The House That Wasn't There

I can't even remember how I came across this book, but I recently got The House That Wasn't There by Elana K. Arnold from the library. Here's the book description: "Alder has always lived in his cozy little house in Southern California. And for as long as he can remember, the old, reliable, comforting walnut tree has stood between his house and the one next door. That is, until a new family—with a particularly annoying girl his age—moves into the neighboring house and, without warning, cuts it down. Oak doesn’t understand why her family had to move to Southern California. She has to attend a new school, find new friends, and live in a new house that isn’t even ready—her mother had to cut down a tree on their property line in order to make room for a second floor. And now a strange boy next door won’t stop staring at her, like she did something wrong moving here in the first place. As Oak and Alder start school together, they can’t imagine ever becoming friends. But the two of them soon discover a series of connections between them—mysterious, possibly even magical puzzles they can’t put together. At least not without each other’s help."

This was a super odd book. I LOVED the realistic fiction part of it--the relationship between the kids and how it changed, friendship dynamics, etc. But the book also had a small part of fantasy in there that was just so odd and random that it just seemed off to me. I would have liked the book fine without that.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

All He Knew

All He Knew by Helen Frost has been on my to-read list for awhile--I'm not sure how I originally heard about it, but I finally got it from the library. The book is about Henry: "Henry has been deaf from an early age―he is intelligent and aware of langauge, but by age six, he has decided it's not safe to speak to strangers. When the time comes for him to start school, he is labeled "unteachable." Because his family has very little money, his parents and older sister, Molly, feel powerless to help him. Henry is sent to Riverview, a bleak institution where he is misunderstood, underestimated, and harshly treated. Victor, a conscientious objector to World War II, is part of a Civilian Public Service program offered as an alternative to the draft. In 1942, he arrives at Riverview to serve as an attendant and quickly sees that Henry is far from unteachable―he is brave, clever, and sometimes mischievous. In Victor's care, Henry begins to see how things can change for the better."

This book was SO GOOD. It had me full-out sobbing in the middle because it was so heart-wrenching, but it came together beautifully, and I just loved it. I loved the story and characters, and it had me so engaged that once I finished, I had to give my husband a summary of the entire book over dinner. This book gave me a glimpse to some aspects of history I knew very little about (like conscientious objectors) as well as helping me see how few resources there were in the past for children with special needs. I really loved this book and highly recommend it. It's a quick read (partially because it is written in verse and partially because it's just so good that you have to keep reading) that I finished in a day.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Under a Painted Sky

I read Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee for a young adult book club I recently joined. (My mom started it, and everyone meets on Zoom.) Here is the book description:"Missouri, 1849: Samantha dreams of moving back to New York to be aprofessional musician--not an easy thing if you're a girl, and harder still if you're Chinese. But a tragic accident dashes any hopes of fulfilling her dream, and instead, leaves her fearing for her life. With the help of a runaway slave named Annamae, Samantha flees town for the unknown frontier. But life on the Oregon Trail is unsafe for two girls, so they disguise themselves as Sammy and Andy, two boys headed for the California gold rush. Sammy and Andy forge a powerful bond as they each search for a link to their past, and struggle to avoid any unwanted attention. But when they cross paths with a band of cowboys, the light-hearted troupe turn out to be unexpected allies. With the law closing in on them and new setbacks coming each day, the girls quickly learn that there are not many places to hide on the open trail."

This was a great read. One of my favorite things about book clubs is when I read books I would have never found or picked up on my own, and this is a perfect example of that. I started the book with only a week till book club, and I was worried I would have trouble finishing it in time--but it was no problem AT ALL. I sped through the book because the story was so engaging. The characters were amazing, the story was exciting and adventurous and tender, and there was a good balance of hard and happy. I really enjoyed this one and plan to look at other books written by the author.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Words on Fire

I saw Words on Fire by Jennifer Nielsen on a list of books my sister was putting together for her library. The book description reads, "Danger is never far from Audra's family farm in Lithuania. She always avoids the occupying Russian Cossack soldiers, who insist that everyone must become Russian -- they have banned Lithuanian books, religion, culture, and even the language. But Audra knows her parents are involved in something secret and perilous. In June 1893, when Cossacks arrive abruptly at their door, Audra's parents insist that she flee, taking with her an important package and instructions for where to deliver it. But escape means abandoning her parents to a terrible fate. As Audra embarks on a journey to deliver the mysterious package, she faces unimaginable risks, and soon she becomes caught up in a growing resistance movement. Can joining the underground network of book smugglers give Audra a chance to rescue her parents?"

This was a great book. I thought it was really interesting to learn about this pocket of history that I knew pretty much nothing about, and I liked how the story emphasized the power of books. There were some clever twists in the story and endearing characters. The only thing I didn't like about this book is that it was pretty heavy with lots of bad stuff happening that couldn't balance out with good things. Books like that get a little heavy for me, so this was a slower book for me to get through. But it was definitely a good read.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Show Me a Sign

Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte has been on my to-read list for awhile since it won the Schneider Family book award. Here is the descriptino from the book jacket: "Mary Lambert has always felt safe and protected on her beloved island of Martha's Vineyard. Her great-great-grandfather was an early English settler and the first deaf islander. Now, over a hundred years later, many people there -- including Mary -- are deaf, and nearly everyone can communicate in sign language. Mary has never felt isolated. She is proud of her lineage. But recent events have delivered winds of change. Mary's brother died, leaving her family shattered. Tensions over land disputes are mounting between English settlers and the Wampanoag people. And a cunning young scientist has arrived, hoping to discover the origin of the island's prevalent deafness. His maniacal drive to find answers soon renders Mary a "live specimen" in a cruel experiment. Her struggle to save herself is at the core of this penetrating and poignant novel that probes our perceptions of ability and disability."

This was such a great book! It engaged me right away, and I was able to finish it super quickly because I was anxious to see how things turned out. I liked the characters, the special community and culture where Mary lives, the adventure in the story, etc. I took ASL in high school, so I also enjoyed reading a book since I have a background in sign language. The author of the book is also deaf, which is cool. This was a great read, and I just saw a sequel just came out so I excitedly put it on hold at the library.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen!

I saw Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen! by Sarah Kapit on a list for the Schneider Family Book Award. I had forgotten about it until I was looking at something my sister was working on for her library--so I decided to check it out. This book is about Vivy, who has autism and loves baseball. She is an expert at the knuckleball pitch, and when she gets invited to join an all-boys Little League team, she is thrilled when her mom reluctantly agrees. The book is written as a series of letters Vivy writes with her major league baseball player pen pal VJ.

I loved this book! I finished it in like 24 hours because it was just an engaging story, and I wanted to see how things would pan out. I liked the letter format and thought Vivy was a really wonderful character. I found out afterward that the author has autism, which makes the story even cooler that it's written from an authentic perspective.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Ghost Squad

I read Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega for my girls' book club. It's the story of Lucely, who can interact with the ghosts of her ancestors who are fireflies. When something bad happens to the spirit of her grandmother, Lucely and her best friend Syd are desperate to help. They find a magic spell book and end up unintentionally awakening malicious spirits in their town.

This was a fun read. When I started out, it was the type of book I maybe wouldn't have stuck with because fantasty/ghosts isn't usually my preferred genre. But I'm glad I stuck with it because I enjoyed the book. I liked the characters, especially Syd's grandma Babette, and thought the story was clever and fun.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)