A student at a special arts high school in San Diego, 18-year-old Mira Hayes is heading home to Pittsburgh to spend the holidays with her mother.  Christmas Day will be the first anniversary of her mom's twin sister's death and Mira knows her mom's anxiety and depression will be through the roof.  Mira needs to be there for her.  As her plane descends into Newark, however, Mira gets some bad news:  worsening winter weather has grounded all flights out.  Phoning home only increases her worry about her mother's mental health, so when Mira's glamorous seatmate from the plane offers her a ride home in the car she and some friends are renting, Mira accepts. 

It doesn't take many hours on the road for Mira to realize that something is not right with the situation.  Not only are her four fellow passengers not friends with each other, but they're actually complete strangers.  As the weather grows increasingly stormy and important items—like cell phones and laptops—go missing from the car, Mira finds herself more and more cut off from the outside world with people she's finding harder and harder to trust.  With no way to contact her mother or anyone else, she's not just nervous, she's terrified.  Discovering alarming secrets about each of her traveling companions only increases her fear.  Although the storm outside is nasty and threatening, it's nothing compared to the danger Mira faces inside the car ...

The premise of Five Total Strangers, the newest YA novel by Natalie D. Richards, is a simple but compelling one.  When I first read the plot summary, I knew I had to read this book.  Unfortunately, the promise of the premise didn't pan out as well as I wanted it to.  The novel is definitely atmospheric, with a tense, unsettling vibe that makes the story deliciously suspenseful.  That's what kept me reading.  It certainly wasn't the characters, who are almost wholly unlikable.  As far as plot goes, the tale is engrossing and compelling, even if a lot of it feels contrived.  Not all of the plot elements make logical sense—some of them go nowhere at all while others never come full circle.  In spite of these irritants, Five Total Strangers sucked me in and kept me turning pages.  I didn't end up loving it like I wanted to, but I liked it well enough to keep reading.  Overall, it was just an okay read for me.     

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a bit of No Exit by Taylor Adams)

At his old junior high, Donte Ellison didn't stand out at all.  Now living in a Boston suburb and attending a snobby prep school, he feels like the whole world has turned white.  Donte and his brother are both bi-racial, but Trey can "pass" with his lighter skin and straight hair—he's navigating their new school just fine while Donte is constantly bullied.  

When Donte's main aggressor takes things too far, Donte decides the only way to get the kid to back down is to beat him at his own game:  fencing.  With no idea how to play the sport, Donte seeks out an old Black janitor who was once a fencing champion.  Arden Jones reluctantly agrees to coach Donte, Trey, and a few other kids.  As they learn how to fence, their confidence grows, and their team becomes one that's at least worth a second glance.  Now that Donte's managed to channel his anger into mastering a new sport, can he prove himself to the bully?  Is revenge even important to him anymore?  

Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes is about a lot of things:  racism, colorism, classism, the unfair targeting of Black males in the criminal justice system, standing up for one's self, etc.  None of those things make the book particularly unique.  Fencing, however, is a topic I've never read about before and certainly one that's never showed up in all my reading of books for children.  Using the sport as a backdrop gives Black Brother, Black Brother a fresh hook that makes the novel stand out.  Not only does Rhodes use it to show that Black kids can and do excel at traditionally "white" sports (check out The Peter Westbrook Foundation), but it's also a vehicle to demonstrate Donte's growth throughout the book.  Black Brother, Black Brother moves along at a steady pace, using a staccato narrative style that gives it an almost verse-like feel.  The characters are sympathetic and likable, the plot is compelling, and the story is thought-provoking and engrossing.  As mentioned before, it teaches some excellent lessons about empathy, fitting in, standing out, channeling anger into healthy pursuits, etc.  Black Brother, Black Brother should appeal especially to boys and reluctant readers as well as anyone else who wants an exciting, enlightening read.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee T. Frazier as well as the movie Life of a King.  Rhodes' books have also been compared to those by Jason Reynolds and Jacqueline Woodson)

Grade:  

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

Last year, Joy Fonseca had a smart, kind best friend named Lukas Brunetti.  She had even begin to think of him as more than just a buddy.  Then, he had an accident and died.  Joy is consumed by grief, still aching from the loss a year later.  On her 13th birthday, she finally decides to open the envelope Lukas left for her exactly one year ago on the morning he died.  She knows it's the first clue in their annual birthday scavenger hunt.  Is it possible that the clues he planted then will still be there now?  Joy's not sure, but she's finally ready to find out.

As Joy travels all over her little seaside town following Lukas' clues, she's reminded of all the great memories they made together.  Swinging back-and-forth between the present (from Joy's point-of-view) and the past (from Lukas'), the story paints a picture of a sweet friendship, the kind that endures even when death intervenes.

Although Seven Clues to Home by Gae Polisner and Nora Raleigh Baskin is about grief and other hard things, it's a hopeful novel that reminds readers how important it is to live even in the face of heartbreak.  It's more upbeat than it sounds, featuring likable characters and a treasure hunt format that makes it into a fun, exciting adventure with a little bit of mystery mixed in.  While I didn't absolutely adore this novel, I did enjoy it overall.

(Readalikes:  I feel like there are a million middle grade novels about grief, but no specific title is coming to mind.  You?)

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

It's been two years since her parents' divorce and lots has changed for 10-year-old Bea.  While things have turned out mostly okay, she still worries a lot, which makes her eczema act up.  To help calm herself, she keeps a list in her notebook of the things in her life that have not and will not ever change.  She knows her mom and dad will always love her, for example.  That's a constant, no matter what.

When Bea's dad informs her that he and his boyfriend will soon be getting married, Bea's thrilled.  She loves Jesse.  He's even got a daughter Bea's age, which means she'll finally have the sister she's always wanted.  She just knows they're going to be BFFs.  As the wedding date comes closer, though, Bea discovers that nothing ever goes perfectly.  Building a new family isn't easy and sometimes change is difficult, confusing, and heartbreaking.  With her family structure shifting once again, Bea has to learn how to manage her anxiety, deal with difficult situations, and find happiness along the way.

The List of Things That Will Not Change is the newest middle grade offering from Newbery Award-winning author Rebecca Stead.  Although its plot is a little unfocused, the story is realistic in that it has both sad and happy parts.  My favorite element of the novel, in fact, is its validation of emotions—not just that they can be super complicated, but also that it's okay, even important, to feel them.  Bea's voice as she's dealing with hers is pitch-perfect, making her a narrator who is both authentic and relatable.  Although The List of Things That Will Not Change deals with some tough subjects, overall it's an upbeat, hopeful novel.  I enjoyed it, even if I didn't absolutely love it.

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