THE KITE FIGHTERS by Linda Sue Park he Kite Fighters is a beautiful story about the relationship between Korean brothers, Young-sup and Kee-sup, and the honor of good character. Young-sup, as the younger brother, is always to show respect and to support his older brother, Kee-sup. For the most part, Young-sup handles this well, but when a chance meeting occurs with the king over kites, a situation unfolds that could call all of his training about this into question. The king requests that Young-sup fly a kite representing him in the kite fighting competition. Young-sup knows that honor should be given to his older brother, but he wants it so badly, and Kee-sup is not that good at the art of kite fighting anyway. Through this struggle the weight of tradition, the love of a brother, and the honor of a king must all be weighed very carefully. Linda Sue Park does a masterful job at portraying all of these important components vital to the Asian culture. A second, very notable part of this story, is the outcome of the kite fight. In our current world of dirty playing, dog-eat-dog styled sports, the idea being a worthy winner and a good loser is spectacularly defined. This is the type of stuff that makes our momma hearts sing! This book is well worth reading! HEADS UP- There are some brief mentions of the family's religious practices that include the honoring of passed relatives' spirits.

A HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN TWELVE SHIPWRECKS by David Gibbins A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks is a fascinating way to look at history. Dr. David Gibbins, a maritime archaeologist, brings readers along on 12 dives he has personally done to shipwrecks from 12 different significant time periods in history. Revealing locations and difficulties of the dives, he shares artifacts discovered, known details around the wreck itself, and what was going on in the world at the time of the sinking. Examples of the wrecks include ships from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Vikings, King Henry, and more. A collection of photographs at the center of the book gives visual life to the text. If you enjoy history and the mystery of what lies beneath the ocean waves, this book is a perfect read for you!

THE IMPROBABLE TALES OF BASKERVILLE HALL by Ali Standish For those of you who know me or have followed this page for a while, you know that I love a good mystery! That would include Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. What a moment of joy it was to find a middle grade series with Arthur Conan Doyle as the protagonist! When Arthur Conan Doyle is selected to attend the prestigious BASKERVILLE HALL School, a school for gifted children, he jumps at the chance. Most of the students have come from well-to-do families, and he sets out to prove that he belongs with the best of them. The school consists of five Circles of study: Iron (chemistry, engineering, etc), Dawn ( life sciences) Lightning (math, physics, astronomy), Spirit ( the unexplained - ghosts, fortune telling) and the Citadel (business and government). Each student eventually declares their Circle and joins the group. Outside of the Circles of Study, the distinguished school has a long standing secret society called The Clover. Only select students are invited to join, and they must complete a series of challenges. As expected, these challenges lead to a mystery that could cause Doyle to lose his place at BASKERVILLE HALL. Joined by his new friends, Irene Eagle and Jimmie Moriarty, Doyle sets out to solve what is going on behind the doors of this distinguished school. HEADS UP- There is 1 swear word (no f bombs). As mentioned above there is the Spirituality Circle. They are on the strange side but a nod to Doyle's real life exploration into spiritualism later in his life.

JAMES by Percival Everett James is Percival Everett's New York Times Bestseller about the life of Jim, the runaway slave from Mark Twain's classic, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Right off the bat, we should be asking ourselves why the name James instead of Jim? Titles are often very telling and this one is no exception. James is not your average, uneducated slave. To his slave owners (Widow Douglas owns him, but Judge Thatcher oversees all of the Widow's business) and the white people he is just that, but in truth, he is a self educated man who is highly intelligent. He has passed this learning onto his family and constantly drills them how to speak slave lingo and how to handle white people ( let white people think they are the ones who come up with ideas when it is actually the slaves, etc)so as to never let on how smart they really are. When James is told he is about to be sold (separated from his wife and daughter), he decides to run. Unbeknownst to him, Huckleberry Finn (who is under the care of the Widow) decides he's had enough of living a society life and fakes his own death. Now there is a runaway slave at the same time that a white boy ends up dead. James knows he is in a serious heap of trouble, so the two begin their journey down the Mississippi together for a while, separated for a long stretch, and then reunited. One thing I want to interject here is that this is NOT a retelling of Twain's Huck Finn. This is the story of James' life and Huck is along for the ride in parts of it! The story itself is very engaging. There is a lot of action - chase, capture, escape, harrowing situations that James puts himself in while desperately trying to help his wife and daughter gain their freedom, etc. Several examples of the brutality of the slave life are laid open for us to view through Everett's words, and they are difficult and heartbreaking to read. However, there are parts in this book that I found difficult to believe. None of these parts have to do with James' life directly as a slave. They all have to do with whom Everett is trying to make him out to be as James. I already mentioned the education part. While we know that there were slaves that were educated, the level that James achieves by reading books from his master's library on his own feels like a stretch. (At one point he debates with a friend what type of irony he experienced after speaking to a white person.) Another time he conspires with a light skinned African American that passes as a white owner, to be sold and then to run away to save money to buy the freedom of their loved ones. While a money making plan, the confidence that he will be able to escape from whatever situation he is sold into feels unrealistic. There is another drastic reveal at the end of the book that feels like an impossible reach. I won't share the details, so you can experience it for yourself. The idea to take and give Mark Twain's Jim his own story is an interesting one. While a thought provoking read, I struggle with accepting this rendition as a possibility for Twain's Jim. HEADS UP- There is language to contend with. While not heavy, there is a consistent stream. There is one f-bomb. The topic of rape comes up a couple of times. Once, James witnesses a rape, but no intimate details are given. Slave brutality is a reoccurring reality. While not gory in description, it is heartbreaking. There are slave and slave owners murdered.

OUT OF MY DREAMS by Sharon M. Draper It wasn't my intention to return to writing posts until Monday, but I just closed the cover of Susan Draper's newest book, and I don't want to forget the details. It is fantastic which is why I am kicking off the 2025 posts with one of my TOP PICKS for the year! Out of My Dreams is the third book in the continuing story of Melody, a special needs, wheelchair bound young lady who has no voice to share her unbelievable intelligence without Elvira, her talking computer. Forgive me, but we need to rabbit trail for just a moment. To fully understand and appreciate Melody's situation, you will want to start with Draper's first book, Out of My Mind, if you haven't read it. I did not read Out of My Heart where Melody goes to camp. Out of My Dreams does reference the time there, but it explains it enough that I didn't feel lost at all by skipping it. Out of My Dreams begins with Melody looking out of her window and seeing her elderly neighbor fall and hit her head against the sidewalk. With her family members in other parts of the house, Melody is unable to get their attention. As the panic begins to rise inside her as the neighbor doesn't get up, Melody remembers the 9-1-1 button on Elvira, her talking computer. She pushes the button. At first the emergency operator thinks she is a prankster and disconnects the call, but Melody persists, and without giving all the details away, she is able to get help for her injured neighbor. This event catches the attention of a local news crew, and again without divulging much of the book's story, Melody finds herself on her way to England to attend I.D.E.A. a creative think tank for young people to share and foster innovative ideas for the future. Having been both a 911 operator and having worked with special needs children and adults at a summer camp all through my high school years, this book really resonated with me. I think one of the most powerful things Draper does for readers is to powerfully hit home the fact that disabled people are just that...PEOPLE. They have thoughts, feelings, goals, intelligence, and some are even geniuses. A book can be a great way to introduce the idea to our children of spending time with this oftentimes overlooked group in our society.

STEPSISTER by Jennifer Donnelly LAUREN'S LITERARY LIFE - This post is written by my college age daughter, Lauren. This story happens after the fairy-tale ending. Well, the fairy-tale ending for Cinderella and her prince. For Cinderella’s stepsisters, Isabella and Octavia, their nightmare continues. The whole town now knows how they treated Cinderella, and they are hated for their actions. They are seen as only the ugly stepsisters destined to ruin while Cinderella enjoys every luxury. But war is coming to the kingdom, and the lives of the whole town could rest in Isabella’s hands. Fate is determined to carry out Isabella’s map toward her unhappy ending, while Chance battles to give Isabella a choice – the choice to be more, to be better, to maybe right some wrongs. But everyone knows only pretty girls get the happy endings, right?  I personally really enjoyed reading this story. I like it when books go deeper into the characters in fairy tales and make them seem more human without negating the wrongness of actions. This book makes both the stepsisters and Cinderella more human. They are people who make mistakes and have to learn to forgive and try to be better. The story can spark some interesting discussion into the power of words, the true definition of beauty, and the courage it takes to stand up to others. HEADS UP-  While this book is relatively clean, there are a few things to be aware of. There’s a handful of cuss words, but no f-bombs. One of the stepsisters mentions being eyed up and down by a previous suitor and says that a suitor tried to put his hand up her skirt during dinner. The stepsister doesn’t go into detail.  The main heads up is the magic content. Fate and Chance are personified as humans in this book. Fate is an old crone that writes out the maps of people’s lives. Her description reminds you of a witch (she even has a raven that can transform into a girl), and she gathers ingredients in the forest to brew various inks for her maps. Chance also brews various inks to try to rewrite the map and give Isabella a new path. The story of Cinderella is not complete without her fairy godmother, who is shown as a fairy queen in this story. She’s a little creepier in this book and does give magical gifts based on the heart’s desire – like Cinderella’s gown and carriage.

STICK MAN by Julia Donaldson. Illustrated Axel Scheffler. Stick Man is a humorous story told in rhyme about a stick man. He lives in a tree with his stick wife and stick kids. One day he decides to wake up early and go for a jog. While out he is mistaken for a regular stick and is passed through a series of ordinary stick related adventures that take him far from home (think dog, child, beach, etc). All he wants is to get home to his little stick family. Just when it seems the end might be near for our little stick friend, a jolly man in a red suit helps him get home in time for Christmas. Axel Scheffler's illustrations in this picture book add some laugh out loud humor to this story. After all, who would imagine a tale about a stick as a Christmas story?

THE CHRISTMAS SNOW GLOBE by Sibylle Delacroix It's Christmas Eve and Noah and Lucy are anxiously staring out the window waiting for snow that doesn't come. Before going to bed, their father gives them a gift to open - a beautiful snow globe. Setting it next to her bed, Lucy gives it a little shake and watches the snow swirl around inside. Suddenly, she feels a cold drop on her cheek and then another. She looks up to see it's snowing inside her bedroom and so begins a beautiful snow adventure in the house! Originally published in France, this picture book about childhood innocence and dreams is about as sweet as you can get. Accompanying her text, Delacroix's graphite and colored pencil illustrations beautifully capture the truth that often times it's the simplest things that bring about the greatest joys in life.

ALICE IN A WINTER WONDERLAND by Jan Brett For all of you who love the story of Alice in Wonderland, Jan Brett has created a magical adventure set in the snowy north of Alaska. In this rendition, Alice is an Inuit girl and the personalities of several of the favorite characters from the original are portrayed as Alaskan wildlife forms. Reading Brett's notes about the book, we learn that while on a trip to Alaska, she spotted a "perfectly round hole spiraling down through the ice." Sparkling in bright blues and greens the hole reminded her of an "otherworldly rabbit hole" and her take on Alice in Wonderland was born. This is a super fun rendition to read! As always, Jan Brett's artwork is spectacular!

A MOUSE FAMILY CHRISTMAS by Deborah Underwood. Illustrated by Leah Hong. Some of our favorite Christmas picture books include mice - Mortimer's Christmas Manger and The Little Drummer Mouse are a couple that quickly come to mind. A Mouse Family Christmas could easily slide into that category as well! Hugo Mouse and his family are eagerly hustling and bustling around the upstairs preparing for Christmas. When they notice there's none of the ordinary hustle and bustle downstairs in the older man's house in which they live, they investigate. A blizzard has kept his family from arriving to celebrate with him. Hugo knows that even though they're supposed to stay hidden away from humans, it's time for a little intervention to bring some Christmas cheer to the older man's day. This is a super sweet book that helps remind us to take care of the older members of our community and to be a blessing to others in general! Leah Hong's illustrations are marvelous in this wonderful book! Red, green, and gold abound with accents of dark blue. Care emanates from the pages as the mice prepare the downstairs for the owner. Delightful!

LITTLE RED SLED by Erin Guendelsberger. Illustrated by Elizaveta Tretyakova What if little sleds have dreams? What if when they grow up they want nothing more than to pull Santa's sleigh? Such is the dream of one little red sled in Ohio author Erin Guendelsberger's delightful story Everyone around her tells her she is too young and too little to dream such a big dream, but she sets out anyway to make her way to the North Pole. Along the way she meets some friends who give her some great advice. This picture book is a touching story that brings into focus the need for patience, development, and growth as we pursue our dreams in life. Things often don't happen in a flash. It is important to allow time to pass and maturity to happen. Elizaveta Tretyakova's illustrations in this story are absolutely delightful. Full of snow, traveling, and of course, Santa, these are the type of pictures you expect in a beautiful children's Christmas story.

LET IT GLOW by Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy Let it Glow is a great middle grade read with a Parent Trap-esque twist. Aviva is a highly energetic twelve-year-old adopted into a Jewish family. Holly is a more reserved twelve-year-old who lives with her mother and grandfather. When these two end up meeting at auditions for a local holiday performance, they can hardly believe their eyes. It is as if they are staring in a mirror when they look at each other. It doesn't take long for them to figure out that they are the same age, with the same birthday, each adopted into separate homes as infants. When they decide to swap homes so they can each experience what it's like to celebrate each other's holiday (Christmas or Hanukkah), the game is on to keep their true identity hidden until their big reveal. This book is a lot of fun to read! HEADS UP- There are a couple of places where OMG is used.