Middle-Grade Review: Mighty Jack

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Although I’d heard of author/graphic novelist Ben Hatke before, I’d never had a chance to read one of his books. So, I was thrilled to read his latest graphic novel for middle-graders, Mighty Jack, which was released in September. This modern retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk was inventive, engrossing, and a lot of fun.

A boy named Jack lives with his mother and his younger sister, Maddy, who doesn’t speak. His mom works very hard to support them, but money is always tight. Jack is often left in charge of Maddy while his mom is working, especially now, during summer vacation. While wandering around the flea market one day while their mom shops, Maddy is drawn to a booth manned by a strange-looking guy, and Jack follows her. He shows them some unusual things and then offers them a box full of odd-looking seed packets.

The pictures on the seed packet are strange designs, not vegetables, and unlike anything Jack has ever seen before. They can’t afford to buy anything, but Maddy is insistent, as is the seller. Somehow, before he knows what is happening, Jack has traded his mom’s car keys for the seeds. His mother is furious, of course, but Maddy is thrilled.

Back home the next day, Maddy immediately starts digging. Thinking that maybe growing some of their own food will allow him to help his mom, Jack joins in. The day before, Jack had noticed – and been drawn to – a girl about his age sword fighting with a dummy in her driveway. The girl, named Lilly, noticed Jack staring and seeks him out. She is also fascinated by the odd-looking seeds and helps them plant them.

Of course, these seeds don’t grow into anything any of them has ever seen before. The garden grows – very quickly – and there are no giant beanstalks, but there are plenty of other strange plants that are even more unique and magical. The three children gradually figure out some of the secrets of their new garden and also realize that it could be dangerous. Luckily, Lilly grew up among three older brothers who liked to play knights and pirates, so she equips the three of them to defend themselves against some of the garden’s more virulent creations.

This is the kind of fantasy that I most enjoy – where fantastical elements are set within a real-life world with real-feeling characters. I was immediately drawn to Jack, Maddy, and Lilly (especially Lilly, a brave and strong girl) and enjoyed the suspense of seeing what their bizarre garden would yield each new day. The illustrations are also my favorite kind in a graphic novel: full-color, realistic pictures of both the human characters and the magical things that come out of their garden. You can see the close, touching relationship that Jack has with both his mom and his little sister in these pictures. I enjoyed this unique take on a classic tale that blends the real world and fantasy so beautifully. It ends with a cliffhanger, so I can’t wait to see what Jack’s next adventures will be!

205 pages, First Second

NOTE: Book 2, Mighty Jack and the Goblin King is planned for release on September 5, 2017.

   

Fiction Review: Dept. of Speculation

I finally read Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill in January. It was first published in 2014, made many “best of the year” lists, and my husband gave the paperback to me for Christmas last year. Eventually, I make my way through the books on my shelves! This moving novel is the story of a marriage, told in a very unique way.

The unnamed narrator writes in the first-person at the beginning, in short little sentences and paragraphs that don’t lead logically from one to the next but nevertheless tell a cohesive story from the start of her relationship with her husband through many milestones, joys, and bumps in the road, including some serious problems. She writes as I or we, though later, she refers to him as the husband, to their child as the girl, and to herself as the wife, switching to third-person as if to distance herself from her story, as things begin to get difficult.

It’s a very unusual narrative that jumps between brief descriptions of their life together or their past lives before they met to random facts (she worked as a fact-checker at a science magazine for a while) to quotes. The quotes are from sources as varied as literary greats, self-help books, and people in their life. One of my favorite passages is a quote that any female reader will love:

“Advice for wives circa 1896: The indiscriminate reading of novels is one of the most injurious habits to which a married woman can be subject. Besides the false views of human nature it will impart…it produces an indifference to the performance of domestic duties, and contempt for ordinary realities.”

This disjointed narrative style is a bit jarring at first and takes some getting used to. Those first few pages are disorienting and a little confusing. However, I soon got into the rhythm of the story. It’s actually quite clever because it is a sort of stream of consciousness, with the narrator recalling single moments of her history with her husband. Isn’t that the way our minds really work? On the very first page, she says:

“Memories are microscopic. Tiny particles that swarm together and apart. Little people, Edison called them. Entities.”

After a couple of short chapters, you can easily see the narrative thread in these seemingly random bits. The memories are more or less chronological, beginning with when they first met. Despite their brevity, each little paragraph gives you more information – about the narrator, about her husband, about their marriage – that link together to tell a cohesive story. There is even some suspense here, which is why I didn’t say much about the plot, wondering whether they will be able to work out their problems and whether they will stay together. This is a novel that seems strange at first, but it is compelling, and by the end, you realize what a clever way it is to tell the story of a marriage from the inside.

177 pages, Vintage Contemporaries

Middle-grade Review: Friends for Life

To give you an idea of just how big my to-be-read pile (actually, an entire bookcase) is, I pulled an interesting looking middle-grade novel off the shelf a couple of weeks ago and discovered it was an Advanced Reader’s Copy….due to be published in August 2015! So, I am a bit behind the times on this one, but I am so glad that I didn’t miss it. Friends for Life by Andrew Norriss is a story about a misfit boy who becomes friends with a girl ghost his age (yes, ghost). Though it starts out light, this warm and moving novel ends up tackling some very serious and important issues through its ghostly friendship.

Francis is sitting outside his school on a sunny bench, eating lunch by himself as usual, when a girl walks over and sits beside him. He is surprised, since he doesn’t recognize her and no one ever pays much attention to him. She is even more surprised, though, that he can see her and hear her, too. Her name is Jessica, and she explains to a shocked Francis that she’s been dead for a year and wandering around, but he is the only person who’s ever seen her or heard her. They agree to meet up again after school, and a very special (and unique) friendship is born.

Francis has become adept at being invisible himself because life is just easier if no one notices him. Unfortunately, though, Quentin goes out of his way to notice him and tease him. Francis has some unusual interests that he learned at a young age not to mention in front of his classmates, but Quentin has never forgotten and never misses a chance to taunt him. Jessica is introduced to Francis’ hobbies on her first visit to his house. He has a huge attic room devoted to fashion and making clothes. He loves fashion and draws and creates his own designs. Francis even has a huge collection of dolls, lined up on shelves and each dressed differently in Francis’ own creations, to represent the history of the last 50 years of fashion.

As two misfits, Francis and Jessica quickly bond. Francis’ mother, though, is more worried about him than ever because he spends all of his time up in the attic alone, and he seems to be talking to himself up there. She decides that he needs a friend and makes him meet the new girl down the road, Andi. Much to his surprise, Francis and Andi – despite being very different – actually get along well and discover they have something in common. Francis, Andi, and Jessica are now all good friends. Soon, they meet a boy named Roland, and he joins their small band of friends – more friends than any of them has ever had before.

These three live friends all share something in common. They are all misfits who have been bullied and teased by other kids for not fitting in. They love spending time together and – with their ghost friend, Jessica – are happy for the first time in a very long time. Jessica provides the impetus that takes their friendship to another level, though, as details from her history are gradually revealed (there are things she doesn’t remember at first). They eventually come to see that Jessica is even more important to them than they first thought and that their friendship can serve an even more important purpose for other kids who don’t fit in.

I wish I could tell you what important issues this wonderful book delves into, but I don’t want to spoil the surprising twists in the plot. Suffice is to say that, despite its light-handed touch and ghostly theme, Friends for Life is more than just a fun story (though it is that, too). It carries some important messages about not fitting in and bullying and more, with the misfit kids at the center of it as its heroes. I absolutely loved this warm, funny novel about ghosts and friendship that gradually reveals its layers of meaning and depth.

240 pages, David Fickling Books (Scholastic)

It's Monday 2/6! What Are You Reading?

Another insanely busy week, trying to get everything done before my sons returned to college this weekend for spring semester. I am utterly exhausted this morning, but I am alone in a quiet house! I am currently cranking up my Happy playlist (which starts with I Will Survive!) to try to perk up my energy a bit.

So, I had almost no time all week for blogging - either writing posts or visiting blogs (sorry). This will be my "dig out and catch up" week!

Luckily, we always have time for our books:

• I finished - and really enjoyed - a middle-grade book, Friends for Life by Andrew Norriss, about a boy who becomes friends with a ghost. It seems light and fun at the beginning (and it is), but it also has surprising depth and deals with some very serious mental health issues. Excellent overall.
• Now I am reading The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith, JK Rowling's pen name for her mystery series starring private detective Cormoran Strike. I gave it to my husband for his birthday and am glad to have finally gotten to it myself. It's excellent so far - as you'd expect! Engrossing and suspenseful novels are perfect for hectic times like this.
• I am still listening to a middle-grade audiobook, The Scourge by Jennifer Nielsen. It's about a dystopian world where a disease is ravaging its citizens and one young girl learns some secrets while being held in a quarantine colony.
• My husband, Ken, is reading a Christmas gift from me, The Trespasser by Tana French, the latest (#5, I think) in her books about the Dublin Murder Squad. He loves her literary murder mysteries, though he's been laughing over some of the Irish slang! Skangers, jacks, gaff,  gaffer, and bickied! I'm checking with my UK/Irish friends on Facebook for translations.
•  Jamie, 22, has been reading The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. He is up to book 3, The Dragon Reborn, and enjoying it. His reading time will plummet now, with classes starting up again today.

Like I said, not much blogging time last week. Just two new posts:

Movie Monday: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, an excellent addition to the canon!

My 2017 Reading Challenges - yes, finally! Some oldies and some fun new ones

I must catch up on reviews this week - I am 6 reviews behind at this point.  

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

What are you and your family reading this week? 

2017 Reading Challenges

Ha! I swore I would get to my new reading challenges in January this year - alas, I did not. But at least, it's early February - that's better than last year! It took me all week to figure it out (there are SO many cool reading challenges out there!)...Here are my 2017 Reading Challenges. You can check in on my progress all year at my 2017 Reading Challenges page.

On the top of the list, as always, a TBR challenge:

Read Your Own Damn Books hosted by Estella's Revenge

I have an entire bookcase of books waiting to be read! In 2015, I managed to read 24 TBR books off my own shelves, and in 2016, I set a goal of 25 TBR books...and missed it by 2! For 2017, I will aim (again) to read at least 25 of My Own Damn Books, and I would love to clear even more off the TBR shelves!

2017 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge hosted by Girlxoxo.

I really enjoyed this fun challenge last year, where there is a different theme every month. My plan this year is to try to remember to check for the monthly motif before the end of the month! Here are this year's categories:


JANUARY – Diversify Your Reading
Kick the reading year off right and shake things up. Read a book with a character (or written by an author) of a race, religion, or sexual orientation other than your own.
FEBRUARY – Undercover Thriller
Read a book involving spies, detectives, private investigators, or a character in disguise.
MARCH – Time Traveler
Read a book set in a different dimension, a book in which time travel is involved or a dystopian or science fiction book where reality looks very different than what we’re used to.
APRIL – Award Winners
Read a book that has won a literary award or a book written by an author who has been recognized in the bookish community.
MAY – Book to Movie or Audio
Read a book that has a movie based off of it. For an extra challenge, see the movie or listen to the audio book as well.
JUNE – Destination Unknown
Read a book in which the character(s) take a trip, travel somewhere, go on a quest, or find themselves on a journey toward something.
JULY – Believe the Unbelievable
This month it’s all about fantasy. Epic fantasy, urban fantasy, fairytales, magic, etc.
AUGUST – Seasons, Elements, & Weather
Read a book in which the season, the elements, or the weather plays a role in the story.
SEPTEMBER – Creepy, Chilling, & Frightful
Cozy mystery ghost stories, paranormal hauntings, murder mysteries, weird and scary creatures- it’s up to you!
OCTOBER– Games, Challenges, & Contests
Read a book that involves a game of some sort. Video games, war games, psychological mess-with-your-mind games, characters who participate in a contest, or a story in which the character takes on a challenge.
NOVEMBER – Last Chance
Read a book you’ve been meaning to get to all year but haven’t yet or read the last book in a series you started.
DECEMBER – Picking Favorites
Read a book by one of your favorite authors or read a book that Girlxoxo has recommended this year.

Back to the Classics Challenge 2017 hosted by Books and Chocolate.

I always like to join some sort of Classics Challenge because it gives me extra incentive to read classics, which I want to do but often ignore for more current books. To be honest, I am joining this one somewhat reluctantly because it is a bit more restrictive than I wanted (I did this one two years ago), but there are very few classics challenges this year, apparently! A book must be published no later than 1967 to count for this challenge (I sometimes like to include slightly more modern classics), but it does look like they lifted the restriction on no re-reads (a major stumbling block for me as I often return to classics I read in high school, 35 years ago!). My own personal goal for this one is to read 6 classics this year (that would beat last year's total of 4). They have 12 different categories to fit your classics choices into (you can see the categories at the link above).

A 2017 Reading Challenge to Keep You Well-Rounded hosted by /r/books.


This one is kind of non-traditional - no sign-ups or links list - but it looks like fun! The idea is to expand your reading horizons by aiming to read one book in each of the following categories - 52 books in a year (I read 75 last year, so that's not a problem, but we'll see how much variety I have!). There is also an easier version, where one book can count for multiple categories, so you could do it with far fewer than 52 books.


Genre
Read a book in the Science Fiction genre
Read a book in the Fantasy genre
Read a book labelled as Young Adult
Read a nonfiction book
Read a History book, fiction or nonfiction
Read a Biography, whether normal, Auto, or Memoir.
Read a book about Politics and/or Religion
Read a book in the Thriller or Suspense genre
Read a Mystery book
Read a book labelled as Dystopian
Read a book in the Paranormal genre
Read a book labelled as a Satire or Allegory
Read a book from the Self-Help, Health, Travel, or Guide category
Read a collection of poetry
Read a book from the Horror genre
Read a Romance and/or Erotica book
Publishing
Read a book originally published in a language you do not know
Read a book written before 1950
Read a book written after 1949
Read a book published this year
Read a self-published book
Read an indie book, where the publisher is a small or niche house and not one of the top 6 publishers
Read a book published under one of the Big 6 publishing houses
Read a debut book from this year
Popularity and Notoriety
Read a book that was turned into a movie
Read a popular book, with at least 1 million ratings on any one website
Read an unknown book, with no more than 100 ratings on any one website
Read a book that won a literary award
Read a book labelled as a Best-Seller from this year
Read a book that was, or currently is, banned by a government
Author
Read a book by an author born in the same country as you
Read a book written by a man
Read a book written by a woman
Characters or setting
Read a book with a contemporary setting
Read a book that features animals
Read a book where the main character goes on a journey
Read a book where a stranger comes to town
Read a book by or featuring a character that is LGBT
Read a book set in your country
Read a book not set in your country, but exists today
Book features
Read a short story, one with less than 5,000 words
Read a short book, one between 5,000 and 100,000 words
Read a long book, one between 100,000 and 250,000 words
Read an epic book, one with over 250,000 words
Read the first book in a series
Finish a series
Listen to an Audiobook
Read a book on paper
Read a book with pictures in it
Combining all the letters of all the titles of all the books you’ve read this year, complete the Alphabet
Other
Read a book for the second time
Read a book that’s been on your to read-list for more than a year

Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge hosted by Mom's Small Victories, one of my favorite blogs. I signed up for this one back in 2014, so this is a continuation - I can't wait to see what places I visit in books in 2017! Last year I read 30 books set in other countries/cultures (20 different places), so I hope to do even better this year!

2017 Literary Escapes Challenge hosted by Escape with Dollycas Into a Good Book.

Hurray! After a year off, I found another reading challenge that tracks where books take place. I enjoy this so much that I kept tracking my states even when there was no challenge. I read books set in 27 different states last year, so I hope to do even better in 2017!

Bookish Bingo hosted by Chapter Break - not really a challenge per se, but a fun game that I play each month! I really enjoyed it last year, so stop by to print out this month's Bingo card and play along!

Big Book Summer Challenge hosted by Book by Book (me!)

I will once again host the Big Books Summer Challenge in 2017, so watch for the sign-up in May!

Movie Monday: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Two weeks ago, my husband and I went out to the theater to see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. We don't often get out to the theater, but this is one we definitely wanted to see on the big screen. It didn't disappoint. Rogue One is an excellent addition to the Star Wars canon, and we both enjoyed it very much.

First, let me explain something that took me a while into the movie to figure out: when Rogue One takes place in the Star Wars timeline. The events in this movie take place immediately before the original Star Wars movie, A New Hope (that would be the fourth episode, but the first one to come out, in 1977). So, it is kind of like Episode 3 1/2. Once you see it, you understand that the events in the original Star Wars movie occurred just after this.

OK, now that that is out of the way, here is a brief overview of the plot set-up. A scientist named Galen Erso is kidnapped in the first scene by Empire stormtroopers and forced to work with them to complete building the Death Star. Galen's little girl, Jyn, successfully escapes and hides from the stormtroopers and is then rescued by Saw Gerrera (played by Forest Whitaker), a friend of her father's. Saw brings Jyn up and when she is a young woman (played by Felicity Jones), she meets up with Cassian (played by Diego Luna). Eventually, she decides to join the Resistance with him. They are accompanied by an old Empire robot named K-2S0 and an old, blind man named Baze (played by Wen Jiang) who knows how to use the Force.

After joining the Rebel Alliance, they go off on their own on a rogue mission to steal the plans for the Death Star from a heavily armed Empire data facility and name their ship (you guessed it) Rogue One. As I'm sure you know if you've ever seen any Star Wars movie, this is a great simplification of a very complex plot. Suspense builds, with good versus evil, their rogue mission, and a great battle scene at the end.

My husband and I both enjoyed Rogue One and found it to fit nicely into the Star Wars canon, with all of the elements you would expect: interesting characters, nasty bad guys, a noble but seemingly doomed mission, and massive battle scenes. I was a bit hesitant to see this one because I had heard some reviewers criticize it for a lack of humor, pervading darkness, and too-lengthy battle scenes (something I don't have much patience for). I didn't find any of this to be true, though! We both thought the tone of the movie was well-balanced and that it had a nice sense of humor (much of the humor comes from the robot, K-2S0). As for the battle scene at the end, it was just right - exciting and suspenseful, not at all boring, and just the right length. Bottom line: we both enjoyed it very much and liked seeing what led to the events in the original Star Wars movie.

You can still find Rogue One in a few theaters, but it is on its way out, so hurry! It is due out on DVD in April 2017 and should be available via streaming sometime before that (TBA) - you can use the Amazon link below to pre-order.

Have you seen Rogue One yet? Which is your favorite Star Wars movie?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Another busy week but a good one. Both sons are home from college for winter break, and we got to spend a little time with each of them this weekend, including having 8 young men here for breakfast on Saturday! Piles of pancakes, eggs, and sausage. It was great to have them all here, back together - felt like old times! I had a very social week myself, with my neighborhood book group on Wednesday and a lunch meeting with our local chronic illness support group on Friday (that's a lot for me in one week). Still plenty of time for reading, of course.

Here's what we've all been reading last week:

• I finished The Whip by Karen Kondazian, a novel based on the real-life story of Charley Parkhurst, a woman who moved out West in the 1800's and pretended to be a man in order to work as a stagecoach driver. It was very interesting, though also heartbreaking to read about the losses she suffered. Most in our book group enjoyed the story, though some thought the writing was too simple and shallow, so this one got mixed reviews from our group. I enjoyed it - review to come!
• I also finished a review book (due out in May), 'Round Midnight by Laura McBride, author of the highly acclaimed We Are Called To Rise (which I haven't read yet). This new novel is about four women in Las Vegas whose lives are intertwined. I would definitely recommend this one - it was warm and absorbing and fascinating to see the surprising ways that these very different women's lives intersected over time.
• I forgot to include this one last week: I read a middle-grade graphic novel, Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke. I like graphic novels because you can squeeze them in when you don't have much reading time! This one was very good, a modern take on Jack and the Beanstalk, a fantasy story about a boy and his mute sister who grow a very unusual garden with the help of a neighbor friend. Both story and pictures were very well done, and I look forward to the next book in the series.
• I just started another middle-grade book, Friends for Life by Andrew Norriss, about a boy who becomes friends with a ghost. It's great so far - I am really enjoying it.
• On a bit of a middle-grade binge, I am still listening to a middle-grade audiobook, The Scourge by Jennifer Nielsen. It's about a dystopian world where a disease is ravaging its citizens and one young girl learns some secrets while being held in a quarantine colony. It's good so far.
• My husband, Ken, is reading a Christmas gift from me, The Trespasser by Tana French, the latest (#5, I think) in her books about the Dublin Murder Squad. He loves her literary murder mysteries, though he's been laughing over some of the Irish slang! I have only read the first one so far - I have some catching up to do!
•  Jamie, 22, has been reading The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. He is up to book 3, The Dragon Reborn, and enjoying it.

I'm not yet completely caught up on blog posts (still need to sign up for 2017 Reading Challenges), but I did manage quite a few posts last week:

Movie Monday: Mr. Holmes, an elderly Sherlock Holmes with dementia looks back on his last case

TV Tuesday: Mercy Street, a Civil War drama set in a hospital, with a great cast

Fiction Review: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch - I loved this mind-bending thriller!

Best of Books Read 2016 - Finally! My 2016 book summary

Saturday Snapshot: Sunshine and Blue Skies - a rare glimpse of blue skies this week!

What are you and your family reading this week?    

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

Saturday Snapshot: Sunshine & Blue Skies

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. 

Well, this is starting to get repetitive, but our weather continues to be mostly dark and gloomy here (including today), which really gets me down. But, as with last week, we did have a couple of little glimpses of sunshine and blue skies this week...amazing how much that can lift your spirits! My son said the same thing to me this week - he spend our nice, sunny day playing sports outside with his friends all day.

Anyway, here are a few pics from one day of sunshine and blue skies:

Brilliant blue sky with one puffy little cloud

I saw my shadow! Does that mean 6 more weeks of winter?

Bare branches against blue sky & sunshine!

Ah! Love that bright sky!

Hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend!

Best of Books Read 2016

Finally! My 2016 book summary! Shouldn't there be trumpets or a drumroll or some kind of fanfare? It's not even February yet!

My lateness was not due to a lack of great books - 2016 was an excellent reading year! I read 75 books in 2016, and I have added all of them - with links to my reviews - to my Book Reviews tab. And you can see how I did on my 2016 Reading Challenges here.

Here are some summaries, fun facts, and my picks for Best Books Read in 2016:

Total Books Read = 75
Adult Fiction = 34
Adult Nonfiction = 7 (11 total nonfiction)
Adult Graphic Memoirs = 2
Teen/YA = 19
Middle-Grade = 13
Audiobooks = 28

(there is overlap in some categories, in case you are checking my math!)

Book Written by Women Authors = 46 (61%)

Diverse Books (with characters or by authors who are not white European-derived heterosexuals) = 23 (31%)

Books from my own shelves (TBR) = 23 (31%)

Now, for some of my choices in several Best Of categories:

Best Adult Novel 

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

 

 

Best Nonfiction  

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

Best Memoir  

Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

  

Best Audiobook

Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx by Sonia Manzano

 

Best Teen/YA

Unbecoming by Jenny Downham 

Best Middle-Grade  

Pax by Sara Pennypacker  

And a few Top Ten (or Top Whatever) Lists:

Top Ten Adult Novels:

• The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez   
• Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
• LaRose by Louise Erdrich 
• Marriage on the Street Corners of Tehran by Nadia Shahram
• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah 
• Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel 
  Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
• The Summer Guest by Alison Anderson 
• A Tale for the Time Being  by Ruth Ozeki
  The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell

 

 Top 5 Nonfiction for Adults (including graphic memoirs)

• Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo 
• How to Live Well with Chronic Pain and Illness: A Mindful Guide by Toni Bernhard  
• Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman 
• Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi 

 Top 7 Teen/YA Novels

• Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx by Sonia Manzano
• The Cage by Megan Shepherd
• The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork
• Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys 
• Solitaire by Alice Oseman 
• Unbecoming by Jenny Downham 
• Vivian Apple At the End of the World by Katie Coyle  

Top 8 Middle-Grade Novels

• The Big Dark by Rodman Philbrick 
• The Lightning Queen by Laura Renau 
• The Marvels by Brian Selznick 
• My Name Is Not Friday by Jon Walter 
• A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen 
• Pax by Sara Pennypacker 
• This Side Of Wild by Gary Paulsen 
• Swing Sideways by Nanci Turner Steveson  

What an amazing reading year!  Here's to more great books in 2017!

What were your favorite books read in 2016? Do you agree with any of my picks?