“Amil and the after” Veera Hiranandani

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. Kokila (Penguin Random House). 244 p. (Includes “Glossary” and “Author’s note.”). To be published January 23, 2024.

In this sequel to “The night diary,” twelve-year-old Amil is having a hard time, as memories from the horrors of his family’s forced crossing from Pakistan to India threatens to overwhelm him. Though his family is both Hindu and Muslim, all Muslims were being forced to leave the place he’d called home for his entire life. Amil will never forget almost dying of thirst and the torturous voyage.

After their ordeal, his twin sister Nisha had been mute. Though she now speaks a little, she spends her time writing stories in her diary. For Amil, drawing seems to be the only thing that calms him so, whenever he has issues with his father, feels frustrated at school, or is lonely, he buries himself in illustrating his world and writing notes to his dead mother.

School is hard for Amil, as he finds it hard to concentrate. His two wishes are for a bicycle and for a best friend, but neither seem possible until he meets Vishal at school. Though thin and always hungry, Vishal is the first boy who wants to spend time with him. Amil is thrilled to have a friend but, when he finds out Vishal has been living in the street, is very sick, has no family members, and is posing as a Hindu to avoid violence aimed at Muslims, his eyes are opened to his own blessings. Amil finds ways to confront his own painful memories to make sure his friend lives to have his own.

Hiranandani’s descriptions of the 1947 partition of India and its effect on the previously tolerant population is eye-opening. Though Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus had gotten along well for over three hundred years, it was difficult to understand why people turn on each other in chillingly murderous ways.

Recommended for ages 14 and older.

“The night diary” Veera Hiranandani

Rated 5 stars ***** Dial (Penguin/Random House). 2018

Twelve-year-old Nisha and her twin brother Amil live with their father and grandmother in a small village in India. Their cook, Kazi, has been with them for many years, and Nisha feels a special closeness to him as she cooks by his side. Their mother died when they were born so, when Kazi gives her a diary, she writes to her mother expressing her hopes and fears since she has difficulty expressing herself verbally.

It’s 1947 and, after almost 200 years, Great Britain is giving India its freedom. Its new leaders decided to partition her into two parts, forcing Hindus to relocate to the new country of Pakistan. Though Nisha and her brother are half Muslim through their mother, all anyone sees is their Hindu side. Partitioning the country caused Sikhs, Muslims and Hindis to see each other differently. Now, instead of getting along like they’d done for generations, each is intent on murdering the other confusing Nisha “I guess we’re Hindu because Papa and Dadi are. But you’re still a part of me, Mama. Where does that part go?” (p. 21)

Fearful for their lives, the family is forced to leave Kazi and their home behind, setting out on foot to travel hundreds of miles to the border. Along the way they experience near dehydration and starvation, while being witness to acts of savagery including murder. Halfway through their harrowing journey she meets her mother’s brother for the first time and enjoys their time together. However when her father finds her and Amil talking to a neighbor girl, they’re forced to leave her uncle’s home to try and reach the border via train.

Based on the experiences of the author’s family, “The night diary” is vividly realistic while the hatred mentality of former neighbors is disturbing.

Recommended for ages 14 and older.

“Max in the house of spies: A tale of World War II” Adam Gidwitz

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. Dutton Children’s Books (Penguin Random House). 298 p. (Includes “How much of this story is real?” and “Annotated Bibliography.”) To be published February 27, 2024.

Eleven-year-old Max was a genius, upset with how the Nazis changed his life. On Kristallnacht they beat his father, took him to Sachsenhausen for three days, and closed his watchmaking business. His parents frantically searched for a way out of the country, but no one wanted Jews. When the opportunity arose for children to be evacuated to England, they sent Max. On the ferry ride there two tiny men appeared on his shoulders. Berg, a kobold, and Stein, a dybbuk, wanted to escape Germany and planned to pester him for a few hundred years. No one could hear or see them except Max, so he was sure they were an illusion. They weren’t.

In England Max lived for more than a year with the wealthy Montagu family. When he found out Uncle Ewen Montagu was a spy with the British Naval Intelligence he wanted to be recruited so he could go to Berlin and find his parents. Shortly afterwards he impressed Admiral Godfrey with his skills and was thrilled to be trained as a spy. Max is sure being reunited with his parents will be easy, but doesn’t realize spy work is more dangerous than he thinks.

Readers will learn much about World War II in England, as Max’s story is interspersed with information about The Blitz and individuals who were real-life spies. Berg and Stein usually disagree with almost all of Max’s decisions, so their competing interests, comments, and actions will keep readers in stitches.

I enjoyed the humor, and learned that Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond series, was in the British Naval Intelligence. However, as those of you who follow my blog know, I don’t like reading books in a series unless I have all of them in front of me. Though I was not happy with the open ending I am now vested in Max, Berg, and Stein (which sounds like a great law firm). I must know what happens next.

Adam Gidwitz please let me know when you plan on releasing the ARC for book #2 because I NEED to read it right now. You’ve hooked me and will hook your young readers too.

Highly recommended for ages 12 and older.

“How deep is your love” Song lyrics by Bee Gees; illustrations by J.L. Meyer

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. Akashic Books. To be published February 6, 2024.

The lyrics of the well-known 1977 Bee Gees song “How deep is your love” play out on the pages, while mermaid bunnies show readers how deep is their love.

Best introduced to today’s generation with a soundtrack of the Bee Gees singing in the background, its colorful and vivid, full-page illustrations depict two mermaid bunnies meeting and getting to know one another. As the lyrics unfold of how they belong to each other, various underwater deterrents threaten to tear them apart. However, with love as deep as theirs, the bunnies rescue each other from these obstacles – only to encounter another just a few pages later. After all hindrances are left behind, their final bunny nose kiss shows their happiness as they settle down together in an obstacle-free, serene ocean of love.

This is one of the better picture books in the LyricPop series put out by Akashic Books, as the lively illustrations express the lyrics in far more meaningful ways than the other books I’ve read from this series. The illustrator noted they were “drawn in pencil by hand and then painted in Photoshop 6.” (See illustration below).

Recommended for ages 6-9.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“The other Lola” Ripley Jones

Rated 3 stars *** ARC. ebook. Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Publishing Group). To be published March 12, 2024.

This sequel to “Missing Clarissa” finds Cam suffering panic attacks, constantly reliving the horror of being locked in a killer’s basement. Blair, on the other hand, is doing fine and has been offered an opportunity from a New York agent to write a book with a mystery angle to attract a reading audience. It seems like fate when she and Cam are approached by fourteen-year-old Mattie.

Five years ago Mattie’s older sister Lola left home suddenly. They had been very close, and Lola said she’d never leave her, but Mattie never heard from her again. Now, five years later, a woman who looked exactly like Lola showed up on her doorstep claiming to have been kidnapped but with no memory of the time she spent in abduction. Mattie is convinced this person is an imposter.

Since the woman looks exactly like her sister, neither Mattie’s mother nor brother believe her hunch and are sure Lola has returned. Blair, sensing the story angle she’s been seeking, convinces Cam to help her investigate. Cam is extremely reluctant, but gradually warms to Mattie and her desperate plea to find Lola.

As the girls begin following leads, they discover there’s more to Lola’s story than they’ve been told. As clues begin to pile up, they realize they may have bitten off more than they could chew. But, by then, it was too late.

This sequel didn’t hook me as much as its predecessor, but it was interesting in its way so I will give it 3 stars.

Recommended for ages 16 and older.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“Chain of Thorns” Cassandra Clare

Rated 5 stars ***** Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster). The last hours $3. 778 p. 2023.

Heartbroken because she believed James to be in love with Grace, Cordelia accepts Matthew’s invitation to spend time sightseeing in Paris. Though he had declared himself in love with her, he promised to respect her as a friend and vowed Paris would help them both to forget their troubles. She agreed to go if he would stop drinking, and he agreed.

James is desperate to find Lucie, so he can go to Paris and reunite with Cordelia. She had run away after Grace came to visit him, and he is eager to explain about the bracelet. When he finally arrives, he is shocked at what he learns about his best friend and his wife.

Belial was ruthless in his quest to possess James, turning dead Silent Brothers and Iron Sisters into demonic weapons of mass destruction, sending every adult Shadowhunter to Idris, and threatening to kill everyone he loved if James didn’t agree. Lucie, James, Cordelia, Matthew, and the rest of the Merry Thieves refused to leave the city, hoping to save it from Belial’s demons. However, when James finally gave in to his grandfather, he and Matthew were taken to Edom where Matthew, suffering from alcohol withdrawal, would also die if no one came to help them.

Desperate to save him, Cordelia and Lucie set out to look for a way to get to Edom. She and James had reconciled when she learned about the bracelet, and they had spent several days in wedded bliss as they finally were able to reveal their true feelings to each other. Now Belial was threatening their happiness. Cordelia had managed not to draw her sword or any weapon in previous battles for fear of her role as Lilith’s paladin, but she knew she would be forced to do so to save James. She would do anything for the man she loved.

Heartache and despair are big themes, where hope also finds a place to breathe. Hope is also part of the bonus short story at the end of the book.

Cassandra Clare led readers on a long ride of nail-biting anxiety through the three books of the series, but did not tie everything up into a neat bow at the end. The various open endings tell me she plans on coming back with a future series involving these characters. You heard it here first.

Highly recommended for ages 16 and older.

“Chain of Iron” Cassandra Clare

Rated 5 stars ***** Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster). The last hours $2. 656 p. 2021.

In part two of The last hours series, many plots are underfoot.

Jesse is a spirit caught between the living and the dead and, though he’s a ghost, Lucie has fallen in love with him. She and Grace are sure he can be brought back to life, so she is using her powers with the dead while Grace resorts to dark magic as they try all sorts of spells to reunite him with his preserved body. Unfortunately neither of them knows Belial has plans for Jesse’s body that don’t include Jesse.

James is reveling in the love he feels for Cordelia since the bracelet Grace had bound him with for four years has broken. Embarrassed to tell her Grace had kept him in a love coma for years, and afraid to tell her of his love because he thinks she sees him as only a friend, James stays silent about his feelings. Later that silence will cost him greatly.

Cordelia is keeping her own secrets, especially the one where she accidentally became the paladin of Lilith, forced to do her bidding the moment she lifts her sword. Despite everything wrong going on in her life, she is living her happiest dream with James by her side. Lately it seems as if he’s trying to make their fake marriage work, and has feelings for her, but the night he breaks her heart again is the last straw.

The ongoing Shadowhunter soap opera of love, betrayal, action, adventure, despair, and hope kept me turning pages to find out what would happen next to James, Matthew, Lucie, Cordelia, and their band of Merry Thieves. The cliffhanger ending will keep readers in suspense if they don’t have part 3 “Chain of Thorns” handy. I have it handy.

Highly recommended for ages 16 and older.

“Chain of Gold” Cassandra Clare

Rated 5 stars ***** Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster). The last hours #1. 582 p. 2020.

If you’ve been following my blog for any number of years you know of my love-hate relationship with Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter books because she writes them as a series and I have to wait on pins and needles for the next one to be released. As a result, though I bought this book when it was first published in 2020, I refused to read it or even look at it. I held myself in check lest I be tempted to lose myself in the world of Shadowhunters before another book was released. When the last book in the series came out earlier this year, I was free so, after reading “Chain of gold,” I am hooked on the Shadowhunters all over again. Thanks a lot Cassandra!!

Will and Tessa, heroes from the original series, have been married for years and their children Lucie and James are all grown up. Cordelia Carstairs (Jem’s cousin) had come to London with her mother and brother determined to convince the Clave to free her wrongfully imprisoned father. She and Lucie are going to be parabatai one day, but she has never told her best friend of her love for James. For his part James has been in love with Grace Blackthorn, whose mother promised revenge against all Herondales and Shadowhunters since the death of her son many years ago.

Into this tangled web of teen angst, demons make a sudden appearance after not having shown up in London for many years. Infected by an unknown demon poison, Shadowhunters fall by the dozens leaving James as the only one who can save their lives. Cordelia loves him with all her heart so risks her life to save his. However neither they nor their friends know an insidious force has been at work, that won’t stop until all Shadowhunters are dead.

Once again Cassandra Clare weaves a story of true love, unrequited love, jealousy, anger, hope, hopelessness, sorrow, and many other emotions readers will feel as they eagerly make it through 582 pages and a bonus short story. My attention has been piqued, so what else can I do but go to read part 2 “Chain of Iron?” Stay tuned for more on the Shadowhunter intrigue brought to us by unknown forces.

Highly recommended for ages 16 and older.

“Crossroads of granite” Michael Reit

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. ebook. Michael Reit. Orphans of war #3. (Includes “Author’s notes”). To be published September 1, 2023.

In this third and final installment of the Orphans of war series, alternate chapters describe life for Christiaan, Lisa and Nora after we left them in “They bled orange.”

Once Christiaan returned to the Netherlands to restart the Resistance he was captured. Since he refused to reveal he was a spy he was taken to Mauthausen, a camp where prisoners were worked to death, murdered, and tortured. There he meets Floris, now an SS guard. Floris believes Christiaan is the ticket he needs to return to his former life of power and will make sure Christiaan reveals the secrets he didn’t reveal when he was first captured.

As Christiaan struggles to survive the mental, physical, and emotional stresses of Mauthausen he believes Lisa and Nora are safe. He doesn’t know Lisa is headed to the front lines with General Patton’s army, nor that Nora was captured when she returned to the Netherlands. With both Christiaan and Nora in concentration camps, and Lisa on the front lines, life becomes even more dangerous for them as the noose begins to close around the German army.

I read the book in one sitting, as the action had me eagerly turning pages to find out what would happen next to Lisa, Christiaan, and Nora. The Author’s notes explain how the events in Mauthausen were based on true accounts from prisoners and from the story of David Hersch, a Hungarian Jew imprisoned there who escaped two death marches.

Recommended for Adults.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“Top story” Kelly Yang

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. ebook. Scholastic Press (Scholastic). Front Desk #5. To be published September 5, 2023.

Mia and Lupe are spending Christmas break in San Francisco’s Chinatown for writing bootcamp and a math competition. When Jason and Hank join them because the cook at their hotel quit, Mia’s cup is full. As she learns about Chinatown’s history and the racist laws passed against the Chinese over the years, Mia is outraged. Sharing about their people’s struggles are the types of articles she and the other two kids of color want to write about, but their stories are ignored in favor of the rich kids in their group. As Mia’s eyes are opened to these injustices, she and her friends work together to tackle grown-up problems with grown-up solutions.

While Mia and her new friends figure out how to keep their writing dreams alive, she’s hampered by feelings for Jason she doesn’t want to reveal. Jealousy rears its ugly head over his infatuation with a local girl, but Lupe’s decision to enter college early is especially unsettling. How will she make it through high school without her best friend by her side?

Highly recommended for ages 11-14.

I received a digital advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.