By Nico

Rick knows Jeff will always be his best friend. After all, they’ve already been best friends for years, and Jeff is his favorite person to hang out with. Sure, sometimes Jeff says things that Rick isn’t totally comfortable with…but they’ll always be friends anyway. Right?

But everything seems to be changing when Rick enters middle school, particularly after he joins the Rainbow Spectrum club without telling Jeff and realizes he’s not the only person who his best friend’s words can hurt. Plus, as he’s getting to know his grandfather on the weekends, he’s wondering who he’d be without Jeff for the first time. Rick has to decide: will he keep going along with Jeff just to keep his life the same? Or will he stand up to him and be who he really is?

A sequel/companion book to Alex Gino’s novel Melissa, Rick is a thoughtful, relatable book about figuring out where you belong. Rick’s character was great—I loved how his developing understanding of himself and Jeff really powered this story, and his uncertainty felt relatable without becoming overdone. I was also glad to see the much-needed ace rep in t his story. Plus, seeing Melissa again after the conclusion of her own story felt incredibly heartwarming—watching her grow and thrive through another’s eyes made the conclusion to Melissa almost more satisfying. I recommend Rick to readers ages eight and up, particularly on audio. 

By Lina
​
Ari Mendoza - Aristotle, if you want to annoy him - is fifteen. A fifteen-year-old boy, in summer, with a father who holds the Vietnam war silent inside him and an irritatingly perceptive mother who adores him. One with a brother in prison, leaving him with questions his parents will never answer, and two grown-up sisters, making him a sort of fake only child, which is pretty depressing, when you think about it. 

Ari’s not particularly interested in making friends - most people know to leave him alone, and that’s just fine with him. But then he meets Dante Quintana, an irrepressible, erudite boy who appears at the local pool and offers to teach him to swim. Ari doesn’t like accepting help. But for whatever reason, he says yes to Dante. 

Ari is moody rain and fierce loyalty, a self-professed expert loner. Dante is sunlight and poetry and smart-aleck comebacks. They’re utterly different. They’re remarkably alike. 

Together, they might discover the secrets of the universe. 

By the time I read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, not only did I have high expectations, I felt I had a pretty good sense of the overall trajectory of the story. Historical queer romance? Coming-of-age tale? When you read a lot, you often go into books with a decent sense of what they’ll be like based on the loose sketch you’ve gotten from the flap and - when they’re as acclaimed and successful as this one - the reviews and recommendations. While each is unique, they often fit semiconscious, overall molds. 

Not this one. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe was entirely different than I was expecting, carrying on in its own way, politely brushing my expectations aside each time I thought I knew what was going to happen next. Instead of the standard three-act love story I was expecting, I was launched into a stunning meditation on growing up, on figuring out who you are, and on the complexity of families and secrets and being a teenager, all while remaining unwaveringly fresh and authentic. Some books - just a few - capture that ineffable essence of growing up, of hovering on that border between childhood and adulthood; The Perks of Being a Wallflower comes to mind. This is one of them. 

It’s rare for me to fall in love with an entire cast of characters, but it happened here. All the characters, including both sets of parents, are complex and flawed and effortlessly human, and all felt real; their dialogue is particularly strong and believable. Ari is a captivating protagonist, messy, witty, wickedly smart and surprisingly introspective, while Dante’s brilliance, quirkiness, and indescribable individuality shine. I was especially struck by Sáenz’s remarkable ability to tell readers a great deal without outright saying anything of the sort, particularly concerning Ari himself: one is so deeply enmeshed in his mind, his life, and his feelings that one often viscerally understands his emotions and thoughts without his actually admitting to them. 

A tale of family, friendship, secrets, love, growing up, and, at its very heart, being human, I would highly recommend this raw, thoughtful, beautiful story to readers ages 14 and up. It’s also excellent on audio.

By Nico

​The Notorious Scarlett and Browne is the sequel to The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne, and the second book in an ongoing series. 

Look out--there are spoilers ahead for book one!

For Albert Browne, life is just beginning to get interesting. After spending his life stuck indoors, courtesy of the Faith House's oppressive views on his ability to read minds, he's finally escaped, thanks to Scarlett McCain, a far more experienced outlaw with a sharp tongue and a quick wit. All in all, leading a life of crime is all he could've hoped for and more: he gets to see the world and follow Scarlett on all sorts of interesting adventures. And with his magical skills and Scarlett's clever plans, they're yet to find a stronghold that can outwit them. 

Of course, there are some downsides...such as the nefarious criminal organization pursuing them, who is somehow connected to Scarlett's past. And the Faith House operative, with powers to rival Albert's own, who keeps popping up when least expected. And, of course, a messy ultimatum: either Scarlett and Albert break into a dangerously secure facility, or their friends will get eaten by owls. They might be the land's most infamous outlaws, but even they will be hard-pressed to handle everything before their time is up. 

And if they fail? Well, then, the story of the notorious Scarlett and Browne might just be over. 

The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne was one of my favorite books last year, and its sequel lived up to even my highest expectations. Stroud's writing is focused and clever, full of evocative descriptions and turns of phrase--plus an impeccable dose of humor--while keeping the story flying at an impossibly quick pace. I love the setting, as before; a futuristic, post-apocalyptic Britain governed by an organization of corrupt Faith Houses, it's utterly unlike anything I've read before, in the best possible way. The dynamic between Scarlett and Browne is truly brilliant. Full of humor and panache, their exploits are clever and all-absorbing, and although the happy, naive character contrasted with the snarky realist is a relationship I've seen many times before, Stroud makes it not just fresh but hilarious, too. And I'd be remiss not to mention the other characters in this book, particularly Mallory, whose arc/development was one of my favorite parts of the story. If you like audiobooks, this one's also extremely well-read! I highly recommend The Notorious Scarlett and Browne to readers ages ten and up looking for a quirky, fast-paced adventure with an intricate plot and spectacular characters. 

By Nico

​The remote city of Ilvernath is known for little more than being ordinary. With quaint shops, dense forests, and talented spellmakers, it’s little-known and little-noticed, unassuming, perhaps, to a fault.

But every generation, with the rise of the Blood Moon, each of Ilvernath’s seven most powerful families sends one of its children into a cursed duel to the death. The victor’s family controls the city’s high magic reserves until the next Tournament. The other children put forward as potential champions by their families are just more sacrifices to the brutal curse they put in place centuries ago.

For centuries, the tournament, along with Ilvernath’s high magic itself—a dangerous and incredibly powerful natural resource believed to be depleted from the world—has been a carefully kept secret. But ever since the publication of a tell-all book, A Tradition of Tragedy, which bears all Ilvernath’s secrets to the world, newspapers throughout the country have been plastered with headlines about this unassuming city that sends its children to their deaths. For the first time, as each family declares their champion, the world is watching with revolution and fascination as this centuries-old story unfolds, and the seven champions of Ilvernath battle for their families, survival, and glory.

Alistair Lowe has been raised on monster stories by his family, the undisputed villains of Ilvernath, but he wants to win not for them, but for his beloved brother. Isobel Macaslan was thrust accidentally into the spotlight as the first champion revealed, and a desperate attempt to survive might cost her her life. Briony Thorburn has wanted all her life to be her family’s champion, but the meddling of external powers might not give her that chance. And even though Gavin Greive’s family has never won the tournament—or perhaps because of it—he’s willing to sacrifice anything to survive, even the very force that keeps him alive.

But maybe this time, Ilvernath’s ancient story will end a little differently.

With the atmospheric writing of Where Dreams Descend and the emotional ambiguity and intensity of Six of Crows and An Ember in the Ashes, I knew as soon as I started reading that All of Us Villains was going to become an instant favorite. This is one of those brilliant books with an amazing premise that not only lived up to everything I was hoping it would be, but far surpassed it. Complex, intense, and sometimes brutally honest, the intertwined stories of Alistair, Isobel, Briony, and Gavin wove one of the most complicated and multifaceted stories I’ve had the pleasure to read, going far beyond subverting traditional notions of heroism and what makes a villain into a tale so morally ambiguous that the term moral ambiguity barely begins to cover it. Alistair was my favorite character—he’s a character for anyone who has ever loved a villain—but it was a narrow win; all four of the narrators are utterly spectacular, with such nuance and realism that each utterly leapt off the page into my mind. Their struggles and distinct personalities were so vibrant, and the conflicts both between them and inside themselves propelled the story forward at an electric pace. The worldbuilding was stunning; I’ve never read a book with a world quite like All of Us Villain’s, a modern-ish world where magic is carried in spellstones and bought and sold like any other every-day tool. Every inch of it felt fresh and different; even the tournament, a familiar trope in YA literature, was unlike any I’ve ever read. Fast-paced, twisty, intense, and spectacular, I highly recommend All of Us Villains (and the AMAZING sequel!) to readers ages fourteen and up.  

Note: All of Us Villains is stunning on audio--highly recommended! 

By SK

Ten-year-old self-proclaimed natural-born cynic Flora Belle Buckman has studied enough of her beloved comics to know that it is imperative to be prepared for the Terrible Things that can happen to a person. So when her next-door neighbor's birthday present, a Ulysses Super-Suction, Multi-Terrain 2000x vacuum cleaner, accidentally suctions up a hapless squirrel, she doesn't hesitate--she administers CPR. To the squirrel. 

Except....he's not quite an ordinary squirrel anymore. He looks like a squirrel (albeit a slightly bald one, thanks to the vacuum cleaner), and thinks like a squirrel ("Food?"), but now the newly dubbed Ulysses has the powers of a superhero from one of Flora's comics: He can fly! Lift enormous objects! Type! He even writes poetry. 

If Flora knows one thing about superheroes, it's that they always have a job to do, and people to save. And Ulysses' new powers do spark an unexpected chain of events, setting Flora on a wild adventure filled with a variety of quirky characters, including a dramatic divorced romance novelist (who also happens to be Flora's mother); a doctor of philosophy from Blundermeecen; Flora's father, who shares her love of comics; her improbably named, poetry-loving neighbor Tootie; and William Spiver, Tootie's pedantic, eccentric great-nephew who insists that he is temporarily blind. They will face opposition, archenemies, and giant donuts. They will realize that the universe is a very random, very beautiful place. And in the end, Ulysses might just save the day. 

I first read Flora and Ulysses when I was eight or nine, and I remember enjoying it then--but when I recently reread it for a book group, I utterly adored it. The characters are pitch-perfect and irresistibly quirky, and it's an absolute joy to watch them grow and connect over the course of the story. Kate DiCamillo is brilliant, and her writing makes the many wacky characters, events, and unexpected occurrences hang together perfectly with ease, and keeps the story fast-paced and the reader constantly laughing. It's a difficult book to do justice to in a summary, given the quirky premise, but I can honestly say that it's one of my all-time favorites, and a book which I could read over and over, and would bring me joy every time. Filled with madcap wit, wisdom, hilarity, and surprising tenderness, I would highly recommend Flora and Ulysses to readers ages eight and up--it's an excellent read-aloud, audiobook (complete with superhero music!), or book group selection, and is also a delight to read on one's own. 

By Piranha T.

Coriander Hobie lives a perfect life, with a loving father and a beautiful mother, a life she believes will never change. But then a pair of silver shoes slip her into another world, and although she stays there for a very short time, it changes her life forever. Only a few days later, her mother mysteriously dies, leaving Coriander and her father to navigate the political turmoil of seventeenth-century London. And then her father disappears too, leaving Coriander with her stepmother, who despises her.

Yet her stepmother isn’t the only person who Coriander learns to fear. For when she enters that other world again, she discovers someone else searching for her—someone who truly wants her dead.

I, Coriander was a beautifully written, engrossing read with a plot which just keeps getting better. Although set in a historical time frame, I, Coriander is fantasy, and I’d recommend it to fans of either genre; Coriander’s voice feels very authentic to the seventeenth century, but it still has the feel of a fantasy novel. It’s one of those books which pulls you in and weaves a spell of magic around you, written like a fairytale, but the plot and characters are much deeper than in more old-fashioned books. I would highly recommend I, Coriander to readers ages eleven and up.
​
Note: The audiobook, read by Juliet Stevenson, is amazing—if you like to listen to audiobooks, I would recommend this one! I also listened to one of Sally Gardner’s other books, The Red Necklace, a historical fantasy for slightly older readers, which I would recommend if you love I, Coriander. ​

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.
​
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 Super Kitty
 
Pacy Lin is excited about the upcoming Year of the Dog—according to her parents, it’s a year to “find yourself” and make friends. As one of the only Taiwanese-American kids in her school, Pacy sometimes feels like she doesn’t fit in, and the Year of the Dog seems like a good time to figure out who she really is.

Sure enough, she becomes fast friends with Melody Ling, a new girl in school who has so much in common with Pacy that they’re practically twins! Pacy is hoping that the Year of the Dog is a sign that she’s going to discover a new talent and decide what she wants to be when she grows up, and as the year goes by she and Melody compete in a science fair, perform in the school play, enter a Halloween costume contest, and more. But as the end of the year gets closer and closer, Pacy begins to wonder: will she find something that she’s good at before the Year of the Dog is over? Or will she be stuck without a special talent forever? 

I read The Year of the Dog before Piranha T. and I started Rapunzel Reads, and we’ve been meaning to review it ever since! I loved it as second grader, and it was just as good when I re-read it recently—it’s one of those books that is impossible to grow out of, and while aimed for younger kids, older readers shouldn’t take that as a reason not to read it. There are some books which really capture what being a kid is like, and this is one of them. In an author’s note, Grace Lin, who based the story on her own childhood, says that when she was young her favorite books were about normal kids: “When I read those books, it was as if I was wrapped in a warm hug. I saw all the things that I loved and lived—my neighborhood, my friends, and my school. The only thing I didn’t see was me….I wrote [The Year of the Dog] because it was the book I wished I had had when I was growing up, a book that had someone like me in it.” Fun, believable, and engaging, I would highly recommend this book for ages eight and up. And if you enjoy it, I also loved both sequels: The Year of the Rat and Dumpling Days.

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 Super Kitty
​
Ten-year-old Keladry of Mindelan plans to become a knight like her hero Alanna the Lioness, who, years ago, disguised herself as a boy so she could train for knighthood. The law forbidding girls from entering the training changed ten years ago, and Kel becomes the first to take advantage of the new decree, making history as the first girl to officially become a page—but not everyone is happy about it. Lord Wyldon, in charge of training pages and squires, even insists on putting her on probation, which no other page has ever had to endure.

Faced with nastiness, bullying and heated opposition in addition to the already demanding training schedule, Kel has been given a far more difficult test than any boy has ever had to experience. Whether or not she is able to prove herself will determine not only her own fate, but that of any other girls who wish to follow in her footsteps. Fortunately, Kel is more than up for the challenge…

I’ve read a lot of Tamora Pierce’s books, including many of those set in the Tortall* universe, and the Protector of the Small Quartet is my all-time favorite. The author is known for her powerful female protagonists, and out of all of them I’ve liked Kel best. She’s tough, brave, smart and is an excellent tactician—she’s very human, and is all and all the sort of shero I love to read about. Also, unlike Alanna, she doesn’t have magical powers or a legendary destiny; she’s just an incredibly skilled young woman who’s willing to deal with the prejudice that the first openly female knight must face in order to pave the way for other Lady Knights.

Like Alanna, Kel ages quickly over the course of the quartet—in First Test, she’s ten, but by book four she’s about twenty, and the series gets progressively more ‘Young Adult’ in the later installments. So I although I would recommend First Test for ages 10 and up, younger readers may lose interest after the first two books. But it’s a great series, and older readers shouldn’t be put off by the fact that Kel is younger in the first book—she’s an awesome character, and I would highly recommend the Protector of the Small Quartet to readers who love fantasy, action, and strong, fearless heroines.

*Note: Although the quartet is set in the same world as many of Tamora Pierce’s other books (The Song of the Lioness Quartet and the Trickster’s Choice Duology), you don’t need to have read any of them before starting Protector of the Small (we didn’t!)

By Piranha T. 

When the headmistress of Saint Etheldrada's School for Young Ladies and her brother are mysteriously murdered during dinner, their students decide not to contact the police. Instead, they take matters into their own hands and keep the crime secret. They have complete freedom - but only so long as no one catches them. And that takes more work than any of them expected. 

Faking their way through visits from investigating policemen, disastrous social gatherings, and curious lawyers, they begin to realize that there's even more to worry about. For if the murderer falls for their charade and thinks their headmistress is still alive, nothing's stopping them from trying again. 

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place is a hilarious historical mystery set against the backdrop of Victorian England. It has a funny, distinct characters and a brilliant plotline for mystery lovers. I'd highly recommend The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place​ to readers ages ten and up. 

By Super Kitty

Lyra Belacqua has grown up at Oxford Collage, raised by various scholars but spending most of her time running wild with her daemon Pantalimon at her side. She and her best friend Roger explore every inch of the collage together, playing games (and occasional tricks) to their heart’s content. She is perfectly happy and never wants to leave, but her world is changing. Children disappearing, a mysterious new substance, and rumors of disturbing experiments are all part of something that could bring the earth to a very dark place, and as Lyra discovers, only she can stop it. With the help of an armored bear, her faithful daemon, and a mystical tool that she only half understands, she sets out on a journey which will take her to the edge of the world—and beyond.

The Golden Compass is one of my favorite stories for several reasons. First of all, Lyra is a brilliant heroine, the sort you just can’t help but fall in love with. Second, the writing and plotting are excellent. And third, unexpected twists, clever villains, and daring escapes made it remarkably hard to put down. It’s the first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy, which I have been enjoying, although each book is very different. It has some darker parts, so I would recommend it to readers ages ten and up, particularly fans of Angie Sage’s Septimus Heap series (reviewed May 2017) and Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising sequence (reviewed February 2017).

Note: This book is awesome on audio, so if you like audiobooks, this is for you!    

By Piranha T. and Super Kitty

“In the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be the eldest of three.” So starts Howl’s Moving Castle, an amusing, clever, and fast-paced favorite among Piranha T. and Super Kitty.

Sophie Hatter is one such burdened individual, staying hidden away in her stepmother’s hat shop. She knows that nothing exciting will ever happen to her, but her life takes a turn for the worse—and the more exciting—when the nefarious Witch of the Waste notices her and transforms her into an old lady. Knowing that she can’t stay where she is, Sophie goes from her home and out into the world.

Her life gets very complicated all at once when she makes a bargain with a fire demon, tangles with the greatly feared Wizard Howl and his apprentice, and at the same time tries to free herself from the Witch of the Waste’s curse. For she’s about to discover that not only Howl, but herself as well, are much more interesting than first meets the eye.

We have read several things by Diana Wynne Jones, and have enjoyed all of them, but none have come close to Howl’s Moving Castle. It is one of those books that we have been recommending to everyone we know, kids and adults alike. Weaving in elements of classic fairytales (and sometimes making fun of them), Diana Wynne Jones creates an all-time favorite with Howl’s Moving Castle. We’d recommend it to ages nine and up, to kids, teenagers and adults as well! And if you're into audiobooks, we'd recommend the narration by Jenny Sterlin. It's great!

Note: Howl’s Moving Castle was made into an animated film by Hayao Miyazaki. The book is very, very different—so whether you loved the movie or despised it, READ THE BOOK! This is one of those cases where the movie is not just different from the book, they are almost separate stories. 

By Contributing Writer, A.R., Massachusetts

ages 9-15
realistic fiction

This book is about a boy named August who is going into middle school. When August was born his face came out very different than most other people, so naturally he is nervous of being made fun of in middle school. August has been home schooled up until this point, so he barely knows anyone in his class. The book shows persistence and good friendships, and is an amazing and unique story.

I loved how realistic the author was about middle school students in the book. I also loved how the author switches point of view a lot to help you understand all sides of the story.

Note from Super Kitty & Piranha T: We also loved this book - it is one of our favorites and, if you haven't read it already, we highly recommend reading it with friends - it makes for excellent discussion!

By Piranha T.

When Simon, Jane and Barney Drew embark on a train to Cornwall, England, none of them suspect what they will find there. Staying with their parents and their mysterious Great-Uncle Merry in a cottage by the cliffs, they discover an ancient manuscript in the house’s attic. It tells of the hiding place of an old grail, which is a key part to defeating the rising forces of evil, the Dark. With the help of their Great-Uncle Merry, who knows more about the Dark than anyone expected, they begin to follow a trail of clues that were left over nine centuries ago. But when it comes to the final moments of the quest, can they save the grail and stop the Dark?

Over Sea, Under Stone is one of the best books I have ever read. It is the first book in The Dark is Rising Sequence, a five-book series which I loved every word of. I enjoyed Over Sea, Under Stone because it was a good fantasy with some magic, and I liked how it was about ordinary children having adventures, although, as I may have pointed out, their adventures were not at all ordinary. I would highly recommend Over Sea, Under Stone to readers ages eight and up.

The audiobook version was also great - my whole family enjoyed the entire series!