Tyler Reynolds's Blog - Posts Tagged "jessixa-bagley"
Real Life in the Big City
This book, A Girl, a Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon by Karen Romano Young has a mystery, but it isn't a mystery book like Encyclopedia Brown. The main character, Pearl, who is the librarian's child is trying to solve the mystery of a stolen head (don't worry, it's a statue, so there is nothing gross). But she's also trying to save one special library branch that serves her neighborhood. Pearl's life has all the realistic things you expect in a story about the city: people of all colors and nationalities, a mysterious homeless guy (The Dudes have experienced that in the suburbs too!), subways and newspaper stands and government budget problems, a gossipy business owner, eccentric artists, a fledgling rock band, a nosy reporter, and developers who want to tear down the library and build apartments.
But there are other things...suspicious notes, a secret midnight edition of the newspaper, and wild creatures that aren't as wild as Pearl expects. And then there are these strange sidebars in the book itself, written by a mysterious stranger who goes by the initials: M.A.M. Is there more to life in the city than seems realistic? Can you "suspend disbelief"? And, most of all, do you want to if it means saving the Lancaster Avenue branch of the New York City Library?
Bonus: there are lots of books mentioned within this book. If you haven't read some of them, give them a try.
If you read my recs, you know that I like books that take me on a ride, but this one took me on a different ride than usual. It wasn't sword fights or falling off cliffs. It was more like I wasn't sure what the book was about or how it was going to end. I kept changing my mind about what was real and even about whether I wanted the library to be saved. That's a ride worth taking. Hope you enjoy it too.
On the Dude-A-Rrific Summer Reading Bingo Card, this book counts for: CAN YOU SEE IT?, BEEN THERE. HAVEN'T DONE THAT, NOT A HUMAN STORY (really, it's both human and not), NOT WHAT I EXPECTED, CURRENT EVENTS.
Print a bingo card and play the game here: https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
But there are other things...suspicious notes, a secret midnight edition of the newspaper, and wild creatures that aren't as wild as Pearl expects. And then there are these strange sidebars in the book itself, written by a mysterious stranger who goes by the initials: M.A.M. Is there more to life in the city than seems realistic? Can you "suspend disbelief"? And, most of all, do you want to if it means saving the Lancaster Avenue branch of the New York City Library?
Bonus: there are lots of books mentioned within this book. If you haven't read some of them, give them a try.
If you read my recs, you know that I like books that take me on a ride, but this one took me on a different ride than usual. It wasn't sword fights or falling off cliffs. It was more like I wasn't sure what the book was about or how it was going to end. I kept changing my mind about what was real and even about whether I wanted the library to be saved. That's a ride worth taking. Hope you enjoy it too.
On the Dude-A-Rrific Summer Reading Bingo Card, this book counts for: CAN YOU SEE IT?, BEEN THERE. HAVEN'T DONE THAT, NOT A HUMAN STORY (really, it's both human and not), NOT WHAT I EXPECTED, CURRENT EVENTS.
Print a bingo card and play the game here: https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
