Adventures for Young Readers

 

The Curio Collectors
By Eloise Williams and Anna Shepeta
Publisher: Barrington Stoke (2 Mar. 2023)
Paperback: 96 pages
ISBN-10: 180090200X
ISBN-13: 978-1800902008
Reading age: 9 years and up
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

Lily and Tom travel the county with Ma Hawker, enthralling crowds with their amazing collection of curios. Always on the lookout for new wonders, Lily is tricked into buying a worthless bag of rubbish. But hidden within is a special piece of scrimshaw. A young woman called Flora Meriweather is desperate to buy the scrimshaw, hoping it can help her solve a mystery surrounding her late mother. But someone else also wants to get his hands on the scrimshaw and ensure that secrets stay hidden in the past. Can the Curio Collectors help the truth come to light?

My Thoughts:

This book was promoted as high-interest, low reading level. I think the story itself—plot, characters—is appropriate to ages 9 and up, but the reading level is definitely lower. Sentences have simple structure, and vocabulary is not too elevated. This allows the reader to follow the story without difficulty.

Lily and Tom are poor and orphaned, and travel with a sort of adopted mother. They make ends meet by selling odds and ends that they find. In P.T. Barnum fashion, they call them “curious”, and display them, charging crowds for admission.

One particular item—a piece of scrimshaw—draws the attention of disparate visitors. One is a young servant girl, the other, a wealthy man who claims to be a scientist. The girl cannot afford it; the man offers a healthy sum of money.

Lily and Tom befriend the girl, and find that she has been collecting scrimshaw pieces, looking for the one that will prove her late mother’s scientific research. They give her the piece, putting a different one from her collection into their display.

In they end, they must race the so-called scientist in hopes of proving just who is the real scientist.

Interestingly, the conclusion leaves Lily, Tom, and Ma as they are, rather than changing their situation in life. They are content with what they do, and enjoy the adventurous life they lead. I appreciate that the author resisted “fixing” them.

Possible Objectionable Material:

A little bit of sneaking and lying. Poverty. A tense scene in a cemetery.

Who Might Like This Book:

Those who like stories set in the past, who like adventurous children and a bit of a mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my opinion.

Graysen Fox and the Treasure of Principal Redbeard
Graysen Foxx, School Treasure Hunter #1
By J. Scott Savage
Publisher: Shadow Mountain (March 6, 2023)
Hardcover: 256 pages
ISBN-10: 1639931031
ISBN-13: 978-1639931033
Reading age: 8 - 12 years
Grade level: 4 – 6

 
Publisher’s Blurb: 

Ordinary Elementary is anything but ordinary. Below the classrooms are winding, abandoned, underground passages filled with lost treasures. Fifth-grader Graysen Foxx, aka The Gray Fox―finder of secrets, solver of mysteries, and explorer of the unknown―is hot on the trail of the legendary treasure of Principal Redbeard, which includes decades of confiscated gadgets, rare comic books, first-edition Pokémon trading cards, an original Rubik’s Cube, and a retro handheld video game.

Graysen is determined to find the treasure and share it with his fellow students. His nemesis, Raven Ransom―nicknamed “Red Raven”―plans to stop him and claim the prizes for herself, just like she did with the game-winning home run kickball everyone thought was lost on the roof of the school.

Wearing his adventurer-iconic fedora, journaling in his field notebook, and wielding his elastic stretchy hand, Graysen is ready for action. But can he avoid the second-grade spy network working for Raven? Could the third-grade twins, Maya and Jack, give him an advantage? Can he avoid the ruthless sixth graders while trying to protect the innocent first graders? And who is the mysterious Midnight Moth who is leaving cryptic notes and riddles?

It's a battle between courage and cunning, smarts and shrewdness, charity and cheating. With the treasure on the line, can Graysen trust his rival―or is it just another one of her traps? May the best treasure hunter win!

My Thoughts:

Something about the narrative voice in this book just didn’t work for me. Maybe it was the over-use of comparisons, metaphors and similes. Sometimes it’s better just to say things straight, not constantly make humorous comparisons. The comparisons were cute, but Savage really laid it on thick. Too thick.

The story itself is a sort of elementary school Indiana Jones, adventuring through the myths and legends of his school in search of treasure. I would definitely classify it as fantasy, although firmly rooted in the real world. Some of the interpersonal dynamics are true to elementary school life; others are greatly exaggerated for comic effect.

I think my favorite characters were sidekicks Maya and Jack. Their loyalty and dogged determination to help Graysen to prevail over Red Raven were a nice touch.

The conclusion of the adventure was appropriate, with some twists and turns along the way, as people don’t always act the way Graysen assumed they would. Who is really helping…and who has an ulterior motive?

In the end, this is a solid series starter, but not one I think I’ll need to continue in.

Possible Objectionable Material:

Lots of sneaking around and Indiana Jones-style booby traps. And yet, somehow Graysen is never actually injured! Young children eat crayons, other immature behavior.

Who Might Like This Book:

Anyone who likes adventure, particularly fans of Indiana Jones.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my opinion.

 

Multicultural Middle Grades

It’s Boba Time for Pearl Li
By Nicole Chen
Publisher: Quill Tree Books (February 28, 2023)
Hardcover: 368 pages
ISBN-10: 0063228610
ISBN-13: 978-0063228610
Reading age: 8 - 12 years
Grade level: 3 – 7
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

Pearl Li is ready to spend the summer before seventh grade hanging out with her two best friends, crocheting the cutest amigurumi dolls, and visiting her favorite tea shop, Boba Time. Its quirky owner, Auntie Cha, is the only adult Pearl can confide in about her art—if only her tech-obsessed family would understand her love of crafts! 

After Pearl learns of Boba Time’s financial troubles, she decides to sell her amigurumi to raise money for the shop. But as she navigates the ups and downs of running a business, Pearl realizes that monetizing her passion is more complicated than she could’ve ever imagined. Can Pearl save Boba Time before it’s too late? 

Featuring fun backmatter—including a delicious boba tea recipe—this is a heartfelt story about advocating for your passions and uncovering big truths about friendship, family, and entrepreneurship along the way. 

My Thoughts:

Pearl reminds me a lot of me. One person criticizes something I do, and before you know it, I figure everyone else will feel the same way. We love our safe spaces, and treasure the people who “get” us—sometimes too much.

Pearl’s safe place is Boba Time, and her safe person is Auntie Cha. Pearl doesn’t fit into her home of entrepreneur parents and a big sister who has coded an app that’s already on the market. She’d rather crochet cute amigurumi figures. But when she learns that Boba Time is in danger of closing, she, too, becomes an entrepreneur in an effort to purchase a new fridge.

Pearl has great friends who support her, but when they advise her to stop hiding what she’s doing from her parents, they argue. The rift between them is real, as is Pearl’s struggle to forge ahead on her own. She finds a surprising ally in her sister.

Of course, her parents don’t stay in the dark for long. The resolution comes when Pearl’s mother realizes just how alike they actually are, despite different interests. Pearl does reconcile with her friends, and they come up with a great solution—for themselves, and for Auntie Cha. They even make a new friend along the way—one of the “mean girls” who first criticized Pearl’s work

I really like the way the relationships are portrayed. The parents, sister, friends, and supportive adult all are well-developed as characters with their own problems and hurts to deal with. The dialogue feels realistic as well.

Possible Objectionable Material:

Pearl deceives her parents. Friends argue.

Who Might Like This Book:

Those who like to see children working to solve problems—their own and those of others around them. Those who like multicultural stories.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind
Momo Arashima Book 1
By Misa Sugiura
Publisher: Labyrinth Road (February 28, 2023)
Hardcover: 384 pages
ISBN-10: 0593564065
ISBN-13: 978-0593564066
Reading age: 8 - 12 years
Lexile measure: 740L
Grade level: 3 – 7
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

All Momo wants for her twelfth birthday is an ordinary life—like everyone else's. At home, she has to take care of her absentminded widowed mother. At school, kids ridicule her for mixing up reality with the magical stories her mother used to tell her.

But then Momo’s mother falls gravely ill, and a death hag straight out of those childhood stories attacks Momo at the mall, where she’s rescued by a talking fox . . . and “ordinary” goes out the window. It turns out that Momo's mother is a banished Shinto goddess who used to protect a long-forgotten passageway to Yomi—a.k.a. the land of the dead. That passageway is now under attack, and countless evil spirits threaten to escape and wreak havoc across the earth.

Joined by Niko the fox and Danny—her former best friend turned popular jerk, whom she never planned to speak to again, much less save the world with—Momo must embrace her (definitely not "ordinary") identity as half human, half goddess to unlock her divine powers, save her mother’s life, and force the demons back to Yomi.

My Thoughts:

This was an engaging adventure and bodes well for future installments in the series.

Momo is tired of being the caregiver in her family. On her 12^th birthday, she has been the one to look after her mother ever since her father’s disappearance, rather than the other way around. Mom just doesn’t seem to engage with the world or understand how it works.

Of course, as Momo finds out, that could just be because Mom is an exiled goddess! Furthermore, in order to save Momo’s life, her mother promised Momo to the goddess of the underworld, to begin on her 12^th birthday.

And to complicate things further, the gate to the underworld is weakening. It is up to Momo, helped by fox spirit Nico, to restore the gate and save the world. On the way, she meets many mythological figures, including her grandfather.

Joining Momo and Nico on the quest is Danny, Japanese by ethnicity, but adopted by Caucasian parents. They had been good friends once, but when Danny became more concerned with being cool, Momo was cast aside. Danny remembers the stories Momo’s mother had told them, and is a great supportive sidekick as they travel to multiple fantasy worlds. He’s not without his snark, and Momo is unsure of whether they will truly be friends ever again, but he’s handy to have around.

I enjoyed the dialogue and characters here, as well as the peek into Japanese folklore and fairytales. There’s some snappy dialogue and great description.

Possible Objectionable Material:

Stories of non-Christian gods and goddesses. Perilous situations. Loss of a parent. Bullying.

Who Might Like This Book:

Those who like learning about the folklore of other cultures. Fans of adventure and stories about friendship.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Finally Seen
By Kelly Yang
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (February 28, 2023)
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1534488332
ISBN-13: 978-1534488335
Reading age: 8 - 12 years
Grade level: 3 – 7
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

My sister got to grow up with my parents. Me? I grew up with postcards from my parents.

When ten-year-old Lina Gao steps off the plane in Los Angeles, it’s her first time in America and the first time seeing her parents and her little sister in five years! She’s been waiting for this moment every day while she lived with her grandmother in Beijing, getting teased by kids at school who called her “left behind girl.” Finally, her parents are ready for her to join their fabulous life in America! Except, it’s not exactly like in the postcards:

1. School’s a lot harder than she thought. When she mispronounces some words in English on the first day, she decides she simply won’t talk. Ever again.

2. Her chatty little sister has no problem with English. And seems to do everything better than Lina, including knowing exactly the way to her parents’ hearts.

3. They live in an apartment, not a house like in Mom’s letters, and they owe a lot of back rent from the pandemic. And Mom’s plan to pay it back sounds more like a hobby than a moneymaker.

As she reckons with her hurt, Lina tries to keep a lid on her feelings, both at home and at school. When her teacher starts facing challenges for her latest book selection, a book that deeply resonates with Lina, it will take all of Lina’s courage and resilience to get over her fear in order to choose a future where she’s finally seen.

My Thoughts:

Once again, Kelly Yang brings us a story of what it’s like to try to navigate a new country. I don’t know how many parents find themselves in a situation where they must leave one or all of their children behind in order to forge a new life in the United States.

In this case, once Lina is able to join her parents, she is excited to start living the beautiful life they’ve sent her photos of—only to find that that life isn’t real. They are struggling to get by. Her father lost his graduate school job after standing up for a coworker, and now does fieldwork for an organic farmer, who has promised to help Lina’s parents get their green cards.

Lina’s little sister, of course, fits right in at school and speaks English well She’s all about her Tiktok dances. But although Lina has studied English back in China, it is nothing like actually having to go to school in English in the U.S.

Furthermore, she’s worried about her grandmother, who has moved into an assisted living center and doesn’t seem to be settling in well.

Enter a wonderfully sympathetic teacher to help Lina grow her English skills and a school librarian who helps Lina find the perfect graphic novel. The two of them even encourage Lina to create her own graphic novel about her experiences—including how she is bullied in her new school

And when Lina shares her favorite graphic novel, about an immigrant girl whose experiences are similar to Lina’s own, there is consternation in the classroom when a parent objects to the book and wants it removed. It is here that Lina finds her voice and is able to stand up, speak up, and be seen.

I really, really loved this book, and look forward to more by Kelly Yang. She made my heart hurt for Lina, and I sympathized with the struggles that her parents faced in trying to keep their family together. These are heavy subjects, but Yang handles them deftly and in a way that is appropriate to her target age group. It is such a pleasure watching Lina make friends and overcome her language barriers as she finds the way to make herself heard.

Possible Objectionable Material:

Family separation, bully, deception, censorship, immigration issues.

Who Might Like This Book:

Anyone who likes stories of families overcoming difficulties. Those interested in the immigrant experience. Those who like reading about social issues through the lens of a child’s life.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

 

A Bit of Earth
By Karuna Riazi
Publisher: Greenwillow Books (March 14, 2023)
Hardcover: 368 pages
ISBN-10: 0063098660
ISBN-13: 978-0063098664
Reading age: 8 - 12 years
Grade level: 3 - 7
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

Growing up in Pakistan, Maria Latif has been bounced between reluctant relatives for as long as she can remember—first because of her parents’ constant travel, and then because of their deaths. Maria has always been a difficult child, and it never takes long for her guardians to tire of her. So when old friends of her parents offer to “give her a better life” in the United States, Maria is shipped to a host family across the world.

When Maria arrives on Long Island, things are not quite what she was expecting. Mr. Clayborne has left on an extended business trip, Mrs. Clayborne seems emotionally fraught, and inexplicable things keep happening in the Claybornes’ sprawling house. And then Maria finds a locked gate to an off-limits garden. Since she’s never been good at following rules, Maria decides to investigate and discovers something she never thought she’d find: a place where she feels at home.

With a prickly main character, a sullen boy, two friendly allies, and a locked garden, A Bit of Earth has everything a reader could want from a retelling of The Secret Garden. Karuna Riazi’s evocative prose is interspersed with poetic verses, illuminating each character’s search for a place they can truly call home. This tender yet incisive reimagining of a classic work will captivate fans of the original—and widen the appeal for a modern audience.

My Thoughts:

The Secret Garden may be part of my DNA, I’ve read it so many times. I’m also a huge fan of the Broadway musical of about 30 years ago. I entered this book with high hopes, and was not disappointed.

Riazi follows the plot of the original without being too imitative, updating it to a new time, place, and culture. Maria is the contrary Mary who is softened by her time in the garden. Riazi gives her a rich internal dialogue, as she knows she will be passed to another home and refuses to do anything that would keep her connected to the home she is currently in. But a determined neighbor girl starts to break down Maria’s carefully erected walls. The main characters of the original are all represented in some shape or form—even the robin, who is represented by a small green lizard in this book.

There is some added conflict with Lyndsay, Colin’s stepmother, and how she finally finds a backbone in dealing with Colin’s father, who is still obviously grieving his first wife. I was a little confused as to Lyndsay’s cultural background—several hints were dropped, but it wasn’t really clear.

Placing Maria in Bangladeshi/Pakistani culture worked well, with her homesickness for her homeland, despite being passed around from unwilling relative to unwilling relative. The reason for her coming to New York is a bit of a stretch, but not too bad. And the resolution, like that of the original, is satisfying.

Possible Objectionable Material:

Loss of parents. Children in conflict with adults. Children being sneaky, but not in a dangerous or destructive way.

Who Might Like This Book:

If you liked The Secret Garden, I see no reason that you wouldn’t like this!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

 

Upcoming fiction releases

The Little Wartime Library
By Kate Thompson
 
Publisher: Forever (February 21, 2023)
Paperback: 480 pages
ISBN-10: 1538724219
ISBN-13: 978-1538724217

 Publisher’s Blurb:

An uplifting and inspiring novel based on the true story of a librarian who created an underground shelter during World War II, perfect for readers of The Paris Library or The Last Bookshop in London. 

London, 1944: Clara Button is no ordinary librarian. While war ravages the city above her, Clara has risked everything she holds dear to turn the Bethnal Green tube station into the country’s only underground library. Down here, a secret community thrives with thousands of bunk beds, a nursery, a café, and a theater—offering shelter, solace, and escape from the bombs that fall upon their city.

Along with her glamorous best friend and assistant Ruby Munroe, Clara ensures the library is the beating heart of life underground. But as the war drags on, the women's determination to remain strong in the face of adversity is tested to the limits when it may come at the price of keeping those closest to them alive.

My Thoughts:

This book was a delight to read. I’ve heard my mother’s stories of London during the Blitz, but she was a child, so she doesn’t remember much. And of course, in case you hadn’t noticed, I love books. I strongly believe in the power of books to change lives, and that is the message of this novel.

Based on a true story and well-researched, with plentiful notes at the end, this book tells the story of a library in a tube station. There was actually a thriving community of people in the station, sleeping there every night to be safe from German bombs, then working in their normal jobs by day.

Clara and Ruby are the opposite—working in the underground library by day and returning to their own homes at night. Clara, widowed, is lonely, while Ruby seeks the company of many many, affirming life the best way she knows how. She avoids going home, where her mother has been beaten down by Ruby’s stepfather.

In addition to the dangers inherent in living in London in the Blitz, there is also someone attacking women on the streets at night. Clara herself is almost attacked, only to be saved by Billy Clark, a conscientious objector who worked for the ambulance corps.

Clara’s supervisor has vastly different ideas from hers about the purpose of a library. He doesn’t believe uneducated people should be allowed library cards. He wants to censor what books are allowed in the library. They are constantly at odds, and their conflict is integral to the story. I kind of hate him.

The characters are varied—in class, in status, in personality. They are all well-drawn. While Clara is the protagonist of the story, Ruby is a close second, and there are many others who are well worth our time in getting to know. The dialogue is natural and the conflicts are real. And the conclusion is very satisfying.

There are references to many books of the period, some which I know and love, and others which are now on my TBR list.

I will definitely read this book again.

Possible Objectionable Material:

Domestic violence, bombing attacks, death (including of children), drinking, sex (closed door), attempted rape, wartime atrocities. A little bit of salty language, including the F word occasionally.

Who Might Like This Book:

Anyone who likes stories of WWII, especially WWII London. Book lovers.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this delightful book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Too Wrong to Be Right
By Melonie Johnson

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (February 28, 2023)
Paperback: 368 pages
ISBN-10: 1250768829
ISBN-13: 978-1250768827
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

A swoony, slow-burn rom-com, Melonie Johnson's Too Wrong to Be Right features a true romantic on a mission to find her happily ever after.

After her latest jerk of a boyfriend dumps her (and ditches her with his pet hedgehog), florist Kat Kowalski is done chasing after Mr. Wrong. With her two best friends moving on to more serious relationships, she’s ready to stop repeating the same mistakes that are leaving her stuck in the single lane. Armed with a list of qualities for her perfect Mr. Right, Kat swears off dating until she finds him.

Then in a meet-disaster involving a corpse and a salty cockatoo, she stumbles across Mick O’Sullivan at his family's funeral home. Their immediate chemistry warns Kat to keep things platonic; after all, following her heart never worked out in the past, and this time she’s determined to listen to her head. But can Kat and Mick be just friends? As she gets to know him better, the lines blur, and Kat starts to wonder if she’s gotten it wrong and Mick is exactly who she’s been looking for...

 My Thoughts:

From meet cute, to conclusion, this romcom has all the required elements—including an adorable animal. Actually, two—a hedgehog and a potty-mouthed parrot.

Kat is working hard for her dream, supported by her very entertaining grandmother. Mick, too, has a dream, and it definitely isn’t working for the family mortuary.

I enjoyed the interaction between the two characters and how they supported each other’s career ambitions. Really loved the family interactions.

But…when Kat starts dating Mick’s brother, and he doesn’t object despite his feelings for her, because he’s determined to be the friend she needs…oof. Especially since there was a pretty spicy scene between them prior to that. That was a little difficult to take.

Overall, it was a fun, light, quick read. Not sure I’d read it again, but I don’t regret the afternoon I did spend.

I quite enjoyed the side characters, and there’s lots of snappy dialogue. And there are references to my favorite romcom movie: While You Were Sleeping.

Possible Objectionable Material:

Cursing, a couple of fairly descriptive sex scenes, innuendo, drinking, discussions of death (hey, it’s a mortuary, what do you expect?), and some difficult family dynamics.

Who Might Like This Book:

Romcom fans, especially if you like the ones with big extended families. And if you like hedgehogs, JoJo is for you!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Two new young adult releases

Spice Road
Spice Road Book 1
By Maiya Ibrahim
 
Publisher: Delacorte Press (January 24, 2023)
Hardcover: 464 pages
ISBN-10: 0593126963
ISBN-13: 978-0593126967
Reading age: 14 - 17 years
Lexile measure: HL790L
Grade level: 9 - 12
 
Publisher’s Blurb:
The first book in an epic fantasy series set in an Arabian-inspired land with secret spice magic. Raised to protect her nation from the monsters lurking in the sands, sixteen-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother, whose betrayal is now the country's greatest threat.
In the hidden desert city of Qalia, there is secret spice magic that awakens the affinities of those who drink the misra tea. Sixteen-year-old Imani has the affinity for iron and is able to wield a dagger like no other warrior. She has garnered the reputation as being the next great Shield for battling djinn, ghouls, and other monsters spreading across the sands. 
 
Her reputation has been overshadowed, however, by her brother, who tarnished the family name after it was revealed that he was stealing his nation's coveted spice—a telltale sign of magical obsession. Soon after that, he disappeared, believed to have died beyond the Forbidden Wastes. Despite her brother’s betrayal, there isn’t a day that goes by when Imani doesn’t grieve him. 
 
But when Imani discovers signs that her brother may be alive and spreading the nation's magic to outsiders, she makes a deal with the Council that she will find him and bring him back to Qalia, where he will face punishment. Accompanied by other Shields, including Taha, a powerful beastseer who can control the minds of falcons, she sets out on her mission. 
 
Imani will soon find that many secrets lie beyond the Forbidden Wastes—and in her own heart—but will she find her brother?

My Thoughts:
This series opener definitely leaves me wanting more. Although the immediate problem—find Imani’s brother—is resolved, the door is left wide open for further problems. The enemy he left to fight still exists, and the threat to their magically-protected homeland is real.

Imani has been in a dark place ever since her brother disappeared, and her spunky younger sister, Amira, has been getting into trouble. When they discover a djinn who promises that he can help them find Atheer, Imani does the unthinkable, binding him to her sword, and tells the council. They send her on a mission with an elite group of scouts to bring him back, at all costs.

Naturally, things don’t go smoothly. There is conflict between Imani, born to privilege, and Taha, whose father came from humbler roots and somehow secured a position as leader of the council. There are many hints about Taha’s past, though little is stated explicitly, as he and Imani become closer—but only when no one else is watching. Naturally, the point comes when Taha must choose between the task his father set him and his burgeoning friendship with Imani—who had caught definite feelings for him.
Of course, little sister has made herself an unwanted part of the mission. And the djinn, Qayn, also manages to stir the pot—and help immensely. His past is painful and complex, and he, too, has some hidden motivation.

Imani begins the book ignorant of her privilege, and ignorant of many of the struggles that others experience. She has blindly believed what she has been told about the world outside Qalia, and struggles to accept the revelations that face her in her travels.

I love the variety of magical affinities, and I love that Imani’s is for metal, changing the form of her sword at will to what will be most useful at the time. She is a fierce and capable warrior. It is her blind spots that hold her back, and we see her constantly shifting her schema as new information is added.

The conflicts here ring true, and seem to follow all the classic ones that English teachers like me teach: conflict with self, conflict with nature, conflict with the supernatural, conflict with other people.

Even Taha’s sidekicks, though the flattest of the characters, have some personality quirks.

I look forward to the next installment!

Possible Objectionable Material:
Magic, multiple gods, non-human creatures. There is definitely some violence, fighting, and bloodshed. People get drunk. People lie and mislead others. There is a slight romantic element, but it doesn’t go past a kiss. Description of a young man’s body—non-sexual.

Who Might Like This Book:
Those who like quest fantasy, magic, Middle Eastern culture.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
 

Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim
By Patricia Park
 
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers (February 21, 2023)
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 0593563379
ISBN-13: 978-0593563373
Reading age: 12 - 17 years
Lexile measure: HL720L
Grade level: 7 - 9
 
Publisher’s Blurb:
The award-winning author of Re Jane makes her young adult debut in a funny, poignant, and powerful novel about a multicultural teen struggling to fit into her whitewashed school, her diverse Queens neighborhood, and even her own home as her family reels from the loss of her father.

Alejandra Kim doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere. At her wealthy Manhattan high school, her súper Spanish name and súper Korean face do not compute to her mostly white "woke" classmates and teachers. In her Jackson Heights neighborhood, she’s not Latinx enough. Even at home, Ale feels unwelcome. And things at home have only gotten worse since Papi's body was discovered on the subway tracks.

Ale wants nothing more than to escape the city for the wide-open spaces of the prestigious Wyder University. But when a microaggression at school thrusts Ale into the spotlight—and into a discussion she didn’t ask for—Ale must discover what is means to carve out a space for yourself to belong.

Patricia Park’s coming-of-age novel about a multicultural teen caught between worlds, and the future she is building for herself, is an incisive, laugh-out-loud, provocative read.

My Thoughts:
I teach in a predominantly Latine school, so the fact that this book is liberally peppered with Spanish and Spanglish phrases that aren’t always translated rings true for me.

Alejandra and her mother struggle to get by, and even though she has a 90% scholarship to her private school, she works hard to make up the difference. She dreams of college in an elite school and believes it will be the key to a better future.

As a scholarship student, she tries to lie low and not make waves. She goes along with mispronunciations of her name and assumptions about her background.

And then things change. Despite her wishes, Ale’s best friend brings to light the microagression a visiting teacher subjected her too, and things blow up. Big time. Laurel, ever the social justice warrior, uses Ale’s life as a springboard to—she hopes—her own admission into Whyder.

Sprinkle in high school bullies (some of whom may become friends), the return of an old friend (and possibly more), and the Ale’s own constant self-doubt, and you get a coming-of-age story that rings true. The conversations and conflicts are realistic. So is the resolution of those conflicts.

I particularly enjoyed the epilogue. The endings of some high-school relationships, and the endurance of others, is so natural and well done.

What actually bugged me about this book is this: súper. It’s the only word that gets that treatment, and to me it comes off as a bit of an affectation.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Teenage drinking, lying, sneaking around, bullying, injustice. One character is gay. Loss of a parent. Talk of Suicide. Swearing, including some instances of the “F” word.

Who Might Like This Book:
Those interested in racial issues, coming-of-age, friendship stories.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.