Friday Memes: Playing the Cards You're Dealt by Varian Johnson

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Playing the Cards You're Dealt by Varian Johnson. 320 p. Scholastic Press, October 5, 2021. 9781338780949.

Publisher synopsis: SECRETS ARE ALWAYS A GAMBLE

Ten-year-old Anthony Joplin has made it to double digits! Which means he’s finally big enough to play in the spades tournament every Joplin Man before him seems to have won. So while Ant’s friends are stressing about fifth grade homework and girls, he only has one thing on his mind: how he’ll measure up to his father’s expectations at the card table.

Then Ant’s best friend gets grounded, and he’s forced to find another spades partner. And Shirley, the new girl in his class, isn’t exactly what he has in mind. She doesn’t understand that trash talking is part of the game. Or why Ant’s dad doesn’t want him playing with a girl. But she’s smart and tough and pretty, and knows every card trick in the book. So Ant decides to join forces with Shirley — and keep his plans a secret.

Only it turns out secrets are another Joplin Man tradition. And his father is hiding one so big it may tear their family apart…

First Line: The house always wins.

Page 56: Jamal cackled, "little Ant, still scared to talk to girls."

     "What's with you and all the little stuff," And said. "Lay off, okay?"

     "Come on, Ant. It's just a joke. Don't be so sensitive."

     Ant couldn't help but notice how it was "just a joke" when Jamal said stuff, but Shirley was a "dumb girl" when she did the same.

How much do you love that cover? I am mesmerized!

Friday Memes: Once Upon a Camel by Kathi Appelt

 Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: Simon & Schuster

Once Upon a Camel by Kathi Appelt. Illustrated by Eric Rohmann. 326 p. A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book/ Atheneum Books for Young Readers/ Simon & Schuster, September 7, 2021. 9781534406438. (Review of arc courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

Publisher synopsis: Perfect for fans of The One and Only Ivan, this exquisite middle grade novel from Newbery Honoree and National Book Award finalist Kathi Appelt follows an old camel out to save two baby kestrel chicks during a massive storm in the Texas desert— filled with over a dozen illustrations by Caldecott winner Eric Rohmann.

Zada is a camel with a treasure trove of stories to tell. She’s won camel races for the royal Pasha of Smyrna, crossed treacherous oceans to new land, led army missions with her best camel friend by her side, and outsmarted a far too pompous mountain lion.

But those stories were from before. Now, Zada wanders the desert as the last camel in Texas. But she’s not alone. Two tiny kestrel chicks are nestled in the fluff of fur between her ears—kee-killy-keeing for their missing parents—and a dust storm the size of a mountain is taking Zada on one more grand adventure. And it could lead to this achy old camel’s most brilliant story yet.

First Line(s): "Incoming!"

     Even in her sleep, Zada recognized that voice.

     The old camel raised one eyelid. It was still dark. There was at least an hour left before dawn. She did not recall setting an early alarm bird.

Page 56: "We'll be the fastest ever!" announced Zada.

     Asiye agreed. "We'll fly right past those other camels."

     But in the meantime, Teodor brushed them until their fur was as soft as silk., "Güzel develer," he told them. Beautiful camels. Afterward, he gave them each a handful of fat, juicy figs.

I actually finished this gorgeous novel last week and am scheduled to participate in a blog tour around the book's release date. I just wanted to get this out there on the radar. 

Friday Memes: A Curse of Ash & Embers by Jo Spurrier

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

A Curse of Ash & Embers by Jo Spurrier. 368 p.Voyager/ HarperCollins Publishers, January, 2021. 9781460756331. 

Publisher synopsis: A dead witch. A bitter curse. A battle of magic.

Some people knit socks by the fire at night. Gyssha Blackbone made monsters.

But the old witch is dead now, and somehow it's Elodie's job to clean up the mess.

When she was hired at Black Oak Cottage, Elodie had no idea she'd find herself working for a witch; and her acid-tongued new mistress, Aleida, was not expecting a housemaid to turn up on her doorstep.

Gyssha's final curse left Aleida practically dead on her feet, and now, with huge monsters roaming the woods, a demonic tree lurking in the orchard and an angry warlock demanding repayment of a debt, Aleida needs Elodie's help, whether she likes it or not.

And no matter what the old witch throws at her, to Elodie it's still better than going back home.

First Line(s): I sat on the rough stone wall, gazing downtime dusty road and grinding my heel against the rocks. The hobnails in my boot squealed against the stone, making me wince, but in truth the sound was a fine match for my mood.

Page 56: It looked as though there'd been a brawl - or worse. Scorch-mars streaked the flagstones, as well as the plaster between the roof beams. The only thing not broken was the window, and that was doubly strange - the window was huge, set with panes of real glass that looked out into the darkness, with one side propped open a foot or so. I don't think our whole farm at home had as much glass as that one window, and I couldn't imagine how it had survived the destruction that had been wreaked on the rest of the room. I tried not to stare but she must have noticed my wide eyes. 

The voice in this grabbed me from the beginning. It's also quite atmospheric. Looking forward to finishing it this weekend.

Friday Memes: Switched by Bruce Hale

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Switched by Bruce Hale. 250 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc. April 6, 2021. 9781338702552.

Publisher synopsis: Who's a good boy?

Twelve-year-old Parker Pitts hates a mess. Ever since his grandmother died, he's much more comfortable when things are organized: He scrubs the kitchen counters at home, avoids the school bully at all costs, and never even speaks to Gabriella Cortez, the most interesting girl in the sixth grade. No muss, no fuss, no complicated feelings to worry about.

But now Parker's older sister is traveling abroad for the semester, leaving behind her obnoxious and extremely disorderly goldendoodle, Boof, for Parker to manage. Man's best friend? More like boy's worst nightmare!

When an intense round of tug-of-war leaves both dog and boy with bumped heads, Parker and Boof wake up to the biggest disaster yet: they've switched bodies! Suddenly Boof has to find his way through a school day and Parker has to...eat dog food?!

It's a mess of truly epic proportions. Can Parker and Boof clean it up -- together?

First Line: It had taken all afternoon to set up, but it only took five minutes for the dog to destroy everything.

Page 56: "Do you even know how to use the toilet?" Parker scrambled to catch up.

     As they entered, his nose wrinkled in disgust. Whew. The bathroom reeked. Wh'd have ever guessed it was this filthy? H fought the urge to break out the cleanser and a sponge.

     "What's to know? said Book. "You point and shoot." 

I won this by responding a tweet by the author! When I worked in a K-8 library, his Chet Gecko books were very popular. In my 5-8 grade library, his School for S.P.I.E.S. series is. I am sure this one will be appealing as well. Many of my students love these switched bodies books. 

Friday Memes: Layoverland by Gabby Noone

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: Penguin Random House

Layoverland by Gabby Noone. 302 p. Razorbill/ Penguin Random House, January, 2020. 9781984836120.

Publisher synopsis: Beatrice Fox deserves to go straight to hell.

At least, that's what she believes. Her last day on Earth, she ruined the life of the person she loves most—her little sister, Emmy. So when Bea awakens from a fatal car accident to find herself on an airplane headed who knows where, she's confused, to say the least.

Once on the ground, Bea receives some truly harrowing news: she's in purgatory. If she ever wants to catch a flight to heaven, she'll have to help five thousand souls figure out what's keeping them from moving on.

But one of Bea's first assignments is Caleb, the boy who caused her accident, and the last person Bea would ever want to send to the pearly gates. And as much as Bea would love to see Caleb suffer for dooming her to a seemingly endless future of eating bad airport food and listening to other people's problems, she can't help but notice that he's kind of cute, and sort of sweet, and that maybe, despite her best efforts, she's totally falling for him.

From debut author Gabby Noone comes a darkly hilarious and heartfelt twist on the afterlife about finding second chances, first loves, and new friendships in the most unlikely places.

First Line: You know the kind of crying where you're crying over one thing and then you think about a slightly less upsetting but still definitely upsetting thing and it makes you cry even more?

Page 56: "Well, that's too bad. I was all ready to bribe you," he says, wiggling his eyebrows slightly.

     "All right, that's it!" I say, pushing my chair back. "Actually, I'll make sure you number never gets called. Have fun eating wet slop and waring socks with sandals for the rest of eternity."

     He looks under the table at his feet.

     "Hey, how'd you know I'm wearing-"

     His jaw goes slack.

     "So you did notice me on the plane," he says.

     "No, I just noticed your shoes. Not you."

Friday Memes: Tornado Brain by Cat Patrick

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: Penguin Random House

Tornado Brain by Cat Patrick. 296 p. G.P. Putnam's Sons/ Penguin Random House, May, 2020 9781984815316.

Publisher synopsis: Things never seem to go as easily for thirteen-year-old Frankie as they do for her sister, Tess. Unlike Tess, Frankie is neurodivergent. In her case, that means she can't stand to be touched, loud noises bother her, she's easily distracted, she hates changes in her routine, and she has to go see a therapist while other kids get to hang out at the beach. It also means Frankie has trouble making friends. She did have one—Colette—but they're not friends anymore. It's complicated.

Then, just weeks before the end of seventh grade, Colette unexpectedly shows up at Frankie's door. The next morning, Colette vanishes. Now, after losing Colette yet again, Frankie's convinced that her former best friend left clues behind that only she can decipher, so she persuades her reluctant sister to help her unravel the mystery of Colette's disappearance before it's too late.

A powerful story of friendship, sisters, and forgiveness, Tornado Brain is an achingly honest portrait of a young girl trying to find space to be herself.

First Line: People used to believe that tornadoes only move in one direction-to the northeast-but that's not true.

Page 56: "Have a seat, Frances." Officer Rollins said when it was finally my turn in the interview room. My mom sat in the chair closes to the wall. She pulled her frumpy sweatshirt tight around her like she was freezing, but it was hot in the room.

     "I wanted to sit there," I said to her, crossing my arms over my chest.

     "Be flexible, please," she said.

     "I am," I said. "I'm trying." Flexibility is a big deal to her. And to therapists. And, I guess, to people in general. "But can I sit there?"

Friday Memes: Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: Penguin Random House

Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. 256 p. Dial Book for Young Readers/ Penguin Random House, August 11, 2020. 9781984815682.

Publisher synopsis: Ten-tear-old Della has always had her older sister, Suki: When their mom went to prison, Della had Suki. When their mom’s boyfriend took them in, Della had Suki. When that same boyfriend did something so awful they had to run fast, Della had Suki. Suki is Della’s own wolf–her protector. But who has been protecting Suki? Della might get told off for swearing at school, but she has always known how to keep quiet where it counts. Then Suki tries to kill herself, and Della’s world turns so far upside down, it feels like it’s shaking her by the ankles. Maybe she’s been quiet about the wrong things. Maybe it’s time to be loud.

In this powerful novel that explodes the stigma around child sexual abuse and leavens an intense tale with compassion and humor, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley tells a story about two sisters, linked by love and trauma, who must find their own voices before they can find their way back to each other.

First Line: My new tattoo is covered by a Band-Aid, but halfway through recess, the Band-Aid falls off.

Page 56: The trickiest part of shopping off Francine's list was figuring out exactly where everything was in the grocery store. The trickiest thing was figuring out what Francine actually meant. "Wonder Bread: sounds easy enough until you realize that there's classic white sandwich, small classic white sandwich, and giant white sandwich. Turns out plain classic white was the correct answer, which I guess right based on how many sandwiches that sized loaf would make.

Friday Memes: The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: Scholastic

The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg. 394 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc. September1, 2020. 9781338324058.

Publisher synopsis:

Aaron and Tillie don't know each other, but they are both feeling suicidal, and arrive at the George Washington Bridge at the same time, intending to jump. Aaron is a gay misfit struggling with depression and loneliness. Tillie isn't sure what her problem is -- only that she will never be good enough.

On the bridge, there are four things that could happen:

Aaron jumps and Tillie doesn't.

Tillie jumps and Aaron doesn't.

They both jump.

Neither of them jumps.

First Line(s): 
Can't I have this one moment to myself, please?
     This thought sears in Aaron Boroff's mind as the sobbing girl passes behind him. She's interrupted his solitude as he stares down at the undulating Hudson River from the south side of the George Washington Bridge. 

Page 56:
     "I'm sorry," he says when he can't keep quiet any longer.
     "Whatever for?"
     "You shouldn't have to have a son who has a broken brain. You didn't sign up for this."
     His dad kisses him on the top of the head and grasps his hands.
     "I most definitely did sign up for this," he says.
     Aaron knows it's the truth.
     The hand squeeze tells him it's true. But he can just barely feel the truth of it. 

Wow. I took this book with me yesterday when I had a morning filled with tests and a physician's appointment. I was riveted and, almost didn't mind when my doctor was running over an hour behind schedule. Almost. 

Friday Memes: All the Days Past, All the Days to Come by Mildred D. Taylor

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: Penguin Random House

All the Days Past, All the Days to Come by Mildred D. Taylor. 484 p. Viking/ Penguin Random House, January, 2020. 9780399257308. 

Publisher synopsis: The saga of the Logan family–made famous in the Newbery Medal-winning Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry–concludes in a long-awaited and deeply fulfilling story.

In her tenth book, Mildred Taylor completes her sweeping saga about the Logan family of Mississippi, which is also the story of the civil rights movement in America of the 20th century. Cassie Logan, first met in Song of the Trees and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, is a young woman now, searching for her place in the world, a journey that takes her from Toledo to California, to law school in Boston, and, ultimately, in the 60s, home to Mississippi
to participate in voter registration. She is witness to the now-historic events of the century: the Great Migration north, the rise of the civil rights movement, preceded and precipitated by the racist society of America, and the often violent confrontations that brought about change. Rich, compelling storytelling is Ms. Taylor’s hallmark, and she fulfills expectations as she brings to a close the stirring family story that has absorbed her for over forty years. It is a story she was born to tell.

First Line: Man and I were waiting for the bus.

Page 56: I met Stacey's eyes in the dark and knew there were no further words to say. He was right, and that's all there was to that. He was right about everything. We drove the rest of the way home in silence. Like the night, the streets were beginning to quiet, and in silence I thought about the city of Toledo without its signs, but segregated anyway. I thought about Toledo with all its opportunities, but segregated anyway. At least down home in Mississippi and throughout the South, folks were direct and honest about what was expected. Everybody knew exactly were a body stood. There was no pretense to equality. The signs were everywhere. White Only, Colored Not Allowed.

Friday Memes: The King of Crows by Libba Bray

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: LBYR

The King of Crows by Libba Bray. Diviners #4. 552 p. Little, Brown and Company, February 4, 2020. 9780316126090.

Publisher synopsis: After the horrifying explosion that claimed one of their own, the Diviners find themselves wanted by the US government, and on the brink of war with the King of Crows.

While Memphis and Isaiah run for their lives from the mysterious Shadow Men, Isaiah receives a startling vision of a girl, Sarah Beth Olson, who could shift the balance in their struggle for peace. Sarah Beth says she knows how to stop the King of Crows-but, she will need the Diviners' help to do it.

Elsewhere, Jericho has returned after his escape from Jake Marlowe's estate, where he has learned the shocking truth behind the King of Crow's plans. Now, the Diviners must travel to Bountiful, Nebraska, in hopes of joining forces with Sarah Beth and to stop the King of Crows and his army of the dead forever.

But as rumors of towns becoming ghost towns and the dead developing unprecedented powers begin to surface, all hope seems to be lost.

In this sweeping finale, The Diviners will be forced to confront their greatest fears and learn to rely on one another if they hope to save the nation, and world from catastrophe...

First Line: On the last day that the town of Beckettsville would ever know, the weather was so fine you could see all the way to the soft blue skin of the horizon.

Page 56: "A spot came open with a band, the Harlem Haymakers, and I had to jump on it. They have their own bus and everything. I'll be gone about three months. Maybe longer. It's a good way to make money and a name for myself and...Oh, horsefeathers, Ling. I need to leave New York. All these ghosts. And...us."

Friday Memes: Wink by Rob Harrell

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: Penguin Random House

Wink by Rob Harrell. 316 p. Dial Books for Young Readers/ Penguin Random House, March 30, 2020. 97819884815149.

Publisher synopsis: A hilarious and heartwrenching story about surviving middle school–and an unthinkable diagnosis–while embracing life’s weirdness.

Ross Maloy just wants to be a normal seventh grader. He doesn’t want to lose his hair, or wear a weird hat, or deal with the disappearing friends who don’t know what to say to “the cancer kid.” But with his recent diagnosis of a rare eye cancer, blending in is off the table.

Based on Rob Harrell’s real life experience, and packed with comic panels and spot art, this incredibly personal and poignant novel is an unforgettable, heartbreaking, hilarious, and uplifting story of survival and finding the music, magic, and laughter in life’s weirdness.

First Line: I'm lying on a steel table, all too aware of the giant ray gun pointed in my direction.

Page 56: There are som fields behind Abby's subdivision that lead down to a small creek, where we've spent hours splashing around and catching crawdads. It's kind four spot. Or one of them, anyway.
     We climbed over the rail fence and set off into the waist-high weeds and grass at the back of their property. I walked quietly for a minute before I started in.
     "The news isn't, um...good."
     Abby watched me while I grabbed a big stick out of the path and threw it to the side. "So, it's cancer?"
     

Friday Memes: Anthem by Deborah Wiles

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: Scholastic

Anthem by Deborah Wiles. Sixties Trilogy #3. 480 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., October, 2019. 9781338497458. 

Publisher synopsis: It's 1969.

Molly is a girl who's not sure she can feel anything anymore, because life sometimes hurts way too much. Her brother Barry ran away after having a fight with their father over the war in Vietnam. Now Barry's been drafted into that war — and Molly's mother tells her she has to travel across the country in an old schoolbus to find Barry and bring him home.

Norman is Molly's slightly older cousin, who drives the old schoolbus. He's a drummer who wants to find his own music out in the world — because then he might not be the "normal Norman" that he fears he's become. He's not sure about this trip across the country . . . but his own mother makes it clear he doesn't have a choice.

Molly and Norman get on the bus — and end up seeing a lot more of America that they'd ever imagined. From protests and parades to roaring races and rock n' roll, the cousins make their way to Barry in San Francisco, not really knowing what they'll find when they get there.

As she did in her other epic novels Countdown and Revolution, two-time National Book Award finalist Deborah Wiles takes the pulse of an era . . . and finds the multitude of heartbeats that lie beneath it.

First Line: As she did in the first two books of these "documentary" novels, the first "line" is an image. Indeed, the first fifty-five pages are images that capture the essence of the sixties.

Page 56: The first line of the book actually appears on page 55:

It's been so long since I felt something.



I highly recommend this trilogy. I am halfway through this one and don't want it to end. Here's a link to my review of Countdown. I didn't get to write a review of Revolution.

Friday Memes: Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: Simon & Schuster

Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds. 194 p. A Caitlyn Dlouhey Book/ Atheneum Books for Young Readers/ Simon & Schuster, October 8, 2019. 9781481438285.

Publisher synopsis: Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and brilliantly weaves them into one wickedly funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life.

First Line(s): 
THIS STORY was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school bus falling from the sky.
     But no one saw it happen. No one heard anything. So instead, this story will begin like all the...good ones.
     With boogers.

Page 56: Had Stevie known that's what it would take to be one of Marcus's boys, he wouldn't have come yesterday. Or maybe he would have, but he would've said something. Would've stopped Marcus. Why didn't he say anything? Why didn't he stop it?

I absolutely adore Jason Reynold, the generous young man and the phenomenal writer that he is. 

Friday Memes: Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: HarperCollins

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy. Skulduggery Pleasant series #1. 384 p. HarperCollins Publisher, May, 2018 (Re-issue). 978008248789.

Publisher synopsis: She's twelve. He's dead. But together they're going to save the world. Hopefully.

The iconic first book in the bestselling Skulduggery Pleasant series.

Stephanie's uncle Gordon is a writer of horror fiction. But when he dies and leaves her his estate, Stephanie learns that while he may have written horror it certainly wasn't fiction. Pursued by evil forces, Stephanie finds help from an unusual source – the wisecracking skeleton of a dead sorcerer…

First Line: Gordon Edgley's sudden death came as a shock to everyone—not least himself.

Page 56: 
     "Sometimes. I try not to depend on magic these days, I try to get by on what's up here." He tapped his head.
    "There's empty space up there."
     "Well, yes," Skulduggery said irritably, "but you know what I mean."
     "What else can you do?"
     "Sorry?"
     "With magic. Show me something."
     If Skulduggery had eyebrows, they would most likely be arched. "What, a living skeleton isn't enough for you? You want more?"

This was a reread for me and I reviewed it on Wednesday. But I just love the series and thought the excerpts particularly enticing/ intriguing. 

Friday Memes: The Root of Magic by Kathleen Benner Duble

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: Penguin Random House

The Root of Magic by Kathleen Benner Duble. 214 p. Delacorte Books for Young Readers/ Penguin Random House, June, 2019. 9780525578505.

Publisher synopsis: A deeply felt sibling story set in a town where people have a mysterious magical power and one girl is determined to discover what it is, for readers of Lauren Myracle and Ingrid Law. 

Willow knows the unknown is scary. Especially when your little brother has been sick for a long time and nobody has been able to figure out why. All Willow wants is for her brother to get better and for her her life to go back to normal. 

But after a bad stroke of luck, Willow and her family find themselves stranded in an unusual town in the middle of nowhere and their life begins to change in the most unexpected way. Willow soon discovers that the town isn’t just unusual—it’s magical—and the truth is more exciting that she ever imagined.

Will Willow find that this could be the secret to saving her family—or discover that the root of magic could lead them to something greater?

First Line: "Are we going to die?" Wisp asks from the depths of his blankets in the backseat.

Page 56: "Someone always finds you," Topher says with confidence. "Layla and James found you, didn't they?

Willow isn't sure how to respond to this. While it's true that they were found, it is also possible that they wouldn't have been. And then what would have happened? Willow shivers. She doesn't want to ever think again about the car tilting on the bridge that night and the rushing waters below them.

Friday Memes: The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: G.P. Putnam's Sons/ Penguin

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante. 306 p. G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers / Penguin Young Readers Group, June, 2019. 9780525514022.

Publisher synopsis: This stunning YA debut is a timely and heartfelt speculative narrative about healing, faith, and freedom.

Seventeen-year-old Marisol has always dreamed of being American, learning what Americans and the US are like from television and Mrs. Rosen, an elderly expat who had employed Marisol’s mother as a maid. When she pictured an American life for herself, she dreamed of a life like Aimee and Amber’s, the title characters of her favorite American TV show. She never pictured fleeing her home in El Salvador under threat of death and stealing across the US border as “an illegal”, but after her brother is murdered and her younger sister, Gabi’s, life is also placed in equal jeopardy, she has no choice, especially because she knows everything is her fault. If she had never fallen for the charms of a beautiful girl named Liliana, Pablo might still be alive, her mother wouldn’t be in hiding and she and Gabi wouldn’t have been caught crossing the border.

But they have been caught and their asylum request will most certainly be denied. With truly no options remaining, Marisol jumps at an unusual opportunity to stay in the United States. She’s asked to become a grief keeper, taking the grief of another into her own body to save a life. It’s a risky, experimental study, but if it means Marisol can keep her sister safe, she will risk anything. She just never imagined one of the risks would be falling in love, a love that may even be powerful enough to finally help her face her own crushing grief.

The Grief Keeper is a tender tale that explores the heartbreak and consequences of when both love and human beings are branded illegal.

First Lines: We believe in luck. The good kind and the cruel. The kind that graces and cripples. The kind that doesn't care what you deserve.

Page 56: ..."While you sister did very well today and is generally healthy, she's a bit anemic."

     "What's that mean?" Gabi asks, her mouth full of ice cream.

     "It means that Marisol wasn't eating as well as she should have been."

     "That's because she gave me most of the food," Gabi says.
     
      I push my empty bowl away. "No, I didn't. I just wasn't hungry."

    Gabi uses her spoon to make her points...

Friday Memes: The World Ends in April by Stacy McAnulty

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: Random House

The World Ends in April by Stacy McAnulty. 368 p. Random House Books for Young Readers, September 3,2019. 9781524767617.

Publisher synopsis: Is middle school drama scarier than an asteroid heading for Earth? Find out in this smart and funny novel by the author of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl.

Every day in middle school can feel like the end of the world.

Eleanor Dross knows a thing or two about the end of the world, thanks to a survivalist grandfather who stockpiles freeze-dried food and supplies–just in case. So when she reads about a Harvard scientist’s prediction that an asteroid will strike Earth in April, Eleanor knows her family will be prepared. Her classmates? They’re on their own!

Eleanor has just one friend she wants to keep safe: Mack. They’ve been best friends since kindergarten, even though he’s more of a smiley emoji and she’s more of an eye-roll emoji. They’ll survive the end of the world together . . . if Mack doesn’t go away to a special school for the blind.

But it’s hard to keep quiet about a life-destroying asteroid–especially at a crowded lunch table–and soon Eleanor is the president of the (secret) End of the World Club. It turns out that prepping for TEOTWAWKI (the End of the World as We Know It) is actually kind of fun. But you can’t really prepare for everything life drops on you. And one way or another, Eleanor’s world is about to change.

First Line: Mack Jefferson, my best-and only-friend, reads to me from his Braille edition of The Outsiders.

Page 56:
     "You need to promise me, if you're worried about this or if you have more questions, talk to me, please. I know you get worked up about things."

      "Okay." And this is an absolute lie. I won't talk to Dad again until I have more proof. Until I can convince him this is real. As the asteroid gets closer to Earth, there's no way other scientists will stay quiet. There will be better pictures and more data. I have to be patient. Even though the world is ending in spring, that still two quarters of a school year away. And school years last forever.

I absolutely adored The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl and fell in love with this one on page one. And Science! Yay!

Friday Memes: Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker. 314 p. Viking/ Penguin Young Readers Group, May 21, 2019. 9780451479402. 

Publisher synopsis: The critically acclaimed author of Felix Yz crafts a bold, heartfelt story about a trans girl solving a cyber mystery and coming into her own.

Zenobia July is starting a new life. She used to live in Arizona with her father; now she's in Maine with her aunts. She used to spend most of her time behind a computer screen, improving her impressive coding and hacking skills; now she's coming out of her shell and discovering a community of friends at Monarch Middle School. People used to tell her she was a boy; now she's able to live openly as the girl she always knew she was.

When someone anonymously posts hateful memes on her school's website, Zenobia knows she's the one with the abilities to solve the mystery, all while wrestling with the challenges of a new school, a new family, and coming to grips with presenting her true gender for the first time. Timely and touching, Zenobia July is, at its heart, a story about finding home.

First Line: She had that new kid look. Anyone paying attention could have seen it. In the flinchiness of her shoulders. In the way her eyes skittered from fact to face as the other students streamed past.

Page 56: 
     "I hate all my clothes! You don't know anything about shopping!"
     "That's true. You're right about that."
    Zen scowled. Aunt Phil never said what Zen thought she was going to say. It flummoxed her utterly. She flailed her hands and said, "Oh, leave me alone. I'm going to my room."
     "Door's open. " Zen turned away. "But, one other thing." Zen turned back unwillingly. "We're in for a treat. Were going to have company for dinner."

I really enjoyed the author's debut, Felix Yz. I started this last night and almost stayed up all night to swallow it whole. 

Friday Memes: Fat Angie: Rebel Girl Revolution by e. E. Charlton-Trujillo

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Fat Angie: Rebel Girl Revolution by e. E. Charlton-Trujillo. 344 p. Candlewick Press, March 3, 2019. 9780763693459.

Publisher synopsis: More trouble at school and at home — and the discovery of a missive from her late soldier sister — send Angie and a long-ago friend on an RV road trip across Ohio.

Sophomore year has just begun, and Angie is miserable. Her girlfriend, KC, has moved away; her good friend, Jake, is keeping his distance; and the resident bully has ramped up an increasingly vicious and targeted campaign to humiliate her. An over-the-top statue dedication planned for her sister, who died in Iraq, is almost too much to bear, and it doesn't help that her mother has placed a symbolic empty urn on their mantel. At the ceremony, a soldier hands Angie a final letter from her sister, including a list of places she wanted the two of them to visit when she got home from the war. With her mother threatening to send Angie to a “treatment center” and the situation at school becoming violent, Angie enlists the help of her estranged childhood friend, Jamboree. Along with a few other outsiders, they pack into an RV and head across the state on the road trip Angie's sister did not live to take. It might be just what Angie needs to find a way to let her sister go, and find herself in the process.

First Line: Okay, this is a tough one because there are two pages containing a line or two of text before the first chapter which is entitled, "Cruel Summer."

i. There was a girl. Her name was Angie. She had fallen out of love...

ii. Well, not exactly.

1. This was the beginning, again.

Page 56: 
     Angie grinned. Her favorite part of any "family meal' was watching Wang duel with John/Rick.
     "You shouldn't eat that much wasabi," John/Rick advised. "It will make you sick."
     Wang picked up his sushi roll with the giant portion of wasabi and launched it into his mouth. Within seconds, tears screamed down his cheeks as he grin-chewed and swallowed.
     "Wang," said their mother.
     "What?" he said. "Now you're gonna tell me how to eat? Whatever.
      "Don't disrespect your mother, Wang." John/ Rick said. 
      Angie paused, chopsticks hovering over a Philadelphia roll.
      "You're not my dad, John/Rick," Wang said. "You have no authority in this house."


Angie earned a permanent place in my heart in Fat Angie. I am so thrilled that she's back even though she's in a terrible place. She's grieving the only individual in her life who loved her unconditionally and facing nearly constant bullying and put-downs at school as well as home. But she's whip-smart and very, very funny. I just adore her internal dialogue. Here's a sample from page 57:

...He would burn his esophagus out to spite John/ Rick-have fiery poop blaze out of his butt for an hour if necessary. Wang was fearless and, of course, not forward-thinking in his rebellion. Fiery poop was, well, fiery. Still, Angie wished she had a fraction of Wang's pushback...