Africa Is My Home by Monica Edinger

As a young girl, Magulu (later known as Sarah Margru Kinson) is sold into slavery and sent from her home in West Africa (the area that is now the country of Sierra Leone) to Cuba, and from there to America on board the Amistad with about 50 others, including three other children. When the enslaved men revolt and take over the ship, they hope to return to Africa, but the surviving sailors secretly sail back towards the American coast at night, resulting in a zigzagging journey up the east coast, until the ship is captured by the U.S. Navy just off of Long Island. Because the U.S. had by then outlawed the international slave trade, and because the mutiny occurred outside of American waters, the Africans from the Amistad find themselves caught up in a complicated legal battle. Will Magulu ever be able to return to her homeland?

This was a short but very interesting book. I knew little about the Amistad before reading it, and it’s inspired me to do a little additional reading about the events described in the book. Edinger stays close to the facts, which I appreciate, while still producing a satisfying read.

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

Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

When Elizabeth’s guardians send her away to a strange hotel for Christmas vacation, she expects to spend a miserable holiday there. Instead, she finds a new friend and a fascinating mystery . . . and maybe even a hint of magic, and a little bit of danger.

This is a solid entry in the genre of middle-grade puzzle novels, perfect for young readers who love anagrams and secret codes. There were enough clues to figure out the solution to one big riddle before the main character does, which is always gratifying. I did think that one particular plot element relied too heavily on coincidence, but all in all, a satisfying read. This book name-checks everything from The Westing Game to Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, which makes it seem a little self-conscious at times, but readers familiar with those works will appreciate the wink and nudge. Recommended to those who enjoy this sort of book.

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

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

Stevie has an interest in crime. She hopes to work for the FBI someday. Now, she has been accepted to the prestigious Ellingham Academy. Not only is the school quirky and selective, in a beautiful mountainside location, but it’s the site of a 1930’s murder/kidnapping case — which Stevie is kind of obsessed with. She’s convinced that the wrong man was convicted of the crime, and that, on site, she can solve the case. What she doesn’t expect is to find a crime happening in the present day. It’s a lot harder to solve mysteries, Stevie discovers, when your own emotions are involved...

The first thing you should know about this mystery is that it ends on a cliffhanger. I took off half a star for that, and half a star for the love/hate romance subplot. Other than that, I loved this book. Johnson’s writing is crisp and clever, and since I love boarding school stories and 1930’s mysteries, this was a terrific mashup. Mostly, I just want the next book now, so I can find out if my theories are correct! And I wish that at least one loose end about the present-day mystery had been tied up. I’m going to have to wait to find out. So, my recommendation is that you wait and read this when the entire trilogy is available. Don’t torture yourself like I did!

(Reviewed from an e-audiobook, borrowed through my library system.)

Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar

After a car accident, Ruthie spends months in a full-body cast. Though she is surrounded by the love of her Cuban-Jewish immigrant family and a few colorful neighborhood personalities, it's a long and difficult time as she recovers. And, after being in the cast for so long, will she be able to gather up the courage to stand again?

This is a soft, lovely story, loosely based on the author's own experiences as a child. I loved descriptions of Ruthie, her family, and the vibrant and diverse group of friends in 1960s New York City who help make her long convalescence easier to bear. One thing to note: for some reason, my first impression from descriptions and whatnot was that this was a teen book, but it is not. Both content and writing style are firmly middle grade. Recommended for readers who enjoy slice-of-life stories with excellent characters and a recent-historical setting.

(Reviewed from an advance copy, courtesy of the publisher.)

Blue Window by Adina Rishe Gewirtz

Five siblings fall through a portal into a magical world. In searching for a way to get home, they discover that all is not well in this new place. Will they be able to survive and stay together long enough to figure out how to get back home?

I enjoyed this book while reading it -- it's a portal fantasy, and I generally like those. However, I found it one of the darkest children's portal fantasies I have ever read. The world into which the children fall is incredibly bleak and dangerous, and none of the characters they meet are entirely friendly. I also think that the pacing lags a bit, and the halfhearted attempt near the end to drag in the Children of Prophecy trope was unnecessary. However, the concept is sound and the world is interesting enough, if rather depressing. I'd say that this is guardedly recommended to readers who enjoy children's fantasy with a dark streak.

(Reviewed from an advance copy, courtesy of the publisher.)

The Universe is Expanding and So Am I by Carolyn Mackler

Virginia has always been curvy, and her feelings about her body have long been complicated. Her family’s attitudes toward her weight haven’t helped. She was thrilled to find a boyfriend (see The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things), but now she’s not sure she even likes the guy all that much. If she breaks up with him, will she ever be part of a couple again? Then, family drama breaks out, not to mention friend drama, summer employment, and the dreaded driving test.

I read The Earth, My Butt... back in library school (how is that even 10+ years ago already?), and this book picks up right where that one left off. I’d be interested to see how that works when reading the two books together, since this one name-checks stuff like Minecraft and Hamilton, placing it pretty definitely in the present. (I've since learned that an updated version of the first book has been released, as well.) On the other hand, I have only the vaguest memories of the earlier book and had no problem following this one, so it works just fine as a stand-alone. I read this all in one evening, so obviously I liked it a lot. Great characters, interesting conflicts, good pacing — if realistic YA is your thing, this one’s worth reading.

(Reviewed from an advance copy, courtesy of the publisher.)

Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder

Once a year, the boat comes to the island, bringing one orphan (the youngest) and taking one (the oldest) away. When Deen’s turn comes to leave, Jinny hates losing her best friend — but she hates even more the idea that next year, it will be her turn. As the time passes, she wonders: does she really have to go?

I enjoyed this book, but I’m left with a lot of questions. Questions about what happens after the events of the book, and what happened before the events of the book. Questions about the island, its magic, and its connection to our world. I feel like there could be another book about the island and these characters, but I also suspect that there won’t be another book.

If you like children’s books with some magic, ones that make you think, I recommend this one. Just don’t expect it to answer all of your questions!

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

Spinning by Tillie Walden

A graphic memoir exploring the author’s teen years in the competitive world of ice skating, where she feels increasingly out of place.

I’ll admit it: though I enjoy watching figure skating in the Winter Olympics, I don’t give it much thought during the off years. I know very little of synchronized skating, and only the tiniest bit more about figure skating. So, reading this was an interesting glimpse into another world. Walden does a good job of conveying her experiences to the layman.

On the other hand, I found the narrative disjointed in places, and I was left with questions that never really got answered. Some of those may be because this is a memoir, and the author herself didn’t know the answers (why did her parents not come to her competitions? Why did she and her mother not get along?), but sometimes an issue was brought up and never resolved, or seemed to be resolved outside of the story somehow.

Those quibbles aside, the artwork is great and the emotion heartfelt. I’d recommend this if it sounds intriguing to you.

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

The Takedown by Corrie Wang

Kyla Cheng has a pretty good life: she's pretty, popular, and smart. All that is eclipsed, however, when a video is posted of her having sex with a teacher. The video is a fake, but nobody believes that -- even in the unspecified near-future time of the book's setting, the tech doesn't quite exist to make such a seamless fake. The only way for Kyla to get her life back is to find her hater and get the video taken down.

This techie mystery has good pacing, interesting characters, and a solid plot. Some readers may be put off by the invented future slang/text speak, but fans of realistic YA should take a look at this one.

(Reviewed from an advance copy, courtesy of the publisher.)

Real Friends by Shannon Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

In this graphic memoir for young readers, Hale depicts her struggles with friendships throughout her elementary years, from making and losing a best friend, to being a less-popular member of an in-crowd, to branching out and making new friendships. She also touches on a difficult relationship with an older sister.

This is a very heartfelt and realistic examination of childhood friendships. A lot of Hale’s experiences were familiar to me, and I bet other readers will feel the same. Recommended to fans of Victoria Jamieson and Raina Telgemeier.

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

That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnson

(I'm back, and I'm going to schedule some backlogged reviews. No promises for the future, but we'll see...)

In a near-future setting based on an alternate history British empire, Princess Victoria-Margaret visits Canada in disguise, in order to have a debut like other girls and a summer of freedom before she becomes too caught up in her responsibilities as future queen. Then, stuff happens — so much stuff that I can’t begin to summarize it here!

I’m . . . not sure what to think about this book, really. The characters are interesting, the worldbuilding complex. The pacing is pretty slow, so if you need a book to immediately grab you and start running, this is not the one for you. The ending might not be exactly what one would expect, though I did see the direction in which it was trending toward the last quarter of the book. I don’t want to provide any spoilers, so I’ll just say, as I said above, that I’m not entirely sure what to think. If you’re intrigued by the idea of an alternate British empire, you might give it a try for yourself.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the incomparable Katherine Kellgren, and all aspects of the audiobook production were very well done, indeed.

(Reviewed from an e-audiobook borrowed through my library system.)