Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (mg, realistic fantasy) ★★★★☆
I finally got around to reading this and I’m sorry it took me so long. I loved the quiet, character-focused pacing of this book and the small but fully fleshed out world that Shannon Hale created. Like several other books I read this week, what I like the most about this book is Hale’s evocative writing: “Winter kept falling from the sky, building up under the windowsills, and crawling with frost over the panes.”
Review

Babymouse for President by Jennifer Holm (mg, graphic novel) ★★★★☆
Loved it. I’d vote for Babymouse if she ran on the cupcakes for everyone platform.

Batula (mg, comic book, superheros, vampires) ★★★☆☆
This is a cute comic book about an unhappy fruit bat (Livingston) who runs away from home, becomes a vampire bat superhero (Batula), and saves the day.
Release Date: Aug. 7th
Review

Bad Kitty Meets the Baby by Nick Bruel (mg, quasi-graphic novel) ★★★☆☆
Not my favorite Bad Kitty book. This one didn’t make me laugh as much as some of the others.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (YA, realistic fantasy, historical, time travel, WW2) ★★★★☆

Ransom Riggs is the kind of writer I enjoy reading. I like books that have a strong, well-written voice and use evocative imagery. I can forgive a lot when an author pulls me into his world with his writing.

I was really enjoying this book up until the last couple of chapters. The way Riggs ended the book makes the book feel like it is a prequel to the next book instead of being a stand-alone book. Or backstory that should have been woven into the next book. The ending wasn’t satisfying.

I saved the best for last…

Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin (YA, LGBT, coming of age, historical, 20’s) ★★★★★

A coming of age story set in the 20’s, this book is a little bit Member of the Wedding (evocative of a time and place) and a little bit Fried Green Tomatoes (a budding relationship between two young women looking to assert themselves). Silhouette of a Sparrow is charming and beautifully written. Gigi struggles to balance her family’s traditional values with her desires and dreams (to study ornithology). There is enough tension and gentile drama to keep the pacing tight and the writing is lovely. Really lovely. Ms. Griffin weaves bird imagery and metaphors throughout the book in a way that feels natural and it pulls the book together.

This is really a beautiful book and I cannot recommend it strongly enough. This is a must read if you love beautifully crafted YA literature.
Release Date: September 4th
Review: coming

What’s on my TBR Pile:
– Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
– Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey
– Origami X (spy themed origami)

For more It’s Monday, What Are You Reading, visit Kellee and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Sheila at Book Journey.