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Blended by Sharon M. Draper - ESSENTIAL

Blended by Sharon M. Draper, 308 pages.  Atheneum (Simon), 2018.  $17.  

Content: PG (does mention a noose, a shooting).

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Isabella, 11, is never quite sure where she fits in.  She goes to the same school every day, but one week she lives at Dad’s and the next week she is at Mom’s – neither place feels like home.  Also, she is one of those “mixed” kids – a blend that feels neither black nor white.  Drama at school and anger between her parents make it hard for her to find her footing.

Draper saves the most dramatic, heart-wrenching, and unfortunately too common, scene for the very end.  Isabella’s story can easily read up, at least to middle school.  Students all over will connect with Draper’s look at divorce, blended families, blended kids, and life while not white, and will not forget it any time soon.  Easily a classroom novel and /or read aloud for lots of great discussion.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

The Lantern's Ember by Colleen Houck - ESSENTIAL


The Lantern’s Ember by Colleen Houck,386 pages.  Delacorte Press, 2018.  $18.  

Content: Language: G; Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG.  

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH  

Jack has been watching over Ember ever since she was little. Ember is a powerful witch and Jack makes it his job to ensure that the Otherworlders do not come to take Ember. There has been a witch power shortage in the Otherworld and the Lord of the Otherworld is seeking for a new witch to supply the world with power. Ember is persistent to go to the Otherworld. Jack will not take her, so she seeks for a way to get there. Ember meets the charming vampire Dev, who was sent by the wife of the Lord of the Otherworld. Dev’s job is to escort Ember to meet the Lord of the Otherworld’s wife. Jack soon finds out that Ember has entered the Otherworld and he and Ember’s best friend Finney must go save her before anything bad happens to her. 

This is an amazing story of adventure, mystery, magic, love and heartbreak.  The characters in this book were likable and well developed. I enjoyed the setting and thought it was cool for different. I loved the plot twists put in place. I do, however, wish that the author had put more detail into certain parts of the book.  

Student Reviewer, Isabelle, 9th grade.

Batman: Nightwalkers by Marie Lu - ESSENTIAL


Batman: Nightwalker (D.C. Icons, #2)  by Marie Lu, 250 pages.  Random House, 2018. $19.  

Content: Language: PG-13 (22 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13.    

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ESSENTIAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL – HIGH  

Bruce Wayne has just turned eighteen and with that comes access to his trust fund.  Bruce wishes that he could have his parents instead of the money, and with the way he lost his parents he has carefully watched the crime in Gotham since he became an orphan.  On the night of his eighteenth birthday, Bruce helps the police stop a criminal, but he is punished for his vigilantism and given community service at the local Arkham Asylum.  While cleaning the halls of the asylum, Bruce is drawn to Madeleine Wallace a quiet and beguiling girl who is involved with the crime ring called the Nightwalkers.  Bruce thinks he can get information out of Madeleine, even though the police can't, but what he finds out is that he might be the Nightwalkers next target.  

I loved this re-imagining of Batman.  Bruce Wayne at eighteen makes for a fun story line. I enjoyed how Marie Lu stayed true to the feel of Gotham and Batman’s world.  Although this is the second D.C. Icons novel, they don’t overlap or need to be read in order.  The violence is PG-13 because of some of the violence described.  

C. Peterson

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