Engaging Read - The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls

This is a lovely and enjoyable book! Engaging characters, steampunk setting, fun premise – I was hooked.

The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls by Judith Rossell

From the publisher: Dial Books (May 27, 2025)

For fans of The Swifts and A Series of Unfortunate Events comes the story of a young orphan at the edge of society who finds herself at the center of a city’s secrets.

Maggie Fishbone is not expecting much when she’s sent to the Midwatch Institute for Orphans, Runaways, and Wayward Girls—the last resort after causing a ruckus at the orphanage where she was living. Except . . . the Institute isn’t some dreadful, dreary place like she thought.

Instead it’s full of curious girls training to solve mysteries, fight bad guys, and keep the city safe. In between fencing lessons and discovering all the shortcuts in the building, Maggie finds herself making friends at the Midwatch and finally feeling like she’s home. And when a woman goes missing, Maggie’s off on her first assignment, with each step leading her deeper into the secrets of the city.

With gorgeous black-and-white illustrations and pages of “Useful Things Every Girl Should Know” (like how send messages in morse code and how to shout extremely loudly), The Midwatch is a whimsical, adventure-filled mystery from internationally bestselling author-illustrator Judith Rossell.

There’s so much to adore in this novel. The illustrations are fantastic, the Useful Things Every Girl Should Know are fun instructions interspersed throughout the book. There’s adventure all the way through and fabulous characters to meet. And who doesn’t enjoy saving a librarian?! And fighting against a glamorous villain? I hope there are more coming to make this a wonderful series. 

Awesome MG - The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko

I have been away from posting for a few months. I've been to Canada a few times to see my mom, as her health declined. She is now free from earthly ties. But it's been a lot the past few months. This book has been one of the first I've read in quite a while to re-engage me and transport me, and I am very grateful for that.

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko

From the publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (June 11, 2024)

When eleven-year-old Hank’s mom doesn’t come home, he takes care of his toddler sister, Boo, like he always does. But it’s been a week now. They are out of food and mom has never stayed away this long… Hank knows he needs help, so he and Boo seek out the stranger listed as their emergency contact.

But asking for help has consequences. It means social workers, and a new school, and having to answer questions about his mom that he's been trying to keep secret. And if they can't find his mom soon, Hank and Boo may end up in different foster homes--he could lose everything.

This is a heart-wrenching, healing, and ultimately hopeful story about how complicated family can be. About how you can love someone, even when you can’t rely on them. And about the transformative power of second chances.

 

This book is so good – everything about it is good – the writing, editing, characters, setting, plot – perfect. Did I miss anything?

Hank is easy to identify with. We know what it’s like to make mistakes, hate making them, and the true cost of them. And what you would do to fix them.

It’s a personal story for Gennifer Choldenko. Every page rings true. Parents are people with flaws, addictions, and limitations. The cost of those things is the effects they have on the children and how they cope, compensate and do whatever it takes to be loved.

I’m sorry to have read this book so much later than when it originally came out. But I am so lucky to have a wonderful friend who gifted it to me. I am a big fan of Gennifer Choldenko and this book does not disappoint.  

A Wow MG - Black Star by Kwame Alexander

Black Star by Kwame Alexander

From the publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (September 24, 2024)

The riveting second book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Door of No Return trilogy stars Kofi’s granddaughter, Charley, who’s set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball but who soon has to contend with the tensions about to boil over in her segregated town.

You can’t protect her from knowing. The truth is all we have.

12-year-old Charley Cuffey is many things: a granddaughter, a best friend, and probably the best pitcher in all of Lee’s Mill. Set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball, Charley doesn't need reminders from her best friend Cool Willie Green to know that she has lofty dreams for a Black girl in the American South.

Even so, Nana Kofi's thrilling stories about courageous ancestors and epic journeys make it impossible not to dream big. She knows he has so many more to tell, but according to her parents, she isn't old enough to know about certain things like what happened to Booker Preston that one night in Great Bridge and why she can never play on the brand-new real deal baseball field on the other side of town.

When Charley challenges a neighborhood bully to a game at the church picnic, she knows she can win, even with her ragtag team. But when the picnic spills over onto their ball field, she makes a fateful decision.

A child cannot protect herself if she does not know her history, and Charley's choice brings consequences she never could have imagined.

In this thrilling second book of the Door of No Return trilogy, set during the turbulent segregation era, and the beginning of The Great Migration, Kwame Alexander weaves a spellbinding story of struggle, determination, and the unflappable faith of an American family.

Wow. This is a wow book. It feels like a love letter to his family, ancestors and baseball.

One of my favorite poems is A House Full of. You feel like you’re there in the middle of the family gathering. 💗

It’s also gripping and sad and devastating and hopeful. Like I said, wow.

I was going to post this last month but wanted to read the first book, The Door of No Return. And it took me too long because it's a tough book to read. In the end pages, Kwame says how difficult it was for him to write it. It's a very important book. A history that can't be forgotten or ignored. One of my favorite poems in the first book is Ama. His writing is incredible. 

Just in time for school! Two wonderful picture books.

Apparently, I missed last month. I thought I had written blurbs for these two books, but alas, I did not. So here they are - two absolutely unique and fantastic books. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did. One book is out and the other is out in October. 

When Black Girls Dream Big by Tanisia Moore Illust. By Robert Paul Jr.

From the Publisher: Scholastic, October 2024

You have within you infinite promise. How big will YOU dream? This striking companion to I Am My Ancestors' Wildest Dreams celebrates Black female achievement and is perfect for fans of I Am Enough, Little Leaders, and She Persisted.

I AM dope!

My crown shines bright

in all its glory.

When I dream big,

I can do anything!

In this inspiring tribute to Black girl pride and excellence, a young child discovers her place in a radiant heritage. As she meets twelve extraordinary Black women-historic and contemporary heroines who have blazed a trail for her own future success-she internalizes their strength and sets out to change the world in her own way.

Just like them, she can reach her dreams. And just like her, you have within you big promise. YOU are Black Girl Magic. How will you shine YOUR light?

Another beautiful and colorful book from Tanisia Moore and Robert Paul Jr. Bringing heroines, past and present, to demonstrate that the main character can do anything and be anything. From Harriett Tubman to Angela Bassett, from Jacqueline Woodson to Serena Williams. Trailblazing women. This is just as inspiring as I Am My Ancestors' Wildest Dreams.

Not only does it highlight these remarkable 12 women, but also it shows the kids helping in their community and giving back.

There is back matter with paragraphs on all the ancestors listed in the book, a note from the author and a note from the artist.

Millie Fleur's Poison Garden by Christy Mandin

From the publisher: Scholastic, July 2, 2024

Garden Glen is a very bland place. Every house and every garden looks exactly like the other. That is... until Millie Fleur La Fae comes to town.

Up on a scruffy hill, beside a ramschackle house, Millie Fleur plants her marvelously strange garden, filled with Sneezing Stickyweed, Fanged Fairymoss, and Grumpy Gilliflower. Millie Fleur finds it enchanting, but the townspeople of Garden Glen call it poison!

But Millie Fleur is proud of her beloved little garden. So if some townspeople want to be sticks in the mud, she'll take matters into her own hands and find the kindred spirits who appreciate everything the garden has to offer.

Millie Fleur's Poison Garden is a reminder to embrace everything that makes us wonderfully weird. Perfect for readers of The Creepy Carrots and fans of the Addams Family movies.

Unique and different books are so fun. This is one of them. Embracing different isn’t always easy – but if you’re open to it, then you open up a new world to enjoy. I love the plant names and the illustrations, the play on words, the way Millie’s idea of a garden grows when shared.

The frog, Wart T. Wigglebottom reminds me of the Warner Bros. cartoon, Michigan J. Frog. He is a supporter and companion to Millie.

There are some cool plant facts at the back, as well as, where The Poison Garden really exists!

Both of these books are excellent reading material. 

Two Unputdownable Books by Holiday House

The Worst Perfect Moment by Shivaun Plozza

From the publisher: Holiday House, May 14, 2024

Tegan Masters is dead.

She’s sixteen and she’s dead and she’s standing in the parking lot of the Marybelle Motor Lodge, the single most depressing motel in all of New Jersey and the place where Tegan spent what she remembers as the worst weekend of her life.

In the front office, she meets Zelda, an annoyingly cute teen angel with a snarky sense of humor and an epic set of wings. According to Zelda, Tegan is in heaven, where every person inhabits an exact replica of their happiest memory. For Tegan, Zelda insists, that place is the Marybelle—creepy minigolf course, sad breakfast buffet, filthy swimming pool, and all.

Tegan has a few complaints about this.

When Tegan takes these concerns up with Management, she and Zelda are sent on a whirlwind tour through Tegan’s memories, in search of clues to help her understand what mattered most to her in life. If Zelda fails to convince Tegan (and Management) that the Marybelle was the site of Tegan's perfect moment, both girls face dire eternal consequences. But if she succeeds…they just might get their happily-ever-afterlife.

A tender and edgy take on coming of age in the afterlife.

I really liked this book. I don’t find many that I keep reading, stay up late, take the book with me wherever I go so I can read it during downtimes. The premise is unique and intriguing. The two main characters are quirky teens with attitude, pain, joy, awkwardness, longing, denial, and love. Plus, they are funny and gross, sad and angry. They felt real. The family felt real and their reactions dealing with a difficult situation and real strife. We all have our coping mechanisms.

There are plenty of cringe-worthy moments and we all have those somewhere in our pasts. Or most of us do. 😊 I almost went to the end to see how it all turns out, but I didn’t. That shows great restraint when I’m gripped to a book. 

The Supernatural Files of CJ Delaney by Carol Williams

From the publisher: Holiday House, May 7, 2024

Unmasking evil witches, rescuing kidnapped pets, saving the town from evil--exactly what kid reporter CJ Delaney had in mind for summer vacation.

When a boring old skatepark opening becomes the scene of a something truly strange, CJ Delaney can’t believe her luck. This is just the kind of big story she’s dreamed of breaking for the town's local paper.

With best friend Parker in tow, CJ is determined to get to the bottom of everything and save the town from evil. Isn’t this what summer vacation is for? But when all answers point to someone close, CJ stands not only to lose her byline but the scariest thing of all—the people and pet she loves.

With a strong, snappy voice and a warm sense of humor, The Supernatural Files of CJ Delaney is a fast-paced middle grade mystery (with just the right amount of hair-raising thrills) that begs to be read cover-to-cover in one sitting. This debut from Carol Williams shines with love for its characters, college-town setting, and belief in the power of the written word.

This book is full of fun and appealing, quirky characters! There’s lots of action and great twists that will keep you reading. I enjoyed the supernatural element, along with the family and friendships, boss and coworkers. It’s fast paced with a terrific mystery.

YA Book Blurb - STUCK WITH YOU by ‘Nathan Burgoine

Very accessible, enjoyable and quick read.

STUCK WITH YOU by ‘Nathan Burgoine

From the publisher: James Lorimer & Company Ltd. (April 2023)

Stuck With You is a story of Queer joy and a playful teen romance, following two frenemies as they fall for each other while stuck in adjacent seats on a day-long train trip.

Ben is on a train back to Ottawa after a visit with his dad in Toronto when he runs into the last person he wanted to see: Caleb, the handsome, confident boy who recently and accidentally broke Ben’s phone. Preoccupied by worrying about whether he should take a gap year, Ben has little time for Caleb’s jibes.

But when the two start talking, not only does Ben find himself won over by Caleb’s roguish charm, but he also learns his seatmate is bisexual.

Stuck With You discusses important issues facing teens as they contemplate their futures within the context of a light-hearted romance plot with witty dialogue and charming interplay, almost all taking place within the space of a single long train trip.

If you are a fan of HEARTSTOPPER, then you should definitely check out this book. I was seeing STUCK WITH YOU in so many ads and the library had it, so I wanted to read it myself. It’s quick and fun. I think many will find it relatable and accessible. It’s always satisfying when you read a, don’t judge a book by its cover, story. I like seeing perspectives change and minds open up to others. And who can resist first kisses? Seriously! Innocence and crushes make the heart go, awwwwww. There’s also a good storyline of speaking up for yourself; something that can be very hard to do.

If you like this book, then you may be interested in this whole hi/lo line by Lorimer:

https://lorimer.ca/childrens/real-love/

Book Blurb - GHOST BOOK by Remy Lai

This is a fascinating story to read. 

From the publisher: Henry Holt (August 2023)

Twelve years ago, the boy and the girl lived. But one was supposed to die.

July Chen sees ghosts. But her dad insists ghosts aren’t real. So she pretends they don’t exist. Which is incredibly difficult now as it's Hungry Ghost month, when the Gates of the Underworld open and dangerous ghosts run amok in the living world. When July saves a boy ghost from being devoured by a Hungry Ghost, he becomes her first ever friend. Except William is not a ghost. He’s a wandering soul wavering between life and death. As the new friends embark on an adventure to return William to his body, they unearth a ghastly truth―for William to live, July must die.

Inspired by Chinese mythology, this dark yet resoundingly hopeful tale about friendship, sacrifice, and the unseen world of ghosts is a dazzling heir to beloved Studio Ghibli classics.

This graphic novel is so imaginative, clever and interesting. It has a full circle story with gross, hungry ghosts and a ghost pet named Floof! I like how it portrays life and near death. You discover how the main character July, is able to keep away from death and connected to her father, and the deal that has to be made, in the end. Friendship, truth and a little magic is exactly what we all need.