New year, old books

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I’m trying out a few tweaks to my schedule in the new year, and this has led to more reading! So instead of my usual practice of taking a few weeks off at the beginning of January, waiting for new books to pile up, I have a few more 2024 posts to share. To start, here are three books that would be perfect for middle school or early high school readers, a demographic that often gets neglected, as they’re often feeling too old for middle grade but not quite ready for many young adult books.

Boy 2.0 by Tracy Baptiste (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 304 pages, grades 5-9). The story opens with Coal going to live with a new foster family after his long-term foster father had a mental breakdown. When Coal sneaks off to do a chalk drawing commemorating a woman shot by the police, he’s confronted by a man with a rifle. He runs off, trying to evade the police, and is amazed when they surround him but don’t seem to see him. Looking down at his body, he realizes he has become invisible, a condition that gradually reverses itself when the crisis is over. The rest of the story details his search for answers about this new power he had, leading him to new realizations about his birth mother as well as a deep conspiracy that includes both of his foster families. Although there’s a certain necessity to suspend disbelief, readers will love this page-turning science fiction adventure.

Bye Forever, I Guess by Jodi Meadows (Holiday House, 288 pages, grades 5-9). Awkward, shy Ingrid has a secret–she’s Anony Mouse on Scrollr, where she has a popular scroll called Bye Forever, I Guess, posting wrong-number texts that she’s received. The only people who know about her scroll are her online gaming friend Lorren, her grandmother who’s raised her since her parents died, and her best friend Rachel. When Rachel betrays her, Ingrid is afraid her secret will get out, but she’s soon distracted by a mysterious boy who sent her a wrong-number text. They start texting and gaming, and before long she finds herself with a huge crush–even though she only knows him by his gaming name, Traveler. As things unravel in Ingrid’s real life, she starts to wish she could meet Traveler in person, a wish that’s granted when they agree to meet at a bookstore where their favorite author is signing a long-awaited book. Their meeting provides a shocking surprise to Ingrid–and an extremely surprising and romantic ending to their story. While Traveler’s identity seemed glaringly obvious to me by about halfway through the book, Ingrid remains clueless. Just as I was getting completely frustrated by this, the bookstore meeting proved so sweet that I forgave Ingrid and the author everything. Fans of the genre will undoubtedly enjoy this nerdy tech-infused romance.

Keeping Pace by Laurie Morrison (Harry N. Abrams, 304 pages, grades 5-9). Grace’s focus throughout middle school has been on academic achievement, specifically to win the top student award at eighth grade graduation and to beat her rival and former best friend Jonah. When Jonah bests her by half a point, Grace is devastated and faces a depressing summer. Her more laid-back sister and cousin help her come up with a list of goals for the summer that include making a new friend, taking a baby-sitting job to help her dad’s new girlfriend, taking a class just for fun, and running a half marathon. Grace secretly plots to beat Jonah, who is also running the half marathon, but as the summer unfolds, an injury derails her plans. Meanwhile, shifting relationships cause Grace to begin to question her single-minded ambitions: a new friend that she meets who’s recently given up competitive gymnastics to pursue other interests; her dad’s career ambitions that get in the way of his relationships, and most of all, her former friendship with Jonah that’s rekindled as they train for the race. As with Bye Forever, I Guess, I got kind of frustrated by the drawn-out will-they-or-won’t-they romance between Grace and Jonah, but it would undoubtedly speak to a younger teen reader, and I really liked the message about the importance of living a balanced life.

Five favorite nonfiction books

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The Soldier’s Friend: Walt Whitman’s Extraordinary Service in the American Civil War by Gary Golio, illustrated by E. B. Lewis. I surprised myself by choosing this book as one of my favorites for the year, but as I looked over the nonfiction books I read in 2024, I realized the story of Walt Whitman’s services during the dark years of the Civil War had really stuck with me. His simple acts of kindness to all, never taking sides even when the nation was deeply divided, is an inspiration.

Evidence! How Dr. John Snow Solved the Mystery of Cholera by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Nik Henderson. This exciting medical mystery expertly incorporates details about cholera and nineteenth-century London as it relates, step by step, the story of Dr. John Snow’s careful research and perseverance that put a stop to a cholera outbreak in 1854. I’m hoping this will be considered for a Sibert award.

Shift Happens: The History of Labor in the United States by J. Albert Mann. I learned so much from reading this book about labor struggles from the earliest days of American history. It’s easy to get discouraged by the patterns of wealthy corporations oppressing poor working people that have occurred over and over to the present day, but there are plenty of inspiring stories as well, and it’s all told with an irreverent humor that teen readers will appreciate.

This Book Will Make You an Artist by Ruth Millington, illustrated by Ellen Surrey. As a kid, I would have loved to have taken a class based on this book (actually, I still would enjoy such a class) which combines profiles of 25 different artists with step-by-step instructions to create projects based on their art.

Kindred Spirits: Shilombish Ittibachvffa by Leslie Stall Widener, illustrated by Johnson Yazzie. The story of the connection between the Choctaw and Irish people, forged during the potato famine in the 1800’s and strengthened during the Covid pandemic, is very moving and was the perfect coda to my exploration of indigenous communities in New England this summer.

Five favorite early chapter books

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Stella & Marigold by Annie Barrows, illustrated by Sophie Blackall (Chronicle Books, 101 pages, ages 6-9). This beautiful book about two sisters by the author and illustrator of Ivy and Bean would make an excellent read-aloud. Each chapter is a stand-alone story, although the stories do connect somewhat. This would also make a nice gift for a new big sibling.

The Egg Incident by Ziggy Hanaor, illustrated by Daisy Wynter (Cicada Books, 72 pages, grades 1-4). Humphrey Dumpty has the world’s most overprotective parents after the incident involving his Uncle Humpty. But an adventurous princess changes Humphrey’s perspective and he in turns helps his parents to loosen up a bit. Somewhere between a picture book and a graphic novel, this delivers humor that both kids and adults will appreciate, as well as a gentle message for parents who may have helicopter tendencies.

Rise of the Green Flame (Kwame’s Magic Quest book 1) by Bernard Mensah, illustrated by Natasha Nayo (Scholastic, 96 pages, grades 1-4). There’s plenty of action and a Harry Potter vibe in this new Branches series that takes place at a school of magic in Ghana. I’m looking forward to using this as a third grade book club book in January.

Little Shrew by Akiko Miyakoshi (Kids Can Press, 72 pages, grades K-3). I found myself thinking about this book for quite awhile after I read it, appreciating the mindfulness and joy Little Shrew brings to his daily routines. Sure, it’s a cute early chapter book that kids will enjoy, but perhaps also a meditative tool for adults to use as they contemplate their lives.

Born Naughty: My Childhood in China by Jin Wang with Tony Johnston, illustrated by Anisi Baigude (Anne Schwartz Books, 112 pages, grades 2-5). Imagine Ramona Quimby living in 1980’s Mongolia, and you’ll have a good sense of Jin Wang’s lively childhood memoir. Her adventures may seem like they took place in a different world (and century), but her happy home and village feel universal.

Five+ favorite graphic novels

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Boy vs. Shark by Paul Gilligan. While I personally enjoyed this story for its look back to the summer of 1975 when the movie Jaws happily terrorized every young swimmer, it’s also a timeless tale of growing up and navigating peer pressure and changing friendships. I appreciated seeing this sort of story being written with a boy main character.

The Monster and the Maze (Monkey King and the World of Myths) by Maple Lam. This fun and engaging adventure seamlessly wove together Chinese and Greek mythology, as Sun Wukong the Monkey King traveled to Crete to battle/befriend the Minotaur. I’m happy that Amazon lists book 2 of this series to be released in August.

Lies My Teacher Told Me: A Graphic Adaptation by James W. Loewen, adapted and illustrated by Nate Powell. James Loewen’s book, originally published in 1995, will undoubtedly reach a new audience with this graphic version. While this appears to be a young adult book, all Americans would do well to read it and learn how wrong history textbooks are, skewing our knowledge of our country in a way that affects our decisions to this day. If I may sneak in a sixth favorite, I will say that The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by John Hendrix was a close runner-up for my favorite young adult nonfiction graphic novel.

Band Camp #1: All Together Now! by Brian “Smitty” Smith. On a lighter note, I thoroughly enjoyed this story of a bunch of underdog musical instruments enjoying camp together. While the ending felt a little abrupt, you can now find out what happens next in book 2, released in September.

Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by LeUyen Pham. I started the new year by moving out of my middle grade fiction comfort zone to read this well-written, beautifully illustrated young adult graphic novel by an award-winning author-illustrator team. The introduction to lion dancing helped me appreciate another (yikes, a seventh favorite?) graphic novel, Lion Dancers by Cai Tse, when I read it later this year.

Five favorite middle grade books

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Medusa (Myth of Monsters, book 1) by Katherine Marsh. After some trouble at school, Ava and her brother Jax get whisked away to their mother’s alma mater in Venice, a mysterious boarding school where they discover that they are descended from the Greek monster Medusa. Rick Riordan with a feminist twist.

Wrong Way Home by Kate O’Shaughnessy. When Fern and her mother make a secret move in the middle of the night, Fern misses the community she’s grown up in, headed by the wise and charismatic Dr. Ben. But as she experiences life outside of the group, she begins to see its cracks and that Dr. Ben may have been toxic for her and her mom…and might still prove to be dangerous to them.

Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell. Halle and her mother both end up in a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients, where their slow recovery time also allows them to heal some family difficulties. This 1935 historical fiction book takes place at the real-life J. N. Adam Memorial Hospital in Perrysburg, New York.

Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams. Isaiah’s friends Drew and Darius often push him to take on challenges, some of them dangerous, until one proves fatal to Darius. Isaiah has to deal with his guilt about what happened, as well as the changing nature of his friendship with Drew and his realization that he doesn’t have to prove himself.

Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston. 12-year-old Sharkita will do anything to keep herself and her two younger siblings out of foster care, but her unstable mother relies on her too heavily to keep their family together, and the stress of the situation starts to put unbearable pressure on Sharkita.

Five favorite picture books to share

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Dalmartian: A Mars Rover’s Story by Lucy Ruth Cummins. Lucy Ruth Cummins is underrated, in my opinion. This quirky story about a dog-like alien who gets left behind on Earth celebrates the power of friendship, with illustrations that revealed new details with each re-reading.

One Giant Leap by Thao Lam. Speaking of interesting details, this wordless book is full of them, leading up to a surprise ending. When I read this to kids, we would always have to go back to the beginning and look at the way the illustrations gave hints about what was really happening in a story that only appeared to take place on the moon.

Mr. Fox’s Game of “No!” by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. The award-winning team who created See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog and its sequels gave us another fun and interactive read-aloud. Even teachers cracked up at Mr. Fox’s simple game that makes readers answer no to an increasingly silly set of questions.

Home in a Lunchbox by Cherry Mo. This one could just as easily have been on my Caldecott contenders list. Jun’s story is told with very few words as she navigates her first days at an American school after a move from Hong Kong. Her lunchbox reminds her of happy days with friends and family and eventually leads to some new friends. Kids enjoyed seeing a young Cherry Mo on the back flap and learning that the story is based on her own childhood.

Lucky Duck by Greg Pizzoli. Susan the duck gets a lesson about what’s lucky and what’s unlucky in this hilarious story about how she unwittingly outsmarts a wolf whose plans to make her his dinner are obvious to everyone except her.

Five favorite Newbery contenders

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The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko/And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps. Okay, I lied, there are six books on this list, but I can’t choose between these two! Both are stories of boys dealing with the loss of a grandmother and an unreliable mother, forcing them to shoulder adult responsibilities and a young age. Both authors have won a Newbery Honor (Starfish for Fipps and Al Capone Does My Shirts for Choldenko), and I’d be happy to see a repeat for either or both of them.

Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II by Adam Gidwitz. I read a few books with a World War II setting this year, but this one really stood out with the unique elements and twists that made me love The Inquisitor’s Tale, Gidwitz’s 2017 Newbery Honor book. Max’s story explores antisemitism in Britain, blurring the lines between good and evil that usually characterize World War II fiction. The ending was a huge cliff-hanger, so I’m happy to report that book 2 will be out in February.

Olivetti by Allie Millington. I’ve read a lot of middle grade fiction books, but this is the first one that was narrated (or half narrated) by a typewriter. Olivetti breaks the typewriter code of silence to help 12-year-old Ernest figure out what has happened to his mother in a debut novel that moves between past and present with perfect pacing to tell the story of a family facing hard times.

Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi. It’s rare that a National Book Award winner also gets a Newbery, but we can hope it happens for this novel in verse about Syrian-American Kareem whose middle school problems feel petty when he and his family are directly affected by the 2017 Muslim ban. This is a story that may unfortunately feel more timely at the beginning of 2025.

The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin. Another World War II story by two award-winning young adult writers, this impeccably researched historical fiction novel tells the story of Lizzie and Jakob, a sister and brother drawn into the top-secret events unfolding at Bletchley Park in 1940.

Five favorite Caldecott contenders

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Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall by Lynn Brunelle, illustrated by Jason Chin. Jason Chin has deservedly won both a Caldecott medal and a Sibert honor. I wouldn’t be surprised with either for this beautiful and informative book about how a dead whale supports different forms of life decades into the future.

Being Home by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Michaela Goade. Michaela Goade could easily add a third Caldecott to her collection with this poetic story about a family moving back to the Cherokee reservation, illuminated with Goade’s intricate illustrations that celebrate both nature and the Cherokee culture.

The Yellow Bus by Loren Long. This book got a lot of attention, including a feature in the New York Times. I read it to a few classes and didn’t find it to be a huge favorite, I think in part because of the surprise twist in which the bus winds up at the bottom of the river. But the illustrations are very cool, especially when you learn about the models Loren Long built to create them.

Touch the Sky by Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic, illustrated by Chris Park. Chris Park’s brilliant colored illustrations capture both the emotion of frustration and the feeling of flying as a young boy learns to swing with the assistance of a new friend. I enjoyed sharing this during the first few weeks of school with its relatable message about persistence.

The Last Stand by Antwan Eady, illustrated by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey. Coming off a Caldecott Honor last year, the Pumphrey brothers have created illustrations for a story that reminded me a little of my favorite of theirs, The Old Truck, showing younger generations in a Black family carrying out the work started by their elders.

A couple of courageous kids

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Monster Locker by Jorge Aguirre, illustrated by Andrés Vera Martínez (First Second, 256 pages, grades 4-7). Pablo Ortiz is as about as unlikely a hero as any sixth grader at Garfield Middle School. Basically friendless after an embarrassing incident at his ex-best friend’s house, he winds up with one of the worst lockers, in the school basement. What he doesn’t know is that a dangerous (if slightly goofy) monster named Obie the Evil lurks inside. When Pablo accidentally releases Obie, it sets off a chain events that culminates with Aztec earth goddess Coatlicue setting up her throne on the roof of the school and preparing to destroy humanity, starting with Pablo’s school. Assisted by his fierce abuela, Pablo discovers resources he didn’t know he had, and he and two new friends find a way to not only defeat Coatlicue but befriend her. He and his friends give her a quinceañera, paying their respects by promising to take care of the earth in a variety of ways. Things seem to be getting back to normal, but an appearance by Obie all but guarantees that book 2 is on its way. Includes an introduction to Aztec mythology by Pablo at the end.

With plenty of humor and non-stop adventure, this is sure to be a big hit with upper elementary and middle school readers. Try it out on fans of Rick Riordan and the Last Kids on Earth series. I hope there will be many installments to come, and I could see a Netflix series for Pablo and his friends in the future.

Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell (Holiday House, 208 pages, grades 3-7). Halle has a pretty happy life until Mama is diagnosed with tuberculosis. It’s 1935, when TB means an indefinite stay in a sanatorium. Halle misses her mother terribly, especially when Papa becomes difficult and demanding. One day, Halle decides to walk to the sanatorium to visit her mother, a day’s trip on a route she’s only traveled by car before. As the day goes on, she becomes increasingly exhausted until she finally collapses. After being rescued, she’s diagnosed with pneumonia and sent to the children’s wing of the sanatorium. Although they don’t have symptoms, both Halle and Papa test positive for TB, and it’s decided that it will be easier for both of them to have Halle stay. She’s placed in a room with three other girls, and soon becomes accustomed to the routine of the TB ward: good food, rest, and plenty of fresh air. The death of one of her roommates brings the reality of the disease home, and Halle launches a plan to help her mother get better. Although her good intentions are somewhat misguided, in the end her courage and determination help heal herself and her family, both physically and emotionally. Includes an author’s note with additional information about the J. N. Adam Memorial Hospital in Perrysburg, NY, where the story takes place.

I do enjoy a good hospital story, and it was interesting to learn more about sanatorium life in the 1930’s. The good food, extended periods of rest, and plentiful fresh air honestly sounded a bit like a spa, except for the constant coughing, occasional lung hemorrhages, and possibility of death. Halle’s struggles with family and friends felt genuine, and her perseverance in helping both her parents was inspiring.

A couple of early chapter books

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Emma McKenna, Full Out (The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class book 1) by Kate Messner, illustrated by Kat Fajardo (Algonquin Young Readers, 128 pages, grades 1-4). Emma is excited and nervous about starting third grade at the new Curiosity Academy. Her nerves get the better of her, though, when Lucy, a former best friend turned enemy, walks through the classroom door. Emma does her best to make new friends, but she sometimes feels like her classmates are more interesting than she is. When the school has a competition for a new mascot, Emma chooses a capybara, an animal that is curious and makes friends with all kinds of other animals. By the end of the book, Emma has started to find her groove, giving an almost-winning presentation on the capybara, and making tentative overtures toward mending her differences with Lucy.

Each book in this series focuses on a different kid in Mrs. Z’s class and is written by a different author (librarians, be careful how you catalog this, or the series will end up scattered through your fiction collection). It’s a fun premise for a series, and the first four books are now available, with more coming in 2025. I found Emma’s story perfectly serviceable, although not particularly distinguishable from other spunky girls who are featured in other early chapter book series.

Wrath of the Rain God (Legendarios book 1) by Karla Arenas Valenti, illustrated by Vanessa Morales (Aladdin, 144 pages, grades 2-5). Twins Emma and Martín are not happy to be moving from Cuernavaca, Mexico to Chicago for their father’s new job. Before they leave, their abuela gives them a book of Mexican legends that turns out to be a portal to the places in the stories. They find themselves in an Aztec village that is on the verge of being wiped out by floods. From there, the twins are sent on a quest to help retrieve the lightning bolt belonging to Tlaloc, the rain god, so that he will stop the torrential downpours. The twins are very different from each other, but each has strengths that help them to complete their quest and return home to Chicago, which starts to feel more like home by the end of the book. Includes a glossary.

This has a Percy Jackson vibe, complete with a stolen lightning bolt. Kids who have seen The Lightning Thief movie or TV show but aren’t quite ready for the books may be interested in trying this series instead. They’ll learn a bit about Mexican and Aztec cultures and mythology in a page-turning adventure story with two unique protagonists. Book 2 of the series came out in August, and book 3, a few weeks ago.