Today I saw a publisher post on Instagram highlighting Sy Montgomery’s new book What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World’s Most Familiar Bird due out in November. Without thinking, I opened my Goodreads app and added it to my TBR. It got me thinking about those authors that automatically get added to my TBR without a second thought. They are, in no particular order:
Book birthdays are as special as human birthdays, especially for book lovers who adore the authors that have put the book out into the world. Therefore, happy book birthday to The Bletchley Riddle, coauthored by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin whose individual works are as impactful as their first collaboration and must be celebrated.
The Bletchley Riddle is a middle grade historical fiction set in 1940 at Bletchley Park, home to the infamous codebreakers during World War II. In addition to incorporating ciphers into the text and providing an entrancing overall mystery amidst war, the book’s best feature are the vivid brother and sister duo. Who doesn’t love an alternating point of view? Intricately layered with historical facts because both are powerhouse researchers, Sheinkin wrote Jakob’s character and Sepetys wrote Lizzie’s character. How did it all blend together? Some of their secrets were revealed at an event at Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs, NY last night as the last event for the Saratoga Book Festival; plus the hometown indie bookstore for Sheinkin. To have both authors, since Sepetys lives in Tennessee, was a real treat. Then to have the book in hand (if it was preordered, a spy pen was a bonus gift) and signed after an enchanting evening of their conversation and answering audience questions, made for a memorable book launch.
I’ve only teased a few elements of the book because it’s better to clear your calendar and spend a weekend with a cup of tea and Jakob and Lizzie. And if you want to put a goulash casserole in the oven for later, even better. I did this a few days after I read the advanced reader copy.
Collaborations are hard work, as they attest to, but readers will read the book and find it an effortless meshing of two talented authors who find history that we all need to remember more than we do; finding palatable ways to learn, question, and feel. I wonder… is another collaboration on the horizon?
It’s been a few weeks since I finished the last issue of Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been thinking about it almost daily. I had been reading an article about the Eisner nominations for 2024 where it was given the best new series nomination. And the second piece fell into place: Hoopla had the series.
Believe me, I tried to pace myself. I borrowed the first and second issue. Then waited a day before borrowing the third through sixth. I did spread out reading them over several days though I had to resist the urge to ignore work and household duties to sit and read them all in one sitting. It’s the age-old bookworm problem– the compulsion to sit and read it through because it’s THAT good but the knowledge that once you’ve read it, you can’t read it again for the first time, so you have to slow down.
So, I did have them at my fingertips with Hoopla, though I do also now have it on my list to own. When they’re this good, it must be owned. The combination of storytelling and stark visuals (even as evidenced in the cover art) create an air of disturbing questions that must be answered by reading them. And when you meet Samantha Strong, a brown bear living in an idyllic small town operating a business who confesses that she doesn’t murder the locals, well, you know it’s something you need to know more about. Science meets mystery. Intrigue meets turmoil. Curiosity meets wit.
Each issue moves the needle a little closer to a resolution. And when (in this case because it was a digital read) I swiped to the last page, read it, and paused. The complete picture, set up from the very first pages of the first issue was all wrapped up and I was not the same. Who could be?
The series is smart in the same way I was taken completely by W. Maxwell Prince’s Swan Songs. I feel smarter for having read them. I value the creativity that the creators put into their work. I marvel at the work that goes into capturing a piece of the human experience that can reach out from the pages of a comic to shift perspective and make me think deeply.
Romance is in the air. I’m feeling extra lovey today on my wedding anniversary and having finished Jason Reynolds’ new book that will be out in October called Twenty Four Seconds from Now last night, I thought I’d post some favorite romances.
First, let’s spend a few minutes bowing down to the genius of Jason Reynolds. This story of Neon and Aria has a timeline that sparkles in addition to the community including family and friends that support their two year romance. It’s heartwarming and natural and is exactly the kind of story that teens deserve.
The others that I’ve adored that range from tragic and sad to all-encompassing and sweet.
It’s fitting to end this week of posts with books that feature a friendship. We all need friends in this world and these are some of my favorites.
Hilo series by Judd Winick: When an alien kids come down to earth, friends rally around Hilo and welcome him into their circle.
Laid Back Camp manga series by Afro: Camping buddies.
Heavy Vinyl comic series by Carly Usdin illustrated by Nina Vakueva: Girl power friendship set among the backdrop of a 90s record store but they have a secret about what else they do.
A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan: Differences become shared experiences.
Cornbread & Poppy series by Matthew Cordell: Opposites attract.
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow: Friends are there when you need them the most, especially for comic relief.
My wish is that you enjoyed the collection of lists over the past month to find and use in your own classrooms, libraries, personal collections, and TBR piles. Happy summer!
There’s nothing more satisfying than a book with more than one perspective. I have a Goodreads shelf specifically for books with multiple points of view in them hence why I’m bringing you six of the most sensational.
Legend by Marie Lu: Polar opposites who end up fighting for the same side.
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys: Moving toward disaster in this historical thriller, shifting between four stories increases the tension and emotion.
Allies by Alan Gratz: Is there anyone who can do it better than Gratz?
Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan: A romance from both angles.
How You Grow Wings by Rimma Onoseta: Sisters in Nigeria whose outcomes could not have been more discordant.
The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh: Three stories, three timelines that mesh perfectly and why it’s an award winner not to be missed.
I already shared a post about witches so it’s appropriate that I share one about vampires- whether they’re making a comeback or they never really die (see that?!!) there are some oldies and some new for your reading pleasure.
Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey: A witty mix of Romanian lore, romance, power, and deception.
Camp Sylvania by Julie Murphy: A middle grade about a woman who is running a camp, but it’s not just any summer camp, it’ll be a blood farm for vampires.
The Vanquishers by Kalynn Bayron: A group of pals realize their family’s history and lean into being a part of the solution even though the new problem is their new friend just became the thing they’re supposed to fear.
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal: This complex and epic beginning to a series drips with creativity.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: No need to say more. Love it or hate it, it is a seminal read.
Fangs by Sarah Andersen: This slim graphic novel is the sweetest love story.
So often books with Jewish characters center around the atrocities of the Holocaust, but there are dynamic stories of contemporary Jewish life or folklore that deserve a post.
Across So Many Seas by Ruth Behar: Spanning generations, this one begins in 1492 with the Spanish Inquisition.
The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Blum: A teen boy learning about the world having been cloistered for some time.
The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R.M. Romero: A Jewish cemetery in Prague and a ghost in this atmospheric verse novel.
Dancing at the Pity Party: A Dead Mom Graphic Memoir by Tyler Feder: Learning about bereavement in Judaism is second to Feder’s poignantly humorous take on losing a parent when you’re still young.
The Boy In the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne: I still get chills thinking about the ending of his Holocaust novel featuring a nine-year-old protagonists view of the war.
Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros: A golem created to get revenge- will she?
It might not be spooky season, but that’s okay because a book with witches is immemorial!
A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi: I devoured every book Rinaldi wrote when I was a tween and this was one of my favorites.
Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama: I own the entire series and the spinoff Witch Hat Kitchen because the atelier of little witch girls is the sweetest.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare: A contemporary classic about the dangers of assumptions.
The Witches by Roald Dahl: Whether in original format or the movie version which is unforgettable, I’m glad to have reread Dahl’s book to remember reading it as a child and being scared out of my mind!
Garlic and the Witch by Bree Paulsen: This and its sequel featuring vegetables as characters and a mansion on the hill will delight all readers.
The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner: If ever I’ve wanted a wardrobe, it’s hers.
With a heat index of about 100 degrees here in New York State, I figured water both to hydrate and swim in is the best way to keep cool besides air conditioning. Hence, today’s topic featuring water!
The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag: Featuring a selkie.
A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America’s First All-Black High School Rowing Team by Arshay Cooper: Like Crossing the Line by Kareem Rosser, addressing racism in sports notoriously dominated by white people leads to a deeper understanding of the discipline of any sport and how it shapes us as humans.
In Waves by A.J. Dungo: Deeply emotional, this graphic memoir is an homage to surfing and a woman.
Swim the Fly by Don Calame: So stinkin’ funny and also about a boy winning the affections of a girl on the swim team by joining the swim team.
Aniana Del Mar Jumps In by Jasminne Mendez: Being diagnosed with juvenile arthritis, Dominican girl Aniana conspires with her dad to swim against mom’s wishes.
Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas: A middle grade graphic novel with a big heart.
Readers Be Advised 