Bookshelf Archives - Page 2 of 11 - The Pencil Princess Workshop

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

I have loved The Girl Who Drank the Moon since I first read it when my daughter picked it up for a contest back when she was in fifth grade. So, several years, now.

Like all the best fantasies, this one immerses me in a world that feels both familiar and wonderfully different from the world where I live.

And the characters! Kelly Barnhill, the author, has created so many fascinating people in this book. I love Luna, especially for her exuberance. And the swamp monster. I love the Simply Enormous dragon (who fits in Luna’s pocket). And so many more…

What I love most might be that in this story, even good people make problems worse. They do this even when they’re trying to do right. In a messed up system, treating symptoms may be necessary, but it won’t touch the heart of the issue. Systemic evil must be dismantled before lives can improve.

And this book helps me to see that in a story that I would have no qualms about reading with an eight-year-old. It’s that kind of good.

Anyway, if you like fantasy at all–or middle grade–or just fabulously good writing–and you haven’t yet read The Girl Who Drank the Moon, you absolutely should.

Midnight Sun

Midnight Sun, as you probably already know, is the latest book in the Twilight series. It covers much of the same ground as the original books–but from Edward’s point of view.

I admit I liked it, but that might be at least partly nostalgia. Still, some of Edward’s behavior feels a bit more comprehensible after reading this. I still feel like he’s annoyingly overprotective, and more into the Bella in his brain than the Bella who actually exists. (If a character in a book can be said to actually exist…. She does, right? At least for that story?) At any rate, I still find myself frustrated with Edward as a hero, but I understand him better than I did before. It’s an interesting exercise–taking the same story from different points of view. And fun to read.

Midnight Sun is enjoyable, and though I didn’t love it, I liked it quite a bit, and would recommend it for people who like YA fantasy, especially for those who enjoyed the original Twilight series. Like my Songs of Healing, it has a fairly modern setting. If you prefer your fantasy a bit medieval, maybe check out Adelaide and the Dragon Castle.

Merci Suárez Changes Gears

In Merci Suárez Changes Gears, Merci lives in las casitas–three pink houses in a row in Florida that she shares with not just her immediate family, but also her extended family.

Lolo and Abuela live in the middle house, and much of this book is about Merci’s relationship with Lolo. Just as Merci struggles with a new stage of her life (middle school), Lolo is struggling with a new stage of his life (old age).

This is a beautiful story that reminds me a bit of my earliest five years when we lived around the block from my grandma and grandpa. I wonder what it would have been like to get older there, to be part of their lives as I got into middle school and then high school.

For Merci, it’s not all easy. (But then, is entering middle school ever easy?) But it’s good, and I love taking this journey with her. I love getting to know this creative, confident, athletic character, and all the people who make up her world.

If you’re at all into realistic middle-grade fiction, this is a good one. I’d say it’s better than Because of Mr. Terupt or Micah McKinney and the Boys of Summer (which are both also good books).

Beyond

Beyond by M. C. Winkkle is a young adult science fiction book. It stars Stella, a young woman who is being held captive as an alien spy.

However, Stella’s no spy. She’s just an ordinary girl who has had trouble fitting in with the other kids. She has a close relationship with her mom, though. Her captors use that relationship to push Stella into cooperating with with them, and Stella soon manifests abilities she didn’t know she had. Maybe she’s not quite as ordinary as she thought she was.

This was a fun book that I enjoyed a great deal despite some disconcerting shifts in point of view. If you like alien invasion stories that have a fair bit of nuance, this book might be a good one for you to try.

Interested in other science fiction recommendations? Check out my take on The Left Hand of Darkness or Cinder.

Blessings and Happy Reading

The Captain’s Boy

The Captain’s Boy is the newest release from one of my critique group members–Don Callaway.

This story follows a Pennsylvania farm boy from the period of the American Revolution. When Isaiah and his father return from a supply-gathering trip, they find that Hessians have looted and burned their farm.

With the rest of the family dead, Isaiah’s grief-stricken father throws himself into a quest for revenge. Though physically with his father, Isaiah must handle his own grief alone. He also must find his own way through his grief and the process of becoming a man in this new war-torn world.

The historical detail is wonderful. I particularly enjoy seeing how everyday tasks in that time were handled. It reminds me a bit of the Little House books in that way.

This is a good story that I recommend, especially for readers who enjoy historical fiction or coming of age stories. You can purchase your own copy here. Like historical books? I’d also recommend Boxers and Saints, and Sarah, Plain and Tall.

New Kid

New Kid, by Jerry Craft was 2020’s Newbery award winner. Like other Newberys, it is incredibly well-written, and rich in detail. It has well-rounded characters and a tale that tugs on my heartstrings.

Unlike any other Newbery I’ve read, it is also a graphic novel.

The artwork is gorgeous, and I particularly love the art within the art. (This graphic novel tells the story of Jordan Banks, a young artist, so some of the spreads are meant to be Jordan’s work.) I love the way the book explores this part of Jordan’s personality. I’m fascinated by the ongoing argument in his family about what role art should play in Jordan’s education. Jordan’s family (or at least part of it) regards creative endeavors as a sideline in the business of life. Naturally, I relate to Jordan’s frustration with that.

I also relate to Jordan’s struggle with being the new kid in a school despite some obvious differences between our experiences. Jordan’s racial background and the nature of his prestigious private school add complexity to his struggle. In some ways, this story reminds me of The Hate U Give because Jordan, like Starr, has to navigate two very different cultures as he attends a private school far from his neighborhood.

All in all, this is a great book. I strongly recommend it for anyone who likes graphic novels, art, or realistic stories about starting a new stage of life. I’ll be looking for more of Jerry Craft’s books in the future.

A Christmas Carol

I’ve read A Christmas Carol before, of course. When exactly, I can’t remember–perhaps it was for school.

Reading it again, I’m impressed by the wealth of detail. The world comes alive with the meager coal in Bob Cratchit’s fireplace, the door knocker that morphs into Marley’s face, and the pictures of revelry outside Scrooge’s window (and the bleakness within).

I also love the characters in this book. Scrooge bristles with complexity. As we pass through his past and linger in his present, we see that he’s more than the crusted, money-grubbing, crab he has become. Others, too, have intricately-woven personalities. Scrooge’s nephew delights. Bob Cratchit and all the other Cratchits make joy with hardly any wherewithal.

The thing I might like best about A Christmas Carol, though, is the way it champions the potential for redemption in everyone. If Scrooge can change, there’s hope for us all.

If you haven’t read this in a while (or never read it), I recommend picking up a copy. The digital copy I picked up from Amazon is free, and I’m sure it’s available at most libraries.

Sarah, Plain and Tall

I’ve often heard that Sarah, Plain and Tall is a very good book, but somehow I hadn’t read it before.

It’s a deceptively simple story, short, with easy-to-read language. Despite its simplicity, the story packs a big emotional punch.

Sarah, who is in fact plain and tall, comes from her home near the sea to the Nebraska prairies. She’s supposed to marry Anna and Caleb’s father, but there’s a trial period. She, naturally, misses her home, and Anna and Caleb worry that she will leave them–as their mother left them (quite unwillingly, we’re sure) by dying not long after Caleb was born. It’s a melancholy story, with lots of yearning underneath the surface.

Though this isn’t my favorite of the Newberys I’ve read recently, I like it. I would recommend it, especially for those who like historical fiction and those who struggle with reading but want decent stories. To find more of my book reviews, check out the bookshelf tab of my website. You can also connect on Goodreads or Librarything.

Cress

Marissa Meyer has written another fabulous book with Cress. Book Three of The Lunar Chronicles lives up to the high standard set by Cinder and Scarlet. (My daughter would say it surpasses it. Cress is her favorite.)

Like the two previous books, this one is a fairy-tale retelling–in this case of Rapunzel. For an isolated shut-in, Cress turns out to be a remarkably active and resourceful main character. Her mad computer skills save her (and others) dozens of times, but it’s her ability to make friends after so much isolation that’s truly impressive.

Also like the first two books, this one is full of action and life-changing revelations. When Cress’s rescue goes a bit awry, all the characters get thrown into life-threatening crisis. It’s hard to imagine how the problems could intensify–and yet they do, throwing our heroes into ever-increasing danger.

With Cress on board, this little team of outcasts and misfits may just have a fighting chance at overthrowing the evil empire from Luna that seems intent on ruling the Earth.

Maybe.

In any case, I’m looking forward to the next book, and I strongly recommend this one for anyone who likes YA sci-fi and fantasy (and anyone who enjoys good fairy-tale retellings). For other reviews, check it out on Goodreads or LibraryThing.

Bridge to Terabithia

I read Bridge to Terabithia once long ago, and my memory of it was fuzzy–only that it was a very good book, and that it made me sad.

When a student needed to read it for a class, I was glad to pick up a copy and read along. And, having read it again, I have to say that I still think it’s a very good book. And it still makes me sad.

I love Jesse–and feel convicted by him. Like him, I fear what the people around me think–and feel both crippled and embarrassed by my lack of courage. Like Jesse, I have siblings I love–and sometimes want to throttle (less so now that I don’t live with them, but I remember that feeling).

And, then, of course, there’s Leslie–the child of the city and imagination who changes everything. I love the way Leslie brings Jesse along with her flights of imagination, and the way the two of them challenge each other to experience things beyond their normal.

I also love the way this book deals with hard things with both honesty and compassion. In this particular strength, Bridge to Terabithia excels beyond most books I have read. I highly recommend it for anyone. It might be even better than some of the other Newbery award winners I’ve reviewed here, like Holes and Hello, Universe.