Rutabaga's Reads 2025: Part 7

Hello! Here I am with my second middle-grade (MG) compilation post of 2025. Do you read MG novels? Why or why not?

Isle of Ever (Mar. 25, 2025) by Jen Calonita.

<This is the first novel in a series.>

They manage to squeak on by, but 12-year-old Everly “Benny” Benedict and her mom are broke most of the time. Imagine their surprise when a lawyer shows up, looking for Benny. He informs her that she’s heir to the vast fortune of Evelyn Terry, a mysterious ancestor from the 1800s! How she knew that Benny would exist in 2025 is anybody’s guess, but this news is amazing and possibly too good to be true. In order to actually obtain the inheritance, she has to play a game following Evelyn’s clues and win it. She must find Evelyn’s Island, which doesn’t exist on any map. It’s been 200 years since Evelyn found it, and she watched it disappear during a Blood Orange Moon. Always having moved so often, Benny’s finally found two friends in Zara Dabney and Ryan Gale. She’s going to need their help. The puzzle may have been waiting two centuries for her to come along, but she’s only got two weeks to solve it! If she doesn’t, a rival family can buy out the Terry estate shares (the Rudd family also exists during Evelyn’s time), and Benny and her mom will go back to scraping by. Benny loves puzzles, so Benny knows she can win. She’s determined to!

            In this genre-bending, middle-grade series starter, red herrings and a major cliffhanger enhance this tale. It’s absorbing from the beginning, a fantasy adventure that’s part mystery that also blends in history and a dash of magic. The magical nature doesn’t get carried away. In fact, the realistic depictions of Benny’s preteen moodiness and sometimes frustration with her mom ground the story. The contemporary timeline is interspersed with Evelyn’s journal entries, newspaper clippings and other notes. The first in the Isle of Ever series features an engaging, puzzle-centric quest in a fast-paced storyline seamlessly bridging the past with the present.

Pahua and the Dragon’s Secret (Sept. 10, 2024) by Lori M. Lee.

<This is the second novel in a series.>

<Alert: Potential spoilers ahead.>

She’s the reincarnation of Shee Yee, known as the greatest warrior of all time and graced with athletic finesse. In the here and now, she’s Pahua Moua, a skinny 11-year-old with about zero athletic grace and no warrior training. Pahua has the chance to attend a shaman school in Minnesota to receive proper training, but she must first fulfill a quest. She has to repair the second seal that imprisons Xov, the god of thunder, destruction and wrath. To do that, she must retrieve metallic dragon scales, find the hidden prison and transmute successfully. That’d be a remarkable challenge for a trained shaman warrior, but for the untrained Pahua? Yikes! She’s got her trusted-but-sarcastic cat spirit, Miv, and tough-but-bratty, shaman-in-training friend Zhong. Pahua encounters a rooster spirit called Rou, and they meet Yulong in the Land of Dragons, which doesn’t go so smoothly at first (Zhong tries to kill him). They find the truth stone, which has significance to their journey, though it isn’t known right away, and Zhong becomes unhealthily fanatic about it. Pahua understands that magic is circular, but that doesn’t make knowing that she’ll have to give an equally powerful sacrifice in return any easier.

            If being a preteen is tricky, then being the preteen reincarnation of a great warrior is dangerously tricky. The danger doesn’t overwhelm the characters’ wit. This second in the contemporary, fantasy adventure, Hmong-mythology-filled, Pahua Moua series is imbued with fast pacing, clever plotting, imaginative world-building and an excellent cast. Her love of her family is visible, and her self-doubt only makes her more relatable. Lee’s Pahua stories are steeped in culture and abundant in meaning, but are also entertaining adventures to read. While I’ve enjoyed every story I’ve read from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint – and I’ve read many of them – Lee’s stories are definite standouts. Go forth, readers, and be the brave, fierce warriors that life needs you to be. Just beware of the phim nyuj vais. That demon wants to feast on your intestines.

            Book One: Pahua and the Soul Stealer

Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares (Aug. 3, 2021) by Tehlor Kay Mejia.

<This is the middle novel in a trilogy.>

<Alert: Potential spoilers ahead.>

Six months have passed since La Llorona, and Paola Santiago would never have guessed that life would be what it is now. She’s barely speaking to her best friends, Dante Mata and Emma Lockwood. Dante seems to resent Paola in a big, big way, and Emma is busy with the Rainbow Rogues, a school group. Her mom is distracted by her blond-haired boyfriend. At least Paola has her loyal chupacabra puppy, Bruto, but Bruto can’t fend off the nightmares that have returned. Paola finds herself in a forest of nightmares – sometimes with multiple pairs of watching eyes – and at its center is her estranged father. He’s more of an enigma, as she hardly remembers him. Dante’s abuela (Señora Mata) has even shown up in her dreams and knows her as Maria (that’s Paola’s mom). When Señora Mata falls mysteriously ill, she barely convinces Dante to go on a search for her father to help Dante’s grandmother. She gains an ally – albeit a sarcastic one – in a lone Niña and a sweet duendecillo called Estrella. She’ll need all the help she can get, because fighting El Autostopisto alone will be impossible, and she has to somehow get from Arizona to Oregon on the funds of a 12-year-old (so, she’s mostly broke). There are new and terrifying monsters to clash with, a devastating betrayal to bear and a nightmare forest to confront. At the end of it all, is the man in her dreams really her father? Or a nightmare wearing his face?

            Mejia draws on her Mexican heritage for the second entry in the Paola Santiago series. It’s a story filled with magic and folklore and is layered with realistic concerns that can surround minorities in dealing with police and healthcare and real-life drama within friend groups (though likely without magically transforming Arma del Almas). Paola’s drive to find her father makes this a fast-paced, paranormal fantasy, middle-grade story. She’s got heart, but also sass, and she’s clever, but also makes mistakes. The tale can be mysteriously spooky and fabulously courageous and is incredibly, emotionally honest.

            Book One: Paola Santiago and the River of Tears

The Positive Page-turner's Challenge: Take 21

The Positive Page-turner’s Challenge: Take 21

June is quickly coming to an end, and here I finally am with my next Positive Page-turner’s Challenge of 2025. I won’t guarantee it, but I hope to have a third one this year. I haven’t been buying as many books – the increased prices of everything affects us all – so it’s taking me longer to accumulate the number for my Challenges. (P.S. These are new books only, not any I’ve checked out from the library or obtained secondhand.)

            With 17 books in the photo, I will donate $5/book. I have written out a check for $85 to go into my home church’s Altar Guild Fund during tomorrow’s Offering.

            There is no judgment if your coffers are running on empty, and it’s all you can do to pay your bills and keep food on the table. I’ve seen the positive results of kind words, encouraging conversations and polite gestures, so if you can be that bright spot in someone’s day, I hope you’ll take the spotlight. For those who can donate time and/or money, I encourage you to do so. There are so many worthy causes waiting for amazing donors like YOU to come along!

"Snowglobe 2" by Soyoung Park

Snowglobe 2 (May 6, 2025) by Soyoung Park.

   Joungmin Lee Comfort, translator.

<This is the sequel novel in a duology.>

<Alert: Potential spoilers if one hasn’t read the first book.>

The girl she watched faithfully on TV is interchangeable. Jeon Chobahm knows this, for she’s filled the shoes of Goh Haeri. The director who created the family is imprisoned, but problems are not over for Chobahm and the other Haeri clones (Shin Shinae, Myung Somyung and Bae Serin). Snowglobe is starting to crack under the weight of its exposed lies, but the Yibonn Media Group is even more corrupt. They’ll do anything and eliminate anyone to keep their power and hide the secret of the domed city’s trademark warmth. Chobahm has unwittingly witnessed this dark, devious truth, and now there’s footage of her committing a murder that she definitely didn’t commit. Her other Haeri counterparts are accounted for during that timeframe, and the footage can’t be doctored, so who’s the Haeri who committed the crime? Yi Bonwhe is the one who has the knowledge to help, for he’s none other than the disgraced Yibonn heir. He may not be the ruthless heir his mom and grandmother expect him to be, but he’s been complicit and feels the weight of his family’s awful truths. Things are heating up in this frozen world.

            There is no utopia in this dystopian world. Chobahm and the other inhabitants of Snowglobe are enduring purposeful blackouts (there’s a Disaster Meter), extreme weather (it’s frozen outside the dome) and human-caused environmental disasters of the creative type (e.g. popcorn snow or a blizzard of bubbles), which can still prove deadly. Chobahm is no perfect heroine. She’s strong, intelligent and brave, but she can be rash, falsely believe that only she can solve a problem and put her trust in the wrong person. The writing isn’t heavy, but the story is complex. How does entertainment distort reality when an actor is actually committing murders? How do you expose a group’s lies without getting yourself killed? This duology’s layers make for a memorable saga.

            Book 1: Snowglobe

A Poem: "The Tonsillectomy"

Photo by Anna Shvets via Pexels

The Tonsillectomy

Five weeks have passed since a surgery I had.

My will to have it was most ironclad.

My tonsils had bothered me for 15 years plus,

But there wasn’t then a major issue to discuss.

I won’t deny that the first week was rough.

Just taking pain meds every three hours was tough.

A kid is excited for all the popsicles and ice cream,

But what I couldn’t have was my gnawing daydream.

Swallowing was painful or irritating at best.

It was hard that first week to feel that healing had progressed.

The pain didn’t stop me from wanting “real” food.

I know the lack affected my attitude.

The evening of Day 6, my pain upticked.

That lasted through Day 10. I wanted a breadstick.

Eventually, I could cut back on pain meds.

Oh, how I wished for a hunk of crusty bread.

Pizza and chips and hot ‘n sour soup.

I definitely yearned for a food recoup.

That cookie looked good. Fried chicken I craved.

I’d eat those soggy fries from the microwave.

At the two week mark, I tried some mild spice.

I could “feel” it in my ear, but that was a small price.

On Day 15, I ate pizza, and what a joy

To be eating without pain and all food, enjoy.

Five weeks have passed, and I’ve been feeling great.

Now that I’m healed up, I say, “Checkmate.”

I don’t regret the surgery, but it’s not for the faint of heart.

I have returned to filling up the grocery cart.

-Lisa K.

May 30, 2025

P.S. I’m so grateful to Dr. Fareeda Hussain and her team. I was in very capable hands from beginning to end and felt well taken care of.

Rutabaga's Reads 2025: Part 6

I’m adventuring through chapter books in this compilation. They all happen to be library books, too.

Astrid & Apollo and the Ice Fishing Adventure (Aug. 1, 2022) by V.T. Bidania.

   Evelt Yanait, illustrator.

<This book is part of an unnumbered series.>

They’re well into winter, and the ice is thick, so twins Astrid & Apollo and their little sister, Eliana, are all excited to fish in an icehouse. Dad shows the kids how to drill a hole, clear it away, bait the hook and reel in their “fish friends.” Everyone’s having a good time, except for Mom. Even fully dressed for winter plus wearing a blanket, Mom is cold, and she’s worried about something going wrong. When an uninvited guest pops up and causes a little chaos, it’s Mom who ends up having the biggest laugh.

            Another spirited story from the Astrid & Apollo series, this realistic fiction adventure showcases a wintertime hobby for many. The story teaches the basics involved in ice fishing and discusses the patience typically involved of fishing in general. As always, the stories are overall easy to understand, though there might be some words that beginning readers may need help with.

See also: Rutabaga’s Reads 2024: Part 6

Rutabaga’s Reads 2024: Part 3

Rutabaga’s Reads 2023: Part 3

Llama Quest: Danger in the Dragon’s Den (Jan. 7, 2025) by Megan Reyes.

   Kay Davault, illustrator.

<This is the first book in a series.>

The 12 Magic Stones are missing. Eight-year-old Dak Evans wants nothing more than to leave his family’s home on Mythic Island in the Kingdom of Ravenwood and visit the Mainland. Instead, he spends his days scooping up llama poop. One night, he’s awoken by drool on his face from a fashionable llama who always wears a scarf. It turns out, her name is Lucy, and she’s a magic llama. Lucy’s friend is a young girl named Fenn with purple hair who lives with the mysterious monks. After Lucy sniffs out the fire stone, she teleports them to the Dragon’s Den. They meet dragons suffering from fire flu and witness Moon Wizards casting spells to save the village, but can they find the red fire stone before the thief retrieves it?

            This chapter book is a fantasy adventure, a solid choice for readers who are too young for Tolkien. The grayscale illustrations are cartoonish, but the dragons do have a ferocity about them, and Lucy is a delight. Nothing in the story is shocking and new, but the pacing and prose are steadfast. The danger isn’t especially dangerous, but the quest continually moves forward, and there’s the mystery of the thief, which will continue, likely through the series. After reading this tale, young readers may picture themselves as Stone Seekers of Team Llama Quest.

Lucy Lancaster Has a Secret (Jan. 7, 2025) by Willow Coven.

   Priscilla Burris, illustrator.

<This is the first book in a series.>

Can hiccups make a classmate nicer? Can hiccups make someone into a butterfly whisperer? These are a couple of the questions Lucy Lancaster wonders to herself when mysterious outcomes occur after hiccupping. She’s never experienced this before, and she’s a second-grade student at Brewster Elementary. When Ms. Egli visits Mrs. Welli’s classroom, where Lucy’s a student, she knows what’s what with Lucy. Ms. Egli invites Lucy to the library and opens up a secret unlike any Lucy realizes could exist, and that’s saying something, because she already loves the library and knows the power of books.

            With many easy-to-read words and illustrations on every story page, this chapter book is a good choice for emergent readers. If the reader is reluctant, it’s an ideal story to team read aloud, so that way, an older reader can assist with any challenging words or give encouragement as new chapter book readers sound out longer words like character last names Lancaster or Heckelbeck or Bickerson. The simple story format is engaging and well-crafted, and Lucy’s star-framed glasses are adorable.

Rutabaga's Reads 2025: Part 5

We’re almost halfway through 2025, and here I am with only the first picture books compilation of the year. I’ve read many picture books already – including with/to my nephew – but I clearly haven’t been reviewing them consistently.

The Book That Can Read Your Mind (Mar. 12, 2024) by Marianna Coppo.

This is no ordinary book. As you can gather from the title, it’s a magical one. Lady Rabbit welcomes all “prestigious readers” to her show. Instead of pulling a rabbit out of a hat, she considers pulling an old guy out of her hat, but she concludes that that’s not convincing enough. It’s not magical enough. Eventually, Lady Rabbit elects to read our minds. Look at the members of the audience. Choose one and only one. Who’d you pick? Keep it to yourself and turn to the page as directed. TA-DA! Did she get it right? I dare you to go back and try again. Did you trick her that time?

            Inspired by a 17^th-century magic book and with vintage-style illustrations, this interactive story is modern-day, enchanting and fun. There are multiple choices, so readers can play again and again. It’s an experience and a magic trick all in a picture book. Although one-trick, it’s an ingenious story idea that absolutely works. Let’s get on with the show!

A Chest Full of Words (Mar. 18, 2025) by Rebecca Gugger & Simon Röthlisberger.

   Tim Mohr, translator.

There is a magnificent treasure chest, but the treasure within isn’t gold or jewels. There are words! Oscar doesn’t initially recognize the words as treasure. He tosses fluorescent aside and rather upsets a hedgehog scampering by, as its now a fluorescent yellow. He slaps another word on another object (an old oak with a new hairdo never before looked so fabulous). He’s soon flinging words about with abandon. But then he runs out of words. He’s … wordless. Oscar goes in search of new words, but no one has any good advice until he talks to Louise. She likes to keep words handy, reminding him that they can be found anytime and anywhere.

            “Words have magical powers. Use them with care and you can make the world blossom,” says Louise to Oscar. This story, with its whimsical, softly colorful, earthy illustrations is inventive, wholesome, original, playful and word-tastic. The story, a Swiss import, is vocabulary-centric, unique, eye-opening, ear-catching and absorbing. It makes adjectives the centerpiece of the story and will engage young readers, even if they don’t understand all of the words. Words are magic. They can transport readers by painting pictures with words.

Danbi’s Favorite Day (Apr. 25, 2023) by Anna Kim.

<This is a sequel story.>

It’s not her birthday. It’s not Halloween, but still, it’s Danbi’s favorite day! She’s hosting a Children’s Day party, a day that she tells her friends is the day “all your wishes come true!” After she invites her friends, she exclaims that there will be kites and magic castles, and they’ll only eat chocolate chip cookies! Her mommy reminds her that “it’s about celebrating all the children on Earth who will one day lead the world.” She encourages Danbi to host her friends at the deli, as both her parents need to work that day. She’s told that rain is in the forecast, but she is adamant that she wants a picnic outside. When it happens as her mom said, will the weather get her down? Or will she be reminded that, “We were the children of the world?”

            This follow-up to “Danbi Leads the School Parade” is a delightful concoction of Korean heritage, diversity, inclusivity, family, friendship and the power of creativity. It’s a celebration of children. The story’s beautifully detailed illustrations in their warm, neutral tones see splashes of color from the author-illustrator and complement the text like your favorite food combinations. This picture book is joyful, fun and full of youthful energy.

            Starts with: Danbi Leads the School Parade

We Are Immigrants (Sept. 17, 2024) by Carolina Fernandez.

   Alyssa M. Gonzalez, illustrator.

Immigrants. They’ve traveled from near. They’ve traveled from far. Their journeys are all different, their skin tones “a rainbow of kings and of queens,” their hair anywhere from pin-straight to super curly, they may pray differently from you, and their languages may be unlike any you’ve ever heard. But a language everyone can understand is the language of kindness and love. Other cultures mean a plethora of new food to taste and enjoy. Just like you, they have traditions that have been passed down in their families. They laugh and have fun, too. The best thing to remember is that, “We all make up one human race.”

            Through Fernandez’s vibrant, rhyming, lyrical text and Gonzalez’s colorful, soulful, expressive illustrations, readers celebrate diversity, inclusion and heritage with this uplifting, inspiring picture book. I love rhyme, and the upbeat tempo of the story gives it a positive beat, a welcoming vibe. The storytelling matches strongly with the art of this book, and I’m so glad that I checked this out from my local library.

Will the Pigeon Graduate? (Mar. 4, 2025) by Mo Willems.

<This is part of the Pigeon series.>

Pigeon has the mortarboard hat. It has tassels. He’s overcome obstacles, noticed the little details and taken big steps. But will he graduate? Is Pigeon ready to take the brave plunge? And, asking the big questions here, will there be snacks?

            Despite my fairly regular reading of picture books, this is my first Pigeon series book, and what a delight it is! The story is simple in its illustrations and understandable in its text. There’s no grandiose verbiage, and Pigeon, despite being a pigeon, can be relatable to, say, the Kindergartner approaching Kindergarten graduation wondering about being a big First Grader next school year. This story is infused with wonderment, fun and humor.

"The Deadly Fates" by Dhonielle Clayton

The Deadly Fates (Mar. 4, 2025) by Dhonielle Clayton.

<This is the third novel in a series.>

<Potential spoilers for those unfamiliar with the series.>

Year Three is about to begin for Ella Durand, Brigit Ebsen, Jason Eugene and their classmates at the Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors. This year, the school will be floating above the Sahara Desert, so get ready for dry heat and daily sandstorms. If Ella’s lucky, maybe she’ll spot a sand-dragon. She and her friends saved the world from the diabolical Ace of Anarchy, and Ella was forced to make a gargantuan reveal. It’s rocking the world of both Conjurors and Marvellers, and tensions are rising. She’s determined to discover the truth of the Conjure architect and, hopefully, bring his body home so he can truly be at rest. She’ll need the help of both her living friends and deceased relatives. They’ll sneak into the Underworld, and Ella will learn how one of her ancestors was tricked into losing a set of the Cards of Deadly Fate (that set’s currently an impenetrable prison for supervillains). Chaos is about to ensue, threatening everyone. It’s going to bring violence that Ella isn’t expecting, and she will know deep loss, but she will also gain a companion. How will she and her friends uncover hidden truths when so many seem to be against her, going so far as to send her menacing starposts? (And by-the-way, what kind of monsters send threatening notes to 13-year-olds? I can’t even.)

            I can easily admit that I have a fondness for magic schools, and I wish I could’ve been a student here once upon a time. A global, magical, sky school? Sign me up! This third installment does not fall to middle-book syndrome, and neither does the previous. As engaging, intricate and well-developed as it is, with its spectacular worldbuilding, humor, bravery and thoughtfulness, it’s a no-brainer that readers who love fictional magic schools would love for them to not be fictional. This fantastical adventure enthralls from the first page with its immersive, emotive prose, and I absolutely love the cultural diversity of this series. My biggest woe is that my favorite character dies. I highly recommend this middle-grade fantasy to anyone, any age, who loves fantasy and magical schools. Step aside, Harry Potter, because the Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors is floating around! Just be sure to start with Book One in the Conjureverse series.

            Book One: The Marvellers

            Book Two: The Memory Thieves

Poems: Presenting Haiku Poetry 3

Photo of Lisa in the Agafay Desert, Marrakech, Morocco

A polar vortex

Busied our January.

It was very cold.

February came.

Happy Valentine’s to me!

I gifted myself. <3

There was a blizzard.

City facilities closed.

That was March 19th.

When April arrived,

I was out of the country.

Morocco and Spain.

There was a wedding

With a Moroccan backdrop.

Outside Marrakech.

Sister-in-law gained!

There is beauty in culture.

Brother full of joy.

I rode a camel.

That was an experience

In a rock desert.

A ferry to Spain.

A train ride to Sevilla.

A train to Madrid.

My April’s been full

Of sightseeing and great food.

Adventure awaits!

A Poem: "French Fries Are My Weakness"

Photo by Dzenina Lukac via Pexels

French Fries Are My Weakness

Like Samwise Gamgee, I love potatoes, too.

You can boil them, mash them or stick them in a stew.

Potatoes are a comfort food and prompt less stress,

But of all the tater forms, French fries are my weakness.

Crinkle cuts aren’t my favorite, but I like them when they’re hot,

And though they’re not fries, I do like tater tots.

Or fresh-from-the-fryer from a famous fast-food chain,

When it comes to French fries, it’s a struggle to abstain.

A locally-owned restaurant serves amazing French fries.

To eat a full plate of them would likely be unwise.

Done up in a light batter, they’re crispy and delish.

Now my mouth is watering for a hot fry, golden wish.

Fries are not healthy, but they are a comfort food.

I cannot ignore the deliciousness they exude.

Those fresh, hot fries, tastily julienned.

To axe them from my life, I cannot comprehend.

Sure, I understand French fries in moderation,

But this is not a poem of aggravation.

Where’s that plate of fries with my name on it?

Please send it my way. Lickety-split!

Do you eat your fries plain or with a condiment?

A little salt and pepper has me content.

I’m hungry just thinking of fries as a treat.

Time to turn the oven on to preheat!

National Poetry Month 2025

Photo by Cup of Couple via Pexels

Like a Kid

My nephew said I’m like a kid,

So it must be true.

It’s better than him calling me old.

That’s hullabaloo!

I chased him with a dinosaur.

Indoraptor roar!

He laughed and ran and chased me, too,

Fellow carnivore!

We learned about the beelzebufo,

A large, prehistoric frog.

It could eat small dinos

And was the size of a small dog.

He notices that I’m not tall,

Says he’ll be taller than me “soon,”

And with the way his feet grow,

I’ll be surpassed next afternoon.

We read a series of books

With Creepy in the title.

He laughed aloud and was unperturbed

By the glowing underwear recital!

I am older than his dad,

Which he already knows.

“Are you a kid or an adult?”

Technically an adult, I suppose.

Oh, my nephew, he makes me laugh.

To hear his laughter is a joy.

His imagination knows no limits,

And now there are monsters to destroy!