Geo Librarian

  THREAT OF THE SPIDER The Web of the Spider #2 written by Michael P. Spradlin McElderry Books, 2025 ISBN: 978-1-6659-4724-4 Source: publisher for review Ages 9-12 Middle grade historical fiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for arranging the interview and providing the book. ABOUT THE BOOK A twelve-year-old boy searches for his father and fights for free press amid the chilling rise of Hitler’s Germany in this second book in the action-packed middle grade series Web of the Spider for fans of I Survived and A Night Divided. Ansel has never been afraid to say what’s on his mind. He’s always the first among his friends to speak up when something doesn’t feel right. When the Hitler Youth first set up shop in Heroldsberg the year before, Ansel quickly made enemies of the chapter’s arrogant leader, Hans. Of course, Ansel is also twelve years old, so he spends much of his time reading his favorite Dirk Goodly, Boy Detective novels and trying to...

INK GIRLS written by Marieke Nijkamp, illustrated by Sylvia Bi Greenwillow Books, 2023 ISBN:  978-0-06-302710-7 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Every secret is a story waiting to happen. From New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp and illustrator Sylvia Bi, this debut middle grade graphic novel celebrates the power that everyone—even those often overlooked—has to create change. In a vibrant city, two girls from very different walks of life join forces to fight censorship and protect the people they love. Eleven-year-old Cinzia is a printer’s apprentice. She adores Mestra Aronne for taking her in—most guilds don’t have room for apprentices with a crippled leg—and she loves life in the raggedy workshop that smells of paper and printing, where secrets and stories are always circulating. So when Mestra Aronne is imprisoned for publishing accusations agai...

  RISE OF THE SPIDER Web of the Spider #1 by Michael P. Spradlin Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2024 ISBN: 9781665947206 Source: publisher for review Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover, author photo & bio, and book summary provided by the publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK 1929, Heroldsberg, Germany. Rolf might only be twelve years old, but he’s old enough to know that things have not been good in his country since the end of the Great War. Half of Germany is out of work, and a new political movement is taking hold that scares him. Every night, Rolf’s father and older brother, Romer, have increasingly heated arguments about politics at the dinner table. And when two members of the new Nazi Party, Hans and Nils, move to town as part of the Hitler Youth, Rolf is uneasy to see how enamored Romer is by their promises of bringing Germany to glory. Rolf doesn’t trust Hans and Nils for a moment. For all their talk of greatness, they act more like bullies, antagon...

LAND OF BROKEN PROMISES by Jane Kuo Quill Tree Books, 2023 ISBN:   9780063119048 Ages 9-12 Source: eARC from Netgalley Middle grade historical fiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW In this follow-up to In the Beautiful Country , Anna's family continues to adjust to their new home. Anna's found a friend and she enjoys school.  Her classmates all seem to have fun summer plans while she's expected to spend her summer working at her family's restaurant/store, which she is not looking forward to, although the money she will earn will be welcome. But the discovery that the visa allowing them to stay in the country has expired and they are now in the country illegally throws the whole family into upheaval. Her mother takes a job in another city hoping to earn money to hire a lawyer to help and Anna is left to wonder if dreaming about the future is even worth the effort. The free verse beautifully convey...

ICEBERG by Jennifer A. Nielsen Scholastic Press, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-338-79502-8 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 Middle grade historical fiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Blending historical details with a compelling story makes writing historical fiction a unique challenge. You need enough details to put the reader into the time and place so they can understand what's happening, but you don't want so much detail that readers get bogged down or lose interest. Jennifer Nielsen's newest historical fiction story takes on a well-known, popular topic and interweaves a fresh, intriguing story with it.   Hazel Rothbury stows away on the Titanic after discovering she doesn't have enough money to buy a ticket the way she planned. Full of questions, Hazel hopes to be a journalist one day, but as she is traveling to the US to work in a factory to support her family, her dream seems impossible.  But with the he...

IN THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY by Jane Kuo Quill Tree Books, 2022 ISBN: 978-0-06-311898-0 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 Middle grade historical history/novel-in-verse All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Anna looks forward to moving to 'the beautiful country', the Chinese name for America. After getting haircuts, she and her ma pack everything they can into six suitcases, leaving behind her pile of books, she can get new ones in 'the beautiful country'. But the happily ever after she's expecting turns into a rather miserable reality very quickly. She faces bullying at her new school, the new apartment is tiny and uncomfortable, and her parents' struggle to get their new business, a restaurant, off the ground. A foam mat for a bed, a black-and-white TV, and racist vandalism add to her families challenges.  This novel-in-verse tells Anna's story as she struggles to adapt to a place and circumstanc...

THE LUCKY ONES by Linda Williams Jackson Candlewick Press, 2022 ISBN: 9781536222555 Source: ARC from publisher for review Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Ellis Earl dreams of one day becoming a teacher and a lawyer.  But in 1967 Wilsonville, Mississippi, those dreams huddle under the realities of poverty and segregation. Ellis Earl lives in a shack with his mother and eight siblings and niece Vera. The addition several other nieces and nephews after their mother's complications giving birth add to the crowding and hunger.  Despite his mother's and brothers best efforts, work and income is hard to come by.  But at school, Ellis Earl learns about Thurgood Marshall and Miss Marian Wright as his teacher, Mr. Foster works to instill not just knowledge but hope in his students. Ellis Earl struggles with shame for his situation, jealousy of his friend Philip, and conflict with his family. While he...

MY OWN LIGHTNING Wolf Hollow #2 by Lauren Wolk Dutton Books for Young Readers, 2022 ISBN:   9780525555599 Source: eARC from publisher through Netgalley All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. In this follow-up to Wolf Hollow , Annabelle struggles to come to terms with the events that led up to her friend Toby's death.  While the instigator of the trouble is gone, Andy, a participant remains, and Annabelle doesn't know what to think about the boy.  After getting struck by lightening, someone gets her heart started again but she doesn't know who. In addition, Annabelle seems to develop extrasensory capabilities especially an ability to sense what animals are feeling.  This sense comes in handy when her brother's dog, Buster, goes missing and she and Henry go looking for him.  This leads to some surprising discoveries about their neighbor, Mr. Edelman, and as well giving Annabelle more to think about regardi...

I've had the privilege of reading a bunch of books in verse for an article I've been writing. As a result I'll be sharing a number of them over the next few weeks.  The two books I highlight here I absolutely loved.  Not only did I enjoy the beautiful verse and language, but the stories are touching and I fell in love with the characters. One story revolves around a young boy struggling with selective mutism and the other with a girl and her family who are looking for healing after fleeing years of abuse.  Both books deal with sensitive issues very well. THE MAGICAL IMPERFECT by Chris Baron Feiwel & Friends, 2021 ISBN:   9781250767820 Source: eBook purchased  Ages 8-12 Middle grade Historical fiction (with a touch of magical realism) All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW In 1989, in a small town just outside San Francisco, Etan struggles to find his voice.  After his mother leaves to rec...

THE DOOR OF NO RETURN by Kwame Alexander Little, Brown and Company, 2022 ISBN: 978-0-316-44186-5 Source: purchased Ages 12 and up Historical fiction/novel in verse All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK From Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award winning author Kwame Alexander, comes the first book in a searing, breathtaking trilogy that tells the story of a boy, a village, and the epic odyssey of an African family. Young Kofi lives and dreams on the banks of the river Offin. He loves these things above all else: his family, the fireside tales of his father’s father, a girl named Ama, and, of course, swimming. It is in the river that he feels invincible and where he thinks he can finally prove himself in a race against his schoolyard rival. But the river also holds dark secrets that Kofi will soon discover. Told never to venture there after nightfall but never told why, Kofi seeks his own answer...

RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE by Rajani LaRocca Quill Tree Books, 2021 ISBN: 978-0-06-304742-6 Source: my school library Ages 10-14 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK An #ownvoices novel in verse about an Indian American girl whose life is turned upside down when her mother is diagnosed with leukemia. Reha feels torn between two worlds: school, where she’s the only Indian American student, and home, with her family’s traditions and holidays. But Reha’s parents don’t understand why she’s conflicted—they only notice when Reha doesn’t meet their strict expectations. Reha feels disconnected from her mother, or Amma, although their names are linked—Reha means “star” and Punam means “moon”—but they are a universe apart. Then Reha finds out that her Amma is sick. Really sick. Reha, who dreams of becoming a doctor even though she can’t stomach the sight of blood, is determined to make her Amma well again. S...

ENOLA HOLMES, The Graphic Novels, Book One based on the novels by Nancy Springer, by Serena Blasco Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-5248-7132-1 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 9-14 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A graphic novel adaptation of the hit books that inspired the Netflix film! Sherlock Holmes’ brilliant, strong-willed younger sister takes center stage in this delightfully drawn graphic novel based on Nancy Springer’s bestselling mystery series. 14-year-old Enola Holmes wakes on her birthday to discover that her mother has disappeared from the family's country manor, leaving only a collection of flowers and a coded message book. With Sherlock and Mycroft determined to ship her off to a boarding school, Enola escapes, displaying a cleverness that even impresses the elder Holmes. But nothing prepares her for what lies ahead… Book One in the series includes ...

LINES OF COURAGE by Jennifer A. Nielsen Scholastic Press, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-338-62093-1 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book summary & book cover provided by Goodreads.com & the publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK The stories of five kids living through World War I, each of whom holds the key to the others' futures... if they are lucky - and brave - enough to find each other. World War I stretches its cruel fingers across Europe, where five young people, each from different backgrounds and nations, face the terror of battle, the deprivations of hunger, and all the awful challenges of war. Felix, from Austria-Hungary, longs for the bravery to resist Jewish deportations before his own family can be taken. Kara, from Britain, dreams of someday earning her Red Cross pin and working as a nurse - or even a doctor. Juliette, of France, hopes her family can remain knitted together, despite her father's imprisonment, as the war's longest battle str...

  FRANKIE & BUG by Gayle Forman Aladdin, 2021 ISBN: 9781534482531 Source: Publisher through NetGalley Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK It’s the summer of 1987, and all ten-year-old Bug wants to do is go to the beach with her older brother and hang out with the locals on the boardwalk. But Danny wants to be with his own friends, and Bug’s mom is too busy, so Bug is stuck with their neighbor Philip’s nephew, Frankie. Bug’s not too excited about hanging out with a kid she’s never met, but they soon find some common ground. And as the summer unfolds, they find themselves learning some important lessons about each other, and the world. Like what it means to be your true self and how to be a good ally for others. That family can be the people you’re related to, but also the people you choose to have around you. And that even though life isn’t always fair, we can all do our part to make it more just. REVIEW Frankie & Bug  is a tender sto...

GROUND ZERO A Novel of 9/11 by Alan Gratz Scholastic Press, 2021 ISBN: 978-1-338-24575-2 Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK In time for the 20th anniversary of 9/11, bestselling author Alan Gratz delivers a breathtaking, multifaceted, and resonant look at this singular event in US history -- and how it still impacts us today.   It's September 11, 2001. Brandon, a 9-year-old boy, goes to work for the day with his dad . . . at the World Trade Center in New York City. When two planes hit the towers, Brandon and his father are trapped inside a fiery nightmare as terror and confusion swirl around them. Can they escape -- and what will the world be like when they do? In present-day Afghanistan, Reshmina is an 11-year-old girl who is used to growing up in the shadow of war, but she has dreams of peace and unity. When she ends up harboring a wounded young American soldier, she and her entire family are put in mortal danger. But Reshmina also lea...

RESCUE by Jennifer A. Nielsen Scholastic Press, 2021 ISBN: 978-1-338-62099-3 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Six hundred and fifty-seven days ago, Meg Kenyon's father left their home in France to fight for the Allies in World War II, and that was the last time Meg saw him. Recently, she heard he was being held prisoner by the Nazis, a terrible sentence from which Meg fears he'll never return. All she has left of him are the codes he placed in a jar for her to decipher, an affectionate game the two of them shared. But the codes are running low, and soon there'll be nothing left of Papa for Meg to hold on to at all. Suddenly, an impossible chance to save her father falls into Meg's lap. After following a trail of blood in the snow, Meggie finds an injured British spy hiding in her grandmother's barn. Captain Stewart tells her that a family of German refugees must be guided across Nazi-occupied France to ...