Tic Tac Toe Chicken by Kimberly Tso, illustrated by Louie Chin

Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken by Kimberly Tso, illustrated by Louie Chin
Publisher:  Third State Books
Format Read:  ARC-e-book
Number of pages:   32 pages
Publishing:  August 19th, 2025
Source:  Books Forward

Opening Lines:  "New York City is not a great place for a chicken."

Whenever Beatrice visits her cousins in the city, she enjoys stopping by Chinatown to watch Lillie, the tic-tac-toe playing chicken.  Lillie lives in an arcade and receives a treat in exchange for playing a game.  Beatrice feels sad for Lillie, worried about her being confined, and wishes that she could have a better life.  Full of concerns and questions, she vows to strike a deal with the arcade owner to secure Lillie's freedom.  

Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken, Kimberly Tso's debut picture book, is based on the true story of Lillie, a real chicken that played tic-tac-toe in New York City's Chinatown Fair arcade.  I always enjoy learning new things and was completely captivated by the premise of the story.  I'd never heard of chickens playing games before but interestingly, my husband recalled seeing this game at the North Pole amusement park in Colorado Springs.  

The illustrations by Louie Chin are stunning, vividly portraying the liveliness of New York with illustrations of the cars, crowds bustling through the crowded city streets, storefronts adorned with large signs, and even iconic images like sitting in the park feeding the pigeons.  The colors are bright, and I love the way that the story and illustrations celebrate the beauty of New York and Chinatown.  This is just a gorgeous picture book that I'm sure will appeal to animal enthusiasts, children wanting to get a glimpse of New York City and Chinatown or wanting to learn about how these games were run.  At the same time, the story raises the question of how animals should be treated and inspires children to take a stand if they think an animal is being mistreated.  Included at the back of the book is an author's note with the inspiration for the story, and the history of tic-tac-toe chicken games in Chinatown.  A stunning debut picture book that absolutely shouldn't miss. 

**A huge thank you to Books Forward for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review**

The Classified Catnapping: Mystery at the Biltmore #2 by Colleen Nelson, illustrations by Peggy Collins

The Classified Catnapping:  Mystery at the Biltmore #2 by Colleen Nelson
Publisher:  Pajama Press
Format Read:  Hardcover 
Number of pages:   136 pages
Published:  April 29th, 2024
Source:  YA Books Central Giveaway ( YA Books Central)

Opening Lines: "There were many mysteries at The Biltmore, a hundred-year-old building in New York. "

The LaRue Detective Agency has a spotless reputation at The Biltmore for its top-notch investigations and knack for cracking difficult cases.  So, it's no surprise when they're called upon to solve the puzzling case of Bijou, the feline star of a hit murder mystery film, who has mysteriously vanished. 

Bijou isn't just famous for her screen presence; she's also the sole heir to a renowned designer's fortune, including ownership of an upscale apartment with a nanny.   On the day of her disappearance, Bijou was scheduled to be picked up from the groomer by the nanny's daughter, but instead she's been catnapped. 

Elodie, her dog Carnegie, and her stunt-performing best friend Oscar track down clues, discreetly question the residents of the building and work tirelessly to catch the elusive catnapper.  Although this is the second book in the series, it reads comfortably as a standalone.  The story is a delightful blend of classic and contemporary stories. It's both fun, creative and whimsical, with the nostalgic appeal of Nate the Great, Encyclopedia Brown, and Harriet the Spy.  Its setting evokes the charm of New York's Upper West Side sprinkled with the playfulness of another famous New Yorker, Eloise. 

Elodie, is sweet and generally wants to help solve the case.  Her confidence is only slightly shaken when some of her suspects don't pan out.  It's sweet how encouraging she is of Oliver's dream of being a stunt-performer in Hollywood.  Even making sure that he doesn't give up when he doesn't hear encouraging words from his idol.  The short chapters and gorgeous full-color illustrations by Peggy Collins make this a great story for parents to read with their child.  I appreciated the author's note explaining the connection between Bijou and Choupette, a real-life cat who, after her owner's death, now lives with his former housekeeper.

 I hope you'll check out all the other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge's blog HERE      

The Scott Fenwick Diaries: A Novel by Kristin Nilsen

The Scott Fenwick Diaries a Novel by Kristin Nilsen
Publisher:  SparkPress
Format Read:  Paperback ARC
Number of pages:   258 pages
Published:   July 22nd, 2025
Source:  Media Masters Publicity

Opening Line: "I hold the note in my hand and look over at Scott Fenwick, not with my head but with my eyes only."

The Scott Fenwick Diaries serves as a sequel to The Worldwide Crush, but both books can be read as standalones.

Millie has finally decided to move on from her celebrity crush and focus on her real-life crush, Scott Fenwick.  They've shared lots of angsty moments of passing notes, exchanging glances across the classroom, and the occasional shared wave.  Millie suspects Scott likes her too but is too shy to make the first move.  Feeling uncertain about the rules of dating or how to truly connect with a crush, she pours all her thoughts and details about her encounters with Scott into her diary.

At home, Millie's life is even more chaotic since her grandmother Cheryl moved in temporarily while her place is being renovated.  Adding to the mix is her great-grandmother Phyllis, who often requests trips to Target from Millie and her mom, a task that's not as easy as it sounds.  At least at school, Millie can always count on her best friend, Shauna to consult her magic 8 ball to answer Millie's questions about Scott. Even Tibbs, Scott's next-door neighbor offers to help Millie to get closer to him by inviting her to ride with them to Hebrew school.  In the end, Millie gets an invitation to Scott's Bar Mitzvah and hopes she can finally summon the courage to share her feelings with him, and most importantly, figure out if he feels the same way.  But when the pivotal moment finally arrives on the dance floor, Millie panics and pulls away from him.  Will Scott feel like she rejected him? And what should she do now?

The Scott Fenwicks Diaries is filled with the angsty teenage feelings of one's first crush, the fear and doubt of whether they feel the same way, and all the flutters and butterflies when your eyes suddenly lock across the classroom.  Millie experiences it all in a big fashion.  While I can't relate to her obsession over Scott, her feelings toward her first crush are really relatable and come off realistically.  First crushes are awkward; they bring out our insecurities, cause us to second guess everything we think, even lead to that confusing feeling of does he like me or not?  Millie's difficulty in putting trust in someone else with her feelings is a feeling that most people have experienced at some point in their life.  I'm sure that the story will resonate with readers who are starting to date.    There are so many little sweet moments that Millie and Scott share, with my favorite being when Scott draws a heart on Millie's shoe.  

I loved reading Millie's diary, especially her adorable acrostic poems.  While there wasn't much drama, the humor and some embarrassing moments kept the story lighthearted and engaging.  I also appreciated how Millie became a better friend, learning to listen to Shauna more, as her fixation on Scott caused her to overlook important things happening in Shauna's life. I'd recommend this to readers who enjoyed The Kissing Booth, To All the Boys I've Loved Before and readers looking for a really sweet tween romance story.  

A huge thank you to Media Masters Publicity for the Paperback ARC 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 

Kristin Nilsen is a children's author and librarian with an encyclopedic knowledge of all things 70s and 80s.

 

She is the author of Worldwide Crush, a middle grade novel inspired by her own childhood crush on Shaun Cassidy. She also co-hosts The Pop Culture Preservation Society, a weekly podcast celebrating the cultural nuggets of the classic Gen X childhood. Kristin lives in Minneapolis with her Gen X husband, her Gen Z son, and their rock and roll goldendoodle, Axl Rose Nilsen. The Scott Fenwick Diaries is the sequel to Worldwide Crush and Nilsen’s second middle grade novel. 

 

The First Magnificent Summer by R.L. Toalson

The First Magnificent Summer by R.L. Toalson
Publisher:  Aladdin
Format Read:  Paperback
Number of pages:   368 pages
Published:   May 30th 2023 (original publication)  Reprinted May 7th 2024 
Source:  Purchased

Opening Line: "Period (noun) : a length or segment of time." 

Twelve-year-old Victoria Reeves and her brother Jack haven't seen their father in two years, not since the divorce and he vanished into a new life without them.  But that's about to change as he's coming to pick them up for a long road trip to Ohio with his new picture-perfect family that he replaced them with.  Victoria is determined to show him how grown up and mature she has become.  But the moment the car pulls away, cracks begin to show.  Awkward silences, buried resentments and painful misunderstandings mount with every mile.  What began as a hopeful second chance quickly spirals into hurt feelings, shame filled jabs, and the ultimate betrayal by her father.   
The cover of The First Magnificent Summer really captured my attention at Barnes and Noble.  I was looking for a summertime themed book and curious about the girl writing in her journal and intrigued by the premise that things go in unexpected ways.  Victoria writes in a journal about her dreams of repairing her relationship with her father.  She even has a no fail plan to win him back.  Her journaling really gets you inside her head and the anxiety she feels as the time lapses across the day from July 15th (the day he was supposed to come) to July 16th.   It's in these moments where Victoria's internal dialogue expresses her hurt and resentment to the way that her father is behaving.  She expresses all the things that she would love to say back to her father, and boy do you wish she could say them.  She writes about the anxiety of starting her period and fear of running out of supplies.  She even notes how her and Jack's relationship has been changing. I really identified with that feeling, it doesn't hit you at first, everyone is busy and vested in their life, but then there's a moment that happens and you actually feel that change in you and your sibling's relationship.    

This was not the summer vacation that Victoria and Jack deserved.  It just breaks your heart how belittling her father is.  At first his comments seem to be attempts at being "ha ha funny" or teasing, but then they are downright mean and insulting.  Victoria is hungry for his approval, acceptance and affection but instead he's just a jerk to her.  He makes me really angry.  The events in the story seem to be partially based off the authors own experiences.  In the author's note she states that "no one should be made to feel by anyone in their lives that they have to earn love," and I full hardly agree.  I wished the book included Victoria finding a support system to confide in or perhaps resources for children experiencing or at risk of child abuse, a hotline number or suggestion to contact a crisis support or talking to a trusted adult would have fit here.    
Jack is treated slightly better, possibly because he's a boy, but they both walk on eggshells around him.   Then three days before they're due to go home, he violates her trust and reads her journal.  Accuses her of lying about him and in anger lashes out at her.  The ending is hard to swallow as there's no consequences for Victoria's dad's actions.  Although I imagine that is unfortunately more accurate.  It's not entirely a happy ending but Victoria does find the words to express that her journal is for her eyes only and she learns that her writing matters.  No one has the right to pass it off as "scribblings." I'm excited to see that there's a companion novel, Something Maybe Magnificent that has been published and really eager to continue reading Victoria's story.  

    

 I hope you'll check out all the other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge's blog HERE      

The Ghosts of Nameless Island: The Boy Who Could Fly: Vol. 2 by Carly Anne West

 

The Ghosts of Namless Island #2:  The Boy Who Could Fly by Carly Anne West, illustrations by Teo Skaffa
Publisher:  Andrews McMeel Publishing
Format Read:  E-ARC
Number of pages:   322 pages
Published:   July 22nd, 2025
Source:  Edelweiss +

Opening Line: "The wind off the South Sound pushes their hair around and get's in the way of their faces."

The story opens with a haunting prologue centered around the image of a circus tent. A young boy then arrives at a creepy manor with his mother in the dead of the night.  By morning, she has vanished, leaving behind only the silver necklace she wore around her neck every day.  We leap forward to a chilling moment from the first book, Gus is caught in the merciless grip of the Broken Boy, whose icy fingers are closing around his throat while he demands Gus returns his medallion.  Just as darkness threatens to consume Gus, he is saved by Catherine the Great, his fierce and fearless cat.  She breaks the Broken Boy's grip, and he vanishes into the night.

As a new school year begins, Gus and his friends, Miles and Tavi resume their search for answers to who the Broken Boy was and how to finally lay him to rest.  But Gus remains vulnerable to ghostly threats without his protective penny.  When a new spirit is discovered haunting Rotham Manor, the trio must face the terrifying question, how do you survive a ghost that wants you dead, while unraveling the identity of another that refuses to be known?  

Gus still hasn't confided in his mother about his ability to see ghosts.  Instead, he covers his visit to Ms. Walker with a lie.  It's heartbreaking that they at first can't share everything that is on their minds.  I enjoyed that Gus and his mother were able to reconnect following a vision of Gus's father and their decision to seek a new therapist together.  There's a special moment when they are finally able to discuss that she too had been seeing and hearing things at the manor. 

Meanwhile, Gus's nemesis at school, Charlie Cleave continues to be a bully and Charlie's dad further complicates things for his mother through the historical society and the revelations that the Rotham's may have been bootleggers.  The trio devote a huge part of the book researching their school project on what makes Nameless Island the ideal location for the Pacific Northwest Lower South Sound Fish Derby Fair.  While also trying to lay the ghosts attacking them to rest.  They comb the library, diving deep into the archival files and find old newspapers that reference the "Flying Wymans" and a rumored murder for $2300 in cash. 

While the information that the trio uncovers is intriguing, the pacing lags slightly.  The subtle clues don't create the level of suspense that might hook younger readers.  That said, I enjoyed the unraveling of the events from the 1940's- 50's and the commentary on the town's legacy, or whether exposing the Rotham's past "sully's" their name, or whether history should stand as is and remain open for interpretation.  Read this for its creepy factors, the sunken hollow eyes and corpse like features of the Broken Boy, or the various hauntings and intrigue of the ghost's identities.  Or maybe wait to read the entire series as the cliffhangers can be disappointing.  Especially the latest final image of a girl in the morgue with her wrist dangling from a gurney.  I really want to know her connection to Gus's dad.  Guess I'll just have to wait.   

 I hope you'll check out all the other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge's blog HERE      

The Bellwoods Game by Celia Krampien

The Bellwoods Game by Celia Krampien
Publisher:  Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Format read:  Paperback
Number of pages:   320 pages
Published:  July 23rd, 2023
Source:  Purchased

Opening Lines:  "Abigail didn't believe the stories about the woods."

Everyone knows the woods surrounding Fall Hollow are haunted, ever since Abigail Snook wandered in and was never seen again.  Yet, her disappearance hasn't stopped the students of Beckett Elementary from daring to play the Bellwoods Game.  Every Halloween eve, three six graders race to the heart of the woods to ring the bell, ensuring the town's safety for another year.  But those unlucky enough to encounter Abigail's ghost must surrender their most treasured possession.  And if no one wins the race...her spirit is unleashed to wreak havoc on the town.

This year, Bailee hopes to be chosen for the game, especially after the horrible past three weeks she's had, she could really use a win.  She had a falling out with Fen that has left her feeling like an outcast, her parents are buried in work, and her gran recently suffered a TIA.  Maybe winning the race will boost her status at school.  And as the legend goes, the victor wins a wish.  But when the game begins, Bailee, Fen and Carmen quickly realize that reaching the bell is far harder than they imagined.  Something sinister lurks in the woods, watching them, waiting and is determined to ensure that they lose. 

I stumbled on The Bellowoods Game at Barnes and Noble, drawn in by its eerie cover, and after having flipped through the first few pages.  That prologue really sets you up with wanting to know more.  The blurb also promised a gripping mix of supernatural suspense and a game with real risks.  Boy did it deliver.  I loved how the author's illustrations added a creepy vibe, making the story even more immersive.  They really complement the story well.  There's a legend, superstitions, an evil ghost, bats, a shadowy figure in the woods, realistic friend drama and plenty of twists and turns.  Yep, perfectly nailed the eerie mood and kid appeal!  

I hope you'll check out all the other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge's blog HERE      

The House at the Edge of Magic by Amy Sparkes

The House at the Edge of Magic by Amy Sparkes
Publisher:  Walker Books
Format Read:  Paperback 
Number of pages:   240 pages
Published:  January 1st, 2021
Source:  Purchased

Opening Lines: "Nine crouched down behind the staked fish crates at the bustling market."

Nine, an orphan pickpocket, has fallen out of favor with Pockets, the cunning gang-master of the Thousand Treasures.  To regain his trust, she needs to bring him a valuable score.  Then she spots the perfect mark, a woman in a scarlet dress, carrying a fancy beaded bag that promises riches.  But what she steals isn't the treasure she expected.  Instead, she swipes a peculiar house-shaped ornament.  The moment she knocks on its tiny door, it expands into a sprawling house, with chimneys twisting and stretching in every direction.  The front door swings opens, revealing a creature in a  frilly white apron, clutching a feather duster, followed by a young wizard in fluffy slippers and a sword wielding spoon. Flabberghast the wizard, wastes no time explaining that Nine has stumbled into a cursed house, and only she can break the spell.  In exchange for her help, he offers her a jewel of immense value.    

The first thing that caught my eye was the cover.  As I've mentioned before, I love stories with old houses, and I was immediately curious, what could possibly be inside a house that expands from an ornament?  And wow, I was not disappointed.  This house is brimming with whimsy, from a toilet that constantly shifts rooms to a cupboard that temporarily magics anyone who dares to open its doors. There's even a skeleton in the closet and some questionably dead people in the basement.  

Nine, our reluctant heroine, is less than thrilled about breaking the curse, and defiantly is not a fan of magic.  All she wants is to escape from the Nest and reclaim her most treasured possession from Pockets.  The plot is wonderfully set up, and the book is packed with a host of delightfully quirky characters.  There's the talking Dr. Spoon, Eric the troll in his frilly apron and of course, Flabberghast, the hopscotch champion wizard who hasn't had a sip of tea in years because no one can get the cupboard to open.  Just thinking about it  makes me smile.  

The magic in the story is unpredictable and unmanageable, which only adds to the fun.  I also loved that Nine visits a library to search for answers on how to break the curse.  The shorter length of The House at the Edge of Magic was appealing, though I would've enjoyed a little more character development. Overall, this was a fun read and I will be looking for the next book in the series, The Tower at the End of Time.