62. In the Red

62. In the Red. Christopher Swiedler. 2020. [March] 288 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: By Friday afternoon, after a week of careful thought, Michael Prasad had come up with just one theory for how he might make it to Monday morning without getting grounded for the rest of his life.

Premise/plot: In the Red is a middle grade science fiction novel set on Mars. Michael, the hero, has been forbidden to try (again) for his basic certification--being certified to go out on the surface of Mars in an environmental suit. Most pass by the age of ten--he's twelve. But he's experienced panic attacks in the past on test day--that were not pretty. Michael feels certain he's a big disappointment to his dad. If he can just get over his panic attacks then he could visit his father at work on the station. So many things he could do...if only his body didn't betray him.

Lilith, Michael's best, best, best friend, is so supportive of him. For better or worse--after another failed attempt--she suggests the two of them SNEAK out and go to the surface. What could go wrong????

If nothing went wrong, In the Red would be a short story that few would find super-compelling. Instead it is action packed and filled with danger. Action packed yet still character driven. Despite the jacket copy telling readers a LOT of what to expect, I recommend reading it knowing as little as possible.

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved, LOVED, LOVED this one. If you like survivor stories, science fiction, coming of age, characters with depth that are relatable, adventure, action...this one has it all. It's so well paced too. I loved the narrator, Michael. I loved his relationships with his best friend, Lilith, and with his brother. (Though we see very little of Peter.)  

It is premise-driven, action-driven, and character-driven. It's hard to be all three--to excel at all three. It is easy to *try* not so easy to succeed. This is an excellent book.

ETA: I first read In the Red in July 2021, I reread it in August 2026. It was just as awesome as I remembered. It was SO good. Highly recommend.

Quotes:

"Well, whatever you do, don't give up, okay?" Peter said. "Don't let anyone convince you that you're some kind of freak."
"I am a freak," Michael mumbled.
"No," Peter said firmly. "You're not. I don't care how many panic attacks you have."
"Mom and Dad don't see it that way."
"Mom and Dad just want to protect you, because that's their job," Peter said. "But part of growing up is deciding when you don't need protection anymore."

© 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

128. Westfallen

128. Westfallen. Ann Brashares and Ben Brashares. 2024. 384 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars] [MG speculative fiction, MG science fiction, MG dystopia, TIME TRAVEL, alternate history]

First sentence: Let me ask you this: What's the worst thing you've ever done? Really think about it. Well, multiply your thing by a billion and you don't even get close. Sorry to brag. It's just...your thing? It's the Cheeto-dust thumbprint you left on the basement sofa. It's an ant's toe you stepped on. And then you said, "Sorry!" and the ant went, "No worries, mate!" Because the ant's British, I don't know. 

My thoughts (preview): Ever been HOOKED on a premise????? It doesn't happen all that often, though it does happen. This is the case with Westfallen. The premise had me at HELLO. Reading the synopsis raised my expectations immeasurably, and it did NOT, I repeat did NOT disappoint. 

Premise/plot: Six kids working together (with the best intentions)--separated by time--manage to destroy life as we know it. Shocked I was able to sum up an entire book in one sentence? Me too. 

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.

Alice "saves" her brother's radio from the trash. It's broken and her brother, Robbie, is gone--presumably for the war. Her two friends, Lawrence and Artie, are near by and interested in seeing if they can fix the radio.

Henry is burying his gerbil, Zeus, when he discovers a long-buried radio. His (former) friends are there for the funeral. All are interested in this buried "treasure" of sorts. 

All six kids are SHOCKED when the radio works. The two sets of friends refer to themselves as "Mars" and "Jupiter." It takes time for them to realize that the new friends they've made aren't living in the same year. Henry, Lukas and Frances are in 2023....and Alice, Lawrence, and Artie are in 1944. Both are in the same house, same street, same city. 

Will innocent casual conversation lead to the unwinding of the universe?????

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED THIS ONE. Mostly. I will say that the CLIFF HANGER ending was while not a huge surprise a bit disappointing. If the cliff hanger leads to a book two, then YES PLEASE. If it does NOT lead to a book two then readers everywhere have been robbed. 

I loved the premise. I loved the characters. I loved the plot. This is one I could easily see myself reading again and again and again.

 

 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

85. Time Travelling with a Tortoise

85. Time Travelling with a Tortoise. Ross Welford. 2024. 220 pages. [Source: Library] [MG speculative fiction, time travel, dinosaurs, 4 stars]

First sentence: You may remember that my dad died twice. As for me, I ended up having two twelfth birthdays, which sounds like a whole lot more fun. Trust me: it isn't.

Premise/plot: Al Chaudhury is back for another time travelling adventure. In the first book, he received a mysterious letter from his late father telling him of a time machine and giving him instructions of how to ultimately save his life. [The dad had had a head injury back in 1984.] His father's life was saved, though it took multiple attempts. Meanwhile, his old life--his original life--is GONE. His father is life, but, he's a stranger to his own life. His mother never remarried, and he doesn't have a stepsister. His dad is no longer *his* dad: gone is his love of computers, technology, science, physics, etc. His father is now obsessed with HAMSTERS. No one believes his time travel story, and, he has no memories of his 'new' life. Now in the second book, he has another choice to make: his grandfather recently had an accident one that has robbed him of his health and his memory. His grandfather now is asking him to rebuild his father's time machine and use it to prevent his accident. But life doesn't go as planned and soon Al and his friends find themselves running from DINOSAURS. Can he [and his friends] escape the dinosaurs and return to the present? And when they do, which present will it be? How many trips to the past will it take for things to get back to a 'normal' he can live with?

My thoughts: I definitely enjoyed this one. In some ways it was even more compelling than the first one perhaps. Though that might just be that the end of this one provides resolution for both books. Both books are essentially one continuing story.

Definitely recommended to readers who love adventurous time travel stories.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

83. Unboxing Libby

83. Unboxing Libby. Steph Cherrywell. 320 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, MG Fiction, MG speculative fiction, MG science fiction]

First sentence: My mom saved the clothes I was born in. I asked her once why she bothered, when they were the same yellow T-shirt and jeans with floral decals that every Libby comes with. She said it wasn't the same, because these were mine.

Premise/plot: Unboxing Libby is set on Mars in a robot colony of sorts. Libby Maxwell (aka MAX) IS an A.I.Cademy Girl, a "social robot." She's one of a product line of social robots. Each robot has a preprogrammed personality and memories. (There's Libby, Giselle, Nora, Robin, Izzy, Miracle, Roxanne, Wendy, Sam.) They do not interact with other humans--not really. They just socialize with other robots. They live in houses with robot parents and attend schools with robot teachers. Though to be fair, all of the robots are twelve years old, so I'm not sure how many classes and teachers are needed! The food they eat is construction paper with words written on it.

Max (our Libby) is different from the other Libby robots. She has her own personality, she is defying her programs and "malfunctioning." The more she interacts with the other robots, the more individuality is celebrated. But the powers that be--the humans on Mars--are not happy with their disposable "cheap" robots thinking for themselves, expressing themselves, and wanting to make their own decisions. Max may just have to save all the robots.

My thoughts: I wanted to love this one. SET ON MARS. ROBOTS. Robot "dolls" or companions that have their own stories, clothes, accessories, pets, videos, etc. The premise seemed like it had a lot of potential. But I am an overthinker. For better or worse. And I just wasn't sure about the world-building. Robot companions for humans makes sense--particularly children, particularly for childless couples perhaps. But robot parents with robot children living robot lives, I'm just not 100% sure how that works. Do all robots come in two sizes? adult and child? I'm assuming that neither ever grows, changes, ages, develops, etc. So are they just twelve forever and ever and ever? Same with the parents? The humans seem to be distrustful of the robots. Yet the robots just didn't appear out of nowhere. Someone had to order them, ship them, unpack them, turn them on, etc. So why?

The message of Max--who does have a malfunction of sorts, though it's seen as a blessing--is that she has been programmed with TWO sets of personalities and memories. She's both a LIBBY and a ROXANNE and her programming is in conflict since the personalities are different from one another. She's neither a Libby nor a Roxanne. She could never be happy "being Libby" or "being Roxanne" she is both. So there does seem to be some semi-subtle messaging going on.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

75. Time Traveling with a Hamster

75. Time Travelling with a Hamster. Ross Welford. 2015. 400 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, mg fiction, mg speculative fiction, time trave, mg science fiction]

First sentence: My dad died twice. Once when he was thirty-nine, and again four years later when he was twelve. (He's going to die a third time as well, which seems a bit rough on him, but I can't help that.) The first time had nothing to do with me. The second time definitely did, but I would never even have been there if it hadn't been for his "time machine." 

Premise/plot: Al Chaudhury is given a unique opportunity on his twelfth birthday when he receives a letter from his dead father. Al receives detailed instructions on how to use his father's time machine. He'll have to break all the rules and then some, but, there's a chance he may just be able to travel back in time and prevent his father's death. His grandfather is subtly-not-so-subtly warning Al NOT to use the time machine and to let things be, to accept what is. Yet Al (and his hamster) seem destined to time travel. His destination? 1984 his father's childhood to prevent an accident. 

My thoughts: I found Time Travelling with a Hamster to be a compelling, intriguing read. I am always open to reading time travel books. I thought the premise was interesting AND it wasn't all premise-focused. I thought the characterization--particularly of Al and his grandfather--was strong.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

88. The Last Dragon on Mars

The Last Dragon on Mars. Scott Reintgen. 2024. 384 pages. [Source: Library] [MG fantasy, MG science fiction] [3 stars]

First sentence: There's a storm coming that looks right nasty.

Premise/plot: For readers wanting DRAGONS in their science fiction (colonization, space flight, survival), readers should consider picking up this new middle grade series. The first book, The Last Dragon on Mars, newly published, introduces readers to Lunar Jones, an orphaned boy living on a cursed planet. Mars (the planet) has been cursed since first colonized by humans generations previously. It is NOT a hospitable, homey place, however, it is the only home he's ever known. And even though every single day is a struggle for resources, a struggle among many for those extremely limited resources, he's not ready to give up on Mars just yet. (Then again, what choice does he have?) 

Dragon-lore is plentiful in the world-making of this speculative fiction series. To go into details of why planets, moons, and stars have dragon [avatars] would be tedious. That is, my description of the book's world would be tedious. 

In some ways this is a typical quest-adventure book where a young, thoroughly unprepared boy is thrust into a position where he must save the world. However, I haven't read many science fiction novels set in space involving dragons.

My thoughts: I liked it well enough. It is certainly on the eccentric, taste-specific side. But then again that is how science fiction works. It was a quick read that was enjoyable enough. I didn't love it as much as I was hoping. But I think the target audience could certainly find it appealing.

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

73. Westfallen

Westfallen. Ann Brashares and Ben Brashares. 2024. 384 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars] [MG speculative fiction, MG science fiction, MG dystopia, TIME TRAVEL, alternate history]

First sentence: Let me ask you this: What's the worst thing you've ever done? Really think about it. Well, multiply your thing by a billion and you don't even get close. Sorry to brag. It's just...your thing? It's the Cheeto-dust thumbprint you left on the basement sofa. It's an ant's toe you stepped on. And then you said, "Sorry!" and the ant went, "No worries, mate!" Because the ant's British, I don't know. 

My thoughts (preview): Ever been HOOKED on a premise????? It doesn't happen all that often, though it does happen. This is the case with Westfallen. The premise had me at HELLO. Reading the synopsis raised my expectations immeasurably, and it did NOT, I repeat did NOT disappoint. 

Premise/plot: Six kids working together (with the best intentions)--separated by time--manage to destroy life as we know it. Shocked I was able to sum up an entire book in one sentence? Me too. 

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.

Alice "saves" her brother's radio from the trash. It's broken and her brother, Robbie, is gone--presumably for the war. Her two friends, Lawrence and Artie, are near by and interested in seeing if they can fix the radio.

Henry is burying his gerbil, Zeus, when he discovers a long-buried radio. His (former) friends are there for the funeral. All are interested in this buried "treasure" of sorts. 

All six kids are SHOCKED when the radio works. The two sets of friends refer to themselves as "Mars" and "Jupiter." It takes time for them to realize that the new friends they've made aren't living in the same year. Henry, Lukas and Frances are in 2023....and Alice, Lawrence, and Artie are in 1944. Both are in the same house, same street, same city. 

Will innocent casual conversation lead to the unwinding of the universe?????

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED THIS ONE. Mostly. I will say that the CLIFF HANGER ending was while not a huge surprise a bit disappointing. If the cliff hanger leads to a book two, then YES PLEASE. If it does NOT lead to a book two then readers everywhere have been robbed. 

I loved the premise. I loved the characters. I loved the plot. This is one I could easily see myself reading again and again and again. 

 

 

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

68. Life As We Knew It

68. Life As We Knew It. Susan Beth Pfeffer. 2006. 337 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Fiction, YA Fiction] [5 stars]

First sentence: Lisa is pregnant.

Premise/plot: As the world is ending--or seeming to--Miranda, our heroine, keeps readers up to speed with her private journal. It starts several days--perhaps a week?--before an asteroid hits the moon. After the asteroid hits the moon, things change drastically, dramatically, and perhaps permanently. Can the human race survive? Will Miranda and her family? 

My thoughts: This novel is bleakity-bleak. However, it is not as bleak as it could be, or perhaps should be. But if it was more bleak would it have any readers reading and recommending it? It isn't as bleak as it could be because it isn't always realistic. One glaring instance is the magical well water that Miranda and her family rely on for months, long months without any electricity whatsoever. Or generators. Wells depend on electricity. What is sad or perhaps ironic is that one person in her family makes the comment how lucky they are to be on well water since the town's water supply depends on electricity and many are without water. Chances are they depend on electricity in different ways.

Even though some of the scenarios are unrealistic--each reader probably could point out one way that sticks out to him/her--the novel does a great job with its characters. This one is without a doubt a disaster/survival novel. It is premise-driven. But it is also very much about family dynamics. The focus is narrow--very narrow. The immediate family of Miranda. But just because there are few characters doesn't mean it isn't great at developing those characters. And it's rare, when you think about it, for a middle grade novel to focus ON family instead of friends and classmates. 

I have reviewed this one so many times because this is one that I keep rereading. 

My favorite quotes:

“Sometimes when Mom is getting ready to write a book she says she doesn’t know where to start, that the ending is so clear to her that the beginning doesn’t seem important anymore. I feel that way now only I don’t know what the ending is, not even what the ending is tonight” (16).

“For a moment I thought about all the people throughout history who saw Halley’s Comet and didn’t know what it was, just that it was there and frightening and awe inspiring. For the briefest flick of a second, I could have been a 16 year old in the Middle Ages looking up at the sky, marveling at its mysteries, or an Aztec or an Apache. For that tiny instant, I was every 16 year old in history, not knowing what the skies foretold about my future.” (18)

“And then it hit. Even though we knew it was going to, we were still shocked when the asteroid actually made contact with the moon. With our moon. At that second, I think we all realized that it was Our Moon and if it was attacked, then we were attacked.” (18-19)

“What about desserts?” I asked. “If the world comes to an end, I’m going to want cookies.” “We’re all going to want cookies if the world comes to an end,” Mrs. Nesbitt agreed. “And chips and pretzels. If the world is coming to an end, why should I care about my blood pressure?” “Okay, we’ll die fat,” Mom said. “Grab what you can grab and ram it into your wagons. But remember if we actually need this stuff, we’re going to be a lot more grateful for a can of soup than for a box of stale cookies.” “Speak for yourself,” Mrs. Nesbitt said. (34)

 “I guess I always felt even if the world came to an end, McDonald’s would still be open.” (46)

“Lately I’ve been trying not to know what’s going on. At least that’s the excuse I’ve been giving myself for not caring about all the stuff that’s happening outside of my little section of Pennsylvania. Who cares about earthquakes in India or Peru or even Alaska?
Okay that’s not fair. I know who cares. Matt cares and Mom cares and if there were any baseball involved, Jonny would care, too. Knowing Dad, he cares. Mrs. Nesbitt, too.
I’m the one not caring. I’m the one pretending the earth isn’t shattering all around me because I don’t want it to be. I don’t want to know there was an earthquake in Missouri. I don’t want to know the Midwest can die, also, that what’s going on isn’t just tides and tsunamis. I don’t want to have anything more to be afraid of.
I didn’t start this diary for it to be a record of death.” (70-71)

“We have clean sheets to sleep on, a clean house, clean clothes, clean dishes. We spent the evening laughing. It wasn’t 90 degrees in the house when we went to bed. We weren’t hungry. We’re not worried about Dad. I know what it feels like to be kissed by a boy. If I could, I would relive this day over and over. I can’t imagine a more perfect one.” (95-96)

“I can’t decide which is worse, no electricity or unreliable electricity. I wonder if I’ll ever have to decide which is worse, life as we’re living or no life at all.” (119)

“Here’s the funny thing about the world coming to an end. Once it gets going, it doesn’t seem to stop.” (120)

“I told Mom I was doing history (she never would have believed me if I said math) and stayed in bed all morning.” (191)

“I know I’m going to have to be strong for the next couple of weeks. No more whining. No more picking fights. I’ll have to do whatever Mom asks me and not protest and not complain. I know I can do it. But for that one moment I felt so weak, so helpless. I felt nothing but fear and despair and the most awful need to be anyplace else. I told myself it was hunger, but I knew that was a lie.
As long as Mom was all right, I could fool myself into thinking we’d all be all right.” (206)

“It’s funny how sorry I feel for Jon these days. I’m 2 1/2 years older than him and I feel like got those 2 1/2 years to go to school and swim and have friends and he got cheated out of them. And maybe he’ll live 2 1/2 years longer than me, or 20 years or 50, but he’ll still never have those 2 1/2 years of normal life.

Every day when I go to sleep I think what a jerk I was to have felt sorry for myself the day before. My Wednesdays are worse than my Tuesdays, my Tuesdays way worse than my Tuesday of a week before. Which means every tomorrow is going to be worse than every today. Why feel sorry for myself today when tomorrow’s bound to be worse?
It’s a hell of a philosophy, but it’s all I’ve got.” (275)

“But I hope when I get closer to death, however old I might be, that I can face it with courage and good sense the way Mrs. Nesbitt does.” (234)

“A while ago Jonny asked me why I was still keeping a journal, who I was writing it for. I’ve asked myself that a lot, especially in the really bad times.
Sometimes I’ve thought I was keeping it for people 200 years from now, so they can see what our lives were like.
Sometimes I’ve thought I’m keeping it for that day when people no longer exist but butterflies can read.
But today, when I am 17 and warm and well fed, I’m keeping this journal for myself so I can always remember life as we knew it, life as we know it, for a time when I am no longer in the sunroom.” (337)

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

172. Antarctica (Choose Your Own Adventure)

Choose Your Own Adventure: Antarctica! Lily Simonson. 2022. 128 pages. [Source: Library] [j fiction; mg fiction]

First sentence: The wind nearly pushes you over as you heave yourself up into the helicopter. 

Premise/plot: In a choose your own adventure book, obviously, you the reader make almost all of the decisions. Instructions at the bottom of each page show you where to go next. In this one, YOU, a scientist/researcher are stationed in Antarctica. 

My thoughts: I always have a pen and paper in hand so I can track my choices and find all the endings. The cover on goodreads seems to think there are seventeen endings possible. The book in hand say twenty-five possible endings.

Did I enjoy this one? Not really. The endings were either pure calamity--leading to death. OR the endings were didactic hitting you on the head with climate change agenda. The 'happy' 'mildly happy' endings all had a message to preach. 

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

158. Rewind

Rewind. Lisa Graff. 2023. [August] 256 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Speculative Fiction; Time Travel]

First sentences: In most ways, Gap Bend, Pennsylvania, was just like any other small town. 

Premise/plot: Gap Bend, Pennsylvania, has a tradition of hosting a 'Time Hop' community event. McKinley O'Dair is super excited. This year the Time Hop will be celebrating all things 1993. She realizes--foreshadowing--that 1993 was the year her father was her age. 

After an explosive argument with her father--in which she runs away at the Time Hop--she finds herself traveling back in time. She's IN the "real" 1993. Her father is her own age. And she is clueless as to how to return to 2018. 

My thoughts: I wanted to love, love, love this one. I didn't love it. I will try to share why I personally didn't love this one so that you can make up your own mind as to if this is one you'd be interested in picking up and reading for yourself.

What I liked: I liked the premise of time travel. I LOVE the premise of time travel. I seek out time travel books like they're candy. I was super excited about the premise of this one. The fact that she'd be able to "get to know" her father when he was her own age was intriguing. It had potential.

The chapter titles are song titles. I wasn't familiar with most of these songs, but, it could make a good side project for those that love music OR that love quests in general. Not having listened to these songs, I'm not sure if the song lyrics themselves have anything at all to do--themes? tones?--with the plot of the book. Perhaps they do. Maybe they don't. I will say that the characters themselves don't really talk music--artists, songs--all that often (if at all). (And when they do bring up a song title, I *think* it was a song actually released in 1997. Granted, perhaps the Backstreet Boys only covered "Hey Mr DJ Keep Playing That Song". But any internet search showed that the Backstreet Boys as the artist and the 1997 as the year it released.) 

What I didn't like: I found almost all the characters (except McKinley's grandma) insufferable. I truly found them so incredibly annoying and obnoxious. The characters in 2018 and the characters in 1993--both were so unlikable that even the premise of time travel didn't really keep me loving the book. McKinley, our main character, was SO full of it. I just couldn't stand her smugness. And I don't think she was purposefully written to be smug. She wasn't the only annoying character, but, she was the one readers never got away from.

One thing that definitely bothered me was that every single character was disrespectful, rude, unkind, bully-ish. All the conversations McKinley and Jackie had in the past were SO rude and obnoxious. The way they treated others. The way they treated each other. 

I also didn't like the fact that the fashion descriptions felt a LOT more like mid-to-late 1990s--than 1993. Again, every adult who lived through the nineties might have a different recollection of the details. So perhaps it's just me that thinks it's a tiny bit off. You can decide for yourself. Maybe 1993 was all about Doc Martens, silver spaghetti strap dresses, white baby doll tees, lace choker necklaces, butterfly clips, and denim vests. I wouldn't let the fashion descriptions keep you from picking up the book. If that was the only thing that annoyed me--slightly--I would still have enjoyed the book. It was mainly the characters being annoying. Again--totally subjective.

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

118. World's Fair 1992

World's Fair 1992. Robert Silverberg. 1970. 256 pages. [Source: Bought] [Adult science fiction]

First sentence: Against the night sky, the nearly completed World's Fair Satellite gleamed like a shiny new penny. You could see it even with low-powered field glasses as it moved in its stately orbit around the Earth: a giant copper-hued globe, the biggest space satellite ever constructed. The Fair's opening day--October 12, 1992--was only some six weeks away. And in very much less time than that, Bill Hastings was going to be up there to begin his year in space.

Premise/plot: Bill Hastings won an essay contest and his prize is a year in space. The year? 1992/1993. The job? He'll be an assistant working on the Mars Pavilion of the World's Fair. There are six or seven scientists--slightly different specialties--working there maintaining the exhibit. There are a handful of "Old Martians" on display. Some of the scientists are unhappy with the circumstances. But do the ends justify the means? Perhaps. (The ends being greater research opportunities. The means being "kidnapping" Martians from Mars and putting them on display for tourists to the World's Fair.) Hastings makes friends with the scientists. His essay topic was about possible life on Pluto.

My thoughts: If my summary seems odd, then there's a good reason. This book is a bit odd. The main conflict is one of ethics. Bill Hastings is observing other scientists wrestle with this dilemma. As they seek to colonize other planets. (And by colonize, I mean visit. I don't necessarily mean visit with the goal of setting up colonies....at least not right away). Perhaps I mean explore not colonize? (Colonization is such a loaded topic, a word with a lot of baggage--for better or worse. And this fair is celebrating Christopher Columbus "discovering" America and establishing colonies. So in part, I think there's a definite intention to address this topic. Hastings was not involved in any way with the decision to bring living Martians to the World's Fair to be exhibited. But he is involved when the powers-that-be decide to go to PLUTO and seek out "alien life" on Pluto to bring back to set up as an exhibit. And this is where the book, for me, starts to lose its way. The first half is a dull-ish read set on the World's Fair Satellite. There were conversations about Mars, Martians, science, etc. But essentially, dulls-ville. The second half is when Bill becomes a member of an exploring team on a mission to Pluto--the first manned mission to Pluto. The book ends soon after he returns. Bill has become disenchanted with the World's Fair by that point. 

I think the setting and initial premise had potential. I'm not sure it works as a novel written from one point of view. I could see it working as a shorter novella or even short story. Or I could see it working as a collection of short stories set at the World's Fair Satellite--stories with many perspectives or points of view. I could see it working as a mystery or thriller. For example, if the "evil" billionaire genius was the focus of an assassination, or assassination attempt. Or maybe if it was about Bill Hastings discovering something horrible about the World's Fair and working to bring it to light. 

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

117. Gnome Is Where Your Heart Is

Gnome Is Where Your Heart Is. Casey Lyall. 2023. [May] 304 pages. [Source: Library] [Middle Grade]

First sentence: The golden rule of shady Elms Retirement Home was listed clearly on the front door: No unaccompanied minors on the premises after six p.m. Which was why I was not using the front door.

Premise/plot: Lemon Peabody, our heroine, has been working on Project Validation for most of her life. Her Grandpa Walt--so says he--had an alien encounter thirty years ago. Few--if any--believe him. In fact, the town has collectively made light sport of his story. It's a 'thing' apparently, to paint the faces of garden gnomes green in this town. Lemon's father HATES garden gnomes because of this; he has little appreciation for a daughter who "encourages" and "supports" Grandpa Walt's so-called delusions. Now that he's in a nursing home, he's hoping EVERYONE will forget the whole aliens thing. This seems likely since Walt has Alzheimer's and his memory is touch and go at best. Lemon finds it heartbreaking that she's losing her Grandpa and doing so before she could prove his claims to be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. She must find proof that her Grandpa really, truly had an alien encounter....

So it is super convenient that the SECOND narrator (or should that be gnarrator) is a space alien--a cadet, I believe--whose space ship crashes on earth in the very same town, in the very same woods as thirty years ago. Lemon happens, of course, to witness this! Finally, an opportunity to prove to her dad (and others) what she's always believed--her Grandpa is telling the truth.

My thoughts: This is a strange little book. On the one hand, you've got a HEAVY book. Lemon loves, loves, loves her Grandpa. Yes, the book might try to make this one fun and light-hearted by shifting the focus to HOW DELIGHTFUL Grandpa Walt met and befriended a super-cute-adorable-alien (who looks like a garden gnome). But Grandpa's medical condition is real and devastating. As an adult, I can see the dad making some very valid points. Lemon's insistence on breaking all the rules and getting her Grandpa flustered up and having breakdowns because he can't remember things...is problematic. Yes, readers learn the truth. But it could have easily gone the other way (in another genre for another audience). On the other hand, as I mentioned, the gnome-alien-race is SUPER adorable and cute. They all have adorable names. There's nothing threatening or dangerous--just super precious and adorable. 

I think age and experience might play a role in if you see this one as hilarious and delightful or heartbreaking. 

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

20. Running Out of Time

Running Out of Time. Margaret Peterson Haddix. 1995. 184 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The light woke Jessie, though it was just a glimmer downstairs. She eased out of bed, being careful not to disturb her sister Hannah. 

Premise/plot: Jessie Keyser has lived her whole life in a small village, Clifton, where the year is 1840 and a disease is threatening to become an epidemic. But what she doesn’t know can save her...for outside her small village, the year is 1996. In the 1980s, a millionaire had a ‘brilliant’ idea of creating an authentic tourist attraction where volunteers would throw themselves back in time while tourists secretly watched. Jessie’s mother and father were two of the original volunteers. The rules were simple. Anyone was supposed to be able to leave if they changed their mind. While they couldn’t discuss the ‘twentieth-century world’ with just anyone, they could tell their children once they turned twelve. They were supposed to have access to modern medicine in the case of life-threatening illnesses. But what happens when the rulebook is thrown out? Can Jessie save her village from disaster? Full of secrets and surprises, RUNNING OUT OF TIME is an exciting science fiction read.

My thoughts: I've read this one a handful of times. If the summary sounds familiar, it is cut and pasted from an earlier review. I always find myself coming back to this title because the premise is so unique and fun. I love this concept. Jessie--and all the other children--know no other life than frontier life. She honestly believes the year is 1840. This is her world--her only world. When disease threatens, her mom sends her on desperate rescue mission. Escape Clifton. Reach the outside world. Make contact with someone and tell their STORY. Get help. So she's thrown into the 'real world' suddenly. It is a big culture clash. And this one has action, mystery, and great character development.

I am so excited that after so many decades a second book is coming. 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

179. Futureland: Battle for the Park

Futureland: Battle for the Park. H.D. Hunter. 2022. [November] 320 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Look, you'd probably think I was the luckiest kid in the world...because I live on top of it. No, seriously. Literally. Well...more like above it, if I'm being precise--vocabulary word!

Premise/plot: Cam Walker, our protagonist, lives IN an amusement park, part time at least. Futureland is unlike any other amusement park. The year is 2048. And Futureland is a traveling amusement park. For the first time, however, it will be remain above Atlanta for an extended period of time. Cam's parents thinks its important--for once--that Cam attend a regular public school. He'll also be getting to know one of his grandmothers. Futureland is due to open very soon...after the novel opens...but not all is going smoothly. Some of the technology, well, it's glitching. And as Cam discovers, these glitches [or mishaps] aren't accidental but intentional. Can Cam figure out the mystery behind these bizarre and dangerous events??? Perhaps with a few real-life friends he can.

My thoughts: I read this in one sitting. It was packed with action and adventure. It's set in the future. And not just the future...but an amusement park celebrating THE FUTURE. It also had plenty of suspense and mystery. There's definitely something sinister going on...and the creepy vibes are front and center. 

I enjoyed this one so much. It kept me hooked into the now of reading the book. I wasn't questioning much about the plot or the characters or the relationships. Just had to keep turning pages.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

95. Glitch

Glitch. Laura Martin. 2020. 384 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: April 14, 1865. Gosh, I was sick of that date, and it wasn't just because that is when our sixteenth president was assassinated. Nope. I was sick of April 14, 1865, because I kept getting sent back to it for training purposes.

Premise/plot: Glitch is a middle grade time travel novel. For some readers, that alone might make you seek this one out. (It would me.) There are two protagonists: Regan Fitz and Elliot Mason. These two are glitchers--or at the very least glitchers in training. They've been raised by the Academy since birth--their genes having revealed the 'glitch.' They will be able to travel through time. Glitchers carry out missions to preserve history. PRESERVE being the key word. They seek out "butterflies" those from a rival time-traveling group who are out to change history. 

When the novel opens, Regan and Elliot are both STUDENTS in training. All of their missions are simulations. But everything changes when they--well, Regan, really--receive a COCOON, a message from the future. This cocoon means that at some point in the future one of them--or both of them--will become BUTTERFLIES. 

Thus begins an exciting, action-packed time traveling adventure.

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved, loved this one. I have a BIG weakness for time travel books. I do. This one most reminded me of the oh-so-sadly short-lived TIMELESS tv show. I crazy-loved that show. If it had been up to me, it would have had at least three to five seasons. The premise was AWESOME and I loved (most) of the cast. So much potential---ultimately wasted. 

I hope this becomes a book series. I would read every single one. I promise. 

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

22. Operation Do-Over

Operation Do-Over. Gordon Korman. 2022. [January] 304 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: I'm standing next to the bumper cars when the first bolt of lightning splits the sky and strikes the main transformer. The explosion is like a bomb blast. I almost jump out of my skin.

Premise/plot: Mason Rolle can't remember a time when he wasn't best, best, best friends with Ty Ehrlich. The two have been inseparable since they were toddlers. But when the two are twelve, well, let's just say that new girl, Ava Petrakis, disrupts their friendship. The three become close friends--sharing the same interests and hobbies. But both boys like like Ava. When Ava starts to show preference for *liking* one but not the other (in that way), well, it could just be the end of the friendship. You see these two agreed that neither should go out with Ava.

The title includes the word Do-Over for a good reason. Mason and Ty haven't been friends for FIVE YEARS when the novel truly gets going. And Mason is wishing that he could have a do-over. If ONLY time travel was possible, if only he could go back and change the past, do everything differently... he knows that Ty's friendship is worth saving...

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved, LOVED, loved this one so much. I am so glad readers get to go along for the ride in this one. Mason's redo of seventh grade is interesting. We don't know each and every choice he made the first time around, but the choices he is making the second time are definitely interesting. He has a unique perspective on his own life--of course--but also when it comes to his classmates and teachers. Physically he may be "young" again, but he is wiser and more experienced. 

I found it an engaging read. I was cheering for him from the start. I wanted his second chance to be a success! Of course, it could have gone either way. It could have given us a tied-up-with-a-ribbon-happy ending. Or it could have gone all message-y with the moral that friendships don't always last forever, that people change, that people grow apart, that sometimes the friends you want aren't always the friends you need. But I am personally SATISFIED with the ending.

I really liked the ending. But I also wonder about those missing memories. I can only imagine that some things would be awkward since he is missing five years of memories.

I am seeing some people compare it to Back to the Future, but, I don't see it as such. It is a LOT closer to 13 Going On 30.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

18. The Last Cuentista

The Last Cuentista. Donna Barba Higuera. 2021. 336 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Lita tosses another pinon log onto the fire. Sweet smoke drifts past us into the starry sky. Her knees crack as she sits back down on the blanket next to me. The cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon she's made me sits untouched this time.

Premise/plot: Petra Peña, our heroine, might just be humanity's last chance to stay connected with our troubled past. The Collective has seemingly won the ultimate victory--making nauseating sacrifices all for a 'good cause.' What better way to protect humanity's future than to completely annihilate any memory of our past. (Even wiping away memories of the planet Earth.) But perhaps I'm rushing things a bit?

The novel opens with a few spaceships getting ready to leave Earth behind. Earth's destruction literally being days (perhaps less than one???) away. The deed being done by a comet. It will take hundreds of years to arrive on Sagan, the new planet believed to be capable of supporting life. Petra, her family, and the other families selected will be making the journey in stasis.

But the humans guarding the sleepers, well, they have thoughts, opinions, ideas that are radically dangerous. Dangerous might not be the right word--deadly might suit better. If memories cannot be totally erased and new programming rewritten, well then, OOPS, that's just a necessary sacrifice.

Petra seems to be the only one to retain her memories. Memories packed with stories, stories, and more stories. Being found out--or found out too soon--may be costly. It will take wisdom to know when to make her move, to act against the Collective... And even then resistance may prove futile. And even if dozens of things go right, well, the odds may not be in her favor. An unexplored planet with a million uncertainties. Still, she's humanity's last chance to REMEMBER, to reflect.

 My thoughts: Newbery Medal 2022. It's impossible to read Newbery winners with a completely open mind and low expectations. (Which, in my opinion, is how most books should be read for the highest degree of enjoyment.)

On the one hand, it celebrates stories, storytelling, and storytellers. It celebrates the notions that stories not only entertain but they inform as well. Stories help us make sense or process the world around us. Ourselves. Others. Life. Stories matter because even fiction (or in this case folklore) can contain truths that make us better. Maybe better isn't the right word. Stories contain truths that can give us an opportunity to think, engage, learn, grow, reflect, etc. Emotions and feelings can be chaotic, messy, overwhelming...stories help us manage life.

The book is political in that many, many science fiction stories are political. The book is essentially a dystopia set on a spaceship and another planet. Dystopias are almost always political because they show us power gone sour. The Collective is BAD news obviously. But how did the Collective come to be? That we really don't have a lot of answers for. Except that we know that the Collective is built on this one idea that knowledge of the past, our history, is irrevocably dangerous to our survival. Wipe out ALL memories of our mistakes, conflicts, tragedies, abuses, injustices, wars, etc., and humanity has a chance. In the same way that the futuristic society of The Giver celebrates SAMENESS. The Collective fears DIFFERENCES.
It asks the question--what is the value--is there value--in history? The Collective perhaps started out rewriting or revising history before changing tactics to annihilating and destroying.

I would argue that history always matters. Whether it be denial or revision, you can't learn from the past that you disconnect from. 

On the other hand, I really HATED the ending. Or non-ending if you will. I don't like endings where you are CLUELESS what happens and what it means. It might as well be written in a foreign language as far as I'm concerned. I've read the last few pages a few times, and still, I'm like what does it mean? what happened? what is about to happen? was it good? was it bad?

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

140. Daughter of the Deep

Daughter of the Deep. Rick Riordan. 2021. 354 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Here's the thing about life-shattering days. They start just like any other. You don't realize your world is about to explode into a million smoking pieces of awfulness until it's too late.

Premise/plot: Daughter of the Deep is Rick Riordan's newest book. It is a premise-driven what if novel. What if Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was more nonfiction than fiction, more true than false. What if his legacy was passed down through his descendants? His DNA--their DNA--holding keys to great staggering technological wonders and achievements. Ana Dakkar, our heroine, is Captain Nemo's descendant...and the fate of the world may depend on her survival and her ability to connect (and ultimately command) with the Nautilus. 

Harding-Pencroft Academy is at war with the Land Institute. Ana--and most of the characters of the book--are students and faculty of Harding-Pencroft Academy. But the setting is not on land, but on sea, the deep sea. Ana--and most of the characters--are freshmen at the academy. 

My thoughts: If an intriguing premise is ALL you need from a book, then this may prove quite entertaining. I will give it to Riordan that the premise--on paper--sounds fantastic. A premise with great potential for action, adventure, character growth, world building, etc. All the best action-adventure books have strong friendships at their core.

But. Does Daughter of the Deep deliver more than an interesting/intriguing premise? My opinion is NO. I think the book spends so much time on the premise and world building, that very little--if any--time is spent on developing RELATIONSHIPS or even characterization. I haven't decided if a) the characters are meant to be developed but just come across as boring or bland or indistinguishable or b) he was so busy writing descriptions and plotting action/battle scenes that he forgot that characters matter. The truth is if a reader fails to care about the characters, then it doesn't matter how many battle scenes there are: the book will be BORING and lifeless. More time and attention is spent on describing the Nautilus than there is developing characters like Ana.

So if I feel this strongly about the book, why did I keep reading???? Well, at first I thought it was just setting up the world and that if I could get past the first chunk of info-dumping, then it would "get good." Sure, the start might be slow, but somewhere along the way it would all click into place and then BOOM it would be worth it. All the world-building will have been time well spent, the big picture will be seen, and it will be satisfying. About hundred pages left to go, and I was like...I don't think this book is going to get better. I don't think it will prove ultimately satisfying. Then it was just stubbornness pure and simple. I'm not going to get that close to the end only to give up on a book. 

It didn't help that 98% of all reviews on Goodreads are WOW, I CAN'T BELIEVE WE HAVE A COVER NOW. I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THIS.

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

76. We're Not From Here

We're Not From Here. Geoff Rodkey. 2019. 256 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The first time I heard anything about the Planet Choom, we'd been on Mars for almost a year.

Premise/plot: Humanity's only chance for survival depends on one family (and only one family) making a good impression. 

Twenty years before their ship's arrival to the planet (Choom), they'd been invited by the three (or is it four?) races cohabiting the planet. (One original species--several refugee races.) But the political landscape has changed, and, well, now "everyone agrees" that the humans are no longer welcome. After much begging, pleading, coaxing, smooth talking, negotiating--they (the Zhuri) decide one family may come down to the surface. "Everyone agrees" it's probably hopeless, but, for Lan, his older sister, and his two parents, well, they have hope--what is the alternative????

The parents play negligible roles in this middle grade science fiction novel. So essentially the human race depends on a music-loving teen girl (Ila) and a comedy loving narrator, Lan. (It is written in first person.) 

As these two begin school, everyone watches and waits...

My thoughts: It was an interesting read I suppose. The world building was nice. I thought the idea of EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS being expressed (only) as smells was unique. As was the hive mentality (though that isn't unique to this science fiction story. Aliens do tend to have hive mentality in science fiction novels.) A doughnut smell means LAUGHTER. I think a gasoline smell means fear? or is it anger? Anyway--not good!

Where this book loses me--as an adult reader--is the slapstick comedy of it. Humanity is saved thanks to VIDEOS of people falling down, getting hit in their private parts, barfing, etc. Music does play into the saving of humanity as well--which was nice.

I think it has a certain appeal for its intended audience--kids (upper elementary, middle school).

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews