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Norah Piehl

Children's & YAMiddle Grade

A moving tale of friends in war-torn times

Review by Norah Piehl

Sara Pennypacker, author of the light-hearted Clementine series, proves with her new novel that she’s capable of writing stories with more heft and just as much heart. 

Peter and his fox, Pax, have been close companions for five years. After his mother’s death, Peter adopted Pax as a kit, and caring for his fox has offered a kind of healing. As Peter’s father prepares to fight an unnamed war, Peter is sent to live with his grandfather, and Pax is forced to return to a wild he’s never really known. Pax has never slept outdoors nor eaten raw meat, so he must rely on new acquaintances, although the scent of human on his fur makes it hard for other foxes to trust him.

As for Peter, he almost immediately regrets leaving Pax and sets off on foot to find his friend. But when injuries waylay him and he’s taken in by an eccentric woman with her own battle scars, Peter begins to recognize that his relationships with his father and Pax might never be the same.

As much a powerful tale of the costs of war as it is a story of boy and dog (or fox), Pax offers insights into the toll that violence takes on humans and animals alike. Told in well-paced short chapters alternating between Pax and Peter’s points of view, Pennypacker’s simply told but thematically rich story, punctuated with black-and-white drawings from Caldecott winner Jon Klassen, steadily builds toward a thoughtful conclusion.

 

This article was originally published in the February 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Sara Pennypacker, author of the light-hearted Clementine series, proves with her new novel that she’s capable of writing stories with more heft and just as much heart.
Children's & YAMiddle Grade

Friendship to overcome divisions

Review by Norah Piehl

Like many fifth-graders, Chloe just wants to fit in at school. Trouble is, that’s pretty much impossible for her. With her blonde hair and blue eyes, she’s automatically marked as an outsider at her new school in New Delhi. Chloe’s older sister, Anna, has had no trouble adjusting to the family’s move from Boston to India, but Chloe still feels like a fish out of water.

When another new girl, Lakshmi, joins Chloe’s class, Chloe realizes that even girls from India can be viewed as outsiders. Lakshmi, whose family doesn’t possess anything like the kind of privilege that the other girl’s families enjoy, is all but shunned by Chloe’s classmates—and even when Lakshmi and Chloe begin a friendship outside of class, Chloe can’t bring herself to take the next step and support her new friend at school. When Lakshmi’s talents threaten the ambition of the most popular girl in class, Chloe must decide where her loyalties lie.

In her debut middle-grade novel, Kate Darnton draws on her own experience of living in New Delhi for five years, offering lots of personal details about what it’s like for an American family to live in India. Chloe in India offers plenty of cultural insights as well as opportunities for readers to reflect on class, privilege and discrimination. Chloe’s voice is genuine, her outlook likable and realistic, and her revelations about friendship and identity will resonate with many readers.

Like many fifth-graders, Chloe just wants to fit in at school. Trouble is, that’s pretty much impossible for her. With her blonde hair and blue eyes, she’s automatically marked as an outsider at her new school in New Delhi. Chloe’s older sister, Anna, has had no trouble adjusting to the family’s move from Boston to India, but Chloe still feels like a fish out of water.

YA FictionYAMystery

One man, many timelines

Review by Norah Piehl

British teen Stella Park (known to all as Spark) needs to escape her widowed mother’s constant neediness. Spark’s brother, Dan, has been successful in distancing himself, finding an internship across the pond in New York City. When Spark learns that Dan’s benefactor, John Stone, is seeking a summer assistant to help organize his papers, she jumps at the opportunity.

When Spark arrives at the grand Stone estate in rural Suffolk, she soon realizes that this is hardly an ordinary summer job. Why does Stone possess incredibly detailed firsthand accounts of life in the 17th-century Versailles court? And why are those written in the same handwriting as more contemporary papers? Spark begins to grasp the truth behind Stone’s complicated history—and to suspect that she may have her own role to play in his story.

Linda Buckley-Archer, best known for her acclaimed Gideon trilogy, combines a historical narrative with a modern-day mystery and a liberal dose of fantasy to create a richly textured novel. Readers will enjoy exploring Stone’s papers alongside Spark, developing their own theories and making their own surprising discoveries about past, present and future.

 

This article was originally published in the November 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

British teen Stella Park (known to all as Spark) needs to escape her widowed mother’s constant neediness. Spark’s brother, Dan, has been successful in distancing himself, finding an internship across the pond in New York City. When Spark learns that Dan’s benefactor, John Stone, is seeking a summer assistant to help organize his papers, she jumps at the opportunity.
Children's & YAMiddle Grade

A friend who’s there when you need him

Review by Norah Piehl

In her previous novel, the Newbery Medal-winning The One and Only Ivan, Katherine Applegate tackled issues of animal welfare while offering readers the opportunity to expand what they typically expect from traditional storytelling. In Crenshaw, Applegate once again tackles big issues with plenty of heart and humor.

Almost-fifth-grader Jackson literally can’t believe his eyes when he sees a giant, smart-alecky cat. Again. The last time he saw his “imaginary friend” Crenshaw, Jackson was just a little kid, and his family was going through some pretty tough times—so tough that they had to live in their minivan for a while. Now Crenshaw is back—but so are Jackson’s family’s money problems.

As Jackson’s parents try to make ends meet, Jackson struggles to figure out what Crenshaw’s reappearance means and how Jackson can help his family finally tell each other the truth.

Despite the fact that one of its central characters is a giant talking cat, Crenshaw is a surprisingly somber book at times, with a so- phisticated narrative structure that shifts back and forth in Jackson’s life story. By adding elements of fantasy and whimsy, however, Applegate is able to address issues such as poverty and food insecurity in a way that kids will respond to, perhaps thinking about their friends and neighbors—or, like Jackson, even themselves—with greater sympathy, generosity and understanding.

 

This article was originally published in the October 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

In her previous novel, the Newbery Medal-winning The One and Only Ivan, Katherine Applegate tackled issues of animal welfare while offering readers the opportunity to expand what they typically expect from traditional storytelling. In Crenshaw, Applegate once again tackles big issues with plenty of heart and humor.

Children's & YAPicture Book

A new cast of crayons—and a new set of complaints

Review by Norah Piehl

In this companion to the phenomenally best-selling The Day the Crayons Quit, Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers once again offer perceptive and frequently hilarious insights into the emotional lives of supposedly inanimate objects that most of us don’t think twice about. One by one, the lost, broken, forgotten and discarded crayons from Duncan’s collection write postcards begging to be rescued from their current circumstances.

There’s Maroon, who’s been marooned in the couch cushions with only a paper clip for company; Neon Red, who’s been abandoned on a family vacation and is determined to find her way home again; Big Chunky Toddler Crayon, who longs to be saved from the clumsy clutches of Duncan’s little brother; and Esteban the Magnificent (formerly known as Pea Green)—“No one likes peas. No one even likes the color pea green.”

The prose at times borders on sarcasm but remains sweet, and the situations that the crayons have encountered will be familiar to kids and parents alike. The illustrations, rendered in postcards and crayon (of course), are appealingly childlike and full of surprises (be sure to look at Glow in the Dark’s letter . . . in the dark!). The Day the Crayons Came Home will have readers of all ages chuckling—and will inspire kids’ empathy and imagination in equal measure.

In this companion to the phenomenally best-selling The Day the Crayons Quit, Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers once again offer perceptive and frequently hilarious insights into the emotional lives of supposedly inanimate objects that most of us don’t think twice about. One by one, the lost, broken, forgotten and discarded crayons from Duncan’s collection write postcards begging to be rescued from their current circumstances.

YA FictionYA

Beware the month of October

Review by Norah Piehl

For as long as Cara can remember, the month of October has meant avoiding knives and wearing extra layers of clothing, not for warmth, but for protection against trips and falls. For Cara’s family, October is “accident season.” Sometimes those accidents are just burned fingers or stubbed toes; sometimes people die. This year’s accident season could be particularly bad, and everyone is on edge: Cara’s older sister, Alice, seems to be hiding something; their mom is becoming increasingly overprotective; Cara’s relationship with her ex-stepbrother, Sam, is getting complicated; and then Cara becomes obsessed with the mysterious disappearance of a classmate.

Moïra Fowley-Doyle’s debut is set in Ireland, where myth and magic often lie close to the surface of everyday life. Readers will wonder—as Cara does—what is magic and what isn’t, what is logical and what is unexplainable. An air of mystery and wonder will remain with readers long after the close of the accident season.

 

This article was originally published in the August 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

For as long as Cara can remember, the month of October has meant avoiding knives and wearing extra layers of clothing, not for warmth, but for protection against trips and falls. For Cara’s family, October is “accident season.” Sometimes those accidents are just burned fingers or stubbed toes; sometimes people die.
YA FictionYA

A complicated homecoming

Review by Norah Piehl

Throughout their childhood, next-door neighbors Emmy and Oliver were inseparable—until Oliver disappeared in second grade, kidnapped by his noncustodial father. Ten years later, Oliver has been found and is returning home to California. The intervening years have changed a few things: Oliver’s mom remarried and has twin daughters, and Emmy’s parents have reacted to Oliver’s disappearance by becoming hyper-protective of their only daughter. It’s the end of senior year, and everyone—not just Oliver—is trying to figure out how to reconcile their future plans with their past.

Although the novel explores Oliver’s complicated feelings in the wake of his kidnapping and homecoming, the primary focus is on Emmy’s divided loyalties—to her parents, to her friends, to her hopes and dreams. Robin Benway effectively uses Oliver’s extreme situation to dramatize the inner struggles that preoccupy many young people on the border between childhood and adulthood.

 

This article was originally published in the July 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Throughout their childhood, next-door neighbors Emmy and Oliver were inseparable—until Oliver disappeared in second grade, kidnapped by his noncustodial father. Ten years later, Oliver has been found and is returning home to California.
YA FictionYA

A tremendous tale of loss and family

Review by Norah Piehl

Nothing signals the start of summer like the publication of the latest Sarah Dessen book. Unlike many of Dessen’s previous novels, Saint Anything isn’t set during the summer, but its riveting premise and cast of characters still make it the perfect little reward for a successful school year.

Ever since her charismatic older brother Peyton got in trouble with the law, and especially after he seriously injured a boy in a DUI accident, Sydney has felt like no one in her family pays attention to her. The only one who seems to notice Sydney is Ames, Peyton’s best friend, whose creepy attention Sydney would rather not attract.

Desperate for a change of scene, Sydney transfers to a different high school, where she becomes enamored of the close-knit Chatham family, who couldn’t be less like her own. Embraced and buoyed by them, Sydney sees the opportunity to find friendship and love like none she’s known before. But her family history—not to mention her own sense of guilt over her brother’s actions—might jeopardize everything she’s found.

Although she’s often categorized as a romantic novelist, Dessen writes as adeptly about family and friendships as she does about love, and all three facets of her talent are on display in Saint Anything. Sydney asks hard questions about what it means to be a good daughter, sister and friend. The mistakes she makes and lessons she learns make for an absorbing and rewarding read—exactly the kind of thing you want to tuck away for the first lazy weekend of summer.

Nothing signals the start of summer like the publication of the latest Sarah Dessen book. Unlike many of Dessen’s previous novels, Saint Anything isn’t set during the summer, but its riveting premise and cast of characters still make it the perfect little reward for a successful school year.

YA FictionYA

The truth will out

Review by Norah Piehl

BookPage Teen Top Pick, April 2015

I promised myself I would write this whole review of Susan Juby’s latest novel without using the word “quirky.” There’s so much more to the author of Alice, I Think than just her knack for writing about eccentric characters and borderline outlandish situations. There is plenty of both in Juby’s latest, but that’s hardly the whole story.

The Truth Commission is (supposedly) a book-length work of creative nonfiction, submitted as part of Normandy Pale’s Spring Special Project at Green Pastures, a prestigious art high school in a small Vancouver town. Normandy starts off by telling the story of how she and her two best friends prompted (or cajoled, or outright pushed) their classmates to tell the truth about themselves.

But all this compulsive truth-telling has Normandy wondering whether it’s time to tell the truth about her own family: Her older sister Keira, Green Pastures’ most notable alum, has built a wildly successful career on a series of graphic novels portraying Keira as a heroine and Normandy and her parents as grotesque losers—and, in many ways, serving as a self-fulfilling prophecy for their real life.

For Normandy, it is a frightening but essential process to force her family to confront the realities of Keira’s brand of “truth”-telling and the damage it has inflicted. Along the way, readers get a lively course in storytelling, the ethics of producing art and how (not) to write creative nonfiction, all delivered in Normandy’s hilarious, heartfelt and (yes) brilliantly quirky voice.

 

This article was originally published in the April 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

I promised myself I would write this whole review of Susan Juby’s latest novel without using the word “quirky.” There’s so much more to the author of Alice, I Think than just her knack for writing about eccentric characters and borderline outlandish situations. There is plenty of both in Juby’s latest, but that’s hardly the whole story.
YA FictionYA

Letting the bird fly

Review by Norah Piehl

Jo Knowles’ new novel was apparently inspired by a real-life incident in which the author and her family were given the finger by another driver, even though he was in the wrong. This episode prompted her to think about the aggression, power and even hatred implied by this small gesture.

Read Between the Lines is a series of linked short stories set over the course of a single day. Each chapter focuses on the private life of a student—from cheerleaders and bullies to those they overlook or prey upon—and includes “the finger” in some way. Each can be read and appreciated in isolation, but readers will enjoy piecing together the stories and the accompanying relationships.

The novel’s most profound revelations belong to the final chapter, when one of their teachers shares her own secret stories: “Just like there is more to her than what they see, there is more inside each one of them.” It’s a message that may inspire readers to consider the lives of strangers before rushing to pass judgment—or flipping the bird.

 

This article was originally published in the March 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Jo Knowles’ new novel was apparently inspired by a real-life incident in which the author and her family were given the finger by another driver, even though he was in the wrong. This episode prompted her to think about the aggression, power and even hatred implied by this small gesture.
YA FictionYA

A friendship’s untimely end

Review by Norah Piehl

Gayle Forman, whose previous books include If I Stay and Just One Day, specializes not only in three-word titles but also in novels that combine emotional intensity with moral complexity. I Was Here opens with a gut-wrenching wallop as Cody relates the suicide email she received from her best friend, Meg.

Meg always admired Cody’s strength, and Cody admired Meg’s fearlessness and originality. But the girls have grown apart since high school graduation. Meg escaped to college in the big city, and Cody’s still living with her mom, cleaning houses for a living and quietly flunking out of community college. Their emails grow increasingly sporadic until they stop altogether—that is, until that final email marking the end of Meg’s life and the beginning of agonizing questions about why this vivacious young woman would choose to die. Tasked by Meg’s parents with the unenviable job of cleaning out their daughter’s apartment, Cody encounters computer files that hint at a bigger, darker story surrounding Meg’s suicide.

Thrilling and introspective, I Was Here will prompt readers to reflect profoundly on their own friendships.

 

This article was originally published in the February 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Gayle Forman, whose previous books include If I Stay and Just One Day, specializes not only in three-word titles but also in novels that combine emotional intensity with moral complexity. I Was Here opens with a gut-wrenching wallop as Cody relates the suicide email she received from her best friend, Meg.
Children's & YAPicture Book

In search of home

Review by Norah Piehl

A little boy’s adorable bear cub is the perfect pet—until he begins to grow . . . and grow . . . and grow! Soon this huge bear with his “bearish” ways is just too big to continue living in a human house. But what would be a better home for him?

The boy proposes several different options, from a toy store or a zoo to the woods, a jungle or a cave. In each case, his proposal is met with a resounding “No!” from the bear. None of the choices is quite right . . . until, inspired by the bear’s enjoyment of frozen popsicles (not to mention his bright white coat), the boy stumbles upon the right home for his best friend.

Kids will enjoy chiming in on the boy’s repeated question, “Then where, bear?” and they will giggle at some of the book’s gentle humor. (The bear is clearly terrified of jungles and caves, for example.) Author-illustrator Sophy Henn, who has a background in advertising design, utilizes a sophisticated and stylish palette of muted colors for her vintage-inspired illustrations. She also offers a bit of playful typography, effectively using type size for emphasis and utilizing a whimsical typeface on a two-page circus spread to great effect. Story and pictures combine for a satisfyingly old-fashioned reading experience, one that parents and children alike will find both comforting and beautiful. 

A little boy’s adorable bear cub is the perfect pet—until he begins to grow . . . and grow . . . and grow! Soon this huge bear with his “bearish” ways is just too big to continue living in a human house. But what would be a better home for him?

Children's & YAMiddle Grade

From one world to the next

Review by Norah Piehl

Carrie Ryan, who is best known for the young adult apocalyptic zombie series, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, finds her kindler, gentler (but no less thrilling) side as she teams up with her husband, John Parke Davis, for the first in a projected four-part middle grade adventure series.

Marrill is disappointed to learn that she is going to be living in Phoenix for the foreseeable future while her mother undergoes treatment for a serious illness. She wishes her family could return to their itinerant, adventure-seeking lifestyle from before her mom got sick. So when she encounters a mysterious ship floating on what appears to be an abandoned parking lot, she is more than a little intrigued.

Meanwhile, in another world full of monsters and wizards, Fin possess the magical blessing or curse of being utterly forgettable—even the woman who rescued him from the orphanage and raised him has completely forgotten his existence. So when he receives a cryptic letter from someone who not only recognizes him but acknowledges his powers of thievery, he knows he needs to follow the clues.

When Merrill and Fin meet each other, it’s the start of a powerful friendship—and the kickoff of an adventure that readers will devour. The authors cleverly balance witty wordplay, action, suspense and emotional impact for a novel that is a lively introduction to a great new series—and a quest that kids will want to embark upon.

Carrie Ryan, who is best known for the young adult apocalyptic zombie series, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, finds her kindler, gentler (but no less thrilling) side as she teams up with her husband, John Parke Davis, for the first in a projected four-part middle grade adventure series.

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