Author: Alisha Helms

49 Days / Agnes Lee

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49 Days
By: Agnes Lee
Genre: Graphic Novel
Number of Pages: 352
Published: March 5, 2024
Publisher: Levine Querido
Dates Read: June 1, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: Grief

In Buddhist tradition, it takes a soul 49 days to journey between life and rebirth. In the 49 Days graphic novel, readers meet Kit, as she’s on her journey through the transition, as well as her family and friends who are left behind to grieve.

This story is sad but thoughtful as well. Kit struggles in her own journey of being able to move on as well and her family and friends left behind are trying to figure out how best to fill the hole that has now appeared in her absence. 

The story is a little vague on a few details on the journey, but I believe it’s that way so readers can interpret it on their own. I lost my father as a twelve-year-old and I definitely interpret the death of a close family member a lot differently than a lot of my coworkers.

Overall this is a story about grief. It may not be for everybody at certain moments in their life, but they may be able to come back to it. It’s touching and heartwarming as well.

Coyote Lost and Found / Dan Gemeinhart

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Coyote Lost and Found
By: Dan Gemeinhart
Genre: Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 282
Published: March 5, 2024
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Dates Read: May 26, 2024 - May 29, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

*Trigger Warnings: Grief, remembering death of parent and siblings, Covid-19

It’s been almost a year since Coyote and her dad settled down in a small Oregon town. But just as their lives were being close to “normal”, Coyote finds a box containing her mom’s ashes that was hidden in the bus and she thinks she’s ready to say goodbye. When Covid-19 hits and school is canceled, it’s the perfect time. The only problem – Coyote doesn’t know where her resting place is supposed to be. Her mom wrote it in a book of poetry that Coyote mistakenly sold last year on the road. Now, it’s up to Coyote to find the book so she can tell her dad where her mom’s resting place should be – all without her dad knowing she lost the book in the first place. Firing up their trusty bus, Yager, Coyote and her dad are ready to hit the road with some old friends and ready to discover some new ones.

Ah – Coyote and her dad have held a special place in my heart since reading about their first adventure. When I saw there was a sequel I immediately grabbed a copy as soon as I could.

This book is about moving on to the next chapter of your life and, even if it’s scary, accepting change, and finding things.

“…Finding ashes and finding books and finding friends and finding where you belong and finding clues and finding wings and finding a way and then, at the end, finding peace, Because we lose a lot, all of us on our journeys. There’s no way around that. But we find a lot, too, if we’re lucky. And I was.”

This book is aimed at middle grade readers, but I think those of all ages will enjoy it. Coyote is only thirteen in this novel, and she’s dealing with big emotions and grief of her mother and sisters death – so some may not like how she reacts to things – but, as someone who lost her dad at the age of twelve, the grieving process is weird and I hope think this novel will hope young readers in their own grieving processes. The characters will dig their way into your heart and you’ll think about them long after the last pages.

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

The First State of Being / Erin Entrada Kelly

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The First State of Being
By: Erin Entrada Kelly
Genre: Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 272
Published: March 5, 2024
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Dates Read: May 25, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

It’s August 1999 and twelve-year-old Michael is preparing for the looming Y2K crisis that’s just around the corner by keeping a small stockpile under his bed. His mom, nor his babysitter, Gibby, seem to be as worried. When a disoriented teenage boy appears out of nowhere, Michael’s life is turned around.

It turns out, the disoriented boy is named Ridge, and he’s the world’s first time traveler. As Gibby shows Ridge around the 1999s lifestyle – microwaves, basketballs, and the mall – Michael discovers their new friend has a book that outlines the events of the next twenty years. Michael wants – no, actually, he needs to get his hands on that book to find out the fate of the world in the next few months. But, how far is he willing to go to get it?

Oh to remember the Y2K crisis. I was seven and in all honesty, my memories don’t attach to computers crashing, but the world itself crumbling down?? I was probably overthinking it with the complete limited amount of knowledge I was given. My parents and my aunt and uncle weren’t concerned about it, so I just went with it.

This was cute and a fun introduction to the late 90’s for middle grade readers – and brings up the discussion of Y2K as well. It also gave plenty of shout outs to Millennials. I also enjoyed the twist(s) at the end – of course, not going to give them away. 

I can see adults liking this just as much as kids because of the pop culture references and such. Again, this would probably open the discussion for kids to ask about the late 90s, early 2000s – especially Y2K and computer culture back in the day.

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

The Secret Language of Birds / Lynne Kelly

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The Secret Language of Birds
By: Lynne Kelly
Genre: Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 240
Published: April 9, 2024
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Dates Read: May 22, 2024 - May 24, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Nina has always felt like the odd one out, both at school and with her family. When she goes to the summer camp her aunt runs, Nina expects it to be exactly the same – but then she meets the Oddballs, a group of three girls from the last cabin at camp. One night, while sneaking out to see a ghost with her fellow campers, Nina discovers what appears to be two whooping cranes who built a nest behind an abandoned infirmary – which is impossible since this species of birds haven’t nested in Texas for over a hundred years.

When Nina reports the sighting to wildlife officials, more questions arise. These birds are all tagged and tracked, but they can’t identify the female bird. With the help of the Oddballs, Nina sets out to discover who the mystery bird is and along the way, maybe she’ll find her own flock.

I really enjoyed Nina’s journey in finding her group of friends who enjoyed each other’s company and were supportive of each other. The reconnection of Nina and Iris was realistic and wholesome as well and their conversations felt genuine, especially when Iris was telling Nina how she felt. Lynne Kelly really has a way of writing with empathy, care, and gentleness. Even when Nina was having anxiety over her new friends and situations, she wasn’t ever written as being over the top or anything.

I haven’t read A Song for a Whale (yet) but this gave me more of a reason to get that moved up on my TBR. I wanted to read this one because of Nina’s love for birds and being an amateur bird watcher. It was fun finding out the ways Nina would discover birds and how she talked or thought about them.

This was aimed at Middle Grade readers, but I feel like quite a few audiences can enjoy it. It’s sweet and gentle. Without ruining anything, there’s stuff at stake but it’s not really a high stakes type of book. This will take you on an adventure with a young girl at summer camp watching over a pair of birds with her friends and in the end, watch Nina change the way she not only views others, but herself as well.

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

Thirsty / Jas Hammonds

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Thirsty
By: Jas Hammonds
Genre: New Adult
Number of Pages: 336
Published: May 14, 2024
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Dates Read: May 19, 2024 - May 21, 2024
Format: ARC / Paperback

Trigger Warnings: (as per beginning of novel) alcohol addiction, self-hatred, suicidal ideation, racial microaggressions, transphobic thetoric, and non-consensual outing

During the summer before college, Blake, her girlfriend, Ella, and their best friend, Annetta have one goal: join the exclusive Serena Society at their college. The sorority promises status and lifelong connections to a network of powerful, trailblazing women of color. Ella’s acceptance is a certainty – so is Annetta really – both of their mothers are Serena’s alum. However, Blake has a lot more to prove.

Blake comes from a working-class background and lacks confidence, nothing like Ella. Luckily, she finds courage with drops of liquor because when she drinks, she becomes Big Bad Bee – funny, bold, and unstoppable. But, as Serena pledging intensifies, so does Blake’s drinking, but it doesn’t stop at just partying. Ella assures Blake that she’s fine; nothing she’s doing isn’t what needs to be done to make the cut.

But the closer she gets to success, the more Blake’s drowning. With her future so bright ahead, Blake must decide how far she’s willing to go and to lose to step into the bright light of her dreams.

I absolutely adored Jas Hammond’s debut novel, We Deserve Monuments, so I’ve been highly anticipating their second novel since they announced it on their Instagram. Goodness, this doesn’t disappoint.

Blake was such a complex character – one that made it so hard to keep rooting for her as she continuously turned to alcohol, but I wanted her happy ending and was proud of her when she really tried. On top of trying to get into the Serena Society, Blake is not only navigating the transition between high school life and college but also her identity, her past, and what that means for her future and her place in the world.

I also love the relationship we see between both Blake and Ella and Blake and Annetta and how both characters interact with her. We see the type of support (or lack of support) that they give Blake and how she responds to it and it gives the characters more depth and realistic interactions.

Overall, this is a wonderful coming of age novel about an 18-year-old and her relationship with both drinking and those around her. I would somewhat argue that this novel could fall under the New Adult genre and not YA, but could see it being either.

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

The Encyclopedia of Early Earth / Isabel Greenberg

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The Encyclopedia of Early Earth
By: Isabel Greenberg
Genre: Graphic Novel
Number of Pages: 176
Published: October 3, 2013
Publisher: Bond Street Books
Dates Read: May 19, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

In a series of illustrated tales, a young man paddles from his home in the North Pole to the South Pole in search of his missing soul. Along the way, he uses his skills as his village’s storyteller to share others’ stories.

I really loved the storytelling of this novel. Of course, this is all fictional, but Isabel Greenberg used a lot of stories based on our own cultures and twisted them around. The book didn’t take itself too seriously and it was fun to see what Greenberg kept and what she changed to tell the story of early Earth.

I particularly enjoyed Kiddo and her storyline with Noah as she tried to save him from her father, Bird God.

Overall, a fun graphic novel filled with detailed art and stories that will capture your attention and hold it through every page.

The Fragility of Light / Heather S. Lonczak

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The Fragility of Light
By: Heather S. Lonczak
Genre: Fiction
Number of Pages: 448
Published: March 2, 2024
Publisher: Ivy Lan Press
Dates Read: May 13, 2024 - May 19, 2024
Format: ARC/ eBook

Trigger Warnings: mental illness, psychosis, death, mentions of suicide, suicide attempt, mention of living through the Holocaust, generational trauma, parental neglect 

Sunny Zielinski has a promising future ahead of her. Recently, she lands a job as an editor and gets married to the love of her life, Joshua. Her close close-knit family is her rock, especially her loving grandparents – Holocaust survivors who helped raise her.

Following two major losses, Sunny finds that she’s losing herself. Then, she experiences her first psychotic break and is dropped into a world of fear and confusion as her delusions, hallucinations, and mood symptoms take over, Sunny is enveloped into madness. As Sunny attempts to navigate her symptoms, she struggles between what is reality and what is her illness, who’s there to help her, and what she needs to do to get better.

Told mostly through Sunny’s point of view, there are chapters with her husband Joshua, and her father, Peter, as they all try their hardest to help Sunny in her road to recovery.

My first words of this were just: Wow. This is definitely not an easy read. This will pull at your heartstrings before it helps you stitch it back together near the end.

The author, Heather S. Lonczak holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology along with a lot of other studies and experiences within the field and this novel shows she knows what she’s talking about. I appreciated how the doctors interacted with Sunny when they were talking to her about her illness and about taking her medicine. They treated her like a real person with an illness and not just the illness itself.

The novel is the slightest bit wordy in my opinion, but all the words help you immerse into Sunny’s life all the more. I especially loved reading Joshua or Peter’s chapters after some intense moments of Sunny’s as they tended to give you more insight of habits or events that Sunny either didn’t realize she was doing, or that she thought no one else would know about.

Overall, this novel is a wonderful look at a family adjusting to a new mental diagnosis. It doesn’t shy around the ugliness that a mental illness can cause and the struggle a family can go through. Highly recommending this novel for those who want to read about an experience of a newly diagnosed woman as she and her family try to find her way out of the darkness.

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

The Groundworld Heroes / Adrian So

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The Groundworld Heroes
By: Adrian So
Genre: Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 122
Published: August 6, 2024
Publisher: Monarch Educational Services
Dates Read: May 12, 2024 - May 13, 2024
Format: ARC / eBook

When Benjamin, a junior mole digger, witnesses a human invasion of his homeland of Soiland, he must gather his courage and unite two different realms to fight the intruders and save the citizens.

This book is definitely aimed at the younger crowd (upper elementary to lower middle school), but I can also see this as a chapter book for Hi-Lo readers as well. So does have fun with language in this book. Using words like: mole-ments, Whizzy Fizzy Speed Machine, bunny-hops (used to measuring distance), for rabbit’s sake! – and so much more.

Overall, this is a book about a little mole standing up for what he believes in and helping his home, and his people with his bravery. Readers will enjoy the adventure filled story with funny, witty characters and punny writing. I can see a lot of future fantasy readers getting their start in that genre with this book.

The author of this book is a teenager and this is his debut novel. I’m excited to see their continued writing journey and to see them grow as an author.

*Thank you Adrian for reaching out to me to read your debut novel in exchange for an honest review

Sync / Ellen Hopkins

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Sync
By: Ellen Hopkins
Genre: YA, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 448
Published: August 27, 2024
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Dates Read: May 10, 2024 - May 11, 2024
Format: ARC / Paperback

Trigger Warnings: Child abuse, child neglect, homelessness, mention of drug use, rape, suicide, homophobia, prison/juvie

Twins Storm and Lake have always been in sync growing up – until they get separated within the foster care system. Storm’s been through juvie but his current foster dad and his girlfriend are helping him find a normal life again – until an incident makes him lose control again. Lake likes girls, but her bible loving foster parents would immediately kick her out if they find out – so she and her foster sibling, Parker, must keep their relationship secret. Both twins have rough patches ahead and both fight to come out on the other side.

Sooo, I’ve never read an Ellen Hopkins book – at least that I can remember anyway. I did NOT keep track of books I read until I was in my late 20’s… That being said, I feel like I would remember the emotional damage that probably would have been done with her books, especially with how I feel after finishing this one.

Hopkins didn’t shy away from the hard topics. Doing so allowed me to feel every emotion alongside the twins as they were. I’ve recently really gotten into novel-in-verse books and it absolutely makes me understand how poetry can really hit your gut with just so few words; Hopkins didn’t have to go into detail about what things looked like for you to understand what was going on.

The ending was bittersweet because I didn’t want it to be over, but at the same time, Hopkins finished it beautifully without needing the words. God, this book is going to stay with me for quite some time. I’m going to think of Storm and Lake and hope they’re doing okay.

Overall, this book will grab your heart and twist it tight, absolutely leaving an imprint when it finally releases you on the last page. Even though it’s a 400+ page novel, it reads quickly and one could probably finish it in one setting. The only reason I hadn’t was because I started it super late at night and then had plans the following morning.

*Thank you Nancy Paulsen Books and BookishFirst for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Hidden Yellow Stars / Rebecca Connolly

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Hidden Yellow Stars
By: Rebecca Connolly
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 304
Published: March 5, 2024
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Dates Read: May 5, 2024 - May 9, 2024
Format: ARC / eBook

Based on the true story of two World War II heroines, Andrée and Ida, who risked everything to save Jewish children from the Gestapo by hiding them throughout Belgium using coded notebooks.

I haven’t read anything by Rebecca Connolly before but I did like her writing in this novel – though some of it had more internal monologue than I thought was necessary, the imagery written was amazing and I can still picture some scenes in my head, even days after reading it. Connolly really puts you on the streets of Brussels with the tension of doing everything one can to save children.

Each chapter began with real Nazi propaganda and it really got to me a bit for how many of them were aimed at children. This book is about saving children, and to have such nasty propaganda aimed at the same age group these women are trying to save just goes to show how much hatred is taught.

This is all based on a true story(ies) of the CDJ in Belgium – which, as stated in the Afterword of the novel, is estimated to have hidden nearly three thousand children successfully during WWII!

My only thing about the novel is I wasn’t always 100% sure where in the timeline of the war the chapters were happening. Sometimes I could gauge based on what they would talk about – like clearly towards the end, but other times I kind of wished I knew what year it was.

Overall though, I absolutely loved this book and I already know a few people I will be recommending it to. If you love historical fiction about WWII, especially those based on true events, this book will capture your attention and never let it go – even long after you’ve finished.

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