Once again, I find myself falling in love with Laurie Halse Anderson's writing. Elspeth Culpepper is a 13-year-old girl living in Boston and a survivoOnce again, I find myself falling in love with Laurie Halse Anderson's writing. Elspeth Culpepper is a 13-year-old girl living in Boston and a survivor of the smallpox epidemic that took her mother and siblings. Her father, her only living relative, has gone missing, and she has to figure out a way to survive on her own, even while relationships between the Colonies and Great Britain degrade and smallpox continues to spread. During a time when there is a strict divide between the servant class and the gentry and where the patriarchy rules, Elspeth faces a grim and uncertain future. But with her wits and willingness to do what it takes; she is able to work for a Patriot family even though she was originally working for a Loyalist judge. Also living with the family is a sharp-tongued housekeeper who has been with the family for years, and a gentry girl who is temporarily living with the family as her grandmother recuperates from her illness.
I loved Elspeth's voice as she narrates her daily trials and tribulations and shares with us her keen observations of everything going on around her. It was clear that Anderson did her research about the time and place, and she included events that happened in history, including Abigail Adams bringing her family to Boston for the smallpox inoculations in an effort to stem the spread of the horrendous disease.
This story brought forth a wide range of emotions, including laughter, frustration, anger, and tears of sadness and love. Anderson did not sugarcoat anything, but she did give us an ending that was both realistic and hopeful. I highly recommend this story and will be recommending it to my students as well as middle school teachers. This would be a great book to use as a crossover between history, English, and science!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley and the publishers. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more
This short read was a fun romp in the spy genre with middle school students taking the reign. This is actually the second book in the series, but I doThis short read was a fun romp in the spy genre with middle school students taking the reign. This is actually the second book in the series, but I don't feel like I missed anything by not reading the first book, although I would definitely like to read it as well.
What I really liked was the representation of children with disabilities--the main character, Noah Baker, lost his hearing and was accidentally fitted for cochlear implants that can be turned on to hear people's thoughts. His partner, Lena, is a girl with one leg and the two of them have been recruited to be spies. While I didn't read the first book, it is clear that they don't entirely get along. She's really good at anything intellectual, while he struggles with anything not of his interest. It's clear to me that he needs to work with his hands. I like that they're both exceptional in their own ways and that they don't automatically get along just because they're both good at what they do. I really enjoyed how their relationship morphed over the course of this story, but I also really liked that Noah ended up making a good friend of his own. It is clear from the ending that Noah and Lena still don't know who they can fully trust, but I think they're starting to realize they can trust each other, and that's cool. I would love to read future books with them.
As a side note, I'm definitely curious about their handlers. They seem like they might be trustworthy, but it's hard to tell--I'm sure that is part of the mystery. But I really liked Ruth Ann, who seems to be a temporary character. She is a mother figure who has seen things, and I just liked how she was that wise and comforting figure that they needed.
Anyway, this is a middle school book and is a quick read, but I very much enjoyed it and want to read other books in the series. I hope the author will write more books about Noah and Lena!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from BookSirens. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more
I really think that these books get better and better as the series progresses, in part because Rieden Reece is maturing and you can see his self-contI really think that these books get better and better as the series progresses, in part because Rieden Reece is maturing and you can see his self-control and reasoning abilities grow over time. I loved that a large part of this story took place in a virtual reality game and while I still think that at least Brian has proved himself time and time again so that Rieden should learn to trust him. But again, he decides that not only is he the only one who can ultimately solve the problem, but he feels like because this is all his fault (he takes that one), it is his responsibility to solve it. I think there are a number of middle school kids who could relate to that, especially those who struggle with mental health like Rieden does. Just because I can see that he's probably about to make a big mistake with a choice, it doesn't mean that he should have known better. Still, I think he dealt with enough of the consequences of some of his poor choices/actions that he seems to have learned some deep lessons by the end. Does that mean he will finally fully trust Brian? Should he? I think that is a struggle any of us have, but especially middle school children. I like that Matt Guzman has created this flawed character who ultimately is trying to make the right decisions but seems to have trouble doing so. It took me a couple of books to really warm up to RR, but I'm really glad I stuck with this series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from BookSirens. All thoughts and opinions are my own....more
Did this amuse me? Yes. Did anything happen? Depends on your point of view. There's not much to this story, except what your imagination cooks up, witDid this amuse me? Yes. Did anything happen? Depends on your point of view. There's not much to this story, except what your imagination cooks up, with the help of great artwork. I can imagine reading this to my kids way back before they could read, and just making up whatever I wanted, lol! I think you have to have a sense of humor to appreciate this book, but I enjoyed it....more
A solid 3 stars that makes me want to continue with the second book
It took me a lot longer to get through this book than I was expecting, and there waA solid 3 stars that makes me want to continue with the second book
It took me a lot longer to get through this book than I was expecting, and there was much that I liked about it. However, it was a dual timeline story with the story in past being told in 1�2-page increments that were told in a decidedly fairy tale style. While I think a second reading might benefit me more, these pages felt like interruptions to me and I was more engrossed by the present-day happenings than by the past happenings, even if there was a connection between them. After a while, I started skimming the stuff that was happening in the past quickly so that I could get back to what was happening with Eva.
I loved the obvious nod to Narnia, as that was one of my favorite fantasy books growing up. But I would much have preferred more about what was happening in the other world rather than the little snippets we got. The stories of this other world were Eva's favorites growing up and when she visits the grandmother she never knew she had, she starts to figure out that perhaps those stories were more than just stories. But I wanted to hear more about those stories so that we could grow to love this possible world just as Eva did. Still, as she meets her obviously unhappy grandmother, she gets drawn into the mystery of what made her this way, and why, if such an alternate world exists (assuming it does), her grandmother would want to avoid all mention of such a world. The world she learned from her stories was one of mystery and magic. Instead, from her grandmother, she gets vibes of anger and fear.
Eva is 14 in this novel, but there are times when she acts like she's older and other times she acts like she's far younger. She often thinks she understands more than the adults and so will disobey them if she thinks she's right. Similarly, sometimes she is a good friend to Frankie and other times, she acts as if her views are more important than his. That said, there are times when she feels remorse, which I think is natural for the age. I think it does not help that her mother has been traumatized by her rocky relationship with her grandmother who is clearly dealing with past trauma. But that said, there were times when I didn't like how Eva or her mom or her grandmother behaved. It's definitely an example about how personal tragedies can cause trauma to make its way down the generations. Her father doesn't really show up in this story and I wish he did. All we know about him is what Eva or her mom talks about. But I would have liked more direct interaction with him even if it was a phone call with Eva or something like that.
I loved the setting with its beautiful gardens and topiary. I loved the gardener Stokes and the care he took to create such a place. I loved how art, childhood stories, the garden, and tapestries all played a part in this story.
I think this is a story that one needs to read slowly and let it sink in. I did enjoy it and will be reading the second book shortly. But despite Eva getting some answers, I feel like much of everything was unresolved. There is some talk about some enemy, but we don't really learn much, if at all--perhaps that enemy will show up in the second book? Either way, I look forward to reading the second book.
Books set during the pandemic can be very depressing, especially having lived through it, but I like this one that portrayed how the community pulled Books set during the pandemic can be very depressing, especially having lived through it, but I like this one that portrayed how the community pulled together despite what they were being told by the government, and at the heart of it were children who saw how they could help. Yes, Mei was absolutely grieving about her mom and her dad's bottling up about his feelings over it did not help, as did her aunt's distancing herself from them after the fact. There was plenty of guilt, grief, and anger, but I loved how Mei, with the help of her online friends, found her own way of helping her community, despite what the adults were telling her.
Overall, this was one of the more uplifting pandemic-set stories with a main character that I ended up really liking. I would recommend this book to middle school and high school students. ...more
This was a sweet book with a fable about making and living with the choices you make, and about returning hCute picture book that’s also good in audio
This was a sweet book with a fable about making and living with the choices you make, and about returning home. The illustrations were beautiful and I can see parents reading this out loud to their kids. I enjoyed Trevor Noah’s narration, and this is one story that is perfect at the intended speed. I would recommend this book. ...more
I listened to this book, and I think the only thing that would have made it better would have been if I had the illustrations and map as I li4.5 stars
I listened to this book, and I think the only thing that would have made it better would have been if I had the illustrations and map as I listened to the story of Wander's travels. The audiobook was narrated by Kirby Heybourne and he did an excellent job. There were many places where the story read more like verse and listening to Kirby's narration really brought it alive for me.
And its heart, this is a story of survival, as a wolf pup is born and then learns the ways of the wolves from his loving parents. However, during an invasion by another wolfpack, Wander loses his way and ends up traveling miles from where he was born. A wolf is not meant to be alone and we learn about what he has to do to survive, including teaming up with a Raven for a time. In the end, he ends up in an area that has not seen wolves for many years and is able to make his home there with another solitary wolf.
I love that this story was inspired by a real wolf who ended up traveling miles from where he was born (he was tracked by biologists, I believe). He and another wolf ended up starting a new pack in an area that had not seen wolves in generations.
I think this would be an awesome book for fans of The One and Only Ivan, or Pax. This definitely makes me want to read Perry's other books, probably starting with Into the Wild. I discovered this book because one of my students recommended it, so I'm so glad he did! Highly recommended!...more
I liked this story and I liked the ending, but I felt like it was a pretty weak ending to what has been a really fun series. First off, the w3.5 stars
I liked this story and I liked the ending, but I felt like it was a pretty weak ending to what has been a really fun series. First off, the whole time travel thing started to get confusing in the last book, but it really ramped up in this one. I got confused about which timeline we were talking about, and Second's genius became completely off the charts as we learn what he was able to accomplish as a 13-year-old with regards to time travel. In fact, by that point, I couldn't remember if he had known about time travel before that or if he'd had previous experiences or if there was one timeline where he did or did not know; I was somewhat lost about that whole thing. I also wasn't a fan of Jordan, who was really kind of a spoiled brat. Looking back, I think he was kind of like how Jonah was at the very beginning, except we've had the opportunity to watch Jonah (and Katherine) mature over 7 books. Jordan seemed to do a similar maturing, except he did it much faster and that just seemed a bit unrealistic. Despite these flaws, I do like how redemption was possible for Second, and the way the author accomplished the redemption was fitting, especially when it comes to the Skidmore family. As unrealistic as the speed of Jordan's maturity and understanding of time travel was, I did like how he came to understand how fortunate he really was. But this series has always been about Jonah (and Katherine), as well as JB, and I feel like they didn't get nearly the amount of screen time I wanted them to have. So I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I would still recommend the series though!
Merged review:
3.5 stars
I liked this story and I liked the ending, but I felt like it was a pretty weak ending to what has been a really fun series. First off, the whole time travel thing started to get confusing in the last book, but it really ramped up in this one. I got confused about which timeline we were talking about, and Second's genius became completely off the charts as we learn what he was able to accomplish as a 13-year-old with regards to time travel. In fact, by that point, I couldn't remember if he had known about time travel before that or if he'd had previous experiences or if there was one timeline where he did or did not know; I was somewhat lost about that whole thing. I also wasn't a fan of Jordan, who was really kind of a spoiled brat. Looking back, I think he was kind of like how Jonah was at the very beginning, except we've had the opportunity to watch Jonah (and Katherine) mature over 7 books. Jordan seemed to do a similar maturing, except he did it much faster and that just seemed a bit unrealistic. Despite these flaws, I do like how redemption was possible for Second, and the way the author accomplished the redemption was fitting, especially when it comes to the Skidmore family. As unrealistic as the speed of Jordan's maturity and understanding of time travel was, I did like how he came to understand how fortunate he really was. But this series has always been about Jonah (and Katherine), as well as JB, and I feel like they didn't get nearly the amount of screen time I wanted them to have. So I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I would still recommend the series though!...more
This was a fun little adventure that felt kind of like Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys meets Rick Riordan. I believe it's the third book in the serie3.5-4 stars
This was a fun little adventure that felt kind of like Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys meets Rick Riordan. I believe it's the third book in the series, but there's enough asides and back explanation that it's okay if you haven't read the first two (I haven't). This is fairly well written and edited and the story held my attention throughout. The mythology aspects felt somewhat superficial, but I think it worked fine for a middle school book and I enjoyed getting to know some of the characters. The point of view shifted between the medium, Mr. Monsento, and Abby, one of the three kids running the detective agency. I always had to pause a bit to make sure I knew who was narrating and I think it would have been helpful to have some sort of indication of whose story it was going to be, but overall, it wasn't too bad. I rounded up because I enjoyed the ending and it makes me want to read more stories from this series.
Thanks to #DLDugger, #NetGalley, and the publisher for this ARC of #TheFantasticPhantasmicDetectiveAgency in exchange for an honest review.
Merged review:
3.5-4 stars
This was a fun little adventure that felt kind of like Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys meets Rick Riordan. I believe it's the third book in the series, but there's enough asides and back explanation that it's okay if you haven't read the first two (I haven't). This is fairly well written and edited and the story held my attention throughout. The mythology aspects felt somewhat superficial, but I think it worked fine for a middle school book and I enjoyed getting to know some of the characters. The point of view shifted between the medium, Mr. Monsento, and Abby, one of the three kids running the detective agency. I always had to pause a bit to make sure I knew who was narrating and I think it would have been helpful to have some sort of indication of whose story it was going to be, but overall, it wasn't too bad. I rounded up because I enjoyed the ending and it makes me want to read more stories from this series.
Thanks to #DLDugger, #NetGalley, and the publisher for this ARC of #TheFantasticPhantasmicDetectiveAgency in exchange for an honest review....more
I'm very much enjoying this series, which is perfect when I'm in the mood for something easy to read, but also fun and interesting. I think it would bI'm very much enjoying this series, which is perfect when I'm in the mood for something easy to read, but also fun and interesting. I think it would be perfect for kids who love the Lemony Snickett books, Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom, or perhaps Mr. Lemoncello's library. Olive is a likable protagonist who, while she doesn't always have the best decision-making skills, has plenty of courage and a willingness to put herself out for someone else in need. I never heard of this series when my kids were growing up, but I think they would have enjoyed it back then.
If you haven't read the first book, stop reading the reviews for this book because you'll probably run into spoilers for the first book! That said, I'll try to keep this as spoiler-free as possible. At the end of the last book, Olive had accomplished quite a bit in saving the world, so to speak, but her friend Morton still needed help. As she tries to get the cats to help her with his situation (they basically seem reluctant to help for reasons of their own), she ends up getting drawn into further adventures in the paintings. There is also a new (nerdy) kid next door who may or may not know more about what's going on.
I really enjoyed this adventure and look forward to continuing with the series!...more
Somehow, I ended up missing this series when my children were young. This was published when they were toddlers, and while they read a lot of books whSomehow, I ended up missing this series when my children were young. This was published when they were toddlers, and while they read a lot of books when they were growing up, fantasy was not always their first choice (except for Harry Potter). Still, if this series had crossed my path, I probably would have read it to them or borrowed it for them to read.
I really enjoyed this unique series about 11-year-old Olive, the only daughter of two extremely intelligent mathematicians who just so happens to be really bad at math. Still, while it's apparent that her parents love her, they spend most of the book lost in their math world. When they interact with her, they do talk to her like she's a responsible and thinking person, but they often think that her understanding of math will eventually come and in the meantime there's no need to force it.
Thus, this story is mostly about Olive and what she discovers in this house with talking cats (although her parents don't know they talk). I don't want to spoil this in case you haven't read it, but suffice it to say, she has a mystery to solve and talking cats and paintings are involved.
I enjoyed this introduction to this series and will be continuing. ...more
I absolutely loved this book, and it's one that I think I would have appreciated more if I had read it alongside people of the Jewish faith, 4.5 stars
I absolutely loved this book, and it's one that I think I would have appreciated more if I had read it alongside people of the Jewish faith, especially Orthodox Judaism. I listened to the book, but I also read parts of the book to a student who is a reluctant reader. The narration really enhanced the story for me because I could hear the proper pronunciation of words and the humor came through more clearly. The protagonist is young Yehuda "Hoodie" Rosen whose family has been made to move to Tregaron, which is a fictional town located near Philly (I think). His father is the head of a construction company that is supposed to build a high-rise building meant for Orthodox families, but the town is not exactly thrilled that his community has moved into the town. The town's mayor, Monica Diaz-O'Leary, is leading the opposition, but unfortunately, Hoodie develops first love feelings for her daughter, Anna-Marie, who, as you can tell from the name, is not Jewish, let alone Orthodox. As his forbidden (literally) friendship with Anna-Marie grows, antisemitism explodes in town, leading to tragedy. Despite not knowing many of the terms used in this book (and this is when I would have loved reading this story alongside a Jewish person), I loved learning about the challenges he faced trying to straddle two worlds. The Yeshiva scenes (his school) were both informative and humorous as the boys and the rebbe wrestled with different topics from the Talmud and the boys did their best to bring up every loophole they could think of. Hoodie's older and wiser sister Zippy was one of my favorite characters, and I loved how she loved him for who he was and supported him without betraying her own convictions. In many ways, she was the mentor he needed as he struggled with what he had always been taught, what he thought he believed, and what he might believe in the future. While Blum shares some of the struggles that one might have when your core beliefs don't quite fit with what the people around you think, I like that Hoodie's struggles don't lead to a rejection of the faith, but rather flexibility in thinking that allows him to keep his devotion to God, which so clearly means something to him, but also makes sense to him.
I read this book because my student was reading it, and he was completely bored by it, but that is not an indictment of this book because he finds all books to be boring. But I decided to read it so that I could at least have discussions with him and perhaps help him see some of the interesting aspects of this book. I honestly was blown away by how much Blum fit into 200 pages, and found this to be a moving, informative, and yes, humorous book, and think it would be an excellent book for class discussions as well as book clubs.
When this book showed up in “first reads� I absolutely had to get it. It’s sort of a riff on Romeo and Juliet except with a haThe cutest little story!
When this book showed up in “first reads� I absolutely had to get it. It’s sort of a riff on Romeo and Juliet except with a happy ending. This thing made me smile throughout and I think kids (and kids at heart) will love this story with its colorful and adorable illustrations. I also liked the little notes at the end about the different kinds of boobies. Highly recommended....more
Confession--I was not a fan of Rieden Reece when I started this series. But elements of it were interesting enough that I wanted to keep on reading afConfession--I was not a fan of Rieden Reece when I started this series. But elements of it were interesting enough that I wanted to keep on reading after finishing the first book. The second book was more of the same, and part of it was that Rieden Reece is not the most instantly likable of protagonists. But I think that works for him because how many of us have gone through middle school feeling like you're the odd man out? I liked the third book much more, partly because Rieden had grown on me, but also because you can feel his frustration and confusion as well as his anger, and given what he's gone through, it's understandable. However, this is the first time when Rieden even acknowledges that he's no longer sure whether he's looking at alternative realities, other worlds, or if it's possibly all in his head and his so-called friends (except Brian--he's definitely Rieden's friend) are just humoring him. You also start to wonder if Rieden SHOULD trust some of the adults around him or if he's right to not trust them. I'm often not a fan of books that send the message that children shouldn't trust adults, but I think there's enough nuance here that as Rieden works through his different relationships, he's starting to make distinctions between the different adults. The other thing I like is that more than Rieden Reece just growing on me, he really does do some maturing throughout these four books including how he relates to his peers and to the adults around him, and that's good to see. Without heading into spoiler territory, there are times in this book when he acknowledges that maybe he's been wrong about girls as Shelley and Lisa act like superheroes in a major battle. That was a pretty fun scene and Matt Guzman's imagination of Ri's imagination as he creates the tools he needs with the glove is pretty wild. I think middle school kids would have a lot of fun with that scene.
Overall, I'm really enjoying this series and am looking forward to the next one!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from Book Sirens. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more
I loved this story for 7 years and up and think it would be the perfect book in a book fair. I can see both elementary and even younger middle school I loved this story for 7 years and up and think it would be the perfect book in a book fair. I can see both elementary and even younger middle school students enjoying this quick read about a dragon who is smaller, weaker, and less skilled than everyone around him, but who has a dream about growing up to become a battle dragon so that he can protect his village. No one believes in him, not even his family, but his family reluctantly lets him go to Battle School when he surprisingly gets accepted. This is a story about hard work and perseverance and heart trumping natural talents, and this first book in the series introduces us to the legend of Fennec Swordtail. Fennec was a very likable protagonist and I liked that he had an awesome teacher in Master Svala, as well as a cool best friend, Xara, even if she had her own doubts about his ability. I think many kids would enjoy this story, as well as the illustrations (although I have the Kindle edition and the illustrations are not in color), but I think it's especially for those kids who have always been told they're "not enough". This is a message for them that through hard work and perseverance, they will be able to prove the naysayers wrong.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from BookSirens. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more
I've read a number of books by Pakistani authors, but this is one of the few I've read that takes place in a Pakistani village. It focuses on Amal, thI've read a number of books by Pakistani authors, but this is one of the few I've read that takes place in a Pakistani village. It focuses on Amal, the oldest daughter of Malik and Mehnaz with 4 younger sisters. When her mom has a severe case of postpartum depression after the birth of her latest daughter, Amal has to drop out of school to take care of her younger siblings and the household, putting her dreams to be a teacher on hold. Things fall completely apart when she disrespects the son of the rich and powerful family that runs everything in her village, and she is forced to be an indentured servant. While she quickly learns "her place" at the bottom of the totem pole, she is thankfully assigned to the matriarch of the family who shows her some kindness, having grown up in the same village as Amal. This book addressed many important themes, including a patriarchal society where girls are valued much less than boys, the education of girls is not a given, the corruption of power, postpartum depression, and those not in power working together to overthrow corrupt power.
Our school libraries need more books like this, and Aisha Saeed's writing is very accessible for young readers, especially considering some of the heavy topics that she addresses. I highly recommend this read....more
I used to run the scholastic book fair at my daughters' elementary school for 6 years, and the Dav Pilkey books were among the most popular books, wheI used to run the scholastic book fair at my daughters' elementary school for 6 years, and the Dav Pilkey books were among the most popular books, whether it was the Captain Underpants books or the Dog Man books. I preferred the Dog Man books because they were somewhat less in the realm of bathroom humor, but also because they tended to have fewer grammatical errors (yes, I know the Captain Underpants errors are deliberate). Still, although these books are not meant for adults, I can see the appeal, from the colorful illustrations to the silly humor, to the easy-to-read stories. There were many kids who didn't consider themselves readers who would gravitate to these books, and in my humble opinion, any book that makes a kid look forward to book fair is a good book.
While the creator is clearly a dog person, I do like that this book and the previous book has a cat that is good, rather than the evil nemesis. Still, I wonder why he had to make the evil villain a cat, lol! I am absolutely 100% biased because while I appreciate dogs, we are a cat household, and we love our cats. This is the only reason why this series might not appeal as much to kids who are cat lovers.
Another thing I like is how the titles of some of the chapters are parodies of books by John Steinbeck. Presumably, the main story is a riff off of East of Eden (he includes a couple of direct quotes from the book), but only loosely. I also learned that Onigiri means rice balls in Japanese and Timshel is the Hebrew word for "Thou Mayest" which plays a part in this story. Any books where I can learn something new makes me enjoy it even more.
This book and series are perfect for elementary and even middle school kids, especially those who are reluctant readers. ...more
This was a really fun middle school novel that was a mix of realistic fiction and cultural magic. It incorporates Afro-Caribbean lore, history, and myThis was a really fun middle school novel that was a mix of realistic fiction and cultural magic. It incorporates Afro-Caribbean lore, history, and mythology in the middle of Brooklyn, New York City. I liked the realism of three cousins who don't necessarily like each other discovering that they each have an aspect of their generation's magic and that they need to learn to trust themselves and each other as they frantically try to figure out who is hurting their neighbors and friends even as they get ready for their annual Carnival celebrations over Labor Day Weekend. I enjoyed getting to know each of the three cousins and loved learning about the many stories of the magical creatures that are part of their heritage. Part of this was learning how many stories were lost while others were changed as the slaves were taken first to the Carribean and later to America.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and think it would be great for the intended middle school ages, but it would be great for anyone who enjoys this genre of story.
I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. ...more
It took me a little while to get hooked by this, more so than with Tristan Strong, partly because I wasn’t at all familiar with the magic system or thIt took me a little while to get hooked by this, more so than with Tristan Strong, partly because I wasn’t at all familiar with the magic system or the mythology. I don’t know if this story’s magic is based at all on real mythology, but I found it interesting trying to figure it out. Jax is in 6th grade, but he is big for his age, like people think he’s in high school or older. In part because of his size, he gets into trouble in his hometown in North Carolina and is thus shipped off to Chicago to live with his Uncle Moe and grandmother. While most of the kids in this story have grown up steeped in their ancestor magic, Jax thinks he is hallucinating when he first starts seeing strange things. Before you know it, he’s caught up into something he knows nothing about. But he’s a quick learner, or at least he has to be, and I like that even when he makes mistakes, he does it mostly out of ignorance, but he’s learns quickly and he’s willing to admit his shortcomings. I also like how he chose to be friends with Nina and Devin, as well as Toussaint “Two Saint� regardless of sides and factions, but he didn’t choose it just to be contrary. Rather he thought it about it and came to a conscious decision to do so. I also really enjoyed the teasing and interactions between them. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and can recommend it, especially if you were a fan of the Tristan Strong series. I can’t wait for the next story, which is nicely set up at the end, without being a cliffhanger!...more
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