2024 Books Reviewed

Sugaring Off / Gillian French

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Sugaring Off
By: Gillian French, Caitlin Davies (narrator)
Genre: YA, Thriller
Number of Pages: 352
Published: November 1, 2022
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Dates Read: June 20, 2024 - June 23, 2024
Format: Library Book / Audiobook

Left partially deaf by an early childhood tragedy that ended with her father incarcerated, seventeen-year-old Owl lives with her aunt and uncle on their maple sugar farm. Owl and her aunt and uncle never speak of the attack that brought her to them, but Owl is perfectly content with hiking the steep forested acres surrounding their farm. After meeting a stranger trespassing among the maples, Owl’s sheltered life is blown wide open by Cody – the new farmhand hired to help with the sugaring off. 

Cody seems to see her, the real her, and the duo challenge each other. But, when Owl learns that Cody always seems to head towards self destruction, she must reevaluate their relationship at the same time her father is released from prison and requesting contact. When a motiveless murder draws attention to Cody, Owl realizes that Cody is in far more serious trouble than first realized – and he’s brought it up the mountain.

This book deals with a lot more than the description gives off truthfully (much like life), such as Owl trying to figure out how to best utilize both the help from her ASL tutor at school, and using ASL in general. The author also did an excellent job at showing how someone who is partially deaf might feel. Including how Deaf she is. Owl also deals with attempting to figure out how a new romance can teeter the balance of other relationships.

My only thing is – I wouldn’t really market this as a mystery. It can definitely be a thriller, but any “mystery” that was happening in the novel, I feel like readers were given enough information to piece everything together rather quickly.

I really enjoy Caitlin Davies as a narrator. I think she did an amazing job at the different voices and the pacing.

Overall, I loved being inside Owl’s head during this journey. I’ve got another book to add for my Rep: Deaf or Hard of Hearing character titles.

The Love Report Volume 2 / BéKa, Maya (Illustrator)

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The Love Report Volume 2
By: BéKa, Maya (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novel
Number of Pages: 200
Published: February 13, 2024
Publisher: Hippo Park
Dates Read: June 16, 2024
Format: Library Book / eBook

Grace and Lola are back to uncover more truths about romance and friendship in volume two of The Love Report. Grace tries to find balance with her parents’ split, but dividing her time between two different homes can be a headache. Lola and Grace help Adele find a place to stay, and Lola wants to help Felicity after one of the boys starts harassing her.

Summer comes just in time for the girls where it brings them to the island of Sardinia where they continue to discover the ins and outs and relationships.

The Love Report series focuses on girls in middle school (the grade they’d be in in America – though it’s set in France) as they navigate those first love butterflies and wonder. It’s really sweet. I absolutely love the artwork and the characters are genuine and realistic. Topics of bullying, divorce, step parents, and self image are talked about in this novel that are written appropriately for the age group it’s targeting.

This is one of those graphic novels that I will definitely be trying to get my hands on physical copies one of these days. The girls’ style is very French and you can see that within the panels (it just makes me smile).

Overall, I can see myself recommending this series to those who just love the cutesy, coming of age romances. I will be waiting anxiously for the third book.

Telephone of the Tree / Alison McGhee

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Telephone of the Tree
By: Alison McGhee
Genre: Middle Grade, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 208
Published: May 7, 2024
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books
Dates Read: June 15, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Ayla and her best friend Kiri have always been tree people. Neighbors and family know they can most likely find them within the branches. But right now, Kiri has gone somewhere far away and Ayla can only wait in the branches of her birch tree for her friend’s return.

Then, a mysterious, old-fashioned phone appears on Ayla’s tree. Where did it come from? And why are people showing up to use this phone to call their passed loved ones?

All Ayla wants is for Kiri to come home. Until then, she will keep Kiri’s things safe, her nightmares to herself, and she will not make a call on that telephone.

As a child who lost her dad at the age of twelve (three days into my seventh grade school year), a telephone in a tree to call him would be amazing, so of course, this made me tear up quite a bit.

This is a quick read. It’s broken up in kind of a novel-in-verse type of way, but not being fully a novel-in-verse. I’ll probably still rope it in with that genre of novel though.

Even though this is a quick read, there is such a punch that gets delivered. I can see this helping younger readers with their grief of a passing loved one. We can’t stay in the denial land (or lalala land) forever and it’s important to have the space to heal and accept in our own time.

This novel is guaranteed to stick with me for a long time, if not forever.
*Thank you Rocky Pond Books and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

A Man and His Cat, Volume 1 / Umi Sakurai

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A Man and His Cat, Volume 1
By: Umi Sakurai
Genre: Manga
Number of Pages: 148
Published: February 11, 2020 (1st Published February 22, 2018)
Publisher: Square Enix Manga
Dates Read: June 13, 2024
Format: Library Book / Paperback

A kitten lives unwanted and unloved in a pet shop. His price drops every day and no one spares him a glance unless it’s to call him names. Imagine his surprise when an older gentleman comes into the store and takes him home! Come follow the cat’s and his new human’s life as they start off on this new adventure together.

First off – I want to know who is calling Fukumaru ugly, because I will fight them. He is adorable and I fell in love with him on the first page and I am so glad his Dad found him.

Secondly, this story will give you all the feels. Not only has this cat been alone for so long, but his Dad is needing his own healing (though it hasn’t been said outright, you make the connection what he needs help healing from pretty quickly).

This story is about longing, and hope, but most of all, it’s about love.

If you have a soft spot for cats, this manga is definitely for you.

Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir / Pedro Martín

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Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir
By: Pedro Martín
Genre: Graphic Novel, Memoir
Number of Pages: 320
Published: August 1, 2023
Publisher: Dial Books
Dates Read: June 10, 2024 - June 13, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Pedro Martín has grown up hearing stories about his abuelito – a Mexican Revolution crime-fighter! But, that doesn’t mean he’s excited for him to join their already crowded house – between his eight brothers and sisters and his parents, there’s barely enough room now. Still, Pedro piles into the Winnebago with his family for a road trip to Mexico to bring his abuelito back to America. What follows is a trip of a lifetime.

I loved reading about the family dynamic in this novel – with that many brothers under one roof there is a tone of teasing and arguments. I also liked how the author talked about the divide between the older siblings who were born in Mexico and the younger siblings who were born in the United States; which ones were more Mexican or American, and the difference in milk tolerance (which I never knew!).

The art of this graphic novel was amazing and engaging – even if the author had a hard time drawing hands. The pages were always filled with the scenes, panels, and dialog. Some of that helped with showing the chaos of the trip and other times it kept you engaged in the scene. 

Though this is targeted towards younger readers, there are plenty of reminiscences of adolescence (bad haircuts, teasing siblings, what you spend your allowance on, etc.) that adults will thoroughly enjoy this as well. The author shares his childhood stories as an adult – so plenty of older readers will also enjoy this.

An Immense World / Ed Young

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An Immense World
By: Ed Yong
Genre: Nonfiction, Science, Nature
Number of Pages: 464
Published: January 1, 2023 (1st Published June 21, 2022)
Publisher: Random House
Dates Read: May 25, 2024 - June 9, 2024
Format: Hardcover

In An Immense World, author and science journalist Ed Yong challenges us to think beyond our own senses to perceive the world around us through the eyes (and senses) of animals and insects alike.

Shoutout to my first ever nonfiction science book that wasn’t assigned to me for a class (yes, I’ve been out of school for nine years…).

This definitely made me think about animals and not only their place in the world, but mine as well. I still think about the amount of smells my dogs are experiencing every time I let them outside to use the restroom – it gives me a little patience, even if I’m in a time crunch and they’re smelling everything.

There was a lot of information that was given throughout this book. I had to take this in chunks and read another book alongside it – which I don’t usually do and will read one book from front to cover before picking up the next one. I knew I would get “annoyed” with just reading information upon information. I’m glad I broke it up because it did help me enjoy it more. That, and marking fun facts that I enjoyed (another thing I don’t do).

I really enjoyed the footnotes that the author included within the pages, to me, that made the information a little more personal and felt like a friend was giving me fun facts from their field. I may not understand everything, but those footnotes helped a lot.

Everyone should try and read this. It’ll open your eyes to seeing the world in a whole new way! If nonfiction, or science isn’t your thing, trust me, I know, break this up into chunks. Ed Yong breaks up the chapters into sections that are only a few pages at most, and just read those here and there.

Just some of the fun facts I learned or, that I have continuously thought about, since finishing this:

  • Ants are essentially a group of highly specialist wasps that evolved.
    • This explains why I don’t like looking at ants up close – I hate wasps with a passion.
  • How “quiet” is the world now that there aren’t massively big animals roaming around?

The Other Side of Disappearing / Kate Clayborn

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The Other Side of Disappearing
By: Kate Clayborn
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Number of Pages: 373
Published: March 26, 2024
Publisher: Kensington
Dates Read: June 1, 2024 - June 6, 2024
Format: Library Book / Audiobook

Hairstylist Jess Greene has spent the last decade raising her younger half sister, Tegan, after their mother ran away with a boyfriend she’d only known a few months. Jess has also been keeping a huge secret – the boyfriend her mother ran off with, was an accomplished con man who was also the subject of a wildly popular podcast, The Last Con of Lynton Baltimore.

Right before Tegan hits her eighteenth birthday, Jess figures out her sister’s plan to do what she’s always feared – go on the search for their mother. But she’s not doing it alone, instead she’s accompanied by the host of the podcast and her producer, Adam Hawkins. Unwilling for her sister to go alone, Jess reluctantly joins them.

Together, the four make their way across the country, uncovering pieces of the mystery as to where her mother and her boyfriend disappeared to and why.

So first off, I don’t know how I missed this being a romance, because it’s not like it’s not marketed as romance. I think I was more focused on the true crime podcast aspect of it over everything else. And, to be honest, I don’t think the novel needed the spicier scenes to it. I totally understood and felt Jess and Adam’s connection, no need for the horniess. But, maybe that’s just me being a reader who doesn’t read much romance above a two spice level, so don’t take my opinion on this bit too personally.

I loved the mystery of this novel and the adventure the group went on – but I still didn’t care for the romance of it. I also had a bit of a hard time connecting with anyone. Everyone had a lot of feelings that were deeply explored, but I didn’t feel as much connection as I do with others.

Overall, I can see people still enjoying this. Just because I didn’t care for the romance bit of it, doesn’t mean the story itself wasn’t still good!
*Thank you Kensington and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

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