Alison McGhee

Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: Death of a child, death of a sister, grief and loss depiction, death of a brother
Score: Eight points out of ten.

I decided to read this book a while back, and not long after, I finally read it. I didn't know what to expect, and I hoped that it would be better than the last book I read; I'm so glad I did since this was an intriguing book about grief, yet it also has a touch of fantasy, but I can say that I've read better books like this since then, where do I even begin. It starts with the main characters Sylvie and Jules, whose surnames I forgot, and initially, they live their lives together. They have fascinating characteristics since one is like a geologist, and the other is a fast runner. This is where the book first started to hit me like a truck when suddenly Sylvie ran too fast with nothing to stop her except a creek, and thus she ran into it and died there. For some reason, the book then cuts to another POV of a fox whose name I forgot if it even had one at all, and I think it was born after the death of Sylvie. I didn't know that could happen, but alright.

The book alternates between the two remaining characters as one tries to comprehend what just happened, and the fox tries to live the life it was given, and only a few pages later, they meet one another. However, I think there was a barrier between them. Even though this is quite heavy, the fantasy aspect of this book shines just a little more in the spotlight, hence why the library put this in the fantasy section. Did I mention another character, Elk, who interacted with Jules for a good portion of the book and dealt with his struggles? Even though I enjoyed reading all these characters, I've seen more fleshed-out ones. By the end of the book, Jules and Elk move on from their trauma, and the fox reaches the end of its arc, wrapping this up on a high note.… (més)

Bink and Gollie share three comical adventures in this book by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee. These girls set out from their tree house to have some fun in "Don't You Need a New Pair of Socks?," "P.S. I'll Be Back Soon" and "Give a Fish a Home." Gollie is the more formal, taller, quirky half of the duo while Bink is the more casual, shorter one. Each adventure presents a challenge to their friendship in what some would call a graphic novel style presentation. There's rapid dialogue, cartoonish illustrations and wordless spreads. Winner of the Theodore Seuss Geisel Award in 2011.… (més)

The cover and title led me to think this story would be something different than what it really is. I expected a sentimental story about how much a girl loves her puppy. Instead I experienced a sweet list of ways that a dog will protect the castle (because the girl lives there). The list begins with realistic dangers (squirrels and bugs) and quickly becomes silly (meteors, lightening, the sea). The story will be enjoyed by both boys and girls, but the cover will make this a hard sell for some of my boys.… (més)