Meet the House Kittens by Patrick Green

This is the first in a new series of graphic novels called Kitten Construction Company. Marmalade is an amazing architect, but she is also an adorable kitten.  Because she is so little and cute nobody will take her seriously. When the city planner rejects her plans for the new Mayor's Mansion, Marmalade takes things into her own paws. She recruits other kittens with serious construction skills, and together they work to overcome kitten prejudice.

This a cute new graphic novel great for younger readers.  Children will relate with the challenge of being considered too little or too cute to do anything important. Green includes some funny kitty tropes. For example at one point someone starts shining a laser pointer at the construction sight and Marmalade struggles to keep her crew from chasing it.  Green's color illustrations are as adorable as, well, a kitten!  Even though the main character is a girl, others on the crew are male, and since it is about construction I think it would appeal to both boys and girls.  (72 p. 2018)

The Long-Lost Home by Maryrose Wood

Here is the last in the series that began with The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place.  As this episode begins, Miss Penelope Lumley is in Russia working as governess to the terrible Babushkinoves. She knows that time is running out before the Ashton family curse reaches its tragic fulfillment.  Armed with nothing but a quick wit and plenty of pluck, she must find a way to return to England and save her family.

This is a fun and fitting finale to a series that I generally enjoyed.  Ms Wood has infused it with the high spirits and rollicking action readers have come to expect from Miss Lumley's adventures.  I appreciated that fact that not only did Penelope's character develop, but so did those of secondary characters like Lady and Lord Ashton.  All loose strings are tied up nicely, and fans of the series with not be disappointed.  (440 p. 2018)

Caleb and Kit by Beth Vrabel

Caleb is 12 years old and has cystic fibrosis.  His condition makes daily life a challenge.  He has to spend time every day in different medical devices, and has strict eating requirements.  Because of his condition, his mother and older brother, Patrick, are very protective.  Over summer break his mother arranges to send him to a day camp, but a few days before the camp starts Caleb meets a girl his age, Kit, in the small stand of woods behind his house.  The girl's mother is struggling with substance abuse problems, and Kit is totally unsupervised.  Caleb is enchanted by Kit's free spirit and wild imagination and, for the first time, defies his mother's directions and sneaks away from camp to spend his days with Kit.

This book was well done, and deserves the starred reviews that it received.  The reader feels the exhilaration Caleb feels as he breaks free from the strict rules that have governed his life from birth. As the consequences of Caleb's actions start to catch up with him, the reader feels the discomfort Caleb experiences as he grapples with moral questions about friendship and loyalty.  The reader also comes to learn a lot about the challenges of those who live with cystic fibrosis.  I can see that this is a really good book, but I must admit that I didn't really enjoy reading it.  Caleb's uncomfortable situation near the end came to be like a painful blister that I was eager to drain and have things over with.  I guess I just wasn't in the mood for this type of book this week.  People who liked Rain Reign would probably like this.  (256 p. 2017)

The Daybreak Bond by Megan Frazer Blackmore

Mori, Julia, Benji and Theo leave their isolated utopian town of Old Harmony, to try to get help for their friend, the cyborg Ilana.  As they experience the outside world for the first time they discover that it is both less, and in some ways more horrifying than they had thought.

I didn't realize until just now when I looked this book up on our catalog, that is this the second in a series.  I thought the beginning was a little ambiguous, but I guessed it was a stylistic choice not to explain what was going on at first.  Ha, ha!  I don't think I will go back and read the first one.  This was only a B level science fiction because the author was more concerned with plot than personality.  I never really felt like there was a difference in the personalities of the main characters.  The author kept telling us that they were different, but she didn't do a great job of showing us they were different.  I never really connected with any of them.  Maybe if I had read the first book, I would have liked this one better.  I guess I will never know. (326 p. 2017)

Inspector Flytrap in The President's Mane is Missing by Tom Angleberger

This is another in the very silly intermediate series by Tom Angleberger.  In this one our hero, a Venus flytrap PI, is called upon to find a missing mane of a statue of the President (who is a horse).  The story involves giant flies from outer space and is nearly too ridiculous for words.  Bell's illustrations match the over-the-top tone of the story. The thing is, I could imagine that a 6 year old might think it was hilarious. (2016. 96p.)

Chasma Knights by Boya Sun and Kate Reed Petty

Beryl lives in a world where animals and insects are all toys, and most people can temporarily meld, or "catalyze", with the toys to make something new.  Beryl, however, is a Neon Knight and cannot catalyze with toys.  To compensate she has become an inventor.  One day in the Toy Market, she meets an Oxygen Knight, Coro, who is very good at catalyzing. Can their rivalry become a friendship?

Here is my graphic novel for the month.  The illustrations and story are cute, and will probably appeal to little girls rather than boys.  The premise is a little weird.  Animals and insects are really toys, and you can take out their "cores" and merge them together to make new things.  It is portrayed in a cutesy way, but when I think about it, it is seems a little Dr. Frankenstein-ish to me. No attempt at an environmental message here.  There is, however, some hidden science.  Neon Knights can't catalyze, but Oxygen knights are really good at it, because Neon is an inert gas and Oxygen is a highly reactive chemical.  So that part is a little clever.  Still, I am not sure this one is going to go far enough to warrant a sequel (though the ending suggested one.) (2018, 110 p.)

Murphy and the Great Surf Rescue by Gill Lewis

Murphy has always wanted to be a surf rescue dog.  When it comes time for him to earn his surf rescue badge, he finds that the waves in the ocean are much bigger and scarier than he had imagined.  After he fails on his first attempt, and embarrasses himself in front of his hero, he is afraid to try again but when he sees a boy in real trouble, he finds the courage he needs.

I didn't realize when I took this book off of the New Book cart that this is in the same series as another intermediate I read, Star on Stormy Mountain. This book had almost the exact same plot as that one did.  That is not necessarily a bad thing for an intermediate series.  If all the books have similar plots, it helps emerging readers gain confidence and speed because they don't have to spend a lot of effort figuring out what is going on.  This book has simple black and white illustrations that add to the kid appeal and is a good choice for any dog lovers. (109 p. 2016)

Howard and the Mummy:by Tracey Fern, illustrated by Boris Kulikov

Howard and the Mummy: Howard Carter and the Search for King Tut's Tomb is an informational picture book about the man who, through persistence and meticulous attention to detail, discovered the most impressive archaeological find of the 20th century.  The text is written in engaging narrative, and the stylized watercolor illustrations add interest to the story.  Fern mentions that Carter was not necessarily the most pleasant person and emphasizes that he succeeds because he refuses to give up.  She also focuses on that fact that he was more careful and methodical than may archaeologists of the age. A blend of history and STEM principles, this is a great choice for kids interested in archaeology, but I think any middle grade reader would likely enjoy it. It is not surprising that it has received 4 starred reviews. Set it out on a table, and just see how many kids pick it up. (32 p. 2018)

The Truth as Told By Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor

Mason Buttle's family, what's left of them, are still reeling from the "bing, bam, boom" the death of a father, a mother, and a friend all in the same year.  Mason also struggles with sever dyslexia and a disorder that makes him sweat profusely.  That and his living conditions in the "cumbledown" house make him the butt of relentless bullying from the kids on his bus.  Mason gets by with the help of a compassionate resource room teacher, and when he finds a friend in little Calvin Chumpsky, things seem to be looking up.  But Lieutenant Baird keeps hounding Mason for more details surrounding the death of his friend, and Mason just can't seem to move past the clouds of green sadness that swirl around him and the whole town.

That plot summary makes it sound like this book is a real downer.  It does deal with some heavy issues, but the overall feeling of the book is one of hope rather than despair.  Mason has such and open, resilient, and likable personality that the reader can't help but feel like things will come around right in the end.  I really liked this book.  It might be my favorite I have read this year.  Part of that is because the reader on the audiobook, Andrew Eiden, did an amazing job of recreating Mason, Calvin and the whole cast of characters.  (326 p. 2018)

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

The Vanderbeeker family includes two parents, four kids and three pets.  They have lived in the same brownstone in Harlem as long as any of the kids can remember.  One day, right before

Christmas, their landlord and upstairs neighbor decides he is not going to renew their lease.  The kids are horrified at the thought of having to move, so they start a campaign to convince reclusive old Mr. Biederman that he really does not want to make them leave.  

This was a really interesting book to read right after reading Ghost Boys.  I kind of think that Ghost Boys with its tales of gun violence and drug dealers on every corner is a more realistic view of what Harlem is probably like than this book where everyone on their block is their friend. 

That said, I enjoyed this book. The antics of the kids are funny and each child has an individual and endearing personality.  It has great parent/child relationships, and all the protagonists are trying to do what is right.  It reminded me a lot of the Penderwicks series.  Since the story takes place during the Christmas season, it is a good choice for a read-aloud over Christmas break or as a book on CD to listen to during a holiday road trip. (2017, 297 p.)