Shelf Awareness--Call Down the Hawk

YA Review: Call Down the Hawk

Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic Press, 480p., ages 12-up, 9781338188325)

Call Down the Hawk occupies the same fantasy-infused world as Maggie Stiefvater's stellar the Raven Cycle quartet. Fans of the previous series will enjoy delving deeper into the magical heritage of the Lynch brothers; new readers should enjoy this riveting follow-up trilogy opener.

Of his three brothers, Ronan Lynch has "the most dangerous of the secrets." He's a dreamer who can "fall asleep, dream of feathers, and wake with a raven in [his] hands." His father dreamt his mother into being, and Ronan, in turn, dreamt into being his "cherubic" younger brother, Matthew. Now that their parents are dead, Ronan's older brother, Declan, holds what's left of the family together.

Hennessy, too, is a dreamer. Each time she sleeps for more than 20 minutes, she brings back "a copy of herself." Hennessy and her art-forging clones sneak into the Fairy Market--a place to buy illicit magical items--desperate to find a painting that may allow Hennessy to change her dream before she is literally killed by her own nightmares. Carmen Farooq-Lane goes to the Fairy Market after it's described in a premonition. She is part of a group dedicated to killing all dreamers in order to stave off an apocalypse that one of them will cause "with starving, unquenchable fire. Dreamed fire." Ronan, too, attends the Fairy Market--a stranger is whispering to him in dreams, and he thinks the Market may offer answers.

Stiefvater's (All the Crooked Saints) melodious prose is as gorgeous as ever, but here the tone is grittier, as players both new and familiar operate in a dangerous, surreal underbelly in and around the nation's capital. Alliances form, victories are hard to gauge and reality seems less and less certain. --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Discover: In this first book in a YA companion trilogy to Stiefvater's the Raven Cycle, dreamers are pitted against a group of hunters determined to prevent a fiery apocalypse.

December Recommendations

Novels:

THE QUEEN OF NOTHING is the conclusion to the intensely satisfying Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black. Jude Duarte has been exiled from Faery to the mortal world, but she sneaks back in to impersonate her twin sister, Taryn—and, while she’s at it, reclaim her own rightful place as High Queen. She gets kidnapped by her stepfather who mistakes her for Taryn, as he plots to dethrone Cardan—and therefore Jude herself! Beginning with THE CRUEL PRINCE, followed by THE WICKED KING, finishing with THE QUEEN OF NOTHING, these novels masterfully combine court intrigue, romantic drama, and the magic of a most dangerous Faerieland. (YA)

THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST, also by Holly Black, and also set in the same Faerieland as the Folk of the Air series, is a standalone story about Hazel Evans and her brother Ben, and the Faerie prince who is encased in a glass coffin in the forest near their home. And it’s about how Hazel becomes a warrior, and how Ben tries to fight the magic of his music, and how they both try to save their hometown from an invasion of the Folk. And it’s about the monster that lives in the heart of the forest. It’s contemporary dark fantasy with plenty of traditional fairy tale elements and romance. Most excellent! (YA)

LOOK BOTH WAYS: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, by Jason Reynolds, is a collection of ten stories, woven together to make up a larger story of community. Once the dismissal bell rings at Latimer Middle School, students burst forth into the rest of their lives, filled with boogers and divorce, stolen change and cancer and candy, skateboarding and bullies and plenty more that’s packed into these pages. The always-creative Reynolds has given us another winner. (MG)

Picture Books:

THE SHORTEST DAY, by Susan Cooper, began as a work for the theater--"a joyful celebration of the winter solstice, in music, dance, and words”—and now Carson Ellis’s gouache illustrations bring the poem new life as a book. When the old year dies, people gather "singing, dancing,/ to drive the dark away.” Heavily influenced by northern European beliefs, it’s a mythic, uplifting piece that shows how ancient winter solstice rituals are still alive in many modern holiday traditions.

JUST IN CASE YOU WANT TO FLY, by Julie Fogliano and Christian Robinson, is a delightfully imaginative collaboration. “…here’s some wind/and here’s the sky/here’s a feather/here’s up high…” It begs to be read aloud and savored. The book is well made, too—take the dust cover off for a complementary cover, and savor the whole of it as a piece of picture book art at its best.

POKKO AND THE DRUM, by Matthew Forsythe, is also beautifully made, with thick, creamy pages and gorgeously colored illustrations. The story, too, is a winner—when Poko’s parents give her a drum, they declare it was "a big mistake.” But Poko takes her drum into the forest, where she assembles a diverse crowd of animals who also play instruments. (She only has to threaten the wolf once not to eat the other band members.) It’s droll and fun and truly noteworthy.

--Lynn

Shelf Awareness--Not a Bean

PB Review: Not a Bean

Not a Bean by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez, illus. by Laura González (Charlesbridge, 32p., ages 3-7, 9781580898157)

On "the yerba de la flecha," a shrub found near the arroyos of northern Mexico, grows a seedpod. Within this seedpod are smaller pods, and each one of these smaller pods is "Not a Bean." In this playful-yet-informative bilingual counting book, Claudia Guadalupe Martínez and Laura González set the record straight about a perennial favorite, the Mexican jumping bean.

Early one morning, "una oruga" bores its way into one of the small pods. Inside, the caterpillar finds food and water. When the seedpod dries and hardens, it breaks open and falls to the desert sand. "Dos saguaros" decorate the warming landscape as the caterpillar maneuvers the Not a Bean into a shady spot among the rocks. Nearby, "tres cascabeles" rattle their tails; the Not a Bean jumps into a crevice, where it stays safe from "cuatro coyotes" and "cinco cuervos." Rain from "seis nubes" takes the Not a Bean downriver, where "siete amigos explore." The friends draw "ocho óvalos" in the dirt and play a game with the Not a Bean plus eight other jumpers, making "nueve saltarines” in all. That night, under "diez estrellas" that twinkle in the sky, the Not a Bean grows quiet. The caterpillar inside spins a cocoon and, many days later, "a majestic polilla" emerges, then "soars into the sky."

Martínez's fascinating story presents the life cycle of the jumping bean moth, while González's digital illustrations support and illuminate the text. Back matter describes the science in greater detail, and includes both environmental context and an explanation of the jumping bean's appeal to children. Additionally, Not a Bean's well-placed Spanish words and phrases serve as an introduction to readers who do not speak Spanish and a welcome invitation to those who do. --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Discover: The life cycle of the jumping bean moth is detailed in this picture book that also includes an introduction to Spanish numbers and vocabulary.

December's Book of the Month--The Hate U Give

THE HATE U GIVE, by Angie Thomas, is December's Book of the Month, and one that I’ve wanted to spotlight for a while. I talked about it in Recommendations shortly after it came out, but didn't get around to picking it for a Book of the Month. But, with the movie being released this year, and because Angie Thomas now has a follow-up book set in the same town of Garden Heights, it seems like a good time to revisit this terrific story.

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter is torn between two worlds. She attends high school at the fancy, suburban, almost-all-white Williamson Prep, and, when school is over, she drives forty-five minutes home to the much rougher black neighborhood of Garden Heights, where “you rarely see white people.” Starr has learned that “Williamson is one world and Garden Heights is another and [she has] to keep them separate.” When Starr sneaks out with her brother’s sister Kenya to a party, there’s a shooting and the guests all flee. Starr, drives away with her longtime friend Khalil. But a police officer pulls them over, and “Khalil breaks a rule—he doesn’t do what the cop wants.” Choosing to question why they were pulled over at all, Khalil, unarmed, is shot and killed. Starr goes to the police station and speaks to the detectives, but it soon becomes clear that the authorities “see no reason to arrest the officer." Starr needs to decide if she’ll go public with her story, thereby giving her Williamson world a clear view of her Garden Heights roots. Will she face the media circus and make sure the world knows “what went down,” or is she “too afraid to speak?"

I think what sets this book above and beyond is the undeniably superior writing. Starr is a complete, complex character that drew me in from the very first page. Her struggles feel authentic and compelling. The narrative also has a superb supporting cast, and the plot is rich and satisfying. Far more rich and satisfying than the short blurb above makes it sound. It should become an enduring classic, and a chronicle of the highest order in regards to the serious issues it takes on.

I’m going to buy a copy of Thomas’s second book, ON THE COME UP, next chance I get.

--Lynn

Shelf Awareness--The Shortest Day

PB Review: The Shortest Day

The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper, illus. by Carson Ellis (Candlewick, 32p., ages 5-up, 9780763686987)

In The Shortest Day, Newbery Medal winner Susan Cooper honors the history of midwinter "traditions that we still celebrate, whether or not we remember where they came from."

On the winter solstice, "everywhere down the centuries," a stooping sun makes its tired way across the bleak winter sky. People accomplish what they can during this shortest day of the year but, when night falls and the old year dies, these same people gather, "singing, dancing,/ to drive the dark away." Lit candles placed in trees and homes are adorned with bright green and red holly. "Beseeching fires" are tended "all night long" in rituals to try "to keep the year alive." And finally, when "the new year's sunshine blaze[s] awake," the revelers "carol, feast, give thanks,/ And dearly love their friends, and hope for peace."

In an author's note, Susan Cooper discusses how existence on planet Earth is cyclical, with lives being "governed by the patterns of light and darkness." Early peoples, she explains, developed "rebirth rituals" to feel that they had some measure of control in bringing back the sun. The Shortest Day began as a work for the theater--"a joyful celebration of the winter solstice, in music, dance, and words"--and is strongly influenced by northern European beliefs, though many faiths incorporate similar traditions. Here, Cooper's words are perfectly paired with Caldecott Honor artist Carson Ellis's ethereal gouache illustrations. Ellis's paintings masterfully juxtapose the physical world of Cooper's revelers with the spirits and beliefs they are celebrating. This gorgeous volume will remind readers they are a part of the vast history of the world. "Welcome Yule!" --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Discover: This uplifting, illustrated poem for young children shows how ancient winter solstice rituals are still alive in modern holiday traditions.

Shelf Awareness--No Place Like Home

PB Review: No Place Like Home

No Place Like Home by Ronojoy Ghosh (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 32p., ages 4-7, 9780802855220)

George isn't happy. He never smiles or speaks to anyone. He's a "grump" who doesn't "even like ice cream." What the polar bear really needs is "to go back home," though he can't remember where that should be. George leaves the city and tries the jungle, only to discover he's not a fan of "sleeping in trees." He tries a mountaintop, but isn't happy about heights; tries the hot desert, but gets thirsty. When George reaches the sea, he rows "sadly for days and days."

Eventually, he finds a place where he's not "grumpy anymore"--a place so "cold and covered with ice" that it feels perfect for a polar bear. Ronojoy Ghosh's winsome illustrations depict a sweet-looking George (despite being a grump), who is accompanied on his quest by some equally appealing tiny birds. George and bird-friends can be "sure of one thing. There is no place like home." --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Discover: The city doesn't feel like the right place for a polar bear, so George sets off to find where his home should be.

Shelf Awareness--Reverie

YA Review: Reverie

Reverie by Ryan La Sala (Sourcebooks Fire, 416p., ages 14-up, 9781492682660, December 3, 2019)

Ryan La Sala's debut is a darkly imagined, riveting fantasy that delves into the unlimited potential of getting lost in one's dreams. When Kane wakes in the hospital, he can't remember the accident. Apparently, he rammed his dad's car into an old mill and needed to be pulled from the Housatonic River. The car had "exploded on impact... the mill, and everything within fifty feet of it, was scorched." The police think "the whole thing" was "deliberate and thought out," suicidal even, and they want answers. So Kane, accompanied by sister Sophia, trespasses at the historical site in an effort to clear his name. As Kane wanders, struggling to remember, something "huge and spider-like" emerges and chases them from the mill.

Kane undergoes a psych evaluation, where the dazzling Dr. Poesy warns Kane that his "story takes place within a much larger story”--a story that is bigger than the East Amity Police investigation and potentially dangerous. In fact, a local painter has disappeared and Dr. Poesy strongly hints Kane may be a suspect. Dr. Poesy says they will help Kane as long as Kane keeps a journal in which he must write anything he remembers about his "incendiary" incident.

Back at school, Kane learns that he has a small, close-knit group of friends who call themselves "The Others"; they, like the experience of the accident, have "been cut from his memory entirely." Kane, seeking information, eavesdrops on them debating how to handle him and his missing "powers." Another "reverie" will be happening soon, they say, and it's Kane who has always unraveled them. This time, however, the group agrees they must keep him away. Furious with all the secrets and needing to learn more, Kane seeks out the reverie, finding himself in a "crazy fantasy" involving "a subterranean civilization that worships a god called the Cymo." Kane has to somehow survive until the reverie becomes "unstable" and starts to "collapse," at which point he is supposed to unravel it--if he can remember how.

In East Amity, where dreams actually do become real, readers feel the tangible danger as the "fantastic realities people lovingly [create] for themselves" spin out of control. Like so many others in Reverie, Kane wants to believe he can escape into the "intoxicating potential" of dreams. But, before the end of this thrilling narrative, Kane must either come to terms with fighting "for a reality that fails so many, so often" or, instead, fight to change it. --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Shelf Talker: After surviving an accident of which he has no memory, Kane discovers it's up to him to save his town from dreams that magically become real.

November Recommendations

Novels:

In CALL DOWN THE HAWK, by Maggie Stiefvater, Ronan Lynch has “the most dangerous of secrets.” He’s a dreamer, who can “fall asleep, dream of feathers, and wake with a raven in [his] hands.” But Ronan is not the only dreamer. Each time Hennessy sleeps for more than twenty minutes, she brings back “a copy of herself.” Hennessy and her art-forging clones sneak into the Fairy Market, desperate to find a magical painting before she's literally killed by her own nightmare. Carmen Farooq-Lane goes to the Fairy Market because she's part of a group dedicated to killing all dreamers in order to stave off an apocalypse that one of them will bring about “with starving, unquenchable fire.” This is the same fantasy-infused world as Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle quartet, with her gorgeous, melodious prose, but this new stand-alone trilogy takes place in a dangerous, surreal underbelly in and around the nation’s capitol. It’s Raven Boys meets Six of Crows. (YA)

THE DOWNSTAIRS GIRL, by Stacey Lee, features Jo Kuan, a young Chinese woman living in Atlanta, GA, in 1890. After she’s fired from her job as a milliner’s assistant, the 17-year-old takes a job as lady’s maid to the supremely disagreeable daughter of a wealthy high society couple. Unbeknownst to all, Jo moonlights as the increasingly popular Miss Sweetie, the new advice columnist for one of Atlanta’s newspapers. Jo struggles to hide her identity-- a Chinese girl giving advice to white women would be scandalous!—even as she lives in secret below the print shop, But when a mysterious letter surfaces that gets her thinking about her unknown parentage, Jo’s troubles are only beginning. This charming novel, with its strong, resourceful heroine, takes on issues of race and gender by being thoroughly entertaining and hard-hitting all at once.(YA)

THE YEAR WE FELL FROM SPACE, by A. S. King, tells the story of sixth-grader Liberty Johansen, whose parents are divorcing. Liberty has always used her handmade star maps to make sense of the world, but when her dad moves out and then refuses to see Liberty and her younger sister, Jilly, Liberty finds herself unable to read the constellations anymore. Life spins out of control, but a meteor falling into the woods near her house seems to help. Liberty is a complex kid, with troubles that seem real and relatable, and her solutions are, too. (MG)

DIG, also by A. S. King, is a surrealist novel about five teenagers who live on the fringes. The Shoveler, The Freak, Malcom, Loretta, and Can I Help You? are beautifully defined, compelling characters who all come from troubled families. There’s also Marla and her Easter dinners, and Marla's husband Gottfried, who made millions once he ditched the family potato farm. The whole lot of them are caught up in dysfunctions of all kinds, including "a toxic culture of polite, affluent white supremacy.” A. S. King books are always fascinating. (YA)

Picture Books:

In JUST BECAUSE, by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, a child tucking into bed asks her father a barrage of fairly typical kid questions, such as “Why is the ocean blue?” and “What is the rain?” This child, however, receives some unexpectedly creative answers, which are stunningly illustrated by the always amazing Arsenault. Candlewick does a great job here production-wise, and don’t forget to check under the dust jacket.

HUM AND SWISH, by Matt Myers, shares the story of Jamie, who is digging and building on the beach. People ask her all kinds of questions about what she’s making and when she’ll be finished, but Jamie has no answers. Finally, someone comes along who understands. The spare text is perfectly paced and supported by Myers’s acrylic and oil paintings.

FIELD TRIP TO THE MOON, by John Hare, is the wordless tale of—yes, a field trip to the moon. One student separates from the group to draw, then falls asleep and gets left behind. But what an interesting time is had before the space bus comes back to pick up the young artist! FIELD TRIP TO THE MOON may be wordless, but there’s plenty of story, told with appealing acrylic art.

--Lynn

Shelf Awareness--The Beautiful

YA Review: The Beautiful

The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh (Putnam, 448p., ages 12-up, 9781524738174)

When Celine flees Paris for New Orleans, leaving behind a terrible secret and her plans to design "gowns for the Parisian elite," she dreams of finding the city "filled with promise. And absolution." She's bound for the Ursuline convent, whose sisters will find her an "appropriate" husband. Celine tries to see her stay at the convent as a "newfound chance at life," but it's difficult to be excited when she, her friend Pippa and fellow convent resident Anabel are put to work peddling crafts to raise money for the parish orphanage. At least Celine's ability with "ruched silk and Alençon lace" allows her to contribute embroidered handkerchiefs to the wares.

On the trio's first day of peddling, "exquisite" Odette buys all of her handkerchiefs and asks Celine to make her a gown for Mardi Gras. At Odette's fitting, Celine encounters Sébastien, who is handsome in the way of "a prince from a dark fairytale," along with members of the dangerous and "otherworldly" Court of Lions. But, tragically, Anabel--who had been sent by the Mother Superior to follow Celine--turns up dead, and Celine and Pippa find themselves suspect. Until the murderer strikes again, that is, and appears to be targeting Celine.

Renée Ahdieh's (The Wrath and the Dawn) Celine is a strong, deeply conflicted character who attempts to balance society's confining roles for women with her own appetite for excitement. Bad-boy Sébastien, with his "inhuman" friends, is a suitable foil to Celine, and the vibrant city of New Orleans an evocative backdrop for this first in a darkly thrilling series. As the unnamed narrator points out to begin the story, "New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead." By The Beautiful's end, readers will believe it. --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Discover: Celine finds romantic intrigue--and the undead--in this atmospheric YA series opener set in New Orleans.

November's Book of the Month--She Made a Monster

November’s Book of the Month is SHE MADE A MONSTER: HOW MARY SHELLEY CREATED FRANKENSTEIN, by Lynn Fulton, illustrated by Felicita Sala.

“On a wild, stormy night,” a group of friends gathered, reading “aloud from a book of frightening tales." A challenge emerged, whereby each member of the group, which included Mary Wollstonecraft, Lord Byron, and Percy Shelley, would create a ghost story of his or her own. The night before the competition was set to end, Mary still did not have her story. She sat alone in her room, while her friends downstairs talked about the power of electricity and the limits of science. Mary, who very much wanted to be a writer like her mother and the poets below, couldn’t sleep. Instead, her imagination took her to the “chilling tale" that would become the classic Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus, first published in 1818 and still widely read today. A story which heralded the beginning of the genre known as science fiction.

This gorgeous NY Times/NY Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book is an engaging look at a young woman who wanted to prove that “a woman’s writing could be just as important as a man’s.” Which it is, and which she did! The basis for Fulton's picture book was the forward Mary wrote for the 1831 edition of Frankenstein, but Fulton explains the liberties she took in her own telling.

’Tis the season for spooks and monsters, so it’s a great time to enjoy this origin story of one of the most famous monsters of all time.

--Lynn

Shelf Awareness--Song of the Crimson Flower

YA Review: Song of the Crimson Flower

Song of the Crimson Flower by Julie C. Dao (Philomel, 288p., ages 12-up, 9781524738358, November 5, 2019)

When romantic Tam plays his bamboo flute beneath her window, Lan feels "like a princess in the ancient ballads her father love[s]." But rather than falling for someone "far beneath" her like the girls in "those tales," Tam is "of a family equal to Lan's" and their match is "as close to their approving parents' hearts" as it is to her own. If only Tam would get over the shyness that brings him courting her solely "in moonlit visits," her life would be perfect.

Bao, "an orphan of no family," strives through "hard work and relentless study" to earn his place as apprentice to Tam's father, Master Huynh. The retired court physician is kind, but Tam and his mother treat Bao like "a stray dog." Bao perseveres by dreaming of the person he cares for most, though she doesn't yet "know of his love." Although he has "no hope of winning her," he vows that the time has finally come for him to tell Lan his truth.

Bao confesses his deep feelings to Lan, explaining that he is actually the flute player and Tam wants no part of the arranged marriage; humiliated, Lan cruelly rejects the young "peasant" as unworthy. Deeply hurt, Bao flees downriver in his boat, hoping to find a legendary river witch who could "clear his mind" of Lan. When he finds the witch, she recognizes him and angrily claims to be his aunt. Betrayed by her sister and eager to get revenge, she reveals to him that his mother is alive in the distant Gray City. She then binds Bao to his flute with a curse that will be broken only if the person he loves declares she loves him in return before the next full moon. The witch sends Bao back "from whence [he] came," and he finds himself on Lan's riverbank again. A now "desperately sorry" Lan insists on accompanying him to find his mother, who will surely be the one to break the curse. Bao and Lan race to the Gray City, determined to arrive before the spell becomes permanent and Bao loses his body forever.

Julie C. Dao weaves her Vietnamese-inspired folklore and imagery into a fresh, captivating fantasy that is a companion to her Forest of a Thousand Lanterns duology. Her heroes wrestle with family, class and uncontrolled power while finding ways to muster the strength it takes to do the right thing. At its heart, Song of the Crimson Flower is a magical love story. Bao hopes to prove worthy of "the girl he love[s]" and Lan longs somehow to redeem herself in the eyes of the real"handsome young man who wove his love for her into the melody of a flute beneath the moon." --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Shelf Talker: Julie C. Dao crafts an enchanting stand-alone Vietnamese-inspired fantasy that is a companion to her two other YA books set in the same world.

October Recommendations

Novels:

In THE REVOLUTION OF BIRDIE RANDOLPH, by Brandy Colbert, Birdie’s mom wants Birdie to stay “focused”-- on her SATs, getting into a good college, and moving on to “an impressive, high paying job.” But when Birdie’s estranged Aunt Carlene shows up, fresh out of rehab and needing a place to stay, there’s a noticeable change to the family dynamic. Aunt Carlene’s way more laid back, and she’s not afraid to give her opinion. Throw in a secret non-mom-approved boyfriend, and the summer is bound to explode. Colbert weaves a seamless story with great voice and characters that jump off the page. (YA)

SONG OF THE CRIMSON FLOWER, by Julie C. Dao, weaves Vietnamese-inspired imagery and folklore into a fresh and timeless fantasy. Lan hears romantic Tam playing his bamboo flute beneath her window, and all she wants is for them to set a wedding date. But then Bao, a penniless physician’s apprentice, admits he’s the real flute player, and Lan cruelly rejects him. Bao flees downriver, where a legendary witch casts a spell on him, saying that only someone who loves him “heart and soul” can break it. Lan and Bao wrestle with classic fantasy themes, including power hungry rulers and the strength it takes to do the right thing, but at its heart, Song of the Crimson Flower remains a magical love story. (YA)

Picture Books:

ROT, THE CUTEST IN THE WORLD! by Ben Clanton—OK, so this is a book about a mutant potato with a unibrow who sees a sign for a “Cutest in the World Contest.” Other contestants in the line-up? An "itty-bitty baby bunny,” a “little-wittle bewitching bewhiskered cuddly kitten,” and an “eenie-weenie pink and peppy jolly jellyfish.” Of course Rot enters! And we even get to see his cute potato butt. What could be bad? Deadpan humor and perfect timing make this a super-fun story about being yourself and finding your tribe.

RIVER, by Elisha Cooper, follows an unnamed woman making a solo trip down the mighty Hudson River in her canoe. She camps along the riverbank, sees “otters, ducks, dragonflies, a kingfisher,” and sketches in her journal. She paddles over rapids, through storms, and around a waterfall using a lock. Gorgeous art—looks like watercolors but doesn’t say so-- details a journey both harrowing and rewarding.

In ADRIAN SIMCOX DOES NOT HAVE A HORSE, written by Marcy Campbell and illustrated by Corinna Luyken, Adrian is a daydreamer who “tells anyone who will listen that he has a horse.” The narrator, Chloe, gets really annoyed that Adrain keeps talking about his horse, because “he definitely does not have one.” But a walk with her mom, and a visit to Adrian’s house prompt Chloe to reevaluate her classmate. The story is spare but packed with emotion, and the ink, colored pencil, and watercolor art is wonderfully done.

Finally, check out THE ATLAS OF AMAZING BIRDS, by Matt Sewell. He's painted—again, looks like watercolor but doesn’t say so—a selection of “the most beautiful, strange, scary, speedy, and enchanting” birds. They’re organized by continent, with a map at the start of each section, so open to any page and just start marveling. I’ve already spent plenty of time doing this. But--if Dinosaurs are more your thing, Sewell has also compiled THE COLORFUL WOLRD OF DINOSAURS, too. Enjoy!

--Lynn

October's Book of the Month--Sweep

Hello! October’s Book of the Month is the middle grade golem story SWEEP, THE STORY OF A GIRL AND HER MONSTER, by Jonathan Auxier. He previously wrote the very excellent—and creepy--The Night Gardener, and I think he’s got a worthy follow up here in SWEEP.

Life was never easy, but little Nan slept soundly as long as the Sweep was by her side. He’d raised her from a baby, and they ended every day with their special song: With brush and pail and soot and song!/A sweep brings luck all season long! But, one night when she’s just six years old, the Sweep disappears without a word, leaving behind only his “sacred” sweep hat, his coat, and “a strange lump of flickering char.”

With nowhere else to turn, and because she needs a master to get work, Nan indentures herself to the hateful Wilkie Crudd. One day, while cleaning the chimneys in a school for girls, Nan becomes stuck. Roger, a rival sweep who also works for Crudd, decides to use a deadly method-- “the Devil’s Nudge”—to get her out or kill her in the trying. He lights a fire in the coals below, “and then Nan Sparrow burned.”

Except she doesn’t die. She wakes in a crawl space, saved by her strange lump of char, which moves! In fact, this char is a creature, a “golem," wakened by Roger’s fire, and she feels sure it was left by the Sweep to protect her. Determined not to go back to Wilkie’s, Nan and the char, now appropriately named Charlie, find a place to live in an old abandoned mansion. Nan and her golem live well enough, but she still feels responsible for Wilkie’s other sweeps (except Roger!), and Wilkie remains determined to make her pay for her disappearance. Trouble ensues when Nan tries to improve life for all the sweeps, but in the process she learns about friends, family, and what it means to "save [yourself] by saving others.” Have a tissue or two for the sigh-and-tear-worthy ending.

This story, which illuminates the difficulty of life for young orphans, and the poor in general, in Victorian London, has just the right touch of magic to make it perfect for its middle grade audience. Nan is a plucky heroine who finds help where she needs it: in other kind but destitute street kids, in a lonely teacher, in her own hard work—and certainly in the wondrous gifts left to her by her beloved Sweep.

--Lynn

Shelf Awareness--Alma and the Beast

PB Review: Alma and the Beast

Alma and the Beast by Esmé Shapiro (Tundra Books , 44p., ages 3-7, 9780735263963)

Alma and the Beast's main character, an endearing creature covered with long, swirling gray tresses, wakes to a day "like any other." On this seemingly ordinary morning, Alma feeds her "plumpooshkie butterfly," braids the trees, combs the grass and pets the long, silky hair of the roof, "as one does when the days grow chilly and pink." But Alma soon finds that there is "something strange" in the garden. There appears to be a "hairless, button-nose beast" lurking about. Alma tries hiding but, "because beasts do not always go away when you close your eyes," the beast does not disappear. Instead, she insists that she's "TERRIBLY, TREMENDOUSLY STUPENDOUSLY LOST" and needs Alma's help to get home.

Once Alma understands that the beast is sad rather than scary, she leads her through some very hairy landscapes until the pair finally reach "a grand, whimpering, weeping willow." They go up the tree and down the other side, until they stand before the beast's "marvelous" but decidedly "bald" home. Here, Alma enjoys gardens that are watered not combed, roofs that are painted not petted, and hedges that can be trimmed rather than braided. Eventually, the day winds down, and Alma begins to "miss her hairy home."

Esmé Shapiro's (Ooko) gorgeous watercolor, gouache and pencil illustrations allow this story to soar, her boldly colorful palette and textured details bringing Alma to fantastical life. In this charming picture book, which celebrates the broadening of one's borders, Alma's day ends as it began, "like any other," but not before she hugs her new human friend, Mala, having learned that everyone--even "beasts"--have names. --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Discover: When a strange "beast" gets lost in Alma's garden, Alma learns to appreciate the ways in which her new friend is different.

Shelf Awareness--The Star Shepherd

MG Review: The Star Shepherd

The Star Shepherd by Dan Haring and MarcyKate Connolly (Sourcebooks, 320p., ages 8-12, 9781492658207)

Soon after the world was first formed, the Seven Elders hung stars "from hooks fastened to the sky." These stars formed a "wide net of light with beams connecting star to star," in order to shield people from "unspeakable horrors that thrived in the darkness." Centuries later, the original burlap casings began to wear out, and it fell to Star Shepherds to "catapult... the stars back into the sky."

When Kyro's mom died five years ago, his father, Tirin, honored her by sending a star back to the heavens in her name. Tirin became a Star Shepherd, but, as time went on, it seemed as if each newly fallen star became a reminder of his loss. Now, all Kyro wants is to "protect the stars" alongside his father and to be allowed to "feel like a part of his own family again," but Tirin barely even notices his son. When unprecedented numbers of stars begin falling and legendary monsters resurface, Tirin disappears, leaving his beloved watchtower in the hands of his worried son. As days go by and Tirin fails to return, Kyro, accompanied by his good friend Andra and his faithful pup Cypher, sets out to find his father and, while he's at it, discover who's been cutting down the stars.

Haring and Connolly have crafted an inviting fantasy that combines the epic feel of a creation myth with plenty of monsters to fight and monumental wrongs to right. Kyro's love--for his father and for the stars--stays strong and, like the best of heroes, he takes his quest seriously. Originally envisioned as an animated film, this handsome volume is adorned with plenty of spot art and striking, full-page illustrations and is likely to draw in younger middle-grade readers as well as tween fantasy lovers. --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Discover: Kyro, the son of a star shepherd, must find his missing father and figure out why so many stars have begun falling from the sky in this illustrated middle grade fantasy.

September Recommendations

Novels:

BEVERLY, RIGHT HERE is Kate DiCamillo’s follow up to her two recent novels, RAYMIE NIGHTINGALE and LOUISIANA’S WAY HOME, about three young Florida “rancheros" who meet at baton twirling classes. In this third story, 14-year-old Beverly Tapinski leaves home after her dog Buddy dies. Her mom barely notices. Beverly makes it to Tamaray Beach, where she finds a a job in Mr. C's fish restaurant, and a place to stay with a lonely old woman who lives in a pink trailer and appreciates Beverly's company. The prose in this novel feels pared down and spare, and, while I was reading, I wondered if perhaps too many things were being left unsaid. But, once I was finished, it felt simply perfect—not one word too few or too many in this wonderful balancing act of the author knowing how to trust her readers. (MG)

OWL’S OUTSTANDING DONUTS, by Robin Yardi, features an owl who loves donuts with pink icing. He also loves his Big Sur home, so when two shady figures in a white truck dump a load of “stinky slop” into a ditch by the side Highway One, Alfred (the owl) interrupts his midnight snack to enlist the help of Mattie, a young girl who lives in the airstream next to his favorite donut shop. Mattie and her friends launch an investigation into the crime, and they have exactly eight days before school starts to save the nearby creek (and drinking water in the area), find "the real gloppers,” and clear Aunt Molly’s name and so she won’t have to sell the donut shop. It's a sweet example of magical realism meets environmental activism. (MG)

Picture Books:

In WHO WET MY PANTS? written by Bob Shea and illustrated by Zachariah Ohora, when Reuben discovers a wet spot on his pants, he demands to know who is responsible. Even though it “was probably just an accident” and his “super great friends" are completely understanding, Reuben insists that “NO ONE gets donuts" until he gets "justice and dry pants.” Kids will love it when they figure out the mystery of the wet pants, and they’ll surely relate to Reuben’s approach to managing his embarrassment. This funny, kid-friendly tirade is told strictly through dialog, and rendered with colorful acrylic illustrations that include plenty of speech bubbles.

FOX AND THE BOX, by Yvonne Ivinson, is the story of a fox—with a box-- at the seaside, who wants to use his tail for a sail. But “Oh no! Tail sail fail.” Good thing there’s a “sail for sale." Told in very few words, sometimes only one to a page, this is a completely realized, magical summertime adventure, and another example of terrific illustrations rendered with acrylic paint.

TWO BROTHERS, FOUR HANDS: THE ARTISTS ALBERTO AND DIEGO GIACOMETTI, by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, illustrated by Hadley Hooper, tells an inspiring dual biography of these talented brothers who worked together for most of their lives. It describes Alberto’s journey to becoming a respected artist, and how he was helped along the way by Diego, who eventually came to be recognized in his own right. The text is clear, the illustrations (paint and ink, finished in Photoshop) make expert use of color and line, and the book, with its thick paper and thoughtful design, is itself a work of art.

In CAMP TIGER, written by Susan Choi, illustrated by John Rocco, it’s time for this family of four to enjoy their annual camping trip at Mountain Pond. Except this time, while they're pitching their tent, a tiger joins them. Good thing dad brought an extra tent. Choi weaves a thoughtful, yet fantastical, tale (one which should prove—again--that kids will eagerly sit through a rewarding story longer than 500 words), and Roccos watercolor, pencil, and digital illustrations bring it expertly to life.

--Lynn

September's Book of the Month--A Big Mooncake for Little Star

September's Book of the Month is A Big Mooncake for Little Star, by Grace Lin.

In this Caldecott Honor Book, Little Star’s mama bakes a Big Mooncake for Little Star, and places it “onto the night sky to cool.” When Mama asks Little Star not to touch until she gets permission, Little Star agrees. She washes, brushes, and goes to sleep. But, when Little Star wakes during the night, she can only think of her Big Mooncake sitting there in the sky. So…pat pat pat, she tiptoes over and takes "a tiny nibble.” The next night, Little Star remembers how “sweet and tasty” that piece of Mooncake was, and the next night, and the next night, too, until Little Star's Big Mooncake is all gone, except for “a trail of twinkling crumbs.” When her smiling mama asks if Little Star “ate the Big Mooncake again,” Little Star agrees, smiling back at Mama, and off they go to make another Big Mooncake for Little Star.

This cyclical, original fable feels timeless, yet also fresh and new. I enjoy the gentle way Little Star’s “bad” behavior is received, as if this is a joke the two have played on each other many times before. The illustrations are striking, with painterly renderings of the characters both blending in and standing out amid the star-dotted black backgrounds of the sky. Two-thirds of the way through, readers are treated to a view of all the phases of the moon which Little Star nibbles her way through, simultaneously in one gorgeous double page spread.

--Lynn

Shelf Awareness--The Very Short, Entirely True History of Unicorns

PB Review: The Very Short, Entirely True History of Unicorns

The Very Short, Entirely True History of Unicorns by Sarah Laskow, illus. by Sam Beck (Penguin Workshop, 96p., ages 8-12, 9781524792732)

No matter how readers picture unicorns--majestic, pure white, horse-like creatures or cartoon characters sporting manes streaked with all the colors of the rainbow--when they open the pages of this inviting compendium they'll find plenty of fascinating, fun facts about the ever-popular magical creatures.

A Greek doctor living in Persia "more than 2300 years ago" wrote about "the existence of fantastic one-horned 'wild asses' " whose "bodies are white, their heads dark red, and their eyes dark blue." In the centuries that followed, one-horned beasts were said to resemble goats, deer and bulls. The horns themselves were reported to vary from "a foot and a half in length," to three feet, to "four feet long and spiral," until finally, "by the 1200s, some writers thought the unicorn's horn was ten feet long!"

Sarah Laskow's text provides a fine collection of information about the history of human fascination with the unicorn. A limited number of period drawings, tapestries and coins are heavily supplemented with comics artist Sam Beck's illustrations. The material brings the creature into modern times with the inclusion of more recent oddities such as Lancelot the "Living Unicorn" (which traveled with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus in the late 1980s) as well as a concise survey of 21st-century cartoons, video games, emojis and memes based on the mythical beast. Foods, too, have been affected by the popularity of unicorns--Laskow even includes a recipe for "Unicorn Poop Bark." Overflowing with evidence that "people have been talking and thinking about unicorns for thousands of years," The Very Short, Entirely True History of Unicorns suggests there is every reason to expect the fascination will continue. --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Discover: This small but wide-ranging history provides a wealth of information about the mythological unicorn.

August Recommendations

Novels:

Book One, CHANGELING, introduces a new series called THE ODDMIRE, by William Ritter. In the town of Endsborough, near the dense Wild Wood, a goblin tries to switch Annie Burton’s newborn with a changeling. When she startles him in the act, the frightened goblin runs away, leaving her with two identical babies. As they grow, the boys Cole and Tinn have no way of knowing which of them is human and which is goblin. It never mattered to Annie. But now, almost 13 years later, with magic in the Wood fading, the true goblin boy must return to the forest for a reckoning, or die. The author of the YA Jackaby series now turns to middle grade with this exuberant adventure story featuring goblins, witches, hinkypunks, and a hope-crushing, monstrous Thing. (MG)

LOVELY WAR, by Julie Berry, is truly a masterpiece. In December of 1942, Hephaestus, “god of fires, blacksmiths, and tornadoes," traps his wife, Aphrodite, in the midst of a tryst with her lover, Ares, and puts the pair on trial. To explain her guilt in matters of infidelity and contempt (which she freely admits to), Aphrodite spins a detailed story of Love in the time of War, specifically the difficult yet deeply romantic experiences of two intertwined couples, Hazel and James, Aubrey and Collette, as they try to survive during World War l. Sophisticated and lovely, do yourself a favor and read this book. (YA)

Picture Books:

In HOME IS A WINDOW, by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard, with illustrations by Chris Sasaki, the spare, poetic text shares with readers that “home is a window,/ a doorway,/ a rug,/ a basket for your shoes,” and yet it’s so much more. Home is all the little things, plus—especially when you have to move to a new one—home is “the people gathered near.” The beautifully rendered digital art is pretty masterful—it feels like a cross between the work of Christian Robinson and Jon Klassen, but with more detail.

A LIFE MADE BY HAND: THE STORY OF RUTH ASAWA, by Andrea D’Aquino, tells the story of a remarkable artist who found inspiration by “[looking] carefully at everything around her." Always busy, Ruth trained and experimented with many mediums, but she's most famous for her unique wire sculptures. The story is illustrated with striking mixed media collages, both bold and delicate. The author’s endnotes provide context for Asawa’s life, and instructions for making a paper dragonfly are included.

In THE IMPORTANT THING ABOUT MARGARET WISE BROWN, by Mac Barnett and Sarah Jacoby, the author acknowledges that “you can’t fit somebody’s life into 42 pages, so I’m just going to tell you some important things.” He tells a good number of anecdotes that relate to Brown's life in a completely satisfying, swirling, rambly sort of way, but, after all is said and done, the important thing is that Margaret Wise Brown wrote books, “important” books that "feel true.” This book feels true, too. Watercolor, Nupastel, and Photoshop illustrations contain plenty of whimsy-- this is a wonderfully creative endeavor and a beautiful book.

THE LITTLE GUYS, by Vera Brosgol (who also wrote and illustrated Leave Me Alone!), stars those fearless beings, the Little Guys--tiny acorn-capped beings who inhabit the forest, pillaging at will. Because they are strong and there are a lot of them, they "can get all [they] need.” Illustrations show the other animals becoming increasingly annoyed, until finally the Little Guys go too far. Art is “drawn with dip pen and acrylic ink and painted in watercolor, with some Adobe Photoshop shenanigans afterwards.”

--Lynn

Shelf Awareness--Cornelia and the Jungle Machine

PB Review: Cornelia and the Jungle Machine

Cornelia and the Jungle Machine by Nora Brech (Gecko Press, 32p., ages 4-7, 9781776572595, September 3, 2019)

"I don't want to live here," says Cornelia.

A moving truck sits on the lawn of a large, gloomy house. Cornelia, slumped in a chair, looks around a room cluttered with musty antiques, hunting trophies and dour-looking portraits. "There's no one to play with." When she vents her dissatisfaction to her stressed parents (who are busy unpacking and painting their new home), they suggest that "if [she's] not going to help," she should "go and have a look around outside."

Meandering down the path from her front door, along with her scruffy gray dog, Cornelia crosses an isolated island-of-a-hill, down to a sea of dense, menacing trees. With a closer look, however, she can see signs of fun: a treehouse is visible, as are plenty of birdhouses and a colorful array of the feathered friends who live in them. A long rope ladder descends, and Cornelia hangs onto her dog as she climbs up. And up and up...

...into an increasingly whimsical world. A boy named Frederik, wearing an eyepatch and a huge grin, waves at her from a hammock on the deck of an elaborate, nautical-themed treehouse. Earlier glimpses through the trees did not do it justice. With telescopes, slides, swings and numerous outlandish outbuildings to explore, this is a homestead of which adventurous children can only dream. Frederik welcomes Cornelia inside, where he lives with his many inventions. The "best" by far is a huge metal contraption built into an alcove. This "Jungle Machine" does exactly what its name would suggest: at the merest touch, a jungle is conjured, complete with exotic birds and animals, fruits, vines and a river to sail along--all the way home to a dock right outside Cornelia's gate. When she asks if she can visit again tomorrow, Frederik invites her to come back "every day" if she wishes. Before going inside, Cornelia suggests to her dog that they not tell her parents, who "won't believe us anyway."

Illustrative details abound in this atmospheric picture book of a mere 112 words, all of them dialogue. Brech perfectly depicts an oversized, overstuffed gothic-looking mansion and the frustration of its new young inhabitant, who is small in comparison, with the house, its rooms and even the furniture looming over her. Colors brighten as Cornelia's world expands, and both the forest and Frederik's tree-based home seem to contain more light and air. At the end of this mysterious, magical day, Cornelia, it seems, really does want to "live here." --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Shelf Talker: A girl feels oppressed by her new home, until she discovers her young neighbor and his wild inventions in a treehouse next door.

August's Book of the Month--A Curse So Dark and Lonely

August’s Book of the Month is Brigid Kemmerer’s recent Beauty and the Beast retelling, A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY.

Prince Rhen has been cursed to repeat the months just after his eighteenth birthday over and over again (this is his 327th time) in his search for a woman to love him before he morphs into a vicious monster, killing anyone who crosses his path. Harper’s mother is dying from cancer and her brother is being forced to hurt people for their absent dad’s “bill collectors." So when she’s kidnapped by Rhen’s trusted—and only remaining—guardsman, and taken from Washington, DC, to the “parallel” land of Emberfall, she’s not interested in saving the castle or its handsome inhabitants. She just wants to get home. But the more she learns about Prince Rhen and his curse, the more Harper wants to help him break it.

The plot is intricate and electric, with plenty of twists and turns, ups and downs, romance and bitterness to keep readers entranced for all of the book's more than 400 pages. Harper’s character comes into her own in Emberfall, transforming from the younger sister who “needs to be shoved into a back room and protected" to a true leader with an entire country to save. Rhen’s journey is noteworthy, too, as he slowly and carefully allows himself to care for Harper and believe in their alliance, despite all that Enchantress Lileth can do to keep him under her control and mired in despair. And Commander Grey, despite being an efficient killing machine, is human with plenty of soft edges. The interplay—and romantic tension--between the three is intriguing and believable. The ending is wonderful, exciting, and truly sigh-worthy. And there’s a sequel coming out in January :—)

--Lynn

Shelf Awareness--Interview with Lauren Mansy

Lauren Mansy is from the Chicago area, where she grew up helping her parents in their family business. She's spent years working with youth, from young children to high schoolers, and when she's not writing, she loves staying active outdoors, exploring the city to find the best deep-dish pizza and spending time with her family. Her debut novel, The Memory Thief (Blink, October 2019), was inspired by her own journey with her mother, who was a survivor when all hope seemed lost.

What inspired you to write this fantasy about a society in which memories are treated as currency?

When I was around Etta's age, my mom was diagnosed with a heart condition, which led to an unexpected open-heart surgery. Due to the trauma my mom experienced, the doctors warned my family that if she survived, she might not remember us when she woke. I was sitting at her bedside when she first began to stir, and she squeezed my hand three times, our signal that meant I love you. I knew that my mom was coming back to me, and it was a moment I'll never forget!

After facing the possibility of losing my mom, I was struck by how our memories make up so much of our identity and the vital role they play in our relationships with others. I wondered, "What if there was a world where memories could be transferred from mind to mind... and what kind of people would exist in a society like that?" I'm so thankful to say that my mom made a full recovery, but it was during those moments of uncertainty that the seeds for this book were planted.

Witnessing my mom's unwavering courage throughout her recovery process inspired me to write a story to honor her, and placing this book in her hands for the first time is one of my favorite memories!

In your story, many people buy, sell and trade memories--and talents--instead of experiencing life for themselves. Is this symbolic of anything you see happening in our world today?

Throughout the story, Etta questions her own identity and how to find her true self in a world where it only takes one touch for someone else's memories to seep into your mind. For many in Etta's society, they often sell painful memories to avoid heartache or buy talents to avoid hardship, and they no longer value individuality and creativity. Instead of living both the joys and the trials of life together, they're isolated and disconnected from one another. Most are essentially choosing to live someone else's life instead of cherishing their own uniqueness and living in harmony with those around them.

Perhaps we face some of the same challenges in our society. I think there are quite a few things in our world today that allow us to "live" someone else's life--movies, television, the Internet, etc. Though these can be wonderful tools for expanding our minds, we also face the temptation of living an "imitation" of life instead of experiencing real life. We, much like those in Etta's world, have countless opportunities at our fingertips to gain new experiences.

It's interesting that the hero, Etta, and the villain, Madame, are both women. Was this a conscious decision? If so, why?

When I first began writing this story, Etta and Madame were characters who appeared very clearly in my mind. For Etta, Madame is like a mirror. She represents a lot of who Etta could end up becoming, depending on which choices she makes on this journey. Madame never intended to become a villain, and in her opinion, she's still very much a hero. Etta, on the other hand, has a lot of regrets. She doesn't believe she can ever do much good in this world. They're two women who are vastly different and yet they impact one another in ways neither of them could've predicted.

Forgiveness features prominently in the novel. Why was it important to you that Etta be a flawed--rather than a perfect--character?

Etta is definitely guilt-ridden, has made costly mistakes and has lost hope that things can ever be made right. But she's also a character who believes a lot of lies about herself and the world around her. She doesn't think she deserves forgiveness, let alone to forgive herself.

While on her journey to save her mother, Etta is forced to confront the things and the people she's been running from, and she'll stop at nothing to protect her loved ones. I think there's a lot of courage in fighting for something you believe in, even when it scares you. It's during these moments of heartache that Etta begins to question if she's believed the wrong definition of strength. For years, her comatose mother hasn't spoken a word, but she's far surpassed any expectations placed upon her and has shown Etta the importance of never giving up.

Etta is slowly learning that true strength is so powerful that even the worst mistakes of the past can never extinguish it.

This story has so many fun twists and turns. Did you know exactly where you were going when you began? Can you take us through a bit of your process in writing it?

That's kind of you to say! I tried to keep an open mind while writing The Memory Thief. Though the story evolved throughout the revision process, many of the major plot points remained the same. I absolutely love revising, and I kept journals detailing the process and changes--it's been fun to look back and remember the various paths that this story has taken.

When I first began writing, there were fears, doubts and worries that I hadn't yet figured out how to voice out loud when faced with losing my mom. On the cover of The Memory Thief, there's a lock, which is symbolic of Etta's journal. She uses a journal to keep track of her own memories, so in a way, this book is like one big journal entry for her. It often feels like one for me, as well. Through telling Etta's story, I began to better understand my own.

Shelf Awareness--The Memory Thief

YA Review: The Memory Thief

The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy (Blink, 368p., 9780310767657, October 1, 2019)

Lauren Mansy's debut novel, The Memory Thief, is a compelling, darkly fantastic tale, in which memories serve as commodities to be stolen, bartered or auctioned to the highest bidder.

In Craewick, one of four allied realms, Gifted citizens have "the ability to read another's mind simply by touching them." The Gifted can take ownership of these thoughts and experience "whatever joys" are to be had in the recollections of others--frequently to the point that they are so "stuffed full of rare talents and thrilling memories" that they lose themselves. Meanwhile, the Ungifted, who bring wealth to the region by toiling as "seamstresses, carpenters, blacksmiths, and farmers," regularly have to resort to bartering their few "desirable memories" to pay the rent on their "tiny shacks."

When 17-year-old Julietta Lark finds an envelope on her door, she fears the worst. Her mother lies in a coma at the asylum. Even though Etta has made a deal with Madame, the realm's power-hungry ruler, to ensure her mother would "have a place at the asylum till she woke," Etta fears the letter means that the place is full again, and Madame's Minders have drawn "slips of paper to choose a patient to kick out." Before being removed from the asylum, her mother's brain--on Madam's orders--will be mined for memories, and Etta will be allowed to keep whichever of them she chooses. With her mother as weak as she is, "the energy of having her mind read will kill her.”

When Etta finally opens the envelope, she finds it's even worse: rather than the painless death of being read, the notice announces her mother's impending auction. Many years ago, Madame set up an auction block where the memories of people she deems criminals are sold to the highest Gifted bidder. Auction Day is popular, since Madame's tight grip on her realm ensures that, for most people, "the only hope of gaining new memories is up on that auction block." Auctions bring the promise of an "agonizing" death and strangers will likely buy "her [mother's] entire life and part of [Etta's], as well."

Ryder, the 12-year-old orphan whom Etta took in four years ago, urges Etta to go to the Shadows, a revolutionary group who use their Gifts "to undermine everything Madame stands for." Ryder is convinced they'll save Etta's mother because "they help people who can't help themselves." But Etta knows what Ryder does not: Bray, the leader of this resistance group, would love to get his hands on "the memory thief who backstabbed the Shadows to pay for that asylum bed in the first place"--Etta gave up the location of the former head of the Shadows, Greer, to save her mother.

Etta ultimately decides that she must try to strike a deal with Bray, "the one person who's powerful enough to slip in and out of the asylum, get [her] mother out of Craewick, and keep [them] hidden." When Etta arrives home, Bray is there; he slips a dark hood over her head and welcomes her "back to the Shadows."

She wakes in a prison cell in the Mines, a fortress where "the best thieves in the Realms live, trade, and vanish right out from under Madame's watchful eye." Etta insists that Madame was going to kill her mother if she didn't betray Greer; Bray's "deep, bitter rage rolls off him" as he informs her that when Madame came for Greer, she killed Bray's brother and another young Shadow. She sent Greer to the Maze, a prison "invented by" Porter, the "ironfisted," supremely Gifted "madman" who rules of the neighboring realm of Aravid. There, prisoners are either killed or driven insane.

Bray knows Etta is the only one who can get Greer out: her unique Gift makes her unreadable to other Gifteds, meaning no one will be able to steal the plan from her mind. To get to Greer, she must acquire the key to the Maze: a map that exists only in Porter's thoughts. Bray assures Etta that if she doesn't agree to travel to Aravid and steal Porter's key, he'll drag her back to Craewick to "watch [her] mother die." To protect the interests of the Shadows, Bray forces Etta to travel with Reid, a powerful mind-reader and fighter who will ensure Etta's safety and keep an eye on her. As their chance of survival--not to mention success--rapidly decreases, Etta and Reid's mutual distrust turns into attraction.

Etta is a flawed character who has made mistakes, giving her depth and dimension and allowing the novel's strong message of forgiveness to ring true. Though Mansy builds an expansive fantasy world all her own, her tale uses dystopian motifs to great success, such as the corrosive effects of an overabundance of power falling into the wrong hands and her stern commentary on the divide between the haves and have-nots. Readers, like Etta and her fellow citizens, will be challenged to contemplate the nature of truth, considering the unique role that memories play in the Realms. Mansy also delivers a fine romance, made all the more gratifying by the difficulties sustained along the way. A welcome addition to the YA fantasy canon, The Memory Thief is a suspenseful page-turner, delightfully chock full of unexpected twists and turns. --Lynn Becker.