“Not Nothing,” by Gayle Forman, and other YA titles
(Photo by Steven Pings Rawley/use with permission only)
Welcome, welcome, to the long-running and always entertaining Wacky Mommy Book Review.
- My pick of the week is Gayle Forman’s latest, “Not Nothing.” This is a great title for a book that is not nothing, but most definitely something. This is one of the best titles I’ve read, not just this year, but in the past few years. It’s a new classic, in my opinion. Alex, age 12, is in big trouble and we don’t know exactly what happened. Just that it’s bad. Really bad. Bad enough for a judge to “sentence” him to community service, namely, volunteering at an eldercare facility, where his new boss is a peer, Maya-Jade Spears-Sandler, “But you can call me Maya-Jade.” She’s a lot. When Alex meets Josey, though, age 107 and giving up on life, everything changes. I don’t want to say much more about this book. It’s intriguing, it’s a mystery, it’s a love story and compassionate and I would go along anywhere these characters wanted to take me. Hugs and love and all of it. (Simon & Schuster, 2024, ages 10 (5th grade) and up, serious themes, 280 pages, $17.99.)
- Reading “Rise of the Spider” and eagerly awaiting “Threat of the Spider,” the second book in the new “Web of the Spider” series by author Michael P. Spradlin. Thoughtful and provocative book about brothers Rolf and Romer, set in Nazi Germany. Learn about history or repeat it, we all know this, but that saying hits differently now. It hits hard. (Margaret K. Elderberry Books/Simon & Schuster, 2024, ages 8 and up, 144 pages.)
- For something a little (lot) lighter, try “Theodora Hendrix and the Monstrous League of Monsters” (that’s a big ol’ title), by Jordan Kopy, with illustrations by Chris Jevons (Simon & Schuster Kids, 2024, ages 8 and up, 247 pages, $18.99). This one is being described on Amazon as “Addams Family meets Nancy Drew,” and that’s pretty cute, as well as accurate. Do monsters exist? No? Yes? Maybe? “Just ask Theodora Hendrix.” The illustrations are great, whimsical, creepy, lively and everything they need to be. Perfect title as we head into Halloween season.
All for now, cats and kittens. Disclaimer: All of the books reviewed today were sent to me free to review. Disclaimer here. See you next time!
WM
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