MG – Wrecker

Posted on October 6, 2023 by pslamediaselectionreview

Hiaasen, Carl. Wrecker. Alfred A. Knopf, 2023. 978-0-593-37629-4. 323 p. $21.99. Grades 6-9.

Fifteen-year-old Valdez Jones VIII, who goes by the nickname Wrecker, takes pride in his family’s legacy as shipwreck salvagers. The salt water and sea air are in his blood, and he spends as much time as possible fishing on his skiff in the waters surrounding Key West. Luckily for him, online schooling due to the COVID-19 pandemic means he has much more free time on the boat. During one such fishing outing in his boat, Wrecker helps a speedboat stuck in the shoal. He does not think too much about it until he bumps into the silver-mustached boat owner at the cemetery where Wrecker works as a part-time headstone cleaner. Silver Mustache wants Wrecker to keep an eye on a newly built mausoleum but soon tasks Wrecker with other jobs that are sneaky and illegal. Unknowingly, Wrecker becomes involved in a dangerous smuggling ring, and he must outsmart the smugglers to protect himself and his family.

THOUGHTS: Hiaasen’s Wrecker is an action-packed novel that will delight middle grade students. Intertwined with Wrecker’s adventures are topical situations involving COVID-19 vaccinations, ocean life preservation, and the history of racism on Key West.

Adventure

YA – Scurry

Posted on September 8, 2023 by pslamediaselectionreview

Smith, Mac. Scurry. Skybound Comet. 2023. 978-1-534-32436-7. 333 p. $14.99. Grades 7-12.

Scurry is a tale of tiny critters and high stakes with jaw-dropping artwork by author and illustrator Mac Smith. In a world without humans, a colony of mice led by an Elder Council must learn to survive despite scarce food and seemingly endless winter. Wix is a skilled and savvy scavenger, while Pict has been raised by her father Orim to one day lead the colony. Meanwhile a duplicitous mouse named Resher has concocted a scheme to eliminate his rivals and seize power. Threats outside the colony also abound: vengeful cats, vigilant hawks, and mysterious wolves. When Wix and a team of mice venture out to scout a new location for the colony, Resher sets his plan in motion with disastrous consequences. Wix and Pict are swept up in an epic journey to return home and reunite the colony as new friendships and alliances are forged with creatures both large and small. Debut graphic novelist Mac Smith excels at illustrating motion, which adds drama to Scurry’s many close calls. Mice escape extended cat claws by a fraction of an inch, a hawk swoops down with deadly talons, and a thumbtack doubles as a deadly weapon in page after exciting page.

THOUGHTS: Mac Smith’s webcomic has transitioned beautifully to the graphic novel format. Readers will be overjoyed to see “to be continued” on the final page of this fantastic volume!

Graphic Novel

MG – Falling Out of Time

Posted on August 14, 2023 by pslamediaselectionreview

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Falling Out of Time. Katherine Tegen Books, 2023. 978-0-063-25161-8. 341 p. $19.99. Grades 3-7.

Zola wakes up to a different scene projected on her Picture Wall each morning: Tahiti one day, Bora Bora the next. Her school friends attend from all over the world through advanced virtual reality technology. One morning, Zola asks her AI assistant, Sirilexagoogle, to change the wall to “normal”…but, what does Zola know about normal? Zola lives in the year 2193, a time with wondrous technology and no more fear. Just like Haddix’s debut novel, Running Out of Time, not everything is as it seems in Zola’s world. Zola discovers the truth after finding a mysterious book, The Jessie Keiser Story, detailing Jessie’s daring escape during the 1990s from a fake frontier town. After she stumbles across a hidden staircase in her house, Zola realizes there is very real danger in her not-so-real world. Zola is really living in the year 2023, and she’s being unknowingly watched by hundreds of people each day. Like Haddix’s original novel, this is the story of a daring escape to the outside world.

THOUGHTS: Falling Out of Time is the long-awaited sequel to Haddix’s first novel, Running Out of Time. It certainly lives up to expectations and offers readers relevant 2023 social and environmental commentary while evoking 90s nostalgia for fans of the original story (that’s me!). Although the first few chapters start with detailed world-building and description, the rest of the novel’s plot builds with nonstop action. Some of the twists are quick and a little outlandish, but all elements in this story contribute to the adventurous tone. Readers who are unfamiliar with Running Out of Time (1995) will still be able to enjoy this fresh story on its own. Haddix builds necessary background and context directly into Falling Out of Time.

Science Fiction

Elem. – Meesh the Bad Demon

Posted on July 31, 2023 by pslamediaselectionreview

Lam, Michelle. Meesh the Bad Demon. Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers. 2023. 978-0-593-3727-6. unpaged. $21.99. Grades 3-6.

Meesh lives with her grandmother in Mount Magma, home of the demons and land of the lava. In fact, lava is the essence of life in Mount Magma, and most demons will spend their lives working at one of its lava plants. Meesh, however, would rather be a fairy than a demon. She loves flowers, struggles to breathe fire, and doesn’t find rainbows and unicorns disgusting in the slightest. She also idolizes television star Princess Nouna and her charmed life in Plumeria City. In other words, she is a bad demon. When the lava is infected with a toxin that turns everyone in Mount Magma to stone, Meesh escapes in the nick of time with her grandmother’s amulet. She makes her way to Plumeria City, where she stumbles into Princess Nouna’s birthday party and then right into a portal, with Nouna in tow. When they emerge, they must work together to save Mount Magma, and maybe heal the rift between fairies and demons. Volume 1 of Meesh’s adventures is a little heavy on world-building, but it works to set up Volume 2 with an unresolved plot point.

THOUGHTS: Meesh the Bad Demon is a heartwarming adventure story that will hook readers with its manga-style artwork, high stakes, and themes of friendship and loyalty.

Graphic Novel

MG -The Jump

Posted on July 10, 2023 by pslamediaselectionreview

Morris, Brittney. The Jump. Simon & Schuster, 2023. 978-1-6659-0398-1. 248 p. $19.99. Grades 7-9.

Team JERICHO has always worked together to be the best digital scavenger-hunting team in Seattle. Each member brings a unique skill to the team: Jax is the puzzler, Han is the master of maps and locations, Spider is the hacker, and Yas is the parkourist, and together they have been unstoppable. They have had little competition that is until The Order posts a new challenge. A challenge that guarantees a reward of power. The Order is a mysterious group whose agenda is to stop big oil from taking over part of the city. All four members of JERICHO will see their families’ lives displaced if this oil refinery is built. This new challenge would give JERICHO the power to save their families, but then enter TEAM ROYAL, and they are bent on taking down JERICHO, and will take extreme measures to stop them. Will JERICHO be able to win this ultimate challenge? And what exactly is this reward of power?

THOUGHTS: Social Issues and social justice are paramount in this book. The characters are relatable, and readers will become invested in them. Middle grade readers will enjoy this action-packed adventure.

Adventure

Elem./MG – Big Tree

Posted on June 26, 2023 by pslamediaselectionreview

Selznick, Brian. Big Tree. Scholastic Press, 2023. 978-1-338-18063-3. 525 p. $32.99. Grades 3-6

Louise has been hearing a voice but she has no idea where it’s coming from. She has been trying to tell her brother Merwin but he doesn’t really believe her. They are both seeds from a sycamore tree and one day a fire forces their mother sycamore tree to send them into the world. The two seedlings must use all their wits and wisdom to figure out the best place to grow up, avoiding all the dangers they encounter on the way. Big Tree is illustrated throughout the book to further show the world these little seedlings find themselves in. The afterword of the book goes into further detail about the different things found within the book, and the author’s note talks more about where the idea for the book came from.

THOUGHTS: Brian Selznick’s illustrations are so beautiful and make the reader pause and take them in along with the story as they read. The size of this book might intimidate some readers, and the concept might not grab them; however, if they pick up the book they will get caught up in the story. This is a must purchase for any upper elementary collection, even if it might take a book talk to get it moving off the shelf.

Fantasy
Adventure

MG – Mixed Up

Posted on June 16, 2023 by pslamediaselectionreview

Korman, Gordon. Mixed Up. Scholastic Press, 2023. 978-1-338-82672-2. 256 p. $17.99. Grades 4-8.

Reef Moody has a lot to deal with. Not only is he still grieving the death of his mother, but he is also adjusting to a new house and a new family. Jen, his mother’s best friend, took him in after his mom’s death since he had nowhere else to go. Unfortunately, Jen’s son Declan is making his life a living nightmare. On top of that, Reef has been forgetting important memories of his mother which is particularly devastating. In their place are different memories, memories he doesn’t remember making. Across town, Theo Metzinger is having the same problem. His memory has been failing him lately. Theo cannot remember how to take care of the plants in his beloved garden. Some days, he has trouble finding his way home from school. Instead of his own memories, Theo keeps seeing memories of someone’s mother in a hospital bed. Reef and Theo meet each other one day after Reef sees the cupola of Theo’s school on TV. Reef has never been to that school, but he recognizes the cupola from his memories. They quickly realize they have been swapping memories with each other. The boys discover they were born on the same day at the same hospital, and that could be the key to why this phenomena is happening to them. Together they embark on a scientific adventure to regain their memories and stop the swap.

THOUGHTS: This is the first book I’ve read where a main character is grieving the loss of a parent to COVID-19, making it timely and relatable as many students are still reeling from the pandemic. The characters are likable and realistic; readers will be rooting for them. Like many of Korman’s books, the chapters are told in alternating points of view between Reef and Theo. This is a must-buy for middle grade libraries.

Fantasy

MG – Iceberg

Posted on May 9, 2023 by pslamediaselectionreview

Nielsen, Jennifer A. Iceberg. Scholastic Press, 2023. 978-1-338-79502-8. 339 p. $17.99. Grades 4-7.

Hazel Rothbury can’t afford a three-pound ticket to board the ship bound for New York. After being turned away, Hazel decides to stowaway on the ship rather than disappoint her family still struggling at home. The catch? It’s April 10, 1912, and Hazel just climbed aboard the infamous and “unsinktable” Titanic. Hazel is bound for work at a New York factory so she can send money home. After securing a cabin through her new porter friend Charlie, Hazel begins to explore the ship and gathers all kinds of information. The shores of Ireland disappear as drama and mystery unfolds between passengers. Hazel, an aspiring journalist, becomes unintentionally embroiled in a couple’s plot to steal hundreds of pounds from none other than her new first-class friend, Sylvia. As things get dangerous for Hazel, time keeps the ship moving forward toward the fateful collision with the iceberg. After the iceberg is hit and Titanic’s body begins to fill with water, all of the slow burn drama and mystery built-up between characters further fuels the novel’s fast-paced climax and conclusion.

THOUGHTS: While the ship’s icy end won’t come as a surprise to readers, there are still twists for those who like adventure stories. Nielsen’s story brings the human tragedy and error of Titanic to life for middle grade readers. While the story includes descriptions of the ship’s demise and also character development that intensifies the tragedy’s emotional impact, Nielsen’s writing in Iceberg is cleansed of the graphic horrors that stuck with me while watching a certain 90s film. Hazel sees plenty of red flags with the ship right away. Her foresighted concerns seem a little farcical—there are points where she reads a book on types of dangerous icebergs, and she directly challenges Captain Smith for answers about the ship’s design. There are also a few repetitious plot points where Hazel continuously encounters the villainous, thieving couple. Still, the dramatic irony at play will keep readers who know “something bad is coming” hooked through the heavy exposition toward the much later (more action-packed!) parts of the novel. Characters cue as white and European but range in social and economic status. Readers of Ruta Sepetys and Alan Gratz likely will gravitate towards this story as long as they are up for reading most of the book’s pages before ship and iceberg actually meet.

Historical Fiction

YA – Last Violent Call

Posted on May 5, 2023 by pslamediaselectionreview

Gong, Chloe. Last Violent Call. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2023. 978-1-665-93451-0. $19.99. 240 p. Grades 9-12.

Last Violent Call is a collection of two novellas set after the Secret Shanghai duology and in the midst of the new companion novel, Foul Lady Fortune. After the events of Our Violent Ends, Roma and Juliette are living a comfortable and peaceful life much different than the gang life they left behind in Shanghai. However, they are still running a weapons business, and when they are approached by a young couple looking for protection, they agree to help them and discover the young woman has a connection to their former lives and families. When Roma reaches out to Benedikt and Marshall for assistance finding the scientist Lourens, they board the Trans-Siberian Express for a week-long journey to his home. When a murder is committed early in the journey, Marshall convinces the train officer that they are private investigators and that the train should not be stopped. Together, they dive into an investigation of the train passengers and make some surprising discoveries along the way.

THOUGHTS: Last Violent Call is only for readers of Gong’s previous work, the Secret Shanghai duology. That being said, I think it’s a must read for fans, and I believe these novellas, like so many others, were written for pure enjoyment for the reader. These are the love stories we weren’t able to witness, and since the main story centered around Roma and Juliette, it was a bonus to have a story written specifically for Benedikt and Marshall. My only complaint is that they were too short, and I was left wanting to hear more. I’m impatiently waiting for Foul Heart Huntsman to see how these characters are connected to Gong’s newest series.