Little Details
■ Galena is expecting a baby. If she and her husband can stay ahead of the Chasers until their child is born, they’ll become free citizens of Liberty.
■ She was brought as a child from Arundel, an empire far to the south. Memories of her former home sometimes make her sad.
■ Her personal seal is an oyster with a pearl, hinting at the precious life she’s carrying.
■ Galena’s marriage to Hurlock was arranged by their owner.
An autobiographical trilogy, in which Paulsen simply refers to himself as “the boy.” In The Cookcamp, the boy is bundled off to stay with his grandmother, who’s working as a cook for a team of nine burly men building a road through thick forests in northern Minnesota. Alida’s Song takes place about a decade later, when the boy’s grandmother sends for him to come help in the countryside where she’s working as a cook for two Swedish farmers. (This was my favorite, often reminding me of my own childhood in MN.) and in The Quilt, we flash back to a little-boy story that celebrates the hard work and courage of the women back home during WWII. (Full reviews and fair warnings on Goodreads.)
We’re taking a look behind the header on Byways cover illustrations. The series title often hides pretty scenes or special secrets. This week, it’s Zane’s turn. On Book #6, we get a dramatic first look at one of the many creatures who call the Wilds their home. Since Zane’s half-wild himself, he gets along well with everything from firebirds to fairy kestrels.
White stone littered the landscape. Round boulders came in every size, and smooth spikes jutted out of the grass like the ribs of a huge skeleton. All the green and white might have been pretty on a sunny day, but with dark clouds boiling across the sky, it was spooky.
—Byways #6, Into the Hills: A Zane Johns Adventure
Here’s what’s behind the header on the cover of Byways Book #6, Into the Hills: A Zane Johns Adventure. Continue reading BYWAYS: Behind the Header
Every so often, I’ll hit a patch of books that I’d be cautious to recommend (for one reason or another). Unclaimed Treasures is a slice-of-life story with a quirky cast. I did a double-take when it opened with an open casket in the parlor and serving wine to children. And it did get odder (in parts), but was also sort of wistful and lovely (in parts). Such is life? Starfire introduces us to herds of winged horses and the plight of the single black foal who’s a child of prophecy. Beware. Vicious, with vivid descriptions that would unsettle sensitive children. No Such Thing as Dragons is one of those rare MG thrillers. Solid storytelling with edge-of-your-seat action. It’s basically a monster movie. Many things (and people) die messily.
I Spy. I’ll let you in on a little secret. Every Byways book cover has a game of its own. There are items hidden in plain sight. Just so you can have the fun of finding them. On Ewan’s books, you’ll find a compass rose. On Zane’s books, it will be a paw print. And on Ganix’s books, look for a ladybug.
King of Shadows is about a young actor pulled back into the past, where he joins William Shakespeare at the Globe Theater, playing Puck to his Oberon. (So many feels!) Definitely one of my favorite books for the year. Felix Yz is certainly off-beat, but in ways I completely enjoyed. In the lab accident that killed his father, Felix is fused with an alien entity. Mostly about family, the story also slips into LGBTQ territory. My favorite character was Grandy, Felix’s father’s parent, who sometimes goes by Vern and sometimes by Vera and has invented veir own set of gender-neutral pronouns. In Enchanted Glass, Andrew Hope inherits his grandfather’s field-of-care, although he’s a bit vague on what that entails. He has his hands full with the housekeeper and his gardener, who dislike change almost as much as they dislike each other. Then young Aiden shows up on his doorstep. Magical realism in true Dianna Wynne Jones style!
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“Middle grade” isn’t a genre. It’s a recommended age level. Which is just about the only thing these titles have in common. Half a Chance is a slice-of-life summertime story about a girl whose family moves a lot and her love for photography. (Adored the “scavenger hunt” style photography challenge.) In When You Reach Me, Miranda tries to make sense of the things that are going on around her—the notes, on-again-off-again friends, who likes who, and the best way to win at a game show. And At the Bottom of the World is the first book in the Jack and the Geniuses series, which succeeds in making science fun. (Makes sense, considering Bill Nye is part of the project.)
C. J. Milbrandt 