The Great Depression has wreaked havoc all over the country, forcing people into strange, new circumstances.  For 12-year-old Ellie, that means moving out of her comfortable home in town and into a cramped cabin on remote Echo Mountain.  Although her family's reduced circumstances are far from ideal, Ellie loves the freedom she now has to roam about exploring the wonders of the natural world.  The mountain is full of surprises and mysteries and she's determined to discover them all!

When a terrible accident leaves her father in a coma, Ellie's whole family is devastated.  Unfairly blamed for causing his injury, Ellie feels responsible for saving him.  She sets out to find a mystical mountain hag who is said to have otherworldly powers capable of curing any ailment.  Can the witch bring Ellie's dad back to life?  As Ellie separates Echo Mountain's fabled myths from its true magic, she'll discover the power of her own pluck, resiliency, and strength of character.  Using her own unique talents she just might be able to save them all.  

I love finely-wrought historical fiction that brings a unique time and place to life.  Echo Mountain, the newest middle-grade offering from Lauren Wolk, certainly does that.  Her descriptions of mountain life are vivid and compelling.  Ellie is an easy-to-admire heroine who cares more about other people than herself.  She and her fellow cast members are likable, although flawed.  Plot-wise, there's enough going on in Echo Mountain to keep the story moving along at a steady pace.  Because of its old-fashioned feel, I'm not sure how much kid appeal this novel has.  Hopefully some since it teaches valuable lessons about listening to your instincts, respecting nature, not making assumptions about people, and using your unique skills and resources to help other people.  Lovely and lyrical, Echo Mountain is also moving, hopeful, and engaging.  I enjoyed it.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a little of Where the Watermelons Grow by Cindy Baldwin, also of The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little)

Louise "Lou" Montgomery loves to sing, but not in the way her mother wants her to.  Convinced that Lou's going to make it big any day now, her mother drags her from place to place insisting that she perform in front of any crowd they can find.  Twelve-year-old Lou can't stand the noisy groups, all the people looking at her, or the way some people want to touch her.  She knows her quirks are weird, but sometimes the sensory overload makes her feel like she's going to explode.  Lou and her mom need the money her gigs provide so they can find somewhere to live besides their truck, but she would do anything not to have to perform ever again.

When Lou accidentally crashes the truck and her unstable living situation becomes known, Child Protective Services steps in.  Lou is sent to live with an aunt and uncle in Nashville.  For the first time she realizes what she's been missing—a clean home that's not on wheels, nutritious meals, going to school, guardians who put her first, etc.  When her Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is officially diagnosed for the first time, Lou even begins to understand the condition that has always confused and plagued her.  Lou's new life is a million times better than her old one.  Does she really want to be reunited with the mother who neglected and exploited her?  If Lou can't save her mom, who will?

Although the plot summary of Tune It Out by Jamie Sumner makes the middle-grade novel sound pretty grim, it's actually a funny, hopeful book that's more upbeat than not.  Lou is a sympathetic character, even if she's also kind of a self-centered one.  It's easy to root for her as she begins to get the stability and care she deserves.  Yes, she acts older than 12 and yes, her story is predictable, but overall, Tune It Out is an enjoyable novel.  It brings the challenges of living with an SPD to light and teaches an important lesson about the fact that no one is "normal."  Everyone has quirks and differences that should be viewed with empathy and understanding.  With further lessons about family, friendship, and finding your way, Tune It Out is an appealing, compelling novel.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  You?)

Betita Quintero loves going to fourth grade in her East Los Angeles neighborhood.  There, a beloved teacher has been showing her how to express her feelings using vivid "word-poems."  She has plenty of emotions to illustrate—happiness from being surrounded by loving parents and a poor, but supportive community of immigrants; excitement over the impending birth of her baby sibling; and fear of her parents' undocumented status being discovered.  Betita's worst nightmare comes true when her father is arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and deported to Mexico.  Now, she and her pregnant mother are worried, scared, and on their own.  How can they survive without Papi?  

Things go from bad to worse when Betita and her mom are detained, locked away in a dirty cell with other terrified refugees.  How will they survive in such a hopeless, joyless place?  Will her Mami's baby be okay?  Most of all, will the Quintero family ever be reunited?  

Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar (who was born in Mexico and brought to the United States by her undocumented parents when she was a baby) tells a gut-wrenching, heartrending story that is all too timely and real.  It's grim and disturbing in a lot of ways, but it's also hopeful and beautifully told in verse.  No matter what you think of U.S. immigration policy and its enforcement, it's impossible not to be moved by this illuminating story.  It's a quick read, but a powerful one that has stuck with me for months.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Efrèn Divided by Ernesto Cisneros)

My 12-year-old daughter has been keeping a verbal Christmas countdown for a few weeks now.  When she said, "It's 20 days away," I couldn't believe it.  Now that it's ten, I'm even more shook.  It's always surreal when the Big Day finally gets here, isn't it?  I'm just glad she still has her little-girl excitement about the holiday.  Thankfully, I'm ready—my shopping is done, Christmas cards have been sent, the halls are decked, and we're getting ready to make our traditional homemade doughnuts to give out to neighbors and friends.  My college freshman comes home in a week, so I get to have all four of my kids under one roof for the first time in months and for the last time (at least for the foreseeable future), since my oldest moved out a couple months ago and is getting married on January 2nd.  Whew.  The next three weeks are going to be a marathon.  When all my company goes home on January 4th, I'm going to sleep for a month!

Despite this whirlwind of activity, I just finished my 183rd book of the year.  Can I finish 17 more before January 1 to reach my goal of reading 200 books this year?  We shall see.  There are a handful I still need to read for challenges and a few others I'm going to try to get to.  I'm not stressing about it (obviously, I'm not obsessed with my reading stats AT ALL), but I'll do my best.  My all-time reading high was 186 books read in a year—at the least, I'll beat that record by a few.  How are you doing on your 2020 reading goals?

Naturally, I've also been thinking about how I want to start off 2021, book-wise.  I've already discussed a lot of the reads I'm really looking forward to in recent lists, so I've tried to fill this one with new titles.  These aren't my most anticipated reads, but they are definitely ones that are on my Winter TBR list.  Without further ado (since there's already been a lot of ado), here we go with:

1.  The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman—I have this one out from the library right now, but I doubt I'll get to it before 2020 fades away.  It's about a group of friends in a retirement home who solve murders. The book sounds super fun and it's gotten great reviews, so I'm excited to read it.

2.  The Survivors by Jane Harper (available February 2, 2021)—I've enjoyed all of Harper's mystery/thrillers, so I've been waiting patiently for this one, her newest.  This one revolves around a man who's visiting his seaside hometown with his young family when a body washes up on shore.  Could it be that of his missing brother?  As authorities investigate, old secrets are churned up.  What really happened to Finn?  I'm always up for a hometown secrets mystery, especially when it's penned by one of my favorite authors.  Can't wait!

3.  Without a Brew by Ellie Alexander—I just started this latest installment in the Sloan Krause cozy mystery series.  The books are set in Leavenworth, Washington, a German-inspired tourist town.  Sloan is a beer brewer and amateur sleuth.  It's a light, fun series that I enjoy.

4.  Death in the Family by Tessa Wegert—This mystery series opener features a former NYPD detective who's taken a job in a sleepy upstate New York town to take a breather.  When a man goes missing on a nearby private island, she's called in to investigate.  Although it looks like murder to our heroine, no one in the victim's family is talking.  With a vicious nor'easter brewing all around, it looks like she's going to be stuck on an isolated island with the killer ...

5.  The Girl Who Wasn't There by Penny Joelson—Billed as Rear Window for the YA set, this mystery is about Kasia, a homebound girl who witnesses a kidnapping on her street.  Another girl was watching from another window, but when Kasia rushes out to find her she gets a shock—there is no girl.  What exactly did Kasia witness?  How can she solve a crime if she's not sure there was one?  Sounds dark, but intriguing!

6.  Alone in the Woods by Rebecca Behrens—This middle-grade survival story concerns two former best friends who become stranded in the woods when their boat springs a leak during a rafting/camping trip.  Despite their issues with each other, they have to work together to find their way out.

7.  The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel—World War II novels always appeal to me and this one sounds excellent.  It's about a woman who uses her skills in forgery to help hundreds of Jewish kids evade the Nazis and make sure their true identities are not lost in the chaos.  I'm in!

8.  The Color of Air by Gail Tsukiyama—My brother lives in Hilo, Hawaii, which looks like a beautiful and interesting place.  Hilo is the setting of this historical novel that concerns a Japanese-American community living there and dealing with a variety of issues, including the impending eruption of a volcano.  It alternates between 1918 and 1935, time periods I haven't read tons about.  I've enjoyed other books by Tsukiyama, so I'm excited for this one.

9.  An Unexpected Peril by Deanna Raybourn (available March 2, 2021)—Although this mystery, the newest in Raybourn's delightful Veronica Speedwell series, doesn't come out until Spring, I have an e-ARC.  I adore these books, so I can't wait to delve into the latest installment.  It concerns the suspicious death of a female mountain climber and a princess who goes missing.  

10.  Midnight Without a Moon by Linda Williams Jackson—I'm always looking for good historical middle-grade novels and this one sounds intriguing.  It's about a young girl whose parents are sharecroppers in Mississippi in 1955.  When Emmett Till is murdered nearby, she looks for ways to help with the Civil Rights movement.

There you have it, ten books I'd like to get to this winter.  Have you read any of these?  What's on your winter TBR list?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours.