Away by Megan E Freeman

“For several months, the governor’s office and the Colorado Investigation Bureau have been monitoring a series of credible threats across Colorado. 

On Friday, we received intelligence of an imminent threat jeopardizing the safety of thousands of residents. We immediately launched a noncombatant evacuation operation named Operation Relocate Freedom. 

We do not know how long evacuations will last, and the state remains on emergency alert.”

Each section in this book begins with a definition such as this one:

There are four kids voices in this hybrid verse novel and Megan E Freeman makes it easy to keep up with each kids because they each use a different form of writing. The kids are Ashanti Johnson, aged 12, her mum is a doctor; Grandin Stone, aged 14 - his parents are farmers; Harmony Addams-Paul, aged 12 - she aspires to be a journalist, she has a fabulous teacher and mum her is a pastor; and Teddy Brenkert, aged 11 - he is homeschooled and lives with his grandmother who is a local amateur theatre producer. All of these kids live in Colardo. Ashanti and Grandin use free verse to tell their story; Teddy writes film proposals and scripts and often references famous classic movies and as you would expect Harmony writes as though her pieces are ready for publication in a newspaper. Then comes:

These four kids plus Harmony's little sister Pax, are thrown together when everyone in their area is evacuated due to some unexplained toxic danger. Along with many other people they are taken to a holding camp where they are given food and safety but no one is allowed to use a mobile phone, the authorities do not answer any questions and they are kept there for over two years!

“This is the Colorado National Guard. Mandatory evacuations are now in place for your area. Proceed immediately to designated embarkation zones for further instructions. Local law enforcement will provide additional guidance specific to your location. ... The specific cause of the evacuations is not yet known, but there are unconfirmed reports of a pipeline explosion, possibly multiple explosions. Sources at the state capitol say a major threat could be imminent, and terrorism has not been ruled out."

"Cell phones have been compromised and are not safe to use. As a matter of state security, all cell phones must be deposited in designated receptacles located throughout the station. Compliance is mandatory."

These kids all have talents which when combined are able to work out not just what is going on but also how to inform the adults and how to expose the conspiracy and they also luckily do find a few left-over pieces of technology which they are able to put to good use.

We are going to be muckrakers. Shine a light on what’s wrong in the world. ... Journalists who specifically investigate and report on stories to expose corruption or exploitation or other stuff like that. They rake the muck of society.

As you might expect there are lots of theories and rumors about why whole communities have been evacuated:

One girl said she’d heard a train carrying chemicals had derailed. Another heard there had been explosions in a mine shaft and a dam had broken. Someone else said a pipeline had burst. A kid from the Western Slope insisted “nonhuman biologics” were colonizing remote parts of the Rocky Mountains. One boy said his mom thought it was a nuclear accident, like the ones in Fukushima and Chernobyl. Do we even have nuclear reactors in Colorado? I have no idea.

Publisher blurb: After an imminent yet unnamed danger forces people across Colorado to leave their homes, a group of kids including an aspiring filmmaker and a budding journalist find themselves in the same evacuation camp. As they cope with the aftermath of having their world upended, they grow curious about the mysterious threat. And as they begin to investigate, they start to discover that there’s less truth and more cover-up to what they’re being told. Can they get to the root of the conspiracy, expose the bad actors, and bring an end to the upheaval before it’s too late?

Away is the companion volume to Alone - companion volume means while you do need to read BOTH books the order does not matter. 

Alone

In my review of Alone I said: I did want that all important happy ending but somehow the final three pages let me down. I wanted to know more. I need know why!

And now I do know why because I have read Away.

A couple of weeks ago I had a long ten-hour journey by bus, plane and train. It is always SO good when I have an engrossing and brilliantly constructed book like this to pass the time. I absolutely devoured Away. You can see I have given Away five stars but I do agree with Kirkus who say: The plot and the whole scenario require a major suspension of disbelief, but to readers who can roll with it, Freeman delivers an engaging tale in which young crusaders strive to overcome both parental passivity and corrupt authorities to discover and expose a dastardly scheme.

Here is a long interview with Megan E Freeman where she talks about Away and Alone. You can either listen or read the transcript. 

Awards for Away:

• Instant New York Times Bestseller ​
• Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2025
• Amazon Best Book of 2025
• Barnes & Noble Children's Book Award Shortlist
• Golden Kite Award Finalist
• Reading the West Awards Shortlist
• TOME Society Junior Book Award Winner
• KNEA Reading Circle Choice for 2025
• Colorado Children's Book Award Shortlist
• Horace Mann Upstanders Award

This unique story is about friendship, survival, and how curiosity can lead to revelations, and the power of hope. Away was hard to put down because you need to know what is happening and why. Youth Services Book Review

The voices of the different characters are all very unique, and they are easy to tell apart. ... This is a good choice for readers who like dystopian books ...

The voices of the different characters are all very unique, and they are easy to tell apart. Ashantae doesn't use capitalization and references lots of mythology, Grandin is very matter-of-fact, Teddy often frames scenes as storyboards or film scripts, and Harmony's point of view is delivered in letters or news reports. The evacuation is realistically portrayed; if someone came to my door and told me I had to leave, and I saw all of my neighbors packing up, I probably would, too. Camp Rogers slowly evolves over the long time that people are there, with everyone pitching in to help out. ... This is very different from Alone, but readers who picked up that story will find it interesting to see what the experience of others who were not abandoned was. Ms Yingling

The Experiment by Rebecca Stead

The Experiment is a thrilling suspenseful dramatic exploration of friendship, family 

and what it means to be human. It’s dynamite! Story Links

Compelling and page-turning. Kirkus

Nathan and his parents know they are actually aliens living on Earth as a part of an experiment (yes that is the title). Nathan lives in New York and to some extent he lives like a normal kid - going to school, using his phone to talk to his friend, enjoying sleepovers, and reading his favourite comic - Calvin and Hobbes. But early on in the story a few things seem strange. He has to brush his teeth five times a day including at school with a special pink paste, his mother documents all his food and Nathan himself is weighed and measured regularly. Nathan also has some friends who live in different parts of America - Izzy (Isabel) from Illinois; Nina from New Mexico; Annie from Alabama; Leo from Louisiana; and Miriam from Missouri. Are you noticing a pattern here? And then we read that some kids have disappeared. 

The action moves with a swift pace as we watch a count down at the start of each section - Lift off minus eight days; Lift off minus seven days; Lift off minus six days; Lift off minus ten hours; Lift off minus ten minutes; Fate and Happiness. You should also stop and notice the chapter headings.

There is a moment in this book on page 255 where I found myself screaming at Rebecca Stead. I was sure Nathan was either going to die or be whisked off to Kast. I read The Experiment late into the night and again around 3am and then this morning I finished it off. This is a long book (207 pages of smallish print) but readers aged 9+ with reading stamina are sure to find themselves quickly hooked into the story. 

I want to mention a couple of things that I loved and that are quite different in this story - Nathan does not hide things from his parents - as a group they feel like a team and all of them want to discover the truth about The Kast and Hester and also find out why Nathan now has a tail (he names her Tuck) - you can see this on the cover. The other aspect of this story that was very different from other books about power and control came at the end (spoiler alert) when Hester is taken away on the spaceship and not punished and it seems she might have some sort of odd, but nevertheless happy, ending. 

Publisher blurb: Nathan never understood what was ‘fun’ about secrets, probably because he’s always had to keep a very big one, even from his best friend, Victor. Although he appears to be a typical grade-six kid, Nathan learned at an early age that his family is from another planet, and he’s part of an experiment to work out how to behave like a human and blend in. But the experiment suddenly seems to be going wrong. Some of the other experimenters, including Nathan’s first crush, Izzy, are disappearing without a word. After his family is called back to the mothership, Nathan begins to question everything he’s been taught to believe about who he is and why he’s on Earth. Can he, Victor and Izzy uncover the truth? The Experiment is a fast-paced adventure—with aliens—that asks universal questions about how we figure out who we want to be, whether it’s ever too late to change, and the importance of friendship.

Betsy Bird has penned a very detailed review of The Experiment (but be warned it is filled with spoilers). She links this book with Charlotte's Web, and like my experience of reading this book, that idea has also blown my mind! Betsy recommends reading her review AFTER reading The Experiment - and I whole heartly agree. Also DO NOT SKIP to the end of The Experiment - please let the story unfold and know you can trust Rebecca Stead that there will be answers to all of your (and Nathan's) questions.

Strong character development, like the complicated backstory of a villain, brings further depth, as do the believably strong relationships, including Nathan’s unbreakable friendship with Victor. Stead’s creativity shines here, from Nathan’s unusual tail to later plot twists and turns (not to mention the tattletale, alien-enhanced cat). Anyone who enjoys Stead’s writing, along with sci-fi lovers and even superhero fans will easily devour this latest offering, staying up late under the covers with flashlight in hand to read just one more chapter. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

In this video Rebecca Stead talks about her books including The Experiment and Rebecca is interviewed by Betsy Bird. Here is the Reading Time review (but I disagree with the idea that this is 'tongue in cheek') Here is the review from Ms Yingling.

A few years ago I penned a post about Science Fiction books for young readers. For myself I well remember reading Trillions by Nicholas Fisk and The World Eater by Robert Swindells and having my mind blown because that's what Science Fiction can do - and now that has happened again with The Experiment - my mind is officially blown again. But by far the best books to compare with The Experiment are Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left by Robin Klein and Edsel Grizzler and the Voyage to Verdana by James Roy. Sorry, these are both old books now so you will have to hunt in a library.

Halfway across the Galaxy and Turn Left

Edsel Grizzler and the Voyage to Verdada

Here are the teachers notes

Galax Arena by Gillian Rubinstein (1992) is a far more sinister story but it is also a book that I thought of after reading The Experiment. 

Read a detailed description of the plot here

And try to find these too:

The Last Cuentista

The Raven's Song

You might also look for this book:

The Future Trap

I think parts of The Experiment will also linger with me because earlier this week I re-read The Giver by Lois Lowry which, as you probably know, also talks about control and manipulation. 

Here are other books I have read and enjoyed by Rebecca Stead:

When you reach me

The list of things that will not change

Liar and Spy Five posts

Bob

The Lost Library

Queen of Thieves by John Rundberg translated by Annie Prime

“They’re going to live in a place called the Apple Farm,” whispers Margit. “They call it that because the house is surrounded by apple trees. In May the trees are white with flowers, and by summer, they’re covered with apples as sweet as sugar. They’ll all live together in a big house. The ground floor is Henrietta’s. Rufus, Kristina, and Ossian each have a room upstairs. The sea is so close you can smell it, and it’s light blue and crystal clear, not gray like the water here. And no one will ever go hungry ’cause there are chickens on the farm and wild raspberries growing everywhere.”

First off, I suggest you go back and take a look at my post about the first book from this series - The Moonwind Mysteries. I think this second book (2024) can stand alone but your reading enjoyment will be made all the richer if you can meet the characters and setting in Stockholm in the first book. 

The Night Raven

Mika lives in an orphanage. She has been there so long that now she is given responsibility for care of the young children. The kids trust her and usually tell her everything but then she sees two of the young children sneaking away. She follows them into the city and sees them enter a building only to emerge some time later in finer clothes. Ossian is being sent away to work for a foster family but he has run away, Rufus has found an apprenticeship as a chimney sweep, Kristina is acting very strangely - she clearly has a secret, and baby Nora is not well. 

As a reader I was sure the woman who promised a kind of utopia (described above) to the orphans should not be trusted but I had no idea about the diabolical robbery she had planned and of course no reader will ever guess the amazing way Mika working with Constable Hoff will manage to thwart her.

Here are a few text quotes:

“As previously reported, the Vega expedition is on its way home and currently located near Copenhagen. The scientist Nordenskiöld was the first explorer to sail through the so-called Northeast Passage. In addition to many scientific discoveries, it is rumored that the expedition has collected spectacular gifts from the many nations it has visited.

“Sweetheart, all I have to do is look at you; you’re like an open book. I see you sitting at the edge of your seat, as if you have no right to be here. And I know you work night shifts for a pittance with a wicked drunkard. But that’s not why I’m curious about you. I want to know why Constable Hoff sought you out in the first place. And what happened when your little mission ended? Were you hoping it would lead to something more?” The hairs on the back of Mika’s neck stand on end. It feels like Henrietta is looking straight into her. Reading her thoughts, the ones she’s never dared speak aloud. “Such a pity that Constable Hoff wasn’t who you thought he was,” says Henrietta sympathetically. 

“I knew you’d come.” While they are hugging, Mika notices a familiar figure behind Kristina. A tall, thin boy with dark, curly hair is sitting at the table in the living room. It’s Ossian. He briefly raises a hand in greeting and then turns away in shame. Mika wants to tell him she’s not angry with him, but then she hears the clacking sound of high heels, and Henrietta appears. As always, she’s wearing one of her long-sleeved dresses with lace trim. When Henrietta sees Mika, she is suddenly on her guard. Collectedly, she leans forward and whispers something to Kristina, who disappears into the living room and closes the door. With one quick snap of her elbow, Henrietta conjures a knife out of her left dress sleeve and holds the handle in her palm. With her back against the wall, she leans forward and vigilantly scans the stairwell.

Valdemar listens intently all the while. When Mika is done, he sits quietly. “How can she steal the gem in a room full of guests?” he asks finally. “The House of Nobility is always guarded. There will be guards inside and outside the hall.” “I don’t actually know,” admits Mika. “The kids are helping Henrietta with the performance. My job is to pick the lock to the Great Hall and steal the coat of arms.” The kitchen chair wobbles under Valdemar’s weight as he leans back and pensively strokes his beard. “So, in summary: you have no evidence and no idea how the theft is actually going to take place.”

The Vega crew are sitting at the head table; she recognizes Nordenskiöld from the newspapers. The king and queen are sitting at the head of the table closest to Henrietta. Next to the royal couple is a lower table displaying some of the items from the expedition. Mika sees sculptures, parts of a suit of armor, a bow, bowls, and various kinds of tools. In the middle of the table is a velvet pillow, and on top of the pillow sits a magically shimmering gemstone—the Magatama. ... She sees Kristina’s hair standing up straight from the centrifugal force. The blue line of a bulging artery in her throat. The white tablecloth on the head table. A disturbance to distract the audience. In that moment, Mika realizes the extent of Henrietta’s diabolical plan. The distraction isn’t going to come from a spilled wineglass. But from a torrent of blood.

Here is a review with more plot details.

A captivating game of cat and mouse. Kirkus

Listen to an audio sample here. This book was previously published as Tjuvdrottningen.

Bookseller blurb: After a merciless winter, spring has sprung in 1880 Stockholm, and the city awaits the arrival of the SS Vega, the first ship to have sailed the Northeast Passage. Life is busy at the orphanage, but twelve-year-old Mika quickly notices that the older orphans are up to something—and it doesn’t look good. When Constable Hoff approaches her with information about thefts around the city, Mika becomes even more concerned about what the other kids are up to—and what they might be planning for the Vega celebration. The police will have no sympathy for orphans, and she’d hate to see her friends condemned to life in jail. But Mika soon finds herself in a bind she can’t get out of—one that could condemn her own life. Can Mika uncover who is really behind the thefts in the city and keep her friends safe, without getting caught?

Johan Rundberg is an award-winning author of children’s books who lives in Stockholm. He has written picture books, early readers, and middle grade, including Kärlekspizzan, Knockad Romeo, and the series Häxknuten. In 2021, he was awarded Sweden’s most prestigious literary prize, the August Prize, in the children’s and YA category for Nattkorpen, the original edition of The Night Raven, the first book in the Moonwind Mysteries series. Nattkorpen was also the winner of a Swedish Crimetime Award in the children’s and YA category. There are now four books in this series published in Sweden.

Naeli and the Secret Song by Jasbinder Bilan

Blurb from Chicken House: Naeli longs to know her English father, who abandoned her when she was little. All she has is his name – and his precious violin. Her chance comes when a ticket to England arrives mysteriously. Leaving behind her beloved India, Naeli embarks on an adventure that will take her from the streets of Victorian London to the wilds of Northumberland to discover the truth of her musical inheritance.

This book contains plot details that act like perfect coincidences:

• On the ship, Naeli meets a boy called Jack who is also travelling to England. On the long three month voyage he is able to teach her English.
• Naeli is taken to work in a bakery when she arrives and her violin is stolen. Then, very mysteriously, she is taken to the house of a wealthy member of parliament - he is her Uncle Daniel and he has the violin. He seems friendly but only at first. But then he turns nasty and demands Naeli play every possible tune on the violin - but why?
• Jack is also in London at a boarding school near Westminster and Uncle Daniel lives close by so when Naeli escapes, she is able to find the school and by chance she finds herself in a laundry room so she can disguise herself as a boy from the school and then in the huge dining hall she is able to find Jack.
• Luckily Jack has money and so they set off by train to the remote country mansion, Swallowfield Hall, in Northumberland. The two servants seem like very shifty characters and clearly they are hiding something - then Naeli and Jack hear mysterious noises in the night and Naeli sees an extra breakfast tray in the kitchen. Who are they hiding? Is her father really dead? Can a tune from her violin help to reunite them? And how lucky to find a map of the estate in the Swallowfield Hall library - because also luckily Jack recognised the clue of 5,3 as a map coordinate. 

Adults reading this book might laugh over all the 'contrived' plot details but I am sure the story will intrigue young readers aged 10+ who have less experience with mystery stories and skullduggery by greedy family members who are desperate for money. 

This story does have overtones of The Secret Garden - there is a mystery; someone is lost; there needs to be healing by a young child; the story starts in India with the death of a parent; and best off all the kids find a key and a secret door!

Here is the scene with the key (spoiler alert the clues were in the pegs of the violin):

"The door was only small, like an opening to a cupboard. ... Naeli's throat was dry. She thought about how long the key had been hidden in the violin and how Uncle Daniel had been desperate to find it. If the key did fit this tiny lock, she was sure it would reveal something important ... "

Read a book extract here. Read more plot details in this post from the Historical Novel Society.

Jasbinder Bilan has created a wonderful fast-paced tale, a mix of adventure, mystery and historical fiction, as we leave behind the traditional Indian world and enter Victorian England, where women are treated very differently of course than they are today. Our heroine Naeli is strong and determined, facing a new life and the many obstacles in her path with determination and courage as the twists and turns of her story unfold. Books for Keeps

Here are four other books by Jasbinder Bilan:

Companion books:

Withering-by-Sea (and sequels)

The Fortune Maker

The Haunting of Charity Delafield

A Case of Grave Danger

The Truth about Verity Sparks

The Ghost of Gosswater

Giant by Nicola Skinner illustrate by Flavia Sorrentino

Dear Child,

Having a giant as your servant is an honor.

But it is also a big responsibility.

You will be paired with your giant until you turn twelve, when you will kiss them, 

turning them into stone to rebuild our island.

Sadness is not permitted at the Goodbye ceremony.

Remember: they are not your family.

You may feel fondness for your giant, but you must not mistake that for love.

FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT THE

GIANT MANAGEMENT COMPANY

Minnie is different. She lives in a very structured and controlled society. Children are given giants as servants when they are very young and then after years of time spent together, at age 12, the children have to relinquish their giant in a strange and very cruel ceremony. This town is located on an island which is regularly wracked with earthquakes. Humans live on this island, but giants live there too. In the past there have been years of dreadful wars. The humans have now taken over the island and enslaved the giants who are assigned to the children. Other 'bad' giants are forced to live in an inhospitable place on the other side of a high mountain range. Children are warned to never go there because these giants are extremely dangerous. The servant giants are assigned to the children because the Giant Management Company, who control everything, make use of a surprising discovery that if a giant is kissed by a child it turns to stone. Stone is a valuable commodity in this place because it is used to rebuild the town after the regular earthquake events.

Children learn the rules from a young age:

• Giants are your servants not your friends
• You must not love your giant
• Giants must never ask children to keep secrets
• Everyone should be happy at the Goodbye Ceremony. 
• Giants and children cannot stay together forever.
• Never go to the No-Go Mountains

Back to Minnie. She is not pretty. Her parents are poor. In fact she looks quite neglected. She is also very small and in constant pain. Twice each day she has to inject pain medications. Her father is working on ways to predict and stop the earthquakes but the authorities keep rejecting his plans. Oh, and you need to know Minnie has broken several of the rules - especially the one about loving your giant. Her giant is called Speck because she is unusually small for a giant (she is still quite enormous). As the story opens there has been one of the largest earthquakes ever. Minnie is not due to say goodbye to Speck for many months but the town rulers, have ordered all ceremonies to be brought forward to tomorrow. Minnie cannot bear the idea of turning her beloved friend into a stone statue. While playing a game, Speck has shown Minnie a route to safety. Minnie thinks if she runs away, she can delay or even stop the ceremony. Along the way Minnie makes two important new friends - a jackal she names Twist and a young rubbler named Robin. Rubblers are the lowest eschalon of this society. They dig through the rubble and assist with all the town rebuilding. It is back breaking work which even children are forced to do and their lungs are filled with dust and they live in poverty. 

Here are a few text quotes:

"Would future children of the island shudder a little too, when they passed Speck's statue. Would they look up into her stone face and know, or care, that she had looked after Minnie Wadlow, and swum in a lagoon for forty-five glorious stolen minutes. Or would they not even see her, would she just fade into the background, as many of the statues did after a while? How would they know that Speck liked watermelon slices, and broke a plate every day, and had a specially soft voice if Minnie ever cried?"

"Then she gently, put her hand on the top of his head. It was the first time she had ever touched a jackal. She let her hand stay there, and he allowed it. She took in the solidity of his skull, the warmth of his flesh, and the softness of his fur, all at one - all this strength and fragility under her fingers, and she was humbled by what he had done for her, after she had rejected him."

"There's a possibility of survival if you keep going. If you stay, you're going to get crushed. Dad always said, once things start falling, don't wait around hoping things will get better. They won't. Get out when you can."

The journey undertaken by these three is so dangerous and the final showdown and battle with the hunters intent on their capture will leave you reeling. I just raced through the final chapters - 41-53 desperate for that all important happy ending.

Publisher blurb: There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Minnie’s island. Nothing, that is, apart from the earthquakes, which pull buildings and schools and houses down on a regular basis. Luckily, the island’s inhabitants have found a way to fix their crumbling walls: giants. Giants look after human children, like eleven-year-old Minnie. When Minnie turns twelve, she’ll kiss her giant, turning her into a stone statue forever. The stone will be used to repair buildings. And there’s nothing wrong with that either . . . or so Minnie thinks. But when a dreadful earthquake strikes, Minnie realises she’s not quite ready to say goodbye to her giant – not forever – not yet. So Minnie goes on the run, betraying her parents and everyone she knows. The secrets she uncovers on her journey threaten to pull everything down: and so begins a desperate race against time in which she will confront the truth about her island, her giant . . . and ultimately herself.

Despite the playful language and imaginative setting, this book packs some serious punches as Skinner tackles unnerving concepts head on. Providing an undercurrent throughout the plot are the ongoing implications of colonisation and totalitarianism, where in this unequal society giants are forced to live either as servants or are cast out to the No-Go Mountains. ... This may sound rather heavy for a book perfect for the end of Year 4 upwards, but in the big-hearted and wildly inventive hands of Skinner such themes are skilfully and subtly explored. It is love, however, that is the real driving force behind this story – particularly the love story between Minnie and her giant Speck. A mesmerising triumph, this book would enrapture a class as a read-aloud and has enough meaty themes to make a great whole class text. Just Imagine UK

This is a long book with over 390 pages but I almost read the whole story in one day!  YES it is that good. In fact this is going onto my list of top favourites. I expect to see this book on lots of award lists. The paperback is a really good price so I highly recommend you add this book to your library shelves today! Reading this book adults might think of the movie The Help. 

Take a look at all these book covers by Flavia Sorrentino. I am now very keen to read other books by Nicola Skinner.

Starboard Kirkus Star Review; Storm Kirkus Star Review

Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker

Due to complex circumstances Stella and Angel find themselves living with Louise. Louise is Stella's great aunt and Stella has been sent there while her mother sorts out her dysfunctional life. Angel is a foster kid and this is her sixth placement. Louise is tough with the girls but she is also quietly very caring. The problem is Stella and Angel are like oil and water - they just cannot seem to get on at all - but that is going to need to change because as the story opens Stella arrives home from school to find Louise has died during the day.

The setting for this story is Cape Cod. Louise lives in a house beside a set of four holiday cottages. It is her job to manage the bookings and clean the cottages all through the summer. Stella dreams that one day soon her mother will arrive. Her mother will be magically transformed into a perfect mom and the three of them can all live happily together. But now Louise has died. Mom is far away. The first summer visitors are about to arrive. Angel has a plan to run away. She has an aunt who is working hard to secure a job and a home for Angel but all of this is taking a long time. 

George Nickerson owns the holiday cottages. In the 1940s his parents set them up. They are completely identical, small and very basic but also perfect for families looking for a summer beach holiday. Stella and Angel have not phoned 911and they do not tell George about Louise. Instead they pretend she is just unwell and over the coming weeks, after burying her body, the two girls take on all the summer holiday cottage chores. 

Stella loves these tasks because she craves order and cleanliness. Angel has absolutely no idea about even the most basic things, even though she is older, because for almost her whole life she has lived in care. Stella, on the other hand, has had to manage money, cooking and washing over all the years she and her mother have moved from place to place. Luckily, Stella also has a special guide book or set of advice columns collected by her beloved grandmother. These clippings from magazines and newspapers are called 'Hints from Heloise'. 

Reading this book you know there will have to be a crisis. Two young girls cannot bury someone in a garden. Surely someone will notice Louise is missing? And George has a dog who seems very interested in the freshly dug pumpkin patch. The food has run out and the shops are many miles away. 

Over the coming days our local Lifeline branch here in Sydney Australia are holding their charity Book Fair. I adore attending these because there are always so many book treasures and the kids books are usually SO cheap! Today I picked up a terrific selection from baby board books, nursery rhymes, picture books, junior novels and a few middle grade titles. Most are destined as presents for various children but a few I purchased just for me. What a discovery - Summer of the Gypsy Moth ($3).

If you are curious about the title - the gypsy moth is an invasive species and one of the battles Stella has to fight is to save Louise's precious blueberries from this leaf eating pest. 

I love the way Stella (and Sara Pennypacker) think about the things that are often missing from books:

"One thing about any books I'd write - you would be reading about the cleaning-up parts of scenes. It drives me crazy how characters are always making messes and then the author doesn't tell about cleaning them up. Everybody eats dinner in books, but nobody does the dishes. People wrestle around in the mud and have accidents with blood, and nobody does the laundry. I just hate that."

I am a huge fan of Sara Pennypacker so when I saw this book - in hardcover, with a dust jacket - I popped it straight into my shopping cart. When I arrived home I had some reading time. I am in the middle of the third book in the Five Realms series by Kieran Larwood but I decided to dip into Summer of the Gypsy Moths first. You may have guessed that I ended up reading the whole book in one sitting.

If you are looking for a terrific book for a reader aged 10+ (and a book for yourself too) try to find Summer of the Gypsy Moths - this is a heart-felt story with tiny touches of humour and fabulous tension that I highly highly recommend. 

As a librarian I’m always on the lookout for good middle grade books I can booktalk to kids. Often you don’t need an exciting cover or title to sell a book to kids. Heck, sometimes you don’t even need to show the book at all. Yet in the case of Sara Pennypacker’s debut middle grade novel Summer of the Gypsy Moths I fully intend to show the cover off. There you see two happy girls on a seashore on a beautiful summer’s day. What could be more idyllic? I’ll show the kids the cover then start right off with, “Doesn’t it look sweet? Yeah. So this is a book about two girls who bury a corpse in their backyard by themselves and don’t tell anyone about it.” BLAMMO! Instant interest. Never mind that the book really is a heartfelt and meaningful story or that the writing is some of the finest you will encounter this year. School Library Journal Betsy Bird

The unfolding story is both deliciously intense and entertaining. Kirkus Star review

This book was first published in 2012 but I looked at an online book seller here in Australia and it seems to still be available but the paperback is AUS$26 so hopefully you might find a copy in a library. Listen to an audio sample which begins in Chapter One. Here is an alternate cover (which I do not like). 

Companion reads:

Recommended by Betsy Bird (SLJ review) 

Love, Aubrey

Waiting for Normal

One for the Murphys

Small Mercies

Missing May

Check out some other books by Sara Pennypacker I have talked about here in the blog. She is such a talented writer:

Pax and Pax Journey Home

Waylon

Sparrow Girl

Leeva at Last

The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo illustrated by Sophie Blackall

A luminous tale of fate, love and the power of words

Beatryce is found in a barn nestling beside a goat. This is not just any goat. Her name is Answelica and she has a reputation as a bossy, belligerent creature who usually butts people out of her way. She also has fierce teeth. The young girl has been found by Brother Edik. He is a monk from the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing. Brother Edik is a kind man even though in his own life he has had his own share of suffering. 

Have you ever given much thought the idea of a prophecy. The book called Chronicles of Sorrowing contains prophecies. Some are good and some are bad.  The king has heard this prophecy:

"There will one day come a girl child who will unseat a king and bring about a great change."

If you go back to my quote at the beginning of this post I mentioned the power of words. In the prophecy there are several very important words. Obviously the dangerous character will be a girl but what of the king. The words say "a king".  Who is this king? Is he the rightful monarch?

And why is a girl considered dangerous? What power could she possibly have? Read on my friend.

Back to the story. Beatryce is injured. Answelica will not leave her side so the pair are bought inside the monastery. Brother Edik gently cares for Beatryce and eventually she recovers enough to tell him her name but the rest of her memory is lost for now. Beatryce has no idea how she came to be found at the monastery but there is deeper mystery - the astonishing discovery by Brother Edik, that Beatryce can read and write.

"Only brothers in service to God could read, and also the tutors and scholars who came and studied the prophecies. And counsellors to the king. And the king himself. In the whole of the world ... there was only a handful of people who could read. All of them male. None of them were female. It was against the law to teach a girl to read, or a woman to write."

So the stage is set. Beatryce has a destiny to fulfil. The current king is determined to stop her. Brother Edik will be her travelling companion as will the goat Answelica. Along the way Beatryce will make new friends, a young boy called Jack Dory and an old man called Cannoc, and she will gradually remember all the pieces of her past life. 

Readers will also be given, from time to time, small glimpses into the machinations of the king and his power hungry adviser until eventually we reach their anticipated but also surprising meeting. 

In keeping with the medieval setting, Sophie Blackall has included an illuminated letter at the beginning of each chapter and there is one also hiding under the dust jacket. 

Sophie has designed end papers which are printed on a rich gold background and inside her black and white full page illustrations seems almost cinematic. When you finish reading this book take some time to linger over and marvel at the cover. Beatryce has something to share with you - she's looking straight at the reader inviting you to enter her story. You can read the first 48 pages of this book here. 

"We shall all, in the end, be led to where we belong.

We shall all, in the end, find out way home."

I read that an edition of this book has been released in a special box with a ribbon book mark (it costs over $75 here in Australia but if you are tempted here is the Gift edition ISBN 9781536218671). When ribbons like this are added to a book they make it seem extra special and I think this anticipates the fact the The Beatryce Prophecy is destined to become a Children's Literature classic. I read this book in one sitting. I did not want it to end but when it did I smiled a huge smile because, as usual, Kate DiCamillo has penned a glorious story filled with tiny details which feel like glistening jewels and which are all brought together at the end into one truly special object to treasure.

You MUST listen to this Podcast interview with Kate from The Children's Book Review. 

Here is a quote from the interview:

My outrageous hope … that somebody will feel less alone, that they feel like they’re walking through the world with somebody, and that it will help. The book will help to make some more sense out of the world. Kate DiCamillo

I just loved spending time in that world, even though it’s a world in which lots of bad and dangerous and sad and troubling things happen. There is this light of hope and joy and overcoming obstacles and friendship and love and forgiveness and all of these things that Kate does so beautifully and mesmerizingly ... Sophie Blackall Children's Book Review interview

The story is told in language as clear and beautiful as an illuminated manuscript, with characters who spring instantly to life. The fairy-tale conventions give it a sense of timelessness and omnipresence without once becoming twee or unwieldy. Kirkus Star review

It is, in short, a very good book, worth any kid’s time to read. And that, my dears, is the kind of book that you should probably read too. Betsy Bird School Library Journal

I love it when the book itself shows how important reading is and how important words are, how words and reading connect us to the world and how, ultimately, through education, we can begin to make wiser choices. The Children's Book Review interviewer - Bianca Schulze

A final wise word from Kate about books and reading (one of the important themes of The Beatryce Prophecy):

And the other thing is, having somebody reading to you seems like such an act of love to me. So, I just want to say thank you to everybody who puts a book in somebody else’s hand and everybody who’s reading to somebody. That goes for kids too. I say, when I talk to kids, you can read to the adults in your life. They need it too, you know.

Companion read:

The Book of Boy

You might also like to explore some books involving journeys, young and very brave girls, wise mothers who may be imprisoned, and helpful travelling companions:

The Wolf Wilder

The Forest of Moon and Sword

Fire Girl