Review of James, by Percival Everett, read by Dominic Hoffman

Audiobooks, Fiction Review, Historical, Starred Review 0

James

by Percival Everett
read by Dominic Hoffman

Books on Tape, 2024. 7 hours, 49 minutes.
Review written September 2, 2025, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

I put James on hold shortly after reading the graphic novel Big Jim and the White Boy, by David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson. And then, when my hold was only a couple weeks away from coming in, I accidentally canceled the hold when I meant to cancel a different hold – and then had several more months to wait. Anyway, that gave me more time between the two books, which are essentially doing the same thing – retelling the story of Huckleberry Finn, this time from the perspective of Jim.

I honestly enjoyed Big Jim and the White Boy a little more. It was more light-hearted and cast Jim as essentially a superhero, telling something of a tall tale about his exploits. A lot of fun to read.

“Fun” isn’t the word I’d use to describe James. Though it was certainly more realistic, and gave you some insights about what would happen if a slave ran away with a white boy and floated south down the Mississippi River.

In both books, James doesn’t talk in the ridiculous way Mark Twain portrayed him talking. In this book, it’s quite a theme that among themselves, slaves speak “proper” English, but deliberately sound ignorant and childlike if any white people are around. James knows how to read and has spent hours in Judge Thatcher’s library reading philosophy. He dreams about people like Voltaire and has discussions with them about their defense of slavery. Throughout the book, it’s just plain comical how disconcerted white folks are if they hear Jim speaking without using slave speech. There’s a funny scene where the elders are teaching kids how to speak to white folks. The trick is to always play dumb and let the white folks figure things out for themselves.

Mostly the book is a series of adventures and tight spots, some with Huck and some without. James wants to be free and wants to purchase the freedom of his wife and daughter. And along the way, he acquires a pencil and also wants to write his story. There’s plenty of insight and commentary on slavery in the days just before the Civil War began. A very powerful and moving story that does shine light on an evil time in our nation’s history.

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Review of My Father, the Panda Killer, by Jamie Jo Hoang

Historical, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

My Father, the Panda Killer

by Jamie Jo Hoang
read by Quyen Ngo

Listening Library, 2023. 10 hours, 17 minutes.
Review written November 3, 2023, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

My Father, the Panda Killer is the story of Jane, an American teen living in San Jose in 1999, the daughter of Vietnamese refugees. Jane’s mother left their family four years before, leaving Jane to go through high school as the mother of her little brother, then three years old. As well as giving her the responsibility to spend most of her time helping her father run their family convenience store. And bearing the brunt of her father’s unpredictable wrath and violent beatings.

Now it’s the summer after Jane’s senior year. She’s been accepted to UCLA, but doesn’t know how her father will respond to the news that she’s leaving. And she doesn’t know how to even begin to tell her brother that she won’t be there any longer to shepherd him through life and protect him from their father.

But alongside Jane’s story, we also hear the story of her father’s harrowing journey as a 13-year-old refugee from Vietnam. That part of the story is horrific with lots of death and life-threatening situations. But as Jane pieces together her father’s history, including a trip to Vietnam where she meets her grandparents for the first time, she begins to understand him better. As she understands her father better, she’s better able to understand herself and her heritage.

One little problem with this? I’m not sure I actually wanted Jane to come to terms with her father’s abuse in that way. I was reminded very strongly of the nonfiction book What My Bones Know,, by Stephanie Foo, and her C-PTSD and journey to come to terms with it through therapy as an adult. This book implies that even calling it abuse is a violation of Vietnamese culture. It left me feeling uneasy.

However, it certainly gave you sympathy and understanding for Jane’s father. In view of the horrors he endured, you can understand his ways of coping much better. So I was left not wanting to judge – but I still don’t think the beatings his daughter received are okay. Understandable, but not okay.

Anyway, the author’s note at the end said that the next book will be about the little brother – and his mother. I definitely want to read more. The interweaving of the father’s journey with the daughter’s conflicts was a big strength of the book. The front of the book says, “THIS IS NOT A HISTORY LESSON,” but at the same time the author points out that there aren’t many narratives of the Vietnam War told from the perspective of the Vietnamese people. At the very least, this book is valuable for filling that gap.

heyjamie.com

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Review of Oh Dear, Look What I Got! by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

Delightfully Silly, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Oh Dear, Look What I Got!

by Michael Rosen
illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

Candlewick Press, 2025. 36 pages.
Review written September 16, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review

Looks to me like we’ve got a new storytime classic here! Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury, the creators of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt have teamed up for this new picture book.

The situation is simple and silly, illustrated on the first few pages:

I went to the shop
to get me a carrot.

Oh dear, they gave me . . .

a parrot!

Oh dear,
look what I got!

Do I want that?

No, I do NOT!

This text repeats six times, each time with a different object and a different rhyming animal. It builds to delightful chaos, and then all the shopkeepers come, bringing the correct object, and are pictured leading away the animals.

Does it make any sense? Could this ever happen? Not really.

Do I want to read it aloud?

YES, I DO!

Maybe it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but I predict you can get a whole roomful of preschoolers chanting along with the fun.

Check it out, and see if you aren’t charmed!

michaelrosen.co.uk
helenoxenbury.co.uk
candlewick.com

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Review of The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, by Aubrey Hartman

Animal Characters, Children's Fiction Review, Fantasy, Starred Review 0

The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest

by Aubrey Hartman
read by Marisa Calin

Hachette Audio, 2025. 6 hours, 28 minutes.
Review written September 19, 2025, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

I was not prepared for how charmed I would be by this story of an undead fox. But yes, this book has all the cozy delight of an old-fashioned animal story with a motherly narrator – this one perfectly voiced by Marisa Calin, who has a British accent. Never mind that the main character, Clare, a fox with a lavender tail – isn’t quite dead but also isn’t alive.

Yes, Clare had been killed when run over by a car. But before he found his way to one of the four realms of the Afterlife (Pleasure, Progress, Peace, or Pain), he was offered a chance to train as the next Usher of Deadwood Forest. Since that happened six years ago, Clare has helped wandering souls find their way to the realm where they belong. He is kind and helpful to all souls – though he has a strong prejudice against badgers.

And then the soul of a wandering badger comes to his door – and she fails to make her way to any of the four realms. Her name is Gingersnipes, and she keeps on turning up at his door. Clare is afraid it has something to do with the premonition about him announced by Hersterfowl, a visionary grouse who lives in the neighboring wood. He goes to see her and doesn’t like what he hears, and decides that he will figure out a way to change his fate – which is all going to come to a crisis on All Hallow’s Eve, when all the realms are open, and he usually huddles in his cabin.

But all along the interaction between Clare and Gingersnipes is simply delightful as we learn about their pasts, how they died, and the things they still care about. Clare has a deep fear that, as the local children like to sing, he is a monster. But we come to agree with Gingersnipes that he is a truly good soul.

I’m not sure I can really communicate how much fun this book is. Who knew that an undead fox who raises mushrooms with great care and is kind to every soul who comes to him would make such a lovable character?

aubreyhartman.com

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Review of Somadina, by Akwaeke Emezi

Audiobooks, Fantasy, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

Somadina

by Akwaeke Emezi
read by Nene Nwoko

Listening Library, 2025. 9 hours, 47 minutes.
Review written September 2, 2025, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

Somadina is a powerful fantasy novel about a girl with magical powers on a quest to rescue her twin. The story is completely rooted in an African cultural world, a refreshing change from the usual white medieval-based fantasy stories I read.

It’s been many years since the Split – when to protect themselves in a war, the magic-users in the community did such powerful magic, the earth split open – and everyone who survived ever since gets a magical gift when they come of age. But Somadina and her twin Jayaike are slow to get their gifts and slow to develop physically, confirming to some in the village that twins are inherently evil and should have been left to die.

But then when their gifts do manifest, they’re surprisingly powerful. When Somadina uses her gift to protect her friend being raped, the result revives the village’s fear that she is evil. Her own mother calls her an abomination. As if that weren’t enough, her twin brother is taken by a man who has appeared in Somadina’s dreams, telling her he’s going to eat their power. Her brother is like another part of her, and Somadina is compelled to find him, which brings its own adventures.

I was glad I listened to this book, because I love the narrator’s African accent that helped me feel immersed in that world. The story is full of mythic elements and comes to a wonderfully satisfying conclusion after the big showdown at the end.

A powerful fantasy tale that is definitely not the same old thing.

akwaeke.com

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Review of Firefly Song, by Colleen Paeff, illustrated by Ji-Hyuk Kim

Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review, Starred Review 0

Firefly Song

Lynn Frierson Faust and the Great Smoky Mountain Discovery

by Colleen Paeff
illustrated by Ji-Hyuk Kim

Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2025. 40 pages.
Review written September 16, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review

Firefly Song stands out among picture book biographies for several reasons, the first being that it’s got gorgeous art. I love the picture of the twilight forest dotted with fireflies and the picture of young Lynn Faust jumping into a Great Smoky Mountains swimming hole.

But it’s also wonderful because of the story it tells. Lynn Frierson Faust essentially trained herself as a scientist. As a child, she enjoyed the dazzling display of the synchronous fireflies at her family’s summer cabin.

When she tried to find out more about fireflies (because those were so wonderful), she discovered that scientists believed there were no synchronous fireflies in North America.

But how to let the scientists know they are wrong? She was met with plenty of skepticism.

It took her years of work and plenty of research to get other scientists to come and confirm what she’d realized all along – that a species of synchronous fireflies lives in the Great Smoky Mountains.

The fireflies of Elkmont and their light show are famous now. Each summer, thousands of visitors travel from clear across the world to witness the silent serenade of Photinus carolinus.

There’s nice back matter for those who are intrigued as I was and want to find out more.

colleenpaeff.com
hanuol.com

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Review of Mattie and the Machine, by Lynn Ng Quezon

Historical, Teen Fiction Review 0

Mattie and the Machine

by Lynn Ng Quezon

Santa Monica Press, 2022. 264 pages.
Review written April 23, 2023, from my own copy, sent by the publisher.

I really enjoyed Mattie and the Machine. I think part of its appeal is that as a woman studying math in college, I did feel like I had to prove myself.

This novel tells the true story of Margaret Knight, a mechanic and inventor. She starts out the book working as a mechanic at a bag-making factory. But when she learns that the male mechanic – and all the men – are making more than her, simply because they’re men, she confronts the owner.

And a challenge is born. Mattie is challenged to make a new machine that will produce the new square-bottomed bags. But her machine has to do it more quickly than the male mechanic’s machine.

The challenge takes up the first half of the book. Once Mattie has her machine, she’s urged to get a patent. But there are obstacles all along the way, and no one wants to work with a woman. And then she gets betrayed and has to go to court to get credit for her invention.

The storytelling style in this book is old-fashioned and reminds me of books I read when I was a kid, though Mattie is fifteen. It’s a little slow-moving, but I was fascinated by Mattie’s quest to prove herself.

The book closes with a copy of Margaret Knight’s patent. I wish that there was an author’s note about what is fact and what is fiction and what she went on to do with her life. How many more patents did she get? Did she ever marry, and was it to someone who appeared in this novel? For that matter, how many of the characters in the novel were actual people. This book made me want to find a biography of her life to find out how much was true and what this amazing woman went on to do.

Wikipedia article on Margaret Knight
NgQuezon.wordpress.com
santamonicapress.com

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Review of What You Are Looking For Is in the Library, by Michiko Aoyama

Audiobooks, Contemporary, Fiction Review, Starred Review 0

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library

by Michiko Aoyama
read by Hanako Footman, Susan Momoko Hingley, Kenichiro Thomson, Winson Ting, and Shiro Kawai

HarlequinAudio, 2023. 7 hours, 19 minutes.
Review written September 9, 2025, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

First, a great big thank-you to my friend Suzanne LaPierre for recommending this book! I loved it in every way! She recommended it in an answer to my new email newsletter, Book Talking with Sondy, so let me encourage more of my readers to sign up for Book Talking with Sondy and recommend books back to me!

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library is a translation of a Japanese book, set in a neighborhood of Tokyo. We get five interlocking stories – a 21-year-old working in a department store and not happy about it, a 35-year-old salary man who wishes he could open an antique store, a 40-year-old who got demoted while she was on maternity leave, a 30-year-old NEET (not in employment, education or training), and a newly retired 65-year-old.

All of these people are thinking about their lives and their work and what it all means and what they want and what they’re stuck with – or are they actually stuck? All of them find their way to a small community library with a very large librarian, Sayuri Komachi.

I did love that these folks found a path to meaning in a library – my one quibble being that this librarian had time to take up a hobby and make felted objects while she waits behind a screen for customers to show up.

But this particular librarian has mystical powers – and she gives each of our featured characters the books they ask for, plus one seemingly unrelated book that makes all the difference. She also gives each one a bonus gift – a small felted object that ends up having special significance to that person and helps to change their life.

And all of our heroes find paths to new meaning after their encounter with the almost magical librarian. So that might be hard to read for someone struggling with similar issues themselves – except that the author treats all of the characters and their situations with deep respect, showing plainly that their life and their value goes much deeper than their current work situation.

Just a wonderful and uplifting book. And look! Our library has ordered another book by this author – The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park. I have already placed a hold.

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Review of Death in the Jungle, by Candace Fleming

Audiobooks, History, Starred Review, Teen Nonfiction 0

Death in the Jungle

Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown

by Candace Fleming
read by Karen Murray

Listening Library, 2025. 9 hours, 47 minutes.
Review written September 8, 2025, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

I checked out this eaudiobook, not because I was interested in Jim Jones, but because everything Candace Fleming writes is fascinating. This book was no exception. It was not pleasant listening, but once I got started, I couldn’t look away.

This book tells the whole story of Jim Jones and Jonestown – and the murders and suicides of over 900 people. (Yes, murder. Some people did not drink the poison, but were injected with it.)

Knowing basically how the story ends, it was horrible to watch it unfold, but fascinating. By necessity, the author got her information from interviews with survivors and survivor accounts, so the main folks whose perspective we got to hear from were people who survived, which made the story a little less gut-wrenching.

I was a teen when the Jonestown tragedy happened, so I didn’t know a lot of the details. I didn’t even realize that Jim Jones ordered the assassination of a congressman who was investigating the commune in Guyana – and his assassination spurred the other deaths, as the people had been told the American government wanted to destroy them.

But I also hadn’t known how the People’s Temple started – with good works and social work against poverty and racism in the 1960s. The People’s Temple had a mix of Blacks and whites when other American churches excluded minorities. It was hard to hear what good things they started with, putting other churches to shame.

But clearly, from the beginning, Jim Jones was after power and manipulation. He faked faith healings to build followers. Later, after he had people under his sway, he repudiated the Bible and Christianity – it had been all part of his show.

And things got worse and worse as Jim Jones gained power over people. He was also addicted to various drugs and not at all healthy, mentally or physically. Once he got his followers to Guyana, where he could keep them from escaping, he could control their lives in every way. Perhaps that’s why the congressman’s visit – and the fact that some people tried to leave with him – was so threatening.

The book is sobering, because yes, the good works the church did at the beginning would have gained my admiration. I also began to understand how hard it was to leave once you were plugged in. And Jim Jones’ power to gain a devoted following? People who are willing to lie and manipulate can gain all kinds of power that’s hard to shake. Dare I say that this reminded me of our current president?

So it’s not like this book is pleasant reading. But it tells the full story of a dark incident in our history. And maybe it will help teens think twice about promises from a charismatic leader. Pair it with the book Cultish for insights on how to tell if a tight-knit community is good for you or is destructive.

candacefleming.com

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Review of Chickenpox, by Remy Lai

Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Graphic Novel, Starred Review 0

Chickenpox

by Remy Lai

Henry Holt and Company, 2025. 235 pages.
Review written July 15, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review

You’d think stories about chickenpox would lose their popularity now that today’s kids are almost all vaccinated. But this graphic novel is hugely popular at the library – a fictionalized version of the author’s family when all five of them came down with chickenpox.

We’ve got the perspective of Abby, the oldest – who is horrified at the thought of ten days with her siblings when they all come down with chickenpox. When the younger ones squabble, Abby as the big sister is generally the one who’s told she should calm things down.

And while Abby’s out of the action, there’s some friend drama at school – which of course her younger siblings only make worse if they get the slightest whiff of what’s going on.

But most of my fondness for this graphic novel came from nostalgia. Because when I was in second grade, my older sister brought home chickenpox, and the other four of us all caught it and stayed home from school together for two weeks. I was third, not oldest like the protagonist – and my parents went on to have eight more kids. But when we had chickenpox, there were five kids, just like in this book – and yes, the chaos seems accurate.

I still say there’s nothing like a graphic novel for conveying the chaos and intense emotions of middle school. Turns out, it’s also great for showing the chaos of a big family of kids all home with chickenpox.

remylai.com

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