Alone by Megan E. Freeman

 

Last week, I read Alone by Megan E. Freeman. This adventurous novel-in-verse is about Maddie Harrison, a twelve-year-old girl who goes to her grandparents' apartment for a secret sleepover even though her friends have to cancel on her. In the morning, she wakes up all alone when her hometown of Millerville, Colorado, has been mysteriously evacuated. Over the next few days, she loses electricity and running water and has to figure out how to survive with no one else to rely on. Although all the people are gone, pets have been left behind and she befriends a neighbor's dog, George. Over the next few years, Madde faces looters, natural disasters, and wild animals, but most of all she wonders how she can survive her growing loneliness.

This novel-in-verse was as breathtaking as it was heartbreaking. I really enjoyed Maddie's tale of survival, though. I loved how brave and stubborn she was, and the challenges she faced were incredibly scary and suspenseful. I especially found it frightening that the reason for the evacuation wasn't revealed until the very end of the story. Although I'm an adult, I have no idea how I could survive on my own without electricity and running water, like Maddie did. It's truly admirable how she rose to the occasion again and again when there was a series of natural disasters in her hometown and I'm glad she had George for company. I wondered if she would ever see her family again, but I hoped she would even if the pages leading to the end had me holding my breath. If you like adventure and survival stories, I can't recommend Alone enough. It's an amazing tale of never losing hope even when the odds are stacked against you.

At Midnight edited by Dahlia Adler and Frankie & Bug by Gayle Forman

 

On Friday, I finished reading At Midnight: 15 Beloved Fairy Tales Reimagined edited by Dahlia Adler. The fifteen short stories by popular young adult authors in this collection are based on fairy tales by E. T. A. Hoffman, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and Charles Perrault. Some of them are fantastical in nature, like "In the Forests of the Night" by Gita Trelease and "The Littlest Mermaid" by Meredith Russo but others are realistic, such as "Mother's Mirror" by H. E. Edgmon and "HEA" by Alex London. Along with the fifteen short stories, this collection includes the original tales in the back of the book.

I was really looking forward to reading this collection because I've enjoyed fairy tales since I was a little girl, and it was a delight from beginning to end. I loved each author's individual take on a fairy tale and how much diversity there was in this collection. Some of my favorites were "Say My Name" by Dahlia Adler ("Rumpelstiltskin"), "Fire and Rhinestone" by Stacey Lee ("The Little Match Girl"), "Coyote in High-Top Sneakers" by Darcie Little Badger ("The Master Cast, or Puss in Boots"), "The Sister Switch" by Melissa Albert (the one completely original tale in the collection), "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" by Hafsah Faizal ("Little Red-Cap"), and "Just a Little Bite" by Roselle Lim, but I recommend reading all of them. This collection is a fabulous choice for anyone who likes fairy tales.

Yesterday, I finished reading Frankie & Bug by Gayle Forman. This historical fiction novel taking place during the summer of 1987 in Venice, California, is about a ten-year-old girl, Bug Contreras, who feels like her summer is ruined when her mom informs her that her brother, Danny, wants some space and she won't be able to go with him every day to the beach. Instead, she has the option to hang out with their upstairs neighbor Phillip's nephew, Frankie. Although Bug doesn't like Frankie at first, they bond while investigating a local serial killer, the Midnight Marauder. As the summer goes by, they learn the importance of being your true self and how to make the world a more just place.

I was excited to read this novel because I knew it mixed elements of historical fiction and mystery, but I was surprised by how well it incorporated social justice issues, including racism and homophobia. While Bug could be a little annoying at first because of her childish reactions to not being able to hang out with her brother over the summer, she grows a great deal as she learns important lessons over summer when she witnesses and experiences injustices. I especially loved the friendship that forms between her and Frankie. It was beautiful how accepting and supportive they were of each other and the ending was bittersweet when Frankie had to go home to Ohio. Frankie & Bug is a wonderful book demonstrating the importance of being an ally and standing up to injustice and anyone should read it.

My Life in the Fish Tank by Barbara Dee

 

Last week, I read My Life in the Fish Tank by Barbara Dee. This realistic fiction novel is about a twelve-year-old girl, Zinny Manning, whose older brother, Gabriel, is diagnosed with bipolar disorder after he gets in a car accident at college. Afterwards, her parents make Zinny, her older sister, Scarlett, and her younger brother, Aiden, promise to keep Gabriel's condition "private", which Zinny interprets to mean "secret". As the months go by, Zinny feels like she can't talk about it with her friends or Lunch Club, a group run by the school's guidance counselor that she finds herself invited to. Meanwhile, she enjoys science class, especially when her teacher, Ms. Molina, has them do a unit on crayfish. She even visits during lunch time to help out. After Ms. Molina presents Zinny with an opportunity to attend a marine biology summer program, Zinny has to determine if and how she can move forward when her family and Gabriel still need her help.

I just have to say that this was an incredible novel. I especially related to what Zinny experiencing because my mom's cousin struggled with bipolar disorder. It can definitely be challenging for the family of someone who is struggling with mental illness to cope with the highs and lows, and there's also a stigma against talking about mental illness which I thought My Life in the Fish Tank presented very well. The story does have flashbacks, which I really enjoyed, because they showed how awesome Gabriel could be, while at the same time showing the initial signs of his mental health struggles. It made me wonder if Zinny and Gabriel's parents should have noticed he needed help before he hurt himself, though. Although I know from my family's experiences that mental illness doesn't always have a happy ending, I loved that this novel had a hopeful ending. Everyone should read this novel, especially if they know someone who's struggling with mental illness.