By Piranha T.

For twelve-year-old Milo Pine, winter vacation is a time to relax. His adoptive parents run Greenglass House, a smuggler’s inn, but no one ever stays there during the winter. But then guests begin appearing at the front door, and before long, Greenglass House is full of mysterious lodgers, all of whom seem to have their own reason for being there. And none of whom seem the least bit ordinary.

A perplexing map. A potential thief. Missing belongings. As the snow piles up outside and the mysteries deepen, Milo teams up with the cook’s daughter, Meddy, to uncover the secrets of the strange guests, the stories they tell, and the one thing they all seem to have in common: Greenglass House itself.

Greenglass House was a brilliant mystery with complex characters and multilayered histories. Milo and Meddy were awesome protagonists, and the puzzles they were solving kept me turning the pages until the very end. The entire cast was exceptionally quirky and enigmatic, in a way which reminded me of Nooks and Crannies, The Mysterious Benedict Society, or The Westing Game. Additionally, this mystery was unusual because it had hints of magic while still being set in this world, a combination I only remember reading in Knightly and Son, and was extremely well-done. I would highly recommend Greenglass House to lovers of brilliant plot twists and unusual characters ages ten and up.

Note: If you like Greenglass House, Kate Milford has written several sequels and companion books, many of which I’ve read and loved! 

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.

By Super Kitty

Hoping,
I’m starting to think,
might be the bravest thing a person can do.
                                                                                        - Excerpt from Other Words for Home

 
Before the protests began, Jude lived with her family in Syria. She watched old American movies with her  best friend and walked on the beach with her older brother. She dreamed of being an actress like the ones in her favorite movies. That was before.

As tensions rise in Jude’s home city, she and her mother fly to America, where they move in with her aunt and uncle in Cincinnati. As Jude struggles to adjust to a new culture, language, school—a new life—she learns that America is different than it seems in the movies. Everything is big and loud and shiny, clamoring for attention. She learns that some people expect her to be a certain way before they even meet her, or seem to treat her differently when she starts wearing a headscarf. But in America she also finds friends, allies, hope for her family in Syria and a connection with those in America. She finds a place which, slowly but surely, begins to feel like home.

Every now and then I’ll randomly stumble across a book, decide to give it a try, and end up completely adoring it. Other Words for Home is definitely one of those. A combination of gorgeous free verse, multilayered plot, and a protagonist who I completely loved creates a poignant, inspiring story about finding a new home and growing up. The story never gets violent or dark, but still honestly faces the realities of being a young Middle Eastern refugee. I’ve connected with countless book characters in different ways over the years, but Jude touched me more deeply than any have in a long time. Her fears for her family and the future make her immensely relatable, but it’s her courage, dreams, and unquenchable spark which truly make her shine.

Although it’s a middle grade book, Other Words for Home can easily be enjoyed by readers of all ages—it’s also great for discussions or book groups. I would highly recommend it to readers ages 10+ looking for a story brimming with strength, courage, and hope for a better future.

By Piranha T.

When seventh grader Nora Tucker’s school announces this year’s summer homework—a contribution to a town-wide time capsule—she doubts anything worth writing about will happen. Wolf Creek may be home to a secure correctional facility, but the most interesting things which happen are cookouts and carnivals.

But when two prisoners break out of the Wolf Creek Correctional Facility, Nora’s life becomes much more tense. Suddenly, her mom doesn’t let her go outside, police are pouring into town, and her little brother has her check for inmates under his bed.

She also meets Elidee Jones, an African American girl from New York City whose brother is in the prison. And as the search continues and tension runs higher, Nora begins to realize that no matter how welcoming Wolf Creek believes itself to be, it’s still prejudiced—both inside the correctional facility and out.

Breakout was an unusual book which confronted issues of criminal justice and racial prejudice in a way which felt completely natural and was very well done. Kate Messner narrated it in a series of documents submitted by Nora to the time capsule project, mainly by Nora, her best friend Lizzie, and Elidee. This gave the book an unusual feel and depth, and uniqueness, too—there are few books effectively told completely in documents! But instead of becoming dry, it was a really engaging format.

​This book was recommended to me, and if it hadn’t been, I don’t know if I would have read it; however, I’m glad it was. Breakout was an interesting book which covered a lot of issues which I don’t often see in middle-grade books. For anyone who remotely likes realistic fiction, this is a book which is good to read. I would highly recommend Breakout to readers ages ten and up.

By Piranha T.

Francie knows there are other worlds besides the one she’s grown up in. Like the big city over the river, where children don’t have to scavenge the streets to find trash to sell to the local junkman, and people have enough to eat. But what would it even be like to live there? All she’s ever known is life on the streets, where her hardworking mother can barely make enough to support her family: Francie, her mother, her younger brother Neely, and their occasionally working father, widely acknowledged as an alcoholic. The world beyond the ragged streets of Brooklyn is unreachable to Francie and the others who live in New York’s slums.

Francie dreams of visiting the city, although she knows it is impossible. There is little hope of leaving Brooklyn, even as her family gathers pennies in a milk can, imagining gathering a whole fifty dollars to buy their own land. She has a hard life, but she accepts it. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the story of how she grows up, overcoming hardships, finding work, learning the ways of that world and the one outside Brooklyn, too.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a partially autobiographical account of the author’s life in Brooklyn, New York just after the turn of the twentieth century. It is an amazing, compelling, and beautiful story. I don’t often prefer historical fiction, but this book was unusual; instead of focusing on the times themselves, it highlighted what happened in them. Although outside events were mentioned, this is a personal story, one of the rare books which makes you feel like the character and live her world as she would have a hundred years ago. Francie is a strong and sympathetic protagonist. This book makes you not just love it, but feel it, too. It is one of those classics which has stood the test of time, remaining accessible and real to the modern reader. I would highly recommend A Tree Grows in Brooklyn to readers ages eleven and up.

By Piranha T.

In Inside Out & Back Again, Thanhha Lai narrates the story of ten-year-old Hà, a girl who has grown up in Saigon during the Vietnam War. Forced to flee her home with the end of the Vietnam War, Hà struggles to make a new life for herself in Alabama, while trying to learn the language, make friends, and understand the world around her.

Inside Out & Back Again was a moving, beautifully written book in free verse. Hà’s life was a moving and very real journey, from a war-torn homeland to peace in a foreign country, the story of a girl who longed for her old life despite all the horrors which were taking place where she had once lived. That reality in the story made it in some ways more powerful than many historical fiction novels which I’ve read—not a fictitious story, something imagined many years later by someone who had never experienced what they were writing about, but something based in real life, in the confusion and dreams of a relatable girl in a terrible situation.

This isn’t a book I’ll forget soon, and I doubt anyone will. I would highly recommend Inside Out & Back Again to readers ages ten and up, particularly those who love Farewell to Manzanar or Brown Girl Dreaming.

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 The Seven Tales of Trinket to readers nine and up, especially those who love folklore or The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander, and anyone who is a fan of  lyrical, enchanting stories of family, quests and adventure.

By Piranha T.

Long ago, the founders, aquatic beings with blue-green scales and powerful magic, raised stone from the sea and sang the City of Islands into being. But when the founders disappeared, the most powerful of their song-spells vanished with them. Now, although many of the songs are still remembered, the most ancient and complex have been lost to time.

Mara has always dreamed of mastering spell-songs and learning to become a mage. But after the death of not just her parents, but also of the mage Bindy, who took her in after they died, that dream seems unlikely. Instead, the Lady of the Tides employs her to dive in the ocean around the City of Islands to find artifacts from the time of the founders. She rarely discovers anything of interest, but her earnings are enough to keep her from the streets.

One day, Mara discovers a deposit of bones on the ocean floor which seem to be left over from the time of the founders and sing with spell-song. And when she shows them to the Lady of the Tides, it seems that they can be traced back to one person—the same mage who killed Bindy two years before.

As Mara delves deeper into secrets which someone powerful has done quite a lot to hide, she finds herself caught up in something much bigger than just the mysterious bones. And she might be the only one who knows enough to stop the mastermind behind it before it’s too late.

City of Islands was an engrossing book. Kali Wallace expertly wielded the details of the world and the spell-songs, creating a setting which felt absolutely real, and an unusual type of magic which is now one of my favorites. Mara was a heroine with her own desires and personality, and the plot surprised me at every turn, two things I always love in a story. The whole book felt completely unique, to the point that when I tried to come up with a similar book, I couldn’t! I would highly recommend City of Islands to lovers of multilayered worlds and complex plots ages ten and up.

A note from Piranha T: If you like City of Islands, check out our interview with the author here! 

By Piranha T.

The weather in Alorria is perfect. There is no such season as winter. Every day is sunny and temperate, and it rains only when the farmers request it. Everything is kept this way by storm beasts, bound to their human guardians, who together work the weather and make it perfect for all the land.

Twelve-year-old Mina has been waiting for the day when her storm beast will hatch. She cares for her egg every day, letting the unborn creature absorb her personality through the shell of the egg as all storm beasts do, so when it is born, beast and guardian will be perfectly matched in temperament.

But when Mina’s beast hatches, everyone believes there must have been a mistake. A fiery, unpredictable lightning beast is the last creature anyone would associate with quiet, timid Mina. But Mina and her lightning beast, Pixit, are sure there’s no mistake. They only have to show everyone else that it’s true.

Mina and Pixit are enrolled at Mytris Lightning School, where she learns how to become a storm guardian. But as she learns more about her country and about its history, she realizes Alorria’s flawless weather comes with a cost. And the more she discovers, the more she is determined to make her voice heard.

​Spark is an exciting, fast-paced fantasy with an intriguing world full of mysterious creatures and deep secrets. Mina is a sympathetic heroine learning her place in the world, and attempting to change a way of life which has been in place for generations. I would highly recommend this well-developed, unique fantasy to readers ages ten and up.

By Contributing Reviewer Abby E, age 11

Renegades, by Marissa Meyer is a wonderful fantasy with romance, secret identities, crazy powers, revenge and justice. A girl, a boy, thrilling adventures, what more could you want? Although on different sides in this battle, the work together and become friends. In this spellbinding tale you enter Nova and Adrian's world of prodigies. With heroes and villains you won't want to put the book down. and when you're done reading it you'll be clawing for the next book.

​Note from Super Kitty and Piranha T: We love this book (and series) too! 

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.
​
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.
​
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.
​
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

Tired of fairytales featuring heroines who spend most of their time waiting to be rescued? Girls to the Rescue is a collection of ten short stories starring smart, capable girls who use their wits and talents to overcome obstacles and save the day. Some of the stories are inspired by folktales and legends, while others are original, but all share a theme of promoting strong role models for girls of all ages.

I was about seven when I first discovered this book and its sequels, and have enjoyed them ever since—there are many girl-power remakes of classic stories, and the Girls to the Rescue series is definitely a top pick. The characters are smart, brave, and believable, refusing to let anything from stereotypes to their own fears get in the way of their success, and friendship, diversity, and self-confidence replace many traditional stories’ themes of romance and needing to be rescued. They’re also perfect books for reading aloud. Overall, Girls to the Rescue is an excellent choice for readers (girls and boys!) ages seven and up looking for strong characters and clever stories from around the world.