Mini Reviews: YA + MG Edition

Young adult and middle-grade literature is the reason I started this blog many years ago. As a teacher, I found it incredibly helpful to read the books my students were reading. This allowed me to discuss them with my students, answer parents' questions, and share excitement about great new books together. Over the years, the focus of the blog has changed from time to time, but young adult and middle-grade literature will always hold a special place in my heart! I hope to find more time to read young adult literature in 2025.

After Life by Gayle Forman

Pages: 272

Genre: YA Fiction

Pub. Date: January 7, 2025

Publisher: Harper Collins

Source: Publisher for review

Other Books By Author: If I Stay, Where She Went,

Just One Day, Just One Year, Leave Me, and Frankie & Bug

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

 

 

Goodreads says, "One spring afternoon after school, Amber arrives home on her bike. It’s just another perfectly normal day. But when Amber’s mom sees her, she screams.

Because Amber died seven years ago, hit by a car while on the very same bicycle she’s inexplicably riding now.

This return doesn’t only impact Amber. Her sister, Melissa, now seven years older, must be a new kind of sibling to Amber. Amber’s estranged parents are battling over her. And the changes ripple farther and farther Amber’s friends, boyfriend, and even people she met only once have been deeply affected by her life and death. In the midst of everyone’s turmoil, Amber is struggling with herself. What kind of person was she? How and why was she given this second chance?

This magnificent tour de force by acclaimed author Gayle Forman brilliantly explores the porous veil between life and death, examines the impact that one person can have on the world, and celebrates life in all its beautiful complexity."

 

Amber Crane had her whole life in front of her. It was a gorgeous day right before her graduation and she was enjoying a bike ride down the hill to her house. All that changed in a split second when she got into a biking accident that killed her. Time passes and then one day, seven years later, she shows up at her house. Her mother can't believe it (and is in shock - do you blame her?) and her sister, now much older, can't quite believe she is "home" as well. Things are different though. Her mother seems different, her parents' relationship isn't the same, Missy isn't the same either (she has blue hair!), and what happened to her boyfriend with whom she shared so many plans? Amber tries to figure out what brought her here and has come to realize how her death has impacted the people around her; even people she never met. After Life by Gayle Forman has her signature emotional style that will have readers flipping the pages to find out what happened to Amber and why she is back.
 
Forman has been ripping my heart out for years now. If you read If I Stay, then you know. However, After Life didn't quite pack the same emotional punch. I feel like it was trying to be a little too much like If I Stay as it shares many of the same themes, but it didn't quite get there. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed Amber's journey (albeit sad at times) and her quest to figure out what happened to her and what happened to her family after she was gone. Forman asks readers to reflect and think about many spiritual topics in After Life. The novel also begs readers to understand how a life can impact so many others - even those who have never met you - and when you are gone, there is a hole. Readers who want a moving story that lends itself to a lot of discussion, especially if they lost someone important in their lives, will appreciate Forman's After Life .

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

Pages: 368

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Pub. Date: September 10, 2024

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Source: Personal Copy

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "The day Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake would change his life forever. It's the day he learned about the Archipelago, a cluster of unmapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years—until now. And it's the day he met Mal, a girl on the run who desperately needs his help.

Mal and Christopher embark on a wild adventure, racing from island to island, searching for someone who can explain why the magic is fading and why magical creatures are suddenly dying. They consult sphinxes, battle kraken, and negotiate with dragons. But the closer they get to the dark truth of what's happening, the clearer it becomes: no one else can fix this. If the Archipelago is to be saved, Mal and Christopher will have to do it themselves."

Christopher Forrester is staying with his grandfather in Scotland. His grandfather warns him to avoid a hill near their house and like any kid, of course, he checks it out. Through this event, he finds out that his family is the guardian of the Archipelago, a world full of magical creatures like unicorns, griffins, dragons, and more. Except he finds out that this world is dying out and the magic is fading. So, Christopher goes on an epic quest, along with Mal, a girl from the Archipelago, to save it. Impossible Creatures is chock full of adventure, violence, danger, magic, and more as Christopher, Mal, and their band of unlikely friends try to save the Archipelago. Katherine Rundell's Impossible Creatures is reminiscent of a classic, such as The Chronicles of Narnia, and young readers who are fans of high fantasy will enjoy this one the most.
 
Impossible Creatures made my "Best of 2024" list this year and was extremely popular. It's probably one of the most enjoyable fantasy novels that I've read for middle grade in years. The world was well developed as well as the characters and any fantasy lover would enjoy all the magical creatures. Not only did it remind me of The Chronicles of Narnia, but it was reminiscent of Pullman's The Golden Compass and Mull's Fablehaven series as well. Rundell's writing was beautiful, lyrical and so well-written; however, it felt like a more mature writing style at times. So, keep in mind, Impossible Creatures would appeal to a high fantasy lover the most as the casual fantasy reader, or a struggling reader, may be overwhelmed by the sophistication of it all.  Nonetheless, Impossible Creatures was a delight and there should be a copy in every fourth through seventh grade classroom. I'm sure many will be anticipating book two in the series, which comes out this fall.

 

Have you read either After Life or Impossible Creatures? I'd love to know your thoughts in the comments below.