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READING STYLE GUIDE

Beastly Feast

1/12/2021

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The Beast and the Bethany
​by Jack Meggitt-Phillips ill by Isabelle Follath

Ebenezer Tweezer, a young man with golden hair and a mansion filled with everything he desires, has a secret. In reality he is almost 512 years old. He owes his youth, stunning art collection, and grand piano to a hideous monster who lives in the top floor of a mansion. In this reimagining of the classic Faustian bargain, Ebenezer must regularly feed the monster in exchange for a potion that grants him eternal youth.
The beast's appetite has increased over time. Where once a tasty morsel satisfied, sacrificial offerings are currently demanded. First it was small animals but now the beast wants a child. Tweezer realizes that he is crossing into territory that strains his sense of morality. He rationalizes that if he can find a truly despicable youngster the world will be rid of one nasty human. That's not so bad, is it?
His search for a suitable child eventually leads him to an orphanage run by the loathsome Miss Fizzlewick. There he meets Bethany, an obstinate and obnoxious girl who alienates everyone she comes in contact with.  She will be the perfect meal.
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Back at the mansion there are complications. The beast decides that Bethany is too thin and needs fattening up. Ebenezer complies with her request for mountains of chocolate cake and ice cream with treacle toffee sauce. He reasons that this is a good thing. She will quickly become a large and tasty meal. Bethany is bewildered. Instead of annoying an adult, her atrocious menu pleases him.
But this is a redemptive tale and as Ebenezer waits for his prospective meal to get fatter, he begins to enjoy spending time with his charge. Bethany, a girl that is determined to antagonize everyone, starts to care about others in small meaningful ways. Eventually Tweezer divulges the Beast's ultimate objective. The two devise a plan to save Bethany from becoming a beast feast.
Like Roald Dahl books, The Beast and the Bethany features a revolting child (think Veruca Salt), an authority figure who delights in making children miserable (think Miss Trunchbull), and outrageous quantities of chocolate cake. 
The narrative steadily leads the reader from one horrific scene to the next and will keep readers turning pages. Isabelle Follath's black and white drawings liberally sprinkled throughout the short chapters are spot-on.
Things don't go as planned. There are several heart-pounding moments when it appears that Bethany and Tweezer are doomed. Then Meggitt-Phillips, that fiendish devil, adds a final plot twist that leaves readers with a frightful chill. The author's note at the conclusion is a must read!
Deliciously dark and delightfully devious. If you like your fiction with a macabre twist, Meggitt-Phillips has just the story you are looking for. ​
Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: December 8, 2020  Publisher: Aladdin  ISBN:  978-1534478893
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Journey to Kiev

1/4/2021

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Anya and the Nightingale
​by Sofiya Pasternack read by Laura Knight Keating

Continuing the remarkable saga that began with Anya and the Dragon, young Anya is bound for Kiev with her friends Ivan the fool and Håkon the dragon. She hopes to find her father who was conscripted into the tzar's army.
The journey is filled with peril: a forest filled with spirits, an underground dungeon, a horrific monster...and magic. There is a lot of magic: sound magic, water magic, healing magic, to name just a few. It seems that everyone has the gift of magic except Anya.
However, this thirteen-year-old adventurer possesses a clear head in the face of danger, courage, loyalty, and a willingness to attempt what seems to be impossible. Anya is an intrepid traveler, working through her own fears while battling foes and outwitting those who stand in her way.
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Anya and the Nightingale introduces an interesting diversity of characters who interact with one another in natural ways while retaining their uniqueness: a blind grandmother who creates healing potions for villagers, a deaf elf who communicates with hand signals, a bisexual character, and a dragon who must choose between living in animal or human form.
Pasternack introduces multiple belief systems that co-exist and intersect comfortably in Anya's world. She is a devout Jew living in a community with no Rabi. The Russian priest is a community spiritual leader. Local Slavs have their forest spirits. There are animals which take human form and vice versa.  Anya retains her own religion, while acknowledging the beliefs of others, including a Sabbath observance quite different from what she has experienced.
Keating's performance brings the story to life, with the individual voices for each character. Anya's wonder, confusion, and determination shine through. Pacing is excellent, sometimes hinting at sarcasm. Accents highlight differences in Eastern European and Jewish communities in a country that will eventually become Russia.
Magnificent imaginative graphic design captures the magic and mystery of Anya.
A fantasy series filled with history, folklore, and adventure. Readers will be enchanted. 

Encore Anya, Encore!

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Read the first book in the series to learn more about Anya, Ivan and ​Håkon.
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Listen to an audiobook sample.
Audiobook accessed via NetGalley.
Release date: November 10, 2020  Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc
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Star Wars: The Saga Continues

12/28/2020

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Star Wars The High Republic: A Test of Courage
​by Justina Ireland

"For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic.
​Before the dark times. Before the Empire."   Obi-Wan Kenobi
Long ago or not so long ago, depending on how you measure time, a group of creatives met at Skywalker Ranch and brainstormed the development of a multimedia, multi-publisher, multi-package Star Wars mythology.  While each story would stand alone, they were to be part of a sweeping interconnected Star Wars story arc.
The result: A Star Wars epic that takes place two centuries prior to events in the Skywalker film saga. It tells the story of Jedi Knights who lived during a period known as The High Republic.
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Star Wars: The High Republic debuts with A Test of Courage. Sixteen-year-old Vernestra Rwoh has recently completed Jedi Knight training and received her first assignment. She is to accompany a senator and her impetuous daughter as well as a delegation of ambassadors to witness the launch of the Starlight Beacon,  symbol of hope that will serve as a Republic temple and sanctuary.
Two saboteurs onboard the ambassadorial transport bound for the Starlight Beacon destroy the ship, killing almost everyone. Vernestra, three young passengers, and one droid survive the explosion. They escape the wreckage and are trapped on a maintenance ship. To their horror, they learn that they are the next targets marked for death.
This recently-knighted young Jedi must lead an unlikely fivesome: a Padawan mourning the loss of his mentor, an angry ambassador's son seeking revenge , an innovative tech-savvy girl, and a droid with canny human sensibilities. Vernestra must summon the Force's power, rescue two runaways, outwit Nihil pirates, and guide this rag-tag crew to the Starlight Beacon. That's a lot to ask of any young teen. But this is no average girl and she is no ordinary Jedi Knight.
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Ireland keeps the story moving forward with action, intrigue, and a host of futuristic technologies. There are pirates, a heart-stopping light saber battle, and a massively destructive explosion.   Sign me up. I'm ready for this to join with the High Republic.

The Force is Strong 

"Maybe on the edge of the galaxy you'll find what you're looking for..."
Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
​Pub date: January 15, 2021  Publisher: Disney LucasFilm  ISBN:  978-1368057301
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Wonders and Delights

12/16/2020

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Counting Creatures by Julia Donaldson ill by Sharon King-Chai

Looking for a picture book for gift-giving? Consider Counting Creatures. This more-than-a-picture book is an explosion of tactile wonders and visual delights. Presented as a counting book featuring various animal species and their young, it begins with one baby bat and sequentially progresses to ten piglets before leapfrogging to multitudes of caterpillars, tadpoles, and spiders.
This interactive volume invites young readers to predict what will be underneath the next flap. How many babies? What word is used to describe them?
​Many terms are familiar, but the young of some species are not well-known. A baby arctic hare is known as a leveret while baby turkeys are called poults.
Rhyming couplets and the repetitive line of text "Who has more babies than that? " make this an excellent book for sharing and reading aloud.
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​Counting Creatures by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Sharon King-Chai has a wow factor to the max.
The generous size (approximately 8x10.5 inches) features a die cut cover with foil accents. Cut outs continue throughout the book, giving readers a hint as to the animals to be revealed. ​Art is stunning. Deep rich colors, gorgeously textured shapes, ingeniously designed flaps and tiny details sprinkled throughout the pages will send readers back the beginning to discover the answer to one final question.
C​opy provided by publisher.
Pub date: November 24, 2020  Publisher: Dial Books  ISBN: 978-0593324530
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Will You Ever Fly Again?

12/11/2020

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The Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar

Not every story has a happily-ever-after. Some stories are drawn from the well of sorrows and painted with tears of anguish. Aida Salazar gives young audiences a searing portrait of the life of girl trapped in the nightmare of an immigrant from Mexico seeking asylum in the United States.
Betita lives in East Los Angeles with her parents who are undocumented workers, hoping to find a permanent home in the United States. Her father works as a construction laborer and dishwasher. Her pregnant mother earns money as a nanny.  Though life is challenging, these parents dream of building a new life for their family in the United States.
One day the unthinkable happens. Papi is apprehended by ICE agents for failure to appear in court and is taken into custody. Betita is left with an aching heart and a small square of fabric from her father's pillow.

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Hoping to connect with Papi at a park in San Diego, mother and daughter travel south with relatives. Tragically, they are stopped by border patrol and sent to a detention center. Conditions in the facility are despicable. Detainees live inside a chain link fence cage and sleep on a concrete floor with only a foil blanket. Unsanitary conditions and poor food threaten the life of Mami and the child developing within her womb. They endure daily acts of senseless hostility and cruelty.
Betita recalls her father's stories of their proud heritage. They are travelers from the land of the cranes. Now Betita is longer able to soar. Confined to a wire cage, hope seems lost. This resourceful girl discovers a way to cope. Her fourth-grade teacher showed her how to create picture poems, recording her life with words and images. She keeps a daily journal using her poetry and art to express her feelings.
There are no simple solutions. With little hope for asylum, there seems to be no influential individual that can rescue this suffering family. Mami eventually decides to sacrifice her dream of freedom and security to save herself and her two children. The plight of these individuals is painful to witness.
The Land of Lost Cranes, a fictionalization depiction of undocumented individuals, is gut wrenching. ​This novel in verse, exquisitely expressing a young girl’s longing, will find a place in the hearts of readers everywhere.

Border Stories 

These picture books introduce youngster to tales of immigrants coming to American from Mexico and the Caribbean.
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​Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
​Pub date: September 15, 2020  Publisher: Scholastic Press  ISBN:  978-1338343809
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Quiet Protest

12/10/2020

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Lubaya’s Quiet Roar by Marilyn Singer ill by Philemona Williamson

Lubaya is a quiet child, a solemn thoughtful child. While people around her instinctively interact with others, she prefers to silently listen and observe. She often finds herself tucked away with paper and colors. Art is her favorite means of self expression.
(she) "liked to be alone, happily watching the theater of her thoughts." Lubaya's Quiet Roar
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Lubaya’s parents are activists. Their home is filled with posters used during a recent protest march. This quiet girl discovers that the plain backs of posters are an excellent surface for her drawings: friends dressed in pretty party clothes, children on ladders painting a rainbow, even a hip-hop frog! Her art often includes phrases that her family members say when discussing social issues.
When a another cause for protest arises, the family proudly displays the poster backs featuring Lubaya's art. Her drawings beautifully illustrate the movement’s issues, adding an additional way to look at important concerns.
Nelson's poetic language precisely captures Lubaya's personality. Her verses speak in general terms of the need for socially-conscious activism. Illustrations flesh out a few specific social issues at stake. The words "Freedom Now" and "Clean Water" can be seen on two of Lubaya's posters. Williamson's signature style featuring vivid shapes on solid color backgrounds is distinctly different from Lubaya's drawings rendered on white rectangles.
Readers learn that in Swahili Lubaya means “young lionesses.” Using her unique skills, a young girl is able to make her voice heard. Not every contribution to a cause can be uttered. However, each individual can find a way to contribute and be heard.
"a quiet voice can make history"
Copy provided by publisher.
​Pub date: October 6, 2020  Publisher: Dial Books  ISBN: 978-0525555551
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Shape Search

12/7/2020

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Bronxshapes by Alex Rivera

Using photographs of common objects, Rivera celebrates his urban community with shapes found at a bodega, park, and vendor's cart. In addition to introducing geometric shapes, the book also introduces readers to city scenes that may be unfamiliar to those living in rural areas.
Bronx Baby board books are chunky little packages of bilingual delights. Found objects are named and identified, expanding youngsters' English and Spanish vocabulary. A simple line of large text, with the noun boldly accentuated serves as a vehicle for infant and toddler language acquisition.
These books make excellent gifts for welcoming a newborn or celebrating a toddler’s birthday. Package the books with shape blocks and a box of crayons for a great holiday gift.
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A companion title is the Bronx Baby Book series is Bronxtones, a book about colors.
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My Shapes
This concept can be expanded and adapted to many  different locations, cultures, and languages.
Here's an idea for youngsters confined to home during the winter months. Read Bronxshapes and then create a shape scavenger hunt. Document with drawings or photographs the many shapes discovered within the walls of your house.
Weather permitting, expand the shape search to your neighborhood. Let the fun begin!
Copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: September 8, 2020  Publisher: Kolika  ISBN: 978-0593110812
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It Begins with Matter

11/27/2020

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All Because You Matter by Tami Charles ill by Bryan Collier

The young man featured on the cover emerges from the past and solemnly contemplates his future. All Because You Matter unfolds his developing of a sense of self-worth.
It all begins with matter. Charles explores multiple meanings for this concept. Matter is the basic substance from which all elements of our universe are made. Matter is also something of particular importance.
​A mother teaches her child that he matters. He is composed of the same innate substance that forms the universe. He is also of significance. He carries within a profound heritage. Essential. Important. He is matter. He matters.
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From conception to birth, from early development to childhood, a mother and son navigate the complexities and wonder of life. With soaring poetic language, this young man is taught about his noble birthright.
Page design combines with Collier's art to create a visual stunner. Initial images depict the vastness and wonder of the cosmos. This contrasts with a subdued blossoming pattern. The concept of matter is simultaneously expansive and intimate. Realistic portraits stand out from a stylized background. The Illustrator's Note explains the significance of the flower motif repeated throughout the pages.
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An extraordinary psalm dedicated to the majesty of "sun-kissed skin and dreamy brown eyes," to young lives filled with promise. The author and illustrator clearly convey the message that life is meant to be nurtured, encouraged, and celebrated.
A book for parents, caregivers, and those who hope for a better future for children. Inspiring.
Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: October 6, 2020  Publisher: Orchard Books  ISBN:  978-1338574852
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Fair Trade

11/20/2020

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A Long Road on a Short Day
by Gary D. Schmidt & Elizabeth Stickney ill by Eugene Yelchin

On a winter day when snowfall is imminent and daylight is scarce, Samuel and his father set out on a journey. The two are in search of a milk cow.
They hope with a series of trades to parlay Father's Barlow knife (a high-quality pocket knife) into a source of milk for the family’s baby girl. Using his insight into the circumstances and interests of his neighbors, Samuel’s father puts his plan into action. Both father and son are determined to make each trade a satisfactory arrangement for all parties. From a desired timepiece to the fleecy softness of Merino wool for the weaver's loom, neighbors benefit from these exchanges.
In addition to learning the value that an item may have for a specific individual; Samuel learns to approach each person with respect and kindness.
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As sunset approaches a neighbor has light glowing in his barn, a lonely window has a volume to poetry to keep her company, and a little girl has a pony cart to take her to school. The family has a milk cow and Samuel receives the secret wish of his heart. All because of a wish, a pocketknife, and an astute father who knows the value of friendship and fairness.
Schmidt is a master storyteller, delivering a tale with succinct narration. Each phrase contains a rhythmic quality and sensory imagery that precisely capture the relationship between father and son, young boy and animals, and a members of a closely-knit community.
Yelchin's illustrations are sublime. Like peering into a snow globe, each image is a magical moment encapsulated amid the swirling flakes. ​ 
 A Long Road on a Short Day is a short book that is long on wishes and the wonders of a winter's day. A perfect read aloud that will warm hearts. 
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Electronic copy accessed via NetGalley.
Pub date: November 10, 2020  Publisher: Clarion Books  ISBN:  978-0544888364
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Finding Your Heart

11/17/2020

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Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly read by Rosie Jones

Where's my heart?
​Jennifer Donnelly has done it again. As with Stepsister, she begins at the conclusion of a well-known fairytale and proceeds to spin a tale that answers the question: What happens next? Her inventive fantasy is not simply rearranging narrative details. She uses several story elements and weaves them together to create an entirely new shimmering cloth.
Poisoned opens deep in a forest. By command of the queen, a huntsman escorts eighteen-year-old Sophie into a secluded spot, proceeds to cut out her heart and place it in a special box that will keep the heart alive. Then he leaves the dying girl and hurries back the castle, delivering the precious heart to Sophie’s evil stepmother. What an opening!
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As fate would have it, a family of brothers rush to the dying girl’s aid and fill the gaping hole in her chest with a mechanical heart built by the clockmaking brother. This heart sputters and stutters, but it works. Sophie has a new functioning heart. She also has a home. The brothers are enchanted with this charming, albeit naive princess. They are determined to protect her from the machinations of the queen. Sophie, on the other hand wants to get back to the kingdom, certain that her betrothed prince will rescue her and help her vanquish the queen.
What's to become of a young heir to the throne who has been constantly told that she is too week, too soft-hearted to be a monarch? How can a girl who has only a loud clunking mechanical heart attempt a journey to find her real heart and reclaim her rightful place as ruler of the kingdom?
Donnelly is a master storyteller. Sweeping in its scope, at turns violent then becoming tender, the pace keeps readers’ hearts racing. Sophie’s life is fraught with peril. She is battling foes both visible and unseen. Danger awaits at every page turn. Tension builds with a constant stream of crescendos, leading Sophie to a precipice from which there appears to be no escape.
A word about the setting. The tale is filled with references to the land of the Grimm brothers.  Food is described in mouthwatering detail: schnitzel, mushroom strudel, spaetzle, plum cake. There are sly references to things Germanic. Who knew that polka music serves as a poison antidote?
Jones brings her considerable performance gifts to the narration. Each character's voice is distinctive. For a family of German brothers, that is quite a feat. Of note is the voice of Sophie, who begins the story as a girl with a soft and gentle heart, tentative and unsure. As the tale progresses, our heroine becomes more confident. The final scenes depict a woman who has overcome obstacles and is now stronger and more resilient.
There are many dark forces at work here and the evil queen in not Sophie's greatest enemy. There is a villain more fearful than the queen. There is deception. There is betrayal. There are vicious vipers, a giant scorpion, and of course, a poisoned apple. But far more deadly, there is self-doubt. Donnelly does not let up. The tension escalates as Sophie races against time to defeat her foes and reclaim her heart. A fairy tale retelling not to be missed.

Tempting. Very Tempting

Try this selection of tantalizing bonus treats. If you enjoyed Poisoned, try reading Stepsister. Meet Jennifer Donnelly and discover her inspiration for Poisoned.
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Audiobook accessed via Hoopla.
Release date: October 5, 2020  Publisher: Scholastic Audio
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    Barbara Moon

    I like talking about books and  interesting ideas. I like thinking about how books affect my life. Not particularly interested in giving out stars or in rating books. 

    Audio Publishers Association
    2013, - present  Audies judge 
    American Library Association Book Awards and Lists 
    ​2017 YALSA Award Nominating Committee
    2016 Excellence in Nonfiction 
    2014 Margaret Edwards Award
    2012 Odyssey Awards.  
    2009, 2010, 2011 Great Graphic Novels for Teens.

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