The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Boy, a hunchback goatherd, is taken into service by a pilgrim in his way to Rome. The pilgrim is on a quest to recover seven relics of St. Peter, and needs Boy to help him. Along the way, the reader will learn that both travelers have their secrets...

I very much enjoyed this medieval quest tale. It's a quick read with some lovely moments and an interesting twist (I thought I knew Boy's secret after the second chapter, but as it turns out, I was quite wrong!). I'm not sure how much appeal it will have for kids, but it would make a good readaloud. And it's definitely the sort of book I'd recommend to adults who enjoy the occasional juvenile title.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)

The Lost Girl by Anne Ursu

Identical twins Iris and Lark are always together. So, when they get their fifth-grade classroom assignment, they are sure that there has been some mistake: for the first time ever, they will be in different classes at school. Lark, always the more shy and quiet of the two, retreats into herself in the face of bullies and a teacher who wants her to be more assertive. And Iris, who has always made it her mission to defend her sister, is unmoored and feels out of control without Lark to anchor her. Meanwhile, strange things are happening around them: crows leave small, shiny gifts for Lark. A strange antique store with an even stranger sign opens nearby. Small items start disappearing from the girls' house, and large items start disappearing from nearby museums. What do all of these things have to do with Iris and Lark? And will they ever find their way in their new situation?

I wanted to love this book, because I love Breadcrumbs. But, ultimately, I just liked it fairly well. The plot didn't pull together as cohesively as I would have liked (though there was one unexpected plot twist that I appreciated), and I found it difficult to relate to Iris, who is the main perspective character of the story. I would have liked to have seen more of Lark's point of view. I would still recommend this book, especially to young readers who enjoy stories about sibling relationships, and books set in our world but with touches of magic. The occasional illustrations by Erin McGuire are charming. It's just that my expectations for this book were very high, and it didn't quite rise to meet them.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Merci can't help but notice the ways in which her life is different from those of her classmates. At her private school, she must do extra hours of community service in return for her scholarship. None of her classmates lives in a chain of little houses with their extended family. And, while her classmates may go on fancy vacations during school breaks, Merci's family hardly ever goes anywhere -- she's probably spending her vacations babysitting her little cousins, or helping with her father's painting business in order to save money for a new bike. And now that she is in sixth grade, everything seems to be changing, from the way her classmates interact (suddenly, some of the girls are acting like the boys they always played with at recess seem fascinating and somehow forbidden), to the way her beloved grandfather sometimes gets confused and irritable. Merci doesn't like any of the changes, but must learn that they are part of life, and that they can bring good things as well as bad.

I enjoyed this book, winner of the 2019 Newbery Medal, but I'm not sure I'd say it's the best book of the year. (Ah, the price of success! If it hadn't won, would I be saying that about some other book? Probably, but I digress.) There are several moments both touching and funny, and the characters are rounded and interesting. Merci's own character development is a pleasure to read. If you have an interest in children's literature, I'd recommend this book.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)

A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos

Ophelia runs a small museum and possesses an unusually strong ability to “read” an object’s history with her hands. She’s never had any interest in marriage, but when the Doyennes, the matriarchal heads of her extended family, arrange a marriage for her with a powerful foreigner, she is forced to accept her fate. She is sent with him and a chaperone to his home, where political machinations and scandals are a way of life, and the backstabbing can be literal as well as figurative. Can Ophelia trust anyone in this place — including her enigmatic fiancé?

With a delightfully labyrinthine plot and intricate world building, the nearly 500 pages of this book flew by for me. I’m a sucker for a good Beauty and the Beast-type story, and those elements are present here, though whether there will ever be romance for Ophelia and Thorn is still in question (Ophelia reads as asexual, at least so far, and it will be interesting to see where the author goes with that element of her character). It’s the first book in a projected quartet, so there are plenty of questions left unanswered at the end — we can only hope that the next volume arrives soon!

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library.)

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Maya's horoscope promises a marriage of death and destruction, so she has resigned herself to life as a scholarly spinster in her father's harem. Then, one day, he announces that he has assembled all of his political rivals there, ostensibly so that she might choose a bridegroom from among them. Any choice will result in disaster, as those not chosen will retaliate violently against the kingdom. When the ceremony descends into chaos, a stranger, not one of the assembled bridegrooms, sweeps Maya away to his own kingdom, a mystical place with many secrets that Maya is not permitted to learn until the new moon. When she begins exploring on her own, disaster follows, and she sets out on a quest to make right her mistakes.

I love the Indian-inspired aspects of this fantasy -- it's lush and original. However, the writing is flowery and convoluted to the point that I had a hard time following the story. I sometimes couldn't figure out what was real and what was metaphorical, and some things just didn't make sense. For instance, at one point this sentence appears: "Amar's gaze was downcast, fixed on the sky." Was he standing on his head, then? Things like that took me right out of the story. Too bad -- I wanted to like this one, but I just couldn't wrap my brain around the writing style.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson

Despite recent tragic events, Stevie still dreams of solving the Ellingham mystery... which may prove difficult, as her parents have removed her from Ellingham. When an opportunity to return comes from an unexpected source, Stevie makes a bargain she may come to regret.

I’m not sure what I think about this book, or what I can say that won’t constitute a spoiler. The mystery is not solved (for the reader, at least) at the end of the book, but it felt to me like it was very close. I was wishing for another 30 pages, but instead we get to wait for another book. This book shares the strengths of its predecessor, particularly in characterization and setting. I’d probably recommend reading the entire trilogy once the final book comes out, as I was wishing I had done a reread of the first before diving into this one. A good read, but with a rather frustrating ending.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)