Sticks and Stones by Sarah Mlynowski, Laren Myracle and Emily Jenkins.

 In this second book in the Upside Down Magic series, things seem to be looking up for Nory.  She and Bax start having tutoring sessions with the Kitten Ball coach, and he recruits Nory for the team. She starts to make friends with some kids at school not in the Mixed-up Magic class. Meanwhile, strange rock centered magic keeps happening at the school, and everyone blames Bax. Bax knows he didn't do it, so the Mixed-up Magic kids work together to try to find out what is really happening.

I read the second book in this series because I wondered if it had the "Shadow" magic that shows up in the Net Flix series.  It doesn't. I think the Shadow Magic is a "made for TV" addition, to make the story more visually interesting. I enjoyed the book, though. There is a lot of humor, but also a few things to think about. It is a cute series for early novel readers. (208p., 2016)

The Unselected Journals of Emma Lion V. 6 by Beth Brower

 Emma's relationships with Islington, Pierce, and Hawkes becomes closer and more complicated.  They pass Christmas together and Emma reaches her 21st birthday, when she legally gains her majority.  A lot of good it does her, since she barely has any inheritance left, so she takes a job as a lady's companion and tutor. That doesn't go so well, due to some mishaps with some pets. The whole fiasco is nearly worth it because she gets to share the story with her new friend, Mrs. Penury. 

This is just more of the writing confection that is Emma Lion.  The characters are all brilliant, and Brower comes up with some really delightful moments, both happy and sad. It is such a lovely story of a shattered young woman and the three men who decide to hold her gently while she gradually mends. (247 p. 2022)

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower Volumes 1&2

 Emma is an orphan and an heiress, so why has she been relegated to the garret room in her own home?  It has to do with her step-cousin Archibald and The Incident that gave him The Scare. Since The Incident, Archibald has had it out for her, and used his guardianship of her finances (until she comes of age) to purchase dozens of expensive silk dressing gowns and to purposefully lose at the races.  Emma must use her considerable force of will to regain control of whatever fortune she has left, and find a way to support herself on a very limited income.  She is recruited to become the less attractive foil of her very wealthy friend, and by that gains entrance into the center of London Society.  She also rents out part of her domicile to a mysterious stranger whom the neighborhood ghost called "a man of war." She finds she likes the brooding tennant, and looks forward to the notes that get passed under the garret dividing wall. But he is not the only man of intrigue in her life.  There is the sham cousin of her friend, Jake, and the charming and commanding Lord Islington. What is an education deprived, impoverished, heiress to do?

My daughter, Diane, recommended these to me.  They are not available in audio yet, so I waited until I was going on a trip to read a print-based version.  They are unusual books.  Each volume is quite short, and all the chapters are written as entries in Emma's journal. Both short volumes ended quite suddenly without any satisfying conclusion.  Emma has a irreverent, sarcastic personality, world weary but delighting in the ridiculousness she sees in the people around her. They are super fun to read, mostly because of the snappy patter between characters. Now that my vacation is over and I have only read the first two of the seven in the series, I have to decide whether to press on and read the others, or wait until my next vacation. (V. 1, 2022, 119 p.  V. 2. 2022, 160 p)

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales

 Beatrice Steel lives in Swampshire where the rules of etiquette are all important.  Beatrice, however, has a guilty secret; she loves to read about unsolved murders in the newspaper.  When her sister's prospective fiancée drops dead at a ball, Beatrice can't help but jump in and try help a broody investigator solve the crime. As a plethora of unsavory clues start to come to the surface, it begins to be clear that the high society of Swampshire is not nearly as proper as they appear. Can Beatrice and the inspector solve the case before anyone else dies?

One of my patrons recommended this one to me, and it was a delight. It pokes fun at all the proper regency romances and their emphasis on etiquette. I saw the play, "Clue" this week at the Hale Center Theater in Sandy, and this book has a similar vibe--silly, fun, but also suspenseful. Even the character's names are funny.  The murder victim is called, "Mr. Croaksworth" and the unwanted suitor is "Mr. Grub" and his coat of arms features a cockroach. There are a lot of good one-liners, and funny physical humor. There are some really random elements, like the glowing frogs, the very "emo" young sister that is alarmingly hairy, and the mud holes that swallow people. It kept me chucking all the way through. I need to make sure my library has a physical copy of this because I am going to be recommending it to a bunch of people I know. (2023, 352 p)

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

 Vera Wong is a widow who runs an unfrequented tea shop in China Town.  She often has only one customer each day, a gentleman who comes and talks about his ailing wife. Vera is lonely but keeps up appearances by adhering to a strict routine and sending frequent "advice" texts to her unmarried son. Her life changes drastically when she wakes up to find a dead body in her tea shop.  When she realizes that the police are not investigating the murder as aggressively as on CSI shows, she decides to take matters into her own hands.  She knows that murderers usually return to the scene of the crime, so she waits to see who shows up.  Over the next two days four young people show up at her shop, and she is sure one must be the murder.  She now just has to discover a way to find out which one is guilty. 

I put this one on hold because it was one of the top 10 items on hold on Libby last month.  It turned out to be pure delight.  Vera is the stereotypical Chinese dragon mother, terrifying everyone she meets, but underneath she is soft hearted and really does want to help people.  The relationship between the four young "suspects" is cute and well written.  It mystery plot is pretty good too, and I didn't really see the whole solution until it was revealed at the end.  If anyone has ever encountered one of these Chinese mother forces of nature before, this book with make them chuckle all the way through.  (352 p. 2023)

Humble Pi by Matt Parker

Matt Parker is an math educator and a stand-up comedian. In this book he talks about several ways math errors have caused problems in history.  The book is divided into sections dealing with similar kinds of math errors such as round off error, coding errors, dividing by zero, errors caused by different units of measurement and others.  It sounds terribly dull, but the book is actually very entertaining. All week as I was listening to the book I was sharing funny stories with anyone who would listen.  Sometimes, of course, math errors have caused tragic loss of life, and Parker is sensitive to that.  He uses those stories as cautionary tales. Many of the stories, however, caused inconveniences, and huge expenses, but no death. The audiobook is narrated by the author and he does a good job communicating the delight he finds in uncovering and figuring out the most outrageous historic math mistakes.  I mostly picked this book because I am married to a math professor, but I think it would have wide appeal to people who like humorous nonfiction. (2020, 336 p)

Weird Kid by Greg Van Eekhout

Fitting into junior high is tough on anyone, but it is especially hard for Jake Wind.  He has the extra challenge that he is an alien from another planet who has recently been having problems controling when he shapeshifts. He is therefore pleasantly surprised when he makes a new friend, Agnes, on the first day of school. One day when they are eating lunch together on the edge of the soccer field, a sinkhole opens up in the ground nearby.  It triggers Jake's shapeshifting urge, and also contains a kind of ooze similar to Jake's natural form.  Jake and Agnes start to investigate the mysterious sinkholes that have been popping up all over town and their investigation leads them to a ominous abandonded mall on the outskirts of town that holds a secret so big it will change their lives forever.

I picked this book on the fly when I had to find something new to listen to in a hurry.  It is a cute, if a little bit odd, middlegrade science fiction.  The characters, even the peripheral ones,  are each a bit quirky but charming.  My favorite side character was the hippy uncle, though the proctologist dad was pretty good, too. There is plenty action and 6th-grade-boy humor to keep reluctant readers engaged. This one was probably not on anyone's Newbery list last year, but I can think of lots of kids that would like it. (2021, 208 p)

Ronan Boyle and the Bridge of Riddles by Thomas Lennon

 Ronan Boyle is the son of two Irish scientists who have been wrongfully convicted of strealing a valuable artifact.  Ronan, though just 15, joins the Irish secret police as an intern, hoping that from that position he can find evidence to prove his parents' innocence.  He is surprised when he is recruited into special forces that are charged with monitoring fairy influence in the human world. As he bumbles his way through his first case, he learns information that could help his own investigation.

That plot summary sounds super serious, but there is very little about this book that is serious.  It is very silly and full of slapstick and potty humor. I think that 8 to 10-year-olds of a certain disposition would really love it.  I enjoyed it myself.  It brought many smiles to my face and maybe I even chuckled outloud once or twice.  I also enjoyed the references to Irish folklore. I had recently done some research about Irish fairy folklore for a project at work, and it was fun hear references to the creatures I had learned about.  A note about the audiobook.  It is read by the author.  At first I assumed he was an native of Ireland, but when I looked him up he isn't.  He is an actor who has done a lot of voiceover. He is also the screenwriter for Night at the Muesum. He has played several Irish roles before so I wonder if it is in his cultural heritage. (305, 2019)

Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

 Sal and Gabi are back, ready to do what it takes to fix the holes they have made in the multiverse.  They are also looking forward to their special arts school back to school night.  Things seem to be going well, until Sal gets a visit from a Gabi from another universe. She shows Sal what has happened to destroy her world, and claims that Sal's dad, in that universe, made a mistake that caused the destruction. Sal is concerned because his dad had just made a big breakthrough in his study of calamity physics.  Can this new "Gabi" be right?  Is Sal's own father on the road to destroying the universe?

I chose this one after finishing Cold Mourning because I was ready for something much lighter.  This book fit the bill.  It has much the same tone as the first in the series, but if anything, it is even funnier.  I love Hernandez's languange, filled as it is with spanglish and creative metaphore.  He also has a nack for creating really silly and hilarious situations.  I was chuckling outloud as I listened.  The only reservation I have about it is that it was a little long, and could maybe have used some more editing.  The author ended the book with hints of another in the series, and I will probably read it when I come across it. (2021, 432)

The Date to Save by Stephanie Kate Strohm

 Angela wants to be a writer in the worst way, and the only student publication at her school is the newpaper, the Prepster.  Unfortunately the Prepster is ruled by a dictatorial editor named Colin. Desparate to get an article in the homecoming edition, Angela agrees to write a 250 word article about Academic Battle.  As she starts to investigate the story, she discovers that Academic Battle, school elections, and the homecomig game are all scheduled at the same time and that the conflict was not an accident.

This book is written as a collection of interviews with different people at the school.  The recorded version is performed nicely by a full cast.  It is very silly, and in a few places, quite funny.  I actually laughed outloud.  The writer has a good grasp of what counts as high drama in a high school.  To the characters, the election of school student rep, the winner of Academic Battle, and the success of the halftime show at homecoming are the most important things in the world.  I especially appreciated the snarky comments from the few school administrators. Even though this book it set in highschool, it is really targeted at junior high age readers.  It would be a great way for an eighth grader to relax after finished some super dry required reading. (201, 288 p.)
  

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

An inept bank robber tries to hold up a "cashless" bank.  When told there is no cash to steel, the bank robber runs away and into an apartment building.  There just happens to be an apartment viewing going on, and the bank robber ends up taking the real estate agent and the prospective buyers hostage. In the ensuing hours, the hostages talk, and listen, and open their hearts to one another.  Meanwhile two police officers, a father and a son, try to figure out what to do to get the hostages out safely and how to deal with their own personal loss.

The discription above makes this sound like a police drama, but it isn't really.  It is really a deep dive into personalities, appearance, and human nature.  This is by the same author as A Man Called Ove. It deals with some of the same issues like family, depression, and unexpected human connection. Backham is so amazingly good at picking a character and then pealing back the layers of their personality one skin at a time. In the end all the characters are sympathetic and you finish the book wanting to go out and hug everyone you meet. I am trying to decide which book I liked better.  This book had a really tight and clever mystery plot, and less swearing.  The other book probably made me laugh outloud more.  I guess liked them both. (2020, 352 p.)

What Once Was Lost by Kim Vogle Sawyer

Christina Willems has taken over running the poor farm in late 1800's Kansas.  When the farmhouse catches fire, no one is hurt, but Christina scrambles to find homes for herself and the residents until the house can be rebuilt.  The last child to find a home is the blind boy, Tommy.  The only one who will take him in is the handsome but reclusive mill owner, Levi.  As Christina's problems multiply she is surpized to find that Levi steps in to help out.  She wonders what has made him a loner, and marvels at how Tommy blooms with a positive male rolemodel. As one challenge follows another, Christina wonders if the poor farm will ever be rebuilt, and her life return to normal.  She also begins to wonder if she wants it to.

Ok, here is another historical Christian romance.  I would say it was above average.  Yes, it is sappy and meladramatic, but the writing is pretty good otherwise and the characters are likeable and believable. No world class bronco riders or crazy rich English dukes here.  I think I need to put Ms Sawyer on my prefered historical romance writers list. (359 p. 2013)

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Ove is a man of few words, and strong opinions.  He was never good at academics, but is a natural at working with his hands and figuring out how physical objects, like motors, and building projects, work.  When the light of his life, his wife, dies, he just keeps going to work, but when he was given early retirement, he figures his life was pretty much over. All that there is left to do is plan his own death with the littlest possible bother to anyone else.  Unfortunely, in Ove's mind, the new neighbors keep interfering.  As he puts off his own moribund plans to help them back up their car or fix a radiator, his old heart gradually finds something in this world to hold on to. 

I had seen this book before, but the title kind of put me off. I knew it had been hugely popular when it came out in 2014, and that they even made a movie of it.  When I mentioned I hadn't read it to my co-workers there was a chorus of people saying, "Oh, you have to read it.  It will make you laugh and cry."  They were absolutely right.  I think it is my new favorite book I have read this year.  I think everyone knows an Ove type person, crusty on the outside, and true blue on the inside.  The writer is brilliant in his characterizations of not only Ove but all the different people in the book.  The book was orginally written in Swedish, but the translater did a brilliant job.  The same author just came out with a new book.  We will see if it lives up to the first. (337 p. 2014)

P.S.  If you are bothered by swearing, you may want to give this one a by.

What's His Face by Gordon Korman

Cooper Vega is an army brat that changes schools like others change Facebook profile pictures.  In each new school he is pretty content to be a nobody, a "What's his face".  This school turns out to be different for two reasons:  One is a Shakespeare obsessed, adrenaline junky girl named Jolie and the other is the ghost of a Elizabethan printer's apprentice named Roddy who lives in Cooper's phone.  What is a guy to do but try out for the school's play of Romeo and Juliet so he can figure out how to help Roddy fulfill his destiny and "cross over"?  

This is a another of Korman's stand-alone school stories.  It is light hearted but neither as deep as Restart or as funny as Ungifted.  Still, there is an element of mystery, a little romance, and sprinkling of Shakespeare trivia.  I think Korman fans won't be disappointed. (2018, 231 p)

The Fowl Twins by Eoin Colfer

Myles and Beckett have been raised on stories of fairy folk and the LepRecon forces that live underground.  As much as they loved their brother's stories, they always thought they were just that-- stories.  Then one day a tiny troll shows up on the island where the Fowl twins now live, and their lives change forever.  Myles (the brainy one) and Beckett (the action one) find themselves joining forces with beings they always thought were fairy tales and running from not one, but two evil masterminds. 

I am a big fan of the Artemis Fowl series and was excited that Colfer would revisit the series with this new generation.  I enjoyed the book.  It was fast paced, clever and funny.  I thought the target age group was a little younger than the original series. It had all the fun and excitement of the original series, but lacked some of the deeper moral questions that made the original Artemis Fowl books special. I also wasn't 100% pleased with the reader.  I think he made Beckett sound too lacking in intelligence, when I don't think that was Colfer's intent.  Beckett isn't dumb, he just has a very different set of intelligences than his brother, and that is why they are such a good team.  Still, it was a delightful read and I will probably read more in the series. (368 p. 2019)

Funny, You Don't Look Autistic by Michael McCreary

Michael McCreary was diagnosed as autistic at age 5.  Now in his early 20's he does autism themed stand-up comedy across Canada. This is a lighthearted but candid look at what life was like for him growing up on the spectrum.

I listened to this book because it is Overdrive's Big Library Read title.  I think it is an interesting choice.  McCreary tells funny stories from his growing up years, but also elucidates life as an aspie in a very accessible way.  He thinks of himself, primarily as a comedian, but also accepts the fact that he is an advocate for people with Autism and their families.  He is high functioning, but his brother, who also had Autism, was more severely challenged, so McCreary has a good perspective on the wide range of experience of people on the Spectrum.  If someone had not really investigated Autism before, this book could be really eye opening. I must admit that it wasn't as funny as I expected, but it was uplifting and well worth the short time it took to read.  (2019, 176 p.)

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

Sal is a fairly normal Cuban American living in Florida and attending a magnet school for the performing arts. His preferred performance is as a magician but most people don't know that some of his tricks are more than slight of hand.  When he was five his mother died, and he wanted her back so badly he learned to reach into parallel universes to try to find her. Now he can pull other things through to this world, like a raw chicken or a scarf with a creepy all seeing eye. His tricks get him in trouble, in more ways than one, and when he finds out his new friend can see the tears in the universe he knows he has gone too far.

This book got starred reviews all over the place last year and I can see why.  It is loads of fun and pops with energy, but at the same time deals with some really serious themes.  One of the things that gives is a lot of energy is the Span-glish that Sal and many of his friends speak.  I know some Spanish, so for me it was fun to follow the verbal gymnastics, but I wonder if it would frustrate reluctant reader anglophones. I guess not, since this book was hugely popular last year. Another thing that was fun was that really off-the-wall things kept happening.  Hernandez pushes the boundaries of outrageous, but keeps it in check with the right balance of silliness and seriousness.  I will definitely try to recommend this to the next 5-7 grader I meet. (2019, 382 p.)

Slacker by Gordon Korman

Cameron Boxer is obsessed with computer games.  He gets so engrossed playing online one day that he almost allows his home to burn down.  In response, his parents challenge him to join some kind of extracurricular group unrelated to gaming.  Cameron and his friends decide to create a fake service club at their school with themselves as its only members.  Their plan backfires when other people in the school, including the school counselor, get involved.

Korman has done a lot of these humorous school stories, several of which were better than this one.  The problem with this one is that Cameron's inevitable transformation doesn't come until the very end.  It is like productions of A Christmas Carol.  Mediocre productions have Scrooge stay about the same until he meets the Ghost of Christmas Future, and is scared into repentance.  The good productions show how Scrooge's heart is gradually changed during the course of the story as  relives the painful and pleasant realities of his own past and present. In this book, Korman shows Cameron's friends' gradual transformation but Cameron only turns away from his video game addiction when his friends desert him and he can't play any more.

I am actually being overly harsh.  It wasn't a bad book and I have had kids tell me that they really liked it.  It just wasn't nearly as good as Restart or The Unteachables.  (2016, 230 pages)

The Vanderbeekers and the HIdden Garden by Karina Yan Glaser

This is the second adventure of the Vanderbeekers who are members of a biracial family who live in Harlem, NY. In this story, their elderly friend, Mr. Jeet, has a stroke, and the kids decide to create a garden so that Mr. and Mrs. Jeet will have a nice place to visit when Mr. Jeet gets out of the hospital.  They choose an empty lot next to their church, and make their improvements without really getting permission from their pastor.  As the project grows, they have little trials that they overcome through persistence and a well intended disregard for rules.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and I enjoyed this one as well.  The children's personalities and interactions are charming and funny. Even more appealing is the sense of community Glaser creates for her characters and that we all wish we enjoyed. This book really does feel like an urban version of the Penderwicks. This is a great choice as a read aloud for families with mixed age children or as a book on CD to listen to on your next family road trip. (327 p. 2018)

The Unteachables by Gordon Korman

When Kiana moves from San Francisco to hick town, USA, her step mom leaves her to register herself in her new school.  By a twist of fate, she ends up in the class of "Unteachables" a group of 8 kids that none of the other teachers want to have to deal with.  Their teacher, Mr Kermit, is in his last year before he is eligible for early retirement, and is just as happy as the kids are to do nothing all day.  Then one day Mr. Kermit stands up for one of the students on a small matter.  The students are so surprised, they start standing up for Mr. Kermit.  As the year progresses a wonderful relationship develops between the kids and the burned out teacher, changing all their lives for the better.

Who would have guessed when Korman started writing his action thrillers 18 years ago that he would end up such a good writer of school stories.  I really liked this book, just as I liked Restart, Ungifted, and Schooled. He looks into the lives of all of his characters, adults and children, with honest insight.  He also has some really funny bits, that add entertainment, but don't overpower the deeper message.  Underlying his school novels is a basic belief in the goodness of humanity and faith that if we all get to know each other better, we can all get along. (288 p. 2019)