Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @https://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com. Our love of lists inspired this weekly meme, and bringing the book blogging community together. Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will post our topic based on that topic. We also have the option of doing our own thing if we don’t have any ideas for the prompt. This week, our topic is an old TTT Topic Topic freebie, and so I’m going with genre tropes I love which I’ve seen used before. I’m focusing on Romance today.
1- Online but they know each other in real life
Rec: Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
2- Grumpy X Sunshine
Rec: The Love Hypthosis by Ali Hazelwood
3- Enemies to Lovers
Rec: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
4- Misunderstandings
Rec: Get A Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
5- Freinds to Lovers
Rec: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz,
6- Fake Dating
Rec: The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
7- Siblings Best Freind
Rec: Hang the Moon by Alexandria Bellefleur
8- There’s Only One Bed
Rec: Deliliah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake
9- He falls first
Rec: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
10- Soul Mates
Rec: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas
Let’s Discuss
What are your favorite romance tropes? Do you have any recs for me based on mine?
A tale of unlikely heroes and myths is made real in this debut graphic novel series about a “bad” demon trying to find her place in the underworld. But she’ll have to save it first!
Meesh is a bad demon. “Bad” meaning she always sees the good in those around her–which, strictly speaking, isn’t how a demon is meant to feel or act.
Bullied by the other demons, twelve-year-old Meesh is more likely to be found poring over Fairy World’s magazines and fangirling the fairy princesses. When disaster strikes and her family is threatened, Meesh must journey to the Fairy World to find a healing crystal that can save the underworld. And speak of the devil! She meets a fairy princess right away.
But things in the Fairy World aren’t so perfect either. As Meesh makes surprising new friends and unites a band of outcasts–including her bully–she learns there’s more to being a demon than being bad.
Sometimes the secret to real power is in loving yourself, faults and all.
Favorite Quotes
Why watch that when we can see fairies fight crime?
Oh well, rest up this morning, fairy Meesh
Oh, Meesh, those kids just don’t have as big of an imagination as you!
Hey, being different isn’t as bad as you think.
You’re not a bad demon just because you like flowers and fairies ok?
So I might have forgotten to mention I’m part wolf.
And Without Meesh, I would have never learned to fly on my own
\Well, maybe we can show the fairies- and demons- what we’re like by giving each other another chance.
Review
Rating:5 stars (9.14/10)
Characters-9
I loved the characters in this Graphic Novel. Meesh was such a sweet character, different from the other demons, and what one would classify as a stereotypical demon, and I loved her so much. Meesh knew that she was different, and embraced that she was different from others around her. Nouna was a fairy, and she was one who was her own person, despite what people said to her. Meesh and Nouna had a beautiful friendship, and I loved how they interacted in the story. The other characters in the story were also wonderful, and I enjoyed them as well.
Plot-9
Meesh the bad Demon had an interesting story. I loved how both Meesh and Nouna’s stories intertwined, They wanted to help each other because they saw that they could be happy if they helped each other. The story also showed that fairies and demons can be friends, and they can work together for the greater good. I loved this story, and how much it showed that the demons and the fairies could get over their differences, and work together.
Writing and art-9
The writing in Meesh the Bad Demon is delightful. I loved how the writing was great for Middle-Grade readers would enjoy, along with adult readers. The art style in this game is one that is charming, and I loved the color pallets used. The art in this graphic novel works with the writing to tell the story, and I loved how the art works well with the writing to expand on the story. There were lighter scenes, and heavier scenes, and each of its own distinct style and color pallet used in the scene.
Enjoyment-9
I loved this story so much. The story was amazing, and the characters, writing, and art were fantastic. I recommend this for fans of Middle-Grade Fantasy, and for readers who enjoy it.
About the Author
Michelle Lam is a Los Angeles based story artist in the animation industry, a graphic novel author and illustrator, and cartoonist on social media. She assistant directed the CG animated series ONI: Thunder God’s Tale (Netflix / Tonko House), storyboarded and wrote for I Heart Arlo (Netflix), and storyboarded for Arlo the Alligator Boy (Netflix / Titmouse Animation) and Trash Truck (Netflix / Glen Keane Productions). Animation work aside, Michelle moonlights as an author and illustrator with her first graphic novel Meesh the Bad Demon (Penguin Random House Knopf), and creates autobiographical comics on her Instagram @mewTripled. She shares her life and career experiences through the form of videos on Youtube also under @mewTripled.
Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. This weekly meme was born out of a love of lists and bringing the book blogging community together. Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will make our list based on that prompt. We also have the option of doing our own thing if we don’t have any ideas for the prompt. This week our prompt is Spring TBR. I’m going to talk about books I want to read in April-June. Books by age category.
Middle-Grade
1- The Vanderbeekers and The Hidden Garden by Karina Yan Glaser
2- Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Being a Moth Keeper is a huge responsibility and a great honor, but what happens when the new Moth Keeper decides to take a break from the moon and see the sun for the first time? A middle-grade fantasy graphic novel about passion, duty, and found family.
Anya is finally a Moth Keeper, the protector of the lunar moths that allow the Night-Lily flower to bloom once a year. Her village needs the flower to continue thriving and Anya is excited to prove her worth and show her thanks to her friends with her actions, but what happens when being a Moth Keeper isn’t exactly what Anya thought it would be?
The nights are chilly in the desert and the lunar moths live far from the village. Anya finds herself isolated and lonely. Despite Anya’s dedication, she wonders what it would be like to live in the sun. Her thoughts turn into an obsession, and when Anya takes a chance to stay up during the day to feel the sun’s warmth, her village and the lunar moths are left to deal with the consequences.
K. O’Neill brings to life a beautifully illustrated fantasy world about responsibility to yourself and your community. The Moth Keeper is filled with magic, hope, and friendship.
Content Warning: depression, trauma, burn out themes, abandonment (historical, shown on page through flashback), ableism (historical, minor)
Review
Note: I used Numbers based on the CAWPLIE System, so the numbers will be out of ten as opposed to five.
Rating: 4.5
Characters: 8
The Mothkeeper had wonderful characters. Anya had a mother, but she had found a family in the village, and the found family moments were wonderful. Besides Anya, my favorite character was Estell, Anya’s friend who she really cared for, and they both helped each other. Aimoss is another character in the story that I loved. He was the Moth Keeper before Anya, and they had some wonderful scenes together.
Plot: 8
As someone who loves stories with celestial elements, this story is wonderful. I loved how the moths were weaved into the lives of the village, and how the villagers like Anya and Aimoss helped them. The Mothkeeper had a wonderful story about finding yourself. This Graphic Novel is a journey, and I loved the journey that Anya went on.
Writing: 10
The Moth Keeper was first read by K.O’Neil and I loved the writing so much. When it comes to a graphic novel for me, you need to have a book that matches the tone of the story, and I felt like The Moth Keeper had that. There were scenes that were lighter in tone, and I just loved how you could tell the characters were having fun. Some scenes in this graphic novel were heavy, and you could tell by the tonal shift between these scenes, and the ones that were might lighter in tone.
Art style:10
The art style of The Moth Keeper is so cute. I love the warm colors and pallets used in this book. The more intense scenes, or scenes in the night, were colored with dark blues, black, and light yellow due to the months. I love how the color pallets matched what was going on in the scene. Overall, this was a lovely art style, and I loved how it helped set the story of the book.
Enjoyment: 9 &Recommend for
I really enjoyed this story. I had a blast reading this and the story was so sweet. I loved the characters, and how they were all connected. I recommend this if you enjoy Middle-Grade Graphic Novels.
About the Author
I am a self-taught writer and illustrator based in New Zealand. I’m interested in nature and all kinds of creatures, mindfulness and mental health, and the magic of every day life. To date I have published three books, which have won Eisner, Harvey and Dwayne McDuffie awards for children’s comics, as well as being Cybils Award finalists and featured on the ALA Rainbow List.
Outside of work I love tea and food, plants, transitional seasons, reading, walking and listening to podcasts.
Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. Our love of lists inspired this meme and brought the book blogging community together. Jana will post a list each week, and we readers will make our list based on that prompt. We also have the option of doing our own thing if we’re not feeling the topic that week. This week, our topic is Bookish People I would Like to Meet. I went with a combination of authors and book characters.
Authors
1- Becky Albertalli (Author of The Creekwood Universe, What If It’s US Dulogy with Adam Silvera, and Yes, No Maybe So with Alisa Saeed)
2- Leigh Bardugo (Author of The Grisha Verse, the Hell Bent Series, and Wonderwoman: Warbringer )
3- The Cast of Critical Role (Authors of the Vox Machina Comics, and Novels)
4- Ashley Herring Blake (Author of The Bright Falls Series )
5- Emma Lord (Author of Tweet Cute, You Have A Match, When You Get the Chance and Begin Again)
Bookish Characters I want to meet
6- Gideon from Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir- She’s so sassy and so much fun. Gideon is the opposite of me in many ways, but I really think we could have fun together.
7- Claudia from Foolish Hearts by Emma Lord- We could bond over Shakespeare and the love of online gaming. I think we could have a lot of fun together.
8- Annabeth Chase from the Percy Jackson Universe by Rick Riordan- Annabeth is the daughter of Athena, and if I were to meet any of the characters from this series it would be one of the kids of Athena or Demeter.
9- Margot from Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur- I’m currently reading this, and Margot is a lot of fun as a character. I would love to talk about astrology with her.
10- April from Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade-I read this earlier this year, and I had a lot in common with April. I would with to talk with April about fanfics, and our love of fandom and cosplay.
From the author of The Best Liars in Riverview comes a subtle exploration of gender identity, family, and the personal ghosts that haunt us all, perfect for fans of Kyle Lukoff and Ashley Herring Blake.
Eleven-year-old Simon and his siblings, Talia and Rose, are staying the week at Nanaleen’s century-old house. This time, though, it’s not their usual summer vacation trip. In fact, everything’s different. It’s fall, not summer. Mom and Dad are staying behind to have a “talk.” And Nanaleen’s house smells weird, plus she keeps forgetting things. And these aren’t the only things getting under Simon’s skin: He’s the only one who knows that his name is Simon, and that he and him pronouns are starting to feel right. But he’s not ready to add to the changes that are already in motion in his family.
To make matters worse, Simon keeps hearing a scratching in the walls, and shadows are beginning to build in the corners. He can’t shake the feeling that something is deeply wrong…and he’s determined to get to the bottom of it—which means launching a ghost hunt, with or without his sisters’ help. When Simon discovers the hidden story of his great-aunt Brie, he realizes that Brie’s life might hold answers to some of his worries. Is Brie’s ghost haunting the old O’Hagan house? And will Simon’s search for ghosts turn up more secrets than he ever expected?
Favorite Quotes
With the shops all closed up, and the fog everywhere, it feels like the end of the world.
Usually, it smells like when Mom used to take us with her to the huge university library and I’d find the oldest books I could and stick my nose inside the pages.
She says I imagine things so hard, I make them true in my mind.
The Thing I do know is I like being Simon
We claimed every sing thing was evidence of ghosts. Nanaleen’s house is really old, so it’s easy to imagine ghosts haunting it.
Review
Rating: 4 stars
The first thing that stands out about The House that Whispers is the wonderful characters. Simon is the main character, and I enjoyed them as a character. I loved the sisters as well, and how much they cared about Simon. The grandmother was also a lot of fun to read about, and she was so funny.
At its core, The House That Whispers is a mystery. Simon finds an old photo, and this starts the journey of Simon and their sisters getting answers. This was also a story of finding yourself and the journey that young people go on when growing up. I enjoyed this story, it was fun, and it was also very heartwarming. This story had a happy ending and I was so happy with how the story ended.
Lin Thompson is a fantastic writer. I loved how the more fun scenes had a fun tone because you could tell the characters were having fun, and you could tell that Lin Thompson had a good time writing this story. The House That Whispers also has some very serious and heartwarming scenes, and these scenes were told with a tone that was heavier as the scenes needed it.
I recommend this book for fans of Middle-Grade. I really enjoyed the journey of this story and the characters.
About the Author
Lin Thompson (they/them) is a former children’s librarian, a Lambda Literary Fellow, and the author of two books for middle-grade readers: The Best Liars in Riverview (Little, Brown, 2022), which is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection and received a starred review from Booklist, and The House That Whispers (Little, Brown, 2023). Lin grew up playing pretend games in the backyard and basement of their home in Kentucky. Now they get to write pretend stories in the backyard and basement of their home in Des Moines, IA, where they live with their wife and cat.
Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. l. This meme is based on our love of lists and bringing the book blogging community together. Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will post our list based on those prompts. We also have the option of doing our own thing if we don’t have ideas for that week. This week, our topic is a genre freebie. I decided to go with YA Contemporary Romance.
1- Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
2- Reggie and Deiliah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant
3- Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) by Tess Sharpe
4- When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord
5- Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
6- Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
7- 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston
8- Geekerella by Ashley Poston
9- Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks
Thirteen-year-old Julia would much rather work with horses at the rescue barn than worry about things like dating and makeup. But when her BFF meets a boy at camp, Julia’s determined not to get left behind. After a makeover from her older sister, she posts a picture of herself online and gets a comment from Tyler—a seemingly nice kid who lives across town. As they DM more and more, Julia’s sure that Tyler understands her in a way her family never has. Even better, their relationship earns her tons of attention at school.
Then Julia finds out Tyler’s true plan, and her world is turned upside down. She fiercely guards her secret, but could her silence allow her friends to fall into the same trap?
In this timely, heartfelt debut, author Sydney Dunlap tells a story of a middle-school girl who narrowly escapes becoming a victim of human trafficking and must find her way toward hope and healing after this traumatic event.
Review
Rating-4 stars
Characters
Even when reading a Middle-Grade Novel, I still try to find characters that I enjoy reading about. It Happened on Saturday had Julia, a lovely main character, who was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed reading her story. Julia loved horses, and working at the barn, as someone who also loves horses, I loved seeing horses play an element in the story. Nori, Maria, Gabi, and Chloe were fantastic friends to Julia, who had interesting stories of their own to tell. I enjoyed Julia’s family as well because they supported Julia in her love of horses, and they saw how much she loved them. After the events in this book, Julia’s friends and family wanted to help her bounce back, and get better. I just loved how much they all cared for her.
Plot
It Happened On Saturday follows Julia as she learns the lessons of social media, and what can happen when you talk to strangers online. Sex Trafficking is a subplot of this story, and I feel that readers should know that before they read. This was a story of friendship, finding out who your friends are, and repairing friendships with those close to you. Julia kept things from her friends and family when she was meeting with Tyler, and she also learned the lesson that you need to tell your friends and family where you’re going in case something goes wrong. A support group helps Julia heal, along with her friends and family, and I loved the support group element of this.
Writing
Sydney Dunlap tells a very important story with It Happened On Saturday. With a book like this, you need to handle the topics in a way that young readers will understand, but there also needs to be a way that you can teach them the lessons they need to learn, especially when it comes to social media. There were some fun scenes in this book, and these had a light-hearted tone, where you could see the characters were having fun, and enjoying themselves. Given the content, there were also some very intense and serious scenes in this book. They talked these topics about with care, and in a way that readers of any age can enjoy the story and learn something.
Friendship
I talked about it in the characters section, but I loved the friendships in this book. It would have been very easy for Julia’s friends to judge her for talking to Tyler, and they might have talked to her parents about it, which wasn’t what Julia wanted. Once Julia tells them what happened, her friends were supportive, and offered an ear if Julia needed it, but also a way to take her mind off of the situation. Chloe was a friend when Julia needed one in her support group to recover.
Recommended for & Enjoyment
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a Middle-Grade novel with a lot of heart, and one that tackles tough topics. I really enjoyed reading this story. It was hard to read in some places, but I thought it was an important story.
About the Author
Sydney Dunlap is a former elementary school teacher who has worked with at-risk youth in a variety of settings, and she enjoys reading and writing heartfelt, hopeful fiction that expands young readers’ awareness of tough topics. She is a published poet and has also written for a newspaper. A lifelong animal lover, Sydney lives with her family in a home where the dogs and cats outnumber the people.
In this lyrical novel that will appeal to fans of Meg Medina, Maya turns to her trusty “wheel of fortunes” for guidance on the toughest questions–like why her best friend suddenly feels far away, or when her Daddy will move back home. But can Maya find the courage to write her own fortune?
Maya J. Jenkins is bursting with questions:
Will she get the MVP award at this year’s soccer banquet? Who will win the big grill off between Daddy and Uncle J? When will she pass the swim test and get a green bracelet? For answers and a dose of good luck, 12-year-old Maya turns to her Wheel of Fortunes, a cardboard circle covered with the small slips of wisdom she’s collected from fortune cookies.
But can the fortunes answer her deep-down questions? The ones she’s too scared to ask out loud? Like, where did Mama’s smile go, the real one that lit up everything around her? When will Daddy move back home? And most of all, does she have enough courage to truly listen to the voice in her heart?”
Favorite Quotes
You have firm convictions- stand strong behind them
Your Talents will be recognized and rewarded
Mama says Daddy’s a soccer snob, for calling it football like that.
I’m not quitting. I love soccer. I love every minute!
Beauty surrounds you because you create it
You may lose the small ones but with the big ones
Each Fortune is a compass, leading me in the right direction.
In dreams and in life, nothing is impossible
Your luck will surface in unexpected ways
Sometimes the thing that scares you is the best thing for you
Five Reasons to Read The Many Fortunes of Maya
Rating- Four Stars
1-Characters
The Many Fortunes of Maya had fantastic characters. Maya was spunky, and I loved her passion for soccer, and how much she also loved the flute. Maya was a character who knew what she wanted and went after it. Although she had some challenges in the story, she faces them head-on and grows as a person from them. There us also a wonderful cast of supporting characters that help Maya as she discovers things about herself, and her goals in life.
2- Plot
The Many Fortunes of Maya had a great plot. I’m not much one for sports stories, they’re just not for me, but I really enjoyed the passion that the athletes had. Off the field, the girls also had a fantastic and caring friendship. There was also a love story about Maya’s family that I enjoyed.
3-Writing
Nicole D. Collier wrote a fanatic story, and I loved the writing style of the book. The Many Fortunes of Maya was a story talking about a variety of different topics, from soccer, to family, and dealing with separation. They handled these topics with care, and each scene felt new. When talking about soccer, or when Maya was on the soccer field, there was a more lighthearted tone, which I loved because it showed that Maya and her friends where having a good time. When Maya’s parents were separated, or when she was talking about her flute, it was a more heavy tone with the scene.
4-Friendship
Maya and her friends were so sweet, and they all very much supported each other. Maya and Ginger had a fantastic friendship that I loved reading about because you could tell how much each of them helped each other, and the love they had for each other. At the pool, you could feel the friendship bond with the friends, even though Ginger and the rest of Maya’s friends were in the deep end without Maya. Themes of friendship are all over this novel, and I just loved the friend group.
5- A Lovely Family
MJ had a lovely family because they had a bond, even when things weren’t going well for her parents. Even though there was a separation of parents in this book, there was still a bond that her parents had. Both of her parents still loved her even though they weren’t staying in the same house for part of the book. Maya had a bond with each of her parents, one thing they each loved, that she enjoyed as well, so she could talk about it with them. The family barbeques and the music scenes with her uncle were very fun.
About the Author
Nicole D. Collier, Ph.D., was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She has spent the past two decades in education. First as a fourth grade teacher, then teacher coach, and now as a partner at Personality Matters, Inc., an executive training, coaching and consulting firm.
Nicole writes for all ages, but her first love is middle grade contemporary fiction. Young people are trying to discern who they are vs. who they want to be, and how to bridge the gap between the two. Nicole’s stories are in that gap. In particular, she writes about the interior lives of Black girls as they seek their authentic selves.
A self-proclaimed ever-victorious woman, Nicole has been known to run, dance, and turn cartwheels on sunny days. The Georgia peach has recently relocated to Tampa Bay, Florida.
Her forthcoming novel, The Many Fortunes of Maya (HarperCollins/Versify, Jan ’23) has earned two starred reviews (Kirkus, Publishers Weekly) and is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.
Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. Our love of lists inspired this meme and bringing the book blogging community together. Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will make our list inspired by that prompt. This week our topic is Favorite Heroines, and I’m very excited to share my list.
Middle Grade
1- Annabeth from the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan.
I just love her sass, and how much she cares about Percy and her friends so much.
2- Natalie from The Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz.
I love Natalie and her passion for theater and speaking up for herself.
YA
3- Kate from Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli.
This might be more of a vibes thing. I loved Kate’s passion for musical theater and those around her.
4- Claudia from Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills.
Claudia is a sweetie and I just love her so much.
5- Tash from Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee.
Tash is such a fun character, and the first character I saw with Ace Rep in a book.
6- Millie from When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord.
Again, this might be more of a vibes thing for me, but I loved her love for theater and the romance between her and Oliver
7-Delilah from Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant.
Delilah was so cool, and so into music. I just loved her so much,
Adult
8- August from One Last Stop by Casey McQuison.
I love her and how nerdy she is. I love her story as well.
9- Gideon from Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb Series #1) by Tamsyn Muir
This was not a book that was on my radar at all, but I loved Gideon and her sassy banter so much. I’m almost done with the third book, and so far, Gideon the Ninth is my favorite by far.
10- Delilah from Deliliah Green Doesn’t Care(Bright Falls #1) by Ashley Herring Blake
This was my favorite romance of the year last year, and it’s definitely because of the lead character. Delilah was so sassy and knew exactly what she wanted from her life. I also loved her romance with Claire.
Paiges of Novels 