MG/YA Book Reviews by a MG/YA Author
Table of Contents
Author News
MG/YA Book Reviews
In the Garden
Author News
Welcome to the June edition of Bookcase Bizarro!
I’m very happy to announce that my first BookFunnel newsletter promo was a great success. 45 new people joined my mailing list. If you are a new reader, welcome! I post every month (except for July and August). Each edition of Bookcase Bizarro is a long-form piece of writing divided into three sections: Author News, MG/YA Book Reviews, and In the Garden plant updates and photos. (Gardening has been an obsession of mine for 30+ years. I’ve always said that if I hadn’t become a writer, I almost certainly would have started an urban organic farm.) Short on time? No worries. You can navigate to the section that most interests you by clicking on the table of contents (above). If you joined my list in May, you may have missed the last edition of Bookcase Bizarro. You can find it here.
I owe 12 longtime Bookcase Bizarro subscribers a special thanks for clicking on last month’s BookFunnel book promotion link in this newsletter. This showed campaign organizers that I’m a writer who will do my fair share of the work to get the word out to readers, and makes it more likely that I’ll be approved for future promotions. I’ll likely join one more promotion this year.
I’ve used the word “promotion” three times in the above paragraph. That just goes to show how tired I am. The release of Rogue Wizard was a lot of work, mostly because I did more marketing and promotion this time around. I’ve heard the book release-marketing-and-promotion process gets better after book 3. Book 2 was certainly easier than Book 1, so I am hopeful. As summer is upon us, a vacation is in the cards, as well as several extended periods of outdoor family time with my partner and friends, and lots of time spent in my various gardens (see below).
Bookcase Bizarro will be on hiatus for July and August while I rest my brain, read a bunch of adult books for a change, socialize, garden, swim, hike and generally get geared up for new posts starting in September. I hope you all have an amazing summer. Thanks so much for being a Bookcase Bizarro reader.
Just a quick reminder: Rogue Wizard is available as a free digital download for subscribers. Paperback copies are also now available from Amazon or Bookshop.org (or your favourite local bookstore or library).
This month, I’ve taken a break from my usual long-form review and compiled a list of recommendations that are perfect for summer. Some great Ojibwe mystery audiobooks, a cozy fantasy and a cozy folk horror (if there is such a thing). Scroll on!
A quick note to new readers: books that are available from the Toronto Public Library will be marked #TPL, because books don’t have to be new or owned in order to be loved.
MG/YA Book Reviews
Audiobooks
Author Angeline Boulley writes great YA mysteries with smart, believable adolescent characters who are deeply involved with their Ojibwe community. Each mystery explores the challenge of reclaiming Ojibwe identities and culture from a legacy of colonialism. The characters are well-drawn, their development dovetails perfectly with the arc of each mystery, and the community is portrayed in realistic, loving detail, with all of its flaws and strengths. The series is also intergenerational, with each story told from the viewpoint of an adolescent character at a different point in time. You’ll get more from the books if you read/listen to them in order.
Firekeeper’s Daughter. (Henry Holt, 2021) Warrior Girl Unearthed. (Henry Holt, 2023) Sisters in the Wind. (Henry Holt, 2025)
The books are incredibly immersive, but the audiobooks are a real treat. Narrator Isabella Star Leblanc captures the tension of a person torn between springing into action and thinking things through, a signature hallmark of every Boulley book. The detailed process of each character’s thinking, the way they piece things together, is not only integral to solving the mystery but shows adolescents as capable, crafty, and inventive when they are too often disparaged as being thoughtless and reactive. (Don’t worry, there are plenty of those moments, too.) Boulley’s books strike the perfect between character-driven and plot-driven narratives. If you’ve got a long road trip, these audiobooks would be the perfect companions. Best for 14+ thoughtful listeners who love to delve into all the deets. (#TPL)
Books
Sometimes, I have a craving for something cozy. Flannel shirts, mugs of hot tea, books. I gravitate towards stories that feature strong women, where romance is non-existent or functions more as a subplot to the main storyline. Uncharmed, by Lucy Jane Wood, fits the bill. It is an exceptionally thoughtful and moving portrayal of a witch whose drive for perfection and people-pleasing hits a rock wall when she’s charged with the care of a rebellious, moody and out-of-control teenager whose magic threatens the very foundation of the magical witching establishment. It’s also the story of a woman who comes into her own power in an often hilariously spoofed cozy setting. Although the book is set in autumn, don’t let that stop you from reading it now. Especially during a heatwave. 15+. (#TPL)
The Honeys perfectly combines the horrors of summer camp and teenage girl cliques with some of the most luscious, hypnotic descriptions of summer shot through a technicolour, dreamlike haze that makes the hot scent of flowers and lake water rise like a spell from its pages. It is precisely these mesmerizing descriptions that give the lurking summer camp horror such cozy vibes. It’s told from the POV of a genderfluid teenager, whose alienation from the gender expectations of their family and the prestigious summer camp their twin sister attended, drives them into the sun-drenched enclave of an elite girl clique that may have caused her death. Stunning. 15+. (#TPL)
On a side note, La Sala has written several other novels since The Honeys. Of course, I downloaded them all from #TPL to read this summer.
In the Garden
After a freakishly cold spring, I finally got all of my seedlings hardened off (gradually acclimatized to sunlight and outside weather) and planted into their forever pots. I sowed a lot of other crops from seed, like lettuce, callaloo, Swiss chard, parsley, borage, nasturtium, and summer squash. And I gradually re-introduced my over-wintered oregano and rosemary plants to their summer home on the patio.
I added a second irrigation line to the outdoor container garden this year. If past experience is any indicator, tomatoes and squash will need more watering than Swiss chard. I’ve given myself the option of plugging peppers into the tomato/squash line, or the original line. They take more or less water depending on the heat and whether they are flowering/fruiting or not. Tomatoes and squash are heavy drinkers (in a good way).
The back patio is a concrete-lined heat pit, full of blazing sun, that can easily cook plants as we move into summer. Even sun-loving crops like squash, tomatoes, and peppers can suffer from the combination of high heat and intense UV rays. This year, I applied 30% shade cloth to most of the garden. (The greens all got 50% shade cloth.) The shade cloth is not the nicest to look at, but the plants are thrilled with the arrangement. And really, that’s all that matters.
The roots of the plants are all above ground in containers, so they can easily get cooked when the heat cranks up. In Toronto, that can occur towards the end of May. To keep the soil cool and moist between waterings, I applied a thick layer of straw to each container. Last year, I noticed that I only needed to water the pots every third or fourth day, even during the worst heat waves. The straw mulch is a real water saver. In the past, when I mulched my pots with compost, I used to have to water them daily (sometimes twice daily during heat waves). Programming the watering to start at 5am through a timer makes a tremendous difference to the plants since they can soak up plenty of water before the sun hits.
Because of my patio’s extreme temperatures, I’m always on the lookout for greens that can withstand the heat. I’ve had really great results from Nevada summer crisp lettuce, so I’ve planted it again on the patio. I also (finally!) tracked down an old French heirloom called “Les Oreilles du Diable” (Devil’s Ears) lettuce that is supposed to be a stellar performer in the heat and grows to monstrous proportions. Of course, I had to have it. I planted some of this lettuce both indoors and out, and can testify that the indoor plant is already quite large (see below). I’m also trying Speckles, a butterhead variety, which has gotten rave reviews from Southern US gardeners. Callaloo LOVES this hellscape. I’m growing three different kinds this year. Swiss chard can do well, but it depends on the variety. Lucullus, a white-stalked cultivar, is a reliable favourite. Ruby Red did well until last summer’s extreme heat wave. This summer, I’m growing a bolt-resistant, red-stemmed variety called Rhubarb Supreme.
I grow all my greens under 50% shade cloth in deep, 18-gallon containers. Years of experimentation have taught me that even shallow-rooted plants like lettuce like to tunnel down when the heat cranks up. I plant only 4 lettuces in each pot, and three callaloo or chard. This leaves plenty of resources for each plant, and they are much larger and healthier as a result. Of course, that means I have fewer plants to harvest leaves from, so I grow sprouts and microgreens indoors to supplement greens production. Inside the house, the lettuces continue to flourish. I feel as if I’ve gotten a better handle on how to grow these delicious plants under grow lights, especially during the trickier winter months. The next step is to create a staggered planting schedule so we can enjoy a few more fresh, home-grown salads every week.
From L-R, T-B
Principe Borghese tomato, Les Oreilles du Diable lettuce, Escamillo pepper, Sunburst summer squash seedlings, Dolce Fresco Genovese basil seedlings, rescue iris.
Thirteen-year-old Ermin is a gifted mechanic and the worst student at St. Anselm’s Training School for Orphans. She’s just failed her exams for the third time—something nobody’s ever done. Worse, Ermin’s been running her own repair business for money—something that’s expressly forbidden. If the headmistress finds out, Ermin will go to prison. Her future will be over before it’s even begun.
But that’s not her only secret.
Her best friends, Colin and Georgie, are wizards in a world where magic is strictly controlled. Ermin worries that her friends will be captured, drained of their power, then banished. When Georgie’s caught aiding the Wizard’s Resistance, Ermin repairs a broken flying carpet so all three of them can escape.
Hesitant to join the Resistance because of her lack of magical power, Ermin steals an experimental device from a wizard hunter that could destroy every wizard in the Creek. She’s faced with a choice: either smash the device or convert it into a different kind of weapon—one that not only helps wizards but just might get her an apprenticeship at the prestigious Guild Academy.
Ermin’s got one chance to get it right. If she fails, she risks losing her two best friends… and her dreams.
Find Shadow Apprentice at your local library, bookstore, or favourite online retailer.
Do you know about ALLi: The Alliance of Independent Authors?
If not, maybe you should!
Formed in 2012 as a global non-profit organization for self-published authors, ALLi offers a comprehensive bank of educational resources on all things self-publishing, including a free blog and podcast, which de-mystified the entire book-making, publishing and marketing process for me.
While I’m a member of ALLi, I’m also an affiliate. If you’re interested in joining ALLi, please consider using my affiliate link. it will cost you nothing, and will help offset the cost of my yearly membership fee. (You can also click on the ALLi graphic in the sidebar.)
Thanks for being a Bookcase Bizarro reader! I’ll be back next month with more author news, and more MG and YA book reviews. See you then!
Check out Greg Pattridge’s weekly MG blog hop MMGM every Monday at his website, Always in the Middle.
