Check Please!

Check Please!  by Ngozi Ukazu

Eric "Bitty" Bittle just wants to bake pies, listen to pop music, vlog, play hockey, and maybe make some friends on the college hockey team.  A former Southern Junior Champion figure skater, he's kinda small for hockey, but he's wicked fast on the ice and that counts for a lot on a competitive team.  

It will take a long time for Bitty to come out as gay to his teammates...especially to team captain (and secret crush) Jack Zimmermann.  In the meantime, there are college classes, epic keggers, and (of course) hockey.

Don't let the big-eyed manga style of the illustrations fool you:  this is not a kiddie comic.  The characters are college guys (and gals) and they are rude, crude, and socially unacceptable.  They cuss a lot.  In other words, they are hockey players.  They are also good friends, and much sweeter to each other than you might think.  

I wouldn't normally put "hockey player" and "adorable" in the same sentence, but this book practically requires that I do.  Love the supportive environment, love the ongoing references to fabulous food (mmmMMMmm, pie!), love the art, love the story.  

Highly recommended for ages 14 and up.  

Dread Nation

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Y'all need to understand that I am a coward, a complete chicken pants. I can't watch scary movies and I definitely can't read scary books...

...which makes Dread Nation something special.

It's the story of a young woman, Jane McKeene, born just two days before the dead at the Battle of Gettysburg began to rise up and attack the living. Now Jane is at a required school, where black girls are trained to kill the undead... and Jane has serious zombie-slaying skills.

Part suspense, part mystery, part adventure, and a big part social commentary, this book kept me turning pages from beginning to end. It's not too scary...but there are a lot of zombies. And they aren't all, um, dead yet.

Book #1 in a series but this one stands alone while offering a nice setup for book #2. Mild cussing, some kissing and other sexual situations, a bucket ton of racism, plus zombies. 

Highly recommended for ages 12 and up.

Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World

Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World  by Ashley Herring Blake

Ivy is 12 years old (almost 13!), and feeling adrift following the birth of baby twins in the family.  Her friends are just starting to think and talk about boys, but Ivy is starting to think about girls.  Then, Ivy's world literally flies apart:  a tornado flattens her house and leaves her family homeless.  

Ivy is a smart, talented, and creative protagonist who finds more than a little help from friends--new friends and familiar friends.  

This is a beautiful, sweet middle-grade book about Ivy and her family and friends, and their attempts to find their own places in the world.  Highly recommended for readers ages 10 and up.

Drag Teen

Drag Teen by Jeffery Self

18 year old JT is stuck in Clearwater, Florida where the water isn't clear.  He dreams of life somewhere--anywhere--else, but his family is content running a roadside gas station and eating food from the dollar store, and they consider a few classes at Clearwater' Tech School sufficient "higher education" for their vision of JT's future.  No support there. 

JT's boyfriend Seth proposes a solution:  a drag queen competition for teens in New York City.  The prize for first place is a four-year scholarship.  Why would JT, a talented singer and drag-queen wannabe, not want to participate?

The answer to that, and some other stuff, is the guts of this book. 

Part unlikely-road-trip adventure, part fish-out-of-water drama, part coming-of-age story, Drag Teen is a fun read.  Sure, the plot relies too heavily on coincidence, and some of the characters were so two-dimensional that it's a wonder they could get Spanx to stay on, and clearly the narrator's personal arc was copied from some old "afterschool special" formula, and the ending was completely non-credible. 

But for all the weaknesses, I enjoyed reading this book.

Recommended for readers ages 12 and up.

What Goes Up

What Goes Up  by Katie Kennedy

200 teen scientists vie for two positions with NASA's Interworlds Agency.  The tests cover math, science, problem-solving...and a lot more.  Rosa Hayashi is an obvious choice.  Eddie Toivonen is not.

Then gravity flutters, which it definitely should not do.  Immediately after, alternate-dimension aliens show up, and they look human.  In fact, the alternate-dimension aliens look exactly like the astronauts who just left Earth, only these astronauts are carrying a very dangerous cargo.

What could possibly go wrong?

Part Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, part Ender's Game and part literary roller coaster.  Put it all together for a fast-moving, fun book with an intriguing premise and appealing characters who make nerdy the new cool.  Highly recommended!

Ages 12 to adult.  Some cussing, some kissing and some unbelievably corny knock-knock jokes.

My Fairy Godmother is a Drag Queen

My Fairy Godmother is a Drag Queen  by David Clawson

17-year-old Chris is the undervalued stepson in the socially-prominent (but financially bereft) Fontaine family.  He does all the cooking and cleaning, and keeps his step-siblings well-dressed and his step-mother comfortably numb.  When J.J. Kennerly, "The Most Eligible Bachelor in America," publicly announces that he will be attending the prestigious Autumnal Ball, the household goes nuts--and Chris gets left behind. 

Will Chris be cut off from happiness forever, or will his new friend Coco Chanel Jones work her fabulous fashion magic and bring about true love between Chris and J.J.? 

This Cinderella-reboot has a lot of cute elements and some laugh-out-loud moments, but tries a little too hard to rock the gender boat.   And then there's the ending, which involves a shoe and an unexpected coming-out that should have been satisfying but felt forced instead.

A quick and fun read for ages 12 to adult.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda  by Becky Albertalli

16-year-old Simon Spier is in the closet, and he isn't sure how to get out.  But he's been corresponding online with another local boy called "Blue," and Simon is pretty sure that Blue (or whatever his real name is) will be worth all the drama that will probably accompany coming out. 

Then, Martin finds the emails and blackmails Simon.  

Did somebody say "drama"?

The book features all of the heartache-y, up-and-down drama of a John Hughes "brat pack" movie, updated with modern characters and modern sensibilities.  It's fun, it's funny, it's surprising, and it's a feel-good book with a happy ending--perfect summer beach reading.

And if you liked Simon, you'll love Leah:

Leah on the Offbeat  by Becky Albertalli

A year has passed since Simon learned Blue's true identity, and in that time, nobody has made much progress getting to know Leah better.  She's smart, she's snarky, she's a damn good drummer and a good friend.  But even though her mom has known for ages that Leah is bisexual, Leah hasn't told anybody else yet.  Not even Simon.

Now senior year is almost over.  Prom-drama is running high, with graduation and college coming soon, and Leah is torn when her rock-solid group of friends begins to fracture in ways she never dreamed. 

Sweet, warm and funny, with all the melodrama that only 18-year-olds can muster.  It makes me remember my high school days with a smile, even though I'd never want to re-live them.

Recommended for ages 12 to adult.  Some cussing, lots of under-age drinking, and more sexual situations and angst than you might have thought possible.  Gold stars for appropriate mentions of safe sexual practices.

The Prince and the Dressmaker

The Prince and the Dressmaker  by Jen Wang (graphic novel)

Prince Sebastian has a secret.

Some days I look in the mirror and think, "That's me, Prince Sebastian!  I wear boy clothes and look like my father.  Other days it doesn't feel right at all.  Those days I feel like I'm actually...a princess."

Although Sebastian is sure that his family would be ruined and his parents would disown him if the secret ever got out, he does share it--and his dreams of being known in public as the glamorous Lady Crystallia--with his dressmaker.  Frances not only encourages Sebastian, she creates fabulous gowns for Lady Crystallia that are soon the talk of all Paris. 

And then, things go wrong.

This beautifully illustrated graphic novel is a quick and compelling read with a sweet, satisfying ending.  Reading it restored my faith in humans (and who doesn't need a bit of that?) and I plan to share it enthusiastically with teens, tweens...and parents.

Highly recommended, ages 10 to adult.

Orphan Monster Spy

Orphan Monster Spy  by Matt Killeen

15 year old Sarah is blonde, blue-eyed, and (according to Nazi reckoning) Jewish.  She is a talented gymnast, she speaks several languages, she is adept at assimilating.  In other words, she is perfectly suited to be a spy.

Assigned to infiltrate a school for the privileged daughters of high-ranking SS officers so she can discover the hidden location of a new kind of bomb, Sarah (now called "Ursula") sneaks, lies, snoops, and tricks her way into the top level of mean girls.  She finds the bomb...and much more.

The author's buckets of research and attention to character-building elevate this story above the adventures of James Bond, but some elements strain credulity.  The book is not quite as good as Code Name Verity, however, readers interested in the time-period will be fascinated by the descriptions from inside Nazi Germany.  

Although no sequel is specified, there is clearly more adventure in store for Sarah/Ursula.

Recommended for readers ages 14 to adult. 

Night of Cake and Puppets

Night of Cake and Puppets  by Laini Taylor, illustrated by Jim DiBartolo

Zuzanna begins the narrative with the story of a gruesome little puppet her grandfather used to scare small children:  the head made from a real fox skull with black glass eyes, sharpened teeth, and Cossack garb (complete with fur hat).  

Then she switches gears, a gushes a bit about this boy she is crazy to meet:  Mik, the "violin boy" who is Zuzanna's boyfriend in this author's Daughter of Smoke and Bone books.  This lovely, talented, beautiful boy...to whom Zuzanna is too shy to speak.

One night, she takes a handful of scuppies (tiny wishes) and crafts a little adventure for Mik:  a treasure map, with a drawing of herself at the center of the page where "x-marks-the-spot."  

And thus, the magic begins.

Small, quiet, and powerful, this novella should be uber-creepy, but becomes delightfully sweet instead.  The illustrations are swirly, gothic, and delightful.

And now, I want cake. 

Recommended for readers ages 12 to adult.  Some scariness, no blood, some kissing (YES!!!) and thoughts of further intimacy but nothing on the page.   

You do not need to read the Smoke and Bones books to appreciate this. You only need to understand that magic is real, and that I love this book.

Turtles All the Way Down

Turtles All the Way Down  by John Green

16-year-old Aza has a problem.  It's not school--she gets good grades.  It's not friends--her best friend Daisy is the Best and Most Fearless Friend Ever. It isn't money--though Aza's family isn't rich, they have enough for food, housing, transportation, and relatively up-to-date technology.  It's not even her mom--though her mom doesn't always understand Aza, she definitely loves her daughter.

Aza's problem is her mind:  sometimes she can control her anxieties, but sometimes the worries spiral in tighter and tighter until Aza is almost strangled by them.  

When Aza and Daisy decide to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a friend's dad (who happens to be a billionaire), nothing goes according to plan.  Aza wants to be involved closely with Davis, but every time they kiss, her anxiety kicks into high gear.  

This is not a simple book to read.  Aza's intrusive thoughts are nearly crippling at times, and those who love her aren't having much fun either.  But, as storyteller/author Elizabeth Ellis observed in her book Inviting the Wolf In: 

"Perhaps that is the greatest disrespect we can pay anyone: 

to be unwilling to look at their pain.  

If they could live it, I could look at it.  

Perhaps it was the very least I could do."

Author John Green didn't just research obsessive compulsive disorder in order to write this book; rather, he lives with it.  His expertise, painfully acquired, shines through.  It's painful to read, but not nearly as painful as it is to live.  The least we can do is to look, and learn.

Highly recommended.

The Girl in the Tower

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

Sequel to The Bear and the Nightingale, this story takes up where the first book ended: Vasya has left her family and her village. Together, she and her marvelous horse (with some help from Morozko, the frost demon) journey towards Moscow, and (of course) things go terribly wrong along the way.

Familiarity with Russian folklore will definitely aid in understanding and enjoying this dense, dark tale. Vasilisa and Morozko figure in many traditional stories, as do...oh, but that would be a spoiler.

If you know the stories, you may recognize characters along the way; otherwise, you will be as surprised as Vasya herself when true identities are revealed.

Some kissing, some bloodshed, some nekkidness, some demons and devils, and quite a lot of magic. This is second in a trilogy, but does not end on a cliffhanger.

Highly recommended reading for cold, blustery nights when the fire is ticking in the stove, and winter is just on the other side of the wall. Ages 12 to adult.

Dress Codes for Small Towns

Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney Stevens

*Dress Codes for Small Towns* starts with the night that Billie McCaffrey and her best friends accidentally burn down the church youth room. That sentence leads you to think some things about Billie and her friends, and those thoughts would probably be inaccurate. Preacher's kid Billie has a good relationship with God, a strained relationship with her dad, a rocky relationship with the church people, and a confusing relationship with her friends.

Billie's friend Janie Lee might be in love with their other friend Woods, which is confusing because Billie might also be in love with Woods...or with Janie Lee. Or maybe Davey? She really isn't sure. But she's pretty sure what the church people think of her.

She might be wrong.

All the stereotypes of small-town Kentucky that you've ever seen in books are not in this book--at least, not the way you've seen them before. The characters are dimensional and lovely, and almost nobody does what you think they might do. And yet, the story makes sense, beautifully, from beginning to end.  I was especially pleased that, in this book, "church" and "belief" and "religion" are not weapons used to clobber non-conforming kids.  May it be ever so in the real world.

This may be the best book I've read in 2018.  Highly recommended for readers ages 12 to adult. Some kissing and cussing on the page. Also some praying, some square dancing, a broken bone, and Batman.

Wintersong

Wintersong  by S. Jae-Jones

Liesl's grandmother makes sure that all the children in the family know the stories of the Goblin King: of his changelings, his love for bright human things, and the danger of letting the fae folk too close.  And yet, when Liesl's sister is taken away Underground, she doesn't hesitate to offer herself as a hostage instead.

Gradually, the grim existence of life under the fairy mound begins to wear down even the toughest of humans--they lose their sense of song, of taste, and gradually fade away as the goblins drain them of their humanity.  But Liesl is different...isn't she?

Some reviewers have compared this to the 1986 movie "Labyrinth" but of course the story of humans taken away underground by supernatural forces is older than Persephone herself.  Students of folklore will detect faint traces of Thomas the Rhymer, Tam Lin, and even Rip Van Winkle, and each portion of the story is preceded with stanzas from Rossetti's "Goblin Market."   

The pacing is steady, with excellent character development for Liesl and her family, and also a nice amount of detail developing the various fae folk, especially the Goblin King--who, despite his grounding in world folklore, probably looks a lot like David Bowie.

Minor cussing, some blood, violence, some sexual situations.  Recommended for readers ages 14 to adult.  This is first in a series but stands alone.