Tornadoes are known for causing havoc and destruction, but for 12-year-old Lexington Willow, a tornado was the thing that brought her home.  Seven years ago, the biggest storm in Nebraska's history blew her into the zoo.  She was found near an elephant enclosure, watched over by Nyah, a 20-year-old African elephant.  No one has ever come forward to claim Lex, so she has remained at the zoo in the care of Roger, her foster father.  She feels so safe and sheltered by the place's familiar boundaries that she rarely leaves.  Her days are spent doing homeschool lessons; hanging out with her best friend, Fisher Leigh, who also lives on the grounds; and voicing train tours of the zoo.  Now that she and Fisher are finally old enough to help with the care of her beloved elephants, Lex couldn't be happier.

Lex has always felt a special connection with Nyah, but when the pachyderm sends her a telepathic message, Lex is puzzled.  The elephant seems to be telling her to go outside the zoo, into the woods beyond, to find the answers to the many questions Lex has about her past.  Is she crazy to listen to the advice of an animal?  As nervous as she is to leave the safety of her precious zoo, Lex feels compelled to follow Nyah's instructions.  When Lex makes an otherworldly discovery out there, she embarks on a magical adventure involving a ghost, a treasure hunt, and a mystery, all of which promise to lead her back to her own inexplicable beginning. 

Magical realism is common in middle-grade books, but to find it combined with a mystery, a ghost story, and a tale of lost treasure?  That's something special.  The Elephant's Girl, a debut novel by Celesta Rimington, offers this enticing genre mash-up along with a unique setting, two likable heroines (one human, one pachyderm), and an exciting plot.  Not only does the book educate readers about elephants, but it also teaches important lessons about humans' responsibility toward animals, kindness, the true meaning of family, standing up for one's self, and finding courage to do hard things.  The story is predictable and I didn't always find the magical realism bits convincing, but overall, I found The Elephant's Girl to be a delightful, entertaining book.  Young animal lovers looking for a fun, magical reading adventure won't be disappointed.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling, and books by Kate DiCamillo)

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The Elephant's Girl from the generous folks at Penguin Random House as part of an awards program I'm helping to judge.  Thank you!

The Pine Family of Adair, Nebraska, already knows what it means to be infamous.  Four years ago, 25-year-old Danny Pine was convicted of murdering his girlfriend and sent to prison.  The family refused to accept the verdict, launching an expensive, fevered campaign to free him.  A Netflix documentary about the case cast even more doubt on Danny's guilt, bolstering the Pines but vilifying the community of Adair.  Now, the family is in the news again.  Four of the Pines—Danny's parents and two of his siblings—have been found dead in a Mexican vacation home, victims of an apparent gas leak.

Besides Danny, 21-year-old Matt is the only Pine left.  Devastated by this fresh loss, he leaves NYU and returns to Adair to bury his family.  What he finds is a hostile town and a barrage of painful memories he'd like to forget.  When FBI agent Sarah Keiler comes knocking on Matt's door, Matt realizes there's more to the deaths of his parents and siblings than meets the eye.  What really happened to them?  Why were they targeted?  As it becomes increasingly apparent that their deaths are related to Danny's case, Matt fears the truth about what really happened the night Danny's girlfriend was killed will inevitably come to light.  If it does, everyone will know the horrifying truth that Matt has kept hidden for four years—Danny is guilty.  Can Matt get justice for his family without betraying his brother?

Told from multiple viewpoints, Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay (available March 2, 2021), is more than just an edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller.  It's a layered, intimate portrayal of a family in crisis, a story that draws you into the characters' world, paints them in an authentic, sympathetic way, and leaves you dreading the tragedies you know are about to befall them.  Knowing their fates doesn't make the novel less compelling, however.  If anything it makes it even more engrossing.  True, the plot is a bit predictable, with a rather obvious killer, but still, it's a gripping thriller that had me ripping through the pages to see what was going to happen next.  Although Every Last Fear is not a happy tale, it is a hopeful one, which made it even more appealing to me.  In the end, then, I enjoyed this absorbing novel, which kept me riveted from its first page to its last.  

(Readalikes:  Hm, nothing is coming to mind.  You?)

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of Every Last Fear from the generous folks at St. Martin's Press via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When you're in junior high, nothing draws in the bullies quite like being different.  Flint would know.  With a debilitating eye disease called keratoconus, he has to work harder than most just to see normally.  Calling him "Squint," his middle school tormentors love to mock him at every turn, making his lonely existence even more difficult.  Flint tries his best to ignore the taunts, focusing instead on the epic superhero comic book he's writing and illustrating.  His goal is to submit it to a "Find a New Comic Star" contest before his eyelids thin enough to blind him completely.  When he wins, Flint will finally receive the respect and friendship he craves.

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When Lincoln O'Neil takes a job in security at an Omaha newspaper, he never dreams it will involve reading his co-workers' personal emails.  Everyone at the paper knows their messages are being monitored, but still—snooping around that way just feels too intrusive, too wrong.  And yet, Lincoln can't afford to quit.  He's making good money for doing relatively little.  So what if he works his voyeuristic job at night, all by himself ... if he can stick with it, the 28-year-old might be able to save up enough cash to move out of his mother's house once and for all.  

The one perk to Lincoln's otherwise deplorable job is the exchanges he reads between Beth Fremont, The Courier's movie reviewer, and her best friend, copy editor Jennifer Scribner-Snyder.  Lonely Lincoln envies the warm, supportive friendship the women share.  The more he eavesdrops on their conversations, sharing their triumphs and struggles, the closer he feels to them both.  In fact,  he's pretty sure he's in love with funny, kind-hearted Beth.  Even when he thinks their might be some interest on her end, Lincoln knows he can't introduce himself to her.  How can he?  What would he say?  "Hello, I know everything about you from stalking your emails and by the way, I love you?"  Not going to happen.  

The longer Lincoln works at the paper, the more uncomfortable he grows with his shady work duties.  What's an awkward, gun-shy IT guy to do?  Quit an easy, high-paying job?  Confess his love to a woman he's never even laid eyes on?  Break his mother's heart by moving out?  Does he dare risk it all for a journalist who'll probably be appalled by all he knows about her?  

As much as I enjoyed Fan Girl, Rainbow Rowell's third novel, I think I like her debut, Attachments, even better.  Like the former, the latter is filled to the brim with likable characters, crackling dialogue and lots of heart.  Even though it's a straight-up contemporary romance (it's set in 1999, but whatever), it feels different, more original than others I've read.  Maybe that's because it's so upbeat, clever and fun.  Whatever the reason, I love this quirky love story—it's just so painfully (and entertaining-ly) authentic!

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't really think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language and sexual innuendo/content

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Attachments from the generous folks at Penguin.  Thank you!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

There's one man who's always been there for Cather Avery:  Simon Snow.  Through her mother's desertion, through her father's bi-polar mood swings, through drama with her twin sister, he's been by her side.  Simon's steady and devoted, so much so that the 18-year-old can't stop thinking, dreaming and obsessing about him.  The problem?  Simon's not real.  He's a fictional character, the leading man (well, boy) in a wildly popular children's series (think Harry Potter).  Cath is not his only fan, of course, but she might just be his best.  Through her fanfiction, which thousands of people read online, Simon lives on.  Cath's greatest pleasure in life comes from thinking up new adventures for her favorite book hero.  

Now that Cath's a freshman in college, though, she's a little torn over her infatuation with Simon.  She wants to fit in with the university crowd, but she also needs her book crush—however juvenile it may be—to get through the new stresses in her life.  And she's got lots:  Cath's twin sister, Wren (get it?  Cather + Wren = Catherine), has declared her independence, moving into a completely different dorm and leaving Cath on her own; Cath's roommate leaves plenty to desire, as does her always-around boyfriend; her English professor isn't as wowed by fanfiction as Cath hoped she would be; and, to top it off, Cath's worried about her father, whose fragile psyche seems ready to shatter.  Since all Cath does is sit in her dorm room studying, worrying, and thinking up new Simon stories, she wonders why she ever left home in the first place.  She's clearly not cut out for living in the "real" world among live people whom she can't edit into perfection.

As Cath rides the ups and downs that college brings, she has to ask herself the big questions:  Can she live her own life, one that doesn't include Wren holding her hand through every hardship?  Does she even want to?  And can she give up Simon Snow in order to enjoy "real" life?  Even if it means opening herself up to the possible disasters that could come from a romance with a guy who lives outside the pages of her imagination?  Who would even want that?  Maybe, just maybe, Cath does.  

There are so many things I love about Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.  The well-rounded characters, the crackling dialogue, the bookish plot, the virtual world vs. real world dilemma, the sister conflict—all of it sucked me right in and kept me turning page after page after page.  I adored Cath in all her nerdy glory.  She's a girl after my own heart, the kind of character who, surprisingly, doesn't turn up in fiction all that much.  I admire Rowell for writing Cath in a way that makes her good girl tendencies (she cares more about grades than guys, more about papers than parties, etc.) admirable, even cool.  Cath just comes off as very authentic.  Geeky, but real.  Now, of course, there were parts of Fangirl I could have done without—the swearing, Simon's gay romance, etc.  The book's edgier than I thought it would be, definitely more new adult than young adult.  Overall, though, I enjoyed this unique, funny, well-written, coming-of-age novel.  

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't really think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  

for strong language, sexual innuendo/mild sexual content (including homosexuality), and depictions of underage drinking/partying

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of Fangirl from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.  

      

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Interested in getting your hands on Fangirl?  You've come to the right place.  I'm giving away my gently-used (it's been read once and is in almost perfect condition), hardback copy of the book.  To win, all you have to do is comment on this post.  I won't even make you answer a silly question this time, so entering is about as easy peasy as it could possibly be!  Please do include an email address so that I have a way to contact you if you win.  I'll choose a winner (well, Random.org will do the picking) on February 15, so entries must be in by midnight on the 14th.  You need to have a U.S. or Canadian mailing address in order to be eligible for the giveaway.  Good luck!