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Mist, Metal, and Ash (Ink, Iron, and Glass #2) by Gwendolyn Clare , 336 pages.  Imprint (Macmillan), Feb 2019.  $19 Language: PG-13 (33 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13 (some blood and bodies) BUYING ADVISORY:  MS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Elsa and the others were left behind and betrayed when Leo went off with his brother Aris and the edit book.  While Elsa’s heart hurts, she is determined to regain control of the editbook; if Aris learns how to use it, he and Garibaldi could destroy all the worlds. As she leaves on the hunt, she doesn’t realize that she is leaving the children in danger – something is wrong with Casa, too. Things get a bit more complicated in the second book of the series.  Not unexpected, of course.  Elsa spends her whole time trying to thwart Aris and Garibaldi and she unearths more complications.  I am wondering about the purpose of Casa going off the rails – hopefully that will weave in during the 3 rd book. Cindy, Middle School Libr

Tangled in Time: The Portal by Kathryn Lasky , 384 pages.  Harper Collins, March 2019.  $17 Language: PG (7 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content:G ; Violence: G BUYING ADVISORY:  EL, MS - OPTIONAL AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW Rose’s life has been turned upside down by her mother’s death.  Now she is surviving the mean girls in her new sixth grade class who are jealous of her online fame as a fashion vlogger.  Her new guardian, her grandmother, is forgetful, except when the two of them are working in the greenhouse.  Something is strange, though, and one day Rose finds herself going back in time to the court of King Henry VIII, in the household of the princess Elizabeth.  Rose has no control over when she moves between one realm or the other, but she does have a goal – to find the father she has never met. Lasky knows everything about historical princesses and courts – its when Rose is in the past that the book really shines.  Magic, however, is not her strong suit.  Magic needs even a few simple ru

Pretty in Punxsutawney by Laura Boyle Crompton , 304 pages.  Blink, JAN 2019.  $18. Content: G (1 swear, 0 ‘f’)  BUYING ADVISORY:  MS, HS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Andie and her family moved to Punxsutawney during the summer and Andie immediately found a romantic interest in Colton, who works at the local movie theater – though he doesn’t seem to see Andie that way.  Now the first day of school has arrived and 80’s movie loving mother has convinced her to wear a pink polka-dot dress ala Pretty in Pink to school.  After the maximum first day disaster Andie is ready to slink off to school the next day and lay low for the rest her life.  But – what?  It’s the first day of school all over again!  Andie is somehow stuck in a time loop.  If she doesn’t figure out what the universe wants for her, how many years will she spend repeating that first awful day? References to Bill Murray in Groundhog Day (did you know he spent about 30 years in that loop?) and every Molly Ringwald movi

Unwritten by Tara Gilboy , 200 pages.  Jolly Fish Press, 2018.  $12. Content: G ( a little bit scary, but nothing over the top) BUYING ADVISORY:  EL, MS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Gracie is in the 7 th grade and she knows that her mother and she escaped from the land of Bandoff from within the pages of a book when she was little.  Now the author of that book is coming to Gracie’s town and she wants answers.  Despite her mother’s warnings and threats, Gracie storms off and involves the author, starting a chain reaction involving the evil within the book and pulling all of the characters – and the author – into the story.  But Gracie is not who she thought she was in this world.  She will have to defy her own nature in order to save those she loves and right her wrong. A nice enough “within these pages” story.  There is no new territory covered here, but it is a good paperback option for those kids who like the Land of Stories and Half Upon a Time series. Cindy, Middle School

The Elsewhere Emporium by Ross MacKenzie , 288 pages.  Floris Books, 2018.  $10. Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13 (some murders, not graphic) BUYING ADVISORY:  MS, HS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Members of the Bureau of Magical Investigation are being murdered.  The few remaining members of the team are on the case, but they need help. Daniel and Ellie have been running the Nowhere Emporium for six months now.  For the unveiling of Daniel’s new attractions, wonders, and imaginings, the Emporium sets down in Keswick.  All goes well at the first show, except that one audience member, Edna, can’t be found. Something is terribly wrong within the depths of the Emporium – something Edna very unwillingly brought to fruition.  The fight for the heart of magic and the life of the Emporium depends upon Daniel and the Bureau working together to solve a decades old evil that is only now coming to light. I wanted to love this as much as I did the first, but it was more like

The Hotel Between by Sean Easley , 352 pages. Simon Schuster, 2018. $16.99.  Language: G, Mature Content: G, Violence: G BUYING ADVISORY:  EL, MS – OPTIONAL. AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Walking home from school Cam happens upon a glamorous hotel in an otherwise empty strip mall. The emblem on the door matches the coin given to him by his father before disappearing many years ago. Cam knows there’s a connection between the hotel and his father’s disappearance. When Nico, the bellboy, invites him into the Hotel Between, Cam has no idea what awaits him. The hotel itself is an intricate layout of corridors and doors that enable guests to move between countries instantly. But the hotel is losing its magic and doors are disappearing. Cam wants to help, but he doesn’t know who he can trust. He must go with his gut and take a risk, if there’s any chance of finding his father. The book cover alone will make you want to read this book. It’s gorgeous and the first few chapters will capture your int

Oh My Goth by Gena Showalter , 379 pages.  Harlequin Teen, 2018 (2006).  $10. Language: PG (5 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (mentions without descriptions); Violence: PG (fight, not descriptive) BUYING ADVISORY:  MS, HS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Originally released in 2006. The book has been extensively reworked to be more modern and a bit more believable. When she was five, Jade was injured in the car crash that killed her mother.  Afraid of getting close to anyone, Jade holds the entire world at arms length.  Her mortal enemy at school is the queen bee, Mercedes – who also happens to be the girl who lived with Jade and her dad for a couple of years like family when their parents were seriously dating.  After a scare one night, Jade wakes up and the world has turned upside down – all the pops are goths, with Jade as their queen, while preppy Mercedes lives in fear at school, and in Jade’s home as Jade’s dad and Mercedes mom are married. Can Jade let go of her anger an

Rush by Eve Silver , 361 pages.  Katherine Tegen Books (HarperCollins Publishers), 2013. $17.99 Language: PG13 (49 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG13 BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE After experiencing so much grief from things that she cannot control, Miki now holds a strong grip on everything that she can control—her grades, her diet, her emotions. But she cannot control the future, no matter how much Miki wishes to. On one seemingly regular day, Miki gets pulled into a parallel dimension that she does not understand to play what she is told is a game. It is not a game; it is real. I love that Miki is so relatable and real, despite her impossible circumstances. Miki starts fighting a physical battle after fighting so long in an emotional and mental battle that came as a result of her hardships. We all fight these battles, and I found that I connected with Miki more than I expected, especially with a sci-fi storyline that is so farfetched.

Dreamer by L. E. Delano , 312 pages. Swoon Reads (Macmillan), 2018. $11. Language: R (62); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG-13     BUYING ADVISORY: HS – ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH A sequel to Traveler, this book picks up a few weeks after the last. Jessa is still reeling from the death of Finn and she’s still practicing her traveler abilities by visiting herself in other realities. Until Eversor, her former English teacher and Finn’s murderer, shows up at a museum in New York and tries to harm her friend and maybe something more, Ben. Eversor and her dreamer, Rudy, want to cause a convergence and get rid of all the alternate worlds/lives/timelines. And then Pirate Finn, a Finn from another reality, comes to her house. Pirate Finn’s Jessa was killed in a fire, but this world’s Jessa doesn’t want to be the replacement, especially since she’s still mourning her own Finn. Mario (their dreamer) wants them to work together to stop Eversor and save all of the realities, but that’s easier