Welcome to Litsy!

This was a nice blend of the dark and emotional time of WWII on a German, Jewish child and the hilarious input of the two fantastical beings who travel with him to England. I appreciate the acknowledgement of the antisemitism found in the western nations. The spy training was interesting. The ending was incredibly rushed. I hope this is the beginning installation of a series.

Tiffany has felt cursed for the last few years and tries to mostly avoid everyone her own age, but after seeing meteors collide, things change. Suddenly, she can “borrow” a person‘s talent or skill after touching a relevant item. Now, she has to decide how to use this power to help her dad and also whether or not to use it to take down her bullies. She learns life lessons and makes great friends in the process.

#MiddleGrade #audiobook #TRS2024

Great middle grade adventure series starter. It ends on a cliff hanger. TW: it involves a bakery.

"OK, it's 3.47 in the morning," Marco said. "And i'm here because my Dad is a sound sleeper and doesn't notice when I wake up screaming because an owl and a hawk have just flown through my window."

This series goes SO HARD! And it‘s still so early in the series. Lots of impossible, hard decisions to be faced.

I enjoyed the pop culture references in this one - we had the GAP and we had a new Keanu Reeves movie playing at the cinema.

My first finish for #auldlangspine2025. This was such a great pick @DGRachel

I loved this world of tea dragons! It made me smile, reflect and appreciate the work the authors put into the story and graphics. I look forward to returning to the tea dragon world.

The story was well executed. It tackled the complex issue of gentrification (specifically in a Chinatown context) in an accessible way. At the end of the book, there were a few pages with background information on Chinatowns, gentrification, community activism, and a short note on the language used (Chinese dialogue is used throughout the story).

Full Review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/01/09/review-noodle-bao/

I really enjoyed this contemporary MG novel about a boy running a family greenhouse with his older brother after the death of their parents. His teacher assigns a project in which he must relate events & tasks in his own life to the 12 labors of Hercules. There‘s a lot of mythological information and an amazing setting on Cape Cod alongside a story of the importance of found family (including pets) and community connection.

#TRS2024 #MiddleGrade

#bookspin yearly #wrapup2024

Not my greatest bookspin year but 8/12 books not too bad. My favorite out of this bunch was Heidi and The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store.

This year I am striving to post more consistently here and to actually participate in #bookspin #doublespin

I have chosen to make my list a list of prompts so as to not be forced to read something I don‘t want to or loose interest in a book because it becomes required reading.

January‘s prompts were Fiancé Pick and Poll Pick.

#bookspin #doublespin is hosted by @TheAromaofBooks

I listened to this middle grade book over the course of the day. It was ok, with plenty of references to Harry Potter (Vivian‘s favorite books), Dungeons & Dragons (the characters play B&B), and some other fantasy stories, but there‘s nothing that really pulled me into this specific world with these characters.

#MiddleGrade #audiobook #TRS2024

📷: After a couple days inside because of the snow, Luthien and I got back out for a good walk today.