Spin the Golden Lightbulb

Spin the Golden Lightbulb by Jackie Yeager is the first book in a new elementary series called The Crimson Five.

Every year, eighth graders all over the country compete in the Piedmont Challenge in order to win a golden lightbulb and earn a place at PIPS, The Piedmont Inventor’s Prep School. Kia Krumpet is determined to be one of only five winners chosen from her state. And when she learns that just winning a golden lightbulb may not be enough to secure her place at PIPS, she is even more determined than before.

Kia, along with the four other winners, must compete at Camp Piedmont in a challenge that will test all of their ingenuity, brains, strength and heart. Does Kia have what it takes to make it to Nationals? Or will her insecurities cost her big time? 

I picked this one as the last book for my 4-6 grade STEM book club. What’s more STEM-y than inventions and coming up with your own ideas.

One of the things I really liked about this book was that it encourages teamwork and thinking outside the box. Each of our Crimson Five have character flaws to overcome and you can see their transformation by the end of the book.

This book is futuristic in a realistic way and really gets you thinking about where the world is going… where it could go. Spin the Golden Lightbulb could be a really great book for getting kids thinking about STEM.

I’m not exactly sure what STEM project I will do with this one though. It could be anything really. I could even put out of bin of random stuff and let the kids go nuts with their own creativity. I’d really like to borrow a VR set because that would be so fun for the last meeting, but we’ll see.

A fun book and one that would work for 4th-6th graders easily. This one gets a very high 4 stars from me.

That’s all for now!

-M-

The Winter of the Witch

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden is the conclusion to the Winternight Trilogy.

Moscow has been badly injured through flame, fear and deceit. It’s people are restless, it’s king is enraged, and it’s unseen guardians are withering. Vasya finds herself alone and unmoored after the events of the night before, so when a priest, guided by a wicked daemon, sets a mob on her, there is no one to help her but herself.

Torn between two worlds and determined to save them both, Vasya will embark on a journey that will alter her forever. She will battle nightmares and uncover truths she never would have suspected.

Will Vasya be able to save both the worlds she so cherishes? Or will the knowledge she gains about Morozko, Russia and herself be enough to break her?

I enjoyed this series a lot. Even though it has a lot of fantastical elements it is so steeped in lore and tradition that is has a very folky feel. Although, I still maintain that the first book was completely satisfying on it’s own and any reader could stop their and be perfectly content. I liked the series but I loved the first book.

This book is, in my opinion, all about Vasya’s transformation; her coming into her own. In the first two books, she is just a girl with a drop of magic in her blood. But in this book she becomes a force to be reckoned with. Although, she calls on others for help, she does not depend on them as she did. It’s something I don’t think I even realized until this book, but you can see “story” Vasya will become to the people of Moscow.

We learn more about the unseen world in this book and we interact with their characters more, instead of just the Bear and the Winter King. I loved learning Morozko and the Bear’s backstories and finding out the secrets in Vasya’s blood as well.

Overall, this was a really nice series. This one get’s 4 stars from me.

That’s all for now!

-M-

Kingdom of Copper

Kingdom of Copper is the second book in The Daevabad Trilogy.

Nahri’s life changed forever when she summoned Dara, a warrior and djinn with a mysterious past. Her return to Daevabad as the last Nahid healer, signaled a period of change for hidden world of djinn, marid’s and magic.

But when Dara is slain by Prince Ali, the city is thrown into turmoil. All Nahir’s knows is that she must protect her people and the home she never knew she had. But her efforts are constantly thwarted by a the violent king of Daevabad and it might just take all of Nahir’s willpower just to keep herself alive.

Meanwhile, Prince Ali has been exiled for defying his king and father. He is thrown out of Daevabad and is forced to deal with the repercussions of his battle with Dara on his own.

Five years later, at the turn of the century, unrest is brewing and the fate of Daevabad sways in the balance.

Phew! This was a monster of a series to get back into after a year. I vaguely remembered what happened and that I really enjoyed the story but there was so much I forgot, which made it really hard to get through the first few chapters. There is quite a lot going on and the politics of the crown and the city could be hard to get straight at first.

One thing I really like about this book though, is that you just don’t know who to root for. Nahri seems like the best choice because she is well meaning but she is also naive in ways. Dara is such a tortured soul but also blinded by loyalty and his feelings. Ali, you want to like but his “blind fanaticism,” in the words of his father, causes him to rush into things. I even rooted for Nahri’s husband/Ali’s father (name?) by the end. All of this really makes me wonder just how this series is going to turn out.

I’m going to give this one a high 3.5 stars. And I almost recommend waiting to read the whole series until all three are out, unless you are a fantastic re-reader–which I am not.

That’s all for now!

-M-

In An Absent Dream

In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire is the fourth book in the Wayward Children series.

Lundy is a very serious girl. She loves rules and keeps to herself. Although, she is quiet and obedient, Lundy is lonely and doesn’t seem to fit. When a doorway opens to a world of logic, reason and most of all wonder, she doesn’t hesitate to enter. And so begins Lundy’s time in the Goblin Market, a place where fair value rules and every bargain has a cost.

I’m not going to lie, I’d totally forgotten Lundy’s part in the first book Every Heart a Doorway. But it didn’t really matter because each of the books that have been published after Every Heart a Doorway, is actually a prequel and only help to build up the series further. In fact, once McGuire decides she is done with these worlds, I’d love to go back and read that first book because now I will know all of the characters back stories.

In an Absent Dream was magical and bittersweet, just like McGuire’s previous books. It is about not fitting in and finding your true home. One of the things the Market values above all else is that everyone gives fair value. This was a really interesting thing to think about, especially when Lundy brings it back to world she was born to.

I also love Christina Rossetti’s poem, Goblin Market, so it was neat to read this book with the poem in mind, even though they are very different.

Even though I am fully satisfied with the story, I do sort of feel like there was something missing between Lundy and Moon. I needed a little more of a transition from Moon needing Lundy’s help to Moon’s finding her place in the market.

This series can literally do no wrong in my eyes. Each book is wonderful. They can be read by themselves or you can read them as a whole. Although, I would at least recommend reading Every Heart a Doorway, not only because it’s awesome, but also because it give a foundation for the doors.

This book gets 5 stars from me.

That’s all for now!

-M-

The Gilded Wolves

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi is a new young adult series… fantasy meets steampunk.

Set in Paris, 1889–The world is on the brink of industry and the Exposition Universelle is about to open doors and reveal secrets. And no one knows more about secrets and “opening” doors than Séverin Montagnet-Alarie, treasure hunter and hotel owner. When a powerful society called the Order of Babel offers him the hunt of a lifetime, how could Séverin refuse.

With the help of his team of misfits–a socially awkward chemist, an outcast historian, a dancer with an unknown future, and a brother in all but blood–Séverin and his crew will have to keep their wits about them or risk being drawn into a game none of them intended to play.

Can this ragtag band of thieves put aside their personal dramas and save the day?

Someone told me that this book was Six of Crows meets Dan Brown, and it definitely is but there is also this steampunk quality to the story, which is interesting. I really got into The Gilded Wolves quickly. I liked the story and the characters. However, the book took a bit of a weird spin for me toward the end. I’m not sure if I just got a little lost but there was a moment where I was like, “Wait a minute… What’s happen?”

I actually think I could have use a little more background. I wanted to know more about these Babel rings and the inheritance process. Maybe just a smidgen more world building and I would have been OK.

I am really interested to find out where this story is heading though. Like I said, it got a little weird by the end, so I’m not really sure what is going to happen. So I will definitely stick with the series because I just want to know more.

This one gets 3 stars from me.

That’s all for now!

-M-