LGBTQ+, Reviews, Teen Fiction, Teen Graphic Novels (Fiction), Teen Literature

Review: Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

BentenShisho

Oseman. (2020). Heartstopper: Vol. 1. Graphix.

This is the first of a great graphic novel series for teens and adults.

Charlie is the only openly gay kid at his all boys UK school. He meets Nick in his new English class, a rugby player who is a year older.

They get along really well and quickly form a friendship that could easily be construed as something more, except Nick has only ever dated girls and is still not sure about his own sexuality except that he really likes Charlie.

Charlie had been meeting with a guy, Ben, to kiss and make-out, but only when it was convenient for Ben, who was not out at the school and had a girlfriend. Ben was hiding him and when Charlie tried to break it off, Ben got violent and kissed Charlie without his consent. But Nick could tell something was wrong when Ben texted Charlie and followed him to make sure he was ok. He physically stopped Ben and told him off, effectively saving Charlie. That’s definitely when things started turning more romantic and Nick started learning about Charlie and spending more time with him, exploring his feelings, and Charlie starts to think maybe Nick isn’t straight and his crush on Nick might not be one sided. Even Nick’s mom said he was more like himself with Charlie around.

They are so sweet together. Nick even gives Charlie his hoodie! I immediately said “It’s a boyfriend hoodie! Omg!” Nick invites Charlie to a birthday party for a frenemy.

This dude tries to not only get Nick to hook up with the first girl he ever kissed (who is gay and there with her girlfriend) when he sees Charlie and Nick hanging out together the whole time. Then he insults Charlie, making fun of his attraction to Nick as just a crush but instead of keeping it under wraps, Nick tells him off. So, you think this is really going somewhere and Nick is close to coming out himself. He doesn’t seem scared at all! Until…

They go somewhere quiet, talk a little and end up kissing. But Nick freaks out when his friends call him and want him to go back and talk to the jerk (it’s his birthday) who insulted Charlie earlier . He leaves Charlie all alone and Charlie, thinking he’s not coming back after a while, calls for a ride home and is just devastated, blaming himself for what happened. The book ends with Nick trying to formulate apology text but not sending it. End scene.

Ahhh!!!! I need book two. What happens?? Also, apparently there is a Netflix adaptation of this as well.

I absolutely devoured this book and I desperately just wanted these two wonderful guys to be together with everyone supporting them but life is a little complicated sometimes and the reflection of that is one of the many reasons why this series is so relevant and engaging. I mean even Nick’s DOG loves Charlie!

Yes, there is swearing. Yes, there is making out but it’s entirely age appropriate.

Recommended Ages: 15 to Adult

Juvenile Fiction (Ages 8 -12), Juvenile Literature (Ages 8-12), Reviews

Review: Thirteen Witches: The Memory Thief by Jodi Lynn Anderson

BentenShisho

Anderson, Jodi Lynn. (2022). Thirteen Witches: The Memory Thief. Aladdin.

Imagine living a normal, well, uneventful life. You’re 12 years old. Your mom is vacant and you find yourself having to be the grown-up most of the time. She spends a lot of time in a dream world or staring out the window when she isn’t working from home. Half the time it’s like she doesn’t even recognize you. But you go to school. You have a best friend. You write stories that help you process and cope, entertain and even soothe your friend. But now that best friend is starting to change, and you’re afraid you’re going to lose the only person you could count on, and why do they need more friends anyway? Why do things have to change?

Then a bombshell drops. You decide your best friend is right and you need to grow up a little so you throw your “childish” stories (never thinking that it might be a gift, a talent a super power) into the fire. But that one act caused another…you can now see ghosts and the magical realm all around you and one of them inadvertently tells you that you’re the daughter of a long line of witch-hunters. And now one of them, the Memory Thief, who has obviously stolen your mother’s memories, is after you.

You must find a witch’s weapon, find the Memory Thief, avoid the other 11 witches and their familiars, discover what happened to you on the day you were born (and learn of an unbearable loss) and then kill the Memory Thief before she comes for you on the new moon. Except, she got gutsy and she visited you more than once, when the moonlight was blocked by the clouds. Oh and did you know that there is a Moon Goddess; that you can climb a ladder to the moon (if she lets you); there are cloud herder entities; ghosts are EVERYWHERE, even the ghosts of insects, and that witches and kill ghosts…no afterlife, no nothing, they just cease to be.

Meanwhile, you put your foot into it, verbally, compromising your relationship with your best friend, who still just wants to help you. Your mom’s life is in danger, as well as your own, your friend and now your ghost friends, and there are mysteries that have to be solved before you can figure out how to defeat this witch, but you’ve only got 10 days. TEN DAYS!

I was a little skeptical when I started reading this book, because I usually root for the witch, but this time, I was definitely rooting for the witch hunter. The characters, even the ghosts! are super well written, believable and easy to invest in. The storyline, no matter how fantastic, is still believable. There is suspense, and as I said mystery. I am a little annoyed that one of the character’s saving graces is Harry Potter, and I have beef with J.K. Rowling, but I totally understand why and how that franchise empowered the imaginations of an entire generation (heck my step-dad read it before I did!) And the amount of time and space between the climax and the resolution seemed really fast, but even so, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book.

It also ends on a cliffhanger! The journey isn’t over and now Rosie has two characters she has to save, including one she thought was lost forever.

There are two more books in the series and I can’t wait to read them. But first, I have a mountain of picture books to wade through.

Until then! Happy Friday the 13th!

Children's Literature (Ages Birth - 7), Picture Books/Easy Books (Ages 3 and up) (Fiction), Reviews

Review: Beatrice Likes the Dark by April Genevieve Tucholke and Khoa Le

BentenShisho

Tucholke, April Genevieve. (2022). Beatrice Likes the Dark. Algonquin Young Readers.

Beatrice likes the dark and all things spooky…the attic, spiders, black clothes with little white bats, black cats, dark corners and the night.

She loves being out under the dark sky, with the moon shining bright thought the twisted, magical forests and the quiet. She understood these things. What she didn’t understand was her sister, Roo, who couldn’t be more different.

Roo liked the light…sunny days, and birthday parties, bright colors and loud noises.

She likes the treehouse, and fairies, warm strawberries from the garden, and waking early and bright blue skies.

What Roo doesn’t understand is her sister, Beatrice.

At home, in their farmhouse, their dreams could not be more different, though the share the same bed, and when Beatrice gets up in the middle of the night head into her attic, Roo is scared of the dark and begs her not to leave her alone.

Beatrice takes Roo into the attic and creates a “potion.” Melted snow, orange peel, vanilla, and more. She tells Roo to rub it on her wrists before bed and it will help her in the dark.

The next day, Roo awakes to the sun and takes her sister Beatrice out under the shining sky and teaches her a song, her own version of a potion. She says it will help Beatrice with the light.

The sun sets in many shades and the two sisters, different as can be, sit on the farmhouse steps, howling at the moon and collecting ingredients for potions…a little something for each.

The girls still like what they like, different though they may be, but they LOVE each other, in the darkness and the light.

First of all, I looked up the author and she is a dead ringer for Beatrice. Probably not a coincidence but I loved it. I also love Le’s illustrations. The bright pictures feel warm and you can feel the stillness in the dark not to mention a lot of love and a little bit of understanding as these sisters learn more about each other. I loved it. So sweet, and I kind of wish it had been around when my sibling and I had been younger. I have a feeling it will help a lot of kids, if they find it at the right time. Hopefully this review will help.

Recommended Ages: 4-7

Children's Literature (Ages Birth - 7), Picture Books/Easy Books (Ages 3 and up) (Fiction), Reviews

Review: Squash and Pumpkin by G.G. McQueen and Michael Slack

BentenShisho

McQueen, G.G. (2025). Squash & Pumpkin. Doubleday.

Pumpkin and Acorn Squash are very best friends. They are inseparable, until Fall.

In Fall, Pumpkin becomes the star of it all…pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin candles…she has appearances, and agents and no time for her best friend. That makes Acorn Squash sad!

But this year, Acord Squash has a plan! She’s going to start marketing HERSELF, so that everyone will fall in love with her, too!

#SquashGoals! (SQUILK…oh my gosh…I am just losing it over here. HAHAHA!)

She enters pageants, and comes up with acorn squash recipes and merch…squash jerky? Pizza? Socks…now I can get behind that.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Acorn Squash, Pumpkin has been trying to see her all day! Acorn is shocked! Why would Pumpkin want to see her? She is famous! Pumpkin is done with it all. She is overwrought, overwhelmed, and over it! She wants to hang with her bestie! So off they go, but they are bombarded with Pumpkin fans!

“Squash, what do we do?” “Pumpkin, let’s give the people something they never knew they wanted…A double dose of autumn awesomeness.

All of a sudden it is Pumpkin+Acorn Squash forever, all over the place and everyone loves them! But what’s even better, is just being best friends

#SquashGoals!

Cute Fall themed book about how being popular is not always what it seems to be and how the power of friendship is better than any amount of followers. But I still want you to follow my blog. Don’t forget. 😉

It’s funny, loving and cute. Slack’s illustrations do a great job of following and moving along McQueen’s fabulous tale. Who knows, it might even encourage the kids in your life to try acorn squash (or pumpkin AND acorn squash). My grandma loved it and I was way into adulthood before she convinced me! Tell me how those holiday pie recipes work out with them.

Recommended Ages: 3-6

Adult Fiction, Adult Literature, Reviews

Review: Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarros and Joe Requeza

BentenShisho

Yarros, Rebecca. (2026). Threshing Day. Entangled Publishing, LLC.

“Threshing Day” is the newest volume in the romantic fantasy “Fourth Wing” Empyrean series. It is a compilation of short stories from the perspective of a number of characters in the novels of Threshing, the event at Basgiath War College where first year dragon rider cadets bond with a dragon, die, or get skipped and have to try again the following year. The latter is often a situation embroiled with shame.

I really got into this series when the second book came out and was definitely jonesing for a new volume, though the author, Rebecca Yarros, was taking a break. She has EDS (Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome), as do her sons, as do I. If I remember correctly, she was taking the break to focus on her health and take a break. I can’t fault her that. But when I heard she put out a series of short stories I was both intrigued and a little disappointed, because who isn’t waiting for the next full book? Also, full disclosure, I am not typically a huge fan of short stories. However, this was an excellent dive back into the series universe, reminded me of some things that had happened (there are some spoilers), but was also a great volume to read in between work, obligations and recuperation myself.

Requeza’s dragon illustrations are stunning. Every dragon in these books has their own attributes and detailed description and Requeza is very faithful to them, recreating their image at the beginning of their bonding story.

I don’t think I really made up my mind about this book until I got to the chapter on Dain’s Threshing, which is about halfway through the book, but is also interesting because he is not my favorite character. In fact, by the end of book three, I pretty much detested him, and for good reason.

There isn’t a lot of spice in these short stories, which I am perfectly fine with. (There is plenty in the original three books and frankly, it’s something I can live without). There is swearing and violence, again, which are in the original books, but also intense emotion and character building and a deeper explanation of the motivations of each dragon, which I love. You don’t always get to learn a lot about their personalities unless they belong to a main character in the other books. So, this was great for me, and I really enjoy Rebecca Yarros’s writing style, though for some reason, the repeated reference to people’s performance “on the mat,” meaning the sparring mat, really started to annoy me. I can’t tell if it’s the repeated phrase or just the focus on it. But that was really my only annoyance.

Otherwise, I finished it in, I think, 3 days, after starting and stopping it, multiple times and thoroughly enjoyed it. Hopefully, it will tide me over until she is done with her fourth full book in the series.

Recommended Ages: Adult