Mañanaland by Pam Muños Ryan

Max lives in the small village of Santa Maria near the boarder.  He has grown up playing futbol, helping his father and "buelo" build bridges, and listening to his buelo's fantastic stories.  Many of the stories are about the "hidden ones" and the brave "guardians" who help them escape oppression in the neighboring country.  Max considers the guardians a heroes, but some of the other kids say they are criminals and that the hidden ones are escaped convicts. Max is more concerned about being chosen for the city futbol teem, then about the stories, until one day he finds something that makes him wonder if there might be a ray of truth in his grandfather's old tales and they might hold the key to the whereabouts of a mother Max has never known.

This was an interesting book.  At first I wasn't sure if the book was going to be a fantasy, as it was clearly not written as realistically as Ryan's Esperanza Rising or some of her other works.  It turned out to be more of a kind of allegory, I think.  She uses a fictionalized place, but the characters are realistic, sympathetic, complex and dealing with timely issues.  It is also beautifully written and full of all the literary elements some of us love. This book is getting starred reviews everywhere, and I think it will be a Newbery contender this year. (247 p. 2020)

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini

Elizabeth Keckley was born a slave, the mulatto daughter of a house slave and her master.  She learned to sew the complicated dresses of antebellum southern fashion and used her skill to raise enough money to buy her freedom.  She moved to Washington DC and soon became a modiste (personal seamstress) of some of the city's most influential people, like Mrs. Jefferson Davis, and eventually Mary Lincoln. Over time she and Mrs. Lincoln formed a close friendship and Mrs. Lincoln came to trust and rely on Elizabeth in the times of her deepest sorrows. Elizabeth's friendship and service to Mrs. Lincoln continued for years, and Elizabeth was amazingly patient with Mrs. Lincolns eccentricities until Elizabeth made a terrible mistake that severed their relationship forever.

This is a thoroughly engaging and well researched historical fiction.  Chiaverini goes into detail about Mrs. Lincoln's personality flaws, and her struggles with debt, but over all, the book paints the controversial figure in a favorable light, and as the victim of an unscrupulous society. She also depicts President Lincoln so sympathetically and warmly that the reader feels as if they have had the opportunity to actually meet the great man.  The book is primarily based on Mrs. Keckley's personal memoir, but also refers to news articles and other historical sources. I enjoyed looking up pictures of the different dresses described on the internet as I read along.  I remember that this book was really popular when it came out, especially with the book clubs, and I can see why.(2013, 356 p.)

Greenglass House and Ghosts of Greenglass House by Kate Milford

Milo lives with his adopted mom and dad in  the Greenglass House hotel in Canada that is frequented by smugglers.  It is usually empty over the winter break, but the year Milo is 12, they have a number of unexpected visitors.  One, Meddy, is a girl about Milo's age, and together they try to figure out what all the other mysterious visitors are up to. They soon discover that no one is who they seem and all have ties to the Greenglass House's history.

I didn't read this when it first came out even though it got tons of great reviews.  Then as the others in the series came out
they all got good reviews, too.  When I saw that the 4th in the series also got good reviews, I decided I would finally start the series.  I am glad I did.  Milford is a great writer, and the mystery plot is brilliantly crafted. In the midst of all the clues, red herrings and plot twists, Milford also manages to draw the characters so well you feel like you know them all by the end of the book.  (2014, 376 p.)

When I finished this book, I needed another to read and didn't have a lot of time to search, so I just went on to the second in the series, The Ghosts of Greenglass House.  I liked it as well, but maybe not quite as much as the first.  Still, I will probably read the rest of the series, but maybe after taking a break from kid lit for a while. (2017, 456 p.)

The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson

Rapunzel has always lived with her affectionate but overly protective mother, Gothel.  When she was a child, her mother's attention helped Rapunzel feel safe. Now that Rapunzel is 19 and is not even allowed to speak to men, she feels smothered.  When a handsome knight saves Rapunzel from some brigands, Rapunzel starts on a path that will lead to a new understanding of her life and her potential future.

This is from an interesting sub-genre I had never heard of before.  It is, of course, a fairy tale retelling, but it is also a Christian historical romance.  It was sweet and innocent, but the writing was only B-level.  I feel like the characters are paper cutouts that the author walks through the plot.  I shouldn't be too critical.  Her writing style reminds me of my own.  How do you make a character feel like a real person?  I haven't discovered that in my own writing, and Ms Dickerson didn't really display it here.  Still, it was a pleasant read and I may read another one by Dickerson in the future if I am in the mood.  (2015, 308 p.)

When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

Sam calls Lily a QAG, or Quiet Asian Girl.  She always does what her mom wants her to, and tries to make peace between her mom and her increasingly rebellious sister, Sam. As a QAD Lily is good at being invisible around other people, but the one person who always sees her is her grandmother, or Halmoni. When her family moves into her Halmoni's house, Lily basks in her grandmother's love and longs for the closeness she used to feel with Sam.  But not everything is as Lily would hope.  Her Halmoni is very ill and Lily keeps seeing a giant tiger that no one else can see. When the mystical tiger offers Lily a way to save her grandmother, Lily must discover the tiger-girl within herself.

This book is getting a lot of attention in the review journals.  It reminds me a lot of the Newbery winner, Onion John.  At the beginning of the story it is easy for Lily to believe the folktales her Halmoni tells her, but as Lily starts to mature, she comes to realize that facing real life takes just as much courage as facing a giant mystical tiger.  All the characters of the book are fully developed and sympathetic and the magical realism is enchanting.
I think this book is going to be on a lot of people's Newbery lists this fall.  (2020, 297 p.)

The List of Things that Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead

Beatrice remembers the day her parents told her they were getting divorced because her father is gay.  They gave her a notebook in which she started a list of "Things that will not change," including, "we are still a family"  and "Mom and Dad still love each other, but in a different way".  That was two years ago, and now Bea's dad is engaged to a really nice guy, Jesse.  Bea is excited about the upcoming wedding, but life is still complicated for her.  She deals with emotions, both good and bad, that are too big for her to handle and has regular sessions with a therapist.  If she can learn to stop and think, control her worry, face a long buried secret, she might just get through this.

Rebecca Stead is an amazing writer and has created a complicated, sympathetic, and courageous little heroine.  The reader can't help but cheer for Bea, even when she makes some choices that are hurtful to others.  I think this book could really be wonderful for a child (or anyone) who struggles emotionally and wonders if "deep down" they really are good or bad. This is certainly on my list of potential Newbery winners in 2021. (218 p. 2020)

A Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer

Hannah Richardson dreams of owning her own dress shop.  When a wealthy patrons dies, Hannah's dream quickly materializes when she inherits a shop in nearby town. Hannah's good fortune is J.T. Tucker's disappointment.  He had hoped to purchase the shop Hannah inherited. J.T. tries to be gentlemanly to the newcomer, but they never seem to be able to have a conversation without him saying something judgemental about her profession.  J.T. thinks fancy clothes are nothing but a temptation for women to become vain and self-centered.  Though Hannah and J.T. don't seem to get along very well at first, their small acts of kindness to each other hint of the growing admiration and attachment they share.

This was another book to fill the space between holds.  I found out about this author through a Christmas story collection I read last December.  Witemeyer is a Christian writer, and the story is full of what you might expect by way of the quoting of inspirational Bible verses and the learning of valuable Christian principles.  Still, I enjoyed the book.  It was a clean, sweet romance with likeable characters and an interesting (and for me) novel setting.  (I haven't read many 1850's western frontier type romances before).  I will probably keep Ms Witemeyer on my list of "go to" historical romance writers when I need to get through a stressful week. (2010, 348 p.)