Post-It Note Reviews: Quick Looks at 15 New Books

You know what is a terrible term? Sandwich Generation. Because I like sandwiches, but I for sure do NOT like being part of the Sandwich Generation. Yes, this is related to this post. Bear with me. This post has LOTS of post-it reviews because I have spent LOTS of time at my mom’s helping care for her post-surgery. The only upside to missing work and being gone is that at her house I’ve had lots of time to read, thus the many small reviews here. The 50% of the time I’m not at her house, I’m at work, or busy being President of Everything at home, or filling out the endless forms that have already appeared for my kid to be at college in the fall. SANDWICH! How dare they try to ruin sandwiches for me!

Anyway. I’m reading when I can. It at least feels like something I can cross off my list, which is my one true passion in life. Please enjoy these mini reviews. All descriptions are from the publishers. All post-its with my horrible scrawl are transcribed after the descriptions.

Forsynthia: Rise of the Cupcakes by Rachel DiNunzio (ISBN-13: 9781223187167 Publisher: Paw Prints Publishing Publication date: 03/05/2024 Series: Forsynthia #1, Ages 7-9)

In Forsynthia: Rise of the Cupcakes, the first installment in a brand new funny and fun-loving early reader graphic novel series, author-illustrator Rachel DiNunzio introduces us to Forsynthia, a young dragon, and her family, and puts them in all sorts of adventures that blend science, fantasy, mystery, and fun.

Forsynthia and her little sister Daisy bake their Mom (a scientist for the Secret Magical Bureau) cupcakes for her birthday. But they all get more than they bargained for when a cupcake merges with the magical artifact Mom has been studying and a villainous mega-cupcake forms, multiplies, and then attempts to take over their town of New Harmony! Will Forsynthia and family capture Megacupcake, save mayor Loren, put stop to the chaos, and save the day?

“Action-packed! Cupcake-packed!! Jetpack-packed!!! It’s better than ‘Great Things to Do in 1982.’ Way better!!!! You’ll see!” – Tom Angleberger, author-illustrator of New York Times bestselling Origami Yoda series

(POST-IT SAYS: Action, magic, inventions, and super secret missions—what’s not to like?! The little dragons have one cool mom who has the most interesting errands. A satisfyingly long graphic novel for the 2nd grade-ish set.)

Blue Stars: Mission One: The Vice Principal Problem by Kekla Magoon, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Molly Murakami (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781536204995 Publisher: Candlewick Press Publication date: 03/05/2024 Series: The Blue Stars, Ages 8-12)

Two everyday superheroes set out to save the world—starting with their school—in an exciting new middle-grade graphic series from two award-winning authors and a debut illustrator.

When cousins Riley Halfmoon and Maya Dawn move to Urbanopolis to live with their activist grandma, they get off to a rocky start. Outgoing Riley misses her Muscogee cousins but is sure that she and Maya will be instant BFFs. Meanwhile, introvert Maya misses her parents, on active duty in Japan, and just wants some space to herself. At school, Maya joins Robotics Club and Riley bonds with fellow gymnasts. Just when they start to feel at home, their school culture is threatened by an influential foe in disguise. Joining student council feels like a way to help, so both cousins toss their hats in the ring for sixth-grade class president. But when they realize what they’re up against—money, power, and lies—they quickly shift from competition to cooperation, joining forces as superheroes. Riley is savvy with people; Maya is a whiz with gadgets. In no time, this dazzling duo is off to save the day! Relatable and rich in themes of family, community, and compromise, the Blue Stars series will entertain and empower, inspiring readers to be the stars they are.

(POST-IT SAYS: Give me a million more in this series! Love to see extended family living together and to see the cousins working together and to overcome differences. Great, vibrant art captures all of the emotions and showcases the setting. An excellent start to the series!)

Nothing Special, Volume One: Through the Elder Woods by Katie Cook (ISBN-13: 9781984862822 Publisher: Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Publication date: 03/05/2024 Series: Nothing Special Series, Ages 13+)

Two not-so-human teenagers and a friendly ghost radish face the fantasy adventure of a lifetime in this captivating graphic novel, featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes material, from the inimitable Katie Cook.

“Smart, sweet, and totally original, Nothing Special is sure to captivate.”—Sarah Andersen, New York Times bestselling author of Fangs, Sarah Scribbles, and Cryptid Club

In the grand scheme of the worlds at large, Callie thinks she’s nothing special. Sure, she’s friends with the ghost of a radish and her dad owns a magical antique shop—but she’s spent her life in the human world. Her dad won’t let her join him on his collection trips in the magical realm “for her own protection,” so she’s only caught glimpses of that world through the gates of the town where her father’s store is.

On her seventeenth birthday, Callie goes home with her friend Declan to find her home in disarray and her dad missing. Signs of a struggle point to the portal to the magical realm and when there are signs, you follow them. Now it’s up to Callie, Declan, and Radish to band together and bring him home. As they face creatures good and bad, and all sorts of adventure, Callie and Declan may just find out that they are both special in their own ways after all.

The first season of mayhem, magic, vegetables, and adventure from Katie Cook’s beloved Webtoon, Nothing Special, is collected in this gorgeous graphic novel, which also features exclusive behind-the-scenes content.

(POST-IT SAYS: So totally fun! A perfect read full of adventure, clever banter, and the cutest ghost radish ever. A great read that, at 416 pages, will keep readers busy for a long time!)

Safe Passage by G. Neri, David Brame (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781643790343 Publisher: Lee & Low Books Publication date: 03/26/2024, Ages 12-18)

From Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author of Yummy G. Neri comes an epic journey across the South Side of Chicago for Darius, his little sister Cissy, and his best friend Booger as they set out to find an armored truck that has lost a payload of cash.
Thirteen-year-old Darius is going through a rough time. It’s almost been a year since a terrible act of violence took the life of his mother and left him with a wound both in his leg and in his heart. With his stepdad out of work; his little sister, Cissy, always on his case; and the looming prospect of foreclosure on their house, he feels his world closing in on him.

But Darius’s best friend, Booger, has a plan. A Brinks armored truck has crashed on a nearby highway and money is blowing everywhere. If they can get across town and back safely, they just might get rich! But to do it, they need to cross through some of the most dangerous streets in Chicago, staying ahead of the gangs that rule those neighborhoods.

Before long, their adventures blow up on social media as Booger documents their search for riches, and everyone is after them. Can they get home without falling victim to the violence of the streets? Sometimes, on the streets of Chicago, there is no Safe Passage.

(POST-IT SAYS: An urban adventure/survival story set on Chicago’s South Side filled with threats, escapes, and plenty of not great choices (I’m looking at you, Booger). The fast-paced plot highlights the constant peril the kids are in.)

Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell (ISBN-13: 9780823454433 Publisher: Holiday House Publication date: 01/02/2024, Ages 8-12)

It’s 1935, and tuberculosis is ravaging the nation. Everyone is afraid of this deadly respiratory illness. But what happens when you actually have it?

When Halle and her mother both come down with TB, they are shunned—and then they are sent to the J.N. Adam Tuberculosis Hospital: far from home, far from family, far from the world.

Tucked away in the woods of upstate New York, the hospital is a closed and quiet place. But it is not, Halle learns, a prison. Free of her worried and difficult father for the first time in her life, she slowly discovers joy, family, and the healing power of honey on the children’s ward, where the girls on the floor become her confidantes and sisters. But when Mama suffers a lung hemorrhage, their entire future—and recovery—is thrown into question….

Light and Air deals tenderly and insightfully with isolation, quarantine, found family, and illness. Set in the fully realized world of a 1930s hospital, it offers a tender glimpse into a historical epidemic that has become more relatable than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Halle tries to warm her father’s coldness and learns to trust the girls and women of the hospital, and as she and her mother battle a disease that once paralyzed the country, a profound message of strength, hope, and healing emerges.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

(POST-IT SAYS: An interesting look at an infection disease made all the more interesting by living in Covid times. Well-written and full of emotion, this complex story of treatment and recovery in a sanatorium is historical fiction with wide appeal.)

Exclusion and the Chinese American Story by Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn (ISBN-13: 9780593567647 Publisher: Random House Children’s Books Publication date: 03/26/2024 Series: Race to the Truth, Ages 10-14)

Until now, you’ve only heard one side of the story, but Chinese American history extends far beyond the railroads. Here’s the true story of America, from the Chinese American perspective.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

If you’ve learned about the history of Chinese people in America, it was probably about their work on the railroads in the 1800s. But more likely, you may not have learned about it at all. This may make it feel like Chinese immigration is a newer part of this country, but some scholars believe the first immigrant arrived from China 499 CE—one thousand years before Columbus did!

When immigration picked up in the mid-1800s, efforts to ban immigrants from China began swiftly. But hope, strength, and community allowed the Chinese population in America to flourish. From the gold rush and railroads to entrepreneurs, animators, and movie stars, this is the true story of the Chinese American experience.

(POST-IT SAYS: I’m going to need to read all the books in this series. I learned so much! Introduces the reader to a wide variety of people, events, and experiences. Each chapter closes with questions to ponder. An extremely educational read.)

The Wrong Way Home by Kate O’Shaughnessy (ISBN-13: 9780593650738 Publisher: Random House Children’s Books Publication date: 04/02/2024, Ages 10-13)

Twelve-year-old Fern believes she’s living a noble life—but what if everything she’s been told is a lie? This is a huge-hearted story about a girl learning to question everything—and to trust in herself.

Fern’s lived at the Ranch, an off-the-grid, sustainable community in upstate New York, since she was six. The work is hard, but Fern admires the Ranch’s leader, Dr. Ben. So when Fern’s mother sneaks them away in the middle of the night and says Dr. Ben is dangerous, Fern doesn’t believe it. She wants desperately to go back, but her mom just keeps driving.

Suddenly thrust into the treacherous, toxic, outside world, Fern thinks only about how to get home again. She has a plan, but it will take time. As that time goes by, though, Fern realizes there are things she will miss from this place—the library, a friend from school, the ocean—and there are things she learned at the Ranch that are just…not true.

Now Fern will have to decide. How much is she willing to give up to return to the Ranch? Should she trust Dr. Ben’s vision for her life? Or listen to the growing feeling that she can live by her own rules?

(POST-IT SAYS: Really interesting depiction of a child (unknowingly) raised in a cult now trying to adapt to the outside world. Strong writing, interesting characters, and a unique premise make up for the slightly slow pacing. Readers will root for Fern and her mom.)

Blood City Rollers by V.P. Anderson, Tatiana Hill (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9780593485699 Publisher: Random House Children’s Books Publication date: 04/09/2024 Series: Blood City Rollers #1, Ages 8-12)

Skates on. Fangs out. Let’s roll. This perfectly paranormal graphic novel about a 13-year-old ice skater who embraces the dark side and finds her light when she joins a vampire roller derby team is to die for.

Ice-skater Mina is on a one-track path to Olympic gold and glory—that is, until she totally wipes out at her biggest competition, and is kinda-sorta-kidnapped by undead kids on roller skates. Sucked into the high stakes world of Paranormal Roller Derby, she finds herself “recruited” by a squad of vampires who need a human player to complete their team—just in time to save the league from losing it all.

Between learning to play derby well enough to kick butt on the track, crushing hard on the dreamy team captain, and navigating the spooky rules of the supernatural, how can Mina go from striving to be a ten alone, to becoming one of nine chaotic bodies forming a perfectly-imperfect team? Forget being the best. Will she be enough to help her new friends survive the season?

(POST-IT SAYS: Super fun! It’s supernatural! It’s queer! It’s roller derby! All excellent on their own, but combined make for a great read. Love the storylines of choosing your own path and finding your place. Really enjoyable.)

No Escape by Maren Stoffels (ISBN-13: 9780593708774 Publisher: Random House Children’s Books Publication date: 04/02/2024, Ages 12+)

Following the success of her unputdownable debut, Escape Room, Maren Stoffels is back with a new standalone horror novel about a twisted game master who has no intention of letting their players go.

“You have been chosen to participate in a new Escape Room. You can bring one person. The one you trust the most. Your very best friend.”

When Lexi receives an invitation to participate in a brand-new escape room, along with her best friend Tess, she’s thrilled. They could both use the distraction after a recent tragedy.

But once inside, they learn that they must compete against one another.

What do you do when your best friend suddenly becomes your biggest adversary, and every choice you make puts her in danger? How far will you go to win?

(POST-IT SAYS: This will appeal to a lot of readers. This short, fast-paced thriller has real suspense, a sinister unseen villain, and plenty of twists and turns. Genuinely dark and creepy, this will satisfy those who love scary stories.)

The Not-So-Simple Question by Christina Matula (ISBN-13: 9781335009999 Publisher: Inkyard Press Publication date: 04/23/2024 Series: A Holly-Mei Book #3, Ages 8-12)

Return to Hong Kong in the third book of this charming middle grade series starring Holly-Mei, a girl navigating her new city, new school, and new friendships.

Holly-Mei is caught in the middle.

Holly-Mei Jones has finally settled into her new friend group in Hong Kong—that is until suddenly everyone starts talking about dating. Which Holly-Mei is not ready for.

At least she has her school’s Experience Week to look forward to. Holly-Mei can’t wait to show off Taiwan, where her beloved Ah-Ma is from, to her friends. The trip is going to be perfect…right?

(POST-IT SAYS: Book 3 in the series but can be read as a standalone. Lots of friendship dynamics and thoughts of identity and expectations going on with Holly-Mei and her friend group in Hong Kong. A good read.)

The Kodiaks: Home Ice Advantage by David A. Robertson (ISBN-13: 9781774921012 Publisher: Portage & Main Press Publication date: 04/09/2024 Series: The Breakout Chronicles #1, Ages 9-12)

Hockey fans will love this action-packed middle grade novel about teamwork, overcoming adversity, and being proud of who you are and where you come from.

Everything is changing for 11-year-old Alex Robinson. After his father accepts a new job, Alex and his family move from their community to the city. For the first time in his life, he doesn’t fit in. His fellow students don’t understand Indigenous culture. Even a simple show of respect to his teacher gets him in trouble.

Things begin to look up after Alex tries out for a local hockey team. Playing for the Kodiaks, Alex proves himself as one of the best, but he becomes a target because he’s Indigenous. Can Alex trust his teammates and stand up to the jerks on other teams? Can he find a way to fit in and still be who he’s meant to be?

(POST-IT SAYS: Lots of depth here as Alex navigates a new town/school, a new hockey team, and prejudice, racism, and microaggressions on and off the ice. Sports books always fly off the shelves, so this is a really nice addition to the field.)

Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol (ISBN-13: 9781250314864 Publisher: First Second Publication date: 05/07/2024, Ages 10-14)

From Anya’s Ghost and Be Prepared author Vera Brosgol comes an instant classic graphic novel that flips every fairy-tale you know on its head, and shows one girl’s crusade for the only thing that matters—her own independence.

Jane is incredibly plain. Everyone says so: her parents, the villagers, and her horrible cousin who kicks her out of her own house. Determined to get some semblance of independence, Jane prepares to propose to the princely Peter, who might just say yes to get away from his father. It’s a good plan!

Or it would’ve been, if he wasn’t kidnapped by a mermaid.

With her last shot at happiness lost in the deep blue sea, Jane must venture to the world underwater to rescue her maybe-fiancé. But the depths of the ocean hold beautiful mysteries and dangerous creatures. What good can a plain Jane do?

(POST-IT SAYS: What a great read. I want Jane to be my best friend. The story’s hero is smart, determined, and knows her worth by the book’s end. The art is fantastic and the story is both a thoughtful critique and so funny. I laughed out loud so many times.)

Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams, Danica Novgorodoff (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781481465830 Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books Publication date: 04/23/2024, Ages 10-14)

A tender-souled boy reeling from the death of his best friend struggles to fit into a world that wants him to grow up tough and unfeeling in this stunning middle grade novel in verse from the Newbery Honor–winning author of Genesis Begins Again.

It’s the last few months of eighth grade, and Isaiah feels lost. He thought his summer was going to be him and his boys Drew and Darius, hanging out, doing wheelies, watching martial arts movies, and breaking tons of Guiness World Records before high school. But now, more and more, Drew seems to be fading from their friendship, and though he won’t admit it, Isaiah knows exactly why. Because Darius is…gone.

A hit and run killed Darius in the midst of a record-breaking long wheelie when Isaiah should have been keeping watch, ready to warn: “CAR!” Now, Drew can barely look at Isaiah. But Isaiah, already quaking with ache and guilt, can’t lose two friends. So, he comes up with a plan to keep Drew and him together­­­—they can spend the summer breaking records, for Darius.

But Drew’s not the same Drew since Darius was killed, and Isaiah, being Isaiah, isn’t enough for Drew anymore. Not his taste in clothes, his love for rock music, or his aversion to jumping off rooftops. And one day something unspeakable happens to Isaiah that makes him think Drew’s right. If only he could be less sensitive, more tough, less weird, more cool, less him, things would be easier. But how much can Isaiah keep inside until he shatters wide open?

(POST-IT SAYS: My heart hurts for these kids. After Darius dies, Isaiah and Drew have to figure out how you go on, despite the grief, pain, and guilt. It’s a monumental task. Loved to watch Isaiah learn to embrace his whole (emo punk metal) self. Really moving.)

Pillow Talk by Stephanie Cooke, Mel Valentine Vargas (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9780358525721 Publisher: HarperCollins Publication date: 04/30/2024, Ages 14+)

Grace Mendes a.k.a. Cinderhella is a fierce competitor in the PFF, a pillow fight federation that’s part roller derby, part professional wrestling. But in this fresh, coming-of-age YA graphic novel, Grace needs to learn to overcome her biggest enemy: herself. For fans of Check, Please and Bloom.

When college freshman Grace Mendes reluctantly attends her first pillow fight match, she falls in love with the surprisingly gritty sport.

Despite her usually shy, introverted, and reserved nature, Grace decides to try out for the Pillow Fight Federation (PFF), a locally famous league of fighters with larger-than-life personas like Pain Eyre, Miss Fortune, and champion Kat Atonic. They may battle with pillows, but there is nothing soft about these fighters. The first and only rule to pillow fighting is that the pillow needs to be the first point of contact; after that, everything else goes.

Grace struggles with deep-seated body image issues, so she is especially shocked when she makes the competitive league and is welcomed into the fold of close knit, confident fighters. As her first official fight performing as newly crafted alter-ego/ring persona Cinderhella looms on the horizon, the real battle taking place is between Grace and her growing insecurities. What if people laugh or make fun of her? Why did she think she could pillow fight in the first place when she doesn’t look like your “typical” athlete?

Turns out, no one is laughing when Cinderhella dominates her first match in the ring. And as her alter-ego rises through the ranks of the PFF, gaining traction and online fame (and online trolls), can Grace use the spotlight to become an icon for not just others, but most importantly, for herself?

Pillow Talk is an inclusive, high-octane, outrageously fun graphic novel that aims a punch at the impossibly high standards set for women in sports (and otherwise) and champions the power of finding a team that will, quite literally, fight for you. A knock-out! 

(POST-IT SAYS: A pillow fighting league? Seems like a silly concept, but actually is super cool and the book had more way more seriousness and depth than I expected. Great art, diverse and well-developed cast, and excellent messages about self-esteem and found family.)

The Wishkeeper’s Apprentice by Rachel Chivers Khoo, Rachel Sanson (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781536231205 Publisher: Candlewick Press Publication date: 04/02/2024, Ages 7-10)

Wishes do come true—with some help from Felix and his quirky mentor, Mr. Beewinkle—in this magical adventure brimming with the power of hope.

When ten-year-old Felix drops a penny in the wishing fountain at the center of town, he really doesn’t expect his sixteen-year-old sister to suddenly like him again, or to offer to share a cinnamon bun or watch cartoons like they used to. She hasn’t even remembered she was supposed to give him a ride home! But someone else is at the fountain too: a strange old man with a fishing pole who claims to be invisible. To Felix’s amazement, he learns that the old man is a Wishkeeper, and he needs an apprentice! But being a Wishkeeper’s apprentice isn’t just about organizing incoming wishes and untangling wish snags: a strange wolf-man who’s been haunting Felix’s dreams is real and a threat to every wish that has ever been granted in the town of Whittlestone, the town’s Wishkeeper, and Felix himself. With lively illustrations, this sweet adventure bubbles with charm and heart.

(POST-IT SAYS: An utter delight. Seeing the effects of wishes and their removal makes for an interesting and unpredictable world—especially when one particular wish will majorly affect our main character. Loads of great illustrations. So enjoyable.)

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