Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth, Judd Winick

D.J. Meets Hilo when he falls out of the sky. Hilo is wearing nothing but underwear and he'd like to stay that way. But there's more to Hilo than meets the eye, and some scary stuff is following him..

This is a brightly-colored, dynamic, sometimes-funny comic book for kids. I will definitely read the next one.

Kick Kennedy, Barbara Leaming

This is the story of Kick Kennedy, a favored daughter of a political catholic family. Right before World War II, she met and fell in love with (gasp!) a protestant.

Kick was a character in a few books I read last year, so it was interesting to find out who she really was. I DID find it odd that the author kept telling us how un-pretty Kick was, especially since it's obviously bullshit. Give it a rest, lady.

The Handbook, Jim Benton

Some kids find the secret parent's handbook and discover why their parents always say the same things, over and over. Also there are spies and counter-spies.

I don't know, this read like it was written for adults, not children. It seems preachy and too heavy on the message that parents are unreasonable because they love you.

Kids should know this isn't always true.

The Raven and the Reindeer, T. Kingfisher

Here we have a retelling of The Snow Queen definitely not for kids.

Kay is a jerk, but Gerda can't see it. When Kay hears about the Snow Queen, he is fascinated. So he goes away with her.

Gerda goes to rescue him, which takes a long time and has an unsuspected benefit.

I liked this book, it's dark and sweet.

The Many Lives of John Stone, Linda Buckley-Archer

Spark goes to New York to hang out with her brother on vacation. Almost as soon as she gets there, she meets John Stone, who offers her a job cataloging his papers. Spark also gets a crush on her brother's roommate, who leaves right away.

Back in England, Spark apples for the job, gets it, moves in with Stone and his weird staff, and catalogs a bunch of stuff in code.

Meanwhile, Stone is writing his memoirs, which start in France, in the court of the Sun King..

This book is 529 pages long. I am not sure why I didn't stop reading, but I guess that felt like too much effort. I'm extra-tired, lately.

Footer Davis Probably is Crazy, Susan Vaught

Footer's mom is bipolar, and sometimes stops taking her meds. When mom blows a snake away with an elephant gun, she gets taken to the hospital in Memphis so she can get better again.

Footer wants to know who set the fire that burned down the Abrams farm and probably killed two kids. She and her friend Peavine are going around investigating. Then Footer starts having visions or flashbacks to the night of the fire, and is afraid she's losing it like her mom.

If you want to know how to write an "issue" novel, you should study this book. It's as sweet as it is worrisome, and Footer is a great character. Nothing is leaned on too heavily, but nothing is brushed over, either.