middle grade

Book Review: The Black Book of Buried Secrets

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Storm Warning
The 39 Clues
by Mallory Kass

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review will contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Maze of Bones.

After the 39 Clues finale, a new threat has arisen, leading the separate branches of the Cahill family to come together and share their secrets. Broken down into a section for each of the 5 branches, this book covers founders and agents (though I’m not 100% sure what the difference is, since some of the founders are current…how can they be founders 500 years after the branch was founded?), strongholds, and tools and tricks used by each branch. It’s a good follow-up to the series, with some reminders of locations, names, or events that were brought up during the series, as well as new information. The brief vignettes that show some of the major characters from the series after the end of the clue hunt were great to have, and there are even a couple of short stories about historical characters looking for clues or being recruited by Cahills. There are a few things explained in this book that I at first thought must be spoilers of what is technically the final book in the series, though also a launching point for the first spin-off series. That book was published after this one, so I hope that’s not the case, but I won’t know until I read it (Vespers Rising).

The introduction by Rick Riordan, which depicts the different authors from the series as members of the Cahill branch, meeting to discuss sharing their secrets for this book, is clever and enjoyable. Fans of the 39 Clues series will probably find the brief stories and extra information in this book worth reading.

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Book Review: Nazi Architects of the Holocaust

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Nazi Architects of the Holocaust
by Corona Brezina

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Middle grade nonfiction

I read this book to fulfill a nonfiction requirement for a reading challenge at my local library. It’s meant to give kids an understanding of the Nazi party’s rise to power in Germany and how the camps evolved to be part of the “final solution.”  Complete with pictures that shed some light on the situation without being too graphic for younger readers, one of the things that struck me as I read, as is also mentioned in the text, is how normal these men looked. Hitler, who has become the face of the Holocaust for many of us, brings to mind thoughts of darkness and evil. But other men who were just as much a part of the murder of millions wouldn’t be easily recognizable to me as being part of this atrocity. They’re just men, though their names bring to mind giants and monsters, at least in my mind.

As an adult, there is not a lot of information here I didn’t already know, but there are details given I’ve probably forgotten over the years and maybe some I didn’t know. I don’t know for sure the exact age group this is meant for, but I’d guess around 10-12. Though some of the information can be difficult to follow, and in general it would probably be good for a parent to be on hand to discuss some of the information in the book, I think it could be a good book for kids to learn some facts about this time in history. It’s also part of a series of other books related to the Holocaust, so they could all be worth checking out.

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Book Review: Fortunately, the Milk

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Fortunately, the Milk
by Neil Gaiman
Read by the author

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s fantasy

I’ve always been intimidated by Neil Gaiman, and at this point, I’m pretty sure I’ll never read any of his adult books. But when I heard about a children’s book written by this famous author, I thought it would at least give me a chance to see what all the fuss is about. Though it’s a bit chaotic and I listened to the audiobook, thus forgoing the pictures almost entirely, I appreciated the cleverness of the story. For one thing, I always like it when time travel is done well and connections are made at different parts of the story where the time traveler(s) interact with themselves in big or small ways. For such a short story, this happens a few times, and I think it’s a great introduction to well-done time travel stories for kids. I also enjoyed the running joke from the title, with the innocuous breakfast milk playing such a large role in the story. It’s a ridiculous, goofy “dad story” through and through, and I appreciated Gaiman’s narration. Though I’m sure kids would be much better off seeing the pictures and perhaps hearing their own dad (or other parent) read it to them.

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Book Review: Al Capone Does My Shirts

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Al Capone Does My Shirts
Tales from Alcatraz #1
by Gennifer Choldenko

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade historical fiction

Moose Flanagan’s family moves to Alcatraz in 1935, where his dad will be working as a prison guard. Now Moose has to get used to a new school, keep his sister out of trouble, and deal with strict rules imposed by the prison warden, whose own daughter does whatever she can to break them.

I’d heard of this book and seen it around for a long time before deciding to read it. I expected something pretty light, maybe a little goofy or immature. And while it’s not exactly heavy, it’s definitely deeper than I expected. Moose’s sister, who is a few years older than him, is autistic, in the days before it had a name and when kids with autism were given a lot of different diagnoses. She tends to live in her own world, and sometimes that means fits of anger that can’t be controlled. Moose is left with Natalie now and then, and eventually his mother asks him to take her everywhere he goes. On top of that, his mother grasps at every possibly cure for Natalie that she hears about, in a way that is detrimental to her own mental health.

The author did a great job of making me feel connected to the characters in such a way that I felt a lot of emotions while reading the book. I was annoyed with the warden’s daughter, her schemes, and her dad’s refusal to see the truth about her. I both felt for the mom who didn’t know how to deal with having a daughter with mental issues and wanted to give her a stern talking to sometimes. And Moose himself is just trying to be a kid in very unusual circumstances. Though Al Capone is kind of obsessed over throughout the book, it seemed like he was to be more of an abstract figure than anything. But without giving any spoilers, he actually does have a more active part by the end, in a moment that actually made me let out a gasp and made me really intrigued about the next book. I’ve already recommended this book to my 13-year-old daughter, who might be on the top end of the age group for it, but I think she’ll like it. I also recommend it for other pre-teens and young teens as well as any adults who enjoy younger-audience books.

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Book Review: Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Circus Clown

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Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Circus Clown
by David A. Adler

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery

My now-adult son read some of the Cam Jansen books when he was young, and I remember him quite liking them. I had never read any, so this was my first Cam Jansen book. I have to say, I understand the appeal. Though this is written for kids, the mystery is engaging—not too easy or too hard. And Cam Jansen herself is an interesting character, with her quirk of making a camera sound whenever she wants to store or recall a memory (hence her nickname: “Cam,” short for “Camera”). Set against the backdrop of a circus, this illustrated book would definitely be a fun early mystery for young readers.

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Book Review: Henry Huggins

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Henry Huggins
book #1
by Beverly Cleary
Read by Neil Patrick Harris

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic

This book might be a bit dated, but Henry and Ribsy are a fun duo. In the intro, Beverly Cleary explains that she wanted to write a story that wasn’t all grand adventures, travels, heroics, etc. for the regular boy, and I think she did a great job of that. Certainly most of what happens in this book wouldn’t be remotely possible today, which is kind of sad, but that makes books like this all the more classic and worth reading. No surprise that Neil Patrick Harris did a great job narrating the book, and I believe I will enjoy visiting a simpler time as I listen to the rest of this series in the coming weeks.

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Book Review: Twister and Shout

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Twister and Shout
McGee and Me! #5
by Bill Myers

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christian fiction

This is one of the titles in the series that my family owned as a video when I was a kid, so I know it pretty well. I certainly can’t say that nostalgia didn’t influence my enjoyment of the book, but I also think that the fear involved on both sides is well represented. The parents, who have traveled 2 hours away from home, struggle with the lack of communication with the kids left alone, when a nasty storm comes through. And the kids, left alone for the night as the wind picks up and the discussion turns to tornados, try to be brave and take care of each other (after being at odds earlier in the evening). The subject of putting our trust in God even at the most scary times is discussed on both ends, both by those who do trust God and those who don’t. I have to admit that I’m getting a little annoyed at McGee’s ridiculous ego, which I guess is meant to be funny, and maybe it is for kids, but it’s starting to wear on me. Still, overall, I really enjoyed the book. Though these books may not be easy to find anymore, if you do have the chance to read this book or procure it for an 8-10-year-old child, I recommend it.

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Book Review: The Magic Factory

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The Magic Factory
Oliver Blue and the School for Seers #1
by Morgan Rice

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fantasy

As the perpetual new kid, bullied by peers as well as his own brother, 11-year-old Oliver has only his inventions to keep him sane. Things start to change, though, when Oliver notices he seems to be able to make things happen and then visits the old, decrepit factory of his hero, inventor Armando Illstrom. Oliver learns that he has powers, but before he can learn any more, tragedy strikes and Oliver is on his own.

Overall, this book felt like a mixture of Harry Potter and Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children with some steampunk elements. I didn’t care for what felt like a Harry Potter rip-off in the beginning, with Oliver being bullied by his older brother, seemingly uncared-about by his parents, who favored the brother, and having to live in an alcove… Even the school that Oliver ends up at later in the book didn’t feel remotely as much like a copy of HP as that beginning. And it does, indeed, move on from that similar feel. In fact, but the end of the book, I found that I had enjoyed it more than I’d expected to once I’d gotten a few chapters in.

Oliver meets others like him, called Seers, learns a tiny bit about how to use his powers, and then is thrust into a life-or-death situation that only he can take care of. The author’s inventiveness in the school itself was probably my favorite thing about the book. The bully at his new school (since, of course, there always has to be one) and his motivations were a bit weak. And the whole book could have used some more editing, with some verbal tic-like phrases here and then that detracted from the flow. I don’t normally hold self-published books to as high a standard as traditionally published books, but there’s still some burden of responsibility to smooth out the prose.

I’m glad I read this book, though I don’t plan to continue the series. In the end, though, I would say this book is better than average amongst self-published books I’ve read.

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Book Review: The Summer of the Swans

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The Summer of the Swans
by Betsy Byars

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Middle grade classic

I read this book as a kid, though I couldn’t tell you what age, and have thought of it many times over the years. My memories of it had mostly dwindled to there being a mentally handicapped boy who gets lost and whose watch, which is very important to him, has stopped working due to not being wound. Why those are the points that stuck, I don’t know, but I think there was something poignant about this 10-year-old with the mind of a toddler. Reading it again now, because my daughter was going to read it for school, I find that it has a different tone to it than I remember. Charlie being lost isn’t really the main plot so much as his older sister, Sara, gaining some maturity. Yes, Sara is self-centered, but in a way that I would say is completely normal for her age (13-14) and her situation—besides the handicapped younger brother, Sara, Charlie, and their older sister Wanda live with their aunt, since their mom died and dad has another family. In the end, it’s clear how much she loves her brother, even though in day-to-day life, she might get annoyed with or tired of him. How many of us can’t say the same thing about people in our lives who are dependent on us? My daughter enjoyed the book as well (she’s 13), and while this book may not be as action-packed as today’s middle-grade books are, I think it is a nice look at a simpler time and an uncommon family dynamic.

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Book Review: Into the Gauntlet

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Into the Gauntlet
The 39 Clues #10
by Margaret Peterson Haddix

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review will contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Maze of Bones.

The Cahill family has been split for many generations, and now it’s up to Amy and Dan to reunite them. But the fighting only intensifies as all five branches race toward the final clue.

The finale was both as exciting and as messy as the rest of the series. Taken on its own, I probably would have actually rated this book 3-3.5 stars, but I really enjoyed the series overall, so I’m leaving it at 4. But the finale just didn’t seem as smooth and well thought-out as I’d hoped for from this set-up. That might be an issue with having mostly different authors throughout, or more specifically with bringing in an author for the final book that wasn’t part of the rest of it at all.

One thing in particular that made me scratch my head is the inclusion of a team that has been out of the hunt since the very first book. If it was planned all along to bring them back at the end, I would have appreciated a reminder of them here and there throughout the series, because my aging brain had a very difficult time remembering that they ever existed when they suddenly showed back up. If it was not planned all along to bring them back…why do it? Their branch is already well-represented by someone who’s been a pretty big part of the series all along. Having him and this returning team part of the final showdown sort of bloats it in a way I don’t understand.

In the end, the finale isn’t a whole lot different than I expected, and it’s a bit saccharine, but I do think the author does a decent job of building on the minor changes in mindset in some of these characters in the latter books to culminate in an ending that doesn’t just come out of nowhere. If one can look past the characterization or continuity issues caused by multiple authors, this series is a lot of fun. And those in the age range it’s meant for, around 10-14, who like adventure and mystery will probably enjoy the series.

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