Tag Archive | communication

D is detective daring to venture into ODDITY WOODS, by Kay Davault (YA Graphic Novel) #A2Z

Apr4
Teen girl holding a glowing magnifying glass points to her right, followed by a teen boy in glasses grasping an electronic device, with a ghostly dog floating behind them as they run away from a spooky building and red-eyed creature - book cover of Oddity Woods, graphic novel by Kay Davault.

Dad suddenly missing,
town police won’t help…
teen detective has her first case!

“Deep in the woods, a ghost train appears, then steals your soul if you ride it.” (pg. 38) – made-up story to keep kids away from the deep forest or how The Conductor kidnapped her dad?

Three weeks since receiving a strange transmission sent Dad from their remote cabin to the woods, and Marietta knows it’s time to go find him, armed with his magical magnifying glass.

Rebuffed by local police, the 13 year old heads into the woods alone, encountering a ghost dog, a terrified (alive) young man, and a derelict train station – where the ghost train stops!

Can they ride the ghost train and stay alive?
Which beings at the Labyrinth Inn are the real monsters?
Will the creatures of Oddity Woods let Marietta and Wyatt live?

Trying to locate Marietta’s dad and find their way back to the real world, Marietta and Wyatt must solve puzzles, outrun evil, and decide who they can trust in this vibrant graphic novel, first in a planned trilogy.

What’s your favorite paranormal beastie?
**kmm

Book info: Oddity Woods / Kay Davault. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2025. [author/illustrator site https://www.kaydavault.com/about-contact] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Oddity-Woods/Kay-Davault/Oddity-Woods/9781665915830] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

B is A BITE OF PEPPER, young vampire finding herself, by Balazs Lorinczi (YA Graphic Novel) #A2Z

Apr2
On roof's edge near a streetlamp, a seated dark-haired girl wearing a bat-winged backpack looks back at a standing blonde girl who watches a leashed vampire puppy chase butterflies in the sky, on book cover of graphic novel A Bite of Pepper, by Balazs Lorinczi.

Skateboarding,
loving on her pup,
does she have to lock in her future already?

As a born-vampire, teen Pepper isn’t immortal – yet. Once she takes a bride (any gender) and they turn together, their age and appearance will be set… forever.

Despite her mom’s pressure to choose, she’s not ready yet, not grown into her true self. Just-younger half-brother Jeb may defy tradition and turn immortal first – the upcoming human-vampire Gala is when many announce their brides and turn each other.

Meeting college art student Ana is refreshing – she really appreciates Pepper’s skateboarding talent and adores immortal puppy Shroom. Pepper’s mom hires her to work in the family bookshop, so the pair happily get to spend more time together.

Ana’s art class illustration project of Pepper’s amazing skateboard tricks is turned into an edgy skateboard brand by Jeb, who looks to the rich vampires’ Human Relations Council for start-up funding.

Will the Council help if neither Jeb nor Pepper are full vampires yet?
Does Ana really like Pepper for herself or just as a skateboard model?
Do they all have to become real adults right now!?

In a human and vampire world where B+ juice keeps vampires healthy without human blood, Pepper has to decide how much of her self she’ll let others control.

Lorinczi portrays his characters in pink, black, and lavender rather than the usual black and red.

Other “non-traditional” vampire books you’d recommend?
**kmm

Book info: A Bite of Pepper / Balazs Lorinczi. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2025. [author/illustrator site https://balazslorinczi.carrd.co/] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/A-Bite-of-Pepper/Balazs-Lorinczi/9781665970464] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Six kawaii kitties on holiday – so cute! FALLING IN LOVE WITH A TRAVELING CAT, by Juno (Graphic Novel)

Jun26
Book cover of Falling in Love With a Traveling Cat, graphic novel by Juno. Six kitties standing on their short hind legs are moving to the left, ready for travel with backpacks, rolling suitcases, snack bag, camera on strap around one's neck, another with purse slung across its body. Most are tabby cats colored orange, tan, grey & white.

First, we plan.
Next, we pack.
Then, we go traveling!

Six soft, cute, often bemused Mofusand cats prepare to travel all over Japan, and their illustrator Juno invites us along for the fun.

Squished in the subway, relaxed on the plane, their first stop is the aquarium, where they talk to dolphins, enjoy the Baby Penguin Cafe, and walk with them in the parade.

On to the amusement park, with exciting rides and yummy snacks served by roller-skating kitty waitresses.

Ahh, relaxing outdoors, cooking over the campfire, napping in hammocks, whooshing on bicycles, and watching birds at a picnic.

Beach time! So many water activities and lovely frozen treats! [short-legged, long-bodied cats in bikinis = not your everyday swimsuit models]

Every prefecture of Japan is represented as the cats wear symbolic costumes like a white peach for Okayama and a deer from Nara.

These cats love eating, so they try food from every prefecture, too – curry soup from cold Hokkaido, Takoyaki octopus balls from Osaka, crunchy waffle cookies from Hyogo.

Relaxing at the hot springs is a great way to wrap up a vacation, as the kitties soak in hot tubs large and small, enjoy the sauna and massage – and evening banquet, of course!

Heading home with lots of souvenirs and treats and great memories, as well as the “Mofustagram” posts they sent along their journey.

Perhaps you’ve seen Mofusand cats with fried shrimp as headwear on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mofu_sand/; this first Mofusand illustrated book was published in Japan in 2022, then recently brought to English-language audiences.

Where in Japan would you like to visit with these traveling cats?
**kmm

Book info: Falling in Love With a Traveling Cat / Juno; translated by Mari Marimoto. Kakadawa, 2022; Udon Entertainment, 2024. [artist site https://mofusand.co/blogs/news/who-is-juno-the-artist-behind-mofusand] [publisher site https://store.udonentertainment.com/products/falling-in-love-with-a-traveling-cat-mofusands-1st-illustration-book] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher via Publisher Spotlight.

Amid the pandemic’s first autumn, THERE IS A DOOR IN THIS DARKNESS, if she can find it! by Kristin Cashore (YA fiction)

Jun24
Book cover of There Is a Door in This Darkness, by Kristin Cashore. A maze with several entrances encloses and surrounds the words of the title on a background of streaky cloudy sky.

Seven people, one apartment,
one pandemic, college deferred –
who is she anymore?

Wilhelmina’s best friends and their families are in a Covid-pod together without her, and the Boston teen misses them enormously. She can always sense where people are in a building, and text messages just aren’t the same.

Her gap year has turned into running all the errands and trying to keep her younger siblings at bay while Mom and Dad work from home; her Aunts (actually great-aunts) are now here too, missing late Aunt Frankie as much as Wilhelmina does.

Tomorrow “your doughnut will be stale!” a fortune-teller tells her from 6 feet away. “Trust Wil-helm-ina” sparkles the message she sees parachuting from the snowy sky while walking in the cemetery for solitude; well-masked classmate James saw a white owl drop it!

The next day, she chooses just-fried doughnut from James’ Italian-Chinese-American family’s bakery – somehow, it is stale…

She sees James in the cemetery again, and he’s glowing at the edges. The Temperance tarot card that Frankie gave her long ago changes to “Trust Ray” in sparkles. Huh?!

What if the aunts’ mail ballots don’t arrive from Pennsylvania in time?
Could she really drive them home as the pinched nerves in her neck and arm flare with pain?
Why is James now in her recurring Aunt Frankie dream?

Chapters for each day of her pivotal week in November 2020 alternate with those filled with wonderful memories of childhood and teen summers spent with the Aunts at their lovely rural Pennsylvania home.

These strands of past and present story weave together satisfyingly and realistically and a bit magically as Wilhelmina navigates the current crisis to find herself at last.

This contemporary work of magical realism by the author of the Graceling fantasy epics is now available in paperback and definitely deserves your reading attention.

Where were you during November 2020, before the vaccines were available?
**kmm

Book info: There Is A Door In This Darkness / Kristin Cashore. Dutton Books /Penguin, hardcover 2024, paperback 2025. [author site https://kristincashore.com/books/there-is-a-door-in-this-darkness/] [publisher site https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313481/there-is-a-door-in-this-darkness-by-kristin-cashore/] Review copy checked out from my local public library; cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Ice caps vanished, father not returned – her only hope against TERRA ELECTRICA: THE GUARDIANS OF THE NORTH! by Antonia Maxwell (MG fiction)

Jun18
Book cover of Terra Electrica: The Guardians of the North, by Antonia Maxwell. Atop a hill, a girl in summer clothes shoots magenta-colored lightning from her hands. Standing with her are a howling wolf and gigantic polar bear roaring at the Northern Lights above them. Two ravens fly to them through the magenta night sky, forest and high mountains in the distance.

Only she and her father survived the electrical sickness that killed everyone in their far-north village, where snow never ever comes now, Arctic animals long gone, polar ice caps melted away.

When he doesn’t return from weeks of hunting, 12-year-old Mani decides to search for her father, urged onward by the Polar animal spirits she meets after donning her late mother’s ancestral wooden mask.

The science man Leo is still alive, but his eyes show the Terra Electrica sickness. Somehow, Mani’s touch when holding a flashlight cures him!

Leo says they must travel north to The Ark where the other scientists are, to see if her father is there and figure out why Mani isn’t affected by the Terra Electrica. Maybe they can save the rest of humankind…

Their journey is long and dangerous, dragging their sled of supplies across muck that used to be iced-over, making a raft from driftwood and plastic bottles to cross a bay, encountering people who don’t trust Ark scientists or anyone coming from the Terra Electrica-affected zones.

Whenever she can, Mani goes back into the world of the mask, to hear wisdom from Ooshaka the polar bear and Crow and Eagle and Wolf, to seek her ancestors in the old land of ice, to listen for her mother’s spirit…

Oh! This large group also heading for The Ark says they have things to trade… things like weapons!?

Is her father really at The Ark?
What caused the Terra Electrica?
Can Ooshaka’s advice help Mani survive?

Mani’s perils due to extreme climate change remind us of the power we have in our present time to prevent future disaster.

How far north have you gone?
**kmm

Book info: Terra Electrica: The Guardians of the North / Antonia Maxwell. Neem Tree Press, 2024. [author site https://www.antoniamaxwell.com/about] [publisher site https://neemtreepress.com/book/terra-electrica-the-guardians-of-the-north/] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Who caused THE LOSS OF THE BURYING GROUND treaty ship at sea? by J. Anderson Coats (YA fiction)

Jun10
Book cover of The Loss of the Burying Ground, by J. Anderson Coats. Teen girls stand back-to-back, one looking upward defiantly, the other looking down in sorrow. The large sailing ship called Burying Ground is in front of them, surrounded by enormous waves.

Cora boards the ship with her mother and father, the newspaper man who’s documenting the peace treaty with those dastardly Ariminthians and its evil royal family.

Vivienne boards the ship as lady-in-waiting to the princess, whose father will sign the peace treaty with those dreadful Durans who train from childhood to wage war.

Every person, parcel, package, and pocket inspected by the other nation’s guards before being allowed onto the Burying Ground, and yet it blasts apart in neutral waters!

The two young women are its lone survivors, stranded on an island far from shipping lanes – Vivienne unwilling to outlive her princess, Cora determined to leave and get revenge.

Pirates come to their island! The girls work together to outwit them and escape, only to find that their rescue may enflame the war that the treaty was meant to stop!

How can Vivienne get her vital secret to the Royal Mother?
How can Cora avoid being scapegoated for the ship’s sinking?
Will the anti-war underground network help them?

This story of resourcefulness is told in alternating chapters by Cora and Vivienne, as each struggles against lifelong prejudices poured into them by propaganda and the powerful.

By the author of historical fiction set in pasts not always our own, like The Night Ride (recommended here https://booksyalove.com/?p=13684) and R For Rebel (https://booksyalove.com/?p=9958), who offered advance copies of this book on BlueSky – of course, I said yes!

What “everyone knows this about those people” have you learned was actually untrue?
**kmm

Book info: The Loss of the Burying Ground / J. Anderson Coats. Candlewick Press, 2024. [author site https://www.jandersoncoats.com/the-loss-of-the-burying-ground] [publisher site https://www.candlewick.com/9781536244434/the-loss-of-the-burying-ground/] Review copy via author and publisher; cover image courtesy of the publisher.

FISH FARTS and Other Amazing Ways Animals Adapt, by Joanne Settel and Natasha Donovan (kids’ Nonfiction)

Jun4
Book cover of Fish Farts and Other Amazing Ways Animals Adapt, by Joanne Settel; illustrated by Natasha Donovan. A large shiny fish swims between the title words, with bubbles trailing behind it.

Animals change over time to cope with their environment, to survive, to thrive.

Meet dozens of fascinating animals in these adaptation categories: curious communications, all-purpose poop, escaping the enemy, super strange insides, and creepy connections.

Hide and stink! Young Komodo dragons survive by rolling in pig poop so they aren’t eaten by huge adult Komodos who smell the air with their tongues as they hunt.

Escape! Green iguanas and other lizards can let their tail snap off when grabbed by a predator, then grow a new tail later.

Move along! Hummingbird flower mites hitch a ride to new nectar sources by jumping onto a hummingbird’s long beak at one flower, hiding out in its nostril, then leaping off when they sense the correct type of flower to find a new mate and avoid enemies.

Elephantnose fish use electricity to navigate through night waters in Africa and communicate with each other, one of 400 species of electric fish who’ve adapted to cloudy or muddy freshwater.

However, elephants communicate and are alerted to danger by sensing ground vibrations through their toes! Only in recent decades have scientists registered these sounds with frequencies too low for humans to hear.

Cooking the Enemy, Whale Poop for Lunch, Ant Shampoo! The chapter titles alone make it worth your while to pick up this book from your local library (https://search.worldcat.org/libraries) or favorite independent bookstore (https://www.indiebound.org/indie-store-finder).

This accurately and artistically illustrated 42 page book is better for browsing than for research since it has no bibliography or index. Words in color within the information-packed text point to its glossary at the end.

What’s your favorite unusual animal fact?
**kmm

Book info: Fish Farts and Other Amazing Ways Animals Adapt / Joanne Settel; illustrated by Natasha Donovan. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2024. [author site https://www.joannesettel.com/] [illustrator site https://www.natashadonovan.com/] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Fish-Farts/Joanne-Settel/9781665918831] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Large, small – meet them all! ATLAS OF DOGS, by Dobiasova, Sekaninova, Sedlackova, and Kralik (MG Nonfiction)

Jun3
Book cover of Atlas of Dogs, by Ester Dobiasova, Jana Sedlackova, Stepanka Sekaninova; Illustrated by Marcel Kralik. As 3 happy children watch, 6 dogs run an agility course counter-clockwise around the title, including a Doberman pinscher, a Nordic hunting dog, a cattle dog, a Chow Chow, an Airedale terrier, and a Norwegian Dunker hound.

Samoyed, chow chow, English bulldog!
Schipperke? Munsterlander? Blue Gascony basset?

In this large illustrated atlas, dogs themselves tell us about their many different breeds: sighthounds; scenthounds; pointers and setters; terriers; sheepdogs and cattle dogs; retrievers, flushing dogs, and water dogs; spitz and primitive dogs; dachshunds; pinschers, schnauzers, molosser breeds, and Swiss mountain dogs; and companion dogs.

You’ll meet dogs whose breeds you know well – beagle, German shepherd, Great Dane – and many that you may never have encountered – komondor, Prague ratter, stabyhoun, vizsla.

Several breeds popular as pets, like spitz, dachshunds, and collies, have a scorecard of intelligence, obedience, activity level, guarding skill, barking level, best family type to live with, and ideal home so you can make a good fit between dog and pet owner – with shelter dogs named as always the best first choice.

Throughout the book are issues of “Dogs’ Post Daily” news highlighting outstanding dogs through history, like loyal Hachiko in Japan, the puppy Honey who ran for help when her master’s car rolled into a deep ravine, Greyfriars Bobby the night watchman, and Barry the St. Bernard mountain rescuer of the Alps.

Be sure to find the dog to human years (no, not 1 to 7) conversion chart, as well as sections on record-holding dogs, dog speech, and how to take care of dogs.

A wonderfully illustrated informational book from Albatros in the Czech Republic, who brought us the equally delightful Atlas of Cats (recommended here: https://booksyalove.com/?p=14643).

What’s your favorite breed of dog?
**kmm

Book info: Atlas of Dogs / Ester Dobiasova, Stepanka Sekaninova, Jana Sedlackova; illustrated by Marcel Kralik. Albatros, 2021. [Stepanka’s page https://www.albatrosmedia.eu/writer/stepanka-sekaninova/] [publisher site https://www.albatrosmedia.eu/book/atlas-of-dogs/] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher, via Publisher Spotlight.

Learning to pitch, becoming brave, PAINTING THE GAME that she and Dad love, by Patricia MacLachlan (MG fiction)

May27
Book cover of Painting the Game, by Patricia MacLachlan. A softly smiling young girl with dark braids wears a baseball cap and leans forward, pitcher's mitt on left hand, gripping a baseball behind her back with right hand. A trio of grinning goats looks on.

Summertime,
baseball time,
finally pitching time?

Lucy loves playing baseball with her school friends Tex and Robin, but in her family, Dad is the pitcher, currently on a Massachusetts minor league team and working for a chance to play in the majors.

After watching Dad and his catcher Edgar win for the Salem Red Sox, the 11 year old decides to practice pitching very early in the morning, before her artist mother is awake and out in her painting studio.

Dad, Edgar, and his dog Ruby stay over on a rare 2-day break, bringing new baseball gloves for the three friends, watching them play a summer league game, laughing together at how well Ruby can catch and throw a baseball with her mouth!

Does Lucy have enough courage now to pitch for her team?
What are Mom’s secret paintings about?
Will the major league scouts at Dad’s next game see his great knuckleball talent?

This pivotal summer for Lucy, family, and friends unspools in her measured sentences and deep thoughts, much like a novel-in-verse – a beautiful story of baseball, friendship, and determination.

The last book written by the author of Sarah, Plain and Tall, Lucy’s story was published after MacLachlan’s death in 2022, now available in paperback.

Have you ever watched a minor league baseball game?
**kmm

Book info: Painting the Game / Patricia MacLachlan. Margaret McElderry Books, hardcover 2024, paperback 2025. [author note https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Patricia-MacLachlan/38022587] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Painting-the-Game/Patricia-MacLachlan/9781534499959] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Time for summer fun and romance – MEET ME AT WONDERLAND! by Julia DeVilliers (YA fiction)

May20
Book cover of Meet Me at Wonderland, by Julia DeVilliers. A teen girl in t-shirt and shorts holds a wearable moose head behind her back. She looks across the title written down a signpost at a taller teen boy wearing same t-shirt who has 1 foot on a soccer ball, with roller coaster in background.

Ferris wheel! Roller coaster!
Cotton candy! Pizza!
Stinky moose costume… well, someone has to wear it.

Coco is SO happy to finally be old enough to work at her family’s amusement park! After Mom’s cancer treatments and a crappy school year, the 14 year old needs to be surrounded by happiness at Wonderland.

Wearing the heavy Morty the Moose costume on her very first day, Coco crashes into new employee Henry, a cute guy who’s not from their small Adirondacks lake town.

Soon she and Henry are competing for staff MVP award, a far cry from the soccer glory that Henry crashed out of when he messed up his ankle recently.

Coco’s longtime friends at Wonderland think Henry is great; his long-divorced dad doesn’t. Luckily, the gigantic lakeside mansion is filled with the silliness of young Tuesday, daughter of Dad’s current girlfriend.

As summer goes on, Coco shares with Henry how her grandparents started Wonderland and how much it means to her.

Uh-oh – Dad’s big business deal is trying to buy out Wonderland! How will Coco ever forgive Henry?

Told in alternating chapters by Coco and Henry, this “moose-cute” summer romance is a roller coaster with a bit of bumper cars before meeting at the candy counter.

Happy book birthday, Meet Me at Wonderland!

What’s your favorite amusement park ride?
**kmm

Book info: Meet Me At Wonderland / Julia DeVilliers. Aladdin, 2025. [author site https://www.juliadevillers.com/] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Meet-Me-at-Wonderland/Julia-DeVillers/9781665964241] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.