Review of New From Here, by Kelly Yang

Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Starred Review 0

New From Here

by Kelly Yang

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2022. 361 pages.
Review written September 12, 2022, from my own copy, received at ALA Annual Conference and signed by the author.
Starred Review

Here’s a pandemic book that tells a bigger story.

Knox is the middle child in an American family living in Hong Kong to be near their grandparents in China. But when Covid-19 begins to spread in China, his parents decide that they will move the kids back to America, to live in the house where they usually spend summers, inherited from their other grandparents. After all, surely they’ll be safe from the disease in America! (There were several places where as a reader I cringed, knowing what was coming.) Their mother goes along with them, thinking she’d work remotely, but loses her job with the distance, so their father still in Hong Kong is trying to support them.

They get into American schools, glad that they can attend school in person instead of remotely from Hong Kong. Knox has ADHD, and sometimes his impulsive choices don’t turn out the best, though I love the way he and his friend learn that ADHD includes a super-focusing ability. They simply have to be interested, and then they can focus better than anyone.

Their mother is busy looking for work in America, but the kids want to get their family back together. They decide to make a Linked In profile for their dad and surprise him by finding him a job.

Once the virus starts spreading in America, anyone who finds out they came from Hong Kong doesn’t want anything to do with them. That’s why they explain they’re “New from here.” After all, they were born in America!

I like the way they decide to help out their friend’s Chinese restaurant by delivering food on their bicycles for tips (to bring their dad to America), and they decide to wear full-body dinosaur suits to protect themselves from the virus.

The interactions between Knox and his family are all spot-on. And the particularity of the situation all rings true. When I finished the book, I learned that the author based it on their own family and what they had done to unsuccessfully try to escape the pandemic. No wonder all the details seemed right. And I appreciate that though the mother is an important part, the perspective is firmly with Knox.

kellyyang.com
simonandschuster.com/kids

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Icarus, by K. Ancrum

Audiobooks, Contemporary, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

Icarus

by K. Ancrum
read by Kirt Graves

HarperTeen, 2024. 8 hours, 32 minutes.
Review written January 14, 2025, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review
2024 CYBILS Award Finalist, Young Adult Fiction

Oh my goodness. After the CYBILS Award Finalists were announced, I put all the books on hold (I do a program for other librarians about award winners, and this *probably* gives me a head start for ALA award winners), and this was one of the first audiobooks to come in. And it is amazingly good! If the other Finalists are anywhere close, the second round judges are going to have a difficult time.

This isn’t a retelling of the Greek myth, but it borrows themes from the myth. Our hero is indeed Icarus, a teen who lives alone with his father, but he lives in modern times. He and his father are both expert artists – but they’re also expert thieves. Icarus has been trained all his life to steal objects of art from the mansion of Angus Black and replace them with forgeries. And now that his father’s hands have begun to shake, all the active work falls on Icarus.

At school, Icarus makes a point of having one friend in each class – so that he’s not part of a friend group that expects him to do things with him after school. He’s never had anybody over to his house, and he never can have anybody over to his house. His goal is to stay under the radar.

But then some of those classroom friends start noticing that he can’t stay awake. They seem to care, which Icarus isn’t sure he can handle.

At the same time, Icarus gets spotted when stealing in the Black mansion – Angus Black’s son is there, with no phone and no internet and a cuff to keep him in place. They develop a friendship that looks like it’s going toward romance – and as the reader, I got awfully worried about how it would turn out once it was revealed that the son’s name is Helios. Because I know how that story ends.

So there’s lots and lots of tension in this book, and teens in tough situations – but there are also beautiful portrayals of friendship. Icarus learns how to be a friend and how to accept friendship. And all of the interactions and character growth make this book shine brightly – while keeping up the tension throughout the whole book. And yes, tender romance. Oh, and the audiobook is wonderfully done, too. This book will linger with me for a long time to come.

kancrum.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Twenty-four Seconds from Now…, by Jason Reynolds

Audiobooks, Contemporary, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

Twenty-four Seconds from Now . . .

A LOVE Story

by Jason Reynolds
read by Guy Lockard

Simon & Schuster Audio, 2024. 4 hours, 28 minutes.
Review written January 7, 2025, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review
2024 CYBILS Award Finalist, Young Adult Fiction
2025 Capitol Choices selection

Yes, this is a book about a seventeen-year-old boy having sex for the first time. And it turns out to be very sweet.

I was afraid it would go into detail about each second building up to the moment of connection. But no, it’s much more interesting than that. It does open with “Right now” where the teenage boy, Neon, is in the bathroom of his girlfriend Aria’s house, looking at a picture of her dog – a dog he dislikes that is now living in his own house – and feeling extremely nervous about what’s supposed to happen in approximately twenty-four seconds from now.

But instead of going into excruciating detail about those seconds, the story backtracks to 24 seconds before that – when they were kissing in her bedroom, and he had to excuse himself to go to the bathroom, he was so nervous.

But then we look at 24 minutes before that – when he was using the whole note knocker on her front door (made by his family’s door knocker company), bringing her the chicken nuggets that she loves.

And then it switches to 24 hours before that – when he was interviewing other students for their high school’s video yearbook, which Aria also works on. And he was having his sister make a special door knocker for Aria to take to college with her. And his sister has some good advice about what’s going to happen.

And then we move to 24 days before that – when he walks with his Gammy and that same dog to visit his grandfather’s grave and he hears Gammy tell the story of how they met, and gives Neon some advice about love. And he’s talking with Aria because they want to have sex, but they want to make it special. And his mother has some good advice.

And then we see 24 weeks before that – when Neon took the dog off Aria’s hands, because her mother didn’t like his barking – and Gammy fell in love with that dog. And his father has some good advice.

And finally we see what happened 24 months ago, when Neon was at his grandfather’s funeral, and an out-of-control dog interrupted them, and he met Aria, and his life was never the same again.

Before we finally come back to the present and what’s about to happen.

And all of this shows us the story of these two teens and their families. And how much they care for each other and care about each other. And there’s some good advice in what Neon hears.

And no, it doesn’t describe the details. This isn’t a how-to manual. But it shows the thought and care and love that went into the decision these two teens make. A decision that’s ultimately, as it should be, about the two of them.

I don’t think of this as a book that promotes teens having sex so much as a book that promotes teens giving thought and care into their decisions about when and whether to have sex. And it tells a good story, too! The strategy of going backward in time piques our interest and is used extremely effectively.

jasonwritesbooks.com

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Review of Touch the Sky, by Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic and Chris Park

Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Touch the Sky

by Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic and Chris Park

Carolrhoda Books, 2024. 36 pages.
Review written January 15, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review

Okay, this is a picture book that needed to exist. It’s wonderful. It’s perfect. It’s about learning to pump and make a swing go.

Our hero is Vern, a kid with long hair (the better for streaming out behind him) who loves to twist and spin on the swings, but doesn’t know how to pump. Some of the other kids laugh, but finally a girl sees him trying and offers to help.

It takes a lot of explaining and lots of encouragement.

It feels hard until you get it, and then it’s not.

And yes, we see all of Vern’s struggles – his awkward twists, out-of-sync movements, and even falls. And maybe there’s somebody out there who learned to pump on their very first try, but I, for one, was transported back to childhood and remember how hard it was before it was easy.

And the illustrations! Those transported me back, too. The swooping! The gliding! That feeling when your toes touch the sky! It’s all captured here on the page.

This picture book isn’t a how-to manual for learning to pump a swing, but it does offer plenty of tips. And most of all, it models persistence, along with taking and giving a helping hand. And the glorious joy of a new skill and the ability to touch the sky.

stephanielucianovic.com
chrisdpark.com
lernerbooks.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of When the World Tips Over, by Jandy Nelson

Audiobooks, Contemporary, Teen Fiction Review 0

When the World Tips Over

by Jandy Nelson
read by Michael Crouch, Alex McKenna, Briggon Snow, Caitlin Kinnunen, and Julia Whelan

Listening Library, 2024. 17 hours, 16 minutes.
Review written December 17, 2024, from a library eaudiobook.

When the World Tips Over is a family saga for teens, with a strong dose of magical realism. Our main characters are the three siblings Wynton, Miles, and Dizzy Fall, all named after their missing father’s favorite trumpet players, as well as a mysterious rainbow-haired girl who joins the story later along the way.

As the story opens, 12-year-old Dizzy has had a terrible day, with a disgusting boy farting in her face and her former best friend joining in the laughter about it. So she climbed over the fence and walked blindly away from the school, but she wasn’t paying attention when she stepped into the street, and that was her first encounter with the rainbow-haired girl, who pushed her out of the way of the truck barreling down upon her. But she didn’t see the girl afterward, so Dizzy is convinced she’s an angel.

Miles is the next sibling to see the rainbow-haired girl. His siblings call him “Perfect Miles,” but not fondly. What they don’t know is that he’s quit track, the math club, academic decathlon, volunteering at the animal refuge, and even going to school altogether. He’s been intercepting notes to his mother. On top of that, he’s gay but hasn’t dared to come out to anyone. Oh, and he can have conversations with dogs. The next-door neighbor’s dog is his best friend.

And then he meets the rainbow-haired girl, when he should be in school. They drive around in her vintage orange truck, and he can open up to her like nobody he’s ever met before. He can feel hope returning.

Then there’s Wynton, the oldest brother. He’s been kicked out of the house after driving under the influence and knocking the head off the statue of their ancestor in the town square, and after stealing their mother’s wedding band to pawn for money to buy a new bow for his violin. Wynton has his big chance coming up – he’s going to perform in front of a scout that could bring him into the big time. But his mother has heard it before, and nobody’s paying attention. And he runs into the rainbow-haired girl after the concert, when he’s again under the influence. But she’s not able to get him out of the road in time.

That’s all just the beginning. As the story winds on, we learn more about the rainbow-haired girl, and how she grew up driving around northern California with her mother in an RV named Sadie May. We also learn about the history of the Fall family and their ancestors who came to Paradise Springs from Europe, bringing magical vines. We learn the identity of those ghosts Dizzy’s always been able to see, where their mother got her gift for baking food so good it makes you fall in love, why their father left and never came back, and how that rainbow-haired girl turns out to be connected to them.

There are lots of coincidences in this book, but they’re explained by magic and destiny – which ended up being a little weak for me, but that’s the grinchy part of me, and it makes a nice story.

But there’s also lots of abandonment and betrayal in the back stories, and that’s where it was just a little too harsh for me, along with the Cain-and-Abel curse on the family. I’ve been abandoned and betrayed myself, so that hit me a little too hard to be completely outweighed. And this covers not only romantic partners, but children as well – so it’s not quite a feel-good story for me.

Though I do completely love the explanation at the end for the title:

I do believe now that when the world tips over, joy spills out with all the sorrow.

But you have to look for it.

That’s a message I can get behind.

jandynelson.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Old Wounds, by Logan-Ashley Kisner

Contemporary, Teen Fiction Review 0

Old Wounds

by Logan-Ashley Kisner

Delacorte Press, 2024. 326 pages.
Review written December 9, 2024, from a library book.

This book reminded me very much of Compound Fracture, by Andrew Joseph White. Both books are horror novels with transgender protagonists. Both books feature the very real horror of transphobic characters looking for the deaths of our protagonists, and in both books the transgender characters manage to fight back – and it’s horrific, but satisfying. The bad guys are punished. In both books, there’s death and violence, but it’s still good to see that the all-too-realistic bullies completely get their comeuppance. Old Wounds is more fantastical and less sophisticated than Compound Fracture – but this one is going for a horror movie vibe and hits that vibe perfectly. And what both books do incredibly well is help the reader feel what it’s like to be a transgender teen, only wanting to be yourself, and being faced with hate.

This book features a transgender boy, Max, and a transgender girl, Erin, on a road trip from Ohio to California after Max turns eighteen. Erin has an understanding family who supported her transition, but Max has the opposite, and his mother and stepfather have done everything in their power to stop his transition, doing things like cutting up his binders and posting about him on a Facebook prayer group. But now he’s eighteen and taking charge of his own life. Erin is coming for moral support and to be part of the queer community in Berkeley.

But when Max’s old clunker car drives over a strip of nails in a small town in Kentucky, the folks helping them are a little bit creepy. They talk about a legendary monster in the town who eats girls who get lost in the woods. Erin and Max try to joke about it when their car is fixed right at sundown. Does a cryptid understand transgender folks? Which one would the monster want to eat, the trans girl or the trans boy?

However, when a spark plug dies a little way down the road in the dark, the question isn’t so funny any more. The book cover will tip you off, but the monster is real. And there are thugs in the town who make sure the monster gets fed twice a year, and all they know is the sun won’t come up until it does. Whichever one the monster doesn’t eat, the thugs will make sure won’t be telling anyone about it.

Did I mention that I am decidedly not a fan of horror novels? Or horror movies, which terrify me? So I’m not the intended audience for this book. All the same, I couldn’t stop reading because I cared about the characters and all I was learning about their experiences. And just before I finished reading it, in real life I learned about a local teen who’s been living with friends after her parents kicked her out – who’s turning eighteen this week and has an appointment to see about starting estrogen. So it makes me happy that transgender teens will find a way, despite obstacles. And it was good to see the kids in this book facing horrific obstacles indeed and coming out on top.

loganashleykisner.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Mama and Mommy and Me in the Middle, by Nina LaCour, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Mama and Mommy and Me in the Middle

by Nina LaCour
illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

Candlewick Press, 2022. 32 pages.
Review written November 18, 2022, from a library book
Starred Review

I read this book for Capitol Choices, and it’s an absolutely sweet picture book about missing a parent when she’s away on a work trip.

And yes, the family portrayed has two moms. And they’re a mixed-race couple. But that’s not what the book is about, which is refreshing, and any kid who ever misses a parent will relate to this story.

The book goes through the days of the week, beginning very early on Monday, when Mommy wakes up the little girl (she looks to be about four years old) and the family makes pancakes together. When they sit to eat them, it’s “Mommy and Mama and me in the middle.” But then Mama and the little girl wave goodbye to Mommy.

I like the spread that happens on Tuesday:

During circle time I say, “My mommy is on a work trip.”
Mr. Henry ask, “Is anyone else missing someone they love?”

Olive misses her sister, away at school.
They used to build block towers.

Miguel misses his papa, in a faraway country.
He wears a necklace to remember.

Chloe misses her cat
who ran away.

As the week goes on, there are sweet and cozy moments with Mama. But there are also many moments of missing Mommy.

“I miss Mommy. I miss her as deep as a scuba diver down in the ocean and as high as an astronaut up in the stars.”

“That’s a lot of missing.”

When Mommy comes home on Sunday, they gather a surprise for her.

But something else I love about this book is that the little girl has a moment of anger, when she remembers those tough moments that week of missing Mommy.

But that feeling is acknowledged, and the book finishes with a big cozy hug, with Mama and Mommy and me in the middle.

ninalacour.com
kaylanijuanita.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of The Lying Game, by Ruth Ware, read by Imogen Church

Audiobooks, Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense 0

The Lying Game

by Ruth Ware
read by Imogen Church

Simon & Schuster Audio, 2017. 13 hours, 40 minutes.
Review written August 27, 2024, from a library eaudiobook.

I’m listening to too many Ruth Ware books too close together. I listened to my first one when I was on the Newbery committee reading only children’s books – and it was a perfect contrast. Now I confess I keep going because I’m a bit of a completist, and I know that I do enjoy her audiobooks. This one was still good, still got me listening avidly, full of tension – but I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the others I’ve listened to.

The main obstacle? It’s hard for me to sympathize with liars. (Fictional liars cause so much trouble that could just be solved by telling the truth! Yes, this is a pet peeve.) Isa, the main character of this book, was part of a “lying game” with three other friends when she was away at boarding school. Kate was in charge of it, and awarded points if you fooled people, with different points for various levels of lying. But one of the big rules was that they didn’t lie to each other.

In the present, Isa gets a text from Kate, and she comes running – along with Thea and Fatima, back to Kate’s home on the coast next to the school. Isa brings her baby along, and lies to her partner and everybody else about why she’s visiting after fifteen years away. Supposedly, it’s to go to an alumni dinner at the school, but really it’s because the body the girls buried together has been found.

I always worry when the main character of a Ruth Ware book is in a happy relationship! Fortunately, Isa’s partner doesn’t die, but it’s definitely not smooth sailing. (See above about Lying.) And with Isa taking her baby everywhere, you’ve got to have great danger at the end of a thriller, and as feared, Isa’s baby is the one in danger.

But there’s twisty stuff going on finding out what happened fifteen years ago and who they can trust now and what part of the things even they thought about that body were truths and what part were lies. And can they keep the lies of the past from destroying their lives now?

ruthware.com

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Leaves to My Knees, by Ellen Mayer, illustrated by Nicole Tadgell

Contemporary, Mathematical, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Leaves to My Knees

by Ellen Mayer
illustrated by Nicole Tadgell

Star Bright Books, 2022. 32 pages.
Review written December 23, 2022, from my own copy, purchased via amazon.com
Starred Review

This is a very simple picture book about raking leaves — which intentionally incorporates early math concepts. I read it for the Mathical Book Prize, though first thought of it simply as a nice story for Autumn. There’s a note at the back to parents and caregivers about the mathematics of measurement you’ll find here — and yes, it uses all of those concepts in a natural way that adds to the story.

The story is simple and lovely. A girl named Camille is bundling up with her Daddy and toddler brother to rake leaves. She plans to rake a pile of leaves that’s up to her knees.

The pictures of the family raking are joyful and bright. Each family member has a rake appropriately sized for them and makes a matching pile. The raking sounds they make are swush, swish, and sweeeeee.

There are obstacles to Camille’s plan — twigs and acorns clog up the rake. Her little brother steals leaves from her pile. And the wind comes with a big whoosh. But Camille progressively makes a pile that comes to her ankles, to the tops of her boots, and finally up to her knees — perfect for jumping into!

The complete package is a sweet story that will get your preschooler thinking about comparing and measuring.

ellenmayerbooks.com

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Review of The Probability of Everything, by Sarah Everett

Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Mathematical, Starred Review 0

The Probability of Everything

by Sarah Everett

Clarion Books, 2023. 326 pages.
Review written January 13, 2024, from a library book.
Starred Review
2024 Mathical Honor Book, Ages 11-13

Kemi is eleven years old, and the world is ending in four days.

Or at least probably. There’s an asteroid heading toward earth, with an 84.7% chance of hitting us.

Kemi loves math and probability — especially the probability puzzles her Dad gives her. But now there’s an asteroid in the sky making everything purple. They have to leave their house in the “better” part of town and stay with her aunt and cousins. Kemi can’t believe her best friend is still going to school.

Kemi thinks about her family, including her new baby sister who won’t be born before the end of the world. She decides to make a time capsule to remember her family and everything they love most. But to find what her father will put in means doing his favorite things together with him.

And I can’t tell you what happens at the end of the book, but it did surprise me how things turned out. I liked the inclusion of the Monty Hall Problem in probability, the concise explanation, and the application that you should always pay attention to new information.

This book is about a girl coping with the end of the world by remembering what she and her family love most.

saraheverettbooks.com
harpercollinschildrens.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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