to make repairs and improvements?

When Kipling arrives in 1803, he may just be an answer to Amelia's prayers. Though both have their reservations about the future....

My thoughts: I LOVED this one. Did I love it more than the first book? NO. Did I love it less than the first book? No. Just differently. The stories are definitely unique. This one is focused more on ONE time and only one time. The drama is coming from Amelia's uncle and his chosen suitor for Amelia. This one is lighter on drama and perhaps sweeter on romance. There's also less fighting between the two main characters.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

104. The English Masterpiece

104. The English Masterpiece. Katherine Reay. 2025. 302 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, adult fiction, general fiction, art appreciation]

First sentence: After sliding my boss's note into my top desk drawer, I walk down the corridor and top on Diana's door and, as usual, pause for a second or two before I open it.

Premise/plot: The English Masterpiece has two narrators--Lily and Diana. Lily's boss is Diana. Both work at an art museum, the Tate--Diana in a much higher place of prestige. Picasso has just died and the museum is planning an exhibit. At the opening of that exhibit, Lily notices that one of the paintings--newly acquired and on loan--is a forgery. Her comment does not go unnoticed. It causes great turmoil that will take the remaining of the book to settle down. If the painting is a fraud, a forgery, WHO is responsible for painting it, who forged the provenance papers, who authenticated that it was real, and WHO is profiting from this crime? Just to name a few questions...Lily and Diana both have some mystery to them. But only one is a criminal.

My thoughts: I did not like this one as much as I'd hoped. I was hoping that my previous enjoyment of Reay's novels would help counter my lack of interest in all things art. (I do like picture books about art, art appreciation, etc. But a whole novel set in the art world was apparently not for me.) It was pleasant enough. I didn't dislike it. I just didn't actively like it.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

103. The Fairy Tale Fixers: Cinderella

103. The Fairy Tale Fixers #1: The Fairy Tale Cinderella. Deborah Underwood. Illustrated by Jorge Lacera. 2025. 128 pages. [Source: Library] [graphic novel; j graphic novel; fractured fairy tales; 5 stars]

First sentence: I was in the office. I'd poured myself a cup of joe and put my feet up for a well-deserved rest. Only five minutes till quitting time, and it was Friday: Pancakes for Dinner Night! But then....riinng!

Premise/plot: The Fairy Tale Fixers is a new series by Deborah Underwood. The first 'fairy tale' to be fixed by these two mice is Cinderella. GoodReads lists the names of the characters as "Fairy" and "Mouse," but I can't find the story itself referring to their names. It is written in first person narrative. The fairy tale fixer receives a phone call and reacts with some grumpiness. Heading to the library, he soon meets a mouse from the house where Cinderella lives. This mouse has escaped the story and is seeking a 'fix' to the story so that she can sleep better. The house is TOO noisy, too quarrelsome. Dressed up as a fairy, the fairy tale fixer decides that if Cinderella marries the prince, then the mouse can get some sleep. Acting as the "fairy godmother" in the story, he does his best to make sure Cinderella and the Prince meet. HOWEVER, Cinderella has no interest in the prince...she has a dream....and that dream doesn't include marriage. Can this fairy tale be fixed?

My thoughts: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the narrative voice. The fairy tale fixer wears a trench coat and has a bit of an attitude! And he loves pancakes! The story is silly, fun, and clever. I am not one to be critical of Cinderella. I'm not. I don't think the story necessarily "needs" to be fixed for a modern day audience. (I don't.) But this humorous, silly fractured fairy tale is fun.


© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

102. Hansel and Gretel

102. Hansel and Gretel. Stephen King. Illustrated by Maurice Sendak. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, 4 stars]

First sentence: Once upon a time, long before your grandmother's grandmother was born, a poor broom maker and his wife lived on the edge of a great dark forest with his two children, Hansel and Gretel. The broom maker was an easygoing man; his wife, the children's stepmother, was a shrew who liked to have her way and mostly got it.

Premise/plot: The illustrations are by Maurice Sendak. The narrative text is by Stephen King. The story, obviously, is Hansel and Gretel. This "picture" book features plenty of illustrations, but, it is extremely text-heavy.

My thoughts: I have not read the variations of Hansel and Gretel. I know that Grimm's Fairy Tales have gone through several printings and there are some variations perhaps. I could not begin to tell you how Stephen King's retelling differs from the original. I'm not even going to try to judge that. I could not tell you if this one is "lighter" or "darker" than the original. I just don't know. I can tell you that I enjoyed Maurice Sendak's illustrations. And the narrative text was pleasant enough. I wasn't wowed by the retelling. Then again, I'm not sure that Hansel and Gretel has ever been my favorite fairy tale.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

101. The Other Side of Now

101. The Other Side of Now. Paige Harbison. 2025. 320 pages. [Source: Library] [adult romance, 3 stars]

First sentence: I pull the trigger over and over and over as the increasingly feeble stream of water fails to propel my tiny horse as fast as I want it to go.

Premise/plot: Meg Bryan, our heroine, is given a unique opportunity to see what her life could have been like if she'd made another choice as a teenager. The choice to go or stay. To go to a small Irish village and attend college/university (Avalon) OR to stay in Florida. Whatever she chooses, she wants her best friend Aimee to choose as well. She chose to stay and ends up moving to LA where she's a soap star, or prime soap star, perhaps. Aimee, well, less said the better. Crazy unhappy, she books an impulsive trip to Ireland, to Avalon. That trip shows her the other side--what might have been. And EVERYTHING is different. But is different better?

My thoughts: The premise kept me reading. Honestly though, I found both versions of Meg [aka Lana Lord, her stage name] to be insufferable--though in different ways. Because the truth of the matter is we almost get three main characters. Lana Lord who is a soap star. Other-Meg who lives in Ireland and we just hear about her from everyone else. Lana-living-Meg's-life is who we spend the most time with. She is essentially "taking over" Other Meg's life, impersonating her, befriending her friends, falling in love with Other Meg's boyfriend. She is learning life lessons because she sees the mistakes of both Other Meg and Lana Lord.

I wanted to like this one. I liked it well enough--barely. I didn't really "like" the main character.

How adult was it? It had one fairly graphic sex scene. It could have been a LOT worse, I know for being adult romance. (Surely one of my least read genres for a reason. Except for clean romances.)



© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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