Tag Archives: fiction

Determine Your Own Destiny: A review of Inkbound: Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo

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Inkbound: Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo
Philippa Leathley
Illustrated by Brie Schmida
Clarion Books/HarperCollinsChildrens
January 28, 2025
Age 8-12

Born to a family of magical bent and eccentric names, Meticulous “Metty” Jones yearns for her tenth birthday and the receipt of a hand tattoo that will tell her fate—as a magical murderer. Hidden away for a year because of it, 11-year-old Metty finds her stoic father (Captain Moral Jones) missing and her unconventional Aunt Mag (Magnificent Jones) whisking her off to the magical, ink-fueled city of New London just ahead of the mysterious Black Moths that are searching for her. Along with a motley crew of friends, brave and curious Metty is determined to find her father, evade the dreaded Moths that pursue her, and change the fate she does not accept. Learning she is meant to bring life, instead of death, sets her on a path in opposition to the Black Moths, who would use her gifts for their own questionable purposes.

Leathley skillfully blends dark humor and mystery, with prose reminiscent of classic children’s literature in this first in a new series. Metty’s will to fight her fate is a journey of self-determination within a larger story of ethics—of our choices, of government power, and of how citizens choose to respond. Each in the diverse cast of characters is well-developed, sympathetic, and realistically flawed, so while Metty is clearly the protagonist, strong secondary characters ground these big questions in thoughtful dialog. When Aunt Mag tells her, “You are whatever you decide to be. Nobody controls your actions. Nobody but you.” (p 161), she is both encouraging Metty’s choices and attempting to protect her from her self-doubt.

Full of complex and creative world-building, a propulsive plot, and fierce friendships, it promises to draw readers looking for a Harry Potter-like combination of magic, adventure, danger, and community.

*Review based on ARC with no art included.

The Big Score: A Review of Faker

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Faker
Gordon Korman
Scholastic
Age 8-12
July 2, 2024


Is Trey really defined by what his family does? Confidence man, liar, criminal… Faker? Living a high-end life funded by his father’s career as a con artist, Trey and his little sister are in on the game, to reel in families in a series of prep schools and wealthy communities. Settling into what could be their biggest score yet—the big kahuna—a fictional electric car start-up looking for investors, he begins to question it all. An influential middle school ethics teacher and his activist daughter open Trey’s eyes to the morality of the “family business” and a growing disillusionment with how it affects those around him.

In the authentically conflicted voice of an adolescent boy, Korman gives this realistic fiction tale a twist. What if this boy was a con trying to go straight? Then he adds all the middle school conflict that comes with friendships, family drama, and questioning parental authority. Is Dad right that no one is hurt when you take from the rich? Brisk plotting and snappy dialog mirror the pace of Trey’s quickly developing conscience. “I can’t believe I ever thought it was anything more than stealing” (p. 170). Trey matures throughout the narrative, getting involved to rehab a local park and discovering that a new friend is also part of a con artist family, efficiently driving the final action. In a conveniently tidy conclusion, he makes a dramatic decision—they all go straight, return the money, and build the stable home life Trey always wanted. A funny and fast-paced coming of age story for middle schooler readers that want a side of crime with their family drama.

Elementary!: A review of The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall

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The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall
Ali Standish
Harper Collins Children’s Books
Age 8-12
Available September 12, 2023

In a middle-grade twist on the Sherlock Holmes stories, a brilliant young Arthur Conan Doyle accepts a full scholarship to a mysterious school for exceptional students. In the hopes of providing a better life for his family, Arthur devotes himself to school, including the friendships, mysteries, and mayhem that one would expect of a 19th century English boarding school—eccentric students and professors, secret societies, magical clocks, and even a baby dinosaur. But when it comes time to submit to the questionable ethics of the secret society, and their promises of wealth and power, or do the right thing at the possible expense of his future, Arthur shows integrity to the end.

Standish borrows liberally from the Holmes novels with characters, like Dr. Watson, Jamie Moriarty, and Sherlock Holmes himself, named for many of the original Doyle’s most famous characters. Arthur himself is drawn as one would imagine a young Sherlock. These details, however, may be lost on young readers. The swiftly plotted and intricately detailed mystery can stand alone though, using its quirky characters and darkly atmospheric setting to draw the reader into its world and to rooting for the cast of diverse and well-crafted characters. Themes of friendship, integrity, and problem-solving run heavily through the novel and help to ground some of the more outlandish plot devices, like time travel and dinosaur hatching. And with a parting “the game is afoot” (p. 310), Standish sets the stage for a series of future adventures that junior sleuths will be sure to love.

A Cool and Sweet Summer Treat: A Review of My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich

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my life as an ice cream sandwich

My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich
Ibi Zoboi
Penguin Random House, August 2019
Grades 5 and up

 My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich, by National Book Award Finalist Ibi Zoboi, explores the imaginative world of Ebony-Grace Norfleet. While Ebony goes to Harlem to live with her father during the summer of 1984, her mother helps Ebony’s beloved grandfather back home. Her grandfather was a former NASA engineer, one of the first to be integrated into the NASA program in the 1960s. Ebony has followed in his footsteps with her fascination with space, spaceships, and science fiction. As the summer progresses, Ebony tries to adjust to big city life, a totally different world for her, coming from Huntsville, Alabama. From the start, readers will feel pulled into Ebony’s world, the sounds and excitement of New York City, and the 1980s.

Ebony battles the struggles in her life by seeing and experiencing everything as science fiction (Star Trek, Star Wars, and Wonder Woman). She then relates these challenges to the adventures she had with her grandfather (Sonic Boom, Captain Fleet, and many more) back home. It’s a summer of change for Ebony as she learns to make new friends and tries to fit in. She finds a new love and respect for her father and her roots, and she gains more self-awareness. Ebony discovers she can trust others, and most importantly of all, she learns to believe in herself. By summer’s end, Ebony realizes that she has other special people in her life besides her grandfather and that no matter what, his love will always be with her.

Zoboi’s use of space as a metaphor is effective and expertly crafted, drawing the reader more deeply into Ebony’s story. Her voice is exceptional, heartfelt, and stunning. Zoboi paints a setting that is real, palpable, and rich with imagery. She captures what it means to be at crossroads – the time when childhood and young adulthood eclipse, where dreams and reality clash, and when learning to let go is often the hardest thing of all, but a necessary part of growing up. My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich is a beautifully rendered story of identity, family, friendship, loss, and acceptance.

 

Many thanks to local author, SCBWI-IL member, and guest reviewer, Elizabeth Brown. Brown is the author of Dancing Through Fields of Color: The Story of Helen Frankenthaler, illustrated by Aimee Sicuro, (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2019) – a Junior Library Guild Selection. She has additional forthcoming picture books to release soon. Ms. Brown holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College, and she is represented by Sean McCarthy Literary Agency.