Calling on the Matchmaker by Jody Helund

 In late 1800's St Louis, Finola Shanahan has committed to sabotaging all of her parent's attempts at matchmaking so that she can achieve her life goal of becoming a nun. In a last act of desperation, her parents hire the new matchmaker, Bellamy McKenna to find Finola a match she can't resist.  His choice is Riley Rafferty, an up and coming politician who has already shown an interest in Finola.  Finola pulls out all of her tricks to put Riley off, but it seems the more she tries, the more he seems to like her. As the two grow closer, they discover that each have issues in their past that will need to be resolved for the match to work.  Do they have the courage to take the steps they need to make the match work, and what is Bellamy willing to do to bring about a happy ending?

This books was categorized as "Christian Fiction" and there is a Christian element in the story, but it is pretty steamy compared to most historical Christian fiction I have ever read.  There is a lot of mention of rippling muscles and pulsing internal organs. Even though the couple don't have sex, there is way to much time spent on descriptions of their passionate make-out sessions. I wasn't ever really convinced that their attraction for each other wasn't purely physical. The characters are clever , the dialog snappy, and Helund puts them in a bunch of humorous situations.  Still, I don't think I will be reading any more of the series. (2023, 304 p.)

Confessions of a Junior Spy by Rosaria Munda

 Bea has lived her whole life in a sanctuary hotel for a spy organization call the Pangean. Her father is a cook there, but her mother is one of their top spies. Bea idolizes her mother and wants to be just like her, but her mother is determined to keep Bea out of the dangerous and violent spy lifestyle. When Bea's mother decides that Bea will go to boarding school, Bea and her new friend, Chantal, come up with strategies to both avoid school and get Bea the training she needs to fulfill her dream to become a top spy. Then a shadowy figure from Chantal's past forces Bea to discover what the life of a spy is really like, and why her own mother is often so distant.  Does Bea really want to hold onto her dream? 

I was a little wary about reading another mystery/spy book after reading several Enola Holmes books.  I mean, who can compete with Nancy Springer?  Still, I ended up liking this one. Unlike the Enola Holmes series, this one really is aimed at middle grade, but that doesn't mean that the conflicts that Bea is dealing with are not complex. Munda does a good job of exploring her relationships with both her parents, and with her friends. I admired that Munda didn't shy away from  difficult ethical questions, like, when, if ever, is it okay to use weapons to threaten or kill someone. Some of Bea's decision made me, as an adult reader, cringe, but bring up important ideas for kids to explore. Munda left the door open for a sequel, and I plan to keep my eye out for it. (2025, 224 p)

The Desert Princess and The Golden Princess by Melanie Cellier

 Here are the third and fourth book in the "Return to the Four Kingdoms" series. The Desert Princess is a retelling of the Aladdin story, though it doesn't actually follow the story very closely. Cassi is captured by desert nomads and taken to a city that exists inside caves.  She joins a rebel group that is searching for a legendary cave of wonders that is supposed to be full of treasure.  With her uncanny ability to memorize underground tunnels and the use of a magic lamp, she must help her new friends free themselves from an ancient curse. (2021, 372 p)

In The Golden Princess, Zaria, as a daughter of a vizier, was raised in a palace along with the royal children.  When tragedy happens, Zaria is driven from the castle and becomes a servant to a demanding and sometimes cruel noblewoman.  Then one day, helping her uncle Ali gather wood, they happens to see a group of thieves enter a magic cave. After the thieves leave, she and her uncle investigate the cave and find vast stores of treasures.  Why do the thieves only leave things in the cave, instead of taking things out? Prince Terek is also investigating the band of thieves, and when he crosses paths with Zaria, they must face the reality of their long estrangement. Can they forgive the past, work together and solve the mystery? (2022, 338 p)

I haven't listened to Melanie Cellier for a while and decided I was ready to go back.  I started listening to The Desert Princess and discovered I had already read it, but neglected to blog about it.  So I went on to The Golden Princess.  I am not as familiar with the story of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, but I checked it out online and found this is a pretty good adaptation of the original story. I liked that Zaria was voice of reason when her uncle wanted to take treasure from the cave, and was the one who figured out how to capture the thieves. I always prefer intelligent protagonists who are overcoming adverse situations, to characters who have to overcome their own stupidity. I generally can't read a bunch of Cellier books in a row, because they are all pretty similar to each other, but I liked these well enough that I will probably read the other two books in this series. 

Enola Holmes 1-3 by Nancy Springer

Enola Holmes is the much younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes.  Her name is "Alone" spelled backwards, and was given to her by her mother, whose favorite encouragement was, "You can do very well on your own."  On Enola's 14th birthday, her mother runs away, but not before leaving Enola clues where to find a substantial amount of money.  When Mycroft, who is Enola's legal guardian, tries to put Enola in a boarding school, Enola runs away to London. There she sets herself up as a finder of lost people. Like her older brother and idol, Sherlock, she uses deductive reasoning, inside informants, and disguises to pursue her cases and avoid her brothers. She manages to stay one step ahead of them, using one asset she has that they don't, her knowledge of the feminine world. 

My husband and I watched the Netflix Enola Holmes movies last month, so I decided to read the books again.  They really are a delight but also very insightful and thought-provoking. Enola is a spunky and clever protagonist. Springer portrays London of 1889 with all its nasty underbelly, and also riffs on the oppression of women and minorities. Although both the libraries were I used to work put the Enola Holmes books in the middle grade section, they really are more YA, even though they are short.  They are good choices for reluctant reader teen-age girls.

The Case of the Missing Marquess (2007, 215 p.)

The Case of the Left-handed Lady (2008, 256 p.)

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets (2009, 170 p.)

The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt

 Hercules Beal has a lot on his plate.  His parents have recently died, and his older brother has come home from his "dream job" to take care of Hercules and take over the family nursery. On top of that, he hasn't yet hit his growth spurt so he is the shortest kid in his whole junior high class. He is bummed when his brother enrolls him in a charter school that focuses on environmental science, especially when he finds out that his home room and English teacher is an ex-marine major. His teacher assigns him to somehow recreate his own version of Hercules' seven labors as his year-long English project. As Hercules tries to find his name sake's motivations and trials reflected in his own life, he begins to process all that has happened in his life--the good and the bad--and learn the importance of facing everything on his own.

Besides Jason Reynolds, I think Gary Schmidt is my favorite contemporary writer for kids. His 12-year-old boy voice is spot on, and his characters are all fully developed and sympathetic. This story is super heart-warming.  I think I cried four different times while I was listening to this book, not because it was sad, (though there are sad parts) but because it was so touching. Schmidt's setting is good as well.  It is realistic enough to be believable, but quirky enough to be interesting. I finished the book and thought to myself, "I hope they make this a Battle of the Books selection some day because I want  thousands of kids to read this."  (352 p, 2023) 

A Worthy Pursuit by Karen Witemeyer

 Charlotte Atherton escapes from her post as teacher at a boarding school for gifted children in the middle of the night with three children in tow, including her own adopted dauther, Lily. Charlotte has legal custody of Lily, but she knows Lily's grandfather wants the girl to come and live with him. Lily's grandfather, in fact, has hired a "retriever" a past Texas Ranger, Stone Hammon, to find and bring the girl to him.  Stone believes Charlotte is a kidnapper, but when he finally finds her, he sees that the children in her care genuinely love her.  When an accident necessitates Stone staying with Charlotte and the children during his recovery, he begins to believe that she is not what he was led to believe, but is, in fact, much much more. 

Ok, I am kind of embarrased that I read another Karen Witemeyer. I know, I know, I should feel free to read whatever I like, but still.  I fully understand that her books are formulaic and sickenly sweet, but sometimes I just need something reliable, clean, and positive to read.  Which this is. I always used to tell my patrons, "if you are reading for fun, read what you want."  I guess I take my own advice. (2015, 344 p.)

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

 Emmett Watson returns home from Juvenile Detention to find that his father has died and their farm is lost to creditors.  All Emmett wants to do is take his 8-year old brother, Billy, away from Nebraska and make a new start in Texas. Billy has other ideas.  He wants to take the Lincoln Highway to California and search for their mother who abandonded the family when Billy was a baby. Before they can firm up their plans, two of Emmett's friends from the detention center, Dutchess and Wooly, show up on his doorstep.  They claim to have a treasure  just waiting for them in New York, that they are willing to share with Emmett, and all they need is for Emmett to drive them there.  Emmett refuses, but before he knows it they have stollen his car and he has no option but to go after them.  Thus starts an adventure for each of the boys. Emmett wants his car back, Billy wants an escapade like the ones in his adventure book, Dutchess wants to even the score with people in his past, and Wooly just wants to see his sister again. Their adventure leads them along the highways and railways of 1954 America, meeting all kinds of characters along the way. 

 This is my third book by Towles, and I liked this one very much. The writing is wonderful and it as much a fun adventure as it is a philosophical walk through the 1850's. Towels really is one of the great literary authors of our age, and this book won a boatload of awards. The characters are masterful and the book is put together brilliantly. Each chapter is written from the point of view of a different character, and aren't necessarily in chronological order. Each of the main characters are complex with fully developed backstories and personalities. I think the publisher expected the book to be a smash success, because they invested in three different voice actors to narrate the book and they all do a wonderful job. This is another great choice for a book club. (2021, 592p)

Personal note:  When I was a little girl there weren't any DVD players of video games for kids to play in the back seat of a car.  One thing I used to do on a long road trip was look at the cars passing or driving next to us and imagine my spirit jumping into the car with those people and going home with them for a while to see what they were like and how they lived. That is kind of what this book is like.  The reader gets to jump into the lives of almost every character, live inside them for just a short tim, and see how they think and how they live.