Me and Marvin Gardens by Amy Sarig King

Obe Devlin lives on the land his parents and grandparents lived on.  He feels connected to the land, and goes out to the creek every day to pick up trash and keep things nice.  As a new housing development grows on what used to be Devlin land, Obe mourns and tries desperately to hold on to everything he has lost.  Then one day he finds an amazing animal near the new subdivision.  It is unlike anything he or anyone else has ever seen before.  He instinctively feels that he must protect it, but as he learns more about the creature, he realizes that protecting it is going to be harder than he could have imagined.

This book is on our Newbery list, but only had one starred review.  I guess it is getting some buzz in the blogosphere and is on the Junior Library Guild list.  Part of its appeal is that it deals with a current issue, loss of green space because of development. There is also an element of wish fulfillment for adults reading the book (and these reviews and stars come from adult readers)  in that Obe is the kind of kid parents wish kids were "now days."  He prefers playing outside to inside, and doesn't follow the "in" crowd or play computer games.  I liked the book pretty well, but the animal that eats plastic and poops toxic waste was just a bit too much of a stretch for me.  It may be on our Newbery list, but I don't consider it a real contender. (2017, 243 p.)

The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barkley Moore

Lolly lives in Harlem, and is grieving because his brother has recently been killed in gang related violence.  Lolly struggles with anger and sadness, and his only relief is when he loses himself creating Lego structures.  For Christmas his mother's partner brings him a huge bag of Legos, and he uses them to create a magnificent Lego world in an empty room in a rec center where he spends time after school.  His Legos lead him to an unlikely friendship and his art gives him an anchor that helps him navigate the storms of his grief. 

This book got starred reviews everywhere this year.  It think it is because it feels like a really authentic look at life in the projects in Harlem.  In the book the social pressure for Lolly and his friends to join a gang is intense.  The ones that get through it are those that have something else to cling to, like Lolly's Lego art or his friend's violin playing.  I enjoyed this book and think it has a shot at he Newbery this year, but it didn't have the literary beauty of Clayton Byrd Goes Underground, and Beyond the Bright Sea.  My personal favorite, I'm Just no Good at Rhyming, is probably a long shot. (294 p. 2017)

The Wonderling by Mira Bartok

The main character in this story starts life with only a number as a name.  Number 13 is a groundling, a creature that is part animal and part human.  Number 13 has a fox's face, but is missing an ear.  He is friendly and hopeless in a Dickensian orphanage. Then he meets a new orphan, Trinket, and with her friendship, he finds the courage to take charge of his life and confront an evil that threatens the happiness of the whole country.

This was another very fanciful fantasy.  I think I liked the story better than either The Glass Town Game or Furthermore, because it isn't as random or outrageous as the other two. Both Arthur (Number 13) and Trinket are very likable characters and the ending is satisfying. Unfortunately the writing is a little uneven. Most of it was fine, but there were places that I thought to myself, "oh, that was worded awkwardly." Still, it would work well as a read aloud for a family with a variety of ages listening in, though, at 450 p. perhaps it is a little long for that. It is a good choice for the kids who like Redwall.  (2017)

The Dam Keeper

The dam keeper is a young pig who inherited the job from his father.  The dam he maintains doesn't keep water out, but instead keeps a dark and evil mist from invading his walled city.  He has maintained the dam so long, that people in the town have stopped appreciating the sacrifice he makes to keep them safe. Then one day a gigantic wave of mist slams into the city, and the Dam Keeper is swept into the deadly land beyond the city wall.

This is kind of a dark and brooding graphic novel that got some starred reviews this year. It is apparently based on a short film, but it is fine to read even if you haven't seen the film. The illustration is stunning, and the story is clearly the opener for a series. I am intrigued that they used kind of a rolly-polly pig as the main character.  It actually makes the whole story more suspenseful to juxtapose the goofy looking pig with the serious content.  I will be eager to see the next one when it comes out. (153 p. 2017)

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi

Alice lives in the land of Farenwood where people get magical power from the land and the plants they eat.  In Farenwood color represents magical prowess, but Alice was born almost completely devoid of color, which makes her something of an outcast.  When Alice faces her 13th year and her "surrender" where she is supposed to be given a important task to complete for the community, she instead embarks on a journey with a village boy, Oliver, into the wildly magical land of Furthermore in hopes of finding her long lost father.

This is an intensely fantastical magical world, so much so that I was at first put off by it.  My old brain can't do the imaginative acrobatics it used to be able to do (or maybe I never was very imaginative). I almost gave up about 100 pages in, but I pressed on, and as I did I began to be more attached to the characters, and that carried me through to the end.  The book reminded me a little of the Glass Town Game I read a little while ago, or like Alice in Wonderland.  The magical elements were really random, without a lot of apparent rhyme or reason.  This book got starred reviews in Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus when it came out, I am guessing mostly because of the strong characterizations and creative use of language.  I read it this week because the sequel, Whichwood, is on my Starred Reviews list for this year.  I may have to take a break before I read the next one to give my imagination muscles a rest.(2016. 401 p.)

Patina by Jason Reynolds

Patty hates to lose.  She has lost a lot in her short lifetime.  She lost her father and later her home when her mother lost her legs to diabetes.  Now Patty and her sister live with their auntie, and Patty is starting to find friendship and purpose on an elite track team. Will her drive to win drive away the people who matter most?

This is a companion volume to Reynold's award winning book, Ghost.  Ghost appears in this book, but this book can also stand alone.  I liked this book and I think it deserved all the starred reviews it got, but I don't think it is quite as noteworthy as Ghost.  Even though Patina's life is complicated, she doesn't really have to work through any kind of major moral dilemma.  She learns to be a team player, but nothing like what Ghost went through.  Still, it was an enjoyable read, and a good choice for girls who like sports. (2017, 233p.)

The Real McCoys by Matthew Swanson

Moxie McCoy is a grade school age detective. She has read all of the Abigail Adams, Girl Detective novels multiple times and has the sleuthing thing down pat.  When the school's stuffed owl mascot, Eddie, is stolen, Moxie is on the case.  She is sure that if she solves the mystery she will get the top Eddie award.  But is she the best McCoy for the task?

This book has an interesting format.  Each page has illustrations and creative type setting, a little like the Geronimo Stilton books, but in black and white.  I would call it a "highly illustrated" book, but it isn't quite like a Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Dork Diary because the illustrations are more incorporated with the text.  It think it will be a good transition book for readers who are trying to move from graphic novels to more text dense literature.

Besides the format, the story is cute.  Moxie's eagerness is charmingly exasperating to all the adults in her life.  Under it all, she is is kind and lonely girl, looking for a friend.  I think the books multiple starred reviews are well deserved.  (2017, 322 p.)