Welcome to Litsy!

A sci-fi middle grade novel that‘s definitely written for its intended audience (eg, the MC‘s dad is a proctologist & that goes exactly how you‘d expect). Still, I love the storyline of using music & love to save the world. And the lessons van Eekhout incorporates are nuanced & worthy. I cheered when Agnes tells Jake that “just because something is illegal doesn‘t mean it‘s wrong,” using the example, “It used to be illegal for women to vote.” 👇🏻

3 ⭐ I really wanted to like this. The concept was interesting. It is a bit reminiscent of the Superman origins: found as a baby with abilities they can not control. The kid can shape shift and not being able to control it made for some interesting scenes, but I just kept feeling sorry for the main character. And it took the enjoyment of this book away. I DNFed at 44%

Short middle-grade scifi. It tries too hard to be funny and for the most part fails. Great premise but a little bit of a slog in places.

A flaming blob falls from space and gets adopted by a human family. As it morphs into a middle school boy, he navigates the problems of being an outcast and outsider on this planet in this sweet story of growing pains, awkwardness, and friendship.

March Wrap-Up

Total books: 26 (lots of comics & graphic novels which definitely ups the number)
Pages: 6,414
Longest: Once and Future Witches (517)
Shortest: Karate Prom (33)
Women authors: 15
Authors of color: 7
Favorites: Under the Whispering Door, Sentient, A Man Called Ove, and Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Books, books, books.

An alien boy living in Arizona deals with school, changing friendships, his new unreliable transformation abilities, and a government corporation snooping around town after a series of goo-filled sinkholes make waves. A bit ridiculous at times, but mostly in a good way I think will appeal to kids. And full of lots of voice and heart. Story wise, it's kind of Alex Mack meets Superman, which you've just got to love.