Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson

Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson 
Format:  E-ARC
Publisher:  Delacorte Press
Number of pages:  256
Publishing:  August 30th, 2022
Source: publisher via Netgalley

Opening Line:  "Everything looks different in the dark."

Anna Ballinkay's family runs Ravenfall Inn, a supernatural bed and breakfast that sits between the human and Otherworld, where spirits dwell.  Her family comes from a long line of psychic's, each with varied talents.  One of her twin sisters can read minds and the other people's emotions, Anna's mom is a fortune teller, and her Aunt Elaine talks to spirits.  But Anna has never been happy with her ability, she feels it's useless, more of a curse and she's actually scarred to use her powers.  Following a chance encounter where Anna brushes into a man at her families Inn, she has a vision of two people's horrible murder and the two boys who witness the murder.  Anna becomes so unnerved by what she sees, she can't let it go, it weighs on her heavily and she must find out the killer's identity.  Then Colin Pierce arrives at Ravenfall Inn looking for his older brother Liam, they became separated and had agreed to meet at the inn.  Colin and his family were in a witness protection program and Colin's parents were the ones from Anna's vision.  Colin was hoping to get some information about why someone would've wanted his parents killed.  Anna wants to be able to prove to herself that her powers can have a purpose or can be more useful than just visions of death, and so she sets out to help Colin to find some answers.  But first Colin must believe that magic is real and be willing to trust Anna.   

Ravenfall has a very unique magical system, and I quite enjoyed all the varied abilities Anna's family had.  The story felt like a mix of Natalie Lloyd's Snicker of Magic (coziness of the tea shop, and its magical tea concoctions reminiscent of the ice cream from Snicker of Magic), with Jessica Towsend's Nevermore or even Jessica Day George's Tuesday's at the Castle (with its alive Inn versus the Castle) and then add in the television show Supernatural (for all the wraiths and creatures).  I was totally feeling Halloween vibes with this read.  Then bump it up a notch with the whole murder mystery and hunt to find a killer, yeah defiantly loved the spooky magical adventure of Ravenfall.   The killer was just the right amount of creepy and sinister.  I so loved the sentient inn, which almost is a character in itself.   My favorite character though had to be Max the part Jabberwocky/black cat who guards the Inn.  Such a fluff of fun.  Sigh, if only there were pictures to accompany the story.  The inclusion of varies Irish traditions was very enjoyable and I defiantly learned a lot about Samhain.   The alternating chapters between Anna and Colin were fun, offering that opportunity to learn more about each of the two main characters and how their stories intertwined.  Anna explaining the families magic, her feelings of insecurity and pressure to find her place, while Colin was able to express his sorrow and pain to her.  Anna also has her humorous moments and gets Colin to "embrace" the weirdness of her family.  Some lovely bonding going on here, can't wait to see where their friendship leads.  This would make a wonderful Halloween read.   There are plans for a sequel, Hollowthorn, that I'll now be eagerly anticipating.

**A huge thank you to Delacorte Press and Kalyn Josephson for my E-ARC**

David Massie and the Hidden Underworld by Andrew M. Nehring

David Massie and the Hidden Underworld
Format:  E-ARC
Publisher:  Andrew M. Nehring Publishing
Number of pages:  105
Publishing:  August 9th, 2022
Source:  Recommendation from Books Forward and E-ARC from Netgalley 

Opening Line: "CP, the fully armored Time Cop, sat in the futuristic flying vehicle, which slightly resembled a sportscar, as it hurtled toward Earth."  

David Massie and the Hidden Underworld is the second book in the David Massie series, unfortunately I haven't read the first book David Massie and the Quantum Flux.  From what I gathered from the synopsis on Goodreads, David and CP; a Time Cop were successful is solving the mystery of the Quantum Flux.  Now having returned from their mission, David is back at school when everyone in his history class, except him and Rory are frozen in time.  CP tells David that the Time Police Depot was destroyed along with all the other Time Cop's.  It seems a Dark Armored Warrior is now on the loose.  In order to save the planet, David, his crush Rory, and CP must travel back in time to ancient Greece and locate Pax, a scientist who can build them a reality gate before the Dark Warrior can destroy their world.  

The Hidden Underworld is an interesting science fiction with some fun tech heavy components.  There's CP the last remaining Time Police officer, who is tasked with keeping the timeline intact.  There are robots, Greek gods, interstellar time travel via a spaceship that's more like a SUV but can cloak itself to blend in as a chariot, there are battles with blasters, and even reality gates.  There is also the added mystery of what happened to David's older brother, Morgan who vanished in the first book of the series.  Some of the highlights of the book are the light flirting that goes on between David and Rory and the teasing from CP.  I also really enjoyed the parts when they end up in ancient Greece, although I do wish the author would've expanded on this a bit more.  Overall, the story is on the shorter side, which on the one hand would be good if you're introducing a reader to science fiction, but for me, I would've enjoyed more.  It felt like just as the action was building, things ended and will most likely be continued on into the next book.  At the same time, I think this will certainly have kid appeal for its time travel, action and who wouldn't enjoy learning about CP the Time Cop?    ** A huge thank you to Books Forward for the recommendation and NetGalley for the E-ARC **

Surely Surely Marisol Rainey (Maybe Marisol #2) by Erin Entrada Kelly

Surely Surely Marisol Rainey by Erin Entrada Kelly
Format:  E-ARC
Publisher:  Greenwillow Books
Number of pages:  160
Publishing:  August 9th, 2022
Source:  Sparkpoint Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review  

Opening Line: "Marisol Rainey keeps a list in her head.  She calls it her List of Favorites."  

I really loved the first book in this series, Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey it's an adorable, illustrated chapter book.   Marisol is such a lovely young girl, she's kind, empathetic, anxious, and at times quiet and reflective.  She reminds me a lot of Matilda and Harriet and I just adore her.  I was super excited to get my hands on the follow-up, Surely Surely Marisol Rainey by Erin Entrada.  

In the latest book, Marisol is worried because her gym teacher just announced that the next unit they're starting is kickball.  She'd love to ask her dad for help or kickball advice, but because of his job on an oil rig he's gone a lot, he does call home weekly, but it's not the same as having him home so he can teach her what to do.  Marisol could ask her older brother, Oz, who is really good at sports but that might be difficult and embarrassing too.  Both Marisol and her best friend Jada despise gym class, and starting kickball makes them both anxious, on that one thing they both can agree.  It's not because of the teacher, who is supportive and encouraging, it's having to play sports.  Just the thought of having to kick the ball makes Marisol and Jada both worry.  What if they fall flat on their face, or make a mistake?  Plus, she doesn't want to embarrass herself in front of the whole class. Then Evie starts to bully Marisol, telling her how good she is at kickball and how Marisol is never going to be able to match her skills, which causes her even more anxiety.   The only positive is that she gets paired up with Felix in gym class and he's super nice.  Felix even starts telling her about his ability to talk to animals, which distracts her from thinking about and worrying about kickball.  Eventually, Marisol does ask Oz for help for her, and Jada and he teaches them how to kick and catch the ball, which alleviates many of their fears.

Surely Surely Marisol Rainey can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend both of these books.  Marisol is such a treasure, and her stories would be perfect for an elementary age reader, who will find her easily relatable and will just love how she works so hard to overcome her fears and anxiety.  The use of the brain train analogy is especially done well in explaining Marisol's worries.  Although some of the illustrations in my ARC weren't complete, I loved the gentle lines of the ones I saw and felt they complement the story so well.  I really hope Erin Entrada Kelly will write more Marisol Rainey stories and I really enjoyed that she not only wrote these books but illustrated them as well.  

The Year Without a Summer by Arlene Mark

The Year Without a Summer by Arlene Mark
Format:  E-ARC
Publisher:  Sparkpress
Number of pages:  296
Publishing:  August 16th, 2022
Source:  Publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review  

Opening Line:  "Jaime shifted his weight on his snowboard at the top of the mountain and set his sights down the slope."

There are a few things that Jamie loves, snowboarding and his older brother Lucas, who is stationed in Afghanistan.  Jamie is driven in his desire to become a professional snowboarder, unfortunately, he failed his latest science exam and risks being put on probation from the team.  Clara Montalvo, recently relocated from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria devastated her town and destroyed their home, her father has chosen to stay behind to help with repairs but has been hard to reach because the powerlines have been down.  Clara is a responsible, hardworking student, who dreams of getting a scholarship to go to an Academy focused on architecture.  She tries very hard to fit in with the other kids at school but has faced her share of hardships.  

Currently they're learning about natural disasters in school, what contributes to them, and what consequences they pose to the environment and humans, they're to choose one disaster to discuss with the class.  Jamie begins to explore volcanic eruptions and learns of the Volcano of Tambora which occurred in 1815 in Indonesia.  It was known as the year without a summer because of the ash that was released into the atmosphere causing global climate anomalies, like below freezing temperatures in North America and snow during the summer.  Jaime is excited to share his research with his classmates and highlights all the positives that came from the volcanic eruption, which sets of a heated debate with Clara as she feels he's not seeing the seriousness of the disaster and its impact on the people of Indonesia.  Seeing the value of the two opposing views, their teacher assigns them both to debate the topic in class.  As Jaime and Clara collaborate for their debate, news arrives of a new Hurricane in Puerto Rico and that Jamie's older brother was wounded and is returning home for rehabilitation.  As they fear for their family, the two begin to find some commonalties among their differences. 

The first thing that intrigued me about The Year Without a Summer was the cover and title, curious about how the snow fit with the summer vibes.  The premise of the story was also very interesting combining three seemingly unrelated things, a historic volcano, a hurricane in Puerto Rico and a returning solider from Afghanistan.  I must say the story as a whole blew me away.    I loved all the historical aspects of the book and how relatable these teens were.  I learned so much about the Volcano of Tambora and well natural disasters in general.  The story addressed climate change and natural disasters but also gave options for how teens could advocate for change.  The emphasis on the commonalities that the two teenagers shared, their kindness, focus on the future, and family hardships made them both easily relatable.  I think I felt for Jamie the most and appreciated that the story didn't underscore the behavioral and emotional changes that occurred with his brother. While I find Jaime's wanting to get Lucas back to normal a realistic desire, it's something as a therapist that I've found difficult for loved ones to understand, that there is a new normal after an injury such as this.  As a therapist, I like to think of it as the brain is making new pathways or connections.  Overall, this was a highly engaging story and can see this appealing to kids interested in climate change.     

**A huge thank you to Sparkpress for the E-ARC**     

Big Nate: Destined for Awesomeness by Lincoln Peirce

Big Nate: Destined for Awesomeness by Lincoln Peirce 
Format:  E-ARC
Publisher:  Andrews McMeel Publishing
Number of pages:  224
Publishing:  August 30th, 2022
Source:  Publisher in exchange for an honest review 

Big Nate first debuted as a comic strip on January 6th, 1991, and in 2010 the graphic novel titled Big Nate: In a Class by Himself was published.  Lincoln Pierce went on to publish eight books in the series and his stories have now been adapted into an animated series on Paramount+ and Nickelodeon.  

Nate Destined for Awesomeness is a tie-in to the animated series and includes stories from three different episodes with the corresponding comic strip that each episode is based off at the end of the chapter.  The first story is called "The Legend of the Gunting."  Trouble always seems to find Nate, and this time is no different when he risks being "gunted" if he gets one more detention.  But laying low proves to be difficult when a new student arrives at school.  This story reminded me a lot of the Terrible Two series by Mac Barnett.   In "Go Nate, It's Your Birthday," Nate's father lends him his credit card to buy himself a birthday present and Nate goes on a huge spending spree.  Fearful of what his father might do when he finds out he maxed out his card, Nate and his friends develop a scheme to find some cash fast.  In "CATastrophe," Nate is paired with his school crush, Jenny on a class project only to find out she has a dreaded cat.  Can Nate overcome his fear to spend time with his true love? 

I can see Big Nate: Destined for Awesomeness, appealing to middle graders who enjoy the Paramount + animated television series or for fans who get the humor of the original graphic novels and Nates tendency to land himself in trouble.  There are a few obvious differences that the reader should be aware of between this book and the Big Nate graphic novel series.  First, Big Nate: Destined for Awesomeness features the full color CG artwork from the animated television series with the original black and white comic book illustrations that each episode is based off appearing at the end of the chapter.  So, if you're looking for the original format where the artwork and illustrations complement the written text of the graphic novels, it's still interspersed into Big Nate: Destined for Awesomeness, but the panels now mainly follow the full color television CG artwork.  I think the CG artwork and text via speech bubbles format will take avid fans of the Big Nate graphic novels some time to get used.  At the same time, I think this story will find some new reluctant reader fans who are looking for a humorous story.   Here's a preview of the television series to give you a feel for the artwork style.  

The Pear Affair by Judith Eagle, illustrations by Jo Rioux

The Pear Affair by Judith Eagle, and illustrations by Jo Rioux
Format:  Paperback ARC
Publisher:  Walker Books US
Number of pages:  266
Published:  April 26th, 2022
Source:  Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review 

Opening Line:  "You would think, thought Nell as she aimed a kick at one of the marble cats that sat on either side of the front door, if you named your daughter after your favorite handbag, you would cherish her as much, if not more, than you cherished the bag."

12-year-old Penelope "Nell" Magnificent's parents own Magnificent Foods and ever since she was a little girl, she's had an au pair, Perrine aka Pear who's cared for her.   That is until Nell turned seven and she was packed up and shipped off to a boarding school, and Pear returned to France, leaving Nell with only the fond memories of the happy times she'd spent with her beloved Pear, and the letters Pear sent her religiously for five solid years.  But six months have gone by and not a single letter has arrived making Nell fearful that something terrible has happened, as Pear promised she would return one day to rescue her.   Then upon arriving home for a vacation from boarding school, Nell finds her parents getting ready to leave for a Paris business trip, and they reluctantly agree to allow her to come, it is too late after all to get a Nanny to stay with her.  Once in Paris, Nell knows she can find Pear, she's studied everything about the city, explored all the maps and knows just where to look for her, but Pear's not at her apartment, or at her work and seems to have disappeared without a trace.  Dejected, Nell then has a chance encounter with a bus boy, Xavier, from the hotel they're staying at, who offers to help her find Pear.  Soon Nell is traveling the tunnels beneath Paris, visiting couturier shops, and uncovers a plot that connects the major of Paris, Pear, and her parents with a mysterious spore that is contaminating the bread of all the bakeries of Paris.

The Pear Affair takes place during the 1960's in Paris.  Being in the mood for a mystery and of course having Paris on my wish list of places to visit, this was a perfect escape read.  I enjoyed learning more about the Paris Catacombs, visiting the various settings with Nell and her new friends, and the glorious mention of pastries and hot chocolate will make your mouth water.  Many reviewers on Goodreads have compared this to Katherine Rundell's Rooftoppers, Matilda, Madeline, Harriet the Spy and even Alice in Wonderland, which is just a perfect description.  I can see aspects of each of these books in The Pear Affair.  You really feel for Nell and her lack of familial affection, how she lost the one person who loved her.  And Nell's parents are loathsome people, they'll really remind you of Matilda's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood, obsessed by money and fashion.  I mean who could name their daughter after a purse?  Nell is a very likeable character, determined in her quest to reunite with her dear friend.  The authors passion for the city certainly shines through and although this can be read as a standalone, I'd certainly enjoy more adventures set in Paris with Nell and her friends.  The illustrations by Jo Rioux complemented the book very well and although my ARC didn't include the final artwork, I quite enjoyed the black and white sketched illustrations.  If you're looking for a little Paris adventure, I hope you'll check out The Pear Affair.   **A huge thank you to Candlewick Press for the ARC paperback**    

NOTHING IS LITTLE by Carmella Van Vleet Blog tour with Excerpt + Giveaway

My second tour spot I'm hosting today is NOTHING IS LITTLE by Carmella Van Vleet hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

                                                                         About The Book:

Title: NOTHING IS LITTLE

Author: Carmella Van Vleet

Pub. Date: July 19, 2022

Publisher: Holiday House

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 224

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

The case of a missing father is hard to crack . . . even for Felix, a tiny kid with a huge heart and an eye for detail.

Eleven-year-old Felix likes being the smallest kid in school.
 
At least he knows where he fits in. Plus his nickname, “Short-lock Holmes,” is perfect for someone who’s killing it in forensic science club. To Felix, Growth Hormone Deficiency is no big deal.
 
And then Felix learns that his biological dad was short, too. This one, tiny, itty-bitty piece of information opens up a massive hole in his life. Felix must find his father. He only has a few small clues to work from, but as Sherlock Holmes said, “To a great mind, nothing is little.” 

The further Felix gets in his investigation, though, the more he starts to wonder: What if his dad doesn’t want to be found? And what if Felix’s family—his mom, his stepdad, the baby on the way—needs him right where he is?
 
Tender and uplifting, this warm novel from Christopher Award–winner Carmella Van Vleet celebrates little differences in us that can make a big impact.
 
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Reviews:

"A captivating, humorous, and heartfelt story of friendship, family, and crime-solving."—Kirkus Reviews

"A fresh and funny read that sells itself, and it demonstrates that there is more than one way to grow."—Booklist

"The story keeps a steady pace as it ­alternates between school and home, ­giving a firsthand account of what it's like to be young and faced with decisions that are difficult to navigate. ­Engaging and heartfelt, Van Vleet's title delivers big on the feels. Anyone who's ever been made to feel small will benefit from ­hearing ­Felix's story."—School Library Journal

"Nothing Is Little offers powerful proof that little things can matter in a great big way. What a beautiful book! The most huge-hearted and heartwarming story you'll read this year."—Claudia Mills, author of The Lost Language

"Smart, funny, and memorable. You can’t help but love Felix! He has big goals and a great big heart, and he’ll live large in your memory long after the final page is turned."—Margi Preus, Newbery Honor–winning author

 

Nothing Is Little

By Carmella Van Vleet

Excerpt for Rockstar Book Tours

1

The Alien

Things started changing when the alien took over.

For example, Mom used to stock up on desserts during back‐to‐school sales. But it’s two weeks into the year, and there’s still nothing sweet to pack in my lunch.

“Sorry, Felix,” Mom says, standing in front of the open pantry. “No Oreos.”

“I put them on the grocery list,” I say.

She gives me a tired smile. “I forgot to take the list.”

I feel bad complaining. Remembering stuff is hard for Mom lately. So are mornings.

We’re running later than usual. Mom’s in her pajamas and hasn’t showered yet. She overslept on account of she’s pregnant and spent the whole night getting up to pee.

For the record, my mom’s not the alien. My sister is. Boo’s not even born yet, and she’s already causing trouble.

It’s must be super weird to have some invisible being kick your bladder. The other night, Boo had the hiccups and I could actually see my mom’s stomach jump every few seconds.

And it’s not just Mom’s body. Boo has taken over our house, too. There’s a bunch of baby things and boxes of diapers piling up in the dining room. Even though my sister won’t be here for three more months, there’s a bottle sterilizer hogging space on the kitchen counter. Mom pushes it aside to check the fruit bowl.

“We’ve got bananas,” Mom tells me. “Or . . . Well, we have brown bananas.”

“It’s okay,” I tell her. “I’ll buy something at school again.”

There’s just enough time for me to finish up my Spanish homework, so I shove my lunch bag into my backpack and sit down.

Paul strolls into the kitchen. When he sees me he says, “A good sleep I trust you had, Padawan.” He’s been saying that ever since the two of us did a Star Wars movie marathon a few months back. I give him a thumbs‐up and go back to my worksheet.

Paul walks over to Mom and rubs her middle. “How are my favorite girls this morning?” Lately, his “favorite girls” are his favorite topic. Boo has invaded Paul’s vocabulary, too. He must have a Pregnancy Word of the Day calendar or something. He drops words like gestation period, amniotic fluid, and placenta (gross, gross, aaaannd gross) into conversations.

Mom tells Paul his favorite girls are fine, and he gives her stomach one last pat before grabbing himself coffee.

“Got a busy day?” Paul asks Mom.

She tells him she’s got a focus group coming in later at her downtown office. Mom works for a market research company that gets people’s opinions about different kinds of products.

Excerpt from Nothing Is Little / Text copyright © 2022 by Carmella Van Vleet. Reproduced by permission from Holiday House Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

 About Carmella Van Vleet:

Carmella Van Vleet is a former kindergarten teacher and the author of numerous books for children, including To the Stars!, which was co-authored by astronaut Kathy Sullivan and named to the Amelia Bloomer list. Her debut children's novel, Eliza Bing Is (NOT) a Big, Fat Quitter, received the Christopher Award and was named to four state award master lists. Just like Eliza, Carmella loves tae kwon do—she has earned her black belt! She lives in Ohio and can be found online at carmellavanvleet.com

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of NOTHING IS LITTLE, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

7/11/2022	Log Cabin Library	Excerpt
7/11/2022	Yabookscentral	Excerpt
7/12/2022	BookHounds YA	Excerpt/IG Post
7/12/2022	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt/IG Post
7/13/2022	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt
7/13/2022	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Excerpt
7/14/2022	Lifestyle of Me	Review
7/14/2022	@jaimerockstarbooktours	IG Post
7/15/2022	Rajiv's Reviews	Review/IG Post
7/15/2022	Sadie's Spotlight	Excerpt/IG Post

Week Two:

7/18/2022	hodophile_z	IG Review
7/18/2022	Books a Plenty Book Reviews	Review
7/19/2022	GryffindorBookishNerd	IG Review
7/19/2022	Little Red Reads	Review
7/20/2022	Write. Read. Live.	Review/IG Post
7/20/2022	@enjoyingbooksagain	IG Review
7/21/2022	One More Exclamation	Review/IG Post
7/21/2022	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
7/22/2022	Two Points of Interest	Review
7/22/2022	Nerdophiles	Review