Rutabaga's Reads 2019: Part 7

If you read middle-grade, have you paused to consider how it can vary so drastically? Within YA, themes of violence or romance are common. But how about looking at a light middle-grade novel versus something more intense? Two of the books in this second middle-grade compilation post of 2019 are bookends representing this. Though both geared for the 8-12 age range, “Gabriela” is soft and light compared to “Quests for Glory.” The latter includes violence and terrible death. I don’t think reading one over the other makes you soft or brutal; I’m simply recognizing the light-years-apart difference in content.

Gabriela: Time for Change (Sept. 26, 2017) by Varian Johnson.

*This is the third book in an AG Girl of the Year series.*

Dreams aren’t limited to one Big Dream, which is good, because Gabriela McBride has more than one. She’s passionate about poetry and is looking forward to her first poetry slam. She’s a newly appointed co-ambassador for her 6^th grade class at Kelly Middle School and is determined to do well. She’s been dancing since forever, primarily tap, but she’s started training to go en pointe, which is such a milestone! With all of those Big Dreams comes more work, more responsibility and more time needed. Gabriela has to make two Halloween costumes, one of which is her themed costume idea with her best friend, Teagan (a “social” butterfly), but she also has two poems to fine-tune (a solo and a duet) and ballet homework on top of regular schoolwork. There isn’t enough time in the day! With getting pulled in many directions, certain things move to the bottom of the totem pole. When it negatively affects those around her, how can she hone her time management skills and bridge the hurts on both sides?

            Like other American Girl (AG) stories, this one shows growth and learning of the character, while also empowering her. It isn’t a fluffy story; Gabriela learns a hard lesson in time management, which, let’s be honest, isn’t exactly a cakewalk when you’re an adult, either. To add to the stress, Gabriela’s relationships with her closest friends suffer, and she doesn’t at first understand why her best friend is put out with her. It’s easy to say that the problem is with the other person, so it’s a huge accomplishment to be able to assess the incidents and conclude that you yourself have been a part of the problem, too. The woe-is-me mentality can be grating, but not unexpected for her age range. Overall, a sweet story of lessons learned, growth of responsibility and figuring out how to have more than one close friend.

Quests for Glory (Sept. 9, 2017) by Soman Chainani.

*This is the fourth book in a series / first in a related trilogy.*

Contrary to what Sophie believed, their quests are all failing. Every. Single. One. Someone claiming to be King Arthur’s son – who is not Tedros of Camelot – is causing mayhem, destruction and death in the surrounding realms. This unknown character has even gotten to the Lady of the Lake, which was believed to be impossible. Their current quests all changed when they realized other questers weren’t checking in with Professor Dovey, Dean of the School for Good and one of their classmates was killed. Murdered. Slain. Sophie, Dean of the School for Evil, does not want to participate in a quest when she cannot find how it revolves around her. But she changes her stance when she’s reunited with her best friend, Agatha, who’s also Tedros’ fiancée, even though she has ignored all of Sophie’s letters regarding wedding plans. There are others on the quest as well, including Hort, who has a ridiculous infatuation with Sophie, and Nicola, a first-year from Gavaldon who has a ridiculous infatuation with Hort. They locate the body of their classmate and eventually end up captured by pirates.

            The situation turns even more intense whence they congregate at the Four Point. They now know where all of their fellow questers are. It’s dire. They could all die, and not everyone makes it. While everyone is looking to Sophie and Agatha and Tedros and Camelot to save them, it’s not any of them who comes to the rescue. Instead, it’s a handsome newcomer named Rhian who saves the day with fearlessness, litheness and skill. He claims only to be a humble servant of Camelot. But who is Rhian? He’s in no records that Professor Dovey can find. What will Merlin discover?

            Honestly, I was okay with The School for Good and Evil  trilogy as a trilogy. But since I’d read the first three, I felt I should see what’s in store for The Camelot Years. Looking at the sheer size of the middle-grade novel (the hardcover version is 568 pages), there is a lot going on. The story did not need to be that long. Length aside, “Quests for Glory” is another wedge in this inventive fantasy pie. There is nothing whimsical about this tale. Any moment that might look like marshmallow fluff can turn to poison or a bloody death in an instant. As learned in the first trilogy of the series, appearances can be deceiving. The Lion could be the Snake. And the Snake might be the Lion.

Secrets and Scones (Nov. 6, 2018) by Laurel Remington.

*This is the first book in a series.*

Life has handed her lemons, and Scarlett is not making lemonade. Once outgoing, a member in clubs and activities and a willing participant in class, Scarlett has become as boring and solitary as a wall in order to give her mom as little ammunition as possible. Apparently, everything that is embarrassing or that can be twisted to embarrass Scarlett is fair game to her mom, a rising superstar in the blogger-verse whose shtick is parenting advice. But Claire’s advice is callous, bordering on cruel, even driving away Scarlett’s best friend in her post “Psst…Want to Know a Secret? My Daughter’s Best Friend Is Really Dull.” When her neighbor, Rosemary Simpson, is unexpectedly hospitalized, Scarlett steps in to take care of her cat, Treacle. She encounters a gorgeous kitchen fully stocked with fresh produce and an army of ingredients. Although she’s never baked before, she undertakes the challenge of making scones. Baking triggers a surge of confidence, is a highlight of her life (albeit a secret one) and introduces her to a new friend in new classmate Violet Sanders. Scarlett is almost manic about keeping the baking a secret, though. The last thing she wants is to give her mom more material to twist against her. But how long can a secret last when their neighbor’s politician nephew (Emory Kruffs) knows they’re there and their Secret Cooking Club is shared with others?

            The intergenerational rapport Scarlett and her friends build with Rosemary, folded into the discovery of a thrill for creating homemade food from a carefully handmade cookbook, easily makes this into an uplifting middle-grade story. I like the detail of all of the recipes, which, considering it’s the first book in the Secret Recipe Book Series, is to be expected, but I was disappointed by the lack of actual included recipes (there’s only one). The book could use any diversity (all of the main and supporting characters appear to be Caucasian; someone please comment below if you know that to not be the case), but its absence doesn’t take away from the story’s pleasant vibe. For younger readers overwhelmed by stories with action-heavy sequences or too much violence, this tale is a temptingly sweet and refreshing break. “Secrets and Scones” is as heartwarming as a homemade scone right out of the oven.