Author: Alisha Helms

Into the Uncut Grass / Trevor Noah, Sabina Hahn (Illustrator)

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Into the Uncut Grass
By: Trevor Noah, Sabina Hahn (Illustrator)
Genre: Fiction, Graphic Novel
Number of Pages: 128 
Published: October 15, 2024
Publisher: One World
Dates Read: November 2, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Into the Uncut Grass is an illustrated fable about a young boy’s journey into the uncut grass beyond his home when he wants to escape his morning chores.

This book is filled with Trevor Noah’s humor, and after reading the small introduction from Noah in the front, the story itself kind of reads like a moment from his childhood.

Sabina Hahn’s illustrations are simple and cute and really capture the imagination of a child. This book really reminded me of both Pooh Bear and of course, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse.

I’m not sure what this is supposed to be categorized as – graphic novel, fiction, children’s… someone dropped “literary graphic novel” out too when I was reading reviews… regardless, I enjoyed it, it was cute.

Deer Run Home / Ann Clare LeZotte

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Deer Run Home
By: Ann Clare LeZotte
Genre: Middle Grade / Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 224
Published: October 1, 2024
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Dates Read: November 2, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: Neglect, communication neglect, sexual abuse

Effie is Deaf and no one in her family can speak sign language – her own father communicates with her by stomping, pointing, and making thoughtless jokes. Even if they could understand each other, Effie doesn’t think she could share her biggest secret about what happened before moving in with him.

When Effie’s school interpreter, Miss Kathy, drops by the house with food during a surprise visit, she sees the poor conditions Effie and her sister Deja are living in (no food, dirty house, no clean clothes). Miss Kathy immediately asks for permission for Effie to live with her, and her father surprisedly agrees. Now, Miss Kathy is trying to figure out a more permanent solution.

I’ve picked up this novel because I’ve enjoyed Ann Clare LeZotte’s Show Me a Sign series and as an author who is Deaf, I know the experience of the d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing characters in the book will be more genuine. The story is actually based on a legal case back in the 90’s where an interpreter fought for custody of a student they worked with.

This novel in verse does an amazing job at putting everyday challenges of d/Deaf children into words – ranging from parents who refuse to learn ASL, to teachers not understanding the difference between English spoken grammar and ASL grammar (which is highly different!) and how to best accommodate d/Deaf students. 

Overall, this is a heartbreaking story, but with a beautiful ending. Even those who haven’t really read novels in verse before I think would enjoy this book because it gives even more insight to the d/Deaf culture with Effie’s experience.

The Hedge Witch / Colleen Delaney

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The Hedge Witch
By: Colleen Delaney
Genre: Fantasy / Romance
Number of Pages: 270
Published: May 14, 2024
Publisher: City Owl Press
Dates Read: October 27, 2024 - November 1, 2024
Format: Library Book / Paperback

Trigger Warnings: Death, death of loved ones, torture, blood, violence

Laurel Bay is the middle of five witchy sisters living on Star Island. She runs a tarot reading business to help contribute to bills, and spends her free time jumping into the Hedge World when she’s strong enough. But when Laurel has a vision from her past about her soulmate, she throws caution to the wind to find him.

Owen Davies is a sonofawitch – a descendant of morally gray water witches, his powers are very minimal. He’s aching to find his soulmate, so much so that he has a storage unit filled with furniture he’s made and blueprints for their house he’ll build. Then, a fateful vacation lands him in Laurel’s garden and their paths are finally intertwined.

But witches are after Laurel’s powers and buried secrets become unearthed, revealing Laurel and Owen’s heartbreaking past. But this time around, the soulmates refuse to be separated.

I’m starting off by saying that I’m not a romance reader, yet alone a paranormal romance reader, but I do love witches and the premise of this book sounded fun so I wanted to read it.

Some of the writing was well thought out and flushed out, while a few other parts could have been edited down some I thought.

The romance of soulmates felt real and wasn’t cheesy like I thought it may have been – it was actually heartbreaking when you find out about their past lives.

Overall, this book is going to appeal to anyone who enjoys books with witches, soulmates, and a little bit of spice (and even though who don’t care too much for spice, those parts are easily skimable and won’t ruin the plot)

*Thank you City Owl Press and LibraryThing for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky / Josh Galarza

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The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky
By: Josh Galarza
Genre: YA
Number of Pages: 313
Published: July 23, 2024
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Dates Read: October 21, 2024 - October 27, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: Eating disorder, fatphobia, body dysmorphia, body shaming, underage drinking, parent with cancer, mentions of self-harm

Ever since Brett’s adoptive mother was diagnosed with cancer, he’s been slowly losing his grip on reality. To cope, Brett fuels all of his anxieties into fiction, including his intergalactic Kid Condor comic book series. When Brett’s journal and deepest insecurities are posted online for the whole school to see, he realizes he can no longer avoid his issues, especially with the coping mechanism he has been using. As his eating disorder escalates, Brett must be honest with not only himself and those closest to him, but also his new friend Mallory, who seems to know more about Brett’s issues than he does.

This book is definitely needed, even though it’s a tough read. There’s not a lot of books out there about boys with eating disorders or about boys really struggling with body image. This novel also features Brett and Reed’s relationship that challenges the traditional masculinity of boys’ friendships, processing a parent’s battle with cancer, and so much more. It takes all of these difficult topics and shines a light on them without sugarcoating anything, making the conversations and actions all the more realistic and raw.

I would highly suggest this read to anyone, but with a great deal of caution. Disordered eating is what Brett is dealing with most, but there are a lot of other sensitive topics addressed that could be triggering. Please read with caution.

*Thank you Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Adulthood is a Gift! (Sarah Scribbles #5) / Sarah Andersen

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Adulthood is a Gift! (Sarah Scribbles #5)
By: Sarah Andersen
Genre: Graphic Novel
Number of Pages: 144
Published: October 1, 2024
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Dates Read: October 21, 2024
Format: Library Book / Paperback

The newest addition to Sarah Scribbles installment, filled with 100 comics, 15 essays, and photos and stickers over the last decade of the author’s comics and books.

I’ve loved Sarah Andersen since her days on Tumblr. So I always get so excited to read her latest collection. Even if I see a chunk of them on Instagram, they all still make me chuckle or laugh. I kept taking photos of pages and sending them to various friends and my sister.

All the being in my thirties as a millennial memes are very relatable (I’m 32).

This collection had a handful of essays by Andersen in the back that reflected on the past decade of her sharing her art. As someone who has been following her for forever, it was fun to see some of her first postings again and see the opinion she has on them now.

Overall, if you need a smile and a good chuckle, read this!

The Wild Robot Escapes / Peter Brown

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The Wild Robot Escapes
By: Peter Brown
Genre: Middle Grade, Science Fiction
Number of Pages: 288
Published: April 7, 2020 (1st Published March 13, 2018)
Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: October 19, 2024 - October 21, 2024
Format: Paperback

Roz gets taken to the robot repair factory for repairs and then shipped out to help at a Hilltop Farm for the Shreef family. She makes friends with the cows on the farm, as well as the two children, who are always asking for more stories about the robot on the island. Roz misses her friends and adopted goose son, Brightbill, back on the island and is always planning the perfect time for her escape. But she can’t do it alone.

I feel like I loved this second book in the series just a little more than I did the first. I think because I was so invested in Roz and Brightbill reuniting. I sat up so late one night reading this and gasping and chuckling so hard that I would worry about waking my partner up. When I finally persuaded myself to stop for the night, the chapter I started with first thing the next morning ended in a cliffhanger and I would have stayed up even later to read more if I had continued.

Throughout the novel, I loved that everyone had heard stories, or rumors, about a robot mother and her duck son and how excited they were to finally meet Roz. Because of this, Roz had so many allies everywhere she went and it made her escape more realistic in a way (even with talking animals).

The illustrations were a wonderful addition to this, just like in the first. I especially liked to read about Peter Brown’s writing and illustrating process that he talks about in the end. It  kind of made the illustrations even more fun.

Overall, this book has great lessons and opportunities to open doors for discussion about kindness, helping one another, love, the meaning of home, and what it means to be human. The writing in this is still simplified, just like the first one (childlike, but with older themes), but I believe both children and adults will love it – just like I did.

The Wild Robot / Peter Brown

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The Wild Robot
By: Peter Brown
Genre: Middle Grade, Science Fiction
Number of Pages: 320
Published: April 7, 2020 (1st Published April 5, 2016)
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: October 15, 2024 - October 17, 2024
Format: Paperback

When ROZZUM unit 7134 (but you may call her Roz) first opens her eyes she discovers she’s on a remote island and the only robot – she knows she must survive. At first, Roz is disliked by the wildlife because they all think she is a monster and will eat them. But she learns the animal language and doesn’t eat in general, so the animals begin to relax around her. After an accident kills all but one small gosling egg, Roz makes it her mission to raise and protect the duck.

As Roz slowly befriends the animals of the island, the island starts to feel like home. Until one day, when Roz’s mysterious past comes back to get her.

So, has anyone else in the year 2024 picked up this book because of the movie? Usually I read the book before the movie, but I did this one backwards. That being said, the book and the movie are pretty different from one another – same plot, tad bit different storyline.

This is both a simple and a bit of a complex read. The language is definitely aimed at children, but there were also a lot of descriptions of animal violence and death. The writing is written in a way that presents the bit of the morbid side as being the facts of life (if that makes sense). Children understand the world a lot more than adults sometimes give them credit for and this book doesn’t treat children like they’re too young to understand mother nature. That being said, the language is almost simplified in a way that could present as being childish, but the storyline itself is probably better for an older reader – hence it being (younger) middle grade.

The chapters are short and the simple illustrations really add to the read – rather it’s with cuteness overload, or a funny moment also in drawing.

Overall, this is a fun, beautiful book about learning to care for one another, despite differences, and a big shout out to mothers and caregivers everywhere.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins / P. Djélí Clark

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The Dead Cat Tail Assassins
By: P. Djélí Clark, Lynnette R. Freeman (Narrator)
Genre: Novella, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 213
Published: August 6, 2024
Publisher: Tordotcom
Dates Read: October 11, 2024 - October 13, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover / Audiobook

Eveen is a part of a guild of hired necromancer killers called the dead cat tail assassins; she was resurrected after death and is beholden to the goddess Aeril with no memories of her past.

There are only three unbreakable vows.

  1. The contract must be just.
  2. You may only kill the contracted.
  3. Once a job is accepted, it must be carried out. If you don’t – a final death would be a mercy.

When the Festival of the Clockwork King turns the city of Tal Abisi upside down, Eveen’s newest mission brings her face to face with a past she’s not supposed to remember.

So this took me a moment to get into it while reading – and it really has nothing to do with the writing, because P. Djèlí Clark is amazing and I always love everything he writes. My problem was my eyeballs were not cooperating with the creation of the world. My solution? Listen to the audiobook! And boy, was that the best solution because I got immersed in this world so fast listening to Lynnette R. Freeman read it (especially with the Cajun accents!). It also helped me when, later that night, I tried to read the last two chapters myself but then the Goddess came with a very thick Cajun accent and the words on the page had to be said aloud in order for me to understand the words with the accent. So, this is my long ended version of saying I loved the audiobook version of this book!

The book itself?

Worldbuilding – amazing, steampunkish.

Characters – stunning, especially the women who were unapologetically themselves and held power to the highest degree. 

*Thank you Tordotcom and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Bakery Dragon / Devin Elle Kurtz

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The Bakery Dragon
By: Devin Elle Kurtz
Genre: Children’s, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 48
Published: October 1, 2024
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: October 11, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Ember has always been different from the other dragons – he’s small, his roar sounds more like a sneeze, and when he tries to breathe fire, the villagers coo at him. Worried he will never collect a respectable hoard of gold, Ember sets out to the village, but gets caught in a rainstorm. An encounter with a friendly baker turns Ember’s fortune around as he soon discovers that the gold you make is much better than the gold you steal.

I have been waiting for this book to be released for ages! I’ve followed the author on Instagram for awhile and when she posted about Ember’s story getting published into a book, I knew I had to read it.

I have also been shoving this book into all my colleagues hands and telling them to read it while I’ve been carrying it around at work.

Overall – this is adorable. Please read it and try not to cry over how precious Ember is. I’m going to go find my own personal copy of this now.

The Bletchley Riddle / Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

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The Bletchley Riddle
By: Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 400
Published: October 8, 2024
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: October 6, 2024 - October 11, 2024
Format: ARC / Paperback

Nineteen-year-old Jakob Novis and his fourteen-year-old sister, Lizzie, share a love of riddles and puzzles. As WWII gets closer and closer to Britain, the siblings find themselves amongst the greatest secrets of all – Britain’s codebreaking facility at Bletchley Park. As Jakob joins the country’s top minds to crack Nazi’s Enigma cipher, Lizzie transfers notes between departments in the park and tries to solve the mysterious disappearance of their mother in her off time.

While the Novis siblings work hard on their tasks, messages and codes begin to arrive under their doorstep. It doesn’t help that while they try to figure out if the messages are truly for them (and possibly from their mother), that there is an inspector lurking outside the gates of the park, watching Jakob and Lizzie’s every move. They must figure out a way to put their bickering aside and work together to decipher the clues if they want to uncover the answers to the puzzle.

As usual, I will pick up anything Ruta Sepetys touches and learn about a part of history I hadn’t known about before I read the book. This book is no exception as we take a deeper dive into the codebreakers Bletchley Park during WWII. I knew there were codebreakers during WWII, but what I didn’t realize is that they consisted of mathematicians, chess champions, and librarians (which, as a librarian, this absolutely makes sense why they were needed!).

Though this book is aimed at middle grade, I will say it felt like it would be more for upper middle grade / younger high school age. Lizzie is fourteen and Jakob is nineteen so their voices were a little older, but nothing major or graphic happened that would make the novel need to be young adult.

Even as an adult, when it came to the description of the codes’ breakthroughs or the ins and outs of the Enigma machines, I would get lost, but overall I just assumed the characters knew what they were talking about and trusted them.

Overall, I loved the twists and turns that kept the pages moving for me. I know I had a hard time as an adult solving the clues, so young readers who like spies and code cracking, are sure to love this too.

*Thank you Viking Books for Young Readers and BookishFirst for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review