Read Harder - January check-in

My goals for this month were to read Both Can Be True, a book about a trans character written by a trans author, and Whiteout, one of my favorite authors' favorite books.

Whiteout: Read. Such a delight. Review coming next week.

Both Can be True: Well, my book delivery containing this book came last night, I read it (in between taking care of a drugged-up post-surgery pup until I went to bed, and then I finished reading it after work today. So...I guess you could say it was good! It made me very emotional, and I'm not sure I'll write a full review of it, but five stars, across the board. Also, I'm pretty sure Ash's mom is based on my sister, even though Jules Machias has, to my knowledge, never met them.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Next up, February. The shortest month of the year. Can I read two challenge books plus everything else I'm reading in 28 days? Yeah, I totally can. Probably.

Challenge #3: Read a book about activism.

I'll be reading A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramee. I've book talked this with my students before but never read it, and I've been trying to actually READ more of the books from award lists that I recommend to students, instead of relying on synopses. This one has been on my to read list for a while, too, so I'm glad this is pushing me to finally get to it.

Challenge #4: Read a book that’s been challenged recently in your school district/library OR read one of the most-challenged/banned books of the year by a queer and/or BIPOC author.

WHEW, wow, super fun challenge for a school librarian. I am very fortunate that families at my school haven't challenged books, but with the rise in challenges hanging over you and the knowledge that you have to be EXTRA able to justify each selection JUST IN CASE, acquiring new material gets incredibly stressful. I try to do my due diligence and pre-read things that seem like they might be questioned, so I'm prepared to defend their addition, but there are many challenged books that aren't in my library's collection that I have not read. I'm going to read The Breakaways by Cathy G. Johnson for this challenge (and then probably add it to my library - shhh, don't tell the fascists).

The Unforgettable Logan Foster - Shawn Peters

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆
Character Development: ☆☆☆☆☆
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆☆☆
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Logan Foster has pretty much given up on the idea of ever being adopted. It could have something to do with his awkward manner, photographic memory, or his affection for reciting curious facts, but whatever the cause, Logan and his PPs (prospective parents) have never clicked.

Then everything changes when Gil and Margie arrive. Although they aren't exactly perfect themselves - Gil has the punniest sense of humor and Margie's cooking would send anyone running for the hills - they genuinely seem to care. But it doesn't take Logan long to notice some very odd things about them. They are out at all hours, they never seem to eat, and there's a part of the house that is protected by some pretty elaborate security.

No matter what Logan could have imagined, nothing prepared him for the truth: his PPs are actually superheroes, and they're being hunted down by sinister forces. Logan's found himself caught in the middle of a massive battle, and the very fate of the world may hang in the balance. Will Logan find a way to save the day and his new family?"

 

I've got a big stack of middle grade books that I've been intending to read since like...last school year, so then I can donate them to my school library, and I'm finally getting serious about reading them. Seriously. So...welcome! This is now a middle grade stan account?

Our first middle grade review? The Unforgettable Logan Foster by Shawn Peters. Most of these upcoming reviews are coming from a monthly book subscription box, so unless it's something that happened to already be on my radar (shoutout to The Marvellers!) I don't know anything about it. That was the case with this book, but as soon as I saw it I was dying to read it.

The cover art is so expressive, I found myself pausing to study it when I would pass by that particular pile of TBR books, and finally I was like okay, seriously, just read the book already. I don't think I've ever googled who designed a cover for a book before, but I did for this one, that's how great I thought the artwork was. (Petur Atonsson, by the way.) Incredible job. The initial draw rating is four stars ALL because of this cover, and I love it even more after having read the book.

Want to know something else about the cover? It captures each character perfectly. Shawn Peters did an amazing job of developing each character in a pretty short amount of time, and looking at the cover as I read, I could see elements of each personality in the artwork. Just...incredible. It's incredible. (Is this a book review? It might be a cover review.) Shoutout to Shawn for such excellent character creation that they were so well-captured for the cover.

Seriously, though, outside the cover, the writing was also great. I love a book that includes fostering and adoption, and I thought it was a very heartwarming touch that the story is told in the form of Logan writing to his younger sibling, whom he doesn't know but hopes to find. Just...my heart. I also really loved that in a world with superhero foster parents, Logan doesn't feel like he can't contribute and make a difference. This is the first book in at the very least a duology, and I cannot wait for the next one to come out so I can read more. (PS Just googled, and it comes out in less than a week?! HELL YEAH. That means by the time I actually post this, it will be out. Read both books!) 

I don't want to get into the plot because of spoilers, but everything about this book is fantastic, and it was a super fun read as I am working my way through watching all of the Marvel productions currently in existence. More superheroes! More! And finally, since I was just talking about this with my husband, this book comes in at <300 pages, which is becoming increasingly rare in the middle grade books I look at to add to my school's library. All the more impressive, managing to develop a world, create realistic characters, and tell this story without generating an intimidating tome of a book. Bravo, all around!

(PS I added this book to my school's catalog, and before I even had it fully processed and ready to go out onto the shelf, I had students requesting it. I TOLD YOU THE COVER WAS AMAZING!)