First Book Review of 2025 - Kianola by Nathan Roth

Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction,  Fantasy

Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

As a middle school teacher I often see kids like Nole. They may not always hide away in video games, but they hide away in their art or something else. I often see them with someone who acts like a friend, but at the same time tends to bully them, just on a milder level.

In this book our main character  has gotten the most coveted new game, Enix. Within this game he can be the opposite of who he isn’t in his real world. When he meets a girl named Dapple he begins to build a friendship and a crush. Then Dapple introduces him to her friend, Kianola (Kia).  Nole’s crush moves from Dapple to Kia.  Through playing this game Nole gets a whole new perspective on life. Teased and bullied for being overweight, he has such low self esteem. In the imaginary world he can be the opposite of what he believes he is in the real world. However, this soon carries over into his real life. Nole begins to make changes in himself, to become the person he wants to be and the person he is determined to become.

The gaming part of this book was awesome.  I say this having grown up with the original Sega and graduation to Play Stations (as an adult). I was never good at playing games. Just ask my kids or my nieces and nephews. That doesn’t mean I didn’t like them. The world building in this story is done so expertly that when Nole and his friends entered the game I felt like I was there. I could envision the different worlds in the games.  I understood what was happening in the game. Were the game real I still couldn’t play it and win. My eye-hand coordination is not good, the same with my reflexes. I believe this is a book my middle school students are going to love.  Especially since they so patiently try to explain to me  the games they are playing. I would have to classify this as fantasy world meets the real world.  If I could give this more than five stars I would because this has to be one of the best books I have read in the last few month.

Maple Syrup Maven by Nick Segal

 

Genre: Children, Picture Book

Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Maddy loves maple syrup. She makes it her goal to produce the best maple syrup. The only problem is that Maddy only has the trees in her back yard. Her first attempt and making maple syrup is poor. She only has two bottles that she sells to her parent. However, the taste just isn't there. Maddy begins to encourage her trees by telling them how lovely they are.  Things change for Maddy because she has actually put love into her trees. 

This reminds me of the saying that love conquer's all.  She discovered love was the missing ingredient in the taste of her maple syrup. A lesson we can all learn.  This book not only has an uplifting message, but beautiful pictures to enhance it.

24 Hours The Trade by Annette Oppenlander

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Biography

Source: Purchased

The author has created a story about a time in her father Günter's life, while he lived under Hitler's rule. His father and older brother were both in the war. It was his responsibility to try to take care of his mother and younger brother. He would forage for wood and use their ration cards to try to find what little food they could. They were down to a slice of bread for each when Günter and his best friend Helmut met up looking for food. They were approached by a soldier who asked them to trade civilian clothes for his horse.  They were willing to take this risk to feed their families.

At the end of the story the author gives an update on what happened to her father. He talks about what hunger is like and how most of us will never really know or understand true hunger.  This was an excellent book. It is short enough that most of my reluctant readers will enjoy this biography. One of the best books I have read. 

Undivided by Neal Shusterman

 

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Source: I purchased a copy

This is the fourth and final book in this series. Connor is definitely a changed young man. That is all I will say about that. Cam, the young man who was a rewind, someone created from unwound parts has helped to bring justice to unwinds and rewinds everywhere. The government must now look at what they have done for years and decide if it is morally acceptable. Justice for those who didn’t survive and for those who were wronged. Neal Shusterman has kept this conflict about what is morally right in the forefront. He has given us a series that takes an issue still debated today and shows what happens when things are taken to the extreme. He shows how people justify things much the same way people justified what took place during the Holocaust. The story leaves so much for the reader to think about. This book  was so full of unexpected twists, sadness and happy events that made it a suitable and satisfying ending to the series. It also leaves the reader with a lot to think about.

Unsouled by Neal Shusterman

 

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Source: I purchased

This third book in the Unwind series takes us deeper into how unwinding began. Connor is rescued by Lev once again. The Graveyard is raided and most of the unwinds are captured. They are all searching for Sonia to get answers to hopefully stop the unwinding. What they learn is very nefarious.  The parts pirates turned my stomach. How could someone take people, whether they are to be unwound or not and sell them for parts? Oh yeah, we have people who kill others for their organs. Not much different than the parts pirates. We learn something from Sonia that could have prevented the unwinding. We also learn why unwinding wasn’t stopped.  Shusterman keeps the tension going. He keeps giving us more to learn about the characters we have come to care for so much, and at the same time introduces us to new characters. Some of them we love and some of them we love to hate. We have a group of teens who have had to grow up way too fast, yet still behave like teens.  You can feel the tension in regards to the unwinding situation building to a point where there will be no turning back. It is an all or nothing outcome.

Preparing for 2025

 I started to post this to my other blog, "Sandra's Writing Quest". I realized it has been almost two and a half years since I was last on that site.

Once a week I spend time with a writing group called "Unchained Writers" led by Joseph Michaels. It is a time I set aside to really focus one hour on my writing. Unfortunately it had been at least four weeks since I had joined the group. After 3 back to back hurricanes things with school and at home piled up. I put my writing on the back burner for a while, just like I had with my reading
Just to make things clear, doing this makes me cranky. I literally feel like a piece of me is missing. The same is true if I don't allow myself time to read for pleasure. I am working on finding the balance for the new year.

Writing takes many forms during this time. It could be a time planning my writing. Reading over what I had previously written, or continuing on with my work in progress. This morning I began to read over my previous chapter and realized I used two different names for one of my characters. When I searched my manuscript for the name I realized my whole last chapter had used that original name for the character. How did this happen? For every book I am working on I have a notebook. I have a set of questions I ask my characters and write down their responses. This allows me to get to know them better. I do the same with the setting, finding pictures, researching different aspects.

Once each school year when we start our horror/mystery unit I bring them in and show them to my students. My students will end up writing a horror/mystery story. I make them interview their main characters. I explain why it is important. I give them the example from my current book. It is a story of a teen who travels through time to the east side of the Berlin Wall. She must escape and help two other people escape. I had my preliminary characters planned until I started interviewing them. I realize that the character I had picked to betray them wouldn't work. When I showed them my main character and my picture of what I thought she looked like I had given her the name of Hannah. In the margin of the notebook I made a note I had changed her name to Jessica. Unfortunately I didn't change it at the top. The first name stuck in my head and I wrote almost two chapters before I caught it. One thing this did for me was let me know I definitely need to set a goal for my writing this year. My goal is to finish this book and get it out for edits. I need to put my writing first like I used to.

I have always enjoyed writing and telling stories. When people would ask where I was, my mom would tell them to look for a crowd of kids because I was usually in the middle of them telling them a story. Somewhere in the last few years I have done more talking than writing. I need to put this out there so people know and can hold me accountable.

So what are your goals for the new year? Have you thought about them? If not, why not. 2024 is quickly coming to a close. We need to prepare for the new year. What better time than now?

UnWholly by Neal Shusterman

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Source: Purchased

Years ago as the rest of the books in this series came out I read them, yet failed to write reviews on them. I decided to reread the entire series while home on break. This is the second book in this wonderful series by one of my favorite authors. In this second book a lot has happened. The Admiral is no longer running the “Graveyard”.  Conner is now in charge.  Risa has her own roll to play in front of the camera’s. Lev has come a long way. He started out a willing tithe until he was kidnapped and went one hundred percent the other way becoming a clapper. With the help of his former pastor he has a new purpose in life.  We meet a character named Cam who like Frankenstein was created from all unwound parts. Shusterman has done a wonderful job of making you love the characters that are so despicable.  In other words he does an excellent job of creating characters that you will love to hate. I think the thing I love the most about this series is that it shows what could happen in a future where the pro-choice and pro-life sides take things to the extreme.  No matter what side of the argument you are on when you read this book, you realize that the third option was definitely not the correct option.  It also touches on the questions about having a soul, especially if you are unwound.  This reminded me of Robin Wasserman’s series “Skinned”, for the same issues of whether the character still has a soul.  Highly recommend both series. I will say as I have before that Neal Shusterman and ALL of his books are some of my favorites of all time and I am thrilled to introduce them to another generation of teens.

 

Two Wonderful Children's Books by M.M. Rodeheaver

 

Haunted Holiday: A Christmas Cookie Ghost Story

Genre:  Children's Mystery

Source: Purchased

Calypso and her two moms have just moved into an old house on Grimsly Road. The day they moved in is when Calypso met the ghost named Charles. She saw him in the hallway and he pointed to her room and told her it was his room before he vanished. He didn’t scare her, but her cat Whiskers was definitely scared.

Her Mama Rae bakes delicious desserts, and her Mama Vic is a potter. Her studio and kiln are in the old barn.  Strange things began to happen around the house. The two mama’s plan a cookie exchange Christmas party. The morning of the party they awake to find all of the cookies destroyed. Calypso suspects it is Charles doing. She lets her new best friend Abbey know about Charles. Together they work together to try to find out why Charles would do such a thing and how he died.

I have read this book and its sequel twice. It is a short book, but one I really loved.

Genre: Children's Mystery

Source: Purchased

Calypso and Abbey are on a mission. Charles has told them about a jar of money he and his friends collected and saved and buried under the old chicken coop at his best friend's house. They ride their bikes down and shortly after they arrive a car pulls in. The house has been sold. The realtor offers them a tour along with the Drama teacher. Before the house is turned over to the new owners it will be used as a haunted house to raise money for their spring performance.  Calypso and Abbey are poking around where the chicken coop should be when Mr. Davis the realtor shows up. He asks if they are looking for treasure. They find that odd. What is even more odd is when they arrive the next day they find him already there digging in the same area.  They are on a mission to find the money jar before Mr. Davis. Their only hope is to take Charles with them inside a pumpkin, and let him do the searching. This story was so much fun to read. It was about twice as long as the first book. 

I loved how we learned a lot more about Charles and his friends. I loved how Calypso goes out of her way to help a ghost. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a feel good story with an element of mystery to it.

Student Saturday: The Silence by Mark Alpert

Genre:  Young Adult, Science Fiction

Student Reviewer: Graeme E.

The Silence, by Mark Alpert, is the third installment in “The Six” series. This book has everything you want in a science fiction book including a hypothetical situation using technology based on real life. The story takes place in Yorktown Heights with the main character named Adom Armstrong. You see, Adom is not like other kids. He has a disease called muscular dystrophy which means his muscles get weaker and weaker until he will eventually die. Thankfully though, Adom's dad is a scientist. He finds out a way to change Adom's mind into a machine. The procedure went well and Adom and the other 5 kids with life ending illnesses become pioneers, the first humans to have their mind fully transferred into a physical robot. Throughout the next two books, Adom and the other pioneers fight a corrupted AI called Sigma and eventually win the war. The third book, which is titled The Silence, takes place 6 months after their fight with Sigma. The pioneers eventually get a strange reading in the Atlantic Ocean. So, thinking it was Sigma, they went to check it out. But, what they find is much worse. Adom finds a perfect orb five thousand feet under the ground. What is strange about this sphere, is that the pioneers cannot find an end inside the sphere. The orb is nothingness. This means that there is nothing inside of it and there is no end to it. The last thing Adom saw after finding the orb was the digital code surrounding him as it came at him. Together, Adom and the other pioneers must learn, fight, and try to control the nothingness. 

I connected to this book because of my love of science and science fiction. It is interesting that scientists are getting close to understanding the brain and learning how to control it. It is for this reason that I really enjoyed reading all 3 books. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read about science and adventure.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Source: I purchased a copy

Neal Shusterman has long been one of my favorite authors. I first read Unwind in 2017. I gladly put his series on my classroom shelves. Two years ago we had to take all books off and put them away until the district told us which books we could keep on our shelves. They all had to be "reviewed", and not by the teacher. I went from over 3000 books to a little under 700 books. Last year I changed schools. I started collecting books again. Parents signed letters giving their children permission to read whatever they wanted. I began purchasing my favorites once again. The first books I purchased over Christmas break this year was Neal Shusterman's Unwind Series. I reread them this week.

Unwind takes the issue of abortion and turns it on its head. After years of pro-life and pro-choice arguing the issue of abortion war breaks out. It is finally decided that the abortion issue is dead until the age of 13. At that time, with the advancement of technology and medicine children can be "unwound". This mean their body can be chopped up and sold to the highest bidder with all parts being used. There are two nefarious factions at play here. First you have the "tithes". They are children who have been dedicated as a tithe from birth. They are raised and trained that they have a higher purpose and willingly go to be unwound, to live on in the lives of others. The second is those that for whatever reason have not done well in school or society have been given to the government for unwinding; signed over to them by their parents. There is a third group that is lumped in with this second group. If you end up in a state home and are lucky you live there until you are 18. If you aren't lucky and they need more room you will be sent off to be unwound.
Our three main characters are Connor, who found papers his parents had signed to have him unwound. The reason? He was always in fights and had low grades. Then there is Levi, called Lev who is a tithe. Finally we meet Risa who is being unwound because they need more room in the state home she lives in. Connor leaves the night before he is to be unwound. Unfortunately he is caught the next day. He escapes across a highway, sees Lev and takes him as hostage. All of this causes a major accident which also involves the bus that Risa is being transported on. The three of them end up together and so the adventure begins.

We learn a lot about each of their lives, about something called "getting storked" and a group of people who want to destroy these "chop shops" and a group that is trying to help them survive. This is an awesome book. It is followed by 3 other books. I highly recommend the entire series, just like I will to my students when I return after winter break.