Alysa's Summer Reading 2025

 I read some good books this summer that I don't want to forget about! Here they are in no particular order:

The Five Worlds Series - Graphic Novels by Mark Siegel & Alexis Siegel, illustrated by Xanthe Bouma, Matt Rockefeller and Boya Sun. 

Jubilee discovered these at the library some years ago and loved them, and bought each one as it came out. This spring, Sam enjoyed them all and he finally convinced me to read them over the summer. I have no regrets -- they're a solid contribution to the fantasy graphic novel for ages 8+. The Five Worlds are out of balance and some say that lighting the beacons will save them, but others think the beacons will destroy more than they save. The books have some beautiful art and some memorable intrigue and characters. Recommended.

Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone
 by Brené Brown 

I have enjoyed some talks and videos by the author, so I opted for the audiobook, and listened to this one. I really enjoyed it. It centers around belonging, especially in a modern, polarized world. It talks about elements needed for belonging, and for those moments when we realize we don't want to belong but to "brave the wilderness" instead. The stories in the book were captivating, and the research-backed conclusions and advice in it ring true. 

The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer

My book club friends asked me to pick a "beach read" and this was my pick. Not exactly beachy in any way, really, The Talisman Ring is both a light-hearted murder mystery and a comedic romance. On the Old English coast, local baron Sylvester dies and on his deathbed he insists on the betrothal of his nephew Sir Tristram and to his granddaughter Eustacie. Unfortunately they are a terrible match for each other. Eustacie runs away at midnight and meets her true love, who is wanted for murder. The rest is a series of madcap adventures and humorous scenes which all come together happily in the end. 

Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton

Ben checked this one out from the library and I read it, too. It was an enjoyable sci-fi story about an expendable man. Mickey signed up to go on a dangerous planet-colonizing mission and to be the one who would upload his brain regularly and do all the jobs likely to end in death, knowing that his clone would come out of the machine if anything happened to him. I particularly liked the characters in this book, who were a lot of fun and drove the plot well. I wasn't surprised to learn that the book has been made into a movie, but I'll stick with the book, because descriptions of Mickey's deaths weren't too gory, and I think the movie would be worse for me, in that sense. There was a bedroom scene, and if I remember right a little bit of language that I could have done without, but overall it was a fun book, and I loved the ending. 

The Demon in the Freezer: A True Story by Richard Preston

Ashley Z picked this one for book club and it was an enthralling, unpleasant read. We agreed as a club that we loved it but were totally grossed out. It talks a lot about anthrax, and the anthrax scare of 2001, which was pending investigation at the time this book was published. It also goes into depth about smallpox -- its symptoms, eradication, and status today. It was very interesting, but I did have to skip ahead in the audio once or twice when descriptions became too gruesome for me. Nevertheless, I feel better educated for having read it. It was also super interesting to read it from a post-covid point of view, since global pandemic is a big point of speculation in the book. 

Tools for Teaching by Fred Jones

I checked this one out of the library because the library didn't have The First Days of School by Harry Wong. No regrets, though! This book had a lot of interesting and helpful tips for middle and high school teachers. I'm still mulling over the advice on classroom furniture placement, step-by-step guidance, and motivational learning games. It seemed like an oldy but a goody, and I read the whole thing. I did also find and skim through a copy of The First Days, as well.  

Jubilee's Review of Secret Coders

Secret Coders series

 Reviewed by Jubilee Stewart, Authors Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes

The series Secret Coders is an awesome story about three main characters, Hopper, Eni, and Josh. When Hopper moves to Stately Academy, she notices things. Why are there so many nines around the school? What's hiding in the janitor's padlocked shed? What's up with the birds? As she struggles to figure out these mysteries, Hopper learns to code, and we learn along, too. Repeats, parameters, Ifelse (If-fell-see) statements, and much more. Hopper, Eni, and Josh's struggle creates a beautiful story of friendship, courage, and laughter. As you get to know them, you'll agree; they make great secret coders.

The series is made up of 6 graphic novels which each have about 100 pages. I would recommend these books for ages 7/8-11. Though the books are small, it takes a bit of knowledge to understand the code. There are small puzzles throughout the book in the form of solving code. I thought that they were fun. Five out of five stars. If these authors ever paired up again, I would definitely be in line for their book! 

 

Ride On by Faith Erin Hicks

Ride On by Faith Erin Hicks

Horse riding lesson

I really enjoyed this graphic novel! I picked it up from the library because it's by Faith Erin Hicks and I have liked her books in the past (One Year at Ellsmere, and Friends with Boys especially!) There was a great ensemble cast to this book. Although the front cover has just one of the main characters on it, (kind of two, if you count the horse, I suppose!) there are a bunch of awesome characters in this book. 

I was never super into horse books (it was all about the Babysitters Club, for me!) but that didn't stand in the way of my enjoyment of this book. My dad loves horses and our family owned a few now and then (see the picture above). Even though I didn't ever consider myself a horse girl, many sweet moments, some silliness, and some real conflicts made the book compelling. It's realistic fiction.

Norrie is always stirring up drama.

Sam's brothers tease him like crazy.

What happened with Victoria to make her change stables?

I loved all the positive sibling relationships in this book. Victoria's sweet older sister, Norrie's sweet older brother, even Sam's brother's eventually have some sweet moments.  I loved that Victoria's mom was an accountant, haha! Yeah, accountants know better than to buy horses.

Ride On is set in middle school, and as far as romance goes, there is just the barest hint of a crush. It's a super sweet book. Some themes of Ride On are friendship, growing apart or growing closer, what it means to you to be around a good friend, working hard, competing. I loved it, and my kids did, too. 

Ride On on Amazon

Have you read it? What did you think?

When Stars Are Scattered

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
National Book Award Finalist, Winner of Cybils Award (Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novels)

Omar and his brother Hassan live in a refugee camp and they have ever since they can remember. This graphic novel shows their life in the camp, Omar's schooling, Hassan's struggles because of his disability, and their relationships and ups and downs of life. 

Coming from award winning graphic novelist, Victoria Jamieson (known for the Newbery-winning Roller Girl and All's Faire in Middle School), I expected the book to be well written and drawn, and it was. It's also an amazing story, and we have Omar Mohamed to thank for that. There were definitely moments when my eyes got misty.

This book is well suited to the upper elementary and middle school markets. I recently read Walk Toward the Rising Sun, a memoir written for middle and high school students, and I found that one richer in details but it also had some swearing and violence that When Stars Are Scattered doesn't have. Each was well suited to its audience.     

Benjamin (age 12) also read When Stars Are Scattered, and says that it's good. He recommends it for fans of Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate, which his class read in 6th grade. 

Superman Smashes the Klan

In this new graphic novel, Gene Luen Yang did a great job following a formula but still keeping things fresh. 

Gene Luen Yang is one of my favorite authors -- I'll buy a book of his before I've read it, I'll preorder books by him, and I'm constantly recommending his books. You can see all of my posts about him here. 

For Superman Smashes the Klan Yang took his inspiration from an old 1940's Superman radio serial. The Lee family has just moved to a new home to go with Mr. Lee's new job. It doesn't take long before they find out some people don't want them in the neighborhood, though. You see where this is going. 

But I love how Yang made the story complex and they characters two-dimensional. The young heroes have foibles, the villain has virtues, and Superman has a whole backstory to work out. It honestly surprised me how much happened in this slim volume, and I have high expectations for books by Yang. The story weaves in different kinds of racism, different reactions to racism, and other themes, too. 

I particularly like how anybody can read this book, regardless of how much they already know about Superman. Never heard of him? Everything you need to know is there. Already know everything and everybody from Lana to Lois, Kal-el to Kryptonite? You won't be disappointed. And the illustrations are flawless, making this an easy graphic novel to read even if you are new to the format. 

If you skip the backmatter in this book, you will be missing out! There's a fantastically done section in the back about Superman and about Gene Luen Yang, about the history of racism and hope. It's a great book, and the section in the back is MORE than the cherry on top. It's the whole cream layer on the banana cream pie. 

I'm not alone in thinking this book is awesome. It won the Young Adult Graphic Novel category of the Cybils this year. I think it fits well in the Young Adult category -- it deals with the heavy theme of racism and hate crime. There is violence and complexity. It's not gory at all, for which I'm thankful. I recommend it for 6th grade and up. 

What I've been reading!!

Hey! Hi! Howdy! Happy New Year!

I don't really have time to blog, but then when did I ever? But I can't resist. I've gotta tell ya what I've been reading.

So.

Firstly, Cybils shortlists just got announced. This year I've been the Graphic Novels chair, but not on the Graphic Novels panel. So I've been listening in on all their discussions about the best books and now I'm reading like crazy to catch up on all these great graphic novels!

So far I've read the following that are on the shortlists:



Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation - this one was SO GOOD. I read the Diary of Anne Frank back in 9th grade and thought it was amazing, of course, but had no particular interest in rereading it. So I thought I'd give this a shot and just abandon it if it was meh. Oh. I could not put it down. Perfect marriage of text and illustration. Amazing job condensing the diary and disclosing what was condensed. I highly recommend it for adults and young adults.



On a Sunbeam - I just finished this one moments ago! It's about a girl, Mia. The setting is the far future. It's a coming-of-age/adventure/romance. One of the panelists described it as a whole trilogy in one book, and I could totally see that. It's quite thick, and I found it compelling to read until the natural breaking point in the narrative, then compelling again. Another panelist said it had a Firefly vibe -- yep. Super well done, and lotsa spaceship adventures. Many of the characters are LGBTQ+, including the main romance and all the relationships of supporting characters. Lots of swearing, which I suppose probably made the dialog more believable, but I like living in my bubble where swears are few and far between. If it were a movie, it'd be PG-13 but with more F-words. Still, I recommend this one for appropriate audiences, because of its excellent plotting, pacing, character- and world-building. I'm glad I read it, but I won't be buying it for my home library.


The Cardboard Kingdom - My kids loved this book. I checked it out of the library and they read it first of the whole stack. I got a little ways into it, and it got heavy for me. The story of the whole neighborhood -- the kingdom -- is told in short stories. Some of them have themes like fitting in, being creative, working things out with a friend, but others have heavier themes like same-gender attraction, parents splitting up, and bullying. Soo, I guess I needed a little more time to digest it than my kids did. Which exactly mirrors the kids and adults in the book. Haha. Anyway, it came due at the library before I finished it, so I returned it, but checked it out again a couple of weeks later. I did want to finish it. Once again my boys snatched it up and both of them reread it. Safe to say it's got kid appeal! And it is well done.


Anne of Green Gables - This one I read a while back -- I had heard good things about this adaptation, including from trusty Amy at Sunlit Pages. So I picked it up. It was really good. I read the whole series of books when I was a kid, and watched part one of the mini-series a couple of years ago, but I had definitely forgotten a lot of the plot. The art is beautiful in it's own right and I don't feel like I can really compare the graphic novel to the actual novel since it has been so long since I've read the original. But I loved the graphic novel and I hope they make a sequel and do the rest of the series in graphic format too.


Tea Dragon Society - This one is a large format, so it's bigger than a big picture book. It's gorgeous. I liked it but didn't love it. It's been a while since I read it, actually, and I'm having a hard time remembering all the details, except that I found it a little bit preachy, like it had something to prove. Since I can't remember more I'll leave it at that. It is available as a webcomic, but I hear that holding the paper version makes it even better. I've only read it on paper, and it was indeed beautiful.


Be Prepared - This is a memoir of Vera Brogsol's time at Russian Orthodox summer camp. It was really good! I could relate, having been to some religious summer camps, and I bet kids who haven't been to religious summer camps could relate, too. It's on the Elementary and Middle Grade list, but I'm guessing it will appeal most to middle schoolers and high schoolers. It has a "looking back" vibe at the end that wouldn't really be applicable to elementary schoolers, I don't think.


As the Crow Flies - Read this one quite recently and wow! It's a good book with some interesting things going on. Would make for a good book club discussion. Gorgeous art. The main character in it is a half-black christian lesbian. The scene is a christian young women's hiking trip, led by a woman with a big feminist chip on her shoulder. So themes of faith, race, weight, gender, sexual identity, and more are explored. And I think what I liked about it is that they were explored and not preached. The book doesn't guide you to a lot of conclusions... in fact even the plot itself ends quite suddenly. But, I liked it. It felt very realistic. 


The Prince and the Dressmaker - I read this one a while back and wanted to loved it, but it employed some "movie moments" -- some of those plot devices that seemed a little too unbelievable. I mean, I just can't imagine being surprised by a kiss and having it go over that well. And the fashion show? Ehhh. But I'll tell you what I loved. I loved absolutely true-to-life way that friendship and deception played together. I loved how things couldn't work out right until people were being honest.

That's all the ones on the shortlists that I've read so far! Will keep you posted as I read the rest. And I'll be reading all of the Cybils Easy Readers and Early Chapter books, but becuase I'm a round 2 judge I won't be allowed to tell you my thoughts on those until after Feb 14.

Not on the Cybils shortlist, but still a really good graphic novel that I recently read:


All Summer Long by Hope Larson. This one also explored themes of friendship, through the eyes of 13-year-old Bina. I liked how Bina's family was a big part of her experience, because families so often are (unless you're away at summer camp, ha!) I liked her personality and how she was figuring out boundaries and relationships, learning to babysit and becoming an aunt and getting good at her hobbies. I recommend this book and would totally love to own it.


And I also read the entire Book of Mormon in 3 months! I participated in a challenge extended by the worldwide president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Russell M Nelson. So glad I did this. It was a completely different experience to attempt to read the book at this pace. It's sort of like I was accostomed to walking in a flower garden, and all of a sudden I started running on the race course that happened to be in it. At first I was like "I'm tired and this is so hard and I can't see the flowers!" but then it was like "oh, this is exhilarating and I can see connections I never saw before and I'm stronger than I thought I was!" So, it was great! The Book of Mormon is available free online, and hard copies are also available for free. If you order one, a missionary might deliver it to you! My little brother Abe is on a mission right now. He's serving in Argentina.

Before Christmas I read a couple of great non-fiction books from the children's section of my local library. Proud by Ibtihaj Muhammad (Young Readers Edition) and Terrible Typhoid Mary by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.


Proud (Young Readers Edition): Living My American Dream is the memoir of the first Olympic Athlete to compete for the USA in hijab (the Muslim modesty practice uder which women cover all but the face). It was fascinating! I read a lot of it aloud to the kids and they loved it and took off with it, so I had to finish it on my own. I wonder how the Young Readers Edition (which I read) compares to the regular. There was one part where there were a bunch of generalizations and I was like "hmmm, I wonder if there is an interesting story at this point..." Ibtihaj is Afican American, Muslim, and a woman, and talked at various points in the book about the discrimination she faced because of each of these (and, sometimes, the intersection of them). Part of me wants to read the regular version, another part of me is fine. Anyway, I highly recommend it.



Terrible Typhoid Mary is about the discovery of what are now known as healthy carriers -- people who appear to be well, but are spreading infectious germs. Mary Mallon was the first healthy carrier discovered in the US, but her discovery and treatment was unethical. The pace of this book didn't clip along as quickly as Proud, so I found it a little tougher to love, but I'd still recommend it. Absolutely fascinating story, but I guess I felt like it could have been condensed into a good long article? Or really expanded into a meatier book? The book as it is is good, and I'm sure it will hit a sweet spot for some. My 10 year old read it and we talked about it a little bit.

What've you been reading lately?

Nominate these Graphic Novels!

Hello! I'm looking for some people to nominate some books! Are you a person? You have an email address? You have not already nominated? You can nominate*! 

If you nominate, these books are in the running for the Cybils Awards. One of them could win! You could help someone find a book they love. 

Perhaps you're not up on the latest graphic novels? These are books that my Graphic-Novel-loving panelists say could be contenders and haven't been nominated yet. :-O *gasp of horror* Monday 10/15/2018 is the last day for public nominations!

Elementary/Middle Grade:

• Violette Around the World Vol 1: My Head in the Clouds by Teresa Radice published by IDW Publishing May 8, 2018. 
• Brave Chef Brianna by Sam Sykes, Selina Espiritu, published by KaBOOM! Dec 12, 2017.

Young Adult:

• Perfect World by Rie Aruga, published by Kodansha Comics March 20, 2018
• Luisa: Now and Then by Carole Maurel & Mariko Tamaki, published by HumanoidsJune 20, 2018
• Wotakoi by Fujita, published by Kodansha Comics Apr 17, 2018
• A Girl in the Himalayas by David Jesus Vignolli, published by Archaia April 24, 2018. 
• Ladycastle by Delilah S. Dawson, et. al, published by BOOM! Studios October 24, 2017
• Moonstruck Vol 1: Magic to Brew by Grace Ellis et al, published by Image Comics March 27, 2018
• Supergirl: Being Super by Mariko Tamaki published by DC Comics June 5, 2018
• Macbeth (Manga Classics) by William Shakespeare, adapted by Crystal S. Chan,  UDON Entertainment September 1, 2018.

Thanks, friends! Nominations are now closed!

__________

*But please, nominate books that are eligible. Books must be published between October 16, 2017 and October 15, 2018 to be eligible. They must also be widely available, and published for childrens/YA markets. 

30 Books for the Advanced 4th Grader

Hello! 

As Benjamin finished 4th grade, his teacher sent home a reading log with enough space for 30 books. Benjamin is an advanced reader, and he definitely read more than 30 books this summer. Some of these were re-reads for him, many of them come from series, and a good chunk of them are graphic novels. I hope getting to peek at his reading log is helpful to someone looking for books for their 4th or 5th grader. 

I told Benjamin he ought to do a post for me, and he was enthusiastic at first, but after typing the names of 30 books he decided not to write any comments. Haha! It was a good thing he typed them up, though, because he misplaced his reading log (in typical 10-year-old boy fashion). Since it was typed, we were still able to return the reading log to his teacher (phew!) and he got those 2 free homework passes he was hoping for. 

Benjamin's Summer Reading Log

Hi everyone. This is Benjamin. You may know me from some of my mom's posts. If you don't, click here. I decided to write this post because, why not? I'm a pretty advanced reader, and here are 30 books I read this summer.

Book Covers Link to Amazon!

the one and only ivan by katherine applegate

secret coders paths and portals by gene luen yang

(but read Secret Coders first)

alcatraz smedry VS. the kights of crystallia

( but read Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians (Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians) and The Scrivener's Bones: Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians (Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians) first)

Story Thieves


story thieves the stolen chapters

story thieves secret orgins


Story Thieves: Pick the Plot


Olympians: Ares


Olympians: Hermes


Explorer: The Lost Islands


The Secret Science Alliance


Spirit Animals: Fall of the Beasts book 1

(but read Spirit Animals Series SET , Books 1-7 . 1. Wild Born , #2. Hunted , #3. Blood Ties, #4. Fire and Ice, #5. Against the tide, #6 Rise and Fall, #7. The evertree first)


Spirit Animals: Fall the Beasts book 2

In Real Life


The Keepers book 1


The  Keepers book 2


The True Meaning of Smekday


Princess Academy


5 Worlds: Book 2

(but read 5 Worlds Book 1: The Sand Warrior first)

Darth Paper Strikes Back

(but read Strange Case of Origami Yoda (Origami Yoda 1) first)

Secret of the Fortune Wookie


The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppet


Emperor Pickletine Rides the Bus

(but read Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue! (Origami Yoda 5) first)

Sidekicks by Dan Santat


Dragonwatch


Astronaut Academy: Re-entry


The Amulet of Samarkand


The Phantom Tollbooth


American Born Chinese


Explorer: The Mystery Boxes

Thanks, Benjamin! As I scrolled through my photos to find some pictures of Benjamin reading this summer I noticed that none of the books he's reading in these photos made it onto the reading log. So, if you're curious, they are Crunchby Leslie Connor (my review here), The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: 2 Fuzzy, 2 Furious by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, and Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson.