Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!
FDL Reads: Bossypants
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Reviewed by: Dawn Dickey
Genre: Autobiography
Suggested Age: Adults
What is the book about?: All about comedian, actor, writer, and producer Tina Fey, in her own words.
My Review: I was looking for something funny to read, and Bossypants did not disappoint! I read some but mostly listened to the book, which was read aloud by Tina Fey herself. Her story was sometimes poignant but always humorous. Fey’s sharp wit shines through in her retelling of her adventures growing up and in her struggles in the workplace. I really like the fact that Fey opens up to us, the reader/listener, sharing wisdom she learned as a parent, a female in television and film, and as a boss in a very competitive field. I highly recommend this book, especially the audio version. You will laugh, you might groan – but you will enjoy the humor!
Three Words That Describe This Book: Funny, authentic, sympathetic
Give This a Try if You Like… any of Tina Fey’s work such as 30 Rock or Sisters or Mean Girls or if you just like reading about television or film personalities
Rating: 5/5
FDL Reads: The Bawk-Ness Monster
The Bawk-Ness Monster by Sara Goetter and Natalie Riess
Reviewed By: Alice Mitchell, Youth Services Manager
Genre: Fantasy (graphic novel)
Suggested Age: Kids (7-12)
What is This Book About? A year ago, the Bawk-ness Monster saved Penny from drowning. She desperately wants to thank “Bessie” now that she’s moving away and enlists the help of her friends K and Luc. They put Operation: Find Bessie into action by convincing Penny’s mom to have a last hurrah camping trip at Lake Bockamixon. Their plans are thwarted by an evil cryptid collector who wants to kidnap Bessie and sell her to the highest bidder. Suddenly the friends are roped into a rescue mission of epic proportions!
My Review: I laughed out loud multiple times during this cryptid caper. It’s always nice to see an inclusive cast of characters, especially since they all have their own personalities. Penny is immensely sweet, and K’s passion for cryptids is only matched by Luc’s needs to prepare for every possible situation. Put them together with a menagerie of cryptids, a protective mom, and a ridiculous villain, and you have a recipe for some of the best one-liners I’ve ever read. Who would have expected that Bigtaur would know how to drive a submarine and scuba?? I certainly didn’t. This graphic novel with cartoon-like illustrations is definitely worth a read.
Three Words that Describe this Book: hilarious, inclusive, adventure
Give This A Try if You Like… My Aunt is a Monster by Reimena Yee, Phoebe and her Unicorn by Dana Simpson, Investigators by John Patrick Green
Rating: 5/5
FDL Reads: Never Lie
Never Lie by Freida McFadden
Reviewed By: Susie Rivera, Adult Services Specialist
Genre: Fiction
Suggested age: Adults
What is this book about? Ethan and Tricia are looking to buy their first home. They get an opportunity to view a mansion, the former home of a psychiatrist who went missing several months before. A terrible blizzard traps them inside with no way of leaving soon. Dr. Hale’s possessions are still there, including hidden audio tapes from patient sessions. When Tricia finds them, she can’t stop from listening. Slowly but surely, the clues about Dr. Hale’s disappearance are revealed along with many other sinister secrets.
My review: This book is a faced-paced psychological thriller that is a bit reminiscent of classic gothic novels. There is a giant, old mansion where you know something evil has happened. Mysteries not only surround the disappearance of Dr. Hale, but something seems off about one of the main characters as well. There are many red herrings that seem very obvious, but the twists and the end are clever, though looking back some POVs don’t seem to totally add up. This is a quick, tightly wound novel that will keep you turning pages until the end!
Three words that describe this book: Suspenseful, fast-paced, psychological
Give this a try if you like: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden, The Guest List by Lucy Foley, The Co-Worker by Freida McFadden
Rating: 4/5
FDL Reads: Butterfly Yellow
Title: Butterfly Yellow by Thanhha Lai
Reviewer: Deb Alig, Circulation Assistant
Genre: Historical Fiction
Suggested Age: Young Adult Literature
What is this book about? It’s 1981 and Hang, an eighteen-year-old Vietnamese refugee who just arrived at her Uncle’s house after living in a camp in the Philippines, is on a bus heading to Amarillo, Texas with the help of her cousin En Di, hoping to find her younger brother who was taken to America in 1975 during Operation Babylift. She is heading to Amarillo because she was given a slip of paper from an American volunteer with an Amarillo address on it when her brother was taken from her and put on a plane. Hang gets sick while on the bus so the driver pulls over and leaves her alone at a rest stop. She approaches an elderly couple for help and shows them a card that En Di made which says, “I come from Vietnam to rescue my brother.” The couple then encourages an eighteen-year-old aspiring cowboy named LeeRoy whom they meet to drive her to Amarillo, and as fate would have it, he does. Unfortunately, the address in Amarillo is a dilapidated church with no sign of Hang’s brother living there. Fortunately, Hang and LeeRoy meet Mrs. Brown who lives next door who remembers a young Vietnamese boy who was adopted and taken to Los Cedros Ranch in Canyon, Texas. Hang sketches a picture of her brother, Linh, and Mrs. Brown recognizes him, but refers to him as David. Hang and LeeRoy head to the Los Cedros Ranch. When they arrive it is clear that Linh does not remember his sister and Linh’s adoptive mother, Cora, is troubled that they are there. Cora feels threatened by Hang’s presence, and to complicate matters, Hang and Linh’s uncle who lives in Texas shows up at the ranch and pressures Hang to testify in front of a judge that Linh was kidnapped and therefore cannot be legally adopted by Cora. But Hang knows better. She has been keeping a secret for six years. Linh was not kidnapped. He was taken by the Americans as an orphan when she attempted to escape Vietnam by plane with him in 1975. Hence, Cora can legally adopt him.
LeeRoy and Hang get hired by Mr. Morgan, Cora’s neighbor, to work on his ranch for the summer. David, or Linh, cares for his horse at the stable and also helps out at the ranch. Cora has made it clear to Hang that she is not to spend any time with her son. Though she is not to go near him, she is grateful that she can see him even from a distance. When she has the chance to talk with him, he ignores her. She feels as though he does not remember her, their family, or Vietnam. She writes 184 stories about Vietnam as best she can in English and sketches pictures of fruit in hopes her brother will remember or recognize something from his past. The climax of the book occurs near the end when LeeRoy, Hang, and David go to the fair where they ride a Ferris Wheel. While at the top, a yellow butterfly lands on David, and Hang begins to sing in Vietnamese a song about a yellow butterfly that she used to sing to her brother when he was little. Surprisingly, David begins to sing along with his sister in Vietnamese. After six long years of missing her little brother while he was in the United States and she was in Vietnam, Hang’s dream of reconnecting with him has finally come true as symbolized by the yellow butterfly which signifies hope in Vietnamese culture.
My Review: Butterfly Yellow is a complex book to read. First, the story takes place in both Vietnam and the United States during two different time periods. Second, there are two main characters, LeeRoy and Hang, who have specific life goals that intertwine with each other. Third, Hang tries to speak in English, but with Vietnamese pronunciation, which makes her dialogue very difficult to understand.
While reading this book, I learned about the struggles of Vietnamese families at the end of the war and about the Vietnamese refugees who came to the United States to relocate. I also learned about Vietnamese customs, language, and culture. Overall, the story was very intriguing. I highly recommend reading this book.
Rating: 5/5
Three Words that Describe this Book: historical, traumatic, hopeful
Give this a try if you like: Inside Out and Back Again; When Clouds Touch Us; Listen, Slowly (all by Thanhha Lai)
FDL Reads: Wishtree
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
Reviewed By: Jacob Roberts, Youth Services Specialist
Genre: Fiction
Suggested age: 8-11 years old
What is this book about? A beloved local tree, named Red, has spent it’s whole life observing the community around them. They are the one place everybody can go to relinquish their wishes. The community has always welcomed everybody that has ventured into their small town. However, hate starts to bubble up in the community, when a new family moves across the street, and the police find the word “leave” carved into Red’s trunk. There is soon talk about getting rid of old traditions, and the tree that goes along with them. None of this would bother Red, except that they feel they have spent too much of life just observing, and long to make an active difference in this new family’s life.
My review: Applegate does a great job at balancing rightly deserved sorrowful, with seemingly unexplainable optimism. Red has such a playful contemplation, even when they face the end of their life. This book does a perfect job at introducing young readers to the skill of reflection. It never feels overly philosophical. Everything that Red reflects on throughout the book is well written, and simplified for the recommended age range.
Three words that describe this book: Heartfelt, contemplative, pure
Give this a try if you like: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Rating: 5/5
FDL Reads: The Salt Grows Heavy
The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
Reviewed by Julie Nutt, Communications Specialist
Genre: Horror
Suggested age: Adult, Young Adult
What is this book about? “You may think you know how the fairy tale goes: a mermaid comes to shore and weds the prince. But what the fables forget is that mermaids have teeth. And now her daughters have devoured the kingdom and burned it to ashes. On the run, the mermaid is joined by a mysterious plague doctor with a darkness of their own. Deep in the eerie, snow-crusted forest, the pair stumble upon a village of ageless children who thirst for blood, and three “saints” who control them. The mermaid and her doctor must embrace the cruelest parts of their true natures if they hope to survive.” (-annotation from the publisher)
My review: This is NOT The Little Mermaid – unless Ariel has fangs and hungers for blood, and her merman husband cut out her tongue. While the mermaid’s daughters are responsible for burning her land-husband’s kingdom to the ground, they are not mentioned beyond a few sentences. (I was really looking forward to some creepy-kid mermaids.)
I didn’t have to wait long for my creepy kids, though – something akin to Lord of the Flies, or Children of the Corn, is going on in the woods just outside the remains of the kingdom. The children are not unlike the mermaid in some ways – they are not wholly human, both in behavior and biology. The children’s unusual behavior and physical characteristics are the work of three unscrupulous “saints,” who seem more like Nazi doctors experimenting on their captives.
The relationship between the mermaid and the plague doctor is platonic, but peppered with affection and true love. The plague doctor’s pronoun throughout the story is they/them, by the mermaid’s description. However, the pair’s feelings for each other surpass pronouns, gender, and even species, to form a bond that continues to flourish beyond death. The descriptions of grief and loss are not heartbreaking, but glittery like the billowing hair and shimmering scales of a mermaid. Their story is described beautifully in the author’s acknowledgements: “…people who won’t give up on each other, who stay even when the world crumbles to ash, who hold on even when there’s nothing but hope.”
Three words that describe this book: alluring, gruesome, tragic
Give this a try if you like: Japanese horror; fairy tales with a dark twist; movies or books with creepy kids
Rating: 5/5