The Girl in the Lake by India Hill Brown

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I read my first book by India Hill Brown last year but I always wanted to get back around to reading one of her MG books. And I decided The Girl in the Lake is a good one to start with because it's spooky but also a good length at a time when children are wanting and needing shorter books. So while I'm late to the party it's better late than never! Check out my thoughts below.

Celeste and her brother Owen have recently wrapped swimming lesson and Celeste is sure she failed hers. So imagine her uneasiness when her parents tell her they'll be sending her to spend some weeks with her grandparents who live by a lake. When they arrive alongside their cousins the first thing they notice is how the old house creeks and sometimes they hear noises coming from empty rooms.

Celeste's grandparents are strong believers in learning how to swim especially with the statistics surrounding Black people and swimming in this country and are determined to teach her. She ends up learning that her aunt whom she shares a resemblance with drowned when she was around her age. And they  

The strange noises continue and soon her brother and cousins are claiming Celeste is playing cruel pranks on them even though she swears she's not around when they're happening. The cousins are going to have to team up to rid themselves of the ghost that's haunting the house.

I will say this was less spooky than the cover implies especially when you uncover the truth nature of the ghost. So I'm not sure how middle grade readers looking for something truly horrific would react to this. But it is a great story about family and conquering your fears. It's well paced which made it very compulsively readable. And incorporating Celeste's family history made all the talk about the importance of swimming and historical events flow better.

Waiting for Friday Night by Synithia Williams

Welcome Back, Booklovers! We're back in Peachtree Cove in the latest book by Synithia Williams Waiting for Friday Night. I received a finished copy from Synithia Williams. 

Halle Parker just wants to support her daughter Shania's dreams of being wide receiver on the football team, however things become complicated when Halle discovers her daughter's biological father is the much lauded new football coach. Years ago ex NFL player Quinton was desperate to save his family and had to make a decision for money. Now he and Halle have to figure out how to parent together and the feelings they have for each other. 

Halle is the cousin of Imani from the previous book and Imani does pop in here and there to support her cuz. She's a middle school principal and single mother who is used to be in charge. It was interesting to see her learn to be able to embrace having help because when you're an independent woman you get so used to doing things your way. Halle has been functioning pretty much on her own since losing her parents at a young age.

I also enjoyed Quinton's characterization and his family's presence. The football presence really added to the small town environment since we know Southern states are huge on high school football. You can feel how the sport ties the community together. Quinton's family very close knit but at the same time his parents and sister bring a lot of drama. There was an unexpected twist involving them that held my attention.

The premise of the story is rather outlandish so you just have to go with it that a 21 year old woman would've gone to a sperm doner to have a child. But I like that this was addressed head on with her friend's questioning it instead of quickly brushing past it. I also liked that Halle's daughter Shania is a teen capable of challenging her parents when necessary instead of a precious child who just wants to see them together.

Overall this was a good addition to the series and we get just enough breadcrumbs to prime us for the couple in the next book as well as the continuation of the rivalry for best small town.

The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon

Welcome Back, Booklovers! The Secret Library is the second Kekla Magoon book I had on my TBR for this year after loving Mission One: The Vice Principal Problem which was cowritten with Cynthia Leitich Smith. I recieved an arc to review from Candlewick Press.

The Secret Library follows Dally, a biracial 11 year old girl who lives with her white single mother. Dally's grandfather has recently passed and her mother's main focus is grooming her to one day take over the family business. Dally decides to open a letter from her grandfather that she was instructed not to open until age 21 and discovers the instructions to a library hidden in an old Black neighborhood. The library has volumes upon volumes of books specific to individuals and their family histories which including everything from miscellaneous events to well kept family secrets. Through these books Dally is able to time travel back to the time period they're dated and follow her family history. At first the secrets are short and just glimpses of her parent's past. But then she finds herself on a pirate ship at sea with one of her ancestors.

Had I read the comps which included Kindred I would've had a better idea of what this book would read like.  It was less fantastical adventure and more reconciling with the past while meeting ancestors that help her reconcile with her biracial heritage. Despite being a middle grade book with an 11 year old character I feel like this book was written for the adult reader. There were multiple of plotlines the author tried to fit in here and some got more page time then others. As an adult with the context and understanding of what Magoon was trying to do it was still a lot for me. And I wonder how children who are being introduced to some of this history for the first time through this book will reflect on this book. Because Dally comes in with a knowledge and understanding some people don't until they've reached adulthood.

Dally is an avatar through which we taken through events in the book rather than a character with her own agency. We don't spend enough time with her in the present day to understand her outside of her status as a biracial girl who longs for adventure. Her issues with her mother are never quite resolved and the ending was unexpected and unsatisfying. I'm struggling with what message to take away from it. There's also a bit of romanticizing the idea of being an activist that I'm seeing in a lot of books lately targeted towards children of color but without portrayal of any real danger. That's not to say children shouldn't be taught to stand up for what they believe in but Dally very easily escapes difficult situations and is eager to march and fight. And it's important that we be transparent and let children know there is a level of risk and sacrifice associated with be an activist which is why not everyone is willing to take on that role.

Overall I left this book feeling exhausted and confused about the intended audience. 

Hovergirls by Geneva Bowers

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I've been following Geneva Bowers on Instagram for a couple of years because I love her illustrations. Her art style is just so cute! And I previously read a board book she did the illustrations for Mermaid Kenzie: Protector of the Deeps, a book I can't stop recommending. So I had not read the original Hovergirls web comic but I was excited to check out this version of it in graphic novel form with updated artwork. I received an arc from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review.

Hovergirls follows two cousins Kim and Jalissa Vasquez who move to Los Aquaceros together to start a new life. Kim has dreams of becoming a model and fashion designer while Jalissa is just trying to keep things together. It's not long before they discover they have special powers when strange aquatic monsters start attacking the city every time it rains. 

Hovergirls is a throwback to the magic girl stories with pretty powers and fashionable outfits. Kim is excited to live out her heroine dreams and plan her fabulous superhero look. While cold Jalissa is more concerned about getting to sit down and watch her soaps while trying to keep the two of them afloat. It's that bubbly sunshine character alongside the moody mean girl type we've seen in countless media. Kim is ever the romantic and get's starry eyed over a cute surfer who is strapped for cash and constantly asks her to give him a loan.

Where the art delivers the actually storyline of itself struggles a bit as readers get further in. Almost as if she wanted them to have magical powers but realized a villain was needed at the last minute. When it's the slice of life stuff with the girls working at the coffee shop and struggling to get by in a new city it shines. When it came time for the plot to develop further that's where things got a little muddied and became rushed and I wasn't quite convinced. 

With a book like this I did wonder what the teen reception will be since so many thing referenced here  were callbacks to the 00s. Would the running gag of crazy soap opera plots land with them as a joke today when we're no longer in the era of watching soap operas on tv during the summer because that's what's on daytime tv? Even when I was a teen we were moving away from those shows and some of the ones parodied here we ended up canceled. Which also made me think about how these graphic novels are categorized as more publishers mainly known for their prose books acquire them. Why are some of these marketed as YA simply because they have young characters? Even ones like Wash Day Diaries that have characters in their 20s dealing with very adult situations get labelled as YA. Why is there still a stigma against graphic novels and comics being aimed at adults? 

While teens are able to read this one there's a huge level of adult nostalgia that makes this book work. Overall it is a cute story that makes me yearn for magic girl content. The ending is left open to be a continued series and I'm wondering what direction it can go in with a little more development.

King of Dead Things by Nevin Holness

Welcome Back, Booklovers! King of Dead Things came on my radar with it's promises of Afro-Caribbean fantasy and a fresh fantasy from a Black British author. My love of reading stories about Black people from all over the diaspora and specifically seeing Black boys at the forefront of the story made this a must read for me. If you're interested keeping reading. 

King of Dead Things follows the Malcom and Eli, two Black teens navigating London's magical underbelly. Eli, has no memory of where he came from but he does have special magical skills which he uses to heal people and do odd jobs for his landlord, Pam who rents him a room above her West Indian takeout restaurant. Eli is tasked with retrieving the fang of Osebo, a weapon with magic draining capabilities. Malcolm has powers that can wake the dead and an infamous father who he can't seem to escape despite his absence. Eli and Malcolm's paths cross when bodies start turning up of people who've had the magic ripped out of them.

While the promise of Afro-Caribbean fantasy drew me in, I have to admit that it also made me a bit hesitant seeing it as a selling point. I'm just remembering past experience where I read books that made that promise yet failed to deliver. King of Dead Things did not disappoint when it came to highlighting not only Caribbean mythology but also traditions and superstitions like the nine nights featured here. People who've grown up in the culture will find themselves smiling at familiar sayings and attitudes from some of the characters.

Nevin Holness does a great job making the voices of both Eli and Malcom as well as side characters like Max, Sunny, and Pam distinct which kept my attention. She's also great at these vivid descriptions whether it be food or emotions that really have you immersed in the scenes every chapter. This is a character driven story and I was especially drawn to Malcolm and his relationship with his father. The first in a duology, the ending leaves you ready to know what will happen next.