Who protects nature? Legends of Lotus Island, a new middle grade series

"I'd never known my parents. I was just a baby when a storm capsized their boat on the open sea." - Plum

The new middle grade fantasy series, Legends of Lotus Island: The Guardian Test, by award-winning author, Christina Soontornvat, is the ideal story to share with children.  She writes of an orphaned farm girl, Plum, who is raised by her grandparents since she was a baby. She knows nothing of the rest of the country and is shocked when she is invited to join the elite school so that she may become a Guardian, a protector of the natural world.  

It is difficult for Plum to leave the security of her grandparents' home where she is comfortable taking care of the crops and livestock.  As she learns about the other cities in her country and meets children from those places, her eyes are open to how important Guardians are in this society. Readers can connect to this as they, too, are learning about the vast world and their place in it.  As Fred Rogers famously said, "Look for the helpers." This is perfectly applied to this story.  The natural resources are being depleted and it is up to the Guardians to save what is left for everyone's well-being, even if they are vilified for it.

Readers who enjoy magical school stories, like Harry Potter and Amari and the Night Brothers may also like this series. It is significantly shorter than both of those series at under 150 pages, so it is not as intimidating to pick it up.  The teachers and cast of students are all unique and bring a sense of humor and danger to the story. After a month of lessons, students are given a Guardian test in which they must transform into their creature form that will allow them to protect the natural world.  Plum has had difficulty with this and is on the verge of quitting.  Will she find what is inside of her to allow her to transform?

Another aspect of this story that readers will find interesting is the role of meditation in it. One of the lessons that the students learn each day is to sit and focus and on their breathing.  In this era of constant noise and entertainment, this is an important practice that will bring much-needed calmness to many young people.  As an educator I have witnessed the effects of my students being unable to control their emotions.  Daily practice of focusing on their breath helps to center them when they feel their emotions start to get out of hand. Soontornvat also wrote about this meditation practice in her nonfiction account of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team rescue in the caves in her award-winning book, All Thirteen.   The boys said that their coach taught them to meditate and that is one reason that they were able to stay calm and get through the many days of being trapped in the caves before they were able to be rescued. 

The last part of the story that drew me in the most is the mystery surrounding Plum and her mother. In the opening chapters the readers learn, along with Plum, that her mother was from the big island to which she didn't want to return.  When Plum sees this place up close and meets people from there she wonders how her mother would've been there. As the series continues, I hope that Plum uncovers her mother's past and why Plum has a set of powers that nobody else exhibits. Soontornvat's books are all ones that I recommend and this one is no different. It belongs on all bookshelves and in readers' hands. 

(Thank you to the book's publisher, Scholastic,  for sending an ARC to my book review group, #BookExcursion!)

 

Once Upon a Camel: middle grade fantasy, adventure

 

Once Upon a Camel, a middle grade chapter book written by award-winning author Kathi Appelt with pictures by Eric Rohmann is a heart-warming, educational story that is perfect for animal & history lovers.  The twist is that this story is told from the point of view of Zada, an old camel who is thrust into protecting the baby chicks of two kestrel friends as a wind storm rushes their way.  Zada takes the journey seriously as they make their way across the wilderness towards safety and hopefully the chicks can reunite with their parents who were carried away by the storm.  To help the time pass, Zada recalls how she came to live in Texas from Turkey. Through a series of flashbacks the touching tale leaps off the page and ends in the most uplifting, surprising way imaginable.  

I highly recommend this for elementary, middle school and home libraries, especially those with readers who enjoyed The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. If readers like this book, then I suggest offering them  Exiled: Memoirs of a Camel by Kathleen Karr about the perspective of an Egyptian camel who ends up in the U.S.  There are similarities between the camels' experiences and those interested in the real-life history of camels being brought to the U.S. in the 1850s to be part of the camel corps for the U.S. Army. The illustrations also help the story move forward and softens the high stakes situations in which Zada finds herself. 

Appelt shares more about her book and reads an excerpt in the video below:

 Here's an entertaining book trailer to share with readers:

Wilderlore: The Accidental Apprentice, a magical adventure

 

Wilderlore: The Accidental Apprentice, a middle grades fantasy chapter book by Amanda Foody is perfect for fans of Harry Potter and The Girl Who Drank the Moon.  

Barclay is an orphan who wants to belong so badly that he's willing to be the apprentice of a mushroom farmer in order to have a decent shot at a respectable future in his sad, paranoid town of Dullshire.  The townsfolk have strict rules and are protecting themselves against the magical and dangerous beasts that lurk in the woods. (The same ones that killed Barclay's parents.)

When he accidentally bonds with a mysterious and wild beast, Barclay will stop at nothing to try to get back to his old life.  His journey will take him deep into the woods to an unbelievable world of power, lore and untrustworthy types who take advantage of Barclay's naiveté and eagerness to remove his bond.

Viola, a lore keeper who seeks out dangerous beasts, offers to help Barclay.  He is unsure whether to trust her and her little dragon beast, Mitzi, or not.  With a magical competition starting that could be Barclay's ticket to return to Dullshire, he must risk everything.  Will he finally find a place in the world where he belongs in the magical wild or will he go back to a lonely, ordinary, yet, safe life in Dullshire?

A humorous mystery full of action, imagination and memorable characters. This is a must-have for middle grade readers who enjoyed fast-paced, fantasy adventure with loads of funny banter and a hint of mystery.

Families, librarians and teachers can use this book in many ways to engage readers.  To get readers hooked, the  first chapter of the book is perfect for a read aloud. It is going to make them want to read on to find out the fate of poor Barclay! Hear the author read from chapter one below:

Foody also goes into much detail about mushrooms so it would be excellent for readers to do a mushroom inquiry that they can share with others what they were curious about and what they discovered.  Another interesting part of this story are the rules in Dullshire.  They are arbitrary and silly so readers can research odd laws where they live and discuss why they think these laws were even made in the first place.  Finally, the reader can design and make a beast warding charm like Barclay's, made out of rope, herbs and twigs or they can make their own based on what they find out in nature.

The best news to share is that Foody has the second book in the series coming out in March 2022!

Photograph (c) Diane Brophy Photography.

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky & Destroys the World: a journey into West African folklore

"Everybody wears life's scars a little differently." 

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia is an adventure-filled story based on West African mythology and folklore.  7th grader, Tristan, is reeling over the loss of his first boxing match and also grieving over his best friend, Eddie. The only item that Tristan has left of Eddie is their shared journal where they'd recorded old stories recounted by Tristan's Nana.  When the journal goes missing during the night, Tristan chases the thief into a thicket of bottle trees on his grandparents' farm in Georgia. Although his grandparents warn him never to venture there, he feels like he doesn't have a choice. A struggle ensues and Tristan's strength actually tears into the thicket and he ends up falling through a passageway into another world, Alke.  In this world, mythical characters actually live and they need Tristan to restore order since he tore a rip in their sky allowing haints to enter.  The question is, will Tristan be the one to save the day when there are real heroes around, like, John Henry?  What is so special about their journal?

"May the stories you hear sound just as good the second time around."

In the second book, Tristan Strong Destroys the World, Kwame Mbalia continues Tristan's story.  He has returned safely to his grandparents' home.  During a boxing match in the barn he hears ghostly voices and sees people asking for help.  With help from the trickster, Anansi, Tristan learns that John Henry has been attacked and his hammer was stolen.  The sinister figure comes after Tristan and kidnaps his Nana.  Tristan has no choice but to return to Alke to save her and understand why she was taken in the first place. Upon returning to the other world, Tristan encounters new characters from West African mythology and folklore who will either help or hurt him.  This is a fast-paced, adventurous story that discusses how to deal with trauma in order to grow.  

"And you know, stories are easy to carry.  Don't weigh nothing. Don't cost nothing."

Both of these books' themes resonate with readers. Storytelling is an important part of these books because it's what groups of people rely on to continue their culture.  Mbalia has done that for a new generation of readers and even adults who may not have heard of many of the folklore characters in the stories.  Mbalia also creates a world of supportive people who drive one another forward despite fears of failure.  This sense of community is brought up when in the end of the second book when everyone is asked,

 "Who stepped up for you, when no one else would?"  

As a teacher and librarian, I would ask my students to share these important stories and consider who has their best interests at heart.  Another way that these books could be used with readers is to go back and read the original stories of the characters.  Some are more well-known but the others may require a bit more digging.  In those stories, how are the characters portrayed? Are they the same or different as Mbalia writes them?  

In 2020, Mbalia won the Coretta Scott King honor award for Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky. The Coretta Scott King Award is given "to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. "