[Review] Katie the Catsitter by Colleen A.F. Venable with Stephanie Yue (Illustrator)

Cover image from the TheStoryGraph Site.

Series or Stand Alone: Katie the Catsitter #1

Release Date: 5 January, 2021

Publisher: Random House Children's Books Publishing

Genre: Juvenile Fiction/Graphic Novels/Middle Grade

ISBN: 9781984895639

Edition: Paperback (also available in Hardback and eBook)

Rating:★★★★★

Review Written: 15 February, 2022
Content Warnings: None

Summary:  

A new middle-grade graphic novel series about growing up, friendship, heroes, and cats (lots of cats!).

Katie is dreading the boring summer ahead while her best friends are all away at camp--something that's way out of Katie and her mom's budget, UNLESS Katie can figure out a way earn the money for camp herself. But when Katie gets a job catsitting for her mysterious upstairs neighbor, life get interesting.

First, Madeline has 217 cats (!) and they're not exactly . . . normal cats. Also, why is Madeline always out EXACTLY when the city's most notorious villain commits crimes?! Is it possible that Katie's upstairs neighbor is really a super villain?

Can Katie wrangle a whole lot of wayward cats, save a best friendship (why is Beth barely writing back? And who's this boy she keeps talking about?!), AND crack the biggest story in the city's history? Some heroes have capes . . . Katie has cats!

See more by Colleen A.F. Venable on her website.

[Series Review] Shadow Children 1-3 by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Cover image from the TheStoryGraph Site.

Series or Stand Alone: Shadow Children Series 1-3

Release Date: 1998 - 2006

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Publishing

Genre: Juvenile Fiction/Dystopian/Science Fiction

ISBN: Unavailable for Series

Edition: Hardback & Paperback (also available in Paperback, Audiobook, and eBook)

Rating:★★★☆ ☆ (2.5 over all)

Review Written: 10 February, 2022
Content Warnings: Child death, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Police brutality

Summary:  

In a future society that allows only two children per family, all third children are in danger from the dreaded Population Police, and these forbidden kids must work together to survive. Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow Children books are a huge hit with today's young readers, and now fans can own all seven thrillers from the best-selling series. Kids won't be able to stop turning the pages of each gripping read! Includes: Among the Hidden, Among the Impostors, Among the Betrayed, Among the Barons, Among the Brave, Among the Enemy, and Among the Free.

See more by Margaret Peterson Haddix on her website.

[Review] Me (Moth) by Amber McBride

 

Cover image from the TheStoryGraph Site.

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Release Date: 17 August, 2021

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary/Romance/Magical Realism/Poetry

ISBN: 9781250780362

Edition: Hardback (also available in Audiobook, and eBook)

Rating:★★★★★

Review Written: 11 February, 2022
Content Warnings: Death, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Child death, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Racism, Abandonment

Summary:  

A debut YA novel-in-verse by Amber McBride, Me (Moth) is about a teen girl who is grieving the deaths of her family, and a teen boy who crosses her path.

Moth has lost her family in an accident. Though she lives with her aunt, she feels alone and uprooted.

Until she meets Sani, a boy who is also searching for his roots. If he knows more about where he comes from, maybe he'll be able to understand his ongoing depression. And if Moth can help him feel grounded, then perhaps she too will discover the history she carries in her bones.

Moth and Sani take a road trip that has them chasing ghosts and searching for ancestors. The way each moves forward is surprising, powerful, and unforgettable.

Here is an exquisite and uplifting novel about identity, first love, and the ways that our memories and our roots steer us through the universe.

See more by Amber McBride on her website.

[Review] Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone

Cover image from the TheStoryGraph Site.

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Release Date: 7 July, 2020

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons - an imprint of Random House

Genre: Juvenile Fiction/Children's/Contemporary

ISBN: 9781984816436

Edition: Hardback (also available in Paperback, Audiobook, and eBook)

Rating:★★★★★

Review Written: 9 February, 2022
Content Warnings: Body shaming, Bullying, Drug abuse (Vaping), Addiction, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Body shaming, Bullying, Racism, Sexism, Ableism, Transphobia

Summary:  

In this debut middle-grade girl-power friendship story, an eighth grader starts a podcast to protest the unfair dress code enforcement at her middle school and sparks a rebellion.

Molly Frost is FED UP...

Because Olivia was yelled at for wearing a tank top.

Because Liza got dress coded and Molly didn't, even though they were wearing the exact same outfit.

Because when Jessica was pulled over by the principal and missed a math quiz, her teacher gave her an F.

Because it's impossible to find shorts that are longer than her fingertips.

Because girls' bodies are not a distraction.

Because middle school is hard enough.

And so Molly starts a podcast where girls can tell their stories, and before long, her small rebellion swells into a revolution. Because now the girls are standing up for what's right, and they're not backing down.

See more by Carrie Firestone on her twitter.

[Review] Cleo Porter and the Body Electric by Jake Burt

Cover image from the TheStoryGraph Site.

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Release Date: 6 October, 2020

Publisher: Squarefish, an imprint of Macmillan Kids

Genre: Juvenile Fiction/Children's/Science Fiction

ISBN: 9781250802729

Edition: Paperback (also available in Hardback, Audiobook, and eBook)

Rating:★★★★★

Review Written: 7 February, 2022
Warnings: Mentions of Death, Fire/Fire Injury, Animal Death, Minor Violence, Panic/Anxiety Attacks

Summary:  

A woman is dying. Cleo Porter has her medicine... and no way to get it to her.

Like everyone else, twelve-year-old Cleo and her parents are sealed in an apartment without windows or doors. They never leave. They never get visitors. Their food is dropped off by drones. So they're safe. Safe from the disease that nearly wiped humans from the earth. Safe from everything. The trade-off?

They're alone. Thus, when they receive a package clearly meant for someone else - a package containing a substance critical for a stranger's survival - Cleo is stuck. As a surgeon-in-training, she knows the clock is ticking. But people don't leave their units.

Not ever.

Until Now.

See more by Jake Burt on his website.

[Review] Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Cover image from the TheStoryGraph Site.

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Release Date: 1 June, 2021

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, a division of Macmillan Publishing

Genre: Young Adult Fiction/LGBTQIA+/Contemporary/Thriller

ISBN: 9781250800817

Edition: Hardback and Audiobook (also available in Paperback and eBook)

Rating:★★★★★

Review Written: 16 September, 2021
Warnings: Racism, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Bullying, Hate crime, Outing, Stalking, Car accident, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Violence, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Murder, Blood, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Sexism, Police brutality, Cursing, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Grief, Biphobia, Gore, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, Slavery, Torture, Alcohol, Injury/injury detail, Child death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Addiction, Confinement, Self harm, Sexual content, Vomit, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry

Summary:  

A compelling, incendiary, and unputdownable thriller with a shocking twist, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism with this compulsive debut.

Hello, Niveus High. It's me. Who am I? That's not important. All you need to know is...I'm here to divide and conquer. - Aces

Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students' dark secrets to light.

Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public.

Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power.

Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they're planning much more than a high-school game...

See more by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé on her website.

[Review] Nightbooks by J.A. White

 

Cover image from the goodreads website.

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Release Date: 24 June, 2018

Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books

Genre: Middle Grade/Horror/Fantasy

ISBN: 978062560094

Edition: Paperback (also available in Hardback, eBook, and Audiobook)

Rating:★★★★☆ (4.25)

Review Written: 19 August, 2021
Warnings: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury Summary:  

A boy is imprisoned by a witch and must tell her a new scary story each night to stay alive. This thrilling contemporary fantasy from J. A. White, the acclaimed author of the Thickety series, brings to life the magic and craft of storytelling. This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. It's a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom.

Alex's original hair-raising tales are the only thing keeping the witch Natacha happy, but soon he'll run out of pages to read from and be trapped forever. He's loved scary stories his whole life, and he knows most don't have a happily ever after. Now that Alex is trapped in a true terrifying tale, he's desperate for a different ending--and a way out of this twisted place.

This modern spin on the Scheherazade story is perfect for fans of Coraline and A Tale Dark and Grimm. With interwoven tips on writing with suspense, adding in plot twists, hooks, interior logic, and dealing with writer's block, this is the ideal book for budding writers and all readers of delightfully just-dark-enough tales.

See more by J.A. White on his website.