A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll

 

On Saturday, I finished reading A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll. This realistic fiction novel is about Addie, an 11-year-old Scottish girl who is autistic and can see and hear things others cannot. After her teacher, Ms. Murphy, explains to her class about the witch trials that happened centuries ago in their small town of Juniper, Addie realizes that the women were burned just because they were different like herself and decides that she can’t let them be forgotten. Although the odds are stacked against her, she persistently proposes a memorial for the women who were falsely accused of witchcraft at Juniper's semimonthly committee meetings. Meanwhile, Addie's best friend, Jenna, has a new friend, Emily. At first, Addie doesn't want to lose Jenna as a friend, but as she struggles due to the bullying from Emily and Ms. Murphy, she decides to befriend the new girl, Audrey, who's from London. With the support of Audrey, her family, and the school librarian Mr. Allison, Addie fights for what's right.

I truly enjoyed this relatively short novel, which only took me a couple of days to read. I've long been interested in the history of witch trials, so I thought the plot of a girl coming up with the idea to build a memorial for falsely-accused witches was absolutely fascinating. It was even more interesting that this story took place in Scotland instead of the United States because I had only previously been exposed to stories about witch trials from the American perspective. Although I've read at least one book about a character who is autistic (Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin is the first to come to mind), Addie's story definitely provided a fresh point of view because it shows how challenging it can be for people who are autistic to mask, or pass as a neurotypical person. I also liked Audrey, Mr. Allison, and Addie's twin older sisters, Keedie and Nina. Despite the fact that Keedie and Nina are twins, they couldn't be more different. While Keedie is autistic like Addie and goes to university in Edinburgh, Nina is a social media influencer who talks about clothes and makeup. It was nice to follow how Addie's relationship grew with both of them over the course of the story. Even though the book adds a little three-dimensionality to Ms. Murphy and Emily, I absolutely couldn't stand how cruel they were to Addie. I didn't want Addie to have to remain in the same class for an entire school year. Thankfully, the end of A Kind of Spark was wonderful and I was really glad that Addie stuck to her goal and values. Her persistence was admirable. I'd recommend this book to anyone who has ever felt different from others.

The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh

Over the weekend, I finished reading The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh. This novel that blends historical fiction and realistic fiction is about Matthew, a thirteen-year-old boy who loves playing Zelda and desperately misses his dad during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic because he took a job in Paris and can't come home. When Matthew gets in trouble for nearly hitting his great-grandmother Nadiya, or GG, with a bow and arrow, his mom makes him help GG go through her belongings. After he comes across an old black-and-white photo of two girls, he discovers a shocking secret about GG's past as he learns about her life during the Holodomor famine, which devastated Soviet Ukraine in the 1930s. Piecing together GG's story, he finds out about GG's two cousins, Helen and Mila Lomachenko, who each played a role in the mystery of how GG came to live in America. While Helen lives in Depression-era Brooklyn, New York, after her parents immigrated to America, Mila, a Young Pioneer in Kyiv, Ukraine, is doted upon by her papa and strongly supports Papa Stalin. Although the three girls never met before the famine, Mila and Helen try to help Nadiya, who is starving to death, after she reaches out to them.

This novel was absolutely breathtaking and gripped me from the very start. I deeply loved all four of the main characters, Matthew, Nadiya, Mila, and Helen, and felt a connection with each of them in different ways. I admired Matthew's persistence in finding out his great-grandmother's secret past. Regarding Nadiya, I needed to know how exactly she survived after she lost everything and made her way to Kyiv to find her cousin Mila's family. As for Mila, I could understand her life of privilege, even if she was was motherless, and could relate to her experience of finding out harsh truths about the world. Finally, Helen's family was most like my own, having both parents and a younger brother, and I feared for her family when her pop had a heart attack and her mom had to work two jobs. Despite the challenges, I knew that Nadiya's best chance at survival would be to make it to Helen and her family. This story is definitely devastating and it made me cry a few times because of the tragedy in GG's past, but I was completely blown away by the plot twist. Although a bit sad, the end is satisfying and I truly enjoyed it. All in all, anyone who enjoys stories of family, survival, and sacrifice should read The Lost Year.

Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd

Yesterday evening, I finished reading Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd. This magical realism novel is about Olive Miracle Martin, an eleven-year-old homeschooled girl who has brittle bone disease and uses a wheelchair to move around. After she convinces her parents through a sermon to let her go to Macklemore Middle School, she takes the opportunity to make friends (including a BFF) and try out for the school play about Emily Dickinson. When she learns of a legend about a magical hummingbird that grants wishes in her hometown of Wildwood, Tennessee, she decides it's the solution to her desire to have normal bones and teams up with her new BFF, Grace Alice Cho, to solve the mystery of the hummingbird. Soon, her new stepbrother, Hatch Malone, joins their search for the hummingbird because he has a deep wish of his own. As the May Day Festival and the blue moon approach, Olive must prove herself worthy of the true wish that lies in her heart.

Olive's story was just an absolute joy to read. I loved her confidence and upbeat attitude so much. Although she faces real challenges in this book, she never lets her disability get her down, not even when an accident happens toward the end of the book. I totally understood why she wouldn't want to be seen as fragile because I could see her inner strength throughout the whole story. I also really enjoyed the element of magic in this book, which took me completely by surprise. I was nervous that the hummingbird would turn out to just be a legend, but strange things kept happening in the book like feathers raining down from the sky. It really set an enchanting mood to the story, like it was a modern-day fairy tale. I never knew a town in small town in Tennessee could be so wondrous. I also thought Grace and Hatch were awesome. I'm really happy that Olive found such a great BFF in Grace and that Olive and Hatch could finally connect as stepsiblings. Not to mention, it was really cute that Olive developed a crush on Ransom McCallister, a Black boy in her class. He was very sweet and I was certain he liked her back. The end of the book was amazing and everything I hoped it could be. Hummingbird is perfect for anyone who enjoys fairy tales or realistic fiction with a magical touch.

The Fort by Gordon Korman

 

On Friday, I finished reading The Fort by Gordon Korman. This adventure novel is about a group of eighth grade boys, Evan, Jason, Mitchell, C.J., and Ricky, who discover a trapdoor to an old bomb shelter in the middle of the woods after Hurricane Leo hits their town, Canaan. Although they promise to keep the place a secret (even Jason's not allowed to tell his girlfriend, Janelle), Evan's brother, Luke, and his new best friend, Jaeger, are suspicious from the very start and bully the younger boys any chance they get. Not to mention, the police begin investigating after the boys sell some of the valuable silver forks to a local pawnshop for some money. When the bomb shelter becomes a real refuge for C.J., who is trying to avoid his abusive stepfather, Marcus, the friends find a way to protect it, even if it means sharing their deepest secrets with each other

I really enjoyed reading this novel because it was so cool that the friends were able to find a secret hiding place that no one else knew about. I think it's pretty amazing that hurricane was powerful enough to reveal the trapdoor and it set off the chain of events for the whole book. While I empathize with all five of the friends because they had some real issues, I especially related to Ricky because I know what it's like to be the new kid and have to navigate the friendships among my classmates. Additionally, the story is told through chapters that alternate perspectives, so the reader gets to know what's happening for each of the boys. Plus, there is one chapter from Luke's point of view. As far as the other side characters, I thought that Janelle was the best girlfriend ever and Jason was really lucky to have her.  I also really hated C.J.'s stepfather, Marcus, who was violent and manipulative because of his anger issues. Jaeger was really awful as well, especially wanting Evan to steal for him and Luke. I hated how Luke had befriended someone like him. On the other hand, something I really liked was the references to old movies and music because that's the kind of entertainment the boys found in the bomb shelter. Although I saw the ending coming, it was definitely a little disappointing. The Fort tackles issues such as bullying, domestic violence, and parental abandonment. I'd recommend it to any kid who has ever wanted a secret hideout of their own.