156. Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie Thief

Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie Thief (Cookie Chronicles #4) Matthew Swanson. Illustrated by Robbi Behr. 2022. [September]  304 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Ben Yokoyama scooted glumly down the sidewalk with a thump thump thump. He was mad enough that stubbing his toe would have taken him all the way to furious. But he wasn't quite mad enough to stop and kick an unsuspecting tree.

Premise/plot: Ben Yokoyama is still addicted to cookies, and his favorite may just be the fortune cookies in his daily lunch. (For the fortune, not the cookie). But when a school bully starts stealing his cookies...and his FORTUNES....something must be done. Justice for the playground is much needed...

My thoughts: This one reminded me of an episode of RECESS. Ben and his friends are being bullied into giving over their desserts (not just cookies) to the school bully. And they must team up to see that justice is served. But what is justice? Is it always so black and white? 

I have read all four books and enjoyed them. I would definitely recommend the series as a whole. Each fortune (from a cookie) allows for a different theme to be explored. The fortune in this one is the best things in life are free. 

Quotes:

Ben sighed in a way that was meant to be heard and admired. But no one was close enough
to appreciate it. He sighed louder. But the sidewalk remained empty. Not being able to share his mad feelings made Ben madder.

A lot of money seemed like less when it was gone.

 

His mad had turned to sad. Sad was for sitting down, so he sat on a bench and sighed again, daydreaming that a careless millionaire might wander by and drop a gold nugget at his feet.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers

16. Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Endless Waiting

Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Endless Waiting. (Cookie Chronicles #2) Matthew Swanson. Illustrated by Robbi Behr. 2021. 304 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: It was definitely time to get ready for school, but Ben was still in bed. It was good to be in bed. I will stay in bed all day, thought Ben. I will live in this cozy, warm bed forever. Ben's stomach made a sound like a dying hyena. He remembered the problem with staying in bed. I want sausages, he though, and I want them right now. Ben jumped out of bed faster than a sneeze jumps out of a nose.

Premise/plot: Ben Yokoyama is starring in his SECOND adventure in Matthew Swanson's Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Endless Waiting. After a disappointing start to the day (involving sausages, or the lack of sausages), Ben is excited that his mom has packed a fortune cookie in his lunchbox. But Ben, well, he gets a little too excited about what this new fortune might be...and, well, he cheats. (It comes with a consequence, several consequences at least). His new fortune: GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT. When Ben starts applying this message to his life, well, things get complicated...

Because WAITING until the end to pick your partner for a class project, well, that doesn't seem like it could lead to a good thing. Waiting leads you getting paired up with the kid no one ever wants to pick. His name--Walter--and Ben has a connection to Walter. Long, long, long ago these two were friends... but that was then, not now. Can Ben and Walter make a good team for the class project--a scavenger hunt???

My thoughts: I loved, loved, LOVED this one. I would give it a hundred million stars if I could. (Instead, I'll give it five.) While the first book probably took place over a weekend, this one takes place over a week at school. I loved the world building, the characterization, and above all else the relationship-building. Also the narrative. I love, love, love that too. So descriptive. So relatable.

Quotes:

• Asking Ben if he wanted sausages was like asking a coyote if he wanted to howl.
• Ben looked at the sausages. The sausages looked at Ben. They loved each other so much.

I hope to reread the whole series again and again at some point. 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers

11. Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom

Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom. (Cookie Chronicles #1) Matthew Swanson. Illustrated by Robbi Behr. 2021. 304 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Ben Yokoyama loved noodles the most. He loved them more than cheesecake, French toast, and kiwi fruit, which he loved almost the most.

Premise/plot: Ben Yokoyama is introduced to Chinese food and FORTUNE COOKIES by his Aunt Nora when she babysits him one night. His fortune: Live each day as if it were your last. Though he mostly knows that it is unlikely that the next day will actually-actually be his last day, this fortune inspires him to have ONE adventurous day. And that spirit of living life--living as if each day could be your last--is quite contagious as his family, friends, and even neighbors soon join in the adventures--and misadventures.

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. I am so excited that there are at least two more books to read in this series. I loved Ben as a character and narrator. The narrative voice is quite memorable, in my opinion. I loved seeing the world through Ben's eyes. I did. I loved getting to know his family and friends. We catch a glimpse of his life--this book just covers one twenty-four hour period--but the characters feel SO REAL and oh-so-human. I loved the writing (as I mentioned earlier).

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

Nora ate six noodles, Ben knew because he counted.... Ben felt sorry for Nora's noodles, sitting there unloved. Here, he said to the noodles, I'll make you feel better. Ben took Nora's plate and ate her noodles like an anteater eats ants. He was sad that his stomach was not infinite.

Everything was different now. Suddenly a lifetime had become a single day.

One of Ben's goals for any day, not just his last day but every single day, was to eat a piece of cake. Ben started a list. Ben looked at his list. It wasn't long, but it was already perfect.

His mom slept like a hibernating bear, which is to say, flat on her back with a pillow on her face. Ben's dad slept like a nervous rabbit, which is to say, tossing and turning and ready to start sprinting at the first sign of a fox.

Ben walked over to the piano and tried playing "Clair de lune." He started out fine but messed up when things got faster in the middle. He tried again, but his fingers got tangled like a kite string in a rosebush.

Ben's eyes got as big as marshmallows in the microwave.

"Am I going to like it?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer. "You'll like it the same way you like spinach." "I don't like spinatch at all." "Yes, but...?" "Spinach is good for me?" "Exactly."

What about all the things he hadn't even thought to put on his list because he didn't yet know that he wanted to do them?

Mrs. Ezra nodded at Ben and put her sunglasses back on. "Life is full of disappointing cakes, but we get out fresh ingredients and try again don't we?"

Ben ate that cake like a tornado eats a field of summer corn.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers

132. The Magical Bookshop

The Magical Bookshop. Katja Frixe. 2021. [May] 176 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: If your best friend tells you that she's moving away, it is time for Red Alert.

Premise/plot: The Magical Bookshop is translated into English from German. This middle school book stars Clara, our heroine, who is mighty upset that her best, best friend, Lottie, is moving away. Her new teacher, Ms. Rose, happens to be the "other woman" and the cause of her best friend's abrupt removal.
But no matter how many things--big, little, medium--seem to go wrong, there's always Mrs. Owl's MAGICAL bookshop. It will always, always, be there, right????

Clara LOVES to spend all her free time at the bookstore. There's a TALKING cat and a TALKING mirror--both always giving advice. And Mrs. Owl's always kind and super-helpful.

My thoughts: This one is definitely light on actual plot but stars plenty of interesting characters. It depends on what you're looking for in a book. I liked the lightness of it. And it has a slightly old-fashioned feel to it.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

116. Better with Butter

Better with Butter. Victoria Piontek. 2021. [July] 320 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: It's not easy being a coward. In fact, it takes a lot of work to be afraid of everything. 

Premise/plot: Marvel, our heroine, is afraid of EVERYTHING. Which is a problem considering that if she doesn't get over at least some of her fears by the time of the sixth grade play, well, she won't be passing sixth grade. The book opens with a terrifying panic attack--on stage in front of EVERYONE. But soon after her totally humiliating experience--an experience which earns her the nickname Frosty, by a few bullies--she stumbles across a miniature fainting goat named BUTTER. Forgetting about herself, temporarily at least, she steps in to "save" Butter from some bullies and ends up taking the goat home with her! With Butter by her side (mostly by her side) as an emotional support animal, Marvel's anxiety lessens and her world expands....but what if finders keepers doesn't apply? What if Butter's real owner shows up? Can Marvel succeed without Butter?

My thoughts: I really LOVED this one. I could relate to Marvel. I thought Butter was adorable. There were so many things that felt oh-so-right about this middle grade novel. I even liked that the sixth graders decided to put on a stage play production of HEIDI so that Butter could be near Marvel.

Quotes:

Worrying is my brain's background music. Sometimes the volume is high, sometimes it's low, but it's never off. I can literally worry about anything, but right now it feels like the current playlist is the same five songs--"Stage Fright," "Everyone Laughed," "Caught on Video," "They Called Her Frosty," "Sixth Grade Failure"--on a constant loop.

"You know, I might not ever get over my anxiety completely."
"You might not," Mom agrees.
"It might always be a part of me, but I think now I understand it doesn't have to be the biggest part." As soon as I say it, I know it's true.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

108. Rosetown

Rosetown. Cynthia Rylant. 2018. 149 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Wings and a Chair Used Books was where Flora Smallwood's mother worked three afternoons a week. Inside, it had a purple velveteen chair by the window for anyone who wanted to stay awhile, and Flora, who sometimes felt quite acutely the stress of being nine years old, and sensitive, loved this chair. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays were her favorite day because of it.

Premise/plot: Flora Smallwood (9) lives in Rosetown, Indiana--the year, 1972. She loves vintage books and reading, and she loves hanging out with her new friend, Yury. What she doesn't love is change--at least not too much change, too quickly.

My thoughts: Rosetown is a character-driven book. Flora, our protagonist, is adjusting to being a fourth grader AND to her parents separating AND to life without her dog (Laurence). The book takes place over a school year. The focus is on family and friends.

I loved, loved, loved the WRITING. Rylant (one of my favorite authors) just has a way with words. I believed in Flora's voice from the first page. By the end of the second chapter I knew were were kindred spirits. I knew that Flora was going to end up being a good, good friend.

Here's a quote from chapter two:

What Flora noticed at once on the first day of fourth grade had been the sudden confidence all the former third graders seemed to have found, and she wondered where they had found it. Nearly all of her classmates appeared to be taller, louder, stronger, and possessed of a sureness of opinion that had been entirely absent the year before. The stumblers, the wanderers, and the floaters of third grade had suddenly, mysteriously, found their feet. They weren't afraid of school anymore. Or maybe of anything. All of this made Flora a little shy. She missed the uncertainty. Fortunately, a new and uncertain person had arrived in room 22, and with him Flora was beginning to build that precious thing called friendship. His name was Yury, which set him apart right away. His Eastern European name, combined with the burden of being the new boy, made Yury a very uncertain fourth-grade person indeed. He wore large round glasses, which made him look rather owl-like. And he was very smart, like an owl, beneath all of the new-boy uncertainty. Flora knew this right away because he was clever....but he shared his cleverness with only one person in fourth grade: Flora. He sat behind her in class, so it was easy for him to whisper to the back of her head. Yury whispered, Flora smiled, and the seeds of friendship were planted.

I highly recommend Rosetown. I loved everything about it!

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

75. Ways to Make Sunshine

Ways to Make Sunshine (Ryan Hart #1) Renee Watson. Illustrated by Nina Mata. 2020. [April] 177 pages. [Source: Bought]
 

First sentence: I am a girl with a name that a lot of boys have. So when the substitute teacher takes roll and calls out, “Ryan?” she looks surprised when I answer. I wish Ms. Colby were here.

Premise/plot: Ryan Hart starts in this realistic chapter book for young readers. Set in Portland, Oregon, Ryan is enjoying--or "enjoying" her last days as a fourth grader. Every day seems to have its challenges. Some days are super-fantastic and she's loving her life just as it is--cooking with and cooking for her family, hanging out with her friends, just living in the moment. Other days are less so. (And that's so realistic.) Some days she's anxious about things going on at school, at church, at home. (For example, at school and church there are a handful of opportunities where she'll have to face her fear of speaking in public--a church program and a talent show.) Her challenges at home include her family moving, struggling with money, and....something that will change everything forever. And then there's that PESKY brother, Ray. This is very much a character driven novel with each chapter being written almost episodic. 

My thoughts: I read the second book first. I really loved Ways to Grow Love. I loved it so much that I sought out the first book and BOUGHT it. I already knew some of what happened in this one because it's mentioned now and then in the second book. (Like what happened on Easter, what happened at the birthday party, etc.) I do recommend both books. I would love a long, long, long series starring Ryan Hart. 

One thing I appreciated in both books is that the Hart family is religious. The family attends church and believes in God. This shouldn't be so unusual that it stands out and is worth mentioning except this is so super rare in books. Normal, every day, ordinary, nothing-special faith-filled moments are excluded from most books. And if faith is mentioned in books, it is usually done in a negative way, something to rebel and react against. (Like the sooner you divorce yourself from faith the happier you will be.) Yet the book isn't preach-y. Just unassuming and natural. 

That being said--and I did find it very refreshing to have faith mentioned at all--I would hope the Easter service was more than just all the kids in Sunday School standing up and reciting poems and essays. Because if a Sunday School talent show--one kid did play a musical instrument--is ALL that the church does for Easter, well, I would leave wanting more.

I loved the characters, the setting, the relationships. This isn't an action-packed read with mysteries to unpack and bad guys to defeat. This is "just" a book that follows a girl through three to four months of the school year. It is all about the feels--her making sense of her life, how she's feeling, etc.

Quotes:

• “I do not have a boy’s name. I have my name. My name is Ryan and Ryan means ‘king’ and that means I am a leader—”
• Dad is always telling me our people come from royalty, that my ancestors lived in Africa and were kings and queens and inventors and hard workers. Mom tells me their strength is running through my veins.
• My brother’s name is Raymond. We call him Ray. His name means “protector” and Dad says he should be keeping me, his little sister, safe. But mostly he is just bossy and nosy and sometimes he treats me like I am a glass thing that could break.
• Here’s the thing about ice cream. No matter how sweet it is, no matter if it’s given to you even when you aren’t supposed to have it, no matter if you’re told you can come back for seconds—it doesn’t take away the sadness.
• “How you wear your hair is your choice and no matter what you choose, it’s not going to determine if you’re beautiful or not. The only thing that will determine that is how you treat others. If you are mean to people, if you act ugly toward them, that’s what takes your beauty away.”
• “I’m not a leader. I’m a girl who gets so scared standing in front of people that I freeze and forget my words. That’s not a good leader at all.”

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

47. Baby Island

Baby Island. Carol Ryrie Brink. Illustrated by Helen Sewell. 1937. 160 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: On the night of September twentieth, the S.S. Ormina, two weeks outward bound from San Francisco to Australia, was struck by a tropical storm and badly disabled.

Premise/plot: Mary Wallace (age 12) and her sister Jean (age 10) have a grand old time when they find themselves shipwrecked on an island in charge of four children under the age of two. Think about that for a minute--if you're an adult.

So as the ship is sinking, Mary decides to help rescue the babies she knows are on board. Apparently three of the four babies weren't with their parent(s) at the time. The two sisters end up with four babies (three of which are siblings): Elisha and Elijah (age 20 months) and Jonah (age 4 months) AND a little girl Ann Elizabeth (age 1). So these children end up in a lifeboat together--no other women (as you'd expect in a sinking ship). They are set adrift in the ocean. But don't worry, all will be well because we've got baby whisperers on board. Mary knows everything there is to know about babies. And she's willing to learn about lifeboats and islands, too, I suppose.

Eventually, the lifeboat comes to shore on a desert island. The kids persevere for a bit...having one grand adventure after another. Will rescue come?

My thoughts: My mom LOVED this book when she was in elementary school. She's always talking about how much she'd love to reread this book and how she hasn't seen a copy in years. So it was a Christmas gift to her this year. And after she reread it, I decided to read it for the first time. She has warm and fuzzy memories about it. I do not have such--for better or worse.

It's not that the book is bad--or "bad"--so much as the book is ridiculously naive and requires a long suspension of disbelief. So long as you don't think about what it would actually be like to be shipwrecked with babies on a desert island, you might enjoy yourself mightily. But this book doesn't really accurately cover the things babies are known for most. 

Is this because it wasn't polite to talk about dirty diapers in general in 1937? Or it wasn't appropriate for children to read about dirty diapers? But it wasn't just that these babies never made messes in their clothes/diapers. It was that they didn't really behave and act like babies at all. I mean taking care of young babies is HARD--as in exhausting, physically, mentally, emotionally demanding. Not that it isn't rewarding and worth it. Not that it can't be full of sweet, tender, lovely moments. But for all the sweetness and joy--there's a lot of clean up and work.

But forgiving that--and I can forgive that--it also doesn't feel realistic in terms of island survival either. Like this island has no insects or wild life that pose any dangers or risks whatsoever. Not that I wanted there to be poisonous, venomous creatures about--just the idea that this island was 100% baby-proofed and that it was so safe and so easy. (Also no one ever gets sunburned.) It's like super-easy to keep all four babies (and themselves) adequately nourished. It just doesn't feel realistic or likely.  

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

30. Ways to Grow Love

Ways to Grow Love. (Ryan Hart #2) Renee Watson. Illustrated by Nina Mata. 2021. [April] 192 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Nothing is the same. Now that Mom is pregnant, everything has changed. Before school let out for summer, Ms. Colby said to my class, “Have a great summer. I hope you have fun and that it’s full of special moments. I can’t wait to hear all about it next school year.” The way summer is going, I won’t have any great or fun or special moments to share because all the summer plans we made aren’t happening.

Premise/plot: Ryan Hart is going to be a big sister! Yes, Ryan and Ray are getting a little sister. Ryan, our lovely, adorable heroine, is coping. On the one hand, a baby sister has potential certainly. On the other hand, it might bring about some CHANGES to her plans and routines. Will Ryan have the summer of her dreams if everything is baby, baby, baby all the time?

My thoughts: Ways to Grow Love is the second book in a series. Though I haven't read the first book--YET--I warmed up to the heroine quickly. Going to the library is one of Ryan's favorite, favorite, favorite things to do.

"But who can be quick in a wonderland of words and pictures? It’s not that I don’t like spending time with Grandma, it’s just that Mom and I go to the library at the end of every school year and we pick out books and have a book club, just the two of us."

 EXACTLY. Soon my feelings spilled over for the rest of her family and friends. By the end of the novel it was love.

I enjoyed the family dynamics of this one--the relationships the family has with one another. I enjoyed the narration--Ryan is great! 

I enjoyed the fact that faith is built into this one subtly-not-so-subtly. It's not that the novel is preachy--it isn't. It's just that faith is just as present and natural as breathing air. (In this one, Ryan goes to a Christian summer camp with some of her friends. Each cabin has to do a skit and Ryan and her friends choose the parable of the Good Samaritan for their skit.)

I loved the special father-daughter bonding. I've read two books in a row with excellent fathers--I could really love a trend like this if it continues!

“I want to write about one of the memories with my dad, but I don’t know which one to choose.” Ms. Anderson says, “Choose the one that you wish could happen again and again.”

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers