When Tomorrow Burns

 Rating: 4 out of 5| Buy this for your 6th grade classroom

My Thoughts:

The only other Tae Keller book I’ve read is Jennifer Chan is Not Alone, which explores bullying, alien hunting, a central mystery, and what it means to be unapologetically different. When Tomorrow Burns touches on many of those same themes—friendship, identity, mystery, and embracing who you are—but throws in romance, betrayal, contrasting family dynamics, socioeconomic differences, and a literal world on fire. Keller truly understands the pain and angst of middle school. She honors the "weird" kids, presenting them in their most complex, gifted, and heroic light.

This was a bit of a slow start for me; I put it down several times early on because I wasn't sure I wanted to invest in these three characters. At first, Vi and Nomi felt a bit too overwhelming in that distinct 5th- or 6th-grade way (anyone who has taught middle school girls will know what I mean). Meanwhile, Arthur felt overly needy for acceptance, which seemed at odds with his background and his long-standing friendship with Nomi and Vi.

However, once the three characters start rallying together, the pacing picks up significantly as their actions align more with true seventh-graders. The slow start wasn't a reflection of Keller’s writing—her prose toward the end, along with the poetic tree "memos," is absolutely beautiful. Once those authentic middle school voices truly emerged, the story took off, making this a solid 4-star read.

From the Publisher:

Once there was a tree. For two hundred years, there was a tree. There was a tree. There was a tree. Until the tree fell in a forest--and then there was a book.

When best friends Nomi, Vi, and Arthur were younger, they discovered a book of prophecies. It was so very comforting to know what was coming. But as the kids grew older, they forgot about the book.

Until the final prophecy started coming true.

Now, as seventh grade tests their friendship and wildfires threaten Seattle, the final prophecy promises fire and destruction. Nomi tries everything to prevent calamity. The only problem? She needs help...but Vi's acting strange and Arthur stopped talking to her.

Vi can't tell Nomi, but she's been texting the coolest boy in school, and it's going well--until that boy makes an unexpected request, and she must decide who she wants to be.

Meanwhile, Arthur joined the cross-country team, but he can't outrun the real reason he ended his friendship with Nomi. The best he can do is try to hide it.

As the prophecy escalates, past and present intersect, fate and friendship collide, and secrets spread like wildfire. Together, Nomi, Vi, and Arthur must face the future...even, and especially when it's so uncertain.

Publication Information:

• Author: Tae Keller
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication Date: March 3, 2026
• Print Length: 272 pages
• Grade Level: 5-7

Elatsoe

 

Rating: 4 add this to your classroom library of Native American stories by Native American authors.

My Thoughts:

November is Native American Heritage Month, so start early to find or add books to your classroom for next fall. In 2015, data from the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) indicated that there were about 20 books written or illustrated by American Indians. In 2018, Indigenous creators made up about 1.4% of all YA authors. In 2023, it rose to 2.4%. In 2024, CCBC counted 102 books by Indigenous authors/creators, aggregated between Canadian First Nation authors/illustrators and Native American authors/illustrators. When the numbers are so small, it is good to read both, but this author, Dr. Darcie Little Badger is a Native American, Lipan Apache writer with her PhD in oceanography.  Ellie's foray into the underworld ancestral sea was a fascinating way for Ellie to really get to know her ancestral gift and the ways that this knowledge might help her later on in the book. 

The fact that Dr. Little Badger is American is significant for middle and secondary teachers looking to diversify their 'literature closets' by replacing of supplementing copies of  Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. I have been in enough public and private school classrooms in Hawai'i to know that there are still class sets of Island in literature closets.  Books like this and other #ownvoices literature by Native authors might replace or supplement Island. Bringing in something like Elatsoe could balance out, or avoid reinforcing the stereotypes, tropes and historical inaccuracy found in O'Dell's work. If you want to read more about the analysis and critique of Island -- in case you need to answer to school boards, administrators, parents, other stakeholders --  get your fuel from the article "A critical look at O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Dr. Debbie Reese, a Nambé Pueblo scholar and founder of the blog site American Indians In Children's Literature. 

As far as the story, I found a video of the author that does a much better job in selling this book. The only other two things I want to say are that:

1.  This is book one of a duology.
2. I wish I had the power to be protected by my own ghost dog. 

My childhood dog was a goofy doberman/German shepherd mutt named Squirt who was clumsy and hilarious, but also loyal and kind. 

From the Publisher:

Elatsoe―Ellie for short―lives in an alternate contemporary America shaped by the ancestral magics and knowledge of its Indigenous and immigrant groups. She can raise the spirits of dead animals―most importantly, her ghost dog Kirby. When her beloved cousin dies, all signs point to a car crash, but his ghost tells her otherwise: He was murdered.

Who killed him and how did he die? With the help of her family, her best friend Jay, and the memory great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, Elatsoe, must track down the killer and unravel the mystery of this creepy town and its dark past. But will the nefarious townsfolk and a mysterious Doctor stop her before she gets started?

The breathtaking debut novel from Darcie Little Badger features an asexual, Apache teen protagonist―and combines mystery, horror, noir, ancestral knowledge, haunting illustrations, and fantasy elements, in one of the most-talked-about books in years.

Publication Information:

Author                 Darcie Little Badger

Illustrator           Rovina Cai

Publisher            Levine Querido (August 25, 2020)

Print length        368 pages

Grade level         7-12

Ladders and Bridges:

Key First Nation (Canadian) YA Authors:

• Wab Kinew: Walking in Two Worlds
• Cherie Dimaline: The Marrow Thieves, Funeral Songs for Dying Girls
• This Place: 150 Years Retold is a collective of First Nation authors/illustrators who explore the past and future through a native perspective in graphic form. 
• Jen Ferguson: The Summer of Bitter and Sweet

Key American Native YA Authors:

• Cynthia Leitich Smith: Hearts Unbroken founder of the Heartdrum imprint, editor of the fabulous anthology Legendary Frybread Drive-In (includes authors on this list)
• Darcie Little Badger: Sheine Lende (book 2), Snake Falls to Earth 
• Angeline Boulley: Firekeeper's Daughter, Warrior Girl Unearthed
• Byron Graves: Rez Ball
• Andrea L. Rogers: Man Made Monsters (Elatsoe for older readers who are ready for "the horror")

Songs for Ghosts: A. Novel

 

Rating: 4 because it is complex and difficult to label

My Thoughts:

This was a complex story because I could not find the right label or genre for this. What was it? How do I describe it? Sometimes it is just a mystery. But it is also a ghost story. It is a family story, but like any good mystery, I am not sure how things connect, and when connections revealed itself in the story, I was just as surprised as the character. So it is also about not just one, but two unreliable narrators. It is about loss, tragedy, young love, mature love, mother's love, child's love, betrayal. It is a "play within a play" of sorts. It is about ghosts amongst us. It is about music. It is about being lost in translation. It is about queer love as well as mixed race love. It is about forbidden love. It is about two cultures. It is about being hapa and in multiple worlds and cultures at once, much like the author. Young readers can glom onto any of the different labels based on what they need from this novel. 

Perhaps in the end, for me, this is a story about remembering. I think I will go to the graveyard this weekend to visit some ancestors.

From the Publisher:

When Adam discovers a diary in his attic, he is enthralled by its account of a young woman's life in Nagasaki. A hundred years separate them, yet like Adam, she is caught between cultures, relationships, and heartbreak.

She also writes of the ghosts that have begun to seek her out, which Adam dismisses as fantasy—until he begins to be haunted by her terrifying spirit. Unravelling the mystery of her identity—and the wrong done to her—seems to be the only way to save himself.

This leads Adam to a home stay in Nagasaki, where he begins to reconnect to his heritage not only through Japanese language and culture, but also by connecting with long-lost family members. And then begins a race against time as Adam and his new crush, Jo, attempt to untangle a story that has rippled through generations . .

Publication Information:

Author: Clara Kumagai

Publisher: Amulet Books (August 12, 2025)

Print length: 400 pages

Tune in to the Midnight Heart 1: Manga

 

Rating: 3 for wholesome manga, female dominated

My Thoughts:

The premise about finding the girl with the Apollo voice seems impossible, however, Arisu has been able to buy his way into a club with four other females, one of which may be the mysterious Apollo voice. Of course he is not going to find her for sure in manga volume 1, however, he does help them grow in their own passions as he tries to figure it out. However, this is just an into to the five characters, so this is definitely not a stand alone. 

The illustrations by Masakuni Igarashi are crisp and clean. Arisu is more than just a rich kid. He truly tries to help each of them. In their own way, they all sort of sound like Apollo, but his dedication to the craft - whether his fingers are bandaged because he is practicing guitar, or he has read and reread the manga to help Nene audition for a part, he shows up for the girls which is admirable. I think I want to root for Nene. 

From the Publisher:

In this new harem rom-com manga, a lonely, rich kid's heart is stolen away by an angelic voice 
on a livestream. He only knows her as "Apollo," and he's dedicated himself to finding her... 

But his own haughty rough edges are his worst enemy! From the creator of Senryu Girl comes a 

high school farce set against the backdrop of Japanese voice acting, pop music, VTubers, 

and radio! At the end of a difficult day, the haughty but purehearted rich kid Arisu found his 

only solace in the voice of another girl his age, who hosted a livestream under the pseudonym 

"Apollo." Then, one day, the broadcasts stopped. Arisu has dedicated the years since then to

 finding Apollo's true identity, and he's narrowed it down to one particular high school. 

He transfers in as a student and figures it'll be a cinch--but then discovers it could be any of the

girls in the broadcasting club! And the real Apollo isn't talking for reasons of her own! These four 

girls have no use for Arisu's personality, but they each harbor dreams of using their voices to 

build a career, and they sure could use his money... Can the blunt and blustering Arisu 

buy his way into the club's good graces, and find the real girl attached to his dream voice?

Author/Illustrator: Masakuni Igarashi

Publisher: Kodansha Comics (May 6, 2025)

Print length: 192 pages

Author/Illustrator: Masakuni Igarashi

Publisher: Kodansha Comics (May 6, 2025)

Print length: 192 pages

Alice Chen's Reality Check

Rating: 4 for summer ridiculosity and mystery

My Thoughts:

Alice Chen does not necessarily stand out. She is a middle school teacher, mathematics whiz, devoted daughter and uber competitive A personality. In other words, she  is not a reality TV natural, but her fiancee, Daniel, has signed them up for a coupleʻs competition that could solve all of Alice's financial problems. Her mother is getting treatment for cancer, and on a middle school teacher paycheck, Alice needs to make an unnatural decision to leave her mother and secretly go to an island for this competition: Dawn Tay's Inferno.

Her fiancee is like a puppy dog. He is sort of clueless and functions on whim versus loyalty, but of course Alice Chen's high school rival is going to show up with a smoking hot partner. So predictable, but so much fun. The murder mystery just puts this summer read over the top!

I started this book just as my son 2 went on his own reality show adventure so this whodunit, rivals to lovers, romp where producers create the drama for, well drama sake, really informed the kinds of questions I would ask him (through his wife) regarding the interviews, "scripted conversations," and the competition itself. I devoured this. Unfortunately, my son is still away and still surviving in the show, so the stress level has not gone down yet. Still, this was a fun summer distraction. 

From the Publisher:

In this sizzling rom-com perfect for fans of Dial A for Aunties and One to Watch, a reality show contestant must fake date her rival . . . while solving a murder mystery on set.

Alice Chen doesn’t believe in true love, but she does believe in cold, hard cash. Buckling under the weight of student debt and her mother’s medical bills, Alice will do anything to make bank–even star on Dawn Tay’s Inferno, the hot new reality TV show designed to push couples to their breaking point.

The show is Alice’s chance to sip cocktails on the beach and win a cash prize of a million dollars. But when her fiancé cheats on her with another contestant, Alice is faced with a choice: go home in defeat or fake date the other newly single contestant—who just so happens to be her high school rival and sworn nemesis, Daniel Cho.

But all’s fair in love and reality TV, and Alice isn’t the only one who will do whatever it takes to win. When a dead body turns up, Alice and Daniel are faced with uncovering the secrets of the cast and crew to catch the killer–all while playing the loving couple on camera. As the show spirals out of control, Alice must crack the case and confront her true feelings if she wants to make it out alive.

Starring a murder mystery twist, plenty of reality show drama, and a thrilling romance, this debut by up-and-coming Asian American writer duo Kara Loo and Jennifer Young is the ultimate beach read.

Publication Information:

Authors: Kara Loo and Jennifer Young

Publisher: Quirk Books (June 3, 2025)

Print length: 387 pages
 

The Downstairs Girl (Audiobook)

Rating: 4 stars  for a diverse, historical period piece set in Atlanta in the 1800's

My Thoughts:

Stacey Lee is also author of Under a Painted Sky  which is about a Chinese girl in Missouri and an escaped slave girl in 1849. They  dress up as boys and head west on the Oregon trail. In The Downstairs Girl, Lee again puts her young Chinese character in 1800s America, this time in Atlanta.

Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for a nasty young debutante, but she and her adopted father also secretly live under a newspaper publisher's house where she grows her vocabulary and listens in on the latest news from the family upstairs.  When her Lady Whistledown moment comes up, she sends a teaser article anonymously to the family upstairs which helps to keep the newspaper afloat.

There are Bridgerton moments with more realistic American racism, but also a mystery around her parentage and multiple forbidden love stories. Jo's spunk and tenacity are endearing and refreshing. I love these diverse characters that can be put squarely into American society and refuse to let the society victimize them. Hooray for diverse stories of courage and spunk.

As an audiobook, the narrator is easy to listen to. Emily Woo Zeller makes the 10 hour listen time go by quickly. 

From the Publisher:

From the critically-acclaimed author of Under a Painted Sky and Outrun the Moon and founding member of We Need Diverse Books comes a powerful novel about identity, betrayal, and the meaning of family.

By day, 17-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie". When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender.

While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light.

With prose that is witty, insightful, and at times heartbreaking, Stacey Lee masterfully crafts an extraordinary social drama set in the New South.

Publication Information:

Author: Stacey Lee

Narrator: Emily Woo Zeller

Publisher: Tantor Audio (August 13, 2019)

Listening length: 10 hours 22 minutes

 

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Audiobook)

 

Stars: 5 for the potential to use this in a high school class

From the Publisher:

Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family.

But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga’s role.

Then a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. And no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out every possible way Julia has failed.

But it’s not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect as everyone thought. With the help of her best friend Lorena, and her first love, first everything boyfriend Connor, Julia is determined to find out. Was Olga really what she seemed? Or was there more to her sister’s story? And either way, how can Julia even attempt to live up to a seemingly impossible ideal?

My Thoughts:

Julia (Wholeeah) has American parent expectations from her Mexican immigrant parents. Think the mother from Like Water for Chocolate, but with a YA second daughter and in America. Her parents are immigrant parents, with first generation difficulties and struggles. They also have certain expectations that were brought over from their own country. Julia struggles with these non-American expectations because she wants to live like any American teen. She wants to not have everything figured out. She wants her parents to be ok with that, and as long Julia has her older sister Olga continued to be the good Mexican daughter, then Julia was ok. But when Olga gets killed in a pedestrian accident, Julia is full of anger. She finds something in Olga's room, and she just cannot let it go. This is where the text gets a little heavy handed. Julia is irritating in her immaturity, in the same way that I found Laura Jean Song irritating in To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Still, many young readers enjoyed it and I think they will like this one too.

In the classroom:

There are many standards that will fit this book:

• Determine a text's theme or central idea
• Analyze complex characters
• Analyze a case in which another culture is being portrayed
• For literature circles - if you want similar books try:
• The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
• Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
• Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

 Publication Information:

Author: Erika L. Sanchez

Narrator: Kyla Garcia

Publisher: Listening Library October 17, 2017

The Weirn Books, Volume 2: The Ghost and the Stolen Dragon

 

Stars: 3

My Thoughts:

I saw the Weirn Books on my NetGalley feed and thought I was reading part of the Nightschool Weirn series which I enjoyed. The Nightschool series by Chmakova is for an older manga audience. This is not the same series. This one is for upper elementary and lower middle students. The art is still clean and distinctive. I kept looking for vampires but there are none. This one is less likely to be banned. The story is cute, but I did not read volume 1, so I probably missed some background on the other characters (which is why I kept looking for the vampires).  

If you give your students time to read in middle school, this is a good series to have because it has the manga stylings, without the sexualized female bodies or inappropriate situations of other manga that considers YA like adult without the porn. 

From the Publishers:

After her terrible adventures in the Silent Woods, Na’ya’s world seems to have returned to normal…that is, except for the nightmares that keep haunting her. What she needs is the power to protect everyone in case the evil scientist returns, and she has the perfect solution―she’ll turn into a dragon, once and for all! With help from Ailis and Jasper, everything seems to be going according to plan. But what’s that dark shadow slithering around the spell-casting range…?

Publication Information:

Author, Illustrator: Svetlana Chmakova

Publisher: JY (October 15, 2024)

Paperback: 224 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1975311278

Grade level: 3-7

• 
  

Immortality: A Love Story (Anatomy Duology, Book 2)

4 stars: This is a high 4 for me as a science nerd. If you like historical science fantasy, this will grab you.

My Thoughts:

My secret dream job when I was in college was to cut things up. Not things. That is not fair. I did not want to be a chef. I really wanted to cut up bodies, but not to heal or anything. More to just see how things worked. I spent so much time in the lab that my body exuded formaldehyde and riding the bus home in the evenings, people tended to move away from me when I sat down. 

Immortality is the second story following Anatomy: A Love Story. Hazel Sinnett has lost Jack. She is not sure if he took the vial for immortality or even if the vial for immortality is just a scam. Either way, Jack is gone and she needs to find her way in this world alone.  Although she has not been able to go to school, she continues to treat patients, especially women at her home, Hawthornden Castle. She does an abortion and is turned in by the woman and scheduled to die until the court notifies her that they want her to be the personal physician of Princess Charlotte.

This story continues to be a feminist drama, a medical mystery, as well as a romance gone wrong. This second one was a fast read, or listen in this case. I don't think I slept much. 

From the Publisher:

Hazel Sinnett is alone and half-convinced the events of the year before—the immortality, Beecham’s vial—were a figment of her imagination. She doesn’t even know if Jack is alive or dead. All she can really do now is treat patients and maintain Hawthornden Castle as it starts to decay around her.

When saving a life leads to her arrest, Hazel seems doomed to rot in prison until a message intervenes: Hazel has been specifically requested to be the personal physician of Princess Charlotte, the sickly granddaughter of King George III. Soon Hazel is dragged into the glamor and romance of a court where everyone has something to hide, especially the enigmatic, brilliant members of a social club known as the Companions to the Death.

As Hazel’s work entangles her more and more with the British court, she realizes that her own future as a surgeon isn't the only thing at stake for her. Malicious forces are at work in the monarchy, and Hazel may be the only one capable of setting things right.

Publication Information:

Author: Dana Schwartz

Narrator: Mhairi Morrison, Tim Campbell

Publisher: MacMillan Audio (February 28, 2023)

Length: 12 hours, 2 minutes

 

Manga Classics Sherlock Holmes, Vol 1: A Study in Scarlet (Manga)

 

4 stars: Good read. Could go up and down depending on genre preference of the reader. I would add it to my class collection.

From the Publisher:

London, 1888. In the heart of the fog a terrible murder is committed, the word RACHE scrawled in blood on the wall over the body. The police, baffled, turn to the only consulting detective in town for aid--and he, in turn, leads them down that slender scarlet trail to expose a tale of love and revenge which spawns both continents and decades.

'Manga Classics: Sherlock Holmes: A Study In Scarlet' marks the debut of the eccentric detective Sherlock Holmes and his constant companion Dr. John Watson a legendary duo whose adventure have thrilled readers ever since. Manga Classics is proud to present a full-color manga version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's debut novel, in which their timeless partnership first begins!

My Thoughts:

If you like Manga Classic styling, like I do, then this manga is quite appealing and beautiful. Sherlock has the classic brooding, androgynous yet strong features. He also has the disruptive swagger of the Sherlock Holmes played by Robert Downey Junior. If you also like a little bit of dark mystery like the classic book by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, this will be a fun read. The length, one volume is just right for those who prefer the manga style to reading the orignial books. 

What makes this a great volume 1 is that this is the first time we are seeing Holmes and Watson meet. It is nice to see why the long suffering Watson would stick with Holmes and I enjoyed seeing the relationship build.

Finally, at 210 pages, it is both just enough as well as not enough, which is what all manga series want to achieve with readers. Unfortunately, the Manga Classic volume 2: A Scandal in Bohemia and Other Stories will not come out until the summer of 2025, half a year. Still, they are buy worthy, so art takes time. 

Publication Information:

Original author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Manga author: Crystal Chan

Artist: Julian Choy

Publisher: Manga Classic (January 21, 2025)

ISBN-13: 978-1947808324

Pages: 200

Grade level: 7-9

Promise Boys

 

From the Publisher:

The prestigious Urban Promise Prep school might look pristine on the outside, but deadly secrets lurk within. When the principal ends up murdered on school premises and the cops come sniffing around, a trio of students―J.B., Ramón, and Trey―emerge as the prime suspects. They had the means, they had the motive . . . and they may have had the murder weapon. But with all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested. Or is the true culprit hiding among them?

Find out who killed Principal Moore in Nick Brooks's murder mystery, Promise Boys―The Hate U Give meets One of Us Is Lying.

My Thoughts:

I got this book from NCTE a couple of years ago and I tied to read it several times. It's a mystery, the principal is killed and of course three boys who have their own stories of hardship and pain are accused. But I could not finish this book in the same way that I turned of Ava Duverney's Origin two minutes into it. I am teaching a course at the graduate level on social justice leadership and it is tiring. Doing social justice work is tiring too so I feel bad saying, hey, let's all be social justice leaders. 

This book gave me all the feels as to why even as social justice leaders we need to really check ourselves. That principal needed to die despite his accolades. The savior mentality, break them to make them attitude was just too much and I could not keep from hurting for these boys. I could not see it to the end. 

Publication Information:

Author: Nick Brooks

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (January 31, 2023)

Hardcover: 304 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1250866974

Grade level: 10-12

Wrecker

 

My Thoughts:

Middle level books are great examples of good literature that tells a good story, teaches lessons of ethics and morality, and/or shows the gumption and creativity of young adults. In addition, middle level books are full of authors that I trust, including Carl Hiaasen.  Like his Newbery Honor book Hoot, Hiaasen mixes ecology (reef preservation, ban on large cruise ships) and mystery with humor (iguana poop) and contemporary issues. I mistook the cover for a science fiction book, but now that I see it on a larger computer screen, I realize that there are fishes on the cover. I blame it on reading on my phone. 

Here is what I like about Hiaasen's writing style. He grabs interest right away, especially younger male reluctant readers. There is enough intrigue and action to keep readers reading, even if they struggle. This would also be a good book to read at the beginning of class or the beginning of SSR, SURF or any other sustained silent reading protocol teachers do.

If they like this, I would try other YA books by Hiassen, or go old school to Gary Paulsen or Lemony Snickett. 

From the Publisher:

Valdez Jones VIII calls himself Wrecker because his great-great-great-great-great-grandfather salvaged shipwrecks for a living. 

So is it destiny, irony, or just bad luck when Wrecker comes across a speedboat that has run hard aground on a sand flat? The men in the boat don't want Wrecker to call for help—in fact, they'll pay him to forget he ever saw them. 

Wrecker would be happy to forget, but he keeps seeing these men all over Key West—at the marina, in the cemetery, even right outside his own door. And now they want more than his silence—they want a lookout.

He'll have to dive deep into their shady dealings to figure out a way to escape this tangled net. . . .

Publication Information:

Author: Carl Hiaasen

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (September 26, 2023)

Pages: 329 pages

Hotel Magnifique

 

My Thoughts:

I am a sucker for girl magic and danger books so this one gets a 5 star. Like Beasts of Prey which started my year in 2022, this is gripping action, betrayal, family and loss. It is hard to say much more than the publishers about the book because it needs to unfold at the same pace as the main character, but the idea of a mystery hotel that shows up in an alley is already intriguing. Add to it the golden ticket aspect of packing for a 2 week adventure to places unknown. . .even with your memory swiped after, it would be worth it?

Read it in one sitting.

From the Publisher:

Decadent and darkly enchanting, this lavish YA fantasy debut follows seventeen-year-old Jani as she uncovers the deeply disturbing secrets of the legendary Hotel Magnifique.

All her life, Jani has dreamed of Elsewhere. Just barely scraping by with her job at a tannery, she’s resigned to a dreary life in the port town of Durc, caring for her younger sister Zosa. That is, until the Hotel Magnifique comes to town.
 
The hotel is legendary not only for its whimsical enchantments, but also for its ability to travel—appearing in a different destination every morning. While Jani and Zosa can’t afford the exorbitant costs of a guest’s stay, they can interview to join the staff, and are soon whisked away on the greatest adventure of their lives. But once inside, Jani quickly discovers their contracts are unbreakable and that beneath the marvelous glamour, the hotel is hiding dangerous secrets.
 
With the vexingly handsome doorman Bel as her only ally, Jani embarks on a mission to unravel the mystery of the magic at the heart of the hotel and free Zosa—and the other staff—from the cruelty of the ruthless maître d’hôtel. To succeed, she’ll have to risk everything she loves, but failure would mean a fate far worse than never returning home.

Publication Information:

Author: Emily J. Taylor

Publisher: Razorbill (April 5, 2022)

The Family Chao: Audiobook

My Thoughts:

This audiobook kept me company as I cleaned out my apartment and made the drives back and forth from work to the two different houses.  I did not know prior to listening that this was inspired by The Brothers Karamazov, but the pacing, and the way the characters seem stuck to the environment does seem more like Russian literature. 

I enjoyed the seven plus hours of going through this mystery even though the mystery still remains a mystery to me. However, the three stars is more because this is not really for my audience. It just so happened that I had time to immerse myself in this and was not really concerned about getting to some kind of conclusion. In addition, the youngest son, James was a bit immature and underwhelming of the three brothers. 

What I appreciate about this book is the ability of the author to take a story, like the Brothers Karamazov and filter it through a time, place and culture that is wholly different. I would like to see this as a movie. It will stand up against other "remakes" like Kurosawa's Ran a medieval Japanese revisioning of Shakespeare's King Lear. 

From the Publisher:

The residents of Haven, Wisconsin, have dined on the Fine Chao restaurant’s delicious Americanized Chinese food for thirty-five years, content to ignore any unsavory whispers about the family owners. Whether or not Big Leo Chao is honest, or his wife, Winnie, is happy, their food tastes good and their three sons earned scholarships to respectable colleges. But when the brothers reunite in Haven, the Chao family’s secrets and simmering resentments erupt at last.

Before long, brash, charismatic, and tyrannical patriarch Leo is found dead—presumed murdered—and his sons find they’ve drawn the exacting gaze of the entire town. The ensuing trial brings to light potential motives for all three brothers: Dagou, the restaurant’s reckless head chef; Ming, financially successful but personally tortured; and the youngest, gentle but lost college student James. As the spotlight on the brothers tightens—and the family dog meets an unexpected fate—Dagou, Ming, and James must reckon with the legacy of their father’s outsized appetites and their own future survival.

Brimming with heartbreak, comedy, and suspense, The Family Chao offers a kaleidoscopic, highly entertaining portrait of a Chinese American family grappling with the dark undercurrents of a seemingly pleasant small town.

Publication information:

Author: Lan Samantha Chang

Narrator: Brian Nishii

Recorded Books, Inc. February 1, 2022

 

The Violin Conspiracy

 

My Thoughts:

The Good Morning America book club pick is a fast summer read for adults and YA looking for drama, mystery, and a rare glimpse into the contemporary world of classical music. From the point of view of a poor Black boy in rural North Carolina, roadblocks to his dream come from all parts of his life, from his own family to his great great grandfatherʻs slave ownerʻs descendants.

His gift and dream are invisible or unappreciated by everyone but his grandmother who gives him her grandfatherʻs fiddle. When they find out that this heirloom is actually a Stradivarius, everyone comes out of the wood work claiming ownership. And then itʻs stolen and held for ransom. 

Ray's downward spiral starts at the realization that his violin has been stolen and it leads him to depression and madness while still trying to raise money for the ransom.  In between chasing down leads, Ray continues to prepare (on a different violin)  for the Tchaikovsky Competition, an international competition where only one American pianist has won and no Black musician has ever won. This is a tight read of invisibility, racism, greed and loneliness.

From the Publisher:

Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian’s life is already mapped out. But Ray has a gift and a dream—he’s determined to become a world-class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way. Not his mother, who wants him to stop making such a racket; not the fact that he can’t afford a violin suitable to his talents; not even the racism inherent in the world of classical music. 
 
When he discovers that his beat-up, family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, all his dreams suddenly seem within reach, and together, Ray and his violin take the world by storm. But on the eve of the renowned and cutthroat Tchaikovsky Competition—the Olympics of classical music—the violin is stolen, a ransom note for five million dollars left in its place. Without it, Ray feels like he's lost a piece of himself. As the competition approaches, Ray must not only reclaim his precious violin, but prove to himself—and the world—that no matter the outcome, there has always been a truly great musician within him.

Author: Brendan Slocumb

Publisher: Anchor

Publication date: February 1, 2022