Author: Alisha Helms

Alone / Megan E. Freeman

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Alone
By: Megan E. Freeman
Genre: Middle Grade, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 404
Published: January 12, 2021
Publisher: Aladdin
Dates Read: August 27, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: food and water scarcity, injury, animal death, mentions of dead animal bodies

After plans fall through for her secret sleepover with her best friends, Maddie still stays over at her grandparents’ empty apartment – but she wakes to a nightmare. Maddie’s alone. Everyone in Millerville, Colorado has been evacuated and the town has been completely abandoned.

With her only companion being a Rottweiler named George, Maddie slowly learns how to survive on her own with no power, no running water, no phone or internet access, and a town deserted. As months pass, Maddie and George survive natural disasters, ruthless looters, wild animals, and the elements of nature with stride. It’s the loneliness that is slowly getting to Maddie. Can her will to survive continue to get her through the most frightening experience of her life?

I love novels in verse stories as well as post-apocalyptic novels, and this has been a story I’ve been wanting to read for the longest time and I finally picked it up at my library. I read all of this in one setting. It was that captivating. The language is gorgeous and the breaking up of the verses really showcase and capture Maddie’s loneliness, heartache, and still – hope. 

I also loved George and the companionship he provided for Maddie <spoiler> there were TWO TIMES I thought George had passed away and BOTH TIMES I was ready to throw the book across the room in sorrow</spoiler>. Plus, you need to have a furry sidekick during the apocalypse, and a big Rottweiler named George is one of the best.

I can see audiences of middle grade readers and up enjoying this. Though, I will say there is a scene of animal cruelty <spoiler> specifically the death of a kitten</spoiler> that I do think should be taken into consideration for a younger reader. Otherwise, this was such a wonderful and captivating read (again, I read all 400+ pages in one setting). I am for sure keeping an eye out to purchase my own copy and will be giving this title out on plenty of recommendations.

In Limbo / Deb JJ Lee

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In Limbo
By: Deb JJ Lee
Genre: Graphic Novel, Memoir, Nonfiction
Number of Pages: 348
Published: March 7, 2023
Publisher: First Second
Dates Read: August 27, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warning: suicide attempt(s), child abuse by parent

In Limbo is a graphic novel memoir about a Korean-American teenager, Deborah (Jung-Ji) Lee, as she navigates the struggles of high school while still feeling like an outsider. As the pressures of high school and the ever growing changing in her personal life, Deb doesn’t have anywhere to turn to – even home isn’t a safe place as the fights with her mom continue to worsen as time goes on. Her mental health falls fast.

But Deb’s a fighter. She soon discovers her real love is art. With that, along with self-care, Deb gradually begins her road to recovery. During a trip to South Korea, she realizes something that changes her perspective on everything.

The artwork in this graphic novel is beautiful. The topics and themes are hard. Being an immigrant is no doubt hard enough – but being an immigrant as a kid or teenager that’s stuck between two worlds is probably even harder. There are a lot of themes of not belonging and not being enough of one thing or the other. What was really hard for me was the abuse at the hands of her mother. The graphic novel made it very real for me as he captured the anger of her mother’s face.

I think the author’s note at the end of this is important – especially because the ending is almost kind of abrupt, but it works. Not everything is tied up in a nice bow and understood. It is a memoir afterall, but it does show the author and her journey through pain, anger, resentment (of herself and others), and forgiveness (both of herself and others).

Overall, I think a lot of people will be able to see themselves and possibly their experiences in this graphic novel memoir. For others, it will shine a light on someone else’s experiences growing up as an immigrant.

After You Vanished / E.A. Neeves

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After You Vanished by E.A. Neeves cover
4 star rating
After You Vanished
By: E.A. Neeves
Genre: YA, Mystery
Number of Pages: 336
Published: August 29, 2023
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Dates Read: August 24, 2023 - August 26, 2023
Format: ARC / eBook

Teddy’s favorite place is Bottomrock Lake, where she’s been a lifeguard every summer, even though it’s the last place her twin sister, Izzy was seen a year ago. Now, she can’t stop thinking of all the places her sister went – Izzy was on her way to become an Olympic swimmer, there’s no way she could have drowned. Plus, her passport is missing.

But when Toby, the boy who was with Izzy that fateful night she vanished, comes to Bottomrock to work as a lifeguard too, Teddy can’t help but want to ask 1,000 questions. How many secrets does Toby have of Izzy’s that she didn’t share with Teddy? And why does undercovering one always lead to ten more?

I picked this up because it mentioned Sadie by Courtney Summers as a read-a-like, and I absolutely love that book and am constantly recommending it, so to have another title that would get to be added to that list was what I was looking for. I had high expectations, and this one didn’t disappoint.

This is most definitely a slow burn mystery with low stakes (no one is coming after to kill Teddy or anyone else) mixed with a bit of romance. There was always something that made me turn the page, even when Teddy would eliminate something. I always had hope it would turn out one way. I will say I think it took me a bit longer to see a few of the curveballs that were thrown, but in the end it was fun to see it all connected.

Though a mystery, this book also focuses on Teddy and her grief of losing not only a sibling, but her twin. And how she uses it to grow out on her own for the first time. Her story in that regard was well written.

Needless to say, this will be on my recommendation list, alongside Sadie, for anyone who wants a good mystery with emotional layers to it.

*Thank you Disney-Hyperion and NetGalley for a digital advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

My Father, The Panda Killer / Jamie Jo Hoang

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My Father, The Panda Killer
By: Jamie Jo Hoang
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 384
Published: August 29, 2023
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: August 19, 2023 - August 24, 2023
Format: ARC / eBook

**THIS DOESN’T LET ME DO SPOILERS – SO THE SPOILER IS IN THE BRACKET WITH THE BOLDED <SPOILER> </SPOILER>

Trigger Warnings: Generational trauma, physical abuse, violence

My Father, The Panda Killer is told through Jane, in San Jose, 1999, as she tries to explain to her 7-year-old brother why their dad can’t control his anger. It’s because back in his own country, in Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, 1975 Phúc (rhymes with Duke), is eleven the first time his mother through him through the minefields, fallen airplanes, and debris to a refugee boat. But, before the sun even rises, more than half the people aboard will perish. Fleeing the horrors of this homeland, Phúc’s difficult journey across the Pacific has just started as he fights to survive Thai pirates, starvation, hallucination, and the murder of a panda.

Told in alternating voices of Jane and Phúc, this novel tells the unflinching story of the Vietnam war, its impact on multiple generations, and how one American teenager battles along the path to accepting her heritage and herself.

This novel is definitely unflinching in the struggles and horrors Vietnamese boat people had to endure in order to survive. Jamie Jo Hoang brings to light how those experiences still trickle down generations and how, even in America, first generation children were raised in completely different worlds and conditions.

<spoiler> What got me was that after everything Phúc went through, when he meets Jane’s mom for the first time on the boat over to Guam from Hong Kong, he’s so dismissive of her and also so hard on her. Like – he wasn’t going to clean up after himself because she’s a woman and that’s what women do. And he gets mad at her for playing with a jump rope? We had gotten so much of his story and on that boat trip, it felt like Phúc flipped a switch and I didn’t get it. Maybe it’s because he was still trying to hold onto his Vietnamese culture, but still… </spoiler>

Overall, this is a beautiful novel that gives a wonderful insight on both the Vietnam War and what some first generation Americans (and others) have experienced as a result of the War. I would recommend this to those who want to read more about Vietnamese culture and the legacy of immigrant and refugee experiences.

*Thank you Crown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for a digital advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

Everything/Nothing/Someone / Alice Carrière

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Everything/Nothing/Someone
By: Alice Carrière
Genre: Memoir
Number of Pages: 288
Published: August 29, 2023
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Dates Read: August 15, 2023 - August 19, 2023
Format: ARC / eBook

Trigger Warnings: sexual abuse, false memory, inherited trauma, mental illness, drug and alcohol addiction

In this memoir of Alice Carrière, she tells the story of her unconventional upbringing in Greenwich Village as the daughter of renowned artist Jennifer Bartlett and European actor Mathieu Carrière. Growing up in the bohemian 90’s, Alice must navigate her mother’s recovered memories of ritualized sexual abuse that she turns into art, and her father’s odd and confusing attentions. For the most part, Alice is left alone with little-to-no enforcement of boundaries or supervision.

When she enters adolescence, Alice begins to lose herself as a dissociative disorder begins to take over. She bounces in and out of mental hospitals and takes up various roles around town while bouncing from one experience to another in a medicated state. Eventually, she finds purpose in caring for her Alzheimer’-afflicted mother. With the help of a recovering addict who loves her, Alice also finds the courage to confront her father, whose words and actions splintered her. 

I haven’t read a lot of written memoirs (I’ve read a few graphic novel memoirs/biographies). But, this year I’m trying to make sure I branch out and read a different variety of genres. This one caught my eye because of the mental health aspect and growing up in the 90’s. Mental health and the stigma around it has drastically changed within the last few years. I grew up in the 90’s/00’s and I remember you didn’t talk about mental health – now I make jokes with my coworkers about our crippling depression/anxiety almost daily.

This memoir won’t be for everybody. Everything/Nothing/Someone deals with a lot of heavy subjects, but it is very thought-provoking and a look at how mental health was tackled and the stigma with it in the 90’s, early 2000’s. 

*Thank you Spiegel & Grau, Publishers Weekly, and NetGalley for a digital advance copy of this memoir in exchange for an honest review

White Bird / R.J. Palacio

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White Bird
By: R.J. Palacio
Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 224
Published: September 3, 2019
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: August 14, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: Holocaust 

In White Bird, readers are told Julian’s (who you meet in Wonder) Grandmère’s story as a young Jewish girl hidden away in the barn of a classmate’s in Nazi-occupied France during World War II.

I’ve been meaning to read this book for a while now and I needed something I knew I would enjoy before my next read. So, I grabbed this from my library.

There is a bit of a tie in to events in recent days. Which brings up the quote shared at the very beginning of the book,

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana.

I don’t think the author is pointing at comparing what’s happening at the US/Mexico border to the Holocaust as a whole, but more of what the beginning of it looked like. The main character, Sara even mentions the fact that even though she was limited to certain places, or stopped from going into others, that it didn’t really bother her at the beginning. Overall, there is no reason to be unjust to any specific group of people. 

I enjoyed the story and how it was told, especially for the middle grade age group it’s targeted for. Sara’s story is a page turner with many moments of tension. The author does an amazing job at still showing the horrors of war while still making it suitable for middle grade readers. There are also resources in the back few pages to expand the story as well as lists of organizations, biographies, and photos.

Bride of the Tornado / James Kennedy

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Bride of the Tornado
By: James Kennedy
Genre: Horror
Number of pages: 336
Published: August 15, 2023
Publisher: Quirk Books
Dates Read: August 11, 2023 - August 14, 2023
Format: ARC / eBook

In a small, midwestern town, the adults whisper about “Tornado Day”, something a high school sophomore has never heard of. At the Tornado Day’s assembly, she sees the tornado killer for the first time. Drawn to boy, she begins to feel a connection between them. But the adults are hiding a secret about the tornados and she must escape before the secrets dig in and claim her.

So one of my goals this year (as with every year, really) is to try and branch out of my standard historical adult fiction and YA. I was born and raised in the Midwest and tornadoes were almost like a block party for us because we were the only ones of our friends and family in the immediate area that had a basement. I think that’s why I was kind of drawn to this book.

This story was a ride and it will definitely keep you guessing as to what in the world is going on <spoiler> though some questions you probably won’t get the answer to </spoiler>. 

The storytelling in this was vivid, and I could “see” what was happening, or what the narrator was talking about – though sometimes it jumped around from showing to just telling and that would throw me off. There was also a lot more gore than I was expecting in it, but it is horror, so I feel like I probably should have expected what there was.

The first ¾ of the book really held my interest, but the last quarter had me lost and I ended up having to reread a lot. I would get confused on the POVs as well as what was overall happening. It would also really switch up the way it is written (again, that telling vs showing).

Overall, it was a fun read. It was something different and I still enjoyed it (even the uncomfortable gorey parts). It’s a bit of a hard book to explain but, I can still see myself recommending it to those who like fast-paced creepy horror/thrillers. 

*Thank you Quick Books and NetGalley for a digital advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

Warrior Girl Unearthed / Angeline Boulley

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Warrior Girl Unearthed
By: Angeline Boulley
Genre: YA, Mystery
Number of Pages: 400
Published: May 2, 2023
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Dates Read: August 6, 2023 - August 10, 2023
Format: Hardcover

After a bear and her cub cause Perry Firekeeper-Birch to get into a fender bender with a metal gate, she’s had to kiss her chilled out Summer of Slack goodbye in order to pay her Auntie Daunis back for the repairs. Now, she’s working in The Kinomage program, at the museum with Cooper Turtle. It’s not all bad though, she’s with the other outcasts in the group, Team Misfit Toys. Together they ace obstacle courses, plan vigils for missing women in the community, and make sure summer can still be fun.

While working with Cooper Turtle, Perry attends a meeting at a local university where she meets the “Warrior Girl”, an ancestor whose bones and knife are stored in the museum archives. After finding out how her ancestors are treated, Perry is determined to help return Warrior Girl to her tribe. She learns everything she can about NAGPRA, the federal law that allows tribes to request the return of ancestral remains and sacred items. The law was passed back in 1990 and museums all over the United States have found legal loopholes to hold onto remains like Warrior Girl and others. The college has twelve other Anishinaabe ancestors’ remains and Team Misfit Toys are determined to bring them home through a heist.

I absolutely adored Firekepper’s Daughter and am constantly recommending it. This book is no different. This is another powerful and beautifully written story that really focuses on the injustices that happen within the Indigenous Communities both here in the United States and around the world. I always learn so much reading these books. Like, I know America has a horrible relationship with Indigenous and Native tribes, but to hear just how badly and cruel museums are handling the NAGPRA is so horribly sad. This book is set in 2014 and talks about how long it was taking museums to do something that was issued into law 20 years ago – it’s over 30 now and it’s probably not any better.

Perry is a bit impulsive and immature, but so works so well for this story. She loves her community and culture so much and will do everything she can for them. Perry grows so much in this story and I adore her so much.

This book is a 10 year follow up to Firekeeper’s Daughter but could totally be a stand alone too. Though I would highly recommend reading both because you really get the depth to the community, history, characters, and practices mentioned.

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

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. / Judy Blume

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Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
By: Judy Blume
Genre: Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 192
Published: April 20, 2014 (1st Published January 1, 1970)
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: August 5, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Margaret has no religion, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a close relationship with God. It’s not until she moves from New York to New Jersey and begins hanging out with new friends does she realize it’s probably weird that she talks with God the way that she does. So, for a school assignment, Margaret sets out to do an experiment on religion and what that means for her.

So, I’m going to blame the fact that I didn’t read this novel until my 30’s because I was at such a high reading level as a kid, I basically skipped reading middle grade books for the most part and went directly to Young Adult. I totally should have read this as a kid because a lot of the novel is something nearly every young girl can relate to (minus maybe the religious parts of it).

It brought back a lot of memories as a young girl growing up. Exceptions for me: I didn’t want to wear a bra and fought my mom and older sister about it until I basically had to. And, when I got my first period, it was at the public library’s restroom, I shouted to my friend in the next stall I started, to which she replied, “Can I see?!” before I told her “NO!” and to “Go get my Mom!”

This book also talks about a young girl’s relationship with religion and how that affects her. Her parents are trying their hardest to raise her as nonreligious, so that she can choose a religion when she’s older. But, all of Margaret’s friends have some relationship with God, through Christianity or Judaism, and she feels almost like she’s left out.

Even though this book was written and set in the 1970’s it still applies to everyday pressures young girls still face. Margaret is trying to figure things out for herself but runs into a lot of misinformation or more of people’s opinions rather than facts. I remember a lot being a problem growing up.

Overall, I wish I knew of this book growing up. I think it would have helped me feel seen and know the fact that almost every preteen/sixth grader probably went through a version of the exact same thing.

Living Resistance: An Indigenous Vision for Seeking Wholeness Every Day / Kaitlin B. Curtice

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Living Resistance: An Indigenous Vision for Seeking Wholeness Every Day
By: Kaitlin B. Curtice
Genre: Nonfiction, Self Help
Number of Pages: 208
Published: March 7, 2023
Publisher: Brazos Press
Dates Read: August 2, 2023 - August 5, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Living Resistance is about resistance and how you can use it in everyday life and not just at protests or boycotting things. Kaitlin B. Curtice looks at resistance in different realms: the personal, the communal, the ancestral, and the integral. She explains each realm at the beginning of each section to help the reader understand it more thoroughly. 

I was kind of excited about this book. I’ve been trying to get into reading more nonfiction and I thought this would be one I would enjoy. Maybe it just wasn’t really for me.

I felt like it was a bit repetitive, which makes sense because it’s about life and life is messy and isn’t always straight forward, but when I’m reading a different story with the same message at the end, it gets a bit boring.

It was also a bit more religious than what I was looking for, not so much spiritual.

I feel like a lot of people will be able to take from this, but it just didn’t speak to me as I would hope it would.

I will say, it did make me think about how I want to look to my descendants as their ancestor and what I would want to leave behind for them.

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