The Rad Librarian

Delightful YA adventure book by first time author H. M. Bouwman about two 12 year-old girls who come together to discover the reason the men on the mythical islands off the Atlantic coast have turned to stone.  Nice character development and placing this historical fantasy in 1787 allows some interesting history about prisoners from England being sent to the colonies to add some depth to the plot.  I would particularly recommend this to girls ages 9-13.

I haven’t read a good middle school fantasy novel in a while, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked “The Dragon of Trelian”.  It had a nice mix of intrigue, coming of age issues, and world building with a fresh view on learning magic.  I particularly liked the friendship between the Princess Meglynne and the mage’s apprentice Calen.  It will appeal to both boys and girls and grown-ups, and I hope it’s popular enough to merit a sequel.

Ordered a great reprint from Soft Skull press for my library to fill that void of novels about young punk Muslims in Buffalo NY.  Hosting Friday prayers and then partying all night sets up dichotomies between faith, politics, and self-identity.  Yusef, the main character, is a little too naive, but the range of youth trying to find meaning in music and/or Islam is very thought provoking.  I’m more familiar with the Krishnacore crowd, so it was great to think about punk through a different lens.