Summer Reading and The Line Tender by Kate Allen

Welcome back to school, everyone! In this post, I would like to update you all with what I've been reading the past few months since the spring. Back in May, I read Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard. This high fantasy novel is about a group of unlikely companions who must save the world of Allward from an invincible man who seeks to destroy it. If you liked Aveyard's Red Queen series or the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo, Realm Breaker is the perfect choice. I myself especially loved the adventure and getting multiple perspectives from all the main characters, including the antagonists. I highly recommend it.

In June, I read Path to the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist by Sylvia Acevedo and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Path to the Stars is a memoir about the early life of a Latina rocket scientist. When Acevedo was a girl, she decided to join Girl Scouts, which gave her the tools to set goals for herself and encouraged her to pursue her interest in math and science. Although she had several challenges at home, she never gave up her dream of going to Stanford to earn a master's degree in engineering. This book is a wonderful choice for anyone who needs motivation. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a classic science fiction novel with plenty of humor. Just before Earth is destroyed to make room for a galactic freeway, a British man, Arthur Dent, is taken off planet by his friend, Ford Prefect. These two men go on a wild journey through space with a group of other interstellar travelers, using The Hitchhiker's Guide. I thought this novel was hilarious and the planets visited were fascinating. If you want to read something funny, this classic is a great choice.

 

Then, in July and August, I read the Secret series by Pseudonymous Bosch. I read the first book, The Name of This Book Is Secret more than a year ago, so I was very excited to read the other four books in the series. This mystery-fantasy series is about Cass and Max-Ernest, who become friends when they discover a mystery box of vials that leads them to search for a magician who mysteriously disappeared. Unfortunately for them, they draw the attention of a diabolical organization called the Midnight Sun, led by Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais. In each book, Cass and Max-Ernest go on a different adventure as Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais try to capture them and learn the Secret. This series was fast-paced and so much fun. It was very enjoyable. If you like Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, it's a fantastic choice for what to read next.

Last week, I read The Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo. This fantasy novella takes place in the world of Shadow and Bone and King of Scars and is a prequel about the Darkling when he was thirteen years old. He and his mother have spent his whole life traveling around the world. It isn't safe for them to make a home because their power to control shadows is seen as dangerous by those who are not Grisha. Going by the name Eryk and deeply lonely, he befriends two girls at a Grisha camp in a valley, but when an adventure to a pond fed by hot springs goes dangerously wrong, he takes his first steps towards power and trying to make a safe place for Grisha. Knowing what happens later in the series, this story made me sad. The Darkling had a harsh childhood, and I feel bad for him because I could see where his trust issues came from. I would recommend this novella to anyone who wants to know more about the Darkling's background.

Finally, over the weekend, I read one of the 2021-2022 Rebecca Caudill Award nominees, The Line Tender by Kate Allen. This realistic novel taking place in the 1990s is about Lucy Everson whose marine-biologist mother died suddenly when she was seven. During the summer that Lucy is twelve, the tide brings in a great white shark, so she and her best friend Fred agree to include the creature in their field guide for extra credit from their science teacher. When Lucy experiences another tragedy, she decides to learn more about her mother's unfinished research as she copes with her grief and understanding what it all means. Along with her father, a fisherman Sookie, and an old widower Mr. Solomon, Lucy looks for a way to help the great white sharks.

Although this novel was sad and poignant, I did enjoy it. I especially loved the STEM/STREAM elements of studying sharks and creating a field guide. Lucy is a skilled artist, so she prefers drawing the creatures, while Fred is more of the researcher out of the two. They definitely made a great team, working on their field guide project. As the book goes on, it's pretty cool to see Lucy develop an appreciation for research and studying the different parts of a shark because it helps her with her sketches. If you like the science of marine animals and don't mind reading a book that explores grief, The Line Tender is an excellent choice.