Completely Full Bookshelf

For MMGM, I am recommending The Secrets of Eastcliff-by-the-Sea  by Eileen Beha. The Secrets of Eastcliff-by-the-Sea  is told from the point of view of a sock monkey named Throckmorton. Ten years earlier, a wealthy woman named Ethel Constance Easterling sewed Throckmorton, her 49th sock money, and gave him to her new great-granddaughter, Annaliese, continuing a long-held tradition. Annaliese loved Throckmorton as a young child, but, all of a sudden, she stopped paying attention to him. But when Throckmorton's original maker sends out invitations to her 90th birthday celebration, which require that attendees bring their sock monkeys, Annaliese and Throckmorton happily reunite. Problems at Annaliese's home, Eastcliff-by-the-Sea, remain, however: she is still a lonely girl with a sad/angry father, a mother who left for reasons unknown to Annaliese, a nanny who doesn't fit in well at the home, and two siblings who are soon to be sent to boarding school, leaving Annaliese...

Sorry about my erratic posting schedule lately—life has become nothing short of insane! I have another graphic novel this week to recommend (they are helpful when I have almost no time to read): Invisible Emmie  by Terri Libenson. I hope to get back to posting more often—that may or may not be this month, but I'll try! A few months ago, I read Greg Pattridge's review  of Libenson's newer book, Positively Izzy , but I decided to read her debut graphic novel first. Invisible Emmie  switches viewpoints between Emmie, an extremely quiet girl who loves to draw but hates to be around others, and Katie, an extremely popular girl who seems just about perfect. Emmie's part of the story looks like a book filled to the brim with illustrations (usually one or two per page), while Katie's storyline is drawn in traditional comic panels. The novel chronicles one day of school in which Emmie loses a silly but mortifying love note that she wrote with her friend, Brianna, and ...

I'm back! For MMGM, I am recommending Be Prepared  by Vera Brosgol. I absolutely loved Brosgol's previous graphic novel, Anya's Ghost  (see my review here ), so I was extremely excited to see that she had a new one out! Be Prepared  is a semi-memoir that chronicles 10-year-old Vera's experience at a Russian summer camp called ORRA. Initially, Vera is excited to find a place where she will not be the odd one because of her race and traditions, but the camp is not what she expected. Vera struggles with problems from being resented by fellow campers (whether by losing competitions or accidentally getting them in trouble) to being in a place without running water but with plenty of bitter, wild animals. However, Vera's determination (and some positives of camp, such as a friendly counselor named Natasha) help her make the best of her weeks at camp and maybe even have a little fun. I adored everything about this book, but one of my favorite parts about it was how ...

For MMGM, I am recommending The Family Under the Bridge  by Natalie Savage Carlson. This extremely short (about 130 pages) Newbery Honor book, which was first published all the way back in 1958, tells the story of a homeless man named Armand who is perfectly content with his life, in which he has given up responsibility and is free to do what he wants. However, Armand then finds a homeless single mother and her three children living under the bridge in Paris that he also lives under. He initially dislikes this family but later begins to bond with the children and take care of them while their mother works. Armand ends up trying to help the children and their mother find a home after realizing that having some responsibility in life can be worth it. This novel is fun to read, with Armand and the children's adventures helping to maintain an upbeat tone. The book's short length also works to make the book a breeze to move through! However, The Family Under the Bridge  also...

Since school's started back up, I have very little time to write this post, so I'll keep it short! For MMGM, I am recommending The Wednesday Wars  by Gary D. Schmidt. Here's the publisher's description: Gary D. Schmidt offers an unforgettable antihero in  The Wednesday Wars  — a wonderfully witty and compelling novel about a teenage boy's mishaps and adventures over the course of the 1967-68 school year. Meet Holling Hoodhood, a seventh-grader at Camillo Junior High, who must spend Wednesday afternoons with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, while the rest of the class has religious instruction. Mrs. Baker doesn't like Holling — he's sure of it. Why else would she make him read the plays of William Shakespeare outside class? But everyone has bigger things to worry about, like Vietnam. His father wants Holling and his sister to be on their best behavior: the success of his business depends on it. But how can Holling stay out of trouble when he has so much to ...

For MMGM, I am recommending Out of My Mind  by Sharon M. Draper. I haven't read a book as touching and perspective-altering yet not relentlessly upsetting as Out of My Mind  in a long time! The novel revolves around fifth-grader Melody Brooks, who is a genius with a photographic memory. There's just one problem: she has cerebral palsy, which makes it impossible for her to speak (she can just barely even move her hands) and traps all of her racing thoughts inside of her. Melody is particularly observant (as anyone would be if they couldn't talk) and appreciates the good parts of her life, such as her loving parents who help her with tasks as simple for others as eating and using the bathroom, her young and physically able sister Penny, and her neighbor Violet Valencia, or Mrs. V, who often takes care of her during the day, teaches her information in addition to that which she learns at school, and pushes her to succeed and not dwell in unhappiness. When Melody's s...

For MMGM, I am recommending  The Magic Cake Shop  by Meika Hashimoto, with illustrations by Josée Masse. Not every book is a life-changing epitome of writing, with perfect characters and a perfect plot.  The Magic Cake Shop  is a bit silly, a bit ridiculous, and a bit immature (it might be best for older elementary schoolers or younger MG readers). However, if you take The Magic Cake Shop  for what it is, which is a fun, extravagant ride of a novel that will appeal to your inner kid, it ends up being a delightful read that is worth the time! The Magic Cake Shop  revolves around a girl named Emma who lives with two wealthy parents. Her parents are certainly not characters readers are supposed to sympathize with, being constantly obsessed with their appearances and Emma's (wanting her to get plastic surgery, for instance, or eat barely anything in order to stay thin). They send Emma to live with her exaggeratedly filthy, mean, and selfish uncle, S...

Update (4/2/2022): I typically participate in blogging groups that review kids’ books, but sometimes, I do end up reading adult books like this one. In the past, I have typically labeled those books as MG or YA when I review them, primarily because I still want my typically blogging audiences to see them! However, this has become confusing, so I have decided to re-label these books as adult books, while leaving the reviews in their original format. Thank you for your consideration! I'm back from my vacation, and this week, I have a Classic Critique for MMGM of Watership Down  by Richard Adams. This famous novel tells the story of a group of rabbits that are forced to evacuate their warren and find a new home in a human-dominated world. Pros: The plot is exciting.  If you've already read Watership Down , you know that the rabbits' search for a new warren to live in is a long one. After learning that a potential disaster will likely befall his existing warren, the le...

I don't think I've ever reviewed the sequel to a book the week after I reviewed the first book, but I enjoyed Awkward  by Svetlana Chmakova so much (see my review here ) that I had to recommend its sequel, Brave , this very week! The main character of Brave  (a graphic novel, like Awkward ) is Jensen Graham, who was a minor character (mainly serving comic relief) in Awkward . Jensen sees each school day as a series of obstacles that he has to overcome before getting to attend art club (the same art club that played a major role in the previous book). These obstacles include math class, taught by a teacher who is mostly unsympathetic to Jensen's struggles in the subject, and constant bullying, usually due to Jensen's weight or obsession with preparing for the apocalypse (be it due to zombies or, as he was worried about in Awkward , sunspots). Art club starts to become unpleasant as well, as some of his fellow club members start to exclude and make fun of him at ev...

For MMGM, I am recommending Awkward  by Svetlana Chmakova. The protagonist of Awkward  (a graphic novel) is Penelope Torres (also known as Peppi). Her life at middle school is okay, with her having friends and being part of her school's art club (which constantly fights with the science club). However, on her first day at school, when she dropped all of her things and a shy kid from the science club named Jaime tried to help her, kids in the hall made fun of her, prompting her to shove Jaime away and run off. Her constant guilt at doing so makes her feel miserable and try to avoid Jaime at all costs, but when he becomes her science tutor, Penelope and Jaime start to become friends. As the art club and science club are pitted against each other in a competition, Penelope has to balance working with fellow club member Maribella to print the club's comics in the school newspaper, keeping her still-amiable friendship with Jaime hidden from the other club members, and worryi...