Review / Squished

May 15, 2023May 13, 2023 / ofmariaantonia / 8 Comments

Book: Squished (2023)
Author: Megan Wagner Lloyd
Illustrator: Michelle Mee Nutter
Genre: MG, Contemporary/Graphic Novel
Publisher: Graphix

Opening lines from the book …
Welcome to beautiful Hickory Valley, Maryland, home to my family, the Lees. This is me, Avery Annie Lee. And I’m in my own, totally amazing room. Just kidding, this is my real room. And what life is like as one of seven kids.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BOOK…

1) I love the big family dynamics. As someone who comes from a big family myself, this is SO true to life.

2) The little moments between the older brother, Theo, and Avery are great. Theo is so moody, wanting to be alone with his books. Avery remembers when they used to do everything together. AND he gets his own room while she has to share with the little kids! Lots of nice tension and then moments where they have each other’s back.

3) There’s a scene where Avery and her next oldest sister, Pearl, team up to get their little brother to sleep. Loved it!

4) There’s a chapter that deals with Avery’s friend where Avery sees the friend pulling away. That was very poignant. I liked how realistic it was, and yet it didn’t necessarily cause a rift in the friendship. It was like a natural progression.

5) The big news (slight spoiler) is that Mom has a job interview all the way across the country in Oregon. Poor Avery doesn’t want to move. I love how this book deals with that. And I especially love how the book deals with the end result. The final image is very satisfying.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I really enjoyed this graphic novel! I love stories about big families. I love how it shows the ups and downs of living in such a household. Highly recommend this book!

YOUR TURN…

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Note: I’m posting this for Greg Pattridge’s Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday…

Review / When Stars are Scattered

March 21, 2022March 19, 2022 / ofmariaantonia / 11 Comments

Book: When Stars are Scattered (2020)
Author: Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
Genre: MG, Graphic Novel

Opening lines from the book …
Now, in a place as crowded as this, I’m afraid we’ll never be found.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BOOK…

1) I loved how Omar looks after his younger brother, Hassan. The connection and loyalty they have for each other is wonderful to see in a book.

2) It was nice to see Omar finally get to go to school. I liked how they portrayed his struggles with leaving his brother behind, and that things are not suddenly all easy either.

3) I also liked how we got to see various refugee kids dealing with various scenarios. Like Jeri who limps. Or Maryam whose parents have an arranged marriage for her.

4) The story begins in the refugee camp, so we don’t get to see what led to the boys’ escape. At least, not until later in the book. And when we get to that part (about what happened in Somalia), it was very powerful, but was also treated in a way that is suitable for young readers.

5) I really liked the authors’ notes at the back. They give some closure to some of the questions raised in the story. I found this story (mostly true, although I understand that some of the secondary characters are composites of different people the real Omar knew) very an eye-opening and compelling read.

FINAL THOUGHTS

What a wonderful look into what a refugee camp was all about. My grandparents were both refugees (from different countries). I’ve heard their stories. And while it was a little different (World War II was in full swing), this book did give me a little incite into their experiences. Highly recommend this book!

YOUR TURN…

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Note: I’m posting this for Greg Pattridge’s Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday…

Review / The Graveyard Riddle

March 7, 2022March 4, 2022 / ofmariaantonia / 5 Comments

Book: The Graveyard Riddle (2021)
Author: Lisa Thompson
Genre: MG, Contempory
Companion Novel to: Goldfish Boy

Opening lines from the book …
Frankie is a conker-brown dachshund and a very wise little dog. For example, I take him for a walk every day after school and at weekends and he always turns left out of the driveway. He knows exactly which way to go: the graveyard.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BOOK…

1) Riddles and spies! This book has it all. In the story, Melody Bird (what a great name!) meets Hal, a spy with the super secret organization: MI8. Lots of intrigue involved with Hal’s mission and his recruitment of Melody.

2) Graveyard setting is both a little spooky and a lot interesting. Melody first comes across the mysterious Plague House, hidden away behind vines, thanks to Frankie her dog. It’s where she meets Hal. And then there’s the mysterious guy that keeps putting the riddles as clues on one particular tombstone.

3) Melody Bird is such a likeable main character. She has a complicated friendship with Matthew and Jake, which is going to add some good tension to the story!

4) And then there’s the mystery of what happened with Melody’s dad. We get bits and pieces of it. About the disappearing act and the circus.

5) I really was kept guessing about how the story was going to play out. At one point, I wondered if this was going to have a magical element to it, but it didn’t. And I’m glad. I really enjoyed the story!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Really liked this one. It’s actually a sequel (or companion novel) to Goldfish Boy. I haven’t read that book yet, but I found this book works well as a stand-alone. (Although, it does seem to give away some of the plot of the first book.)

YOUR TURN…

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Note: I’m posting this for Greg Pattridge’s Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday…

Review / A Soft Place to Land

February 21, 2022February 19, 2022 / ofmariaantonia / 3 Comments

Book: A Soft Place to Land (2021)
Author: Janae Marks
Genre: MG, Contemporary

Opening lines from the book …
I may only be twelve, but I’ve already fallen in love once—with music. With film scores, to be exact.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BOOK…

1) I really enjoyed the main character, Joy. I loved her enthusiasm and her protective nature when it comes to her younger sister. And it was a fun touch to put in her love of music and her desire to be a film composer.

2) The most awesome thing about this book is that it has a building with a secret room! I mean, a real secret-nobody-knows-about-it room! How cool is that? I want to live in a building with a secret room!!! And I love the camaraderie between the kids (all joint “owners” of said room) in the apartment building.

3) You gotta love the dog Ziggy and her owner, Mae. I like how the dog walking fits into the plot and Joy’s goal of trying to make money for her piano lessons. And of course, it also fits in nicely with Joy’s friendship with Nora.

4) This book deals with the topic of when parents fight. (Spoiler: I felt for Joy over the news that her dad is moving out to get some space. 😦 But, even bigger Spoiler Alert: I like how the parents are working things out by the end of the book. End Spoiler.)

5) I like the mystery of the poem and notes on the wall. I like how Joy wants to help this person. (On a side note: I wasn’t too surprised to find out the identity of the person, but I know Joy wasn’t expecting it!)