Red, White, and Whole

I got Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca from the library after seeing it was one of the Newbery honor books for this year. The book description reads, "Reha feels torn between two worlds: school, where she’s the only Indian American student, and home, with her family’s traditions and holidays. But Reha’s parents don’t understand why she’s conflicted—they only notice when Reha doesn’t meet their strict expectations. Reha feels disconnected from her mother, or Amma, although their names are linked—Reha means 'star' and Punam means 'moon'—but they are a universe apart. Then Reha finds out that her Amma is sick. Really sick. Reha, who dreams of becoming a doctor even though she can’t stomach the sight of blood, is determined to make her Amma well again. She’ll be the perfect daughter, if it means saving her Amma’s life."

This book was so good! It was written in verse and was a quick, engaging read. At the beginning, I was just like, Oh, this is a nice read, but wasn't really sure if the book was super special or meaningful--but once I hit the climax of the book, I was hooked. The book was pretty heart-wrenching and had me full-on sobbing and repeating, "This is a terrible book" (even though it wasn't actually terrible). It was a beautiful read and definitely one I'd recommend to others. I loved the various characters and thought they were well-developed even for a short book, and I also thought the book taught some meaningful lessons.

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

Golden Girl

I saw Golden Girl by Reem Faruqi on the new books shelf at the library and recognized the author from a great picture book called Lailah's Lunchbox. Here's the book description: "Seventh grader Aafiyah loves playing tennis, reading Weird but True facts, and hanging out with her best friend, Zaina. However, Aafiyah has a bad habit that troubles her—she’s drawn to pretty things and can’t help but occasionally 'borrow' them. But when her father is falsely accused of a crime he hasn’t committed and gets taken in by authorities, Aafiyah knows she needs to do something to help. When she brainstorms a way to bring her father back, she turns to her Weird but True facts and devises the perfect plan. But what if her plan means giving in to her bad habit, the one she’s been trying to stop? Aafiyah wants to reunite her family but finds that maybe her plan isn’t so perfect after all. . ."

This was a nice read. It was written in verse, so it was quick to get through, and I enjoyed the story. I always like books that open my eyes to different perspectives and experiences, which this book definitely did in several ways.

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

Home Is Not A Country

I saw Home Is Not A Country by Safia Elhillo on a list of the Coretta Scott King author honor books for 2022 and got it from the library. The book description says, "Nima wishes she were someone else. She doesn’t feel understood by her mother, who grew up in a different land. She doesn’t feel accepted in her suburban town; yet somehow, she isn't different enough to belong elsewhere. Her best friend, Haitham, is the only person with whom she can truly be herself. Until she can't, and suddenly her only refuge is gone. As the ground is pulled out from under her, Nima must grapple with the phantom of a life not chosen—the name her parents meant to give her at birth—Yasmeen. But that other name, that other girl, might be more real than Nima knows. And the life Nima wishes were someone else's. . . is one she will need to fight for with a fierceness she never knew she possessed."

Wow. This book was so good. It's kind of funny to me because at first, I wasn't super into it, and I was having trouble following the story. The book is written in verse (which I usually love), but it was a different format than I'm used to with big spaces separating thoughts within one line. It made it tricky for me to read at first, and I just wasn't sure on the book. BUT, things changed partway through, and suddenly I was hooked. I ached for Nima and all she was carrying and just loved how the story took a twist into fantasy that allowed Nima to understand so much more about her life. I think this was a powerful read, and I just loved the message of the story.

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

Set Me Free

After enjoying Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte, I got the sequel from the library: Set Me Free. The description of the book says, "Three years after being kidnapped as a 'live specimen' in a cruel experiment to determine the cause of her deafness, Mary Lambert has grown weary of domestic life on Martha's Vineyard, and even of her once beloved writing. So when an old acquaintance summons her to an isolated manor house outside Boston to teach a young deaf girl to communicate, Mary agrees. But can a child of eight with no prior language be taught? And is Mary up to the task? With newfound purpose, Mary arrives only to discover that there is much more to the girl's story--and the circumstances of her confinement--than she ever could have imagined. Suddenly, teaching her and freeing her from the prison of her isolation, takes on much greater meaning, and peril."

This was a great read. It's always fun to read sequels of books where you enjoyed the characters and setting because you get to re-join the world. I enjoyed following Mary's adventure and seeing how she navigated the people and situations she came across. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first book, but I still was glad I read it.

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

The Last Cuentista

I put The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera on hold at the library after seeing it won this year's Newbery Medal. The book takes place in 2061 when Earth is about to be destroyed by a comet. A few hundred scientists and their children--incuding 12-year-old Petra and her family--have been chosen to journey to a new planet to carry on the human race.

This book was so good! I had it in a pile of several other to-read books and kept putting it off and putting it off until it was the last one left--but once I got into it, I was super engaged and anxious to finish it to see how things would turn out. I hadn't read a futuristic/science fiction type book in FOREVER, so it was kinda creepy for me at first. It gave me vibes of House of the Scorpion and Hunger Games (but I think only because I don't read a lot of books that take place in a future time and those are ones I have read). I thought the story was super exciting with lovable characters and fun twists. There were some stressful and sad parts of the book, but I came away satisfied with how the author concluded things.

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

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)