55. Gus and Glory

55. Gus and Glory. Sarah Guillory. 2025. 240 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, mg fiction, mg realistic fiction, dogs, friendship]

First sentence: The summer I was twelve, my mom got lost.  

Premise/plot: Gus and Glory is a coming of age middle grade novel. Glory, our heroine, is staying with her grandparents for the summer. Her dad is a truck driver, I believe, and her mother is "lost" and has essentially abandoned her. Glory soon befriends a bloodhound, Gus, who becomes a dear, dear friend. And Gus helps Glory make other friends in the community. Soon Glory finds herself feeling like this temporary home is HOME. But what will she do after the summer is over? Who will she live with? Will her mom ever come back? Will she get to keep Gus forever? Or will he go back to the neighbor?

My thoughts: DOG ON THE COVER, but it isn't truly sad. Glory is in a tough place for sure. But in so many ways this is a FOUND FAMILY book where a character finds just the right people to help make life better. 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

38. Wonderland

 

38. Wonderland. Barbara O'Connor. 2018. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, mg fiction, mg realistic fiction]

First sentence: Mavis Jeeter sat on the bus stop bench beside her mother and whispered goodbye to Hadley, Georgia. She took a deep breath and let out a big, heaving sigh to send a signal to her mother that she was tired of saying goodbye.

Premise/plot: Mavis Jeeter hates the fact that her mother keeps them on the move all the time. Mavis has never been settled in one place long enough to have an actual best friend. Her mom has a new job--as a housekeeper--and they have a new house--in an apartment above the Tully's garage. But will she find a best friend? Maybe. Maybe not. Rose Tully is left speechless by the arrival of Mavis and her mother (their new housekeeper). Mavis has forcefully announced that they will be the absolute best of friends. Rose-- who is in need of a best friend agrees--but what choice does she have? Mavis--as she soon learns--doesn't take no for an answer. Rose is soon spilling it all: Mr. Duffy--the gatekeeper of their gated community--has recently lost his dog, Queenie, and he is now sad, moody, unwilling to entertain her on the side. Mavis announces that she will help Rose cheer him up and they will do so by finding him a new dog. But is it just that easy?

My thoughts: I do have THOUGHTS. Conflicting thoughts. On the positive side, all the characters have flaws which means that they are fleshed out enough to be human. Another positive is that the characterization is not just centered on Mavis and Rose alone. While not all side characters are deeply, deeply fleshed out, ALL of them feel fleshed out enough that it is easy enough to put yourself in their shoes and see the world through their eyes. This goes for the adult characters as well which is rare in middle grade fiction. However, I didn't love this one absolutely. I found Mavis to be problematic. Of course this is subjective. I've read reviews on GoodReads that love, love, love Mavis and dislike Rose.

Mavis to me comes across as TROUBLE. She's bossy. She's inconsiderate. She doesn't read the room. She doesn't listen...at all. She doesn't accept people as they are. Of course, there are plenty of adults who haven't learned these skills, so perhaps it's a little much to expect a fifth grader to have them. Still. Friendship would go smoother if she would actually listen, be less bossy, take the time to understand. I also think she's trouble because she encourages Rose to break the rules. All the rules. The more significant keep-people-safe rules and the smaller rules. She tells Rose that breaking rules will make her brave and more grown up. Rose is easily coaxed into pushing past all her own boundaries of what feels safe and right and good AND push past the rules her parents have put in place to keep her safe. 

The big rule in question is leaving the estates/gated community AND crossing a busy highway on bicycles. As an adult, all I can say is that Mavis is a bad influence! And Rose at least has no business crossing highways on a bicycle. 

Mr. Duffy. What I have to say about him is that I think what neither girl seems to recognize is that a) it's more than the grief of a dog. Mr. Duffy is a widower. He's old. He lives alone. He's aware--even if the girls aren't--that he's getting older and less capable. And b) yes, the adults in the community could be more polite in voicing their concerns....it seems that Mr. Duffy IS at the point where he is mentally and physically incapable of doing the job he was hired for. He does seem to be showing signs of dementia.

Rose. Out of all the characters I love Rose most. It is not that she is perfectly-perfect. She's not. But she seems to be the kindest and sweetest and the most concerned with how others are feeling. I'm not sure that Rose and Mavis are actually well suited for one another....since Mavis seems to be temperamental, dramatic, bossy, and incapable of listening.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

104. Quagmire Tiarello Couldn't Be Better

Quagmire Tiarello Couldn't Be Better. Mylisa Larsen. 2024. 240 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars] [mg fiction, realistic fiction]

First sentence: When Principal Deming asked Quagmire Tiarello what he was planning on doing with the first day of his summer vacation, Quag did not tell him that he planned on sleeping in until at least noon.

Premise/plot: Quagmire (Quag) is NOT having the best summer ever, or even a decent summer--not really. His mom's mental health is spiraling out of control [again] and Quag is barely holding the family together. He is spending some time with the girl of his dreams at art camp, all the while pretending to have a great interest in birds. But for the most part, he's dreading the ultimate crash that will come. Will he get the help he needs when it does? 

My thoughts: I don't know that every library has a division of just two categories--a book is either J for juvenile or Teen for teen. I do wish there was an MG section. I can see why teens might not want to read about an eighth grader [almost ninth grader]. But the main character seems WAY too old for juvenile. Does it matter where it's filed? Maybe. Maybe not. Probably not. Just that this is definitely a book with teen characters dealing with hard life issues. That might be appealing for younger readers. I don't think the main "problem" is exclusively a problem that only teens deal with. Quagmire's mom's mental health is a MESS and it is really effecting Quagmire on every level. This is a coming of age story of sorts about how he finds the help he needs even if it isn't easy or natural to ask for help and be honest about how awful things are at home.

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

71. Not Nothing

71. Not Nothing. Gayle Forman. 2024. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Historical Fiction] [3 stars]

First sentence:  Let me tell you a story. Actually, it's two stories, one you will recognize and one you won't. One is about me and you. The other is about the boy. But it's also about me. And about you. I know. I'm not making sense. I'm 107 years old. It goes with the territory. Forgive me my meanderings.

Premise/plot: Alex, aka "the boy," has an opportunity--or "opportunity" to change direction in his life--as appointed by the court. He'll be doing time--community service--at Shady Glen Retirement Home. He's reluctant, as you might expect, in part because everything that could be going wrong in his life has gone wrong and is continuing to go wrong. Nothing is going his way. As he's doing his service, he forms a bond with a resident, the 107 year old narrator, Josey (aka Josef???) who hasn't spoken in years (in fact those that work there thought he was unable to speak.) He tells the boy his life story--primarily focusing on the second world war. Meanwhile, there's things happening at Shady Glen and he's becoming friendly with others as well. 

My thoughts: Definitely an almost. The premise seems like it would be an absolutely perfectly perfect fit for the kind of book that I would love. I love intergenerational stories. I love stories with a strong focus on friendship...and stories with a strong focus on storytelling. Yet I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. This might be ALL on me. Reading is subjective. This might be a little well everyone (and their dog) is saying that this is the best book of the year so therefore I can get contrary at times when a book doesn't live up to the hype. Or it could be merely the timing of when I read it. 

The narration did not always seem cohesive to me. I found myself slightly confused at times. Never knowing if I'd dropped the plot and spaced out for a few pages or if the book was written in a disorienting way. I also thought the narration wasn't constant; that is a horrible way to describe it. But if the narrator is stuck in his room AND/or he's stuck at Shady Glen 24/7, then I think he knew too much and the focus was too wide for it to be truly his perspective. I would have almost preferred third person omniscient. It was also weird for me--personally--that the narration continued after the character's death. I also thought the "big reveal" of the crime was a little clunky in that wouldn't Shady Glen have known ahead of time????

 This one just didn't sit "as right" with me as I wanted it to. Again, I thought it would be a book that I absolutely loved and I ended up in a very meh place. 

--This one is being called
timely
timeless
book we all need
perfect
life-affirming
mind-expanding
heart-wrenching

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

67. Tig

Tig. Heather Smith. 2024. 160 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Fiction??????? MG Realistic Fiction?????] [4 stars]

First sentence: We're different now, me and Peter. That's the thing about being left behind--it changes your whole being. It's like how abandoned animals stop trusting humans. They go wild and crazy and when they're rescued it takes ages for them to calm down, to love and be loved again. Don't get me wrong, Uncle Scott is a decent guy and Manny makes the best grilled cheese I've ever had. But me and Peter? We're still in the hissing and biting stage.

My thoughts (preview): I am SO conflicted on this one. I am. On the one hand EXQUISITE, beautiful writing. On the other hand, the trigger warnings this book needs is longer than a Walgreens receipt. No lie. Here's the thing just because real life can sometimes have ALL THE TRAUMA (and then some) does not mean that most/many readers in the [so-called] target audience are mentally and emotionally prepared for the trauma in the pages. That's why I'm conflicted. I don't want to deny that bad stuff happens to kids. I might be a horrible person to think that the real target audience should be adults who work with kids--teachers, librarians, principals, counselors, foster parents, etc. I can see why books like this exist, even perhaps need to exist, but should it be sorted as children's or middle grade???? [Goodreads lists both in the target age range]. 

Premise/plot: Tig (and Peter) have been "rescued" from a dangerous situation. They've been living on their own in a house without electricity for months ever since they were abandoned. Now Tig (and Peter) will be living with Uncle Scott and his partner, Manny, but Tig equates this new situation as fake, too good to be true. She trusts NO ONE, not even a little bit. With Peter by her stand she holds onto a bit of dignity but not a smidge of hope for a new beginning. 

My thoughts (continued): The novel is on the shorter side--which is good. I think it's a potent novel. The emotions are so concentrated, so focused, so negative, so raw, that I wasn't aching for a longer read. There are layers. There are twists and turns. This is one of those where knowing that actual-actual-actual plot would spoil too much. So yes, one can say oh it's about a girl living with her uncle and his partner...but beyond that, well, you can't talk about the plot or the characters or the character development. 

I am again so conflicted with this one. There are scenes that are so hard to read because of how disturbing the situations are.

Quotes: 

The sympathy on his face leaked out his pores and dripped on the floor. I put on my imaginary boots and splashed in his pity puddle. He got drenched. I stayed dry. My yellow raincoat matched my boots.

We didn't know when the hour was up because seconds don't hang around, they tick away, and it's not like you can collect them and count them up. Once they're gone, they're gone.

If you were a clean slate, you wouldn't be you. And knowing who you are, it kind of helps you, you know? It's what keeps you going.

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

48. Olivetti

Olivetti. Allie Millington. 2024. 253 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: It's quite possible you've never spoken to a typewriter before. This is not your fault. Humans tend to think we can't understand them. But when you sit still for long enough, there is much you can learn. 

Premise/plot: Can a typewriter save a dysfunctional family? 

My thoughts: I am SO tempted to leave that description so sweet and short. Olivetti is a typewriter who sees all, hears all, and knows MUCH. The typewriter can type on its own to communicate with humans. Olivetti has lived with the Brindles [his human family] for many, many, many years. But when his owner suddenly takes him to the pawn shop and sells him...and then 'runs away' from her family....life gets messy. 

The premise isn't really one that grabbed me. It is strange, strange, super strange. However the writing/narration is great. I would say the writing was incredible. It is dual narration. Ernest Brindle (a young boy) is the other narrator.

The premise will either grab your attention or perhaps do the opposite. It really is STRANGE, but I would say the writing more than makes up for it. I wouldn't be surprised if this one got some award attention.

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

45. South of Somewhere

South of Somewhere. Kalena Miller. 2024. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Realistic fiction] 

First sentence: "I have sand between my toes." I announce this to the entire car. Nobody replies.

Premise/plot: Mavis Callahan's vacation with her family ends memorably--and not in a good way. Was it a little odd that her mom got a separate ride home from the airport? Maybe. But that is just the teeniest top of the iceberg. Turns out the FBI is investigating her mom for embezzlement. Her mom has evaded arrest so far, but EVERYTHING has changed for the whole family. The family leaves the big city (Chicago, I believe) and seeks refuge in a small town (Somewhere, Illinois). They'll be staying with her aunt--her father's sister. Everyone is making huge adjustments--finding new jobs, making new friends, getting to know their extended family. Mavis doesn't know what to think. Is her mom guilty? innocent? Does she want to hear from her mom? Is she angry? sad? hurt? disappointed? confused? A bit of everything all at once. In this coming of age novel, two preteens start a babysitting business....but there is little cutesy about it. 

My thoughts: This isn't the first book I've read--I want to say this year, though perhaps the other was last fall???--that deals with parents committing white collar crimes. There may be a sub-sub-sub-sub-genre trend in the works. This coming of age novel was well written. The characterization was substantive, you really get to know the whole family.

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

179. The House Without a Christmas Tree

The House Without a Christmas Tree. Gail Rock. 1974. 84 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: Carla Mae and I were sitting in our little kitchen at the old wooden table, with our spoons poised in mid-air. In front of each of us was a hard-boiled egg perched in an egg cup. We both stared intently at the faces we had drawn on our eggs. The longer the stare, the better the hex. "Who's yours today?" she asked. "Billy Wild," I said, making a face. 

The House Without a Christmas Tree is a nice holiday read. Addie Mills is the ten-year-old heroine in the novel. As Christmas approaches, she has one thing on her mind. Will this be the year that her Father gives in her begging--her pleading, her imploring--and buys a Christmas tree? Or will this be another disappointing Christmas season? She can't ever recall having a tree of her very own. She's not sure she completely believes her father's excuse that since they'll be spending Christmas day at her uncle's house--and he has a tree--that there is no need for a tree of their own. Her grandmother is on her side. But both seem a bit timid, and hesitant, to speak their full minds in front of Father.

Here are some other things it's nice to know about Addie:

• She is best, best friends with Carla Mae.
• She is worst friends with Tanya Smithers.
• She definitely does not like-like Billy Wild. (Or does she?)
• She loves her Grandma, and feels fiercely protective of her.
• She loves but does not understand her Father at all.
• She feels very misunderstood by her Father.
• She's curious about the mother she never knew.

The book is set in a small town in 1946.

 I have read this one a handful of times through the years. I do like revisiting the characters and their complex relationships. There are three more books, I believe, in the series. I have not read them all. But I'd be interested in reading them if I can find them.

 

 

© 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

153. Tiger Daughter

Tiger Daughter. Rebecca Lim. 2021/2023. 192 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Fiction; MG Realistic Fiction; "Problem Novel" "Important" Book]

First sentence: As we take our places in the classroom, Mr Cornish writes with a flourish on the whiteboard, What is the essence of being 'Australian'?

Brief Note: Tiger Daughter, I'm assuming, was originally published in Australia in 2021. It was first published in the United States in 2023. What this says about Cybils eligibility I'm not quite sure... 

Premise/plot: Tiger Daughter is a heavy/weighty "problem novel." Not all problem novels are equally heavy/weighty. It was almost as if the author wanted to pack in as many problems as humanly possible to make the reader bear them one and all. (Perhaps as an endurance or strength exercise in empathy?) If one was to list all the possible trigger warnings--as is so often done these days--the list would go on for pages. Expect the worst on every page and you've got an idea of what this one is like.

Wen Zhou, our heroine, is the daughter of Chinese immigrants. Her father is a piece of work. Controlling, demanding, cruel, bitter, etc. (Tip of the iceberg). Her mother takes it all--not with a smile, but because she has to it seems. Wen is also supposed to just take life as it is--on her father's terms. No hopes. No dreams. Just be a mindless yet always respectful servant to her father. 

Henry Xiao, our heroine's closest friend, is the son of Chinese immigrants. His home life is DIFFERENT than Wen's homelife but equally problematic and woeful. Henry has a wee bit more hope than Wen--which inspires Wen. But things seem BLEAK and bleaker still. 

Is this friendship approved by Wen's father? by Wen's mother? Not really. Wen isn't encouraged to be friends with anyone. It seems the father's mission to make sure that NO ONE wants to be friends with Wen. 

Both families face a million problems--each heavier than the last. Things continue bleakly on until the ending when things go from oppressingly bleak to mostly bleak.

 My thoughts: No doubt there will be readers who enjoy carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders as they read this one. The bleakness is immersive. And some adult readers--especially the ones that hand out stars--seem to LOVE wading through bleak novels with IMPORTANT topics and themes. Teachers, librarians, other adults that read children's novels--they may love this one exceedingly for being so obviously IMPORTANT and WEIGHTY and authentically bleak. 

Did I enjoy this one? No. Is there beauty that could have been found in this one--perhaps through the characterization or narration? Perhaps. I didn't find it personally. But reading is so subjective. And IMPORTANT "problem novels" aren't usually my thing.

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

136. The McNifficents

The McNifficents. Amy Makechnie. 2023. 320 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Fiction; Animal Fantasy]

First sentence: IN A LARGE PINK FARMHOUSE at 238 Marigold Lane lives a most unusual nanny: Lord Tennyson, a short, middle-aged gentleman with white whiskers and a royal pedigree. If he could speak, it would be with dignity and a touch of an English accent. If he wore clothing, he imagines he’d wear a suit of gray silk and a striped bow tie. But he does neither because Lord Tennyson is a dog, a miniature schnauzer to be exact, who wears only a blue-and-green collar that has teeth marks in it from when Sweetums was going through a particularly bad biting phase.
Despite his distinguished appearance and pedigree, he was not spending his morning caring for a dignitary’s son or the daughter of the president. Rather, his duty was herding the unruly McNiff children from the old pink farmhouse into the old red farm truck for the first swim of summer vacation. There were six of them: two boys and four girls. As you can imagine, getting all of them to and from the lake was not an easy task.

My thoughts (preview): I fell in love with the book cover. I did. It looked like it would be an awesome book that I would just click with from the start. The premise also sounds awesome: a DOG as a nanny; six naughty children having adventures/misadventures for hundreds of pages. I was disappointed. There is a good possibility it is all on me. I think the timing was off. I tried so many times to read this one and get hooked, get invested. I kept waiting for it to come naturally. For me to be able to read smoothly, naturally, to fall in love with the characters and story. Never happened....for me.

Premise/plot: A SENIOR miniature Schnauzer is a "nanny" for six horribly, naughty children. The McNiffs need Lord Tennyson (the dog) to help teach them how to be loving, caring, decent human beings. They need a lot of help because they are so not there yet. The children couldn't get along if their lives depended on it. There is fussing, fighting, arguing, grudges, revenge, sneakiness. The parents are mostly absent. The dog is the narrator.

My thoughts (conclusion): I really HATED the melodrama of the next-to-last chapter. I realize that he is a senior dog. I realize that dogs die. But to have this melodramatic death scene (turns out to be near-death not actual death), was just CRUEL. I think this nearly losing Lord Tennyson is the climax of their behavior. This is the first glimpse of hope that the kids can unite for something--or someone. But still. 

I *wanted* more than just naughty children. Personally. I do think it was just bad timing on my part. Maybe if I'd read it a few months from now or a year or two from now, it would be the right time and place for me to love this one.

 

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

99. Menacing Manor

Menacing Manor. (Sinister Summer #4) Kiersten White. 2023. 272 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The Sinister-Winterbottom children had no problems. Their summer was rolling along as merrily as a summer could, endless days and warm nights perfumed with sunscreen and bug spray, drenched in fun and relaxation.

Premise/plot: The worst summer ever continues in the fourth book of the Sinister Summer series. Each book does build on the others--so don't read out of order. Mainly, characters from other books get picked up and carried along--I'm picturing a tumbling tumble weed. So the first book introduces us to three siblings--Sinister-Winterbottoms. Their parents have vanished completely. They are visiting their aunt (who turns out to be a ghost). They visit different 'sinister' locations for summer vacation. They're solving puzzles, piecing together clues, trying to make everything that is wrong in their lives, right again. So far, four books in and the kids (siblings + all other side characters caught up in this mess) are no closer--at all, not even a little bit--to solving anything. No answers, no not one. 

My thoughts: I enjoyed the first book. I didn't really enjoy books two and three. I almost enjoyed book four. I have very mixed feelings on the series. I thought the writing of the book one was fun and delightful. Silly melodrama with some cleverness. I don't know that books two through four continue that vibe. Perhaps if you were to read ALL of the books back to back to back to back, then the books would be more enjoyable. One plus, however, is at least the books aren't horribly long. Especially this one. It didn't drag, which was nice.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

95. Honest June

Honest June. Tina Wells. 2021. 272 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: I don't know everything about life yet, but I know at least one thing is true--life's easier when you make people happy.

Premise/plot: June may be starting sixth grade, but, her mother treats her like a toddler and her father treats her like an extension of himself. Since June is 100% a people pleaser, she only lives to make her parents happy--at some cost to her own happiness. Her father dictates her hobbies, her after school activities, her future career, etc. Her mother doesn't dictate the future so much as live in the past. (Like what kind of mom would pick out teddy bears eating pasta in a matching shirt/skirt combo for their kid to wear? Like I can't imagine it. As if that wasn't enough, we're supposed to believe the ensemble continues with ruffled socks. I just can't see this exaggeration helicopter mom existing.) June has her own friends....or does she? 

June is "blessed" with a fairy godmother (of sorts) who uses her magical powers to make it so that June cannot lie. She has to tell the truth. (But does she really?) June's get-around in parts is to become evasive, disappear in tough situations, avoid and sidestep, and keep a BLOG (a blog seriously????) of her private confessions. 

Her friendships may not survive the honesty treatment. And her relationship with her clueless parents may not either. Especially her father who has a rigid, my way or no way, zero tolerance level. Like speaking up and saying you don't want to play field hockey results in him throwing a temper tantrum for days, weeks, where he's too mad to talk to her and he reluctantly says I love you but I'm still mad at you. Like REALLY? SERIOUSLY???  

My thoughts: There is very little emotional maturity in this middle grade fantasy. I don't expect the protagonist, the actual middle grader, to be emotionally mature and super-stable or extremely wise. But the parents in this one--especially the Dad--is RIDICULOUS. 

I liked this one enough to keep reading. But I wasn't really sure if I was liking or loving what I was reading.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

73. While You Were Dreaming

While You Were Dreaming. Alisha Rai. 2023. 432 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The main character? Not me, not in real life. That's what my daydreams were for. At some point, the disappointment of crashing back to earth might teach me to stop engaging in said daydreams.

Premise/plot: Long story short...While You Were Dreaming is a YA spin on the classic film While You Were Sleeping. Sonia Patil, our protagonist, is seriously crushing on James, a classmate, and when she witnesses him falling into the canal, she jumps in to save him. (She just happens to be cosplaying at the time.) She doesn't stay on the scene--reasons, reasons, more reasons--but she does care what happens to him. She's mistaken as James' girlfriend when she drops by his house--she's there to deliver notes/homework as they share class(es). His family loves her because she is not James' normal 'type' (mean, and, well, b*tch*y). Liam, James' brother, finds himself drawn to her...and it's mutual. The misunderstanding is cleared up much, much, much earlier in this one. But essentially, it's a spin on that story. Sonia's reasons for not wanting to be KNOWN or seen is that her mom was recently deported and her sister who is undocumented risks deportation as well. 

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. While You Were Sleeping is a favorite of mine. I'm not sure if it's equally beloved by the book's target audience. But regardless of how much you love/like the movie...this one offers a twist on the traditional love triangle. I like how Sonia realizes the dangers of insta-love, or, putting too much faith in insta-lust or insta-attraction. Just because she daydreams about James non-stop doesn't mean that she knows him at all--like at all at all. I also like that this one doesn't stay strictly focused on romance. Other relationships matter too.

I LOVED James and Liam's family.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

67. Find the Moon

Find the Moon. Beth Fehlbaum. 2023. 282 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: This year will monumentally suck. What kind of lunatic English teacher gives homework on the first day of school? Seriously? 

Premise/plot: Find the Moon is a coming of age, 'problem' novel for young adults. Kylie and Aliza are 'rescued' from their neglectful, abusive mother. But being rescued comes with a cost--separation of the sisters. Aliza goes to live with her father and Kylie goes to live with her maternal grandparents. It's a BIG adjustment. She has no memories of her grandparents--whom she used to live with as a toddler. She's in a new state, new town, new school. Quite reasonably [logically] she has trust issues and anger issues as well. Her life has not been happy; she's had to adult as a young teen and 'raise' her sister to the best of her ability. She's had to mask all the chaos at home. Now she's got time to heal...but the process of learning to trust, to love, to live isn't smooth and easy.

My thoughts: I liked this one. It had its intense moments. I liked the characters and the depth of the characterization. I liked the development of relationships. I personally would have preferred shorter chapters. The length of the chapters dragged the pacing here and there--particularly in the middle. The beginning and end were definitely engaging.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

66. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. Jesse Q. Sutanto. 2023. 352 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Vera Wong Zhuzhu, age sixty, is a pig, but she really should have been born a rooster. We are, of course, referring to Chinese horoscopes. Vera Wong is a human woman, thank you very much, but roosters have nothing on her. Every morning, at exactly four thirty, Vera's eyelids snap open like roller shades shooting up. 

Premise/plot: Vera Wong is the owner of VERA WANG'S WORLD-FAMOUS TEAHOUSE. World-famous it is not. She can count on only one consistent customer per day. But she keeps on keeping on. You never know--something might happen that boosts her business. It is quite a shock when she discovers one morning a DEAD BODY in her shop--someone having broken into her shop just to die?!?!?! How peculiar. The police don't appreciate Vera taking the time to make them tea--in fact, they find her overly pushy. It is a mutual UNappreciation society. Vera just KNOWS that the police are not handling this murder the right way. Left to their own devices, they are sure to bumble it. Vera may just have to solve this murder herself...

She has a strong feeling that the murderer will return to the scene of the crime....and when business indeed picks up quite a bit in the next week...she begins making  a list of all the suspects in the case. She has her own unique way of getting to know [aka interrogating] these suspects....

My thoughts: I really LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one so much. It was a delight to read cover to cover. The characters were great. The mystery was interesting. The alternating narrators surprisingly worked well. I wasn't even annoyed by all the transitions. It was just a great mystery. It felt, at times, more like a comedy. It worked for me. 

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

38. The Swifts

The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels. Beth Lincoln. 2023. 352 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: It was a bright, well-dressed morning in early May and the Swifts were in the middle of a funeral. The House looked very fine. The lawns had been swept clean of leaves, the hedge maze had been trimmed, and the statues had been scrubbed behind the ears. The Family had spent the morning practicing their eulogies in front of a mirror, and now they walked in slow procession through the cemetery, faces professionally grim.

Premise/plot: The Swifts are something else. Shenanigan Swift, our narrator, has a LARGE, bizarre, odd, quirky, whimsical, one-of-a-kind family. And they're all coming--well the living ones--to a Reunion. Some may choose to partake in an actual treasure hunt--a Vile relation, literally named Vile Swift--hid treasure on the property way back when that has yet to be discovered. He lived up to his name. Supposedly, all Swifts lift up their names. But do they? Maybe. Maybe not. Shenanigan has spent much of her time mapping out the LARGE equally bizarre, quirky, one-of-a-kind house and looking for secret tunnels, secret rooms, secret hiding places, etc. She may not be the matriarch or the archivist, but, she's accumulating knowledge in her spare time--knowledge that may just prove useful once this family reunion turns deadly.

This whimsical mystery packed with dark humor is unique. There are dozens of characters--or suspects, or victims--and dozens of clues. There's plenty of twists and turns. 

My thoughts: I liked many things about this one. It was a little crazy--for better or worse. And by crazy I don't make an allusion to anything regarding mental health or well-being. I mean zany, topsy-turvy, out-there, bizarre, whimsical, quirky. It was a little OVER the top. So over the top that it goes right past "realistic fiction." Imagine if Roald Dahl ever wrote a family reunion with a treasure hunt. It isn't so much about in-depth characterization and believable story as it is just a roller coaster ride of whimsy. 

Erf. I personally am not a fan. I think giving them an actual name beyond "Erf" would go a long way. I can get--or try to get--why they would want to choose a new name for themself that wouldn't be the one on their birth certificate. But why Erf? And is Erf a new name? a nickname? an-in-between name? Is a better sounding name coming? I'm glad that Shenanigan makes a friend. But still...

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

30. Iveliz Explains It All

Iveliz Explains It All. Andrea Beatriz Arango. 2022 [September] 272 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Why is it that principals
love giving second chances?
Love reminding me they were kids too?
Love acting like they're doing me a favor,
doing my mom a favor,
by sitting me down all serious
and asking what they can do?
Well, guess what.
This is seventh grade now,
And I don't need anyone's help but my own.
I've moved on from everything
that happened,
I've made lists and I've made goals,
and if I"m in the principal's office,
you can 100% bet
that it wasn't my fault.

Premise/plot: Iveliz Explains It All is a verse novel that is a Newbery Honor book. Iveliz is writing poems in her diary/journal. (As well as writing lists of goals in her diary). This coming of age novel unfolds a bit like a mystery. Readers aren't quite sure why Iveliz is always [or nearly always] getting in trouble at school, why she always has in-school suspension or actual suspension, why she struggles to keep friends or to make friends in the first place. Readers may not have the answers to these questions by the end of the novel, but, perhaps they will have walked in her shoes and gotten the chance to understand/empathize. 

This verse novel is a "problem" novel. Iveliz, our heroine, is struggling with life in many ways. At home, she struggles to get along with her mother and her grandmother. Her issues with her mother are complex, for sure. Her issues with her grandmother are simpler. She has dementia and stays a bit out of touch with reality. But when she is "with it" if you will, she strongly disagrees with the decision that Iveliz is taking medication for her mental health. At school, she struggles with getting along with anyone/everyone. Even her friend(s) have a hard time dealing with her impulsive [sometimes violent] reactions. 

My thoughts: I'm debating my thoughts and reactions. On the one hand, part of me is curious. What is her diagnosis? What exactly is going on with Iveliz? How strongly is it connected with the trauma that is revealed so incredibly slowly? On the other hand, is it really any of our business? Do we really have to know the specifics in order to be kind and compassionate and empathetic? We are not "owed" an explanation. 

Is this one that will appeal to children? actual children? I'm curious--super curious. So often the books that do win Newbery awards or recognized as honor books don't necessarily appeal to actual children. [They appeal to adults--to teachers, to librarians, to parents.] They often feel "Significant" or "Important." I do think that at the very, very least this one would be a good fit for adults who work with children--teachers, librarians, principals, etc. I think it is a thought-provoking read in that regard. No person can know everything going on in the private, personal lives of their students. This gives a good, long pause. A reminder that so much can be going on underneath the surface. 

Just because I feel adults might be a better fit doesn't mean that I think this one is inappropriate or out of place for younger readers. It's just a slightly heavy novel.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

26. Falling Out of Time

Falling Out of Time. Margaret Peterson Haddix. 2023. [May] 352 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Zola's entire room began to glow--the sign that it was ready.

Premise/plot: Zola Keyser lives a picture-perfect life, albeit a lonely life. True almost ALL of the problems facing the world have been solved, which is fantastic, but her mom [Hannah Keyser] is the only human she has any actual contact with. But can she miss what she's never known? Maybe. Maybe not. This is just how the world works--all connections are made through VR goggles. But when Zola discovers a note written on paper [tattered old paper] in her Insta-Closet with a cryptic (or cryptic-ish) message*, her world begins to unravel. Soon one question becomes a dozen becomes a hundred becomes a thousand. Is anything in her wonderful life actually true? 

Puck does NOT live a picture-perfect life. In fact, his life is as un-perfect as it can get. It almost feels scripted to depict the absolute worst case scenario. If it wasn't for the kindness of strangers--acting in complete secrecy--he may not even be alive. But Puck can't help yearning for a better life. If only he could get more help, better help....

Falling Out of Time is a companion book [or sequel] to Running Out of Time. Jessie Keyser's story does enter into this one. Zola reads Jessie's story in an actual physical book-book. [This is her first time to read an actual paper book.] The two books connect in a believable way, in my opinion. While Running Out of Time has people [a community] idealizing the past and the past's ideals, this one features a community idealizing or romanticizing the future.

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved the first book. Until reading this one, however, I really never connected the dots that it could parallel an escaping a cult story. In retrospect, it makes sense. Especially in terms of WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, what happens once you've "seen the light" and "made your escape." How do your rebuild your life? restructure your worldview? How do you make peace with the past and move forward? 

This book asks some good questions. What would it have been like for Jessie's family in the following years [decades]? Would they miss the old life? Would they fit in with the modern world? Would they always feel out of place?

But Zola's story is HER own story. It isn't just a re-do. I enjoyed meeting Puck, her first, non-related human contact. I loved how this story unfolded.

 *If you want to see things as they really are, come find me. And HELP us!

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

14. The Worlds We Leave Behind

The Worlds We Leave Behind. A.F. Harrold. Illustrated by Levi Pinfold. 2023. [February] 256 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Hex wasn't entirely sure how the girl had come to be hurt. That morning he and Tommo had got on their bikes and they'd headed over the train tracks and down the hill, down to the woods. On a map, the woods were a fat finger pointing away from town.

Premise/plot: Twilight Zone times ten--that's how I'd describe A.F. Harrold's The Worlds We Leave Behind. It begins with two friends--Hex (short for Hector) and Tommo (short for Thomas) hanging out together. They had absolutely NO plans at all of hanging out with a "baby" (Sascha). But this neighbor-kid, Sascha, tags along despite the two trying their hardest to get rid of her. (Who wants to be responsible for a strange neighbor kid in the woods??? Certainly not these two.) Playing on a rope swing turns tragic--in more ways than one. She falls off the swing and breaks her arm--it is way more complicated than that...and the world (yes, the world) will never be the same.

Be careful who you meet in the woods. That's all I have to say about that. I know the jacket flap goes into much more detail....but why purposefully spill twists and turns????? 

My thoughts: The Worlds We Leave Behind is certainly atmospheric and creepy. It isn't just horror lite. I think it could qualify as horror-horror. The pace was quick and intense. The premise and plot--stranger danger times a thousand--is uniquely odd and strangely familiar. It does feel like a blend of horror and fairy tale. 

Sensitive readers might want to stay away. But for upper elementary grades and middle school who are looking for something spooky/scary/suspenseful/mysterious packed with twists and turns...this one might be a good fit. I do recommend it for adults who are nostalgic for the Twilight Zone.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews