Tag: YA/MG Page 2 of 19

In Audiobook, Comics, DC Smith & Kings Lake, Don Winslow, Faith Hunter, Fantasy, Fiction, Fletch, General Fiction/Literature, Gregory Mcdonald, Harry Bosch, Harry Dresden, Humor, Jim Butcher, M. W. Craven, Michael Connelly, Michael R. Underwood, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Non-Fiction, Renée Ballard, Science Fiction, Theology/Christian Living, Urban Fantasy, Washington Poe, YA/MG/Children's Books

I did this back in January 2020, and need to do it again.

I frequently mention how looming Mt. TBR is getting for me, but what’s worse is my “To Write About” pile, I know I’m never going to catch up with that properly and it bugs me to no end. But in the interest of something being better than nothing, a dash of realism, and a heavy dose of self-care, I’m cutting myself some slack. So I’m clearing the deck of everything from 2020-2022 that I haven’t made time for. This was painful to do, I was looking forward to writing about most of these, and I have so much that I want to say. But I’m just not going to get to them—and other books are starting to pile up, too. So, in 144 characters or less, here’s me cutting myself some slack.

How bad am I at keeping up with my To-Write-Titles? I put together the list of books for this post in January 2023. And am just now getting to it. I wish that was a joke.

(Click on the cover for an official site with more info)

	Battle Ground by Jim Butcher I just can’t talk about this one yet. I need more time. (yeah, they’re fictional characters, but I’ve spent too long with them to not be reeling)
	Desert Star by Michael Connelly Loved it while reading it. But I have more and more questions about all of it the longer I think about it. Not Connelly’s best but well worth it
	Dead Ground by M. W. Craven Not a typical Poe and Tilly case, just as good and gripping as the rest though.
	The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas by Machado de Assis, Flora Thomson-DeVeaux (Translator) A strange and somewhat humorous look at a ghost’s POV on his life. I want to read it a few more times to really get a handle on it. Heckuva read
	Nightwing: Year One Deluxe Edition by Chuck Dixon If there’s a better Nightwing writer out there, I’d like to see it. A great, great, great telling of his origin.
	Mythos by Stephen Fry Drags a little. Wish he could pick a tone for his retellings/commentary on the classic stories. Still, it’s Stephen Fry talking—worth the time.
	Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures by Stephen Fry See above, but felt it dragged a bit more.
	Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia, Gabriel Picolo (Penciller) A solid, believable update of Gar Logan’s backstory. Very promising follow-up to the Raven book. Really impressed with Picolo.
	Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven by Kami Garcia, Gabriel Picolo (Penciller) Bring the two together and it’s even better. I’m curious about the overall story, but would read just them being awkward together. Like the art.
	Missing Pieces: A Kings Lake Investigation by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackosn (Narrator) The Murder Squad tackles a cold case and is as excellent as ever. I don’t know how to talk about this series w/o being redundant. I want more!
	Junkyard War by Faith Hunter, Khristine Hvam (Narrator) This was utterly fine. A lot didn’t go the way I expected. But I’m still in this series for the long haul.
	The Dime by Kathleen Kent One of the best first chapters ever. The rest is pretty good. Not sure I buy the motive for the murders, nor that I want to see what comes next.
	Batman: City of Crime by David Lapham If you buy (I can’t) Batman losing sight of his mission, this story about him recovering it is great. If you can’t…well, it’s pretty good.
	Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke, J.D. Jackson (Narrator) A stunning work of fiction. Words fail me. A deeply compromised Texas Ranger tries to solve a potential hate crime and keep his job.
	Flynn by Gregory McDonald, Donald Corren (Narrator) I expected the Fletch narrator for some reason, but Corren won me over in minutes. One of my favorite novels of all-time. Great audio version.
	Son of Fletch by Gregory McDonald, Dan John Miller (Narrator) Oh, I wanted to love this. But I just liked it. I’ll probably hear Miller in my head anytime I read Fletch in print.
	Fletch Reflected by Gregory McDonald, Dan John Miller (Narrator) This is not the way the series should’ve ended. Some fantastic moments, but not sure it was worth it. Miller was solid as always.
	Last Couple Standing by Matthew Norman Norman’s best female characters (to date). Stupid premise, but it almost convinces me to like it by the end. Lots of great moments.
	Weakness Is the Way: Life with Christ Our Strength by J.I. Packer Packer’s great on 2 Corinthians and what Paul tells about weakness as a way of life for the Christian.
	The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson I’m not sure I loved the way the story went in this one, but I grew to appreciate it. Characters are still great.
	The Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson Whatever my misgivings about the last one, this was the right way to end the series. Just what I wanted (if mildly predictable)
	Deathstroke, Vol. 1: The Professional by Christopher J. Priest I prefer the version Wolfman and Perez initially told about his origin, but this ain’t a bad version. And I see why it was necessary. Good ’nuff
	There Goes The Neighborhood by S. Reed I stopped working with a book tour company because they wouldn’t let me be honest about this book ever. So I won’t be. Loved ALL of it. <3<3<3<3
	Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods by Rick Riordan, Jesse Bernstein (Narrator) If Percy Jackson edited D’Aulaires’s book you’d get this. A great way to introduce the myths to young readers. Bernstein is a spot-on Percy.
	Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan, Jesse Bernstein (Narrator) See above, but with heroes.
	I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider If someone looked into my brain, took all of my ideas and feelings, and improved them, you’d get this book. But only one-third as good as this.
	All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor, Ray Porter (Narrator) Taylor and Porter are unbeatable together. This is funny (duh), and the grief and sadness are real. As is the anger. Is the ending too easy?
	The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, Andy Serkis (Narrator) Serkis nails the narration (as you’d expect). Is there a better first book of a series in Fantasy?
	The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien, Andy Serkis (Narrator) Serkis is tremendous here. This whole book is ridiculously good.
	The Return of the King by by J.R.R. Tolkien, Andy Serkis (Narrator) One day the pacing on this won’t surprise me. The book gets better every time. Serkis was phenomenal.
	Annihilation Aria by Michael R. Underwood Found family stars in this fun, space opera about archeologists fighting an empire.
	The Cartel by Don Winslow The best of the trilogy. Shocking. Moving. Gripping. All-too-real—if you told me this was non-fiction, I’d almost believe it. A true classic.

Miles Morales Suspended (Audiobook) by Jason Reynolds, Narrated by Guy Lockard & Nile Bullock: Who Needs a Mask? Miles Can Carry a Story on His Own

By HCNewton

On January 9, 2024

In Audiobook, Comics, Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Miles Morales Suspended

by Jason Reynolds, Narrated by Guy Lockard & Nile Bullock

DETAILS:
Series: Miles Morales, #2
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Publication Date: May 2, 2023
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 3 hrs., 53 min.
Read Date: January 8, 2024

What’s Miles Morales Suspended About?

In the shadow of his victory against The Warden (see Miles Morales for details), Miles finds himself the brunt of his History teacher’s antagonism. Miles is sure it’s a prejudice against him, his skin color, his background, or…any number of other things. There’s a small chance it’s just his teacher being a jerk. It’s probably a combination of the two.

Regardless, Miles stands up for himself—and a few classmates have his back. And they end up serving an in-school suspension for it. The bulk of the novel focuses on that day—the doldrums of serving it, the homework assignments Miles has to try to focus on during the day, and all the ways his mind wanders through the day (his crush sitting in the desk behind him doesn’t help him focus at all).

Little by little, however, Miles becomes aware of a threat to him and others present that day. And eventually, suspension or not, Miles’ alter-ego has to step in and save the day.

The Narration

We have Guy Lockard back from the first book and this time he’s joined by Nile Bullock. I think the former handles the narration and the latter handles the parts of the book from Miles’ POV. Feel free to correct me.

Both of these performers brought this to life—the narration is very in-your-face (as is fitting, also reminiscent of Stan Lee’s voiceovers in various projects), and the characterization of Miles and the rest ring true.

I don’t really have anything to say about the narration other than I would listen to these two (together or apart) narrate an audiobook anytime

So, what did I think about Miles Morales Suspended?

There is very little plot to this (and not just because it’s just shy of 4 hours in length). What’s more, there’s very little Spider-Man action. Both of these are actually good things—at least this time. What we do get is a lot of Miles Morales action, we see the young man behind the mask just trying to survive high school, make connections, and grow up. These are the aspects of the characters that have helped people connect with Peter Parker and Miles since the 60s.

Now, don’t get me wrong—if this had all been Miles serving detention, it’d have been hard to put up with (not necessarily impossible). So I’m glad that Reynolds gave us a fun bit of Spider-Man action at the beginning and a pretty epic fight scene to wrap things up.

But that’s not the heart of the book—nor is it the heart of the character. Reynolds understands what drives Spider-Man (whoever is behind the mask), particularly Miles. Although, I’d like to see him tackle Peter just for fun, too.

Including so much poetry took me aback initially (or, at least when I figured out that’s what he was doing). But it fits Miles, it fits the girl he’s trying to impress, it fits this world, the themes of this particular book…and Reynolds knows what he’s doing in verse (unlike so many fantasy writers that litter their novels with questionable poetry). The same should be said for Lockard and Bullock—they know their way around reading verse so that it hits.

Is this the book I wanted and/or expected about Spider-Man or based on the previous novel by Reynolds? Nope. Do I care? Nope. Because it was fun, inventive, thought-provoking, and true to the character (yeah, a little heavy-handed, too—but that also sort of fits the classic Marvel modus operandi)

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

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Bea Wolf by Zach Weinersmith, Boulet (Illustrator): A Joy-Filled Retelling for Readers of All Ages

By HCNewton

On December 7, 2023

In Comics, Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Bea Wolf

by Zach Weinersmith, Boulet (Illustrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: First Second
Publication Date: March 21, 2023
Format: Hardcover
Length: 192
Read Date: November 25, 2023

Hey, wait!
Listen to the lives of the long-ago kids, the world-fighters,
the parent-unminding kids, the improper, the politeness-proof,
the unbowed bully-crushers,
the bedtime-breakers, the raspberry-blowers,
fighters of fun-killers, fearing nothing, fated for fame.

What’s Bea Wolf About?

In some generic town, there is a treehouse that deserves every accolade you can think of. Treehart has been the headquarters of several of those long-ago kids, where they played, had fun, ate too much candy, etc., etc. Treehart has been ruled by a succession of kings and queens who ruled with generosity until they started to sprout things like facial hair and acne and had to set aside the grown and (ugh) start growing up.

They run afoul of one of the local teachers

Mr. Grindle he was called, for his father was Mr. Grindle
and his mother was Mrs. Grindle, and that is how names work.

With just a touch, Grindle can bring about adolescence—or, even worse, adulthood. He started periodically raiding Treehart, begeezering all he could. And then, he’d clean it.

Ten kids turned teenaged, tired-eyed, ever-texting
eight turned middle-aged, aching, anxious, angry at the Internet.

Nearby, a former king’s cousin has heard of the adultening and sent her fiercest warrior, Bea Wolf, to come and restore frivolity and childhood to Treehart by defeating Grindle. Epic tales are shared, a lot of soda and candy are consumed, and then the two face off in a battle that can only be described as “epic.”

A Bit About the Art

In the Acknowledgements, Boulet said that he really didn’t have time to do the art for this book, but after reading part of the script, he knew he had to. I’m so glad he found—probably made—the time for it. This wouldn’t be nearly as successful without his art.

It’s playful and silly while not turning the whole thing into a joke. There’s pathos, there’s gravity, there’s danger in his drawings. And yet they’re attractive, winsome, and engaging, too. His art is everything the text is and more—yes, I think the book would’ve worked had it only been the text. But…he brings it to life in a way that words alone can’t.

Boulet and Weinersmith are a potent and nigh-perfect match here. I cannot say enough good about this art.

On The Publisher’s page for the book, there’s a link to “Take a Look Inside!” I’d heartily recommend you giving that a glance so you can get a flavor of the look of the book.

About Beowulf

After the tale (at least the first part of the tale) of Bea Wolf, Weinersmith spends a few times talking about what Beowulf is, its history, and the connection between this graphic novel and the source. It even talks about various translations to help a young reader pick one to try.

It’s written in a way that definitely appeals to crusty old guys like me and very likely will appeal to younger readers, too. I’m not kidding, I’ve re-read it just for the jokes.

This essay ends by applying it to the reader:

If you’ve made it this far, all the way to the end of my notes, reading all these words in a book that’s mostly pictures, you must be either a librarian or a future writer. Or maybe both. If you haven’t read the original Beowulf, you may be asking whether you should give it a shot. The answer is yes. It’s scary and it’s not for kids, so you’ll probably really like it. If you’re a speaker of English, it’s the oldest big poem in something resembling your language, and it just happens to be one of the greatest stories ever written.

At one point, late in the original Beowulf poem, a dragon grows angry because a man steals from his golden hoard. Beowulf is part of the golden hoard of our language. Tolkien stole from it for his stories, and you should too. You might summon up a dragon of your own.

I don’t know if this will inspire a future writer or not, but it worked for me.

(yeah, I strayed from my own topic there, but whatever…)

So, what did I think about Bea Wolf?

I had so much fun reading this, from beginning to end. I was able to appreciate it on a few levels—as someone who appreciates cute and clever comic art, cute and clever comic writing, as a cute and comic take on the epic poem, and as a wonderful and romantic vision of childhood (and a vision of adulthood that hits pretty close to home a little too often). There are probably more levels I enjoyed it on, but that’ll work for a starter.

The poetry itself was dynamite. Weinersmith did a fantastic job of capturing the flavor and spirit of the original and adapting it to a Middle-Grade level (while keeping it engaging for older readers).

I honestly don’t know who the market is for this—sure, it’s supposed to be for Children—but I wonder how many will be intrigued by the idea of it (hopefully, they will be prompted by clever adults/peers). On the other hand, I can’t be the only fan of the original from High School/College/after those who finds the notion of this appealing. Thankfully, I do think both audiences will be pleased with the results and the time they spent with it.

There’s at least one more book chronicling Bea’s adventures. I cannot wait to see her deal with Grindle’s mother.

I don’t know if I’m doing a decent job of praising this—but I think you get the gist. Do yourself, your inner child, and possibly your children a favor and run out to pick this up. You’ll be glad you did.

4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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BOOK SPOTLIGHT: The Haunting Scent of Poppies by Victoria Williamson

By HCNewton

On December 6, 2023

In Book Tour, Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

I’m very pleased today to welcome The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour for Victoria Williamson’s The Haunting Scent of Poppies! A handful of bloggers have already been talking about it on the tour, and a few more are coming–go check out https://twitter.com/WriteReadsTours to see a what those who’ve read it have had to say. But in the meantime, let me tell you about the book.

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Fiction/YA/Horror
Publisher: Silver Thistle Press
Format: Paperback/Ebook
Length: 59 pages
Publication Date: December 1, 2023

About the Book:

A spine-chilling winter ghost story set in the months after the Great War. Perfect for lovers of MR James and Susan Hill

The War is over, but for petty criminal Charlie his darkest days are only just beginning.

Charlie Briggs is never off-duty, even when a botched job means he’s forced to lay low in a sleepy Hampshire town for the holiday season. Always searching for his next unwitting victim, or a shiny trinket he can pilfer, he can’t believe his luck when he happens upon a rare book so valuable it will set him up for life. All he needs to do is sit tight until Boxing Day. But there’s a desperate story that bleeds beyond the pages; something far more dangerous than London’s mobsters is lurking in the shadows.

Could the book be cursed? Why is he haunted by the horrors of war? Can he put things right before he’s suffocated by his own greed?

Book Links:

Amazon UK ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads

About the Author:

Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.

Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.

Her latest novel, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, is a middle grade fantasy inspired by classic folklore. Twenty percent of the author royalties for this book are donated to CharChar Literacy, an organisation working to improve children’s literacy levels in Malawi.

You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com.

Author Links:

Website ~ Twitter

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

A Few Quick Questions With…Amy Maren Rice

By HCNewton

On December 5, 2023

In A Few Quick Questions With...

Earlier today, I had a few things to say about the very entertaining debut novel from Amy Maren Rice, Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo, and this summer she participated in a Q&A about writing in Idaho with me. Since I met her earlier this year at the Nampa Library’s local author event, I’ve run into her at a couple of other events in the area. Getting to know her a little bit these last few months is a highlight of the year, I hope you enjoy the the As she provides to me Qs below (as well as the previous batch).

Beverly Cleary and Toni Morrison have both said things like, “write the book you want to read.” The last time we did a Q&A, you suggested you wrote the book you wanted your kids to read. Talk about that thinking process a bit, if you could. How long did it take to get from that decision to having Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo in your hands? Were there some abandoned books along the way?
A long, long time! I started daydreaming about writing Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo almost ten years ago. I’d always wanted to write a book but never felt confident enough in myself to pursue it. The push to write came when my boys (about 9 and 11 at the time) and I had difficulty finding books for their reading levels that were also age appropriate and fun. Something sparked inside me, and I finally felt like I could do it.

Once my brain got the go-ahead I was addicted. I started by jotting down the flood of ideas floating around in my head. Often, my favorites came from exhaustion; when I was too tired to think straight but still had parenting duties that demanded my consciousness. The words began to flow, and I didn’t want to stop. There were some casualties along the way (my kids were fine I swear) but ideas were begrudgingly cut as I found my voice and style.

I had a few goals in mind as I wrote. I wanted to challenge my kids’ vocabulary a bit, but not swamp them with it, so I sprinkled a few less commonly used words in there, like eccentricities and melodious, to get their brains whirring. I purposely made the chapters short, some as brief as two pages, each one a small scene to keep their attention. And I made the two main characters relatable to them. I don’t remember where I heard it, but I’ve always liked the saying, “Because I have a brother, I’ll always have a friend.” The plan was to teach the brothers in my story to value each other’s differences and embrace their built-in friendship. I hoped my boys would see the lesson in that.

I was only ever focused on writing one book. There wasn’t room in my brain for more as I was also currently also keeping myself and three small humans alive.

Students at Hogwarts have just the right pronunciation (“It’s Leviosa, Not Leviosaaa”), Samantha Stephens twitches her nose, and your Fuzzwiggs—ahem, pass gas (I whisper, so my older relatives don’t get the vapors). Where did that choice come from? You mentioned you wrote the book with your pre-teen sons in mind, so I’m sure that played a significant role. But can you remember what led up to that?
At the time, my life was my three young boys. Little boy humor, as you may know, is very … unique. There was never a fart that wasn’t funny, so naturally I had to incorporate that. As this was to be a book for “family eyes only”, it never occurred to me to consider the consequences of having to utter the phrase, “my characters have fart powers” in public, but here we are.
That got an audible laugh from me. 🙂

Were you drawing on particular myths or stories when you came up with the tree and the guardians? (I can’t remember the proper name for either, sorry, feel free to edit/correct me) It feels a little Norse myth-with a twist to me. Or am I off-base there? )
You may find this hard to believe but I was just making it up as I went along! It’s very cool that you get that Norse myth-with a twist vibe, I do have Germanic heritage…ha!

For me, trees have always symbolized life and family. Growing up, my own family was big into genealogy, which is often represented with a tree, the branches stretching out into each family line. I often imagined the roots as nourishing and nurturing, tethering us to our ancestors who watch over us and support us. I think it was because of this sense of family and ancestry that I chose the tree as the home of my portals and the family as guardians.

I love how even the baby gets in on the action (at least to a degree). Is this a reaction on your part to the way that younger siblings/parents are frequently pushed to the side for stories with this age group—or was it more of a “it just seemed fun” kind of thing?
It does seem like parents and siblings are often forgotten about or mentioned only briefly, but I’m always looking for things to be resolved. Who’s watching the baby? Where are the parents? For my story, I wanted there to be a feeling of family. Even though the family is struggling emotionally with a loss and the boys are having difficulty getting along, I tried to show them as being together and being there for each other—even the baby, who provides a source of joy for them in a time of sorrow and transition.

Who are some of the bigger influences you have in your writing—whether or not readers can see them, you know they’re there?
One Christmas (back in my teen years) I received a hardback copy of The Belgariad (books 1-3) by David Eddings. I couldn’t put it down and, consequently, was very sleep deprived that December. I became hooked on epic fantasy and soon discovered Robert Jordan— who introduced me to Trollocs (eek) and the one power, and R.A. Salvator—whose character Drizzit Do’Urden captured my heart in his Dark Elf Trilogy. Later in life, after I became a mother, I found Brandon Mull and Tyler Whitesides who inspired me to write a fantasy book for the younger generation of readers, one I would love for my own kids to experience.

How’s the reception to Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo been? What kind of surprises have you encountered?
it’s been an interesting year for sure. When I started writing, I hoped that I would be brave enough to put it out into the world but was never sure it would happen. When I finally took the leap, it was both exhilarating and terrifying. I’m surprised every time someone has something nice to say about it. The little girl who stopped by my table to tell me about her favorite parts in the book, the lady who shouted across the room as she entered, “I came just to see you!”, and the young man who asked me (very politely) to “hurry up and finish book two” …those where huge surprises. I’ll always have those memories to build me up through life and I’m grateful to have met all of those people.

I’ve had my moments where my anxiety gets the better of me, but my growth has been a surprise too. Every time I’m able to attend a book event and talk to strangers about fart powers is a good day. My hope is that by sharing my anxiety struggles I will be an example of pushing through, working to overcome, and allowing myself to be vulnerable— especially to my sons.

How’s the process in working on your second book compared to the first?
Wow, what a different experience! This is my first “second book” and it’s been interesting to see how I respond to challenges as I write it. I can’t just go back and change the first book to match where my imagination wants to go, so there’s a lot of compromising going on in my brain. Lots of ideas in the save for later pile but also lots of new ideas competing for attention. I’m enjoying the creativity and challenge of it.

It’s also very surreal. I wrote a book. I’m writing a second book. How’s that for dreams coming true!

What’s next for Amy Maren Rice, author?
I find that if I imagine too far ahead, I don’t finish what I’m currently working on. I see all the sparkly things and want to explore them all and can become blind to the carnage of forgotten ideas and projects left in my path. I do know that this will be a six-book series, which I’m looking forward to writing, and currently I’m just basking in the glow of having done something way out of my comfort zone and not perished.

Thanks for your time—and thanks for Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo—I’m eager to see what’s next for this family.

A Few Quick Questions

Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo by Amy Maren Rice: A Silly (and Odorous) MG Adventure Sure to Please

By HCNewton

On December 5, 2023

In Fantasy, Fiction, Literary Locals, YA/MG/Children's Books

I’ve got a Q&A with the author, Amy Maren Rice, coming up this afternoon, come back and give it a read, will you?

Fuzzwiggs:
The Switcheroo

by Amy Maren Rice

DETAILS:
Series: Fuzzwigs, #1
Publisher: Covenant Books
Publication Date: July 14, 2022
Format: Paperback
Length: 294 pg.
Read Date: August 31-September 2, 2023

A Brief Introduction/Disclaimer

When I type (and when I read), I always insert an “i” between the “z”s and the “w”. I don’t know why, it just got into the back of my head that way. I believe I caught them all in proofreading, but I may not have.

Apologies in advance. Also, next time she comes up with a race of extra-dimensional characters, I hope Rice consults with me about the vowels she should use.

…the bowl shifted.

Slowly the crimson crockery began to rise. Twig like fingers curled around the edge. A pair of furry arms followed and then came two frightened golden eyes that blinked rapidly at them. A triangular face with a soft puppylike nose was next. It twitched as a strand of pasta slid off it to the floor. Oversized tufted ears slowly unfolded as the creature spoke…

“Please, we are needing your help.” It repeated, its eyes large and pleading like a puppy begging for a treat.

Jasper rubbed his own eyes in disbelief. “W-w-w…” he stuttered. He licked his lips he tried again. “What are you?”

“We are being the Fuzzwiggs,” the creature replied.

“Whose [sic] ‘we’ and what are, uh, those?” Milo asked, brushing the lettuce from his hair.

The animal made a gesture with his long fingers and several other big-eyed furry creatures shuffled forward, filling the room. They came from behind doors and under furniture. One was even inside a kitchen cabinet. Their rabbit like feet stepped carefully around the food-splattered floor…

What’s Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo About?

I’ll try to keep this brief…but no promises.

When we meet them, Jasper (12) and his brother, Milo (10), are moving to a new home. Their father died in a plane crash, and their mother can’t support the family as things are. So they, their mother (Emily) and baby brother (Wyatt) are going to live in tiny little town in Idaho to live with their grandfather and aunt. The brothers really don’t know their family well, but the house their father grew up in is large enough for them and the change will be good for the family (or so Emily hopes).

When they arrive, no one is home. They didn’t expect their grandfather to be there—he travels a lot and doesn’t do a great job of keeping the family updated on his location. But their Aunt Delilah should’ve been there. In her place is a note welcoming them to the house, telling them to choose their own rooms, make themselves comfortable, and to do a few specific things—follow some rules and do some chores. Some of the chores and rules are odd, but whatever.

The house is large and wonderful—the boys really want to go exploring some of the strangeness, but their mother makes them focus on unpacking and whatnot. Perhaps the strangest thing about the house is that there is a large, old tree in the center of it—words like “mega” and “ancient” are used by the boys to describe it. Their dad used to joke about being raised in a tree house. Now they get it. Sort of.

What the family is going to learn, is that the Great Tree is a vitally important object beyond their comprehension. It’s guarded (in part) by some strange and magical creatures called the Fuzzwigs. The odd thing about these creatures (well, one of the odd things) is that their magic comes from their flatulence.

But before they learn that, as is expected in stories where people are given oddly specific instructions and warnings—Emily and the kids don’t really heed them as they should. The consequences of that are going to bring a lot of trouble—and the Fuzzwigs—into their lives.

Fuzzwiggs

This is going to be the crux of the book for (at least) most readers—what do you think of these creatures? Even the Middle-Grade readers of this book are going to be familiar with a lot of the things in the novel—the bickering brothers, the family tragedy that makes them move, the mysterious extended family members they have to rely on, the strange thing in the new house that comes with a lot of rules, etc. And sure, silly intelligent (or at least sentient and capable of communication) creatures will be familiar, too—but the Fuzzwiggs are what’s going to draw the attention and keep it or lose it.

For this reader, they kept it. It helps once you get to the point you can see beyond the obvious comedy and get to something deeper (not much deeper, it’s not that kind of book)—I don’t know how much the target audience will respond to that, probably more than I reflexively give them credit for. Also, this will be easier to talk about when we get to Book 2 in the series and I can talk about some of these deeper ideas without spoiling things.

I think the easiest comparison I can make to help one of my readers to understand the Fuzzwiggs is the lemurs from Madagascar movies and the spin-off movies/show. They have a similar kind of manic energy and attitudes. As I make that comparison, I realize that the humor that comes from them reminds me of DreamWorks Animation movies in general.

We might as well segue to:

The Humor

Yes, it’s largely juvenile. So what? The book is directed at people who are juveniles. Can adults appreciate it? Yes, but only if they are willing to find humor in bodily functions and whatnot.

I think of it similarly to that line of C.S. Lewis’ about Fairy Tales, about one day being old enough to start reading them again. Or, “When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” Human bodies are silly things that can make gross noises—at a certain age, we pretend it’s not amusing, and at a more advanced age we can chuckle at it again. Sure, I might not find the sounds and this book as amusing as a ten-year-old will…but I’m okay with that. Actually, I’m a little jealous.

So, to get back to the DreamWorks Animation idea—if Shrek and its counterparts are too juvenile for you—skip this book. And give it to someone who will enjoy the humor.

There is one character in particular I’d love to talk about on the comedy front, but it would spoil too much. Let’s just say that there’s a Hollywood hopeful in these pages that deserves a spin-off novella.

So, what did I think about Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo?

I really enjoyed the way that the whole family got involved—at least in some way—with the story. It’d have been very easy for Rice to focus on Jasper and Milo—or the boys and their aunt. But Rice got their baby brother rather involved in the story to great effect—Wyatt’s antics elicit some good chuckles and also brought some sweetness into things. I also appreciated the way their Mom was handled—we get a little from Emily’s perspective, we understand how everything we see here is difficult for her and yet she knows it’s best, and so on. And then she’s largely sidelined because this is a MG book and it’s a rule. Or, to put it less cynically, otherwise, the boys couldn’t get into adventures. But it’s a comical sidelining that Rice used well.

The adventure story itself is exactly what you want in this kind of story—there’s a great trek through the wilderness, hazards from within and without, some villains that really don’t realize what they’ve gotten themselves into (they’re both rotten and comical, a great combination for this kind of book), and some great battles (or scenes that are battle-ish and I don’t know how else to characterize them) and some nice story resolutions with hidden life lessons in them. It’s a good balance between comedy and adventure that I’d imagine would appeal to a broad range of middle-grade readers.

I had a few quibbles with the book and feel like I should mention them. There’s a museum in town that was established before Lewis and Clark stumbled through the area. I assume that was an editorial slip, or there’s going to be a great explanation eventually given for that. I do wonder if some of the descriptions of the magic/abilities of some of the creatures could’ve been explained a little better. Some (all?) of the scenes that cut away to things not directly involving the main events of this book were really hard to follow, yes, they’re establishing the world for this series and setting up future books. But I think a little more finesse would’ve helped a lot here. Neither of these are fatal flaws, and I anticipate that Rice will do this kind of thing better as she writes more. But they dampen my enthusiasm a bit.

Just a bit, though. I had a ball with this book and I think my readers would enjoy it—and the kids in their lives would enjoy it even more. I’m eager to see where Rice takes this series and I really want to see the scenes that follow the Epilogue. I imagine most readers will be with me there.

Pick this up—I think you’ll be happy you did.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Feast of Ashes by Victoria Williamson

By HCNewton

On October 2, 2023

In Book Tour, Fantasy, Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

This morning, I’m very pleased to welcome The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour for Victoria Williamson’s Feast of Ashes. This is yet one more book that I didn’t have time to read, but wanted to point you to, because you and I should think about fitting it into our upcoming reads. It’s Day One of the Tour, so I can’t point you to much that’s been said about the book, but I’ve seen a little about what some of the bloggers are saying about it, so I want to point you to the X/Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/WriteReadsTours so you can watch what’s being said over the next few days, it appears that people like it and should be saying things that’ll incline you to read it. The book releases October 5—so you might as well go order it now, right?

Book Details:

Title: Feast of Ashes by Victoria Williamson
Genre: YA, Dystopian Fantasy
Publisher: Neem Tree Press
Release date: October 5, 2023
Format: Paperback
Length: 334 pages

About the Book:

The Earth’s ecosystems have collapsed and only ashes remain. Is one girl’s courage enough to keep hope alive in the wastelands?

It’s the year 2123, and sixteen-year-old Adina has just accidentally killed fourteen thousand seven hundred and fifty-six people. Raised in the eco-bubble of Eden Five, Adina has always believed that the Amonston Corporation’s giant greenhouse would keep her safe forever. But when her own careless mistake leads to an explosion that incinerates Eden Five, she and a small group of survivors must brave the barren wastelands outside the ruined Dome to reach the Sanctuary before their biofilters give out and their DNA threatens to mutate in the toxic air.

They soon discover that the outside isn’t as deserted as they were made to believe, and the truth is unearthed on their dangerous expedition. As time runs out, Adina must tackle her guilty conscience and find the courage to get everyone to safety. Will she make it alive, or will the Nomalies get to her first?

Book Links:

Amazon UK ~ Goodreads

About the Author:

You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com.

Author Links:

Website ~ Twitter

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

Bone Carnival by Megan Lynch: Mysterious and Spooky, (Almost) Altogether Ooky

By HCNewton

On September 29, 2023

In Fantasy, Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Bone Carnival

by Megan Lynch

DETAILS:
Publisher: Orange Blossom Publishing
Publication Date: October 31, 2023
Format: PDF
Length: 224 pg.
Read Date: September 27-28, 2023

What’s Bone Carnival About?

Mia Wallace’s parents are professors who’ve taken temporary posts at a university in Rome and have brought the twelve-year-old and her older brother, Enzo, with them. Enzo speaks a little Italian and is fairly independent as 17-year-olds tend to be, but Mia has only a small handful of phrases and is as dependent on her parents as a preteen is forced to be, so her options for the time are pretty limited.

Mia has a reputation (largely earned) for being a troublemaker, a teller of tall tales, and overall ne’er-do-well. It doesn’t seem like she’s leaving a lot of friends behind in the States, and she’s not expecting to change that in Rome, no matter how many resolutions she makes about reform. There’s a girl her age, Grace, who might be a candidate for friendship, but they don’t get off to a good start. Still, Grace’s mother is a colleague of Mia’s mother, so they’re likely to end up spending time together.

There’s a stray cat who lives near their apartment that Mia has started to spend time with. On the first day that their parents have to go to work, Mia slips out of the classroom she, Enzo, and Grace are stuck in all day to go get something from a nearby bakery (her excuse is that Grace hasn’t eaten breakfast and her stomach is too loud). On the way to the cafe, Mila sees “her” cat and follows it. Unbeknownst to her, Grace has followed Mia.

The cat leads them to a street carnival—there’s something about it that both unnerves Mia and appeals to her, too (she can’t describe what elicits either reaction). Grace is more unnerved than anything, but can’t get Mia to leave. There are shades of Pleasure Island (from Disney’s version of Pinocchio) to the carnival—but without the anarchy and transformation into a beast of burden. Honestly, I think what Mia’s in for is worse—but you can decide for yourself.

During part of a puppet show (which is probably not what made me think of Pinocchio), Grace volunteers to participate. She’s awarded a bone of a sorcerer to carry around in a velvet pouch. Supposedly, this will bring her good luck for a day—a lifetime’s worth of good luck in a day.

Grace doesn’t like any of this, and Mia’s a little creeped out by the idea of a finger (no matter that it’s surely just a prop). So they throw it in a nearby dumpster.

Before she knows it good things are starting to happen to the pair—and, yup, the pouch is tied around Mia’s neck. What has she gotten the two of them into? And what’s the fine print?

The Worst Parents in the World?

A tricky thing that authors have to address when it comes to kids and adventure novels is how to get the parents out of the way to let the kids have an adventure. Are they dead? Are they away from home/the kid is away from home? Are they missing/kidnapped? Or do the kids sneak off—and then why do they do that and how do the parents not notice? Once that’s dealt with, and how, then the reader can settle in and see what the kid gets up to.

Lynch solves this by giving Mia (and to a lesser extent, Grace) some of the worst parents around, who largely are unaware of what Mia is up to. I’m resisting the impulse to list off all their faults, deficiencies, and sins here—you really need to see them for yourself to draw your own conclusions. I’m typically inclined to see the parent’s/guardian’s perspective and to cut them some slack–I can defend (half-heartedly, I admit) Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, for example. But I’ve got nothing for Mia’s parents. I quickly decided that it wasn’t just Mia’s perspective, either. At a quick glance, half of my notes about this book involve what miserable excuses for parents these two are.

Obviously, parents who abuse, exploit, and/or deprive their children are worse than these parents. Mia, Ezra, and Grace are fed, educated, clothed, and so on. They’re even cared about and for in some manner. But…

The actual trauma they’re inflicting, the emotional abuse they aren’t knowingly inflicting, and the long-term trust issues they’re creating for their children are real, even if they’re unaware they’re doing it (or, worse, unconcerned about it). For the longest time, I’ve considered Betty Draper to be the worst parent I’ve seen in fiction. Mia’s parents (particularly her mother) gives her a run for her money.

So, what did I think about Bone Carnival?

I started off quite unimpressed with Mia and was hoping this book was going to be about her getting her comeuppance and/or growing up. I was more than a little afraid I was going to have to endure 200 pages of an insufferable protagonist’s antics. There is some growing up involved, thankfully, but I think there’s a healthy dose of the reader understanding Mia better, too. It doesn’t take too long (sometime before the carnival, for sure) for the reader to learn more about Mia and she becomes a bit more than just an irritating character. Once the carnival appears—definitely before it disappears, you’ll become invested in her and what happens.

There were several times I thought I saw Lynch heading toward a moral, or a cheesy personal transformation on someone’s part to give everyone a happy ending. She did not do that, thankfully. She dodged both of those things every time it looked likely, and I was relieved and impressed each time. I’m not saying what kind of ending we get, but I do want to assure you that there’s character development and growth—but it’s earned and deserved, and not saccharine in any way. And yes, I do think readers can/should take away life lessons (especially parents in a “don’t be like this” way)—but it’s not what you might expect, and not in a “Here’s a Message for You” kind of way.

It has been years since I’ve been this worried about the stakes in an MG novel—not just the stakes, but the potential life and death (fictional) outcomes for the characters involved. It’s been even longer since an author introduced them as effectively (Riordan and Mull came close—and even killed characters, but I don’t think they made me as apprehensive as Lynch). I could probably point to a few YA books that don’t do it as well as Lynch did. I remember occasionally stumbling across a book that did this when I was this age—John Bellairs for example—but it seems harder to find now*. This is in that neck of the woods.

* Maybe I just need to read better MG books.

This book really spooked me, and was disturbing in all the right ways—the character development was believable (not easy given the short time frame depicted), and I thought the characters as a whole were believable and well-drawn. It might be too much for some MG readers—so parents should exercise discretion*. Although I honestly think it’d be good for some readers to read a book that’s too much for them, it’s a great way to create an appreciation for a certain kind of story.

* Parents should be doing that all of the time, come to think of it.

My main point about Bone Carnival is this: It should be read by many. Maybe even you.

Disclaimer: I received this ARC from Tonya Spitler Orange Blossom Publishing in exchange for this post and my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.

4 Stars

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: The Whistlers in the Dark by Victoria Williamson

By HCNewton

On September 20, 2023

In Book Tour, Fantasy, Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

This morning, I’m very pleased to welcome The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour for Victoria Williamson’s The Whistlers in the Dark. My September schedule got the better of me, so all I can do is bring you this Spotlight. For more about the book, you should go read all the good things that the others on this Tour are saying via https://twitter.com/WriteReadsTours. The book releases tomorrow—so you might as well go order it now, right?

Book Details:

Title: The Whistlers in the Dark by Victoria Williamson
Genre: Middle Grade, Spooky mystery
Age Category: Middle Grade, historical fantasy
Publisher: Scotland Street Press
Release date: September 21, 2023
Format: Paperback
Length: 200 pages

About the Book:

Scotland, 158 AD, is a divided country.

On one side of the Antonine Wall, thirteen-year-old Felix is trying to become a good Roman soldier like his father. On the other, twelve-year old Jinny is vowing revenge on the ‘metal men’ who have invaded her Damnonii tribe’s homeland. At the Damnonii’s sacred circle of standing stones, her planned attack on Felix goes badly wrong, awakening a legend that threatens to bring fire and destruction down on them all.

Can Jinny and Felix overcome their differences and soothe the stones back to sleep before it’s too late?

Book Links:

Amazon UK ~ Goodreads

About the Author:

You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com.

Author Links:

Website ~ Twitter

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

Scareground by Angela Kecojevic: A Twisty and Fun Ride for the MG Crowd

By HCNewton

On September 14, 2023

In Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Scareground

by Angela Kecojevic

DETAILS:
Publisher: Neem Tree Press
Publication Date: September 7, 2023
Format: eARC
Length: 304 pg.
Read Date: September 6-8, 2023

What’s Scareground About?

Nancy’s an adventuresome girl who helps in her (adoptive) parents’ bakery. There’s something about her that puts most children off—but on the whole, she enjoys her life—and gets up to a lot of mischief by running all over the rooftops of the small town she lives in. (she seems a little young, and historically early to practice Parkour, but really that’s what she does).

Through her antics, she has managed to make one friend, Arthur. Arthur’s father is overprotective due to his mother’s death and keeps a short leash on his son. But these two find ways to stretch the leash and have fun together.

Some strange things start happening in their town, pointing to the arrival of a fair. There’s no way that either of them will be permitted to attend, but they’re determined to have a look. It seems fun enough, it’s something that doesn’t happen often (not in their lifetimes, anyway), and they’ve been forbidden by their parents. For pre-teen Middle-Grade characters, you know that means they’ll sneak into it and get into adventures. Nancy has another reason to go—but she can’t bring herself to tell Arthur—she’s pretty sure that she’ll learn something about the circumstances around her parents leaving her to be found and taken in by the Crumpets.

And they do sneak in, they do get into adventures—most of which are far beyond what they could’ve imagined. The fair—the Scareground—is much more than a typical traveling fair.

Kecojevic’s Language

There’s something about the language—particularly a couple of word choices—that bothered me. A few words (like “macabre,” and “maritime”) are used perhaps too often. It feels like someone learned a new word and was trying to squeeze it in as often as possible. I obviously don’t think that’s what happened—it just feels that way.

Aside from that, the vocabulary and phrasing do strike me as someone trying to capture or create a mood—a feel to the book. One that’s reminiscent of a fairy tale or a story from another time. I don’t know that Kecojevic was entirely successful at it, however. But you can’t help but see that’s what she was going for, and it adds just the right amount of whimsy to enliven this story and the characters (Nancy in particular).

So, what did I think about Scareground?

As many good things that were in the book, several little choices that Kecojevic made added up—like the final words of the prologue which were an over-the-top threat delivered to no one at all just so the villain could monologue for a bit—and almost makes this book die a death of a thousand cuts. Please note the “almost” there. Thinking back to the prologue—you snip that monologue and you’ve got a nice, disturbing introduction to the book.

The book works well if you take it on the surface, enjoy Nancy and Arthur—and the friends they make along the way—and get caught up in the story and the strange world it takes place in. If you think about many aspects too much, it doesn’t hold up too well. It’s not a house of cards by any means, but maybe balsa wood.

Or, come to think of it—think of this as a carnival ride or fair attraction. That’s appropriate, right? It might be a spooky ride through a house of horrors, it might be an exciting-looking roller coaster, or it might be a pretty carousel—but if you look behind the curtain, or too closely at the structure, or spend too much time looking at the paint job on the horses or the lighting fixtures, and it’s less impressive.

Thankfully, you’re not going to find a lot of the target audience dwelling on aspects—they’re going to be in it for the ride. Which, getting back to my main point—works well when you take Scareground that way.

Nancy and Arthur are a whole lot of fun. The Crumpets are a delightful couple and the kind of parents (biological or not) that you want to see in fiction. And so many other characters could be talked about in this way. Nancy’s extra abilities are a wonderful, imaginative touch—but so is her heart and drive. Arthur matches that heart and drive without her abilities, and it’s their friendship that makes a lot of this work.

It’s a fast and strange ride that will entertain, for sure. I recommend it to readers of the right age.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Neem Tree Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.