Mini Reviews: I Know What You Read Last Fall

My life was pretty chaotic in September, October, and December, which means I read a lot of books, but I didn’t have time to review them. Instead of ignoring those poor books, I thought I’d do rapid-fire reviews. I’m not going to include summaries because then you’d be scrolling forever. Click the titles to open Goodreads.

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Reading And Walking: Maniac Magee

Review: City Of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

City Of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Series: City of Ghosts #1

Genre: Middlegrade fantasy / horror

Pages: 285

Content warning: Death, monsters, violence
Available at: Amazon | Book Depository

Cassidy Blake's parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.

When The Inspectres head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn't sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn't belong in her world. Cassidy's powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead.

*This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.

Reading And Walking: The Higher Power Of Lucky

Review: After Zero by Christina Collins

After Zero by Christina Collins

Genre: Middlegrade contemporary

Pages: 256

Publication date: September 2018

Content warning: Bullying, mental illness, death, family secrets, hunting
Available at: Amazon | Book Depository
*This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.

Elise carries a notebook full of tallies, each page marking a day spent at her new public school, each stroke of her pencil marking a word spoken. A word that can't be taken back. Five tally marks isn't so bad. Two is pretty good. But zero? Zero is perfect. Zero means no wrong answers called out in class, no secrets accidentally spilled, no conversations to agonize over at night when sleep is far away.

But now months have passed, and Elise isn't sure she could speak even if she wanted to―not to keep her only friend, Mel, from drifting further away―or to ask if anyone else has seen her English teacher's stuffed raven come to life. Then, the discovery of a shocking family secret helps Elise realize that her silence might just be the key to unlocking everything she's ever hoped for.

Reading And Walking: From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Mini Reviews: Little Women || The Science Of Breakable Things

Reading And Baking: The Doughnut Fix

Reading And Walking: Amos Fortune, Free Man

Cybils Award Reviews: Front Desk || Harbor Me

Cybils Award Reviews: The Orphan Band Of Springdale || Skylark And Wallcreeper

Cybils Award Reviews: The Miscalculations Of Lightning Girl || The Parker Inheritance

Reading And Walking: King Of The Wind

Mini Reviews: The Breadwinner || The Watsons Go To Birmingham—1963

Mini Reviews: The Little Prince || The Secret Garden (I Apologize For Hating Your Childhood Favorites)

Mini Reviews: The War That Saved My Life || Wolf Hollow

Mini Reviews: As Brave As You || Brown Girl Dreaming

Newbery Mini Reviews: Kira-Kira || The Tale Of Despereaux

One of my goals is to read all of the Newbery winners. Here are two winners I finished recently.

Newbery Reviews: The Whipping Boy || Out Of The Dust || Dear Mr. Henshaw

One of my long-term goals is to read all of the Newbery winners. Here are a few I read recently.

Review: Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson || That Awkward Moment When You Relate To Insufferable People

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson

Pages: 216

Genre: Historical Middle Grade

Publication Date: 1980

Growing up on a tiny Chesapeake Bay island in the early 1940s, angry Louise reveals how Caroline robbed her of everything: her hopes for schooling, her friends, her mother, even her name. While everyone pampered Caroline, Wheeze (her sister's name for her) began to learn the ways of the watermen and the secrets of the island, especially of old Captain Wallace, who had mysteriously returned after fifty years. The war unexpectedly gave this independent girl a chance to fulfill her childish dream to work as a watermen alongside her father. But the dream did not satisfy the woman she was becoming. Alone and unsure, Louise began to fight her way to a place where Caroline could not reach.