Kaleidoscope by Brian Selznick (Middle Grade Fantasy Book Review)

Kaleidoscope
by Brian Selznick
Published by Scholastic
on September 21, 2021
Genre: Middle Grade, Magical Realism, Fantasy
Length: 208 pages
Ages: 10 - 18 years

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Synopsis:
A ship. A garden. A library. A key.
In Kaleidoscope, the incomparable Brian Selznick presents the story of two people bound to each other through time and space, memory and dreams. At the center of their relationship is a mystery about the nature of grief and love which will look different to each reader. 


My Thoughts:

This is a beautiful collection of short stories that are all a bit like a kaleidoscope when read together; moving from one idea or thought or dream to another, all told by a narrator and including the narrator's special friend, James. All are dreamlike, fantastical,  and even a little spooky at times, but all are short and spectacular.

Each story has an illustration to match or 'head' it and each story is also separated by the others by a beautiful kaleidoscope image, each as unique and beautiful as the others. 

I've loved everything I've read by Selznick to date so I was extra excited to read this! It is a little different than what I'm used to from him, aside from the illustrations, but it's such a beautiful collection with a lot of magical realism and intrigue.

The author wrote this while isolated and separated by their partner during the Covid19 pandemic and while each story is beautiful in its own way, there is definitely a pang of sadness and longing in these stories. 

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Bone Tree by Jenna Lehne (Middle Grade Paranormal Horror Book Review)

 I won a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Goodreads. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Bone Tree
Written by Jenna Lehne
Illustrations by Uliana Babenko
Published by Little Press
on April 1, 2021
Genre: Middle Grade, Paranormal, Horror
Length: 188 pages
Ages: 9 - 12 years

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Synopsis:
Elsie battles a terrifying ghost to keep her best friend around forever. But does forever have too much of a cost? 
Elsie's best friend, Roman, is dying. But Roman has a plan to escape death. He wants to be resurrected through the powers of the Bone Tree and the curse of the Woman in White, Mary Simon, whose body lies beneath the tree. Terrified, yet determined not to lose him, Elsie promises Roman to summon Mary's ghost and the powers in the Bone Tree to bring him back when he dies. When the Bone Tree's magic works and Roman resurrects, Elsie vows to do anything to keep him around, even if that means battling an angry, screeching banshee, with talons for fingers. But what Elsie doesn't realize is that the cost of keeping Roman around may be too high. When the Woman in White kidnaps Roman's brother, Jake, and threatens to take his life as revenge, Elsie must choose between saving the lives of many from the deadly grasp of Mary Simon, the Woman in White, or keeping her best friend. 
 

My Thoughts:

Elsie's world shatters when her best friend, Roman, dies of cancer. Before his death, Roman was obsessed with a local legend about a Bone Tree and a Lady in White whose ghost has haunted the tree and surrounding cemetery for years. Armed with the secret of how to return as a ghost, Roman makes Elsie promise to bring him back. She is all too willing but the Lady in White is furious and Elsie soon learns that there is a price to pay for having her best friend's ghost around. 

I loved this!  There were definitely some extra sad moments but it's mostly a ghost story with a unique (to me) back story and some rather spooky and thrilling plot twists. The story behind the Bone Tree is and the Lady in White was extra interesting.

While this is a great spooky story (perfect for Halloween!) it's also a look at losing a close friend or loved one at a young age and what lengths people will go to deal with their grief.  This heartwarming ghost story will appeal to middle-grade readers who want a spooky, edge-of-your-seat read that isn't too long or time-consuming! 

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The Hideaway by Pam Smy (Middle Grade Book Review)

 I received a DRC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

The Hideaway
by Pam Smy
Published by Pavilion Children's
on September 9, 2021
Genre: Middle Grade
Length: 248 pages
Ages: 8 - 12 years

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Synopsis:
A haunting illustrated novel from the author of the highly acclaimed Thornhill. 

Told in two alternating narratives, The Hideaway tells the story of Billy McKenna, who runs away from home and takes refuge in an overgrown graveyard. The first narrative is told from his perspective, whereas the second thread tells of the situation at home and the police search for Billy. Covering themes of domestic violence, families, childhood, being separated and reunited, this is an important and beautifully illustrated book for middle grade readers right up to adults. 


My Thoughts:

Young Billy McKenna is tired of the violence going on in his house and he knows it won't get any better, so he packs a bag and leaves. He has a place to stay in mind, somewhere almost no one will visit; an old, overgrown cemetery. His mother, in an alternating pov, is desperate for her son's return, and the community comes together to help return him to her. 

I recently read Pam Smy's Thornhill and loved it. The Hideaway is quite similar in style, with haunting black & white illustrations mixed into the alternating POVs between a boy and his mother.

This definitely touches on some tough topics such as domestic abuse and abandonment but I love how Smy tackles these topics and turns this dark tale into something truly beautiful.

There's also a lovely paranormal twist at the end that makes this a good Spooky Season read! 

Many thanks to Pavilion Children's for the chance to read this fantastic illustrated novel! 

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Thornhill by Pam Sny (Middle Grade Horror Graphic Novel Review)

Thornhill
by Pam Smy
Published by Roaring Brook Press
on August 29, 2017
Genre: Middle-grade, Horror, Paranormal, Ghost stories
Length: 539 pages
Ages: 10 - 14 years

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Literary Awards:
Leeds Book Awards Nominee for 14 - 16 (2018)

Synopsis:
Parallel stories set in different times, one told in prose and one in pictures, converge as Ella unravels the mystery of the girl next door.

1982: Mary is a lonely orphan at the Thornhill Institute for Children at the very moment that it's shutting its doors. When her few friends are all adopted or re-homed and she is left to face a volatile bully alone, her revenge will have a lasting effect on the bully, on Mary, and on Thornhill itself.

2016: Ella has just moved to a new town where she knows no one. From her room on the top floor of her new home, she has a perfect view of a dilapidated, abandoned Thornhill Institute across the way, where she glimpses a girl in the window. Determined to befriend the girl, Ella resolves to unravel Thornhill's shadowy past. 


My Thoughts:

Told in dual POVs in different times, Thornhill tells the story of Mary, an orphaned girl who resides at Thornhill Institute before its abandonment, and Ella, a young, newly-motherless girl who has recently moved across the street from Thornhill and is looking for a friend. 
One POV is told in diary entries and the other in dark, macabre illustrations which gives us a quick, easy read despite how thick this book is! 

Mary's diary begins with her bully returning to Thornhill Institute and her situation escalates from there. 
Ella's illustrations share how she meets Mary and how their friendship builds. 
Their stories come together in the end in the most fantastic twist! 

I really loved this.
I adore ghost stories and illustration and love that this was both. It really reminded me of Brian Selznick's similarly illustrated novels, which I also loved. Pam Smy's illustrated stories are also geared toward middle-grade readers but considering the content, Smy's illustrations are a touch darker than Selznick's making them perfect for spooky season! 

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Home Again (Heartwood Hotel #4) by Kallie George (Children's Chapter Book Review)

 

Home Again
(Heartwood Hotel #4)
Written by Kallie George
Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin 
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 
on July 3, 2018
Genre: Children's, Chapter Book
Length: 176 pages
Ages: 7 - 10 years

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Synopsis:
In the final installment of this sweet illustrated chapter book series, summer has come to Fernwood Forest, and the staff of the Heartwood Hotel must trust each other as they contend with their biggest challenge yet. 


My Thoughts:

Summer is in full swing and the Heartwood is all abustle over a wedding when news travels by way of hummingbird that a fire has started in the forest. Meanwhile, a mysterious mouse named Strawberry from a nearby inn has a secret to share with Mona, and Mona hopes to gain the family she always wanted, but the fire rages on, threatening all that she holds dear. 

This is a fantastic ending to what has become one of our top favorite children's book series! 

The Heartwood Hotel series is full of lovable anthropomorphic characters that work in the grand Heartwood Hotel, a safe haven in an old oak that is run by a badger named Mr. Heartwood and tucked into the relative safety of Fernwood Forest. Mona the mouse is orphaned in a storm and finds herself washed downstream where she is taken in by Mr. Heartwood and given a job as a maid, makes great friends, and becomes a brave little hero of a mouse. 

This series is a quartet with each book taking place in one of the four seasons, starting in Autumn and ending in Summer. All four books kept us engaged and rooting for Mona in all her endeavors to fit in and save the hotel from various dangers. There's just enough plot to keep readers engaged but these books are also quite gentle reads and perfect for little listeners that love animals. 

We have loved each of these four stories and wish there were more!

A True Home (#1)

The Greatest Gift (#2)

Better Together (#3)

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Better Together (Heartwood Hotel #3) by Kallie George (Children's Chapter Book Review)

Better Together
Written by Kallie George
Illustrations by Alexandra Boiger
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
on February 6, 2018
Genre: Children's, Chapter Books
Length: 176 pages
Ages: 7 - 10 years

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Synopsis:
Spring has come to Fernwood Forest and the Heartwood is all a-bustle. With Mr. Heartwood off on vacation, it's up to Mona and the rest of the staff to keep everything running smoothly. When rumors buzz of a rival hotel, Gilles is determined to prove that the Heartwood is the very best with the splashiest Spring Splash the forest has ever seen. 

Readers will cheer for these kind, brave, beloved characters as they embark on their next adventure in the third book of the charmingly illustrated Heartwood Hotel series. 


Our Thoughts:

Mr. Heartwood is off on a much-needed vacation when word gets around that a new hotel has opened up in Fernwood Forest, claiming to be the 'splashiest', so the staff of Heartwood Hotel decides to put on a splendid Splash of their own. With everyone as busy as can be with the festivities, only Mona seems to notice the small changes around the hotel, from a secretive guest to disagreements between worker bees and entertainer fireflies to an even larger threat that is waiting in the shadows! 

Mona continues to be an absolute lifesaver for the Heartwood and its inhabitants, despite being a mouse, and tensions build when friendships are diverted, but all come together to save the hotel and in the end, all is well. 

We have adored this seasonal series featuring adorably kind and courageous animal characters so far and this was just as good as the first two! The characters are the sweetest, with innocent trials and tribulations and many lessons learned, and the endings are always exactly how you would hope them to be in a children's story. I absolutely recommend it for young readers and listeners that want a story with gentle drama and great friendships. 

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