Completely Full Bookshelf

*Rant begins here*  You might have noticed that I usually talk about books on this blog, but I do occasionally take moments to talk about TV, and I  have  to do so right now. If you've been paying attention to the animated TV landscape, you might have noticed that, between the influx of animated TV shows for adults and the launching of various "children's" animated TV shows that appeal to teens and adults, animation is no longer strictly for kids. And nowhere is that more apparent than  Infinity Train , a show that just came out last August that I absolutely love.  Infinity Train  has 3 seasons, each of 10 11-minute episodes, that chronicle different kids finding themselves aboard a train of infinite cars filled with their own bizarre universes, all traveling to who-knows-where, as they try to figure out what the glowing numbers on their hands mean and how to avoid the various  terrifying  creatures trying to murder them. There's some substantial ...

For #IMWAYR, I am recommending Faith: Taking Flight  by Julie Murphy. A word of caution to any young readers: this is a YA (young adult) book, not an MG (middle grade) book, and it contains somewhat mature content.           I'm a big fan of Julie Murphy—I loved her super-popular book Dumplin'  and its sequel Puddin' , and her book Ramona Blue  was actually the first YA book I ever reviewed on this blog! Thus, I knew I wanted to read  Faith: Taking Flight , even though it is part of a genre of books I almost never read: the superhero genre.  Faith: Taking Flight  is the first of two books that tell the origin story of Faith Herbert, a superhero who has existed in various comics series (including some starring her) published by Valiant Entertainment since 1992. Valiant made a deal with Murphy's publisher, HarperCollins, to have her write these prose novels about Faith, presumably to get her out to a wider audience who wouldn't normal...

If you read my recent review of Natalie Lloyd's MG novel Over the Moon , you know that I had very mixed feelings about the book. This was such a shame, considering the excellence of Lloyd's previous books, that I decided to re-read Lloyd's novel The Key to Extraordinary  to comfort myself. Today, I am re-reviewing The Key to Extraordinary , as, although I reviewed it once here , I do not think that my review did it justice. And before I keep going, know that this is one of just two books (the other is Goodbye Stranger  by Rebecca Stead) that has had the honor of being re-reviewed by me, so that should tell you quite a bit about how good this book is!           Emma Pearl Casey loves her life in Blackbird Hollow, Tennessee. She loves her Granny Blue and her big brother Topher, she loves the Boneyard Café where they live and work, she loves the adjacent graveyard that she gives tours of, and she loves the history, nature, and magic of her town. Emma's li...

Before we get started, I want to mention that Completely Full Bookshelf is now 4 years old! I've had such a wonderful time reviewing books for so long. Thank you to MMGM for being a wonderful community where I was able to start my blog and improve my reviewing skills, and thank you to #IMWAYR for being such a welcoming group and allowing me to broaden my blog to YA reviews as well. And of course, I have to thank all of the amazing authors whose books have brought me so much joy! Now, for #IMWAYR, I am recommending the graphic novel  Relish: My Life in the Kitchen  by Lucy Knisley. A word of caution to any young readers: although this book doesn't fit precisely into the YA genre, it is not an MG (middle grade) novel and contains some mature content.           I decided to read this graphic novel after seeing Jana Eschner recommend it on her blog, Jana the Teacher , and I'm so glad I did! Relish  is a graphic memoir about a subject I think ...

For those of us with an incurable thirst for all the details about every book ever, I wanted to let you all know that the San Diego Comic-Con 2020, which has gone completely virtual (and free!), has a few authors and publishers you might recognize holding virtual panels. It's worth noting that some of these panels seem to be pre-recorded, and some (though not all) will be available for viewing after-the-fact. Here are some of the ones worth noting: Several notable graphic novelists, including Jerry Craft and Faith Erin Hicks, previously discussed new kids' graphic novels! This panel has already happened, but it is available for viewing after-the-fact. Learn about it here , or watch it here . The former benevolent overlord of MMGM, Shannon Messenger, had a panel dedicated entirely to her Keeper of the Lost Cities series in which she talked with author J.C. Cervantes. This panel has already happened, but it is also available for viewing after-the-fact. Learn about it here , or wa...

Before we get started, I want to mention that the winner of my giveaway of  Faith: Taking Flight  by Julie Murphy is... Sam! Congratulations! Thanks to everyone who entered! Now, for MMGM and #IMWAYR, I am recommending Zenobia July  by Lisa Bunker.           WOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Oh, sorry, I couldn't contain my enthusiasm for this book. Several years ago, MMGM showrunner Greg Pattridge recommended Lisa Bunker's debut novel, Felix Yz , and I must thank him for that recommendation, because I read and loved  that book! (His review is here , and my review is here .) I bought a copy of Bunker's second book, Zenobia July , a while back, but I forgot to read it until now, and it is so good!!!           Zenobia July's life has just changed dramatically at the beginning of this book. Zenobia (or Zen for short) has moved across the U.S. to live with her married aunts instead of her father. A transgender girl, Zen uses this move...

For #IMWAYR, I am recommending Parachutes  by Kelly Yang—and I'm also giving away a copy of Julie Murphy's new book, Faith: Taking Flight ! Review of Parachutes : A word of caution to any young readers: Parachutes is a YA (young adult) book, not an MG (middle grade) book, and it contains mature content.           I was intrigued by this book for quite a while, but I finally decided to read it after seeing it praised by Michele Knott at Mrs. Knott's Book Nook , and I'm so glad I did! Parachutes  is told in chapters that alternate between the points of view of Claire Wang and Dani De La Cruz. Claire lives in Shanghai, China, and, although her wealthy parents don't seem to be able to love her except by spending money, she is relatively happy with her life, having friends and a boyfriend—which is why it feels like her life is falling apart when her parents decide to send her to live with a host family she doesn't know and attend an American private school...

For MMGM and #IMWAYR, I am recommending the graphic memoir  When Stars Are Scattered  by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed.           I honestly don't know if this review will be of much use, considering almost every blogger I know has already read and reviewed this book, but I'm still going to review it as well. When Stars Are Scattered  is a memoir (except for some slight fictionalization) of the years Omar Mohamed spent as a child in Dadaab, a UN refugee camp in Kenya. As young children, Omar and his younger brother, Hassan (who can only speak one word and suffers from seizures) fled the civil war in Somalia and ended up in Dadaab with no other family. Dadaab is mostly a miserable place, where Omar and thousands of other refugees live in poverty and starvation, although he and Hassan are fortunate enough to have a kind fellow refugee named Fatuma step in to take care of them. When Stars Are Scattered  captures Omar's struggles in attendin...

For #IMWAYR, I am recommending The Perks of Being a Wallflower  by Stephen Chbosky. A word of caution to any young readers: this book is a YA (young adult) novel, not an MG (middle grade) novel and contains quite a bit of mature content. Cover of the movie tie-in edition           Published in 1999, The Perks of Being a Wallflower  was the debut novel by Stephen Chbosky and remains one of just two books he has written in his career, which has largely been dedicated to movies and television (he actually wrote and directed the movie adaptation of this very book). Written in epistolary form,  The Perks of Being a Wallflower  is a series of letters written in 1991 and 1992 to an anonymous recipient by a high school freshman named Charlie. Charlie's stay-in-the-background nature and unidentified mental health issues are not exactly the keys to high school success, but he is fortunate enough to befriend two seniors who are step-brother a...

Before we get started, the winners of the 2020 Books by Black Voices Giveaway have been selected! First of all, I am so excited to announce that 17 people entered in the giveaway! That is about twice as many as normally enter, and I'm so glad that so many people are looking to broaden their horizons and perspectives with these books! The books with the most entrants were Genesis Begins Again  and New Kid , so I gave away two copies of those, but I also decided to give away two copies of The Hate U Give , as that had many entrants as well. I gave away one copy of Brown Girl Dreaming . The winners of the two copies of Genesis Begins Again  are... Danielle     and     Kellee! The winners of the two copies of New Kid  are... Beth     and     Elisabeth! The winners of the two copies of The Hate U Give  are... Faith     and     Rio! Finally, the winner of the copy of Brown Girl Dreaming  is... Linda! Cong...