My January Reading Pile

 JANUARY

There are eleven middle grade books on my to read pile for January plus a few left over from the previous months. I also have a huge pile of picture books to read too.

Here are the titles I picked up at a recent charity book sale (many of these will be out of print but they might be in a school or public library).

Geraldine McCaughrean Tamburlaine's Elephants published 2007, 200 pages (I paid $3)

Why did I select this book?  I have read other books by Geraldine McCaughrean such as Where the world ends and A Pack of Lies; I am drawn to books about elephants with exotic settings; and this copy is a hardcover edition with a dust jacket! I have included the paperback and hardcover covers. 

Publisher blurb: Rusti is a Mongol warrior, fighting for the bloodthirsty Tamburlaine, Conqueror of the World. He intends to show the enemy neither fear nor mercy... until he comes face-to-face with his first elephant.Kavi is the elephant's rider. Captured by the terrifying Mongol Horde, he fears for his life. But the boy who takes him prisoner does not kill him. And soon it seems they might almost become...friends.Then Rusti uncovers a terrible secret, and the unlikeliest of friendships is put to the ultimate test.

Emma Carroll The Girl who walked on Air published 2014, 320 pages (I paid $3)

Why did I select this book? I have read quite a few books by Emma Carroll including very recently The Little Match Girl strikes Back (5 stars).

Blurb: Louie, who was abandoned at Chipchase's Travelling Circus as a baby, dreams of becoming a 'Showstopper', but Mr Chipchase keeps her hidden, tucked away in the ticket booth. No Death-Defying Stunts for her. But Louie has been secretly practising her act; the tightrope and dreams of being the Girl Who Walked on Air - she just needs to be given the chance to shine. And the circus needs her too - Wellbeloved's rival show is stealing their crowds. They need a Showstopper. Desperate, Mr Chipchase reluctantly lets Louie perform. She is a sensation, and gets an offer from the sinister Mr Wellbeloved himself to perform . . . over Niagara Falls. But nothing is quite as it seems and soon Louie's bravery is tested not just on the high wire but in confronting her past and the shady characters in the world of the circus.

Cynthia Kadohata Half a World Away published 2014, 225 pages (I paid $2)

Why did I select this book? I really like the cover and I have read other books by Cynthia Kadohata - Kira Kira and Weedflower.

Blurb: Eleven-year-old Jaden is adopted, and he knows he's an "epic fail." That's why his family is traveling to Kazakhstan to adopt a new baby-to replace him, he's sure. And he gets it. He is incapable of stopping his stealing, hoarding, lighting fires, aggressive running, and obsession with electricity. He knows his parents love him, but he feels...nothing. When they get to Kazakhstan, it turns out the infant they've travelled for has already been adopted, and literally within minutes are faced with having to choose from six other babies. While his parents agonise, Jaden is more interested in the toddlers. One, a little guy named Dimash, spies Jaden and barrels over to him every time he sees him. Jaden finds himself increasingly intrigued by and worried about Dimash. Already three years old and barely able to speak, Dimash will soon age out of the orphanage, and then his life will be as hopeless as Jaden feels now. For the first time in his life, Jaden actually feels something that isn't pure blinding fury, and there's no way to control it, or its power.

Ursula Dubosarsky The Golden day published 2011, 149 pages (I paid $2)

Why did I select this book? To be honest this is an Australian book I should have already read but somehow missed.  It is listed as a Young Adult title so that's probably why I didn't add it to my former library collection.

Blurb: When their teacher goes missing during an outing, eleven girls grapple with the aftermath in this haunting, exquisitely told psychological mystery. What actually happened in the seaside cave that day? And who can they tell about it? Part gripping thriller, part ethereal tale of innocence lost, The Golden Day is a poignant study of fear and friendship, and of what it takes to come of age with courage.

Penny Hall The Paperchaser published 1987, 146 pages (classified as vintage at the fair I paid $6) Post edit I have now blogged about this book here. 

Why did I select this book? I read this book back in 1987 and it has lingered with me - yes that over 34 years. I wonder if it has stood the test of time. I can see a silver sticker on the cover because this book was short listed for our CBCA Book of the Year awards in 1988.

Here are the books I picked out at Gleebooks recently because they were offering a good discount prior to moving to new premises.

Roberto Piumini Glowrushes published 2022 (original Italian title 1993) Translated by Leah Janeczko Post edit I have now blogged about this book here. 

Why did I select this book? It has a dust jacket and a smaller wrap around with an endorsement by Philip Pullman and the cover has gold leaf! I love to read books translated into English and Pushkin Press always produce fabulous books. 

Publisher blurb: Madurer is the son of a great lord, with untold wealth, but he is also the victim of a mysterious disease that means he cannot be exposed to sunlight or fresh air. He is confined to three windowless rooms inside a palace, but his doting father summons a famous artist to cover the walls of the rooms with paintings showing the world his son cannot experience for real. As the painter works on his murals, his relationship with the boy begins to deepen until they forge a firm friendship. How can he show this child the beauty of the world with only his paintbrush to work with?

Megan E. Freeman Alone published 2022, 401 pages

Why did I select this book? It is a verse novel. I do need to say that again - It is a verse novel! I adore this format. Oh and I have seen this book mentioned by many other people too.

Publisher blurb: When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone—left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned. With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own. Her only companions are a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. After a rough start, Maddie learns to trust her own ingenuity and invents clever ways to survive in a place that has been deserted and forgotten. As months pass, she escapes natural disasters, looters, and wild animals. But Maddie’s most formidable enemy is the crushing loneliness she faces every day. Can Maddie’s stubborn will to survive carry her through the most frightening experience of her life?

Jean-Claude Mourlevat The Upside down River: Tomek's Journey published 2022 Translated by Ros Schwartz  Post edit I have now blogged about this book here. 

Why did I select this book? This book is by a winner of the ALMA (the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award); it was originally written in French and I do enjoy translated books. The length of 160 pages also appeals to me.

Blurb: Tomek lives a quiet life running his late parents' village store, which has everything you could ever need, and more. Then one day a girl visits. She asks Tomek if he sells something he's never heard of before: a drop of water from the magical River Qjar, which flows back to front and upside down. When he admits he has none, she slips away. Tomek is desperate to follow the mysterious girl, and so he sets out on an incredible adventure. To find the upside down river, he must journey through strange and wondrous places: the Forest of Oblivion where monstrous bears roam, a meadow of deadly scented flowers, a long-hidden island cursed by a witch, and beyond . . .

Noel Streatfeild When the Siren Wailed first published 1974 my edition 2021 Post edit I have blogged about this book here. 

Why did I select this book? You are sure to recognise this famous author. She wrote Ballet Shoes among other books. I am collecting books set during World War II because people often ask for books on this topic on online forums.

Blurb: When war breaks out in September 1939, Laura, Andy and Tim Clark are evacuated to the countryside. The Colonel's comfortable home in Dorset is a huge contrast to their cramped terraced house in London, where their loving parents struggle to put the next meal on the table. Though unused to having children around, the Colonel proves to be a kind and generous, if gruff, guardian until a terrible turn of events means the kids must move on. When they discover they are to live with Miss Justworthy, who is rumoured to feed her evacuees on cat food, Andy insists they can't risk staying. He persuades his sensible older sister and their little brother that they must run away, back to London and their mum. The children are shocked to see London now pitted with craters and ruined buildings. And no sooner have they stepped off the train than the skies are lit by searchlights and filled with the crack of bombs and the glow of fires. How will they be able to find their mum in the middle of an air raid?

Joanne Rossmassler Fritz Everywhere Blue published 2021  Post edit I have now blogged about this book here. 

Why did I select this book? Sorry to repeat myself but this is another VERSE novel! And I really like the cover.

Publisher blurb: A brother's disappearance turns one family upside down, revealing painful secrets that threaten the life they've always known. When twelve-year-old Maddie's older brother vanishes from his college campus, her carefully ordered world falls apart. Nothing will fill the void of her beloved oldest sibling, Strum. Meanwhile Maddie's older sister reacts by staying out late, and her parents are always distracted by the search for Strum. Drowning in grief and confusion, the family's musical household falls silent. Though Maddie is the youngest, she knows Strum better than anyone. He used to confide in her, sharing his fears about the climate crisis and their planet's future. So, Maddie starts looking for clues: Was Strum unhappy? Were the arguments with their dad getting worse? Or could his disappearance have something to do with those endangered butterflies he loved . . . Scared and on her own, Maddie picks up the pieces of her family's fractured lives. Maybe her parents aren't who she thought they were. Maybe her nervous thoughts and compulsive counting mean she needs help. And maybe finding Strum won't solve everything--but she knows he's out there, and she has to try.

Julie Lee Brother's Keeper published 2022

Why did I select this book? I have seen this one on heaps of book lists. I am not usually swayed by endorsements but this book has a Kirkus Star review quoted on the back cover and one from SLJ too.

Blurb: North Korea. December, 1950. Twelve-year-old Sora and her family live under an iron set of rules- No travel without a permit. No criticism of the government. No absences from Communist meetings. Wear red. Hang pictures of the Great Leader. Don't trust your neighbors. Don't speak your mind. You are being watched. But war is coming, war between North and South Korea, between the Soviets and the Americans. War causes chaos--and war is the perfect time to escape. The plan is simple- Sora and her family will walk hundreds of miles to the South Korean city of Busan from their tiny mountain village. They just need to avoid napalm, frostbite, border guards, and enemy soldiers. But they can't. And when an incendiary bombing changes everything, Sora and her little brother Young will have to get to Busan on their own. Can a twelve-year-old girl and her eight-year-old brother survive three hundred miles of warzone in winter?