Reading Level: Junior High

Heiress Takes All

Olivia Owens is a teenage heiress. Or at least she was, before her dad, millionaire Dashiell “Dash” Owens, cheated on her mom and then kicked Olivia to the curb. Olivia wants revenge, and she plans on getting it. . . at Dash’s third wedding. She puts together a crew of high schoolers hungry for a huge cash grab—hacker Cass, jock and baker Deonte, charismatic Tom, plus her former English teacher Mr. McCoy—and plans a heist to steal millions from Dash while he’s getting hitched. “The Plan” involves phases, including sneaking phones into the wedding, detaining Dash’s lawyer Mitchum’s daughter to ransom her in exchange for the codes to the safe, breaking into the safe and transferring the money to the thieves’ accounts, and then, of course, the epic getaway. 

But not all goes to plan. Olivia’s ex-boyfriend, Jackson, who cheated on her (allegedly), is an unplanned distraction. Mitchum’s son Kevin sticks his nose into Olivia’s plan, and Olivia is forced to recruit him so he won’t snitch. Mitchum reveals that the safe contains not just money but incriminating evidence against Dash for an unknown crime. Dash’s second wife, Lexi, shows up to get revenge on Dash, breaking into the safe before Olivia can. Lexi is holding the codes to the bank accounts hostage until Olivia produces evidence of Dash cheating. To get what she wants, Olivia is forced to adjust and then abandon “The Plan” altogether. Will Olivia and her crew be able walk away millions of dollars richer? Or will they walk away in handcuffs? 

Olivia appears to be a character readers are supposed to sympathize with, but her actions and words come off as whiny, entitled, and unrelatable. She also doesn’t speak like a typical teenager, as she often uses unnecessarily advanced vocabulary that would likely baffle most teenage readers. Additionally, she speaks like a caricature of Gen Z, rather than an actual Gen Z kid (this is also true of other teenage characters). Olivia doesn’t feel real. Nonetheless, she has her positive moments, such as wanting to get justice for her mother. Ultimately, Olivia fails to be an enjoyable or realistic protagonist.  

Olivia’s crew is full of interesting, but underused characters, yet they do not make up for Olivia’s failings. Tom adds some much-needed snark and realism to the book, and Kevin brings the party by being the “dumb rich kid” who’s not as dumb as he seems. Deonte is a superstar jock who is also a magnificent baker, an intriguing combination, but he’s not a major presence in the majority of the book. The crew members take a backseat to Jackson, who adds a romantic subplot that is distracting. 

Heiress Takes All has some positive aspects. The setting of a wedding heist is intriguing, and some of the wedding-related elements of the story, such as sneaking phones into the wedding via a wedding cake, add a unique, playful element to a heist book. The twists are entertaining, keeping the heist exciting. After all, if the heist went off without an issue, it would be uninteresting. However, the writing is inconsistent in quality, especially in the first half of the book—some sentences are worded strangely, sometimes to the point of incoherence. The genuinely entertaining high points of the book simply can’t make up for the faults. The flawed portrayal of Olivia, along with hints of messages about family, work ethic, or class, fails to make the book meaningful. Heiress Takes All has its moments of delightful heist antics, but it’s bogged down by an irritating main character, confusing writing, and a misuse of side characters. If you’re looking for a fast-paced book that will capture your attention, check out the Heist Society Series by Ally Carter or the American Royals Series by Katharine McGee. 

Sexual Content  

  • Cheating is a pivotal subject, as Dash cheated on Olivia’s mother and allegedly cheated on his second wife, Lexi. Additionally, Jackson allegedly cheated on Olivia.  
  • Olivia fantasizes when she sees Jackson at the wedding. “Curls you could rake your fingers through forever, which then you decide to do, until fifteen minutes later, you have no idea what’s going on in the Netflix episode and oh hey, how did our shirts end up on the floor?” 
  • To have an alibi, Olivia makes out with Tom in the boathouse. “When I close the door behind us, my mouth on Tom’s, the wonderful rush of my heartbeat is very real.” The scene lasts two pages. 
  • Olivia reminisces about the romance she had with Jackson before he cheated. “The lips I remember whispering I love you into my neck whenever we had sex.” 
  • Jackson needs to change into a tuxedo, and Olivia doesn’t leave the room. She observes, “he undoes his tie and starts unbuttoning his shirt. Objectively, it’s sexy.” She recalls their relationship, saying, “He was my first in every way. The first time we had sex was perfectly planned.” This scene lasts eight pages. 
  • Olivia trips and Jackson catches her, causing an awkward yet romantic moment: “—when Jackson catches me, his grip gentle on my waist. The hot shock of him holding my hips is merciless, supplying me with memories like notes shoved under locked doors.” 
  • Olivia makes out with Tom again to not get caught looking suspicious during the heist. “He really can kiss. The way he presses me up the wall, the dark heat in his eyes the perfect contrast to the cool paint behind me, has me feeling like he could offer classes.” 
  • When staging a breakup with Tom for her father to witness, Olivia yells, “Screw you, Thomas! …I never should have slept with you.” 
  • When Jackson confronts Olivia about her stealing, he softly grabs her wrist, and she thinks about their past relationship. “He pushed strands of hair behind my ears, held the small of my back when we were going through doors or upstairs, slid dress zippers down so slowly, I would shiver.” 
  • Olivia kisses Jackson upon receiving the news that they have successfully stolen the money from her dad’s offshore accounts. “Without hesitating, I press my lips to Jackson’s, operating on pure impulse. . . as if he’s made entirely of rogue hunger, he kisses me back fiercely.” 
  • Olivia implies that her father, Dash, is predatory, as he met Maureen (who is much younger than he is) when she was a TA in university. “He’d [Dash] been hunting for prospective employees, technically, but really, he’d been hunting for prospective Maureens [romantic partners].”

Violence  

  • Olivia’s mom got into a car accident. “Her car. . . skidded on ice into the highway divider. . . Her head hit the window hard. Her wrist crumpled from the impact. She was unconscious for fifteen hours.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • At the wedding, wedding guests consume alcohol. Drunken behavior occurs various times. There is no underage drinking. 
  • At the bachelorette party, Olivia (who was drinking virgin mimosas) pried information about the wedding from “Maureen, who was five or six very real mimosas deep.” 
  • A young adult suggests Olivia and her crew join him in smoking marijuana, saying, “We could get high and watch Kung Fu Panda.” 
  • Dash and his groomsmen smoke cigars and drink liquor before the wedding. Olivia notes, “Cigar smoke and the raucous laughter of drunk groomsmen greet me.” 

Language  

  • Profanity is used sometimes. Profanity includes hell, ass, damn, dick, shit, and fuck.  
  • “Oh my God” and variations are used as exclamations occasionally.

Supernatural  

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Wings of Starlight

Before Tinker Bell and her friends, there was Queen Clarion. Clarion, the soon-to-be queen, is preparing with her mentor, Queen Elvina, and the rest of the Warm Season fairies prepare for her coronation. Clarion tries her best, but feels unsure about her ability to govern, which is made worse by her lack of control over her magic. Matters become worse when a dark threat, called Nightmares, escapes from their ancient prison in the Winter Woods and wreaks havoc across Pixie Hollow. 

Reports of a monster crossing from Winter into Spring make their way to the palace. Clarion is determined to prove her worth by defeating the monster. But instead of finding a monster at the edge of Winter, she finds Milori, the young guardian of the Winter Woods. The two of them recognize each other as kindred spirits, and a romance blossoms. They decide to work together to figure out how to defeat the Nightmares, which directly defies Elvina’s orders. However, only in disobeying does Clarion discover her own abilities, as well as a way to end the reign of the Nightmares and unite Pixie Hollow.  

Readers will be enchanted with Princess Clarion, who struggles with confidence but has a compassionate heart and an earnest desire to help. Queen Elvina would have Clarion be an objective and aloof ruler, but Clarion has a warmth that drives her to connect with her fellow fairies. Readers will relate to Clarion’s fight to forge her own path forward. Clarion tries to mold herself into the ruler Elvina wants her to be. However, following Elvina’s block of Clarion’s governing magic. Once she starts to follow her heart, she finds the strength and magic within her to lead Pixie Hollow and fight the Nightmares. Clarion’s all-encompassing love and wish to do right by all those who believe in her make her an endearing hero and the perfect lead for this tale of love and “hope, even on the darkest and coldest of nights.” 

While at times lonely due to her position, Clarion is still surrounded by love in the form of her friends and Milori. Petra the Tinker fairy is a brilliant inventor and worrywart who acts as a voice of reason but eventually clashes with Clarion over her dangerous adventures with Milori. Artemis, loyal to a fault, became Clarion’s bodyguard after she defied orders to save a friend. Milori, solemn but sweet, gives Clarion the push to believe in herself after showing his own unwavering belief in her abilities and heart. Each of these characters is unique and adds dimension to Clarion’s journey of self-growth, because even though she has to find her own way, Clarion is by no means alone. 

Wings of Starlight is a perfectly paced book that balances terrifying threats with the quieter moments of Clarion and Milori’s romance. Saft creates captivating characters, whose flaws only make them more relatable. Clarion and Milori’s fight to end the terror of the Nightmares is not just a fight to save the fairies but to ensure a new future for Pixie Hollow. Winter Fairies have become effectively separate from Pixie Hollow over the centuries and are highly mistrusted. Queen Elvina even tries to sever them from the rest of the Warm Seasons. However, Clarion and Milori are able to stop her and the Nightmares, thus “welcom[ing] in a new era of a unified Pixie Hollow.”  

The conclusion is slightly melancholic because while the Warm Season and Winter Fairies are now unified, Clarion and Milori recognize that it is too hard to watch over Pixie Hollow and the Winter Woods if they stay together. This comes as a result of Milori sacrificing one of his wings and his ability to fly in order to save Clarion. Even so, Clarion, Milori, and Pixie Hollow are still able to move forward into a brighter future. Clarion’s story is one of courage, belief, love, and sacrifice, through which she learns to follow her heart, even when things are dire. Wings of Starlight teaches that when all is not as it seems, the best course of action is always to trust yourself, trust in your “talents,” and in the love of those around you. 

Sexual Content  

  • Clarion first meets Milori at the border of Spring and Winter. When Clarion hears his voice, “It made a shiver pass through her, one that had nothing to do with the cold.” 
  • Clarion and Milori meet up again. “They sat almost knee to knee in the darkness, close enough to touch. The very thought prickled along her skin like electricity. . . Somehow, this felt far more vulnerable. Especially when he was looking at her like this. Clarion could not name what exactly she saw there, but it made a terrible longing rise up within her.” 
  • As time progresses, Clarion and Milori both start to realize their feelings for each other. “There was no mistaking the wide-open yearning in his eyes…She wondered exactly how long he had wanted to kiss her. . . His hand came to cradle the side of her neck, and although his touch chilled her skin, warmth flooded her. Clarion leaned fully into Winter and kissed him.” 
  • After their first kiss, Clarion has a fight with Elvina and then comes back to the border to see Milori. He tells her that he hasn’t slept well, and Clarion realizes it’s because of their kiss and how quickly she left afterwards. “The sense memory of their kiss awakened, skipping across her skin in heated trails and stoking her glow to a rose-colored blaze.” 
  • Clarion and Milori are very close together as he invites her to a ball the Winter Fairies will be holding in her honor. While they are close, Clarion thinks, “It would be a simple thing, to rise onto her toes and kiss him as she had the other night, to thread her fingers into his snow-white hair.” 
  • After the Winter Ball, Milori takes Clarion back to the border but they both are reluctant to part because of the finality of the moment. “Then, his lips parted beneath hers, and Clarion felt herself catch flame.” 
  • However, because a Winter Fairy’s wings cannot tolerate the heat of the warm seasons and Warm Season Fairy’s wings would freeze in winter, Clarion and Milori must remain apart, but that does not stop their love. “They crashed together, and his mouth was on hers with a desperation that left her breathless. She met him with equal fervor. Her world narrowed to this: His hair, slipping through her fingers like water, His hands, skimming down the ridge of her spine and spanning the curve of her waist.” 
  • Artemis comes to visit Petra in the hospital after the Nightmares’ magic is broken and Petra wakes from her slumber. “The scout placed a kiss on her forehead, then, more tentatively, to her lips.” Artemis also tells Petra to never “scare [him] like that again.” 
  • Clarion and Milori give each other one final goodbye kiss as they face their new futures forever apart. Clarion “took his face in her hands and kissed him—briefly, selfishly, if only to commit him entirely to memory. The feeling of his lips, soft against her own. The way his breath hitched, no matter how many times they had done this.” 

Violence  

  • Throughout the book, Nightmares attack the fairies at various times and send some into deep slumbers where they face their own nightmares. Clarion’s close advisor, Rowan, the Minister of Autumn, is attacked by the Nightmares, and it is trapped in a magical slumber: “[Clarion] scrabbled to her feet and flew to him. He did not stir at her approach, but his chest rose and fell. Alive. Clarion nearly wept with relief. She knelt at his side and shook him. His expression contorted—not with pain, exactly, but…fear? His eyes flickered behind their closed lids. It almost looked as though he was having a nightmare.” All the fairies affected by the Nightmares stay asleep until Clarion defeats the Queen of the Nightmares, and the spell is broken, with all the fairies unharmed. 
  • Artemis, Clarion’s friend and bodyguard, tries to protect fairies from the Nightmares. Artemis “loosed her arrow. It soared through the air and into the beast’s open mouth. Although it skewered the back of its head, the serpent did not even flinch.” This fight lasts six pages and ends when the Nightmare serpent disappears into the forest. The fight is not without casualties as many fairies are under the Nightmares’ magic, like the Minister of Autumn, Rowan.  
  • When investigating the Nightmares, Clarion and Milori are attacked, and Clarion is injured. “A bright pain seared through her, but the Nightmare’s talons drove into the spot where she’d been lying.” 
  • The main attack occurs during the Winter Fairies’ ball for Clarion’s coronation, and many people are injured fighting the Nightmares, like Artemis and Petra. Clarion gets up after dodging something just in time to see her friends get injured: “she scrambled to her feet—just in time to see the beast sink its teeth deep into Artemis’s shin. Artemis screamed in agony. It shook its head viciously, thrashing her; Artemis’s body snapped back and forth like a rag doll…As Petra struggled to nock another arrow into the bow, the Nightmare swiped at her. She went soaring, then slammed into the trunk of a tree. A sickening crack split the silence…Petra lay very still, her red hair splayed out in the snow like a bloodstain.” This fight lasts a full chapter.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • When Clarion and Milori fight the Nightmares, Clarion is injured and goes to the healing fairies for help. One of the healers, Yarrow, gives Clarion “a poultice of juniper, usnea, and linseed wrapped in a leaf parcel” and “balsam and wintergreen [that] will help with healing and inflammation.” 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural  

  • Wings of Starlight is set in a supernatural world where fairies live in Pixie Hollow, have magical “talents,” and help the seasons “arrive” on the mainland. All fairies are born with an innate talent, and “they almost always intuitively knew what to call it.” There are light-talents, garden-talents, water-talents, animal-talents, tinker-talents, and many other types of talents. They work with their same talents and all the other talent groups to create the changing of the seasons on the Mainland where humans live. 
  • Their world is sustained by the Pixie Dust Tree, a source of pure magic that is sometimes sentient. “The Pixie Dust Tree had put out new growth over the last few days; in the language of flowers, it said, I am here for you. Clarion marveled at how attentive it was being lately.” 
  • Additionally, the Nightmares are children’s nightmares in corporeal form, that can shapeshift into any animal and have venom. For example, Milori and Clarion are attacked near the Nightmares’ prison and Clarion becomes injured. “The smokelike form of the Nightmare writhed and bubbled until it took recognizable form: a raven. One by one, ten violet eyes blinked open on its body.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Sunrise on the Reaping

The 25th annual Hunger Games features a brutal twist: twice the number of boys and girls will be selected as tributes to compete in this televised fight to the death. On Haymitch Abernathy’s 16th birthday, he is chosen to compete in the Games and is sent to the Capitol with three other tributes to prepare. After a series of tragic events in the Capitol, Haymitch finds himself in the middle of a rebel plot to destroy the arena where the Hunger Games are held.  

When the Games begin, Haymitch finds himself in an arena where nothing is as it seems. The arena, which appears to be an idyllic paradise, comes with a catch: everything in it is poisonous. Haymitch faces a near-impossible task. In order to make it home, he must survive the dangers of the arena and outlive the 47 other tributes, many of whom are his friends and allies. Survival is not Haymitch’s only goal, and as the brutality of the Games unfolds around him, he becomes more determined to complete his mission of destroying the arena. But will his rebellion come at a cost?  

Haymitch is a courageous and caring protagonist, and many of his actions are driven by a desire to protect others. Although he faces terrible circumstances, Haymitch remains kind and loyal to his friends and allies. Fans of the original Hunger Games trilogy will be interested to meet this version of Haymitch, who is just as abrasive and jaded as he is in the previous books. However, Sunrise on the Reaping shows both Haymitch’s growth and his downfall. At the beginning of the novel, Haymitch is more naïve and easygoing, as he is unaware of the full scope of the Capitol’s horrors. As the story progresses, Haymitch learns to be both an empathetic leader and a strong fighter. Because of all that he has suffered at the hands of the Capitol, Haymitch’s character evolves into the beaten-down version of himself that readers know from the original series. Despite this, Haymitch still holds onto enough hope and strength to help aid in the events of The Hunger Games trilogy.   

When Haymitch is sent to the Capitol, he is separated from his girlfriend, Lenore Dove. Lenore Dove is rebellious, free-spirited, and has a knack for getting into trouble. Another person who impacts Haymitch is Maysilee Donner, an angry, intelligent, and strong-willed teen who he forms a strong alliance with in the arena. Both Lenore’s rebellious streak and Maysilee’s rage give a deeper understanding of the Capitol’s cruelty and the injustices the protagonists face. 

Readers do not have to be familiar with The Hunger Games to understand Sunrise on the Reaping, but the book will be more enjoyable to those who are already fans of the series. Sunrise on the Reaping summarizes key details from the previous book, making it accessible to new readers of the series. Sunrise on the Reaping is similar to the original Hunger Games series in terms of setting and conflict, and much like The Hunger Games trilogy, takes place in District 12, the Capitol, and at a Hunger Games arena. The conflict is also similar, as Haymitch fights against tributes and mutts in the arena, much like how Katniss and Peeta did in the first and second Hunger Games novels. Sunrise on the Reaping takes these familiar elements and uses them to enthrall readers and subvert their expectations. However, Sunrise on the Reaping, as opposed to the original series, is more psychological and political. Rather than focusing mainly on survival in the arena, as the first Hunger Games novel does, Sunrise on the Reaping explores the Capitol’s failings and how these abuses affect the people living under this tyrannical government’s reign. Additionally, this novel is more mature and darker than other books in the Hunger Games series. The mature themes of this novel are handled skillfully and presented in a manner that is accessible to readers. 

Sunrise on the Reaping is a must-read novel that teaches important lessons about trust, friendship, and hope. Despite being placed in horrific situations, the protagonists support one another and help each other to become the best versions of themselves. Haymitch often acts selflessly and is dedicated to defending and protecting his friends. This novel is fast-paced, detailed, and tells an enthralling story that will make readers reflect. Sunrise on the Reaping is an action-packed and emotionally charged addition to the Hunger Games Series. Filled with ideas of trust, hope, and survival, readers will look deeper than the words on the page and consider the themes of this book. In this novel, Suzanne Collins weaves together a story featuring complex new characters and beloved fan favorites. Sunrise on the Reaping is an interesting and engaging novel that readers will struggle to put down and will remember long after they turn the final page.   

Sexual Content  

  • Haymitch and Lenore Dove kiss often during the few scenes they share together. Haymitch narrates, “Then I kiss her again. And again. And she kisses me right back.” 

Violence  

  • This novel contains many violent scenes, and over 50 people (most of them children) die. 
  • Woodbine, a boy who is selected to compete in the Games, tries to escape and is shot in the head. “Just when I’m thinking he might make it — all those chance kids run like greased lightning — a shot rings out from the Justice Building rooftop, and the back of Woodbine’s head explodes.” 
  • While protecting Lenore Dove, Haymitch is hit in the head with a rifle. “I leap in to shield her, just in time to intercept the rifle butt that slams against my temple. Pain explodes in my head as jagged lights cut through my vision.” Haymitch is knocked to the ground, but he recovers.  
  • Maysilee and a Capitol worker named Drusilla slap each other after Maysilee insults Drusilla’s age and clothing. “Drusilla hauls off and slaps Maysilee, who, without missing a beat, slaps her right back. A real wallop. Drusilla’s knocked off her boots and into the chair I recently vacated.” 
  • After Maysilee slaps Drusilla, Drusilla beats her with a riding crop. “Drusilla flies up, rips the riding crop from her boot clip, and begins beating Maysilee, who cries out and raises her arms to protect her head. But the blows keep raining down, forcing her to the floor.” 
  • When the tributes are being presented in a parade, Haymitch’s friend Louella is killed in a chariot crash. “One of her braids rests in the blood leaking from the back of her skull, which cracked open when she hit the pavement.”  
  • A rabbit drinks poisoned water and “starts squealing like a baby bird, goes stiff as a board, then falls over dead. A trickle of red stains the fur on its chin.” 
  • Haymitch’s friend, Lou Lou, inhales poisonous pollen from flowers, and Haymitch states, “I cradle her in my arms as the convulsions begin. There is nothing I can do but watch, helpless again . . . her skin begins to turn blue.” Lou Lou dies. 
  • Haymitch’s friend, Ampert, is eaten by squirrel-like mutts. “One flies through the air and lands at my feet. Before it springs back up, I spy a bloody scrap of electric-blue fabric snagged on its incisors, and everything becomes clear. Carnivorous mutts. Tearing Ampert apart . . . Panting, I watch them fade away. Then I turn back to what I am meant to witness. A small white skeleton, stripped clean to the bone.” 
  • Haymitch gets into a fight with the other tributes in the arena. “A girl tribute from District 4 lunges with her trident pointed at my neck, I clumsily deflect with my left arm and whip out my knife just in time to drive it into her gut. Rolling to the side, I encounter a leg and hamstring it, leaving her district partner writhing on the ground. Scrabbling to my feet, I pull out the ax and cleave open his neck with a single adrenaline-fueled blow.” Both the girl and her partner die. 
  • Haymitch gets into a one-on-one fight with a tribute named Panache. “With a single swoop, he knocks the ax from my hand, his blade drawing blood, and then slams the shield into my chest so hard I lose my grip on my knife.” Haymitch recovers and the pair keep fighting.  
  • Maysilee shoots Panache in the throat with a poison dart. “What I see is the surprise that transforms his face as the dart pierces his throat.” Panache dies. 
  • Ladybug-like mutts attack Haymitch and Maysilee. “All up and down [Haymitch’s] arms, the creatures latch onto the flesh. Within seconds, they inflate to the size of acorns and begin exploding, splattering my face with my blood.” They pull the mutts off of their bodies and recover from their injuries.  
  • Haymitch and Maysilee discover Buck and Chickory, two other tributes, stabbed with needles. “About fifteen feet away, Buck and Chickory lie writhing on the ground. Long spikes that resemble knitting needles protrude from their flesh. They paw at them with clumsy hands, as if they’ve got really bad frostbite, or something’s disabled their fingers.”  
  • In the arena, Haymitch and Maysilee encounter three Gamemakers along with two other tributes, Silka and Maritte. Maritte and Maysilee attack the Gamemakers. “Maritte’s arm snaps back and I think I’m a goner, but the trident whistles over my head and lodges in the mopper, sending him down into a pillow of poppies. Almost simultaneously, the woman with the drill grabs at the spot beneath her ear and comes away with a dart. She collapses as the final Gamemaker plunges head-first through the open berm into Sub-A. It takes a few moments before we hear her skull crack on the concrete below.” All three Gamemakers die.  
  • A group of flamingo-like mutts kill Maysilee. “They dive again and again at Maysilee, who’s kneeling on the ground, trying to use a tarp as protection while she vehemently slices at them with her dagger. A couple of dead birds lie on the ground, but they have taken their toll. Blood blossoms from her cheek, her chest, the palm of her hand.”   
  • A tribute named Wellie is decapitated in the arena by another tribute. Haymitch narrates, “In [Silka’s] right hand, her ax. Her left holds Wellie’s head, eyes still open, mouth agape. The only movement, the only sound, comes from the blood dripping into the pine needles on the forest floor. Wellie’s body lies crumpled in a heap a few feet away.” 
  • Haymitch stabs Silka in the eye. “In a last-ditch effort, I yank my knife from my belt and drive it back over my shoulder. A shriek.” Silka recovers enough to keep fighting against Haymitch.  
  • Silka is killed when an ax she throws rebounds into her head. “Then there’s the return of the whistle, her moment of confusion as the spinning ax catches the sunlight, and the dull sickening sound as it lodges in her head.” 
  • Haymitch holds his intestines in after he is struck in the gut with an ax by Silka. “My last sensations are of the slippery coils of my intestines in one hand . . . ” Haymitch is saved by the Capitol because he is the last tribute alive, and the victor of the Hunger Games.  
  • Haymitch accidentally gives Lenore Dove a gumdrop that has been poisoned by the Capitol. “A blood-flecked foam bubbles up over her lips” and she dies. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Haymitch brews moonshine with a woman named Hattie Meeney. “Brewing white liquor with Hattie Meeney is dicey business, but it’s a picnic compared to killing rats or cleaning outhouses.” 
  • Haymitch is drugged by the Capitol to keep him unconscious. “A coldness surges from the needle planted in my arm. Nothingness.” 
  • Haymitch becomes an alcoholic. “My liver’s wrecked and I only dry out when the train’s late. I drink differently these days, though, less to forget, more out of habit.” 

Language  

  • The word hell is used rarely.  
  • The word jackass is used rarely. For example, Haymitch says, “Oh, hello again, jackass!” 

Supernatural  

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic

In this collection of short stories, four classic fairy tales are retold with a twist, and Bardugo includes two original stories. In the first story, Ayama and the Thorn Wood, Little Red Riding Hood is Ayama, a poor serving girl who goes to confront the terrible beast of the woods. Instead of killing him, she persuades him to stop destroying the kingdom’s crops, and in return, he grants her the power to depose the land’s evil king.   

In the story The Witch of Duva, Hansel and Gretel become Havel and Nadya. After Havel goes off to war, Nadya discovers that it is not a witch who is eating children, but her own father.  

Then, in The Soldier Prince, the Nutcracker comes to life. At first, he thinks it is because of Clara’s superficial, admiring love, but he realizes it is actually the fatherly love from the clockmaker who designed him that brought him to life.  

Finally, in When Water Sang Fire, readers meet Ulla, the witch from The Little Mermaid. Ulla is betrayed by her closest friend, Signy, who marries the prince, Roffe. Signy later becomes Ariel’s mother. Thus, Ulla holds a grudge against Ariel and her family forevermore. 

In the first original story, The Too-Clever Fox, a clever fox escapes from predators with his sharp tongue, but when words fail him, he must ask for help from his only friend, a songbird.  

Finally, in Little Knife, a beautiful woman named Yeva is auctioned off for marriage, and a suitor named Semyon pleads with the river in the village itself to help him marry Yeva. Yet when the wedding day comes, the river helps Yeva gain her freedom from unwanted matrimony. 

Every fairy tale is told in omniscient third person, and almost every main character is a strong young girl who must overcome incredible cruelty and hardship. When the main character is male, there is no shortage of well-rounded supporting female characters. Contrary to the original fairy tales, the main characters never simply slay monsters or find true love. Rather, they question the truth of what has been told to them and work to find meaningful companionship. Though the main characters’ personalities vary, it is easy to root for them and sympathize with their difficult lives. 

The supporting characters are full of surprises, which is part of what makes this collection so intriguing. Many of the characters readers expect to be good (the prince, the suitor, the father) are actually sinister, and vice versa for the “evil” characters (the witch, the beast, the evil stepmother). The supporting characters urge the reader to question the characters’ intentions and decide for themselves what is true. As the back cover reads, “Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.” 

The Language of Thorns collection of stories is incredibly entertaining, with twists that constantly surprise and excite readers, whether they are familiar or unfamiliar with the classic fairy tales. While the tales can often be dark, the messages and themes they convey are hopeful, emphasizing the power of love and companionship. In fact, the contrast of dark and light themes emphasizes each one to a powerful effect. The Language of Thorns is perfect for fairy tale, fantasy, or thriller lovers. 

Sexual Content  

  • In The Witch of Duva, there is an implication of pedophilia from Nadya’s father, Maxim, but it is performed on an illusory double of Nadya rather than Nadya herself. “But her father’s hand slipped beneath the hem of her skirts, and the ginger girl did not move . . . Maxim opened his wet mouth to kiss her again.” The sexual content is described over a page, but it is implied that Maxim regularly preyed upon young women. 
  • In The Soldier Prince, Clara kisses the Nutcracker after developing a crush on him. “She could not wait. Clara stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his.”  
  • Clara kisses the Nutcracker again, believing him to be romantically interested in her. “He kissed her beneath the stairs.” 
  • Frederik kisses the Nutcracker after similarly developing a crush on him. The Nutcracker “kissed Frederik in the darkened hall.”  
  • In When Water Sang Fire, when Ulla, Signy, and Roffe go to the human world, Signy and Roffe have romantic interactions with many mortals. “Roffe took his pleasures [and] Signy suffered but drowned her longing in a tide of human lovers.” 

Violence  

  • In The Too-Clever Fox, Koja’s mother (a fox) eats a few of her young children. “So she snatched up two of her smallest young and made a quick meal of them.” 
  • Koja gets caught in a metal trap. “Koja ran all the way back to his den, trailing the bloody chain behind him.” 
  • Koja frequently kills and eats chickens. “He raced back from Tupolev’s farm with a hen’s plump body in his mouth. . .” 
  • Hunters Lev and Sofiya Jurek come to the woods and kill a bear that Koja was friends with. “Koja’s blood chilled at the sight of his fallen friend’s hide.” 
  • Sofiya stabs Koja and attempts to kill him. “‘Why?’ he gasped as Sofiya worked the knife deeper.” 
  • Lula, the songbird, attacks Sofiya to save Koja. “Lula came flying, and when she saw what Sofiya had done, she set upon pecking at her eyes.” 
  • In The Witch of Duva, Nadya’s fingers get cut off as ingredients for a spell. “At the sight of her fingers lying forlorn on the table, Nadya fainted.” 
  • Maxim eats a gingergirl who is an illusory double of Nadya. The gingergirl is not alive or conscious, but this implies that Maxim has been sexually assaulting and then killing and eating young girls. “Nadya watched her father consume the gingergirl, bite by bite, limb by limb.” 
  • Maxim dies when his stomach ruptures from the witch’s spell. “They found Nadya’s father there the next morning, his insides ruptured and stinking of rot.” 
  • In When Water Sang Fire, to walk on land, the mermaids cut off their tails. “Only then did Ulla add her own voice to the song and drive her blade into her tail.”  
  • Roffe murders a young boy with the help of Signy and Ulla in order to create fire that will exist under water. “Even above the sound of their voices, she heard a horrible wet thunk, and the boy cried out, woken from his sleep by the blade piercing his chest.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language    

  • None 

Supernatural  

  • Most animals talk throughout the book. “To her surprise, the runt answered, ‘Do not eat me, Mother. Better to be hungry now than sorry later.’”  
  • In Ayama and the Thorn Wood, Ayama turns into a monster. “Then she took off her hat, and all the people saw that she was a girl no longer.” 
  • In The Witch of Duva, there is a witch named Magda who can cast spells. She turns Nadya into a crow and creates a girl made of gingerbread who looks just like Nadya. When Maxim eats the gingergirl, he dies. “As for Nadya, she lived with Magda and learned all the old woman’s tricks, magic best not spoken of on a night like this.” 
  • In Little Knife, there is a river that is a sentient spirit named Little Knife. “‘You have been a loyal friend, and so I think I must name you,’ Semyon said to the river as he tried to wring the water from his ragged coat.” 
  • In The Soldier Prince, the Nutcracker is alive and can take children to a magical world via flight. “He would offer his hand and with a whoosh, they would fly through the attic window, out into the cold.” 
  • In When Water Sang Fire, Ulla, Signy, and Roffe are mermaids who can use magic by singing. Witches also exist. “It was the deepest magic, music of rending and healing, the only song all royalty were trained in from birth.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

The Gladiator’s Victory

Travel back to ancient Rome with time-traveling brothers Arthur and Finn as they try to convince a powerful gladiator to escape certain death in the Roman arena. Will the boys manage to persuade the gladiator to break free, escape the clutches of the powerful and evil lords, and avoid being caught by the unforgiving Roman soldiers?  

The Gladiator’s Victory explores the brotherly bond and begins with the introduction of Marcus, a gladiator who regrets not joining his brother in fighting for freedom. When Arthur and Finn go back in time to help Marcus, their bond is tested. When Senator Lucius discovers Arthur and Finn’s bond, he uses it to manipulate Finn. If Finn doesn’t poison Titus, Lucius’ rival, the senator will murder Marcus. Despite his conflict, Finn is determined to save both his brother’s and Titus’ life. As readers continue reading the Warrior Heroes Series, they will discover that while Arthur and Finn have different personalities, they are devoted to each other and willingly jump into battle to protect each other. The brother’s bond and their desire to help the restless ghost gives the story heart.  

Short sections interspersed throughout the book provide more historical information, including descriptions of life in Rome, life as a gladiator, the types of gladiators, and how the games worked. One section describes the origins of gladiators. “The Greeks did it and so did the Etruscans who lived near Rome in the early days. They used to get people fighting to the death as a sacrifice at funerals, and the Romans picked up the idea and ran with it.” Eventually, the funeral games became a big business so the gladiators “weren’t expected to kill each other anymore. . . Of course, people still wanted to see some blood, so the Romans would execute prisoners or get prisoners of war to fight to the death. . .”   

Even though The Gladiator’s Victory is part of a series, the books do not have to be read in order because each book focuses on Arthur and Finn going back to a different time period and each book wraps up the storyline.  

The Gladiator’s Victory is another action-packed adventure that leads Arthur and Finn into the dangerous world of Rome. In a world ruled by rich senators, the boys discover death lurks around every corner. Senator Lucius magnifies the ruthlessness of the wealthy and the vulnerability of slaves. The Gladiator’s Victory will leave readers reflecting on Finn’s situation—is killing an innocent man worth saving Arthur’s life? Despite this question, Finn displays admirable strength of character and a willingness to trust others with the truth. This leads to a surprising and satisfying conclusion that asks: What is worth dying for?  

Readers interested in jumping back into time but want to avoid intense battle scenes have many opinions, including Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth by Lloyd Alexander, Time Travel Adventure Duology by Elvira Woodruff, and the Tangled in Time Series by Kathryn Lasky. 

 Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Spartacus, a gladiator, recruited “an army of highly trained solider-slaves who wanted to be free.” Spartacus and his army were defeated. “And most of them were crucified to set an example to other slaves.” 
  • When Arthur travels through time, he appears in an alley. Festus, a bully who leads a gang of homeless boys, finds Arthur. Festus says, “Now get up and tell me why you’re here, or by Jupiter, I’ll crush your skull before you say another word.”  
  • Arthur convinces Festus to fight with no weapons. “Festus hurled his club to the floor and charged at Arthur without warning. . . Arthur stepped to one side, leaving a foot trailing so that Festus tripped and tumbled to the ground. . . Festus stepped forward, feigned as if to punch Arthur in the stomach and then dropped to one knee, grabbing hold of Arthur’s ankle and giving it a vicious twist. Arthur tumbled to the ground, and Festus pounced, pinning him with an arm across his chest and punching him hard on the chin.” 
  • As the fight continues, Arthur escapes Festus’ grasp and stands up. Arthur “grabbed Festus’ wrist in both hands and twisted as the punch carried the older boy forwards and past Arthur. . . [Arthur] standing behind Festus and twisting his arm up behind his back. He curled a foot in front of Festus and pushed, sending him crashing to the floor.” Festus admits defeat. One illustration shows Festus getting ready to punch Arthur. 
  • When Festus’ gang surrounds Arthur, an older group of men who watched the fight step in. When the men approach the boys, “the gang’s circle disintegrated, and a brawl broke out as fists and boots and knees and heads connected with each other.”  
  • Festus goes after Arthur with a club. Finn helps his brother by “leaping onto Festus’ back. Festus staggered backwards and then fell forward to the floor yet again. Arthur rushed forwards and stomped on Festus’ arm. He dropped the club and roared in pain.” The fight ends after four pages. An illustration shows Festus preparing to punch Arthur. 
  • Arthur and Finn are taken to a gladiator school. Finn is recruited to be a spy for Senator Lucius. The senator threatens Finn with punishment if Finn is unable to carry out his mission. Lucius “gestured toward the slave . . . The slave grimaced and opened his mouth. . . it seemed that the slave was missing his tongue.” 
  • Lucius wants Finn to use poison to kill his rival, Titus. 
  • Finn meets Lucius’ niece. She says, “If I could kill him without getting caught, I would. He is very, very careful. He kills anyone who gets in his way yet no-one can kill him. He poisons people . . . He poisoned my parents.”  
  • Arthur is ordered to spar with Ajax. Arthur is given a net “to ensnare” his opponent and a trident, while Ajax has a spear and shield. “Arthur spang into action, taking a step forward and jabbing with the trident, which clattered into Ajax’s shield and glanced off . . . Arthur switched the trident to his right hand just as Ajax lunged forward, holding his shield out before him like a battering ram and crashing into Arthur, who fell heavily to the floor. . .” 
  • Arthur believes Ajax is going to kill him. “Arthur slashed out with the dagger in the direction of Ajax’s feet and felt the blade jar against something hard as his opponent howled in pain, dropping his sword and falling to the floor.” Because Arthur injured Ajax, Arthur is ordered to fight in the gladiator’s ring in Ajax’s place. The fight is described over one page and has one illustration.  
  • Two gladiators, Marcus and Achilles, fight each other on horse. “Again and again they charged . . . at last Marcus caught Achilles with a glancing blow to the shield arm, drawing blood from his opponent . . . Achilles was knocked back in his saddle but stayed on his horse and wheeled around immediately.”  
  • As the gladiators charged again, Marcus’ horse reared, and “Marcus fell heavily onto the sand of the arena. . . Both men drew their swords and rushed to clash again, this time on foot. . . Achilles was down on one knee, fending off overhead blows until his sword was smashed from his grip by a particularly savage strike.” Achilles surrenders. The match is described over three pages.  
  • Unable to poison Titus, Finn lies. When Lucius finds out, he “screamed, lashing out and slapping Finn hard across the mouth. . . Lucius roared, leaping forward and grabbing Finn by the throat.” Lucilla jumps in to help before Lucius kills Finn. 
  • Enraged further, Lucius grabs Lucilla by the throat with the intent to kill her. “Marcus could hold back no longer. He leapt at Gaius [who oversees the gladiator’s school] and with one vicious punch laid him out cold. . .” Lucius mocks Marcus for being a slave, but Lucius’ “words turned to a high-pitched groan as Marcus lunged and thrust forward savagely, burying his sword in Lucius’ back. The girl fell gasping to the floor while Marcus stood behind the senator and pushed him away, causing him to topple forward off the sword.” Lucius dies. 
  • Finn, Arthur, Lucilla, and Marcus must flee Rome. They get help from Festus and his gang. To hide the fugitives, Festus has Lucilla and Marcus crawl into a cart filled with dead bodies.  
  • When guards discover the ruse, a fight ensues. Marcus “leaped down with a cry, punching the hold of his sword into one man and knocking him into the other so that both collapsed to the ground. Two quick thrusts followed, and moments later, Marcus was dragging the bodies down the steps and flinging them in the river.” A boatman takes the fugitives out of the city.

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • Arthur calls Festus and his gang cowards. 
  • A man calls Arthur an idiot. 

Supernatural 

  • Arthur and Finn’s grandfather created a museum about warriors throughout history. The museum is haunted, and when the grandfather died, “he started haunting the place too. He felt guilty about the trapped ghost warriors and vowed he would not rest in peace until all the other ghosts were laid to rest first.” 
  • When one of the ghost warriors touches the boys, “we get transported to the time and place where the ghost lived and died. And we can’t get back until we’ve fixed whatever it is that keeps the ghost from resting in peace.” 
  • When the boys travel through time, “the air in the room shifted, and seemed to fill with mist, drifting at first and then whirling faster and faster around them until the study could not be seen, and it felt to the boys if they were spinning through the sky.”

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

All Better Now

A deadly and unprecedented virus is spreading. But those who survive it experience long-term effects no one has ever seen before: utter contentment. Soon after infection, people find the stress, depression, greed, and other negative feelings that used to weigh them down are gone.

More and more people begin to revel in the mass unburdening. But not everyone. People in power—who depend on malcontents and prey on the insecure to sell their products, and convince others they need more, new, faster, better everything—know this new state of being is bad for business. Surely, without anger or jealousy as motivators, productivity will grind to a halt and the world will be thrown into chaos. Campaigns start up to convince people that being eternally happy is dangerous. The race to find a vaccine begins. Meanwhile, a growing movement of Recoverees plan ways to spread the virus as fast as they can, in the name of saving the world.

It’s nearly impossible to determine the truth when everyone with a platform is pushing their agenda. Three teens from very different backgrounds who’ve had their lives upended in very different ways find themselves at the center of a power play that could change humanity forever. 

In classic Shusterman style, All Better Now forces the reader to question everything and consider a world where altruism may upend society. The story focuses on three completely different characters—Rón, the son of one of the world’s wealthiest men; Mariel, a homeless teenager whose mother dies from the virus; and Morgan, an ambitious young woman who hungers for power and trusts no one. While the teens are interesting characters, they are neither relatable nor likable. However, each one showcases a different aspect of the virus, allowing readers to understand each person’s worldview.  

After Mariel’s mother dies, she purposely tries to infect herself but discovers that she is immune to the virus. At first, Mariel is disappointed that she will never experience the contentment of Recoverees, but she also acknowledges that Recoverees often make illogical decisions that lead to their demise. There is only one thing that Mariel knows for sure—everyone should have the choice when it comes to exposure to the virus.   

Unlike Mariel, Rón and Morgan do not believe people should have a choice. Morgan’s goal is to stop the virus from spreading, while Rón believes infecting others with the virus is his duty. Rón says, “It’s one we want to give to people we love, not because it makes us do it against our will, but because we choose to—because it generally makes our lives better.” On the other hand, Morgan believes anger, fear, and resentment are “the things that drove civilization. . . a world without ambition was not a world at all; it was a soulless still life hanging on a wall.” Throughout the story, the characters are confronted with difficult questions and the reader is forced to put themselves in each person’s shoes and decide what they would do in a similar situation. 

In classic Shusterman style, All Better Now forces readers to contemplate the idea of contentment and altruism. While on the surface, these are traits that everyone should be able to embrace, Shusterman shows how compassion and empathy can be taken too far. The exciting conclusion is ambiguous, leaving the reader to question the morality of the virus. Due to the complex plot, multiple points of view, and the complicated nature of the conflict, All Better Now is best suited for mature readers.  

Sexual Content  

  • Morgan, a genius with few friends, simultaneously dates a brother and sister. When they find out, the relationships end. 
  • After getting the virus, Dame Havilland and her butler move in together. After Dame Havilland makes a sexual innuendo, Morgan thinks, “Old-people sex should be outlawed. Or at least the discussing of it.” 
  • In a medical lab, some of the animals are “masturbating.” 
  • Rón meets a gay teenager who has a crush on him. Rón “leaned forward and kissed Elias. Elias all but went limp. Rón didn’t particularly like the kiss, nor did he particularly hate it. It was like a sip of water; just a thing with no flavor. But what Rón did like were the stars in Elias’s eyes. Then it was done.” Rón leaves and never sees Elias again. 
  • The cops bust into Elias’s house, looking for Rón. The SWAT team tells everyone to get on their knees. Elias says, “Sorry if I’m a little giddy. But it’s my first time on my knees for a man in uniform.”  
  • A vindictive woman who wants revenge tries to “have condoms and erotic magazines delivered to [a married couple] at every place they dined.” 

Violence  

  • A chapter focuses on Yuri Antonov, who is in the Air Force. He and two other men are ordered to destroy a bridge. Instead of destroying the bridge, Yuri “skews his vector, clipping the wing tip of the jet to his left. . . [the other jet] begins a barrel roll to the ground. The pilot has no choice but to eject. . .” The other pilot tries to get away, but Yuri “slides in behind his wingman and fires his guns, shooting up the tail, and one engine—being careful not to hit the cockpit.” Both pilots parachuted to safety.  
  • Dame Havilland wants to use Morgan’s mother as leverage. To get access to Morgan’s mother, Dame Havilland has to get past Griselda, the live-in nurse. “Griselda was grabbed from behind” and a man “held a handkerchief over her nose and mouth. . . everything began swimming like fishes, Griselda’s legs seemed to vanish.” Griselda is uninjured. 
  • One of the human test subjects in a medical lab corners Morgan. The man “pressed her against the wall, brought up the shard of glass, and swiped it across her neck – tearing a gash in her hazmat suit.” He breathes into her suit, trying to infect her with the virus. 
  • When a SWAT team forces their way into a house looking for Rón, Rón heard “a weapon discharged, and a spatula clattered to the ground.” Later, Rón discovers that “the Davenport city planner had been shot and killed.”   
  • Rón accidentally sets a tourist destination gift shop on fire. The fire blocked some people’s path, including Mariel, a teenager Morgan has been looking for. A driver tries to help by jumping in the fire. “Morgan knelt down to the driver, who was covered in blistered, blackened, third-degree burns, but still clinging to life. . . And then he died. Just like that.”  
  • One of the medical test subjects, a convict sentenced to life in prison, is given a vaccine. In her fever dreams, she sees “the faces of her victims staring in accusation. Her father looking the way he did when he beat her. . . She relives every hit she ever took, every bone she ever broke.”  
  • When Recoverees attack Morgan’s medical lab, her coworker, Preston, takes a vial of the counter-virus. When he leaves the lab, the intruders try to stop him. Preston “charged, barreling toward them, and smashing the heavy flashlight as hard as he could on one of their heads. The intruder went down.” Preston runs and is “hit by a single bullet in the hip—and even though it didn’t penetrate, he couldn’t believe how much a rubber bullet hurt.” Preston escapes. 
  • Mariel and Rón are in the medical research center when it explodes. “Mariel lay beneath the smoldering debris. She was broken. . . Grimacing, she sat up to find Rón wasn’t moving. A heavy piece of concrete had come down on his side, and another was on his leg.” They are both injured but survive. 
  • To get her money back, Dame Havilland must kill Morgan. While Morgan is unconscious, someone puts an astronaut suit on her. Then, Dame Havilland pushes her off a boat into the Norwegian Sea. Morgan “disappeared, space suit and all, in a single splash, gone beneath the waves as if she had never been there at all.” Morgan walks to land. 
  • After the medical research lab is destroyed, “They found evidence of a mass grave on the mountain. Test subjects.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • An old woman has a glass of “some sort of spirit.”  
  • Morgan fires her chauffeur because “he smelled faintly of whiskey.” 
  • Rón gives a woman “a robust Malbec.”  
  • Rón goes to a concert where he can smell “beer and pot on people’s breath.” 
  • After possibly being infected with the virus, one of the medical researchers uses cyanide to kill herself. 
  • When Morgan’s staff finds a way to stop the virus, her coworker looks for champagne but can only find vodka. They don’t drink it. 
  • While in the hospital, Rón is given “morphine or something along those lines” to help with the pain.  

Language  

  • Profanity is used occasionally. Profanity includes ass, asshole, bloody, bitch, crap, damn, dickwad, fuck, goddamn, hell, holy crap, and shit. 
  • Jesus, my God, and Mother of God are used as exclamations. 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • When Rón tried to commit suicide, “his father sat by his bedside the whole time he was in the hospital, praying over rosaries Rόn didn’t know he had, and then in Hebrew, which Rόn didn’t even know he knew. Old Testament God, New Testament God. Yahweh, Jesus, Allah, Vishnu—it didn’t matter as long as one of them answered.” 
  • After Rón runs away, his father gets a clue to Rón’s whereabouts and he “wept, offering prayers of thanks in Spanish, in Hebrew, in Latin, in Arabic—to whatever version of God could hear him.” 
  • A man “prays to a God he never actually believed in that this virus will pass him by.” 
  • Rón infects a lady who sings in the church choir. He thinks, “Open mouths happily expelling air, trusting the good Lord to keep them safe. Or at least infect them with joy. But God needed a servant to do that.” 
  • Morgan meets the wealthiest man in the world. She says, “It must be quite a thrill to create things on a whim. You must feel like a God in this Fortress of Solitude.” The man replies, “Nothing but smoke and mirrors. I don’t delude myself into thinking it’s anything more.” 
  • Morgan and Rón stay the night at a random Recoveree’s house. A teenager shows Rón to his room and says, “My mom won’t let you share a bed if you’re not married. Just how she is.” The teenager says that his father’s death “drove her to Jesus.” The boy’s mom believes he’s going to hell because he’s gay. 
  • While having dinner at the recoveree’s house, she says, “If the Word could become flesh—who’s to say that the Word couldn’t also become virus? . . . Maybe this is what Holy Communion has been pointing to all along; taking in Jesus—God becoming part of us.”  
  • When Morgan’s medical facility is destroyed, Morgan flees and takes a commercial flight. She thinks she is safe because “whether or not she was worthy of life, no God, real or fictional, would kill all these people just to get at her.” 

Inside the Park

Pumpsie needs a win. Or to be more precise, he needs the Nashville Wildcats to win. Pumpsie’s been waiting his entire life—twelve whole years!—for his favorite team to make it to the playoffs. And this year—finally!—they’re just one win away. 

But when Pumpsie accidentally gets trapped in Lookout Field the night before the last game of the season, with only a lost dog named Campy for company, he may have accidentally stumbled into the best night of his life. For a baseball fan like Pumpsie, using the pro batting cages, running the bases, playing with the public address system, eating all the concession-stand junk food he can find is a dream come true . . . until he realizes he’s not alone in the stadium. Foul plots are brewing beneath Lookout Field, and now it’s on Pumpsie to swallow his fears, gum up his courage, and swing for the fences if he wants to save the Wildcats’ postseason chances. 

Readers will instantly be drawn into Pumpsie’s conflict and feel empathy for the boy who feels like all four of his siblings are loved more than he is. Pumpsie is upset because he never gets his parents’ undivided attention. This is reinforced when he is accidentally trapped in a baseball stadium, and none of his family realizes he’s missing. Pumpsie’s emotions swing from fear of being alone to the joy of exploring the stadium. Pumpsie’s explorations feel like a great adventure full of fun, fear, and a little bit of peril. 

Similar to the movie Home Alone, Pumpsie uses slapstick violence, such as coating the stairs with ketchup and mustard, to keep himself and the stadium safe. Since the story is told from Pumpsie’s point of view, readers will understand his reasoning as well as his emotional swings. Although some of the plot points are a bit outrageous and unbelievable, the story is so much fun that it’s easy to overlook the story’s flaws. However, one negative aspect of the story is that the two bad guys are arrested, but the man behind poisoning the Wildcats isn’t punished, and he gets “to keep his reputation intact.” Allowing the man behind the poisoning to go without punishment shows that the rich are allowed to do anything—even break the law—without consequences.

Inside the Park is a fast-paced, suspenseful story that throws in a dash of humor to create a story that hits it out of the park. Pumpsie is an extremely likable protagonist, and anyone who has ever felt overlooked will relate to Pumpsie’s conflict. Inside the Park will have readers rooting for both the Wildcats and Pumpsie, and the story’s conclusion is so perfect that it will have them smiling. Middle grade readers who enjoy humorous baseball stories should also read The Rhino in Right Field by Stacy Dekeyser. 

Sexual Content  

  • None

Violence  

  • Pumpsie is locked inside the stadium with two bad guys, Jordan and Travis. When Jordan sees Pumpsie, “Jordan [puts] a giant hand on my shoulder, pushing me so hard against the wall it knocks the wind out of me.” Pumpsie kicks “him in the shins as hard as I can.” 
  • To get away from the bad guys, Pumpsie shoots them with a T-shirt launcher. “The first baseball zips across the room, hitting Travis in his left leg with a smack. He immediately grabs at the spot and grits his teeth . . . The last ball crashes into Jordan’s forehead, just above his right eye, and his skin splits open like a cracked sidewalk.” Jordan is bleeding but otherwise uninjured. The scene is described over two pages. 
  • Jordan and Travis walk into another trap that Pumpsie created. Pumpsie yanks “the string, and all the wooden bats I took from the equipment room and batting cage tumble out of the net and onto Jordan and Travis. . . Travis curls up in a ball, clutching one swollen knee to his chest and then switching to the other. 
  • Pumpsie sprays hair spray at Jordan and Travis. “A fog of hairspray floats over Jordan’s and Travis’s heads and settles in their noses, in their mouths, on the tips of their fingers.”

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Jordan and Travis put Salmonella bacteria into the Wildcats’ food, which caused most of them to get sick, but they recovered. 
  • After winning a tournament, the Wildcats have champagne. 

Language  

  • Pumpsie’s older brother calls him names such as Poopsie, Poo-Poo, and other mean names. 
  • Dang is used once. 
  • Crap is used twice and crappy is used once. 
  • One of the bad guys asks Pumpsie, “What the heck are you smiling at, you little punk?” The bad guy also calls Pumpsie a brat.  
  • Pumpsie calls the bad guys idiots. 
  • An adult says, “Brothers can be jerks sometimes.” 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • Pumpsie’s grandfather told him, “First is important, but sometimes last is more significant. . . And you know what God says. . . The last should be first.” 
  • When Pumpsie realizes he’s locked inside the stadium, he prays, “God, if you get me out of this, I promise to never be mean to [my sister] again.” 
  • Occasionally, Pumpsie says a prayer. For example, Pumpsie sent “up a quick prayer that Jordan and Travis don’t try to use the elevator while I’m getting everything ready.” 
  • An adult baseball player tells Pumpsie, “And from personal experience, I can tell you that even when you’re the one doing the wrong, God’s got a way of fixing that too.” 
  • After Pumpsie’s family finds him, his baby sister says, “Thank you, God, for making Pumpsie come back quick.” 

Aaron Judge

Any fan of the New York Yankees is sure to know the name Aaron Judge. Beginning his first major league season with thirty home runs — the most of any Yankee rookie since the legendary Joe DiMaggio in 1936 — Judge went on to secure such accolades as the 2017 Home Run Derby trophy and the Rookie of the Year award. He quickly became a favorite among Yankees fans. Anyone with a ticket to a Yankees game during the 2017 season would see a large group of fans crowded in the right field of the Yankee Stadium. These seats – nicknamed the “Judge’s Chambers” – were filled with fans wearing judge’s robes and cheering Judge’s name. During one game, this passionate crowd even included US Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor – a longtime Yankees fan. 

Although Judge’s rookie season featured the success most baseball players aspire to, it was the product of years of hard work. In this book, Jon M. Fishman details the life of Judge, from his beginnings as a promising high school athlete to his fantastic achievements as a major league player.  

Aaron Judge is five short chapters, with the last five pages comprising a glossary, index, and citations. Chapter One briefly introduces Aaron Judge’s career. Chapter Two recounts Judge’s high school years, during which he played several sports before focusing on baseball. Chapter Three provides a detailed account of Judge’s typical training routine. Although he is a player for the MLB – and one of the strongest in the league’s history – he still trains regularly. Fishman explains Judge’s workout routine, while defining terms readers may not know, such as “cardio” or “pilates.” Fishman uses this chapter to communicate an important message to the reader: being good at something does not mean you should stop working to learn and improve. In Chapters Four and Five, Fishman writes about Judge’s achievements with the Yankees. 

Each page features a photo from Judge’s career – from high school yearbook pictures to action shots of Judge striking a home run. Each chapter is meticulously researched and filled with information. With one to thirteen sentences per page, this book will be a challenge for beginning readers.  

Aaron Judge is an excellent study of Judge’s impressive career. It is a thorough introduction to readers unfamiliar with Judge. Readers who are already fans of Judge are sure to learn something new from Fishman’s extensive research. If you enjoy this book, be sure to check out Aaron Judge vs. Babe Ruth: Who Would Win? by Josh Anderson and the other books in the Sports All-Stars Series. Like Aaron Judge, each book describes the life and career of a famous American athlete playing today.

Sexual Content  

  • None

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Where Have All the Bees Gone?

Apples, blueberries, peppers, cucumbers, coffee, and vanilla. Do you like to eat and drink? Then you might want to thank a bee. 

Bees pollinate 75 percent of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts grown in the United States. Around the world, bees pollinate $24 billion worth of crops each year. Without bees, humans would face a drastically reduced diet. We need bees to grow the foods that keep us healthy. 

But numbers of bees are falling, and that has scientists alarmed. What’s causing the decline? Diseases, pesticides, climate change, and loss of habitat are all threatening bee populations. Some bee species teeter on the brink of extinction. Learn about the many bee species on Earth—their nests, their colonies, their life cycles, and their vital connection to flowering plants. Most importantly, find out how you can help these important pollinators. 

The declining population of bees affects everyone who enjoys eating fruits, vegetables, nuts, and even ice cream. Where Have All the Bees Gone? explores the relationship between bees and plants in eight short chapters. Each chapter breaks down bee information in easy-to-read text broken up by infographics, pictures, and headlines that make each topic clear. The book is packed with interesting information; some topics include how bees are the perfect pollinators, how bees affect the economy, and why bee populations are declining.  

Where Have All the Bees Gone? explains the importance of saving bees and gives readers easy steps to help bees in their community. Hirsch lists ways readers can get involved in simple but powerful ways. She explains how to plant a pollinator garden, how to become a citizen scientist, and how to submit sightings of bees to organizations that track bee populations. Small steps, like mowing the lawn less frequently, help bees and other pollinators survive. Master gardener Pam Ford emphasizes that “a garden should be more than merely pretty. It should be full of life.” 

In Where Have All the Bees Gone?, Hirsch explores the importance of bees, providing fascinating details broken into easy-to-manage sections. Readers will come away from the book with a new understanding of all types of bees: “There are green bees and there are blue bees, and there’s iridescence and tripes, and large ones and tiny ones.” By the end of the book, readers will be empowered to make small changes that will allow bees to feel at home in their yards.   

Sexual Content  

  • None

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None

Language  

  • None 

 Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Away

After an imminent yet unnamed danger forces people across Colorado to leave their homes, a group of kids, including an aspiring filmmaker and a budding journalist, find themselves in the same evacuation camp. As they cope with the aftermath of having their world upended, they grow curious about the mysterious threat.

As they begin to investigate, they discover that what they’re being told is less truth and more cover-up. Can they get to the root of the conspiracy, expose the bad actors, and bring an end to the upheaval before it’s too late? 

Away puts the spotlight on four characters—Ashanti, Harmony, Teddy, and Grandin. Each character has a unique voice and aspirations. Harmony, a student journalist, admires Nellie Bly and frequently refers to her. Harmony and Teddy, an aspiring filmmaker, team up to uncover the real reason they were evacuated. The two also have help from Ashanti and Grandin. The four teens come from different backgrounds, which provides readers with a broad view of the effects of the evacuation.  

When readers begin the book, they may have difficulty adjusting to the format. The story includes sections from each character’s perspective, which are labeled with different typefaces. The story also features news briefs, letters, screenplays, and plot descriptions. Ashanti often references the Greek gods and The Odyssey, which may confuse readers unfamiliar with Greek mythology. The characters’ stories merge when they arrive at the military base where they are being quarantined, and this is when the story becomes more intense and interesting.  

Each character brings something unique to the story. For example, Grandin’s family owns a farm and he aspires to attend West Point, while Ashanti wants to be a doctor. The characters’ aspirations are admirable, and readers will relate to each person’s worries. As the teens work to uncover the truth, they are forced to ask themselves difficult questions such as, “What’s the difference between a protest and a riot? Does the Bill of Rights still apply in an evacuation camp? During a statewide emergency? Can protestors be arrested and/or charged?”  

Although the beginning of the book is confusing and there are many plot holes, Away will appeal to middle-grade readers, especially those interested in movies and journalism. Away is the companion novel to Alone; however, each book has a separate plot that doesn’t intertwine, so they can be read in any order. 

Away encourages readers to persevere in their goals, just like the characters in the book. In addition, the teens discuss historical events and people who made a significant impact on the world due to their determination. For example, it is mentioned that Nellie Bly said, “Energy rightly applied and directed will accomplish anything.” Even though the characters are teens, they use their voice to shed light on the evacuation camp’s hidden purpose. Teddy reminds readers, “Anyone who says art can’t change the world never studied history.”  

Sexual Content  

  • None

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • When Harmony’s mom is out past curfew, Harmony is “pissed.”
  • Crap and holy crap are both used once. 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • Ashanti often mentions Greek gods and other deities such as “Apate goddess of deceit”, and “the goddess Nemesis.” For example, at swim practice Ashanti stands “in front of mom / like Tethys the water goddess.” 
  • The residents are told they may have been exposed to “an invisible, imperceptible poison.” 

Gamer

Scott lives in a world dominated by Virtual Kombat (VK), a futuristic fighting game that pits players against each other in virtual reality arenas. Since a virus wiped out most of the adult population, VK has been a beacon of hope for orphaned children, promising them a bright career if they can rise in the game’s ranks. The best players are promised a place in the City Orphans’ Home, a highly sought-after building built by the game’s creator, Vince Power. It’s a paradise in a world ravaged by hunger, disease, and depression. 

When Scott finally becomes a VK tester in the City Orphans’ Home, he relishes playing VK twenty-four-seven with thousands of other kids. Each day feels like one giant rush of adrenaline, and Scott quickly rises through the ranks while acquiring new abilities and forming new friendships. However, things go wrong when kids disappear from the City Orphans’ Home without a trace, and rumors about VK’s safety begin to spread. As Scott continues to battle other players, he wonders if VK is truly the savior of the broken world. Or does the game with the tagline “so real, it hurts” actually have a deeper, darker truth?  

Gamer is an exciting, fast-paced novel that explores the importance of friendship and truth in a post-apocalyptic world. The story is told through the character of Scott, an adolescent boy who finds himself working for the most prominent figure of his time: Vince Power. Like many other characters, Scott’s primary focus revolves around surviving in a world ravaged by a virus. Despite his circumstances, Scott exhibits a strong moral value system, believing in essential truths such as equality and fairness, which makes him an admirable and likable character. However, this ability to hold to his values without struggle is somewhat unrealistic, resulting in weak and flat character development. 

The story’s enjoyable nature stems from its action-packed narration. Scott’s journey with VK moves briskly, replacing exposition with fast-moving chase and fight scenes. A significant part of the story takes place inside VK, where Scott’s battles with other players are narrated in a quick and vivid manner. These fight scenes are intense and slightly graphic, frequently describing crushing blows, bloody injuries, and fatal kills in detail. For example, Scott’s battle with a Mongol warrior is described: “I fell him with a lightning-fast sweep kick. Then I pummel him with a rapid flurry of punches—each one making a gut-churning crunch in the game’s sound effects. His life bar blinks out as I finish him off with an axe kick. The warrior coughs up virtual blood.” 

The story’s central conflict arises from Scott’s ongoing relationship with Virtual Kombat. Scott’s ability to see the truth of VK without losing himself in its pleasure teaches the readers the importance of seeking out the truth. This lesson is highlighted through Scott’s friendship with Kate, as Kate’s sudden disappearance spurs Scott to reevaluate everything he knew about VK. This scene also highlights the importance of friendship, teaching readers that their relationships are more valuable than personal success, fame, and glory.  

Gamer is the exciting first book in the Virtual Kombat Series. Its dynamic narration and intense fight scenes will easily keep readers hooked, and its main protagonist, Scott, will impart important lessons to readers through his thoughts and actions. However, the book’s lack of critical exposition and significant character growth may make the plot and characters feel stale, cliché, and uninspiring for older readers. It’s a story best suited for young action movie lovers and gamers, where the fast-paced narration is comparable to that of blockbuster Hollywood movies. 

Sexual Content 

  • After Kat-Ana saves Scott, Scott smiles at her and Kat-Ana jokes, “What are you waiting for, a kiss?” 

Violence 

  • Two Virtual Kombat kombatants, Thunderbolt and Destroy, fight in a virtual arena. Destroy kills Thunderbolt by crushing his head. “Destroy raises his fists on either side of Thunderbolt’s head and slams them together. It’s his most famous move—the Skull Crusher. It’s Game Over for Thunderbolt.” This fight scene is described over two pages.
  • Two street kids bully a little girl and a boy for some bread, slapping the girl and shoving the boy to the ground. “He shoves the boy to the ground and laughs as the kid cracks his head on the curb.” This conflict is described over two pages. 
  • The street kids, including a boy named Juice, attack Scott after he steals some bread from them. “Juice jumps on me from behind and tries to choke me. I elbow him in the ribs. He lets go, and I fling him over my shoulder. As he lands, I punch him in the guts.” This fight scene is described over two pages. 
  • A street boy named Shark chases after Scott with a blazer, a weapon similar to an electrified knife, through the city, threatening to “blaze and burn” him. Scott scrambles up a ladder and escapes over the buildings. “I dash to the edge of the roof and throw myself into the void. For a few seconds the air seems to take my weight as I plummet down. Then I crash onto the tar roof of the other building. I grunt in pain as my foot twists under me.” This chase scene is described over three pages. 
  • Scott fights and kills several other kombatants inside a VK arena as his virtual avatar. “I fell him with a lightning-fast sweep kick. Then I pummel him with a rapid flurry of punches—each one making a gut-churning crunch in the game’s sound effects. His life bar blinks out as I finish him off with an axe kick. The warrior coughs up virtual blood.” This fight scene is described over four pages. 
  • Two VK kombatants, Ginger Ninja and Kat-Ana, fight in a virtual arena. Kat-Ana kills Ginger Ninja by smashing his head. “Ginger Ninja slumps to the ground. Taking her time, Kat-Ana launches herself and lands two massive elbow strikes to the head. The avatar’s eyeballs pop out of his virtual head.” This fight scene is described over two pages. 
  • Scott’s avatar fights Kat-Ana in a VK arena. The fight only lasts for a couple of seconds because Scott presses the “escape button” after feeling pain and tasting blood. He describes, “I double up, winded. An uppercut from Kat-Ana floors me. Searing pain rockets through my skull, and I taste blood. In a blind panic, I stab at the escape button.” 
  • Scott fights Kat-Ana in VK, and Kat-Ana kills him. “But it’s too late. She slices off my head.” This fight scene is described over three pages. 
  • When Kat-Ana teaches Scott about Trigger Time in VK, they practice shooting each other with a gun and dodging the bullet. Scott masters Trigger Time after getting hit a couple of times. “I don’t even see the bullet. But I feel the heavy slug thud into my chest. I get blown off my feet.” 
  • Scott fights his natural enemy, Shark, inside the VK arena, and defeats him using his Mega-Punch. “With the last of my energy, I roll to the side, Power-Up, and use my Mega-Punch. My fist catches him bang on the temple. His eyes spin in his head like a slot machine. I’ve hit the jackpot.” This fight scene is described over four pages. 
  • Scott fights a variety of VK kombatants inside a castle yard, such as a samurai swordsman and a Maori warrior. Scott nearly dies in this battle but is miraculously saved by Kat-Ana. “I stumble over the samurai’s dead body and fall on the ground. The Maori warrior drives his spear into my stomach. I scream. The agony is overpowering.” This fight scene is described over four pages. 
  • Scott fights and escapes from a battle against Ginger Ninja inside a VK arena. Scott dashes “out to save my friend, driving the soldier back with a flying kick. Ginger Ninja thanks me by punching me in the face.” This fight scene is described over three pages. 
  • Scott fights the VK kombatant Destroy inside a virtual citadel. Destroy dies when a swinging scythe slices through him. “Destroy’s fists almost grind to a halt as I move out of their path. Then I select my Mega-Punch and use it to hammer Destroy in the gut. He staggers backward in slow-mo. Right into the path of the blade.” This fight scene is described over five pages. 
  • Scott fights Shark’s avatar inside the VK citadel and barely escapes when Shark chooses to fight Kat-Ana for the Crown. “The pain in my head rages now like a forest fire as Shark grabs me by the throat. He clenches his other fist, and its pulse blade burns bright red as he levels it with my right eye. I’m going to die—for real!” This fight scene is described over four pages. 
  • Kate, Kat-Ana’s real-life person, dies in real life after sustaining too much damage inside Virtual Kombat. When she takes off her headset, she gives Scott a weak smile before passing away. “Her head lolls to one side. The PlayPod emits a long droning beep. Her vital signs zero out.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None 

Language 

  • Kate mocks Scott after slicing his head off in VK. Kate says, “Anyway, with a face like yours, I was doing you a favor!” 
  • During the final fight with Scott, Shark threatens to toss Scott into the path of a swinging blade. Shark says, “Not before I slice you into shark bait!” 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content 

  • None 

Rick Kotani’s 400 Million Dollar Summer

Rick Kotani is looking forward to spending the entire summer playing baseball. Sure, his team never wins, but he’s been practicing a special pitch he knows is going to land him a 400-million-dollar major-league contract . . . someday. That all changes when his mother throws a curveball of her own: Instead of playing ball in California, Rick will be heading to Oregon to help keep an eye on Grandpa Hiroshi while they move him to a retirement home. Trading no-hitters to be a babysitter? Rick is beyond bummed. 

But once there, Rick discovers Grandpa is actually pretty cool, and the two bond over a Japanese folktale about a fisherman, Urashima Taro, who trades his life on earth for the riches of an underwater kingdom. And like the fisherman, Rick soon forgets about his team back home when he joins a supercompetitive local league that only cares about being the best—at any cost.  

As the team racks up the wins and Grandpa makes his final move, Rick must decide which ending he wants for his story: Will he fall in line with his ruthless teammates and their victory-obsessed coach in his own “underwater kingdom,” or will family, true friendship, and integrity lead him back to shore? 

When Rick meets Toni, a girl his age who loves baseball, he is excited for the opportunity to play ball. However, the coach and players don’t care about having fun, they just want to win. The baseball coach is truly despicable because he belittles the players and doesn’t follow the rules. Even though it’s against the rules, the coach allows Rick to play, which requires Rick to lie so he can take the place of another player. Rick explains, “Technically, I wasn’t allowed to be part of the team since I lived outside the area and the team roster had already been finalized.” To make matters worse, the coach encourages Rick to throw a curveball, eventually leading to an injury. In the end, Rick acknowledges that he will never play for the MLB. While the realization is heartbreaking, the story ends on a hopeful note and hints that Rick could continue to love baseball and shift his focus to being a referee.  

Rick’s relationship with his teammates is superficial, and his only true friend is Toni. However, Toni’s role is confusing. Plus, her parents’ sole focus is on her brother, and the coach wouldn’t allow her to play on the team because she is a girl. Toni’s situation is reminiscent of older times when general roles were more rigid. This dynamic makes Rick’s relationship with Toni feel one-sided. Despite this, Toni plays an important role and demonstrates the qualities of a good friend. In the end, Toni reminds Rick, “You can’t change what happened. But what happens next is up to you.” 

Rick Kotani’s 400 Million Dollar Summer revolves around baseball and is interspersed with Rick’s family life and a Japanese folklore. The combination allows the story to have a fast pace as it weaves between topics and explores the difficulty of divorce and dealing with an aging relative. The realistic conflicts will draw readers into the story as well as teach them the importance of sharing your feelings with others because “If you keep it in, it will eat you up.” Rick Kotani’s 400 Million Dollar Summer will entertain middle school readers who dream of playing for the MLB and remind them that winning isn’t the most important thing in baseball or in life.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • Profanity is used occasionally. Profanity includes crap, dang, darn, fricking, heck, and hell. 
  • The word ass is implied but is spelled “a$$”. 
  • After throwing rocks at turtles, a boy says, “What about this bonehead tortoise?” 
  • There is some name-calling, including jerk and dingbat. 
  • “Good god” is used as an exclamation. 
  • While talking to a boy, the coach uses the word “goddamn.” 

Supernatural 

  • In the tale of Urashima Taro, magic is used several times. For example, when Urashima opened a box, “a plume of smoke wafted out, followed by a cloud that billowed around him.” After opening the box, Urashima turns into an old man. 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Thieves’ Gambit #1

Seventeen-year-old Rosalyn Quest is a master thief, adept at escape plans. After all, her family runs an organized theft enterprise that rules the North American region.  She longs to live a semi-normal teenage life, but she can’t seem to escape the pressure of her familial expectations. Her life becomes more complicated after her mom is kidnapped. It’s up to Rosalyn to acquire the ransom and save her mother.

The only way Rosalyn can get the ransom money is by entering the Thieves’ Gambit, a game composed of three phases where teenagers are tasked with stealing the world’s most prized possessions. Her competition is the best teenage thieves that exist in the criminal underworld. Through clever tactics, difficult choices, and life-or-death situations, Rosalyn competes for her mom’s freedom. However, when unanticipated obstacles arise, she must make difficult decisions not only for herself but also for her opponents and her mom. Rosalyn’s whit and unorthodox plans have gotten her this far in life, but will they help her win the game?

Readers will sympathize with Rosalyn’s wish to experience a normal teenage life. For example, Rosalyn gains the courage to venture out on her own to explore and self-reflect. Ironically, this is when her family needs her the most. Rosalyn grapples with the guilt of wanting to leave her family while at the same time attempting to save her mom. Joining the Thieves Gambit allows Rosalyn to socialize with other teenagers and make friends, something she has been longing for. Rosalyn’s intelligence enables her to think outside the box and find her way out of a sticky situation, making her a likable character.

Devroe Kenzie, a competitor in the Thieves’ Gambit, is a flirtatious young man who seems to be drawn to Rosalyn throughout the game. He offers his assistance, proposes that the two of them pair up to beat the others, and even asks her out on a date. These actions distract Rosalyn as she struggles to get a read on him and is tested by his flirtatious advances. She constantly reminds herself to remain determined to win the game for her mom and not to break her core value: a Quest can only trust another Quest. Noelia Boschert, Rosalyn’s childhood rival, is also competing but displays resentment and bitterness towards Rosalyn. Noelia goes out of her way to get Rosalyn kicked out of the game, pokes fun at her, and makes it difficult for the two of them to even remain in the same room without bickering. The tension between the two advances the overall plot and sheds light on Rosalyn’s past and the unanswered questions that are raised. They both enhance the storyline through emotional resonance and by challenging her perseverance to win the game for her mother.

Thieves’ Gambit is an action-packed book that delves into the lives of the world’s most skilled thieves, their methods of operation, and the extreme measures they will take to win the game. The characters reveal their skills, emotional intelligence, and complicated reasons for playing the intense game. Through this, the story takes unexpected turns, keeping the reader in suspense. Moreover, the events that unfold display the author’s imagination while also giving readers a glimpse into the underworld of crime.

Thieves’ Gambit grabs the reader’s attention from the beginning and keeps the thrill alive until the end. The book is easy to read and has an intriguing storyline. The author explores the ideas of friendship, trust, and a sense of belonging. The characters are relatable as they navigate their relationships and familial expectations. The conclusion will leave the reader reflecting on the characters. The book teaches the reader that when it comes to someone you love, you believe you will stop at nothing to ensure they are okay. However, when your morals are tested, it is sometimes necessary to think outside of the box. For more exciting books, read The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte and the Heist Society Series by Ally Carter

Sexual Content

  • There is flirtatious behavior between Devroe and Rosalyn, such as romantic slow dancing, Devroe telling Rosalyn she is beautiful, flirtatious looks, etc.
  • Devroe and Rosalyn cuddle in a hotel room. “I slid in next to him. He lifted his arm like he was going to pull me against his chest. . . I put his hand on my waist, letting him pull me close.”
  • Devroe and Rosalyn share a first kiss. “I cupped his face and pulled him in myself. His lips were soft at first and then they moved over mine. . . when he deepened the kiss, I couldn’t help but moan. . . ” and then they fell asleep.

Violence

  • Two competitors in the Thieves’ Gambit, Rosalyn and Noelia, fight. “My foot slammed into her torso, then into her hand. Her blade flew up and across the room.”
  • A museum guard shoots Yeriel, a competitor. “‘Hey! Freeze!’ a guard’s voice echoed distantly… a gunshot rang out… I was frozen, my gaze stuck on Yeriel and the red seeping through her jacket.” Yeriel is seriously injured and in need of a hospital.
  • Rosalyn’s mom is kidnapped by two men. Rosalyn saw “the yacht was speeding away. Disappearing into the night. Along with my mom… She was gone. Captive on a yacht headed to . . . I had no clue where.”
  • Rosalyn’s mom’s kidnappers request a ransom. “These people weren’t just going to give me my mom back… More rustling over the line. It sounded like he was talking to someone. Deciding just how much Mom’s life was worth… ‘One billion.’”
  • Rosalyn and Taiyo, one of her competitors, begin fighting during the second phase of the game over a flash drive that Rosalyn had acquired. “I kicked against his hold, but he twisted my arm tighter and dug his knee into my back.” Rosalyn is not seriously injured but is handcuffed to a balcony, struggling to break free.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Kyung-soon, a competitor in the Thieves’ Gambit, “[held] a small bottle of something definitely alcoholic. . . took a sip and her face scrunched up.”
  • Devroe shows Rosalyn his plan to drug clients to manipulate their spending at an auction. Devroe told Rosalyn not to drink it because “the chemical I am planning on using, when given in the correct dosage, should make the target disoriented.”

Language

  • Mild language including damn and hell is used very rarely.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

by Leela Kowalski

Shark Night

Alone in a giant water tank, Liam, holding a camera, watches as a twenty-foot-long hammerhead shark is about to be lowered in with him. This is not where he thought his day was going. 

Liam is helping his mom film a documentary for the Danger Channel. A twelve-year-old battling a shark! It’ll be a sensation! But don’t worry, the hammerhead is the gentlest of sharks. And this one is old and nearly toothless, so Liam will be fine. 

But Liam is paralyzed with fear. And as the shark is lowered into the tank, he realizes something’s not right! 

In the story, Liam shares his shocking account of being locked in a tank with a shark with the readers. This allows the reader to glimpse Liam’s thought process and understand why he makes crazy decisions. While Liam believes he is in mortal danger, he tells his story outrageously and humorously that makes the adventure more suspenseful than scary. The book’s tone pulls the reader into the story and has you hooked from page one.  

With its fast-paced narrative, Shark Night will captivate readers, including those reluctant to read. In addition to being full of action, suspense, and surprises, the book’s short paragraphs and black-and-white illustrations help move the story along. Liam’s sister, Rosa, plays an integral role and enjoys pushing Liam into silly situations such as singing karaoke and climbing a tree to save a cat. This relationship adds humor to the story, and readers will eagerly await to see what Rosa will do next.  

Shark Night combines danger and humor with interesting secondary characters to create a fast-paced story that will engage readers of all types. The slapstick humor is perfect for readers who love pranks and over-the-top situations. While some readers will find Shark Night shallow because it doesn’t teach a moral, middle school readers will gobble up each page and likely grab another book written by R.L. Stein. Readers eager for another adventure should grab a copy of Shark Bait by Justin D’Ath and The 13th Floor: A Ghost Story by Sid Fleischman. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • While in a tank with a shark, the shark attacks Liam. “The shark bumped me hard from behind. . . I spun around. The shark’s jaw was wide open, and I saw two perfect rows of sharp, pointed teeth. . . the shark struck again. It lowered its head and rammed my chest. A powerful blow.” The shark hits the tank, breaking it, and both the shark and Liam are washed out to sea. 
  • While in the ocean, a huge octopus “monster” attacks Liam. Liam “screamed as a hard tentacle bumped my shoulder. Another tentacle wrapped around my neck. . . I squirmed and struggled, but it was too strong. The tentacles wrapped around me. And the claws clamped shut on my arms and legs.” The octopus drops Liam onto the sand, and he escapes. 
  • Liam, his sister Rosa, and an actor named Swan are in a canoe in the ocean. The same octopus “monster” attacks Swan. “The ugly monster moved with surprising speed. The tentacles reached straight out now as the creature closed in on him.” The canoe flips over, and when Liam pops up, Swan is gone. Later, Liam discovers that Swan is fine. 
  • Liam is lowered into the ocean with sharks. “The shark made a wide circle—and attacked again. I could see jagged teeth as it snapped its jaws. It plowed into the cage bars again. A hard jolt that sent the cage swinging back on its teeth.” Liam is frightened but uninjured. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Will’s Race for Home

It’s 1889, barely twenty-five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and a young Black family is tired of working on land they don’t get to own.
 
So when Will and his father hear about an upcoming land rush, they set out on a journey from Texas to Oklahoma, racing thousands of others to the place where land is free—if they can get to it fast enough. But the journey isn’t easy—the terrain is rough, the bandits are brutal, and every interaction carries a heavy undercurrent of danger.
 
And then there’s the stranger they encounter and befriend: a mysterious soldier named Caesar, whose Union emblem brings more attention—and more trouble—than any of them need.
 
All three are propelled by the promise of something long denied to them: freedom, land ownership, and a place to call home—but is a strong will enough to get them there?  

Twelve-year-old Will longs for adventure and wants to prove to his father that he’s no longer a child. Reluctantly, Will’s father takes the boy on a journey to claim land in Oklahoma’s land rush. Will struggles to understand his father but still wants to make his father proud of him. As the two travel together, Will fights rattlesnakes, racism, and thieves. He also gains insight into the discrimination that exists despite the Emancipation Proclamation. Along the way, readers will empathize with Will’s fight for survival and his hope of finding a better future — a future where he is free. 

Will’s Race for Home shines a light on the history of the land rush as well as the Civil War. Will and his father meet Caesar, a Black man who fought in the war. Meeting Caesar allows Will to understand the effects of war on soldiers. Despite fighting for a noble cause — freedom — killing a man leaves a wound that is difficult to heal. Will’s father relates this to his own experience of killing a man; he says, “It’s wrong to kill. Wrong to enslave people. Some call the Civil War a ‘just’ war. But everyone deserves to live. Shooting a man, even in self-defense, even by accident, damages your soul.” After Will claims his land, he is confronted by a “gunslinger” who tries to steal the land claim. Will, like others before him, must decide if he is willing to kill in order to keep the land he has fought so hard to claim.  

Will’s Race for Home mixes historical facts with action and adventure to tell the compelling story of the Oklahoma land rush. While owning land is one step toward freedom, Will demonstrates that loyalty and friendship are more important than land. The short chapters keep the story moving quickly while still having moments of quiet where Will reflects on the past and the future. This allows the reader to see Will grow from a child seeking adventure to a man capable of protecting what he loves. To learn more about the struggle for freedom, readers should add Charlotte Spies For Justice by Nikki Shannon Smith and The Underground Abductor: An Abolitionist Tale about Harriet Tubman by Nathan Hale to their reading list.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • While traveling through Texas, a rattlesnake threatens the family’s mule. Will hits the snake with a branch. “I dart, trying to wound it. . . Hit again and again. Some hits are wide. Some glance off the snake’s scales. . . I slam the log down, crushing the snake’s head, its tan jaws bursting.” 
  • While in town, Will’s father goes into a store and leaves Will to protect the wagon. Three men attack Will. One man “grips my waist, trying to pull me down. I kick, hitting his chest again and again.” Another man pushes “Will right into the thief’s arms. I squirm, slap, trying to batter his face. . . The second man tries capturing my hands.” 
  • As Will struggles, he is thrown into the dirt. “A boot lands on my back. I moan. My arms and legs twitch, flail. I can’t get up.” A Black man finally intervenes by pointing a gun at the men and threatening them. 
  • When Will’s father comes out of the store, he “punches the man holding our rifles. Then the mustached man, too.” The thieves give back the money and rifle and leave. Will is angry that the sheriff won’t put the white men in jail. 
  • The thieves find Caesar and attack him. Will runs for help “hearing hits, thrusts, and moans. . . The mustached man shoves Caesar. Arms flailing, he falls forward. The other two men flip and hold him down. . . The mustached leader stomps on his hand.” The fight stops when the sheriff fires a gun and orders Caesar and Will’s father to leave town. Caesar’s hand is broken. 
  • Caesar goes into town again, and the three thieves ambush him. “The first bullet misses; the second flies overhead. The third hits his shoulder, spinning him ninety degrees. He collapses. His gun skitters in the dirt.” Will lies on Caesar, protecting him with his body. The doctor tries to help Caesar, but the sheriff prevents him. A man drapes the unconscious Caesar over his horse, and the sheriff orders Will to leave town. 
  • Will and his father remove the bullet from Caesar. Will holds Caesar down while “Father’s knife tip presses deeper. Caesar groans, the sound whistling up from his chest, through his teeth. Both legs kick out. His hands clench.”  
  • After the Civil War, Will’s grandfather, Pa, and Will’s father leave the plantation. “An overseer attacked us. . . Pa stepped in front of me, telling me to run. I couldn’t . . . Any shot would most likely pierce us first.” Pa and the overseer fight over a gun, and the overseer is shot. Pa tried to save the man, but he died.  
  • People had to forge a river to get to Oklahoma. When Will gets there, he sees “dead horses, men, women float in the churning, muddy brown river.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Will and his father go into town, where they see some drunk men enter the saloon. 
  • Caesar agrees to travel with Will and his father. To celebrate, Caesar takes out a flask of brandy. There is enough for each man to have “one good swallow.”  

Language  

  • After Will kills a snake, his father grabs him and repeats, “Oh, Lord. Oh Lord.”

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • The Samuels family has a Bible with an incomplete family tree. 
  • Will struggles to get along with his father. Will thinks, “The Bible teaches me to respect my father. I try. I do.” 
  • When the Civil War ended, Will’s grandfather was freed. “Seeing people free themselves from slavery made him happy. Made him feel he was an instrument of God’s justice.” As Will’s father tells the story, he says Deuteronomy 32:10 and explains its meaning: “Though they may be enslaved, even struggling with faith, God never stops watching over his people. The promised land is real.” 
  • When forging the river, Will prays “for all of us.” 
  • While waiting for the land rush to begin, Will meets a preacher who says, “The Lord promised our people a promised land. This is it.” 
  • When a gunslinger tries to force Will to leave his land, Will refuses. He wonders, “If I’d killed the gunslinger, would it have been the right thing? Father would say, ‘No. Exodus Twenty Thirteen, ‘Thou shall not kill.’”  
  • During Christmas, Will reads the family bible. “[Mary] brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” 

Temple of Secrets

Plum is facing the most difficult test of her Guardian powers yet. Lotus Island is in danger, and there’s not much time to save this special place. 

Power-hungry Councilor Yurn is headed to the island with a ship full of hoverbots and a devious plan in mind: he means to take over Lotus Island and build a new city there. His plan will destroy the fragile ecosystem, including the island’s precious lotus plants. When the Guardians learn that their unique powers are dependent on the lotus flowers, they realize just how much is at stake if Yurn succeeds. Plum must rely on her smarts, her Guardian powers, and most importantly—her friends—to save Lotus Island and all it stands for. 

In the last installment of the Legends of Lotus Island, Plum and several friends set out on a boat to travel to a mysterious island. Once there, Plum and her friends discover everyone on the island is a Guardian. At first, Plum is excited and pleads for help; however, the isolated island wants to protect their anonymity and refuses to let Plum’s group leave. Neff, a boy who seeks adventure, helps the group escape and battle Councilor Yun.  

Temple of Secrets reunites the core group of novice Guardians from the first installment of the series.  

The book also incorporates people from other islands, including Plum’s grandparents, showing the community’s importance. However, readers may be disappointed that the book doesn’t give more details about the mysterious island. For example, Neff plays a pivotal role in the beginning of the book, but then he fades into the background, leaving readers to wonder what he and his island are like. In addition, Neff helps the Guardians read the inscriptions of the Temple of Secrets, but little is revealed about what the secrets are or why they are important.   

The Legends of Lotus Island Series must be read in order because each book’s plot builds on the previous story. One of the enjoyable aspects of the story is seeing the characters’ growth from novices to confident Guardians willing to go against others to do what is right. 

Readers who have read the previous books in the series will enjoy seeing the novices reunite and finally defeat Councilor Yurn. The story allows Rella to redeem herself and she learns that her past mistakes do not have to define her future. Overall, the Temple of Secrets does not take an in-depth look at the people and places of the book, but is still an entertaining story with positive lessons about forgiveness, helping others, and standing up to protect the places you love.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • Power-hungry Councilor Yurn sends hoverbots to take over Lotus Island. Some of the Guardians prepared traps, “but the net traps that they had set up didn’t stop every bot. An elk-bot broke free. . . [Plum and the bot] clashed, antler to antler, wrestling for control.” The bot runs away. 
  • One of the Guardians, Rella, “attacked the leopard-bot with such ferocity that she had it pinned to the ground in seconds.” 
  • While Rella was holding the leopard-bot down, Councilor Yurn pressed buttons on a control panel. “A thick trickle of some strange dark substance spilled out of the leopard-bot’s open mouth. It pooled up on the ground and then began oozing uphill, towards us . . . They seemed to swallow up everything they touched.” The shadowy substance kills the plants it touches.  
  • The shadows surround Rella. “She reared up on her back legs. She raised both paws and shouted, ‘HA!’ Her burst of power created a boom like a thunderclap. Dark shadows went flying in all directions.” 
  • To save her friends, Rella absorbs the shadows into herself. “She was absorbing them like a cloth blotting up ink. Once the shadows soaked into her, they didn’t escape.” Rella becomes unconscious and “underneath her skin, the shadows swirled like dark rivers.” 
  • When the shadows kill the last lotus plant, Plum puts her hands into the pond’s mud. To gain more power, Plum chants the names of her friends. Then, “I left it in my fingertips, soft as an earthworm’s heartbeat. A thrum, a stirring. It grew. . .The shadows had shrunk away. . .” The dormant lotus seeds grew until “they sprouted buds that popped open in full bloom.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • A girl uses “holy shrimp tails,” “holy linchens,” and “holy barnacles” as exclamations. 
  • When Councilor Yurn runs away from the shadows he created, someone calls him a coward.

Supernatural 

  • The students learn how to turn into mythical creatures, such as a fox bat and a gillybear. When they’re in their Guardian form, they have special powers. For example, one girl can control shadows and use them to disappear.  
  • Plum and her companions go to an isolated island where everyone is a Guardian. While there, she meets a boy who can turn into a moss badger. He used his power to manipulate rocks, and “algae-covered stones slowly rose up from the deep, filling the empty space in the walkway. They fit perfectly together like puzzle pieces.”  
  • One of Plum’s powers is to strengthen the other Guardians’ powers.  
  • Hoverbots say ancient chants that turn them into Guardian forms. 
  • The lotus flowers are beginning to die. The Guardians’ powers are connected to the flowers. 
  • One of the Guardians is “a Breath Guardian. My power is bestowing the gift of slumber.” He uses his power to put guards to sleep so Plum and her companions can return to Lotus Island. 
  • Plum rubs an eggplant’s leaf and talks to it. Then, “The stalk of the eggplant thickened and rose higher. Yellow flowers burst out all over the tips of the plant. . .  The seedling was now full grown and heavy with hanging eggplants.”  

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Lifeboat 5

When Nazi bombs begin to destroy Bess Walder’s hometown of East London, Bess convinces her parents to evacuate her and her younger brother, Louis, to Canada aboard the SS City of Benares. On the journey, she meets another evacuee, Beth Cummings. Bess and Beth have a lot in common—both strong and athletic, both named for Queen Elizabeth, both among the older kids on the ship, and both excited about life in Canada.

On the fifth day at sea, everyone starts to relax, but trouble is right behind them. That night, a Nazi U-boat torpedoes the Benares. As their luxury liner starts to sink, Bess and Beth rush to abandon ship aboard their assigned lifeboat. Based on true events and real people, Lifeboat 5 is about two young girls with the courage to persevere against the odds and the strength to forgive. 

When Bess boards the Benares, she doesn’t expect to find a friendship that will last a lifetime. Despite the dangerous situation, Bess and Beth instantly connect and enjoy being aboard a luxury ship where the crew treats them kindly. The two girls like to share secrets and imagine their life once they get to Canada. Bess is a relatable character who finds her brother annoying, enjoys flirting with the crew, and desperately wants to find a place where she belongs.  

Even though the story is mainly told from Bess’ point of view, readers also get a glimpse of the people who impacted Bess’ life, such as the boys’ escort Michael Rennie. Michael showed kindness to the children, and when the ship sank, he did all he could to save the boys from the freezing water. Michael died before being rescued, but those who knew him remembered his kindness and heroism.  

The story of Lifeboat 5 is told through prose, and the text is often shaped to emphasize emotions. However, the prose does not allow space for character development, keeping readers emotionally distant from the events. Several aspects may make the book confusing for readers. The characters use colloquial language. For example, Bess says, “We’ll settle in and have us / a jolly good chin wag.” In addition, some of the story is told from different characters’ and the ocean’s point of view. This requires readers to pay attention to the chapter titles that are labeled with the narrator’s name. 

Lifeboat 5 educates readers about the devastating sinking of the Benares and the kindness and heroism of the adults who tried to save the children. In the end, Beth and Bess’ friendship allowed them to survive a harrowing nineteen hours in the ocean. As an adult, Bess learned: “Forgiveness / can be. . . beneficial to the soul . . . / helpful in healing deep wounds / of the mind.” Since most of the ship’s crew and passengers died, Lifeboat 5 may be a difficult book for some readers. However, for readers who want to learn more about World War II, Lifeboat 5 is a must-read book that reflects on the destructive nature of war. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • There are references to the violence in England. For example, Bess’ family goes to a bomb shelter. “Huddling inside, / we hear the drone / of the airplanes— / a low thunder, / then the pop-pop-pop / of the antiaircraft guns, / then the whistle / of the bomb drop.” 
  • A girl talks about why she is fleeing the country. “I didn’t have much left after / the Volendam [a ship] was torpedoed / and my house was bombed. / All my stuff was wrecked.” 
  • The ship’s departure was delayed because “the Germans / have dropped mines / in the mouth of the Mersey, / blocking our path.” 
  • The SS City of Benares is torpedoed. “Whoosh! / A cold, hard missile / rockets / through the sea’s sleep. . . Sound explodes in [Bess’] ears. / The dresser smashes into / the cabin door. / The whole ship / shudders / beneath me.” 
  • As the ship is evacuated, a crewman has to chop through the door to Bess’ room. “The crewman reaches / in again and pulls Ailsa out, / but she’s wounded / by the ragged woodwork.” 
  • The evacuation is chaotic. People jump into lifeboats and rafts, and “some just jumping / straight into the sea— / children and adults alike.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • After being rescued, a sailor gives Bess “cool sugar water and rum.” 

Language  

  • Bess tells her friend, “You’re a cheeky one! / Don’t be daft!” 
  • While in the ocean, Bess “wees” and then thinks, “Who knew taking a piss / could feel so good?” 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • While traveling to Canada, the children are gathered to say morning prayers. For example, Reverand’s hands “lift to God / fold in prayer / lead a hymn / embrace the world / bless us all.”  
  • When the Benares sinks, Bess holds on to a capsized lifeboat and thinks, “God help me.” 
  • While hanging on to the lifeboat, Bess thinks about the bullies back home and thinks, “I thank God / Beth and I are/made of stronger stuff.” 
  • Two Lascars are also hanging on to the lifeboat. When she hears them speaking, Bess thinks that they are praying. Later, “[Bess] hear[s] a voice calling to Allah. / It’s one of the Lascars / on the end of our lifeboat.” Bess says the Lord’s Prayer. 
  • Bess believes that her brother is dead and thinks, “Oh God. / It will break [her parents] / And it will be all my fault.” 
  • Three of the rescued boys die and are given a sailor’s funeral. “Officers, sailors, stewards, / escorts, and children / stand together to / sing hymns, / whisper prayers, / and weep. / We grieve for / the three boys / who died last night / and for all who were lost.”
  • A man tells Bess’ father, “Your children are safe.” Her father says, “Thank God.” 

Rock ’n’ Goal

Robby Madison’s life hit rock bottom when his older brother and idol, Ricky, died after a tough battle with sickness. Without his brother by his side, Robby spends his days in sadness, where “everything reminded [him] that Ricky was gone.” However, when Robby’s school counselor, Mrs. McDaniels, encourages him to join the soccer team, Robby fears it won’t improve his attitude. Even worse, he doesn’t think he’s good enough to help the team win games. Will Robby discover the courage to play soccer and find peace with his brother’s death? 

Rock ’n’ Goal is an emotionally captivating graphic novel that explores the importance of never giving up while also painting a realistic portrayal of the effects of a significant death. From Robby’s perspective, the story accurately represents Robby and his journey after Ricky’s death, highlighting Robby’s inability to find happiness in friendships, school, or hobbies. His character experiences immense development throughout the book, especially during the soccer season, when he learns the importance of perseverance and acceptance of his past. However, the story shines in its genuine characterization of Robby and the difficulty of death, making it highly relatable to readers who have experienced the same hardships. 

The story presents an important lesson on perseverance and never giving up. Much of the book’s conflict arises from Robby’s inability to play goalkeeper well, and he nearly quits the team after dismal performances. However, by playing the memories and music from his brother Ricky, he finally accepts his brother’s passing and finds joy in playing soccer, especially with his brother’s song “NEVER GIVE UP” playing in his head. Robby’s experience teaches readers that despite life’s difficulties, they can overcome their trials through hard work, accepting the past, and finding what best helps them. 

Rock ’n’ Goal is written in an exciting graphic novel format. Each page contains one to six panels in a simple, colorful art style, helping readers visualize the characters and settings easily. The text boxes are also clear and straightforward, utilizing two to three sentences and changing color to differentiate dialogue and narration. Although the graphic novel remains relatively simple concerning its layout, omitting more advanced aspects like “splashes” or “bleeds,” its variety of color and easy readability fit perfectly with its basic story. 

Rock ’n’ Goal is part of a series called the Jake Maddox Graphic Novel series, which focuses on essential lessons in sports and competition. Alongside its illustrations, the story includes supplementary content, such as a glossary, a section about goalkeepers, and “visual discussion questions,” which ask the reader to identify how the art style coincides with its specific scene. While the book has inviting illustrations and a simple story, it also touches on some deeper themes, such as the death of a family member, which may invite good discussions between readers and adults. Overall, Rock ’n’ Goal tells an uplifting soccer tale with an invitation to explore deeper themes and characterization.  

Sexual Content 

  • None 

Violence 

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None 

Language 

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content 

  • None 

Medusa

Ava Baldwin has always tried to keep her anger in check, just like her mom taught her. But when know-it-all classmate Owen King tries to speak over her yet again, Ava explodes . . . and Owen freezes, becoming totally unresponsive. 

Although Owen recovers, Ava’s parents whisk her off to her mother’s alma mater, the Accademia del Forte, a mysterious international boarding school in Venice. There, Ava and her brother, Jax, discover that the Olympian gods founded the Accademia to teach the descendants of mythological monsters how to control their emotions and their powers and become functioning, well-adjusted members of society. 

But not everything at the Accademia is as it seems. After her friend Fia is almost expelled for challenging a teacher, Ava realizes the school is hiding a dangerous secret. To uncover the truth, Ava and her new friends embark on an adventure that could change the way they view history, mythology—and themselves—forever . . . or end their lives.  

Everyone is secretive about Ava’s ancestry, heightening Ava’s dread of finding out the mythological monster from which she is descended. Despite the school motto, “Ancestry is not destiny,” Ava is upset when she discovers that she is descended from the worst monster of all—Medusa. At first, Ava keeps this secret because she doesn’t want others to judge her based on her lineage. But a teacher tells her, “Just because you are descended from a monster, doesn’t mean you will become one. The choice is yours.” Despite being a granddaughter of Medusa, Ava is a relatable character to whom readers will connect because of her insecurities and her desire to have friends. 

Ava has a small group of friends—Fia, Layla, and Arnold—who notice how women, including the goddesses, are treated unfairly. For example, when Fia is too outspoken, a teacher curses her, causing her to lose the ability to speak. To save their friend, the group travels to an island to find Medusa, who has also been cursed. Medusa says, “Stories are powerful. That’s why the male Olympians shaped the myths to celebrate and protect themselves. Look at those stories carefully. They either transform women into objects that have no voice—like a tree or a spider—or else they turn them into monsters.”  

At first, Ava relies on the Greek Myths to teach her about the gods and goddesses. However, she soon realizes that many of the myths have multiple versions. Ava has the opportunity to meet many of the goddesses and monsters, and she witnesses firsthand how the gods manipulate history in order to retain power. The interactions between the gods and goddesses amplify the mistreatment of women, and warn readers to question history since “history is the story the powerful tell. It’s not always the true story.” 

Ava’s story takes the Greek gods and goddesses off of Mount Olympus and puts them in a modern-day setting, creating a fast-paced and exciting story full of danger and adventure. As the story unfolds, readers will see the gods, goddesses, and monsters in a new light. To help bridge the two worlds, the story includes references from both modern-day sources, such as Twilight and ancient texts such as The Odyssey. The story reinforces the importance of liking yourself and using your voice. In the story’s conclusion, Ava says, “When you’re afraid to speak out and be yourself, it’s almost as lonely as being stuck on an island.” While Ava and her friends learn the importance of speaking up, Medusa reminds them, “You can’t change the world by force.” 

Sexual Content  

  • While discussing Medusa’s lineage, Ava thinks, “Perseus had survived only by looking at Medusa in reflection, but that seemed like a tough way to conceive a child.” 
  • The kids try to find out who fathered Medusa’s child. They find a love letter between Artemis and Orion. Ava reads the letter. “Thinking about Artemis snuggling up to Mr. Orion made her shut the drawer in a hurry.”

Violence  

  • Odysseus is referred to several times. Ava’s mom tries to teach her how to stay calm. Ava thinks, “All she’d done was teach her some breathing exercises, as if counting breaths had ever stopped Scylla from snacking on Odysseus’s men, as if all the Minotaur needed wasn’t yearly human sacrifice and a little yoga.” 
  • One of the teachers reads a letter from a past student. “I am writing you from an asylum for the criminally insane. I could not control my powers and killed a man.” 
  • In class, a “saw kicked up and landed on Arata’s forearm, chopping it clean off.” There was no blood because Arata is a Hydra, which can regrow limbs.  
  • Ava’s classmates talk about “how Perseus had lopped off Medusa’s head.” 
  • Ava’s friend Fia gets angry and “smoke billowed out of Fia’s mouth. . . Everyone dove to the floor as the fire shot up, scorching the ceiling.” 
  • When Fia begins bellowing fire, the teacher calls on Poseidon. “The windows of the classroom blow out as a wave of water poured in. Fia screamed as the wave sped straight for her, dumping itself over her head, and extinguishing her.” Fia learns that she is the descendant of a Chimera, “which was part lion, part goat, and part serpent.” 
  • A bully sees a boy crying, so “he hung me upside down out the window again…I really thought he was going to drop me this time.” 
  • Ava and her friends go to an abandoned island, Poveglia. It’s a “medieval plague island where victims were left to die. Then it became the site of a really horrible insane asylum where the patients were tortured. It’s supposedly haunted.” 
  • The kids travel to Tartarus to talk to Hecate. Along the way, “bolts of greenish lightning illuminated giants chained to the walls, iron collars around their necks. . . The Titans thrashed against their chains cursing Zeus.” 
  • In Tartarus, Ava and her friends see a forest of trees. The trees “begun to writhe, and Ava realized they weren’t ordinary trees either but the twisted forms of women and girls. The tortured screams and cries were coming from inside them.” Hecate says, “They are woman and girls who disobeyed the gods and have been transformed.”  
  • While in Tartarus, a Cerberus appears. “A head rounded the corner. It was as large as a bull’s, with glowing red eyes, a thick neck and enormous jaws.” The Cerberus attacks Ava. She “concentrated her stare on the pair of red eyes closest to her own. The first head lurched back, then froze in midair. . . [the third head] darted forward and bit her thigh. . . Ava felt something warm and wet, and when she looked down, she realized she was standing in a pool of blood.”  
  • To save Ava’s life, her brother Jax “jabbed something into his arm, and when he pulled it out, he was bleeding too. . . His blood dripped onto her—she could feel its warmth as if it were real.” Since Jax is a descendant of a Gorgon, his blood has healing powers. 
  • Athena turns into an owl and attacks Ava. “The owl dug its talons into Ava’s shoulders. Ava screamed in pain as it yanked her up off the ground. [Ava’s friend] Fia lunged just in time to grab Ava’s feet before she could be carried away.” 
  • Ava tries to freeze Mr. Orion, but Zeke, a school bully helping Mr. Orion, “rushed Mr. Orion like a football player, knocking him backward with such force that the headmaster toppled onto the floor, dropping his club.” Later, Ava discovers that Zeke was Layla in disguise. 
  • When the kids learn too much, Poseidon sends a flood to the school. “The pressure of the water on the glass had to be dangerously strong. . . With a smash of glass, the windows blew out. A torrent of cold seawater slammed into them, knocking them over and tumbling them around.” This is when the kids learn that they can breathe underwater. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • To stop Dionysus from voting in line with Zeus, “Hestia poured too much wine for Dionysus, then changed his vote after he passed out.” 

Language  

  • Ava calls a boy a jerk. 
  • Athena calls a student “pathetic, a monster, and a loser.” 
  • Athena calls the goddess of the hearth an “old fool.” 
  • Zeke, the school bully, says, “Shut up, bird boy. . . You tried to make a fool out of me too! I should have dropped you on your stinky face long ago.” 
  • Zeke calls another student “goat girl.”

Supernatural 

  • In Ava’s world, the Greek gods, goddesses, and monsters are real and still alive. Since all of them have powers, only some are listed below. 
  • Ava gets angry at Owen, a boy in her class. Unintentionally, Ava freezes him. “He stayed silent. Ava studies his face for a twitch of his lip or a flutter of his eyelid. In response. . . A trickle of drool ran down his chin.” He is taken to the hospital and recovers. 
  • Ava and the other kids at the Accademia are at dinner when “coils of water sprang into the air from every goblet and pitcher in the room and combined to form shapes—dolphins leaping over waves, a herd of flying horses, a whirling ring of dancers.” 
  • When the kids start to clap, “the swirls of water combined into waves and scooped up the applauding students. . . they were carried high over the tables on the foamy swells.”  
  • Hermes cast a spell on the students so their “native tongue” could be understood by anyone.  
  • Layla, one of the students, is “a descendant of an Empusa—a shape-shifting vampire.” Layla can shape-shift and uses this power to pose as a teacher and get Ava out of trouble. 
  • Athena, in disguise, appears in the Great Hall. “The little old man leaped to his feet, transforming into an enormous horned owl that circled the Great Hall with an angry screech. The owl swooped down over the student’s heads with its sharp talons bared, making them flinch. . .” She also transformed into a soldier, and finally a young woman. 
  • After Fia is disrespectful, a teacher curses her so she can’t speak or communicate by writing. One of the teachers says, “She’s lucky it’s not worse: having her liver eaten every day like Prometheus or forced to spend eternity in a state of hunger and thirst like Tantalus.” 
  • Ava is given Hades’s helmet of invisibility, which she uses to steal a boat. When Ava takes the boat, the captain yells, “My boat! A spirit has taken my boat!” 
  • Poseidon tries to stop Ava and her friends from reaching Poveglia. A wave “barreled toward them growing larger and larger—twenty feet, fifty, one hundred—as it sucked up the water of the lagoon. . . Ava could make out the barest outline of the sea god’s craggy face and some wisps of a long white beard in the wall of water.” Ava’s friend, Arnold, turns into a harpy and flies the kids to safety. 
  • A student uses a spell to open a terrarium with a goddess trapped inside. “Open case, open glass / The strength of gods will let me pass / This seam unseal, this spell undo, / By Zeus’s power, let me through.” 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Swimming with Spies

It’s February of 2014 in the seaport city of Sevastopol in Crimea. Sofiya Oleksandrivna only wants two things: to figure out a way to get Ilya Ilyich to stop bullying her, and to convince her mother to come back home. But as battleships come to populate the waters around their city and Russian forces, including Ilya’s father, start to make their presence known, an even greater threat takes over Sofiya’s life. 

Sofiya’s only escape is the dolphinarium where her father is a trainer at the forefront of teaching sign language to a pod of dolphins. And now the Russian military has ordered the dolphinarium to hand over its animals for military use. As armed Russian troops invade Crimea and conflict and tension continue to rise, Sofiya will do everything she can to keep her pod safe. And what she knows better than any of the soldiers occupying her city, is that the most powerful force is communication. 

Sofiya’s world is forever changed when the Russians take over Crimea. As the daughter of a Ukrainian father and a Russian mother, Sofiya doesn’t want to choose sides. But when Sofiya is forced to work with Ilya, she is forced to look beyond Ilya’s public persona. Sofiya’s grandmother gives her sage advice, saying, “I told you to listen with your eyes, not only your ears. Everyone wants to be understood. Never doubt that. Most of all, though, we have to listen with our heart.”  

Swimming with Spies highlights the complicated conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Often, Sofiya’s teacher, Miss Yvette, discusses the conflict with her class. One concern is that Russia will try to erase Ukraine’s culture because, before Ukraine became independent, “Ukrainians could not learn or work in their language. They had to function in Russian. And language as a weapon is something I overheard over and over since I was a kid.” Ukraine’s conflict is a central component of the book; Sofiya’s relationship with Ilya and the dolphins also highlights the importance of communication and working together. 

Since the story is told from Sofiya’s point of view, the events focus on how the annexation of Crimea affects her and her friends. Sofiya grieves when the people she cares about decide to leave the peninsula. She’s frightened when her friend’s brother is arrested, and people begin losing their jobs. Using Sofiya’s point of view gives younger readers an understanding of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict without showing military conflict or violence. While most readers will not relate to the country’s conflict, they will empathize with the children and adults impacted by the annexation.  

Swimming with Spies uses a unique premise to show readers the power of communication and the importance of using one’s voice. The book poses the question—are you Russian or Ukrainian—without giving an answer. In the end, Sofiya learns that “people can only decide—in the end—what’s best for them.” In addition, the book shows the power of forgiveness and not blaming others for life’s disappointments. Swimming with Spies is a powerful story that will give readers a new understanding of what it means to be Ukrainian.  

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • After Ilya and his friends use racial slurs, Sofiya’s friend Cedric and Ilya fight. “Ilya is a blur, and when I turn around, he and Cedric are tumbling on the ground. . .” One of the teachers breaks up the fight. Cedric has a slit lip but is otherwise uninjured. 
  • Sofiya thinks about a Ukrainian protest where “some protesters were shot at.” 
  • Ilya, a boy in Sofiya’s class, lost his mother in a boating accident. When he was four, his family was on a boat, and Ilya fell overboard. “Ilya was in the water, with a life jacket, thank God. But. . . well, Elena—his mother—jumped in after him. There was a large wave that crashed over her. They searched and searched, but no one could find her after that.” 
  • Sofiya overhears a conversation about “peaceful protesters, with Ukrainian flags, went to the parliament building, and a swarm of ‘pro-Russian’ protesters got into a fight with them. Two people were killed. Others were arrested. Not Russians, though.” 
  • A Russian military leader, Major Chaban, wants to use the sea animals for military purposes. While at the dolphinarium, Sofiya sees “the shape of Major Chaban. Six men with rifles are marching behind him straight to our front door.” The dolphinarium’s staff is forced to get Russian passports or be fired. 
  • One of Sofiya’s friends is upset because her brother was arrested after “he posted a video of himself and his friends driving around Sevastopol the other night, singing the Ukrainian anthem.” 
  • While at school, Sofiya gets angry and takes it out on Ilya. “The next thing I know, Ilya is under me, and I scramble onto my knees, and I feel a sharp pain. But I just start pummeling. . . I hardly land a couple of punches when I’m ripped off him.” Ilya gets a black eye. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Sofiya thinks that talk shows have “a lot of older people standing around and shouting. It’s like listening to the homeless men in the park when they’ve drunk too much vodka.”

Language  

  • Sofiya refers to a group of Russian classmates as “Ilya and the Idiots.” 
  • Sofiya overhears a conversation where two men are talking about Russians who harass Ukrainians. A man said, “Rashist—a term, he said, that is cooked up from the words Russian, racist, and fascist.”  
  • In another overheard conversation, a man uses the Russian word “Russkyi mir.” Sofiya thinks, “It’s not a nice thing to say. It means violence, and blood, and criminality, and corruption. Miss Yvette once said Russkyi mir involves having our Ukrainian language, our culture, our traditions all taken away, along with our land.” 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

The Only Game

Jack Callahan is the star of his baseball team and seventh grade is supposed to be his year. Undefeated season. Records shattered. Little League World Series. The works. That is, until he up and quits.

Jack’s best friend Gus can’t understand how Jack could leave a game that means more to them than anything else. But Jack is done. It’s a year of change. Jack’s brother has passed away, and though his family and friends and the whole town of Walton think baseball is just the thing he needs to move on, Jack feels it’s anything but.

In comes Cassie Bennett, star softball player, and the only person who seems to think Jack shouldn’t play if he doesn’t want to. As Jack and Cassie’s friendship deepens, their circle expands to include Teddy, a guy who’s been bullied because of his weight.

Time spent with these new friends unlocks something within Jack, and with their help and the support of his family and his old friends, Jack discovers sometimes it’s more than just the love of the game that keeps us moving forward—and he might just be able to find his way back to The Only Game, after all. 

Readers will sympathize with Jack, who blames himself for his brother’s death. As penitence, Jack gives up baseball. However, Jack’s grief isn’t explored in depth; instead, the story focuses on Jack’s unwillingness to tell anyone why he quit the team. His friends and family are even more confused when Jack begins to help coach Cassie’s team, and teach Teddy how to play baseball. While his new friends give Jack the courage to talk to his parents about his guilt, the conflict is resolved too quickly without showing any of Jack’s grieving process. While this allows the story to focus on baseball, it minimizes the story’s emotional impact. 

When Jack quits the team, Cassie and Teddy immediately step in to take the place of Jack’s other friendships. However, the friendships don’t seem genuine. For instance, Jack soon teaches Teddy how to play baseball, even though Teddy has little interest in the game and the boys have nothing in common. In addition, Cassie is a braggart, and her arrogance may annoy some readers. Unfortunately, the supporting characters are not very likable, and their interactions with Jack do not feel authentic.  

Even though Jack quits the baseball team, The Only Game still contains enough baseball action to keep sports-loving readers entertained. The book doesn’t delve into the many emotions of the grieving process, which allows the story to focus on Jack’s friendships and the importance of supporting each other in difficult times. The Only Game’s strength lies in showcasing the joy of competition and how baseball brings people together.  

Sexual Content  

  • None

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None

Language  

  • Some of the kids call others idiots. 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • One of Jack’s friends “and their parents usually went to church at nine.” 
  • After Jack and his best friend Gus stop talking, Jack goes to Gus’s house. Gus’s mom says, “I’m going to leave you alone to talk to your friend Jack now and also pray to the Lord that you remember your manners while you do.” 

Unsouled

Connor and Lev are on the run after the destruction of the Graveyard, the last safe haven for AWOL unwinds. But for the first time, they’re not just running away—they’re running towards answers, in the form of a woman Proactive Citizenry has tried to erase from history itself. If they can find her and learn why the shadowy figures behind unwinding are so afraid of her, they may discover the key to ending the unwinding process forever.

Cam, the rewound boy, is plotting to take down the organization that created him. He knows that if he can bring Proactive Citizenry to its knees, it will show Risa how he truly feels about her. And without Risa, Cam is having trouble remembering what it feels like to be human.

With the Juvenile Authority and vindictive parts pirates hunting them, the group’s paths will converge explosively—and everyone will be changed. 

Unsouled focuses on human evil, and Risa wonders, “Which is crueler, man or nature? She determines it must be man. Nature has no remorse, but neither does it have malice.” As readers delve into the world of unwinds, they will most likely come to the same conclusion as Risa. The world of unwinding is paradoxical; on one hand, people with disabilities are not allowed to be unwound. However, the lucrative business of unwinding created an industry that has no bounds to its greed and many teens are legally killed. 

While changing the unwinding age to 17 was supposed to help teens, it has helped the black market become more ruthless and profitable. In addition, to get even more body parts, some politicians are encouraging people to vote for Initiative 11, which would allow criminals to be unwound. “So the question is, how do we want our violent offenders to pay their debts to society? Wasting into old age on taxpayers’ dollars—or allowing them to redeem themselves by providing much-needed tissue for society?” 

Unwinding has become so popular that politicians want to “raise the legal age of unwinding back to eighteen and possibly beyond. Removing the brains of convicted criminals and unwinding the rest of their bodies. Allowing people to voluntarily submit themselves to unwinding for cash.” While at first unwinding was supposed to help in medical emergencies, “it’s becoming more and more common for people to get vanity transplants. You want a new skill? Buy it instead of learn it. Can’t do a thing with your hair? Get a new scalp. . . NeuroWeaves instead of education. Muscle refits instead of exercise.”  

While the world is focused on the need for more human tissue, Cam—who was created by using unwinds’ body parts—questions his humanity. He wonders if he has a soul and, if so, what will happen to his soul after he dies. Cam thinks, “Certainly he exists as organic matter, but as a sentient being? As a someone rather than a something.” Cam looks to the Catholic church for answers but receives none. To add to this theme, when Connor finally meets Cam, instead of completely hating him, he recognizes Cam’s humanity. Cam’s existence forces the reader to contemplate the human soul—is it created by a “divine spark,” or can it be created by another human? Ultimately, the only answer comes from the court: Cam is legal property, not a person who can make choices for himself. 

Connor, Risa, Lev, and Cam’s worlds collide, forcing them to put their personal desires aside. They hope to expose Proactive Citizenry’s insidious plan and, in the process, end unwinding. But Starkey’s violent attacks against harvest camps cause fear and chaos. In the end, the reader is left to wonder—will fear or reason prevail?  

Sexual Content  

  • While at a fancy party, Cam enters a room to be alone. A girl follows him. “She undoes his bowtie. . . He holds her in his arms, and she leans forward, kissing him. When she pulls away from the kiss, it’s only for a moment. . . She leans in for another kiss that is far more explorative than the first. The girl says, “I want to be your first.” The girl’s father finds Cam and the girl kissing, and he drags her out of the party.  
  • After speaking at a university, Cam takes three girls into a room. Cam takes off his shirt, and “one of the girls explores those seams and the varied skin tones of his chest. The other girl snuggles with him and feeds him Jordan almonds, sweet and crunchy.” Cam’s handler chases the girls away. 
  • Lev fantasizes about Miracolina, a tithe he helped. “His current fantasies put them at the same suburban school . . . Go to the movies. Make out on the couch when her parents aren’t home.” 
  • Starkey impregnates three girls. When his second in command, Bam, finds out about it she’s furious. Starkey “cranes his neck to kiss her, but their lips are still an inch away. . . he reaches behind her head, pulling her down into the kiss. That kiss is like a conjurer’s act. It’s artful, it’s worthy of applause, and it is everything Bam dreamed it might be, but nothing will change the fact that it’s only a trick.” Bam realizes that there is no meaning to the kiss. 

Violence  

  • Scattered throughout are news items that use teen violence as a reason to continue unwinding, such as a clapper blowing up a school and killing a student. These ads are not included in the violence below. 
  • While driving, Connor accidentally hits an ostrich. The creature’s body “wedges in the windshield frame, with a twisted wiper blade embedded in its slender neck. . . [Connor] screams and curses reflectively, as the creature, still clinging to life, rips at Connor’s chest with its talons, tearing fabric and flesh. . .” The Ostrich dies. Connor is wounded but recovers. 
  • Connor goes into a grocery store to buy food. After he leaves, Argent, the checker, flags Connor down and attacks him. “A kick to the groin that registers a surge of shock, followed by a building swell of excruciating pain. . . Suddenly his attacker is behind him and puts Connor in a choke hold.” Connor wakes up in a cellar, tied to a pole.  
  • To escape from Argent, Connor hits him with a glass pipe. “The pipe catches Argent just above his jaw and shatters, cutting the left side of Argent’s face in at least three places. . . His face gushes blood.” The deputy is tied to a pole but is given “a jagged piece of the broken bong from the floor and put into the deputy’s bound hands so he can eventually cut himself free.” 
  • The police arrive at Argent’s cellar, asking about Connor, who is hiding. When only one deputy is left, “Connor makes his move, lunging out of the sack he’s hiding in, grabbing him by the ankles, and pulling his feet out from under him.” 
  • Two clappers go into a gym. They split up so they can detonate themselves and kill the most people. “Suddenly an explosion rocks the gym, and the cardio desk comes crashing down upon the first floor. . .” Everyone in the gym dies. 
  • A group of teens who ran away from being unwound band together. They enter a 7-Eleven and begin stealing everything. “The night manager reaches for the shotgun, but before he can grab it, there’s a gun aimed at his face, and another, and another. The three kids hold their aim steady.” As the group disappears, the manager shoots at them, but no one is hit. 
  • As a man enters his house, “he’s hit in the head with one of his wife’s heavier knickknacks and falls to the ground. . . he looks up to see the face of his attacker. It’s just a kid of maybe sixteen.” Instead of calling the police, the man gives the boy a job.  
  • Risa falls into a parts pirate’s trap. “She reached for a bag of chips, hit a trip wire, and a spring-loaded steel cable wrapped around her wrist. She was caught like a rabbit.”  
  • When the parts pirate lunges at Risa, “he throws himself forward, Risa raises the pitchfork that she’s concealed in the hay. She doesn’t have to do any more than that: just hold the thing up. His weight and momentum do all the work.” 
  • Later that day, a “coyote dines on the man, who is already beginning to grow rancid in the summer heat.” Later, the coyote bites Risa several times. She is saved, but the coyote and the trip wire injure Risa. She is also dehydrated. Risa fully recovers. 
  • While in a state home, a girl attacks Risa. “When the girl pins her to the ground, Risa gouges the girl’s eyes, flips her, and spits in her face.” A teacher pulls them apart. 
  • Cam has nightmares that are caused by the memories of the teens who were rewound to create Cam. Cam “would scream from the terror, from the sheer helplessness one of those kids felt as the surgeons moved closer, limbs tingled and went numb, medical stasis coolers were carried away in their peripheral vision. Each sense is shutting down and each memory evaporating, always ending with a silent cry of hopeless defiance as each Unwind was shuffled into oblivion.” 
  • While Risa is looking for a place to hide, three boys surround her. One guy, Porterhouse, grabs her. “She smiles at him, lifts her foot, and jams her heel into Porterhouse’s knee instead. Porterhouse’s kneecap breaks with an audible crunch, and he goes down, screaming and writhing in pain. . .” 
  • During the confrontation, Risa elbows another boy in the nose. “She’s not sure if she’s broken it, but it does start gushing blood.” A boy brandishes a knife at Risa, but an adult pulls Risa to safety.  
  • Starkey hijacks a truck by pressing a weapon into the driver’s ribs. When he has a chance, the driver runs away.  
  • Starkey and his group of storks attack a harvest camp. “Starkey gets out of the cab in time to see some of his precious storks go down. . . a sharpshooter is taking kids out. The first couple of shots are tranqs, but the sharpshooter switches rifles. The next kid to go down, goes down for good. . .” 
  • Some of the kids “use counselors as human shields. . . The rebellion feeds itself, fueled by desperation and unexpected hope. It grows in intensity until even the guards are running, only to be tackled by dozens of kids and restrained with their own handcuffs.” The rebellion is described over two pages. It is unclear how many people are hurt or dead, but “at least a dozen kids litter the ground.” 
  • After the rebellion, the harvest camp director, Menard, is captured, and Starkey orders a boy to kill him. “The kid is clearly terrified, but all eyes are on him. . . He squints. He puts the muzzle of the gun to the back of Menard’s head and looks away. Then he pulls the trigger. . . Menard crumples, dead before he hits the ground. . . There are no exploding brain bits and pieces of skull—Starkey and the crowd seem disappointed that an execution, in the end, is far less dramatic than the buildup.” 
  • Starkey and his crew attack another harvest camp. They get the kids out safely, but then Starkey has five workers hung with a noose. “Starkey, one by one, kicks their chair out from beneath them.” He leaves one worker alive to give the authorities a message.  
  • Cam follows one of his memories to a Chancefolk [Native American] reservation, and a woman he knows, Una, takes him to an abandoned sweat lodge and knocks him unconscious. Una “tears off his jacket and shirt and uses them to string him up between two poles six feet apart. She knots the fabric so tightly only a knife could undo it. The rest of his unconscious body slumps on the ground, his arms outstretched above him in a supplicative Y.” Una uses a chainsaw to trace Cam’s seams and threatens to remove his hands.  
  • Connor finds Cam. “He’s tied to a pole, struggling to pull himself free. By the smell of the place and the look of him, he’s been here for a while, in this helpless, hopeless situation, without even the freedom to relieve himself anywhere but in his clothes.” Connor sets Cam free. 
  • When Nelson, the parts pirate, discovers that Argent has been lying to him, Nelson “flips the table. Dinnerware flies, a plate smashes against the mantel, and Nelson pounces, pinning Argent against the wall so hard Argent can feel the light switch digging into his back like a knife—but it’s nowhere near as deadly as the steak knife that Nelson now holds to his throat.” Nelson threatens Argent but doesn’t hurt him. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • At a fancy party, some of the adults drink alcohol. One lady has a “slight alcoholic slur.” 
  • Argent chokes Connor and then ties him up. While Connor is tied up, the boy forces him to smoke the liquid from a tranq gun mixed with marijuana. “Argent takes a hit from the pipe, then puts it over Connor’s mouth, holding Connor’s nose so he has no choice but to suck it in.” They both get high.  
  • A teen goes to New Orleans and drinks alcohol where “Drinking in the street is not only legal, but encouraged!” 
  • A parts pirate who is injured “sleeps off a binge of the alcohol and painkillers he doused himself with.” 
  • One of Connor’s friends “had slipped Connor some medicinal chocolate to get him to mellow out a bit,” which caused Connor to hallucinate. 
  • While celebrating, two adults have champagne.  
  • One boy’s father is a drug addict and was “offered a lot of money to sign the [unwind] papers,” which he did. 

Language  

  • Profanity is used often and includes ass, crap, damn, freaking, goddamn, hell, and piss. 
  • There is some name-calling, including bitch, bastard, moron, idiot, scumbag, wimp, and prime douche.  
  • Grace is “low-cortical” which is the term for mentally challenged people. Her brother calls her feebleminded. 
  • Native Americans are called ChanceFolk or SlotMongers, “that hideous slur put upon them by the very people who made casino gaming the only way tribes could earn back their self-reliance, self-respect, and the fortunes leeched from them over the centuries.”  
  • Oh my God and Oh Jesus are used as exclamations. 
  • Connor calls Cam “Pork-n-beans.” 
  • Starkey’s crew has a sign “like a heil Hitler thing, but with just the middle finger.” 

Supernatural 

  • When a person is given a body part from an unwound person, the body part remembers what the person learned. For example, one man received a new hand, and the hand still knew how to perform magic. 
  • Cyrus was injured and received half of Tyler Walker’s brain. Now, Tyler is in Cyrus’s head and occasionally talks through Cyrus. Cyrus and some of the other people who received parts from Tyler live in a compound, so they “feel the need to reunite the Unwind they share.” Some of the people have Tyler’s memories. 
  • Some people who receive body parts from an Unwind have “cellular memory being transferred” to them. For example, “an eight-year-old girl receives the heart of a ten-year-old girl who was murdered. The recipient begins having nightmares about the murder, remembering details that only the victim could know, such as when and how it happened and the identity of the murderer. Her entire testimony turns out to be true, and the murderer is caught.”  
  • NeuroWeaves take a part of an unwind’s brain and graph it to another person. This allows a person to acquire a skill without having to learn anything. 

Spiritual Content  

  • Cam wrestles with his thoughts. “He begins to scour his memory, seeking out moments that ring with a spiritual connection. He had First Communion, a Bar Mitzvah, and a Bismillah ceremony. He saw a brother baptized in a Greek Orthodox church, and a grandmother cremated in a traditional Buddhist funeral. Just about every faith is represented in his memories. . .”  
  • Cam goes to a Catholic church for confession. Cam asks the priest if he “qualifies as a human.” The priest tells him, “How can I speak to whether or not you carry a divine spark?” 
  • While looking for answers, Cam “prays in nine languages, to a dozen deities—to Jesus, to Yahweh, to Allah, to Vishnu, to the ‘I’ of the universe, and even to a great godless void. Please, he begs. Please, give me a single reason why I shouldn’t hurl myself beneath the wheels of the bus.” 
  • Before the harvest camp director is executed, he prays. “A man who kills for a living praying for deliverance.” 
  • Starkey’s second in command is Bam. After the harvest camp is attacked, “she knows she mustn’t steal Starkey’s thunder. She’s Bam the Baptist, preparing the way for the Savior of Storks.” Later, the media refers to Starkey as “the Stork Lord.”  
  • Deuteronomy 21:18-21 was used to convince the public to allow unwinding. According to a legislative candidate, unwinding “would be a tremendous incentive for children to give proper respect to their parents.”  

Second to None

In it to win it. Every school has their number ones: the class president, the first chair in band, the spelling bee champion. And behind every high rolling high achiever? A kid in second place. 

Twelve-year-old DJ has a reputation for being the go-to kid for solving just about any problem. Need help getting an unfair teacher or bully off your back? DJ is your guy. He knows the social order of Ella Fitzgerald Middle School like the back of his hand. So when the usual winners start losing ― all at the same time ― he knows something is wrong. Very wrong. 

With the help of his usual crew, Audrey, Monty, and Connor, DJ is determined to get to the bottom of what’s happening. Maybe it’s all in his head. Or maybe there’s a conspiracy at work. DJ and his friends will have to figure it out ― before the school saboteur comes for them. 

Second to None is told from DJ’s point of view and uses a conversational tone that makes readers feel as if they are part of DJ’s crew. While at his previous school, DJ used his powers of observation and his ability to plan to take advantage of others. Now, in an attempt to relieve his guilt, DJ is using his skills to help others. DJ’s transformation from a criminal to a champion allows readers to see how a person’s actions have far-reaching consequences. DJ is an innovative, likable protagonist who makes readers want to hang out and hear his story. 

DJ’s crew, while not well-developed, are unique, interesting characters who are unlikely friends. DJ’s best friend, Connor, is impulsive and often has to be reined in by DJ. While DJ only wants to use his skills to help others, Connor enjoys manipulating others. Even though it’s against the school rules, Connor plays in a gaming tournament where cheating is expected, and Connor is a master cheater. In addition, Connor bets on any school event involving a competition, including the spelling bee, and who will be the captain of the Quiz Bowl. The contrast between DJ and Connor adds interest to the story, but Connor’s behavior shows that cheating and gambling are acceptable behavior. 

Any middle schooler (especially those who have older siblings) will relate to the events in Second to None because it focuses on students who have been in second place repeatedly. Anyone who feels as if they have been overshadowed by someone else will understand the hurt that causes. A group of second-place students plot to sabotage those who always come in first. The book acknowledges the frustration and pain of those who have lost while showing that sabotaging others is wrong. When the group’s leader is revealed, the person receives just punishment and is given mandatory counseling. Second to None would make an excellent discussion starter about honesty, integrity, and the importance of communication.  

Readers first meet DJ and his crew in High Score; however, Second to None gets readers up to speed by summarizing the main events in High Score. Nevertheless, Second to None will be more enjoyable for those who have read High Score. Second to None is an entertaining read that explores the social hierarchy of middle school. The story features three different groups that use their power to manipulate others. While the events are a bit outlandish, middle-grade students will enjoy the story’s mystery and humor, as well as the friendship between DJ and his crew.  

Howell does an excellent job of creating characters with a unique voice and highlighting the difficulties of being in middle school. Readers looking to add more mystery to their lives should also read the Spy School Series by Stuart Gibbs and the Jack and the Geniuses Series by Bill Nye & Gregory Mone. However, readers who love unique and humorous stories should read The Magical Reality of Nadia by Bassem Youssef & Catherine R. Daly and Lost in the Mushroom Maze by Ben Costa & James Park.  

Sexual Content  

  • None

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None

Language  

  • Heck is used a few times. 
  • Dang is used once. 
  • A few of the students call a classmate an idiot. 

Supernatural 

  • None

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Baseball

Baseball, America’s pastime, is a sport of moments that stand the test of time. It is equally a sport of a new generation of heroes, whose exploits inspire today’s young fans. This combination makes for a winning debut in Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Baseball.

This is no traditional almanac of mundane statistics but rather a storyteller’s journey through baseball’s storied game. Told in short chapters and accompanied by iconic photos, a slew of “Top Ten” lists for kids to chew on and debate, and a timeline of the “40 Most Important Moments in Baseball History,” this collection covers some of the greatest players from Babe Ruth to Hank Aaron; the greatest teams to take the field and swing the bats; the greatest social triggers, such as Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier; the greatest playoff rivalries, including the 2004 showdown between the Red Sox and Yankees that turned into an instant classic; and, of course, the edge-of-your-seat World Series moments that left some cheering while others wept.  

The book begins with a note from the author encouraging people to read his book and “disagree with it, debate it, change it, have fun with it, decide for yourself” who is the greatest player and the greatest team. Bryant gives statistics and stories to help readers understand each player’s contribution to the sport. “Spring,” the book’s first section, discusses the greatest players, starting with Babe Ruth. This section is entertaining enough to keep all readers engaged. However, this changes in the book’s next two sections, which focus on specific teams such as the Yankees and the Red Socks.  

The last two sections of the book include exciting play-by-play actions of specific games that will entertain baseball fans. Readers will feel the disappointment when a team loses a game and the excitement for the winning teams. In addition, Bryant helps readers understand how baseball changed through the years, as well as how baseball changed society.   

Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Baseball highlights all the reasons that baseball is our national pastime and why people still debate who is the greatest. Bryant uses interesting facts, anecdotes, and play-by-play baseball action that will thrill baseball fans. However, the pages use advanced vocabulary, and all the pictures are at the back of the book. Even though the chapters are short, the text-heavy pages may overwhelm struggling readers. However, baseball fans will find Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Baseball enjoyable because it is packed with baseball history that will help them understand the sport and the players that shaped it. 

For readers who want to learn more about baseball, Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Baseball knocks it out of the park. Readers who want to delve deeper into baseball’s greatest legend should read Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse by David A. Kelly and Babe & Me: A Baseball Card Adventure by Dan Gutman. Readers looking for a fiction book that revolves around baseball should read The Batboy by Mike Lupica or the Baseball Genius Series by Tim Green & Derek Jeter. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • When Henry Aaron was a child, his mother would hide him and his siblings under the bed whenever she heard the Klu Klux Klan outside her window. “It was the 1940s, and the Klan targeted Catholics, Jews, and especially African Americans, intent on scaring them and often killing the ones who did not fear them, to keep them in their place.”  
  • While playing in the major leagues, Henry Aaron received “terrible letters, the ones in which anonymous people threatened to kill him or members of his family. . . One letter was so serious that the FBI removed his daughter from college for her protection.” Aaron had to hire a security guard to protect him. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Sandy Koufax had severe pain in his left elbow and was given cortisone shots. The drug “eased some of the hurt, but left Sandy feeling uncomfortable.” Koufax decided to put his health first and retired from baseball. 
  • Mark McGwire was being interviewed when a reporter “noticed a bottle of pills in McGwire’s locker. . . The pills were called androstenedione, and they were considered to have similar effects to steroids.” Later, it was discovered that Sammy Sosa and other players were also taking the pills. The scandal marred both McGwire’s and Sosa’s careers. 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • Despite anti-Semitism, Sandy Koufax “was true to his Jewish faith . . . Koufax was proud of his heritage. He did not hide from it.” When his team played in the World Series, one game was on Yom Kippur, “the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.” Koufax “refused to pitch.”
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. ...
  10. 47

Latest Reviews