53. The Best Bear in All the World

53. The Best Bear in All the World. Paul Bright, Brian Sibley, Jeanne Willis, Kate Saunders. 2016. 115 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, audio book, Winnie the Pooh sequel]

First sentence: "Ninety?" said Winnie the Pooh. "Is that more than seven?" "Yes, Pooh," said Kanga patiently. "You're ninety years old, which calls for a celebration."

Premise/plot: Four new stories starring Winnie the Pooh and all his friends from the Hundred Acre Woods. There is a story set in Autumn (in which Pooh and Piglet prepare to meet a Dragon). There is a story set in Winter (in which Penguin arrives in the forest). There is a story set in spring (in which Eeyore suspects another donkey is after his thistles). There is a story set in summer (in which Pooh dreams of the Sauce of the Nile).

My thoughts: I have wanted to READ this one for years. But the library didn't have it in print. I saw it on audio book and thought I'd give it a try. I didn't like it much on audio. BUT I realize that could be the narrator being a disappointment in doing ALL the characters in unique voices. I realize that no one can DO the character voices like Disney does. I wasn't expecting it to be amazing. But I wanted it to be better than it was. I also think that the book would have been more enjoyable, perhaps, if it had had ONE author instead of four. The stories are just decent. These aren't "new" stories or "original" stories so much as slightly changing and adapting a few stories and having them happen again slightly differently.

Perhaps audio wasn't the best way to experience this book since I missed out on the illustrations. AND it's certainly possible that reading the book in print with the more proper voices in my head narrating might have led me to like it better.


© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

38. Wombat Waiting

38. Wombat Waiting. Katherine Applegate. 2026. 336 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, animal fantasy, j fiction, wildfires, dogs, pets, animals]

First sentence: Yep,
her name is Wombat,
and nope,
she's not a wombat.
True, there's
a passing resemblance,
If you squint just right.
She's stout and sturdy,
stubby-legged,
with silly ears
that look like furry cookies,
but just for the record,
she is,
most definitely,
a dog.

Premise/plot: Wombat Waiting is a novel in verse starring a destiny dog, Wombat. Wombat and Henry are meant to be--a matter of destiny. But Henry is scared of dogs and Wombat is a stray. They live miles apart. Have never met. A wildfire starts. Wombat hears a voice, the voice of destiny, telling her to run towards the fire, to get closer and closer to where the fire is burning. Henry, meanwhile, is fleeing (with his two moms and some neighbors and their bunnies?) away from the fire. Life becomes not regular at all. But Wombat knows that she is running towards her destiny. But it may take a lot of WAITING, waiting, and more waiting before Henry knows that Wombat is his dog.

My thoughts: I like this one. I do. I have enjoyed many of Katherine Applegate's books. I don't love, love, love this one. But I do like it. I do think it has a few great quotes. (I'll share my favorite below).

Quotes:
How could she say
I will be more than a friend--
I will be your beating heart?

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

35. The Bad Beginning

35. The Bad Beginning. (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) Lemony Snicket. Illustrated by Brett Helquist. 1999. 162 pages. [Source: Library] [j fantasy, mg fantasy, j fiction, mg fiction, 5 stars]

First sentence: If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book. IN this book, not only is there no happy ending, there is no happy beginning and very few happy things in the middle.

Premise/plot: The three Baudelaire orphans--Violet, Klaus, and Sunny--star in Lemony Snicket's over-the-top Series of Unfortunate Events. The book opens with the three learning that their parents are gone and so is their home--in a mysterious fire. They soon find themselves "living" with their "closest" relative, Count Olaf.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Tim Curry and a full cast. I've also seen the feature film and a few episodes of the series.

My thoughts: I love the writing, the narration. The story itself is extreme and over-the-top. I loved the movie--which I believe combines the plot of the first three books. I do plan on reading more in the series.


© 2026 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

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

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

77. Beezus and Ramona

   

77. Beezus and Ramona. Beverly Cleary. 1955. HarperCollins. 208 pages. [Source: Library] [Star rating: 5/5] [audio book, j realistic fiction]

First sentence: Beezus felt that the biggest trouble with four-year-old Ramona was that she was just plain exasperating. If Ramona drank lemonade through a straw, she blew into the straw as hard as she could to see what would happen.

Unlike other books in the Ramona series, this one is narrated by Beezus. Like all other books in the Ramona series, it has a just-right feel about it. Beverly Cleary's greatest talent may be in her capturing what it feels like to be a kid.

Beezus, as you probably know, is Ramona's big sister. Ramona does steal the show in almost every book in which she appears. There's something unforgettable about her. But though the focus is on Ramona, this is still very much Beezus' book. It captures how she feels about her family, about Ramona.

"Beezus and Her Little Sister." Ramona LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to have The Littlest Steam Shovel read to her. Her parents are unwilling to read it to her--they have come to have no tolerance for it. But Beezus, well, she'll read it to Ramona, not that she likes it, but, she'll give in now and then. She gets the idea to take Ramona to the library to get a brand new book--for two weeks. Ramona picks a new book, but, it is still about steam shovels. She likes it so much, that she does something NAUGHTY so she can keep it for always. What will Beezus do since it was checked out on her card? Just how sympathetic will the librarian be?

"Beezus and Her Imagination" Beezus is in an art class. Ramona isn't supposed to be in the class with her, she's supposed to be playing outside in the sandbox. But on this occasion, Beezus finds Ramona in class with her. Could she get inspired by her sister's imaginary pet?! Could she earn her teacher's attention?!

"Ramona and Ribsy" Beezus invites Henry Huggins (and his dog, Ribsy) to her house to play checkers. It doesn't go well. Both Ribsy and Ramona have fits of sorts. And Ribsy ends up locked in the bathroom?! Beezus wishes Ramona was more like other people's sisters.

"Ramona and the Apples" Beezus is supposed to be watching Ramona while their mother does the grocery shopping. But. Ramona proves too much to handle. She sneaks into the basement and has her way with all the apples...taking one bite and just one bite from each apple. Will Beezus get in trouble? Can anything good come from all those ruined apples?

"A Party at the Quimbys" Ramona decides to have a party and invite other kids over to the house--without permission of course. What will Beezus and their mother do? This one ends in a parade. Among the guests, Howie and Willa Jean.

"Beezus's Birthday" Will Beezus have a cake for her tenth birthday?! It might not be as easy as you might think. Not with Ramona around. But with a little help from Aunt Beatrice, all might be well after all. Hint: If you have a sister like Ramona, don't read the story of Hansel and Gretel to her when your cake is in the oven!

I love the Ramona series. I do. I love, love, love the Ramona books. I think I read them dozens of more times than the Little House books. (I've recently reread these too.) I'm not sure Beezus and Ramona is my favorite of the series, but, it's a great start to a great series.

 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

74. The Wild Robot Escapes

74. The Wild Robot Escapes. Peter Brown. 2018. 279 pages. [Source: Library] [j fiction, 3 stars, speculative fiction]

First sentence: Our story begins in a city, with buildings and streets and bridges and parks. Humans were strolling, automobiles were driving, airships were flying, robots were hard at work. 

Premise/plot: Roz [the Robot] now finds herself working on a farm far, far, far away from her island home and her son, Brightbill. Roz wants to escape, but, she must fool the humans into thinking she is a 'normal' fully functioning robot, a mere machine. Only when their guard is down AND after she's found a way to remove the tracking device can she make her move to escape. She finds herself befriending the farm animals and the farmer's children..... Will Roz make it back to her island home?

My thoughts: I didn't love this one as much as the first book. I'll clarify, I DEFINITELY wanted to know if Roz made it back to the island. I did. I wanted a happy ending for Roz and Brightbill. I didn't find myself loving the story as much in this second book. The first half was Roz befriending the children and getting them on her side. (Plus an intense situation with wolves regarding the cattle). The second half was Roz and Brightbill trying to get back to the island. This probably was meant to be an exciting adventure. Probably. Definitely. I found myself bored for the most part with this trek back. There was one part I definitely enjoyed which is when Roz met her literal maker....but except for a few scenes in a few chapters, it wasn't as compelling and enjoyable as I was hoping.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

70. The Giver

  

 70. The Giver. Lois Lowry. 1993. Houghton Mifflin. 180 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, Children's Fiction; Dystopia; MG Fiction; Newbery Medal]

First sentence: It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened. No. Wrong word, Jonas thought. Frightened meant that deep, sickening feeling of something terrible about to happen. Frightened was the way he had felt a year ago when an unidentified aircraft had overflown the community twice. He had seen it both times. Squinting toward the sky, he had seen the sleek jet, almost a blur at its high speed, go past, and a second later heard the blast of sound that followed. Then one more time, a moment later, from the opposite direction, the same plane.

Premise/plot: Jonas, a twelve-year-old boy, is chosen to be his community's new Receiver. This assignment is rare; this is truly something that occurs only once per generation--sometimes two or even three. But what is it he is receiving? The Giver--the former Receiver, the old man pictured on the cover--is sharing his memories, but not just HIS memories but many, many, many, many generations of memories. Memories of time before, of history past, of days long before the SAMENESS. These memories will supposedly enable him to see beyond and gain wisdom beyond his years. But can he handle the truth? Once his eyes are opened, can he be content with the way things are?!?! Could you?!?!

My thoughts: The Giver has to be one of my most favorite books of all times. According to my blog, this is my sixth book review of The Giver. According to GoodReads, I've read it ten times now. That sounds about right. I certainly read it before I started blogging. Though I don't think I read it when it came out in 1993.

ETA: I reread this one in July 2025. I watched the movie and was reminded that I needed to revisit the book. I still LOVE this one so much.


Favorite quotes:

"We don't dare to let people make choices of their own."
"Not safe?" The Giver suggested.
"Definitely not safe," Jonas said with certainty. "What if they were allowed to choose their own mate? And chose wrong? Or what if," he went on, almost laughing at the absurdity, "they chose their own jobs?'
"Frightening, isn't it? The Giver said.
Jonas chuckled. "Very frightening. I can't even imagine it. We really have to protect people from wrong choices."
"It's safer."
"Yes," Jonas agreed. "Much safer." (98-9)

"Do you love me?"
There was an awkward silence for a moment. Then Father gave a little chuckle. "Jonas, You, of all people. Precision of language, please!"
"What do you mean?" Jonas asked. Amusement was not at all what he had anticipated.
"Your father means that you used a very generalized word, so meaningless that it's become almost obsolete," his mother explained carefully.
Jonas stared at them. Meaningless? He had never before felt anything as meaningful as the memory.
"And of course our community can't function smoothly if people don't use precise language. You could ask, 'Do you enjoy me?' The answer is 'Yes,'" his mother said. "Or," his father suggested, "Do you take pride in my accomplishments?' And the answer is wholeheartedly 'Yes.'"
"Do you understand why it's inappropriate to use a word like 'love'?" Mother asked.
Jonas nodded. "Yes, thank you, I do," he replied slowly.
It was his first lie to his parents. (127)

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

65. Old Mother West Wind

65. Old Mother West Wind. Thornton W. Burgess. 1910. 96 pages. [Source: Bought] [3 stars, children's classic, animal fantasy]

First sentence: Old Mother West Wind came down from the Purple Hills in the golden light of the early morning. Over her shoulders was slung a bag--a great big bag--and in the bag were all of Old Mother West Wind's children, the Merry Little Breezes. Old Mother West Wind came down from the Purple Hills to the Green Meadows and as she walked she crooned a song: "Ships upon the ocean wait; I must hurry, hurry on! Mills are idle if I'm late; I must hurry, hurry on."

Premise/plot: Old Mother West Wind is a children's classic; this children's fantasy novel was first published, I believe, in 1910. There isn't a central character--not really--nor a central plot. Each chapter is its own story. There are overlapping characters, but, in this one--at least--the characters don't have a tremendous amount of depth or substance. This classic does introduce characters that Thornton Burgess will feature in many, many, many more fantasy books through the decades.

My thoughts: I didn't love this one. I did LOVE The Adventures of Unc' Billy Possum. I did love the characters in that one. By the time that one was published, Burgess' characters had more life and liveliness to them. I do plan on reading more of Thornton Burgess's novels.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

57. The Tiger Rising

57. The Tiger Rising. Kate DiCamillo. 2001. 128 pages. [Source: Bought] [3 stars, j fiction, coming of age, j realistic fiction]

First sentence: That morning, after he discovered the tiger, Rob went and stood under the Kentucky Star Motel sign and waited for the school bus just like it was any other day. 

Premise/plot: Rob Horton isn't having an easy time of it. His mother has died. His dad is largely absent--at least emotionally. Rob knows he cannot cry or grieve or show his sadness in any way. He hates, hates, hates having had to move. He hates living in a motel. He hates going to school. He is literally being BULLIED--physically harmed--by classmates. He has no friends--friends his own age or supportive adults. The book opens with him 'finding' a caged tiger in the woods behind the motel. He shares his discovery with a classmate; Sistine who is battling her own emotions. She is ANGRY, ANGRY, ANGRY. And she also hates having had to move. She hates everything about her life. These two become somewhat friendly as the book unfolds though it's more shared concern over this literal caged-tiger. They seem more in the tolerating stage than an actual I genuinely want to be your friend stage. 

The big question is will they or won't they....release the literal caged tiger into the [Florida] woods. 

My thoughts: I did not care for this one. Bright side: it was short.

I have really loved so many of Kate DiCamillo's works. They can be complex. They can offer an emotional experience--an emotional journey. You can feel all the feels. You can touch upon all the many, many, many emotions of life. This one is the darkest and saddest perhaps because there is literally no hope present within the novel. I hated the ending so much. I guess the bright side to the ending is that it was over.

What would have made this one better? If ANY adult--anyone--had showed one ounce of interest in Rob and his life. OR the tiger was not a literal, physical tiger.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

47. The Trouble with Heroes

 

47. The Trouble with Heroes. Kate Messner. 2025. 368 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, j fiction, coming of age, verse novel, mg fiction, poetry]

First sentence: If I were a better kid, this story would begin with my seventh-grade diploma. Instead it starts with this.

Premise/plot: Finn Connelly is in trouble. Over one summer he has the opportunity to set things right, mostly. He'll be making reparations for knocking over a gravestone in the cemetery. (An arrangement with the daughter of the woman's whose gravestone was knocked over, and I believe agreed upon by the court?). He'll be making up missed hours for PE. He'll be making up a poetry assignment--twenty poems on the subject of HEROES. Mission: climb all forty-six mountains in the Adirondack High Peaks. He'll have 'guides' for most of the climbs--men and women who have volunteered to help him out, men and women who love climbing mountains and/or have an interest in helping the kid out. (I could not tell if the coach was particularly interested in hiking so much as that he wanted to help Finn out.) 

Finn is going to hike and climb....write....and grieve. His firefighter father has recently died and his father had PTSD from serving on 9/11.

My thoughts: It made sense for this to be a verse novel. Not all verse novels pass this 'makes sense' test. He is being forced to 'write poetry' and he discovers that it isn't the worst thing in the world. That the process of writing--of writing poems--can be personally helpful. It is very much a coming of age novel. It was good to watch him grow/change throughout the story. This one does offer a few twists and turns on the way. Perhaps I should have seen one of them coming....but I didn't. 

This 'problem novel' is heavy at times but it also contains lighter moments. Finn loves baking for instance.

© 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

22. The Secret of Honeycake

 

22. The Secret of Honeycake. Kimberly Newton Fusco. 2025. 368 pages. [Source: Library] [j historical fiction, j fiction] [5 stars]

First sentence: One thing you don't know about me yet is I am very quiet.

My thoughts (preview): I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book. Is it my favorite children's book of 2025 so far???? YES. 

Premise/plot: Bronte and Hurricane (our heroine) are orphans. Their mother has died of tuberculosis and it seems Bronte is following in her mother's footsteps. She has also become ill enough to need to be sent away to a resting hospital for treatment. Hurricane is miserably unhappy because she's being collected by a great aunt (Aunt Claire)--a total stranger, and her servant, Mr. Keats. Those are the bare-bone basics setting up this historical coming of age novel...

My thoughts: I absolutely loved this one. I did. I loved the writing--the narrative style. I loved the characters. Hurricane's inner voice was one I really enjoyed. I liked seeing her come of age and learn to speak up for herself. I loved the relationships. I loved how nothing was instant. It isn't like she moves to a strange house, with strange relatives, in a strange city and wakes up bright and cheerful and ready to go the next day. I like the 'slow thawing' in terms of relationship building. I liked the focus on friendship--with people and animals. I liked seeing how Aunt Claire has her own 'coming of age' journey. I ADORED Mr. Keats. He was easily my favorite part? Maybe. Mostly. I absolutely loved how this 'found family' came to be.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

16. The Great Good Thing

 

The Great Good Thing (Sylvie Cycle #1) Roderick Townley. 2001? reprinted 2025. 224 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, mg fiction, books about books]

First sentence: Sylvie had an amazing life, but she didn't get to live it very often. What good were potions and disguises if no one came along to scare you or save you or kiss you behind the waterfall? Week after week nothing changed. Years went by. The sparkles on Sylvie's dress began to fade, and a fine dust coated the leaves, turning the green woods gray. Once in a while, it looked as though something might happen.

The Great Good Thing is a book about books, or perhaps the self-awareness of fictional characters OF their human readers. This is a book about lasting impressions and dreams. It's an odd little book that doesn't necessarily fit many molds. It does celebrates stories and storytelling and LEGACIES of stories.

Sylvie, the main character, is a fictional book character that--for better or worse, mostly for better--has a special relationship with a family of readers--a grandmother/granddaughter. She is able to "crossover" from the fictional world--the literal pages of her book--into the readers' dream world. When her book suffers a horrible fate--a fire--she is able to help the other characters transition into her readers' dream world where they exist--barely, minimally--for decades. 

The book is more abstract and philosophical than young readers may appreciate? In other words, this might 'touch' adults more than children. Though if it's read aloud by an adult who absolutely loves the story, I wouldn't be surprised if young readers catch the enthusiasm and love it as well. I just don't personally see it as a book that kids will discover on their own and absolutely fall in love with. It would need some hand-selling or "blessing."

The book has a heaviness to it which I think might vary from reader to reader to reader. It has a lot of things--directly and indirectly--to say about death.

 

© 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

107. The Long Winter

107. The Long Winter (Little House #6) Laura Ingalls Wilder. 1940. 334 pages. [Source: Library]

 First sentence: The mowing machine's whirring sounded cheerfully from the old buffalo wallow south of the claim shanty, where bluestem grass stood thick and tall and Pa was cutting it for hay.

Premise/plot: The Ingalls family--and the whole community/territory--face a brutal, harsh, and terribly long winter full of blizzards. 

This first chapter is called "Make Hay While the Sun Shines" and if it's found within a book called THE LONG WINTER, the reader knows what to expect even if the characters don't. The book opens with Ma and Pa and family getting ready for harvest and winter. Laura is helping out Pa. Mary and Carrie are helping out Ma. Laura is especially pleased that she's old enough (around 14 now) to help Pa and do outdoor chores.

The Ingalls family is living in their claim shanty. This would be the first fall/winter they've been there. And they know it will be tough, but when the first blizzard comes in October, they know that it wouldn't only be tough to survive but impossible to survive if they were to try to stay on their homestead. Fortunately, Pa owns property in town. A place where they can be nice and warm and cozy for the winter. Or so they think.

What no one could know is just how hard, how long, how tough this winter was going to be. Some folks are prepared--the Wilder boys for instance--but most are not. Most are relying on the train making regular stops in town. The trains are essential for stocking the stores of supplies. But when almost every day brings a blizzard--with clear days coming only one at a time and never on a predictable schedule--it soon becomes clear that the trains will not be saving the day. Not til spring. The town's survival, the Ingalls' family survival, is a big if at this point.

Cold. Hunger. Starvation. No supplies. What's not to love?

My thoughts: The Long Winter has always been one of my favorites of the Little House series. I'll admit it tends to make you cold and hungry. But that's not a bad thing, right? I didn't think so. Only two books can trick my mind and body--okay maybe three--into thinking it's cold and hungry. One, of course, is The Long Winter. The other two are by Susan Beth Pfeffer. I think one of the reasons I love The Long Winter is that it introduces Almanzo Wilder onto the scene. True, there was Farmer Boy, but not every reader takes the time to read Farmer Boy. I spent forty plus years avoiding it. I read it earlier this year for the first time. But this Almanzo is a man--a young man it's true--19 years of age. And he's acting "manly" alright when it's time to save the day. I love every scene Almanzo is in. Laura first meets him when she's lost and trying to find her Pa in the slough of hay. Here is the description: "His blue eyes twinkled down at her as if he had known her a long time." Anyway, I love this book.

Is it my favorite and best from the series? Probably. I do love These Happy Golden Years. So those two are my favorite and best. But I really LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this one so much.

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

103. Velveteen Rabbit

103. The Velveteen Rabbit. Margery Williams. Illustrated by William Nicholson. 1922/2014. Random House. 48 pages. [Source: Review copy] [5 stars] [fantasy, children's classic]

 First sentence: THERE was once a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning he was really splendid. He was fat and bunchy, as a rabbit should be; his coat was spotted brown and white, he had real thread whiskers, and his ears were lined with pink sateen.

Premise/plot: Do you know what it is to be real? One little Christmas bunny will learn this and plenty of other life lessons in Margery Williams' classic tale The Velveteen Rabbit.

The Velveteen Rabbit opens with a young boy receiving a rabbit for a Christmas present. All is lovely for the rabbit that first day. But the toy is quickly forgotten. He becomes one toy of many, many, many toys. He's not exactly special to the boy or the other toys. In fact, I'd say the other toys bully him a bit. All except for the Skin Horse, the oldest toy in the nursery. It is this horse that tells the Rabbit all about being real, what it takes to be real, what it feels like, how it changes you, etc.

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real." "Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit. "Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt." "Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?" "It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand." "I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive. But the Skin Horse only smiled. "The Boy's Uncle made me Real," he said. "That was a great many years ago; but once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always." (5-8)

My thoughts: The Velveteen Rabbit is one of my favorite Christmas books. I love the nursery magic. I love the ending. It was originally published in 1922. The story and illustrations in this edition are original. This is a beautiful edition of the book. One of the best I've seen.

The Velveteen Rabbit was published several years before A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh and House at Pooh Corner. Chances are if you enjoy one, you'll enjoy the other.

Do you have a favorite toy-come-to-life fantasy?

 

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

101. Still Sal

101. Still Sal. Kevin Henkes. 2024. 256 pages. [Source: Library] [j fiction, j realistic fiction, family, school, 5 stars]

 First sentence: "You're embarrassing me," Sal said to her father. Her voice squeaked with emotion. Papa had been singing. He stopped. He glanced around the kitchen. "It's just us," he said. "How can I be embarrassing you?" "Well," said Sal, "then you're practicing for when you'll embarrass me later."

Premise/plot: Still Sal is the sequel to Oh, Sal. Oh, Sal is the spin-off of Kevin Henkes' The Year of Billy Miller. Sal, our heroine, is now six (Poppy, her younger sister, is two; Billy, her older brother, is ten) and preparing for the first day of first grade. She has a vision, a plan, she knows exactly how she wants first grade to go. Fortunately-unfortunately, things don't go according to plan. She's in the "wrong" class with the "wrong" teacher and separated from her neighbor-friend, Griff. Meanwhile at home, Sal is having to learn how to share her room with Poppy who has graduated to a big-girl bed. Sal's struggles are super realistic.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this one. I loved Oh, Sal and Still Sal so much--much more than The Year with Billy Miller. I love the emotional life of the character. The problems or obstacles that Sal faces are realistic and relatable. The writing and characterization are great.

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

79. The Hotel Balzaar

The Hotel Balzaar. Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Julia Sarda. 2024. [October] 160 pages. [Source: Library] [illustrated chapter book; magic realism; j fantasy] [4 stars]

First sentence:  In March of that year, Marta and her mother arrived at the Hotel Balzaar. They were given an attic room that contained a bed, a sink, and a battered chest of drawers. The small room had a round window that faced east, and the sun, when it rose each morning, shone into the room with a beguiling brilliance--lighting up the bed frame, the porcelain of the sink, and the faded flowers on the wallpaper.

My thoughts (preview): I was NOT a fan of the first book in the "Norendy Tales" series). My expectations were low. Would I love it? Would I hate it? Would I be bored? Charmed? I can say that personally I liked it BETTER than the first book in this series. And that as far as I could tell, there was no real connection with the other book.

Premise/plot: Marta, a young child, lives a quiet, sheltered life. She's the daughter of a maid at a hotel. She's to be invisible, quiet and inoffensive. But one guest--an elderly woman (a countess) with a parrot--arrives and notices Marta, welcomes her, encourages her. Marta and the countess become friendly. Every day of her stay, Marta goes to her room to listen to a series of stories--fantastical stories. Marta hopes that there is some truth in these stories. That somehow, someway these stories will bring her father back to them. 

My thoughts: I liked this one. The writing was good. The story had me intrigued. I wanted to keep reading. There were some great quotes. 

Quotes:

Life always wins. Life and its crooked lines will always win.

Marta, I want you to know that war destroys everything, always. That is its intent, its only intent.

"It takes no courage at all to doubt, Marta," she said. "And we are not beyond rescue. We are never beyond rescue."

"The parents," said the countess, "loved the boy beyond all reason. They lived in fear of losing him. They were happy. They were terrified. This is what it means to love.

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews