By Piranha T.

Back home in Kansas, everyone was used to the fact that Aven Green doesn’t have any arms. She was born like that, and even though it’s never stood in her way—her adoptive parents have always helped her figure things out on her own—she’s always been different in the eyes of other kids.

So when her parents take a job managing a decrepit cowboy-themed park in Arizona, Aven isn’t surprised when her armlessness is the first thing everyone sees in her. Still, she finds a friend in Connor, a boy who’s as isolated as she is, and together, they begin to uncover an unexpected mystery in Aven’s new home—one which seems suspiciously connected to herself.

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus is a funny, eye-opening, entertaining book. Author Dusti Bowling seamlessly tackles difficult themes of disabilities and exclusiveness while simultaneously crafting a hilarious story about friendship, mystery, and change. Aven is a funny and relatable main character who truly carried this book. Unlike many other thought-provoking novels, it didn’t feel like Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus was about Aven not having arms. Instead, this was simply one part of it, a section of Aven’s life which was a part of the story without taking it over, which was extremely well done. Overall, I would recommend Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus to readers ages nine and up, whether you’re looking for a thought-provoking read or simply a relatable realistic fiction book. 

By Piranha T.
 
Up until the day when twelve-year-old Maya sees the color bleed from the world, the weirdest things she’s ever heard of are the stories her dad tells her about his travels. She hasn’t believed his magic-filled tales of battling werehyenas, fleeing impundulu, and outwitting elokos for years, but she knows she saw the world turn grey, and her friends’ explanations of ghost invasions and poisoned food can’t explain it. Still…she must be making it up. Right?

But then she sees ferocious werehyenas on the nighttime streets of Chicago. And there’s a shadowy man twined with silk ribbons lurking in her dreams.

Just when Maya becomes sure she can’t be imagining this, she learns the truth. Her dad is a spirit-god, an orisha, and the guardian of the Veil, a barrier which separates Maya’s world from the Dark. But the Veil is tearing, courtesy of the powerful and malicious Lord of Shadows on the other side. And Maya’s dad is the only one who can repair it.

But when her dad is taken by the Lord of Shadows and the other orisha don’t dare to try to rescue him, Maya knows she’s the only one who can enter the Dark to get him back. Because not even the Lord of Shadows can keep this determined half-orisha from getting to her dad.

Maya and the Rising Dark is a well-plotted, fast-paced fantasy novel full of unique characters and multilayered magic. Maya feels like someone I could know, and her reactions to learning about a whole side to her world she never knew about feel realistic. Rena Barron weaves a complex universe of magical creatures and orishas over our everyday world, in a way which reminds me of Aru Shah and the End of Time. I’m looking forward to reading future books about Maya! I highly recommend Maya and the Rising Dark to fantasy fans ages nine and up, particularly those who like stories drawn from diverse mythologies. 

By Piranha T.
 
Alex has never known the identities of her birth parents, and she has only one clue: the seven shimmering cards she’s had for as long as she can remember, with which she can see the future. She knows they’re magical, which could put not just her, but her adoptive family, in danger—Enchanters and their magic are forbidden in the city of Luma and the surrounding lands, and if her cards were discovered by the dangerous Sentinels, she’d be imprisoned for life. But they’re her only connection to her unknown birth parents, and she’s not going to give that up.

When Alex is betrayed to the Sentinels, she narrowly escapes Luma and finds herself in the perilous lands beyond, where mist-shrouded Hauntings track down magic workers, and a dark-winged Hawke searches for new quarry. But the land wasn’t always like this. And the king didn’t always seek to kill Enchanters and their children. With newfound allies and the aid of strange, Enchanted objects, Alex embarks on a dangerous quest: to dispel the Hauntings—and free the Enchanters—for good.

Full of Angie Sage’s signature humor and wit, Twilight Hauntings is perfect for both new readers and fans of her previous Septimus Heap series. Alex and the supporting characters are quirky, distinct, and hilarious—from a bereft Enchanter to a placid donkey, everyone in this novel feels fully developed and interesting. I also liked the layers to the setting and the elements of magic. I can’t wait to read book two! Angie Sage expertly lives up to the expectations set by her previous novels in character development, plot, and humor, so if you love her other novels, this is a perfect book to read. I highly recommend Twilight Hauntings to readers ages nine and up. 

By Piranha T.

When fifth grader Mika first enters middle school, she doesn’t expect to like math class. Her favorite subject has always been art. But her math teacher, Mr. Vann, gives them ‘math journals’, in which he encourages them to solve problems ‘using words, numbers, and/or pictures,’ not just formulas. And it’s in Mr. Vann’s room that she gets to know two new friends, Dee Dee and Chelsea. So it’s no surprise that math class swiftly becomes one of her favorites.

Nevertheless, although Mika seems on her way to enjoying fifth grade, life is more complicated than just numbers. And when she’s confronted with a problem that equations alone can’t solve, she begins to wonder if her life will ever be the same again.

Solving for M has the same coming-of-age feeling as Lucy Castor Finds Her Sparkle, and elements of math similar to The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl. This book is about family and friendship and math, but maybe more than any of those, it’s about growing up. Mika is a very relatable main character to kids in many different situations, whether or not they’re experiencing the same things she is. I recommend Solving for M to readers ages nine and up who love math and stories which feel very real.

Note: If you like Solving for M, check out our interview with author Jennifer Swender! 

By Piranha T.

For generations, Aileen’s ancestors have been the Wise Women of Skarr. She’s always expected she’ll become one too, and follow in the footsteps of her Aunt Beck, but instead, she fails her initiation. And before she has a chance to try again, she and Aunt Beck are summoned by Skarr’s king to embark on a dangerous mission.

For years, a barrier has stood between the three Islands of Chaldea and the neighboring island of Logra, blocking trade and travel alike. But there is a rumor that, if the barrier can be breached by someone from each island, it will be broken.

Aileen and Aunt Beck set off through the Islands of Chaldea to attempt just that. Along the way, they are joined by, among others, a mysterious cat with strange powers, a reluctant Prince of Skarr, and a determined inventor who believes there is indeed a way to cross the barrier. But something much darker is brewing in the Islands and Logra alike. Will Aileen be able to uncover the barrier’s secrets—and understand her own powers—in time?

I first read The Islands of Chaldea several years ago, and when I reread it, I discovered it is every bit as good as I remembered. Aileen is a capable, smart, and brave heroine, and the other characters are amusing and unique. The Islands of Chaldea is the kind of high fantasy novel I love, with whimsical magic and multilayered settings. I’d highly recommend The Islands of Chaldea to fantasy lovers ages nine and up.

​Note: Diana Wynne Jones is the author of many acclaimed fantasy novels, including Howl’s Moving Castle, which I also recommend if you enjoy this book.

By Super Kitty

The turnaway girls live in a cloister outside of the city Blightsend, under the watchful eye of Mother Nine, where they learn how to make gold, or shimmer, out of the music Masters play outside the walls. They learn to do as they’re told. They learn to be silent. Only girls are allowed to make shimmer, silently creating treasures for the Master who chooses them. And only boys are permitted to be Masters, the makers of music who live free, outside the cloister.

Twelve-year-old Delphernia has been raised in the cloister, but she’s never been like the other turnaway girls. She can’t make shimmer, and she can sing pure magic. She’s always asking questions. She knows from Mother Nine’s countless tales what happens to girls with singing throats—they get swallowed by the sea. But she can never bring herself to be completely silent.

When Delphernia is chosen by a Master to leave the cloister, it seems that her dreams have come true. And sure enough, she meets friends and allies, including a girl who makes forbidden music and a boy who carves birds out of stone. But there are also shadows in the city, from the Custodian of Blightsend, who wears silence like a cloak, to the Childer-Queen, who knows far too many of Delphernia’s secrets. Delphernia has been taught to stay quiet and submissive, but since she left the cloister, she’s learned to hope, to trust, and a spark of courage has begun to grow within her. In order to save her friends—and her city—change will have to come. And Delphernia is no stranger to speaking up when no one else will.

After all, secrets can’t fight cruelty. And silence can’t bring freedom.

​Luminous and absorbing, The Turnaway Girls explores the silence which girls are often taught to keep, and the courage and importance of those who speak out anyway. Although it’s written in prose, it’s written so beautifully that it sometimes reads more like poetry. I loved Delphernia’s development over the course of the story, and her growing confidence and courage. The other characters are wonderful as well, making the cast irresistible. The story is fairly straightforward, but intricately detailed, and will enchant older readers as well as younger ones—I would highly recommend it to readers ages nine and up.

Note: Check out our interview with Hayley Chewins, author of The Turnaway Girls, here!  And The Turnaway Girls was one of our favorites from 2020! 

By Piranha T.

Eleven-year-old Trinket’s father was a teller and a bard. He would tell stories for a living, traveling the countryside, but he would always return to Trinket and her mother, and their house by the sea. But for five years, he hasn’t returned. And Trinket is determined to find him.

With the help of Thomas the Pig Boy and a map which her father left when he disappeared, Trinket travels across the countryside, finding the seven stories she needs to become a true bard herself. She tangles with Gypsies and a seer girl, helps rescue a child stolen by selkies, aids a skilled young dancer bargain with faeries, and has many other adventures besides. But as her search turns up no trace of her father, she begins to wonder if she’ll ever find a trace of him—until she hears a story which changes everything she believed.

​The Seven Tales of Trinket was a fairytale-like tale of a girl searching for her father intertwined with Gaelic folklore. Shelley Moore Thomas creates a vivid world of magic in the stories Trinket finds, from faeries to banshees to selkies and more, very much in the flavor of the Celtic myths much of the story was drawn from. I loved the stories and adventures Trinket had, which were vivid and multilayered, all standing easily alone but intertwined into her adventure in different ways. I would recommend this to readers nine and up, especially those who love folklore or The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander, or anyone who loves a lyrical, enchanting stories of family, quests and adventure.

By Super Kitty
 
Seventh-grader Isabelle Perez and her older brother Julian love spending hours together, playing maracas or working on her wind-harnessing project for the school science fair. Sure, Julian (who has an extreme type of epilepsy) might not be able to do all the things which other kids can, but he’s still the best brother ever. When one morning Julian has an enormous seizure and is rushed to the hospital, Isabelle is afraid that he’ll never be the same.

The night that Julian comes back from the hospital, he and Isabelle are transported to Las Brisas, a magical place where Julian doesn’t have epilepsy. Every night after that, the two of them go to Las Brisas, where Julian can talk, run, swim, and more. As Isabelle gets to know him in a whole new way, she begins to truly understand his struggles at home—and his incredible hope, determination, and love for her and her parents.  

Back in the real world, Julian is slowly adjusting to his new seizure medicine, and seems more and more distant. Isabelle’s parents are struggling to figure out what’s best for him, and Isabelle wonders if things will ever go back to the way they used to be. In the midst of seemingly endless worries, Isabelle will need all of the courage which Julian gives her to find her voice—and help Julian discover his, too.

I had gotten multiple recommendations to read What the Wind Can Tell You, and I’m really glad I did. Isabelle’s journey explores what it’s like to have a disability, the struggles of growing up, and what it means to be a family. Isabelle and Julian are both strong protagonists and relatable siblings, and I loved their relationship. The story is relatively simple, yet beautifully told, and I wholeheartedly enjoyed it—it’s an excellent pick for book groups and discussions, or for any readers ages 9+ looking for an inspiring, moving, lyrical story.

Note: Click here to read our interview with Sarah Marie A. Jette, author of What the Wind Can Tell You​! 

By Piranha T.

Molly Ayer, an orphan who lives with a foster family in Spruce Harbor, Maine, doesn’t feel like she’s wanted. She feels out of place among the kids at school, and with her foster parents at home. When she steals a book from the library, she’s told to do twenty hours of community service for repentance, and is assigned to Vivian Daly, a rich ninety-year-old woman who wants help sorting out her attic.
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Molly expects it to be a tedious task, but when Vivian begins reminiscing about her childhood, Molly learns about interesting pieces of history. Vivian was an orphan too. She was sent away from New York on one of the trains which distributed city orphans to families in the countryside who wanted a child, or simply an extra pair of hands. It’s a piece of history Molly has never heard about before—one that has shaped Vivian’s life.
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Orphan Train Girl was an interesting book, teaching a piece of history I didn’t know much about. The story alternated from past to present—between Molly and a younger Vivian—and in doing so, Christina Baker Cline narrated the stories of two different orphans in two different situations who were both searching for acceptance. I would recommend Orphan Train Girl to readers ages nine and up.

By Piranha T. 

Ever since her father died and she was left in the care of her stepmother’s tyranny, Liesl has been locked in the attic of a house which was once her home, no longer allowed to leave. Lonely and heartbroken from her father’s death, Liesl draws pictures to pass the time. And one day, a ghost called Po sees them and appears in the shadows of her bedroom. He tells her tales of another, even darker world, the only world he can still clearly remember. They become fast friends, and before long, Liesl begins to plan how to escape her attic and return her father’s ashes to the place where they belong.

Meanwhile, Will, the apprentice of a powerful, unpredictable alchemist, is sent to bring the most powerful magic in the world to the Lady Premiere. But his task doesn’t go quite according to plan. The Lady Premiere obtains something decidedly less remarkable, and the magic falls into the unknowing hands of Liesl and Po.

Liesl and Po is a book which is simultaneously deep and young, the poignant story of a girl searching for friendship and a relief from her father’s death, a story in some ways simple and in others not simple at all. I would recommend this book for readers ages nine and up, but although I read this for the first time several years ago, it’s one of my enduring favorites because of the simple yet rich beauty of the story, the characters, and the prose.
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Lauren Oliver has an enticing writing style which pulled me in and characters who I truly love. There is a nice balance of magic and adventure, and mystery as well. (And the cover is one of my favorites—it depicts the book beautifully!) I would highly recommend Liesl and Po to readers ages nine and up.

By Super Kitty
 
Just before Ari and her older brother Gage’s mother died, she made them promise to stick together, no matter what. So four years later, when Gage announces that he’s gotten an apartment and will no longer live with Janna, their prickly guardian, eleven-year-old Ari follows.

It’s only when they’ve packed their things and left Janna’s house that Ari learns the truth: Gage hasn’t found an apartment yet. He doesn’t have a job, either. Until he can find steady work and a place to live, they’ll have to sleep at friend’s houses, and occasionally the homeless shelter. Gage promises that it’s temporary, but as the weeks go by, Ari begins to feel as if her entire world is crumbling. It’s all but impossible to manage schoolwork, friendships, and activities when you don’t even know where you’re staying on any given night.

Whenever it all feels like too much, Ari plays with her Paper Things—pictures of people, furniture, and houses cut out of magazines and catalogs that form a land of paper dolls. When she’s surrounded by Paper Things, all the problems of the real world fall away and she’s part of a happy family, with parents and a house and even some dogs. In those precious moments, Ari pretends that she’s just a normal girl. And hopes with all her heart that someday, she will be.
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I listened to this book with my family, and we all enjoyed it. The characters are believable, trying to do the right thing, but also flawed and vulnerable. It’s one of those books which reminds you not to make assumptions, because everyone is facing problems that you don’t even know about. Although older readers might consider the ending a little too perfect, it’s a great book for kids and parents to read and discuss together—although it deals directly with homelessness, giving a glimpse into the lives of many children and teens today, it stays solidly middle-grade and never gets dark or inappropriate. It’s also an excellent choice for book groups. Poignant and thought-provoking, I would recommend Paper Things for readers ages nine and up. ​

By Piranha T.

Once, the river was lively. It flowed beside the houses raised on stilts in a cascade of flashing water. A young water sprite known as Perdita splashed in the waves, waiting for the elders to finish building a portal to another world, where humans had not yet disrupted the delicate peace of the river.

But things are different now. Many years ago, the river was dammed with fallen trees and mud, and no one since has been able to get it to flow. Now, the houses have been raised much higher, to avoid the rising water. A marsh has formed where the river used to be. And anyone who swallows the marsh water gets a wasting sickness no one has a cure for.

Luna has grown up in the houses raised above the marsh, paddling through the still water with her little sister, Willow, on the prow of her ship. She doesn’t believe that the wasting sickness comes from a curse, or that magic exists at all.

But then Willow gets the wasting sickness. No one believes anything can be done to save her. But Luna is ready to do anything to make her better—even believe in magic.

A Nearer Moon was a beautifully written fantasy which read almost like a fairytale. The world of the river—in the times of both Luna and Perdita—felt real and unique. Melanie Crowder wove together the two stories of Luna and Perdita in an exciting, beautiful narrative. I would highly recommend A Nearer Moon to readers ages eight and up.

By Super Kitty

Ten years ago, three young children were taken from their home, escaping an ancient being of darkness who wished to destroy them. Separated from their parents, the siblings are sent from one orphanage to the next: fourteen-year-old Kate, who promised her mother to take care of her younger brother and sister just before they were taken away; Michael, a twelve-year-old bookworm with a deep fondness for dwarves; and Emma, the fiery, fearless, and often irritable youngest, willing to fight just about anyone and who thinks dwarves are completely ridiculous. Remembering their mother’s promise that one day their family will be reunited again, they have refused to be adopted, getting transferred to increasingly horrible orphanages as year after year goes by.

Just when they think things can’t get any worse, they are moved once more—this time to an ancient, crumbling house in a half-forgotten town that no one seems to know anything about. While searching for the truth about the strange village, the siblings stumble across a hidden book, and are pulled into a conflict that has raged for eons. The book holds a power that some fear and some desire, and to unlock its secrets and set right the wrongs that have been done in its name, Kate, Michael, and Emma begin a journey that will take them through time itself. Along the way, they will meet monsters and sorcerers, allies and enemies—and, perhaps, find out the truth of who they really are.

Kate, Michael, and Emma are great main characters—they might have extraordinary destinies and be the key to ridding the world of evil, but they’re also believable children who argue and make mistakes, much like the protagonists of Trenton Lee Stewart’s The Mysterious Benedict Society. In fact, the entire cast is well done, especially the (very intriguing) villains, who we can’t wait to see more of in the rest of the trilogy. There are lots of books which include time travel, but the way John Stephens uses it doesn’t feel cliché—the various twists and side effects of altering the past are both creative a​nd amusing. Clever, fast-paced, and fun, I would highly recommend The Emerald Atlas to readers ages nine and up.

By Piranha T.

There is nowhere in the world seventh grader Coco Hidden loves more than El Corazón, the bean-to-bar chocolate shop she and her mom run in her small Colorado hometown of Heartbeat Springs. Even when her best friend, Leo, stops talking to her, she can find reassurance in her favorite food: chocolate. Nothing in her world seems concrete, but she’s sure she’ll never lose El Corazón.

But then her mom tells her they’ll have to close the chocolate shop. Coco is certain that if she she’ll be able to save it if she can find a ceiba tree which has been haunting her dreams. But she’s never even left Colorado—how is she supposed to get to the Amazon rainforest?

Before long, Coco finds herself on an astonishing trip to the Ecuadorian Amazon with Leo and Gali Gallo, her elderly inventor-neighbor who has secrets of his own. But this small, unexpected bit of hope is deeply threatened. The jungle is being destroyed by loggers and oil-drillers who don’t consider the trees they’re cutting down or the ecosystems they’re destroying. Will Coco be able to find the ceiba tree and rescue El Corazón before it’s destroyed forever?

Tree of Dreams was an amazing book, simultaneously funny and deep. It confronts the damage being done to rainforests in a deeply relatable and unusual way—instead of feeling as though this was the reason Laura Resau wrote this book, it simply read like something which was drawn from it, in a very powerful way.
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However, you don’t have to be looking for that to love this book! Coco is a funny, relatable heroine with complicated relationships and a deep love of chocolate. The settings—particularly the rainforest—felt completely real to me. All in all, I would highly recommend Tree of Dreams to a wide range of readers ages nine and up: to people who love rainforest conservation, readers who love stories about kids and their adventures, and, of course, anyone who loves chocolate!

By Piranha T.

The story begins with an airplane crashing in the middle of the Sahara, and with the strange person the author finds there: a tiny stranger, who asks him to draw a sheep. The two slowly befriend one another and he learns the tale of the Little Prince: who came from a tiny planet with three volcanoes and a single beautiful flower but journeyed from it through the stars and finally to Earth, where he meets a fox and a snake and discovers the things which truly make life what it is.
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The Little Prince is one of those books which ensures you will never look at the world the same way again. It has a kind of magic, not in the words on the page but the deeper ones that lie beneath them. Despite this, it isn’t dull, or even with a set lesson like many kinds of fables; it is a story, beautifully written and sometimes slightly amusing, and though you cannot read it without finding the lesson beneath it, the author does not seem to expect that a lesson is all you will get out of it, nor is it; there is more to it than just the story and just the truth woven into it, something beyond description which almost all other stories like this lack, the thing which really changes the way a reader thinks about the story and makes it a book which you could read and read again. I would highly recommend this book to readers ages nine and up.

A note from Piranha T - This review was supposed to be posted on Monday, but due to a technical glitch it wasn't posted until today. Sorry!