Futureland: Battle for the Park - H.D. Hunter

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆
Character Development: ☆☆☆☆
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Rounding up from 3.75)

From the cover:

"Everyone wants a ticket to Futureland, the extraordinary flying park where you can literally live out your wildest dreams. Want to step inside your favorite video game? Go pro in a sports arena? Perform at a real live concert? Grab your ticket and come right in.

Yet with all its attractions, Futureland has always just been home to Cam Walker, the son of the park's famous creators. And when Futureland arrives at its latest stop, Atlanta, Cam is thrilled for what promises to be the biggest opening ever...

But things aren't quite right with the Atlanta opening. Park attractions are glitching. Kids start to go missing. And when his parents are blamed, Cam must find the missing kids and whoever's trying to take down his family...before it's too late."

This book had a lot of highs and lows for me. Overall, I found the premise and the actual adventure of it all very intriguing and engaging, and I really enjoyed the inclusion of comic panels and the interview transcripts. It gave me Illuminae vibes, and I almost wish those had been used a little bit more...not for storytelling purposes, just for my own enjoyment. I also thought some of the characters - Cam, Dooley, Angel, and Yusuf, primarily, were very vibrant and felt realistic. Other characters, particularly Cam's grandma and the bad guy, fell a little flat, especially in comparison to the three-dimensionality of most of the characters. 

With Cam's grandma, it seemed like even in situations where any rational person would have been concerned, her character fell back on "oh hell no, I'm not about that technology. Come on, I'm going to make you a home-cooked meal." It was fine when she was first introduced, but at a certain point it just stops making sense that she's so unwilling to engage with what Cam is saying when so much shady stuff is clearly going on. And the bad guy was just...so openly and obviously evil. I mean, fine, I guess, if that's what you're into, but given that this is meant to be a mystery, it made it a little hard to buy into everyone being unsure what was going on when there was no subtlety to the character at all. I know I'm an adult reading a middle grade book, but I kept thinking about how my students would engage with this, and from the moment the character was introduced there might as well have been a giant neon sign that said "NEMESIS" pointing to the antagonist. Isn't part of the fun in reading a mystery having to guess at who it might be?

My last gripe with the book was that the plot seemed so jumpy. The big reveals were solid, but it seemed like Hunter wasn't sure what to do with the in-between. It was like...gaaaaasp, this huge thing just happened! Oh my god, we need to get to the bottom of this, it is URGENT. Ah well, gotta go to school, I guess. <<fast forward>> gaaaaaasp, another huge thing! We all love big exciting moments, but I wish there had been more buildup and cohesion. Instead of the story beginning with Futureland's arrival in Atlanta and things immediately getting weird, we could have seen his family getting ready for the opening, and then as we started getting comfortable with the story, BAM, things start going wrong. Instead of BIG REVEAL - go to school/Grandma's house and get shut down - BIG REVEAL, a better flow with investigation and breaks in the case. 

All that said...it was a solid book, I think the different elements would be engaging for kids, and I give it points for not being super duper long. I think the one benefit to it jumping from action to action is that it grabs your interest and makes for a quick read. Plus, a mystery involving a futuristic amusement park featuring super advanced AI? Pretty cool.

Whiteout - Dhonielle Clayton, et al

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

From the cover:

"A snowstorm like this hits Atlanta only once every hundred years. As the city grinds to a halt, a group of teens band together to help a friend pull off the most epic apology of her life. But will they be able to make it happen, in spite of the storm?

A mall full of holiday spirit...and a confession under the twinkling lights.

A deserted aquarium...and secrets that keep bubbling to the surface.

A stalled road trip...and a car full of bittersweet memories melting in the ice.

A whole city blanketed in snow...being warmed from the inside out.

No one is prepared for this whiteout. But then, we can't always prepare for the magical moments that change everything."

 

I just finished this book, and it took me on a journey. I don't know if this will be a real REVIEW review, but I'm going to share my thoughts as they come in, riding on the waves of sadness over finishing a lovely book and wishing I could be in it for just a little longer, even though that isn't how books work.

I understand why we couldn't, but I wish we got more time with each character. Most of them are so loveable, the ones that I had moments of hesitation about I feel like it was just because I didn't have much time to get to know them, and also, like I said, I want to live in this world for a little longer. Please? 

I got so frustrated with some of the miscommunications and overreactions and indecisiveness, but only because it was SO true to teenage life, and it weirdly made me nostalgic for when I was that age, even though you could not pay me enough to deal with all that angst again. Like, Evan-Rose? So many crushes, so little time...I empathize, E.R. I remember the days where I had multiple crushes and was like oh god, is something wrong with me? I like more than one person? How can feelings be real if you feel them for more than one person? It messes with you.

The morale of basically every story in this book is that open and honest communication is key. Talk to each other, friends. It will always bring more clarity than avoiding people and stewing.

I can't decide if Jimi and Teo's story is my favorite or Ava and Mason's. Or Jordyn and Omari's.

I hope this author group writes more books together. I will read them all.

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.

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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!)

Read Harder readcap (like recap, but dumber!)

I did it, I finished Powers and Thrones! Did NOT think I would, but I made it happen. Another year of reading harder, in the books. The books I chose for this year's challenge are all spread out through posts, so if anyone wants the full list all in one place, here you go:

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1. Read a biography of an author you admire: The Making of Jane Austen by Devoney Looser

2. Read a book set in a bookstore: Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

3. Read any book from the Women's Prize shortlist/longlist/winner list: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

4. Read a book in any genre by a POC that's about joy and not trauma: Black Boy Joy by Kwame Mbalia

5. Read an anthology featuring diverse voices: Every Body Shines by Cassandra Newbould

6. Read a nonfiction YA comic: The Courage of Elfina by Andre Jacob

7. Read a romance where at least one of the protagonists is over 40: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

8. Read a classic written by a POC: Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

9. Read the book that's been on your TBR the longest: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

10. Read a political thriller by a marginalized author: While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

11. Read a book with an asexual and/or aromantic main character: Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann

12. Read an entire poetry collection: The World Isn't the Size of Our Neighborhood Anymore by Austin Davis

13. Read an adventure story by a BIPOC author: Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney

14. Read a book whose movie or TV adaptation you've seen (but haven't read the book): I Love You Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle

15. Read a new-to-you literary magazine: Passages North

16. Read a book recommended by a friend with different reading tastes: Your Money or Your Life by Joseph R. Dominguez and Vicki Robin

17. Read a memoir written by someone who is trans or nonbinary: Becoming Eve by Abby Stein

18. Read a "Best [blank] Writing of the Year" book for a topic and year of your choice: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

19. Read a horror novel by a BIPOC author: The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

20. Read an award-winning book from the year you were born: Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman

21. Read a queer retelling of a classic of the canon, fairytale, folklore, or myth: Darling by K. Ancrum

22. Read a history about a period you know little about: Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages by Dan Jones

23. Read a book by a disabled author: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

24. Pick a challenge from any of the previous year's challenges to repeat (I picked listening to a poetry audiobook): The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman

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 And now, it is time to get started on choosing books for 2023! First two challenges, here we go!

1. Read a novel about a trans character written by a trans author: In my quest to read my way through a bunch of middle grade and then add them to my school library, I have chosen Both Can Be True by Jules Machias. Looking forward to it! (I also put Fight + Flight by them on my list and am VERY excited. EDS! Anxiety disorders! That's my kind of book.)

2. Read one of your favorite author's favorite books: Time to stalk some of my favorite authors on Twitter, I guess? (Consider them stalked) Look...a whole heap of authors that I like collaborated on this, and I'm going to assume that they all love each other's work in it, so...I'm going to read Whiteout by Angie Thomas, Dhonielle Clayton, Ashley Woodfolk, Nic Stone, Nicola Yoon, and Tiffany D. Jackson. 

Let's do this!

Reading Harder - Just over a week left

It's been a minute since my last update, so here we are again! I finished Maus, something everyone should read. Very emotional, very powerful. My hold for While Justice Sleeps came in again, and I did successfully finish reading it, although I came very close to having to put it on hold again. It was an okay read, but for a political thriller, it was not very compelling...solid premise, strong characters, but kind of dry. The reader didn't know the finer points of what was going on, but you know the entire time who the bad guy is and what they're planning, so it fell a little flat for me, reading about the main character trying to unravel what's going on and not having anything to guess at myself.

Anyway, that's two down, two to go for the year. I've been working my way through Powers and Thrones (the physical copy, because seriously, this book is huge) and am about halfway done. It's interesting, but also so much information, so I can only read so much of it at a time before I have to take a break so my brain can recover. I just finished reading about the Crusades, and honestly, fuck the Crusades.

My last hold of the year, The Taking of Jake Livingston, came in a couple days ago, and I'm roughly halfway through that too. A bit of a trip, one of those books that you read and are like "okay, wait, what is real and what is not? Is any of this actually happening?" Not so terrifying that I can't handle it, though, so that's something! I'll probably finish this in the next day or so, and then I guess we'll see if I make it through Powers and Thrones by the end of the year! Can I do it? I have my doubts.

Either way, I'll share an update in 2023, and I'll be putting together my list for next year, so I'll have that too. Some of the prompts seem interesting, although there are others (i.e. Read a book you DNFed) that I am...less thrilled about. I don't DNF lightly, so I may double up on another challenge and skip that one. As for the others...we'll see what I come up with!

A day late but a review over - Attack of the Black Rectangles and Skin of the Sea

It's NaNoWriMo, so all my writing brain cells are going to partner writing a sweet novel. I've got thoughts on two books to share, though, so I figured why not make this a twofer review and keep them both short and sweet? Here goes!

Attack of the Black Rectangles by A.S. King: I wish the people around me when I was growing up were as well-adjusted as the people Mac has in his corner. He's a lucky dude, and he and his friends are very courageous. I took a bunch of pictures of bits from this book that I really liked, but a couple favorites:

"I should have been born at a time when adults didn't pretend something is okay when it's not. I don't know if that time ever existed. Maybe I needed to be born in the future."

 

"Don't cry." I say.

She turns to me. "Crying is a natural reaction to disappointment. Would you tell me not to sneeze?" 

Just...excellent. I also really appreciated that King explicitly called out the misguided focuses of people banning or censoring books and that they're upset about the wrong things. GO A.S. KING.

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen: I cannot say enough good things about this book. First of all, the cover is a work of art. Second, mermaids?! Bowen beautifully wove tales of African deities through this story, and the imagery, the world  building, the descriptions of every place they visited and interaction that took place were just...gorgeous. Everything about this book is a masterpiece. It's a heavy read, so be prepared to feel a lot of things and to get uncomfortable. To be pulled into the story and feel everything Simi and Kola are feeling. I have the second book waiting for me on my bookshelf, and I can't wait to get into it.