What I Read in July

Another Summer Reading month, so time and energy for reading was in short supply. However, there were definitely some standouts.



The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

A refreshing book about being different and the pressures of trying to live up to other's expectations. By day Sebastian is a prince looking for a bride; by night he is Lady Crystallia, fashion icon and trendsetter, who works with his personal dressmaker and best friend Francis to wow Paris. How can he reconcile his two worlds? And what about the feelings developing between the prince and his dressmaker?



Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake

When one of her best friends accuses Mara's twin brother of rape, she struggles to understand the disconnect between who she believes her brother to be and what he has done. Meanwhile, her parents and schoolmates immediately take his side, while her ex-girlfriend, Charlie, and his best friend, Alex, also question what really happened. And Mara also has to deal with her own past experience with sexual assault.

This was a very hard book to read and it should be. How do you deal with a rape when the rapist is your twin and the survivor is one of your very best friends? And your parents and most other friends totally believe your brother without even hearing the rest of the story? The emotions and behaviors in this book are very appropriate to the age group and situations, quite realistic and believable. We needed this book.

 1. As the Crow Flies by Melanie Gilman
 2. Skellig by David Almond
 3. Tales from Silver Lands by Charles J. Finger
 4. All Summer Long by Hope Larson
 5. Gordon: Bark to the Future! by Ashley Spires
 6. Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol
 7. The Joy of Cookies: Cookie Monster's Guide to Life by Cookie Monster
 8. Call of the Wild by Jack London
 9. Lumberjanes: Bonus Tracks by Holly Black, et al.
10. The Witch Doesn't Burn in This One by Amanda Lovelace
11. Shade's Children by Garth Nix
12. The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
13. Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang
14. Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman
15. Paper Girls vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughn
16. Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Penelope Bagieu
17. "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman by Harlen Ellison
18. Sometimes You Fly by Katherine Applegate
19. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
20. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
21. Whale in a Fishbowl by Troy Howell
22. The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates
23. The Funeral by Matt James
24. A Busy Creature's Day Eating by Mo Willems
25. Play by Jez Alborough
26. The End of the Beginning: Being the Adventures of a Small Snail by Avi
27. A Beginning, a Muddle, and an End: The Right Way to Write Writing by Avi
28. We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
29. What If...by Samantha Berger
30. Yellowcake by Margo Lanagan
31. Ocean Monsters by Natalie Lunis
32. The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley
33. Surprising Sharks by Nicola Davies
34. See Me Grow by Penelope Arden
35. Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake

What I Read in June

AAAAHHHH! Summer is crazy!

Okay, I feel better. So anyway, I challenged myself to read mostly books that I already own and then decide if I am keeping them or not; those will be marked with a 😣. Little bit of cleaning up for summer.

Reviewing three picture books today:



Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

When Julián notices some ladies on the bus dressed as mermaids, he is fascinated and decides to make his own mermaid costume. His grandmother discovers him and they both go to a parade full of mermaids.

I love the soft pastel colors and graceful lines of the art. I love that everyone is a different body type. And, of course, I love that Julián's grandmother supports him and doesn't act like dressing up makes him inferior. Such a lovely book!



Ocean Meets Sky by Terry and Eric Fan

After his grandfather dies, Finn decides to honor him by building his own ship and sailing on a magical journey. Fantastic illustrations and a careful exploration of grief for children makes this a stand-out.



Drawn Together by Minh Le; illustrated by Dan Santat

A boy and his grandfather think they have nothing in common until they work together to create a supernatural world and a pair of heroes on a mission. The combined art styles are gorgeous and the language and cultural barriers that are overcome are very real. The idea of art as a form of communication is amazing.

 1. The Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes
 2. The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
 3. Blaze by Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King) 😣
 4. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez
 5. Peter and Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths by Graham Annable
 6. Ocean Meets Sky by Terry Fan; illustrated by Eric Fan
 7. Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam by Elizabeth Partridge
 8. Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger
 9. Doctor Who: The Lost Dimension vol. 2 by Nick Abadzis, Cavan Scott, and George Mann; illustrated by Rachael Stott and Mariano Lacclaustra
10. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 😣
11. Juliản is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
12. Tom's Midnight Garden by Phillipa Pearce; illustrated by Ềdith
13. New Shoes by Sara Vernon
14. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
15. Drawn Together by Minh Le; illustrated by Dan Santat
16. I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly; illustrated by J. M. Ken Nimura
17. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 😣
18. The Dream Coach by Anne Parrish; illustrated by Dillwyn Parrish

What I Read in April--Very late edition

April was far busier than I expected it to be. I'll follow up this post with my next Newbery Rewind. For now, here's the best of April.



Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough
This moving book is based on the true story of Artemisia Gentileschi, a painter who began her career mixing paint for her father. She then moved on to creating paintings for which he took credit. Finally, she seemed to be headed for a career of her own when her father hired a painting teacher for her; unfortunately he was only there to take advantage of a young girl without the interference of her family.

In vivid verse, McCullough tells not only of Artemisia's rape and the trial that followed, but also the stories of two others who were misrepresented and used by the world of men. Definitely a Printz and/or Morris contender.



Lighthouse by Paco Roca
A teen soldier washes up near a lighthouse while escaping from the Spanish Civil War. There the lighthouse keeper teaches him about hard work, adventure, and hope in a beautifully simple illustrated story. Like with most of my favorite graphic novels, the pictures tell even more of the story than the words.

  

If I Had a Horse by Gianna Mario and They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki
Both of these picture books are gorgeous and have a great chance of earning a Caldecott award. The warm, glowing watercolor silhouettes in the first pull the reader into the dream, while the contemplative prose and the complex associations of the illustrations make the second a standout look at how a child's mind works. Try to get your hands on both!

 1. Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough
 2. Firebug by Johnnie Christmas
 3. Flying Lessons and Other Stories ed. by Ellen Oh
 4. Sandwiches!: More Than You've Ever Wanted to Know about Making and Eating America's Favorite Food by Alison Deering
 5. Giant Days vol. 4 by John Allison
 6. Doctor Who: The Lost Dimension vol. 1 by Nick Abadzis
 7. Dreadful Young Ladies and Other Stories by Kelly Barnhill
 8. Sarah Scribbles: Herding Cats by Sarah Andersen
 9. The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill
10. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancy
11. The Wicked + the Divine vol. 6 by Kieron Gillen
12. The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg
13. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
14. Look & Learn: Let's Make Music by National Geographic Kids
15. Floaty by John Himmelman
16. I Got It! by David Wiesner
17. Roughneck by Jeff Lemire
18. Narwhal and Jelly Book 3: Peanut Butter and Jelly by Ben Clanton
19. The Diabolic by S. J. Kinkaid
20. Jonesy vol. 3 by Sam Humphries
21. Bird by Angela Johnson
22. Nightwing vol. 1: Better Than Batman by Tim Seeley
23. #Notyourprincess: Voices of Native American Women by Lisa Charleyboy
24. Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Big Lie by Anthony del Col
25. If the S in Moose Comes Loose by Peter Hermann
26. Lighthouse by Paco Roca
27. Ladycastle by Delilah S. Dawson
28. Motor Crush vol. 1 by Brendan Fletcher
29. This is a Taco! by Andrew Cangelose
30. Strongheart: Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen by Candace Fleming
31. Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson
32. They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki
33. If I Had a Horse by Gianna Marino
34. The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror by Mallory Ortberg
35. Tales of the Talented Tenth vol. 2: Bessie Stringfield
36. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
37. Honor Girl: A Graphic Memoir by Maggie Thrash
38. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting

Jenn's Most Anticipated Books of 2018 - Part 2

Let's finish this!

Nonfiction

Children's

         

Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene Latham and Charles Waters (January 1)
Parallel poems about race and understanding by two poets.

Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson (January 2)
Picture book non-fiction about the children who marched for Civil Rights in Birmingham in 1963.

The Girl Who Drew Butterflies:  How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science by Joyce Sidman (Feburary 20)
Details the life of the first naturalist to directly observe insects and illustrate them in full color for science.

A Lady Has the Floor: Belva Lockwood Speaks Out for Women's Rights by Kate Hannigan (February 20)
A woman who fought for women's right in classrooms and courtrooms and became the first woman of the US Presidential ballot.

Teens

       

Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass, a Monumental American Man by Tonya Bolden (January 9)
Unsugar-coated biography of a complicated and great man.

Very, Very, Very Dreadful: The Influenza Panic of 1918 by Albert Marin (January 9)
A powerful examination of the history, science and impact of the worst flu epidemic in the United States.

Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card by Sara Saedi (February 6)
Sara describes her experiences as an unknowing American immigrant who upon discovery of her illegal status decides to get her green card and eventually become a citizen.

Votes for Women!: American Suffragists and the Battle for the Ballot by Winifred Conkling (February 13)
Details not only the fight for women's rights to vote, but also the personal stories of some suffragettes.

Adult

         

Cræft: An Inquiry Into the Origins and True Meaning of Traditional Crafts by Alexander Landlands (January 2)
With all the loud outcry over "maker" movements, I'm very interested in an academic examination of the history of crafting (which some of us never stopped doing).

Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Super Power by Brittney Cooper (February 20)
Cooper examines her experience as a Black woman in American and those of her friends and family to discover how Black women can dissent without being stereotyped as "a mad black woman."

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara (February 27)
True crime account of a serial rapist and killer by the journalist who died while investigating the case.

Things We Haven't Said: Sexual Violence Survivors Speak Out by Erin E. Moulton (February 27)
Collects the accounts of adults who survived sexual assault as children and adults.


Comics

Children's

      

Grace for Gus by Harry Bliss (February 6)
Grace knows that the class guinea pig, Gus, is lonely. So, she's on a mission to entertain him.

The City on the Other Side by Mairghread Scott (April 24)
Right after the Great San Francisco earthquake, Isabel accidentally stumbles through a barrier between our world and fairy land.

Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol (May 29)
Vera is sure that Russian summer camp is the one place she will fit in; too bad she didn't factor in drama, Russian history lessons and nasty outhouses!

Teen

         

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang (February 13)
By day Sebastian is a prince of the realm and by night he is the Lady Crystallia--hottest model in the kingdom!

Archival Quality by Ivy Noelle Weir (March 6)
After losing her job, Cel lands a position as an archivist at the Logan Museum where a ghost lady keeps asking her for help.

The Altered History of Willow Sparks by Tara O'Connor (March 6)
When Willow finds a book that can change her life, she drops everything including her best friend, Georgia.

Moonstruck by Grace Ellis (March 27)
When Julie's date with her new girlfriend goes wrong, they must ask all their mythical buddies to help save their friend Chet.

      

Heavy Vinyl by Carly Usdin (April 10)
Chris just scored the perfect job at a local record store--but it's also a front for a teen girl vigilante club!

Losing the Girl by MariNaomi (May 1)
With rumors of alien abductions of a local girl, four friends struggle to figure out what is going on and who they are.

All Summer Long by Hope Larson (May 1)
When her best friend goes off to soccer camp for the summer, Bina doesn't know what she will do. But with learning the guitar and making friends with an older girl, things begin to look up.

Adult



The Redlands by Jordie Bellaire (April 7)
A matriarchal forces, a mysterious murderer with their secrets and the townspeople who won't stand for it all. Mirrors are messed up current political climate.

Jenn's Most Anticipated Books of 2018 - Part 1

It's hard to believe we are already over a month into 2018. And we are still patiently awaiting the ALA Youth Media Awards. In the meantime, I'm looking over some fun books coming out this year. Here's a few of the ones that stand out.

Children's Fiction

         

Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz (January 2)
In some ways a companion novel to X, Shabazz shares the story of her mother's childhood. A civil rights icon in her own right, Dr. Betty Shabazz led an amazing life of her own.

Love Sugar Magic #1: A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano (January 2)
Leonora's family owns a bakery and Dia de los Muertos is the most important occasion of their year. When she is not allowed to help with preparations, she accidentally discovers that her family is not just amazing in the kitchen but also have magical powers.

The Problim Children by Natalie Lloyd (February 6)
When their home is destroyed, the Problim children and their pig move in with their grandpa-- and discover a few of the mysteries surrounding their strange family.

Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #1: The Serpent's Secret by Sayantani Dasgupta (February 27)
After her parents disappear and a demon bursts into her home, Kiranmala finds out that her bedtime stories have all been true--she is a real Indian princess and all of the magic and terror is real, too.

      

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson (March 27)
In the attic of an old house in South Carolina, Candice Miller finds a letter addressed to her grandmother. With the help of her friend Brandon, she begins to unravel a decades old mystery that might correct an injustice.

Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes (March 27)
Paloma and her professor mom uncover the mysery of a missing artifact connected to Frida Kahlo.

Mo & Dale Mysteries #4: The Law of Finders Keepers by Sheila Turnage (September 11)
New clues about Mo's Upsteam Mother lead the crew to search for her. But they aren't the only ones looking.

Teen Fiction

            

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman (January 9)
Two different teams race across the universe seeking an alien artifact that may reverse the damage to Earth and save everyone.

Love Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed (January 16)
Indian-American Muslim teen, Maya, is torn between the expectations of her parents and her dream of going to film school in New York City.

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson (January 16)
Stevie Bell is a first-year student at Ellington Academy who is trying to solve the cold case concerning the disappearance of the founders wife and daughter.

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (January 30)
When Alice's author grandmother dies and her mother is stolen away by supposedly supernatural beings, she must ally herself with her grandmother's cultish fans to discover what is happening and save her mom.

American Panda by Gloria Chao (February 6)
Mei is living her parents' dream: she is a freshman at MIT at only 17, she is premed and her mom is negotiating the perfect Taiwanese husband for her. But Mei is germaphobic, wants to dance and is falling for a Japanese-American boy instead. What is a "good" daughter to do?

           

The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson (February 6)
Elena Mendoza is the product of a virgin birth....and that is just the beginning of the strangeness that is her life.


Numair Chronicles #1: Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce (February 6)
Finally! I've been anticipating the books with Numair's back story forever.

The Traitor's Game by Jennifer A. Nielsen (February 27)
On the way home from exile, Kestra is kidnapped and forced to retrieve the Olden Blade, the only weapon that can kill an immortal king.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (March 6)
Magic has disappeared from Zelie's world and only she and a rogue princess might be able to bring it back.

Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner (March 13)
Cameron's family flees trolls who are angry that she won a major cosplay competition, but the dudebros who work at the comic shop in her new town continue to be a problem. So she borrows her twin brother's clothes and sneaks in under their noses, creating a problematic secret identity.

        

Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles (March 20)
After a police raid at a party, Marvin's twin Tyler is missing and Marvin may be the only one who can find him.

Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake (May 15)
Mara's best friend has accused Mara's twin, Owen, of rape and she doesn't know who to believe.

Give Me Some Truth by Eric Gansworth (May 29)
Carson just wants to win the Battle of the Bands and get off the reservation. Maggi just came back and did not want to. Together with their friend Lewis, they are attempting to figure out who they are and how they want to live.

Lady Janies #2: My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand (June 26)
There is way more going on at Thornfield Hall than the novel Jane Eyre led you to believe. And with the help of aspiring author Charlotte Bronte and ghost hunter Alexander Blackwood, Jane plans to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Adult Fiction

       

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin (January 9)
A woman who claims to predict people's deaths arrives in New York City in 1969, and four teens sneak out one night to have their fortunes told.

White Houses by Amy Bloom (February 13)
A fictionalized account of the relationship between reporter Lorena Hickok and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Hint: They were wwwwaaaaayyyy more than friends.

Dreadful Young Ladies and Other Stories by Kelly Barnhill (February 20)
Weird and fantastic short stories by last year's Newbery award winner? Yes, please!

The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror by Mallory Ortberg (March 13)
A collection of dark fairy tales adapted from the author's "Children's Stories Made Horrific" series. Who doesn't love twisted fairy tales?

The School for Psychics by K. C. Archer (April 3)
When Teddy discovers she is a psychic and promptly gets in trouble with the police, a mysterious stranger intervenes and invites her to attend the School for Psychics. Described as The Magicians with ESP and a version of Harry Potter for grown-ups, I pretty excited to see how this turns out.

The Outsider by Stephen King (June 5)
I'm always up for a King story. This one is supposed to be more psychological thriller than horror with a serial killer who not only assaults children but also frames outstanding members of the community for his crimes.

Okay, so that is only half. I will post latter with my nonfiction and graphic novel anticipated titles.