"A Season on the Wind" by Suzanne Woods Fisher

A Season on the Wind (Oct. 5, 2021) by Suzanne Woods Fisher.*

It’s the chance to spot the rare White-winged Tern with his own eyes that brings Ben Zook, a twitcher, to the Amish community where he grew up. Stoney Ridge is not a place of happy memories. In fact, he desired to never return there, but he’s desperate to spot this bird for his upcoming book  - Ben’s a renowned author and photographer of rare birds – and Stoney Ridge has Micah Weaver, a local Amish field guide who’s earning a name for himself amongst the birding community. His only hope now is to get in and out before anyone recognizes him.

            Ben and his cousin, Natalie Crowell, in a conundrum of her own after a divorce, are staying at Lost Creek Farm, where Micah lives with his older sister Penny. Penny recognizes Ben right away. He was her “spark bird” when she was but 12 years old, and she has all of his books. Penny, now 35, always figured she’d wait for Ben to return to his Amish roots. That he’d remember the time she showed him a hidden eagle aerie. There’s one major problem, though: Ben has zero memory of ever having met Penny.

            Whether reading Suzanne Woods Fisher’s Amish stories or non-Amish stories, I often find myself engrossed in them, and “A Season on the Wind” was no exception. Her story is spiked with secrets and past hurts and grudges, but it’s also steeped in heart, warmth and love. This Amish fiction story contains charm and conflict, joy and despair, the comfort of hospitality and the friction of mistrust. What I really enjoyed was how the chapters ended with a “page” out of Micah’s Bird-Watching Log. That was a really nice bit, and I learned quite a lot about birds that I didn’t know previously!

            Favorite passage: “I think that God understands our weaknesses. I don’t think he condemns us for them. In fact, I think he has far more compassion for us than we give to each other. And accepting God’s unfailing love and compassion is part of the peace that Jesus promised.” --Penny’s response to Ben’s question if someone taking one’s own life bothers her (p. 236)

 * Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"All These Bodies" by Kendare Blake

All These Bodies (Sept. 21, 2021) by Kendare Blake.

*This is a standalone novel.*

It’s 1958. There are 16 bloodless bodies over four Midwest states, the final occurring in [fictitious] Black Deer Falls, Minnesota. The Carlson family, minus the toddler, have been found murdered. Throats slit, drained of blood, no sign of a struggle. In the middle of it all stands a 15-year-old girl covered in the victims’ blood. Her name is Marie Catherine Hale. 17-year-old Michael Jensen is the son of the local sheriff and an aspiring journalist. Marie agrees to recount her tale, but she’ll only tell Michael, because “he’s the only one who’ll  believe me.” But will he? Marie weaves a tale that is the stuff of legend. And yet, it makes sense. Doesn’t it?

            Right away, when I read of “bloodless bodies,” I immediately thought to myself that this is a vampire story. And that people dub them the “Bloodless Murders” or the “Dracula Murders” only seems to strengthen that theory. But the thing is, fictional as this tale is, it reads like a true crime story. I didn’t love the story, as I thought it lacked some of the gothic horror I’ve come to expect from Blake, but this remains a well-crafted, YA novel. She includes in her Author’s Note that inspiration was taken, in part, by an actual string of murders that also occurred in 1958 throughout the states of Nebraska and Wyoming. That killing spree left 11 dead. The murdered Carlson family was inspired by the murders of the Clutter family in 1959 (not related to the 1958 killing spree). For parents or teachers of advanced readers, they may like knowing that there is no romantic twist to the story, but may still hesitate to recommend it due to the macabre plot. If you’ve never read a story by Blake, I wouldn’t read this one first. Ask me to recommend something else instead!

Rutabaga's Reads 2021: Part 8

The newest historical character from American Girl is Courtney Moore. She’s an 80s child; her stories take place in 1986. Although American Girl is currently owned by Mattel, I remember when it was under its original owner, the Pleasant Company. And considering that the American Girl brand came into existence by featuring historical character dolls, all of the historical characters hold a special place in my heart. I continue to maintain that these stories can be marketed as chapter books or lower middle-grade novels.

Courtney Changes the Game (Oct. 1, 2020) by Kellen Hertz.

When it comes to the arcade, Courtney Moore is an ace gamer, but it isn’t always so easy to reach the next level in real life. Nine-year-old Courtney lives with her mom (Maureen), stepdad (Mike D’Amico), stepsister (Tina) and half-brother (Rafi). She normally visits her dad (Bruce) on the weekends, but every weekend will turn to one weekend a month. Since her dad’s promotion, he’s moving to a city further away. This creates friction with Tina, whom she already shares a room with, who balks at having to share her room with Courtney most weekends. And the fact that Courtney’s guinea pig, Parsley, is also moving into their room? The worst. Add in that Courtney’s mom is running for mayor (if elected, she’d be the first female mayor of Orange Valley, California), and their blended family has even more to work around. In school, Courtney and her classmates are readying to watch the Challenger launch. It inspires her to invent her own female superhero video game featuring Crystal Starshooter. Now, Courtney wishes she could be as brave and confident as her imaginary superhero.

            Ah, the 80s. Leg warmers. Side ponytails. Caboodles. Scrunchies. Give me all the scrunchies. While people now may question the fashion of that decade – or show renewed enthusiasm for it – it was more than the clothes they’re known for. The 80s introduced a new president in Ronald Reagan and the early 80s found many Americans struggling financially. Family life was different. Like with Courtney’s family, more families were blended or single-parent families. Many of those two-parent families found that they needed two incomes to keep up with the bills. There was the Challenger disaster. But there were also rad things like Cabbage Patch dolls and the launch of MTV. As a youth in a blended family, Courtney works to figure out her own family-school-life balance. Life isn’t usually easy for adults, and it isn’t always easy for kids, either, as Hertz’s story shows. The first book in Courtney’s duology is adorable and also tubular, but it’s not without turbulence.

Courtney – Friendship Superhero (Feb. 16, 2021) by Kellen Hertz.

Fourth grade is a step up, because now Courtney and her best friend, Sarah Barrett, can perform in show choir together. Courtney is continuing her adventures with her made-up superhero Crystal Starshooter, and she has the full support of Sarah and their other good friend Kip Tomatsu (who’s also into gaming like Courtney). New to the arcade is Isaac Wells, as he recently moved to California from Ohio. He’s an epic gamer, and they form an epic friendship. She includes him in Crystal Starshooter’s game world, as it seems only natural, and he gets along great with Sarah and Kip. Crystal and Isaac end up with the same fourth grade teacher, Ms. Markarian, and she’s so happy to have one friend in the same classroom. When Courtney learns that Isaac is fighting HIV, Courtney is quick to support him, even when the people around them say mean things because of their lack of knowledge on the subject. Those people are afraid and lashing out. But Sarah is one of those who’s very afraid and believes the rumors, and it affects their friendship. Courtney wants to be bold and brave like Crystal, but that is scary and complicated to Courtney. How can she reassure Sarah that they are still best friends, and she doesn’t like one friend more than the other, it’s just that Isaac needs her more right now? How can she help educate the uninformed?

            Without a doubt, this story felt more weighted than the first. For those unaware, HIV was first reported in 1981, though it didn’t yet have a name, nor did researchers yet know that HIV was the virus that caused AIDS. Ryan White was 13 years old in 1984 when he was diagnosed with AIDS after receiving a contaminated clotting agent to help manage his hemophilia. He was told he’d live for six months, but lived for six years, passing away in April 1990. Like with the storyline created for Isaac, Ryan and his family were treated so horribly that they moved away.

            I am fortunate to have grown up in a household where my parents expected my brothers and me to treat others well, no matter what. I would’ve been like Courtney, befriending Isaac and supporting him. Reading the story of Isaac’s maltreatment – and even Courtney’s – is heartbreaking and maddening, but it makes the story all the more powerful. Being bold and brave like Courtney doesn’t mean never having vulnerable moments. It’s just part of being human, and that’s an okay thing. Like, totally.