“The Warm Planet” by Evelyn M. Exley”

Much of the appeal in Evelyn M. Exley’s The Warm Planet comes from its atmosphere, introspection, and emotional depth, not external action. It’s a rewarding read for those who enjoy character-driven fiction and stories built around memory and personal growth.

Tulsa is such a unique character, but then most of the people in this story are delightfully different from what readers find in most young adult novels. There’s Mookie, the woman who became a mother to two young girls when her sister died. Uncle Alex, the father figure for Tulsa and her sister, Treasure, is someone who has loved Mookie all these years, but she’s declined his every offer of marriage.

Read More...

“An Unconscious Choice of Chaos” by Tessa Kinsela

Tessa Kinsela’s An Unconscious Choice of Chaos is a coming-of-age novel about the speed with which an apparently ordinary adolescence can spin beyond anyone’s control. Ashley Kelly begins Year 9 as a thoughtful, bookish Australian teenager who believes deeply in chaos theory. She understands the butterfly effect to mean that even the smallest action can produce enormous consequences. It is an appealing philosophy for someone who likes order, rectangles, carefully arranged colors, and a place for everything. What Ashley has not yet learned is that consequences are much easier to trace afterward than predict beforehand.

Read More...

“Muppit Boy and the Wheel of Power” by Michael J. Bowler

The Adventures of Muppit Boy series expands with the second book, Muppit Boy and the Wheel of Power, the brainchild of author Michael J. Bowler.  If you haven’t read the first book, I’m sure you’re wondering what, exactly, a Muppit Boy is.  It’s not actually a what.  It’s a who:  Muppit Boy is the unfortunate name poor Elmo Fitzroy (Mo to his friends) was saddled with thanks to his over-exuberant social media influencer mother.  He’s actually (and unfortunately) world-renowned for the antics his mom has uploaded over the years.  But thanks to an accident involving a dastardly evil guy named… well, Dr. Evil (which Mo says is the worst villain name ever), Mo is now actually the world’s first genuine superhero!  He’s trotting out his new superhero persona as Condor Kid in this book, and it’s both awesome and comically ridiculous.

Read More...