Nura and the Immortal Palace – M.T. Khan

This is a middle grade tale that is as smart as it is entertaining. It combines magic and the more grounded theme of education in a way that encourages us to take some of the content quite seriously and ponder its meaning, while also allowing us to be enchanted by the elements that belong more to the fantasy world than our everyday one.

Nura is a determined young lady. While most kids at the mine are mining without really thinking they could ever find the great treasure desired by their master, the ‘‘mica,’’ Nura fully believes that she is capable of such a big endeavour. Unfortunately, her ambition caused quite an accident at the mine, and a few of the kids have gone missing. Though her ambition initially led her to cause damage, this time she is hoping it will help her find the missing kids—and her best friend.

Nura’s journey leads her to enter a treacherous world full of jinn, who do not have her best interest at heart. She quickly stumbles too deep into the world, so deep she might never get out of it again. But Nura has a fire in her that just won’t quit. It was really good to be acquainted with someone so goal-oriented and who tries to use her powerful energy for good actions. I feel like there are two types of fire—the one lit from anger (destructive) and the one lit from a desire to see change come about (productive). Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between the two or they intertwine, but though Nura makes some mistakes along the way, she learns to direct her energy towards the right things and the right people. It can be hard for her to know who to trust, especially after being betrayed badly, but sometimes you have to have faith.

I really enjoyed my experience reading this book. It is fast-paced, with quite a bit of action, as well as full of memorable characters whose personalities I could get a sense of. My only complaint is regarding the solution that Nura finds to her problem, which felt quite predictable. Otherwise, this is quite a smart tale with impactful scenes that I quite recommend!

Thank you Hachette Book Group Canada for the copy in exchange for a review! On sale July 5th.

The Chosen One: A First Generation Ivy League Odyssey – Echo Brown

This is not an easy read. I’d rather warn you sooner than later, so you know what you’re getting into and can decide for yourself if you’re ready for Echo Brown right now.

Part of the reason why this isn’t an easy read is because it’s not easy to be Echo Brown right now. She has past trauma that still haunts her today and keeps her from living life to its fullest. She’s just started university at an Ivy League, and doesn’t feel like she belongs, or like people really want her there. On top of all that, she’s crushing hard on a white boy who she doesn’t think shares her feelings.

Despite the heaviness of the topics and tone, most of the time, I still enjoyed reading about Echo Brown’s new journey. The seriousness of the tone actually made it easier for me to take this character seriously and really believe (and feel) that she is going through a lot and that these issues she is facing are quite serious for her. Whereas some people might say, ‘‘damn, just hire that tutor, Echo, come on!’’, if you really try to understand Echo and where she is coming from, you will have an easier time being patient with her and giving her the time she needs to figure things out and let herself be helped.

At the end of the day, as important as I think the themes discussed here are, I don’t think the magical realism was needed, so I cannot say I loved this story. Magical realism, as a general rule, is a subgenre that spikes my curiosity, and I don’t normally wish to erase it from a story. Unless it’s bad. Unless it distracts from the realism of the storyline quite a bit. Unless it’s not that creative to begin with, just… weird.

I also wish the author or publisher, or anyone, really, had made it clearer that this is a continuation to the author’s BLACK GIRL UNLIMITED, as I had no idea, and perhaps reading that one would have helped understand Echo Brown even better, and the magical realism also.

Thank you Hachette Book Group Canada for the copy in exchange for a review.

Amal Unbound – Aisha Saeed

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Published: May 8th, 2018
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Recommended Age: 8+
Pacing: Normal
Genres & Themes: Middle Grade, Education, Family, Justice, Work, Culture

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Life is quiet and ordinary in Amal’s Pakistani village, but she had no complaints, and besides, she’s busy pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher one day. Her dreams are temporarily dashed when–as the eldest daughter–she must stay home from school to take care of her siblings. Amal is upset, but she doesn’t lose hope and finds ways to continue learning. Then the unimaginable happens–after an accidental run-in with the son of her village’s corrupt landlord, Amal must work as his family’s servant to pay off her own family’s debt. Life at the opulent Khan estate is full of heartbreak and struggle for Amal–especially when she inadvertently makes an enemy of a girl named Nabila. Most troubling, though, is Amal’s growing awareness of the Khans’ nefarious dealings. When it becomes clear just how far they will go to protect their interests, Amal realizes she will have to find a way to work with others if they are ever to exact change in a cruel status quo, and if Amal is ever to achieve her dreams.

What Made Maddy Run – Kate Fagan

What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen by Kate Fagan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
First Published: August 1st, 2017
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Recommended Age: 14+
Pacing: Normal
Genres & Themes: Non-fiction, Biography, Sports, Mental Health, Psychology, Suicide

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From noted ESPN commentator and journalist Kate Fagan, the heartbreaking and vital story of college athlete Madison Holleran, whose death by suicide rocked the University of Pennsylvania campus and whose life reveals with haunting detail and uncommon understanding the struggle of young people suffering from mental illness today.

Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey

Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey by Ozge Samanci

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Raincoast Books
First Published: November 17th, 2015
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Recommended Age: 12+
Pacing: Normal
Genres & Themes: Graphic Novel, Memoir, Nonfiction, Education, Coming of Age

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Growing up on the Aegean Coast, Ozge loved the sea and imagined a life of adventure while her parents and society demanded predictability. Her dad expected Ozge, like her sister, to become an engineer. She tried to hear her own voice over his and the religious and militaristic tensions of Turkey and the conflicts between secularism and fundamentalism. Could she be a scuba diver like Jacques Cousteau? A stage actress? Would it be possible to please everyone including herself?

Fish In a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Fish In A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Publication Date: February 5th, 2015
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 10+
Pacing: Fast
Genres & Themes: Middle Grade, Contemporary, Learning Disabilities, Bullying, Education

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Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike.

Review: I Am Malala (Young Readers Edition)

I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Malala Yousafzai

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Hachette Book Group
Publication Date: August 19th, 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown BFYR
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 11+
Pacing: Normal
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Education, Women’s Rights, Religion

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Malala Yousafzai was only ten years old when the Taliban took control of her region. They said music was a crime. They said women weren’t allowed to go to the market. They said girls couldn’t go to school.

Raised in a once-peaceful area of Pakistan transformed by terrorism, Malala was taught to stand up for what she believes. So she fought for her right to be educated. And on October 9, 2012, she nearly lost her life for the cause: She was shot point-blank while riding the bus on her way home from school.

Now she is an international symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest- ever Nobel Peace Prize nominee. In this Young Readers Edition of her bestselling memoir, which includes excessive photos and material, we hear firsthand the remarkable story of a girl who knew from a young age that she wanted to change the world-and did.