He arrives on the family farm, and quickly bonds with Klynt, appealing to her scientific side as much as anything else. D-39 is an early model of a robot dog, developed after the government killed all dogs, carriers of a killer virus. Soon, this is a survival story, brightened immensely by the title character. The prose poems use a new delightful vocabulary and show how Klynt reacts to the loneliness of her farm, the closing of school, and her missing mother. In a future world involved in a still-distant war, on land damaged by politics, climate change, and/or greed, 12-year-old Klynt keeps a log of her days.
The two women bond over household tasks and the raw beauty of the coast, even as the feminist tendencies of this tiny village are about to be burnt out violently. Ursa is the other narrator, at first delighted by Absolom’s attentions, then silently shocked as his personality and role as executioner of witches develops into a point of pride. She fishes her family’s traditional spots, mourning her fiance even as newlyweds arrive, a new pastor with his city wife, Ursa. Young Maren is part of the second group, helping to store the frozen bodies as they turn up on the shore, then bury them when the ground softens. The surviving women split in two groups, one following the church and the other determined to survive, which requires revolutionizing gender roles. A coastal town in medieval Norway loses most of its men in a freak storm. I knew it would be tragic, but didn’t guess the specifics of how it would come about.
This atmospheric novel will chill you as you read to the devastating conclusion. While he regularly brushes over negatives, like mosquitos in the Midwest, heat in the desert, and his loneliness after heartbreak, this book adds to my expanding appreciation of travel books. For the parks I’ve visited, his experiences ring true, and for the ones I haven’t, they often make me more curious. Knighton visits all the National Parks, presenting them as treasures and making me feel quite patriotic. In this book of personal essays, he is very clear and lucid, with prose that often stops me with an insight, a silly pun, or an unexpected detail. I don’t watch much tv, so I didn’t know the writer. Most reviews I’ve seen give away little of the plot, and I’m trying to follow that, but I gotta say (spoiler alert from midway) this protagonist is a middle school science teacher. And a friendship with an alien may help him save the earth from its near destruction. In this science fiction adventure of a mostly solo astronaut,survival requires intelligence, luck, and quick reactions. The author of The Martian has topped this achievement. This is young adult, but I had to have it on one of my lists! Adult Fantasy retelling of a character like Mulan.Īetherbound, Johnston. Agent Fatma worked in 1912 Cairo to fight the supernatural in this complicated and rewarding fantasy. Historical fiction of an even earlier time when women had little power. Historical fiction of a woman banished to a medieval convent. Sisters who loved word play not as tragic as the rest of my list. Poetry that stunned and affirmed and amazed me. Historical fiction tells a tale of grief. Collection of imaginative essays and some poems to document the history of Blacks in America. Thoughtful essays by a poet.Ĥ00 Souls, Kendi and Blain. Or should I have picked Mel Fell? So many great picture books… In a future world, described in poetry, almost all dogs have been replaced by furry robots. Mason’s learning disabilities compound the mysteries surrounding his best friend’s death.ĭ-39, Latham.
The Truth as told by Mason Buttle, Connor. Meilan struggles when her family leaves Chinatown to live in small town Ohio, wondering which meaning of her name is truest for her. A shapeshifting blob of space goo transforms for a while into a human boy. Life seems almost hopeless in a near future America, until Ahab and his friends find one of the last bullfrogs.
Unexpectedly turns from being a crazed juvenile road trip to a sensitive and emotional story of brotherhood, topped off with lovely interior art. I love books that break out of the box, and this graphic novel excels. A great conversation reveals the world’s history. Middle school makes most of us self conscious, but this feeling of being an outsider is even greater when you’re an alien! But her storytelling ability is more important than ever now. Petra’s on a ship across space with scientists who want to save humanity. Note: When you embed the widget in your site, it will match your site's styles (CSS).These are my favorite books of the year.
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