Castle In the Stars: The Space Race of 1869 by Alex Alice

Seraphin's mother is a scientist who dies trying to prove that aether exists.  Months after her hot air balloon crash, someone finds her flight log and discovers that she did reach the aether level before she died.  That discovery and the belief that the aether can be used to power engines that could take a ship to outer space, fuels a race between enemy nations to be the first to make a aether ship.  Seraphin's father is recruited by the king of Bavaria to design his aether ship, but Seraphin suspects that there is a Prussian spy in the castle trying to steal the plans.

This was a fun graphic novel, drawn in a steam punk, 1800's, style.  It reminded me a little of the novel, Larklight by Philip Reeve.  In both stories the universe is as the people thought it was in the 1800's where the universe is filled with aether, and other planets in our solar system are inhabited.  It is also written like a melodrama, so much so, that the villain even has a long curled mustache like Snidely Whiplash. It is the first in a series, and like the old penny dramas of the 1800's it ends on a cliffhanger.  I think readers of other popular steam punk graphic novels will enjoy this one as well.  The book was originally published in France in 2014, but was translated into English this year.  (60 p. 2014, 2017)

The Great Art Caper by Victoria Jamieson

Sunflower, GW, and Barry are each class pets at Daisy  P. Flugelhorn Elementary. Each night they get out of their cages and have fun together.  One night GW decides to make a special card for his favorite class member, Carina.  But to do that he and his friends need to get to the Art Room which means sneaking past the evil mouse, Harriet, and her minions.


Last week Victoria Jamieson came to speak at the library.  I had read her Newbery honor book, Roller Girl, but I decided to read another.  This one is cute and remarkably funny. I laughed out loud more than once.  This is a great choice for younger graphic novel readers; perfect for second or third grade girls or boys. (62 p., 2017)

The Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

Red, an old red maple tree, has long served as the neighborhood "wishtree."  People write notes on pieces of paper or cloth at attach them to her branches each May Day.  Red is a wise old tree and does what she can to watch over the animals that live in her hollows and the neighbor children who live in the houses on either side of her.  When one of the children, a middle-eastern girl named Samar, wishes for a real friend, Red determines to do all she can to bring Samar and the boy across the yard, together, even if it means breaking some rules.

This is a shamelessly moralistic story.  We have the "save the trees" message on one hand, and the "be kind to immigrants" message on the other.  These are both important messages, but I thought Applegate was just too heavy handed with them here.  That said, I must admit that I did start to tear up at one point near the end of the book.  I guess, if anyone can do heavy handed moralizing well, it is Katherine Applegate. 

There is a saying that when times are easy, the Newbery committee chooses an edgy book, and when times are rough, the committee chooses a feel-good book.  Well, things have been pretty rough this year.  Will this be a Newbery contender?  Maybe, but it is not as well written as either Clayton Byrde, or Beyond the Bright Sea. (2017, 215 p.)

Beautiful Blue World by Suzanne LaFleur

Two girls, Matilde and Megs have grown up together in the same small town.  They are best friends, and both of them worry about their families when war with a nearby country comes close to home.  All the children their age are given the opportunity to take a test that would qualify them to work for the military.  The families of those who qualify will be given a monthly allowance, and the children are promised a college education after their service is over. Both girls sign up for the test, hoping to help their struggling families, but only Matilde is chosen.  She is taken to a "school" where gifted children try to predict troop movements, or other strategic elements of the war.  Matilde has a hard time figuring out what she has to offer to this junior think tank, until she is assigned to talk to a POW from the other army.  Getting to know him shakes all the beliefs she thought she had about "the enemy."

This book wasn't anything like I expected by looking at the cover.  I thought it would be a sweet story of two friends who try to save the environment or something. Instead this is a chilling portrayal of life in a war zone.  It deals with some really heavy moral and ethical questions about warfare.  LaFleur resists giving any easy answers.  She leaves it to Matilde and the reader to figure out what is right and wrong. I thought the book was well done, but I wonder why LaFluer set it in a fictional country.  The story would have worked set in Norway or Sweden during one of the world wars.  I guess she was more interested in exploring the moral questions surrounding war than writing an accurate portrayal of a historical war. (2016, 210 p.)

Awakening Joy by James Baraz

This is one I read aloud together with my husband.  Baraz and his co-author Shoshona Alexander discuss 10 steps to finding joy. The steps are loosely based on Buddhist philosophy, but the authors keep things pretty non-sectarian, and quote from a variety of religious leaders in their text.  They take example from the lives of participants in their Awakening Joy retreats.  I found the book every interesting and enlightening. If everyone in the world practiced the ideas the authors set forth, the world would be a better place and everyone would be happier.  I think this would be a good first introduction to modern American Buddhist philosophy for someone who is new to the topic. 

Sylvester by Georgette Heyer

I got a whole month ahead on my library book blog posts, so it was time for a treat.  This is pretty basic Georgette Heyer.  Sylvester is a rich and eligible bachelor with no interest in romance.  He decides that it is his duty to get married, so he goes in search of a young woman who was promised to him at birth.  He finds Phoebe to be dull in looks and personality. However, as he gets to know her, he finds she has a hidden wit and self sufficiency.  She is an author, as well, and had previously modeled one of her villains on Sylvester himself.  As their relationship gets closer, she lives in constant dread that he will read her book and take both offence and social retribution. 

I enjoyed this one.  It is cleaner than some of Heyer's other books.  There is no implication that Sylvester has had previous conquests.  It is one of the books where they seem to hate each other, then suddenly they are in love and ready to get married.  Still, I thoroughly enjoyed it and am just sad that I am starting to have exhausted all of my Georgette Heyer options. (1957. 348 p,)

Lemons by Melissa Savage

A girl named Lemonade goes to live with her grandfather after her mother's death, and meets a Big-Foot obsessed boy, Tobin.  Tobin inducts Lem into his Big Foot Detective Agency and as they search for the illusive creature, they work through the bigger issues in their own lives.

This was a pretty typical "orphaned girl in a new home" book with a little cryptozoological twist.  All through the book the reader is never sure if Big Foot is real in this world or if the kids are just chasing wild stories.  Lemonade and Tobin are both quirky and endearing and their slowly developing friendship is fun to watch.  It was a cute book and I will likely recommend it to a few of the humorous realistic (kind of) fiction readers I know who come into the library. (2017, 308 p.)

Laser Moose and Rabbit Boy

Moose and Rabbit are just hanging out in the forest when they find an alien space ship.  Moose, who is super paranoid, shoots the space ship with his laser vision.  (Yep, for some reason, the moose has laser vision.)  Rabbit, who is an incurable optimist,  approaches and aliens and discovers they are friendly, so Moose and Rabbit help them repair their ship.  That is the first story in this rather silly and random comic book.  I don't even remember why I checked it out.  It isn't on my "starred" graphic novel list.  Even though it was silly, it could appeal to a 7 or 8 year old reluctant reader.  The stories and the characters are simple and mildly amusing.  The pictures are in color and communicate the stories really well.  So, sure, why not have a moose who can shoot lasers out of his eyes? (2016, 142 p.)

Tumble and Blue by Cassie Beasley

Blue Montgomery is taken to his grandmother's house in the Okefenokee  swamp and unceremoniously dropped off by his race car driving father. The Montgomerys each have an unbreakable fate, either good or bad, and Blue's is that he always loses.  Once every 100 years an opportunity arises for one of the Montgomerys to change their fate, and Blue is determined he will be the one.  While waiting for the appointed day, Blue meets Tumble, a girl who is obsessed with being a hero.  When Tumble discovers Blue's curse, she is determined to help him break it.  Things are not as straight forward as they seem, and soon both children find themselves in more danger than they could have imagined.

This book is getting starred reviews all over the place.  It is by the author of Circus Mirandus, which got a lot a attention a few years ago.  It is an interesting fantasy with very complex emotional elements.  It explores the nature of good and evil, fate and self determination, and emphases that there are always reasons behind other's behaviors.  Like Circus Mirandus, I wasn't completely pleased with the ending, but I can see the genius (maybe evil genius) behind it. This is a great book for a parent/child book club because it is entertaining but also rather deep.  I don't really see it winning the Newbery, but it could be an honor. (2017, 390 p.)

The Door in the Alley by Adrienne Kress

Sebastian loves to follow rules and always does his best to please his parents and his teachers.  Then one day he sees a door in an alley and a pig with a little hat that intrigue him.  Meanwhile, an orphaned girl, Evie, is enduring another dinner with two of the most boring people Evie could imagine, when they are attacked by some frightening thugs.  Right before the house she is in explodes, one of Evie's hosts gives her a letter from her grandfather whom Evie thought was dead.  The letter is a cry for help.  Both Evie's letter and the pig with the little hat lead the two children to the Explorer's Society, a mysterious organization that holds the key to finding Evie's grandfather.

This was a fun and lighthearted adventure with kid appeal.  Kress's writing is quirky and has a lot of personality and humor.  Sebastian and Evie are likable characters as are the unique adult members of the society.  Of course, this is the first in a series, and it is entertaining enough I might read the next. (2017, 305 p.)

Ada's Ideas by Fiona Robinson

This is a fun little picture book biography I read about Ada Lovelace.  She was the estranged daughter of Lord Byron.  Her mother, Lady Wentworth, left Lord Byron soon after Ada was born, and raised her daughter to be well educated so she wouldn't end up like her flighty father.  Ana was good at math, and as a young person was introduced to Charles Babbage.  There was a great deal of mutual respect between the two, and when Babbage created his mechanical general purpose computer, he asked Ada to create the algorithm for it.  As a result, some consider her to be the first "computer programmer" even though she lived more than a century before modern computers were created.

It is always good to get new biographies of women in the sciences.  One thing I like about Ada is that she made her contribution and raised a family as a proper English lady.  The book has engaging illustrations and would work as a read aloud or as something for a child to read on their own.  It is not really a "report" type biography, but it is a good introduction to an interesting person.  (2016)

The Sand Warrior by Mark Siegal et alii

Oona is the least proficient of all the sand dancers.  Her aniforms are always getting away from her.  While chasing one she overhears a council meeting and discovers that her world is in great danger.  The "Chosen One" needs to relight the five beacons before they all parish.  Oona believes her long lost sister is the chosen one,  and with the help of some unlikely friends,  she goes on a desperate quest to find her and bring her back to Crystalia.

This is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel fantasy.  It got some starred reviews and will be popular with the "Amulet" crowd.  There is nothing terribly original in the plot line, but somehow we never get tired of the stories of the underdog who discovers hidden potential and uses it to save the world.
 (2017, 248 p.)

Hello Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

Virgil comes home from the last day of school totally dejected.  All year he has been trying to get up the courage to talk to a girl in his class, but was just too shy to go through with it.  At the same time, Valencia, the girl in his class, is struggling with bad dreams about loneliness.  Meanwhile Kaori, a self proclaimed psychic, can feel a stirring in the universe.  Fate, with the help of a guinea pig named Gulliver and a bully named Chet, aligns to bring the three lonely children together and give them the courage to make a difference in their own lives.

This is a darling book.  If you want a light realistic fiction that will make you feel good, this is the book for you.  Virgil, Valencia and Kaori are just such darling kids and the reader is hoping so much that they end up all getting together.  Even Chet is a little bit adorable. The fact that Valencia is deaf, and Virgil has a learning disability, but still they are really good and likable kids is an added plus.  I enjoyed this as much as anything I have read this year.  That said, I don't think it is a Newbery quality, but still, it was a really fun read. (2017, 313 p.)