Spindlefish and Stars

This was a curious book.  I ended up enjoying it quite a bit but will the intended audience "get it"?

Clo's life has been in the shadows - her father is an old ex-painter who restores (and steals) works of art.  One night when he doesn't come home Clo sets off at their meeting spot.  When he still doesn't arrive a messenger gives her a note from her father and a ticket.  Clo doesn't understand at all what is happening especially when she arrives on an island where she can't understand anything and is put to work carding and spinning.  Eventually after nearly drowning and eating a strange soup she begins to understand.  She is living with her grandmother and Mischief the cat who weave (or damage in the cat's case) a tapestry.  But what exactly is the tapestry and how does it fit in with Clo's past and maybe her future.

On the island Clo meets Cary who at first is the only one who understands her.  Together the two friends rescue each other and set out on a new life.

The cool parts - the tie in to Greek mythology Fate and Icarus for example.  The language on the island was a neat trick (spoiler - it was written backwards).  it took me awhile to figure out and then I went back to read it all.  Will readers pick up on it?  It was a bit bizarre though... curious to see what my readers think.

Paola Santiago and the River of Tears

Paola's scientific mind has never had any room for her mom's superstitions and stories.  But when her best friend goes missing near the "haunted" river Paola begins to question everything.  Soon she and her other friend find themselves deep in a fight against all sorts of creatures.  Can Paola find Emma and close the rift before it's too late.

I am thrilled with Rick Riordan's continuing efforts to get books out there in folklore of other countries and cultures.  This Mexican inspired story was a lot of fun.

The Mulberry Tree

Immy's parents have just moved her away from Australia and her friends to a village in England.  They need to start over - especially her dad who is recovering from a traumatic incident.  In their search for a home they find a quant cottage but the realtor tries to steer them away because the cottage has a past - more specifically the mulberry tree in the yard has a past.  2 girls on the eve of their 11th birthdays disappeared and Immy is about to turn 11.  But her family isn't afraid and even though Immy has a strange connection to the tree and has experienced some weird things she tries not to be afraid either.  But maybe she should be?

This was a fun ride...  I did enjoy the ending.

Dress Coded

Enough is enough.  Molly Frost is sick and tired of her friends getting dress coded - shamed, punished, reprimanded for dress code infractions.  She decides to start a podcast where students can tell their stories and others can hear about how students are unfairly targeted and how it can be arbitrary.  Can Molly and her friends make a difference?

This was a good story about an issue that is quite prevalent in middle schools and high schools.  I felt it could have been trimmed down a bit - it seemed to lag in the middle for me but overall quite good and could lead to some healthy discussion on the topic.

Red Stars

This is kind of an odd story - or at least the format is.  The main gist is that twins Nadya and Viktor were sent away from their hometown to keep them safe after the German invasion of Russia.  But they were separated.  The story, told in diary entries and photos and documents by both children tells of their struggles to survive and to find each other.  The interesting part is that the book itself is an "investigation" into their crimes during this time by a top Russian.  Throughout the book he makes notes in their entries about the crimes they are committing, etc.  

I really liked the format and story at first but to me it got really long and tired by the end.  For readers who are really into a historical jaunt - especially Russia in WWII I think they will enjoy it.

Paris on Repeat

 

This was a fun RomCom with a Groundhog twist.  Eve is on her last day in Paris with her class.  She wants it to be romantic, she wants to tell Jace how she feels.  But everything goes wrong including Jace and her best friend Reggie kissing instead.  When Eve gets jealous and throws their "love lock" into the river the loop begins.  The next morning Eve starts reliving the day again with "advice" from the palm reader who sold the love lock in the first place.  But despite Eve's best efforts the day keeps repeating again and again.  Fortunately Reggie eventually joins in the loop and together they finally discover a way to end it.

Fun RomCom fluff piece :) 

 

Diana and the Island of No Return

This is a story of Diana as a young girl.  She is wishing to be trained but her mother is resisting.  When women and girls from other islands come to her home for a festival Diana is very excited, especially because she will see her best friend.  But when a boy shows up things get weird.  First, he shouldn't be there.  Then everyone except Diana and her friend are impacted by a potion that puts them all to sleep.  Augustus knows he can make a cure but they have to go back to his island where a demon has the whole island hypnotized and he is waiting to capture Diana.

There was some good action here and readers might enjoy it just for that.  For those familiar with Diana's story the ill recognize some names and objects.