Today, I’m reviewing two MG fantasies (one historical), a YA verse novel, and a picture book! I hope these bite-sized reviews will be enough to feed your fiction addiction!
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill Published by Algonquin Young Readers on March 8, 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade
Pages: 400
Source: Edelweiss
My rating:
A fantasy about the power of generosity and love, and how a community suffers when they disappear.
Stone-in-the-Glen, once a lovely town, has fallen on hard times. Fires, floods, and other calamities have caused the people to lose their library, their school, their park, and even their neighborliness. The people put their faith in the Mayor, a dazzling fellow who promises he alone can help. After all, he is a famous dragon slayer. (At least, no one has seen a dragon in his presence.) Only the clever children of the Orphan House and the kindly Ogress at the edge of town can see how dire the town’s problems are.Then one day a child goes missing from the Orphan House. At the Mayor’s suggestion, all eyes turn to the Ogress. The Orphans know this can’t be: the Ogress, along with a flock of excellent crows, secretly delivers gifts to the people of Stone-in-the-Glen.
But how can the Orphans tell the story of the Ogress’s goodness to people who refuse to listen? And how can they make their deluded neighbors see the real villain in their midst?
With its distinctly fairy-tale feel, The Ogress and the Orphans tells a story of misconceptions and misunderstanding and the way we can sometimes judge each other without thiking and without evidence. The ogress has spent years trying to bring joy to the townspeople by leaving them anonymous gifts, but when people see her, they assume the worst about her. In fact, the townspeople think the worst about pretty much everyone since the library burned down and their once-lovely village was ruined. No one takes care of each other anymore, and that goes double for the children in the local orphanage, who barely have food to eat or basic necessities. The book focuses on the ogress and these orphans and the ways that they come together to bring humanity back to the village. Kids might have to be patient with the beginning of the book where the fairy tale unfolds, but there are many beautiful moments and little surprises for them to enjoy along the way. The book makes a point about how easy it can be to turn bitter when things start to go wrong and how kindness and generosity can turn it all around. The story ends with a beautiful message of hope and community!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher from Edelweiss+ for review. No compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
The Button Box by Bridget Hodder, Fawzia Gilani-Williams Illustrator: Harshad Marathe
Published by Kar-Ben Publishing on April 1, 2022
Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade
Pages: 152
Source: NetGalley
My rating:
If a magical button and a mysterious cat could transport you to the past...would you save the future?After Jewish fifth-grader Ava and her Muslim cousin Nadeem are called hateful names at school, Granny Buena rummages in her closet and pulls out a glittering crystal button box. It's packed with buttons that generations of their Sephardic ancestors have cherished. With the help of Granny's mysterious cat Sheba, Ava and Nadeem discover that a button from the Button Box will whisk them back in time. Suddenly, they find themselves in ancient Morocco, where Nadeem's ancestor, Prince Abdur Rahman, is running for his life. Can Ava and Nadeem help the prince escape to Spain and fulfill his destiny, creating a legendary Golden Age for Muslims, Jews and Christians?
The Button Box is an interfaith historical fantasy in the vein of The Magic Treehouse Series. Ava is Jewish and her cousin Nadeem is Muslim, but they’ve never seen that as a problem. Unfortunately, some of the kids at school disagree, and those kids have made life difficult for both of them. But when Ava and Nadeem find a mysterious button, they are transported back in time to ancient Morocco. There they live out a historical adventure where Jews and Muslims work together, and they learn help the famed Prince Abdur Rahman so that he’s able to fulfill his destiny. Like I said, this book will definitely appeal to kids who enjoyed the Magic Treehouse books because it has the same feel, but it explores a more diverse history. I learned a lot about the language and culture of a group that I honestly didn’t even know existed, the Judeo-Spanish people. Hopefully kids will read this book and be inspired to learn even more!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review. No compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo Published by Make Me a World on March 2, 2021
Genres: Historical Fiction, Verse, Young Adult
Pages: 224
Source: Library
My rating:
A novel in verse about family, identity, and finding yourself in the most unexpected places.
Nima doesn't feel understood. By her mother, who grew up far away in a different land. By her suburban town, which makes her feel too much like an outsider to fit in and not enough like an outsider to feel like that she belongs somewhere else. At least she has her childhood friend Haitham, with whom she can let her guard down and be herself. Until she doesn't.
As the ground is pulled out from under her, Nima must grapple with the phantom of a life not chosen, the name her parents didn't give her at birth: Yasmeen. But that other name, that other girl, might just be more real than Nima knows. And more hungry. And the life Nima has, the one she keeps wishing were someone else's. . .she might have to fight for it with a fierceness she never knew she had.
Home Is Not a Country is a lyrical novel in verse that explores identity and the many ways that we become who we are. Nima has spent her life wondering what could have been. She had almost had another name; she could have grown up in a whole other country with a father she’s never known. She can’t help but wonder how her life would be different, how her mother’s life would be different, if things had gone another way. The book takes a dive into magical realism when Nima is transported into another version of her life and meets the girl she could have been. I’m a sucker for a sliding doors story, so I was engrossed right away, and I loved the twists and turns as Nima discovered that the alternate version of her life may not have been everything she imagined it to be. And the stakes are high as Nima realizes she may have to fight to get back to her own reality. The book explores issues such as racism and misogyny, all while taking the reader on a wild ride (all in verse). I thoroughly enjoyed the journey!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review. No compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
El Cucuy Is Scared, Too! by Donna Barba Higuera
Illustrator: Juliana Perdomo
Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers on July 13, 2021
Genres: Contemporary, Picture Book
Pages: 40
Source: Won It!
My rating: 
A boy and his monster confront their mutual fears in this unlikely friendship story that’s rooted in Mexican folklore
Ramón is a little boy who can’t sleep. He is nervous for his first day at a new school.
And El Cucuy is the monster who lives in Ramón’s cactus pot. He can’t sleep, either.
It turns out that El Cucuy is scared, too!
This gentle, perceptive story explores the worries that can accompany moving to a new place and beginning a new journey—and reveals how comfort, bravery, and strength can be found through even the most unexpected of friendships.
This picture book is utterly adorable!! Ramón is scared for his first day of school after moving to the US, but things change when he learns that even El Cucuy (also known as the Mexican Boogeyman) is scared of this new place. The two end up reassuring each other and building each other up, and they soon find that in the act of helping someone else feel brave, they feel much braver themselves. I absolutely LOVE the idea of an imaginary friend (frenemy?) helping a kiddo through tough transitions. This book is incredibly sweet and the illustrations are bold, geometric and utterly charming.
I love that the author and illustrator both give some background on El Cucuy at the end of the book, as well!
Awww, Ramón sounds adorable and what a sweet way to soothe small children who share those fears.
These sound cute! I haven’t read any of them, but it sounds like they’re all good reads.
Several of these are on my list to order for my students. Glad to hear they will be good additions to my collection. Thanks for sharing!
Glad to hear they were already on your radar!
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