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paperprivateer's reviews
1452 reviews
The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Newton Fusco
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I suspect that this will be the best book I read in 2025.
This book is like a hug. Not like the kind of hug when everything is great and nobody has any problems, but the kind of hug where life is hard but it's okay because there are people who will love you anyway. And speaking of hugs, I would love one from every character in this book, thank you very much.
The characters are the heart of this book. There's Hurricane, whose name sounds like she should be a force to be reckoned with but is more focused on battling her own inner storms from her mother dying, her difficulty in standing up for herself and having to go live with her aunt instead of with her sister and dog she loves dearly. There's Aunt Claire, a woman who loves Latin mottos and things being orderly although she doesn't entirely know how to make suddenly being responsible for a child an orderly business. Mr. Keats is a man with a warm smile and comfortable-looking boots who struggles with PTSD but has a way with cooking and knowing what Hurricane isn't quite able to say. That's not counting Theo the fish boy who has a way with animals or any of the lovable animals Hurricane encounters in her life.
All of these characters learn and grow through the book, and each has to adjust how they view people and life. There's so much growth and adjustment as they all deal with their lives changing, and it's all so beautifully done. They grow and adjust just like people do in real life: gradually and as needed, sometimes with difficulty and sometimes with sweetness.
The characters deal with some challenging issues, but it's never too intense. While there are issues of the Great Depression, World War I PTSD, monetary issues, prejudice, and tuberculosis, it is relevant enough to be meaningful but not significant enough to be depressing.
I truly loved everything about this book. If you want a historical middle grade book that will make you want to move in with the characters or adopt a stray cat, this is the one for you. I wish I'd had a book like this when I was a shy kid trying to figure out how to use my own voice.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This book is like a hug. Not like the kind of hug when everything is great and nobody has any problems, but the kind of hug where life is hard but it's okay because there are people who will love you anyway. And speaking of hugs, I would love one from every character in this book, thank you very much.
The characters are the heart of this book. There's Hurricane, whose name sounds like she should be a force to be reckoned with but is more focused on battling her own inner storms from her mother dying, her difficulty in standing up for herself and having to go live with her aunt instead of with her sister and dog she loves dearly. There's Aunt Claire, a woman who loves Latin mottos and things being orderly although she doesn't entirely know how to make suddenly being responsible for a child an orderly business. Mr. Keats is a man with a warm smile and comfortable-looking boots who struggles with PTSD but has a way with cooking and knowing what Hurricane isn't quite able to say. That's not counting Theo the fish boy who has a way with animals or any of the lovable animals Hurricane encounters in her life.
All of these characters learn and grow through the book, and each has to adjust how they view people and life. There's so much growth and adjustment as they all deal with their lives changing, and it's all so beautifully done. They grow and adjust just like people do in real life: gradually and as needed, sometimes with difficulty and sometimes with sweetness.
The characters deal with some challenging issues, but it's never too intense. While there are issues of the Great Depression, World War I PTSD, monetary issues, prejudice, and tuberculosis, it is relevant enough to be meaningful but not significant enough to be depressing.
I truly loved everything about this book. If you want a historical middle grade book that will make you want to move in with the characters or adopt a stray cat, this is the one for you. I wish I'd had a book like this when I was a shy kid trying to figure out how to use my own voice.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
From Wonderland, With Love by Jeffrey Westhoff
medium-paced
4.5
It’s been a little while since I’ve read Alice in Wonderland, but this book felt like I was dropped right back in the world. Maybe if I’d more recently read the Lewis Carroll original, I wouldn’t have been as delighted. Since it's been a while, though, I found this to be a phenomenal addition to Alice’s adventures.
Instead of feeling like a retelling or loosely based, this book feels like.a true sequel. Alice is back, once again interacting with the characters she met before but this time as a spy.
The writing is similar to the originals but feels just a little bit more modern. It still has witty moments, and Alice speaks and thinks in the same way we were introduced to her in the originals. I went in with somewhat low expectations, but it surpassed them by being a book that fit very well with the world and characters we already know. I'd say the main difference between this and Lewis Carroll's books is that this one has a more coherent plot.
For me, the book felt like a natural addition to the world of Wonderland, and I think fans of Alice who want more of her adventures are unlikely to be disappointed with this book.
Instead of feeling like a retelling or loosely based, this book feels like.a true sequel. Alice is back, once again interacting with the characters she met before but this time as a spy.
The writing is similar to the originals but feels just a little bit more modern. It still has witty moments, and Alice speaks and thinks in the same way we were introduced to her in the originals. I went in with somewhat low expectations, but it surpassed them by being a book that fit very well with the world and characters we already know. I'd say the main difference between this and Lewis Carroll's books is that this one has a more coherent plot.
For me, the book felt like a natural addition to the world of Wonderland, and I think fans of Alice who want more of her adventures are unlikely to be disappointed with this book.
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Cabinet of Curiosities: A Historical Tour of the Unbelievable, the Unsettling, and the Bizarre by Aaron Mahnke, Harry Marks
informative
medium-paced
2.5
I haven’t listened to the podcast, so I approached this book with no expectations or awareness of who the writer was.
I enjoyed the tidbits in general. I like small, interesting tidbits that you might share as a “did you know” quick fact or might spark further research. I liked the assortment of information and the span of topics. I liked the quick, digestible approach to information and the humor imbedded in even some more grisly stories.
However, this isn’t a book I’d probably use as a “did you know” because I wasn’t sure how much I could trust the information. Wikipedia was the primary source for a lot of the book, which… is an interesting choice. Even school children know not to use Wikipedia for a main source without doing more research. Some of the information felt more like urban legends than verified information, and I didn’t feel like having to research every page to see if the information was verifiable or not. Some items also seemed like a little bit of a stretch, almost more like butterfly effect conclusions rather than verifiable, historically agreed on reasons why something happened in history.
Overall it was a fun book, but I wouldn’t quote any of the information in it or consider it trustworthy even if it was interesting.
Sweetness All Around by Suzanne Supplee
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is loosely based on real events in the early 70s in the southern US. Although I wasn’t around in the 70s and haven’t spent a lot of time in the southern part of the United States, this book felt like being picked up and transported to that time and place.
Josephine is the kind of character that is both lovable and infuriating at the same time — in a good way. I completely understand why the adults around her, especially her mother, and sometimes exasperated by her attitude and antics. She’s grappling with big emotions in a real, relatable way. Her level of understanding of the world around her is age-appropriate, with her sometimes not understanding the complexity of the situations around her. This naivety, however, allows her to accomplish things and make friends in a way that only an eleven-year-old could. She’s angry, judgmental and impulsive — and yet hopeful, determined, and kind. She makes up a beautiful, complicated package that makes her jump off the page like she’s a real person.
The setting too is vivid and complex. There are lots of little mentions about what life in the trailer park or in their nice home before was like. The characters surrounding them mention details that make the world feel lived in with great parts and disappointing or unfair elements.
I had two minor qualms with the book. I’m not sure how many kids are clamoring to read about the 1970s, and the nostalgia elements are likely to be lost on them. That and the darker elements, particularly the author’s note about the real-life events involving children going missing and being murdered, are pretty dark.
Overall, I enjoyed this book because of the vividness of the characters and setting, but sensitive readers should be aware of the subject matter.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own and were not influenced by receiving a copy.
The Alchemy of Letting Go by Amber Morrell
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I have mixed feelings about this one. It offers an interesting approach to grief and bringing the dead back to life, but it didn’t have the emotional weight I would expect from a book that covers those topics.
It’s tricky to combine magic with a character who loves science and the scientific method. Juniper eventually says it’s fine because magic is just a science we don’t understand, but some interactions between these two things are still a little weird sometimes. Overall, combining science and magic in a real-world setting is an interesting way to talk about grief and life, and I loved this interpretation of magic.
My main complaint with this book was it felt more shallow than it should have. It should have had a lot of emotional depth considering the amount of grief to the point where she’s trying to bring the dead back to life, or even with how she processes her magical powers, but it fell flat.
Juniper as a character is somewhat lacking. She loves science to the detriment of almost everything else. She does irresponsible and dangerous things in the name of science, but it seems like someone so in love with the scientific method would be a little more cautious about some of the things she does. There’s not much depth to her character other than us being constantly told that she loves science. I never felt her love for her sister or even that she missed her that much, even though we’re told she does because It’s necessary for that plot.
I did like the interpretation of how we and other people change and how our memories of the people we love may not capture everything about who that person is. Unfortunately, some of the implementation of this doesn’t work as well as it should have, as the explanation we’re given doesn’t match what’s actually happening (being vague to avoid spoilers, but it has to do with how Juniper realizes something is strange about her sister). The ending is unsatisfying because of how the main plot points are resolved and we’re supposed to accept that Juniper has gone through growth to accept this reality, but she hasn’t in the book's text.
Overall, this book has some beautiful elements and interesting ideas, but the execution was a little lacking in a way that took away from both the creative elements and my overall enjoyment of the book.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own and were not influenced by receiving a copy.
It’s tricky to combine magic with a character who loves science and the scientific method. Juniper eventually says it’s fine because magic is just a science we don’t understand, but some interactions between these two things are still a little weird sometimes. Overall, combining science and magic in a real-world setting is an interesting way to talk about grief and life, and I loved this interpretation of magic.
My main complaint with this book was it felt more shallow than it should have. It should have had a lot of emotional depth considering the amount of grief to the point where she’s trying to bring the dead back to life, or even with how she processes her magical powers, but it fell flat.
Juniper as a character is somewhat lacking. She loves science to the detriment of almost everything else. She does irresponsible and dangerous things in the name of science, but it seems like someone so in love with the scientific method would be a little more cautious about some of the things she does. There’s not much depth to her character other than us being constantly told that she loves science. I never felt her love for her sister or even that she missed her that much, even though we’re told she does because It’s necessary for that plot.
I did like the interpretation of how we and other people change and how our memories of the people we love may not capture everything about who that person is. Unfortunately, some of the implementation of this doesn’t work as well as it should have, as the explanation we’re given doesn’t match what’s actually happening (being vague to avoid spoilers, but it has to do with how Juniper realizes something is strange about her sister). The ending is unsatisfying because of how the main plot points are resolved and we’re supposed to accept that Juniper has gone through growth to accept this reality, but she hasn’t in the book's text.
Overall, this book has some beautiful elements and interesting ideas, but the execution was a little lacking in a way that took away from both the creative elements and my overall enjoyment of the book.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own and were not influenced by receiving a copy.
Heist Royale by Kayvion Lewis
adventurous
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5