Holly's Reviews

Grievers depicts an unyielding virus, H-8, which attacks only the Black citizens of Detroit, and sends its hosts into a catatonic state of mourning. Dune is our sharp-witted and brooding protagonist, who is determined to find answers after her mother becomes patient zero. It’s no surprise that adrienne maree brown is a dedicated student of Octavia Butler—this novel reads with the same level of intensity, grief, and hope found in Parable of the Sower. —Holly

Although readers have waited 11 years for this sequel to the 2000 Newbery Honor book Our Only May Amelia, no time has passed for our protagonist, still 12 years old and living in rural Washington at the beginning of the 20th century. Although perceived as “trouble” by her father simply because she’s not a boy, May Amelia’s resolve and “sisu” (Finnish for chutzpah) never wavers. Her striking narrative voice is edgy and accessible, and Holm’s choice to forgo quotations marks in favor of the creative use of capital letters adds a modern quality to this unique historical novel. An engaging and original look at turn-of-the-century misogyny and feminism, skillfully told.

Two Feiffers meet at the intersection of seriousness and silliness in this brief story about a trip to the zoo in which it is raining on one side of the car, but definitely not on the other. While maintaining a narrative that is clear, endearing, and humorous, daughter (Kate) and father (Jules) raise questions about the fallibility of memory and the stability of reality. And if the story is not enough, they include the real-life dialogue that inspired it as backmatter. The best part is, no one—not Kate, not Jules, and not the reader—knows what “really” happened that day. Ages 4 and up.

In this autobiographical picture book, Claire A. Nivola (Planting the Trees of Kenya) recalls her childhood memories of her father’s birthplace on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. Nivola’s lucid prose and paintings (reminiscent of Carmen Lomas Garza’s Family Pictures and Barbara Cooney’s Island Boy) immerse the reader in a sensory experience—the intensity of sunlight, the sweetness of fruit, the annoyance of flies, the “unspeakable strangeness of death.” Although an author’s note gives context to the era in which the narrative takes place, the story recalls a time of life before that context is necessarily important, in which events—birth, death, the eating of a fig, the baking of bread—simply happen, moment to moment. In this way, Nivola nearly slips into romanticism, but only just enough to make us fall in love with the beautiful Orani. Grades 1–4.

This conceptually original picture book in English and Arabic contains two stories to be read simultaneously, one from left to right about a day in the life of a boy in Sydney, Australia, and the other from right to left about a similar day for a boy in rural Morocco. Each page shows, side by side, an activity(breakfast, a trip to the metropolis, going to the store) illustrated in Baker’s meticulous collage. More than an impressive picture-puzzle book (though it is certainly that), her ingenious tableaus compel us to slow down and notice the delightful, surprising similarities and differences in the lives of these two individuals. Beautiful and thought-provoking. Ages 4–10.

Oliver Olson’s problem could easily be every kid’s dream: His parents do his homework for him. But they are also so overprotective that the 3rd-grade space sleepover is absolutely out of the question for Oliver. When he connects with outspoken classmate Crystal about their mutual dismay at Pluto’s demotion from planet-status, Oliver begins to feel more confident about expressing his opinions, even as he fears disappointing his parents. Heartfelt and emotionally resonant, but full of humor and deftly drawn characters, Mills has created another winner for young readers. Grades 2–4.

Although readers have waited 11 years for this sequel to the 2000 Newbery Honor book Our Only May Amelia, no time has passed for our protagonist, still 12-years-old and living in rural Washington at the beginning of the 20th century. Although perceived as “trouble” by her father simply because she’s not a boy, May Amelia’s resolve and “sisu” (Finnish for chutzpah) never wavers. Her striking narrative voice is edgy and accessible, and Holm’s choice to forgo quotations marks in favor of the creative use of capital letters adds a modern quality to this unique historical novel. An engaging and original look at turn-of-the-century misogyny and feminism, skillfully told.

Based on the true story of coauthor Farinango, this collaborative novel provides a nuanced look at race and class in late 20th-century Ecuador. Born in an impoverished Andean village but sent to work for a well-to-do family at the age of 7, Virginia finds herself at the nexus of two cultures as she enters her teens—that of her indígina heritage and that of her mestizo employers. The narrative voice overlaps, deepening our understanding of Virginia as she speaks in the present moment as well as retrospectively. The result is a fully fleshed-out coming-of-age/identity story. Ages 13 and up.

In a not too distant future, 17-year old Nailer lives and works on the Gulf Coast salvaging scrap from defunct oil tankers with his crew of “ship breakers.” Like many works of science fiction, the premise of Bacigalupi’s Printz Award–winning YA debut is frighteningly plausible—dare I say imminent?—but what sets Ship Breaker apart is the vividness of Bacigalupi’s prose, and his thoroughly developed, diverse cast of characters. Ages 13 and up.