Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes

 

Last night, I just finished reading Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes. This mystery novel is about a girl, Paloma Marquez, who does not want to go to Mexico for a whole month during her summer vacation. She wants to hang out and celebrate the Fourth of July with her friends from home instead. Fortunately, she quickly befriends a boy, Tavo Farill, and two siblings, Gael and Lizzie Castillo. When Gael hands her a note after a reception at the museum of Casa Azul, the home of Frida Kahlo and her husband Diego Rivera, Paloma is invited to help solve a mystery. Inspired by her favorite mystery books featuring the teen detective Lulu Pennywhistle, Paloma joins Gael and Lizzie in finding Frida Kahlo's missing peacock ring and figuring out who stole it.

I've always enjoyed mysteries since I was kid reading The Boxcar Children and Nancy Drew, and this one was particularly thrilling. I was drawn into the mystery of the peacock ring right from the very start and desperately wanted to know who would take it and why. The novel kept me on my toes because I was nervous at times that Paloma, Gael, and Lizzie would get caught by the crook. There were definitely a few close calls. Although Gael and Lizzie's secrecy is frustrating at times, the story reveals that they have a personal stake in the case. Besides the mystery itself, I loved the setting of Coyoacán, Mexico. I thought Casa Azul was the perfect place for a mystery because it's an art museum. At the end of the book, there is an author's note in which Cervantes describes her inspiration and the real history of Frida Kahlo. This book is an excellent choice for all mystery and art lovers.

Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961 by Larry Dane Brimner

 

Last weekend, I read Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961 by Larry Dane Brimner. It's a non-fiction book about thirteen diverse ("men and women, young and old, black and white") volunteers who traveled on buses from Washington, D.C. to New Orleans, Louisiana in an effort to fight for civil rights in the South in a peaceful protest. While segregation was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, this decision was regularly ignored in the South. Although the freedom riders' journey starts smoothly, they are significantly challenged the deeper into the South they go, encountering opposition and violence.

This book was a relatively quick read as I finished it in one day, but I found it to be very enlightening. While my social studies classes in grade school covered many events of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, this event was not covered in great detail. I definitely learned a lot by reading Twelve Days in May. The treatment of the freedom riders was terrible and frightening at times, and I commend their bravery. The author, Brimner, references books and newspaper articles and uses images to tell the real life story.  I also really liked the journal format, how the author went day by day, to share what happened. In the back of the book, there is a bibliography, source notes, picture credits, a list of more civil rights titles by the author, and an interview with the author. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow

 

The fourth book I read this school year is Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow. This realistic fiction novel is about a girl, Melly, who goes to band camp with her best friend Olivia over the summer. Melly would be more excited to go, but just before leaving for Camp Rockaway, her parents tell her that they're getting a divorce and she feels absolutely shocked because they never argued. Even though Melly is shy, she loves playing the drums and begins making new friends at camp. While Olivia ditches Melly to pursue a new crush, Melly starts to fall for another girl at camp, Adeline. Over the next two weeks, she spends her time finding her own voice and learning that she does have what it takes to be a rock star drummer.

Ever since I was a preteen, I've been interested in summer camp because I myself never got to go. One of my favorite shows was the hit Disney reality series, Bug Juice, so I really enjoyed this novel's interpretation of the camp experience. I was shy in in middle and high school, which means I found Melly very relatable. It was easy to root for her because I wanted her to improve her skills as a drummer and decide what makes her happy. I could also see the strain that her parents' divorce was putting on her throughout the story. She does struggle to manage her emotions from time to time, but she grows from her challenges during camp. I loved the conclusion of the story because Melly learns how to express herself to her friends and parents. The major themes were friendship, first love, family, finding your voice, and music. I think anyone who likes camp or realistic stories would enjoy it.

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier

Last week, I read Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier. This novel is a whimsical historical fantasy taking place in Victorian London. As a young child, Nan was raised by a man she only knew as the Sweep, but when she was six years old, he disappeared, leaving her alone. Soon after, a cruel master took her for his climbing crew. With Wilkie Crudd's "climbing boys", Nan's job was to clean chimneys and protect homes from fire. This job was not only difficult, but also extremely dangerous. Five years later in 1874, the now eleven-year-old gets stuck in a chimney while sweeping at a school and one of her crew mates, Roger, lights a fire to motivate her to escape. Nan nearly dies in the fire if it were not for her char, a keepsake from the Sweep, saving her life as it became a golem from the heat of the fire. Nan befriends the golem, which she names Charlie, and they build a life together.

I had read another book by Jonathan Auxier, The Night Gardener, a few years ago, so I was really excited to read Sweep. I thought this story was absolutely beautiful, especially its theme of how "We save ourselves by saving others". I adored the friendship that grew between Nan and Charlie during their journey and was sad at the bittersweet ending. I was fascinated throughout by how the author combined fantasy with historical fact. It was intense at times because of the cruelty of the villains and the challenges of being a chimney sweep. It felt deeply realistic, despite the fantasy elements. The novel also discusses the issue of anti-semitism in Europe at the time because a few of the characters are Jewish. The map in the book was very helpful because I could see where the places in 1874 London are relative to each other. Additionally, I took the time to read the back matter in the book, an author's note and a historical note, which gave me an understanding of the author's inspiration for the novel, including the real life history of golems, sweeps, and Victorian London. If you like monsters, fantasy, or historical fiction, this is a wonderful book to read.

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

 

This past week, I read Small Spaces by Katherine Arden. This novel was a scary story about a sixth grader, Ollie, who is coping with a tragic loss when she steals a book from a seemingly crazy woman at the river. Ollie decides to read the book and learns the eerie story of a girl named Beth, the two brothers who loved her, and a deal made with "the smiling man". The next day, her class goes to a local farm as a field trip and Ollie begins to wonder if the farm is the same one from the book as she learns the history of the farm. On the way home, the bus breaks down. After the bus driver's warning that something is coming at nightfall and Ollie's watch beginning a countdown telling her to RUN, Ollie and two of her classmates decide to leave the bus despite their teacher telling them to stay when he went back to the farm for help. Over their adventure, Ollie and her friends must follow the advice: "Avoid large spaces. Keep to small."

I have loved scary stories since I was a little girl, so I especially loved this book. It totally had me on the edge of my seat, wondering if Ollie and her newfound friends, Brian and Coco, would survive the nights. It especially reminded me of two collections of creepy tales I adored as a kid, Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark? and R.L. Stine's Goosebumps. I was definitely nervous that the scarecrows would catch Ollie, Brian, or Coco, as they chased the three sixth graders each night. The book also has a major plot twist towards the end that caught me completely off guard even thought I guessed some of the other reveals over the course of the story. Another thing I loved about the novel was its description of Vermont in the fall. Some of my favorite expressions were "The river ran silver to her right, chattering over rocks. The fire-colored trees shook their leaves down around her" and "a rain like cold tears". So beautiful. It really made me feel like I was there. This book is perfect for fall and Halloween, and if you like scary stories, you'll enjoy it.