Review: Secrets of Camp Whatever, Vol. 1

Title: Secrets of Camp Whatever, Vol. 1
Author: Chris Grine
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Oni Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: March 30, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

“Just the right amount of chills for tweens who enjoy supernatural suspense.” — KIRKUS

Perfect for fans of Lumberjanes and Brain Camp, there’s more than mosquitos at Camp Whatever and Willow will need to face truths about herself and her family as summer camp dread goes head to head with the supernatural.

Eleven year-old Willow doesn’t want to go to her dad’s weird old summer camp any more than she wants her family to move to the weird old town where that camp is located. But her family—and fate itself—seem to have plans of their own. Soon Willow finds herself neck-deep in a confounding mystery involving stolen snacks, suspected vampires, and missing campers, all shrouded in the sinister fog that hides a generation of secrets at Camp … Whatever it’s called.

Review:

Eleven-year-old Willow’s family has moved back to her dad’s strange hometown of Nowhere. She’s going to go to his old camp, Camp Whatever. He enjoyed the camp when he went there, but one of the campers went missing while he was there. As soon as Willow boards the ship to go to the camp, she can see that it is going to be a strange week. She ends up encountering supernatural mysteries, including gnomes, Bigfoot, and a possible vampire, all hidden in the fog of Camp Whatever.

This was such a fun graphic novel. Going to a new camp can be intimidating enough, without the possibility of encountering supernatural creatures. There were a couple of warning signs before Willow left for camp, such as when her dad said a kid went missing while he was there and there was a creepy clown holding a balloon standing on the dock to the ship. I could tell things would get creepy after those two events.

This story kept me guessing until the end. There were so many different supernatural creatures that I didn’t know what was going to happen next. The setting of a camp can be exciting enough, with kids isolated in a space with limited supervision, but the addition of fantasy creatures made it even more exciting.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel! I can’t wait to read more in this series.

Thank you Oni Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters, Brooklyn Allen

Martian Ghost Centaur by Mat Heagerty, Steph Mided

Have you read Secrets of Camp Whatever, Vol. 1? What did you think of it?

Review: Bridge of Souls (Cassidy Blake #3)

Title: Bridge of Souls (Cassidy Blake #3)
Author: Victoria Schwab
Genre: Middle Grade, Paranormal, Fantasy
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: March 2, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Where there are ghosts, Cassidy Blake follows … unless it’s the other way around?

Cass thinks she might have this ghost-hunting thing down. After all, she and her ghost best friend, Jacob, have survived two haunted cities while travelling for her parents’ TV show.

But nothing can prepare Cass for New Orleans, which wears all of its hauntings on its sleeve. In a city of ghost tours and tombs, raucous music and all kinds of magic, Cass could get lost in all the colourful, grisly local legends. And the city’s biggest surprise is a foe Cass never expected to face: a servant of Death itself.

Cass takes on her most dangerous challenge yet…

Review:

Cassidy Blake travels with her parents to New Orleans to film their paranormal tv show. Cassidy’s parents don’t know that she’s a ghost hunter, who is always accompanied by her ghost best friend Jacob. New Orleans is a haunted city, filled with ghosts for Cassidy to hunt down. However, soon after she arrives, she sees a mysterious person with a skeleton mask, who she first saw in Paris. This person is an emissary of Death, who has come to claim what Cassidy stole from Death. She must figure out how to get rid of the emissary before her time is up.

This is one of my favourite series. I love them as an adult, and I know I would have loved it as a young reader. The story is fast paced and creepy, so it flies by quickly.

I definitely want to visit New Orleans after reading this story. Cassidy and her parents visited many haunted areas of the city. There’s a lot of dark history and ghosts stories in New Orleans. They were even more creepy in this story, since Cassidy could look within the veil, where ghosts live, and see the ghosts herself. I love paranormal stories like this one, so I’d love to visit New Orleans.

This is such a fun series! I hope Victoria Schwab writes more Cassidy Blake stories in the future.

What to read next:

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Other books in the series:

Have you read Bridge of Souls? What did you think of it?

Review: Cuckoo’s Flight

Title: Cuckoo’s Flight
Author: Wendy Orr
Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Pajama Press
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: March 30, 2021
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A new gripping Bronze Age story from Wendy Orr, internationally acclaimed author of Dragonfly Song and Swallow’s Dance

Clio can’t remember a time when she didn’t share a bond with the mare Grey Girl. On the whole island of Crete, she and her Trojan-born father are the only people who raise and ride horses—and she couldn’t live without it. Between the freedom of the pasture and the safety of her grandmother Leira’s pottery studio, Clio always has had everything she needed.

Then an accident stole Clio’s ability to ride, or even to walk without a crutch. The weather changed and summers grew drier. Now raiders are preying on nearby towns. As anxiety builds, a terrible pronouncement is issued by the palace: at the spring festival, a girl between the ages of twelve and fourteen will be chosen to save the town from disaster. She will be sacrificed as an offering to the mother goddess.

In Cuckoo’s Flight, internationally bestselling author Wendy Orr returns to the Bronze-Age setting of her critically acclaimed novels Dragonfly Song and Swallow’s Dance. With her signature blend of striking prose and emotionally taut verse, she immerses readers in a thrilling coming-of-age story as Clio battles the political power of the palace and her own feelings of inadequacy to save her town, her horses, and perhaps even herself.

Review:

In the Bronze Age, Clio lives with her family and grandmother who makes pottery. Clio has a bond with their horse Grey Girl, but after falling off her, Clio must walk with a crutch and can’t ride anymore. When raiders approach their town, everyone is on edge. The oracle announces that there will have to be a sacrifice of a young girl. Clio feels like she’s destined to be the sacrifice, but she does everything she can to save her village.

This story was set in the same world as Wendy Orr’s books Dragonfly Song and Swallow’s Dance. The stories are related but you don’t have to read the others to understand this one. I love the format that these books are written in. Most of the story is written in prose, but some parts are written in verse. The verses reminded me of Ancient Greek texts. The story is accessible for a modern reader, but it has the appearance of an Ancient Greek story.

This story had representation of a disability. Clio fell off a horse and damaged her hip. She had to walk with a crutch and she couldn’t ride a horse anymore. Her father built her a chariot so she could still travel with her horse. Though this story was set in a different time period and Clio had restrictions that a child today wouldn’t have with a disability, this story had great representation of a child with a disability that I haven’t seen often in children’s books.

This is a beautiful middle grade story.

Thank you Pajama Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr

Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr

Other books in the series:

Have you read Cuckoo’s Flight? What did you think of it?

Review: The Accidental Apprentice (Wilderlore #1)

Title: The Accidental Apprentice (Wilderlore #1)
Author: Amanda Foody
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: March 30, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A boy who accidentally bonds with a magical Beast must set off on an adventure in the mysterious Woods.

The last thing Barclay Thorne ever wanted was an adventure.

Thankfully, as an apprentice to the town’s mushroom farmer, Barclay need only work hard and follow the rules to one day become the head mushroom farmer himself. No danger required. But then Barclay accidentally breaks his town’s most sacred rule: never ever EVER stray into the Woods, for within the Woods lurk vicious magical Beasts.

To Barclay’s horror, he faces a fate far worse than being eaten: he unwittingly bonds with a Beast and is run out of town by an angry mob. Determined to break this bond and return home, Barclay journeys to find the mysterious town of Lore Keepers, people who have also bonded with Beasts and share their powers.

But after making new friends, entering a dangerous apprenticeship exam, and even facing the legendary Beast of the Woods, Barclay must make a difficult choice: return to the home and rules he’s always known, or embrace the adventure awaiting him.

Review:

Barclay Thorne is an apprentice to a mushroom farmer in Dullshire. He’s an orphan, whose parents were killed by a massive beast. In Barclay’s town, they keep the beasts away. No one is allowed to go into the forest where the beasts live. When his friend goes running into the forest while they’re gathering mushrooms one day, Barclay follows him. Barclay’s worst nightmare comes true when he encounters a beast, who creates a bond with him, turning Barclay into a Lore Keeper. Barclay is run out of town when the townspeople realize he has a magical connection to a beast. He meets Violet in the forest, who brings Barclay to a town to have his bond with the beast removed. However, the bond is not easily broken, so Barclay is convinced to participate in an apprenticeship contest in order to get his beast bond removed.

This was a fun twist on the middle grade fantasy story. Usually, the main characters in fantasy stories are eager to find and connect with animals. In this case, that was the worst thing that Barclay could imagine. His bond with a beast ruined the plans he had to live a quiet life in his town as a mushroom farmer. The life he wanted to live was so quiet, that the town is actually called “dull.” He didn’t want to go on an adventure, unlike most fantasy characters.

There were some surprising twists throughout the story. Some characters weren’t what they seemed, which really surprised me. The story ended with another adventure beginning, so I’m excited to see what happens in the next book.

This was a fun middle grade fantasy.

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong

The Dark Lord Clementine by Sarah Jean Horwitz

Have you read The Accidental Apprentice? What did you think of it?

Review: Delicates (Sheets #2)

Title: Delicates (Sheets #2)
Author: Brenna Thummler
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Oni Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: March 23, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Following the events of the bestselling graphic novel SheetsDelicates brings Brenna Thummler’s beloved characters, artwork, and charm back to life.

Marjorie Glatt’s life hasn’t been the same ever since she discovered a group of ghosts hiding in her family’s laundromat. Wendell, who died young and now must wander Earth as a ghost with nothing more than a sheet for a body, soon became one of Marjorie’s only friends. But when Marjorie finally gets accepted by the popular kids at school, she begins to worry that if anyone learns about her secret ghost friends, she’ll be labeled as a freak who sees dead people. With Marjorie’s insistence on keeping Wendell’s ghost identity a secret from her new friends, Wendell begins to feel even more invisible than he already is.

Eliza Duncan feels invisible too. She’s an avid photographer, and her zealous interest in finding and photographing ghosts gets her labeled as “different” by all the other kids in school. Constantly feeling on the outside, Eliza begins to feel like a ghost herself. Marjorie must soon come to terms with the price she pays to be accepted by the popular kids. Is it worth losing her friend, Wendell? Is she partially to blame for the bullying Eliza endures?

Delicates tells a powerful story about what it means to fit in, and those left on the outside. It shows what it’s like to feel invisible, and the importance of feeling seen. Above all, it is a story of asking for help when all seems dark, and bringing help and light to those who need it most.

Review:

Eighth grader Marjorie has a group of ghosts that live in her family’s laundromat. When Marjorie starts school after the summer, she’s become friends with the kids that used to bully her. This year, the kids have turned to bullying Eliza, a girl who has been left back a grade and is in their class. Eliza feels left out and finds comfort in her photography hobby. Eliza tries to take photos of ghosts, which also makes her the subject of teasing. However, Marjorie knows that ghosts do exist. Eventually, the bullying reaches a breaking point, and Marjorie is the only one who can save Eliza.

This is the perfect companion to the graphic novel Sheets. In that story, Marjorie and her laundromat full of ghosts were introduced. In this sequel, Marjorie has to use what she learned in the first story to help Eliza.

There was a lot of bullying in this story. There was also some discussion of suicide. This theme of death is part of the story, since Marjorie is friends with the ghosts of people who have died. This could be triggering content, but this story is also an important teaching experience about depression.

I really loved this graphic novel!

Thank you Oni Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Martian Ghost Centaur by Mat Heagerty, Steph Mided

Girl Have by Lilah Sturges

Other books in the series:

Have you read Delicates? What did you think of it?

Review: City of the Plague God

Title: City of the Plague God
Author: Sarwat Chadda
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: January 12, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents CITY OF THE PLAGUE GOD, an adventure based on ancient Mesopotamian mythology written by Sarwat Chadda, author of the Ash Mistry series. Characters from the Epic of Gilgamesh populate this high-stakes contemporary adventure in which all of Manhattan is threatened by the ancient god of plagues.

Thirteen-year-old Sik wants a simple life going to school and helping at his parents’ deli in the evenings. But all that is blown to smithereens when Nergal comes looking for him, thinking that Sik holds the secret to eternal life.Turns out Sik is immortal but doesn’t know it, and that’s about to get him and the entire city into deep, deep trouble. 

Sik’s not in this alone. He’s got Belet, the adopted daughter of Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, on his side, and a former hero named Gilgamesh, who has taken up gardening in Central Park. Now all they have to do is retrieve the Flower of Immortality to save Manhattan from being wiped out by disease. To succeed, they’ll have to conquer sly demons, treacherous gods, and their own darkest nightmares.

Review:

Thirteen-year-old Sik helps out with his parents’ deli in Manhattan. One night, he’s attacked by demons who were working with the plague god Nergal. Their deli is destroyed and his parents are left in the hospital with a mysterious virus. Sik is rescued by his new friend Belet who lives with a god of her own. Nargal insists that Sik is hiding an item that Sik’s brother sent back from Iraq just before he died. Sik and Belet have to find this item, with the help of the hero Gilgamesh, to save their city and Sik’s parents.

I have never read Mesopotamian mythology before, or even the epic story of Gilgamesh, so this was all new to me. I loved learning about the different gods and their stories. The story was set in the familiar city of New York, so I could picture everything that happened, even though the characters were all new.

This story addressed racism and Islamophobia. Sik’s friend Daoud was an actor, but he had accepted the fact that he was always going to be cast as the villain or a terrorist. He wouldn’t be the hero. Luckily in this story, Sik is a Muslim hero. This racism was disturbing because it’s so outrageous and doesn’t make any sense. I’m glad that books like this can be published, because I love reading about different cultures. My favourite books are the ones that teach me things, and I feel like I learned a lot from this one.

This is a great story in the Rick Riordan Presents collection!

Thank you Rick Riordan Presents for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Tristan Strong Punches a Hold in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

Have you read City of the Plague God? What did you think of it?

Review: Amina’s Song

Title: Amina’s Song (Amina’s Voice #2)
Author: Hena Khan
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Publisher: Salaam Reads
Source: Publisher
Format: paperback arc
Release Date: March 9, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

In the companion novel to the beloved and award-winning Amina’s Voice, Amina once again uses her voice to bridge the places, people, and communities she loves—this time across continents. 

It’s the last few days of her vacation in Pakistan, and Amina has loved every minute of it. The food, the shops, the time she’s spent with her family—all of it holds a special place in Amina’s heart. Now that the school year is starting again, she’s sad to leave, but also excited to share the wonders of Pakistan with her friends back in Greendale. 

After she’s home, though, her friends don’t seem overly interested in her trip. And when she decides to do a presentation on Pakistani hero Malala Yousafzai, her classmates focus on the worst parts of the story. How can Amina share the beauty of Pakistan when no one wants to listen?

Review:

Amina is on vacation in Pakistan to visit her extended family. She loves everything on the trip, including the food, the shopping, and spending time with family members. During the trip, Amina takes lots of photos and videos to save her favourite memories. Amina had to return to the US when the summer was over, but her uncle makes her promise that she will share her memories of Pakistan with her friends. Her teacher assigns a project to research a person who has made a significant contribution to history. Amina chooses Malala Yousafzai, to show her students an important person from Pakistan. However, her classmates only remembered the negative parts of her story, like that girls in her village couldn’t get an education, leading her classmates to believe Pakistan is a bad place. Amina had to show her friends and classmates that her family is from a wonderful country.

This story gives an informative look at Pakistan. I’ve never been there, but it sounded like a beautiful place in the story. Amina was surprised when her cousin told her that she would be too scared to visit America. The stories her family hears are only negative ones, since those are shared more in the news. At the same time, Amina was scared to go to Pakistan at first, because she had only heard stories like Malala’s story of being attacked by terrorists, so that was her image of the country. This shows that you can’t always believe the stories that you hear about a place without visiting for yourself. This reminded me of how Toronto, where I live, used to be known around the world for the SARS virus. Only a small number of people had the virus, but the news story about it being in Toronto made it around the world, giving us that reputation for years. Just because a country or city is known for one thing, doesn’t mean the entire place is like that.

This book is a companion to the book Amina’s Voice. The events of that book are mentioned in this story, but you could read this one as a stand-alone.

This was such a beautiful middle grade novel!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

More to the Story by Hena Khan

Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices by S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed (editors)

Other books in the series:

Have you read Amina’s Song? What did you think of it?

Review: The Memory Thief (Thirteen Witches #1)

Title: The Memory Thief (Thirteen Witches #1)
Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Aladdin
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: March 2, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Perfect for fans of The Girl Who Drank the Moon, this fantastical and heartfelt first book in a new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson follows a girl who must defeat thirteen evil witches.

Twelve-year-old Rosie Singer’s mom is missing whatever it is that makes mothers love their daughters. All her life, Rosie has known this…and turned to stories for comfort. Then, on the night Rosie decides to throw her stories away forever, an invisible ally helps her discover the Witch Hunter’s Guide to the Universe, a book that claims that all of the evil in the world stems from thirteen witches who are unseen…but also unstoppable. One of these witches—the Memory Thief—holds an insidious power to steal our most precious treasures: our memories. And it is this witch who has cursed Rosie’s mother. 

In her quest to save her mom—and with her wild, loyal friend “Germ” by her side—Rosie will find the layers hidden under the reality she only thought she knew: where ghosts linger as shades of the past, where clouds witness the world, and a ladder dangles from the moon leading to something bigger and more. Here, words are weapons against the darkness, and witch hunters are those brave enough to wield their imaginations in the face of the unthinkable. 

At the core of this stunning novel—the first of the Thirteen Witches trilogy from critically acclaimed author Jodi Lynn Anderson—is a passionate argument that stories have the power to create meaningful change…and a reason to hope even when the world feels crushing.

Review:

Twelve-year-old Rosie Oakes has always made up stories to comfort herself. She lives with her mom, but her mom has never been like other moms. She can’t seem to hold on to any of her memories. One night, Rosie wakes up to find ghosts in her house. The ghosts show her a book that holds her mother’s secret history as a witch hunter. The witch called The Memory Thief cursed Rosie’s mother after Rosie was born. Rosie, along with her best friend Germ, have to hunt down the witch to get her mother’s memories back.

This was a fun paranormal story. My favourite books in middle school were about ghosts, so I loved this one. Rosie was a strong character who practically had to raise herself since her mother wasn’t present in her life. She was brave since she insisted in hunting down the witch who had cursed her mother. I love reading about brave, determined young girls like Rosie.

There were some subtle plot lines that were woven throughout the story. The prologue shows the night that Rosie was born, which ended up being important to the end of the story. There were also lots of references and similarities to Harry Potter, which I also love in a book. Despite the problems with the Harry Potter world, I find the references comforting and they connect me to the story.

This was a fun first book in the Thirteen Witches trilogy!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. by David Levithan

The Wide Starlight by Nicole Lesperance

Have you read The Memory Thief? What did you think of it?

Review: The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother)

Title: The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother)
Author: David Levithan
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Text Publishing
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: February 2, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author David Levithan takes young readers on a twisting journey through truth, reality, and fantasy and belief.

Aidan disappeared for six days. Six agonizing days of searches and police and questions and constant vigils. Then, just as suddenly as he vanished, Aidan reappears. Where has he been? The story he tells is simply. . . impossible. But it’s the story Aidan is sticking to.

His brother, Lucas, wants to believe him. But Lucas is aware of what other people, including their parents, are saying: that Aidan is making it all up to disguise the fact that he ran away.

When the kids in school hear Aidan’s story, they taunt him. But still Aidan clings to his story. And as he becomes more of an outcast, Lucas becomes more and more concerned. Being on Aidan’s side would mean believing in the impossible. But how can you believe in the impossible when everything and everybody is telling you not to?

Review:

Twelve-year-old Aidan disappeared for six days, leaving his family and town to search for him everywhere. On the sixth day, his brother, Lucas, heard a noise in the attic and went to investigate. He found Aidan lying on the floor, claiming to have returned from a different land called Aveinieu. The problem now is that no adults believe Aidan’s story. Lucas wants to believe his brother’s story but it’s difficult to believe in an impossible story.

This story was an original take on the traditional story of children disappearing into magical lands. There are lots of stories of children who climb through portals to magic lands, such as Narnia and Wonderland. Those stories have been told, but this story tells the family’s perspective of losing the child. Time worked differently in the world Aidan disappeared to, so he was gone for six days in real time but he was in the other land for many weeks.

This story was very fast paced. Aidan returned from his disappearance fairly early in the story, and the rest of it was him trying to convince everyone of what happened to him. It was sad to see how he wasn’t believed because he was a child and it sounded like a made up story, but he insisted it was true. I’d like to believe these kinds of fantasy lands do exist on the other side of wardrobes, to keep the magic alive!

I really enjoyed this story!

Thank you Text Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel by Sheela Chari

Whispering Pines by Heidi Lang and Kati Bartkowski

Have you read The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S.? What did you think of it?

Review: Pleasant Grove

Title: Pleasant Grove
Author: Jason Price
Genre: Middle Grade, Science Fiction
Publisher: Self-published
Source: Author
Format: Ebook
Release Date: June 29, 2020
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Welcome to Pleasant Grove, a quiet small town where neighbor helps neighbor and doors are left unlocked at night-an unspoiled paradise with one peculiar feature: It’s enclosed by a glass dome.

No one can leave.
No one can enter.
No one can survive beyond the dome.

But then, a visitor arrives from the outside.

When 12-year-old Agnes Goodwin discovers a strange boy with no memory, she teams up with her best friends to unravel the mystery. Their extraordinary adventure will threaten everything they know…and everyone they love.

Review:

Twelve-year-old Agnes Goodwin lives in Pleasant Grove which is a town under a dome. Everything they need can be found in the dome. Their food is grown there and everyone works. Everyone knows each other and all the children go to school together. One day, Agnes sees a boy that she’s never seen before. This makes her start to wonder what is outside the dome. This strange boy must have come from somewhere else since she doesn’t know him. She brings her friends to investigate the dome, but what they discover threatens their town and life as they know it.

This was a thrilling science fiction story. It had a lot of similarities to the show Stranger Things and the Stephen King book Under the Dome. The people of Pleasant Grove had everything they needed in the dome, but there had to be something outside it. The story has a science fiction ending that made sense for the story.

This story is classified as a middle grade story, but the writing was more mature than writing for a middle grade reader. Just because the main character is of middle grade age, doesn’t mean the story has to be targeted to a middle grade reader. Some of the descriptive words were strange and unusual, such as “a family of strawberries” instead of a few or a handful of strawberries. The language could have been simpler and it would have made more sense.

This is a great story for fans of Stranger Things! This ebook will be free on Amazon from Feb. 22-26, so go check it out!

Thank you Jason Price for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Runaway Mix by Brenna Yovanoff

Whispering Pines by Heidi Lang and Kati Bartkowski

Have you read Pleasant Grove? What did you think of it?