Jeffrey Ebler’s I Like to Read Comics: Wait a Minotaur, I’m Ogre It, Kraken Me Up, & A Giant Mess

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Wait a Minotaur
Published December 17th, 2024 by Holiday House

I’m Ogre It
Published October 11th, 2022 by Holiday House

Kraken Me Up
Published September 7th, 2021 by Holiday House

A Giant Mess
Published April 6th, 2021 by Holiday House

Author & Illustrator: Jeffrey Ebbeler

Summary: Comics-lovers can now share the fun with their kids, students, siblings, and younger friends who are learning to read!

I Like to Read® Comics are perfect for kids who are challenged by or unengaged in reading, kids who love art, and the growing number of young comics fans. Filled with eye-catching art, humor, and terrific stories, these comics provide unique reading experiences for growing minds.

Like their award-winning I Like to Read® counterpart, I Like to Read® Comics are created by celebrated artists and support reading comprehension to transform children into lifelong readers.

Wait a Minotaur: When his new school hallways start to feel like a labyrinth, how will Gus the minotaur and his human pal Nick stay calm and find their way to the correct classroom? Find out in this action-packed early reader from comics artist Jeffrey Ebbeler.

It’s Nick’s first day at a new school! As he walks in, he meets an easily excitable and impatient minotaur named Gus. It’s Gus’ first day, too—so he grabs Nick’s hand and charges straight into the building. There’s so much to see and do! They dance along with band practice, bounce around the school gym, end up in the boiler room, and. . . okay. They’re lost.

They may not know where to go, but they know what to wait a minute, calm down, and retrace their steps so they can find their classroom. Young comics readers are sure to resonate with comics illustrator Jeffrey Ebbeler’s hilarious, slapstick take on a common coming-of-age experience—and parents will love the subtle lessons of patience and critical thinking.

I’m Ogre It: An ogre turns out to be the best neighbor ever in this punny easy reader comic.

A family gets a surprise when a fun-loving ogre moves in next door and helps a sister bond with her screen-obsessed brother.

Ollie is so absorbed in the video game Smash Tower that he doesn’t notice that his sister and an ogre named Tim have emptied his room and constructed an obstacle course that mirrors the levels of the game in the yard. But a tell-tale red string leads him to the challenges. This comic is perfect for reintroducing kids to the fun of in-person play.

Kraken Me Up: Izzie and her unusual pet make a big splash at the county fair in this punny easy reader comic from a beloved children’s book illustrator and comics artist.

Izzie can’t wait to debut her pet at the county fair. While the other children have brought pigs or chickens, Izzie brought a…Kraken!

Even though everyone thinks Kraken is big and frightening, he is not. He’s like Izzie, sweet and shy. Kraken and Izzie use creativity and humor to win over the crowd in this hilariously adorable comic. The variety of panel styles, speech bubbles, and fonts are all perfect for engaging developing readers.

A Giant Mess: A gigantic tyrannical toddler is out to play . . . with the whole town! A hilarious early reader from comics artist Jeffrey Ebbeler.

Molly doesn’t want to clean her room; she wants to play. Before Molly can argue with her mom, they hear BOOM! BOOM! A giant toddler is on the loose!

Molly watches dumbfounded as Jack picks up cows and plucks airplanes out of the sky all for fun. He even picks up Molly and pretends to fly her around. Vroooom! When his giantess mother calls him home, he gleefully dumps everything and turns to leave. Now it’s Molly’s turn to “Stop! This is a giant mess!”

About the Author: JEFFREY EBBELER is a New York Times best selling illustrator. He has illustrated and occasionally written over 60 books for young readers. His published work includes picture books, middle grade and chapter books, and graphic novels.

Review: These I Like to Read® Comics are must gets for so many reasons!

First, they are such a great introduction to mythological and fairy tale creatures. Although most of the stories don’t go into the backstory of them, there are definitely allusions to their origins, such as ogres living in caves, the minotaur understanding directions, etc.

Second, they are wonderful first comics! I love that this series, and especially these books, make graphic novels and comics so accessible!

Third, the titles are so punny! They just make me so happy!

Fourth, each of these stories are so unique and fun. Although they can be utilized as a set, they all definitely stand alone also.

Last, I am a huge fan of Ebbeler’s artwork. It is colorful, eye-catching, expressive, and just perfect for these books.

Flagged Spreads: 

I'm Ogre It by Jeffrey Ebbeler, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®

I'm Ogre It by Jeffrey Ebbeler, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®

Read This If You Love: Early graphic novels

Recommended For: 

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**Thank you to Sara at Holiday House for providing copies for review!!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 2/17/25

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how it offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

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Tuesday: The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Newton Fusco

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Exercises for Being a Professional Daydreamer” by Shveta Thakrar, Author of Divining the Leaves

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

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Kellee

It’s my week off! You can always learn more about any of the books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I am seeing Christine Day speak, so I am unable to update this week! I will catch you all the week after next!

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Tuesday: Jeffrey Ebler’s I Like to Read Comics: Wait a Minotaur, I’m Ogre It, Kraken Me Up, & A Giant Mess

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Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

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Author Guest Post: “Exercises for Being a Professional Daydreamer” by Shveta Thakrar, Author of Divining the Leaves

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“Exercises for Being a Professional Daydreamer”

I love magic. I always have. I always will.

I’ve always also loved reading, because if I can’t do magic myself, I can at least experience it through stories. When I was a kid, my favorite books ranged from Dorrie the Little Witch to Elfquest to the Forgotten Realms tie-in series to fairy tales to mythology from around the world. I ate up the comic books my parents bought me, a series called Amar Chitra Katha, which retold various Indian myths and legends in a colorful, easily digestible form.

But I’m an adult now, and I still absolutely believe in the need for wonder.

So when I started writing my own novels and short stories, of course they were going to be fantasy. Girls who eat colors out of things. Serpentine-human shape-shifters. Candles with rainbow flames. All the shimmering things I want in my life, and if I can’t have them, then you can bet I’m going to write about them! In beautifully detailed, evocative prose, no less, so I can fully immerse the reader in the jewel box of my imagination.

I type these words having just returned from a walk around a nearby pond on a winter’s afternoon. The liquid surface was frozen over, no ducks or geese in sight, with pristine, glittering white snow adorning the withered fallen leaves on the shore. The pond itself shone in the sun, rippling like frosted glass in a window. Above, the sky was a cerulean so deep, I wanted to eat it, like Nilesh does on his visit to the magical Night Market in my newest novel, Divining the Leaves. The buttery gold of the sun’s rays felt like a hug, and the day itself was evocative of the winter elixir Ridhi samples at the Night Market when she goes there to vend her natural perfumes. I could also picture the sky and the snow swept together into a winter queen’s gown, sewn trimmed with sharp icicles like appliqués.

That may sound ethereal and even whimsical, and it is. Whimsy is a lovely thing. The trick, however, is more practical; I trained myself to think like that. To find the wonder in the world around us, even when things seem utterly mundane. It’s so important to me to offer experiences of the numinous in my books, but in order to do that, I first had to learn to do it in my own life.

It’s when we push ourselves to envision the grand and impossible that we can start to devise new solutions in our own universe, both real and fictional. A handy habit to have, if you ask me. *hands around little cups of winter elixir for inspiration*

So now it’s your turn! Try these prompts to get you deep into the heart of your own wonder.

Exercises for being a professional daydreamer:

  • What fantasy novel or movie would you step into, and why?
  • If you were designing your own magical world, what would it look like? What kinds of plants and animals and people?
  • What would be unique to that world? How? Describe it using all five (or more!) senses.
  • If you could have any enchanted power or potion, what would you pick? (Sure, you can have more than one. In fact, you can have as many as you can hold in your mind! It’s magic, after all.)
  • If there were one thing you want to see changed in our world, how would you do it in your imaginary one?
  • If you were to go outside right now, where would you spot magic even if nobody else did?

Publishing March 4th, 2025 by HarperTeen

About the Book: From critically acclaimed author Shveta Thakrar comes a beautifully imagined contemporary fantasy about two teens, one a believer of magic who yearns to belong, the other a skeptic searching for an escape, who find themselves embroiled in a twisty world of court intrigue when they venture into a forest ruled by yakshas, mysterious woodland spirits drawn from Hindu and Buddhist folklore.

Plant-loving Ridhi Kapadia and popular Nilesh Batra were friends once.

Now, seventeen and alone, Ridhi blends natural perfumes, wears flower crowns, and wanders her local woods, listening for the leafy whispers of her beloved trees. Pleading for the yakshas to admit her into their enchanted forest kingdom, where she knows she truly belongs.

After learning his parents’ perfect marriage is a sham and getting suspended from school, a heartsick Nilesh lands at Ridhi’s doorstep—the last thing either of them wants. So when a pretty yakshini offers him the distraction of magic, the same magic he mocked Ridhi for believing in, he jumps at it.

Furious, Ridhi strikes a bargain with a noblewoman named Sulochana. In return for helping restore her reputation, Sulochana will turn Ridhi into the yakshini she yearns to be—and teach her to divine the trees’ murmurs.

But when Nilesh ends up trapped in the yakshas’ realm, Ridhi realizes the leaves might be telling a disturbing story about the forest her heart is rooted in—one that, even if the two of them band together, threatens to shred the future like so many thorns.

About the Author: Shveta Thakrar is a part-time nagini and full-time believer in magic. Her work has appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies, including Enchanted Living, Uncanny magazine, A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, and Toil & Trouble. Her debut young adult fantasy novel, Star Daughter, was a finalist for the 2021 Andre Norton Nebula Award, and her second and third novels, The Dream Runners and Divining the Leaves, take place in the same universe. Her adult fantasy novella, Into the Moon Garden, is available as an original audiobook from Audible. When not spinning stories about spider silk and shadows, magic and marauders, and courageous girls illuminated by dancing rainbow flames, Shveta crafts, devours books, daydreams, travels, bakes, and occasionally even plays her harp.

Thank you, Shveta, for promoting dreaming and magic!

The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Newton Fusco

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The Secret of Honeycake
Author: Kimberly Newton Fusco
Published January 21st, 2025 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Summary: Hurricane is quiet while her Aunt Clare is a force of nature with very particular ideas–and a host of Latin sayings to back them up. When Hurricane gets stuck living with her, she retreats into herself…until a series of unexpected friends, including a mangy cat, help her find her voice in a whole new way.

With a name like Hurricane, you’d think this girl would take the world by storm. But instead, she’s almost invisible. And when her sister gets tuberculosis, Hurricane is sent to live in the city with her Aunt Claire, an intimidating and disapproving presence surrounded by stodgy furniture and stodgier ideas. Like no dirty stray cats in the house. And certainly not as pets!

But Aunt Claire doesn’t know quite what she’s up against–Hurricane may be quiet, but she’s about to discover that she’s also strong. Before long a shy cat, a gentle chauffeur and a friendly boy (who may smell a little of fish) teach Hurricane to find her voice. And just maybe, Aunt Claire knows a thing or two she can teach Hurricane as well.

It turns out that that you don’t always have to be loud to be heard.

About the Author: Kimberly Newton Fusco is the acclaimed author of four other books for young readers: Chasing Augustus, Beholding Bee, The Wonder of Charlie Anne, and Tending to Grace, all of which received starred reviews and many accolades, including the Schneider Family Book Award. As a child, Kim was shy and stuttered and wanted to be a writer more than anything, and now she is!  She was a national-award-winning education journalist before becoming a novelist.  The mother of four grown children, she lives with her family, a lolloping golden retriever, and a very old cat in a house in rural Rhode Island surrounded by woods and fields where her pet sheep, Huck and Finn, graze.

Review: This cast of characters are one of my favorites in any book that I have ever read:

  • Hurricane is such a fantastic narrator. She may be quiet, but she has so much to say. Through the book, she finds her spoken voice with the help of others who show her that they love her no matter what.
  • Aunt Claire needs Hurricane as much as Hurricane needs her. Aunt Claire has so much to say, but through the book, she learns to listen which truly makes for a forever better Claire.
  • Mr. Keats shows us the trauma of war and the power of a kind heart. Mr. Keats is the barrier between Aunt Claire and Hurricane when they need it, but also a catalyst of so much of the change in the book.
  • Theo. Sweet Theo. He is Hurricane’s first true friend and just a special kid.
  • And, of course, the pets. They were obviously part of the family and the story would not have been the same without them. They both give comfort to all that need them which is so special.

On top of the characters, the story is quiet but shows us the world during the Great Depression and as women’s place in society was changing. Oh, it also makes me even more fascinated in reading John Green’s upcoming book about TB.

Discussion Questions: 

  • How did Aunt Claire help Hurricane throughout the book? Mr. Keats? Theo? Which character do you think helped her be her true self the most?
  • How did Hurricane help Aunt Claire throughout the book? Mr. Keats? Theo? Which character do you think helped her be her true self the most?
  • How has women’s place in society different now than during The Secret of Honeycake?
  • How did Miss Witherspoon emotionally scar Hurricane? How could she have acted differently and changed how Hurricane felt about herself and school?
  • How does baking play a role in the book?
  • Mr. Keats suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. How does Aunt Claire support him and his mental health?
  • How does MoonPie affect the trajectory of the story?

Flagged Passages: This book had some amazing lines that I highlighted while reading:

  • “We’re like pieces of a puzzle that fit together because we’re different.” (Kindle Locations 170-171)
  • “Chin up, Mr. Keats,” my aunt says softly as the fire snaps. “We must keep stepping forward into the future meant for us…” (Kindle Location 1560)
  • “No one looks at a quiet person and says, ‘Wow, I want to be just like her.’ They always want to change you.” (Kindle Location 2122)
  • “I realize: I’m the one in charge of my attributes. I get to decide.” (Kindle Locations 2656-2657)
  • “When someone really understands you, it makes you feel less lonely, like light is passing through, and you’re more filled up than you were before.” (Kindle Locations 3053-3054)
  • “There’s a pain around my heart seeing it, which is what happens when you lose somebody. The heartache finds you again.” (Kindle Locations 3079-3080)
  • “Life is so beautiful, Mr. Keats,” my aunt says after a while. “More and more each day.” “We must keep marching forward.” “That’s a fact, ma’am. That’s a fact.” “Omnia vincit amor. Love conquers all.” “No truer words were ever said, ma’am.” (Kindle Locations 3270-3273)

You can also view an excerpt and listen to part of the audio on the Penguin Random House page for The Secret of Honeycake.

Read This If You Love: Middle grade historical fiction with strong female protagonists

Recommended For: 

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**Thank you to Blue Sky Media for providing a copy for review!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 2/10/25

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how it offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

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Tuesday: As You Wish by Nashae Jone

Sunday: Author Guest Post; “Connecting the Past with the Present for Students” by Sarah Raughley, Author of The Queen’s Spade

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

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Kellee

Here is what I’ve read since 1/13:

Picture Books

  • We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court by Mia Wenjen, Illustrated by Victor Bizar Gómez: This book, written by Mia at Pragmatic Mom blog!, tells the story of Simon Tam who would not ignore racism, even from a young age, and stood up against it all the way to the supreme court. The story is so interesting as a biography of Simon Tam and his band and truly making history, a look in the trademark process, the idea of reappropriation, fighting racism and for civil rights, and about free speech. The truly compelling story is accompanied by truly rockstar illustrations that capture the feel of the words and the story. They are stunning!
  • The Little Puppy by Nicola Killen: This adorable picture book is a perfect look at finding the best situation for every personality, about forgiveness, and about how love is accepting someone for who they are. Not a traditional Valentine’s book, but I could definitely see it, with its quiet, pencil drawings accentuated with red and hearts, being a good read for February.

Middle Grade

  • Not Nothing by Gayle Forman: So many of my friends posted about how this is one of the best middle grade books that they had ever read and Gayle Forman was amazing at the ALAN workshop, so I decided to pick it up, and I must say I AM SO GLAD I DID! First, I loved the message (which I’m not going to tell you because it takes the journey of the book to get there); second, I loved all of the characters–they were all so real; third, I knew immediately that a teacher at my school needed to read this with her class because they volunteer at an assisted living facility, so it fit perfectly. This book truly is one of the best. Don’t miss out.
  • Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi: This book was tough to read because Kareen really is put through the ringer. He is having trouble at school: He didn’t make the football team, he is being used by a popular boy to do his homework, he is so afraid of truly being himself. And it is even worse at home: His mom is not allowed to return home from Syria because of the travel ban from there in 2016. This book is beautifully written but deals with some tough, tough topics. However, I would recommend everyone read it because the book is so worth it.
  • Kaya of the Ocean by Gloria L. Huang: I reviewed this wonderful book on January 28th–>check it out!
  • The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Newton Fusco: I cannot wait to review this book tomorrow for you all!
  • The Stupendous Switcheroo by Mary Winn Heider, Illustrated by Chad Sell: Fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, Phineas and Ferb, and Captain Underpants would really love this book! It is silly, action packed, mysterious, and illustrated! My school’s lunch book club had a virtual visit with Mary Winn Heider on Friday, and she was a DELIGHT! I loved learning how the idea started (her and Chad Sell brainstormed it together to have it fit both of their personalities), how the process works with the illustrator, what super power she would want to have, and how specific characters were chosen. I now need to pick up book 2 because this one ends on a dramatic cliffhanger.

Young Adult

  • Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White: This book was tough for me. I loved Compound Fracture, so I wanted to read another book by AJ, and I felt that this one was just not a book for me. I know it is written well and is acclaimed, but I struggled with the religious allusions and the lack of backstory for the setting. It is the right book for some though, so try it out if it sounds good to you!
  • The Davenports by Krystal Marquis: This book is so historically beautiful with swoony romances and intertwined with African American history that is often not discussed in novels or textbooks. And although sometimes the characters make me want to throw the book across the room, overall, I love all four of the narrators for being just who they are!
  • Shatter Me, Unravel Me, and Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi: I am going to be completely honest, if my students weren’t complete enraptured with this series and had promised me it got better, I would have abandoned it after the first one. Shatter Me is so whiney and dramatic. But they were right, it does get better once the world building really gets going and Juliette becomes her true self. I am now sucked in and have to see how it ends up.

And you can always learn more about any of the books I’ve been reading by checking out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

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Kellee

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Tuesday: The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Newton Fusco

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Exercises for Being a Professional Daydreamer” by Shveta Thakrar, Author of Divining the Leaves

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Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

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Author Guest Post: “Connecting the Past and the Present for Students” by Sarah Raughley, Author of The Queen’s Spade

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“Connecting the Past and the Present for Students”

How do you teach your students about Sarah Forbes Bonetta?

Well, that’s a tricky question. First of all, who the heck is Sarah and what does she have to do with North American students in the 21st century? Making that link, I think, is key to helping students understand why learning about buried Black histories matters to us today.

Sarah Forbes Bonetta was actually originally named Omoba Ina (though some literature spells her last name as Aina). She was an African Princess, heir of the Egbado Clan, part of the Yoruba Tribe which can be found in present-day Nigeria. After being kidnapped by the Dahomey, a neighboring African Kingdom, she was taken by an English military man Captain Forbes as part of an exchange with Dahomey’s King. Sailing across the Atlantic Ocean on his ship, the HMS Bonetta, she was then presented to Queen Victoria as a ‘gift.’ She was whimsically renamed Sarah Forbes Bonetta, ‘Forbes’ after the Captain who took her from Africa and ‘Bonetta’ after his ship. Queen Victoria made Sarah her goddaughter and thus began Sarah’s new life in England as proof of the Queen and by extension Britain’s benevolence across the world.

By the age of eight, Ina went from princess to kidnaped to gift to a propaganda tool. For all the press and hoopla she got in England for being an African princess in England, Sarah Forbes Bonetta’s actual life was quickly forgotten or rather erased, after she married at age 19 and moved back to Africa. What happened to being the goddaughter of a European Queen? What happened to symbolizing Europe’s hopes for the civilization of so-called ‘savages’ of the world?

I think the racism underlying this very sentiment can offer us a clue. Ina was a vessel for other people’s interests, but never quite allowed to be herself. Archives of letters are the only clues we have as to how Sarah truly felt about her predicament – the violent disruptions in her life, the removal from her home, and her forced assimilation into a British culture that didn’t truly care for her or respect her. And although she did seem to care for the Queen – she named her first daughter after Queen Victoria after all – we’ll never know just how deep the psychological costs of Britain’s actions ran. My book, The Queen’s Spade, tries to answer this. Are you really accepted by a group of people if their love for you is conditional upon you behaving exactly as they need you to for their own purposes? Are you really accepted if even after dancing to their tune they dismiss and erase you so easily as if you never mattered to begin with?

There are many such students who may feel like they have to pretend to belong. They know how much it hurts. The personal is often a gateway through which we can understand the historical, the social, and the political. Learning and teaching Ina’s story in a way that takes seriously her inner self may be exactly the way to make her story legible and relatable to people of today and get them thinking of not only the politics of 19th century Britain but how it’s not so different from the politics of today.

Published January 14th, 2025 by HarperCollins

About the Book: In this riveting historical thriller that’s loosely inspired by true life events, The Count of Monte Cristo meets Bridgerton as revenge, romance, and twisted secrets take center stage in Victorian England’s royal court when Sally, a kidnapped African princess and goddaughter to Queen Victoria, plots her way to take down the monarchy that stole her from her homeland.

A young lady can take only so many injuries before humiliation and insult forge a vow of revenge . . .

The year is 1862, and murderous desires are simmering in England. Nineteen-year-old Sarah Bonetta Forbes (Sally), once a princess of the Egbado Clan, desires one thing above all else: revenge against the British Crown and its system of colonial “humanitarianism,” which stole her dignity and transformed her into royal property. From military men to political leaders, she’s vowed to ruin all who’ve had a hand in her afflictions. The top of her list? Her godmother, Britain’s mighty monarch, Queen Victoria herself.

Taking down the Crown means entering into a twisted game of court politics and manipulating the Queen’s inner circle—even if that means aligning with a dangerous yet alluring crime lord in London’s underworld and exploiting the affections of Queen Victoria’s own son, Prince Albert, as a means to an end. But when Queen Victoria begins to suspect Sally’s true intentions, she plays the only card in Victorian society that could possibly cage Sally once again: marriage. Because if there’s one thing Sally desires more than revenge, it’s her freedom. With time running out and her wedding day looming, Sally’s vengeful game of cat and mouse turns deadly as she’s faced with the striking revelation that that the price for vengeance isn’t just paid in blood. It means sacrificing your heart.

Loosely inspired by the true story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, Queen Victoria’s African goddaughter, The Queen’s Spade is a lush and riveting historical thriller perfect for fans of A Dowry of Blood and Grave Mercy.

About the Author: Sarah Raughley is the Nigerian-Canadian author of the Effigies series and the Bones of Ruin trilogy. An AuroraAward finalist, Raughley is also an English pro-fessor and public intellectual who has written for journals such as the Walrus, CBC, and Teen Vogue. Her creative work is inspired by a messy confluence of experiences, from being a huge fan girl blerd to being a postcolonial researcher and academic. You can find out more about her work at sarahraughley.com.

Thank you, Sarah, for this candid look at how the past truly inspires the present!

As You Wish by Nashae Jones

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As You Wish
Author: Nashae Jones
Published January 7th, 2025 by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

Summary: A girl learns the hard way to be careful what she wishes for in this sweet and funny middle grade rom-com featuring a chaos-loving West African trickster god.

Birdie has big plans for eighth grade. This is the year that she gets a boyfriend, and since she and her best friend, Deve, do everything together, it makes sense that Deve will get a girlfriend. This is the kind of math Birdie doesn’t find intimidating—it’s Eighth Grade 101. (Birdie + Boyfriend) + (Deve + Girlfriend) = Normal Eighth Grade Experience. And normal is something Birdie craves, especially with a mom as overprotective as hers.

She doesn’t expect Deve to be so against her plan, or for their fight to blow up in her face. So when the West African god Anansi appears to her, claiming to be able to make everything right again, Birdie pushes past her skepticism and makes a wish for the whole mess to go away. But with a trickster god, your wish is bound to come true in a way you never imagined.

Before long, Birdie regrets her rash words…especially when she realizes what’s really going on with her and Deve. With her reality upended, can Birdie figure out how to undo her wish?

Praise: 

“This fun, middle-grade offering reminds readers that what you wish for is sometimes already there.” – Booklist

“A delightful exploration of friendship, mental health, and first love with a touch of magic.” – Kirkus Reviews

About the Author: Nashae Jones is a kid lit writer because at an early age she learned what the magic of books could do for a developing mind. She always dreamed of creating worlds that would stay for a reader long after they put down their books. Nashae is also an educator and book reviewer (kid books, of course). She lives in Virginia with her husband, daughter, son, escape artist Husky, and two black cats that Nashae is convinced are reincarnations of Pinky and the Brain. You can find her on X @Jones_Nashae.

Review: This middle school rom com takes a well known romance trope (granting wishes/alternate world) and throws it into 8th grade making for a funny yet heartfelt read where you can’t help but root for Birdie and Deve’s happiness.

As a middle school librarian, I am always so happy to find a romance novel about middle schoolers because my students are chomping at the bit for romance books and often reach for books for older readers, but I know not all of them are developmentally ready for those books–this is another book in my arsenal to recommend to my romance-loving, middle grade-reading students.

Educators’ Tools for Navigation: Inclusion of mythology is a big hit with reader, and I loved the inclusion of Anansi in this story. This is a great way to throw in some African folklore disguised within a romance book.

Also, the wishes definitely give time to talk about cause and effect, specifically looking at social consequences of kids’ behaviors on others.

Oh, and theme! This book has such a perfect ending to talk theme!

Discussion Questions: 

  • What would you wish for?
  • How did each of Birdie’s wishes mess with her world?
    • How could she have worded the wishes differently?
  • What were signs that Deve was giving Birdie right at the beginning of the book?
  • What is the worst thing that Birdie did throughout the book? What did this teach her?

Flagged Passages: I listened to the audiobook, which I highly recommend. Visit the book’s publisher page to hear a preview of the audiobook. 

Read This If You Love: Love Requires Chocolate by Ravynn K. Springfield, Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang, Pippa Park series by Erin Yun, Kaya of the Ocean by Gloria L. Huang, Tristan Strong series by Kwame Mbalia

Recommended For: 

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**Thank you to Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing for providing a copy for review!**