Read Your Way Homewood

The Truth About Stacey Ann M. Martin's The Babysitters Club #2 Graphic Novel by Raina Telgemeier I remember enjoying the books as a kid, but not overly so. I don't think I owned any, just got them from friends or the library every so often.  This is an amazing update. The artwork is fresh, the telling does not feel at all dated, and I wanted to read more. I did not read #1, I just grabbed this off the library shelf. I didn't feel lost (partially because of what I remembered) but mostly because the story is pretty self contained. You can follow along really well without much help. Great middle grade graphic novel. - Miss Kelly

Red Riding Hood, Superhero: A Graphic Novel  (Far Out Fairy Tales) by Otis Frampton If all the graphic novel twisted retellings of fairy tales in the  Far Out Fairy Tales  series are as good as this one, sign me up!  Red Riding Hood, Superhero  is a very funny and beautifully drawn elementary/middle grade graphic novel. Red is a 10 year old girl named Ruby, her grandmother is the President of the United States, the Huntsman is a General in the Army, and the Big Bad Wolf is a Werewolf named Professor Grimm. The art is clean and bright and the panels are very easy to follow, but that does not mean it is simplistic. There are lots of small details that the eyes will enjoy looking looking at. Highly recommended for anyone at any age who enjoys fairy tale retellings. There is no blood / gore and the violence is extremely tame - Warner Brothers classic cartoons are worse than this - so I'd be comfortable sharing this with kids as young as 4 or 5. - Miss ...

Cleopatra in Space, Book One: Target Practice (Cleopatra in Space #1) by   Mike Maihack A little slow to start but once it got going it was really entertaining! Middle grade readers will love the plot and action and zaniness of an ancient Egyptian princess in the far future.  At first, I thought they brought her to the future for a middle school romance opportunity, and that annoyed me, but there was far less of that than it seemed like it was gearing up for. 3.5 rating Available as a physical book and an e-Book.  e-Book review: The zoom action was a little sporadic. Sometimes full panels of art would be one "zoom" meaning that it didn't give a closer look at some of the smaller elements which really deserved a closer look. But other times, it did split them so that was a bit inconsistent. The story wasn't affected, but the experience with the art was. - Miss Kelly #GraphicNovels #Elementary #MiddleGrade #Adventure

Spelling Trouble (The Misadventures of Salem Hyde, #1) by  Frank Cammuso Calvin & Hobbes + magic with a girl lead = this adorable book. So Cute! Would be perfect for my own 8 year old reluctant reader if I could get her to TRY it. (Sigh) - Miss Kelly #GraphicNovels #Fantasy #Elementary #Humor #MiddleGrade

Mini Myths: Don't Get Lost, Odysseus! (Mini Myths)  by Joan Holub , Leslie Patricelli (Illustrations)   Accurate re-tellings of Mythology these stories are NOT. Super-cute and wonderful Board Books anyway? Why, yes! Yes they are!  Using the names and the core element of a classic Greco-Roman mythological tale, these Mini Myths talk to pre-schoolers. Odysseus gets lost, Pandora touches something she shouldn't, Icarus isn't careful. These tales are couched in terms the little ones understand. Then, at the back, a more accurate summary of the actual tale is given, again at kid level. HIGHLY recommend this super stinking cute series.  ALSO: diverse cast and characters through the series  #BoardBooks #FamilyTies #StoriesReimagined #WeNeedDiverseBooks

Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly Apple doesn't like herself much. The way she looks, the way her mom talks and cooks, her name... all of it is a reminder that she is *different* and she hates it. Until a list and a series of events bring her to some new people who help her see the great things about standing out in a crowd instead of fading into it. This is a really nice middle grade book for self esteem, issues of ethnic minorities feeling bullied, and kids who are searching for their way. Favorite line was towards the end, and was about a former friend who was obsessed with being popular and cool: "I realized that's how she would always be: going where the crowd goes and then getting lost." - Miss Kelly #ComingOfAge #FamilyTies #FriendshipBonds #MiddleGrade #Realism #SchoolStories #WeNeedDiverseBooks

Little Bo Peep and Her Bad, Bad Sheep: A Mother Goose Hullabaloo by A L Wegwerth, Luke Flowers (Illustrations) This picture book is decidedly NOT for the very young, unless they are one on one with an adult that has at LEAST a half hour of uninterrupted time time pore over the pages AND they are already familiar with a large selection of Mother Goose rhymes. Rather, this picture book is perfect for the older reader (3rd - 6th grades and over) who enjoys a fracturing of the familiar, and Where's Waldo style chaos. The art is beautifully bright and sharp, and the style reminds me of Rocky & Bullwinkle in some ways. I could also see this book being adapted for a Reader's Theater presentation. It would accommodate QUITE the cast of characters with minimal lines (for those still struggling with their reading) and would also accommodate more than one narrator with heavier vocabulary building. Four stars for the older readers / readers theater. If I were reviewing for t...

Endangered by Lamar Giles Fast paced, thrilling, diverse cast, well utilized (and not dead) parental units, not too easy to figure out, satisfyingly UNsatisfying ending. No sunshine and roses in this one, but it all WORKS. I really enjoyed this and will be looking for more from this author. Side note, at the beginning, I really liked and identified with Panda (as the reader is supposed to do) Then, in the middle, I started having second thoughts about her and her motivations and methods, right when she started having second thoughts about herself. And THAT is a great thing. To be able to make us like someone and then STILL question whether they are a good person doing good things, is very nice to read. Review by Kelly

The Boy at the End of the World by   Greg Van Eekhout " Fisher is the last boy on earth-and things are not looking good for the human race. Only Fisher made it out alive after the carefully crafted survival bunker where Fisher and dozens of other humans had been sleeping was destroyed.  Luckily, Fisher is not totally alone. He meets a broken robot he names Click, whose programmed purpose-to help Fisher "continue existing"-makes it act an awful lot like an overprotective parent. Together, Fisher and Click uncover evidence that there may be a second survival bunker far to the west. In prose that skips from hilarious to touching and back in a heartbeat, Greg van Eekhout brings us a thrilling story of survival that becomes a journey to a new hope-if Fisher can continue existing long enough to get there." Some scary situations, and tense moments heighten the drama in this  great middle grade dystopian adventure sci-fi post-apocalyptic novel!  (Are there enou...

The Departed: Book 1 of The Departed Series by   Kristy Cooper " What if someone tried to fake the rapture? When hundreds of thousands of people disappear in the middle of the night, including sixteen-year-old Gwen's best friend Lana, no one knows why. Some believe they were taken in the rapture, while others are convinced that it can't be true. " - From publisher I read this fairly quickly because I couldn't put it down! It was a fast paced read, and good thing I didn't work the next morning! Although there are certain small plot holes, and bits that feel a bit contrived, overall this YA novel was a winner. The fake rapture and all the following controversy was landed some credibility by the instability in the U.S. Political climate right now (2016 Election Season, anyone?) and it just made it all the more immediate - even though this is not at all a political book. It is also not a blast for or against religion. The author takes a really ba...

The Color of Earth (Color Trilogy, #1)   by   Kim Dong Hwa ,  Lauren Na Artwork - beautiful. Writing - soft, gentle, cautious, beautiful. Characters - full, varied, nuanced Story - historical snapshot of life, engaging, interesting, addictive Coming of Age - for girls, but also for boys, is handled with humor and realism. The way the main young lady learns about her body in a piecemeal way, is so indicative of the way some girls learn, and really funny, too. Love - believable love triangle for the youth. So slow and sweet. Love - EXTRA slow and just as sweet - the mom and the traveling salesman. The shoes at the door? Leaving a brush behind? I loved it. Review by Kelly

Strange Fruit: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History by   Joel Christian Gill I was flipping through this book at work one day, rather flippantly, (Hee Hee) when I stumbled on that story, and I started reading it. I immediately passed it to my coworker. She read it and immediately passed it to another coworker, who read it, and passed it to a library patron. A group of restless teens passed by, and I gave it to them. They turned into focused teens. THAT my friends is the power of this book and the stories it tells. Insanely amazing. The "Two Letters" tale is achingly, heartwrenchingly beautiful. In a "you mess with my child I will kill you" sort of beauty. Review by Kelly 

The Magicians (The Magicians, #1) by Lev Grossman Oh. My. Goodness. On someone else's recommendation, I have wasted HOURS of my life listening to some rich privileged kid whine and wallow in ennui... Ugh... Don't waste your time... It is talked about as if it is "Harry Potter for grown ups" but it isn't. At least, not any group of grown ups I want any part of. There is now a show based on these books on SyFy channel. If you see those previews, where there are a bunch of late teens doing magic to get high and throw people across a room and graffiti a wall... yeah. I prefer not to. I did read the whole thing. And I wish I hadn't. Gouging my eyes out with a meat cleaver would be less painful. -Miss Kelly

Weetzie Bat (Weetzie Bat, #1)   by   Francesca Lia Block I was quite confused by this little book. I downloaded it on my iPad via Overdrive. It came out in the 90's and has an intro on Goodreads that reads (in part) : Fifteen years ago Francesca Lia Block made a dazzling entrance into the literary scene with what would become one of the most talked-about books of the decade; Weetzie Bat. ... Rediscover the magic of Weetzie Bat, Ms. Block's sophisticated, slinkster-cool love song to L.A., the book that shattered the standard, captivated readers of all generations, and made Francesca Lia Block one of the most heralded authors of the last decade. Umm.... I didn't get it. The language was simple and poetic, but it was also just weird and thin. No real depth. The storyline was odd. I wanted to like it, it was short, but when I finished, I was staring at the screen - ambivalent. Review by Kelly

Under Heaven  (Under Heaven #1)   by   Guy Gavriel Kay   *Audiobook Review* Cinematic and sweeping, this fantasy-tinged story had exciting martial arts battles, tension filled political machinations, a smattering of romance, a butt kicking female warrior, a wolf spirit, and too many other cool things to mention. The fantasy elements were subtle, the drama believable. After all, when a man goes to honor the memory of his father by burying the bones of the dead, and a princess naturally gifts him with the unheard of sum of 250 truly priceless horses, the task of staying alive becomes pure drama. Assassins, protectors. Love, hate. Family, enemies. Trust, betrayal. This audiobook was really quite enjoyable. - Miss Kelly

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by   Neil Gaiman *Audio Book Review* An interesting, haunting read. Not a horror story, but definitely spooky in many parts. This book would have been better if Neil Gaiman (amazing author) had not tried to be Neil Gaiman (sub-par voice actor). The story was good, characters good, plot good. All exactly as I expected. It is a stand alone novel (I think) and that is good because I don't think I would have been intrigued enough for another foray into this world. But the audio-book suffered from the voice. Not really his VOICE per-se, but his READING style. Lots of pregnant pauses on words that really didn't need them. Not every word is fraught with meaning, Neil! "There were too many memories in that house. In the bricks......and the pipes.....and the wood......" I mean, with a sentence vocally emphasized like that, you'd think that the bricks, pipes, and wood played a major role in this plot, and that you should b...