The Girl Who Drank the Moon

Responses ranged from ‘it’s okay’ to ‘how tedious!’. Even those who liked it agreed that it was repetitive with unnecessary detail especially in the middle section. The title character isn’t the focus of a lot of the story. Since big chunks are from the point of view of the aging witch, or the new father, or the grieving mother, it may be hard for middle grades readers to relate to the characters. There are plenty of strong female characters, but at least in one spot at the cost of bashing the males. Some aspects of the fantasy world were a bit confusing or unexplained. Even in a fantasy world there need to be rules to ground the fantasy, this seemed to lack a grounding. The chapter titles were fun though.

The Smell of Other People's Houses

Such a fun title! An especially good hook for people who identify strongly with smell. There are a lot of teen aged female characters - two pairs of sisters, two cousins, and a  girl seeking refuge. It’s a bit hard to keep track of who’s who. There’s a cast of characters in the front matter - expect to flip to it frequently or to just decide it doesn’t matter. Other than keeping track of the characters, it’s a quick, easy read. Even so, it has some depth to it. The setting is integral to this book and it’s a great insight into Alaska in the 1970s and the cultures that make up Alaska. The characters are relatable and their stories are intriguing. There are some grim issues - teen pregnancy, alcoholism, incest - but the book doesn’t dwell in darkness or go into too many details. The plot lines and characters all come together much too neatly, it’s contrived. the perfect, happy ending makes it YA, but in other ways it’s an adult novel with teen characters. It’s got our vote.

Jill (Richard Secord), Renee, Deb, Dianne, Alisha (Ottewell)